MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Donald Norcross (1st District of New Jersey)

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representative Donald Norcross (NJ-01) released a statement on President Trump’s tariffs on all imported goods.

“Tariffs are an important tool in combatting unfair trade practices and, when implemented strategically, protect American workers and businesses.

“President Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on all imported goods threatens American jobs, raises prices for consumers, and undermines our economic relationships with our allies.    

“In South Jersey, companies like Campbells, Kellogg, and Subaru could be negatively impacted by these tariffs, forcing them to raise prices to address new costs and hurting consumers. Although tariffs have a place in our nation’s economic playbook, they only work if they are implemented strategically.” 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (12th District of Michigan)

Dingell Condemns Trump Attack on Federal Workers’ Right to Collective Bargaining

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (12th District of Michigan)

Dingell, Tlaib, Carson Introduce Resolution Recognizing Eid al-Fitr

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Washington, DC – Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a press conference where he emphasized that House Democrats will continue to push back against far-right extremism, including Donald Trump’s reckless tariffs which will increase costs on the American people.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Good morning everyone. From the very beginning of this Congress, House Democrats have continued to make clear that we are fighting hard to build an affordable economy that drives down the high cost of living for everyday Americans because the cost of living in America is too high. Housing costs are too high, grocery costs are too high, childcare costs are too high, utility costs are too high and insurance costs are too high. America is too expensive. Donald Trump and House Republicans aren’t doing anything about the affordability crisis in the United States of America.

We were told that grocery costs were going to go down on day one of the Trump presidency. Costs aren’t going down in America, they’re going up. And the Trump tariffs are going to make things more costly in the United States of America. House Republicans, Senate Republicans and Donald Trump haven’t done a single thing to lower the cost of living in this country. Not a single bill. Not a single executive order. Not a single administrative action has been done by Donald Trump, House Republicans or Senate Republicans to lower the high cost of living in the United States of America. In fact, Republicans are crashing the American economy in real time and driving us to a recession. This is not Liberation Day. It’s Recession Day in the United States of America. That’s what the Trump tariffs are going to do—crash the economy, which has been happening since January 20 of this year. And the American people are taking note of it in community after community after the community.

But it gets worse. Not only have Republicans failed to do anything to drive down the high cost of living in the United States of America, they are trying to take healthcare away from the American people and end Social Security as we know it. Our response to that Republican effort: not on our watch. We’re working hard to save Medicaid and strengthen and protect Social Security from Donald Trump, Elon Musk and the extreme MAGA Republicans who are on the run. They’re on the run on the economy. They’re on the run legislatively. Yesterday, they got out of town before sundown cause they have no agenda to make life better for the American people. And they’re on the run politically, which as Democrats we’ve been saying since January and now apparently other people are starting to catch up.

Full press conference can be watched here. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Washington, DC – Yesterday, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell where he emphasized that Democrats will continue to stand up for everyday Americans and push back against Republican efforts to break Social Security in order to give tax breaks to Elon Musk and their billionaire donors.

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: Joining us now is House Democratic Leader, Hakeem Jeffries. Thank you very much for joining us tonight. There is so much to talk about. Let’s begin as we wait for a victory speech in Wisconsin with what you’re seeing in those special elections in Florida for two House seats?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, good evening, Lawrence. Great to be with you. It was an incredible overperformance by the two Democratic candidates in two ruby-red districts, Florida-1, which Donald Trump won by 37 points and Florida-6, where Joshua Weil ran a great campaign in a district that Donald Trump had just won by 30 points. And what we’re seeing, of course, is something that we’ve seen all across the country since the early special elections that began in late January, and that is Democratic energy and overperformance, coupled with Independent swing voters and even moderate Republicans breaking for the Democratic candidate and rejecting the extremism, the outrageous behavior of this administration and their effort to harm everyday Americans.

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: As you look at the Wisconsin result, this was something I did not expect to be discussing with you during this hour tonight. We expected this to be a closer race. We expected the call to come much later in the evening. We saw Elon Musk personally go out there. We saw him hand million dollar checks to voters trying to literally buy the election right there in Wisconsin. What does it tell Republican Members of the House of Representatives who were counting on Elon Musk to get them re-elected?

