{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "is_view": false, "human_description_en": "where year = 2020 sorted by date descending", "rows": [["http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=409099", "Would create ambassador position to combat anti-SemitismSmith anti-Semitism bill headed to Presidents desk", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "Senate", "NJ", "Christopher Smith", "S000522", "chrissmith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Today, at the very last legislative session of the 116th Congress, the House of Representatives passed legislation authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) that would elevate the State Department's Anti-Semitism Special Envoy positionfirst created by Smith's legislative provisions in 2004to an Ambassadorship, giving more clout to address the alarming rise in anti-Semitism worldwide. As the Senate has already approved the amended legislation, the bill now heads to President Trump's desk to be signed into law. We've seen a rapid rise in anti-Semitic acts and rhetoric in many countries over the past decade: Jews harassed, assaulted and even murdered; synagogues attacked; graves and cemeteries desecrated; anti-Semitic slurs; and targeting the State of Israel with what my friend, the great Soviet refusenik and religious prisoner Natan Sharansky, calls the three Ds' demonization, double-standard, and de-legitimization, said Smith. My new law will raise the Special Envoy to the rank of Ambassador, and enable him or her to report directly to the Secretary of State, Smith said. That will give the Special Envoy more seniority and diplomatic accessboth inside the U.S. Government and when engaging foreign governmentsthat is needed do the job effectively. Especially with the rise of on-line anti-Semitism, we see that hate abroad easily crosses borders and impacts our communities here at home.Now more than ever we need to integrate our efforts both in the United States and abroad to stop the hate and keep our communities safe, said Smith, a founding member of both the House Anti-Semitism Caucus and the Inter-Parliamentary Task Force to Combat Online Antisemitism, which is comprised of legislative-branch members from Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Smith's bill, the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act (H.R. 221) will ensure that the U.S. leadership position in fighting anti-Semitism worldwidethe Special Envoy at the State Departmentwould not only be promptly filled, but would be strengthened. The position, as well as the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, was created and required by Smith's original provisionsof theGlobal Anti-Semitism Review Act of 2004. Smith's new bill would also mandate the timely nomination of a Special Envoy.\r\n Under the bill the Special Envoy position:\r\n Would be elevated to the rank of Ambassador at the State Department and report directly to the Secretary of State;\r\n Would be the primary advisor to the U.S. government in monitoring and combating anti-Semitism;\r\n Would not be saddled with duties irrelevant to combating anti-Semitism, or double-hatted;\r\n Must be filled (if vacant) by requiring the President to nominate a Special Envoy within 90 days of the bill becoming law and not later than 120 days after the position becomes vacant.\r\n I would like to thank my House colleagues, especially Congressman Brad Schneider (D-IL), for working with leadership in both parties to pass this bill. I also would like to thank Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jackie Rosen (D-NV) and Kristen Gillibrand (D-FL), along with their staffs, for their hard work in securing passage on the Senate side.I would also like to acknowledge and thank Special Envoy Elan Carr for his tremendous contribution in fighting anti-Semitism.And finally, I want to thank the many wonderful Jewish groups who fought hard for this legislation.\r\n The House voted overwhelmingly to pass Smith's H.R. 221 in 2019. In the previous 115th Congress, Smith introduced identical legislation, H.R. 1911, which passed the House in 2018, but stalled in the Senate. Smith's bill is endorsed by numerous organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, B'nai B'rith International, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the American Jewish Committee, Hadassah, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, and the Jewish Federations of North America.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://morgangriffith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=402403", "Congressman Griffiths Weekly E-Newsletter 12.31.20", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "Senate", "VA", "Morgan Griffith", "G000568", "morgangriffith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The year 2020 was a difficult one, but as the year draws to a close, I want to highlight something about the year that went right.\r\nOperation Warp Speed accomplished what had been considered nearly impossible: the development, manufacture, and distribution of a safe and effective vaccine to combat COVID-19.\r\nPresident Trump announced Operation Warp Speed in May. His Administration recognized that meeting the challenge posed by the coronavirus pandemic would require the investment of Federal Government resources, partnership between the public, private, and scientific sectors, and cutting red tape that would impede delivery of a safe and effective vaccine.\r\nThis effort was supported by almost $10 billion in funding included in the CARES Act passed by Congress with my support.\r\nThe project focused on six vaccine candidates. Seven months after Operation Warp Speed was launched and less than one year after COVID-19 began spreading widely around the globe, two vaccine candidates were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use.\r\nOn December 11, the FDA approved for emergency use the first vaccine created by Pfizer. After clinical trials including over 43,000 participants, the vaccine was found to be 95 percent effective.\r\nA vaccine developed by Moderna was subsequently approved for emergency use on December 18. Thirty thousand people participated in its clinical trials, and its efficacy rate is 94.5 percent.\r\nThese vaccines are the fastest ever produced for a novel pathogen. In fact, the average development timeline for a vaccine is eight to twelve years. Operation Warp Speed reduced the time needed by maximizing the number of participants in Phase 3 trials and manufacturing vaccine doses while waiting for the FDA's emergency use authorization order.\r\nWhile bureaucratic hurdles were lowered, the vaccine development process did not skimp on safety.\r\nAs a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over health matters, I was briefed repeatedly throughout the process or involved in hearings featuring public health officials at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, and the FDA, as well as the vaccine manufacturers. I am confident that they maintained high safety standards as they pursued a vaccine.\r\nWhile the vaccines were under development, the Trump Administration planned ahead for their delivery and administration to Americans. It purchased millions of doses of the prospective vaccines and made agreements with pharmacies that would be able to vaccinate people.\r\nWhile enough vaccine doses will be manufactured to cover most of the population, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended the priorities for vaccination while supplies remain limited. It suggested health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities be first in line, followed by older adults and frontline essential workers, all groups with a higher susceptibility to the coronavirus than other parts of the population.\r\nThe vaccines are broadly safe, but caution is appropriate for people with allergic reactions and certain other conditions. The CDC recommends that you talk to your doctor if you have had a severe allergic reaction to other vaccines or injectable therapies to determine if a COVID vaccine is a safe decision for you. Further, if you have had a severe allergic reaction to any ingredient in a COVID vaccine, the CDC recommends not getting that vaccine.\r\nI also believe that vaccinations should not be mandatory. This would be true particularly for people who object to taking it due to their religious principles or as a matter of conscience. I also reject the idea of individuals being required to carry around a vaccination certificate, which is too close to the identification papers of highly restricted societies for my comfort.\r\nOperation Warp Speed is just one component of the Federal Government's efforts to combat the coronavirus. Other therapeutics and treatments have also been developed at a rapid pace and are also being deployed as the pandemic still inflicts widespread sickness.\r\nThe United States has long excelled at scientific innovation, but even among our country's long list of achievements, from the light bulb to the first manned landing on the Moon, Operation Warp Speed stands out for its scale, speed, safety, and ultimately lives saved. Amid all the bad news of 2020, this accomplishment is one worth praising.\r\nIf you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website atwww.morgangriffith.house.gov. Also on my website is the latest material from my office, including information on votes recently taken on the floor of the House of Representatives.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.casey.senate.gov/newsroom/releases/in-2020-casey-produces-results-for-pa-constituents", "In 2020, Casey Produces Results for PA Constituents", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "PA", "Bob Casey", "C001070", "www.casey.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) is finishing 2020 having delivered results for Pennsylvania families.\r\nBelow is a list of Senator Casey's 2020 work on behalf of Pennsylvania constituents.\r\nSecuring COVID-19 Relief for America's Families Securing $100 Million for Nursing Home Oversight: As part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act (Public Law 116-136), provisions from Senator Casey's Coronavirus Relief for Seniors and People with Disabilities Act (S. 3544) led to the passage of $100 million to promote infection control in nursing homes during the pandemic through enhanced surveys and inspections. Shedding Light on the Nursing Home Crisis: Senator Casey authored multiple investigative reports, alongside U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Gary Peters (D-MI), documenting the Trump Administration's repeated failures to contain the spread of COVID in nursing homes. Following the Senators' oversight, the Trump Administration implemented federal data collection requirements and the public release of information on COVID cases, deaths and supply shortages in nursing homes.\r\n Securing $1 Billion to Keep Seniors Safe at Home: Senator Casey led efforts to obtain vital funding to support seniors sheltering in place during the pandemic. Stemming from S. 3544, the Senator secured roughly $1 billion for essential services, including home-delivered meals and caregiver respite, across two relief packages passed by Congress the CARES Act and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260). To date, Pennsylvania has received $47 million of these relief funds.\r\n Delivering Food Boxes to Seniors in Need: Also stemming from his bill, S. 3544, Senator Casey obtained $13 million in additional funding to support food delivery to low-income seniors during the COVID pandemic through the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, also known as the senior food box program. His advocacy also helped to secure an additional $80 million in funding for the program in FY2021. This money will allow states to serve more low-income seniors with shelf-stable food boxes. Both the COVID-19 and FY2021 funding was secured as part of Congress's year-end agreement (P.L. 116-260).\r\nStanding Up for Seniors Passing the Improving Low-Income Access to Prescription Drugs Act: Senator Casey's bipartisan Improving Low-Income Access to Prescription Drugs Act (S. 1999) was passed into law as part of Congress's year-end deal (P.L. 116-260). This important legislation makes permanent a federal program to ensure low-income seniors and people with disabilities retain affordable access to their prescription medications as they transition to Medicare. Passing the Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act: Senator Casey co-led the bipartisan reauthorization of hallmark legislation, now Public Law 116-131, to deliver essential services and supports to America's seniors. This 5-year reauthorization provides respite services to grandfamilies, advances innovation and evaluation within the Act, prioritizes funding to bring kids and seniors together, requires data collection on LGBT seniors and ensures younger adults with Alzheimer's disease are eligible for services. Passing a Law to Close Harmful Coverage Gaps in Medicare: Key provisions from Senator Casey's bipartisan Beneficiary Enrollment Notification and Eligibility Simplification Act (BENES) Act (S. 1280) were passed into law as part of Congress's year-end agreement (P.L. 116-260). These policies will ensure people new to Medicare have more immediate access to health insurance, closing coverage gaps that led seniors and people with disabilities to go without essential care. Securing Continued Support for Grandfamilies: The Advisory Council to Support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, created by Senator Casey's bipartisan bill signed into law in 2018, will continue to meet in 2021 as a result of funding the Senator obtained through the appropriations process (P.L. 116-260). The Council is tasked with developing a one-stop shop of resources to help grandparents raising grandchildren navigate programs and benefits. Allowing Families to Access Long-Term Care at Home: Through his Protecting Married Seniors from Impoverishment Act (S. 2000), Senator Casey continues to stand up for financial protections to prevent spouses whose partners need home and community-based services under Medicaid from falling into abject poverty. Congress's year-end agreement (P.L. 116-260) includes a 3-year extension of these vital protections. Advancing Best Practices to Stop Senior Scams: Senator Casey's bipartisan Stop Senior Scams Act (S. 149) passed the U.S. Senate. The Senator's bill would establish a federal advisory council charged with bringing together relevant government officials, industry representatives, advocates and consumer representatives to collect and develop model educational materials for retailers, financial institutions and wire transfer companies to use in stopping scams on seniors. Combatting Age Discrimination in the Workplace: Senator Casey's bipartisan Protecting Older Workers from Age Discrimination Act (S. 485) passed the U.S. House of Representatives. The Senator's bill would restore standards undone by a 2009 Supreme Court decision that made it more difficult for older workers to successfully seek restitution in court for age discrimination they experienced.\r\nLeading Efforts for Individuals with Disabilities Fighting for Continued Access to Disability Benefits and Supports: Senator Casey led efforts, along with 40 Senators, to call for the withdrawal of a proposed rule that would make it more difficult for people with Social Security disability benefits to retain needed support. The Senator also led an initiative to encourage the public to tell the Social Security Administration directly how the proposal would harm them, resulting in more than 125,000 comments submitted on the rule.\r\n Promoting Care Continuity from Home to the Hospital: The CARES Act (P.L. 116-136) included a provision that Senator Casey fought for to ensure direct service providers could enter and provide services and supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who were admitted to hospitals and rehabilitation settings because of COVID or other health-related concerns. Making it possible for those providers who care for people in their homes while they are in the hospital allows for continuity of care, better communication among hospital and community caregivers and makes the transition back to their homes safer and healthier.\r\n Preventing COVID Infections Among People with Disabilities: Senator Casey advocated that the CARES Act (P.L. 116-136) include funding increases for Centers for Independent Living to provide COVID prevention services during the pandemic. Pennsylvania received $2.75 million to be distributed among its eleven federal Centers for Independent Living. The funds make it possible to provide people with disabilities with personal protective equipment (PPE) in their own homes, to transition from congregate care settings to home settings, to translate COVID information into other languages and many more preventive actions to reduce the risk of infection for people with disabilities.\r\nFighting for Rural Communities and Expanding Broadband Access\r\n Supporting Rural Innovation: Senator Casey secured increased funding for the Small Business Administration's Regional Innovation Clusters (RIC) program in the FY 2021 appropriations bill (P.L. 116-260). The RIC program provides an increased focus on outreach to rural areas in leveraging a region's unique competitive strengths and geographically-concentrated, interconnected network of complementary businesses, suppliers and associated organizations that engage in a particular industry sector. These types of programs are essential to Pennsylvania businesses to fight the economic effects of COVID-19.\r\n Don't Break Up the T-Band: Senator Casey led efforts with U.S. Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and other colleagues to enact the Don't Break Up the T-Band Act into law (P.L. 116-260). The Don't Break Up the T-Band Act will ensure that our brave first responders throughout Pennsylvania and the rest of the country have access to the tools they need to effectively communicate with other first responders when responding to public safety emergencies.\r\n Hyndman Cellular Tower: In October, Senator Casey announced the completion of a project to provide cellular service in Bedford County via Hyndman Cellular Tower, ensuring that thousands of Bedford County residents have reliable service. After train derailments and feedback from local and state first responders highlighted the urgent need for better emergency response telecommunications, Senator Casey advocated for more than two years for AT&T to prioritize rural areas like Hyndman for First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) tower sites.\r\nFighting for Jobs and a Secure Retirement\r\n Standing up for Federal Workers: Senator Casey led a letter opposing proposed changes to the Department of Defense's procurement policy in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would have undermined the role depots and shipyards play in the readiness and maintenance of our armed forces. This effort led to stringent oversight requirements over decisions that lead to undermining depot and shipyard workforces.\r\n Fighting for Pay Equity for Army Depot Workers: A version of Senator Casey's Locality Pay Equity Act (S. 3015) was included in the FY 2021 NDAA passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. This legislation would put an end to locality pay adjustment disparities between salaried and hourly workers at federal facilities, including Tobyhanna and Letterkenny Army Depots in Pennsylvania.\r\n Strengthening Unemployment Benefits: Senator Casey pushed for the expansion and strengthening of unemployment benefits for workers affected by COVID as was done in the CARES Act that passed into law in March (P.L. 116-136). Senator Casey also strongly pushed for the extension of vital unemployment benefit programs that were slated to expire at the end of this year, which was achieved in the end-of-year relief package (P.L. 116-260).\r\nFighting to Combat Hunger and Support our Farmers\r\n Leading Efforts to Expand Access to Food for the Most Vulnerable: As the pandemic increased food insecurity for households who lost access to paychecks, Senator Casey worked to build the capacity of the food assistance system to assist families in Pennsylvania and across the country. He led letters to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and grocery retailers urging innovative solutions to expand access to home delivery and curbside pickup for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants, especially for seniors and immunocompromised individuals. He introduced the Increasing Access to SNAP Delivery During COVID-19 Act to support retailers in expanding their SNAP delivery offerings during the pandemic. Senator Casey also advocated for and supported Pennsylvania's participation in the SNAP Online Purchasing Program and will continue working for additional access to delivery services.\r\n Advocating for the Expansion of Hunger Assistance Programs: Senator Casey fought to protect critical nutrition assistance programs for our most vulnerable citizens. From the beginning of the COVID pandemic, he advocated for the expansion of SNAP benefits to respond to the food insecurity crisis. He led a Pennsylvania delegation letter urging the inclusion of a 15 percent increase in SNAP benefits levels. A six-month increase in these benefits was ultimately included in the most recent COVID relief package (P.L. 116-260). Senator Casey also advocated for critical nutrition waivers for Pennsylvania to access food assistance and necessary flexibilities throughout the pandemic. In addition to COVID-related food security needs, he also led appropriations efforts to support the Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI), a program modeled after Pennsylvania's Fresh Food Financing Initiative.\r\n Supporting our Farmers and Food Production System: Senator Casey worked tirelessly to support our farmers, who play a critical role in feeding families throughout Pennsylvania and the Nation. He introduced and co-sponsored legislation to support farmers who faced significant market losses and supply chain disruptions. He introduced the Farmers Feeding Families Act, building on his work to establish Farm to Food Bank projects in the 2018 Farm Bill. He was also an original cosponsor of the Food Supply Protection Act to help strengthen the food supply chain, protect workers, reduce food waste and support farmers and families in need. Additionally, Senator Casey led a Pennsylvania delegation letter to the Small Businesses Administration to ensure that loans and programs are available and work for farmers and agricultural businesses.\r\nProtecting the Environment\r\n Securing Funding for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed: Senator Casey joined the Chesapeake Bay delegation in working to secure increased funding for the Chesapeake Bay Program in the FY 2021 spending agreement (P.L. 116-260). Senator Casey also introduced the bipartisan Farmer Driven Conservation Outcomes Act, which would direct USDA to establish a process through which it could measure, evaluate and report on conservation program outcomes, including water quality improvements. He continues to build on wins from the 2018 Farm Bill for water quality by ensuring that programs are implemented to benefit the Bay. He led a bipartisan letter to USDA regarding implementation of key provisions in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to improve water quality.\r\n Addressing the Climate Crisis: Senator Casey worked to address the climate crisis through efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect the health of our communities, create good paying jobs and address environmental injustices. He was an original cosponsor of the Clean Economy Act of 2020, which would empower the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to design and implement a national plan to rapidly reduce the country's greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 or sooner. He continued to stand up against the Trump Administration's efforts to roll back bedrock environmental laws. Additionally, Senator Casey is working to ensure that farmers can be part of the solution to address the climate crisis by introducing legislation to measure, evaluate and report on the outcomes associated with farm bill conservation programs, including carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions reductions.\r\n PFAS Contamination: Senator Casey continued to stand up for communities impacted by PFAS contamination. He fought for inclusion of key PFAS provisions in the NDAA and advocated for funding to expand PFAS monitoring, standards development and cleanup capabilities. Senator Casey also continued to engage in efforts to implement a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study on the effects of PFAS on long-term health. He led efforts to secure this funding and Pennsylvania's Bucks and Montgomery Counties were included in the multi-year site study.\r\n Preserving Public Lands in Pennsylvania: Senator Casey introduced legislation to extend authorization of Pennsylvania's National Heritage Areas (NHAs). The Pennsylvania National Heritage Area Act would extend authorization of the Pennsylvania NHAs set to expire between FY 2021 and FY 2022. Additionally, this legislation would eliminate incongruent funding restrictions and streamline appropriations levels for NHAs. Senator Casey will continue to work to ensure these extensions are secured and to protect our natural and cultural resources while strengthening communities and stimulating local economies.\r\nFighting for Miners' Benefits\r\n Leading Efforts to Protect Retired Miners: Senator Casey successfully advocated for language in the year-end agreement (P.L. 116-260) to protect the health care benefits of all retired miners in the event of future bankruptcies, no matter when the bankruptcies occur. Previous efforts to protect coal miner health care specified the year of a company's bankruptcy; The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) anticipate the remaining coal companies with retiree health care obligations will declare bankruptcy within the next 6-12 months. This language will ensure coal miners' health care is fully covered if a coal company goes bankrupt and also ensures Congress does not have to act each time a company is relieved of its obligations to pay for retiree health care by a bankruptcy court. According to UMWA, the majority of retirees and widows covered by this provision are over 80 years old.\r\nStanding Up For Veterans\r\n Veterans Affairs and Veteran Health: Senator Casey and U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), working with House colleague U.S. Representative Elaine Luria (D-VA-2), successfully introduced and passed the Department of Veterans Affairs Website Accessibility Act (P.L. 116-213). This law directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to report to Congress regarding the accessibility of VA websites (including attached files and web-based applications) to individuals with disabilities. Senator Casey continues to advocate for robust funding for veterans health, supporting efforts to secure PPE, vaccines, mental health support and additional resources to VA workers and patients in response to the COVID pandemic.\r\n Passage of the Rosie the Riveter Congressional Gold Medal Act: The bipartisan Rosie the Riveter Congressional Gold Medal Act honors American women who joined the workforce in support of the war effort during World War II by awarding them a Congressional Gold Medal. These Rosie the Riveters answered the Nation's call to action and learned new skills, many building the vehicles, weaponry and ammunitions that were critical to the war effort. Senator Casey led the effort along with U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and U.S. Representatives Jackie Speier (D-CA-14) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-1). 76 senators co-sponsored the Senate bill, including every female senator, and it has now been enacted into Public Law 116-195.\r\nKeeping Communities Safe and Our Judiciary Working\r\n Law Enforcement Reform: In response to a national reckoning regarding the systemic violence and injustice impacting communities of color across the Nation, Senator Casey helped to advance a critical conversation focused on transformative change within law enforcement. Senator Casey joined thirty-four of his colleagues, led by U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Kamala Harris (D-CA), to introduce the Justice in Policing Act of 2020. The bill would put in place the most significant police reforms in our Nation's history by focusing on officer accountability, data transparency and enhancing police practices and training.\r\nHe also led the Law Enforcement Education and Accountability for People with Disabilities (LEAD) Initiative to help counter the high rate of violent interactions between police and people with disabilities. The LEAD Initiative is comprised of two bills the Safe Interactions Act and the Human-services Emergency Logistic Program (HELP) Act. Combined, these bills would: (1) divert non-criminal, non-fire and non-medical emergency calls from the 9-1-1 system to the 2-1-1 system; and (2) provide grants to enable non-profit disability organizations to develop training programs in partnership with police academies and agencies to support safe interactions between law enforcement officers and people with disabilities.\r\n Fighting for Prison Safety During COVID: Senator Casey has repeatedly pressed the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Bureau of Prisons (BOP) for answers and reforms in response to the COVID pandemic. Senator Casey wrote multiple letters in March and April to DOJ and BOP leadership raising significant concerns about BOP's inmate transfer policies, supply of PPE and other general concerns related to the BOP's preparation for COVID. After raising these concerns and calling on the DOJ to require mandatory testing before transferring any incarcerated individual, BOP announced in May that it had decreased internal movement by 90 percent and committed to testing all incarcerated individuals prior to leaving a local detention facility.\r\n Criminal Justice Reform: Senator Casey introduced the bipartisan Clean Slate Act of 2020 with U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), which would automatically seal the federal records of individuals convicted or arrested for simple drug possession, and establish a process for individuals to petition to seal records for other nonviolent offenses. This landmark piece of legislation would give tens of millions of Americans a second chance to fully participate in society by removing major barriers for finding employment, securing housing and accessing education. The Clean Slate Act is modeled after Pennsylvania's own Clean Slate Act, which was the first Clean Slate law in the Nation after it was enacted into law with tremendous bipartisan support in 2018.\r\n Federal Judges: Senator Casey worked with U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) to confirm two more Federal judges to the District Courts in PA. Since 2011, Senators Casey and Toomey have worked together, in a bipartisan fashion, to fill vacancies on the federal bench in Pennsylvania. Together they have now vetted, recommended and confirmed 27 Federal District Court Judges for Pennsylvania. Only two states - New York and Texas - have had more district court judges confirmed to their federal benches during this time.\r\n Combat Online Predators: Senator Casey led efforts with Senator Toomey to enact the Combat Online Predators Act into law in December 2020 (P.L. 116-249). This bipartisan law was drafted in response to the traumatic experiences of a Pennsylvania family and will give judges additional tools to ensure that perpetrators who stalk or cyberstalk children are held accountable with serious penalties.\r\nFighting for Consumer Health\r\n Leading Senate Efforts to Modernize FDA Regulation of Over-the-Counter Drugs: Senator Casey, along with retired U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA), led a multi-year effort to overhaul and modernize the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) regulatory authority for over-the-counter (OTC) monograph drugs. These products, including drugs like painkillers, allergy medicines and sunscreens, are used by millions of Americans and are subject to certain requirements known as monographs. The OTC system was outdated, making it hard for FDA to take action to protect public health and hard for companies to innovate. With the passage of the Over-the-Counter Monograph Safety, Innovation, and Reform Act (P.L. 116-136), the FDA has new tools and resources at its disposal, and consumers will benefit from increased regulatory oversight and new innovation.\r\nFighting for Children\r\n Leading Efforts to Increase Federal and State Efforts to Investigate and Collect Information When an Infant or Young Child Die: Senator Casey's bipartisan legislation, named after Pittsburgh child Scarlett Pauley, will help combat Sudden Unexpected Infant Death and Sudden Unexpected Death in Childhood by providing grants to help states, municipalities and nonprofits improve data collection and death scene investigations related to unexpected infant and child deaths. The bill will also help promote safe sleep practices for children and support local efforts to conduct infant and child death reviews. This legislation was signed into law by the President as Public Law 116-273 on December 31, 2020.\r\n Leading Efforts to Extend the Creating Hope Act: Senator Casey led a bipartisan effort to reauthorize the Creating Hope Act, which authorized the FDA's pediatric priority review voucher program. This important program encourages the development of new drugs to treat rare pediatric diseases, and was first authorized in 2012 following Senator Casey's efforts. The Creating Hope Reauthorization Act was included as a provision in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (P.L. 116-260) and extends the program for an additional four years.\r\n Leading Efforts to Reauthorize Critical Program for Emergency Medical Care for Children: Senator Casey led a bipartisan, bicameral coalition to reauthorize the Emergency Medical Services for Children (P.L. 116-49), a federal program that works to improve the quality of emergency care provided to children and ensure that hospitals and emergency workers providing emergency care to children are properly equipped.\r\nFighting for Health Care\r\n Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) Program: Senator Casey, the Senate champion of the Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) and author of several laws to extend and improve the program, secured additional funding for the program through the appropriations process. Funding for the program was increased by $10 million from $340 to $350 million for FY2021 (P.L. 116-159).\r\nFighting the Administration's Immigration Cruelty\r\n Care of Immigrant Children in U.S. Custody: At Senator Casey's request, the Government Accountability Office opened an investigation into the conditions and care of migrants, including children, in Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) custody. The report revealed that CBP illegally used funds designated for medical care and food for children in detention on dirt bikes, dog food and leashes, boats and other unrelated items. The report also shined a light on significant gaps in care for children in custody and CBP's failure to follow its own health and safety guidelines.\r\nHelping Children Learn More Now to Earn More Later\r\n Early Care and Education COVID Relief: Senator Casey has fought to provide assistance to childcare providers facing financial hardship and families struggling to find care due to COVID. In March, aspects of Senator Casey's Supporting Child Care Providers and Families Affected by Coronavirus Act (S. 3562) was included in the CARES Act (P.L. 116-136), helping to secure $3.5 billion in emergency relief for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and $750 billion for Head Start. His continued advocacy to provide an additional $50 billion for early education helped to secure $10 billion for CCDBG and $250 million for Head Start COVID relief in the FY2021 omnibus appropriations and COVID relief legislation (P.L. 116-260). Ensuring Opportunity For Students: Senator Casey's Stopping Unfair Collateral Consequences from Ending Student Success Act or SUCCESS Act (S.5079) was included in the FY2021 omnibus appropriations and COVID relief legislation (P.L. 116-260). The SUCCESS Act repeals provisions of the Higher Education Act that limits access to federal student aid for students convicted of drug-related offenses. To date, according to the ALCU, this provision has prevented about 200,000 students from receiving federal student aid. This legislation will help to reduce recidivism, over-criminalization and taxpayer burdens by stopping the suspension of college aid for young people who made a mistake but want to get their lives back on track. It affirms that the United States is a country of second chances, not second punishments.\r\nProtecting the Nation and Promoting American Values Abroad\r\n International Disability Rights: Senator Casey introduced the Office of International Disability Rights Act (S. 3880) to require the State Department to develop and implement a formal policy for disability inclusion in foreign assistance programming and establish State Department Office of International Disability Rights headed by an Ambassador-at-Large (AAL) for International Disability Rights. He also introduced S. Res. 445, a resolution recognizing International Day of Persons with Disabilities. These efforts to promote disability rights globally will continue into the 117th Congress.\r\n Global Impacts of COVID: Senator Casey led letters to the Trump Administration urging increased funding to combat increasingly global food insecurity due to COVID, as well as assessment of COVID's impact on children's mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS). Senator Casey intends to introduce legislation next Congress addressing child MHPSS globally.\r\n Promoting a Peaceful and Inclusive Future: Senator Casey successfully secured $10 million in the FY21 NDAA to improve training and inclusion of Afghan women in Afghanistan's security forces. These efforts will serve to integrate and create opportunities for Afghan women to have a say in Afghanistan's future. Senator Casey and U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) also led a letter to the Trump Administration urging emergency humanitarian funding for the Nagorno-Karabakh region for the clearance of cluster munitions deployed during the fall 2020 hostilities that put children at particular risk of exposure to unexploded ordnance. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 was signed into law as Public Law 116-283 on January 1, 2021.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=5539", "Sen. Cruz: This Year Highlighted the Resilience of Texas and the Vigor of the American Spirit", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "Senate", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "HOUSTON, Texas - In a year marked by unique challenges, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) proudly fought for more economic opportunity for millions of Texans, security for America and her allies, and freedom for all Americans to live, work, and worship as they choose.\nWATCH: Sen. Cruz: This Year Highlighted the Resilience of Texas and the Vigor of the American Spirit\nReflecting on the past year, Sen. Cruz said:\n\"Texans are strong and resilient and the American spirit has always been marked by courage and generosity. That spirit was on full display throughout this year as we dealt with the massive economic and public health crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. We dealt with enflamed racial division and a polarized political environment.\n\"Despite all of these difficulties, Texans and Americans alike rose to the challenge to help our neighbors and those in need by supporting our brave health care workers, first responders, grocery store clerks, and other critical workers on the front lines of this crisis, truly making a difference in our communities. People across this great nation exercised their fundamental rights to further the promises this nation was founded upon - freedom and equality. I am confident that we will come out of these troubled times stronger, more united, and renewed in pursuit of freedom and opportunity for every American.\n\"As we look ahead to 2021, I am deeply honored to continue representing the great state of Texas, and I will continue fighting to reopen our economy and to get millions of Americans safely back to work, back to school, to strengthen America's national security, and to protect the religious liberty and the constitutional rights of each and every American.\"\nSen. Cruz's 2020 Highlights:\nCombatting the Coronavirus Pandemic\n \nSIGNED INTO LAW: Helped secure passage of three coronavirus emergency response packages to address the public health crisis and deliver real relief for the American people.\nLaunched the #CombatCOVID19Challenge, a social media challenge to encourage Americans to continue supporting their communities as we all work to combat this pandemic. Sen. Cruz kicked off the challenge by delivering food to the Houston Police Officers' Union.\nIntroduced the Reinvigorating the Economy, Creating Opportunity for every Vocation, Employer, Retiree & Youth or RECOVERY Act, a comprehensive legislative package designed to help small businesses re-hire their employees and create jobs, help kids get back to school safely, allow Americans to catch-up on their retirement savings, and help find cures for COVID-19 while increasing testing.\nIntroduced the Creating Capacity for Communities in Need Act, legislation to increase healthcare capacity and to speed up FDA approval for certain vaccines and therapeutics.\nPASSED THE U.S. SENATE: Led the fight to pass legislation to enhance partnerships between companies in the United States and Israel to develop innovative medical projects aimed at detecting, treating, and curing COVID-19. \nIntroduced the Equal Access to Care Act and the Right to Test Act, legislation to expand healthcare access and make testing more available.\nIntroduced the Bring Entrepreneurial Advancements to Consumers Here In North America or BEAT CHINA Act to incentivize pharmaceutical, medical device, and supply manufacturers to relocate to the United States.\nIntroduced the Ending Chinese Medical Censorship and Cover Ups Act, legislation to sanction Chinese officials involved in the ongoing suppression of medical experts, journalists, and political dissidents, amid Chinese censorship of its citizens that helped fuel the coronavirus pandemic.\nIntroduced the Coronavirus Emergency Education Grants Act, legislation designed to empower all families with the resources needed to provide for their children's public, private, or homeschool education during the COVID-19 pandemic.\nIntroduced the COVID-19 Vaccine Protection Act to prevent the Communist Chinese Party (CCP) from stealing or sabotaging American COVID-19 vaccine research.\nIntroduced the Addressing Missed-savings Opportunities for Retirement due to an Epidemic or AMORE Act to allow individuals facing financial challenges and who are unable to make contributions to their tax-advantaged retirement accounts in 2020 to make \"catch-up\" contributions to these accounts in the coming years.\n \nDelivering for Texas\n \nINFLUENCED THE ADMINISTRATION: Protected small and independent refiners facing bankruptcy because of the pandemic by working with the administration to make sure these energy producers had access to critical capital. Sen. Cruz also worked to ensure that banks were not discriminating against energy producers so that they could keep their wells producing, their doors open and their employees on the payroll.\nINFLUENCED THE ADMINISTRATION: Successfully pushed for the Federal Reserve to establish a new lending facility to provide immediate emergency liquidity for oil and gas businesses, a request they granted by altering their Main Street Lending Program to allow energy companies to qualify for much-needed relief.\nINFLUENCED THE ADMINISTRATION: Led the fight in the Senate to help secure an agreement for Saudi Arabia and Russia to significantly cut oil production amid this emergency. These efforts held Saudi Arabia and Russia accountable for engaging in predatory oil pricing during the pandemic, which greatly impacted Texas energy producers. \nSIGNED INTO LAW: Worked to secure passage for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) which was signed by President Trump, a decisive victory for farmers, ranchers, businesses, and manufacturers to ensure greater economic opportunities for all Americans. This trade agreement puts American jobs first, including the 2.2 million jobs in Texas directly dependent on international trade. \nPASSED THE U.S. SENATE: Led the fight as chair of the Aviation and Space Subcommittee to unanimously pass in the Senate the NASA Authorization Act, legislation that gives NASA the resources it needs to face a new era of space exploration and enhances our presence in low-Earth orbit. The bill will also help Americans safely return to the moon and will bring us closer to an American taking the first step on the surface of Mars. In addition, Sen. Cruz's legislation to permanently protect the Apollo landing sites on the moon also passed the House and Senate. \nLed efforts to urge the U.S. Air Force to designate Port San Antonio and Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA) as the location for the U.S. Space Command Headquarters (USSPACECOM HQ).\nSIGNED INTO LAW: Led efforts in the Senate to pass legislation authorizing the Daughters of the Republic of Texas to establish a memorial commemorating the Republic of Texas Legation in Washington D.C. which was signed into law in December.\n \nBoosting Jobs, Jobs, Jobs\nConfirming Constitutionalist Judges and Protecting Our Independent Judiciary\n \nAs a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Cruz led the fight to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, the third Supreme Court justice he has helped confirm since 2017. Justice Barrett is a principled constitutionalist with impeccable credentials and her confirmation was a great victory for every American who cares about the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and our fundamental liberties.\nIn 2020, the Senate confirmed 48 federal judges, while celebrating the 200th federal judicial nominee confirmed by the Senate since the election of President Donald J. Trump. These 234 judges will faithfully interpret and apply the law as part of an independent judiciary, and their addition to the federal courts will benefit all Americans who value the Constitution and individual liberties for decades to come.\nLed the fight in the Senate to preserve the integrity and independence of the Supreme Court by introducing two proposals, including the \"Keep Nine\" constitutional amendment, to maintain the number of justices on the bench and protect Americans' constitutional liberties.\n \nStanding with the Brave Men and Women of Law Enforcement\n \nTook a stand against Antifa and introduced the Restitution for Economic losses Caused by Leaders who Allow Insurrection and Mayhem or RECLAIM Act, legislation to hold state and local officials liable when rioters establish lawless autonomous zones' and officials abdicate their duty to protect their citizens. Sen. Cruz also delivered a speech on the Senate floor condemning the violent groups that hijacked the peaceful and just protests honoring George Floyd, and calling for strong leadership to stop the riots and restore law and order.\nSigned Heritage Action's Police Pledge to reaffirm his support for the men and women of our nation's law enforcement and his commitment to ensuring the safety and security of our communities.\nIntroduced legislation to rename the U.S. Border Patrol Station in Rocksprings to honor Agent Donna M. Doss, who proudly served in the U.S. Border Patrol for more than 15 years and was killed in the line of duty. \nChaired a hearing titled \"The Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble: Protecting Speech by Stopping Anarchist Violence,\" examining how groups like Antifa and other anti-American anarchists exploit peaceful protests and engage in political violence.\nTook action to protect Americans by re-introducing Kate's law, legislation to impose a mandatory minimum prison sentence on illegal aliens with serious felony convictions who illegally reenter the country.\nIntroduced the National Child Identification Act, legislation that would authorize the use of federal grant funds from the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to provide child identification kits to local law enforcement for distribution to parents of children who attend kindergarten or elementary school. These kits remain with parents, who may provide the kit to law enforcement in the tragic event that their child is missing.\nSIGNED INTO LAW: Led efforts to rename a U.S. Post Office in Houston, Texas the \"Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal Post Office Building,\" to serve as a lasting tribute to Deputy Dhaliwal's trailblazing legacy for Sikh Americans and religious minorities in law enforcement. This legislation passed the U.S. Senate and was signed into law in December.\n \nHolding Big Tech Accountable\n \nFought to subpoena both Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on political censorship and election interference and questioned them at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.\nCalled for a criminal investigation into Twitter for violating our laws prohibiting Americans from providing services to sanctioned Iranian individuals.\nSent two letters - one to Google and one to Facebook - slamming the companies for their separate announcements regarding their decisions to limit or block election advertising.\nJoined Parler, a pro-free-speech social media platform.\nQuestioned the CEOs of Twitter, Facebook, and Google at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing regarding Big Tech's repeated political censorship and their attempts to interfere in the 2020 election, as well as the need to reform Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.\n \nProtecting Our Religious Freedom\n \nIntroduced the Safeguarding Americans from Coronavirus and Religious Exercise Discrimination or SACRED Act, legislation that would block federal funding for COVID relief to state and local governments that discriminate against religious individuals or institutions, violating their First Amendment rights.\nINFLUENCED THE ADMINISTRATION: Called on the Department of Justice to investigate state and local officials who target and discriminate against religious communities under the guise of protecting public health, which resulted in a rebuke of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.\nSent a letter urging the Secretary of Defense to protect religious freedom within the Department of Defense after reports that the Army has censored military chaplains and harmed their ability to provide religious services during the coronavirus pandemic - access that is not only essential for many service members, but also mandated by the Constitution.\nJoined an amicus brief on behalf of 34 Senators supporting the Capitol Hill Baptist Church's lawsuit against Muriel Bowser, the Mayor of Washington, D.C., after she permitted and participated in several mass protests but issued COVID-19 regulations prohibiting a religious gathering of more than 100 individuals outdoors.\nPenned an op-ed warning against the dangers of \"pandemic authoritarianism\" and urged state and local leaders to protect Americans' civil liberties as we all work together to combat COVID-19.\n \nProtecting Life\n \nSent a letter to the Small Business Administration (SBA) requesting a full investigation into the 37 Planned Parenthood affiliates who applied for and improperly received a total of $80 million in loans from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).\nCalled on the administration to maintain pro-life protections during the search for COVID-19 treatments and cures. \nUrged the FDA to classify the abortion pill Mifeprex as a hazard to public health.\n \nHonoring Our Veterans\n \nIntroduced the Limiting and Enabling Gathering Awards Commemorating Yesteryear or LEGACY Act to facilitate the repatriation of medals, including the Congressional Medal of Honor (MoH), into the United States for display in museums and for educational purposes.\nCosponsored the National Purple Heart Honor Mission Commemorative Coin Act, legislation that would direct the Treasury Department to issue $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins, and half-dollar clad coins in 2022 honoring Purple Heart recipients and the work of the National Purple Heart Honor Mission.\nSIGNED INTO LAW: Led efforts in the Senate to pass legislation that would give the president authority to award posthumously the Medal of Honor to Texas's own Sergeant First Class (SFC) Alwyn Cashe. This legislation was signed into law in December. \nSIGNED INTO LAW: Led efforts to rename a U.S. Postal Office located in Castroville, Texas as the \"Lance Corporal Rhonald Dain Rairdan Post Office,\" as a memorial to Lance Corporal Rairdan and his fellow soldiers who fell in the line of duty. This legislation passed the U.S. Senate and was signed into law in December.\n \nDefending Our Second Amendment Rights\n \nUrged the ATF to ensure that law-abiding citizens are not deprived of their constitutional right to keep and bear arms during the coronavirus pandemic.\nRaised concerns to the Attorney General and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) about the ATF's practice of relying on non-public standards in its regulation of the importation of ArmaLite Rifle (AR) styled pistols and pistol stabilizing braces.\n \nStanding Up to America's Enemies and Adversaries While Standing With Her Allies \nRussia\n \nPASSED THE U.S. SENATE: Led a congressional push to halt construction of Vladimir Putin's Nord Stream 2 pipeline by clarifying and expanding sanctions. If completed, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline would reward Russia's aggressive expansionism and economic blackmail, hold our European allies' energy security hostage to Russia, and undermine America's national security interests. These efforts passed the U.S. Senate.\nINFLUENCED THE ADMINISTRATION: Led the fight for the United States to exit from Cold War-style treaties that constrain American capabilities while providing advantages to Russia or China, such as the Open Skies Treaty and outdated nuclear treaties.\n \nMiddle East\n \nAttended the White House signing ceremony for the Abraham Accords, historic agreements to normalize relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors, the achievement of which validated Sen. Cruz's long-running advocacy that unapologetically standing with Israel would unite our allies across the region. \nINFLUENCED THE ADMINISTRATION: Led the fight to end the catastrophic Obama-Iran nuclear deal, including by revoking the remaining civil-nuclear waivers stemming from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and calling for the deal to be ended once and for all by invoking UN snapback sanctions, restoring all international sanctions on Iran and preventing the United Nations Arms embargo on Iran from expiring.\nIntroduced the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act, a bill that urges the U.S. State Department to use its statutory authority to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.\nIntroduced the Stop Sending American Taxpayer Money To Governments Controlled By Terrorists Act aimed at creating accountability related to the use of American funds in Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon.\nPASSED THE U.S. SENATE: Following the successful mission that killed Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force and a designated terrorist, Sen. Cruz introduced and the Senate passed in February an amendment recognizing and applauding the president and the brave men and women involved in the mission.\nFought against and introduced a resolution condemning the International Criminal Court for unjust, politicized prosecutions against American and Israeli citizens.\n \nChina\n \nSen. Cruz's leadership against the CCP's human rights atrocities and political oppression led to his being repeatedly sanctioned, something he calls \"a badge of honor.\"\nLed efforts to end U.S. dependence on China for rare earth elements and other critical minerals by introducing the Onshoring Rare Earths or ORE Act, legislation that would establish a supply chain in the U.S. for minerals used to manufacture defense technologies and other high-tech products.\nINFLUENCED THE ADMINISTRATION: Led the fight to combat the CCP's propaganda by introducing the Blocking Evasive Attempts to Manipulate Signals or BEAMS Act, legislation to prevent the CCP from exploiting Federal Communications Commission (FCC) loopholes to propagandize to Americans from radio stations in Mexico or Canada, including through stations entangled with Chinese state-owned media outlets such as Phoenix TV. This legislation resulted in the Trump Administration blocking the license to these stations. \nIntroduced the Stopping Censorship, Restoring Integrity, Protecting Talkies or SCRIPT Act, legislation cutting off Hollywood studios from assistance they receive from the Department of Defense if those studios censor their films for screening in China.\nIntroduced the Sanctioning and Highlighting Authoritarian Medicine and Eugenics or SHAME Act, legislation sanctioning CCP officials for systematic ethnic cleansing, including through forced abortions and other coercive population control measures in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.\nIntroduced the Strongly and Unambiguously Sanctioning Proliferators Exploiting Nuclear Diplomacy or SUSPEND Act, legislation imposing sanctions on the defense sectors of China and Russia unless those countries reverse violations of their obligations under international arms control treaties.\nIntroduced the Protecting America from Spies Act, legislation that would allow the Department of State to deny visas to individuals who have committed acts of espionage or intellectual property theft against the United States.\nStood with our friends in Taiwan by introducing the Taiwan Symbols of Sovereignty Act, allowing diplomats and service members in the Taiwanese military to display their flag and wear their uniforms while in the United States on official businesses, and fighting against the exclusion of Taiwan from international forums such as ICAO at the behest of Communist China.\n \nWestern Hemisphere\n \nFought to ensure deep and robust relations between the United States and our Mexican partners, including working with the Trump administration to protect supply lines running between the two countries and recently calling on the Departments of State and Justice to prevent the Mexican government from undermining our countries' security and law enforcement relationship.\nIntroduced a bipartisan resolution to rename the street outside the Cuban Embassy in Washington D.C. as \"Oswaldo Pay Way,\" casting a light on the Cuban regime's human rights atrocities.\nIntroduced a bipartisan resolution expressing support for the people of Nicaragua. \nContinued working to bring home Americans unjustly held by the Maduro regime in Venezuela, including calling for sanctions against officials involved in the imprisonment of the CITGO 6.\n \n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=video&id=5538", "Sen. Cruz: This Year Highlighted the Resilience of Texas and the Vigor of the American Spirit", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "Senate", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Central TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(512) 916-5834 300 E 8th Suite 961 Austin, TX 78701 Email\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t North TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(214) 599-8749 Lee Park Tower II 3626 N. Hall St. Suite 410 Dallas, TX 75219 Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Southeast TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(713) 718-3057 The Mickey Leland Federal Building 1919 Smith Street Suite 9047 Houston, TX 77002\nEmail\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t South/Cen. TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(210) 340-2885 9901 IH-10W Suite 950 San Antonio, TX 78230 Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t East TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(903) 593-5130305 S. Broadway Suite 501 Tyler, TX 75702 Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t South TX \n\t\t\t\t\t(956) 686-7339 200 S. 10th St Suite 1603 McAllen, TX 78501 Email\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Washington, D.C. \n\t\t\t\t\t(202) 224-5922 127A Russell Washington, DC 20510 Contact", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.feinstein.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=29C073CE-C8B5-41CD-B359-EB69F9831D94", "Feinstein to Park Service: Restart Lease Negotiations for San Franciscos Iconic Cliff House", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CA", "Dianne Feinstein", "F000062", "www.feinstein.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WashingtonSenator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today called on the National Park Service to negotiate a lease extension of the Cliff House building for use as a restaurant.\r\nI regret that an agreement has not yet been reached to extend the contract to use San Francisco's historic Cliff House building as a restaurant.