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    <title>Balint, Becca RSS Articles</title>
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      <title>Balint, Warren, Banks, and Cline File Bipartisan, Bicameral Resolution Directing the FTC to Investigate Corporate Roll-ups of Firetruck Manufacturers </title>
      <description>&lt;p style="text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.warren.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Fire-Trucks-FTC-Investigation-Resolution-7.14.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="e9aa3e92-d92d-4af3-afde-b8bb29c5193a" title="https://www.warren.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Fire-Trucks-FTC-Investigation-Resolution-7.14.pdf"&gt;Resolution (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;|&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.warren.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Fire-Trucks-Resolution-One-Pager-7.14.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="abd9135f-0b7d-4fec-941b-97d5fe80c3be" title="https://www.warren.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Fire-Trucks-Resolution-One-Pager-7.14.pdf"&gt;&lt;u&gt;One Pager (PDF)&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;WASHINGTON, D.C. –&lt;/strong&gt;&amp;nbsp;Today, U.S. Representatives Becca Balint (D-Vt.) and Ben Cline (R-Va.), along with Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.), filed a bipartisan, bicameral resolution directing the FTC to investigate serial acquisitions of firetruck manufacturers. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Following two decades of&lt;a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5aaacb57506fbe4636414126/t/6638598f84296766c804bd80/1714968976227/Alta+Fox+REVG+Presentation+Final_wv.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="da19365f-18f7-4b2f-a3ec-86533dec6eac" title="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5aaacb57506fbe4636414126/t/6638598f84296766c804bd80/1714968976227/Alta+Fox+REVG+Presentation+Final_wv.pdf"&gt;&lt;u&gt;&amp;nbsp;consolidation&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;by private equity firms and larger manufacturers, a vast majority of the fire truck manufacturing industry is now controlled by just three companies. Since then:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Prices have skyrocketed.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;Fire truck prices have&lt;a href="https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/Musharbash-Testimony.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="049714df-18f9-48a7-8ebd-66b969bf4c9a" title="https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/Musharbash-Testimony.pdf"&gt;&lt;u&gt;&amp;nbsp;doubled&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;over the last decade, far outpacing inflation for heavy-duty truck manufacturing over that&amp;nbsp;time period. Manufacturers have also&lt;a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/fire-truck-prices-hit-2-million-us-firefighters-demand-an-antitrust-probe-2025-05-13/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="6c3beb62-da8b-4153-909f-40e174f887f0" title="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/fire-truck-prices-hit-2-million-us-firefighters-demand-an-antitrust-probe-2025-05-13/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;&amp;nbsp;exploited&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;their market power to implement “floating” prices, increasing the&amp;nbsp;final price&amp;nbsp;of a fire truck after it goes into production.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Manufacturing plants have shuttered.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;Dominant fire truck manufacturers have restricted supply by&lt;a href="https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/Musharbash-Testimony.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="e5a538b2-4117-4842-85e9-65ed557ded8e" title="https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/Musharbash-Testimony.pdf"&gt;&lt;u&gt;&amp;nbsp;closing&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;their own manufacturing facilities, even though demand for fire trucks has increased in recent years.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Delivery backlogs are growing.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;Since 2019, the lead times for fire truck delivery&lt;a href="https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/did-a-private-equity-fire-truck-roll" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="77f8e214-8128-464a-9c8a-21ea2cf010c4" title="https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/did-a-private-equity-fire-truck-roll"&gt;&lt;u&gt;&amp;nbsp;have nearly tripled&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;,&amp;nbsp;and fire departments are now facing delivery delays of up to&lt;a href="https://internationalfireandsafetyjournal.com/fire-trucks-delays-us/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="00f91ae9-ee08-482c-be9b-1ed569d43c94" title="https://internationalfireandsafetyjournal.com/fire-trucks-delays-us/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;&amp;nbsp;five years&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;&lt;b&gt;Working conditions are unsafe.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;Higher prices and longer delivery times for fire trucks have prevented fire departments from replacing aging trucks, depriving fire fighters of the essential equipment&amp;nbsp;required&amp;nbsp;to work&lt;a href="https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/Kelly-Testimony.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="6a7fea2e-a509-4fa5-8fcd-3c15002c09d5" title="https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/Kelly-Testimony.pdf"&gt;&lt;u&gt;&amp;nbsp;safely and effectively&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Rampant consolidation in the fire truck manufacturing industry is undermining public safety, squeezing fire departments’ budgets, and forcing taxpayers to bear the consequences.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The&lt;a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/46a" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="d748c048-ed01-4e5a-b8c8-133b402c34b3" title="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/46a"&gt;&lt;u&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/u&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;u&gt;Federal Trade Commission Act&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;authorizes Congress, through a joint resolution passed by the Senate and House of Representatives, to direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate and report the facts relating to any alleged violations of antitrust law. However, Congress has not used this authority to order an FTC investigation since the Great Depression era.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This bipartisan joint resolution would revive that authority and direct the FTC to report to Congress within one year on:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;The extent of anticompetitive practices and violations of antitrust law in the fire truck manufacturing industry, including price fixing, price gouging, serial acquisitions, and monopolization;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;The monetary and other harms of anticompetitive practices and violations of antitrust law in the fire truck manufacturing industry on fire fighters, fire departments, states, municipalities, and small businesses; and&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;Recommendations for legislation or other remedial actions.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Every community deserves to have the fire trucks it needs to keep people safe. But corporate consolidation has driven up prices considerably and left communities waiting years for this essential, lifesaving equipment,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;said Representative Balint.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;“This is yet another example of why we need strong antitrust enforcement: a handful of powerful companies shouldn't be able to use their power to get richer by making it harder for communities to protect themselves.”&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“When giant corporations and Wall Street investors buy up all the fire truck manufacturers, it’s a threat to public safety,”&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp;said Senator Warren&lt;/b&gt;. “There’s a growing, bipartisan consensus that Congress must stop a handful of corporations from dominating fire truck manufacturing and making it harder and tremendously more expensive to get fire trucks.”&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Anticompetitive practices are strong-arming our cities, wasting taxpayer dollars, and leaving firefighters without life-saving equipment.&amp;nbsp;I’m&amp;nbsp;proud to join this bipartisan investigation as we fight to put hardworking Indiana taxpayers first,”&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp;said Senator Banks&lt;/b&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Too often, growing delivery backlogs in the fire truck manufacturing industry are leaving fire departments across the Commonwealth and our Nation without the necessary equipment first responders need to do their jobs safely and effectively. This bipartisan resolution takes an important first step to restore competition, strengthen domestic manufacturing, and ensure taxpayers and local fire departments receive fair value,”&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp;said Representative Cline&lt;/b&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This follows a bipartisan investigation led by Senators Warren and Banks into the harms of private equity roll-ups of fire truck manufacturers that they&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sens-warren-banks-open-bipartisan-investigation-into-harms-of-private-equity-in-fire-truck-manufacturing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="271e03d2-c4dd-423b-bd0d-0a1f016bd494" title="https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sens-warren-banks-open-bipartisan-investigation-into-harms-of-private-equity-in-fire-truck-manufacturing/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;launched&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;in April 2025.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Senator Warren also sounded the alarm on private equity’s consolidation of the fire truck manufacturing industry at a September 2025&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/icymi-at-hearing-warren-renews-push-on-private-equitys-threat-to-fire-fighters-and-public-safety/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="7b1535f4-00ef-4717-b30f-502495bc6f88" title="https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/icymi-at-hearing-warren-renews-push-on-private-equitys-threat-to-fire-fighters-and-public-safety/"&gt;&lt;u&gt;hearing&amp;nbsp;&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Disaster Management, District of Columbia, and Census.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and the American Economic Liberties Project (AELP) have endorsed the resolution.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;i&gt;###&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>http://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=780</link>