LEADER JEFFRIES: It’s time for them to walk away from this unelected, unpopular, unhinged and un-American billionaire puppet master. Elon Musk was just rejected decisively by the voters of Wisconsin. He tried to spend his unlimited resources to buy a state Supreme Court seat in Wisconsin, and it failed spectacularly. The voters rejected Donald Trump. They rejected Elon Musk, and they rejected the rapidly deteriorating Republican brand. We have to continue as Democrats to make it clear to everyday Americans that we are fighting to build an affordable economy and to drive down the high cost of living, while at the same time pushing back against Republican extremism and their efforts to cut Social Security, cut Medicare, cut Medicaid and undermine our democracy and the American way of life. Clearly, the American people are with us as it relates to what they are seeing in Washington, D.C., and we’ve now seen this in special elections in January, in February, in March, just recently in Pennsylvania and now, of course, decisively in April in Wisconsin.

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: I want to ask you about what feels like a related event, especially at this hour, a related event to what voters are saying in these elections tonight. And that is what happened in the United States Senate today. And I worked in the Senate for many years, seven or eight years. And I can say that the Democratic Leader of the House of Representatives, never once set foot in the Senate chamber when I was there. All House Members, of course, as we know, have Floor privileges in the Senate. They can come in whenever they want to. It was extremely rare to see a House Member there. You were there today. Why did you decide to go there today? And what did it feel like to witness what turned out to be the history that Senator Cory Booker made in the Senate chamber today?

LEADER JEFFRIES: It was a very powerful experience. I had the opportunity to visit the Senate chamber twice, initially earlier in the day, just to express my support and solidarity for Cory, who I’ve known a long time, we got started in politics around the same period of time, him in Newark, New Jersey, and myself across the river in Brooklyn, New York. We were in law school around the same time. And I’ve long admired him. But today was really Senator Cory Booker taking it to the next level on behalf of the American people. And indeed, I would argue, Lawrence, the free world. And so it was powerful to be on the Senate Floor with him earlier today. But then when it became clear that he had a chance to break Strom Thurmond’s record, I decided to change my schedule so I could be back on the Senate Floor to witness that history. Because here you have this incredible juxtaposition of Strom Thurmond having previously delivered the longest speech in Senate history in defense of Jim Crow and racial oppression, and Cory Booker, an African American man, defending democracy and the American way of life in the face of Trump’s extremism. Breaking that record was just powerful to witness. And, you know, Senator Booker’s speech was strong. It was substantive. But perhaps what was most touching about it was that it was soulful. It was authentic. It came from his heart. Of course, the brilliance of his mind. But it came from his heart.

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: Yeah. It was the most fully authentic Cory Booker that I’ve ever seen. And I think there’s something about that 25 hours that wears as a person down and he was standing out there with no defenses that you might bring to other sort of public speaking events. And it was really an astonishing thing to watch. One of the things he was concentrating on, and one of the things that he was getting and all the emails that are being sent to him from around the country, was fear of what Elon Musk and Donald Trump are going to do to Social Security, and that is a fear that is as powerful as a voter could have in terms of an attachment to an important public program, the most popular public program in American governing history. I gotta think, even when you get to judicial elections in Wisconsin, if people are afraid of what’s going to happen to Social Security. They’re not going to be voting for the side that’s trying to knock it down.

LEADER JEFFRIES: That’s absolutely correct. And this is an area where there’s a clear distinction between what Democrats are all about and Republicans. We want to protect and strengthen Social Security. It’s an earned benefit. The American people have paid into Social Security throughout their entire working life. And the nerve of these Republicans, led by Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who want to take a chainsaw to Social Security, the most important anti-poverty program for older Americans ever invented, which also happens to be this earned benefit. And why they want to decimate Social Security? Because they want to actually give massive tax cuts to their billionaire donors, people like Elon Musk. And so I thought what Senator Booker did today was incredibly powerful in speaking to this issue. And as you know, Lawrence, in the House, we had a Democratic-led hearing on Social Security, the threats that it is under and our commitment as Democrats to protect it.