\r\nThis is an important San Francisco landmark, and the National Park Service should immediately renew negotiations to maintain its role in the community. A building has stood on this site for more than 150 years and has long served as a gathering place. That role should persist the building should not be converted to an office building.\r\nI urge the National Park Service, the Hountalas family and their proposed partner to return to the negotiation table. I encourage the National Park Service to explore all possible opportunities to maintain the historic role of this building as a restaurant and visitor destination. Our history is too important to set aside so readily.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.mcconnell.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=B71E096B-03CB-4A08-BA59-8732EF16266E", "McConnell Supports NDAA, Opposes Pelosi Plan for Socialism for Rich People", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding NDAA and COVID-19 relief:\r\nYesterday, the Senate was finally able to proceed to this year's National Defense Authorization Act.\nA few of our Democratic colleagues have pulled out all the stops to hold back this crucial bill. But last night, a big, bipartisan majority of 80 Senators voted to proceed.\nThere should be nothing controversial about giving our brave men and women in uniform the tools and training they need to stay safe. \nThere should be nothing controversial about continuing the work of rebuilding and modernizing our capabilities. It should be a nonpartisan proposition that America should keep pace with Russia and China rather than slip behind.\nWe have enacted an annual NDAA for 59 straight years and counting. In the next few days, the easy way or the hard way, we're going to do our job once again. This body will fulfill our responsibility to the men and women who protect our country. \nThe Senate will be here until we finish this bipartisan legislation.\n***\nNow, for several days, we've heard some Senators say Congress must send more cash to high-earning households who haven't seen any income disruption during COVID-19.\nOur colleagues who purport to be the champions of vulnerable Americans now say that what struggling people really need is for Congress to stop focusing on targeted relief for them specifically, and to instead send thousands of dollars to people who don't need the help.\nExperts from across the political spectrum agree that our colleague from Vermont is dead wrong on this.\nSocialism for rich people is a terrible way to help the American families that are actually struggling.\nLet me say that again. Borrowing from our grandkids to do socialism for rich people is a terrible way to get help to families who actually need it.\nWashington Democrats took President Trump's suggestion and skewed it so the checks would benefit even more high-earning households.\nImagine a family of five where the parents earn $250,000 per year and have not seen any income loss this past year. Speaker Pelosi and Senator Sanders want to send them $5,000 from Uncle Sam. \nThey make a quarter of a million dollars; nobody's out of work; but our so-called progressive friends say that household needs, quote, survival checks.'\nIn fact, they believe a family of five should have to earn $350,000 before the spigot of government money would stop entirely.\nSocialism for rich people. That's what Speaker Pelosi and Senator Sanders have sketched out.\nA terrible way to help those who need it.\nAnd experts across the political spectrum agree.\nThe liberal editors of the Washington Post have blasted so-called progressives demanding a non-targeted giveaway that would huge amounts' to perfectly comfortable families.'\nLarry Summers, who ran the Treasury Department for President Clinton and the National Economic Council for President Obama, says there is no good economic argument' for more non-targeted checks with no linkage to need.\nThe liberal New York Times reported this morning that a majority' of the households that get non-targeted checks do not end up spending them on urgent needs, but rather, just add to their savings. We know where the pockets of need are,' said one economist, and putting [money] there would be a much more efficient use.'\nFortunately, though some of our colleagues seem to have forgotten, that is exactly what we did less than a week ago.\nIt has been less than five days since President Trump signed into law another historic, bipartisan rescue package targeted to Americans who actually need help.\nWe passed an entire second round of PPP loans to save small business jobs, targeted to the hardest-hit.\nWe renewed multiple kinds of additional federal benefits for unemployed workers, including an extra $300 supplement every week.\nThere are billions for targeted food assistance. Billions for targeted rental assistance. And many billions of dollars for vaccine distribution, so we can finally beat this virus and reopen the economy in full.\r\nThese are the kinds of targeted emergency programs that directly help the most vulnerable. And we just poured almost another trillion dollars into them, less than five days ago. Along with more direct checks that are already arriving in households' accounts.\nThat's what we did less than five days ago.\n***\nThis crisis has not affected everyone equally.\nThe data show that many upper-middle-class Americans have kept their jobs, worked remotely, and remained totally financially comfortable.\nOn the other hand, some of our fellow citizens have had their entire existences turned upside down and continue to suffer terribly.\nWe do not need to let the Speaker of the House do socialism for rich people in order to help those who need help.\nOur duty, both to struggling Americans and to taxpayers, is to focus on targeted relief that will have the maximum impact and help people who need help the most.\nThat's what the experts say we should do. That's where there is broad, bipartisan support.\nAnd that's exactly what we did less than one week ago when nearly $900 billion in more targeted relief was signed into law for our people.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.schatz.senate.gov/press-releases/schatzs-medical-tele-training-bill-signed-into-law", "Schatzs Medical Tele-Training Bill Signed Into Law", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Brian Schatz", "S001194", "www.schatz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Schatz's Medical Tele-Training Bill Signed Into Law \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Schatz's Medical Tele-Training Bill Signed Into Law \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThursday, December 31, 2020\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\r\nWASHINGTON This week, the Expanding Capacity for Health Outcomes (ECHO) 2019 Act was signed into law as part of the annual government funding bill. The bipartisan legislation, authored by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), establishes a $10 million per year grant program for fiscal years 2022 through 2026 to promote the use of technology to connect health care providers and deliver high-quality care in hard-to-reach regions.\r\nTechnology hasn't just transformed how doctors care for patients, it has helped health care providers work and learn from with each other, said Senator Schatz. This new law will help connect more primary care providers in rural areas with specialists from across the country so that more families have access to the critical health care services they need.\"\r\nThe new law will expand the use of the ECHO model an innovative medical education program that deploys interactive videoconferencing to link specialist teams with primary care providers in rural areas. This helps hard-to-reach communities access the health care services they otherwise would not be able to receive. During the pandemic, the ECHO model has been important to the public health response, used by states across the country to share best practices for treating COVID-19 patients as well as improve testing and contact tracing.\r\nIn 2016, Schatz authored the first ECHO Act, which was signed into law and initiated a study of the model. The resulting report from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found that the ECHO model addresses important gaps in health care for underserved populations and recommended its expansion. Acting on this recommendation, Senator Schatz authored the current ECHO Act, which creates a program to provide grants and technical assistance to further develop the ECHO model and other similar models and expand their use nationwide.\r\nThese grants will be used for:\r\n \r\nEquipment to support the use and expansion of the models, including for the secure exchange of electronic health information;\r\nSupport for health care providers that provide services under these models;\r\nInstructional programming and training; and\r\nInformation collection and evaluation activities to study the impact of such models.\r\n \r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/news-coverage/politico-elizabeth-warrens-next-chapter", "Politico: Elizabeth Warren's next chapter", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 31, 2020\n\t\t\t Politico: Elizabeth Warren's next chapter \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n \n\t\t\t\t The progressive senator is already playing the inside game to shape Biden's agenda.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wants Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer replaced, lamenting that there's no one ready to step in. Elizabeth Warren has a different approach. The Massachusetts Democrat is a member of Schumer's leadership team and is working closely with the Senate minority leader on a policy priority that could fuel the first intra-party fight with President-elect Joe Biden. A few months before the election, Warren asked Schumer to join her effort to cancel $50,000 of student loan debt for millions of Americans. The president can do it without Congress, she argues. The New York Democrat, who is up for reelection in 2022, was immediately interested. Read the full articlehere.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t By:\n\t\t\t\t Burgess Everett \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\tSource:\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tPolitico\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n \n\t\n\t\n \n \n \n \t\n \t\n\t \t \n\t\t \n\t\t \tNext Article\n\t\t \n\t\t \n\t\t \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://bass.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-bass-lead-letter-president-elect-biden-combating-aircraft-noise", "Norton, Bass Lead Letter to President-Elect Biden on Combating Aircraft Noise", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CA", "Karen Bass", "B001270", "bass.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The disruption to human health and local economies by aircraft noise has long been overlooked or altogether ignored by the FAA, said Congresswoman Bass. I urge the Biden administration to appoint FAA officials who will finally address this issue that has plagued many of my constituents.\nThe letter was also signed by Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA), Congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA), Congressman Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY), Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA), Congressman Thomas Suozzi (D-NY), Congressman Ed Case (D-HI), Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA), Congressman Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL), Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA).\nThe full text is below.\nDecember 28, 2020\nThe Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr. \n\tPresident-elect of the United States \n\tOffice of the Biden-Harris Transition \n\tWashington, DC 20500\nDear President-elect Biden:\nYou will soon name several new appointees to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), including the Deputy FAA Administrator, the Chief Operating Officer of the Air Traffic Organization, the Associate Administrator for Airports, and the Assistant Administrator for Policy, International Affairs, and Environment. While the FAA and the aviation industry face many high-profile challenges, as Members of the Quiet Skies Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives, we write to bring to your attention the overlooked problem of the disruption to human health and local economies from aircraft noise. We urge you to appoint officials who will include creative approaches to solving noise problems in the work ahead.\nWe represent Americans from diverse locales across the country, united by grave concern over the toll that noise can take on the people living with a constant drone of aircraft. Planes fly low or late at night, near homes and schools; flights arrive and depart within minutes of each other; and the FAA's NextGen project has concentrated flight paths without consideration of the people below. As a result of these policies, millions of Americans suffer from sleep disruption; exacerbation of high blood pressure and other chronic diseases; learning loss in schools; and economic losses to businesses ranging from tourism to technology to entertainment.\nFor decades the agency has consistently downplayed and overlooked the toll of noise disruption on human lives and communities. The NextGen project to update the technology used to control air traffic has brought foreseeable problems that could have been headed off if the agency, early in its planning stages, had considered what happens on the ground as well as what happens in the skies and included in the process business owners, local elected officials, airport noise roundtables, health advocates, and others likely to be affected.\nAs Members of Congress, we all fly as part of our work. We agree that the FAA's mission to maintain the safety and efficiency of our airspace is paramount. But we also believe that better noise control and full participation from all involved and affected can only enhance that safety and efficiency, not detract from it. The new appointees at the FAA should be committed to inventive problem-solving, to listening and bringing all affected parties into the discussion, and to finding win-win solutions. These leaders should embrace bold ideas, work in good faith with the Quiet Skies Caucus and Congress, and pledge to alleviate noise disruption on the ground, with a renewed focus on inclusiveness.\nWe look forward to learning of your choices for the FAA and to working with your administration in the 117th Congress to combat aircraft noise. Thank you for your leadership, and congratulations on your presidency.\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://bonamici.house.gov/media/in-the-news/2020-year-disruptions-good-and-ill", "2020: A year of disruptions, for good and ill", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "OR", "Suzanne Bonamici", "B001278", "bonamici.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The Feb. 19 arrest sparked outrage, including from U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, a Beaverton Democrat whose House district includes all of Washington County. Bonamici has lobbied without success for Congress to pass a bill she has sponsored to keep ICE away from bus stops, schools, courthouses and other \"sensitive locations.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://bonamici.house.gov/media/in-the-news/minority-group-leaders-discuss-covid-19-vaccine-equity-oregon", "Minority group leaders discuss COVID-19 vaccine equity in Oregon", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "OR", "Suzanne Bonamici", "B001278", "bonamici.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The livestream discussion lasted more than two hours, including recorded remarks from Oregon's US Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://burchett.house.gov/media/press-releases/historic-artifacts-museum-appalachia-display-burchett-s-washington-office", "Historic artifacts from Museum of Appalachia on display in Burchetts Washington office", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "TN", "Tim Burchett", "B001309", "burchett.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Dec. 31, 2020)--Today,U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (TN-02)announced unique artifacts from the Museum of Appalachia will be on display in his Washington D.C. office, which is located in room 1122 of the Longworth House Office Building. Since 2003, these items have been on loan toU.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN)for display in his Washington office.\n\nThese historic pieces needed a new home asSen. Alexanderretires from office in January 2021, andRep. Burchettis keeping alive a Tennessee Congressional delegation tradition by moving these pieces to his office. Every item on display originated from within Tennessee's Second Congressional District.\n\nAhead of the relocation,Rep. Burchett,Sen. AlexanderandElaine Meyer,President of the Museum of Appalachia, met virtually to discuss the cultural importance of these artifacts.\n\nSen. Alexander and I grew up in East Tennessee, and these pieces belonged to the folks who came before us,Rep. Burchett said during the discussion.This stuff really touches me and it's cool the Museum of Appalachia can show us how people back then overcame obstacles in everyday life.\n\nThe Museum of Appalachia is such a treasure for East Tennessee and helps us celebrate our Appalachian culture,Sen. Alexander said.These artifacts gave me a chance to show off that culture, and these pieces of history always caught the attention of people walking by my office. I'm grateful to Elaine Meyer, the Irwin family and John Rice for loaning these items to me and I'm glad Rep. Burchett has decided to put a sizable part of this exhibit in his Washington office.\n\nThese artifacts are something all East Tennesseans can lay claim to, and it's great they were on display in Sen. Alexander's office throughout his tenure in the U.S. Senate,Ms. Meyer said.I'm glad this tradition is continuing, and these pieces will be a unique part of Rep. Burchett's office just as they were with Sen. Alexander.\n\nClick hereor on the image below to watch the full conversation betweenRep. Burchett, Sen. Alexander, and Ms. Meyer.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://burchett.house.gov/media/press-releases/historic-artifacts-museum-appalachia-display-burchetts-washington-office", "Historic artifacts from Museum of Appalachia on display in Burchett\u2019s Washington office", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "TN", "Tim Burchett", "B001309", "burchett.house.gov", "burchett", "https://burchett.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Contact\nEmail Me\nNewsletter Subscription\nOffice Locations\nRequest an Appearance\nWebsite Problem\nAbout\nCommittees and Caucuses\nOur District\nVotes and Legislation\nMedia\nOpinions\nPress Releases\nTennessee Under the Capitol Dome\nServices\nAppropriations Requests\nArt Competition\nCommendations and Greetings\nFlags\nGrant Applicants\nHelp with a Federal Agency\nInternships\nMilitary Academy Nominations\nTours and Tickets\nVeterans History Project\nIssues\nAbortion\nBorder Security\nDebt & Deficit\nEducation\nForeign Affairs\nOversight & Accountability\nSecond Amendment\nSocial Security & Medicare\nTransportation & Infrastructure\nVeterans\nHistoric artifacts from Museum of Appalachia on display in Burchett\u2019s Washington office\nThursday, December 31, 2020\nImage\nKNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Dec. 31, 2020) -- Today,\nU.S. Representative Tim Burchett (TN-02) announced unique artifacts from the Museum of Appalachia will be on display in his Washington D.C. office, which is located in room 1122 of the Longworth House Office Building. Since 2003, these items have been on loan to\nU.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) for display in his Washington office.\nThese historic pieces needed a new home as\nSen. Alexander retires from office in January 2021, and\nRep. Burchett is keeping alive a Tennessee Congressional delegation tradition by moving these pieces to his office. Every item on display originated from within Tennessee's Second Congressional District.\n\ufeff\nAhead of the relocation,\nRep. Burchett,\nSen. Alexander and\nElaine Meyer,\nPresident of the Museum of Appalachia, met virtually to discuss the cultural importance of these artifacts.\n\"Sen. Alexander and I grew up in East Tennessee, and these pieces belonged to the folks who came before us,\"\nRep. Burchett said during the discussion. \"This stuff really touches me and it's cool the Museum of Appalachia can show us how people back then overcame obstacles in everyday life.\"\n\"The Museum of Appalachia is such a treasure for East Tennessee and helps us celebrate our Appalachian culture,\"\nSen. Alexander said. \"These artifacts gave me a chance to show off that culture, and these pieces of history always caught the attention of people walking by my office. I'm grateful to Elaine Meyer, the Irwin family and John Rice for loaning these items to me and I'm glad Rep. Burchett has decided to put a sizable part of this exhibit in his Washington office.\"\n\"These artifacts are something all East Tennesseans can lay claim to, and it's great they were on display in Sen. Alexander's office throughout his tenure in the U.S. Senate,\"\nMs. Meyer said. \"I'm glad this tradition is continuing, and these pieces will be a unique part of Rep. Burchett's office just as they were with Sen. Alexander.\"\nClick here\nor on the image below to watch the full conversation between\nRep. Burchett, Sen. Alexander, and Ms. Meyer.\n35.96218937574084\n-83.91705284439482\n35.754871307863255\n-83.96938554624516\nTN02", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:42:23Z"], ["https://cicilline.house.gov/press-release/memo-rhode-island-media-cicilline-2020-fighting-people", "Cicilline in 2020: Fighting For the People", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "RI", "David Cicilline", "C001084", "cicilline.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "To: Rhode Island Editors, Editorial Writers, Reporters\n\tFrom: The Office of Congressman David N. Cicilline (RI-01)\n\tRe: 2020 End of Year Report\n\tDate: December 31, 2020\nOverview\nIn 2020, U.S. Congressman David N. Cicilline (RI-01) once again delivered on his promises to fight For The People of Rhode Island. Most notably, as a member of House Leadership during an unprecedented public health crisis, he played a key role in ensuring that Rhode Island state and local officials received the federal resources they needed to take on the pandemic.\nCOVID Relief for Rhode Island Families\nFrom the moment COVID-19 swept through the country and began wreaking havoc, I started working with my colleagues to ensure we addressed Rhode Islanders' urgent needs:\n Keeping your family healthy\nSince we first learned that the pandemic had hit our shores, I fought for a national testing strategy. The HEROES Act would have supported testing, tracing and treatment, by providing $75 billion in funding for coronavirus testing, contact tracing and isolation measures, ensuring every American can access free coronavirus treatment, and supporting hospitals and providers, as well as making improvements to our testing infrastructure. The House passed the HEROES Act on May 15, 2020, but the bill never became law because Senator Mitch McConnell refused to bring the bill to the Senate floor for a vote.\nThe CARES Act, passed into law in March, requires that private insurance plans cover COVID-19 treatments and vaccines, and provided $1.3 billion in emergency funding for Community Health Centers, which are responsible for providing health care services for approximately 28 million Americans.\nOn March 18, 2020, Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which mandates free coronavirus testing for everyone who needs a test. This law also included $82 million to the Department of Defense TRICARE health program to carry out detection of COVID-19 and testing related visits; $64 million for the Indian Health Services for COVID-19 diagnosis and testing related visits; $1 billion for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund. Given the lack of a national testing strategy, the House has done everything we can to ensure that every American is able to get tested for COVID-19 and receive treatment.\nHelping your family weather the economic crisis\nWhen the pandemic forced the American economy to shut down, I fought to make sure Congress sent $1,200 direct cash payments to adults and $500 for children in the CARES Act.\nAnd as the economy felt the impact of the virus, the CARES Act expanded unemployment insurance so more Rhode Islanders could access benefits. The bill made available an additional $600 a week and extended benefits for 13 weeks.\nThe CARES Act also made available $454 billion in life-saving loans for businesses, states, and cities. This included $1.25 billion for the State of Rhode Island through the Coronavirus Relief Fund. Rhode Islanders have also been able to secure 17,941 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, totaling $1,906,190,125 and 10,679 Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) for $565,362,000. And I have been fighting for additional funding for cities throughout the pandemic, striving to ensure that Rhode Island cities and towns are able to continue to grow.\nOn December 27, 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 was signed into law. This bill will send an additional $600 in direct cash payments to adults and $600 for children. While these payments are a step in the right direction, I know Americans need significant survival checks. This past week, I voted for H.R. 9051 - CASH Act, which would raise these payments to $2,000 per adult.\nDemocrats fought hard to include expanded unemployment insurance benefits in this package. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 makes available an additional $300 a week and extended benefits for 10 weeks.\nThe Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 also makes available an additional $284 billion in Payroll Protection Program forgivable loans. These loans have served as a lifeline for hard-hit small businesses.\nKeeping Rhode Islanders in their homes\nHousing is always essential, but especially at a time when staying in our homes protects us from a deadly disease, housing is even more important. To keep Rhode Islanders safely housed, I supported a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures in the CARES Act.\nI also supported $11.5 billion to combat homelessness and $100 billion for short term rental assistance in the HEROES Act.\n Delivering for Rhode Island\nOne of my highest priorities is to ensure that Rhode Islanders have the resources we need to stay healthy, safe, and maintain good jobs. Over the past year, that includes securing:\n $1.8 million for Rhode Island fire departments, including $209,809 for critical firefighter breathing apparatus for the Central Falls Fire Department.\n$34 million in regular Community Development Block Grants and CARES Act Community Development Block Grants funds for the State of Rhode Island and first congressional district entitlement communities. Some of these funds were utilized by the state to establish a Microenterprise Stabilization Grant Program, designed to help microbusinesses largely left out of federal relief programs.\nMillions of dollars to the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency. This included $209,979 for crisis counseling and $3,342,540 this year in Emergency Management Performance Grants, which assist state and local governments in enhancing and sustaining all-hazards emergency management capabilities. And through FEMA's Public Assistance program, Rhode Island has been reimbursed over $94 million to date for life-saving emergency protective measures in response to COVID-19.\nHundreds of millions of dollars in COVID relief funding through the CARES Act for educators, students, fisheries, and so much more. This included $8,704,245 through the Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund, $46,350,444 through the School Emergency Relief Fund, and $3,293,234 through the Fishery Disaster Assistance Program.\nOver $90 million through critical BUILD and INFRA grants to support needed infrastructure investments. This included over $65 million to RIDOT to make improvements, increase safety, and reduce congestion along Route 146.\nOver $7 million to the state through the Economic Development Administration, including $230,000 for the Cities of Pawtucket and Central Falls to develop a joint economic development action plan for the Conant Thread District, which overlaps the two municipalities.\nOver $6 million to the Rhode Island Department of Education to support high quality afternoon school programs through 21st Century Community Learning Centers.\n$3.4 million in federal funds coming to Rhode Island for the arts, humanities, museums, and libraries. This includes $184,576 for the Preservation Society of Newport County to complete a digitization initiative of 13 high-priority special collections.\n Fighting for Racial Justice\nIn April 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., visited Rhode Island and said, I haven't lost faith in the future, but I never intend to adjust myself to the madness of militarism or racial inequality.\nMore than 50 years later we are still fighting the madness of racial inequality. We can build a better, more just country. Since my time as Mayor of Providence I have fought to end racial profiling, end militarism in policing and practices like the chokehold. This is a time for Americans of all races to come together and fight racism and inequality and I have been proud to advocate for that on the floor of Congress.\n I cosponsored and voted for H.R.7120 - the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would implement sweeping police reform policies to our country by establishing a national standard for the operation of police departments, banning dangerous choke holds, ending qualified immunity for police, prohibiting racial and religious profiling, and mandating data collection on police encounters among other reforms.\nI cosponsored and voted for S.2163/H.R. 1636, the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys Act, which establishes the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys within the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to make a systematic study of the conditions affecting black men and boys. This bill became law on August 14, 2020.\nI cosponsored and voted for H.Res. 908, Condemning all forms of anti-Asian sentiment as related to COVID-19, which calls on all public officials to condemn and denounce anti-Asian sentiment, racism, discrimination, and religious intolerance related to COVID-19.\nVoted for H.R. 2574, the Equity and Inclusion Enforcement Act (EIEA), which reestablishes the ability for students who have been wronged to seek justice and dismantle discriminatory policies and practices that unjustly punish them.\nCosponsored and voted for passage of H.R. 221 4, the NO BAN Act, which rescinds all versions of the Muslim Ban and prohibits religion-based discrimination in our immigration system.\nCosponsored and voted for passage of H.R. 2639, the Strength in Diversity Act, which seeks to address segregation in America's schools by providing federal funding to support voluntary local efforts to increase diversity in schools.\n Standing up for Rhode Island Values\nTaking on Big Tech Monopolies\nOver the past year and a half, I am proud to have led Congress' biggest investigation into the four largest technology companies and whether they have stifled competition. I am fighting to make sure that the digital economy works for all Rhode Islanders and all Americans, and that it's not a vehicle to make the rich richer at the expense of the rest of us.\n Our investigation involved seven congressional hearings, the production of nearly 1.3 million internal documents and communications, submissions from 38 antitrust experts, and interviews with more than 240 market participants, former employees of the investigated platforms, and other individuals.\nThis top to bottom review of the state of competition in the digital economy confirms that the digital economy has become highly concentrated and prone to monopolization.\nCongress must consider a menu of reforms that will achieve three key priorities:Restoring competition in the digital economy, including Structural separations and prohibitions of certain dominant platforms from operating in adjacent lines of business.\nStrengthening existing antitrust laws.\nReviving antitrust enforcement including Civil penalties for unfair methods of competition rules.\n Investing in the Blue Economy\nRhode Island's blue economy, the economic sectors with a direct or indirect link to Rhode Island's coasts and ocean defense, marine trades, tourism and recreation, fisheries, aquaculture, ports and shipping, and offshore renewable energy is bustling, and has room for growth.\n I have worked hard to grow the blue economy in Rhode Island and the Northeast through the introduction of the Southern New England Regional Commission Act, which would help integrate cross-border assets and information to help the region sustainably utilize its ocean resources for economic growth.\nI support the Offshore Wind Incentives for New Development Act, which would extend tax credits for offshore wind development through 2026 a burgeoning industry in the Northeast.\nI have continued to work to bring investment in Rhode Island's ports, fought to safeguard our fisheries, and worked to promote the state's ocean-based tourism.\nAt the same time, I recognize the threat that climate change poses to Rhode Island's natural resources and have pushed for a shift away from our nation's heavy reliance on fossil fuels.\n Serving You\nOver the past year, my staff in both Pawtucket and Washington have worked relentlessly to serve the people of our great state. In 2020, we:\n Provided casework assistance for more than 1,800 Rhode Islanders who requested help with Social Security, Medicare and Veterans benefits, COVID relief programs, IRS tax refunds, and other federal agencies.\nHosted and participated in more than 120 constituent meetings and community events, including 18 Town Hall meetings, community conversations, and roundtable discussions on COVID-19 response and recovery, small business assistance, resources for seniors, health care and prescription drug costs, immigration, and more.\nResponded to 3,058 calls, letters, and emails from constituents.\nProvided 29 internship opportunities for young people to learn more about the federal government.\nProvided more than 105 books to three public libraries in the district through the Library of Congress Surplus Book Program.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://clayhiggins.house.gov/2020/12/31/higgins-will-object-certification-electoral-college-votes/", "Higgins Will Object to Certification of Electoral College Votes", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "LA", "Clay Higgins", "H001077", "clayhiggins.house.gov", "clayhiggins", "https://clayhiggins.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "\u201cI will object to the certification of electoral votes on January 6th. Reports of voter fraud and actions by some states to alter election processes in an unlawful manner have not been properly reviewed. Evidence that a crime has been committed leads to an investigation. That standard is reasonable suspicion. Investigation into an alleged crime produces evidence either exculpatory or condemning. Investigations crossing multiple jurisdictional authorities are particularly complex and require time. Our Constitutional requirement to inaugurate a President on January 20th does not abrogate our Constitutional requirement to investigate reasonable suspicion of election fraud and violation of election laws within several of the sovereign states. I believe those actions of fraud and illegal election processes thwarted the true will of We, the People, and flipped the Presidential election to career politician Joe Biden. America is not a confederacy of states. We are a Union of States. We are a Representative Republic. Therefore, each sovereign state has a deep obligation to follow its own written election laws when that state participates in a federal election. Otherwise, the Union itself is violated, and the federal election is compromised. I warned of this prior to November 3rd, 2020. Six weeks ago, I instructed my Congressional staff to begin preparing for my formal objection to Electoral slates of several sovereign states. While the mainstream media and establishment forces want to ignore election irregularities that began coming to light in the days following the election, We, the People, will not stand idly by. For over a month now, I have been examining and researching the various allegations that have come forth, and I will take every legal and Constitutionally-available action to ensure a righteous outcome. That includes objecting to the electoral slates from disputed states. There is sufficient evidence, at a minimum, to investigate criminal acts, which may have compromised the integrity of our election. This effort and action to safeguard our election systems must continue, even beyond January 20th, 2021.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:42:23Z"], ["https://clayhiggins.house.gov/media/press-releases/higgins-will-object-certification-electoral-college-votes", "Higgins Will Object to Certification of Electoral College Votes", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "Senate", "LA", "Clay Higgins", "H001077", "clayhiggins.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) issued the following statement today after announcing that he will object to the certification of Electoral College votes on January 6, 2021.\n\tI will object to the certification of electoral votes on January 6th. Reports of voter fraud and actions by some states to alter election processes in an unlawful manner have not been properly reviewed. Evidence that a crime has been committed leads to an investigation. That standard is reasonable suspicion. Investigation into an alleged crime produces evidence either exculpatory or condemning. Investigations crossing multiple jurisdictional authorities are particularly complex and require time. Our Constitutional requirement to inaugurate a President on January 20th does not abrogate our Constitutional requirement to investigate reasonable suspicion of election fraud and violation of election laws within several of the sovereign states. I believe those actions of fraud and illegal election processes thwarted the true will of We, the People, and flipped the Presidential election to career politician Joe Biden. America is not a confederacy of states. We are a Union of States. We are a Representative Republic. Therefore, each sovereign state has a deep obligation to follow its own written election laws when that state participates in a federal election. Otherwise, the Union itself is violated, and the federal election is compromised. I warned of this prior to November 3rd, 2020. Six weeks ago, I instructed my Congressional staff to begin preparing for my formal objection to Electoral slates of several sovereign states. While the mainstream media and establishment forces want to ignore election irregularities that began coming to light in the days following the election, We, the People, will not stand idly by. For over a month now, I have been examining and researching the various allegations that have come forth, and I will take every legal and Constitutionally-available action to ensure a righteous outcome. That includes objecting to the electoral slates from disputed states. There is sufficient evidence, at a minimum, to investigate criminal acts, which may have compromised the integrity of our election. This effort and action to safeguard our election systems must continue, even beyond January 20th, 2021.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://dankildee.house.gov/media/press-releases/coronavirus-daily-update-december-31", "Coronavirus Daily Update: December 31", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "MI", "Dan Kildee", "K000380", "dankildee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Thursday, December 31, 2020\nDear Constituent\nThe coronavirus pandemic is developing very quickly, and I know many people have questions and concerns. I will try to answer some of them below.\nThese are incredibly stressful times for all Michiganders. I am working, along with my staff, around the clock, seven days a week to answer your questions, provide community resources and provide up-to-date, accurate information. Please do not hesitate to reach out to my office anytime by calling (810) 238-8627.\nThe Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has updated the epidemic order that restricts indoor social gatherings and other group activities, to allow indoor activities where Michiganders can remain masked, including in-person learning at high schools and indoor entertainment venues. Indoor dining is still prohibited. This order is effective December 21, 2020 through January 15, 2021. More information can be foundhere.\nThe Pure Michigan Small Business Relief Initiativewill provide $10 million in grants to meet the needs of Michigan small businesses impacted the COVID-19 virus. Applications for businesses to apply will open on December 15, 2020. Grants will be awarded in the amount of up to $15,000 per eligible business. More information can be foundhere.\nThe Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) provided additional guidance to workers and employers who may be affected COVID-19. Michiganders who were on unemployment, went back to work, and are now temporarily unemployed again due to COVID-19 can reopen their claim online. More information can be foundhere.\n\nLEGISLATIVE UPDATE\nOn December 21, Congress passed theConsolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, which includes a nearly $1 trillion emergency relief packageto support American workers, families and small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. More information can be foundhere.\nOn October 1, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an updatedversionThe Heroes Act. Thesenewprovisions are essential to supporting our schools, small businesses, restaurants, performance spaces, airline workers and others.More information can be foundhere.\nOn August 22, the U.S. House of Representatives passedThe Delivering for America Act, to fund the U.S. Postal Service and prohibit changes to operations until the pandemic has ended. More information can be foundhere.\nOn May 12, the U.S. House of Representatives passedThe Heroes Act.TheHeroes Actincludes a number of key policies I have advocated for, including additional direct payments to families and seniors, expanding unemployment insurance, increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit, and funding to prevent water shutoffs. More information can be foundhere.\nOn May 15, I introduced a bipartisan bill,TheRecharge and Empower Local Innovation and Entrepreneurs Fund for Main Street Act(RELIEF for Main Street Act), with Reps. Evans (D-PA), Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Upton (R-MI). The billcreates a $50.5 billion Small Business Local Relief Program to provide direct federal support to cities, counties and states in order to seed and scale local relief funds and target smallbusinesses with 20 employees or fewer, orwith 50 employees or fewer located in low-income neighborhoods. More information can be foundhere.\nCongress has also passedtheCoronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act,TheCARES Act,Families First Coronavirus Response Actand thePaycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Actto help families and health care facilities respond to the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nCORONAVIRUS TESTING UPDATE\nThe Governor has expanded testing opportunities for Michiganders to access testing in their own backyards. More information can be foundhere.\nThe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a website and app with a coronavirus screening tool and resources to help people protect their health. The website can be foundhereand the app can be accessedhere.\n\nUNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE RESOURCES UPDATE\nGovernor Whitmer signed bipartisan bills restoring many unemployment provisions from her previous executive orders, including extending state unemployment benefits for Michiganders who have lost work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic from 20 to 26 weeks until the end of the year. More information can be foundhere.\nUIA is now offering telephone appointments for customers with specific claim issues. By scheduling a phone appointment, customers will be able to get assistance with issues at their convenience. Phone appointments are available Monday through Friday from 8:15 a.m. 4:25 p.m. More information can be foundhere.\nThe last federal $600 weekly unemployment benefit was paid to Michiganders on July 25. The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) provided the state funding to provide six weeks of an additional $300 per week unemployment benefit, covering dates July 26 through September 5. To qualify, claimants must self-certify that they are unemployed or partially unemployed due to COVID-19.More information can be foundhere.\nAdditionally, unemployed Michiganders who have exhausted their regular and extended weeks of unemployment eligibility will receive up to 20 weeks of additional benefits, through the Federal Extended Benefits program. More information can be foundhere.\nOn May 1, I introducedTheStrengthening UI for COVID Impacted Workers and StudentsActto expand unemployment insurance for American workers, which was included inThe Heroes Act. For more information, visithere.\nUnemployment Insurance Benefits: Individuals should apply online atwww.Michigan.gov/UIAor call 866-500-0017 and are encouraged to follow afiling schedulebased on last name and use off-peak times (8 p.m. 8 a.m). The UIA offersresourcesto help workers resolve online technical issues with their account. More information can be foundhere.\n\nHOUSING UPDATE\nGovernor Whitmer created the Eviction Diversion Program, which outlines a process for renters to get fast rental assistance or establish a manageable payment plan to help them stay in their homes. The program also includes assistance to landlords. More information can be foundhere.\nThe Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have a website to help renters and homeowners understand their housing assistance options. This includes information on mortgage and rental relief as well as resources for additional help that may be needed. More information can be foundhere. The CFPB has also put out a step by step videoherefor homeowners that are interested in mortgage forbearance.\nThe CDC has issued a moratorium on evictions of renters through December 31, 2020 based on non-payment of rent. For individuals that have questions on how this moratorium works or how they can access help, the National Low Income Housing Coalition has put together an overview of the orderhere, while Michigan Legal Help has more tools and informationhere.\n\nCOMMUNITY RESOURCES UPDATE\nThe Pure Michigan Small Business Relief Initiativewill provide $10 million in grants to meet the needs of Michigan small businesses impacted the COVID-19 virus. Applications for businesses to apply will open on December 15, 2020. Grants will be awarded in the amount of up to $15,000 per eligible business. More information can be foundhere.\nThe SBA has put out a step by step guide for businesses with a PPP loan on how to apply for loan forgiveness. More information can be foundhere.\nThe Governor launched the Futures for Frontliners' program, a tuition-free path to community college for essential, frontline workers who continued working during the COVID-19 Stay Home, Stay Safe orders between April June 2020. Those eligible must apply for this scholarship before the end of the year. More information can be foundhere.\nThe Governor announced low-income residents, seniors, schools and homeless shelters will benefit from the MI Mask Aid partnership that is part of the Mask Up Michigan Campaign. More information can be foundhere.\nPersonal Protective Equipment: The Michigan Economic Development Corporation has launched a platform to help re-opening businesses acquire PPE. More information can be foundhere.\nMichigan's Virtual Food Bank:Seniors in need of food support cansign up for assistance, including meal delivery, delivery of non-perishable food items, and daily wellness-check calls, through the MDHHS coronavirus website, or by contacting their localArea Agency on Aging. More information on the virtual food bank can be foundhere.\nFlint Cares Help Centers: The city of Flint is offering resources and services including bottled water and food assistance. Services will continue to be provided from two semi-trailers staged in church parking lots across the city to distribute items directly to cars as residents drive through. For more information please call 810-410-2020 or visithere.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://emmer.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/emmer-urges-additional-flexibility-for-digital-asset-rulemaking", "Emmer Urges Additional Flexibility for Digital Asset Rulemaking", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "MN", "Tom Emmer", "E000294", "emmer.house.gov", "emmer", "https://emmer.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressman Tom Emmer (MN-06) and seven of his colleagues and Senator Tom Cotton sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to express concerns regarding a limited comment period to respond to a recently released rule making significant changes to the regulation of digital assets. The rule was announced on December 18, 2020, and comments must be received by January 4, 2021.\n\nThe Financial Crimes Enforcement Network\u2019s (FinCEN) rule would require certain members of the cryptocurrency industry to submit additional reports and keep records relating to customer identities if transactions are made above certain thresholds. The additional data collection also pertains to unhosted wallets, which do not require a financial institution to conduct transactions.\n\nCongressman Emmer's letter requests a 60 day comment period for public and stakeholder input on the rule before it is finalized, and a potential delay of implementation to allow stakeholders to become compliant.\n\n\u201cThe blockchain industry and cryptocurrency innovations are constantly and rapidly evolving. Government frequently struggles to keep up. We owe it to this community to be fair, transparent, and open to stakeholder advice,\" said Emmer.\n\n\"Our request is simple: allow additional flexibility for stakeholders to comment and advise our government on this proposal,\" Emmer concluded.\n\nRead the letter here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:42:23Z"], ["https://emmer.house.gov/press-releases?ID=14FD5053-6EE0-4841-B64E-11D13F004C19", "Emmer Urges Additional Flexibility for Digital Asset Rulemaking", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "MN", "Tom Emmer", "E000294", "emmer.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Facebook Icon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tGoogle Plus Icon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tInstagram Icon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tLinkedIn Icon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tTwitter Icon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tYouTube Icon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tVimeo Icon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tClients Icon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tEmail icon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tMap Icon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tPrint Icon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tQuote Icon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\ticon_share\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tCarousel Arrow - Left\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tCarousel Arrow - Right", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://graves.house.gov/media-center/e-newsletters/we-will-object", "We Will Object", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Sam Graves", "G000546", "graves.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Next week, your 117th United States Congress will convene for the first time. After the election of Speaker and the adoption of the Rules of Congress, theaction will quickly move to reading aloud the electoral votessubmitted by each state from this past November'selection - counting them, and declaring the vote tally for President and Vice President. During that process, the question will be put before your elected officials - does anyone object to the certificationof electoral votes of a state. We will object. Our hope is that others will join us.\nWe don't take this decision lightly, but we must protect the integrity of each vote cast by every law-abidingMissourian. For every instance of Georgia failing to follow its own state law in verifying signatures, of Pennsylvania accepting mail ballots after the legal deadline set by its state legislature, or folks from outside Nevada casting a ballotin that state - the value of every Missourians' vote is diminished. That's not right. And we cannot simply look the other way.\nThe right to freely cast yourvote in elections is a sacred privilegeafforded to us as Americans because of the sacrificesof the patriots who fought for that right. When that process is spoiled and abused by officials not following their own state law, it violates that right and jeopardizes the entire integrity and foundation of 'free and fair' elections. In such instances, where voting process changes are made without the consent of the voter, we know it is our duty and our obligation to serve as a backstop to protect the power of one person, one vote - to protect your vote as a Missourian. We must be able to have confidence in not only the agreement and expectation that this election would follow the law, but future ones will as well. We take the responsibilityof upholding the Constitutionseriously, and that is why we feel compelled to object to the electoral count taking place on January 6th.\nThe reported results of this past November's Presidential election don't even pass the most basic eye test. Republicans were projected to lose seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, we gained more than a dozen. Republicans were supposed to lose control of several state legislatures, we picked up multiple. We were projectedto lose control of the United States Senate - we didn't, and we won't. All of this occurred on the same night President Trump lost? It's hard to believe. Combined with the daily reports of voting irregularities where state election laws were discarded and not followed, something doesn't add up. President Trump won over 74 million votes, Obama - 69 million. President Trump won 2586 counties, Obama - 873 counties, Joe Biden - 527 counties. The numbers, the evidence, and the abnormalities all speak for themselves.\nWe have joined lawsuits, called for a Special Counsel and demanded accountability and integrity, now we finally get to cast our vote. We have no illusions about the outcome, at the end of the day, this is still Nancy Pelosi's House. Our only hope is that more will join us - that more will value protecting the vote of every American living in their state as much as we do fighting for yours.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://haaland.house.gov/media/press-releases/torres-haaland-celebrate-native-american-economic-opportunity-bill-becomes-law", "Torres, Haaland Celebrate as Native American Economic Opportunity Bill Becomes Law", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "NM", "Debra Haaland", "H001080", "haaland.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC U.S. Representatives Norma J. Torres (CA-35) and Deb Haaland (NM-01), Co-Chair of the Native American Caucus, celebrated this week as their bill, the Indian Community Economic Enhancement Act, was signed into law.\nThe new law expands economic opportunities for Native Americans by addressing the lack of access to credit and community development that hampers entrepreneurialism in Native American tribes. Specifically, the legislation:\n Updates and provides new resources to the Department of Commerce's Office of Native American Business Development;\n\tEnsures effective implementation of the Buy Indian Act within the Departments of Interior and Health and Human Services;\n\tReauthorizes the Social and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS) grant program administered by the Administration for Native Americans; and\n\tAuthorizes the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) to provide financial assistance to Native American community development financial institutions.\n The lawmakers released the following statements:\nNative communities are one step closer to economic independence and self-charted prosperity today now that the Indian Community Economic Enhancement Act is law of the land, Rep. Torres said. For tribal members whose financial opportunities have historically been limited by the geographic and economic isolation, this new law will allow capital to flow and new businesses to take root. I am grateful for Rep. Haaland's leadership as we ushered this bill through the legislative process, and thank our partners in the Senate for working with us to make this day a reality.\nAll communities deserve access to the tools to grow businesses and build economic opportunities, but years of oppression have left Native American entrepreneurs behind, Rep. Deb Haaland, Co-Chair of the Congressional Native American Caucus, said. As a small business owner while raising my daughter there were times when easier access to capital would have benefited my business. I'm proud of the work Rep. Torres and I did to expand opportunities for Native entrepreneurs and get this bill across the finish line.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://harder.house.gov/media/press-releases/harder-announces-free-mobile-coronavirus-testing-van-coming-communities", "Harder Announces Free Mobile Coronavirus Testing Van Coming to Communities Throughout Central Valley", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Josh Harder", "H001090", "harder.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Modesto, CA Today, Representative Josh Harder (CA-10) announced the launch of a new COVID-19 mobile testing van for Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties scheduled to start Monday, January 4th. Curative, one of the largest providers of oral COVID-19 testing in the country, will be launching a mobile testing unit on Monday January 4th and will serve locations across Rep. Harder's district in both Stanislaus and San Joaquin Counties. Curative offers a self-administered oral test, which uses saliva instead of a nasal swab. The test is free to all individuals, including those without insurance, and can be administered to children.\n \n\tWe heard from communities across the Valley that we're low on testing capacity so we went and found some more, said Rep. Harder. The first step in combating the virus is understanding where it is this will give us a better chance to do that while also giving people more opportunities to get tested.\n \nInterested residents can visit www.curative.com/CA10 to make an appointment. Appointments will be available starting four days before date of test. Walk-up availability is limited. More information on the test itself is available at www.curative.com. More information on local testing, including a bilingual flyer, is available here.\nThe testing van will be available on a weekly basis at the following locations, 10am 4pm, starting Monday, January 4th:\nMondays: Patterson - Hammon Senior Center Parking Lot, 1033 W Las Palmas Ave, Patterson\nTuesdays: Riverbank - Riverbank Community Center Parking Lot, 3600 Santa Fe St, Riverbank\nWednesdays: Manteca - City Hall Parking Lot, 1001 West Center Street, Manteca\nThursdays: Oakdale - Family Resource Center Parking Lot, 631 W F St, Oakdale\nFridays: Ceres - Central Valley Opportunity Center; Ceres Parking Lot, 3860 Brickit Ct., Suite A, Ceres\nSaturdays: Modesto - King Kennedy Center Parking Lot, 601 Martin Luther King Dr, Modesto\nSundays: Tracy - Ritter Family Ball Park, 2300 N. Tracy Blvd, Tracy", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://higgins.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/56th-inauguration-ceremony-information", "56th Inauguration Ceremony Information", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Brian Higgins", "H001038", "higgins.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Every four years, as has been for the past two-hundred and thirty-two years, the President and Vice President of the United States are sworn in before the American people. This remarkable ceremony in which the President swears an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, to bear true faith and allegiance to the nation, and to faithfully discharge the duties of the office is the foundation of our republic's commitment to the rule of law and the peaceful transition of power.\nOn January 20th, 2021 President-elect Joseph R. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will take this very oath before the American public, as have so many before them. While this momentous and historic event is cause for celebration, the government has a mandate to act responsibly and protect the public from the present health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.