U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate
News releases, reports, statements and associated documents from all members of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate as well as the House and Senate leadership and House and Senate committees.
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Speaker Johnson Launches House-Wide Effort to Crack Down on Antisemitism on College Campuses
WASHINGTON, May 1 (Rep.) -- House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, issued the following news release on April 30, 2024:
Today, Speaker Johnson was joined by House Republican leadership and Committee Chairs to announce a new House-wide effort to crack down on antisemitism on college campuses and hold universities accountable for failing to protect Jewish students.
As part of the effort, the House will be looking into federal funding universities receive, the foreign student visa program that has allowed students sympathetic to terrorist groups to attend our schools, and the generous tax benefits
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WASHINGTON, May 1 (Rep.) -- House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, issued the following news release on April 30, 2024:
Today, Speaker Johnson was joined by House Republican leadership and Committee Chairs to announce a new House-wide effort to crack down on antisemitism on college campuses and hold universities accountable for failing to protect Jewish students.
As part of the effort, the House will be looking into federal funding universities receive, the foreign student visa program that has allowed students sympathetic to terrorist groups to attend our schools, and the generous tax benefitsuniversities enjoy.
The effort will be led by the Education and Workforce Committee, the Ways and Means Committee, the Energy and Commerce Committee, the Judiciary Committee, the Oversight Committee, and the Science, Space and Technology Committee.
Click here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pww91rJl2EA) to watch the press conference
"Antisemitism is a virus and because the administration and woke university presidents aren't stepping in, we're seeing it spread," said Speaker Johnson. "We must act, and House Republicans will speak to this fateful moment with moral clarity... and that's why today we're here to announce a House-wide effort to crack down on antisemitism on college campuses. Nearly every committee here has a role to play in these efforts to stop the madness that has ensued. The federal government plays a critical role in higher education, and we will use all the tools available to us to address this scourge."
Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx: "No stone must go unturned while buildings are being defaced. Campus greens are being captured, or graduations are being ruined. College is not a park for play acting juveniles or a battleground for radical activist. Everyone affiliated with these universities will receive a healthy dose of reality. Actions have consequences."
Science, Space and Technology Committee Chairman Frank Lucas: "Universities that can't protect their students are not in compliance with their funding obligations through the National Science Foundation ...As a part of the conditions of receiving taxpayer dollars through the NSF, universities must comply with Title Six of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin...It's time we review whether universities that allow the harassment, assault or intimidation, other Jewish students are in compliance with their federal obligations."
Energy and Commerce Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers: "The Energy and Commerce Committee oversees agencies that dole out massive amounts of taxpayer funded research grants... We will be increasing our oversight of institutions that have received public funding and cracking down on those who are in violation of the Civil Rights Act."
Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan: "On September 30, 2021, Secretary Mayorkas issued his guidelines for immigration enforcement. He said that national security threats are a reason to remove people from this country. The overriding question is simple: Are individuals advocating for the destruction of our dearest and closest ally, the State of Israel, engaged in this anti-Semitic behavior? And is that a national security threat? We think it is and we think the American people deserve answers."
Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith: "At the Ways and Means Committee, we have been investigating the issue for months in a hearing last November, we examined the nexus between antisemitism tax exempt universities and terror financing networks...We've sent letters to university leaders demanding information on what disciplinary action, if any, that they have taken against those whose antisemitic activity violates campus policy. We've called on them to disclose any donations or funding they have received from foreign governments as well. Our investigation has already produced more than 1,500 pages of documents that we are now actively reviewing."
Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer: "These radical protests threatening violence against Jews are anything but organic. It appears global elites are funding these hateful protests and pop-up tent cities. These are the same groups that fund other radical agendas, including diminishing America's energy production and pushing soft on crime policies that harm the American people. The House Oversight Committee will follow the money trail, expose it to the American people and seek to hold bad actors funding hate accountable."