      <guid>http://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=780</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 21 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Reps. Balint, Velázquez Introduce Online Sellers Bill of Rights to Protect Small Businesses from Corporate Gatekeepers </title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WASHINGTON, D.C. —&lt;/b&gt; U.S. Representatives Becca Balint (VT-AL),&amp;nbsp;Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Ending Corporate Greed Task Force,&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;Nydia Velázquez&amp;nbsp;(NY-7),&amp;nbsp;Ranking Member of the House Committee on Small Business,&amp;nbsp;today&amp;nbsp;introduced the&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;Online Sellers Bill of Rights,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/i&gt;legislation to protect independent online&amp;nbsp;sellers from arbitrary and opaque actions by dominant online marketplaces,&amp;nbsp;like&amp;nbsp;Amazon and Walmart.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Millions of Americans rely on platforms like Amazon and Walmart to reach customers, but those same platforms can suspend sellers, freeze inventory, withhold earnings, or bury products in search results with little warning, explanation, or opportunity to appeal. The&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;Online Sellers Bill of Rights&amp;nbsp;&lt;/i&gt;establishes&amp;nbsp;basic due process and transparency requirements to help level the playing field between independent businesses and the dominant corporations that control online commerce.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;"No corporation should have the power to destroy someone's livelihood with the click of a button,"&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;said Rep. Balint.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;"Right now, a handful of massive online retailers can suspend sellers, freeze their inventory, and cut off their income with little explanation and virtually no accountability.&amp;nbsp;I'm proud to partner with Ranking Member Velázquez to introduce the&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;Online Sellers Bill of Rights&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;to&amp;nbsp;give&amp;nbsp;small businesses&amp;nbsp;in Vermont and across the country&amp;nbsp;the transparency, due process, and fair chance to compete&amp;nbsp;that they deserve."&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“For too long, small businesses have suffered as large e-commerce platforms block or limit their products with little to no explanation,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;said Rep. Velázquez.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;“Years of work to&amp;nbsp;establish&amp;nbsp;a small business should not be lost because of arbitrary algorithm changes or unfounded product investigations while online platforms like Amazon face no consequences.”&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“The&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;Online Sellers Bill of Rights&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;works to stop these injustices by demanding greater transparency and giving merchants a meaningful opportunity to address potential issues, rather than leaving them blindsided,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;Rep. Velázquez continued.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;“As Ranking Member of the Small Business Committee, I have consistently fought for small businesses across the nation to have a fair and equal footing. This piece of legislation is the latest step in that ongoing effort, ensuring that even the smallest vendors have a real chance of making their businesses succeed.”&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;About&amp;nbsp;255 million Americans shop on Amazon annually,&amp;nbsp;and roughly 40&amp;nbsp;percent&amp;nbsp;of all online transactions occur&amp;nbsp;through&amp;nbsp;its marketplace.&amp;nbsp;Meanwhile, more than 50&amp;nbsp;percent&amp;nbsp;of&amp;nbsp;the&amp;nbsp;e-commerce market is dominated by just four companies, giving dominant platforms enormous power over the small businesses that depend on them to reach customers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For many sellers operating on razor-thin margins,&amp;nbsp;an erroneous&amp;nbsp;suspension can be financially devastating. Businesses have been removed from online marketplaces after platforms like Amazon incorrectly determined they violated its constantly changing seller policies. Instead of receiving&amp;nbsp;timely&amp;nbsp;explanations or meaningful reviews, many sellers are met with automated,&amp;nbsp;generic&amp;nbsp;and vague responses while losing sales, paying storage fees on inaccessible inventory, and struggling to keep their businesses afloat. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To address these issues, the &lt;i&gt;Online Sellers Bill of Rights&amp;nbsp;&lt;/i&gt;would:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;Give sellers adequate notice of any policy changes that affect a seller’s business.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;Require that platforms&amp;nbsp;demonstrate&amp;nbsp;proof of a violation of a rule or law before suspending or deactivating a third-party seller.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;Provide prompt notice to sellers about inventory or funds due to suspicion of unlawful conduct and release that inventory or those funds after 30 days if no proof of illegal conduct is found.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;Require platforms return seller's inventory within a reasonable&amp;nbsp;timeframe&amp;nbsp;if there is no proof of violation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;Provide sellers with actionable information and transparency&amp;nbsp;regarding&amp;nbsp;any investigation that risks account deactivation or listing suspension.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;Online Sellers Bill of Rights&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;is cosponsored by Reps.&amp;nbsp;André Carson&amp;nbsp;(IN-7), Valerie Foushee&amp;nbsp;(NC-4),&amp;nbsp;Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-4), Pramila Jayapal&amp;nbsp;(WA-7), Hank Johnson&amp;nbsp;(GA-4), Summer Lee&amp;nbsp;(PA-12), and Lateefah Simon&amp;nbsp;(CA-12).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The &lt;i&gt;Online Sellers Bill of Rights&amp;nbsp;&lt;/i&gt;is endorsed by the&amp;nbsp;Responsible Online Commerce Coalition (ROCC), Open Markets Institute, Tech Oversight Project, Main Street Alliance, Public Citizen, American Economic Liberties Project (AELP), Strategic Organizing Center (SOC), Institute for Local Self Reliance (ILSR), and Small Business Majority.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Independent, third-party sellers are the backbone of a vibrant and competitive online marketplace,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;said Joe Van Wye, Policy Director for the Responsible Online Commerce Coalition.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;"However, just a handful of dominant platforms abuse their market power to set up and then manipulate a system of vague, unpredictable, and ever-changing rules in ways that undermine these hardworking businesses’ ability to survive and grow, stifling innovation and entrepreneurship in this critical sector. We commend Reps. Balint and Velázquez for their leadership on this issue, and hope this commonsense legislation is quickly enacted.”&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;"For too long, Amazon has acted as judge, jury, and executioner for the hundreds of thousands of independent businesses that rely on its marketplace to survive,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;Barry Lynn, Executive Director of the Open Markets Institute.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;“A single unexplained algorithm change or frozen payment can wipe out years of&amp;nbsp;hard work. The&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;Online Sellers Bill of Rights&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;establishes&amp;nbsp;a simple and fair proposition: if Amazon and other dominant online marketplaces have become essential infrastructure for commerce, they cannot&amp;nbsp;operate&amp;nbsp;by arbitrary decree. This legislation is about restoring the rule of law to online commerce and ensuring that America's entrepreneurs answer to customers—not unchecked gatekeepers."&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“For too long, dominant online marketplaces have abused and exploited the small, independent businesses that depend on them,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;said Morgan Harper, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the American Economic Liberties Project.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;“When a platform can suspend a seller, freeze their inventory, or cut off their income overnight without explanation or meaningful recourse,&amp;nbsp;that’s&amp;nbsp;not a free market; that’s unchecked gatekeeper power. This bill restores basic fairness and ensures independent businesses get a real chance to compete.”&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Consumers and independent sellers both understand that platforms must police counterfeit products and other kinds of misconduct,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;said John Bergmayer, Legal Director at Public Knowledge.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;“However, these platforms should not be able to deprive sellers of their livelihoods and access to their funds through unexplained, opaque decisions. By requiring greater transparency, a fair process, and meaningful opportunities to challenge platform decisions, the&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;Online Sellers’ Bill of Rights Act&amp;nbsp;&lt;/i&gt;promotes confidence in online commerce for buyers and sellers alike.”&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Right now, Amazon can destroy a small business overnight – no warning, no explanation, no straight answers,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;said Sacha Haworth, executive director of The Tech Oversight Project.