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: And you did—I watched some of that hearing. And you did something at that hearing—I know you were present at the hearing—that Republicans would never do. You actually listened to Social Security recipients and people whose lives could not work without their Social Security check. There was a woman who testified. I saw her testifying that her Social Security check is $1,500 a month, $1,500 a month. And without that, she would be homeless and the stakes identified by the actual beneficiaries in that hearing were as clear and as powerful as you could ask for.

LEADER JEFFRIES: That’s absolutely right. It’s one thing to say, and it is in fact true that there are a little over 70 million people who rely on Social Security as a major source of income, half of whom live by themselves here in the United States of America. But when you actually hear from people whose very life will be impacted and short-changed, possibly just cut short, in terms of their ability to live with the dignity and respect that every American deserves is very powerful. Republicans have no interest in these Americans telling their stories, which is why, as House Democrats, we will continue week after week to hold hearings. This is the third in a series of hearings that we’ve held. Initially it was on Medicaid. Last week we had a hearing on nutritional assistance and the fact that Republicans are literally trying to rip food out of the mouths of babies and children in this country. Today, Social Security and we’re going to continue to stay on this case.

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: I mean, on the subject of Social Security. I would have to think that it was a factor in the results we’re seeing in those congressional races, those House races in Florida tonight.

LEADER JEFFRIES: There’s no doubt about it. You know, Elon Musk was also very involved in these Florida races. And notwithstanding the fact that these are safe Republican districts, the results that we have seen can be interpreted, we believe, as a rejection of him and his extremism as well. This is somebody who has said he wants to take a chainsaw to Social Security, and he’s called Social Security a Ponzi scheme. It’s not a Ponzi scheme, Elon. He’s a living, breathing Ponzi scheme. Project 2025 is a Ponzi scheme. And that’s what the voters clearly believe increasingly all across the country. One point, Lawrence, that should have my Republican colleagues quaking in their boots—in the Florida-6 race, which was a Trump plus 30 district where margin was cut in half and we’ll see where it ultimately lands. But we know at minimum, it was cut in half to around 15 or 16 points. There are 60 Republicans in the House of Representatives who currently represent districts where Trump did worse than 15 or 16 points, and every single one of those districts, there’s now a target on the backs of those House Republicans.

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, thank you very much for joining us on this important night, I really appreciate it.

Full interview can be watched here. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Washington, DC – Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a press availability with Senate Democratic Leader Schumer and House and Senate Democratic leaders where they made clear that Democrats are united in pushing back against the reckless Republican tax scheme.

Leader Jeffries: We just completed a very good meeting between House Democratic leadership and Senate Democratic leadership. We are standing together in defense of the American people. House Democrats and Senate Democrats are fighting hard to build an affordable economy that works for everyday Americans and drives down the high cost of living in this country. At the same period of time, Donald Trump and House Republicans promised to lower the high cost of living. But costs aren’t going down, they are going up. Inflation is going up under the Republicans here in the Congress and the Trump administration, while at the same time the stock market is collapsing, eroding the retirement security of the American people.

Democrats are focused on driving down the high cost of living. Republicans are crashing the economy in real time and driving us toward a recession. House and Senate Democrats are united in defending Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans benefits and nutritional assistance for our children and our families, while Republicans are trying to take these things away, stealing taxpayer dollars so they can jam a massive tax break for Elon Musk and their billionaire donors down the throats of the American people. We are standing together in opposition to the GOP tax scam and in defense of the American people.

Full press availability can be found here. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Know Your Immigration Rights

If you or a loved one encounter immigration enforcement officials, it is essential that you know your rights and have prepared your household for all possible outcomes.

Ask for a warrant: The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution protects you from unreasonable search and seizure. You do not have to open your door until you see a valid warrant to enter your home or search your belongings.