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Original text here: https://www.speaker.gov/speaker-johnson-launches-house-wide-effort-to-crack-down-on-antisemitism-on-college-campuses/
Reps Lieu, Crockett, Mullin and Jackson Introduce Bill to Prevent Homelessness
WASHINGTON, May 1 -- Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-California, issued the following news release:
Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County), Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), Congressman Kevin Mullin (D-CA), and Congressman Jonathan Jackson (D-IL) recently announced the introduction of the Prevent Homelessness Act, a bill that provides increased funding to prevent renters and homeowners from losing their homes. Specifically, the legislation would establish a Housing Stabilization Fund, managed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, that would provide emergency housing assistance
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WASHINGTON, May 1 -- Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-California, issued the following news release:
Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County), Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), Congressman Kevin Mullin (D-CA), and Congressman Jonathan Jackson (D-IL) recently announced the introduction of the Prevent Homelessness Act, a bill that provides increased funding to prevent renters and homeowners from losing their homes. Specifically, the legislation would establish a Housing Stabilization Fund, managed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, that would provide emergency housing assistanceto extremely low-income and very low-income families.
"In the midst of a dire affordable housing crisis, we must do more to prevent families from falling into homelessness," said Rep. Lieu. "Our bill aims to stop homelessness before it happens by providing critical support to low-income families so they can more easily afford their housing payments and stay in their homes. It also helps renters and homeowners with short-terms costs that can be difficult to keep up with, such as utility payments, security deposit payments, legal assistance, mental health services and more. I'm grateful to Representatives Crockett, Mullin and Jackson for their partnership in this targeted effort to protect those most at-risk of becoming homeless."
"Homelessness is a public health crisis and too many people in our country are forced to make dire choices about whether to keep a roof over their head or food on the table," said Rep. Mullin. "The federal government must do more to address homelessness. I was eager to join Rep. Ted Lieu's bill to create a new Housing Stabilization Fund, which would offer assistance for low-income families, homeowners and renters who are most at risk of falling into homelessness."
Read the full bill text here (https://lieu.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/lieu.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/LIEU_048_xml.pdf).
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Original text here: https://kevinmullin.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-lieu-crockett-mullin-and-jackson-introduce-bill-prevent-homelessness
Rep. Bentz Scorches Democrats for Putting Wolves Above Ranchers
WASHINGTON, May 1 -- Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Oregon, issued the following news release on April 30, 2024:
Today, Congressman Cliff Bentz (OR-02) gave the following speech on the House floor in defense of America's ranchers. This speech occurred during debate on H.R. 764 the "Trust the Science Act" which will delist the Gray Wolf from the Endangered Species Act in the Lower 48 states:
"Thank you, Chair Westerman.
You know, I don't think I've encountered such an amazing display of ignorance regarding the nature of a wolf. Until this afternoon. A wolf is not a pet dog. It's not some schnauzer or golden
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WASHINGTON, May 1 -- Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Oregon, issued the following news release on April 30, 2024:
Today, Congressman Cliff Bentz (OR-02) gave the following speech on the House floor in defense of America's ranchers. This speech occurred during debate on H.R. 764 the "Trust the Science Act" which will delist the Gray Wolf from the Endangered Species Act in the Lower 48 states:
"Thank you, Chair Westerman.
You know, I don't think I've encountered such an amazing display of ignorance regarding the nature of a wolf. Until this afternoon. A wolf is not a pet dog. It's not some schnauzer or goldenretriever, or a dash hound. It is the truth of the matter, a natural born killer. That's what it does for a living. That's how it stays alive. It kills things, it eats them, and it does not kill them in a kind and humane fashion - it's a wolf.
We would be led otherwise, to believe by what we've been hearing from the other side of the aisle. It's obvious to me that those who have suggested that, that ranchers are apparently not to be concerned about - not having grown up on a ranch as did I. They don't have a clue about what it's like to have to get up in the middle of the night to try to go out and protect your livelihood from nocturnal killers like wolves. They don't get it, they don't want to get it. They don't want to understand it because they don't have to. The people I represent do have to deal with wolves back in Oregon. And in some of the most awkward situations. Highway 395 cuts my district basically in half, a district by the way, CD-2 in Oregon is bigger than the state of Washington. It is bisected by this highway and on one side, the wolves are listed and on the other they are not. In some places this highway runs right through the middle of a single-ownership ranch. So you can imagine the wolf kills an animal on one side where it's protected and runs to the other side where it is not or vice versa. Hardly a situation that benefits folks trying to make a living.
To suggest that there's a balance in Yellowstone, you haven't read the most recent report about Yellowstone apparently. You should. There's some argument that the wolf brought some sort of natural balance back to Yellowstone, not true. Read the report.
Mr. Speaker, I have a question, how many wolves are enough?