\nOn December 16th, 2020 the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) announced guidelines for attendance at 59th Inaugural Ceremony. Unlike in previous years, Congressional offices will not receive any tickets to distribute to the public. The decision was reached by the JCCIC in consultation with the Presidential Inaugural Committee and public health officials in response to the global pandemic. As such, my office will be unable to provide in-person tickets to 59th Inaugural Ceremony.\nWhile I share your disappointment, this decision should not diminish the ceremony nor its importance. The United States of America, in its times of existence, has managed one of the most impressive, continuous, and peaceful democratic transitions of power in civilized history. The pandemic cannot take that from us. This inauguration will proceed like all before it, and the United States will begin the hard work of tackling the challenges facing our great nation and building a better future.\nPlease continue to monitor the JCCIC's official website and social media for updates on where to view the 59th Inaugural Ceremony. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this decision, please do not hesitate to contact my office.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hill.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=8184", "Congressional Oversight Commission Publishes Eighth Report", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "French Hill", "H001072", "hill.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressional Oversight Commission Publishes Eighth Report \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n f \r\n t \r\n #\r\n e\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n Washington,\r\n December 31, 2020\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n WASHINGTON D.C. The members of the bipartisan Congressional Oversight Commission have published their eighth report.It is available for review here. \r\nThe Commission's seven previous reports are also available for review at theCongressional Oversight Commission's website.\r\nThe Congressional Oversight Commission is a five-person panel that was established by the CARES Act. The Commission is focused specifically on the economic stabilization efforts of the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve. The members of the commission are Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Congresswoman Donna Shalala (D-Fla.), and Congressman French Hill (R-Ark.) Commissioner Bharat Ramamurti recently announced he would be joining President-Elect Biden's Administration as the Deputy Director of the National Economic Council and stepped down from his role on the Commission. The Commission's chairperson has not been appointed yet.\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n f \r\n t \r\n #\r\n e", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://jasonsmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3342", "We Will Object", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Jason Smith", "S001195", "jasonsmith.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Next week, your 117th United States Congress will convene for the first time. After the election of Speaker and the adoption of the Rules of Congress, theaction will quickly move to reading aloud the electoral votessubmitted by each state from this past November'selection - counting them, and declaring the vote tally for President and Vice President. During that process, the question will be put before your elected officials - does anyone object to the certificationof electoral votes of a state. We will object. Our hope is that others will join us.\r\nWe don't take this decision lightly, but we must protect the integrity of each vote cast by every law-abidingMissourian. For every instance of Georgia failing to follow its own state law in verifying signatures, of Pennsylvania accepting mail ballots after the legal deadline set by its state legislature, or folks from outside Nevada casting a ballotin that state - the value of every Missourians' vote is diminished. That's not right. And we cannot simply look the other way.\r\nThe right to freely cast yourvote in elections is a sacred privilegeafforded to us as Americans because of the sacrificesof the patriots who fought for that right. When that process is spoiled and abused by officials not following their own state law, it violates that right and jeopardizes the entire integrity and foundation of 'free and fair' elections. In such instances, where voting process changes are made without the consent of the voter, we know it is our duty and our obligation to serve as a backstop to protect the power of one person, one vote - to protect your vote as a Missourian. We must be able to have confidence in not only the agreement and expectation that this election would follow the law, but future ones will as well. We take the responsibilityof upholding the Constitutionseriously, and that is why we feel compelled to object to the electoral count taking place on January 6th.\r\nThe reported results of this past November's Presidential election don't even pass the most basic eye test. Republicans were projected to lose seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, we gained more than a dozen. Republicans were supposed to lose control of several state legislatures, we picked up multiple. We were projectedto lose control of the United States Senate - we didn't, and we won't. All of this occurred on the same night President Trump lost? It's hard to believe. Combined with the daily reports of voting irregularities where state election laws were discarded and not followed, something doesn't add up. President Trump won over 74 million votes, Obama - 69 million. President Trump won 2586 counties, Obama - 873 counties, Joe Biden - 527 counties. The numbers, the evidence, and the abnormalities all speak for themselves.\r\nWe have joined lawsuits, called for a Special Counsel and demanded accountability and integrity, now we finally get to cast our vote. We have no illusions about the outcome, at the end of the day, this is still Nancy Pelosi's House. Our only hope is that more will join us - that more will value protecting the vote of every American living in their state as much as we do fighting for yours.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://jeffduncan.house.gov/media/in-the-news/list-gop-lawmakers-object-during-electoral-college-certification-process-grows", "List Of GOP Lawmakers To Object During Electoral College Certification Process Grows", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "SC", "Jeffrey Duncan", "D000615", "jeffduncan.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "2229 Rayburn House Office Building", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://joewilson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-joe-wilson-to-object-to-electoral-college-certification", "CONGRESSMAN JOE WILSON TO OBJECT TO ELECTORAL COLLEGE CERTIFICATION", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "SC", "Joe Wilson", "W000795", "joewilson.house.gov", "joewilson", "https://joewilson.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "On December 31, Congressman Joe Wilson issued the following statement:\n\n\"As a former Lexington County Election Commissioner, not just as a Member of Congress, I am disgusted at the irregularities in the 2020 presidential election. The failure to validate signatures, the omission of witnesses, the interruption of counting before completion, the denial of poll watchers for access to fully observe, the extension of ballots received beyond Election Day, and the registration of illegal aliens, allowing non-citizens to vote, are all an open invitation for fraud. I had counted on courts to fully consider lawsuits by 18 states and 126 members of Congress, but the Courts have declined to act and it is my duty to object to the Electoral count because irregularities were never addressed.\"\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:42:23Z"], ["https://johnjoyce.house.gov/media/press-releases/john-joyce-will-object-electoral-college-certification-process-january-6", "John Joyce Will Object to Electoral College Certification Process on January 6", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "PA", "John Joyce", "J000302", "johnjoyce.house.gov", "johnjoyce", "https://johnjoyce.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, DC Congressman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13) today announced that he will object to the Electoral College certification process on Wednesday, January 6.\n\n\"American democracy is possible only as long as the American people have faith in government ?of, by, and for the people.' We cannot have truly free and fair elections unless American voters have confidence in the results. In Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Wolf's unlawful actions coupled with the hastily passed Act 77 shrouded this year's election and spurred rabid distrust in the system. Despite millions of Americans' efforts to discern the facts, we have not seen a meaningful investigation into the many legitimate accounts of election fraud and irregularities. For the sake of our liberty and our American values, I will stand up for President Trump and our American democracy by objecting to the Electoral College certification on January 6.\"\n\nToday Dr. Joyce joined fellow members of the Republican Congressional delegation in a joint statement on the certification of the electors, including in part:\n\n\"Unfortunately, the many unlawful actions undertaken by the Pennsylvania Governor's office, the Secretary of State, and what has been described as a rogue Pennsylvania Supreme Court exceeded and circumvented the state legislature's clear constitutional authority.\n\n\"The unlawful actions include, but are not limited to:\n\nAccepting ballots past 8:00 pm on Election Day\n\nNot properly requiring signatures to match those on mail-in ballots or requiring dates\n\nMeanwhile, the matching of signatures was required at a polling site\n\nAuthorizing the curing of mail-in ballots with less than a 24-hour's notice\n\nOnly some counties were informed and adhered to this order leaving voters treated unequally from county to county\n\nAuthorizing the use of unsecure drop boxes, which is not permitted in statute\n\nProhibiting certified poll watchers overseeing the canvassing of ballots in Philadelphia\n\n\"These unlawful actions were taken without the authority or consent of the Pennsylvania state legislature. These are facts, and they are indisputable.\"\n\nDespite sustained efforts to discern the truth, these Members of Congress have not received an adequate response from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Given this failure of the Commonwealth's leadership, they cannot agree to support electors chosen based upon an inaccurate total vote count.\n\n\"This very unfortunate, volatile, and distressing situation is due to the lack of respect and regard for the law and the U.S. Constitution, as well as the Pennsylvania State Constitution. Additionally, the failure of Pennsylvania's justice system to seek the truth, rather than stay silent, allowed these irregular, unlawful actions to create a high level of mistrust in the process, as well as a potentially flawed outcome,\" they continued.\n\nBackground:\n\nSince Election Day, Dr. Joyce has been in lockstep with President Trump and his team to ensure that justice is served.\n\n? November 6, 2020: Dr. Joyce and 38 fellow Members of Congress call on U.S. Attorney General Barr to begin a federal investigation and exercise oversight on the November 3 elections in Pennsylvania and around the country.\n\n? November 7, 2020: Dr. Joyce and fellow Republican Members of the Pennsylvania Congressional delegation urge Governor Wolf, PA Attorney General Shapiro, and Secretary Boockvar to uphold the law of Pennsylvania and ensure that every LEGAL vote is counted once. They also call on Governor Wolf to recuse AG Shapiro, a hyper-partisan candidate, from ALL election oversight.\n\n? November-December: Dr. Joyce supports President Trump's legal challenges in Pennsylvania.\n\n? December 1, 2020: Dr. Joyce and 36 fellow Members of Congress urge U.S. Attorney General Barr to take \"bold and courageous action\" in DOJ investigation of widespread allegations of election fraud in Pennsylvania and around the country and to uphold the rule of law and ensure legal justice for President Trump. As they write, \"justice delayed is justice denied.\"\n\n? December 7, 2020: Dr. Joyce files an amicus brief in support of Kelly v. Pennsylvania, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to take up Congressman Mike Kelly's case against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.\n\n? December 8, 2020: Dr. Joyce co-sponsorsH.R.8830, the You Must Be Alive to Vote Act of 2020, which will require states to obtain information from Social Security Administration on deaths for purposes of voter registration list maintenance and to prevent dead people from voting.\n\n? December 10, 2020: In support of President Trump, Dr. Joyce files an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to take up Texas v. Pennsylvania and give all due consideration to our President.\n\n? December 24, 2020: Dr. Joyce files an amicus brief calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to take up Kelly v. Commonwealthof Pennsylvania and uphold the Constitution of Pennsylvania.\n\n? December 31, 2020: Dr. Joyce and members of the Republican Pennsylvania Congressional delegation release statement announcing that they will object to the Electoral College certification process.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:42:23Z"], ["https://keller.house.gov/media/press-releases/pennsylvania-members-congress-release-statement-regarding-certification", "Pennsylvania Members of Congress Release Statement Regarding Certification of Electors", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "Senate", "PA", "Fred Keller", "K000395", "keller.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. Today, Congressman Fred Keller (R-PA) and seven Pennsylvania members of Congress released the following statement regarding the certification of electors on January 6, 2020:\n\nThe United States Constitution is unambiguous in declaring that state legislatures are the entity with authority to set election procedure\n\nArticle 1, Section 4, Clause 1: The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof'\n\nArticle 2, Section 1, Clause 2: Each state shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors'\n\nUnfortunately, the many unlawful actions undertaken by the Pennsylvania Governor's office, the Secretary of State, and what has been described as a rogue Pennsylvania Supreme Court exceeded and circumvented the state legislature's clear constitutional authority.\n\nThe unlawful actions include, but are not limited to:\n\n Accepting ballots past 8:00 pm on Election Day.\n\tNot properly requiring signatures to match those on mail-in ballots or requiring dates.\n\t\tMeanwhile, the matching of signatures was required at a polling site.\n\t\t\n\tAuthorizing the curing of mail-in ballots with less than a 24-hours' notice.\n\t\tOnly some counties were informed and adhered to this order leaving voters treated unequally from county to county.\n\t\t\n\tAuthorizing the use of unsecure drop boxes, which is not permitted in statute.\n\tProhibiting certified poll watchers overseeing the canvassing of ballots in Philadelphia.\n \nThese unlawful actions were taken without the authority or consent of the Pennsylvania state legislature. These are facts, and they are indisputable.\n\nAdditionally, the Pennsylvania Attorney General did nothing with regard to these unlawful activities. Not one inquiry, no questioning, and certainly no investigations. Not to mention that hundreds, if not thousands, of affidavits outlining election complaints and potential fraud were documented, submitted, and ignored. The Pennsylvania election could be summed up as a free-for-all with no oversight and different standards applied throughout the Commonwealth. It is also very apparent that the unlawful actions described were concentrated in heavily populated, Democrat-led counties.\n\nBy definition, such unlawful, unregulated, and inconsistent activities resulted in a highly questionable and inaccurate vote total. The scope of these inaccuracies cannot be known until the legal ballots are identified and counted, and the illegal ballots are disqualified. This has not been done.\n\nTherefore, the state's official certification of electors was based upon a flawed system and an inaccurate vote count. Thus, very possibly resulting in an erroneous certification.\n\nUntil these unlawful practices are acknowledged and corrected, we, as members of the U.S. House of Representatives, cannot agree to support electors chosen based upon an inaccurate total vote count. The voters of Pennsylvania deserve integrity in the election process and equal protection under the law.\n\nThis very unfortunate, volatile, and distressing situation is due to the lack of respect and regard for the law and the U.S. Constitution as well as the Pennsylvania State Constitution. Additionally, the failure of Pennsylvania's justice system to seek the truth, rather than stay silent, allowed these irregular, unlawful actions to create a high level of mistrust in the process as well as a potentially flawed outcome.\n\nThe one thing that all voters, regardless of party affiliation, can all agree upon is that we must have election integrity. That is the only way to ensure trust in our elections and it is accomplished by adhering to our Constitution and the law.\n\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://kelly.house.gov/press-release/pennsylvania-us-house-members-release-statement-certification-electors", "Pennsylvania U.S. House Members Release Statement on Certification of Electors", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "Senate", "PA", "Mike Kelly", "K000376", "kelly.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. Representative Mike Kelly (PA-16) today released this joint statement with Representatives Dan Meuser (PA-9), Glenn GT' Thompson (PA-15), Scott Perry (PA-10), Lloyd Smucker (PA-11), Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14), John Joyce (PA-13), and Fred Keller (PA-12) regarding their intent to vote against certification of Pennsylvania's electors on January 6:\nThe United States Constitution is unambiguous in declaring that state legislatures are the entity with authority to set election procedure -\nArticle 1, Section 4, Clause 1: The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof\nArticle 2, Section 1, Clause 2: Each state shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors\nUnfortunately, the many unlawful actions undertaken by the Pennsylvania Governor's office, the Secretary of State, and what has been described as a rogue Pennsylvania Supreme Court exceeded and circumvented the state legislature's clear constitutional authority.\nThe unlawful actions include, but are not limited to:\n Accepting ballots past 8:00 pm on Election Day;\nNot properly requiring signatures to match those on mail-in ballots or requiring dates.Meanwhile, the matching of signatures was required at a polling site;\nAuthorizing the curing of mail-in ballots with less than a 24-hour's notice.Only some counties were informed and adhered to this order leaving voters treated unequally from county to county;\nAuthorizing the use of unsecured drop boxes, which is not permitted in statute\nProhibiting certified poll watchers overseeing the canvassing of ballots in Philadelphia;\n These unlawful actions were taken without the authority or consent of the Pennsylvania state legislature. These are facts, and they are indisputable.\nAdditionally, the Pennsylvania Attorney General did nothing with regard to these unlawful activities. Not one inquiry, no questioning, and certainly no investigations. Not to mention that hundreds, if not thousands, of affidavits outlining election complaints and potential fraud were documented, submitted, and ignored. The Pennsylvania election could be summed up as a free-for-all with no oversight and different standards applied throughout the Commonwealth. It is also very apparent that the unlawful actions described were concentrated in heavily populated, Democrat-led counties.\nBy definition, such unlawful, unregulated, and inconsistent activities resulted in a highly questionable and inaccurate vote total. The scope of these inaccuracies cannot be known until the legal ballots are identified and counted, and the illegal ballots are disqualified. This has not been done.\nTherefore, the state's official certification of electors was based upon a flawed system and an inaccurate vote count. Thus, very possibly resulting in an erroneous certification.\nUntil these unlawful practices are acknowledged and corrected, we cannot agree to support electors chosen based upon an inaccurate total vote count. The voters of Pennsylvania deserve integrity in the election process and equal protection under the law.\nThis very unfortunate, volatile, and distressing situation is due to the lack of respect and regard for the law and the U.S. Constitution as well as the Pennsylvania State Constitution. Additionally, the failure of Pennsylvania's justice system to seek the truth, rather than stay silent, allowed these irregular, unlawful actions to create a high level of mistrust in the process as well as a potentially flawed outcome.\nIf there is an American ideal that all citizens, regardless of party affiliation, can agree upon it is that we must have election integrity. Election integrity is the only way to ensure trust in our elections and it is accomplished by adhering to our Constitution and the law.\"\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/coin-redesign-act-celebrating-prominent-american-women-and-others-passes-both-chambers-of-congress_--", "Coin Redesign Act Celebrating Prominent American Women and Others Passes Both Chambers of Congress", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.31.20\n\t\t\t Coin Redesign Act Celebrating Prominent American Women and Others Passes Both Chambers of Congress \n\t\t\tWashington, D.C. Representatives Barbara Lee (D-CA), Anthony Gonzalez(R-OH), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) today joined Senators Catherine CortezMasto(D-NV) and Deb Fischer (R-NE)in celebrating the bicameral passage of their bipartisan legislation, the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020. \r\n\r\nH.R. 1923, the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020 allows the Department of the Treasury and U.S. Mint to mint and issuenewquarter-dollar coins. The first series of quarters in this program commemorates the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment granting some women the right to vote. The design on the reverse of those quarters will represent prominent American women in a range of fields, including but not limited to suffrage, civil rights, abolition, government, and humanities. This series will also include women from ethnically, racially, and geographically diverse backgrounds. \r\n\r\nThe 114th Congress created a United StatesSemiquincentennialCommission to facilitate activities in 2026 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. This bill allows for the issuance offivedifferent designs emblematic of the United States'Semiquincentennial, including one dedicated to the contributions made by women to our nation's founding or a monumental moment in American History.Additionally, from 2027-2030,quarter dollars willcommemorate sports played by American youthandhalf-dollar commemoratingParalympicsports. \r\nWomen have played a critical role in shaping this country since its founding but have often been excluded or gone unrecognized. This bill is an important step in recognizing the contributions women have made in furthering civil rights and making our country a more equitable place. This bill's passage also coincides with the centennial of the 19th Amendment which gave some women the right to vote,said Congresswoman Lee.When women gathered in Seneca Falls in July 1848, it was to give white women the right to vote no Black women were invited to participate. As we commemorate women's suffrage and celebrate the first series of coins in the package to depict prominent American women, it is also my hope that diverse American women will be chosen and depicted, celebrating our nation's leaders, thinkers, and innovators. \r\n\r\nSome of the greatest and most influential figures in our nation's history have been women, although these voices and stories have too often gone untold. In this centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment, it is fitting that we take this opportunity to highlight the role women have played in shaping our great nation and ensure their inclusion in the fabric of our nation's story,said Congressman Gonzalez.I am excited to see this legislation head to the President's desk to be signed into law. \r\n\r\nI'm proud to see this legislation honoring the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment and recognizing the many American women who have contributed to the fight for suffrage and civil rights, science, government, and the arts pass the House of Representatives,said Senator CortezMasto.While our nation still has steps to take in honoring the right to vote for women of color, the 19th Amendment has firmly established every woman's right to vote for the last 100 years and has brought women into the halls of power across our country. And by ensuring that prominent women are featured in the U.S. Mint'sSemiquincentennial, we are recognizing our history and inspiring future generations of young women to dream big. From business boardrooms to research labs to state legislatures, like Nevada's first majority-women legislature, this bill recognizes the decades of contributions women have made and will make to our shared history. \r\nI am happy that we were able to work together in a bipartisan, bicameral way to pass this legislation,said Senator Fischer.These coins will pay tribute to the women heroes and trailblazers who have played a major role in our nation's history. Their leadership, stories, and sacrifices are going to inspire generations of women to come. \r\n\r\nAs a member of the U.S.SemiquinentennialCommission, I am thrilled to see us take steps to prepare for the celebration of our 250th Independence Day and especially excited to ensure that celebration includes not just the founding fathers we so often think of, but more diverse contributions made to our nation's founding. The inclusion of women is vital, and so it is fitting that we make sure a woman is included on the coins we'll circulate to mark the occasion,said Congresswoman Watson Coleman.For so long, we've allowed a pervasive narrative that women, Black, indigenous and other people of color are new to leading. The truth is, we've been doing it since the dawn of time, but with little recognition. With measures like these we pay a small amount of what's due and inspire everyone to dream big. \r\n\r\nSince our institution's founding in 1792, the men and women of the United States Mint have taken great pride in rendering the story of our nation in enduring examples of numismatic art,said United States Mint Director David J. Ryder.We look forward to honoring the many contributions of women in American history, as well as celebrating the 250thAnniversary of our Great Nation and the shared pastimes that are important to all of us.\r\n\r\n\"As we commemorate the Suffrage Centennial in 2020 and the 250th anniversary of our country's founding in 2026, I can't think of a better way of righting our history than to include historical American women,said Rosie Rios, 43rd Treasurer of the United States.I would like to thank Congresswoman Barbara Lee and her office for taking a leadership role in partnering to craft this legislation and continue the journey of having women represented on our currency and coins, something that is used every day around the world. By seeing ourselves honored and valued in our history, our daughters and sons can be inspired to also see their own future.\" \r\n\r\nThis bill will include the following package of coins: \r\n\r\n \r\nFrom 2022-2025, up to 5 quarters annually depicting prominent American women;\r\nIn 2026, up to 5 quarters commemorating the USSemiquincentennial(250th) anniversary,including one quarter design featuring women;\r\nAll circulating coins (obverse and reverse) will be redesigned for 2026 for the celebration;\r\nFrom 2027-2030, a series of 5 quarters annually honoring American youth sports and a half-dollar design depicting a sport in the Paralympics;\r\nGives authority for permission for the Mint to design and strike Olympic medals. \r\n \r\n\r\nThis year marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women's constitutional right to vote. 68 million women can vote today because of the work of the women's suffrage movement and this bill honors these efforts.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://lindasanchez.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/s-nchez-highlights-accomplishments-38th-congressional-district-during", "S\u00e1nchez Highlights Accomplishments for 38th Congressional District During 116th Congress", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Linda T. S\u00e1nchez", "S001156", "lindasanchez.house.gov", "lindasanchez", "https://lindasanchez.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2014 U.S. Representative Linda T. S\u00e1nchez (D-CA) today highlighted accomplishments for the 38th Congressional District during the second session of the 116th Congress. S\u00e1nchez has devoted her career to helping working people get ahead: advocating for families, improving America's education system, and bringing jobs to Southern California.\n\n\"I take seriously my responsibility to be the voice for California's 38th District in Washington,\" said Congresswoman Linda S\u00e1nchez. \"In 2020, my Democratic colleagues and I have been able to deliver significant wins for our constituents and the country, despite historic opposition from the other party and the Administration. The cornerstone of my work is and continues to be serving my constituents, especially in these difficult and unpredictable times.\"\n\nIn the 116th Congress, Congresswoman S\u00e1nchez served on the Ways and Means Committee where she lead on issues of importance to working families such as family caregiving and nursing homes, fair taxation, improving education at all levels, and worker-first priorities for labor. Additionally, S\u00e1nchez served as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus' Immigration Task Force and Co-Chair of the Labor Caucus, and as a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Democratic Women's Caucus.\n\nOn Sunday, January 3rd, Congresswoman S\u00e1nchez will be sworn in as the Representative for California's 38th Congressional District in the 117th Congress. At that time, she will begin her tenth term serving the people of Los Angeles and Orange Counties in Southern California.\n\nHighlighted district and legislative accomplishments are below. For additional information, please visit here.\n\nFor a complete listing on House Democrats' work For The People in the 116th Congress, please visit here.\n\nHighlighted District Accomplishments\n\nCOVID-19 Response\n\nSince March 2019, Congresswoman S\u00e1nchez's office has received thousands of constituent requests for assistance related to the pandemic. The office has resolved more than 1,000 constituent issues this calendar year, and for issues outside of the federal scope, our team continues to share information regarding state and local resources.\n\nSupport for Small Businesses\n\nAdditionally, the District office has been laser-focused on providing information and assistance for small businesses. The office has assisted hundreds of small businesses, including more than 200 local businesses with Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program.\n\n2020 Census\n\nCongresswoman S\u00e1nchez prioritized Census response this year, as the district faced several challenges for an accurate count. As a result of this sustained effort, in partnership with many local organization, CA-38 had a response rate of 73.9% which is significantly higher than the state average of 69.6% and L.A. County average of 65%.\n\nWhittier Narrows Dam\n\nCongresswoman S\u00e1nchez, working together with Congresswomen Napolitano and Chu, secured $192.5 million for long-needed repairs to the Whittier Narrows Dam. The Whittier Narrows Dam Safety Project is part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Dam Safety and Seepage Program and was included in the FY2021 Omnibus Appropriations bill. This will ensure construction of the project commences on schedule. This important milestone will make our communities more resilient in the face of increasingly dangerous and damaging storms.\n\nVirtual Constituent Engagement\n\nThis year, the offices pivoted to a virtual model of constituent support and held hundreds of virtual events to meet with local leaders, community members and constituents.\n\nHighlighted Legislative Accomplishments\n\nHealth\n\nThe Congresswoman continues to be a leader on the Ways and Means Committee, specifically on the topics of caregiving, nursing homes, and Alzheimer's disease. She is acutely focused on these issues and health disparities in the Latino community as it relates to much of her legislative work in this portfolio. She authored an op-ed regarding the importance of the ACA: \"Being a woman is a preexisting condition? Here's what is at stake for health care.\"\n\nHer top bills include:\n\nCOVID-19 Health Legislation\n\nThe Facilitating Virtual Visitation for Nursing Home Residents Act, The Stronger Medicaid Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic Act, (included in the HEROES Act and updated HEROES Act), and The Public Health Emergency COBRA Extension Act\n\nLegislation with Reps. C\u00e1rdenas and Castro that would allow those who are uninsured to receive COVID-19 tests at no-cost. This legislation was included in the larger Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which passed the House of Representatives.\n\nHealth Legislation\n\nThe Community-Based Independence for Seniors Act, The CHANGE Act, The Fairness in Nursing Home Arbitration Act,The Medicare Adult Day Services Act, The Compassionate Care Act.\n\nTaxation\n\nAs a senior member of the Committee on Ways and Means and the Select Revenue Measures Subcommittee, the Congresswoman continues to be a leader of federal taxation issues in Congress and several of her priorities have been included in the House of Representatives-passed COVID packages this year.\n\nCOVID-19 Tax Legislation\n\nHer previously committee-passed bipartisan Working Parents Relief Act that would allow families to set aside more pre-tax dollars to cover the skyrocketing costs of childcare was partially included in the HEROES Act.\n\nRelated to the Congresswoman's ongoing work to provide families with more flexibility to afford childcare, she led a letter to the Treasury Department advocating for an interpretation to allow workers to change the amount of money set aside for dependent care expenses. This provision was also included in the HEROES Act.\n\nThe Providing Essentials for Frontline Workers Act (included in the HEROES Act), The WORK NOW Act (modified version included in the updated HEROES Act),The Helping Independent Tracks Succeed (HITS) Act, and TheMechanical Insulation Incentive Act.\n\nTax Legislation\n\nBuilding Apprentice Skills in Career Training, Credit for Caring Act is a bi-partisan bill that would provide a non-refundable federal tax credit of up to $3,000 to family caregivers to help address the financial burdens of caregiving and help working family caregivers remain employed and not have to leave their jobs and risk their financial security.\n\nImmigration\n\nCongresswoman S\u00e1nchez continued her term as Chair of the Immigration Task Force for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where she led over a dozen meetings with advocacy groups and CHC members to build consensus to develop a new roadmap toward immigration reform. The Congresswoman developed key principles to guide a legislative strategy and will continue leading conversations with key Congressional members and the Biden Administration to move immigration reforms in the 117th Congress.\n\nThe Congresswoman also secured a deal to provide emergency relief funding and led legislation to provide access to COVID-19 testing and treatment for all, including undocumented people and mixed-status families.\n\nImmigration Issues\n\nCalled for DHS and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) to provide the agency's plans to provide flu vaccines to migrants in CBP custody, ahead of flu season during COVID-19.\n\nThe Congresswoman led a letter to DHS Acting Secretary Wolf on the agency's stance and plan to provide flu vaccinations to migrants, including children and family units currently detained at U.S. CBP facilities, ahead of this year's flu season.\n\nLed an effort to oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) modifications to the Student Exchange and Visitor Program (SEVP) that affected international student's ability to take online classes during the pandemic, causing undue harm to our international students, student bodies, and institutions of higher learning in and around the district.\n\nLabor\n\nThe Congresswoman hosted quarterly virtual meetings with local union representatives to hear directly from workers regarding the challenges they faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing a direct voice for working families to Congress. She was a vocal supporter of legislative efforts to protect worker's economic security and ensure safety on the job, especially frontline workers.\n\nCongresswoman S\u00e1nchez once again served as Co-Chair the Labor and Working Families Caucus, including 74 members, and worked to expand the Caucus. The Congresswoman welcomed like-minded colleagues to leadership on key labor issues by helping form the new Congressional Labor Caucus. The Labor Caucus will build on the legacy of the Labor and Working Families Caucus by expanding support for legislative efforts that strengthen workers' rights and rebuild America's middle class.\n\nLabor Legislation\n\nCoronavirus Frontline Workers Fair Pay Act and a bipartisan resolution Expressing support for the designation of Journeyman Lineworkers Recognition Day\n\nOversight\n\nThe Congresswoman, along with Reps. Lieu, Cicilline, Eshoo, and Gallego introduced a comprehensive package of oversight bills \u2013 the Restoring Public Trust Act \u2013 which included her RIGGED Act to end nepotism at the White House.\n\nOversight Legislation\n\nThe Relatives in Government Getting Employment Dishonorably Act and The Financial Accountability in Reporting Act\n\nEducation\n\nThe Congresswoman remains focused on improving education at all levels. The Safe Schools Improvement Act has the highest number of cosponsors ever with 231. The Congresswoman led the Orange County delegation encouraging the O.C. Board of Education to abide by health guidelines, including mandating local school districts to mandate masks and physical distancing guidelines.\n\nEducation Legislation\n\nThe Safe Schools Improvement Act, The Put School Counselors Where They're Needed Act, and The National School Counselors Week Resolution\n\nSocial Security\n\nAs an active member of the Social Security Subcommittee on Ways and Means, the Congresswoman has prioritized protecting beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic this year while she fights for longer term reform. She secured inclusion of a version of her legislation to provide a boost to widows and widowers in emergency Social Security legislation introduced by Chairman Larson. She also joined with her colleagues to push for a temporary fix to this year's woefully inadequate cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA), forgiveness for Social Security overpayments during the pandemic, and fewer administrative hurdles for beneficiaries to receive their Economic Impact Payments (EIP).\n\nCongresswoman S\u00e1nchez continues to fight for permanent improvements to Social Security through her legislation to strengthen benefits and the solvency of the Social Security program. She testified before the Committee on the importance of the program to Latinx families and communities of color.\n\nSocial Security Legislation\n\nProtecting Our Widows and Widowers in Retirement (POWER) Act, H.R. 2654 - Strengthening Social Security Act of 2019, and the Social Security COVID-19 Correction and Equity Act\n\nWorker and Family Support\n\nThis year, the Congresswoman expanded her leadership role on critical legislation to help working families endure and recover from the pandemic. She joined Committee leadership in spearheading the Childcare for Economic Recovery Act through the House, including testifying before the Rules Committee. She also helped broker a provision to provide emergency assistance for vulnerable populations in both Heroes Act versions between the Ways and Means Committee and CHC and secured a provision to provide family care for essential workers in the original Heroes Act. The Congresswoman also advocated for crucial programs to help working families, including sharing constituent stories on the importance of enhanced pandemic unemployment benefits. She also published an op-ed in Latino Magazine on the importance of programs like paid family leave and federal support for family caregivers in the Latinx community.\n\nWorker and Family Support Legislation\n\nH.R. 7327 - Childcare for Economic Recovery Act, H.R. 6460 \u2013 Family Care for Essential Workers Act,H.R.6862 - Social Services Pandemic Disaster Relief Act(co-led with Reps. Davis, Chu, and Gomez) (included in both versions of the Heroes Act ), H.R. 7846 - The Support Working Families Act of 2020 (bill co-led with Rep. Porter)\n\nTransportation and Infrastructure\n\nThe Congresswoman has continued to lead efforts to restore the Whittier Narrows Dam, including leading a push to secure funding of the restoration in the FY 2021 House and Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Acts. She continues to work with the City of Pico Rivera, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Appropriations Committee to mitigate the project's impact on the community. She drafted and secured compromise language included in the FY 2021 House Energy and Water report directing the Corps to study ways to minimize the impact on the community. The Congresswoman has also testified before House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee urging the WRDA process to better serve disadvantaged communities and hosted the Committee to tour the Whittier Narrows Dam in Pico Rivera this year. The Congresswoman has also continued to push for a major infrastructure investment, as well as advocate for federal infrastructure grants that would benefit local agencies like L.A. Metro (rail and bus electrification projects) and WRD that serve the 38th District.\n\nSmall Business\n\nCongresswoman S\u00e1nchez has fought to secure lifesaving help for small businesses to weather the COVID-19 pandemic and joined aggressive oversight to ensure the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program serve truly small and minority-owned businesses. She has joined with her colleagues on efforts to expand PPP eligibility for nonprofits and increase transparency and accountability of SBA programs to prevent large corporations from taking advantage of funds intended for small businesses. The Congresswoman has engaged with the Small Business Committee on policy problems raised by local labor and small business owners during the rollout of PPP.\n\nThe Congresswoman has also continued to be supportive of manufacturing businesses in the district, many of whom contract with NASA and the Air Force. She has joined her colleagues in pushing the Air Force to keep the National Security Space Launch program on schedule, which local small manufacturing businesses depend on for contracting work.\n\nSmall Business Legislation\n\nThe Supporting Entrepreneurs and Economic Development (SEED) Act\n\nEnergy and Environment\n\nThe Congresswoman pushed back against the Trump administration's political and environment attacks against the state of California. She has joined with her colleagues to combat PFAS (forever chemicals found in nonstick cookware and firefighting foam) contamination by urging appropriators to fund new grant programs for states and localities to decontaminate water supplies, as well as cosponsoring legislation passed by the House to regulate PFAS chemicals. The Congresswoman has continued to support appropriations for local and national environmental priorities including water conservation programs, energy efficiency and renewable energy research, and the L.A. River Restoration project.\n\nAgriculture and Animals\n\nThe Congresswoman continued her leadership on nutrition issues in the start of the pandemic by urging the Secretary of Agriculture to use authority under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to allow WIC food package substitutes as a result of panic buying. The effort was endorsed by the National WIC Association and her letter garnered more than 60 Congressional member signatures. She also signed onto numerous letters to the Administration to ensure families receive pandemic nutrition assistance and cosponsored legislation to expand nutrition assistance through SNAP and other programs during the crisis. The Congresswoman once again received a 100 percent scorecard rating from the Humane Society for her record and cosponsorship of animal protection bills.\n\nNutrition Legislation\n\nH.R. 6811 \u2013 WIC Act of 2020\n\nDefenseand Foreign Affairs\n\nThe Congresswoman vocally defended the Armenian Community as the latest conflict between Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Artsakh erupted this year. She joined her colleagues in the Congressional Caucus on Armenia to push for the U.S. to engage in fostering a peace process that would respect the rights of Armenians and residents of Artsakh. The Congresswoman engaged directly with the State Department to urge the Administration to increase its involvement and restore demining programs in Artsakh.\n\nShe also joined with her colleagues to commemorate the Armenian Genocide. The Congresswoman also continued to expand her participation in NATO PA by serving out her term as Vice-Chair of the Economics and Security Committee. She was elected Special Rapporteur of the Civil Dimension of Security Committee and has further developed relationships with NATO counterparts and colleagues in the U.S. delegation. The Congresswoman maintained her strong support for Israel through responsiveness to all corners of the Jewish community in the 38th District, including supporting security assistance for Israel, strides in the regional peace process, and humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip.\n\nCivil Rights\n\nCongresswoman S\u00e1nchez led the fight for transparency in the Census Bureau's plan to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. She engaged with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to provide oversight of all operations, including updated messaging strategies and new engagement plans. The Congresswoman supported the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, bipartisan legislation led by the Congressional Black Caucus: unprecedented reforms to fundamentally transform the culture of policing by curbing police brutality, ending racial profiling, increasing transparency and accountability, as it saves lives.\n\nCivil Rights Letters\n\nU.S. Census Bureau and Department of Commerce seeking information about the Bureau's contingency plans to conduct the 2020 Census during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on outreach on how historically marginalized communities, people experiencing homelessness, and those with low broadband access would be reached.\n\nCivil Rights Legislation\n\nGeorge Floyd Justice in Policing Act, Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act, Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation resolution, Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, s 2020 Observance of Juneteenth Independence Day, Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act, and the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act\n\nVeterans\n\nThe Congresswoman has continued to support numerous legislative efforts related to veterans. She will continue to explore new legislative opportunities after a meeting she had with local leaders on the topics of homelessness, mental health, and health care. The Congresswoman's Fair Credit Reporting for Servicemembers passed the U.S. House of Representatives on January 29, 2020 as part of the Comprehensive CREDIT Act.\n\nVeterans Legislation", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:42:23Z"], ["https://long.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=476", "We Will Object", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Billy Long", "L000576", "long.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Next week, your 117th United States Congress will convene for the first time. After the election of Speaker and the adoption of the Rules of Congress, theaction will quickly move to reading aloud the electoral votessubmitted by each state from this past November'selection - counting them, and declaring the vote tally for President and Vice President. During that process, the question will be put before your elected officials - does anyone object to the certificationof electoral votes of a state. We will object. Our hope is that others will join us.\r\nWe don't take this decision lightly, but we must protect the integrity of each vote cast by every law-abidingMissourian. For every instance of Georgia failing to follow its own state law in verifying signatures, of Pennsylvania accepting mail ballots after the legal deadline set by its state legislature, or folks from outside Nevada casting a ballotin that state - the value of every Missourians' vote is diminished. That's not right. And we cannot simply look the other way.\r\nThe right to freely cast yourvote in elections is a sacred privilegeafforded to us as Americans because of the sacrificesof the patriots who fought for that right. When that process is spoiled and abused by officials not following their own state law, it violates that right and jeopardizes the entire integrity and foundation of 'free and fair' elections. In such instances, where voting process changes are made without the consent of the voter, we know it is our duty and our obligation to serve as a backstop to protect the power of one person, one vote - to protect your vote as a Missourian. We must be able to have confidence in not only the agreement and expectation that this election would follow the law, but future ones will as well. We take the responsibilityof upholding the Constitutionseriously, and that is why we feel compelled to object to the electoral count taking place on January 6th.\r\nThe reported results of this past November's Presidential election don't even pass the most basic eye test. Republicans were projected to lose seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, we gained more than a dozen. Republicans were supposed to lose control of several state legislatures, we picked up multiple. We were projectedto lose control of the United States Senate - we didn't, and we won't. All of this occurred on the same night President Trump lost? It's hard to believe. Combined with the daily reports of voting irregularities where state election laws were discarded and not followed, something doesn't add up. President Trump won over 74 million votes, Obama - 69 million. President Trump won 2586 counties, Obama - 873 counties, Joe Biden - 527 counties. The numbers, the evidence, and the abnormalities all speak for themselves.\r\nWe have joined lawsuits, called for a Special Counsel and demanded accountability and integrity, now we finally get to cast our vote. We have no illusions about the outcome, at the end of the day, this is still Nancy Pelosi's House. Our only hope is that more will join us - that more will value protecting the vote of every American living in their state as much as we do fighting for yours.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://loudermilk.house.gov/news/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=3564", "Bill to Help Non-Profit Organizations Goes to President Trumps Desk to be Signed", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "GA", "Barry Loudermilk", "L000583", "loudermilk.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga) issued the following statement after the Senate and House of Representatives passed his bill, the Building Up Independent Lives and Dreams (BUILD) Act:\r\n share:\r\n f \r\n t \r\n \r\n \r\n Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga) issued the following statement after the Senate and House of Representatives passed his bill, the Building Up Independent Lives and Dreams (BUILD) Act:It's great to see the BUILD Act on its way to the president's desk to be signed into law. The bipartisan support for this bill was overwhelming; and it's clear that many of my colleagues agree we should make it easier for charitable organizations to help those in need. This bill is a major help for non-profits, like Habitat for Humanity, which provide low-cost housing for needy families. The BUILD Act cuts government red-tape by reducing some of the overly burdensome regulations placed on charities through the Dodd-Frank Act. The difficulty and cost of compliance has been too much for some non-profits, causing them to spend more time doing regulatory paperwork and less time fulfilling their missions. The BUILD Act recognizes that these non-profit organizations operate under different business models than traditional financial institutions, and provides a simpler method for providing mortgage disclosures. Summary of the BUILD Act (S. 371): Allows Habitat for Humanity affiliates, and similar organizations, to choose whether to use the TRID loan estimate and closing disclosure form or use the less complex GFE, HUD-1, and TILA forms. You can view the text of this legislation by HERE.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://loudermilk.house.gov/news/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=3565", "Rep. Loudermilk to Object to Georgia Electors in U.S. House of Representatives", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "GA", "Barry Loudermilk", "L000583", "loudermilk.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga) issued the following statement regarding the November 3rd election, and the certification of the electors for the Presidential election in the U.S. House on January 6, 2021:\"Since the November 3rd election, I have received numerous reports of election irregularities, mismanagement of the election system, and multiple incidents of voter fraud. While contacting voters who needed to cure their absentee ballots just after the election, I and my team heard from several voters who reported that when they went to vote on Election Day, they were told they had already voted absentee, though they had not. Two weeks before the election, I received credible information that a Georgia-based non-profit group was actively calling residents of other states and encouraging them to register as Georgia voters. I reported this information, and the contact for my source, to the Georgia Secretary of State. Two weeks after the election, I found out that the informant had never been contacted by the Secretary of State's office. \"Over the past several weeks, I have been in contact with members of the Georgia General Assembly who have conducted hearings on potential voter fraud in the November general election. I have received hundreds of testimonies, affidavits, and witness accounts of voting irregularities, lack of ballot accountability, and violations of state election law. While I am fully supportive of Governor Brian Kemp and how he is leading Georgia during these trying times, I do not believe the Governor's office, nor the Secretary of State, have adequately answered the most significant claims of voter fraud and election mismanagement made by several individuals and entities. \"After weeks of researching Georgia's handling of the 2020 General Election, I have a reasonable and significant doubt that the electors selected to represent Georgia in the electoral college actually reflect the true will of the people of Georgia. Due to the many unanswered and credible charges of potential fraud, highly respected members of the State House and Senate have called for a special session to address the certification of Georgia's votes. However, no special session has been called. Therefore, on behalf of my colleagues in the Georgia General Assembly, I will be objecting to Georgia's electors when these votes are presented to the U.S. House of Representatives on January 6, 2021.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://luria.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-elaine-luria-announces-passage-critical-health-care-priorities", "Congresswoman Elaine Luria Announces Passage of Critical Health Care Priorities in COVID-19 Relief Package", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Elaine Luria", "L000591", "luria.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DCToday, Congresswoman Elaine Luria announced the inclusion of several vital health care provisions in theConsolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 and Emergency Coronavirus Relief package, which the President recently signed into law. These provisions would bolster COVID-19 vaccine and testing deployment, reverse planned budget cuts to Medicare, and provide additional funding for personal protective equipment (PPE).As our nation faces record-breaking numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, we must continue providing robust funding for critical health care imperatives,said Congresswoman Elaine Luria.While neither perfect nor all-inclusive, this much-overdue COVID-19 relief package allocates resources needed to improve our nation's response to this pandemic. I am pleased the President signed this package into law, and I urge my colleagues in the House and Senate to continue finding common ground as we continue addressing this public health emergency.Included in the COVID-19 relief package are:\n\t\t\t\t$69 billion for COVID-19 testing, vaccine deployment, contact tracing, and other critical health care needs;\n\t\t\t\t\t$3.25 billion for a national stockpile of PPE;\n\t\t\t\t\tA reversal of the 2021 Medicare Sequester; and,\n\t\t\t\t\tAn end to surprise medical bills by ensuring patients are only responsible for in-network cost-sharing amounts in emergency and non-emergency situations, in which they cannot choose an in-network provider.\n\t\t\t\tAs a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, Congresswoman Luria helped develop aframework for a COVID-19 relief package, whichthe Caucus introduced with a bipartisan group of Senators earlier this month. The relief package that just became law shares striking similarities with this framework, which prioritizes support for families, students, small businesses, and health care providers.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://maloney.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/long-awaited-moynihan-train-hall-opens-within-historic-post-office-building", "Long-awaited Moynihan Train Hall opens within historic post office building", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Carolyn Maloney", "M000087", "maloney.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday announced the grand opening of Moynihan Train Hall, a 255,000-square-foot train hall withing the historic James A. Farley Building that will be a new gateway into Penn Station.\n\t\t\tThe new train hall is expected to increase the existing Penn Station rail complex's concourse space by 50 percent. Thestation serves Amtrak, New Jersey Transit and Long Island Rail Road trains and connects to several subway lines.\n\t\t\tThe facility is slated to go into service on New Year's Day. Carlo Scissura, president and CEO of the New York BuildingCongress and former head of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, commented, Friday is a transformative day in NewYork City. The highly anticipated opening of the Moynihan Train Hall demonstrates the power of successful public private partnerships to accomplish great infrastructure projects. The Moynihan Train Hall has safely supported workers throughout the pandemic and stimulated the economy, and its opening will increase public transit capacity and accessibility in the city.\n\t\t\tThe idea of converting the post office into a train hall was first proposed by the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan.Cuomo said, Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan was a man of true vision. He saw the potential in an underutilized post office and knew that if done correctly, this facility could not only give New York the transit hub it has long deserved, but serveas a monument to the public itself.\n\t\t\tThe train hall's design is a unique blend of classical and contemporary, and featuresa one-acre sky-lit atrium, a signature clock, cutting-edge technology, clear wayfinding, full accessibility and museum-caliber public art.\n\t\t\tIt also provides immediate benefits at this critical time while profoundly enhancing the convenience, health, and dailyexperience of hundreds of thousands of passengers, neighbors, and visitors, according to the Governor's Office.\n\t\t\tLed by Empire State Development (ESD), the $1.6 billion project was accomplished through a public-private partnership between ESD, Vornado Realty Trust, The Related Companies, Skanska, the MTA, the Long Island Rail Road, Amtrak, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. It utilized a design-build approach to streamline construction and expedite completion.