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;“That's what monopoly power looks like. Sellers are locked in, and Amazon knows it – so it suspends businesses without proof, freezes their money, and even collects fees on inventory they&amp;nbsp;can't&amp;nbsp;touch. Rep. Balint’s&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;Online Sellers Bill of Rights&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;levels the playing field with common sense rules: prove violations, release funds, and give sellers straight answers about their own business. When small businesses can compete, our economy is stronger and consumers win.”&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;"Small businesses increasingly rely on large online platforms to sell their products, making small firms especially vulnerable when those platforms engage in harmful practices that disrupt small business sales,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;said Alexis D'Amato Falvey, Senior Director of Federal Government Affairs at Small Business Majority.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;“Legislation that would require large online platforms to be more transparent about their policies and ensure they are equipping sellers with timely information regarding changes to a platform's policies would go a long way toward minimizing disruption for small businesses that depend on certain online retailers for the bulk of their sales."&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;"The&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;Online Sellers Bill of Rights&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;is a critical step toward ensuring that small businesses can compete fairly in today's digital economy,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;Lauren Bealore, National Director of Policy &amp;amp; Programs at Main Street Alliance.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;“Too often, entrepreneurs who rely on online marketplaces face sudden freezes of their funds or inventory with little transparency or recourse, putting their livelihoods at risk. This legislation would provide much-needed protections and accountability, helping Main Street businesses grow, create jobs, and serve their communities with greater confidence."&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A one pager on the bill can be found&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://balint.house.gov/UploadedFiles/Online_Sellers_BOR_One_Pager_v2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="01f75fa2-3844-4575-9a17-c7068e90dacf" title="https://balint.house.gov/UploadedFiles/Online_Sellers_BOR_One_Pager_v2.pdf"&gt;&lt;u&gt;here&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. A section-by-section summary can be found&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://balint.house.gov/UploadedFiles/Online_Sellers_BOR_Section_by_Section.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="f608935a-b6b9-49f7-ab88-254e50118ac2" title="https://balint.house.gov/UploadedFiles/Online_Sellers_BOR_Section_by_Section.pdf"&gt;&lt;u&gt;here&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. The full bill text can be found&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://balint.house.gov/UploadedFiles/Online_Sellers_BOR_Full_Text.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="3669b782-b6d9-4a1b-879c-f62a7136621c" title="https://balint.house.gov/UploadedFiles/Online_Sellers_BOR_Full_Text.pdf"&gt;&lt;u&gt;here&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: center;"&gt;###&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>http://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=781</link>
      <guid>http://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=781</guid>
      <pubDate>Tue, 21 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>Rep. Balint Cosponsors Legislation to Break Up Meatpacking Monopolies, Drive Down Grocery Costs </title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;WASHINGTON, D.C. —&lt;/strong&gt; U.S. Representative Becca Balint (VT-AL), founding member of the Monopoly Busters&amp;nbsp;Caucus and member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, cosponsored legislation introduced by&amp;nbsp;Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Chris Deluzio (PA-17), and Pat Ryan (NY-18), co-chairs of the Monopoly Busters Caucus,&amp;nbsp;to break up dominant meatpacking monopolies, rein in foreign-controlled corporate giants, and end unfair pricing practices that raise costs for American families and box out local farmers and ranchers. The legislation, the&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;Family Grocery and Farmer Relief Act&lt;/i&gt;,&amp;nbsp;is bicameral, introduced in the Senate by Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;“Families are paying more at the grocery store while giant corporations rake in record profits and squeeze the farmers and ranchers who feed our country,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;said Rep. Balint.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;"A handful of meatpacking giants shouldn’t&amp;nbsp;be able to control our food supply and drive up costs for working people. We need to break up these monopolies, restore competition, and build a food system that works for our families and our independent farmers.”&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Massive corporations are driving up prices, making it unaffordable for working people to put food on the table,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;said Rep. Jayapal&lt;/b&gt;. “It is a failure of our government to have allowed these corporate interests to swallow up the market, raising costs and putting hundreds of thousands of family farms out of business in the process. This bill is a critical step to level the playing field — to give independent ranchers and farmers a fair shot while&amp;nbsp;ultimately lowering&amp;nbsp;grocery bills for American families.”&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Meatpacking monopolies are crushing hard-working small farmers, ranchers, and business owners—and are jacking up food prices for all of us,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;said Congressman Deluzio.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;“In the richest country in the history of the world that likes our meat, we&amp;nbsp;can’t&amp;nbsp;let it become a luxury good.&amp;nbsp;Let’s&amp;nbsp;pass this bill to break up these monopolies and bring some relief to everyone&amp;nbsp;they’re&amp;nbsp;squeezing at the grocery store right now.”&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Every time we walk into the grocery store, Hudson Valley families are getting squeezed by&amp;nbsp;high prices&amp;nbsp;because a few greedy corporations are raking in record-breaking profits.&amp;nbsp;That’s&amp;nbsp;unacceptable. Instead of taking on the monopolies driving up costs, like the four meatpacking companies that dominate the market, our fundamentally broken system rewards their greed while punishing our family-run grocers, farms, and restaurants,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;said Congressman Pat Ryan.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;“As the President’s wars and tariffs hurt our small businesses, we should be focused on lowering costs, strengthening our supply chains, and putting working families ahead of corporate special interests. This bill would break up the monopolies jacking up costs and give our local grocers and farms some extra support.&amp;nbsp;I'll&amp;nbsp;keep fighting to crack down on price gouging, take on greedy monopolies, and make sure every family can afford to put food on the table.”&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Trump keeps driving prices&amp;nbsp;higher and higher. The American people are rightfully fed up,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;said Leader Schumer.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;“Every visit to the grocery store has turned into relentless sticker shock for working families.&amp;nbsp;It’s&amp;nbsp;a consequence of Trump’s failed economic policies and the stranglehold the meatpacking monopoly holds over supply chains and grocery stores. Democrats in the Senate and House are united in bringing down costs for consumers, and&amp;nbsp;I’m&amp;nbsp;proud to champion the Family Grocery and Farmer Relief Act to tackle the skyrocketing food costs and deliver the relief working families demand and deserve.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Consolidation in the meatpacking industry is rampant. For instance, 85 percent of the U.S. beef market is controlled by just four companies: Cargill, JBS, Tyson, and the National Beef Packing Company. This corporate consolidation allows these giants to unfairly extract value and&amp;nbsp;take home&amp;nbsp;maximum profits at the expense of farmers and consumers. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;Family Grocery and Farmer Relief Act&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;imposes structural reforms to restore competition to the industry. Specifically, it: &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;Makes it unlawful for a major meatpacking conglomerate to control more than one major type of meat,&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;i.e.&lt;/i&gt;, pork, chicken, beef;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;Imposes hard caps on the concentration of beef markets at both the regional and national levels and authorizes the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to order divestiture from the market if those caps are exceeded;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;Prohibits foreign leverage over the domestic meat market, empowering FTC to protect competition and national security;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;Directs the FTC to enforce against discriminatory pricing practices in retail and wholesale meat markets that hit independent and neighborhood grocers the hardest;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;Authorizes the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide financial&amp;nbsp;assistance, loan guarantees, and technical&amp;nbsp;assistance&amp;nbsp;to farmers’ cooperatives and small business concerns to&amp;nbsp;acquire&amp;nbsp;meatpacking facilities divested under the Act; and&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;Creates enforceable penalties for corporations that&amp;nbsp;fail to&amp;nbsp;properly divest, enforceable under the FTC Act. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This legislation builds upon a&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbdd953k8mw" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="61c2139c-3bb1-48a3-a50f-87b768303b33" title="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbdd953k8mw"&gt;&lt;u&gt;field hearing&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;hosted by the Monopoly Busters Caucus earlier this year in which an independent rancher testified to the harmful effects of consolidation in the meatpacking industry.