Your right to remain silent: The Fifth Amendment protects your right to remain silent and not incriminate yourself. You are not required to share any personal information such as your place of birth, immigration status or criminal history.

Always consult an attorney: You have a right to speak with an attorney. You do not have to sign anything or hand officials any documents without speaking to an attorney. Try to identify and consult one in advance.

The New York City Office of Civil Justice and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) support a variety of free immigration legal services through local nonprofit legal organizations. To access these resources, dial 311 and say “Action NYC,” call the MOIA Immigration Legal Support Hotline at 800-354-0365 Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or visit MOIA’s website.

Learn more here: KNOW YOUR IMMIGRATION RIGHTS  – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Boston, MA – Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries released the following statement:

Donald Trump and House Republicans promised to stand up for working class Americans. They lied. Instead of lowering the high cost of living, Republicans are attacking everyday Americans and crashing the economy in real time. 

The freedom to negotiate, join a union and collectively bargain for a living wage is a central part of achieving the American dream for many in this country. We will defend at all times the right to organize. 

The late-night decision by Donald Trump to gut workers rights and union-bust makes clear that Republicans are hell bent on undermining the quality of life of working class Americans. As a direct result of the Republican assault on the federal workforce, tax refunds, veterans benefits and Social Security checks will be delayed or wrongfully halted. 

Republicans are driven by their intense desire to reward Elon Musk and their billionaire donors with a massive tax cut and then stick working class Americans with the bill. House Democrats will continue to stand with everyday Americans, including our hardworking government employees, and oppose the far-right extreme agenda in Congress and in the Courts.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Sam Graves (6th District of Missouri)

WASHINGTON, DC – The Center for Effective Lawmaking (CEL) at the University of Virginia announced yesterday the release of their Legislative Effectiveness Scores for the 118^th Congress (2023-2024). The group announced that Congressman Sam Graves (MO-06) topped their list this year with a Legislative Effectiveness Score seven times higher than the average member of the House. 

“Our analysis found that Representative Graves ranked as the most effective Republican House Member in the last Congress. In addition, he ranked as one of the most effective Representatives in terms of having their sponsored standalone bills substantially incorporated into the laws of other members of Congress. We congratulate the Representative for his hard work and setting an example for promoting the importance of effective lawmaking,” according to the Center for Effective Lawmaking.

Legislative Effectiveness Scores are based on “the bills that each member of Congress sponsors, how far they move through the lawmaking process, and how substantial their policy proposals are.” Graves sponsored 17 bills in the last Congress, 8 of which passed the House, and 4 of which became law as stand-alone measures.

“I have always strived to get things done for Missouri in Congress. You can accomplish a lot by working hard to push legislation forward. That’s why it is an absolute honor to be recognized as the most effective lawmaker of the 118th Congress by the Center for Effective Lawmaking,” said Rep. Graves. “It’s an honor to work for the people of North Missouri and I look forward to getting more accomplished this year!” 

Major bills from the 118^th Congress sponsored by Graves and signed into law, whether as stand-alone measures or as part of other bills, included the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, the Water Resources Development Act of 2024, the E-BRIDGE Act, and the Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2023. 

Graves serves as Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and also sits on the House Armed Services Committee. 

You can learn more about the Legislative Effectiveness Scores here.

 

 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Sam Graves (6th District of Missouri)

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Sam Graves (MO-06) and Rep. Tracey Mann (KS-01) have introduced legislation to help provide stable energy rates and a reliable energy grid to states in the Southwestern Power Administration (SWPA), including Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

“Missouri’s rural electric cooperatives and municipal utilities have worked with the Southwestern Power Administration (SWPA) to provide affordable and reliable electricity to Missouri families for over 80 years,” said Rep. Graves. “But the way SWPA is set up, droughts and other disruptions can cause rate spikes that are passed on to co-ops and municipalities that have no choice but to increase electric rates on Missouri families. This common sense legislation creates a revolving fund to fix that problem—giving SWPA the stable funding necessary to avoid costly rate spikes, and lower customer rates.”