\n\t\t\tConstruction of Moynihan Train Hall has generated an estimated economic impact of $5 billion, supporting more than5,000 construction jobs and 11,000 indirect jobs, the Governor's Office added.\n\t\t\tMoynihan Train Hall reshapes the travel experience of Penn Station, the busiest passenger transportation facility in theUnited States, used by more than 700,000 passengers per day, according to the Governor's Office.\n\t\t\tIn partnership with the Public Art Fund, Moynihan Train Hall also features a program of ambitious permanent art installations from three leading artistsStan Douglas, Kehinde Wiley, and artistic duo Elmgreen & Dragset. In addition, a suspended 6-foot by 12-foot clock designed by Pennoyer Architects evokes nostalgia for the golden age of rail travel.\n\t\t\tU.S. Senator Charles Schumer said, After decades of work, today we pop the New Year's cork early to celebrate theopening of the gorgeous Moynihan Train Halla grand, skylit, modern transit portal for LIRR and Amtrak riders that will leave the Penn Station of the past in the dust. Senator Moynihan recognized [the establishment of such a train hall] as a unique opportunity to both correct a historic mistakethe tragic demolition, a half century ago, of McKim, Mead andWhite's original Pennsylvania Station and to create a beautiful, new, user-friendly public space that New Yorkers andall Americans can once again enjoy and be proud of.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://maloney.house.gov/media-center/newsletters/maloney-mail-2020-in-review", "Maloney Mail: 2020 in Review", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Carolyn Maloney", "M000087", "maloney.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friend,\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t2020 has certainly been a challenging year for our country, our city, and our families and my thoughts are with all those who lost loved ones to COVID-19.\n\t\t\t\tAs we close out the year, and look forward to the start of the 117th Congress and Biden presidency, I am also taking a look back at all that we accomplished together in 2020. Even in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic and economic hardship, we accomplished important wins for the American people some of which are highlighted below.\n\t\t\t\tIt has been an honor and privilege to serve our city and represent you in Congress this year and I look forward to our continued work together in 2021. Wishing you and your loved ones a very Happy and Healthy New Year.\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tProtecting the United States Postal Service (USPS)\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWatch Congresswoman Maloney's floor speech on the Delivering for America Act here.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tIn 2020, as Americans across the country became more reliant on the USPS for essential mail delivery, the Oversight Committee worked to ensure that the Postal Service received the support and funding it needed and continues to need to serve the American people and our democracy.\n\t\t\t\tI believe that the Postal Service should not become an instrument of partisan politics, but instead must be protected as a neutral, independent entity that focuses on one thing and one thing only delivering the mail.Millions of people rely on the Postal Service every day to communicate, access critical medications, and vote. A once-in-a-century pandemic is no time to enact changes that threaten service reliability and transparency.\n\t\t\t\tIn August, following unprecedented changes proposed by the new Postmaster General to the operations and organizational structure of the Postal Service, I introduced the Delivering for America Act. It passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 257-150.\n\t\t\t\tFollowing this vote, I chaired an Oversight Committee hearing during which Postmaster General DeJoy testified, for the first time, that massive delays in mail and delivery of medication and other critical supplies caused by his sweeping changes are far worse than he anticipated or previously disclosed to Congress and the American people. Protecting the Postal Service remains a priority for the Oversight Committee in the new year.\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tEnsuring a Fair & Accurate 2020 Census Count\n\t\t\t\tThroughout 2020, the Trump Administration announced last minute changes to the 2020 Census that census professionals and experts warned could threaten the accuracy of the data. As Chairwoman of the Oversight Committee, I held emergency hearings and released documents to counter the risk of serious errors in the data if the Census Bureau is forced to complete its count without proper funding and the time needed to ensure a fair and accurate count.\n\t\t\t\tTo make sure that all New Yorkers were counted, and that our city and state will receive the federal funding and representation we need and are owed, I teamed up with community organizations and government officials to get out the count and make sure that every single New Yorker was counted in the 2020 Census. A report authored by the Oversight Committee showed that just a 1% undercount could cost our city $7.3 million per year in federal funding for public education and $3.7 million per year for critical jobs programs. We simply cannot afford an undercount.\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tHolding Big Pharma Accountable\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWatch Chairwoman Maloney's opening statement from the December 17 hearing with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler familyhere.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThe ongoing fight to hold Big Pharma accountable for their role in unsustainable drug prices is far from over. This fall, I held two days of hearings with top executives of major drug companies to examine their pricing practices for some of the costliest drugs in the United States. These companies sell medications that are critical to our health and well-being, but their skyrocketing prices are simply unsustainable. For nearly two years, the Oversight Committee has aggressively investigated why drug companies continuously increase prices, how they use their massive profits, and what steps can be taken to make prescriptions more affordable for the American people.\n\t\t\t\tAnd on December 17, I chaired an Oversight Committee hearing to examine the role of Purdue Pharma and members of the Sackler family in fueling the nationwide opioid epidemic for decades by pushing Purdue executives to flood the market with the highly addictive painkiller OxyContin.\n\t\t\t\tAs I said at the end of the hearing, the Sacklers have played a critical, active role in sparking and fueling the opioid epidemic. They approved and monitored dangerous marketing plans, directed sales representatives to focus on the highest-volume prescribers and the strongest versions of OxyContin, and targeted vulnerable populations with misleading messages.\n\t\t\t\tNow, they have the ability to mitigate at least some of the damage they caused. They must stop hiding and offshoring their assets, stop nickel and diming the negotiators, make a massive financial contribution that leaves no doubt about their commitment, and finally acknowledge their wrongdoing. The families whose lives they and this drug have ruined deserve at least that much.\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tCracking Down on Anonymous Shell Companies\n\t\t\t\tJust this month, my bipartisan Corporate Transparency Act passed the House and Senate after more than a decade of coalition building. This bill will make our country safer and will also lower housing costs for New Yorkers.\n\t\t\t\tThis legislation would require companies to disclose their true, beneficial owners at the time the company is formed, and will prevent bad actors from using anonymous shell companies to thwart law enforcement and hide their illicit activities. The U.S. is one of the easiest places in the world to set up anonymous shell companies, because no state in the U.S. currently requires companies to disclose their true, beneficial owners. Anonymous shell companies have become the vehicle of choice for terrorist financing, money laundering, and organized crime. When a terrorist cell wants to move their money, or a criminal syndicate wants to launder money, they usually do it right here in the U.S., with a shell company.\n\t\t\t\tBeyond cracking down on criminal activity, this bill will directly affect us here at home by lowering housing costs in New York City. Kleptocrats and criminals routinely park their ill-gotten funds in luxury real estate in New York City, limiting the availability of housing and driving up housing costs for ordinary New Yorkers. There are too many buildings with no lights on at night, because no one actually lives in these apartments; they were purchased purely to hide money, and to act as a bank account. But this law will put an end to this practice, once and for all.\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFashion for the Frontlines and Preparing for Future Pandemics\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWatch the press conference introducing the Made in America Act here.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tIn the midst of a global pandemic, having strong domestic production of personal protective equipment (PPE) is absolutely essential to keeping Americans safe. I'm so proud that New York City's fashion industry answered the call of duty by working quickly to get PPE to our frontline healthcare workers.Fashion for the Frontlines grew out of a coalition I formed of New York City designers, manufacturers, and industry leaders to support the city's garment industry and understand the nexus between technology and fashion. In March and April, when New York City needed PPE, this group quickly transformed their manufacturing capabilities to aid our city at that critical moment. Fashion for the Frontlines mobilized Garment District factories - that would have otherwise been forced to close - to manufacture and distribute masks and gowns to frontline medical professionals throughout New York City.\n\t\t\t\tThis coalition is a testament to the strength, resiliency, and compassion of New York City's fashion industry, whose members have shown our entire nation what it means to be New York Strong. I admire the grassroots effort to produce and distribute vital PPE during the COVID-19 crisis, but in preparation for future pandemics we must ensure that the United States has a sufficient national stockpile and a strong operation to produce our own PPE. That is why I introduced the Made in America: Preparation for a Pandemic Act.\n\t\t\t\tThis bill will secure our nation's critical stock of PPE and promote a stronger manufacturing base for medical equipment. Having strong domestic production of PPE is absolutely essential to keeping Americans safe in the midst of a global pandemic. Too many lives have been lost unnecessarily because broken global supply chains left our essential workers without the equipment they needed.\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThe Student Loan Forgiveness for Frontline Healthcare Workers Act\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWatch the press conference introducing the Student Loan Forgiveness for Frontline Healthcare Workers Act here.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tIn May, I introduced the Student Loan Forgiveness for Frontline Healthcare Workers Act to alleviate the burden of student loan debt for frontline healthcare workers and help attract medical professionals in various specialties to lend their expertise to the response to COVID-19. Frontline healthcare workers are delivering care to the sickest patients and putting their own safety at great risk in order to keep doing their jobs. In return, I believe that we have an obligation to ensure that they are relieved of the debt they incurred to train for this critical work in graduate degree programs or other professional certification. Healthcare workers are worrying about their own health and how it will affect their families they should not have to worry about their financial security after the crisis has passed. That is a burden that we can lift right now. I am continuing to work to build support for this bill in Congress and will be reintroducing it in the 117th Congress.\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tPandemic Heroes Compensation Act\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWatch the press conference introducing the Pandemic Heroes Compensation Act here.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tIn May, I introduced the bipartisan Pandemic Heroes Compensation Act. Modeled after theSeptember 11thVictim Compensation Fund (VCF), this new fund would provide compensation for injuries to any individual deemed an essential worker and required to leave their home to perform their duties and who have become ill or died as a result of COVID-19. Family members of essential workers would also be eligible for compensation.\n\t\t\t\tOn September 11th, it was the firefighters and officers who ran into the burning buildings to save lives. Today, it is hospital workers nurses, doctors, EMS, janitorial staff, pharmacists, technicians and all essential workers. In this fight against the coronavirus, it is the first responders, retail workers, transit workers, grocery store clerks, delivery workers, janitorial staff, sanitation workers, mail carriers, hospitality workers, and federal, state, and local employees who are on the frontlines, walking into the fire every day as they risk their health to make sure we are safe, fed, and healthy. They need to know that if they or their loved ones get sick because of this work, we will be there for them.\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tProtecting Small Businesses: The Pandemic Risk Insurance Act\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWatch the press conference introducing the Pandemic Risk Insurance Act here.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAs our city and nation contend with the economic fallout from the COVID-19 crisis, I've been fighting in DC for federal support for New York City's small businesses. I was a proud supporter of the CARES Act and Heroes Act and have called for extensions and expansions of the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. Following conversations with NY-12 constituents, small business owners, and leaders in our city, I recognized the vital need for business interruption insurance that covers pandemics and introduced the Pandemic Risk Insurance Act (PRIA). The legislation is based on my successful post-9/11 Terrorism Risk Insurance Act. PRIA provides a Federal backstop for the pandemic insurance market and creates a framework in which the public and private sectors split the losses in the event of a pandemic or other public health emergency.\n\t\t\t\tMy view has always been that we need a two-pronged approach to this crisis for small businesses. First, we need additional short-term relief to help keep our great small businesses alive which Congress has now done by approving an additional $284 billion in forgivable PPP loans to small businesses. Second, we need a framework to provide relief in the future when a pandemic like COVID-19 hits. My Pandemic Risk Insurance Act provides that long-term framework by ensuring that small businesses can quickly get the relief they need, without having to wait for Congress to pass another emergency bill. Our city and nation depend on it.\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tStanding up for NYC's Arts & Cultural Nonprofit Community\n\t\t\t\tIn September, I introduced the Culture, Arts, Libraries, and Museums Emergency Relief (CALMER) Act, to provide emergency relief funding to the arts and culture nonprofit community, encourage charitable giving, and expand CARES programs to include nonprofit organizations.\n\t\t\t\tNew York's vibrant arts and culture community cannot get back on its feet without immediate and comprehensive assistance from Congress. Our nation's museums, libraries, concert halls, and arts and cultural nonprofit organizations were among the first businesses to close because of COVID-19, and they will be the last to reopen. While arts and cultural nonprofits across the country have worked tirelessly to create digital content and support their communities through online programming, there is no way they can account for the loss in revenue resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, which is upwards of $6 billion and continues to grow. This bill will give libraries, museums, and arts groups the assistance they need to pull through and continue enriching our communities nationwide.\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tProtecting Immigrants' Health\n\t\t\t\tIn September, I requested that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari launch an emergency investigation into troubling allegations of medical neglect, unsanitary conditions, and abuse raised by a nurse at the Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC) and by ICDC detainees in a whistleblower complaint.\n\t\t\t\tAmong other allegations, the ICDC nurse alleged that women who were detained at the ICDC were sent to an outside medical provider to undergo gynecological proceduresincluding but not limited to hysterectomieswithout providing informed consent. She has also alleged that there was repeated disregard for the safety of employees and detainees in violation of protocols recommended by federal authorities to control the spread of coronavirus.\n\t\t\t\tThe Oversight Committee launched our own investigation in partnership with the Homeland Security Committee.\n\t\t\t\tIn October, the House passed H. Res 1153 Condemning unwanted, unnecessary medical procedures on individuals without their full, informed consent. This resolution, sponsored by Congresswoman Jayapal, lays out the terrible history of unwanted, forced medical procedures amid recent allegations of such horrendous actions in ICE detention.\n\t\t\t\tAlso in September, the Oversight Committee released astaff reportwith the findings of a 14-month investigation into the Administration's for-profit contractor-run ICE detention facilities. This reportbased on the review of thousands of pages of internal documents from the Department of Homeland Security and contractors GEO Group and CoreCivicfound that multiple ICE detainees died in recent years after receiving inadequate medical care. The report also found that, for years, there have been numerous documented instances of poor sanitation and mismanagement of infectious diseases in immigration detention facilities, potentially contributing to the spread of coronavirus cases in ICE detention.\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tInvestigation into Customs and Border Patrol Secret Facebook Groups\n\t\t\t\tIn October, I issued a subpoena to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for documents it is withholding about dozens of CBP employees who engaged in misconduct in secret Facebook groups that I believe were racist, sexually violent, dehumanizing, and abhorrent.\n\t\t\t\tThe Oversight Committee first requested these documents in July 2019, under the leadership of then-Chairman Cummings.\n\t\t\t\tThe Trump Administration has not set forth any valid legal basis to withhold this information. One of the most recent reasons the Administration has given for its overt obstruction is a fear that the identities and abuses of these employees could become public. In communications with the Committee, the Trump Administration has expressed more concern about protecting the reputations of employees who made these posts than the wellbeing of the children and families they interact with on a daily basis.\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tD.C. Statehood\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWatch Chairwoman Maloney's opening remarks from the markup of the Washington, D.C Admission Act here.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tOn February 11, 2020, I presided over Oversight Committee passage of the Washington, D.C. Admission Act. This was the first time that a Congressional committee voted to pass a D.C. statehood bill since 1993.\n\t\t\t\tThe bill was then passed by the full House on June 26, 2020 the first time that the House or Senate has passed such a bill. This was an extraordinary, once-in-a-generation step towards granting basic democratic rights to more than 700,000 Americans who live in Washington, D.C.\n\t\t\t\tThe bill would create a new state known as the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth represented by two Senators and one House Member. The federal district would continue to include the White House, U.S. Capitol, Supreme Court, National Mall, and other federal properties adjacent to the National Mall.\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFighting Antisemitism Through Education\n\t\t\t\tThis May, the Never Again Education Act (H.R.943), my legislation to support Holocaust education across the country, was signed into law. This bill bolsters the already expansive educational resources at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) to make sure that all educators have the tools they need to teach their students about the Holocaust and the dangers of antisemitism and hate.\n\t\t\t\tI'm proud that Congress came together to make clear that antisemitism cannot and will not be tolerated. Our children are not born with hate in their hearts, and by providing educators with the tools they need to teach about the Holocaust, we can ensure they never learn it. Teaching our children about the dangers of antisemitism and hate is a proactive way to stop antisemitism before it even starts. This bill passed in the House of Representatives by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 393-5 on January 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It passed the Senate by unanimous consent on May 13.\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tSecuring Paid Parental Leave for All Federal Workers\n\t\t\t\tThis year, the House and Senate voted for a provision I authored to provide paid leave for the birth, fostering, or adoption of a child for FAA and TSA employees, medical professionals working in VA facilities, and DC courts and public defender employees. This correction honors the original intent of Congress when we passed paid parental leave for federal employees in 2019.\n\t\t\t\tNo one should be made to choose between being home with a new child and a paycheck. Paid family leave improves productivity, reduces turnover, boosts morale, and attracts and retains more talent, which is exactly what our federal workforce deserves right now.\n\t\t\t\tI first introduced paid leave legislation for federal employees in the 106th Congress, then titled H.R. 4567, the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2000, and continued to garner support for this transformative law over the years. I introduced H.R. 1534, The Federal Employee Paid Leave Act (FEPLA), on March 5, 2019. The paid parental leave program created by this bill went into effect on October 1, 2020.\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tGetting NYCHA Communities the Repairs They Need\n\t\t\t\tDuring my time on the City Council, NYCHA repairs were handled by on-site teams at each community. This system was then replaced by the current centralized system which has resulted in an immense backlog of work orders and residents living without the repairs their homes need.\n\t\t\t\tFor several years, I have advocated for returning to that original model and decentralizing the work order process. After making a formal request of NYCHA Chairman Russ this summer, that project came to fruition as a pilot program at Queensbridge, Astoria Houses, and Ravenswood.\n\t\t\t\tThis program has assigned dedicated skilled trade workers to each of these three communities with the goal of making repairs more timely and efficient. Each of these developments now have dedicated, full-time carpenters, painters, and plasterers Monday through Friday, with plumbers and electricians assigned to work specific days at each development. The pilot runs through January 2021, at which point NYCHA plans to roll out a version of the skilled trades decentralization plan throughout the five boroughs. This plan will result in skilled trade workers spending more time completing much needed repairs by eliminating the need for them to constantly travel between distant NYCHA campuses.\n\t\t\t\tWe have heard some good feedback from residents, and also some areas where there is still room for improvement. I am in contact with Chairman Russ to convey these concerns and working to make this program more effective and efficient.\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTurning the Gas Back on At Astoria Houses\n\t\t\t\tWhile we had hopedAstoriaHousesresidents would have their gas restored before Thanksgiving, I'm glad that it was restored in early December, in the midst of the holiday season. In the middle of a pandemic, this gas outage was an undue burden especially on working families and seniors. Thanks to the residents' advocacy, resiliency, and patience, we were able to get NYCHA and Con Edison to complete this project before the end of the year and I want to thank everyone who worked so hard to restore this critical service and provide food and resources, like slow cookers, to these residents during the repairs.\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tSecuring a Stable Presidential Transition Process\n\t\t\t\tA recent NPR report noted that the President's actions may have jeopardized the preservation of official documents and records. A similar story from Politico in 2018 reported that career records officers were using scotch tape to put important documents back together. Given this track record, I'm deeply concerned that President Trump and his aides may attempt to conceal or destroy important White House materials during their last remaining days in office and so I led other House Committee Chairs in directing the White House and more than 50 federal agencies within their jurisdictions to comply with federal record-keeping laws and preserve information responsive to congressional subpoenas and investigations.\n\t\t\t\tI am also concerned that the Administration may implement last-minute rules and regulations, circumventing the review process. To prevent this, I joined with my colleagues to introduce the Midnight Regulations Review Act. This bill would require the Government Accountability Office to create a list of the regulations that the outgoing administration promulgates during the lame duck session, which will allow Congress and the incoming Biden Administration to review whether they are based on evidence and research or whether they should be considered for amending or elimination.\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThe Fair Access to Co-Ops for Veterans Act\n\t\t\t\tIn February, I introduced the Fair Access to Co-Ops for Veterans Act to permanently expand the Veterans Affairs' Home Loan Guaranty Program to include cooperative housing (co-ops). In New York City, co-ops are ubiquitous, and our veterans shouldn't be priced out of these housing options because they're excluded from the VA's loan program. Wherever veterans want to buy a home whether in rural or urban areas they should have equal loan support from the VA. This legislation also directs the VA to advertise the program to eligible veterans, participating lenders, and interested realtors.\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tServing Mothers: PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act\n\t\t\t\tIn January, I introduced PUMP (Providing Urgent Maternal Protections) for Nursing Mothers Act. This bill will close unintentional gaps in the Break Time for Nursing Mothers Act to ensure that millions of working mothers have the access and protections they need to breastfeed should they choose to do so.\n\t\t\t\tAs the first woman to give birth while serving on the New York City Council, I know firsthand the difficulties new mothers face in the workplace. Those difficulties should not include breastfeeding and yet, millions of nursing mothers are still without a clear right to pump at work. Without these protections, nursing mothers face serious health consequences, including the risk of painful illness and infection, diminished milk supply, or inability to continue breastfeeding. This bill would strengthen the 2010 Break Time law by making sure more working moms are guaranteed the right to pump at work. I am working to make this a reality in the next Congress.\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tCreating a Smithsonian Women's History Museum\n\t\t\t\tA Smithsonian Women's History Museum is finally going to be a reality. My bill, H.R. 1980, to create this museum was included in the year-end omnibus spending package, a must-pass bill. Building a Smithsonian Women's History Museum, a testament to the women who helped build and shape this nation, has been years in the making and I am thrilled that we are finally set to enact this historic legislation. For too long, women's stories have been left out of the telling of our nation's history, and we can now begin to rectify that. Americans of all ages deserve to see and be inspired by the remarkable women who helped shape this nation seeing role models doing the thing to which we aspire can change the course of someone's life. How fitting that we passed this bill as we mark the centennial of the 19th Amendment and in the year in which we elected our first woman vice president.\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tRenaming Manhattan VA\n\t\t\t\tThis month, both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed my bill to rename the Manhattan VA the \"Margaret Cochran Corbin Campus of the New York Harbor Health Care System. Once signed into law, this would make the Manhattan VA the first in the country to be named after a woman veteran. This will ensure that American Revolutionary War hero Margaret Corbin's legacy of service endures in the tradition of empowering all veterans, regardless of gender. Although women have fought for our nation since its founding, women service members rarely receive the same recognition as their male counterparts. New Yorkers will be able to take great pride in leading the nation by having the first VA hospital named for a woman veteran right here in Manhattan.\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tAs always, your concerns still and always will remain my top priority. Please do not hesitate to email me through my website.\n\t\t\t\tIf you would like to continue to receive shorter, weekly updates in 2020, make sure you're signed up for my newsletter here.\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThis year has been challenging in many ways, but there is still so much to celebrate. It is because of you that I have had a meaningful and fulfilling 2020. I wish you, your family, and friends a safe and Happy Holidays and all the best in the New Year.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://maloney.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congress-passes-maloneygillibrand-legislation-to-rename-manhattan-va", "Congress Passes Maloney/Gillibrand Legislation to Rename Manhattan VA After Revolutionary War Hero Margaret Corbin", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Carolyn Maloney", "M000087", "maloney.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC Both the House of Representatives and Senate have passed H.R.1925/S.898 to rename the Manhattan VA the \"Margaret Cochran Corbin Campus of the New York Harbor Health Care System. The bill was introduced in the House by Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) and in the Senate by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). Once signed into law, this would make the Manhattan VA the first in the country to be named after a woman veteran.\n\nI cannot wait until New York becomes the home of the first VA named after a woman veteran,said Congresswoman Maloney. This will ensure that American Revolutionary War hero Margaret Corbin's legacy of service endures in the tradition of empowering all veterans, regardless of gender. Although women have fought for our nation since its founding, women service members rarely receive the same recognition as their male counterparts. New Yorkers will be able to take great pride in leading the nation by having the first VA hospital named for a woman veteran right here in Manhattan.\n\nMargaret Corbin's legacy is a testament to all that women veterans have given to our country since its founding, said Senator Gillibrand. Corbin is an iconic New Yorker, who until now, has received little recognition for her sacrifices as a soldier on the battlefield. While we have a long way to go to ensure that women veterans get the same treatment and benefits that their male counterparts receive, I am proud to say that New York will soon be home to the first VA named after a woman veteran in the United States.\n\nMargaret Corbin was born in Pennsylvania on November 12, 1751. She accompanied her husband when he joined the Revolutionary Army and supported the Army's efforts by caring for injured and sick soldiers, cooking, cleaning, and helping her husband load his cannon. On November 16, 1776, Corbin took her husband's place at the Battle of Fort Washington in Manhattan after he was fatally wounded, where she was then shot by enemy fire and severely wounded. In recognition of her service and injuries, Corbin was awarded a lifelong pension, making her the first woman to receive a pension from the United States through military service. Corbin passed away in 1789 in Highland Falls, New York, and she is honored nearby at West Point as a hero of the Revolutionary War.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://maloney.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/maloney-closes-out-2020-with-legislative-wins", "Maloney Closes Out 2020 with Legislative Wins", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Carolyn Maloney", "M000087", "maloney.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "This week, with the FY21 pandemic relief omnibus bill and H.R. 6395, the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021, becoming law, and with the passage of H.R. 1925, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) closed out 2020 with four legislative wins.\n\nIncluded in the FY21 pandemic relief omnibus bill is the Congresswoman's H.R. 1980, the Smithsonian Women's History Museum Act, and included in the FY21 NDAA are the Congresswoman's Corporate Transparency Act and a provision she authored securing paid leave for the birth, fostering, or adoption of a child for FAA and TSA employees, medical professionals working in VA facilities, and DC courts and public defender employees. H.R. 1925, now passed by both the House and Senate, would rename the Manhattan VA the \"Margaret Cochran Corbin Campus of the New York Harbor Health Care System.\n\nThe Congresswoman issued the following statement on these accomplishments.\n\nBuilding a Smithsonian Women's History Museum, a testament to the women who helped build and shape this nation has been years in the making, and I am thrilled that we finally passed this legislation. It is so fitting that we passed this bill as we mark the centennial of the 19th Amendment and in the year in which we elected our first woman vice president.\n\nWhile I did not vote for the underlying bill, I am proud that the FY21 NDAA includes my Corporate Transparency Act, which is a critically important bill that will strengthen our national security by cracking down on anonymous shell companies that are used by terrorists and money launderers around the world. Also importantly, this package includes a correction to my paid parental leave bill that will give FAA and TSA employees, medical professionals working in VA facilities, and DC courts and public defender employees up to 12 weeks of paid leave in the event of the birth, adoption, or fostering of a child. Congress intended to guarantee paid parental leave for all Federal employees, and this bill honors that commitment.\n\nAnd finally, we rounded out the last week of 2020 with the passage of my bill to rename the Manhattan VA the Margaret Cochran Corbin Campus of the New York Harbor Health Care System.' This will be the first VA in the country to be named after a woman veteran.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://maloney.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-maloney-gives-end-of-year-update-on-nycha-skilled-trades-pilot", "Rep. Maloney Gives End of Year Update on NYCHA Skilled Trades Pilot Program", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Carolyn Maloney", "M000087", "maloney.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "NEW YORK, NY Today, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12) joined Tenants' Association Presidents of Queensbridge and Astoria Houses; and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) to give an end of year update on the NYCHA Skilled Trades Pilot Program. NYCHA's Skilled Trades Pilot Program, launched on October 26, 2020 and set to run through mid-January, decentralizes the work order process with the goal of making repairs more timely and efficient.\n\nAfter two months of this three month pilot program, I am happy to report that 5,588 individual tasks have been completed across the pilot locations, with an 18% increase in overall productivity performance for Maintenance and Skilled Trades, said Congresswoman Maloney. I am proud to have worked with NYCHA to improve the repair process and thank them for agreeing to launch the NYCHA Skilled Trades Pilot Program at three developments in my district. The NYCHA Skilled Trades Program aims to make sure residents get the repairs they need effectively and efficiently. Throughout the pilot program, I've spoken with residents through telephone town halls and in-person socially distanced meetings about their experiences with this program and how we can work to make things even better as NYCHA rolls out this new decentralized process across all five boroughs. I look forward to continuing my work with residents, the Residents' Associations, and NYCHA to make this program successful and ensure that NYCHA residents are given the safe and well-maintained homes they deserve.\n\n\"NYCHA's Skilled Trades Pilot Program is central to our Blueprint for Change Transformation Plan and is already demonstrating improved staff performance and repair response time, resulting in better service for residents, said Greg Russ, Chair and CEO, NYCHA. NYCHA developed the pilot after rigorous engagement with residents, elected officials and other stakeholders, who provided their ideas and feedback to ensure the program's success. By assigning painters, plasterers, carpenters, plumbers, and electricians at each development, and reforming our work order system, NYCHA is working to transform its operations model and how we do business. There is more work to be done, but we are grateful to NYCHA residents, our staff, Congresswoman Maloney, and all of our partners, for their continued support.\n\nThe NYCHA Skilled Trades Pilot Program has been effective for Astoria Houses residents, said Claudia Coger, Residents' Association President, Astoria Houses. Residents are getting old plumbing issues fixed and painting and plastering jobs are being completed. The NYCHA Skilled Trades Pilot Program is a plus in our community.\n\nThe NYCHA Skilled Trades Pilot Program is a step in the right direction to get residents the repairs they need, said April Simpson, Residents' Association President Emeritus, Queensbridge Houses. In the New Year, I look forward to working with Congresswoman Maloney and NYCHA to build upon the new repair structure to ensure that residents are served in the most effective and efficient way possible. This is a partnership I look forward to, and as residents are spending more time indoors due to the pandemic, the NYCHA Skilled Trades Pilot Program will ensure that every apartment gets needed repairs.\n\n\nBACKGROUND: \nThe Congresswoman had been advocating for this change for several years and formally proposed the idea of a decentralized maintenance system in June in a letter to Chairman Russ. She followed up in July in another letter to Chairman Russ.\n\nThe NYCHA Skilled Trades Pilot Program began on October 26, 2020. It assigns dedicated skilled trades workers to three developments in Congresswoman Maloney's district; Queensbridge, Astoria Houses, and Ravenswood. This comes on the heels of much needed repairs at developments in Congresswoman Maloney's district and across the city. The NYCHA Skilled Trades Pilot Program has placed dedicated, full-time carpenters, painters, and plasterers at each of these communities Monday through Friday, with plumbers and electricians assigned to work specific days at each development. In 2021, NYCHA plans to roll out a version of the decentralization plan throughout the five boroughs. This plan will result in skilled trades workers spending more time completing much needed repairs by eliminating the need for them to constantly travel between distant NYCHA campuses.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://mcmorris.house.gov/mcmorris-rodgers-statement-on-cash-act-vote/", "McMorris Rodgers Statement on CASH Act Vote", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "WA", "Cathy McMorris Rodgers", "M001159", "mcmorris.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. Eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) issued the following statement after voting on the CASH Act.\nThis year, I have supported trillions in emergency relief and assistance for those hurt by the COVID-19 crisis and resulting economic shutdowns. That includes this month's bipartisan agreement with increased unemployment assistance, aid to farmers and ranchers, reimbursements for our health care providers, support for small businesses and their employees, and additional direct payments to Eastern Washington families, said McMorris Rodgers. Unfortunately, the CASH Act would add $464 billion to our national debt. I believe assistance should be more targeted. In addition, this bill failed to include the spending reductions that President Trump called for. As I've repeatedly urged Governor Inslee to do, the best and most effective way to help families and restore our way of life is to reopen our economy and safely get people back to work. That's what I am committed to.\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://meuser.house.gov/media/press-releases/pennsylvania-members-congress-release-statement-regarding-certification", "PENNSYLVANIA MEMBERS OF CONGRESS RELEASE STATEMENT REGARDING CERTIFICATION OF ELECTORS", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "PA", "Daniel Meuser", "M001204", "meuser.house.gov", "meuser", "https://meuser.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Pennsylvania members of the U.S. House of Representatives including Congressman Dan Meuser (PA-9), Congressman Glenn \u2018GT' Thompson (PA-15), Congressman Mike Kelly (PA-16), Congressman Scott Perry (PA-10), Congressman Lloyd Smucker (PA-11), Congressman Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14), Congressman John Joyce (PA-13), and Congressman Fred Keller (PA-12) released the following joint statement:\n\n\"The United States Constitution is unambiguous in declaring that state legislatures are the entity with authority to set election procedure -\n\n\"Article 1, Section 4, Clause 1: The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof\u2026\n\n\"Article 2, Section 1, Clause 2: Each state shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors\u2026\n\n\"Unfortunately, the many unlawful actions undertaken by the Pennsylvania Governor's office, the Secretary of State, and what has been described as a rogue Pennsylvania Supreme Court exceeded and circumvented the state legislature's clear constitutional authority.\n\n\"The unlawful actions include, but are not limited to:\n\nAccepting ballots past 8:00 pm on Election Day\n\nNot properly requiring signatures to match those on mail-in ballots or requiring dates\n\nMeanwhile, the matching of signatures was required at a polling site\n\nAuthorizing the curing of mail-in ballots with less than a 24-hour's notice\n\nOnly some counties were informed and adhered to this order leaving voters treated unequally from county to county\n\nAuthorizing the use of unsecure drop boxes, which is not permitted in statute\n\nProhibiting certified poll watchers overseeing the canvassing of ballots in Philadelphia\n\n\"These unlawful actions were taken without the authority or consent of the Pennsylvania state legislature. These are facts, and they are indisputable.\n\n\"Additionally, the Pennsylvania Attorney General did nothing with regard to these unlawful activities. Not one inquiry, no questioning, and certainly no investigations. Not to mention that hundreds, if not thousands, of affidavits outlining election complaints and potential fraud were documented, submitted, and ignored. The Pennsylvania election could be summed up as a free-for-all with no oversight and different standards applied throughout the Commonwealth. It is also very apparent that the unlawful actions described were concentrated in heavily populated, Democrat-led counties.\n\n\"By definition, such unlawful, unregulated, and inconsistent activities resulted in a highly questionable and inaccurate vote total. The scope of these inaccuracies cannot be known until the legal ballots are identified and counted, and the illegal ballots are disqualified. This has not been done.\n\n\"Therefore, the state's official certification of electors was based upon a flawed system and an inaccurate vote count. Thus, very possibly resulting in an erroneous certification.\n\n\"Until these unlawful practices are acknowledged and corrected, we cannot agree to support electors chosen based upon an inaccurate total vote count. The voters of Pennsylvania deserve integrity in the election process and equal protection under the law.\n\n\"This very unfortunate, volatile, and distressing situation is due to the lack of respect and regard for the law and the U.S. Constitution as well as the Pennsylvania State Constitution. Additionally, the failure of Pennsylvania's justice system to seek the truth, rather than stay silent, allowed these irregular, unlawful actions to create a high level of mistrust in the process as well as a potentially flawed outcome.\n\n\"If there is an American ideal that all citizens, regardless of party affiliation, can agree upon is that we must have election integrity. Election integrity is the only way to ensure trust in our elections and it is accomplished by adhering to our Constitution and the law.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:42:23Z"], ["https://norman.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=732", "Statement on Electoral College Certification", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "SC", "Ralph Norman", "N000190", "norman.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Statement on Electoral College Certification \r\n \r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n \r\n U.S. Congressman Ralph Norman issued the following statement on Thursday, December 31, 2020:\r\nOn January 6th, the U.S. House and U.S. Senate will meet in joint session to accept the results of the Electoral College. My office has received a lot of calls asking about my position on this. My position is clear: \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nBecause we don't have a thorough accounting of all the various reports of voting irregularities, as well as transparent evidence that the election in several key states was fair overall and remedied where it wasn't fair I will be joining other colleagues from the House of Representatives to formally challenge the Electoral College results from those states.\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nAt the end of the day, I believe Congress has a responsibility to ensure that our federal elections are fair and transparent.\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nIndividual states, which are empowered by our Constitution to run their own elections, need to ensure that state and federal laws were followed when making their election policies, that every lawful vote is counted, unlawful votes are discarded, and legitimate reports of irregularities are thoroughly investigated and resolved.\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\nBecause there remain valid questions as to whether several states have actually met this threshold for certification, Congress has a right and (I would argue) a responsibility to examine and debate the results.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://norton.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/norton-bass-lead-letter-to-president-elect-biden-on-combating-aircraft", "Norton, Bass Lead Letter to President-Elect Biden on Combating Aircraft Noise", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "DC", "Eleanor Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), co-chair of the Quiet Skies Caucus, and Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA) led a letter this week urging President-elect Joe Biden to appoint Federal Aviation Administration officials who will use creative approaches to solve noise problems from aircraft.\nNorton has long led the effort in the House to combat airplane and helicopter noise in the nation's capital and across the country. Norton's community meetings on airplane and helicopter noise and residents' stories of interrupted sleep patterns, homes shaking and difficulty having conversations have guided Norton's efforts to quell airplane and helicopter noise.\nThe disruption to human health and local economies by aircraft noise has long been overlooked or altogether ignored by the FAA, said Congresswoman Bass. I urge the Biden administration to appoint FAA officials who will finally address this issue that has plagued many of my constituents.\nThe letter was also signed by Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA), Congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA), Congressman Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY), Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA), Congressman Thomas Suozzi (D-NY), Congressman Ed Case (D-HI), Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA), Congressman Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL), Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA).\nThe full text is below.\n\n\nCongress of the United States\nWashington, D.C. 20515\n\nDecember 28, 2020\n\nThe Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr.\nPresident-elect of the United States\nOffice of the Biden-Harris Transition\nWashington, DC 20500\n\nDear President-elect Biden:\nYou will soon name several new appointees to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), including the Deputy FAA Administrator, the Chief Operating Officer of the Air Traffic Organization, the Associate Administrator for Airports, and the Assistant Administrator for Policy, International Affairs, and Environment. While the FAA and the aviation industry face many high-profile challenges, as Members of the Quiet Skies Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives, we write to bring to your attention the overlooked problem of the disruption to human health and local economies from aircraft noise. We urge you to appoint officials who will include creative approaches to solving noise problems in the work ahead.\nWe represent Americans from diverse locales across the country, united by grave concern over the toll that noise can take on the people living with a constant drone of aircraft. Planes fly low or late at night, near homes and schools; flights arrive and depart within minutes of each other; and the FAA's NextGen project has concentrated flight paths without consideration of the people below. As a result of these policies, millions of Americans suffer from sleep disruption; exacerbation of high blood pressure and other chronic diseases; learning loss in schools; and economic losses to businesses ranging from tourism to technology to entertainment.\nFor decades the agency has consistently downplayed and overlooked the toll of noise disruption on human lives and communities. The NextGen project to update the technology used to control air traffic has brought foreseeable problems that could have been headed off if the agency, early in its planning stages, had considered what happens on the ground as well as what happens in the skies and included in the process business owners, local elected officials, airport noise roundtables, health advocates, and others likely to be affected.\nAs Members of Congress, we all fly as part of our work. We agree that the FAA's mission to maintain the safety and efficiency of our airspace is paramount. But we also believe that better noise control and full participation from all involved and affected can only enhance that safety and efficiency, not detract from it. The new appointees at the FAA should be committed to inventive problem-solving, to listening and bringing all affected parties into the discussion, and to finding win-win solutions. These leaders should embrace bold ideas, work in good faith with the Quiet Skies Caucus and Congress, and pledge to alleviate noise disruption on the ground, with a renewed focus on inclusiveness.\nWe look forward to learning of your choices for the FAA and to working with your administration in the 117th Congress to combat aircraft noise. Thank you for your leadership, and congratulations on your presidency.\n\nSincerely,\n \nKaren Bass Eleanor Holmes Norton\nMember of Congress Member of Congress\n\n/s/ /s/\nDonald S. Beyer Jr. Ed Case\nMember of Congress Member of Congress\n\n/s/ /s/\nJudy Chu Ro Khanna\nMember of Congress Member of Congress\n\n/s/ /s/\nTed W. Lieu Alan Lowenthal\nMember of Congress Member of Congress\n\n/s/ /s/\nStephen Lynch Gregory W. Meeks\nMember of Congress Member of Congress\n\n/s/ /s/\nGrace Meng Mike Quigley\nMember of Congress Member of Congress\n\n/s/ /s/\nJamie Raskin Jan Schakowsky\nMember of Congress Member of Congress\n\n/s/ /s/\nAdam Smith Jackie Speier\nMember of Congress Member of Congress\n\n/s/\nThomas R. Suozzi\nMember of Congress\n\nCc: Pete Buttigieg, Nominee for Secretary of Transportation", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://pelosi.house.gov/news/press-releases/pelosi-statement-on-house-filing-amicus-brief-in-gohmert-v-pence", "Pelosi Statement on House Filing Amicus Brief in Gohmert v. Pence", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CA", "Nancy Pelosi", "P000197", "pelosi.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Contact: Speaker's Press Office,\n202-226-7616\n\nWashington, D.C. Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued this statement after the House of Representatives filed an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in the case of Gohmert v. Pence, which attempts to unconstitutionally grant the Vice President the power to personally choose presidential electors, against the results of the popular vote and the certified Electoral College results:\n\nPresident-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris decisively won the 2020 election, with a record number of votes and an historic margin of victory. Yet, President Trump and Republicans in Congress have refused to respect the will of the American people and instead have spread dangerous conspiracy theories and brought over fifty extreme, failed lawsuits in a brazen attempt to overturn the certified results of the 2020 election.\n\nThe Gohmert lawsuit has zero legal merit and is yet another sabotage of our democracy.\n\nThere is no doubt that, despite this desperate unpatriotic charade, on January 6, Joe Biden will be confirmed by the acceptance of the vote of the Electoral College as the 46th President of the United States.\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://raskin.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-raskin-announces-loss-son-tommy-raskin", "Congressman Raskin Announces Loss of Son Tommy Raskin", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MD", "Jamie Raskin", "R000606", "raskin.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "TAKOMA PARK, M.D. With profound sorrow, Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08) and Sarah Bloom Raskin today announced the loss of their son Thomas (Tommy) Bloom Raskin, 25, who was a second-year student at Harvard Law School and a graduate of Amherst College.\nTommy was pure magic. His brilliance and compassion knew no bounds. He passionately loved his family, friends, and animals, and was devoted to the cause of the global poor. We are devastated and demolished to be without him.\nTommy is survived by his beloved sisters Hannah and Tabitha, dozens of loving aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and grandparents Arlene Bloom and Lynn Raskin. The family is grateful for the outpouring of support and love from neighbors, constituents, and friends but asks everyone to observe strict COVID-19 protocols during this time of grief.\nFuneral and memorial service arrangements will be released in due course.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://reschenthaler.house.gov/media/press-releases/pennsylvania-members-congress-release-statement-regarding-certification", "Pennsylvania Members of Congress Release Statement Regarding Certification of Electors", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "PA", "Guy Reschenthaler", "R000610", "reschenthaler.house.gov", "reschenthaler", "https://reschenthaler.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Pennsylvania members of the U.S. House of Representatives including Congressman Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14), Congressman Dan Meuser (PA-9), Congressman Glenn \u2018GT' Thompson (PA-15), Congressman Mike Kelly (PA-16), Congressman Scott Perry (PA-10), Congressman Lloyd Smucker (PA-11), Congressman John Joyce (PA-13), and Congressman Fred Keller (PA-12) released the following joint statement:\n\n\"The United States Constitution is unambiguous in declaring that state legislatures are the entity with authority to set election procedure -\n\n\"Article 1, Section 4, Clause 1: The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof\u2026\n\n\"Article 2, Section 1, Clause 2: Each state shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors\u2026\n\n\"Unfortunately, the many unlawful actions undertaken by the Pennsylvania Governor's office, the Secretary of State, and what has been described as a rogue Pennsylvania Supreme Court exceeded and circumvented the state legislature's clear constitutional authority.\n\n\"The unlawful actions include, but are not limited to:\n\nAccepting ballots past 8:00 pm on Election Day\n\nNot properly requiring signatures to match those on mail-in ballots or requiring dates\n\nMeanwhile, the matching of signatures was required at a polling site\n\nAuthorizing the curing of mail-in ballots with less than a 24-hour's notice\n\nOnly some counties were informed and adhered to this order leaving voters treated unequally from county to county\n\nAuthorizing the use of unsecure drop boxes, which is not permitted in statute\n\nProhibiting certified poll watchers overseeing the canvassing of ballots in Philadelphia\n\n\"These unlawful actions were taken without the authority or consent of the Pennsylvania state legislature. These are facts, and they are indisputable.\n\n\"Additionally, the Pennsylvania Attorney General did nothing with regard to these unlawful activities. Not one inquiry, no questioning, and certainly no investigations. Not to mention that hundreds, if not thousands, of affidavits outlining election complaints and potential fraud were documented, submitted, and ignored. The Pennsylvania election could be summed up as a free-for-all with no oversight and different standards applied throughout the Commonwealth. It is also very apparent that the unlawful actions described were concentrated in heavily populated, Democrat-led counties.\n\n\"By definition, such unlawful, unregulated, and inconsistent activities resulted in a highly questionable and inaccurate vote total. The scope of these inaccuracies cannot be known until the legal ballots are identified and counted, and the illegal ballots are disqualified. This has not been done.\n\n\"Therefore, the state's official certification of electors was based upon a flawed system and an inaccurate vote count. Thus, very possibly resulting in an erroneous certification.\n\n\"Until these unlawful practices are acknowledged and corrected, we cannot agree to support electors chosen based upon an inaccurate total vote count. The voters of Pennsylvania deserve integrity in the election process and equal protection under the law.\n\n\"This very unfortunate, volatile, and distressing situation is due to the lack of respect and regard for the law and the U.S. Constitution as well as the Pennsylvania State Constitution. Additionally, the failure of Pennsylvania's justice system to seek the truth, rather than stay silent, allowed these irregular, unlawful actions to create a high level of mistrust in the process as well as a potentially flawed outcome.\n\n\"If there is an American ideal that all citizens, regardless of party affiliation, can agree upon is that we must have election integrity. Election integrity is the only way to ensure trust in our elections and it is accomplished by adhering to our Constitution and the law.