Letters from Capitol Hill that Members of Congress have written and signed on to lately.
Dec. 05 | HOUSE FLOOR SCHEDULE
On Thursday, the House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for morning hour and noon for legislative business. First and last votes expected: 4:45 p.m.
Legislation Considered Pursuant to a Rule:
H.R. 7198 – Prove It Act of 2024 (Sponsored by Rep. Finstad / Judiciary Committee)
Legislation Considered Under Suspension of the Rules:
H.R. 8413 – Swanson and Hugh Butler Reservoirs Land Conveyances Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Smith (NE) / Natural Resources Committee)
Postponed suspensions:
S. 709 – Federal Agency Performance Act of 2023, as amended (Sponsored by Sen. Peters / Oversight and Accountability Committee)
H.R. 9598 – Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2024, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Comer / Oversight and Accountability Committee)
H.R. 9600 – To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 119 Main Street in Plains, Georgia, as the "Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Post Office" (Sponsored by Rep. Bishop (GA) / Oversight and Accountability Committee)
Legislation that may be considered:
H. Res. __ – Directing the Committee on Ethics to preserve and release records of the Committee’s review of the alleged misconduct of Matthew Louis Gaetz II of Florida while serving as a Member of the House of Representatives. (Sponsored by Rep. Cohen / Ethics Committee)
H. Res. __ – Directing the Committee on Ethics of the House of Representatives to release to the public the committee’s report on its investigation into allegations against former Representative Matt Gaetz. (Sponsored by Rep. Casten / Ethics Committee)
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Dec. 04
Speaker Scalise releases House Floor schedule for 2025
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Dec. 04
Judiciary Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) is dropping his bid to keep the role next Congress, easing challenger Rep. Jamie Raskin’s likely ascension.
Nadler’s announcement comes as House Democrats increasingly challenge their longer-serving colleagues for top committee posts. Raskin (D-Md.) is now unopposed in seeking the Judiciary ranking member spot. If Raskin gets it, he’ll be in a high-profile position to rebut President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda next year and face off against Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), one of the more combative conservatives in the House.
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Dec. 04 | BUDGET COMMITTEE REPORT
In a new dynamic estimate of the Trump tax law, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found that another round of Trump’s tax cuts for the ultrarich will shrink the United States economy over the long term.
As Congress gears up for the 2025 tax debate, Republicans are pushing for even more giveaways to the wealthy and big corporations, which, according to CBO’s previous work, would add $4.6 trillion to the deficit. The new analysis shows that by adding so much to the debt, Republicans’ tax giveaways to billionaires would crowd out private investment and reduce U.S. gross domestic product. Contrary to Republicans’ claims that their tax cuts for the wealthy and big corporations pay for themselves with economic growth—which economists across the political spectrum have resoundingly rejected—the cost of new handouts to the wealthy and well-connected would be even greater under dynamic scoring.
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Dec. 04 | STATEMENT RESPONSE
Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement on the new finding from the Congressional Budget Office that extending the 2017 Trump tax law, the top priority for Republicans in the next Congress, would shrink the U.S. economy:
“The last time Republicans spent this much money for no apparent gain was the war in Iraq. Trump’s political donors want a return on their investment, and Republicans are going to give it to them, even at the cost of shrinking our economy and destroying jobs.”
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Dec. 04 | FLOOR REMARKS
U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) spoke on the Senate floor about the urgent need to pass the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). In the speech, Sen. Tuberville highlighted key conservative wins in the NDAA, including slashing funding for gender transition surgeries and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs in the military. Sen. Tuberville emphasized the need for strong leadership in the Pentagon and expressed his continued support for President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth.
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Dec. 04 | FLOOR REMARKS
“I look forward to working with my colleagues and President Trump to secure our country’s rightful, respected, and preeminent role on the world stage.” – Senator Capito
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Dec. 04 | FLOOR REMARKS
“With global tensions escalating, passing the NDAA has become more urgent than ever. Senate Democrats have selfishly stalled its passage, withholding critical resources for our troops, their families, and military operations.”