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;"North Dakota has some of the highest quality beef in the nation, and my fellow ranchers deserve a larger share of the profit for their hard work,"&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;said Travis Anderson, North Dakota cattle rancher and member of Dakota Resource Council and the National Family Farm Coalition.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;"Breaking up the dominant meat processing companies while addressing horizontal integration would make the overall industry&amp;nbsp;more fair and competitive, while also providing consumers with more affordable and abundant choices at the grocery store." &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“The Family Grocery and Farmer Relief Act takes on a root cause of the factory farm system that has devastated rural communities, workers, public health, and family farmers – the market power of a handful of giant&amp;nbsp;meatpackers,”&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp;said Patty Lovera, policy advisor for the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;“It’s time to break up the massive companies that have consolidated livestock production and rigged the market against independent producers.”&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;"Today, we will lose 63 farmers, and at the same time, Americans struggle to feed their families, and that's no accident,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;said Joe Maxwell, president of Farm Action Fund.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;“It's&amp;nbsp;the predictable result of decades of unchecked consolidation that has allowed a handful of corporations to control our food system. As a fourth-generation family farmer, I have&amp;nbsp;witnessed&amp;nbsp;this takeover firsthand. The Family Grocery and Farmer Relief Act begins restoring the freedom to farm, the freedom to compete, and the freedom for families to afford the food they need. We applaud Representatives Jayapal, Deluzio, Ryan, and the other sponsors for confronting concentrated corporate power and standing with America's farmers, workers, and consumers."&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“For decades, four meatpacking giants have used their monopoly power to drive up grocery bills and squeeze out the farmers and ranchers who feed America,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;said Morgan Harper, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the American Economic Liberties Project.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;“Rep. Jayapal’s bill takes direct aim at the root of the problem by breaking up the big four&amp;nbsp;meatpackers&amp;nbsp;and restoring real competition. Americans deserve food markets that reward&amp;nbsp;hard work, not corporate gatekeepers. Congress should seize this opportunity to stand with families, farmers, and independent businesses instead of monopoly power.” &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;Family Grocery and Farmer Relief Act&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;is also sponsored by Representatives Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Valerie Foushee (NC-04), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Jesus G. "Chuy" Garcia (IL-04), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Henry C. ("Hank") Johnson, Jr. (GA-04), Summer Lee (PA-12), Emily Randall (WA-06), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It is endorsed by American Economic Liberties Project (AELP), Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment (CFFE), Consumer Federation of America, Demand Progress, Farm Action Fund, Food &amp;amp; Water Watch, Groundwork Action, Montana Cattlemen's Association (MCA), National Family Farm Coalition (NFCC), Open Markets Institute (OMI), and Small Business Majority.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: center;"&gt;### &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>http://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=779</link>
      <guid>http://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=779</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 20 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>Balint, Nearly 200 House Democrats Demand Independent Investigations into Killings of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, Johan Sebastian Guerrero </title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WASHINGTON, D.C. — &lt;/b&gt;U.S. Representative Becca Balint (VT-AL)&amp;nbsp;joined&amp;nbsp;Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration, Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, and Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security,&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;nearly 200&amp;nbsp;colleagues&amp;nbsp;in calling for independent investigations into Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Johan Sebastian Guerrero’s deaths and demanding that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) halt removal proceedings against the witnesses.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Both of these incidents have created enormous fear and outrage in the&amp;nbsp;community, and&amp;nbsp;raise serious questions about the safety of community members, regardless of immigration status,” &lt;b&gt;wrote the Members.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;“Far too many people,&amp;nbsp;Americans&amp;nbsp;and noncitizens alike, are dead&amp;nbsp;as a result of&amp;nbsp;DHS’s reckless actions. There must be accountability and independent investigations.”&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On July 7th, ICE agents shot and killed Mr. Salgado Araujo, a father of three U.S. citizens who had&amp;nbsp;resided&amp;nbsp;in the country for 35 years. He was&amp;nbsp;reportedly not&amp;nbsp;ICE’s target in their operation, and despite ICE’s claims that Mr. Salgado Araujo “weaponized his vehicle,” no evidence to substantiate that claim has been presented, and it is disputed by witnesses in the vehicle. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On July 13th, ICE agents shot and killed Mr. Guerrero, a father who also was&amp;nbsp;reportedly not&amp;nbsp;the target of enforcement actions. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claims to have shot him in concern for “public safety” after he “attempted to flee.” The agency does not allege that at any point officers feared for their safety. Video of this killing shows ICE officers handcuffing Mr. Guerrero even after he had been shot in the head.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;DHS agents, including ICE agents, have shot at least 21 people just since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term. Six of these shootings have been fatal, resulting in the death of&amp;nbsp;U.S. citizens and individuals who posed no public safety threat. In two&amp;nbsp;previous&amp;nbsp;shootings, ICE has claimed that victims were also “weaponizing” their vehicles, claims that have turned out to be false statements as evidence&amp;nbsp;emerged.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In addition to the demands for an independent investigation and the commitment that witnesses to the killing of Mr. Salgado Araujo not be deported, the Members are asking for a detailed breakdown of all training materials and guidelines around vehicle stops.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The full text of the letter to DHS Secretary Mullin and ICE Acting Director Venturella can be read &lt;a href="https://jayapal.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Letter-to-DHS-and-ICE.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="4943c77d-bcb1-442b-a4c2-c9a120125639" title="https://jayapal.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Letter-to-DHS-and-ICE.pdf"&gt;&lt;u&gt;here&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The letter was also signed by Alma S. Adams (NC-12), Pete Aguilar (CA-33), Gabe Amo (RI-01), Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Wesley Bell (MO-01), Ami Bera (CA-06), Donald Beyer (VA-08), Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Brendan Boyle (PA-02), Shontel Brown (OH-11), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Janelle Bynum (OR-05), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), André Carson (IN-07), Troy Carter (LA-02), Greg Casar (TX-35), Sean Casten (IL-06), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Judy Chu (CA-28), Gilbert Cisneros (CA-31), Katherine Clark (MA-05), Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05), James E. Clyburn (SC-06), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Herbert Conaway (NJ-03), J. Luis Correa (CA-46), Jim Costa (CA-21), Joe Courtney (CT-02), Angie Craig (MN-02), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Jason Crow (CO-06), Sharice Davids (KS-03), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Diana DeGette (CO-01), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Chris Deluzio (PA-17), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Debbie Dingell (MI-06), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Sarah Elfreth (MD-03), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Cleo Fields (LA-06), Shomari Figures (AL-02), Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), Bill Foster (IL-11), Valerie Foushee (NC-04), Lois Frankel (FL-22), Laura Friedman (CA-30), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), John Garamendi (CA-08), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Maggie Goodlander (NH-02), Al Green (TX-09), Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Pablo Jose Hernández (PR-At Large), Jim Himes (CT-04), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), Steny Hoyer (MD-05), Val Hoyle (OR-04), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (GA-04), Julie Johnson (TX-32), Sydney&amp;nbsp;Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), William R. Keating (MA-09), Robin Kelly (IL-02), Timothy M. Kennedy (NY-26), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Greg Landsman (OH-01), Rick Larsen (WA-02), John Larson (CT-01), George Latimer (NY-16), Susie Lee (NV-03), Summer Lee (PA-12), Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-03), Mike Levin (CA-49), Sam Liccardo (CA-16), Ted Lieu (CA-36), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), John Mannion (NY-22), Doris Matsui (CA-07), Lucy McBath (GA-06), Sarah McBride (DE-At Large), April McClain Delaney (MD-06), Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Kristin McDonald Rivet (MI-08), Morgan McGarvey (KY-03), James P. McGovern (MA-02), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Gregory Meeks (NY-05), Analilia Mejia (NJ-11), Christian Menefee (TX-18), Robert