\"\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:42:23Z"], ["https://schneider.house.gov/media/press-releases/schneider-bill-elevate-antisemitism-envoy-ambassador-passes-house-headed", "Schneider Bill to Elevate Antisemitism Envoy to Ambassador Passes House, Headed to President\u2019s Desk", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "IL", "Bradley Scott Schneider", "S001190", "schneider.house.gov", "schneider", "https://schneider.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 Today, the House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation authored by Rep. Brad Schneider (IL-10), Chris Smith (NJ-4), and Eliot Engel (NY-16) that would elevate the State Department's antisemitism Special Envoy position to an Ambassadorship, giving more clout to address the alarming rise in antisemitism worldwide. The House voted overwhelmingly to pass H.R. 221 in January 2019 and the Senate amended and approved the legislation earlier this month. The bill now heads to President Trump's desk to be signed into law.\n\n\"Today, the House took historic action to combat hate by unanimously passing the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Act and sending it to the President,\" said Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10). \"The United States has a critical leadership role to play in stamping out hate, both at home and around the world, and with acts of antisemitism increasing across the globe, it's important that the United States Special Envoy have the authority and standing to lead the fight. As an Ambassador, this role will be better equipped to root out hate wherever and whenever it manifests.\n\n\"I want to thank Congressman Chris Smith and House Foreign Affairs Chair Eliot Engel for working hard to keep this fight bipartisan and I look forward to continuing our work together to ensure the safety of Jewish communities across the globe.\"\n\nThe House originally voted overwhelmingly to pass H.R. 221 in January 2019. The bill is endorsed by numerous organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, B'nai B'rith International, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the American Jewish Committee, Hadassah, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, and the Jewish Federations of North America.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:42:23Z"], ["https://schrier.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-schrier-introduces-bill-reduce-methane-emissions-cow-burps", "Rep. Schrier Introduces Bill to Reduce Methane Emissions in Cow Burps", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "WA", "Kim Schrier", "S001216", "schrier.house.gov", "schrier", "https://schrier.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "ISSAQUAH, WA \u2013 Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08) has introduced the Research to Reduce Agricultural Methane Act. This bill will provide funds to study innovative methods to reduce methane emissions in livestock, including through feed additives such as seaweed.\n\n\"We are facing an unprecedented climate crisis and it falls on all of us to find creative solutions to this pressing problem,\" said Rep. Schrier. \"Our farmers are the leading stewards of our land and on the front lines fighting climate change. While they are already innovating with solutions like no-till farming and increased cover crop adoption, we must provide more federal research support and ensure any game-changing products are accessible to our farmers and ranchers. As the only member on the Agriculture Committee from the Pacific Northwest, I will continue to work on common sense solutions that support our farmers while helping to address climate change.\"\n\nAccording to EPA's 2018 Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, enteric fermentation, the digestive process by which cows and other ruminants produce methane, was the largest human-caused source of methane in the United States, representing 28% of domestic methane emissions. Ruminants, such as cattle, buffaloes, sheep and goats, have the highest methane emissions per unit of body mass among all animal types.\n\nThe amount of methane from livestock production alone is about the equivalent of the emissions from about 650 million cars.\n\nThe Reduce Agricultural Methane Act will enable further research in promising methods to reduce agricultural methane emissions including:", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:42:23Z"], ["https://sherman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congress-passes-sherman-bill-to-support-non-profit-provided-affordable", "Congress Passes Sherman Bill to Support Non-Profit Provided Affordable Housing", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Brad Sherman", "S000344", "sherman.house.gov", "sherman", "https://sherman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Congress passed the Building Up Independent Lives and Dreams Act or \"BUILD\" Act, legislation led by Congressman Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks), Congressman Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD). The passage of this legislation represents a significant step towards helping nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity help struggling families access housing through zero percent interest mortgages.\n\n\"We've heard of different local Habitat for Humanity chapters who make more than 5 loans a year having difficulty complying with the mandatory TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure form, citing increased costs and complexity. The BUILD Act is a straightforward way to address these challenges with a narrow regulatory tweak that will ensure non-profits can focus on working in their communities to build homes, rather than sitting in an office,\" said Congressman Sherman.\n\nFollowing the 2008 mortgage crisis, Congress established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to create rules of the road to protect consumers against the predatory mortgage lending practices which contributed to the crisis. To protect borrowers from being unknowingly pushed into mortgages they cannot afford, the CFPB established the TILA-RESPA integrated disclosure (TRID), also known as the \"know before you owe\" disclosure. TRID requires that, prior to a mortgage signing, lenders must provide borrowers with a simplified disclosure detailing all of mortgage costs the borrower will owe. The TRID forms include a loan estimate and closing disclosure, designed to allow consumers to easily identify high-cost mortgages such as those with ballooning interest rates.\n\nHowever, these disclosures are often not relevant to mortgages made by charitable organizations, like Habitat for Humanity, which provide low- or no-fee zero percent interest mortgages. Habitat provides homeownership opportunities to low-income families by building homes that are financed with a zero percent interest loans, or other affordable mortgage loan products. Small and mid-sized Habitat for Humanity chapters have experienced challenges in complying with TRID requirements because of the cost of the necessary software to complete these forms and training required to use the software.\n\nThe BUILD Act will address this issue by providing a narrow exemption from TRID requirements for legitimate nonprofits making low-cost zero interest mortgages. Rather than provide the loan estimate and closing disclosure forms, these nonprofits will have the option to instead use the three forms that were previously acceptable, the Truth in Lending form, the Good Faith Estimate, and the HUD-1 form. The same exemption is currently available for all organizations making five or fewer mortgage loans per year, and the BUILD Act would simply expand this exemption to include these nonprofits.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:42:23Z"], ["https://soto.house.gov/media/press-releases/soto-releases-report-highlighting-wins-central-florida-116th-congress", "Soto Releases Report Highlighting Wins for Central Florida in the 116th Congress", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "FL", "Darren Soto", "S001200", "soto.house.gov", "soto", "https://soto.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "KISSIMMEE, FL \u2013 Today, Congressman Darren Soto (FL-09) released a report highlighting his community and legislative accomplishments during the 116th Congress.\n\n\"It's been a busy two years fighting for the issues that matter most to Central Florida's families,\" said Congressman Soto. \"For many in Florida and across the country, 2020 has been an incredibly challenging year. We mourned the loss of over 21,000 Floridians who were taken by the deadly coronavirus. We prayed for the health and safety of our loved ones, neighbors and healthcare workers. We saw business after business forced to close for public safety concerns and suffer the devastating economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through it all, we did our best to step up during this crisis and serve our constituents. Going forward, I will work with the Biden Administration to ensure everyone in Central Florida has access to the COVID-19 vaccine and that our community builds back better than before. We are honored to have served the constituents of Florida's 9th Congressional District during the 116th Congress, and we look forward to continuing our commitment to deliver results for Central Florida.\"\n\nOver the course of 116th Congress, Congressman Soto held 100 town halls and roundtables, attended hundreds of community events, sent thousands of correspondence to constituents, helped over a thousand constituents with casework, secured billions of dollars for Central Florida, and passed numerous bills, policy amendments and appropriations requests into law.\n\nIn the 117th Congress, Rep. Soto will continue to serve on the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee to fight for a strong pandemic response, higher-paying jobs and to protect our environment. He will also continue to serve on Natural Resources Committee to pursue his environmental efforts, work with Florida's tribes and bring Puerto Rico back to prosperity. In addition, he will serve as Chair of the Future Forum Caucus to assist the House Democratic Caucus to engage young people, and promote issues affecting Hispanics as Whip for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.\n\nThe one-pager can be read here and below. The full report can be read here and below.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:42:23Z"], ["https://steveking.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/king-introduces-legislation-to-refurbish-the-pillars-of-american", "King Introduces Legislation to Refurbish the Pillars of American Exceptionalism", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "Senate", "IA", "Steve King", "K000362", "steveking.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. Today, Congressman Steve King introduced a significant, capstone piece of legislation, The Refurbishing the Pillars of American Exceptionalism Act. The legislation, if enacted, would amend and improve Federal law in the areas of immigration, health care, the Constitution, education, trade, veterans' affairs, welfare, and tax, among numerous other areas. This large, comprehensive Act contains many of the bills Congressman King has championed during his nearly quarter century in the public service of Iowans and all Americans, including:\n \n\t\tH.R. 490, the Heartbeat Protection Act (the Heartbeat Bill)\n\t\n\t\n\t\tH.R. 140, the Birthright Citizenship Act\n\t\n\t\n\t\tH.R. 997, the English Language Unity Act\n\t\n\t\n\t\tH.R. 185, the ObamaCare Repeal Act\n\t\n\t\n\t\tH.R. 385, Sarah's Law\n\t\n\t\n\t\tH.R. 902, the Protect American IPR Act\n\t\n\t\n\t\tH.R. 904, the New Illegal Deduction Elimination Act (New IDEA)\n\t\n\t\n\t\tH.R. 1319, the Davis-Bacon Repeal Act\n\t\n\t\n\t\tH.R. 1320, the Census Accuracy Act\n\t\n\t\n\t\tH.R. 4651, the American Future Healthcare Act\n\t\n King's legislation also includes the FAIR Tax, repeal of the 16th Amendment, and a prescription for substantive welfare reform, among many other important provisions.\nFrom the start of my service in elected office, I committed to my constituents that I would work tirelessly for them and stay true to my principles, said King. This legislation is a capstone of my legislative work to make good on those promises to my constituents, while always simultaneously endeavoring to refurbish the pillars of American Exceptionalism. It is significant because it not only includes a comprehensive selection of the most important bills I've worked on and spent countless hours advocating for, but moreover because I have no doubt that if enacted, this legislation would set the United States on a path of cultural and economic growth that perhaps is unparalleled in the life of our nation. I encourage new Members of Congress and leaders across our nation to never allow fear, opposition or lies to stop you from being a thought leader and standing on principle. Our nation is greatly in need of those leaders who would stay true to their convictions, no matter the cost.\nIn addition to this Act, Congressman King also introduced three other measures today, including a resolution nullifying the impeachment of President Trump, his No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, and a bill to require agencies of the Federal Government to define the term service animal in accordance with the regulations of the Department of Justice.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://steveking.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/king-introduces-resolution-to-nullify-the-sham-impeachment-of-president", "King Introduces Resolution to Nullify the Sham Impeachment of President Donald J. Trump", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "Senate", "IA", "Steve King", "K000362", "steveking.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. Today, Congressman Steve King introduced a resolution which nullifies the impeachment of President Donald J. Trump, as if such impeachment had not occurred, due to a lack of a constitutional basis, the House of Representatives having failed to substantiate its allegations of Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors, which is required by the U.S. Constitution.\nWith this resolution, I reiterate and emphasize my following statement from this past February, I commend the United States Senate for voting to acquit President Trump. The House impeachment effort was illegitimate from the outset, and President Trump was correct to describe it as a witch hunt' brought by bitter partisans who never accepted that Americans preferred him to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. Since the Senate rightly acquitted President Trump last winter, subsequently released information, such as documents demonstrating no substantive basis for the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane investigation into the Trump Campaign's very much nonexistent Russian collusion, has only reinforced the utter innocence of the President, his campaign staff and administration. \nAs I stated in the complaint I submitted to the Ethics Committee before Christmas, the Constitution does not allow the people's House to be used as a cover for party machines and bosses. Using power and position to manufacture and perpetrate dishonest political narratives, complete with distortions and outright lies camouflaged as facts under the cover of official congressional business, is a gross and repugnant violation of the American people who are the very constituent parts of this government.\nPresident Trump has made great personal and professional sacrifices to lead our nation at this pivotal point in history when every objective standard, even truth itself, is being attacked, by those who continually seek to consolidate their own power and control through the devices of division, manipulation, fraud and outright lies. In his pursuit to provide the strong and bold leadership our nation needs, Congressional Democrats and Never Trumpers, bankrolled and spurred on by their billionaire class donors, repaid him with a rapid succession of deceitful attacks, perhaps none more baseless than the sham impeachment.\nHe has been exonerated in fact, and now this scourge on our Constitutional Republic needs to be nullified, as if it had never happened, because in a Constitutional body, committed to the Rule of Law, it never would have happened.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://watsoncoleman.house.gov/newsroom/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1747", "Watson Coleman Statement on Passing of Monroe Township Mayor Gerald Tamburro", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "NJ", "Bonnie Watson Coleman", "W000822", "watsoncoleman.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Watson Coleman Statement on Passing of Monroe Township Mayor Gerald Tamburro \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n f \r\n t \r\n #\r\n e\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n Ewing, NJ,\r\n December 31, 2020\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) released the following statement today after news that Monroe Township Mayor Gerald Tamburro, a veteran and longtime public servant, had passed away:\r\nIt's with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Mayor Gerald Tamburro. Mayor Tamburro's two decades of service to Monroe, first as a city council member then as mayor, are a testament to his commitment to his community. I had the pleasure of working with Jerry since I became a member of Congress six years ago. I will remember him fondly as someone who loved Monroe Township and fiercely fought for his constituents. My condolences to Jerry's family, children, and grandchildren. They will be in my prayers tonight.\r\n\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n f \r\n t \r\n #\r\n e", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://watsoncoleman.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases/watson-coleman-statement-on-passing-of-monroe-township-mayor-gerald-tamburro", "Watson Coleman Statement on Passing of Monroe Township Mayor Gerald Tamburro", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "NJ", "Bonnie Watson Coleman", "W000822", "watsoncoleman.house.gov", "watsoncoleman", "https://watsoncoleman.house.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) released the following statement today after news that Monroe Township Mayor Gerald Tamburro, a veteran and longtime public servant, had passed away:", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:42:23Z"], ["https://wexton.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=441", "Rep. Wexton\u2019s EFFORT Act to Expand Opioid Addiction Research Headed to President\u2019s Desk", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "VA", "Jennifer Wexton", "W000825", "wexton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, DC --Today, the Expanding Findings for Federal Opioid Research and Treatment (EFFORT) Act was passed by the House of Representatives, after being amended and passed by the Senate last week. The EFFORT Act is bipartisan legislation authored by Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) and co-sponsored by Congressman Jim Baird (R-IN). The Senate companion bill was carried by Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Cory Gardner (R-CO), and now goes to the President for his signature.\r\nWhile much of our attention is focused on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid addiction crisis continues to ravage our communities,said Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton.In fact, the crisis has gotten worse. Virginia is seeing a record number of fatal overdoses this year as isolation and anxiety brought on by COVID add new challenges for those who are in recovery. We need to vigorously study and treat addiction like the disease that it is. Once this bill is signed into law, scientists and researchers can provide us with greater resources to end this crisis.\r\nAs our nation confronts the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we also continue to grapple with an opioid epidemic that is increasingly devastating families in Delaware and across the country,said Senator Chris Coons. The recent record-breaking success with a vaccine for COVID-19 shows that when the federal government invests in research and partners with leading minds in all sectors we can do amazing things. This bill would put our collective resources and know-how to work deepening our understanding of opioid addiction and finding tools and treatments to end this crisis. I'm proud that it will be signed into law.\r\nWe have lost hundreds of lives here in the Northern Shenandoah Valley to the opioid epidemic. The effects of this public health crisis have been seen in the number of children in foster care, babies born substance exposed, and grandparents now raising their grandchildren. The Northern Shenandoah Valley Substance Abuse Coalition supports the EFFORT Act and is proud to see it pass through the House and Senate because research will help to decrease preventable deaths caused by opioid overdoses and will drive better treatment approaches,said Lauren Cummings, executive director of the Northern Shenandoah Valley Substance Abuse Coalition.\r\nThe EFFORT Act expands research into the prevention and treatment of opioid addiction, seeking to promote collaboration and interdisciplinary efforts and close existing gaps in research. The bill directs the National Science Foundation (NSF), in consultation with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to support research that will allow for further understanding of the science of opioid addiction.\r\n2020 is on track to be theworst year by farfor fatal drug overdose deaths in Virginia. Overdoses have spiked during the pandemic, and the Commonwealth is on track to surpass 2,000 overdose deaths this year after setting a record last year with 1,626 lives lost.\r\nCongresswoman Wexton is a founding member of the bipartisanFreshmen Working Group on Addictionwith Representative David Trone (D-MD) and has been a strong advocate for addiction prevention and recovery efforts since her time in the Virginia state Senate where she served on the Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee.\r\nThe full text of the EFFORT Act can be foundhere.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/12/carper-epa-s-censoring-science-rule-is-the-trump-administration-s-last-gasp-of-science-denial", "Carper: EPAs Censoring Science Rule is the Trump Administrations Last Gasp of Science Denial", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "DE", "Thomas Carper", "C000174", "www.carper.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized its rule todrastically undermine the use of science in agency decision-making.\r\nIn the final days of the Trump Administration, EPA has finalized its rule that will suppress scientific research and censor scientists and experts. It's just one last gasp of science denial. Amid an ongoing public health crisis a time when accessing the latest scientific research and embracing scientific advancements is a critical function of protecting human health the Trump EPA is trying to limit the use of scientific data, even data that could be used to address the growing link between exposure to air pollution and adverse outcomes of COVID-19. It's as absurd as it sounds. As I said earlier this year, it's hard to imagine a time when our nation needed to embrace science more than we do at this very moment. Almost a year into our battle against the coronavirus pandemic, that's even truer today. While I continue to be amazed by this administration's penchant for science denial, I am confident that this irresponsible rollback finalized in the last few days of the Trump Administration will not impede the incoming administration's efforts to restore the use of science in rulemaking. President-elect Biden has made clear that his administration will be guided by science.\r\nIn March, Senator Carperasked the EPA Inspector General (IG)to open an investigation into potentially unlawful efforts and procedural problems related to the preparation and review of this supplemental proposal. Later that month, Senator Carper asked EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler towithdraw the rule, describing how thesweeping policy would limit the use of science in EPA rulemaking. As Senator Carper described in hisMarch 24letter to Administrator Wheeler, examples abound of research that would now at minimum require considerable review time to determine whether or not they meet the requirements of the Secret Science Rule, or considerable review time to determine whether or not they would require an exemption from the rule's applicability before being used for EPA decision-making purposes. Some examples include:\r\n \r\nThisMarch 2020 survey of existing research describes the interaction of several coronaviruses on surfaces with biocidal agents. EPA isresponsiblefor recommending disinfectants for use against SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogens.\r\nThisNovember2003 paper includes a statistical correlation between SARS fatalities in China and higher exposure to air pollution, information that could be relevant to EPA air officials as new criteria pollutant standards are developed.\r\nThisOctober 2015 paper describes the challenges associated with the sterilization and disposal of medical waste contaminated by Ebola.EPAworked jointlywith CDC to develop disposal and sterilization guidelines and could be called on to do the same for COVID-19.\r\n \r\n\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.casey.senate.gov/news/releases/in-2020-casey-produces-results-for-pa-constituents", "In 2020, Casey Produces Results for PA Constituents", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "PA", "Bob Casey", "C001070", "www.casey.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", null, 0, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.collins.senate.gov/newsroom/legislation-protect-patients-surprise-medical-bills-now-law", "Legislation to Protect Patients from Surprise Medical Bills is Now Law", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "Senate", "ME", "Susan Collins", "C001035", "www.collins.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced that bipartisan legislation to protect patients from surprise medical bills was signed into law as part of the government funding package.\n\nAmericans increasingly pay more out-of-pocket for their health care, so it is crucial that they have access to the information they need to make informed decisions. The health and economic crisis we are currently experiencing due to COVID-19 has underscored the need for Congress to come together to increase the affordability and accessibility of medical care. \n\nFar too many Americans are struggling with the skyrocketing cost of health care, which places severe strain on family budgets and threatens access to the care and medications they need. The last thing patients should have to worry about while they are sick or recovering is receiving an unexpected bill because they were unaware they were receiving out-of-network care,said Senator Collins. Increasing the affordability and accessibility of health care is one of my highest priorities, and this new law ending the unfair practice of surprise medical billing will help provide significant relief.\n\nThe proposal to end surprise medical billing will also allow approximately $18 billion in savings to be used to fully fund Community Health Centers, Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education, and Special Diabetes Programs for three years. As the lead sponsor of theTraining the Next Generation of Primary Care Doctors Act, Senator Collins has long worked to bolster and expand this successful training program. As the founder and co-chair of the Senate Diabetes Caucus, she has championed the Special Diabetes Program, which has been instrumental in promoting advances in diabetes care such as the artificial pancreas system. \n\nThe bipartisan, bicameral agreement protects patients and establishes a fair payment dispute resolution process including:\n\n \nHolds patients harmless from surprise medical bills, including from air ambulance providers, by ensuring they are only responsible for their in-network cost-sharing amounts, including deductibles, in both emergency situations and certain non-emergency situations where patients do not have the ability to choose an in-network provider.\n \n\n \nProhibits certain out-of-network providers from balance billing patients unless the provider gives the patient notice of their network status and an estimate of charges 72 hours prior to receiving out-of-network services and the patient provides consent to receive out-of-network care.\n \n\n \nCreates a framework that takes patients out of the middle, and allows health care providers and insurers to resolve payment disputes without involving the patient.\n \n\n \nUnder the agreement, insurers will make a payment to the provider that is determined either through negotiation between the parties or an independent dispute resolution (IDR) process. There is no minimum payment threshold to enter IDR, and claims may be batched together to ease administrative burdens.\n \n\n \nIf the parties choose to utilize the IDR process, both parties would each submit an offer to the independent arbiter. When choosing between the two offers the arbiter is required to consider the median in-network rate, information related to the training and experience of the provider, the market share of the parties, previous contracting history between the parties, complexity of the services provided, and any other information submitted by the parties.\n \n\n \nFollowing an IDR process, the party that initiated the dispute may not take the same party to arbitration for the same item or service for 90-days following a determination by the arbitrator. However, all claims that occur during the 90-day period are eligible for IDR after the 90-days.\n \n\n \nProvides additional consumer protections when insurance companies change networks, including a transition of care for people with complex care needs and appeal rights for consumers.\n \n\n \nEmpowers consumers by providing a true and honest cost estimate that describes which providers will deliver their treatment, the cost of services, and provider network status.\n \n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.collins.senate.gov/newsroom/senator-collins-announces-more-500000-maine-housing-authorities-0", "Senator Collins Announces More Than $500,000 for Maine Housing Authorities", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "Senate", "ME", "Susan Collins", "C001035", "www.collins.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.- U.S. Senator Susan Collins, the Chairman of the Housing Appropriations Subcommittee, announced today that nine housing authorities in Maine will receive a total of $509,826 through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Family Self-Sufficiency Program (FSS).\n\nMaine's housing authorities provide an array of vital services to seniors, individuals with disabilities, and low-income families,said Senator Collins. As the Chairman of the Housing Appropriations Subcommittee, I am committed to ensuring that the housing needs of all Mainers are met. By supporting public housing agencies, this funding will help connect individuals with the resources they need to achieve economic independence.\n\nThe funding will be allocated as follows:\n\nAugusta Housing Authoritywill receive $32,484.\n\nBangor Housing Authoritywill receive $63,709.\n\nCity of Caribouwill receive $57,446.\n\nHousing Authority of Brewerwill receive $60,978.\n\nHousing Authority of Old Townwill receive $47,944.\n\nLewiston Housing Authoritywill receive $58,873.\n\nMaine State Housing Authoritywill receive $62,467.\n\nPortland Housing Authoritywill receive $78,659.\n\nWestbrook Housing Authoritywill receive $47,266.\n\nAs the Chairman of the Housing Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Collins has worked hard to preserve and modernize affordable housing units across the State of Maine. Earlier this month, sheannounced$120,000 for housing authorities in Aroostook and Sagadahoc Counties. In addition, Senator Collins helped to secure a total of $46.5 million in HUD's CARES Act funding to help communities throughout Maine respond to COVID-19 by protecting affordable housing, providing housing assistance for the homeless, and supporting community development.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-calls-on-mcconnell-to-help-struggling-families-by-passing-2000-direct-payment-measure", "Durbin Calls on McConnell to Help Struggling Families By Passing $2,000 Direct Payment Measure", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "IL", "Richard Durbin", "D000563", "www.durbin.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.31.20\n\t\t\t Durbin Calls on McConnell to Help Struggling Families By Passing $2,000 Direct Payment Measure \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on Senate Republicans to support the House-passed CASH Act, a measure that would increase direct payments from $600 to $2,000 for individuals earning less than $75,000 per year. The measure passed the House by a vote of 275-134, with 44 House Republicans supporting the bill.\r\nAll we're saying to Senator McConnell is give us a chance to vote. You can vote no if you wish. Give us a chance to vote for the $2,000 that can make a difference in a person's life. $4,000 for a husband and wife who are struggling to get by. Rent checks, mortgage payments, car payments, utility bills, things that really are basic to family survival. We're trying to help, and I think we should be given that chance, Durbin said.If we are in touch with the reality in our home states, in our hometowns, we should do something, something significant to end this New Year on the right note. I plead with the Republican leader who has the power, the one, the sole member of Congress of 100 members, he has the power to bring this matter to a vote and to do it immediately, within the hour.\r\nVideo of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is availablehere.\r\nAudio of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is availablehere.\r\nFootage of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is availableherefor TV Stations.\r\n-30-\r\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t\n \n \n \n \t\n \t\n\t \t \n\t\t \n\t\t \tPrevious Article\n\t\t \n\t\t \n\t\t \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov//news/press/release/icymi-gillibrand-in-buffalo-news-stock-act-20-will-require-new-transparency-in-congress", "ICYMI: Gillibrand In Buffalo News: Stock Act 2.0 Will Require New Transparency In Congress", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "NY", "Kirsten Gillibrand", "G000555", "www.gillibrand.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 31, 2020\n\t\t\t ICYMI: Gillibrand In Buffalo News: Stock Act 2.0 Will Require New Transparency In Congress \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tIn case you missed it, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand penned an op-ed in theBuffalo Newstoday, calling for passage of her new legislation, theSTOCK Act 2.0.\r\nThe legislation will require that whenever a member of Congress, a high-ranking staff member in a position to make policy, the president, the vice president, or other executive branch officials apply for or receive a benefit of value from the government, they must report it in the same way they would report the sale of a stock. The legislation was prompted in part by the fact that several wealthy members of Congress have received millions in PPP loans, while small businesses have continued to struggle.\r\nTheSTOCK Act 2.0is the latest push for transparency for Senator Gillibrand, who had made government accountability a top priority throughout her career. Gillibrand led Senate passage of the STOCK Act in 2012, and was the first member of Congress to post her official meetings, personal financial disclosures, earmark requests, and taxes online.\r\nGillibrandalso supports banning members from buying or selling individual stocks, particularly in light of several recent scandals.\r\nClickhereor see below for the op-ed\r\n\r\nAnother Voice: STOCK Act 2.0 will require new transparency in Congress | Buffalo News\r\nSenator Kirsten Gillibrand\r\nDecember 31, 2020\r\nOver the past year, Congress has allocated trillions of dollars of relief money to respond to the pandemic and economic crisis. While more remains to be done, the American people must be able to trust their government to make responsible, unbiased decisions about their tax dollars.\r\nUnfortunately, as is too often the case, their faith in government has not been rewarded. The fact is that millions of relief dollars have gone right back into the hands of members of Congress who wrote and voted for the relief packages.\r\nWhen the Paycheck Protection Program was rolled out, many small businesses were denied relief. Meanwhile, auto dealerships, franchises and family businesses with ties to some of the wealthiest members of Congress received millions of dollars in PPP loans. Nearly all of them were able to get relief before the first round of funding ran out.\r\nThis isn't a new phenomenon. For decades, the same members of Congress who write and pass bills, and oversee their implementation, have collected millions in federal farming subsidies without requirements for these payments to be reported to taxpayers.\r\nThe worst part is, the only way Congress or the public can learn about these insider dealings is from news reports. It's unacceptable. We need transparency. We need the STOCK Act 2.0.\r\nI passed the original STOCK Act in the Senate in 2012, following investigative reports revealing that members of Congress were making investments using nonpublic information. In one instance, lawmakers who received closed-door briefings on the 2008 financial crisis from the Treasury secretary and chair of the Federal Reserve traded using that information. In another egregious example, during the debate over the Affordable Care Act, then-House Minority Leader John Boehner bought health insurance stock, while leading the opposition to the public option.\r\nThe STOCK Act makes it illegal for members of Congress and government officials to buy or sell stocks based on information learned in committee hearings or other non-public briefings and requires high-ranking officials to quickly disclose financial transactions. In short, it says that no one in government should be able to profit from inside information.\r\nMy bill, the STOCK Act 2.0, will do the same for federal loans, grants, contracts, subsidies and other types of items of value. The STOCK Act 2.0 will require that whenever a member of Congress, a high-ranking staff member in a position to make policy, the president, the vice president, or other executive branch officials apply for or receive a benefit of value from the government, they must report it in the same way they would report the sale of a stock. Those reports would be added to a public website where the information is easily accessible, searchable and downloadable.\r\nI believe public officials should be accountable to you for their actions. But not everyone shares my view. I can only assume that's why several of the members of Congress who cashed in on PPP loans voted against legislation that would have required public disclosure of the program's recipients.\r\nThese transactions shouldn't happen in the dark. Sunlight is an extremely effective antiseptic and the STOCK Act 2.0 will provide it.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/qa-counterfeit-vaccines-and-pandemic-fraud", "Q&A: Counterfeit Vaccines and Pandemic Fraud", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "Senate", "IA", "Charles Grassley", "G000386", "www.grassley.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Q&A: Counterfeit Vaccines and Pandemic Fraud With U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley Q: What are you doing to protect taxpayer dollars included in the pandemic relief laws? A: Iowans work hard for their money. I work hard to protect hard-earned tax dollars from waste, fraud and abuse. In times of emergency, such as natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government provides urgently needed support and resources to help Americans who have lost homes, farms, livelihoods and paychecks. 2020 has produced one crisis after another. The virus has killed more than 300,000 Americans. Too many families are struggling to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. Congress approved $4 trillion this year to accelerate vaccine production and send emergency assistance to help health care professionals, unemployed workers, student borrowers, foster youth, farmers, households and small businesses struggling to stay afloat. This historic federal spending will add to the nation's $27 trillion debt. As a fiscal conservative, it's a tough pill to swallow. Iowans don't want to pass the buck on to our children and grandchildren. Borrowing money means every dollar consumed by interest payments means one less dollar for national security, infrastructure, health care and tax relief. The same goes for money lost to waste, fraud and abuse. For example, in the most recent $900 billion pandemic relief package, Congress approved $26 billion to help fight hunger and replenish food assistance programs. Starting Jan. 1, recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will get a 15 percent bump in benefits. Lawmakers owe it to taxpayers to ensure this money is spent to feed hungry kids and their families who have fallen on hard times. Rooting out corruption, theft and fraud tied to pandemic spending is as important as ever. When Congress passed the CARES Act in March, I worked to sharpen the federal government's anti-fraud and oversight tools. I introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure the federal watchdog tasked to oversee pandemic spending could hit the ground running. The good news is Congress approved a Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery in the CARES Act. The bad news is my bill that would allow this office to get fully staffed and operational as quickly as possible wasn't included in the most recent pandemic package. Taxpayers don't want a dog and pony show in charge of oversight. Taxpayers deserve a watchdog with teeth and a bite to match. From my leadership posts in the U.S. Senate, I'll keep tabs on the public purse and exercise my constitutional oversight responsibilities as rigorously as ever. Q: Do you have pandemic fraud on your radar that Iowans ought to be watching out for? A: It's no secret that bad actors and fraudsters troll federal spending at every turn to take advantage of bloated bureaucracies and pluck the golden goose. My crusade against wasteful spending began at the Department of Defense four decades ago. I soon discovered the Pentagon was only the tip of the iceberg. More lawmakers need to join the oversight bandwagon and invest time and effort to cut fat and fraud from the federal ledgers. In December, I led a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers with Sens. Joni Ernst, Thom Tillis and Chris Coons to commend the Department of Homeland Security and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for their pro-active efforts to combat pandemic-related fraud, including scams targeting unemployment benefits, illicit personal protective equipment and counterfeit vaccines. Operation Stolen Promise was launched in April by HSI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to combat fraud and criminal trafficking of COVID-19 goods. In the first eight months, the anti-fraud operation seized 1,654 items, such as counterfeit test kits, counterfeit masks and banned pharmaceuticals, netting $27.8 million in illicit proceeds. As Americans await their turn to get immunized and roll up their sleeves for the COVID-19 vaccine, it's vital to reinforce confidence in the safety and integrity of the vaccine. That means the federal government must take decisive steps to stop the spread of misinformation about counterfeit vaccines and stop the sale of fake vaccines in the United States. I'll continue robust oversight throughout the New Year to ensure America puts its best foot forward in the pandemic recovery and that the public health is protected. I advise Iowans to be wary of scams and fraud. Always consult your health care provider and listen to public health officials so that you and your loved ones get immunized with the vaccines authorized by the FDA when it's your turn. -30-", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/speeches?ContentRecord_id=7A188C6A-2DBE-4730-AC33-225D07FF5E1C", "Gov. Gary Herberts Retirement", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "Senate", "UT", "Mike Lee", "L000577", "www.lee.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Mr./Madam President,\r\nI rise today to honor my friend, Gary Herbert, Governor of the State of Utah for the last 12 years, who after a long career in public service is embarking on a well-earned retirement.\r\nHe has served the state of Utah with enthusiasm, dedication, and spirit; and I am grateful to have worked alongside him throughout his tenure.\r\nGary was born in American Fork, Utah, and grew up in Orem. He served a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the East Coast, and later attended Brigham Young University.\r\nHe first began his public service after college, serving in the Utah Army National Guard for six years and becoming a staff sergeant.\r\nAfter his time in the National Guard, he set up a real estate firm, and eventually became president of the Utah Association of Counties and Utah Association of Realtors.\r\nStarting in 1990, he served as a commissioner on the Utah County Commission for 14 years, and then began his service at the state level.\r\nIn 2004, when Jon Huntsman ran for the Governor's seat, Gary became his running mate for Lieutenant Governor, with the pair going on to win the race that November.\r\nIt was then that I first got to know him myself, when I was hired to be the general counsel for Governor Huntsman.\r\nOne of my first memories of him was when we began to move into the governor's office suite.\r\nThe day before he was sworn in, Gary came and gave a warm welcome to all the staff, along with sound advice about the importance of staying grounded as we entered the political fray.\r\nI soon learned that he was not only a skilled politician, but also a formidable ping pong player. Right after he and Governor Huntsman were sworn in, the staff got together as a team several times at the governor's mansion, where there was a ping pong table in the basement.\r\nI then learned the hard way that Gary's table-tennis skills are off the charts.\r\nWhile serving Governor Huntsman, I always found Gary to be friendly, approachable, and willing to tackle every assignment with eagerness and poise.\r\nWhenever Governor Huntsman's schedule became chaotic or would change unexpectedly, Lieutenant Governor Herbert would routinely be dispatched to speak on his behalf often to remote corners of the state, and often at inconvenient times.\r\nHe never once complained; and was not only willing, but always eager and happy to help.\r\nLikewise, whenever there was an issue that needed to be addressed and the Governor was unable to meet with a particular group, Gary was assigned the case.\r\n He would meet with all the different stakeholders, legislators, and people from different sides of an issue, bringing them all together and wading through the intricate details of the matter.\r\nWhat's more, he had the skill of figuring out the best path forward for all parties involved, and for making everyone feel heard and understood.\r\nThe same traits I saw in him as Lieutenant Governor would go on to make him an effective and beloved Governor himself. In office since 2009, he is currently the nation's longest-serving governor.\r\nAnd our state has seen exciting achievement and prosperity with Governor Herbert at the helm.\r\nIn the last eight years, Utah has seen continued, steady growth in our economy with improvement in our GDP, number of jobs, and unemployment rate.\r\nWe have seen the boom of Silicon Slopes.\r\nWe celebrated the centennial of the driving of the Golden Spike, when it was an honor to stand alongside him at the celebratory reenactment.\r\nAnd so too was it an honor to join Gary when President Trump shrank Bears Ears National Monument, when we could stand together and celebrate reclaiming the land back for the people of Utah.\r\nThrough his enthusiasm and zeal, Gary has championed our state and the things that we stand for. He can rattle off figures and metrics about Utah at the drop of a hat; and is a compelling spokesman for our values.\r\nHis spirit has helped Utah to attract talent and investment, and to make it the good place that it is to live.\r\nNot only that, but Gary has been an instrumental partner in supporting initiatives that reflect and strengthen the values of our state.\r\nTo champion the reclamation of our lands, he signed into law the Utah Transfer of Public Lands Act.\r\nHe also signed into law innovative criminal justice reforms in Utah, making a far-reaching impact across the state; and paving the way for the work Congress and President Trump were able to do at the federal level.\r\nHe has been a strong supporter of Utah's family culture, and was helpful in the Senate's work promoting the child tax credit during tax reform.\r\nAnd on a more personal note, he had the wisdom to put my brother, Tom Lee, on the Utah Supreme Court.\r\nFor all his public achievements, Gary is most proud, however, of his own role as husband, father, and grandfather.\r\nHe and his wife Jeanette have six children together, as well as 16 grandchildren; and he is known to encourage them to follow in his footsteps and marry up.\r\nIn a myriad of ways, Governor Gary Herbert has been a champion and a spokesman for all that is good about our state.\r\nIt has been an honor to serve the people of Utah with him, and I wish him all the best as he embarks on his retirement.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.majorityleader.gov/content/house-democrats%E2%80%99-deliver-people-116th-congress", "House Democrats\u2019 Deliver For the People in the 116th Congress", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "MD", "Steny Hoyer", "H000874", "www.majorityleader.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Throughout the 116th Congress, House Democrats have delivered on our promises and passed legislation For The People. From a comprehensive government reform package and voting rights legislation to bills to raise wages, address climate change, and more, House Democrats passed legislation supported by the overwhelming majority of Americans. When the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, House Democrats took action to ensure that the House could continue do its work for the people while keeping Americans safe by implementing remote voting and virtual committee proceedings. \n \nADDRESSING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC \n\nSince the onset of this pandemic, House Democrats have acted swiftly to address its catastrophic impacts on both the economy and on public health. The House has passed major legislation including: \n \n\tH.R.6074, Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 [03/04/2020]\n\tH.R.6201, Families First Coronavirus Response Act [03/11/2020]\n\tH.R. 784, Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act [03/28/20]\n\tH.R. 266, Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act [04/23/20]\n\tH.R. 6800, Heroes Act [05/15/20]\n\tH.R.7301, Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act [06/29/20]\n\tH.R. 7027, Child Care Is Essential Act [06/29/20]\n\tH.R. 7327, Child Care For Economic Recovery Act [06/29/20]\n\tH.R. 925, Updated Heroes Act [10/1/20]\n\tH.R.133, House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 133, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 [12/27/2020]\n \nEXPANDING ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE \n\nFrom defending the Affordable Care Act in court to passing legislation to strengthen and expand access to health care, House Democrats have worked to ensure every American has quality, affordable health care. Bills that the House has passed on this issue include: \n \n\tH.R.986, Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act of 2019 [05/09/2019]\n\tH.R.987, Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act (A Package of 7 Bills) [05/16/2019]\n\tH.R.3, Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act [12/12/2019]\n\tH.R.1425, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act [06/29/2020]\n\tH.R.2468, School-Based Allergies and Asthma Management Program Act [09/29/2020]\n \nEXPANDING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY \n\nHouse Democrats have worked hard to ensure the economy can work for all Americans, not just a select few. Below are bills that the House has passed to expand economic opportunity for the people by spurring job growth and eliminating economic disparities:\n \n\tH.R.7, Paycheck Fairness Act [03/27/2019]\n\tH.R.582, Raise the Wage Act [07/18/2019]\n\tH.R.5430, United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act [01/29/2020]\n\tH.R.2474, Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2019 [02/06/20]\n\tH.R. 2, Moving Forward Infrastructure Act [07/01/20]\n\tH.R.4447, Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act [09/24/20]\n\tH.R. 4863, United States Export Finance Agency Act of 2019 [11/15/20]\n\tH.R.8294, National Apprenticeship Act of 2020 [11/20/2020]\n \nFIGHTING TO STRENGTHEN CIVIL RIGHTS \n\nThis year our country faced a summer of racial reckoning sparked by injustice and Americans called overwhelmingly for systemic change. House Democrats will continue to take a stand and fight to uphold the civil rights of every American. This Congress, bills to address civil rights included: \n \n\tH.R.1636, Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys Act [04/12/2019]\n\tH.R.5, Equality Act [05/17/2019]\n\tH.R.4, Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019 [12/06/2019]\n\tH.J.Res.79, Removing the Deadline for the Ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment [02/13/2020]\n\tH.R.35, Emmett Till Antilynching Act [02/26/2020]\n\tH.R.5581, Access to Counsel Act of 2020 [03/05/2020]\n\tH.R.7120, George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020 [06/25/2020]\n\tH.R. 51, Washington, D.C. Admission Act [06/26/2020]\n\tH.R. 7573, Legislation to remove the bust of Chief Justice Roger B. Taney and remove Confederate statues and other reminders of slavery and segregation from the U.S. Capitol [07/22/2020]\n\tH.R.2694, Pregnant Workers Fairness Act [09/17/2020]\n\tH.R.3884, Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act [12/04/2020]\n \nACTING FOR A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT \n\nProtecting the air we breathe and water we drink is a top priority for House Democrats. A clean environment is essential to public health. The House also passed numerous bills conserving special places and making it easier for current and future generations to enjoy. Legislation that the House passed this year to protect the environment include: \n \n\tH.R.9, Climate Action Now Act [05/02/2019]\n\tH.R.1941, CoastalandMarineEconomiesProtectionAct [09/11/19]\n\tH.R.205, Protecting and Securing Florida's Coastline Act [09/11/19]\n\tH.R. 1146, Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act [09/12/19]\n\tH.R.535, PFAS Action Act of 2019 [01/10/2020]\n\tH.R.1957, Great American Outdoors Act [07/24/2020]\n\tS. 3051, America's Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Act [10/01/20]\n\tHR 7575, the Water Resources Development Act of 2020, Act [12/09/20]\n \nADDITIONAL MAJOR LEGISLATION\n \nAdditional legislation that the House has passed this Congress include: \n \n\tH.R.8, Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 [02/27/2019]\n\tH.R.1, For the People Act of 2019 [03/08/2019]\n\tH.R.1585, Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019 [04/04/2019]\n\tH.R.1644, Save the Internet Act of 2019 [04/10/2019]\n\tH.R.6, American Dream and Promise Act of 2019 [06/04/2019]\n\tH.R.2722, Securing America's Federal Elections (SAFE) Act [06/27/2019]\n\tH.R.4617, Stopping Harmful Interference in Elections for a Lasting Democracy Act, [10/23/2019]\n\tH.R.777, Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act of 2019, [12/20/2019]\n\tH.R.3621, Comprehensive CREDIT Act of 2020 [01/29/2020]\n\tH.R.1980, Smithsonian Women's History Museum Act [02/11/2020]\n\tFY2020 appropriations bills: 10 out of 12 appropriations bills to fund the government [06/26/20]\n\tH.R. 2486, NO BAN Act [07/22/20]\n\tFY2021 appropriations bills: 10 out of 12 appropriations bills to fund the government [07/26/20]\n\tH.R.2420, National Museum of the American Latino Act [07/27/2020]\n\tH.R.8015, Delivering for America Act [08/22/2020]\n\tS.578, ALS Disability Insurance Access Act of 2019 [12/08/2020]\n\tH.R. 6395, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 [12/28/2020]\n \nClickhereto read the PDF.Follow Leader Hoyer onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.majorityleader.gov/content/memo-media-democratic-house-majority-116th-congress-record-results-people", "MEMO TO MEDIA: Democratic House Majority in the 116th Congress: A Record of Results For the People", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "MD", "Steny Hoyer", "H000874", "www.majorityleader.gov", null, null, "legacy", "To:Editors, Editorial Writers, Reporters\nFrom: House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer\nRe: House Democrats' Record of Results in the Majority in the 116th Congress\nDate: December 31, 2020Overview In 2018, House Democrats ran on a platform of governing responsibly For the People and addressing the most pressing challenges facing our country. We won the House Majority for the 116th Congress on pledges to clean up government, defend access to affordable health care, lower prescription drug costs, and support policies that create jobs and bring greater economic security to American workers and their families. Over the past two years, House Democrats have resoundingly delivered on each of these promises. Governing Responsibly For the People From opening day of the 116th Congress, the Democratic House Majority has worked to govern responsibly for the people we serve, renew their faith in government, and put power back in the hands of the American people. This began with passage of H.R. 1, the For The People Act, comprehensive government reform legislation that makes it easier for Americans to vote, puts in place national redistricting reform, makes our campaign finance system more accountable and transparent, and institutes stronger ethics rules for public officials. Democrats also began governing with an ironclad commitment to ensuring that the House would no longer be responsible for the kind of damaging government shutdown that the previous Republican Majority and President Trump left us when the 116th Congress began. Among the first actions of our new Majority was to pass legislation ending the Trump-Republican shutdown and restoring critical services to the American people. Later, we secured a two-year agreement on funding levels that helped avoid another shutdown and provide greater certainty to federal agencies in preparing their budget requests. In the two years since, the Democratic-led House passed legislation to fund nearly all of government before the end of July, well in advance of the end of the fiscal year, doing its part to keep government open, with bills that invested in our nation's immediate needs as well as its long-term growth and security. This year, while the Senate failed to consider even a single appropriations bill in committee and slowed down the process considerably, the House passed an omnibus funding measure on December 21 to ensure that the next Congress will not convene under the cloud of a shutdown but ready to get to work on appropriations for Fiscal Year 2022. Recognizing that the people's representatives must be able to do their job For the People, even in a pandemic, the House adopted H.Res. 965 in May to ensure that committees could work remotely and that Members could vote by proxy on the Floor using a secure and verifiable system. Under the provisions of that resolution, the House continued its pace of work and passed major legislation through the summer, autumn, and winter while protecting the safety of Capitol Hill workers, staff, Members, and constituents in districts across the country. Defending Access to Health Care & Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Keeping our promises to the American people, the Democratic House Majority in the 116th Congress has passed several major pieces of legislation to protect Americans' access to high-quality, affordable health care and to lower prescription drug prices. In 2019, after amending the House rules to allow for a robust defense of the Affordable Care Act in court, we passed H.R. 986 to safeguard coverage for those with pre-existing conditions. This year, we passed H.R. 1425, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act, to strengthen the health care reforms Democrats enacted ten years ago by encouraging states to expand Medicaid coverage and undoing much of the sabotage of our health insurance markets in which the Trump Administration engaged over the past four years. Building on that progress, the House took action this month on H.R. 3630, the No Surprises Act, to protect patients from surprise bills by removing them from the fight between insurers and providers and implementing a fairer process for the resolution of disputes. House Democrats also passed H.R. 987, a package of seven bills, to lower prescription drug costs and H.R. 3, the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, last year. These bills reflect Americans' wide support for making it easier for Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices, particularly for insulin and other life-sustaining medications, and reducing out-of-pocket caps for patients. H.R. 3 would, additionally, allow private insurers to cover the cost of medications at the same lower prices negotiated by Medicare and it would reinvest more than $500 billion of savings in Medicare for dental, hearing, and vision benefits as well as opioid addition treatments and research. Making Our Economy Work For the People Over the past two years, House Democrats have passed legislation to strengthen our economy and help our workers and businesses Make It In America. In addition to voting to raise the minimum wage gradually to $15 an hour last year and provide a pay raise for up to 33 million Americans we also passed H.R. 7, the Paycheck Fairness Act, to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work. Additionally in 2019, the House passed H.R. 1994, the SECURE Act, to make it easier for workers to save for retirement, as well as H.R. 397, the Butch Lewis Act, to protect the retirement savings of millions who contributed to multi-employer pension funds. Taking action to safeguard consumers, the Democratic House Majority also passed H.R. 1500, the Consumers First Act, to help prevent financial scams and other predatory activity targeting Americans. Recognizing that global trade and exports are critical to the growth of good jobs here at home, the House worked with the Senate to enact a seven-year reauthorization of the U.S. Export-Import Bank, which helps American businesses compete on a level playing field in foreign markets. When President Trump presented his U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement to Congress, the Democratic House Majority won the fight for critical changes that protect American workers, ensure the agreement is enforceable, promote our exports, and attract new investment to our country that creates good jobs. This year, we followed those action with passage of H.R. 2474, the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which affirms workers' right to organize and bargain collectively for better pay and benefits. In July, the House approved a major infrastructure bill, H.R. 2, to move America forward by investing billions of dollars in repairs, upgrades, and new networks to connect American businesses, workers, and consumers and facilitate exports that drive economic growth. In September, we passed H.R. 4447, the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act, which will help American manufacturers seize new opportunities to take the lead in the new global clean-energy economy, creating millions of good jobs for our workers. Also that month, the House approved H.R. 2694, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, to ensure that women who are pregnant are not discriminated against in the workplace. In November, the House passed H.R.8294, the National Apprenticeship Act, to create nearly one million additional apprenticeship opportunities by 2025 and help more of our people make it in America. In December, the House and Senate reached agreement on a historic energy package that will incorporate many of the provisions of H.R. 4447 and go a long way toward promoting job creation through American leadership in clean-energy innovation. Meeting the Challenges of a Global Pandemic From the earliest days of COVID-19 becoming a global pandemic, the Democratic-led House took the initiative to protect the American people. On March 4, the House passed H.R. 6074, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, investing an initial $8.3 billion to help federal agencies take steps to meet this new and uncertain threat. Just days later, as our nation gained a better understanding of the scope of the pandemic's challenge, the House took a further step, joining the Senate in enacting H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. This legislation ensured that Americans would not have to pay out of pocket for COVID-19 testing and could take paid sick leave to care for themselves or loved-ones who contract the disease. On March 28, the House took yet another major action by passing H.R. 784, the CARES Act, to fund additional testing and research into treatments and vaccines while addressing the economic impacts of the pandemic. The CARES Act created the Paycheck Protection Program to help small businesses keep their workers on payroll, provided for emergency expanded unemployment benefits, and distributed direct stimulus payments to American households. When it became clear that Americans were going to need more help than what was included in the CARES Act, the House passed H.R. 266, the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, in April, followed by H.R. 6800, the Heroes Act, in May. The Heroes Act would have sent direct assistance to state and local governments to help them keep teachers, law enforcement, sanitation workers, and other critical public employees from being laid off during the pandemic. It would also have extended the emergency unemployment benefits and provided more funding for hospitals and public health facilities on the front lines of the pandemic. After the Republican-led Senate refused to vote on the Heroes Act for months and allowed the expanded emergency unemployment benefits to expire, the House passed an updated version of the Heroes Act in October in an effort to compromise. Again, Republicans did nothing. On December 21, the House and Senate reached agreement and passed a COVID-relief package that included expanded unemployment benefits, direct stimulus payments to Americans, relief for renters, and additional funding for global vaccination efforts, among many important provisions. A week later, the House passed the H.R. 9051, the CASH Act, to increase the amount of the stimulus payments to $2,000. On June 26, the House passed three bills to help prevent evictions and foreclosures and to keep child-care workers from losing their incomes during the pandemic. H.R. 7301, H.R. 7027, and H.R. 7327 were all critical components of House Democrats' robust response to COVID-19 and the economic hardships it brought to millions of Americans. Answering the Call for Justice, Civil Rights, and Equality One of the early pieces of legislation the House passed in the 116th Congress was H.R. 5, the Equality Act, banning discrimination against LGBTQ Americans nationwide. This long-overdue legislation would end legal discrimination in housing, education, employment, finance, and other areas. It would also prohibit denying individuals the right to use facilities according to one's gender identity. This year, the House passed H.J. Res. 79 to affirm our view that the Equal Rights Amendment has been duly ratified, banning discrimination on the basis of sex. In February of this year, the House passed H.R.35, the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, at long last making lynching a federal hate crime. After the horrific killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other African Americans at the hands of law enforcement acting improperly, the Democratic House Majority took swift action, passing H.R. 7120, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. This legislation included major reforms to root out systemic bias in police departments, including bans on chokeholds and no-knock warrants. To address persistent inequalities that have become serious barriers to justice and opportunity, the House passed H.R. 3884, the MORE Act, to decriminalize recreational marijuana and create a process by which those who had been convicted of nonviolent cannabis offenses can have their records expunged. The Democratic House Majority in the 116th Congress has made protecting the right to vote one of the centerpieces of our agenda, recognizing that too many eligible voters are still denied the ability to participate in our elections. In the first weeks of our Majority, the House passed H.R. 1, the For the People Act, which included key voting rights provisions. Among them were automatic voter registration, the restoration of voting rights for those who paid their debts to society, and a prohibition on nefarious practices like the purging of voter rolls and discriminatory voter-ID rules. Later in 2019, the House passed H.R. 