We have about 250, something like that, wolves in Oregon 25 packs that's been determined to be adequate for survival of the wolf under the ESA. But we have 2500 to 3500 in Minnesota. That's a few more than I think is necessary, don't you Mr. Speaker? We have 60,000 wolves in Canada... 60,000, and the number is growing because it's almost impossible to slow the growth down. We have five to six thousand wolves in Alaska. So, Mr. Speaker, how many wolves is enough? That's really the question. We should be asking because the Endangered Species Act doesn't require an abundance of these Natural Born Killers. It requires enough that we still have them around. No one's disputing that. And to suggest that 90% of the wolves were killed in Idaho. Not true.
There are over 1000 Wolves still in Idaho to this day. The exact counts difficult. Wolves are smart, they're intelligent creatures, they learn and so it becomes more and more and more difficult to control them. The reason they need to be delisted is so that we have some means of controlling an apex predator. An Apex predator. One of these things that once you have them they're very hard to control and being listed makes it almost impossible. It's odd when we have language in the report from the US Fish and Wildlife Service that states unequivocally.
I'm going to read for you page 15 of the report dated February 1 of 2024.
'Specifically, now and until the foreseeable future wolves are likely to retain a healthy level of abundance, given the assumption that our model our analysis of projections indicate there is no risk of quasi-extinction in the next 100 years on any of our future scenarios. Under any.'
This is US Fish and Wildlife talking.
'More specifically, according to the population projections for forecasting model incorporates Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, minimum management commitments from delisting we project there will be at least 739 Wolves throughout Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and we're for the next 100 years.'
Mr. Speaker of course we need delisting is the way that we are going to be able to protect, if at all, and control the number of wolves that now inhabit the United States. With that, I yield back."
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WATCH: Bentz Scorches Democrats for Putting Wolves Above Ranchers (https://youtu.be/qBgGx3MpDGc?si=E763Vu07pz2C1bXZ)
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Original text here: https://bentz.house.gov/media/press-releases/video-bentz-scorches-democrats-putting-wolves-above-ranchers
Passed: Rep. Laurel Lee's Bipartisan Bill to Help Stop the Online Exploitation of Children Passes House, Heads to President Biden's Desk
WASHINGTON, May 1 -- Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Florida, issued the following statement on April 29, 2024:
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Today, Congresswoman Laurel Lee (R-FL) released the following statement after her bill, the Revising Existing Procedures on Reporting via Technology (REPORT) Act, unanimously passed the House of Representatives. This legislation now heads to President Biden's desk.
"The REPORT Act will help fight against the exploitation of children online by strengthening existing reporting procedures and requiring companies to disclose crimes involving child sexual abuse to NCMEC," said Rep. Laurel Lee.
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WASHINGTON, May 1 -- Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Florida, issued the following statement on April 29, 2024:
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Today, Congresswoman Laurel Lee (R-FL) released the following statement after her bill, the Revising Existing Procedures on Reporting via Technology (REPORT) Act, unanimously passed the House of Representatives. This legislation now heads to President Biden's desk.
"The REPORT Act will help fight against the exploitation of children online by strengthening existing reporting procedures and requiring companies to disclose crimes involving child sexual abuse to NCMEC," said Rep. Laurel Lee."I applaud both the House and Senate for passing this crucial legislation that will help law enforcement quickly identify and prosecute perpetrators to protect our children from threats online."
"Nevada has one of the highest rates of human trafficking in the nation, and a sickening number of those crimes involve children," said Congresswoman Susie Lee. "Abuse of children online must be met with swift and complete justice. This includes implementing the most state-of-the-art reporting technology, requiring Big Tech to report all instances of child abuse, and increasing penalties for those who fail to report these crimes against children. I'm proud to work with Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate to lead this legislation to protect our children, crack down on human trafficking, and hold those accountable who turn a blind eye to these sickening crimes."
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's (NCMEC) CyberTipline is the nation's centralized reporting system for the online exploitation of children, allowing electronic communication service providers to make reports of activities such as child sex trafficking, enticement of children for sexual acts, and unsolicited obscene materials sent to a child.
Additional Co-Sponsors:
* U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).
* U.S. Reps. Susie Lee (D-NV-03), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-01), and Madeleine Dean (D-PA-04).
The bipartisan bill would provide much-needed reforms to the CyberTipline, such as:
* Adding sex trafficking of children and enticement crimes to reporting obligations by websites and social media platforms.
* Increasing penalties for failure to report exploitative content (fines up to $850,000).