Menendez (NJ-08), Grace Meng (NY-06), Dave Min (CA-47), Gwen S. Moore (WI-04), Joseph D. Morelle (NY-25), Kelly Morrison (MN-03), Jared Moskowitz (FL-23), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Richard Neal (MA-01), Joe Neguse (CO-02), Donald&amp;nbsp;Norcross (NJ-01), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Johnny Olszewski (MD-02), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Frank Pallone (NJ-06), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Chris Pappas (NH-01), Nancy Pelosi (CA-11), Scott Peters (CA-50), Brittany Pettersen (CO-07), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Nellie Pou (NJ-09), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Emily Randall (WA-06), Josh Riley (NY-19), Luz Rivas (CA-29), Deborah Ross (NC-02), Raul Ruiz (CA-25), Pat Ryan (NY-18), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Linda T. Sánchez (CA-38), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Hillary Scholten (MI-03), Kim Schrier (WA-08), Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Terri Sewell (AL-07), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Adam Smith (WA-09), Eric Sorensen (IL-17), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), Greg Stanton (AZ-04), Haley Stevens (MI-11), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), Thomas R. Suozzi (NY-03), Emilia Sykes (OH-13), Mark Takano (CA-39), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Mike Thompson (CA-04), Dina Titus (NV-01), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Paul D. Tonko (NY-20), Norma Torres (CA-35), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Derek Tran (CA-45), Lauren Underwood (IL-14), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Gabe Vasquez (NM-02), Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07), Eugene Vindman (VA-07), James Walkinshaw (VA-11), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Maxine Waters (CA-43), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), George Whitesides (CA-27), Nikema Williams (GA-05), and Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: center;"&gt;###&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>http://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=776</link>
      <guid>http://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=776</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>Balint, Warren Lead Lawmakers in Calling for Antitrust Regulators to Closely Scrutinize Fox Takeover of Roku, Ensure Review is Free from Political Favoritism</title>
      <description>&lt;p style="text-align: left;"&gt;&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/b68bee55b5dc9c597765889bb1c98e7c/crc_replacement/realurl=https:/*www.warren.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Final-Letter-to-DOJ-re-Roku-Fox-Merger.pdf__;Lw!!BSgrhSFG!FNnlqgF7pgF7WRQN1Rb5fAatKOY5qd1oMeoE5GKdKTIrUR73Qr5f-FI4FJKOEjmxwFuzd4rWPOR6_3nSZAEeEelospjJ07wo$" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="04322b99-4a24-41bf-8aa2-ee30999e27b2" title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/b68bee55b5dc9c597765889bb1c98e7c/crc_replacement/realurl=https:/*www.warren.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Final-Letter-to-DOJ-re-Roku-Fox-Merger.pdf__;Lw!!BSgrhSFG!FNnlqgF7pgF7WRQN1Rb5fAatKOY5qd1oMeoE5GKdKTIrUR73Qr5f-FI4FJKOEjmxwFuzd4rWPOR6_3nSZAEeEelospjJ07wo$"&gt;Text of Letter (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
WASHINGTON, D.C. —&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;U.S. Representative Becca Balint (VT-AL), a member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust, and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, wrote to Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, who oversees the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, urging the agency to “closely scrutinize” Fox Corporation’s (Fox)&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/b68bee55b5dc9c597765889bb1c98e7c/crc_replacement/realurl=https:/*www.foxcorporation.com/news/corp-press-releases/2026/fox-corporation-to-acquire-roku-inc/__;Lw!!BSgrhSFG!FNnlqgF7pgF7WRQN1Rb5fAatKOY5qd1oMeoE5GKdKTIrUR73Qr5f-FI4FJKOEjmxwFuzd4rWPOR6_3nSZAEeEelosmCNuF-E$" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="24e684b5-84b1-4dd0-96ed-9215741a571d" title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/b68bee55b5dc9c597765889bb1c98e7c/crc_replacement/realurl=https:/*www.foxcorporation.com/news/corp-press-releases/2026/fox-corporation-to-acquire-roku-inc/__;Lw!!BSgrhSFG!FNnlqgF7pgF7WRQN1Rb5fAatKOY5qd1oMeoE5GKdKTIrUR73Qr5f-FI4FJKOEjmxwFuzd4rWPOR6_3nSZAEeEelosmCNuF-E$"&gt;&lt;u&gt;proposed $22 billion takeover of Roku, Inc.&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(Roku) and commit to reviewing the merger “free from political interference and in an impartial fashion.” &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“We are concerned that, given the Department of Justice’s recent rubber-stamping of deals that may violate antitrust&amp;nbsp;law –&amp;nbsp;and in particular, your apparent role interfering in nonpartisan antitrust enforcement — the (DOJ) may not give this transaction the close review it deserves,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;wrote the lawmakers&lt;/b&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Representatives Jerold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust; Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.); Chuy Garcia (D-Ill.); Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.); Summer Lee (D-Pa.); and Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) also joined in signing the letter. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In recent months, senior DOJ leadership, including Associate Attorney General Woodward, and politically connected lobbyists&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/b68bee55b5dc9c597765889bb1c98e7c/crc_replacement/realurl=https:/*www.wsj.com/politics/policy/bondi-aides-corrupted-antitrust-enforcement-ousted-doj-official-says-466ed838__;Lw!!BSgrhSFG!FNnlqgF7pgF7WRQN1Rb5fAatKOY5qd1oMeoE5GKdKTIrUR73Qr5f-FI4FJKOEjmxwFuzd4rWPOR6_3nSZAEeEelosoLcrwRy$" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="4bdd2e91-2649-48b2-9ae8-04dc2c61beaf" title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/b68bee55b5dc9c597765889bb1c98e7c/crc_replacement/realurl=https:/*www.wsj.com/politics/policy/bondi-aides-corrupted-antitrust-enforcement-ousted-doj-official-says-466ed838__;Lw!!BSgrhSFG!FNnlqgF7pgF7WRQN1Rb5fAatKOY5qd1oMeoE5GKdKTIrUR73Qr5f-FI4FJKOEjmxwFuzd4rWPOR6_3nSZAEeEelosoLcrwRy$"&gt;&lt;u&gt;reportedly&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;intervening in antitrust enforcement actions such as the Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)-Juniper Networks merger settlement, which led to the firing of&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/b68bee55b5dc9c597765889bb1c98e7c/crc_replacement/realurl=https:/*www.wsj.com/politics/policy/bondi-aides-corrupted-antitrust-enforcement-ousted-doj-official-says-466ed838__;Lw!!BSgrhSFG!FNnlqgF7pgF7WRQN1Rb5fAatKOY5qd1oMeoE5GKdKTIrUR73Qr5f-FI4FJKOEjmxwFuzd4rWPOR6_3nSZAEeEelosoLcrwRy$" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="9577d56c-5c85-410b-9b70-dd2ffbc76bef" title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/b68bee55b5dc9c597765889bb1c98e7c/crc_replacement/realurl=https:/*www.wsj.com/politics/policy/bondi-aides-corrupted-antitrust-enforcement-ousted-doj-official-says-466ed838__;Lw!!BSgrhSFG!FNnlqgF7pgF7WRQN1Rb5fAatKOY5qd1oMeoE5GKdKTIrUR73Qr5f-FI4FJKOEjmxwFuzd4rWPOR6_3nSZAEeEelosoLcrwRy$"&gt;&lt;u&gt;then-Antitrust Division senior official&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;Roger Alford and another deputy after they objected to the interference. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If approved, the Fox-Roku merger would combine the country’s two largest free, ad-supported streaming television services. The result would be greater control by Fox-Roku over how viewers watch TV, the device they&amp;nbsp;use&amp;nbsp;to watch, and what programs they watch, meaning fewer choices for viewers and&amp;nbsp;likely highercosts. The entertainment and streaming industries have seen rapid consolidation in the previous year, including with the Disney-Fubo&amp;nbsp;and Paramount-Skydance deals.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Eliminating a significant competitor would reduce consumer choice for free streaming services and could give the combined entity market power to start charging for a previously free service,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;warned the lawmakers&lt;/b&gt;. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, who currently leads the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, has&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/b68bee55b5dc9c597765889bb1c98e7c/crc_replacement/realurl=https:/*www.wsj.com/politics/policy/top-doj-official-tells-staff-he-wants-to-avoid-antitrust-trials-bc5a23ce__;Lw!!BSgrhSFG!FNnlqgF7pgF7WRQN1Rb5fAatKOY5qd1oMeoE5GKdKTIrUR73Qr5f-FI4FJKOEjmxwFuzd4rWPOR6_3nSZAEeEelosoYKr_go$" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="71c246aa-574c-412f-832b-91e8015a6231" title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/b68bee55b5dc9c597765889bb1c98e7c/crc_replacement/realurl=https:/*www.wsj.com/politics/policy/top-doj-official-tells-staff-he-wants-to-avoid-antitrust-trials-bc5a23ce__;Lw!!BSgrhSFG!FNnlqgF7pgF7WRQN1Rb5fAatKOY5qd1oMeoE5GKdKTIrUR73Qr5f-FI4FJKOEjmxwFuzd4rWPOR6_3nSZAEeEelosoYKr_go$"&gt;&lt;u&gt;reportedly&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;directed Antitrust Division attorneys to settle antitrust law enforcement cases instead of taking them to trial. Additionally, just three days after his recent designation, Antitrust Division attorneys were&amp;nbsp;reportedly told&amp;nbsp;that the review of the potential Paramount-Warner Bros. merger would be closed. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“We are concerned that settlements invite opportunities for more backroom deals like the ones we have seen during this&amp;nbsp;administration, and&amp;nbsp;will weaken enforcers’ ability to go after antitrust violations in order to lower prices for American families,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;wrote the lawmakers&lt;/b&gt;.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Antitrust law prohibits mergers whose effect “may be substantially to lessen competition, or to tend to create a monopoly,” and the DOJ and Federal Trade Commission’s Merger Guidelines require agencies to “examine whether a trend toward consolidation in an industry would heighten … competition concerns” when investigating whether a merger violates the antitrust laws.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“In order to uphold the Antitrust Division’s responsibility to protect competition and consumers, we urge DOJ to closely scrutinize the proposed Fox-Roku deal under antitrust law and seek your commitment that the review will be conducted free from political interference and in an impartial fashion,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;the lawmakers concluded&lt;/b&gt;. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Senator Warren has led the way in fighting back against the Trump administration’s&amp;nbsp;apparent&amp;nbsp;use of federal agencies for political favoritism: &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;In July 2026, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/b68bee55b5dc9c597765889bb1c98e7c/crc_replacement/realurl=https:/*www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-statement-on-state-attorneys-general-lawsuit-to-block-paramount-warner-bros-megamerger/__;Lw!!BSgrhSFG!FNnlqgF7pgF7WRQN1Rb5fAatKOY5qd1oMeoE5GKdKTIrUR73Qr5f-FI4FJKOEjmxwFuzd4rWPOR6_3nSZAEeEelosszk0HEm$" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="a7001ada-1190-4fcd-8922-a7502e112b94" title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/b68bee55b5dc9c597765889bb1c98e7c/crc_replacement/realurl=https:/*www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-statement-on-state-attorneys-general-lawsuit-to-block-paramount-warner-bros-megamerger/__;Lw!!BSgrhSFG!FNnlqgF7pgF7WRQN1Rb5fAatKOY5qd1oMeoE5GKdKTIrUR73Qr5f-FI4FJKOEjmxwFuzd4rWPOR6_3nSZAEeEelosszk0HEm$"&gt;&lt;u&gt;celebrated the news&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;that a coalition of 12 attorneys general filed a lawsuit challenging the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. merger, saying the “megamerger would mean higher costs and fewer choices for Americans.” &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;In April 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) joined Senator Booker (D-NJ) in introducing the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/b68bee55b5dc9c597765889bb1c98e7c/crc_replacement/realurl=https:/*www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-booker-senate-democrats-introduce-bill-to-undo-trumps-corrupt-merger-approvals-restore-fairness-to-federal-antitrust-enforcement/__;Lw!!BSgrhSFG!FNnlqgF7pgF7WRQN1Rb5fAatKOY5qd1oMeoE5GKdKTIrUR73Qr5f-FI4FJKOEjmxwFuzd4rWPOR6_3nSZAEeEelosgcYBgGf$" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="ce541f6c-84f0-4467-b5fc-df211cb84c64" title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/b68bee55b5dc9c597765889bb1c98e7c/crc_replacement/realurl=https:/*www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-booker-senate-democrats-introduce-bill-to-undo-trumps-corrupt-merger-approvals-restore-fairness-to-federal-antitrust-enforcement/__;Lw!!BSgrhSFG!FNnlqgF7pgF7WRQN1Rb5fAatKOY5qd1oMeoE5GKdKTIrUR73Qr5f-FI4FJKOEjmxwFuzd4rWPOR6_3nSZAEeEelosgcYBgGf$"&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;u&gt;Correcting Lapsed Enforcement in Antitrust Norms for Mergers Act&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;(CLEAN Mergers Act) to restore integrity and independence to federal antitrust enforcement.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;In April 2026, Senators Warren (D-Mass.) and Klobuchar (D-Minn.) led Senator Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Representatives Jayapal (D-Wash.), Deluzio (D-Pa.), Balint (D-Vt.), Craig (D-Minn.), Nadler (D-N.Y.), and Raskin (D-Md.) in requesting that the Department of Justice (DOJ) Acting Inspector General (IG) William M. Blier&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/b68bee55b5dc9c597765889bb1c98e7c/crc_replacement/realurl=https:/*www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-klobuchar-lawmakers-press-for-new-independent-watchdog-investigation-into-trump-doj-cesspool-of-corruption-surrounding-merger-review/__;Lw!!BSgrhSFG!FNnlqgF7pgF7WRQN1Rb5fAatKOY5qd1oMeoE5GKdKTIrUR73Qr5f-FI4FJKOEjmxwFuzd4rWPOR6_3nSZAEeEelosrde6LQZ$" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="04abd155-6334-480b-8425-7a8ea41a2198" title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/b68bee55b5dc9c597765889bb1c98e7c/crc_replacement/realurl=https:/*www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-klobuchar-lawmakers-press-for-new-independent-watchdog-investigation-into-trump-doj-cesspool-of-corruption-surrounding-merger-review/__;Lw!!BSgrhSFG!FNnlqgF7pgF7WRQN1Rb5fAatKOY5qd1oMeoE5GKdKTIrUR73Qr5f-FI4FJKOEjmxwFuzd4rWPOR6_3nSZAEeEelosrde6LQZ$"&gt;&lt;u&gt;open a new, independent investigation&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;into potential corruption involving the DOJ’s antitrust-related activity.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;In February 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Balint (D-Vt.) led colleagues in&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/b68bee55b5dc9c597765889bb1c98e7c/crc_replacement/realurl=https:/*www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/following-doj-antitrust-shakeup-warren-balint-lawmakers-raise-questions-about-corruption-surrounding-doj-approval-of-massive-housing-merger/__;Lw!!BSgrhSFG!FNnlqgF7pgF7WRQN1Rb5fAatKOY5qd1oMeoE5GKdKTIrUR73Qr5f-FI4FJKOEjmxwFuzd4rWPOR6_3nSZAEeEelosv55N77E$" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="e885e6ed-49d0-46f5-b14c-45ddf621bb6a" title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/b68bee55b5dc9c597765889bb1c98e7c/crc_replacement/realurl=https:/*www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/following-doj-antitrust-shakeup-warren-balint-lawmakers-raise-questions-about-corruption-surrounding-doj-approval-of-massive-housing-merger/__;Lw!!BSgrhSFG!FNnlqgF7pgF7WRQN1Rb5fAatKOY5qd1oMeoE5GKdKTIrUR73Qr5f-FI4FJKOEjmxwFuzd4rWPOR6_3nSZAEeEelosv55N77E$"&gt;&lt;u&gt;pressing Attorney General Pam Bondi&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;on whether there was corruption and political favoritism at the Department of Justice (DOJ) involving the agency’s questionable review of the massive merger between real estate giants Compass and Anywhere Real Estate. The lawmakers’ push followed the ouster of top DOJ antitrust official Gail Slater.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;In December 2025, Senators Warren (D-Mass.) and Blumenthal (D-Conn.)&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/b68bee55b5dc9c597765889bb1c98e7c/crc_replacement/realurl=https:/*www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-blumenthal-demand-bondi-recuse-from-warner-bros-deal-review-amid-apparent-conflicts-of-interest-trump-doj-cloud-of-corruption/__;Lw!!BSgrhSFG!FNnlqgF7pgF7WRQN1Rb5fAatKOY5qd1oMeoE5GKdKTIrUR73Qr5f-FI4FJKOEjmxwFuzd4rWPOR6_3nSZAEeEelosgFk60Fj$" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="664ed57f-f46b-4c72-8d17-355bf6fe6cf8" title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/b68bee55b5dc9c597765889bb1c98e7c/crc_replacement/realurl=https:/*www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-blumenthal-demand-bondi-recuse-from-warner-bros-deal-review-amid-apparent-conflicts-of-interest-trump-doj-cloud-of-corruption/__;Lw!!BSgrhSFG!FNnlqgF7pgF7WRQN1Rb5fAatKOY5qd1oMeoE5GKdKTIrUR73Qr5f-FI4FJKOEjmxwFuzd4rWPOR6_3nSZAEeEelosgFk60Fj$"&gt;&lt;u&gt;called for Attorney General Pam Bondi to recuse herself&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;from the Department of Justice (DOJ)’s review of any Warner Bros. merger due to potential conflicts of interest related to her former employer, lobbying firm Ballard Partners. A DOJ spokesperson had&amp;nbsp;indicated&amp;nbsp;that Bondi would lead the Trump administration’s review of the merger, alongside DOJ Antitrust head Gail Slater.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;In September 2025, Senators Warren (D-Mass.), Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Booker (D-N.J.), and Blumenthal (D-Conn.)&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/b68bee55b5dc9c597765889bb1c98e7c/crc_replacement/realurl=https:/*www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/ahead-of-senate-vote-warren-klobuchar-booker-blumenthal-press-trump-nominee-on-concerns-about-corporate-influence-over-doj-antitrust-enforcement/__;Lw!!BSgrhSFG!FNnlqgF7pgF7WRQN1Rb5fAatKOY5qd1oMeoE5GKdKTIrUR73Qr5f-FI4FJKOEjmxwFuzd4rWPOR6_3nSZAEeEelosoU96RJb$" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="d819db54-3916-454b-88a4-48a32dea3ad6" title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/b68bee55b5dc9c597765889bb1c98e7c/crc_replacement/realurl=https:/*www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/ahead-of-senate-vote-warren-klobuchar-booker-blumenthal-press-trump-nominee-on-concerns-about-corporate-influence-over-doj-antitrust-enforcement/__;Lw!!BSgrhSFG!FNnlqgF7pgF7WRQN1Rb5fAatKOY5qd1oMeoE5GKdKTIrUR73Qr5f-FI4FJKOEjmxwFuzd4rWPOR6_3nSZAEeEelosoU96RJb$"&gt;&lt;u&gt;sounded the alarm&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;on Stanley Woodward’s nomination for Associate Attorney General at the Department of Justice (DOJ), ahead of his Senate confirmation vote expected as early as next week as part of a batch of 100 nominees. Since April 2025, Woodward had served as Counselor to Attorney General Pam Bondi.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;In June 2025, Senators Warren (D-Mass.), Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Booker (D-N.J.), and Blumenthal (D-Conn.) wrote to Judge P. Casey Pitts of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California,&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/b68bee55b5dc9c597765889bb1c98e7c/crc_replacement/realurl=https:/*www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-klobuchar-booker-blumenthal-highlight-district-courts-responsibility-to-question-whether-doj-approved-hpe-mega-deal-on-merits-or-as-a-political-favor/__;Lw!!BSgrhSFG!FNnlqgF7pgF7WRQN1Rb5fAatKOY5qd1oMeoE5GKdKTIrUR73Qr5f-FI4FJKOEjmxwFuzd4rWPOR6_3nSZAEeEelosomVtZru$" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="655c3afc-61bf-4c6c-a660-29ee6f1ed4cc" title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ct.symplicity.com/t/wrn/b68bee55b5dc9c597765889bb1c98e7c/crc_replacement/realurl=https:/*www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-klobuchar-booker-blumenthal-highlight-district-courts-responsibility-to-question-whether-doj-approved-hpe-mega-deal-on-merits-or-as-a-political-favor/__;Lw!!BSgrhSFG!FNnlqgF7pgF7WRQN1Rb5fAatKOY5qd1oMeoE5GKdKTIrUR73Qr5f-FI4FJKOEjmxwFuzd4rWPOR6_3nSZAEeEelosomVtZru$"&gt;&lt;u&gt;urging the court&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;to use its power under the&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;Tunney Act&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;to determine whether the Department of Justice (DOJ) approved Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co.’s (HPE) $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks (Juniper) based on political favors.&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: center;"&gt;###&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>http://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=777</link>