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, to restore the full protections of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act, part of which had been struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013. The House also took the long-overdue action of voting to admit the District of Columbia as a state and secure full representation for its 700,000 residents. The Democratic House Majority has been working since day-one to secure the right to vote against threats both at home and from abroad. Responding to efforts by Russia and other adversaries to interfere with and undermine our democracy in 2016, the House passed H.R. 2722, the SAFE Act, and H.R. 4617, the SHIELD Act, last year. After the COVID-19 pandemic created new challenges to voting in person, the House passed H.R. 8015, the Delivering for America Act, to provide the U.S. Postal Service with emergency funding to handle the expected record number of mail-in ballots for the 2020 election. That legislation also would have reversed the Trump Administration's efforts to slow down mail delivery in an effort to prevent ballots from being received in time to be counted. Last year, when news emerged of President Trump's attempts to solicit foreign interference in the 2020 election and subvert our democracy, the Democratic-led House investigated and, upon finding clear evidence of his abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, approved articles of impeachment. Though the Senate failed to do its job and uphold the Constitution, House committees have continued to conduct thorough oversight of the Trump Administration and hold it accountable to the American people. Addressing the Global Climate Crisis & Preserving America's Natural Bounty Throughout the 116th Congress, the Democratic House Majority has made it a priority to push back against the Trump Administration's refusal to recognize the global climate crisis, which placed the health and economic security of our children and grandchildren at grave risk. Beginning with the creation of a Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and with passage of H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act, in May 2019, the House made it clear that it supports rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement and restoring its ambitious goals. Last year, the House passed a number of bills aimed at conserving public lands and protecting vulnerable ecosystems, such as the John Dingell Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, which created an independent and sustainable funding source for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. We also approved H.R. 1941, the Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act, to ban drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and H.R. 205, the Protecting and Securing Florida's Coastline Act, to do the same in certain parts of the Gulf of Mexico. They were accompanied by passage of H.R. 1146, the Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act, to prohibit fossil fuel exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The House also secured bipartisan agreement to enact legislation amending the Stafford Act to help communities in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the mainland United States rebuild stronger in the aftermath of natural disasters. This year, we built on that work by passing H.R. 535, the PFAS Action Act, to help remove some of the most toxic pollutants from our water and partnering with the Senate to enact a major reauthorization of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). We were also able to secure agreement to enact the America's Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Act and the landmark H.R. 1957, the Great American Outdoors Act. Protecting Dreamers & Keeping Families Together House Democrats have worked hard this Congress to meet our responsibility to the Dreamers who were brought here as children and often have no memory of living in a country other than the United States. At risk of being deported to unfamiliar lands and separated from their family members who are American citizens, these Dreamers have been looking to Congress for help, particularly after President Trump tried to end the DACA program. In June 2019, the House passed H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act, which would not only provide peace of mind and a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers but do the same for refugees holding T.P.S. and D.E.D. status. The House also took action to extend T.P.S. status for those fleeing tyranny, violence, and economic hardship in Venezuela resulting from the Maduro regime. Also in 2019, the House responded to revelations of inhumane conditions at immigrant detention facilities by passing three bills requiring better care and medical treatment for detainees: H.R. 3239, H.R. 3670, and H.R. 3525. This year, we passed H.R. 5581, the Access to Counsel Act, to ensure that refugees brought before immigration courts seeking asylum have access to an attorney. And, in response to President Trump's shameful, discriminatory travel ban targeting Muslim-majority countries, we passed H.R. 2214, the NO BAN Act, to restrict the President's authority to impose blanket travel bans based on one's nation-of-origin. Caring for America's Veterans The Democratic House Majority has worked hard to ensure that the 116th Congress is meeting its commitment to those who served our country. Last year, we passed several major bills to ensure that veterans can access high-quality health care close to home, to reduce veteran suicide and homelessness, and to improve access to education and training for in-demand job skills. We also passed legislation expanding health care benefits for those exposed to Agent Orange. The House took action to make it easier for veterans with young children to access care at V.A. facilities through H.R. 840, the Veterans Access to Child Care Act. In addition, we approved H.R. 3224, the Deborah Sampson Act, in November 2019 to ensure that women veterans can access high-quality medical care at V.A. facilities without undue barriers. This month, the House secured agreement with the Senate to send H.R. 7105 to the President's desk, which includes H.R. 840 and H.R. 3224 along with additional provisions to increase benefits for women veterans and Native American veterans while addressing veteran homelessness. Specifically, it will help lower incidents of sexual assault at V.A. facilities, fund new health spaces dedicated to women's health care, and require every V.A. health care facility to hire a dedicated women's health provider. The bill creates an advisory committee to ensure that the V.A. considers the unique challenges facing veterans living on tribal lands, and it mandates additional reporting of COVID-19 cases occurring at state-run veterans' homes. In 2019, the House demonstrated how America keeps its promises to those who serve our country and its communities. We eliminated the tax increase that Republicans imposed on Gold Star families as part of their 2017 tax scam, reaffirming our nation's support for those who lost loved-ones in service under our flag. We also reauthorized the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund to ensure that first responders and others with health complications from the September 11, 2001, attacks can afford the treatment and care they need. Keeping Americans Safe at Home and Abroad For the past two years, the Democratic-led House has been doing its job responsibly to protect Americans from harm both at home and around the world. In both 2019 and 2020, we passed defense authorization bills that were bipartisan and reflect a commitment to our troops and the values they uphold. The House also passed a war powers resolution in 2019 to promote an end to the violent civil conflict in Yemen that has become one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. We also passed the Protect Against Conflict by Turkey Act in November 2019 to sanction Turkish officials responsible for the country's incursion into Kurdish-held territory in Syria after President Trump abandoned our allies there. The Democratic House Majority has also continued to stand up for press freedom, voting on H.R. 2037, the Saudi Arabia Human Rights and Accountability Act, to disapprove of arms sales to Saudi Arabia after its murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. We also sanctioned China for its crackdown on freedom of expression and democracy in Hong Kong in 2019 and this year enacted legislation sanctioning Beijing officials for the human rights abuses directed at China's Muslim Uighur minority. At home, House Democrats in the 116th Congress have worked to provide for safer and more secure communities. We passed H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, in February 2019, responding to an epidemic of mass shootings ignored by the previous Republican Majority. That April, the House reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act for five years with key improvements to ensure that law enforcement can protect victims and protect women living on Native American sovereign lands, and encourage men and boys to play a role in preventing domestic violence and assault. Later in the year, we passed the Debbie Smith Act to help close the backlog of rape kit processing and secure justice for victims while deterring these horrific crimes. Reflecting the Nation We Represent With the most-diverse and most-female House Majority in history, Democrats were proud to lead a House that not only represents the American people responsibly but is focused on righting historical injustices and ensuring that all voices are heard in our democracy and in the story of our country. That's why we passed H.R. 1636 last year to create a Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys, which would explore ways to remove persistent inequalities and to address bias that denies opportunities to African Americans. This year, the House passed H.R. 7573 to remove the bust of Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, the author of the horrific 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford decision, from the U.S. Capitol's Old Supreme Court Chamber. That legislation would also remove statues from the U.S. Capitol building of individuals who served the Confederacy during the Civil War and promoted slavery in the years that preceded it. Also in 2020, the House passed H.R. 1980 and H.R. 2420, which would create a Smithsonian Women's History Museum and a National Museum of the American Latino, respectively. We also expressed the House's strong and unwavering opposition to anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and racial hatred of all forms. Preparing for the 117th Congress The past two years have been a busy period of activity in the House, with our Democratic Majority working tirelessly to deliver on our promises. The legislation we passed and our belief in governing responsibly are a blueprint for what the House and the new Biden-Harris Administration can achieve to help Americans get ahead through access to opportunities, to ensure that our economy can build back better from COVID-19, to keep our country safe and secure, and to restore the soul and character of our nation as we work to heal divisions. House Democrats are ready to work with the next President to enact bills, like those we passed in the 116th Congress, that achieve our goals. Even with all of the work we did over the past two years, more than 450 bipartisan House-passed bills were never acted on by the Republican Senate. The composition and outlook of the Senate in the 117th Congress will be critical to securing key victories for the American people, and House Democrats will do everything in our power to continue governing responsibly and seeking opportunities to reach agreements that enact our agenda and deliver For the People.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.menendez.senate.gov/newsroom/press/menendez-statement-on-the-passing-of-monroe-mayor-gerald-tamburro", "Menendez Statement on the Passing of Monroe Mayor Gerald TamburroRead More", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "NJ", "Robert Menendez", "M000639", "www.menendez.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON,\r\nD.C. U.S. Senator Bob Menendez today released the following statement on\r\nthe passing of Monroe Township Mayor Gerald Tamburro: I was saddened\r\nto hear of the passing of Mayor Gerald Tamburro, who was an exceptional public\r\nservant and friend to so many across the state. He was fiercely dedicated to\r\nthe families of Monroe and worked every single day to ensure they had the\r\nresources to thrive. He will be greatly missed by the entire community but will\r\nbe remembered for his unwavering commitment to the people he loved to serve.My prayers are\r\nwith his family and friends and hope they will find comfort in the fact that\r\nJerry is now reunited with his beloved late wife Carole. ###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.portman.senate.gov/newsroom/portman-difference/portman-delivers-results-ohio-second-year-116th-congress", "Portman Delivers Results for Ohio in Second Year of the 116th Congress", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "OH", "Rob Portman", "P000449", "www.portman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Portman Delivers Results for Ohio in Second Year of the 116th Congress\n \n \n \n\n \n \n December 31, 2020\n \n \n | \n \n Portman Difference\n \n \n \n \n During the second year of the 116th Congress, Senator Portman continued to deliver results for Ohio, just as he did in the previous Congress. He worked tirelessly to help Ohioans who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic; create economic opportunity and retirement security for Ohio families; combat the addiction epidemic; honor our nation's veterans and strengthen our military; promote responsible use of artificial intelligence and technology; stand up against police brutality and the unnecessary violence in our country; protect and preserve our national parks; improve transparency and accountability within the federal government; fight for better and more affordable health care; and help all Ohioans achieve their God-given potential.\nDuring the 116th Congress, Portman has authored or co-authored 45legislative priorities in total that have been signed into law. Under President Trump, in total 82of Senator Portman's bills have been signed into law. Under President Obama, 68 of Portman's bill were signed into law. In total, during his 10 years in the Senate, Portman has successfully enacted 175 legislative priorities into law, including 129 bills as well as 46 amendments.\nHelping Ohioans Impacted By COVID-19\nThe ongoing COVID-19 pandemic impacted the lives of every American in 2020, and Senator Portman played a leadership role in crafting solutions to help families and small businesses leading to the passage of the COVID-19 Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.\nSince the beginning of the pandemic, Senator Portman has consistently called for bipartisan action to provide the health care and economic relief the American need and deserve. Since March, Portman has delivered 21 speeches on the Senate floor calling for bipartisan action to provide Americans the COVID-19 relief. Portman has urged Congress to provide additional relief to bolster our health care response, help our economy and small businesses recover, provide funding for schools and state and local governments, permanently expand telehealth options for addiction treatment, and provide enhanced federal unemployment benefits to help people who lost their jobs through no fault of their own.\nIn November, in an effort to encourage all Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Portman announced his participation in the ENSEMBLE phase 3 trial for the COVID-19 vaccine candidate being developed by Johnson & Johnson and managed by CTI Clinical Trial and Consulting Services (CTI) at its research center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Portman furthered this work by introducing his COVID-19 Vaccine Awareness Support Act to fund a national campaign to raise awareness of the safety and efficacy of FDA-authorized vaccines.\nIn September, Portman introduced legislation to replenish FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) to continue the enhanced federal unemployment insurance benefit of $300 per week authorized by President Trump's executive action and provide additional resources to support the federal government's response to historic wildfires in the West and other natural disasters such as Hurricane Sally.\nSecuring Resources for Ohio: At the start of the pandemic, Portman worked closely with the administration and with Ohio companies to secure additional supplies for the strategic national stockpile including testing machines, ventilators, PPE, and food resources.\n In March, Portman successfully helped UC Health secure vital equipment to increase diagnostic testing for COVID-19. Portman helped UC Health secure a cobas 6800 machine which they will use to conduct nearly one thousand diagnostic tests every day, exponentially increasing COVID-19 testing capacity in southwest Ohio.\n Earlier this year, Portman worked with the White House and HHS and FDA to successfully facilitate the donation of approximately 2.2 million new gowns from Ohio-based Cardinal Health to theStrategic National Stockpile. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has authorized the distribution and use of these gowns asnon-surgical isolation apparel.\n When Ohio-based company Gojo, which produces Purell, alerted Portman to the issue of tariffs restricting the access of components used in the distribution of hand sanitizer - specifically pumphouses, and e-collars he reached out to U.S. Trade Representative Lighthizer and facilitated a tariff relief. This helps companies like Gojo increase production and distribution to accommodate the increased demand.\n In July, Portman visited GOJO Industries and met with the company's leadership and team members to discussPortman's work to facilitate tariff relieffor hand hygiene products including hand sanitizer and soap dispensers and components to allow for increaseddistribution during COVID-19 pandemic.\n In April, Portman sent a letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue urging swift approval of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services' (ODJFS) request to operate the DisasterHousehold DistributionProgram.The request was approved the next week allowing foodbanks throughout Ohio to distribute more food across the state by removing administrative burdens, making it easier for staff and volunteers at foodbanks to maintain social distancing protocols, keeping themselves and their clients safe.\n Portman also worked with Ohio company Battelle in April to secure a new federal contract to help fund the rapid deployment of Battelle's decontamination systems to return to use previously worn N95 respirator masks and training to operate these systems to 60 sites across the country.\n In April, Portman facilitated Cleveland-based SecondBreath's request to produce ventilators for deployment around Ohio and the country. The ventilators were developed by Ohioans and tested in Ohio at a number of northeast Ohio hospitals, including the Cleveland Clinic, Akron Children's Hospital, and Akron City Hospital. The administration approved their production and SecondBreath was able to increase production for shipment across Ohio and the country.\n In August, Portman visited Honda Heritage Center and toured the ventilator compressor parts production facility. While on the tour, Portman, Honda leadership, and employees discussed Honda's efforts to help support the COVID-19 response, including production of face shields and compressor parts for ventilators.\n Portman also volunteered with the Ohio National Guard and met with leaders at foodbanks in the Mahoning Valley, at the Mid-Ohio Food Collective, and the Greater Cleveland Food Bank to see firsthand how the CARES Act funding helped with food access and distribution across Ohio.\nListening to Ohio Groups Stakeholders: Senator Portman made it a priority tocommunicatewith constituents throughout the pandemic through tele town halls and FacebookLive town halls about the work he has done with the state and federal government. He also spoke with companies andstakeholdersthroughout the statetoensure Ohio has the resources it needs to respond to this unprecedented health crisis and can contribute to the national effort to slow the spread of the virus.\n Portman hosted multiples calls with Ohio business groups and leaders to discuss the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and how Congress and the administration could take further action to address their concerns. He spoke with business leaders of sizes in Central Ohio, Dayton, Toledo, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Warren County, and Butler County.\n In addition to business groups, Portman also hosted a wide-range of conference calls with the Ohio Restaurant Association, Ohio foodbanks, nonprofit organizations, manufacturers, bio science employers, higher education leaders, farmers, veterans, county commissioners, and mayors from all over the state. \n Portman also hosted conference calls with Ohio hospital leaders and withthe Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities (OACBHA) to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 health crisison health services, and mental health and addiction services around Ohio.\n Finally, Portman participated in a conference call with Ohio Jewish Communities to discuss the efforts the Jewish community made during the pandemic to help Ohio communities.\n Portman continued his push on the Senate Floor this year for swift bipartisan action to respond to the increasing number of drug overdoses as a result of the pandemic.\nProviding Resources for Ohioans Suffering with Addiction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing guidelines have disrupted traditional addiction treatment services and necessitated the use of telehealth services to help individuals with recovery. To meet this need, the CARES Act took unprecedented steps to expand access to telehealth through the waiving of federal restrictions to pay for telehealth and expanding grants to build out the nation's telehealth infrastructure. That's why Senator Portman has introduced legislation entitled theTelehealth Response for E-Prescribing Addiction Treatment Services (TREATS) Actto make permanent a number of temporary waivers for telehealth services that were authorized under the Public Health Emergency and to bolster telehealth options for addiction treatment services. Specifically, it will allow for a patient to be prescribed lower scheduled drugs like through telehealth on their first visit. Current law requires an in-person visit to receive any controlled substance, but this is a deterrent to patients in crisis and in urgent need of treatments from Schedule III or IV drugs.\n In July, Portman published a column highlighting the importance of Congress passing the TREATS Act to ensure that addiction health services have the resources they need to adapt to this new reality. He emphasized that doing so will help to preserve the progress made in combating the addiction crisis and ensure that more Americans can reach their God-given potential.He then participated in adrug addiction roundtable discussion with members of theHancock County Board of Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS)to discuss COVID-19's impact on addiction treatment.\nSecuring Grant Funding: The COVID-19 Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Actprovided unprecedented economic and health care relief to Americans during the ongoing pandemic. Portman worked closely with the administration to ensure Ohioans received the support they needed.\n Housing: Portman worked with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to ensure communities in Ohio received funding to help promote economic development in urban communities, address the needs of homeless people in emergency or transitional shelters, and provide housing assistance and related supportive services for low-income persons. This includes:\no Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG), and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Grants for cities in Ohio,\no $30 million to Supplemental Public Housing Operating Funds across Ohio, which helps support public housing agencies across the state provide services during the COVID-19 pandemic; \no Nearly $90 million in Housing Choice Voucher Program Housing Assistance Payments Supplemental Funding to be used to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the pandemic among individuals and families who are homeless or receiving homeless assistance. \no $1.85 million in funding to Ohio housing agencies to assist non-elderly persons with disabilities, particularly those who are transitioning out of institutional or other separated settings; at serious risk of institutionalization; currently experiencing homelessness; previously experienced homelessness and currently a client in a permanent supportive housing or rapid rehousing project; or at risk of becoming homeless;\no and nearly $185,000 in CARES Act funding to provide project-based rental assistance for low income families.\n Agriculture: Senator Portman applauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture for awarding more than $1.4 millionin grants to communities in Ohio for rural development.These grants will help these Ohio communities build and improve critical facilities. According to the USDA, the Ohio grant recipients can use the funding to build or upgrade a wide-range of rural community facilities such as schools, libraries, clinics and public safety facilities.\n FEMA: In March, Senator Portman senta letter urging President Trump to act swiftly on Governor Mike DeWine's request for approval of a major disaster declaration for the state of Ohio in response to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.The president approved the disaster declaration the following day. As a result, Ohio received nearly $4.1 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as well as the following funding;\no $5.5 million for ProMedica Toledo Hospital to help fund COVID-19 protective measures;\no $5.2 million to Ohio Health Care Systems and $2.6 million to University Hospitals Health System to help continue to provide COVID-19 treatment, testing and protective measures;\no $12.7 million to help Ohio State University - Columbus Campus and Premier Health in Ohio with costs associated with COVID-19;\no and $46 million to the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.\n Businesses: Portman worked with the Trump administration to ensure that businesses of all sizes in Ohio had the resources they needed to help retain employees and keep their doors open. \no In May, Portman applauded the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) for awarding a $3.75 million grant for COVID-19 Emergency Response for Small to Medium Enterprises to Appalachian Community Capital (ACC). ACC will use this funding to help the region's development finance institutions make up for lost revenue as they temporarily defer loan payments.\no Thanks to funding available through the CARES Act, which Portman supported, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) CARES Act Emergency Program awarded the Ohio Development Services Agency $2.3 million to help support Ohio-based U.S. small- and medium-sized manufacturers, including rural manufacturers. \no In August, Portman applauded U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross's announcement that the Department's Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded $8.8 million and $1 million in CARES Act grants to Ohio cities to be able to provide critical gap financing to small businesses and entrepreneurs. In addition, EDA awarded $2 million to five EDA Economic Development District organizations across Ohio to update economic development plans and fortify programs to assist communities in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.\no In addition, through the CARES Act, the U.S. Department of Labor awarded $8.5 million in funding for Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grants (DWGs) to help address the workforce-related impacts of the pandemic.\n Education: The historic CARES Act provided a higher education emergency relief fund to assist higher education institutions across the nation. Senator Portman worked with the U.S. Department of Education to ensure Ohio higher education institutions received the resources needed to meet the demands of the pandemic. \no In April, Portman announced that the Department of Education distributed $388 million in funding to institutions of higher education in Ohio and in May, the National Science Foundation awarded more than $1.5 million in CARES Act-funded RAPID Response Research grants to fund research that addresses the pandemic. \n In September, Portman announced that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a $5 million, two-yearRapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx)-UPgrant to The Ohio State University. The RADx-UP program supports projects designed to rapidly implement COVID-19 testing strategies in populations disproportionately affected by the pandemic.\no Portman applauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development for awarding more than $1.1 million in Distance Learning and Telemedicine grants to two school districts in Ohio: Gallia County Schools and New London Local School District. The $172,358 Rural Development grant for Gallia County Schools will help provide students and staff with primary and preventative care through the Appalachian Primary Care Telemedicine Program. The $999,524 grant for the New London Local School District will help expand Science Technology Engineering and Math resource access to students in Pre-kindergarten through sixth grade across the four Ohio counties served by the school district. USDA's Distance Learning and Telemedicine grant program was provided $25 million in the bipartisan CARES Act.\n Health Care: This year, thousands of Ohioans had to rely on telehealth in order to have access to their primary care providers. Thanks to the bipartisan CARES Act, which Portman strongly supported, Ohio received multiple telehealth grants to assist health care facilities, testing centers, and hospitals serving children and low-income, vulnerable populations across the state.\nPortman led legislation to provide certainty to hospitals participating in the 340B drug discount program during the COVID-19 public health emergency. In normal years, the 340B program provides needed flexible funds to meet the needs of a hospital's community, but during the ongoing pandemic, the 340B program has become a vital lifeline for hospitals as they've see precipitous drop offs in revenue and an inability to pay for the essential COVID services that patients continue to need. Early days of the pandemic forced many hospitals to reduce inpatient hospital admissions of low-income Medicare and Medicaid patients, a critical metric in determining eligibility for the 340B program. Though hospitals have resumed elective procedures, and patients have begun returning to seek care, there is concern that as a result of this year's slowdown and threats to suspend elective care again as hospital beds fill up, some hospitals may not meet the required inpatient admission threshold to remain in the program for the following year. This legislation would ensure that any previously eligible hospital will be deemed eligible for any cost reporting period during which the public health emergency occurred to meet the needs of hospitals now during this crisis and to preserve the vital program for years to come.\no In May, Portman announced that Ohio received $238 million to expand COVID-19 diagnostic testing capabilities.\no In July, Portman announced that the Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureauawardedmore than $415,000in telehealth grants to four health care facilities in Ohio that will use this fundingto provide telehealth services targeted at low-income patients so thattheycan receive medical care in more flexible settings.\n This grant award followed previous announcements of telehealth grants for Ohio, including oneannouncedin April for the Health Partners of Western Ohio located in Lima, Ohio.In early May, three facilitiesreceivednearly $1 million in funding and four facilitiesreceivednearly $800,000 in funding, and later that month six facilitiesreceived$1.8 million in funding, and an additional six facilitiesreceived$1.1 million. In June, $3.46 million wasdistributedtofacilitiesin Ohio.\no Portman made clearthat the Administration must do a better job of quickly distributing funding for safety net hospitals and providers, speaking out in April when other hospitals and health care providers received the first tranche of COVID-19 response funding while safety net provider funding was initially \n In April, he announced that Ohio received an additional $17 million in CARES Act funding for the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) to help increase testing and other response tools. In May, theHealth Resources andServices Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,awarded$17.4million in federal grantsto support51health centers throughout Ohio in an effort to expand testing capacities.\no Portman repeatedly urgedthe administration to support health care providers thatserve our nation's most vulnerable,including our children's hospitals, nursing homes, and safety net hospitals. \n In June, Portman and a group of bipartisan colleagues sent aletterto HHS urging them to actquickly and equitably in distributing funding to vulnerable populations and the next dayHHS released $10 billionfor these hospitals. \n In July, Portman applauded the Trump Administration for distributing $3 billion in additional emergency funding allocated in COVID-19 spending packages to hospitals that overwhelmingly serve Medicaid and low-income patients. Ohio received about $90 million from this $3 billion.\n In August, Portman announced that Ohio received an additional $165 million in federal funding for children's hospitals.\n Transportation: The transportation industry has been hit hard by the pandemic, and Senator Portman worked closely with the U.S. Department of Transportation to ensure Ohio companies have the financial resources they need during the pandemic.\no Portman worked with DOT's Federal Aviation Administration to ensure that airports across Ohio received the resources they needed. \n In total, Portman has helped to secure more than $126.2 million for 97 airports across Ohio. These grants helped to provide economic relief for lost revenue due to COVID-19.\no In addition, thanks to the CARES Act, Portman announced that DOT's Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded a $5.8 million grant to the Butler County Regional Transit Authority, and a $1.7 million grant to the City of Springfield in Clark County, Ohio in order to respond to and recover from the public health emergency. \no In April, Portman announced that the Federal Transit Administration awarded a $1.7 million grant to Miami County to help fund critical continued public transit operations to keep the region moving during these unprecedented times.\no In November, Portman applauded DOT for awarding a $12 million federal grant to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for the repair or reconstruction of federal-aid highways and roads on federal lands that have suffered serious damage as a result of natural disasters or catastrophic failures from an external cause.\nHelping Businesses Stay Afloat. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Portman has stayed in constant contact with business leaders of all sizes and worked to help deliver the results they need to stay afloat during this economic crisis. He visited business in Tipp City, Cincinnati, Russells Point, Sidney, and Hamilton and heard from company leaders about how, thanks to the Paycheck Protection Program loan that Portman supported, they were able to keep workers on payroll and continue operations.\nDuring the second year of the 116th Congress, Senator Portman continued to deliver results for Ohio, just as he did in the previous Congress. He worked tirelessly to help Ohioans who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic; create economic opportunity and retirement security for Ohio families; combat the addiction epidemic; honor our nation's veterans and strengthen our military; promote responsible use of artificial intelligence and technology; stand up against police brutality and the unnecessary violence in our country; protect and preserve our national parks; improve transparency and accountability within the federal government; fight for better and more affordable health care; and help all Ohioans achieve their God-given potential. \nDuring the 116th Congress, Portman has authored or co-authored 42 legislative priorities in total that have been signed into law. Under President Trump, in total 79 of Senator Portman's bills have been signed into law. Under President Obama, 68 of Portman's bill were signed into law. In total, during his 10 years in the Senate, Portman has successfully enacted 172 legislative priorities into law, including 126 bills as well as 46 amendments. \nHelping Ohioans Impacted By COVID-19 \nThe ongoing COVID-19 pandemic impacted the lives of every American in 2020, and Senator Portman played a leadership role in crafting solutions to help families and small businesses leading to the passage of the COVID-19 Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.\nSince the beginning of the pandemic, Senator Portman has consistently called for bipartisan action to provide the health care and economic relief the American need and deserve. Since March, Portman has delivered 21 speeches on the Senate floor calling for bipartisan action to provide Americans the COVID-19 relief. Portman has urged Congress to provide additional relief to bolster our health care response, help our economy and small businesses recover, provide funding for schools and state and local governments, permanently expand telehealth options for addiction treatment, and provide enhanced federal unemployment benefits to help people who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. \nIn November, in an effort to encourage all Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Portman announced his participation in the ENSEMBLE phase 3 trial for the COVID-19 vaccine candidate being developed by Johnson & Johnson and managed by CTI Clinical Trial and Consulting Services (CTI) at its research center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Portman furthered this work by introducing his COVID-19 Vaccine Awareness Support Act to fund a national campaign to raise awareness of the safety and efficacy of FDA-authorized vaccines.\nIn September, Portman introduced legislation to replenish FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) to continue the enhanced federal unemployment insurance benefit of $300 per week authorized by President Trump's executive action and provide additional resources to support the federal government's response to historic wildfires in the West and other natural disasters such as Hurricane Sally.\nSecuring Resources for Ohio: At the start of the pandemic, Portman worked closely with the administration and with Ohio companies to secure additional supplies for the strategic national stockpile including testing machines, ventilators, PPE, and food resources. \n \n\tIn March, Portman successfully helped UC Health secure vital equipment to increase diagnostic testing for COVID-19. Portman helped UC Health secure a cobas 6800 machine which they will use to conduct nearly one thousand diagnostic tests every day, exponentially increasing COVID-19 testing capacity in southwest Ohio.\n \n \n\tEarlier this year, Portman worked with the White House and HHS and FDA to successfully facilitate the donation of approximately 2.2 million new gowns from Ohio-based Cardinal Health to theStrategic National Stockpile. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has authorized the distribution and use of these gowns asnon-surgical isolation apparel.\n \n \n\tWhen Ohio-based company Gojo, which produces Purell, alerted Portman to the issue of tariffs restricting the access of components used in the distribution of hand sanitizer - specifically pumphouses, and e-collars he reached out to U.S. Trade Representative Lighthizer and facilitated a tariff relief. This helps companies like Gojo increase production and distribution to accommodate the increased demand.\n \n \n\tIn July, Portman visited GOJO Industries and met with the company's leadership and team members to discussPortman's work to facilitate tariff relieffor hand hygiene products including hand sanitizer and soap dispensers and components to allow for increaseddistribution during COVID-19 pandemic.\n \n \n\tIn April, Portman sent a letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue urging swift approval of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services' (ODJFS) request to operate the DisasterHousehold DistributionProgram.The request was approved the next week allowing foodbanks throughout Ohio to distribute more food across the state by removing administrative burdens, making it easier for staff and volunteers at foodbanks to maintain social distancing protocols, keeping themselves and their clients safe.\n\tPortman also worked with Ohio company Battelle in April to secure a new federal contract to help fund the rapid deployment of Battelle's decontamination systems to return to use previously worn N95 respirator masks and training to operate these systems to 60 sites across the country.\n \n \n\tIn April, Portman facilitated Cleveland-based SecondBreath's request to produce ventilators for deployment around Ohio and the country. The ventilators were developed by Ohioans and tested in Ohio at a number of northeast Ohio hospitals, including the Cleveland Clinic, Akron Children's Hospital, and Akron City Hospital. The administration approved their production and SecondBreath was able to increase production for shipment across Ohio and the country.\n \n \n\tIn August, Portman visited Honda Heritage Center and toured the ventilator compressor parts production facility. While on the tour, Portman, Honda leadership, and employees discussed Honda's efforts to help support the COVID-19 response, including production of face shields and compressor parts for ventilators.\n \nListening to Ohio Groups Stakeholders: Senator Portman made it a priority tocommunicatewith constituents throughout the pandemic through tele town halls and FacebookLive town halls about the work he has done with the state and federal government. He also spoke with companies andstakeholdersthroughout the statetoensure Ohio has the resources it needs to respond to this unprecedented health crisis and can contribute to the national effort to slow the spread of the virus.\n \n\tIn addition to business groups, Portman also hosted a wide-range of conference calls with the Ohio Restaurant Association, Ohio foodbanks, nonprofit organizations, manufacturers, bio science employers, higher education leaders, farmers, veterans, county commissioners, and mayors from all over the state. \n\tPortman also hosted conference calls with Ohio hospital leaders and withthe Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities (OACBHA) to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 health crisison health services, and mental health and addiction services around Ohio.\n\tFinally, Portman participated in a conference call with Ohio Jewish Communities to discuss the efforts the Jewish community made during the pandemic to help Ohio communities.\n\tPortman continued his push on the Senate Floor this year for swift bipartisan action to respond to the increasing number of drug overdoses as a result of the pandemic. \n \nProviding Resources for Ohioans Suffering with Addiction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing guidelines have disrupted traditional addiction treatment services and necessitated the use of telehealth services to help individuals with recovery. To meet this need, the CARES Act took unprecedented steps to expand access to telehealth through the waiving of federal restrictions to pay for telehealth and expanding grants to build out the nation's telehealth infrastructure. That's why Senator Portman has introduced legislation entitled theTelehealth Response for E-Prescribing Addiction Treatment Services (TREATS) Actto make permanent a number of temporary waivers for telehealth services that were authorized under the Public Health Emergency and to bolster telehealth options for addiction treatment services. Specifically, it will allow for a patient to be prescribed lower scheduled drugs like through telehealth on their first visit. Current law requires an in-person visit to receive any controlled substance, but this is a deterrent to patients in crisis and in urgent need of treatments from Schedule III or IV drugs. \n \n\tIn July, Portman published a column highlighting the importance of Congress passing the TREATS Act to ensure that addiction health services have the resources they need to adapt to this new reality. He emphasized that doing so will help to preserve the progress made in combating the addiction crisis and ensure that more Americans can reach their God-given potential.He then participated in adrug addiction roundtable discussion with members of theHancock County Board of Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS)to discuss COVID-19's impact on addiction treatment.\n \nSecuring Grant Funding: The COVID-19 Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Actprovided unprecedented economic and health care relief to Americans during the ongoing pandemic. Portman worked closely with the administration to ensure Ohioans received the support they needed.\n \n\tHousing: Portman worked with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to ensure communities in Ohio received funding to help promote economic development in urban communities, address the needs of homeless people in emergency or transitional shelters, and provide housing assistance and related supportive services for low-income persons. This includes:\n\t\n\t\n \n \n\tAgriculture: Senator Portman applauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture for awarding more than $1.4 millionin grants to communities in Ohio for rural development.These grants will help these Ohio communities build and improve critical facilities. According to the USDA, the Ohio grant recipients can use the funding to build or upgrade a wide-range of rural community facilities such as schools, libraries, clinics and public safety facilities.\n \n \n\tFEMA: In March, Senator Portman senta letter urging President Trump to act swiftly on Governor Mike DeWine's request for approval of a major disaster declaration for the state of Ohio in response to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.The president approved the disaster declaration the following day. As a result, Ohio received nearly $4.1 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as well as the following funding;\n\t\n\t\t$5.5 million for ProMedica Toledo Hospital to help fund COVID-19 protective measures;\n\t\t$5.2 million to Ohio Health Care Systems and $2.6 million to University Hospitals Health System to help continue to provide COVID-19 treatment, testing and protective measures;\n\t\t$12.7 million to help Ohio State University - Columbus Campus and Premier Health in Ohio with costs associated with COVID-19;\n\t\tand $46 million to the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.\n\t\n\t\n \n \n\tBusinesses: Portman worked with the Trump administration to ensure that businesses of all sizes in Ohio had the resources they needed to help retain employees and keep their doors open. \n\t\n\t\tIn May, Portman applauded the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) for awarding a $3.75 million grant for COVID-19 Emergency Response for Small to Medium Enterprises to Appalachian Community Capital (ACC). ACC will use this funding to help the region's development finance institutions make up for lost revenue as they temporarily defer loan payments.\n\t\tThanks to funding available through the CARES Act, which Portman supported, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) CARES Act Emergency Program awarded the Ohio Development Services Agency $2.3 million to help support Ohio-based U.S. small- and medium-sized manufacturers, including rural manufacturers. \n\t\tIn August, Portman applauded U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross's announcement that the Department's Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded $8.8 million and $1 million in CARES Act grants to Ohio cities to be able to provide critical gap financing to small businesses and entrepreneurs. In addition, EDA awarded $2 million to five EDA Economic Development District organizations across Ohio to update economic development plans and fortify programs to assist communities in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.\n\t\tIn addition, through the CARES Act, the U.S. Department of Labor awarded $8.5 million in funding for Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grants (DWGs) to help address the workforce-related impacts of the pandemic.\n\t\n\t\n\tEducation: The historic CARES Act provided a higher education emergency relief fund to assist higher education institutions across the nation. Senator Portman worked with the U.S. Department of Education to ensure Ohio higher education institutions received the resources needed to meet the demands of the pandemic. \n\t\n\t\tIn April, Portman announced that the Department of Education distributed $388 million in funding to institutions of higher education in Ohio and in May, the National Science Foundation awarded more than $1.5 million in CARES Act-funded RAPID Response Research grants to fund research that addresses the pandemic. \n\t\t\n\t\t\tIn September, Portman announced that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a $5 million, two-yearRapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx)-UPgrant to The Ohio State University. The RADx-UP program supports projects designed to rapidly implement COVID-19 testing strategies in populations disproportionately affected by the pandemic.\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n \n \n\t\n\t\n\t\tPortman applauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development for awarding more than $1.1 million in Distance Learning and Telemedicine grants to two school districts in Ohio: Gallia County Schools and New London Local School District. The $172,358 Rural Development grant for Gallia County Schools will help provide students and staff with primary and preventative care through the Appalachian Primary Care Telemedicine Program. The $999,524 grant for the New London Local School District will help expand Science Technology Engineering and Math resource access to students in Pre-kindergarten through sixth grade across the four Ohio counties served by the school district. USDA's Distance Learning and Telemedicine grant program was provided $25 million in the bipartisan CARES Act. \n\t\n\t\n \n \n\tHealth Care: This year, thousands of Ohioans had to rely on telehealth in order to have access to their primary care providers. Thanks to the bipartisan CARES Act, which Portman strongly supported, Ohio received multiple telehealth grants to assist health care facilities, testing centers, and hospitals serving children and low-income, vulnerable populations across the state.\n \nPortman led legislation to provide certainty to hospitals participating in the 340B drug discount program during the COVID-19 public health emergency. In normal years, the 340B program provides needed flexible funds to meet the needs of a hospital's community, but during the ongoing pandemic, the 340B program has become a vital lifeline for hospitals as they've see precipitous drop offs in revenue and an inability to pay for the essential COVID services that patients continue to need. Early days of the pandemic forced many hospitals to reduce inpatient hospital admissions of low-income Medicare and Medicaid patients, a critical metric in determining eligibility for the 340B program. Though hospitals have resumed elective procedures, and patients have begun returning to seek care, there is concern that as a result of this year's slowdown and threats to suspend elective care again as hospital beds fill up, some hospitals may not meet the required inpatient admission threshold to remain in the program for the following year. This legislation would ensure that any previously eligible hospital will be deemed eligible for any cost reporting period during which the public health emergency occurred to meet the needs of hospitals now during this crisis and to preserve the vital program for years to come.\n \n\t\n\t\n\t\tIn May, Portman announced that Ohio received $238 million to expand COVID-19 diagnostic testing capabilities.\n\t\tIn July, Portman announced that the Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureauawardedmore than $415,000in telehealth grants to four health care facilities in Ohio that will use this fundingto provide telehealth services targeted at low-income patients so thattheycan receive medical care in more flexible settings.