* Requires websites and social media platforms to report violations of federal trafficking and enticement.
* Increases the time evidence that has been submitted to the CyberTipline is preserved by websites and social media platforms to give law enforcement more time to investigate and prosecute.
Read the full text of the bill here (https://laurellee.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/laurellee.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/report-act-text.pdf).
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Original text here: https://laurellee.house.gov/media/press-releases/passed-rep-laurel-lees-bipartisan-bill-help-stop-online-exploitation-children
House Overwhelmingly Passes Waltz Bill to Secure Florida's Coastal Border
WASHINGTON, May 1 -- Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Florida, issued the following news release on April 30, 2024:
On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan, bicameral Extending Limits of U.S. Customs Water Act, introduced by U.S. Congressman Mike Waltz (FL-06), to secure U.S. coastal borders, including Florida's, from drug and human trafficking.
The bill was also introduced in the Senate by U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL). This legislation would double the U.S. coastline authorized for Coastal and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (CBP AMO) and the U.S. Coast Guard to
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WASHINGTON, May 1 -- Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Florida, issued the following news release on April 30, 2024:
On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan, bicameral Extending Limits of U.S. Customs Water Act, introduced by U.S. Congressman Mike Waltz (FL-06), to secure U.S. coastal borders, including Florida's, from drug and human trafficking.
The bill was also introduced in the Senate by U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL). This legislation would double the U.S. coastline authorized for Coastal and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (CBP AMO) and the U.S. Coast Guard tointercept bad actors from 12 nautical miles to 24 nautical miles.
"We cannot leave Florida's coastline wide-open like the Biden administration has our southern border," said Rep. Waltz. "We must protect Floridians and all Americans by securing our country's borders, especially as the situation in Haiti worsens. That is why I am proud to pass this important legislation in the House to double the distance offshore for CBP and our Coast Guard to intercept migrants and drug smugglers trying to illegally enter our country from the water. Now, I hope to see this bill pass in the Senate and signed into law."
"The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (CBP AMO) keep families in Florida and around our nation safe by patrolling beaches, shore waters and maritime territory, and fighting to stop drug and human trafficking," said Senator Scott. "Our bill, the Extending Limits of U.S. Customs Waters Act, will extend the United States' customs waters territory to help ensure our Coast Guard and CBP AMO has the jurisdiction and authority needed to stop drug and human trafficking so that families everywhere remain safe. I am thankful for the bipartisan support of this important bill I am glad to see it pass the House of Representatives. I urge the Senate to quickly pass this important bill and send it to the President's desk for his signature."
CBP AMO also issued a public statement of support for the bill last month.
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Original text here: https://waltz.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=894
House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces Chairman Lamborn Issues Opening Statement at Hearing on FY25 Budget Request for Nuclear Forces & Atomic Energy Defense Activities
WASHINGTON, May 1 -- Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado, chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, issued the following news release:
U.S. Representative Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, delivered the following opening remarks at a hearing on the Fiscal Year 2025 budget request for nuclear forces and atomic energy defense activities and programs.
Rep. Lamborn's remarks as prepared for delivery:
The subcommittee meets today to review the fiscal year 2025 budget requests of the Department of Defense and Department of Energy for the
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WASHINGTON, May 1 -- Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado, chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, issued the following news release:
U.S. Representative Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, delivered the following opening remarks at a hearing on the Fiscal Year 2025 budget request for nuclear forces and atomic energy defense activities and programs.
Rep. Lamborn's remarks as prepared for delivery:
The subcommittee meets today to review the fiscal year 2025 budget requests of the Department of Defense and Department of Energy for thenuclear enterprise.
To begin with, I was pleased to see nuclear modernization strongly supported in this year's budget request.
As we have discussed in other hearings, the Department faced many tough budget choices this year and accepted risk in several areas. The prioritization shown for nuclear activities in this budget request reflects a recognition that nuclear attack remains the only existential threat our nation faces and, therefore, strategic deterrence must continue being our highest priority mission.
However, I remain concerned that we are not doing enough to prepare for a future nuclear environment that will be more competitive and less stable than ever.
As the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States concluded in its report last year, simply executing modernization plans developed over a decade ago will not be sufficient to meet the evolving threat environment.
For example, Russia, which maintains the world's largest nuclear arsenal, continues to expand its stockpile in addition to development novel delivery systems while illegally suspending its participation in the New Start Treaty.