      <guid>http://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=777</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Rep. Balint Introduces Amendment to Republican Budget Resolution to Stop Funding for Unauthorized War in Iran </title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;WASHINGTON, D.C.&lt;b&gt;&amp;nbsp;—&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;Today, U.S. Representative Becca Balint (VT-AL) introduced an amendment during the House Budget Committee's markup of the Republican budget resolution to strike $73 billion in funding for President Trump's unauthorized war in Iran.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Balint's amendment would&amp;nbsp;have&amp;nbsp;prohibited&amp;nbsp;funding for military action that has not been explicitly authorized by Congress, reaffirming Congress's constitutional authority to declare war and rejecting what she called another Republican "blank check" for President Trump's military escalation.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;"A colleague on the other side earlier in this hearing said this was all a game...It's not a game at all.&amp;nbsp;It's&amp;nbsp;deadly serious," said Rep. Balint during the committee markup. "Americans are disgusted when we think of the work that we do here as a game.&amp;nbsp;And&amp;nbsp;it's&amp;nbsp;truly astounding that&amp;nbsp;we're&amp;nbsp;here, again, considering a highly partisan budget resolution for a third Republican reconciliation bill that increases costs and does nothing to help the people back home. So,&amp;nbsp;let's&amp;nbsp;level set. What are we doing here? Why are we here today? This is about waging war, a war that we were told for the last five months isn't really a war."&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Balint criticized Republicans for rushing the budget resolution through committee with&amp;nbsp;little transparency while proposing tens of billions of dollars in&amp;nbsp;additional&amp;nbsp;military spending without&amp;nbsp;identifying&amp;nbsp;how it would be paid for.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;"My [Republican] colleagues constantly howl that the deficit is one of the nation's greatest challenges, yet this resolution contains no substantive ideas for how to pay for this massive increase in spending,” Balint said.&amp;nbsp;“Meanwhile, we hear constantly that we can't possibly afford healthcare or food for Americans...and yet, when it comes to approving tens of billions of dollars in additional Pentagon spending, they’re&amp;nbsp;a&amp;nbsp;rubber stamp...there's always time for more war."&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Balint noted that Congress had already passed a bipartisan War Powers Resolution directing the President to end U.S. military involvement in Iran absent explicit congressional authorization.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;"Republicans are in charge of Congress, and they have repeatedly written a blank check for however much Donald Trump wants to pay for any of his pet projects and priorities. They have given up the people's power spelled out in Article I of the Constitution,” she remarked. “Our power as members of Congress is the people's power.&amp;nbsp;That's&amp;nbsp;why&amp;nbsp;I'm&amp;nbsp;introducing an amendment that would prohibit any spending on unauthorized wars, striking the $73 billion in spending [dedicated for the Department of Defense.]"&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Later, Balint pushed back against Republican claims that opposing the funding package would weaken national security.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;"With all due respect,&amp;nbsp;Mr. Chair,&amp;nbsp;I am sick and tired of hearing from my colleagues on the other side that Democrats want to put national security at risk. Tired of it. When&amp;nbsp;I've&amp;nbsp;got family members of people who are in harm's way right now in the Middle East, who are put in harm's way in Venezuela, who&amp;nbsp;don't&amp;nbsp;have confidence that we are making smart decisions about how we spend our military money. So please, spare me,” said Balint. “The bottom line is that this budget resolution is a poorly planned, poorly drafted backdoor deal to pay for&amp;nbsp;President Trump's decision to start a war with Iran.&amp;nbsp;It's&amp;nbsp;irresponsible. He&amp;nbsp;didn't&amp;nbsp;know how he was going to get out of it. And we see it played out every single day on the news. We deserve so much better than that.”&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Balint urged her colleagues to&amp;nbsp;support her amendment and&amp;nbsp;reject the Republican budget resolution, arguing it prioritizes funding an unauthorized war over lowering costs and investing in the needs of American families.&amp;nbsp;Ultimately, the&amp;nbsp;amendment failed on a party-line vote, with every Republican on the committee voting against it.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: center;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;###&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>http://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=775</link>
      <guid>http://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=775</guid>
      <pubDate>Thu, 16 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>25 Members of Congress Release Joint Statement on Massie Amendment to Republican Foreign Aid Budget Bill </title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WASHINGTON—&lt;/b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Today,&amp;nbsp;25&amp;nbsp;Members of Congress, including Representative Becca Balint (VT-AL) and led by&amp;nbsp;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Congressman Jim McGovern,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee, released the following statement in advance of voting yes on Amendment #8, which would halt certain U.S. funding to Israel, to the National Security, Department of State and Related Programs Appropriations Act:&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“As Members of Congress, it is our duty to ensure that our constituents’ hard-earned money is used in a way that advances America’s interests and values. For this reason, we do not support providing an additional $3.3 billion of American taxpayer dollars to be used for Israeli military operations in Gaza and Lebanon—operations which have killed tens of thousands of civilians, led to the indiscriminate destruction of civilian infrastructure, and caused severe and ongoing humanitarian catastrophes. These are just the latest in a long string of human rights violations inflicted on Palestinian civilians. For&amp;nbsp;nearly six&amp;nbsp;decades, Israeli security forces and military authorities have enforced the occupation of the Palestinian territories, including through restrictions on freedom of movement, arbitrary detention, torture, and extrajudicial killings.&amp;nbsp;It is clear that existing&amp;nbsp;human rights conditions on the use of American security&amp;nbsp;assistance&amp;nbsp;have not been meaningfully enforced. Enough is enough.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Palestinians and Israelis alike deserve peace, freedom, security, stability, and self-determination. Those aims will only be achieved when their inherent dignity and inalienable rights are at the center of U.S. policy in the region. Diplomacy is the answer, and&amp;nbsp;as long as&amp;nbsp;America provides constant funding for more war, peace will always remain out of reach.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Our vote should not be interpreted as opposition to initiatives such as the Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act programs or others that foster people-to-people engagement, strengthen civil society, and advance the long-term prospects for a just and lasting peace. We&amp;nbsp;remain&amp;nbsp;committed to supporting these and similar programs while ensuring that U.S. taxpayer dollars advance peace, security, and American interests and&amp;nbsp;values.” &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;The statement was released by Representatives: Becca Balint (D-VT), Don Beyer (D-VA), Greg Casar (D-TX), Judy Chu (D-CA), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Maxine Dexter (D-OR), John Garamendi (D-CA), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (D-IL), Adelita S. Grijalva (D-AZ), Val Hoyle (D-OR), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA), Jim McGovern (D-MA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Delia C. Ramirez (D-IL), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Lateefah Simon (D-CA), Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), and Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY).&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: center;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;###&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>http://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=774</link>
      <guid>http://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=774</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 15 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>Balint, Welch, Sanders Lead Reintroduction of Bill to Help Protect Vermont Farmland from Flooding</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WASHINGTON, D.C.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;–&amp;nbsp;U.S.&amp;nbsp;Representative Becca Balint (D-VT-AL),&amp;nbsp;U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.),&amp;nbsp;Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy,&amp;nbsp;and Credit,&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;U.S.&amp;nbsp;Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.),&amp;nbsp;reintroduced the&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;Building Up Farmland Frontiers for Ecological Resilience (BUFFER) Act.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/i&gt;This bicameral&amp;nbsp;legislation would ensure all states can access&amp;nbsp;the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA)&amp;nbsp;Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) funding to implement buffer zones, agricultural tools used by farmers to protect farmland from flooding, erosion, and water pollution. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“As climate change brings more frequent and severe extreme weather events, it’s critical that farmers in Vermont and across the country have the tools they need to protect their land and livelihoods,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;said Rep&lt;/b&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;Balint&lt;/b&gt;.