“For more than eight decades, the Southwestern Power Administration has allowed rural electric cooperatives and municipal utilities to provide reliable, affordable energy to Kansans,” said Rep. Mann. “Under the current funding structure, SWPA has not had the flexibility to make necessary investments into their infrastructure. As a result, when natural disasters and bad weather limit the Administration’s ability to produce power, replacement power has to be purchased, and that cost is absorbed by everyday Kansans. Establishing a revolving fund for SWPA ensures that they can continue to invest in their infrastructure while providing safe, reliable, and affordable energy to Kansas families and rural communities like those in the Big First.”

The SWPA, part of the Department of Energy, markets power produced by federal hydropower projects, including Clarence Cannon Dam and Harry S. Truman Dam, to electric cooperatives and municipal utilities in Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. The Southwestern Power Administration Fund Establishment Act would give the SWPA the authority to operate on a self-funding, revolving Treasury fund to help provide long-term stability to SWPA. This would provide the certainty and stable funding SWPA needs to avoid drastic and unnecessary spikes in power rates charged to electric cooperatives and municipal utilities in an extreme or multi-year regional drought. 

The Southwestern Power Administration Fund Establishment Act is supported by the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives, Missouri Public Utilities Association, Southwestern Power Resources Association, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and American Public Power Association.

“Missouri’s rural electric cooperatives thank Congressman Graves for leading this effort to provide more reliable and affordable electricity for Missouri families. When no one else would, Missouri’s electric cooperatives answered the call to provide power to every farm and every home in every corner of this state. Now, this bill ensures we can keep providing affordable, reliable electric service to Missouri families for decades to come.” – Caleb Jones, CEO/Executive Vice President of the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives

“MPUA commends Congressman Graves for championing this forward-thinking legislation, which preserves Missouri’s legacy of affordable, renewable energy, while strengthening its future. The Southwestern Power Administration Fund Establishment Act is a foundational step in modernizing federal hydropower and ensuring its long-term reliability. This bill will help secure cost-based power for generations to come. We look forward to collaborating with Congressman Graves to advance this important legislation. – Steven Stodden, President & CEO, Missouri Public Utilities Association

“Federal hydropower is a vital, reliable renewable energy source for the state of Missouri and throughout the region.  We are grateful for Congressman Graves’ support for this legislation that will help cut unnecessary red tape and keep energy prices affordable for the members we serve.” – Brian Ackermann, SPRA Board President and Vice President of Portfolio Management at Associated Electric Cooperative

“Federal hydropower is a reliably renewable generation resource. This legislation recognizes the value of protecting that resource throughout the six-state region, making sure that these important assets are maintained. This legislation would go a long way toward ensuring grid reliability and affordably throughout the region for millions of homes, farms and small businesses. I thank Congressman Graves for introducing this important bill that represents good business sense.” – Nicki Fuller, Executive Director, Southwestern Power Resources Association 

“NRECA supports the Southwestern Power Administration Fund Establishment Act. The self-financed revolving loan fund authorized by this bill would allow the Southwestern Power Administration to better manage infrastructure needs while being more responsive to market conditions and electric demands created by extreme weather events.” – National Rural Electric Cooperative Association

“The American Public Power Association applauds the introduction of the Southwestern Power Fund Establishment Act. Since 1943, not-for-profit public power utilities and rural electric cooperatives have successfully partnered with the Southwestern Power Administration (SWPA) to bring reliable hydropower produced at Army Corps dams to millions of customers in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. While SWPA customers pay all costs of generating and transmitting the electricity in their power rates, a complicated funding process has increasingly failed to provide the financial certainty necessary to steady power rates to customers during drought and extreme weather events. The Southwestern Power Fund Establishment Act would streamline this process in a manner that would help avoid rate spikes and economic hardship for communities served by public power utilities and rural electric cooperatives while continuing to ensure that SWPA customers pay all costs associated with generating and transmitting hydropower produced at Corps dams. It is a win-win for the federal government and communities served by not-for-profit electric utilities.” – American Public Power Association

You can find the full text of the legislation here.

 

 

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