\n\t\t\n\t\t\tThis grant award followed previous announcements of telehealth grants for Ohio, including oneannouncedin April for the Health Partners of Western Ohio located in Lima, Ohio.In early May, three facilitiesreceivednearly $1 million in funding and four facilitiesreceivednearly $800,000 in funding, and later that month six facilitiesreceived$1.8 million in funding, and an additional six facilitiesreceived$1.1 million. In June, $3.46 million wasdistributedtofacilitiesin Ohio.\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n \n \n\t\n\t\n\t\tPortman made clearthat the Administration must do a better job of quickly distributing funding for safety net hospitals and providers, speaking out in April when other hospitals and health care providers received the first tranche of COVID-19 response funding while safety net provider funding was initially \n\t\t\n\t\t\tIn April, he announced that Ohio received an additional $17 million in CARES Act funding for the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) to help increase testing and other response tools. In May, theHealth Resources andServices Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,awarded$17.4million in federal grantsto support51health centers throughout Ohio in an effort to expand testing capacities. \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n \n \n\t\n\t\n\t\tPortman repeatedly urgedthe administration to support health care providers thatserve our nation's most vulnerable,including our children's hospitals, nursing homes, and safety net hospitals. \n\t\t\n\t\t\tIn June, Portman and a group of bipartisan colleagues sent aletterto HHS urging them to actquickly and equitably in distributing funding to vulnerable populations and the next dayHHS released $10 billionfor these hospitals. \n\t\t\tIn July, Portman applauded the Trump Administration for distributing $3 billion in additional emergency funding allocated in COVID-19 spending packages to hospitals that overwhelmingly serve Medicaid and low-income patients. Ohio received about $90 million from this $3 billion.\n\t\t\tIn August, Portman announced that Ohio received an additional $165 million in federal funding for children's hospitals.\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n \n \n\tTransportation: The transportation industry has been hit hard by the pandemic, and Senator Portman worked closely with the U.S. Department of Transportation to ensure Ohio companies have the financial resources they need during the pandemic.\n\t\n\t\tPortman worked with DOT's Federal Aviation Administration to ensure that airports across Ohio received the resources they needed. \n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tIn addition, thanks to the CARES Act, Portman announced that DOT's Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded a $5.8 million grant to the Butler County Regional Transit Authority, and a $1.7 million grant to the City of Springfield in Clark County, Ohio in order to respond to and recover from the public health emergency. \n\t\tIn April, Portman announced that the Federal Transit Administration awarded a $1.7 million grant to Miami County to help fund critical continued public transit operations to keep the region moving during these unprecedented times.\n\t\tIn November, Portman applauded DOT for awarding a $12 million federal grant to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for the repair or reconstruction of federal-aid highways and roads on federal lands that have suffered serious damage as a result of natural disasters or catastrophic failures from an external cause.\n\t\n\t\n \nHelping Businesses Stay Afloat. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Portman has stayed in constant contact with business leaders of all sizes and worked to help deliver the results they need to stay afloat during this economic crisis. He visited business in Tipp City, Cincinnati, Russells Point, Sidney, and Hamilton and heard from company leaders about how, thanks to the Paycheck Protection Program loan that Portman supported, they were able to keep workers on payroll and continue operations. \n \n\tIn July, Portman introduced theHealthy Workplaces Tax Credit Actto help businesses continue to safely reopen while ensuring the safety of employees and consumers through a refundable tax credit against payroll taxes for 50 percent of the costs incurred by a business for increased testing, personal protective equipment (PPE), disinfecting, extra cleaning and reconfiguring work spaces to adhere to social distancing guidelines.He hopes to have it included in any additional COVID-19 relief package that passes from the Senate.\n \n \n\tIn September, in an effort to remove unnecessary regulations that undermined our nation's ability to rapidly respond to the pandemic, Portman introduced the Pandemic Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Act. The legislation establishes an accountable, expert-led, commission to identify ineffective, unnecessary, or overly burdensome regulations that should be modified, consolidated, harmonized, or repealed to promote jobs and higher wages; reduce household expenses; improve economic performance and competitiveness; reduce compliance costs; encourage growth and innovation; improve competitiveness; and protect public health, safety, and welfare.\n \n In July, Portman introduced theHealthy Workplaces Tax Credit Actto help businesses continue to safely reopen while ensuring the safety of employees and consumers through a refundable tax credit against payroll taxes for 50 percent of the costs incurred by a business for increased testing, personal protective equipment (PPE), disinfecting, extra cleaning and reconfiguring work spaces to adhere to social distancing guidelines.He hopes to have it included in any additional COVID-19 relief package that passes from the Senate.\n In September, in an effort to remove unnecessary regulations that undermined our nation's ability to rapidly respond to the pandemic, Portman introduced the Pandemic Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Act. The legislation establishes an accountable, expert-led, commission to identify ineffective, unnecessary, or overly burdensome regulations that should be modified, consolidated, harmonized, or repealed to promote jobs and higher wages; reduce household expenses; improve economic performance and competitiveness; reduce compliance costs; encourage growth and innovation; improve competitiveness; and protect public health, safety, and welfare.\nAssisting Second Chance Business Owners. In June 2020, Portman introduced the bipartisanPaycheck Protection Program Second Chance Act,which would remove barriers to PPP for owners with unrelated felony records while preserving the presumption of innocence and keeping in place the five year timeframe for felony crimes related to financial fraud. This legislation follows Senator Portman'sletterto Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza urging that the SBA allow small business owners with criminal records to apply for the PPP. National and Ohioan reentry and second chance coalition leaders, law enforcement, and local officials havevoiced their supportof the initiative.\n \n\tIn August, Portman met with local business leaders in Cincinnati for a discussion led by Innovative Labor and Cleaning Services owner Troy Parker. Parker's company received a $235,000 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan in June thanks to Portman's efforts to expand eligibility to cover Second Chance businesses owned by individuals who have a criminal record in their past but who have turned their lives around. Troyis an example of a Second Chance success story having started Innovative Labor and Cleaning in2015 after re-entering the community.\n \nReshoring PPE: Portman believes that the American people should not have to rely so heavily on foreign countries for personal protective equipment and that we should bring personal protection equipment production back to the United States. In August, he introduced bipartisan legislation that will strengthen efforts to onshore production of PPE in the United States by requiring the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to issue long-term contracts for American-made PPE.\nIn June, Portman and Senator Sherrod Brown sent a letter urging the COVID-19 Joint Acquisition Task Force (JATF) to prioritize the procurement of American-made PPE, and to consider comprehensive measures to incentivize the reshoring of additional PPE production back to the United States. JATF was created to synchronize and support execution of the Department of Defense's COVID-19 response to interagency requests for medical resources involving the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Department of Health and Human Services, and other agencies.\nMeeting with Ohio Hospitals: As a result of the bipartisan CARES Act, which Senator Portman supported and President Trump signed into law, health facilities around Ohio were able to receive much needed resources to care for patients with COVID-19, to expand testing, and to work to address the disproportionate impact the virus had on minority communities. This year, Portman visited the Columbus Public Health Department, the Health Collaborative in Cincinnati, Adena Health System in Chillicothe, and Premier Health's Miami Valley Hospital to see firsthand how the CARES Act was working to help Ohio hospitals. \nAdvocating for Additional Testing at Elkton: In April, Portman sent a letterurging Attorney General William Barr and Bureau of Prisons Director Michael Carvajal to increase COVID-19 testing at Federal Correctional Institution Elkton in Lisbon, Ohio. Elkton had the highest number of deaths of any federal prison, with nine fatalities. \nCreating Economic Opportunity & Retirement Security for Ohio Families\nSince his election in 2010, Senator Portman has focused on strengthening the economy, reforming our tax code and providing relief to families and small businesses. In the 115th Congress, he delivered on this commitment with the enactment of comprehensive tax cuts and tax reform, and Portman saw firsthand how Ohio companies are responding by creating more jobs, increasing wages, paying bonuses, making additional investments in plants and equipment, and expanding health care and retirement benefits. In addition to tax reform, Portman worked on a number of measures to help create jobs, level the playing field for Ohio workers, and make Ohio businesses more competitive.\nStrengthening Skills Training & Workforce Development. Portman, who is the co-founder of theSenate Career and Technical Education (CTE) Caucus,continued to help lead efforts in the Senate to expand skills training to close the skills gap and ensure that Ohioans are ready for the jobs available today. As part of his efforts, Portman joined Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) inintroducingthe bipartisanJOBS Actwhich will make high-quality and rigorous short-term job training programs more affordable by expanding access to Pell Grants for low-income students. Portman has toured Ohio meeting with community colleges, educators, workforce development officials and others to receive input and highlight the importance of this bill, which is supported by the Trump administration and was included in its budget request. As we work to rebuild the economy, and as manufacturers continue to look to hire more workers, this bill is needed now more than ever.\n \n\tIn late July, Portman teamed up with Senator Peters (D-MI) to introduce bipartisan legislation to strengthen reentry programs that provide workforce training, as well as pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship opportunities. The Reentry Employment Opportunities Act would codify into law the U.S. Department of Labor's Reentry Employment Opportunities (REO) Program, which supports national, regional, and local organizations that administer skills training programs. The REO program provides critical opportunities for returning citizens to be able to have a smooth transition back into society and learn skills that will help them secure good jobs. \n \nEnsuring a Secure Retirement for Hard Working Americans. Portman is widely regarded as the leading Senate voice for common-sense pension reform. Portman believes that every American should have the opportunity to save for a safe, secure retirement. In February 2019, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) selected Portman to lead the committee's Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions and Family Policy. Portman has leveraged this perch to spearhead passage of the SECURE Act at the end of 2019 and help lead bipartisan efforts to reform multiemployer pension funds and ensure hard working American's receive the benefits they have earned. \n \n\t\n\t\n\t\tIn June, Portman delivered remarks on the Senate floor outlining the multiemployer pension crisis currently threatening the retirements of millions of Americans, and the consequences of ongoing inaction. Portman also underscored the need for any bipartisan multiemployer pension reform legislation to address both the immediate crisis with respect to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC,) and the longer-term structural issues that created the conditions for the persistent underfunding of multiemployer pension plans in the first place. He also emphasized that any solution to address the immediate crisis must involve a shared responsibility approach, with contributions from not just general public funds, but also employers and plan participants within the multiemployer pension system.\n\t\n\t\n \n \n\t\n\t\n\t\tPortman introduced the Railroad Employee Equality and Fairness Act, which would end the sequester on the Railroad Retirement Board's (RRB) Unemployment Insurance Account. Due to the Budget Control Act of 2011, and a subsequent sequestration order to implement mandated spending cuts, railroad unemployment benefits have been reduced by a set percentage that is subject to revision at the beginning of each fiscal year. Currently, the sequester, as it relates to the RRB, continues until fiscal year 2030. Without this legislation, it is expected that the sequestration will result in a 5.7 percent reduction in railroad unemployment benefits through fiscal year 2030. \n\t\n\t\n \n \n\t\n\t\n\t\tIn December, Portman's Subcommittee held a hearing on his bipartisan Retirement Security & Savings Act, which was designed to help pave the way for bipartisan action early in the 117th Congress. Portman's legislation with Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) is poised for bipartisan action, and Portman was encouraged that new legislation introduced by Congressmen Richard Neal's (D-MA) and Kevin Brady's (R-TX), the Securing a Strong Retirement Act of 2020, included many similar reforms, such as: improving the tax credit so businesses have a larger incentive to create plans, allowing workers to save more for retirement, allowing workers to save longer for retirement, lowering the penalty on errors, and expanding product options so Americans can choose the right investment and annuity option for themselves. Portman and Cardin's bill, along with this new, bipartisan legislation in the House, seek to build on the SECURE Act, which became law in 2019 and included a set of reforms designed to help more Americans save for their retirement.\n\t\n\t\n \nEncouraging Broadband & Infrastructure Development in Rural Areas. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced countless functions of everyday life to go virtual. As such, it is vital that every American have access to reliable, high-speed internet. That is why Portman introduced legislation in July to bolster efforts to expand access to rural broadband nationwide and speed up the distribution of the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF). The Rural Broadband Acceleration Act also directs the FCC to adhere to the Universal Service requirement in federal law, which is a joint responsibility for the federal and state governments. The Universal Service requirement states that all people in rural areas must have access to telecommunications and information services that are reasonably comparable, in both speed and price, to the services in urban areas. Thus, this legislation will allow rural America to have the same level of broadband service enjoyed by cities and suburbs across the country. \nExpanding Markets for Ohio Farmers & Small Businesses. As a former U.S. Trade Representative, Portman continues to be a leading voice in the Senate on trade policy, working to ensure a level playing field for American workers and create more jobs for Ohio farmers and small businesses. This year, he worked to advance those priorities in a number of ways, including: \n \n\tPortman emerged as a leading advocate for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) Trade Agreement, which was ratified by the U.S. Senate on January 17th, 2020. The modernized trade agreement will create at least 176,000 new jobs, expand opportunities for agricultural trade, encourage new opportunities for auto jobs in America, and add a new section on digital trade to make online sales. Portman touted the trade pact's new and enforceable environmental and labor standards, a new section on digital trade, expanded opportunities for agricultural trade, and new opportunities for auto jobs in America.\n \n \n\t\n\t\n\t\tPortman touted the phase one trade agreement with China signed by President Trump on January 15th, 2020. Portman, who has taken on China's unfair trade practices for more than a decade, highlighted the agreement as a good first step towards rectifying unfair trade imbalances and creating a more balanced and durable economic relationship between the United States and China.\n\t\n\t\n \n \n\t\n\t\n\t\tIn June 2020, Portman penned a letter urging the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to side with American workers and fully and fairly enforce U.S. trade remedy laws. The letter, which was co-led by Senator Brown, pressed the ITC to give full and fair consideration to the United Steelworker's petitions in these cases of unfairly traded imports. \n\t\n\t\n \n \n\t\n\t\n\t\tIn November 2020, Portman testified before the ITC and urged them to support an extension of the current Section 201 safeguard for washing machines. Portman has fought against unfair trade practices that have harmed Whirlpool and sent a letter to the ITC in October urging them to thoughtfully consider Whirlpool's request to extend and strengthen the safeguard to maximize its benefits for the domestic industry and its workers.\n\t\n\t\n \n \n\t\n\t\n\t\tPortman continued his years long effort to reform international trade and commerce by introducing a bipartisan resolution expressing support for U.S. leadership in the World Trade Organization (WTO) while also calling for reform to parts of the institution. \n\t\n\t\n \n \n\t\n\t\n\t\tIn January 2020, Portman visited Lebanon, Ohio to participate in a workforce roundtable discussion hosted by the United Way of Warren County at Fecon, manufacturer of vegetation management machinery. Other participants included students, employees who have got through their program, and local employers. The discussion highlighted expanding access to workforce skills training and how Portman's bipartisan JOBS Act legislation will help more Ohioans get the skills and training they need to find in-demand jobs as well as the economic benefits of two trade agreements: the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement, and the phase one trade agreement with China signed by President Trump.\n\t\n\t\n \n \n\t\n\t\n\t\tOn July 15th, 2020, Portman visited Ford Lima Engine Plant and met leadership and employees to discuss the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) Trade Agreement and how it will create new jobs, and encourage new opportunities for American manufacturing. \n\t\n\t\n \nProtecting American Taxpayers. Portman has a long history of working to reform the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). For instance, on July 1, 2019, President Trump signed the Taxpayer First Act into law - bipartisan legislation that included a number of Portman's legislative priorities. Over the course of this year, Portman built on his past success with two significant efforts:\n \n\tAs Chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), Portman led a bipartisan investigation into the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) Free File Program, which provides free online tax preparation and filing services to U.S. taxpayers. The probe culminated with the release of a bipartisan staff memo detailing the lack of IRS oversight of the Free File program. As a result, the memo noted, American taxpayers may not be aware of the program or taking advantage of it. This could result in eligible taxpayers paying fees to file their taxes. \n \nSecuring Funding for Key Ohio Economic Priorities. Senator Portman has worked with the Trump administration to ensure that Ohio has access to competitive grant opportunities in order to strengthen efforts to improve the economy and job creation around the state.\n \n\t\n\t\n\t\tThis year, Portman worked alongside the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to announce several grant awards for Ohio including; \n\t\n\t\n \n \n\t$1.9 million to help support Lake County's Laketran Project; $13.8 million in grant funding to six Ohio rail systems for consolidated rail infrastructure and safety improvement programs; a $1.9 million University Transportation Centers (UTC) grant to The Ohio State University for their work to advance transportation research and technology; $14.7 million to help reconstruct and repair airports' taxiways and runways in Ohio; $23.6 million in funding as part of the Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development (BUILD) competitive grant program for the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Government; $15 million in funding as part of the BUILD competitive grant program for Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority; and $4.4 million to the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) to help support the Interstate 70 truck automation corridor.\n \n \n\t\n\t\n\t\tPortman worked alongside the U.S. Department of Commerce to ensure cities and towns in Ohio had the resources they needed including; \n\t\n\t\n \n \n\t$3.7 million to the Greene County Board of Commissioners to assist the region with recovery efforts from the 2019 Memorial Day Tornadoes; $132,500 to the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments to help with conducting a broadband feasibility study; and $3.6 million for the city of Dayton to help purchase and establish new electric generators needed to upgrade water system infrastructure.\n \n \n\t\n\t\n\t\tIn order to ensure Ohio has the adequate resources to ensure a culture of preparedness, Portman worked with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to secure grant funding, including;\n\t\tA $10.1 million grant to help Ohio assist state, local, tribal and territorial governments in preparing for all hazards, as authorized by Congress; and $1.6 million to help fund Ohio's security efforts along Ohio's northern border.\n\t\n\t\n \n \n\t\n\t\n\t\tPortman worked with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to ensure Ohioans had the resources they need to protect themselves and our schools including;\n\t\n\t\n \n \n\tMore than $35 million in federal grants from the Office for Victims of Crime, a component of the DOJ's Office of Justice Programs; and more than $320,000 in federal funding for school safety through its School Violence Prevention Program.\n \n \n\t\n\t\n\t\tEarlier this year, Portman announced thatthe U.S. Department of Agriculture has allocated nearly $2.5 million in federal funding through its Rural Development Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program to improve the Village of Rio Grande's 84-year-old wastewater treatment facility. In addition, he announced that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has awarded Vantage Aging in Akron, Ohio a nearly $2.3 million Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) grant to provide career services and training services to low-income older individuals who seek to enter or re-enter the workforce.\n\t\n\t\n \n \n\t\n\t\n\t\tIn an effort to help lower income students, Portman announced that the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) has awarded seven higher education schools in Ohio nearly $3 million in Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) grants. \n\t\n\t\n \nCombating America's Opioid Epidemic\nNo one in the Senate has been more active in the fight against drug addiction than Senator Portman. He continues to lead the national effort to combat the opioid crisis that is devastating communities. As part of his efforts to help Ohio, Portman has worked to help stop the influx of synthetic drugs like fentanyl, expand access to treatment programs that are so critical to an effective recovery, and secure additional funding for evidenced-based Comprehensive Addiction & Recovery Act (CARA) programs focused on prevention, treatment, recovery, and first responders. In addition, Portman worked tosecure $1 billionin new funding for state grants to fight opioid abuse in the21st Century CURES Act.He's also fought for more overall opioid funding, and helped secure more than $4 billionin new opioid funding over the last few years between CARA, CURES and other opioid programs. \nPortman has also been at the forefront of addressing the changes faces of addiction in Ohio and around the country. In response to increasing reports of overdose deaths in Ohio due to psychostimulants like methamphetamine and cocaine both often laced with fentanyl Senator Portman introduced and successfully foug", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/el-senador-rick-scott-aplaude-la-distribucion-de-casi-20-millones-de-dosis-de-vacunas-los-estados", "El Senador Rick Scott aplaude la distribuci\u00f3n de casi 20 millones de dosis de vacunas a los estados", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "FL", "Rick Scott", "S001217", "www.rickscott.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. El Senador Rick Scott hizo hoy la siguiente declaracin aplaudiendo el esfuerzo del Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de distribuir casi 20 millones de dosis de vacunas a los estados en solo cuatro semanas. A la Florida se le habrn asignado 1.28 millones de dosis de vacunas para la prxima semana. 175,000 floridanos recibieron la primera dosis de la vacuna al 30 de diciembre, segn inform el Departamento de Salud de la Florida.\nEn noviembre, el Senador Scott escribi una carta al secretario del HHS, Alex Azar, solicitando informacin sobre los planes de los estados para asegurar una distribucin de vacunas rpida, confiable y equitativa. Una planificacin y coordinacin detallada en todos los niveles de gobierno es necesaria para asegurar que los estadounidenses reciban la vacuna de manera segura, eficiente y sin demoras.\nEl Senador Rick Scott dijo: Estoy orgulloso del arduo trabajo de tantos en la Administracin para desarrollar y distribuir rpidamente esta vacuna a los estados. El HHS le ha enviado a nuestros estados millones de dosis de vacunas este mes. La prioridad ahora debe ser asegurarnos de que las personas mayores y las poblaciones en riesgo, as como nuestros trabajadores de la salud, tengan acceso a la vacuna primero. Es por eso que mi equipo y yo tomamos la decisin de esperar para recibir la vacuna en el momento apropiado, y he pedido que la asignacin de mi oficina se d a las poblaciones vulnerables que ms necesitan la vacuna. No tendremos xito hasta que todos los que quieran una vacuna puedan recibirla. Todos los estados necesitan un proceso ordenado y transparente para sacar estas vacunas, y deben hacerlo ya. No hay excusas. \"\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/sen-rick-scott-urges-ftc-investigation-zooms-relationship-communist-china", "Sen. Rick Scott Urges FTC Investigation into Zoom\u2019s Relationship with Communist China", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "FL", "Rick Scott", "S001217", "www.rickscott.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Senator Rick Scott sent a letter urging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to further investigate Zoom's relationship to Communist China and the risks it poses to Americans' security. This letter follows the Department of Justice's recent announcement that a former Zoom executive had been charged for coordinating with the Communist Party of China to target U.S.-based dissidents and disrupt video meetings commemorating the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre.\nRead the Senator's letter HERE or below. \nDecember 30, 2020\nJoseph J. Simons\nChairman\nFederal Trade Commission\n600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW\nWashington, DC 20580\nDear Chairman Simons:\nAs a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, I write today to urgently request a full investigation into Communist China's growing influence and interference in social telecommunications technology, including companies like Zoom, and what more can be done to protect Americans' personal identifying information.\nEarlier this month, the United States Department of Justice revealed that a former Zoom executive, Xinjiang Jin, had been charged for coordinating with the Communist Party of China (CCP) to target U.S.-based dissidents and disrupt video meetings commemorating the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. This is just the latest example of how Communist China uses personal identifying data collected by tech companies with a significant presence in China against American citizens. Communist China's efforts to silence anyone who dares to oppose the CCP is shameful, and it's even more alarming that it happened right here in the United States. This cannot be tolerated. \nFor years, the CCP has done everything possible to become the dominant world power. Communist China has long been accused of forced technology transfers, data localization, and spying on U.S. citizens using Chinese-based companies like TikTok and WeChat, which are obligated by law to hand over data to the CCP. The American people deserve to know exactly how an employee of Zoom, an American video service our citizens use daily, would have the ability to spy on behalf of the CCP. \nI commend the action earlier this year by the FTC to hold Zoom accountable for misleading users and failing to secure their platform. But more must be done. Today, I urge you to further investigate Zoom's relationship with Communist China, and the risks it poses to Americans' security. We cannot ignore the threat of Communist China and its latest attempt to surveil American citizens and steal our data. I look forward to hearing from you as we continue to work together on this important issue. \n Sincerely,\nRick Scott\nUnited States Senator \nCC:\nCommissioner Noah Joshua Phillips\nCommissioner Rohit Chopra\nCommissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter\nCommissioner Christine S. Wilson\nEric S. Yuan, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Zoom Video Communications, Inc.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/senator-rick-scott-applauds-distribution-nearly-20-million-vaccine-doses-states", "Senator Rick Scott Applauds the Distribution of Nearly 20 Million Vaccine Doses to States", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "FL", "Rick Scott", "S001217", "www.rickscott.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Senator Rick Scott released the below statement applauding the effort by Health and Human Services to get nearly 20 million doses of vaccines to states in four weeks. Florida will have been allocated 1.28 million doses of the vaccines by the end of next week. 175,000 Floridians received the first dose of the vaccine as of December 30, as reported by the Florida Department of Health.\n\nIn November, Senator Scott wrote a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar requesting information on the states' plans for fast, reliable and equitable vaccine distribution. Detailed planning and coordination at every level of government will be required to get the vaccine to Americans safely and efficiently without unnecessary delays.\n\nSenator Rick Scottsaid, I'm proud of the hard work by so many in the Administration to develop and quickly distribute this vaccine to the states. HHS has sent our states millions of doses of vaccines this month. The priority now must be to make sure the elderly and at-risk populations, as well as our healthcare workers, have access to thevaccinefirst. That's why my staff and I made the decision to wait to get thevaccineat the appropriate time, and I've asked that my office's allotment be given to vulnerable populations that need thevaccinemost. We aren't successful until everyone who wants a vaccine can get one. Everystate needs an orderly, transparent process for getting these vaccines out, and they need to do it now. There is no excuse.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=4240286B-F65D-48FE-AB2A-B75C6559812A", "Johnson on Covid Funds: This Isnt Monopoly Money", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "WI", "Ron Johnson", "J000293", "www.ronjohnson.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Senator calls for targeted relief to those who need it as debt climbs higher\r\nWASHINGTON U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) continued to press for more targeted Covid relief in an interview with CNBC's Squawk Box Thursday.\r\nExcerpts from the interview are below and video can be found here.\r\nI certainly want to help people that are financially struggling through no fault of their own because of Covid. It's one of the reasons I voted for the $2.2 trillion CARES Act. We've now appropriated, we've authorized about $4 trillion in aid, but we did it in a shotgun approach. And we don't have an unlimited checking account. We're $27 trillion in debt. At the end of this fiscal year it will be over $29 trillion.\r\nMany, many, many of those individuals [receiving checks] have been working, they've been getting a paycheck, they're not financially struggling. Why would we be giving checks to people that truly don't need it? Again, we should have gone back to the drawing board, we should have targeted this relief.\r\nThe lack of targeting, the lack of thoughtful consideration given to mortgaging our children's future by another $464 billion. I know it sounds good, it feels good to give away money. Everybody loves benefits. Somebody has got to be thinking about the effect of this on our future generations.\r\nWe did it fast. We did it massively so the markets wouldn't collapse. We had to do that. I don't think even at that time it had to be $2.2 trillion. But we just had to lard out another $900 billion, and now people are talking about another $464 billion like this is Monopoly money. It's not. This is a mortgaging of our children's future. There is going to be a point in time where we have a debt crisis and it is not going to be pretty.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/sanders-to-demand-votes-on-house-passed-2000-direct-payments-bill-and-mcconnells-bill/", "Sanders to Demand Votes on House-Passed $2,000 Direct Payments Bill and McConnells Bill", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, December 31 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced on Thursday that he will challenge Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to bring his own legislation to the floor, in addition to the bill passed by the House of Representatives with support from 44 Republicans and 231 Democrats to give working-class Americans $2,000 direct payments, for an up-or-down vote.\nThe working class of America is facing more economic desperation than at anytime since the Great Depression, Sanders said. They need our help and they need it now. I'm offering a compromise path forward to resolve our current impasse and give Americans the vote they deserve on direct payments. Tomorrow, we should vote on the McConnell bill and the House-passed bill. What objection could Leader McConnell have for not voting on his own bill?\nMcConnell's legislation was introduced after the Republican Leader told the Senate that he would prioritize moving a package of President Trump's priorities, including $2,000 direct payments. Packaging a repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and a Congressional inquiry into supposed voter fraud in addition to direct payments, McConnell announced that those are the three important subjects the president has linked together. This week, the Senate will begin a process to bring these three priorities into focus.\nSanders responded: McConnell began the process on Tuesday, and he should finish that work by putting his bill on the floor of the U.S. Senate for consideration before we go home for the New Year.\nSanders will ask for unanimous consent to bring both pieces of legislation up for a vote on Friday afternoon.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/vermonts-congressional-delegation-recognizes-vermont-u-s-service-academy-nominees-via-video-livestream-wednesday-december-30/", "Vermonts Congressional Delegation Recognizes Vermont U.S. Service Academy Nominees via Video Livestream Wednesday, December 30", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Independent", "House", "VT", "Bernard Sanders", "S000033", "www.sanders.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, and U.S. Representative Peter Welch on Wednesday evening recognized 28 young Vermonters who received nominations to the United States Service Academies, Class of 2025. Each year the Vermont delegation hosts a reception at the Vermont State House for the nominees. However, for everyone's safety, this year's ceremony was held virtually.\nThe names of this year's nominees, selected by Leahy, Sanders, and Welch through a competitive vetting process, and forwarded to the Academies for final decisions, are:\nMr. Eusebio Aja IIIof Barre, Vermont (U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Naval Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch\nMr. Matthew Bayardof Saint Albans, Vermont (U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Military Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch\nMs. Allison Bradleyof Woodstock, Vermont(U.S. Naval Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch\nMr. Matthew Durginof Cabot, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch\nMr. Fletcher Footeof Newport, Vermont (U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Naval Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy\nMs. Pauline Garzaof Essex Junction, Vermont (U.S Naval Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch\nMr. Aidan Geboof Vergennes, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch\nMs. Katherine Hawkoof Shelburne, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch\nMs. Charlotte Hillof Williston, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch\nMs. Julia Hortonof Saint Albans, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch\nMr. Ethan Howellof Milton, Vermont(U.S. Air Force Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch\nMr. Patrick Kwassof South Burlington, Vermont(U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Naval Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy\nMr. Joshua Lajeunesseof Montpelier, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, U.S. Naval Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch\nMs. Wylie Lucasof Norwich, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch\nMr. Ethan Melloof West Windsor, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch\nMr. MacKenzie Millerof Shelburne, Vermont (U.S. Air Force Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch\nMs. Olivia Mooreof Colchester, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch\nMs. Elizabeth Perryof Franklin, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch\nMr. Jackson Porterof Franklin, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch\nMs. Alayna Potterof Colchester, Vermont (U.S. Air Force Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch\nMr. Michael Puchkovof Peru, Vermont (U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, U.S. Naval Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch\nMr. Thomas Remillardof Saint Albans, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch\nMr. Ethan Schaalof White River Junction, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch\nMr. Brad Stankiewiczof Milton, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy, Welch\nMr. Alexander Stefurakof West Rutland, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch\nMr. Peter Warholdof Norwich, Vermont (U.S. Air Force Academy)\nNominated by: Welch\nMr. Aidan Whiteof Middlesex, Vermont (U.S. Military Academy)\nNominated by: Leahy, Sanders, Welch\nMr. Andrew Zuckermanof South Londonderry, Vermont (U.S. Naval Academy)\nNominated by: Sanders, Welch", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/schatzs-medical-tele-training-bill-signed-into-law", "Schatz\u2019s Medical Tele-Training Bill Signed Into Law", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Brian Schatz", "S001194", "www.schatz.senate.gov", "schatz", "https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 This week, the Expanding Capacity for Health Outcomes (ECHO) 2019 Act was signed into law as part of the annual government funding bill. The bipartisan legislation, authored by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai\u2018i), establishes a $10 million per year grant program for fiscal years 2022 through 2026 to promote the use of technology to connect health care providers and deliver high-quality care in hard-to-reach regions.\n\n\u201cTechnology hasn\u2019t just transformed how doctors care for patients, it has helped health care providers work and learn from with each other,\u201d said Senator Schatz. \u201cThis new law will help connect more primary care providers in rural areas with specialists from across the country so that more families have access to the critical health care services they need.\"\n\nThe new law will expand the use of the ECHO model \u2014 an innovative medical education program that deploys interactive videoconferencing to link specialist teams with primary care providers in rural areas. This helps hard-to-reach communities access the health care services they otherwise would not be able to receive. During the pandemic, the ECHO model has been important to the public health response, used by states across the country to share best practices for treating COVID-19 patients as well as improve testing and contact tracing.\n\nIn 2016, Schatz authored the first ECHO Act, which was signed into law and initiated a study of the model. The resulting report from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found that the ECHO model addresses important gaps in health care for underserved populations and recommended its expansion. Acting on this recommendation, Senator Schatz authored the current ECHO Act, which creates a program to provide grants and technical assistance to further develop the ECHO model and other similar models and expand their use nationwide.\n\nThese grants will be used for:\n\nEquipment to support the use and expansion of the models, including for the secure exchange of electronic health information;\n\nSupport for health care providers that provide services under these models;\n\nInstructional programming and training; and\n\nInformation collection and evaluation activities to study the impact of such models.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:42:23Z"], ["https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/123120", "Pelosi Appoints Rear Admiral Margaret Grun Kibben First Woman to Serve as Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Nancy Pelosi", "P000197", "www.speaker.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. Speaker Nancy Pelosi today announced her appointment of Rear Admiral Margaret Grun Kibben as House Chaplain, following the House retirement of Father Pat Conroy. Kibben will be the first woman to serve as Chaplain in either chamber of Congress.\nIt is my honor to announce the appointment of Rear Admiral Margaret Grun Kibben to serve as Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives: the first woman to serve in this historic position, which has been enshrined in our Democracy since the First Congress in 1789, said Speaker Pelosi. Kibben brings decades of decorated experience in the military and the ministry, as a retired Rear Admiral who served as the U.S. Navy's Chief Chaplain and the chaplain of the Marine Corps. Her integrity, experience and patriotism will serve the Congress and the Country well, as she ministers to the needs of Members. This historic appointment was made possible by the values-based leadership of Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, and I thank him and all Members of the bipartisan group leading the search Representatives Eshoo, Price, Connolly, Moolenaar, Luetkemeyer, McMorris Rodgers and Stauber for their successful work. Their recommendation was accepted by Leader McCarthy and me.\nThe service of Father Pat Conroy has been a blessing to Members on both sides of the aisle, continued Speaker Pelosi. Throughout his service, Father Pat fulfilled the calling of St. Ignatius of Loyola: for the greater glory of God.' His service has been a spiritual and moral anchor for Members, grounding our institution in the values of faith and country and reminding our Members of our responsibilities to our great nation and constituents. All Members wish Father Pat well as he enjoys his well-deserved retirement from the House.\nRear Adm. Margaret Kibben entered active duty in 1986 through the Navy's Theological Student Program. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Goucher College, a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Master's in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. In her final active duty assignment in the Navy, Kibben was the U.S. Navy's 26th Chief Chaplains. Prior to this assignment, Kibben served as the 18th Chaplain of the Marine Corps. Kibben served as the senior chaplain in Afghanistan. Her Navy assignments include the U.S. Naval Academy, the Chaplain Corps Resource Board, command chaplain aboard USS San Diego (AFS 6) and Fleet Chaplain, U. S. 3rd Fleet. With the U.S. Marine Corps, Kibben served as chaplain for Headquarters and Service Battalion, Security Battalion, the Brig, Marine Corps Air Facility and HMX-1, Marine Corps Base Quantico and 2nd Force Service Support Group, Camp Lejeune. Kibben's personal awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit (two awards), Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal (three awards) and Navy Commendation Medal (three awards).", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/123120-0", "Pelosi Statement on House Filing Amicus Brief in Gohmert v. Pence", "2020-12-31", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Nancy Pelosi", "P000197", "www.speaker.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued this statement after the House of Representatives filed an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in the case of Gohmert v. Pence, which attempts to unconstitutionally grant the Vice President the power to personally choose presidential electors, against the results of the popular vote and the certified Electoral College results: \nPresident-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris decisively won the 2020 election, with a record number of votes and an historic margin of victory. Yet, President Trump and Republicans in Congress have refused to respect the will of the American people and instead have spread dangerous conspiracy theories and brought over fifty extreme, failed lawsuits in a brazen attempt to overturn the certified results of the 2020 election.\nThe Gohmert lawsuit has zero legal merit and is yet another sabotage of our democracy.\nThere is no doubt that, despite this desperate unpatriotic charade, on January 6, Joe Biden will be confirmed by the acceptance of the vote of the Electoral College as the 46th President of the United States.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://jhb.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=402050", "Herrera Beutlers Legislation to Strengthen Grid Security and Increase Energy Efficiency Signed into Law", "2020-12-30", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "Senate", "WA", "Jaime Herrera Beutler", "H001056", "jhb.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "This week, the president signed into law two bipartisan bills led by Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler to strengthen grid security and improve energy efficiency in Southwest Washington. \r\nThe Better Energy Storage Technology (BEST) Act and Grid Modernization Research and Development Act were included in the funding package approved by the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. \r\nThese energy solutions I'm leading tackle two important needs: improving security of our energy grid from cyberattacks and natural disasters, and improving the durability of our energy sources, Herrera Beutler said. I'm pleased that Congress has approved these two critical pieces of bipartisan legislation to increase the security, reliability, and affordability of energy for Southwest Washington residents, which will help lead our region to a more secure energy future.\r\nDetails on Herrera Beutler's legislation:\r\nGrid Modernization Research and Development Act, H.R. 5428.\r\n \r\n Refines and expands research and development programs aimed at increasing reliability and security of the grid. It also extends the Smart Grid Regional Demonstration initiative and authorizes a research, development, and demonstration program focused on:\r\n \r\n Enhancing grid resilience and emergency response; and\r\n Designing and developing advanced controls, operations, monitoring and visualization tools for the grid\r\n \r\n \r\nBEST Act, H.R. 2986.\r\n \r\n Authorizes the Department of Energy to establish a grid-scale storage research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) program to advance energy storage technologies and creates specific objectives for energy RD&D projects, and bolsters research with federal agencies and national labs.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.cruz.senate.gov?p=press_release&id=5537", "Sen. Cruz Condemns Jailing of Chinese Journalist Who Documented Wuhan Coronavirus Outbreak, Vows to Reintroduce Sanctions Bill Against Chinese Medical Censorship", "2020-12-30", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "Senate", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "HOUSTON, Texas - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today issued the following statement in response to reports that China will jail journalist Zhang Zhan for four years, in retaliation for Zhan's efforts in early 2020 to document the emergence and spread of COVID-19, and announced his intention to reintroduce the \"Ending Chinese Medical Censorship and Cover Ups Act,\" legislation to sanction Chinese officials involved in the ongoing suppression of medical experts, journalists, and political dissidents trying to disseminate medical information:\n\"In the early days of the pandemic, the Chinese Communist Party did everything it could to cover up the severity of the outbreak, from lying about the origin of the virus and how it was being transmitted, to destroying evidence, to silencing the brave whistleblower doctors, scientists, journalists, and activists who tried to warn the world and prevent a global public health crisis. Had the CCP acted responsibly, there's a very real possibility the coronavirus could have been contained as a regional outbreak. Almost a year later, the CCP is continuing and deepening its repression of those whistleblowers. \"The consequences of this censorship continuing are deadly - not just for those in China but for Americans and people around the world. That's why at the start of the next Congress I will reintroduce a version of my bill from the 116th Congress, the Ending Chinese Medical Censorship and Cover Ups Act, legislation to impose visa bans and asset blocks on those who punish or censor Chinese citizens for reporting accurate information about a disease. COVID-19 went global because of this sort of malign behavior, and it is imperative that those who conduct it are held accountable.\"\nSen. Cruz has been leading the charge in the Senate to fundamentally reassess the U.S.-China relationship and counter Chinese censorship in the wake of the CCP coronavirus coverup. In May, Sen. Cruz first introduced the \"Ending Chinese Medical Censorship and Cover Ups Act\" after he delivered remarks on the Senate Floor highlighting the acute need to counter Chinese propaganda and hold China accountable for the types of medical and political censorship that helped fuel the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Sen. Cruz has:\n \nLed efforts to end U.S. dependence on China for rare earth elements and other critical minerals by introducing the Onshoring Rare Earths or ORE Act, legislation that would establish a supply chain in the U.S. for minerals used to manufacture defense technologies and other high-tech products.\nIntroduced the Blocking Evasive Attempts to Manipulate Signals or BEAMS Act, legislation to prevent the CCP from exploiting Federal Communications Commission (FCC) loopholes to propagandize to Americans from radio stations in Mexico or Canada, including through stations entangled with Chinese state-owned media outlets such as Phoenix TV. This legislation resulted in the Trump Administration blocking the license to these stations.\nIntroduced the Stopping Censorship, Restoring Integrity, Protecting Talkies or SCRIPT Act, legislation cutting off Hollywood studios from assistance they receive from the Department of Defense if those studios censor their films for screening in China.\nIntroduced the Sanctioning and Highlighting Authoritarian Medicine and Eugenics or SHAME Act, legislation sanctioning CCP officials for systematic ethnic cleansing, including through forced abortions and other coercive population control measures in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.\n \nSen. Cruz's leadership against the CCP's human rights atrocities and political oppression led to his being repeatedly sanctioned, something he calls \"a badge of honor.\" READ: Sen. Cruz on FoxNews.com: China Is Expanding Its Malign Influence All Over the World\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.ernst.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/columns?ContentRecord_id=F6699444-A32D-4656-8087-B6B30C56D44D", "Joni Ernst: As we head into the New Year, I will always put Iowa first.", "2020-12-30", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "Senate", "IA", "Joni Ernst", "E000295", "www.ernst.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "2020 has presented unique challenges for folks all across our state. The global pandemic coupled with a devastating derecho has been tough, but through it all we've witnessed the resilient spirit of Iowans.\r\nAs I safely and responsibly traveled Iowa on my sixth annual 99 County Tour visiting every county in our beautiful state I continued to listen to your stories, challenges, and successes to take your voices back to Washington.\r\nCOVID-19 was certainly top of mind for so many, and that's why I prioritized getting relief to families, workers, small businesses, farmers, and folks in all walks of life. I worked swiftly with Democrats and Republicans to secure billions in relief for more than 60,000 of our small businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). And in the newest COVID-19 relief package, I again worked across the aisle to bolster the PPP.\r\nI've continued to be a strong advocate for our families; fighting to expand access to child care services, provide financial relief for family caregivers, crackdown on scammers targeting our seniors, and support our nursing homes and senior care facilities. Through the bipartisan CARES Act, I helped secure nearly $32 million in relief for Iowa child care centers and pushed for more assistance for Iowa's diaper banks. In the newest aid package, I worked in a bipartisan way to make sure our child care industry continues to have support.\r\nWhen it comes to health care, I've also worked hard with Democrats and Republicans to support Iowa's hospitals and health care systems throughout this pandemic including expanded telehealth and mental health treatment to push for lower health care and drug costs, and to expand access to care, especially for rural Iowans.\r\nHaving grown up on a farm in rural Iowa, the same community I still live in to this day, I understand the challenges our hardworking farmers face. With the pandemic and devastating derecho, things were that much tougher this year. That's why I pushed to secure immediate COVID help for our pork producers and strengthen our food supply chain. I successfully helped provide support for Iowa's dairy, turkey, egg, and cattle producers and in the newest COVID-19 aid package, deliver more agriculture support.\r\nIn the immediate aftermath of the derecho, I met directly with Iowans and local leaders on the ground to help ensure recovery resources were available, including assistance for farmers and cooperatives impacted by the storm. Most recently, my bipartisan bill to provide tax relief to communities, families, and businesses hurt by the derecho was signed into law.\r\nWhen it comes to trade, I helped finalize the USMCA, supported getting the Phase One trade deal with China done, and pushed for a new deal with the U.K. And, of course, I've kept up the fight for our biofuel producers always pushing to uphold the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). I helped get the gap year small refinery waivers thrown out, secured a commitment from the president to allow E15 at E10 pumps, and helped push the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow ethanol to be used for hand sanitizer.And just recently, after pushing Congressional leadership, we successfully made COVID relief accessible to renewable fuel producers.\r\nWhile there was a significant portion of this year focused on pandemic and derecho recovery, there was also a lot of other really important work we were able to get done for Iowans. As a combat veteran, and subcommittee chair on the Armed Services Committee, I take very seriously my duty to support our servicemembers and veterans. Throughout the year, I've continued my work to combat sexual assault in our military and military academies, and have taken action to prevent abuse at the VA. I've also built on my bipartisan efforts to ensure quality care for our vets, combat veteran suicide, and help veterans transition to civilian life. Through the annual defense bill, I helped military women have proper-fitting body armor and equip our troops for the battlefield with modern technology, including military systems built and developed right here in Iowa.\r\nWhether it was securing critical COVID relief, working to rebuild from the derecho, fighting tooth and nail to defend the RFS, or continuing to be accessible to Iowans across our statein 2020 I never stopped fighting relentlessly and delivering for all Iowans.\r\nAs we head into the New Year, I'll continue to be your voice in Washington and to always put Iowa first.\r\nJoni Ernst, a native of Red Oak and a combat veteran, represents Iowa in the United States Senate.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.mcconnell.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=5AE9ABDD-1AEB-4DD0-9D61-9EDF34F20AB0", "Were Going to Continue Delivering on the Needs of Our Nation", "2020-12-30", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding NDAA and COVID-19 relief:\r\nToday, the Senate was supposed to finish legislation securing critical tools, training, and support for America's armed forces.\nBut the junior Senator for Vermont had other ideas.\nRemember, Senator Sanders spent this past summer literally trying to defund our military. Not my words, but the title of a piece he published: Defund the Pentagon: The liberal case.\nOur colleague authored an amendment to strip 10% of funding from our servicemembers and decimate our defense budget.\nThe Russians aren't cutting military funding. China isn't cutting funding. But last summer, Senator Sanders and fellow Democrats, including the Democratic Leader, voted to make America unilaterally disarm and cut ours.\nThe left took a break from trying to defund the police to try to defund our Armed Forces.\nTheir amendment went down in a landslide. But now our colleague from Vermont is again putting political stunts before the needs of our men and women in uniform.\nOur colleague says he will slow down this vital bill unless he gets to muscle through another standalone proposal from Speaker Pelosi that would add roughly half a trillion dollars to the national debt.\nWhich does not align with what President Trump has suggested.\r\nAnd which has no realistic path to quickly pass the Senate.\nWell, as I've said, the Senate will not let our national security be shoved off course. Certainly not by Senators who have spent years trying to gut America's capabilities while our adversaries continue ramping up.\nThe Senate will stay on this important bill until we complete it, one way or another.\n***\r\nNow let's talk about COVID-19 relief.\nFour days ago, President Trump signed the second-largest rescue package in American history.\nThe largest one was the CARES Act in March.\nDue to this pandemic and our massive response, we now have a national debt far larger than our entire economy for the first time since World War II.\nBut we knew our people needed more help. So Congress just passed another nearly $900 billion in emergency relief, targeted to those who need help most.\nA second round of payroll support to save small-business jobs.\r\nMore unemployment aid. Vaccine distribution money.\nFunding for safe schools. And much more.