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Dec. 04 | FLOOR REMARKS
U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) took to the Senate floor today to urge Congress to pass disaster aid in the final days of the 118th Congress. In his remarks, Senator Welch highlighted extreme weather disasters that have impacted communities in Vermont and across the country since 2022, the last time Congress passed comprehensive disaster aid.
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Dec. 04 | RESOLUTION
Congressman Jason Crow (D-CO-06), a veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq, joined Chair of the House Armed Services Committee Mike Rogers (R-AL-3) in introducing a bipartisan resolution honoring the fifth anniversary of the founding of the United States Space Force, which will fall on December 20, 2024. A companion resolution honoring this anniversary was also introduced in the Senate by Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND).
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Dec. 04
In a letter, Senator Duckworth urges President-elect Trump to use his influence among Congressional Republicans to prevent them from blocking already-passed legislation that would ensure IVF services are covered for servicemembers and their families
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Dec. 04
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) announced her bipartisan legislation with Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH), the Invent Here, Make Here Act of 2023, passed unanimously on the Senate floor. The bipartisan legislation ensures taxpayer-funded inventions are not manufactured in adversarial countries like China, but rather, in the United States. The bill builds on bipartisan legislation championed by Senator Baldwin and signed into law that requires taxpayer-funded research that leads to inventions that boost national security are made in the United States.
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Dec. 04
Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued the following statement on Donald Trump’s announcement that he would nominate former Congressman Billy Long to lead the IRS:
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Dec. 04
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) called on President Biden in a letter Wednesday to ensure climate-related Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funds are disbursed before he leaves office in January.
The letter is also signed by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and 46 other House members, including Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl Grijalva (D-Az.), and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), who has announced his candidacy to succeed Grijalva.
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Dec. 03
Requesting the BLM notify oil and gas producers of its bonding increases
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Dec. 03
A bipartisan group of senators this week urged House Republican leaders to pass children’s online safety and privacy legislation before the end of the year.
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Dec. 03
Throughout his life, President Joe Biden has fought to improve the plight of hardworking Americans struggling to live paycheck to paycheck. Many of these people have been aggressively prosecuted and harshly sentenced for nonviolent offenses, often without the benefit of adequate legal representation. Countless lives, families and communities have been adversely impacted, particularly in parts of Appalachia, Urban America and the Heartland.
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Dec. 03
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV) delivered his final speech as a United States Senator on the U.S. Senate floor.
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Dec. 03
Recently, House Republican Policy Chair Kevin Hern (OK-01) joined House Speaker Mike Johnson (LA-04), House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (LA-01), Conference Chair Lisa McClain (MI-09), NRCC Chair Richard Hudson (NC-09), Conference Vice Chair Blake Moore (UT-01), and Conference Secretary Erin Houchin (IN-09) to discuss how the House Republican leadership team will work to make life safer and more affordable for American families. Chairman Hern outlined how the mandate has been set by the American people and how the unified leadership team will deliver on President Trump’s America First agenda.
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Dec. 03
U.S. Representative District 27 Michael Cloud met Mark Swidan this morning.
Congressman Cloud presented to Swidan House Resolution 90.
Cloud led this bipartisan letter urging Secretary Of State Antony Blinken to prioritize Swidan’s case in all dealings with China.
The resolution calling on his release from China passed in the House unanimously last spring.
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Dec. 03
Congressman Nick Langworthy (NY-23) led members of New York’s Congressional Delegation in sending a letter to New York City Department of Education (NYC-DOE) Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos, demanding answers and accountability for the reported use of “Problem Codes” to flag educators who lawfully declined COVID-19 vaccinations. These codes, originally intended to flag employees for severe misconduct, such as child abuse, are being applied to unvaccinated teachers, resulting in career-damaging consequences.
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Dec. 03
Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., on Tuesday called on state and federal inspectors general to investigate Gov. Kathy Hochul over what he described as a “multi-billion dollar boondoggle.”
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Dec. 03
Congressman Sean Casten, Democrat of Illinois, introduced a privileged resolution on Tuesday demanding the House ethics committee release its investigative report on former representative Matt Gaetz, even after Gaetz withdrew from consideration after being nominated to be Donald Trump’s attorney general, amid sexual scandal.
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