Today, China has more than 500 operational nuclear weapons, double the number since 2020, and the Department of Defense projects it will possess over 1,500 by 2035 (likely sooner). They are building fields of missile silos and stealth bombers while developing a space architecture that greatly increases their ability to target and hold at risk the United States and its allies. Importantly, China's nuclear breakout was not anticipated when our nuclear modernization was originally conceived.
Beyond Russia and China, North Korea and Iran continue down a dangerous path of "additive transactional relations" with Russia to develop advanced missile technology.
The development of a nuclear sea-launched cruise missile, mandated by Congress in the FY 2024 defense authorization bill, will help address these threats. Still, I believe we must take additional steps and seek other creative solutions to ensure we avoid a deterrence gap in the next decade.
This concern also applies to the National Nuclear Security Administration. While I'm happy to see the intense level of support included in this budget request for production modernization, I'm concerned this has come at the expense of Stockpile Research, Technology, and Engineering activities.
Ultimately, our nation requires both a responsive production infrastructure and a weapons laboratory complex that are second to none, and we must ensure NNSA's topline is sufficient to achieve both of these goals.
Finally, I know the Sentinel missile program is at the forefront of our minds - and rightly so. This program is expected to recapitalize the land-based leg of the triad by replacing the aging Minuteman system which has been deployed for over 50 years, despite being designed for a 10-year service life.
However, I want to remind my colleagues that the Sentinel program is under a Nunn McCurdy review, which will limit what our witnesses can discuss here today.
While Dr. LaPlante, who leads that review, can discuss its structure and process, he cannot comment on its substance, or presume its outcome. Similarly, General Gebara and Dr. Narang can comment on the need for the triad, the role ICBM capabilities play, and the unique contributions they make to deterrence. Still, they will similarly be unable to make comments about Sentinel that would presume the outcome of Dr. LaPlante's review.
We all want to know what led to the Nunn McCurdy breach, why it happened, and what we're going to do to get the program back on track. I am committed to having that discussion - but it will need to wait until a later date.
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Original text here: https://armedservices.house.gov/news/press-releases/lamborn-opening-statement-hearing-fy25-budget-request-nuclear-forces-and-atomic
DeLauro Statement on U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Finalized Recommendations
WASHINGTON, May 1 -- Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement on April 30, 2024:
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Today, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) released a statement in response to recommendations issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force regarding breast cancer.
The Task Force finalized recommendation that women should start getting screening mammograms for breast cancer at the age of 40 every two years. The Task Force also finalized guidelines claiming there was not enough evidence to assess the risk vs. benefits of using alternative or additional forms of imaging, such
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WASHINGTON, May 1 -- Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Connecticut, issued the following statement on April 30, 2024:
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Today, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) released a statement in response to recommendations issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force regarding breast cancer.
The Task Force finalized recommendation that women should start getting screening mammograms for breast cancer at the age of 40 every two years. The Task Force also finalized guidelines claiming there was not enough evidence to assess the risk vs. benefits of using alternative or additional forms of imaging, suchas ultrasound or MRIs, to detect breast cancer in women with dense breasts.
"I am pleased that the Task Force has finalized recommendations that women should begin breast cancer screenings at age 40. As I have said before, this is a positive step forward that will help women detect breast cancer early and save lives. I am disappointed they have not revised recommendations that suggest women should receive these screenings only every two years. Women should receive screenings annually.
"I am very disappointed that the Task Force has finalized recommendations that gives an 'inadequate' grade regarding screening for women with dense breasts, which will guarantee insurers do not cover ultrasounds or MRIs that are more likely to find cancer in women with dense breasts.
"Starting this September, a new FDA standard will require providers nationwide to alerts women with dense breasts that additional screenings may be needed to detect breast cancer. Because of the Task Force's failure to issue a recommendation that would ensure women have these additional screenings covered, I fear women may forgo these screenings entirely if their insurance does not cover it. This threatens the health outcomes of women and in the worst cases, their lives.
"Women's lives are at stake, and this fails women and ignores research that shows the effectiveness in ultrasounds and MRIs in detecting breast cancer in women with dense breasts. Early detection is key to saving lives. I will continue to fight to enact my Find It Early Act, which will ensure all insurance plans cover these additional screenings for women."
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Original text here: https://delauro.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/delauro-statement-us-preventive-services-task-force-finalized
