Policy Soup stir the pot ALPHA

🚨Temporary Protected Status status for tens of thousands of Salvadorans is set to expire TOMORROW. Forcing families back into dangerous and unstable conditions is cruel and shortsighted. I’m proud to have introduced legislation to extend TPS for Salvadorans for 18 months.

Donald S. Beyer@beyer.house.govSep 9(source)

Dr. Lonnie Bunch III has been a great leader for the Smithsonian, he achieved so much and should be proud of those accomplishments. The circumstances of his departure are very concerning, amid attacks from the Trump Administration as they try to censor and whitewash our history.

The Atlantic

@theatlantic.com

Breaking: Lonnie Bunch, the head of the Smithsonian Institution, is stepping down, @kelseyables.bsky.social reports. His departure comes amid months of clashes with the White House.

Donald S. Beyer@beyer.house.govSep 9(source)

I have been working for years to educate my colleagues in Congress about AI, including potential systemic and civilizational risks.

Trump angered ranchers with unpopular trade policies; now he wants to buy back their support by allowing the killing of endangered wolves. This compounds a terrible decision to end the recovery program that was rebuilding populations of these iconic species. We will fight it.

Defenders of Wildlife

@defenders.org

The Trump administration has issued an executive order directing the Secretary of Interior to decide whether gray wolves and Mexican gray wolves still deserve protections under the guise of helping ranchers. Wolves deserve better than a Big Bad Wolf narrative dictating their fate.

IRS’s Data Sharing With ICE Violated Law, Appeals Court Rules

The IRS is bound by federal law to protect the confidential information they have about taxpayers, and the Trump Administration blatantly broke the law.

The court left in place a lower-court ruling that has blocked further data sharing.

STEM and AI: Arlington County's new school lets students get hands-on experience

These students will be able to learn about and experiment with developing technologies while getting their traditional high school academics. I look forward to seeing what creative and clever work these students will be able to do with this amazing opportunity!

Arlington County’s new school, the Grace Hopper Center, lets students learn tactical skills through their career and technical education (CTE) programs. News4’s Megan McGrath gets a look inside on the...

Why have Virginians’ health insurance premiums increased? - VPM

Today is 988 Day, dedicated to raising awareness for the lifeline. This year's theme is 988 Reasons: Your reason is reason enough. Whether you're facing something big or small, if you need it, 988 is there for you. If you or a loved one need help, call or text 9-8-8.

Donald S. Beyer@beyer.house.govSep 7(source)

In the past few years, many former child actors have told their stories of unsafe or even abusive environments at work. This is completely unacceptable, but with the patchwork of state laws on background checks, red flags have slipped through the cracks.

Donald S. Beyer@beyer.house.govSep 7(source)

When Donald Trump and Elon Musk dismantled USAID last year, thousands of civil servants were recklessly fired. This was devastating for them, and the millions of people they assisted globally. USAID is American leadership at its best, and our world is worse off without them.

Donald S. Beyer@beyer.house.govSep 7(source)

Many of the work policies we know and love today -the 40-hour work week, holidays, paid overtime- are thanks to the advocacy and solidarity of individuals and unions during the labor movement. Today is about honoring their hard work. Happy Labor Day!

Donald S. Beyer@beyer.house.govSep 6(source)

Without the ACA tax credits, Virginia has had to work hard to try and fill in the gaps left by the federal government. But with average rates increasing nearly 17%, it'll be impossible to keep everyone enrolled, so rates will continue to go up.

The expiration of federal subsidies is likely to drive November’s midterms.

Donald S. Beyer@beyer.house.govSep 6(source)

At every possible turn, the Trump-Vance Administration has made decisions that send costs skyrocketing. From healthcare to groceries to energy costs, American families are desperate for relief from these absurd, and often illegal, policies.

Donald S. Beyer@beyer.house.govSep 6(source)

Trump promised “America First” but his administration is now secretly trying to steal money Congress legally obligated for cancer and other medical research to help cover the costs of his reckless and unnecessary war in Iran. It's wrong and illegal.

Bloomberg Government

@bgov.com

The Department of Defense is attempting to redirect National Institute of Health money to bolster the Pentagon’s budget, according to the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee.

Republicans in Congress have handed ICE more than $100 billion in funding, but ICE has failed to pay its medical providers since October. This is unacceptable. Hospitals and doctors are owed millions while people in detention are being denied possibly lifesaving treatment.

San Francisco Chronicle

@sfchronicle.com

ICE owes millions in unpaid bills to hospitals and, in some cases, detainees themselves have been directly billed for care, records show.

The Trump administration cut corners on background checks, fast-tracked improperly vetted recruits, and lowered standards in its rush to expand ICE. Donald Trump, Stephen Miller, and Markwayne Mullin’s bloodlust for mass deportations is dangerous, and it has already had deadly consequences.

The New York Times

@nytimes.com

An official who oversaw the vetting of ICE recruits lodged a formal complaint that the Trump administration was cutting corners, violating the law and fast-tracking unqualified, “improperly vetted” candidates, amid a hiring surge last summer. nyti.ms/3SoPbvS

College student steps into traffic, is killed after losing immigration status

This was a young man who loved playing soccer, was a proud member of the JROTC, and had dreams of studying medicine. His promising future was cut short, and the hole left in his family and community will be felt for a very long time.

Pierre Damas Bel’s family said he took his own life on a busy highway after the Trump administration canceled protections for thousands of Haitian immigrants and ICE officers placed him in an ankle mo...