\nIn addition to historic amounts of targeted help, at the request of President Trump and his team, the package also included another round of direct relief checks to households -- whether or not each household needs the help, whether or not their finances have changed dramatically this past year.\nYesterday, Secretary Mnuchin announced households should begin receiving those payments as early as today and this week. That is more good news for a lot of people.\n***\nAfter Congress and the Administration finalized the bipartisan bill, the President expressed interest in further expanding the non-targeted direct payments.\r\nSo, to ensure the President was comfortable signing the bill into law, the Senate committed to beginning one process that would combine three of the President's priorities: Larger direct checks; a repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act; and further efforts to review the integrity of our democracy.\nThree of the President's priorities in one Senate process. That was the commitment, and that's what happened yesterday when I introduced text reflecting just what the President had requested.\r\nNow, House and Senate Democrats want something very different.\r\nAs they have tried to do countless times in the past four years, Speaker Pelosi and Leader Schumer are trying to pull a fast one on the President and the American people.\nFirst of all, they are hoping everyone just forgets about election integrity and Big Tech. They are desperate to ignore those two parts of President Trump's request. Draw your own conclusions.\nAnd even on the question of larger checks, the Democrats have tried to warp what President Trump laid out.\r\nLook, it's no secret that Republicans have a diversity of views about the wisdom of borrowing hundreds of billions more to send out more non-targeted money, including to many households that have suffered no loss of income during this crisis.\nCOVID-19 has not affected all households equally. Not even close.\r\nIt is hardly clear that the federal government's top priority should be sending thousands of dollars to, for example, a childless couple making well into six figures who have been comfortably teleworking all year.\nOur duty is to get help to the people who need help. Like we did to an historic degree just four days ago. ***\nBut above and beyond that discussion, the Democratic leaders have broken from what President Trump proposed. They quietly changed his proposal in an attempt to let wealthy households suck up even more money.\nSpeaker Pelosi structured her bill so that a family of four would have to earn more than $300,000 in order not to qualify for more cash.\nA family of three could pull in $250,000 per year a quarter of a million dollars and still qualify for some money.\nAnd Democratic leaders want to call this scheme, quote, survival checks.\nOnly my friends Speaker Pelosi and the Democratic Leader could look at households in New York and California who make $300,000 in households where nobody has been laid off where earnings did not even drop this past year and conclude these rich constituents of theirs need survival checks financed by taxpayer dollars and borrowed money.\nEveryone sees the game here.\nThese are the same Democrats who proudly block the entire aid package for months because they tried to hold out for special tax cuts for rich people in blue states.\nNow they say it's a matter of survival to send another boatload of cash to people making $300,000, regardless of whether they have experienced any disruption at all this past year. ***\nEven the liberal Washington Post editorial board is laughing at the political left for demanding more huge giveaways with no relationship to need.\nHere's what they wrote: Especially wrongheaded is the progressive left, spearheaded by Sen. Bernie Sanders, who depicts the $2,000 as aid to desperate' Americans despite the huge amounts destined for perfectly comfortable families.'\nThat's from the editors of the Washington Post.\nThe Wall Street Journal, usually their opposite number, agrees. These non-targeted checks are unnecessary,' and struggling households can access targeted support like expanded jobless benefits, food stamps, child-care subsidies and much more.'\nThe liberal economist Larry Summers, President Clinton's Treasury Secretary and President Obama's NEC director, says, quote, there is no good economic argument' for universal $2,000 checks at this moment. He points out the CARES Act and the brand-new law will already have boosted overall household income, relative to the economy, back to its pre-pandemic levels, if not higher. \nIf specific struggling households need still more help after the huge, historic package that was just signed into law four days ago has taken effect, then what they will need is smart, targeted aid.\r\nNot another firehose of borrowed money that encompasses other people who are doing just fine.\nIn my view, colleagues like Senator Cornyn from Texas and Senator Toomey from Pennsylvania have pointed this out persuasively. \n*** But, more broadly, here's the deal:\nThe Senate is not going to split apart the three issues that President Trump linked together just because Democrats are afraid to address two of them.\nThe Senate is not going to be bullied into rushing out more borrowed money into the hands of the Democrats' rich friends who don't need the help.\nWe just approved almost a trillion dollars in aid a few days ago. It struck a balance between broad support for all kinds of households and a lot more targeted relief for those who need help most.\nWe are going to stay smart, we're going to stay focused, and we're going to continue delivering on the needs of our nation.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["http://www.schatz.senate.gov/press-releases/schatz-releases-new-covid-19-federal-resource-guide-to-help-hawaii-small-businesses-access-new-funding-programs", "Schatz Releases New COVID-19 Federal Resource Guide To Help Hawaii Small Businesses Access New Funding, Programs", "2020-12-30", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Brian Schatz", "S001194", "www.schatz.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Schatz Releases New COVID-19 Federal Resource Guide To Help Hawaii Small Businesses Access New Funding, Programs \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t Updated Resource Guide Includes Information On New Relief Funding, New Program To Support Live Venue Operators, Museums, Independent Movie Theaters; Schatz's Resource Guide Available At Schatz.Senate.Gov/Coronavirus/Small-Businesses \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWednesday, December 30, 2020\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\r\nWASHINGTON U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) today released an updated resource guide to help Hawaii small businesses better understand how to access federal loans and new federal funding. The new $900 billion relief package, which is the second largest aid package in American history and was signed into law on Sunday, includes a new round of federal funding for small businesses and nonprofits and a new program to support live venue operators, including museums and independent movie theaters.\r\nThe new round of funding will help Hawaii small businesses meet their payroll and provide people with paychecks, said Senator Schatz. As more federal help becomes available, we'll continue to work to provide more information about how Hawaii families and businesses can access these new resources.\r\nThe new COVID-19 relief funding includes $15 billion nationwide to a new Small Business Administration (SBA) grant program for live venues impacted by the public health crisis. Eligible grant recipients include live venue operators, promoters or theatrical producers, independent movie theatre operators, museum operators, and talent representatives. Of the total amount, $2 billion is set aside for eligible entities that employ fewer than 50 full-time employees.\r\nThe new relief package also provides an additional $20 billion of targeted funding for the SBA's economic injury disaster loans (EIDL) emergency advance grants program and extends the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to March 31, 2021, providing $284 billion nationwide for additional first- and second-round PPP loans to small businesses and nonprofits.\r\nThe full small business resource guide is available here.\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://anthonybrown.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1139", "House Armed Services Vice Chair Anthony Brown: \u201cDr. Kathleen Hicks is Breaking Barriers in the National Security Space and is Committed to Doing the Same for Others\u201d", "2020-12-30", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "MD", "Anthony Brown", "B001304", "anthonybrown.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. House Armed Services Committee Vice Chair Anthony G. Brown (MD-04), a 30-year Army veteran, released the following statement regarding President-elect Joe Biden's nomination of Dr. Kathleen Hicks to become Deputy Secretary of Defense:\r\nIn Dr. Kathleen Hicks, President-elect Joe Biden and Secretary of Defense designate Lloyd Austin have chosen an experienced and forward thinking Deputy Defense Secretary. Serving in what is widely viewed as the Chief Operating Officer, her nomination strengthens civilian oversight of the Pentagon and will restore stability to the daily operations of the Department of Defense. Her work in national security policy both inside and outside of government has allowed her to not only understand the inner workings of the Pentagon, but also develop necessary frameworks for reform. She has the necessary depth of policy knowledge to lead uniformed and civilian public servants in countering the most complex set of national security threats our country has ever faced.\r\nDr. Kathleen Hicks is breaking barriers in the national security space and is committed to doing the same for others. I've personally discussed with Dr. Hicks the importance of building diversity throughout the defense community. She is an advocate for greater inclusion as a means for strengthening our country and making us safer. I look forward to working with Dr. Hicks alongside Gen. Austin to bolster our national security, restore American leadership and ensure Americans from all backgrounds can serve and protect the country they love.\r\n\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://austinscott.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-austin-scott-statement-fy21-ndaa", "Rep. Austin Scott Statement on FY21 NDAA", "2020-12-30", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "Senate", "GA", "Austin Scott", "S001189", "austinscott.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "TIFTON, GA Congressman Austin Scott (GA-08), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), released the below statement on his vote to override President Trump's veto of the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (FY21 NDAA), which authorizes spending for the Department of Defense.\nThe NDAA is one of the most important pieces of legislation our body passes each year, as it pays our warfighters and provides them with the resourcesthey need to tackle their missions and return home safely. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee and as the grandson of a World War II POW, this is a task I take very seriously, said Rep. Austin Scott.\nPresident Trump ultimately vetoed the measure due the package not addressing concerns over Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which created federal immunity for providers and users of social media companies and generally prevents them from being held liable for hosting content that someone else created.\nWhile I believe the President is founded in his concerns over Section 230, it is in our nation's best interest to pass the NDAA to deliver much-needed resources to our men and women in uniform, including a 3% pay raise and critical resources for installations like Robins and Moody Air Force Bases in Georgia's Eighth District, said. Rep. Scott. Social media companies should be held accountable for their selective censorship and bias that in many cases impedes the First Amendment of American citizens, but this issue can and should be addressed separate from the defense bill. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress and President Trump to address this measure.\nIn November, Rep. Scott was chosen to serve on a conference committee which was charged with working through differences of the House and Senate versions of FY21 NDAA to comprise a final bill for passage. The final bill provided resources for Robins and Moody Air Forces Bases in Georgia's Eighth District, as well as a 3% pay raise for troops and resources to help the Department of Defense combat COVID-19. Click here to read more.\nIn July, Rep. Scott joined FOX and Friends First to discuss the FY21 NDAA and the President's intention to veto the legislation and the importance of deliver a defense bill for the Department of Defense. You can click here to watch the interview.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://austinscott.house.gov/press-releases?ID=66B4E161-F01B-492B-A314-B07DF4823BC4", "Rep. Austin Scott Statement on FY21 NDAA", "2020-12-30", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "GA", "Austin Scott", "S001189", "austinscott.house.gov", "austinscott", "https://austinscott.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "TIFTON, GA \u2013 Congressman Austin Scott (GA-08), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), released the below statement on his vote to override President Trump\u2019s veto of the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (FY21 NDAA), which authorizes spending for the Department of Defense.\n\n\u201cThe NDAA is one of the most important pieces of legislation our body passes each year, as it pays our warfighters and provides them with the resources they need to tackle their missions and return home safely. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee and as the grandson of a World War II POW, this is a task I take very seriously,\u201d said Rep. Austin Scott.\n\nPresident Trump ultimately vetoed the measure due the package not addressing concerns over Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which created federal immunity for providers and users of social media companies and generally prevents them from being held liable for hosting content that someone else created.\n\n\u201cWhile I believe the President is founded in his concerns over Section 230, it is in our nation\u2019s best interest to pass the NDAA to deliver much-needed resources to our men and women in uniform, including a 3% pay raise and critical resources for installations like Robins and Moody Air Force Bases in Georgia\u2019s Eighth District,\u201d said. Rep. Scott. \u201cSocial media companies should be held accountable for their selective censorship and bias that in many cases impedes the First Amendment of American citizens, but this issue can and should be addressed separate from the defense bill. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress and President Trump to address this measure.\u201d\n\nIn November, Rep. Scott was chosen to serve on a conference committee which was charged with working through differences of the House and Senate versions of FY21 NDAA to comprise a final bill for passage. The final bill provided resources for Robins and Moody Air Forces Bases in Georgia\u2019s Eighth District, as well as a 3% pay raise for troops and resources to help the Department of Defense combat COVID-19. Click here to read more.\n\nIn July, Rep. Scott joined \u201cFOX and Friends First\u201d to discuss the FY21 NDAA and the President\u2019s intention to veto the legislation and the importance of deliver a defense bill for the Department of Defense. You can click here to watch the interview.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:42:23Z"], ["https://bonamici.house.gov/media/in-the-news/increasing-pentagon-spending-when-people-are-going-hungry-madness", "Increasing Pentagon Spending When People Are Going Hungry Is Madness", "2020-12-30", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "OR", "Suzanne Bonamici", "B001278", "bonamici.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "In addition to Khanna, the Democrats who cast no votes were: California's Mark DeSaulnier, Jimmy Gomez, Jared Huffman, and Barbara Lee; Hawaii's Tulsi Gabbard; Illinois's Chuy Garcia; Oregon's Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamici; Massachusetts's Joe Kennedy, Jim McGovern, and Ayanna Pressley; Michigan's Rashida Tlaib; Minnesota's Ilhan Omar; New York's Yvette Clarke, Adriano Espaillat, Grace Meng, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; Washington's Pramila Jayapal; and Wisconsin's Mark Pocan.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://brooks.house.gov/media-center/news-releases/bam-fight-americas-republic-senator-josh-hawley-r-mo-joins-congressman-mo", "Bam! The Fight for America's Republic is On! Senator Josh Hawley (R, MO) Joins Congressman Mo Brooks' Effort to Block Untrustworthy Electoral College Votes!", "2020-12-30", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "Senate", "AL", "Mo Brooks", "B001274", "brooks.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, DCWednesday, Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05) praised Senator Josh Hawley's (R, MO) announcement to object to untrustworthy electoral college submissions on January 6th.\nCongressman Brooks said, \"I thankSenator Hawley for joining dozens of Congressmen's fight for an honest and accurate election system that is the underpinning of America's Republic! With America's Republicat stake,we are fortunate to have leaders like Senator Hawley stand up and do what is right to ensure America remains the greatest nation in world history.\"\nBrooks continued,\"AsMissouri's former Attorney General,an experiencedlitigator,and renowned legal and constitutional scholar,Senator Hawley understands that Congress (not federal courts) is the final and ultimate judge, jury and arbiter of all contested federal elections.\"\nBrooks concluded,\"Too many states have blatantly violated Article I, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution, violated federal election statutes, or willfully failed to obey their own state election laws, thereby opening the door to massive voter fraud, casting of illegal ballots, and election theft. These combined failures render some states' election results untrustworthy. With a Senatecosponsornowjoiningthis fight, Congressmen and Senators will face an easy vote: you can either acquiesce to and support voter fraud and election theft, or you can stand and fight for an honest and accurate election system that is the underpinning of America's Republic. On January 6, on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, I choose to fight!!!\"\nSenator Hawley's December 30th statement follows:\n\"Following both the 2004 and 2016 elections, Democrats in Congress objected during the certification of electoral votes in order to raise concerns about election integrity. They were praised by Democratic leadership and the media when they did. And they were entitled to do so. But now those of us concerned about the integrity of this election are entitled to do the same.\nI cannot vote to certify the electoral college results on January 6 without raising the fact that some states, particularly Pennsylvania, failed to follow their own state election laws. And I cannot vote to certify without pointing out the unprecedented effort of mega corporations, including Facebook and Twitter, to interfere in this election, in support of Joe Biden. At the very least, Congress should investigate allegations of voter fraud and adopt measures to secure the integrity of our elections. But Congress has so far failed to act.\nFor these reasons, I will follow the same practice Democrat members of Congress have in years past and object during the certification process on January 6 to raise these critical issues.\"\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://case.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=403", "Case Releases End Of 116th Congress Report To Hawai\u2019i", "2020-12-30", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "HI", "Ed Case", "C001055", "case.house.gov", "case", "https://case.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27&Page=28", "scraper", "(Honolulu, HI) \u2013 U.S. Congressman Ed Case (HI-01) today released his 116th Congress End-Of-Term Report back to Hawai\u2019i on his activities and efforts throughout the two-year 116th Congress (January 3, 2019 - January 3, 2021).\n\n\u201cIn January 2019, as I returned to Capitol Hill for my third full term representing Hawai\u2019i in the U.S. House of Representatives, the country was mired in what soon became the longest federal government shutdown in our history,\u201d said Case.\n\n\u201cAs I end the 116th and am sworn into the 117th Congress this Sunday, we continue to confront the far-worse crisis of COVID-19. \u201cThese are truly difficult times, when we desperately need our institutions of government to function as our founders intended.\n\n\u201cAnd a critical part of functioning government is staying in very close touch with those we represent, reporting back and seeking guidance wherever and however we can.\u201d\n\nIn his report, Case summarizes his activities in the 116th in his three areas of focus: leading on national issues; helping Hawai\u2019i; and helping constituents.\n\n\u201cI hope my report will provide those I serve with some sense of where I\u2019ve been in the 116th and where I\u2019m going in the 117th as we all chart the best path forward for our county and Hawai\u2019i over the next two years and beyond\u201d, said Case.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:42:23Z"], ["https://castor.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=403469", "Rep. Castor Announces $1.4M to Tampa Residents through 2020 Constituent Services, $1.5B Secured in Federal Grants, $2.7B in PPP Assistance", "2020-12-30", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "FL", "Kathy Castor", "C001066", "castor.house.gov", "castor", "https://castor.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx", "scraper", "U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) announced today her office worked to deliver nearly $1.6 million to veterans, seniors, small businesses and families in 2020; almost $1.5 billion in federal grants to create jobs, invest in education and infrastructure, mitigate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and support the important work of local partners; and $2.7 billion in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for Tampa businesses.\n\n\u201cEvery day, my Tampa constituent services team, Tery Sanchez, Steven Angotti, Tania Fernandez and Damaris Gonzalez \u2013 with the help of the entire Castor Team \u2013 work tirelessly to cut through red tape and bureaucracy on behalf of families and neighbors across the Tampa area. During the COVID-19 pandemic, their expertise has been critical to ensuring that veterans receive the benefits they have earned and to guarantee that survival stimulus payments, Social Security, Medicare are delivered on time. Due to the unprecedented challenge accessing Florida\u2019s flawed unemployment system, I am especially grateful for their efforts in coordinating with local and state representatives to ensure that everyone who needs support is connected to every available resource.\n\n\u201cMy team tackles complex cases and works diligently with agencies and non-profit partners to serve all of our neighbors. This year we handled more than 1,800 individual cases and recovered nearly $1.6 million in federal benefits. Tampa families are facing unique and time-sensitive issues due to the coronavirus, and my team\u2019s top priority remains serving our neighbors with respect and care.\u201d\n\nGrants\n\nIn FY2020, Florida\u2019s 14th Congressional District in Tampa and Hillsborough County received 727 grant awards totaling $1,497,650,722.\n\n\u201c2020 brought unprecedented challenges to our community as workers in vital industries such as tourism, travel and hospitality took a hit from the virus and our frontline medical workers worked overtime to serve those who contracted COVID-19. The $1.5 billion in grant monies that came to Tampa this year have been a lifeline for our hospitals, small businesses, schools, renters and more. Federal aid has a been a major shot in the arm to our local economic engines and will serve to bolster businesses and services that we all count on through tough times and also boost good-paying jobs in our region as we work towards a strong economic recovery.\n\n\u201cThrough passage of the CARES Act, which dedicated $150 billion to the Local Government Coronavirus Relief Fund, Hillsborough County received $257 million in federal aid. I worked alongside county commissioners and the county administrator while they developed the plan to ensure that the emergency aid was consistent with the needs our neighbors and the Congressional intent for use of these funds.\n\n\u201cMuch needed resources went to over 6,000 local businesses, rental assistance for over 5,500 Hillsborough families, workforce training, public health support for contact tracing, $30M to the City of Tampa, and funds to support the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, Feeding Tampa Bay, Metropolitan Ministries and other local organizations directly helping so many of our neighbors in need. With the passage of a fifth coronavirus aid package, I will continue to partner with our local frontline agencies as we work towards rebuilding a local economy that leaves nobody behind and also prioritizes the health and wellbeing of our neighbors.\u201d\n\nSee here for information from the county for a listing of detailed help from our partnership. The CARES Act is a $2 trillion coronavirus relief package for states and local communities passed by Congress and signed into law on March 27, 2020.\n\nAmong the federal grants that U.S. Rep. Castor championed this year, nearly $50 million in Department of Transportation\u2019s Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development (BUILD) grants will be used to lift our neighborhoods, increase connectivity, and improve our streets. The Tampa Bay Women\u2019s Centre received a $420,000 Small Business Administration grant to help female entrepreneurs and business owners with training, education, and counseling as they navigate the impacts of COVID-19. In April, almost $10 million in Department of Housing and Urban Development grants were allocated to help the City of Tampa and Hillsborough county support nonprofit partners, housing and homeless prevention.\n\nPaycheck Protection Program\n\n\u201cEstablished by the CARES Act, the Paycheck Protection Program has provided over 19,000 loans in our district totaling up to $2.7 billion. Of which, 16,681 were to the truly small businesses that received loans of less than $150,000 totaling $497,969,977. PPP has been a lifeline to workers in our community during the pandemic through speeding emergency resources to small businesses in Tampa Bay to keep them afloat during the pandemic, and keep employees paid and connected to health care coverage.\u201d\n\nResidents in Florida Congressional District 14 can call U.S. Rep. Castor\u2019s Tampa office at 813-871-2817 or visit www.castor.house.gov for assistance.\n\n###\n\n*Updated 01/01/2021", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-06-28T00:42:23Z"], ["https://chabot.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=401085", "Congressional Freedom of the Press Caucus Co-Chairs Schiff and Chabot Denounce Sentencing of Chinese Journalist Reporting on COVID-19 Pandemic", "2020-12-30", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "OH", "Steven Chabot", "C000266", "chabot.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. Today, Representatives Steve Chabot (R-OH) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), Co-Chairs of the Congressional Freedom of the Press Caucus, released a statement following the sentencing of Zhang Zhan, a Chinese citizen journalist who reported from Wuhan during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic:We are deeply concerned by the recent conviction of Zhang Zhan for her reporting on the early handling of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan last winter, the Co-Chairs said. Ms. Zhang's photos and short video clips uploaded to WeChat, Twitter, and YouTube documented the harsh reality of life in Wuhan during lockdown in the early days of the virus, informing the Chinese people and the world about the extent of the crisis at a critical time. We are alarmed at the treatment of Ms. Zhang and call on PRC authorities to immediately release her and all others detained in connection with sharing news about the coronavirus. On December 28, Zhang Zhan was sentenced to four years in jail by the Shanghai Pudong People's Court for picking quarrels and provoking trouble. She is accused of spreading false information and accepting media interviews with foreign outlets. Her lawyer reports that Ms. Zhang has been on a hunger strike since June and was force-fed via a nasal tube while shackled in prison. Other citizen journalists who reported on the situation in Wuhan have gone missing or been under close surveillance for months. ###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://cohen.house.gov/taxonomy/story-type/enewsletters/voting-increase-direct-payments-coronavirus-relief", "Voting to Increase Direct Payments for Coronavirus Relief", "2020-12-30", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Many constituents received my end-of-year postcard in the mail. The card featured a powerful photograph of the airport by Memphis photographer Jeffrey Jacobs but the artist was not properly credited as he is here. Thanks to Mr. Jacobs for such fine work representing our city.\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tDear Friend,\n\t\t\t\tThis week, I voted to increase economic impact payments under our coronavirus relief measure passed earlier this month from $600 to $2,000 per individual ($4,000 per couple and $2,000 for each dependent). I voted to override the President's veto of the National Defense Authorization Act, which provides assistance to Vietnam-era victims of Agent Orange and mandates the removal of names that honor the Confederacy from military installations; offered some guidance about the new coronavirus vaccines; appeared on national television to discuss the relief bill and the horrific bombing on Second Avenue in Nashville; and announced a significant sickle cell research grant to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Keep reading and follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to see what I'm doing as it happens.\n\t\t\t\tVoting to Increase Direct Payments for Coronavirus Relief\n\t\t\t\tVoting to Override Presidential Veto of the Defense Bill\n\t\t\t\tOffering Guidance about Access to Coronavirus Vaccine\n\t\t\t\tAddressing Relief Bill and Nashville Bombing on MSNBC\n\t\t\t\tAnnouncing a Significant Grant for Sickle Cell Research to St. Jude\n\t\t\t\tWishing Everyone a Happy New Year 2021\n\t\t\t\tQuote of the Week\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tVoting to Increase Direct Payments for Coronavirus Relief\n\t\t\t\tOn Monday, the House convened to pass a bill increasing direct payments to individuals from $600 to $2,000 under the coronavirus relief measure that passed both Chambers last week to deal with the pandemic and its dire financial consequences. This means that those eligible will receive $2,000 for each person, including children and non-child dependents. Democrats have consistently pushed for larger relief checks, but Republicans refused to accept it before voting for the original bill. It remains unclear at the moment whether the Senate will take up this crucial bill. It would have been nice if the President had been more engaged in the negotiations in the weeks leading up to the relief bill's passage, and had let us know his position, so that this relief could have reached millions before the holidays. I think we're all looking forward to a more competent and coherent response to this crisis under President Biden.\n\t\t\t\tVoting to Override Presidential Veto of the Defense Bill\n\t\t\t\tEarlier this month, I voted for the National Defense Authorization Act, a bipartisan measure containing vital provisions for our service members, supporting Vietnam-era veterans dealing with exposure to Agent Orange, authorizing a $2 million multi-drone intelligence program that will be housed at the University of Memphis and beginning the process for removing the names of Confederate officials in the Civil War from our military installations, among its important provisions. It also includes paid parental leave for federal civilians and a 3 percent wage increase for service members. The President vetoed the measure over misguided objections to the Confederate names provision, among others, and the House overwhelmingly overrode that veto Monday night on a 322 to 87 vote. The law will pass once the Senate takes a similar override vote.\n\t\t\t\tOffering Guidance about Access to Coronavirus Vaccine\n\t\t\t\tWith more than 336,000 of our fellow Americans dead from the coronavirus and cases surging, particularly in Tennessee, I urge everyone to be especially vigilant as winter weather forces us to retreat indoors. The bright spot on the horizon is the eventual availability of effective vaccines, now rolling out to health care workers, first responders, those 18+ who cannot live independently and elderly residents of long-term care facilities. Memphians who believe they qualify in the current phase should contact the Shelby County Health Department at 901-222-9000. Please consult the Tennessee Department of Health's website here for the very latest on vaccination protocols and availability and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention's FAQs here if you have questions about the vaccines themselves. Though taking a vaccine is not a cure, it is one of the most important steps we can take as a community to end this devastating pandemic.\n\t\t\t\tPlease continue to observe CDC guidelines, including wearing masks, keeping a safe social distance from others, avoiding crowds and foregoing holiday parties. We can see a better future. Let's get there together.\n\t\t\t\tAddressing Relief Bill and Nashville Bombing on MSNBC\n\t\t\t\tOn Sunday morning, I went on MSNBC to talk about the prospects for passing the bill providing $2,000 coronavirus relief checks and, sadly, the Christmas Day suicide bombing that shook Nashville. See my remarks during that appearance here.\n\t\t\t\tAnnouncing a Significant Grant for Sickle Cell Research to St. Jude\n\t\t\t\tOn Monday, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital received a significant grant from the National Institutes of Health for sickle cell disease research. See that release here.\n\t\t\t\tWishing Everyone a Happy New Year 2021\n\t\t\t\tMany are expressing relief that this terrible year is coming to a welcome end. We have all endured unexpected disappointments large and small in 2020 but there are good reasons to be hopeful about 2021, not least the vaccine and a more thoughtful and compassionate leader in the White House. I wish everyone a delightful, safe and prosperous New Year.\n\t\t\t\tQuote of the Week \n\t\t\t\tCheers for a New Year and another chance to get it right. Oprah Winfrey.\n\t\t\t\tAs always, I remain. \n\t\t\t\t\tMost sincerely, \n\t\t\t\tSteve Cohen \n\t\t\t\t\tMember of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://dankildee.house.gov/media/press-releases/coronavirus-daily-update-december-30", "Coronavirus Daily Update: December 30", "2020-12-30", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MI", "Dan Kildee", "K000380", "dankildee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Wednesday, December 30, 2020\nDear Constituent\nThe coronavirus pandemic is developing very quickly, and I know many people have questions and concerns. I will try to answer some of them below.\nThese are incredibly stressful times for all Michiganders. I am working, along with my staff, around the clock, seven days a week to answer your questions, provide community resources and provide up-to-date, accurate information. Please do not hesitate to reach out to my office anytime by calling (810) 238-8627.\nThe Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has updated the epidemic order that restricts indoor social gatherings and other group activities, to allow indoor activities where Michiganders can remain masked, including in-person learning at high schools and indoor entertainment venues. Indoor dining is still prohibited. This order is effective December 21, 2020 through January 15, 2021. More information can be foundhere.\nThe Pure Michigan Small Business Relief Initiativewill provide $10 million in grants to meet the needs of Michigan small businesses impacted the COVID-19 virus. Applications for businesses to apply will open on December 15, 2020. Grants will be awarded in the amount of up to $15,000 per eligible business. More information can be foundhere.\nThe Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) provided additional guidance to workers and employers who may be affected COVID-19. Michiganders who were on unemployment, went back to work, and are now temporarily unemployed again due to COVID-19 can reopen their claim online. More information can be foundhere.\n\nLEGISLATIVE UPDATE\nOn December 21, Congress passed theConsolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, which includes a nearly $1 trillion emergency relief packageto support American workers, families and small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. More information can be foundhere.\nOn October 1, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an updatedversionThe Heroes Act. Thesenewprovisions are essential to supporting our schools, small businesses, restaurants, performance spaces, airline workers and others.More information can be foundhere.\nOn August 22, the U.S. House of Representatives passedThe Delivering for America Act, to fund the U.S. Postal Service and prohibit changes to operations until the pandemic has ended. More information can be foundhere.\nOn May 12, the U.S. House of Representatives passedThe Heroes Act.TheHeroes Actincludes a number of key policies I have advocated for, including additional direct payments to families and seniors, expanding unemployment insurance, increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit, and funding to prevent water shutoffs. More information can be foundhere.\nOn May 15, I introduced a bipartisan bill,TheRecharge and Empower Local Innovation and Entrepreneurs Fund for Main Street Act(RELIEF for Main Street Act), with Reps. Evans (D-PA), Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Upton (R-MI). The billcreates a $50.5 billion Small Business Local Relief Program to provide direct federal support to cities, counties and states in order to seed and scale local relief funds and target smallbusinesses with 20 employees or fewer, orwith 50 employees or fewer located in low-income neighborhoods. More information can be foundhere.\nCongress has also passedtheCoronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act,TheCARES Act,Families First Coronavirus Response Actand thePaycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Actto help families and health care facilities respond to the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nCORONAVIRUS TESTING UPDATE\nThe Governor has expanded testing opportunities for Michiganders to access testing in their own backyards. More information can be foundhere.\nThe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a website and app with a coronavirus screening tool and resources to help people protect their health. The website can be foundhereand the app can be accessedhere.\n\nUNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE RESOURCES UPDATE\nGovernor Whitmer signed bipartisan bills restoring many unemployment provisions from her previous executive orders, including extending state unemployment benefits for Michiganders who have lost work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic from 20 to 26 weeks until the end of the year. More information can be foundhere.\nUIA is now offering telephone appointments for customers with specific claim issues. By scheduling a phone appointment, customers will be able to get assistance with issues at their convenience. Phone appointments are available Monday through Friday from 8:15 a.m. 4:25 p.m. More information can be foundhere.\nThe last federal $600 weekly unemployment benefit was paid to Michiganders on July 25. The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) provided the state funding to provide six weeks of an additional $300 per week unemployment benefit, covering dates July 26 through September 5. To qualify, claimants must self-certify that they are unemployed or partially unemployed due to COVID-19.More information can be foundhere.\nAdditionally, unemployed Michiganders who have exhausted their regular and extended weeks of unemployment eligibility will receive up to 20 weeks of additional benefits, through the Federal Extended Benefits program. More information can be foundhere.\nOn May 1, I introducedTheStrengthening UI for COVID Impacted Workers and StudentsActto expand unemployment insurance for American workers, which was included inThe Heroes Act. For more information, visithere.\nUnemployment Insurance Benefits: Individuals should apply online atwww.Michigan.gov/UIAor call 866-500-0017 and are encouraged to follow afiling schedulebased on last name and use off-peak times (8 p.m. 8 a.m). The UIA offersresourcesto help workers resolve online technical issues with their account. More information can be foundhere.\n\nHOUSING UPDATE\nGovernor Whitmer created the Eviction Diversion Program, which outlines a process for renters to get fast rental assistance or establish a manageable payment plan to help them stay in their homes. The program also includes assistance to landlords. More information can be foundhere.\nThe Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have a website to help renters and homeowners understand their housing assistance options. This includes information on mortgage and rental relief as well as resources for additional help that may be needed. More information can be foundhere. The CFPB has also put out a step by step videoherefor homeowners that are interested in mortgage forbearance.\nThe CDC has issued a moratorium on evictions of renters through December 31, 2020 based on non-payment of rent. For individuals that have questions on how this moratorium works or how they can access help, the National Low Income Housing Coalition has put together an overview of the orderhere, while Michigan Legal Help has more tools and informationhere.\n\nCOMMUNITY RESOURCES UPDATE\nThe Pure Michigan Small Business Relief Initiativewill provide $10 million in grants to meet the needs of Michigan small businesses impacted the COVID-19 virus. Applications for businesses to apply will open on December 15, 2020. Grants will be awarded in the amount of up to $15,000 per eligible business. More information can be foundhere.\nThe SBA has put out a step by step guide for businesses with a PPP loan on how to apply for loan forgiveness. More information can be foundhere.\nThe Governor launched the Futures for Frontliners' program, a tuition-free path to community college for essential, frontline workers who continued working during the COVID-19 Stay Home, Stay Safe orders between April June 2020. Those eligible must apply for this scholarship before the end of the year. More information can be foundhere.\nThe Governor announced low-income residents, seniors, schools and homeless shelters will benefit from the MI Mask Aid partnership that is part of the Mask Up Michigan Campaign. More information can be foundhere.\nPersonal Protective Equipment: The Michigan Economic Development Corporation has launched a platform to help re-opening businesses acquire PPE. More information can be foundhere.\nMichigan's Virtual Food Bank:Seniors in need of food support cansign up for assistance, including meal delivery, delivery of non-perishable food items, and daily wellness-check calls, through the MDHHS coronavirus website, or by contacting their localArea Agency on Aging. More information on the virtual food bank can be foundhere.\nFlint Cares Help Centers: The city of Flint is offering resources and services including bottled water and food assistance. Services will continue to be provided from two semi-trailers staged in church parking lots across the city to distribute items directly to cars as residents drive through. For more information please call 810-410-2020 or visithere.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://fudge.house.gov/press-statements?ID=0D82107A-05DE-4F19-8383-E10E558A4C21", "Rep. Fudge Announces 2020 Winners of the 11th District Congressional App Challenge", "2020-12-30", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "OH", "Marcia Fudge", "F000455", "fudge.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Facebook Icon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tGoogle Plus Icon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tInstagram Icon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tLinkedIn Icon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tTwitter Icon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tYouTube Icon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tVimeo Icon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tClients Icon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tEmail icon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tMap Icon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tPrint Icon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tQuote Icon\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\ticon_share\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tCarousel Arrow - Left\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\tCarousel Arrow - Right\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\tHome\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\tNews\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\tPress Statements\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t Print", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://hartzler.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/hartzler-statement-cash-act", "Hartzler Statement on the CASH Act", "2020-12-30", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Vicky Hartzler", "H001053", "hartzler.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (MO-4) issued the following statement on the CASH Act. A coronavirus relief bill should be directed to helping those who have been negatively impacted by the virus. The bill passed last week accomplishes this by helping struggling businesses, families, and individuals without work due to the pandemic. It also sends $600 to every person in a household who makes under $75,000 whether or not they have been impacted by the virus. This was a reasonable compromise. Increasing these across the board payments to $2000 without even having to demonstrate a need would further America's out of control debt. With a debt of $27 trillion, our focus should remain on getting people back to work and defeating the virus.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://higgins.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/higgins-leads-effort-calling-on-fda-to-end-discriminative-blood-donor", "Higgins Leads Effort Calling on FDA to End Discriminative Blood Donor Guidelines", "2020-12-30", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Brian Higgins", "H001038", "higgins.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) and fellow colleagues on the Congressional LGBTQ Equality Caucus, Congressmembers Judy Chu and Jose Serrano, are calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to remove guidelines barring men who have sex with men (MSM) from donating plasma and other blood products.\nIn a letter to the FDA Commissioner, Reps. Higgins, Chu and Serrano write, Outdated and arbitrary guidelines that discriminate against people attempting to donate plasma unnecessarily constrains its supply during a time when it is more important than ever to increase the donor pool. Plasma donation is an act of generosity that helps save lives, and FDA's policies should be informed by the best science available to ensure that the maximum number of people who can donate safely can do so.\nDuring the COVID-19 pandemic doctors are using convalescent plasma plasma from patients who have recovered from COVID to treat people currently fighting COVID. Plasma is also regularly used as an effective tool to treat trauma, burns, hemophilia, and other clotting factor deficiencies.\nAs a comprehensive cancer center where patients rely on donated blood products to help them endure their cancer treatments and rebuild strength, Roswell Park knows firsthand that the need for plasma is higher than ever. Thank you to Congressman Higgins for calling on the FDA to end this discriminatory rule, says Candace S. Johnson, PhD, President and CEO of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, which operates an onsite Donor Center. \nBlood product donations have decreased due to the ongoing pandemic and recent winter storms which have forced the cancellation of blood drives and outreach events.The demand for plasma far exceeds donations. On December 10, 2020 the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), American Red Cross and America's Blood Centers issued a joint statement warning: the country's supply of COVID-19 convalescent plasma is depleting and indicating the demand for plasma has exceeded collections by between 1,000 and 1,500 units per day over the past month.\nIn 1983, during the initial wave of the AIDS epidemic, the FDA implemented a policy which banned blood and plasma donations from gay and bisexual men. Since then, the FDA has revised the guideline twice, first changing the lifetime ban to a 12-month deferral from last same-sex sexual contact, and more recently changing it to a 3-month deferral. All donated blood and plasma is tested for HIV, hepatitis, COVID-19 and other infectious diseases before it is deemed acceptable and released to hospitals.\n\"While a three month ban is progress compared to the longstanding lifetime ban, it still remains discriminatoryto gay and bisexual men and to many people of trans experience, said Matthew Crehan Higgins, Associate Vice President, Specialty Care at Evergreen Health. We know a great deal more now than was known in 1983 about HIV transmission, testing, treatment, and prevention and it is long past the time to move past these discriminatory practices.\"\nFounder of Blood is Blood, Jordan Moll-Vigrass said, \"The FDA continues to ignore the best science available resulting in discrimination which prevents many from receiving healthy life saving blood/plasma donations. This is a problem as it leaves many gay and bi-sexual men unwilling to ever donate as they face a double standard. No other one group of individuals have to remain celibate from sex for 3 months before they could donate. I call on theFDA to update its policies to reflectthe best science available to ensure that the maximum number of people who can donate safely do so and finallyend the years of stigma and discrimination.\nCongressman Higgins has long sought to end blood and plasma donor discrimination within the FDA's guidelines. In December 2014 Higgins joined other Members of Congress in sending a letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services urging action on changing the blood donation criteria. In 2015, Congressman Higgins joined Blood is Blood founder Jordan Moll Vigrass and Matthew Crehan Higgins, who previously served as Senior Director for the Pride Center of Western New York for a rally against the FDA's ban. The following week the FDA issued a final guidance changing its previous lifetime ban to a new policy of a 12-month deferral. On World Blood Donor Day in 2016 Higgins joined Members on Capitol Hill to again argue the importance of moving away from a reliance on harmful stereotypes, and allow all healthy adults who wish to donate to do so.\nOn December 14th, the United Kingdom lifted its blanket restrictions on blood donations from MSM donors, implementing the same standards as those that exist for heterosexual donors.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://jeffduncan.house.gov/media/press-releases/duncan-plans-object-electoral-college-certification", "Duncan Plans to Object to Electoral College Certification", "2020-12-30", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Jeffrey Duncan", "D000615", "jeffduncan.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Laurens, S.C. Congressman Jeff Duncan (SC-03) plans to formally object to the Electoral College certification in the House of Representatives on January 6, 2021. He released the following statement:\nI swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States as a Member of Congress, and with that oath comes the vital role of ensuring the legality and integrity of our free and fair election system. The 2020 election saw unprecedented institutional issues like states changing their voting systems in violation of their state constitutions, unelected bureaucrats changing election law instead of lawmakers themselves, poll watchers prohibited from doing their jobs, failure to properly scrutinize the validity of mail-in voting, and the list goes on. We need to shed light on the issues that took place during the 2020 election to preserve our electoral system for generations to come. Our mission is simple: Count every legal vote, throw out every illegal vote, and investigate every irregularity and allegation. All Americans should be on board with this mission.\nOn January 6, 2021, I plan to object to the Electoral College certification from states that experienced these unprecedented issues like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. I plan to object for the people of the Third District of South Carolina and the millions of Americans who are demanding transparency into the 2020 election. We the People know this is a pivotal decision for our great country. May God bless the United States of America.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://krishnamoorthi.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-krishnamoorthi-hails-passage-2021-government-funding-and-covid-19", "Congressman Krishnamoorthi Hails Passage of the 2021 Government Funding And COVID-19 Stimulus Bill, Which Included His Priority Provisions", "2020-12-30", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "IL", "Raja Krishnamoorthi", "K000391", "krishnamoorthi.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Congressman Krishnamoorthi hailed the $900 billion COVID-19 stimulus bill and the $1.4 trillion fiscal 2021 Appropriations bill that passed Congress and were signed into law by President Trump this week.\nI am thankful that Congress was able to negotiate a bipartisan COVID-19 stimulus package that will provide much needed relief to Americans across the country and that the 2021 omnibus spending bill was signed into law as well, which will allow our government agencies and services to continue operations uninterrupted, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said. The country has been awaiting the passage of this crucial legislation, and I'm proud to have supported it.\nSome of the main provisions included in the COVID-19 Emergency Relief package include:\n Economic Impact Payments: $166 billion\n\t\tPayments of $600 for individuals making up to $75,000 per year, $1,200 for couples making up to $150,000 per year, and $600 payment for each child dependent.\n\t\t\n\tSmall Business: $325 billion\n\t\tProvides first and second forgivable PPP loans, dedicated set-asides for very small businesses and lending through community-based lenders like Community Development Financial Institutions and Minority Depository Institutions, and expanded PPP eligibility for 501(c)(6) nonprofits\n\t\t\tNew EIDL Grants for businesses in low-income communities, continued SBA debt relief payments, and enhancements to SBA lending.\n\t\t\n\tUnemployment Insurance: $120 billion\n\t\tProvides an additional $300 per week for all workers receiving unemployment benefits, through March 14, 2021.\n\t\t\tExtends the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, with expanded coverage to the self-employed, gig workers, and others in nontraditional employment\n\t\t\tExtends the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program, which provides additional weeks of federally-funded unemployment benefits to individuals who exhaust their regular state benefits.\n\t\t\n\tVaccines, Testing and Tracing, Community Health and Health Care Provider Support: $69 billion\n\tSchools: $82 billion\n\tRental Assistance For Landlords and Tenants: $25 billion\n\t\tEstablish emergency federal rental assistance program\n\t\t\tAn extension of the existing CDC eviction moratorium through January 31, 2021\n\t\t\n\tTransportation: $45 billion\n\t\tAirline payroll support and airline contractor payrolls\n\t\t\tFunding for transit, state highways, airports and airport concessionaires, private motorcoach, school bus, ferry industries, and Amtrak\n\t\t\n\tChild Care: $10 billion\n\t\tEmergency funds for Child Care Development Block Grants (CCDBG) program\n\t\t\tFunding for Head Start providers who serve low-income children and families\n\t\t\n\tNutrition and Agriculture: $26 billion\n\t\tIncreases SNAP benefits\n\t\t\tAllocates emergency funds for school and day care feeding programs\n\t\t\tDirect payments, purchases and loans to farmers and ranchers who have suffered losses due to the pandemic\n\t\t\n\tBroadband: $7 billion\n Provisions which Congressman Krishnamoorthi championed which were a part of the packages included:\n Extending the time period over which states and localities may spend aid from the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF)\n\tFunding for vaccine public service announcements and education in order to increase awareness of the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine to support universal inoculation\n\tIncreased funding for e-cigarette prevention programs to combat the youth vaping epidemic\n\tFunding programs to curb distracted driving to reduce motor vehicle injuries and deaths\n\tReestablishing a national council of educators, researchers, and security professionals to protect American technology and intellectual property from foreign adversaries and intelligence agencies\n\tDirecting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to finalize rules to ensure that car seats are properly tested for side-impact crashes.\n The COVID-19 pandemic has been a tragic public health crisis while creating a period of enormous hardship for millions of American families, said Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. With the passage of this package, we will be able to lend a helping hand to those families and small businesses in need while working to bring this epidemic to an end. Though this is a crucial step in our efforts, it must be far from the last.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"], ["https://larson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/larson-applauds-announcement-former-chief-staff-lee-slater-named-special", "Larson Applauds Announcement that Former Chief of Staff, Lee Slater, is Named as Special Assistant to President-elect Biden", "2020-12-30", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CT", "John Larson", "L000557", "larson.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Hartford, CT Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) applauded the announcement that his former Chief of Staff, Lee Slater, has been named as a Special Assistant to President-elect Biden.\nI am thrilled that Lee Slater as been named as a Special Assistant to President-elect Biden. I've had the pleasure of knowing Lee for more than a decade and having him as my Chief of Staff for nearly five years. Over the course of his career, Lee has earned the respect of members throughout the Caucus who turn to him for advice on the floor and in the Ways and Means Committee. Lee embodies what it means to be a public servant from his work in the House, his tours in Afghanistan and Iraq in the Army, and now onto the White House. I know Lee will serve President-elect Biden and the American people well, said Larson.\nSlater has served on Larson's staff from 2008 to 2017. He served as his Chief of Staff from March 2012 to January 2017. Since 2017, Slater has served Director of Outreach and Member Services for the Ways and Means Committee, on which Larson sits. He previously worked for Congressman Jason Altmire of Pennsylvania, and served in the United States Army Reserves, including deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq. He earned his Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh.\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "truncated": false, "filtered_table_rows_count": 81966, "expanded_columns": [], "expandable_columns": [], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "units": {}, "query": {"sql": "select url, title, date, year, month, party, chamber, state, member_name, bioguide_id, domain, scraper, source, date_source, text, has_text, collected_at, updated_at from releases where \"year\" = :p0 order by date desc limit 101", "params": {"p0": "2020"}}, "facet_results": {"party": {"name": "party", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?year=2020", "results": [{"value": "Democrat", "label": "Democrat", "count": 48900, "toggle_url": 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