This was Congress's last week in session before the August recess, and we finished a day early due to House Republican Caucus dysfunction. We were supposed to consider two of the twelve pending FY2024 appropriations bills, but only one made it to the floor because House Republican moderates and conservatives could not reach an agreement on the other. Instead, House Republicans sent to the floor bills to strip Endangered Species Act protections from the lesser prairie chicken ( S.J.Res. 9) and the long-eared bat (S.J.Res. 24).

Meanwhile, the Science, Space & Technology Committee advanced several bills, and a House Oversight subcommittee held a hearing on UFOs (yes, you read that right). I also sent a letter cosigned by eleven of my House colleagues urging the EPA to address toxic “forever chemicals” in plastic containers.

THIS WEEK IN WASHINGTON

House Passes One Out of Twelve FY2024 Appropriations Bills

This week the House passed the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024 (H.R. 4366)(MilCon-VA). Once again, MAGA Republicans used this bill funding veterans services to further their extreme agenda. As it left the committee, the MilCon-VA bill included poison-pill language banning abortion, transgender medical procedures, and flying LGBTQ+ Pride flags at VA hospitals.

The House was supposed to consider the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 4368), but it was not conservative enough for the Freedom Caucus, despite the inclusion of a provision blocking FDA approval of mail delivery for mifepristone. The Freedom Caucus offered a number of floor amendments on abortion, immigration, transgender issues, and banning Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives. However, because of Republican infighting, the Rules Committee never met to consider which amendments could proceed to the floor.

So now we are going home for August recess, and will return September 12th with just 19 days to pass eleven appropriations bills before the end of the fiscal year. And the several MAGA members of the "Chaos Caucus" have made clear they don't mind a government shutdown, which would impact hundreds of thousands of federal workers and interfere with critical federal services, such as food safety environmental inspections and federal benefits payments.

Science Space and Technology Committee Markup

Thursday, the SST Science Committee considered several bills during a markup hearing:

The Privacy Enhancing Technology Research Act (H.R. 4755) authorizing research, workforce development, and standards-setting activities at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for privacy-enhancing technologies and calls for government coordination for the development of privacy enhancing technology to ensure responsible data use;
The Carbon Sequestration Collaboration Act (H.R. 4824) directing a coordinated research effort across the Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of the Interior to improve our ability to sequester carbon through land use;
The Clean Energy Demonstration Transparency Act of 2023 (H.R. 1069) expanding reporting requirements at the Department of Energy for all demonstration projects managed by their new office of Clean Energy Demonstrations;
The Aviation Weather Improvement Act (H.R. 3915) improving the National Weather Service’s forecasting of turbulence and acquisition of aviation weather data;
The Fire Weather Development Act of 2023 (H.R. 4866) directing the Administrator of NOAA to establish a program to improve fire weather and fire environment forecasting, detection, and local collaboration, and for other purposes; and
The Abandoned Well Remediation Research and Development Act (H.R. 4877) directing the Secretary of Energy to carry out a research, development, and demonstration program to improve data on the location of abandoned wells; processes of plugging, reclaiming, and repurposing wells; and the ability to mitigate the potential environmental impacts of leaking wells.

I successfully introduced an amendment to H.R. 4877 to add state and local governments and impacted communities among the stakeholders that the Secretary of Energy must consult in determining remediation plans for abandoned wells to ensure they have a voice in any developed plans.

Fighting Discrimination in our Armed Forces

As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I have been fighting MAGA Republican efforts to eliminate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives in our military. Despite the fact that the first casualty of the American Revolution was a Black man, Crispus Attucks, our nation’s military was segregated for 173 years, until President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981 to desegregate our armed forces 75 years ago this week. While we have come a long way, our military - and its officer ranks - do not reflect the full diversity of the country they serve and protect. To recruit and retain diverse servicemembers, we must take the proper steps to ensure a welcoming, inclusive, and tolerant environment for every American, regardless of the color of their skin, their religion, or who they love.

To that end, on Wednesday, I joined Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) and nine House Democratic colleagues in introducing the Equal and Uniform Treatment in the Military (EQUITY) Act, legislation to prohibit discrimination in the armed forces.The EQUITY Act expressly prohibits discrimination within the Department of Defense against an individual on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation. You can read a copy of the bill text here.

THIS WEEK IN WASHINGTON

THIS WEEK IN THE DISTRICT