&amp;nbsp;“Ahead of the anniversary of the catastrophic 2023 and 2024 floods, I’m&amp;nbsp;proud to be reintroducing the&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;BUFFER Act&amp;nbsp;&lt;/i&gt;alongside our Senators. Our delegation stands united in support of Vermonters as folks continue to rebuild.” &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Our&amp;nbsp;farmers&amp;nbsp;deserve access to the&amp;nbsp;tools and resources they need to fight climate change and&amp;nbsp;make farmland more flood resilient. An essential part of that has to&amp;nbsp;be&amp;nbsp;cutting through&amp;nbsp;red tape that&amp;nbsp;forces Vermont&amp;nbsp;farmers&amp;nbsp;to jump through more hoops&amp;nbsp;to&amp;nbsp;receive compensation for their work&amp;nbsp;than farmers in other states,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;said Senator Welch&lt;/b&gt;. “I’m proud to partner with&amp;nbsp;Senator Sanders and Rep. Balint on this legislation to&amp;nbsp;help&amp;nbsp;Vermont farmers better mitigate flooding risk&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;protect our state’s farmland&amp;nbsp;from natural disasters.” &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Vermont farmers are still recovering from multiple years of flooding. They want to ensure their fields are better protected from future storms, especially in the face of climate change. This important legislation will cut through bureaucracy and ensure our farmers are compensated for their work to improve our state’s water quality and protect their land from the kind of damage we saw over the past few years,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;said Senator Sanders&lt;/b&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The delegation first&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.welch.senate.gov/senators-welch-sanders-and-representative-balint-introduce-building-up-farmland-frontiers-for-ecological-resilience-buffer-act-to-help-protect-vermont-farmland-from-flooding-and-erosion/__;!!BSgrhSFG!DE3YAvV0o2gzTS6hE4ag5U5z2pUz7ior2XtdzkZhoWXUCHDbaW1zcECqGX0P6lYpCekFu9QSsON02qlT3fuyczed8HnA-ulAOfHtCgYEFPfh4g$" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="d460edaa-326b-4e04-923a-0deb79d583b9" title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.welch.senate.gov/senators-welch-sanders-and-representative-balint-introduce-building-up-farmland-frontiers-for-ecological-resilience-buffer-act-to-help-protect-vermont-farmland-from-flooding-and-erosion/__;!!BSgrhSFG!DE3YAvV0o2gzTS6hE4ag5U5z2pUz7ior2XtdzkZhoWXUCHDbaW1zcECqGX0P6lYpCekFu9QSsON02qlT3fuyczed8HnA-ulAOfHtCgYEFPfh4g$"&gt;&lt;u&gt;introduced&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;the legislation in direct response to Vermont’s catastrophic July 2023 floods. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Buffer zones are agricultural tools used by farmers to protect farmland from flooding, erosion, and water pollution, and provide a habitat for pollinators. Like many states, Vermont requires farmers to implement buffer systems. As such, farmers in Vermont have sought&amp;nbsp;to use the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Conservation Reserve Program (CREP) to implement buffers in their fields.&amp;nbsp;However, because the State of Vermont has a buffer mandate, USDA’s&amp;nbsp;Farm Service Agency (FSA)&amp;nbsp;has required Vermont to follow an arduous process&amp;nbsp;to access CREP buffer funding.&amp;nbsp;These bureaucratic barriers have hampered Vermonters’ ability to use this vital conservation tool and receive compensation for their preventative work. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The bicameral&lt;i&gt;&amp;nbsp;BUFFER Act&amp;nbsp;&lt;/i&gt;aims to ensure that Vermont farmers are compensated for their efforts to improve water quality and protect their fields from flooding.&amp;nbsp;The&amp;nbsp;bill&amp;nbsp;would ensure that all states can access USDA’s Conservation CREP funding to implement buffer zones, even if state law already requires farmers to maintain&amp;nbsp;buffer zones. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.welch.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260709-Building-Up-Farmland-Frontiers-for-Ecological-Resilience-BUFFER-Act-of-2026-One-Pager.pdf__;!!BSgrhSFG!DE3YAvV0o2gzTS6hE4ag5U5z2pUz7ior2XtdzkZhoWXUCHDbaW1zcECqGX0P6lYpCekFu9QSsON02qlT3fuyczed8HnA-ulAOfHtCgYEeE4zuQ$" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="81d17f64-6607-43d8-be39-9449af306ccb" title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.welch.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260709-Building-Up-Farmland-Frontiers-for-Ecological-Resilience-BUFFER-Act-of-2026-One-Pager.pdf__;!!BSgrhSFG!DE3YAvV0o2gzTS6hE4ag5U5z2pUz7ior2XtdzkZhoWXUCHDbaW1zcECqGX0P6lYpCekFu9QSsON02qlT3fuyczed8HnA-ulAOfHtCgYEeE4zuQ$"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Learn more&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;about the&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;BUFFER Act&lt;/i&gt;. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.welch.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/BUFFER-Act-119th-Congress.pdf__;!!BSgrhSFG!DE3YAvV0o2gzTS6hE4ag5U5z2pUz7ior2XtdzkZhoWXUCHDbaW1zcECqGX0P6lYpCekFu9QSsON02qlT3fuyczed8HnA-ulAOfHtCgYJ8-UgTA$" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="03468152-ba86-4578-b019-05a7a225895f" title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.welch.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/BUFFER-Act-119th-Congress.pdf__;!!BSgrhSFG!DE3YAvV0o2gzTS6hE4ag5U5z2pUz7ior2XtdzkZhoWXUCHDbaW1zcECqGX0P6lYpCekFu9QSsON02qlT3fuyczed8HnA-ulAOfHtCgYJ8-UgTA$"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Read and download&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;the full text of the legislation. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: center;"&gt;###&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;</description>
      <link>http://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=770</link>
      <guid>http://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=770</guid>
      <pubDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Rep. Balint Reintroduces Sweeping Legislation to Take on the Affordable Housing Crisis Nationwide</title>
      <description>&lt;p style="text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;i&gt;Photos from the announcement event in Burlington can be found&amp;nbsp;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/1o66tnbdw99jd1ziz3nzv/AFlxzZSUgQ1OJal1gRleOr8?rlkey=lj6rjuypr6kfhi4pl94ymd1qk&amp;amp;st=ykl2x22t&amp;amp;dl=0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="e817e741-c7ab-4a7c-bf3c-460d86a14af9" title="https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/1o66tnbdw99jd1ziz3nzv/AFlxzZSUgQ1OJal1gRleOr8?rlkey=lj6rjuypr6kfhi4pl94ymd1qk&amp;amp;st=ykl2x22t&amp;amp;dl=0"&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;u&gt;here&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;i&gt;.&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;i&gt;Rep. Balint’s remarks at the event can be viewed&amp;nbsp;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;a href="https://youtu.be/S-Wtb5DDxwM?si=MiX6jmkCCnM7LFMK" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="60acce92-f950-4afe-bf5a-786c83b28249" title="https://youtu.be/S-Wtb5DDxwM?si=MiX6jmkCCnM7LFMK"&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;u&gt;here&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;i&gt;.&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
WASHINGTON, D.C.&amp;nbsp;—&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;Rep. Becca Balint (VT-AL)&amp;nbsp;has&amp;nbsp;re-introduced the&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;Community Housing Act&lt;/i&gt;, her sweeping legislation&amp;nbsp;to address our nation’s housing crisis. The legislation would&amp;nbsp;invest $500 billion in federal programs,&amp;nbsp;fund the construction of&amp;nbsp;affordable housing,&amp;nbsp;provide new financing to build affordable units,&amp;nbsp;center inclusive&amp;nbsp;zoning&amp;nbsp;and land use, and provide more pathways to homeownership.&amp;nbsp;The ambitious package embraces perpetually affordable housing through community land trusts&amp;nbsp;and would&amp;nbsp;empower nonprofits across the country to help get people into homes that are affordable and stay affordable.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On June 15, Rep. Balint announced the reintroduction of the&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;Community Housing Act&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;at an event in Burlington. She was joined by local Vermont housing advocates at the event.&amp;nbsp;Rep. Balint&amp;nbsp;also introduced and led this legislation in the 118th Congress. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Today, I’m proud to have reintroduced my&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;Community Housing Act&lt;/i&gt;,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;said Rep. Balint.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;“Confronting our affordable housing crisis is one of my top priorities in Congress because&amp;nbsp;it’s&amp;nbsp;a top priority for Vermonters. This sweeping legislation is&amp;nbsp;about&amp;nbsp;creative solutions, major investments, and&amp;nbsp;concrete actions that we can take to address this crisis and make a real difference in people’s lives.&amp;nbsp;I’m&amp;nbsp;grateful for all the partners&amp;nbsp;who’ve&amp;nbsp;played a role in making this legislation a reality and I look forward to working with my colleagues to&amp;nbsp;get shovels in the ground, increase the supply of housing, and lower costs for folks across the country.&amp;nbsp;Let’s&amp;nbsp;get this bill done.”&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;According to the&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://accd.vermont.gov/housing/plans-data-rules/needs-assessment" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="d8b73009-2c36-4429-a32c-3bc033098e09" title="https://accd.vermont.gov/housing/plans-data-rules/needs-assessment"&gt;&lt;u&gt;Vermont Housing Needs Assessment&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;,&amp;nbsp;half of all Vermont renters are cost-burdened, and one in four pay more than 50% of their income on housing costs.&amp;nbsp;Vermont also has a rental vacancy rate of 3%, which is one of the lowest in the country. In Chittenden County,&amp;nbsp;it’sbeen estimated to be just 1%.&amp;nbsp;Additionally, Vermont has the second-highest homelessness rate per capita in the country: 51 per 10,000 people. In 2021, 32% of Vermont renters had the income needed to buy a median-priced home, but by 2023, that rate had fallen to 6%. Lastly, per 2022 data, about 20,000 homes across Vermont have signs of housing quality concerns.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To address these issues, the&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;Community Housing Act&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;would:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;Increase the supply of affordable and deeply affordable housing.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;Ensure that affordable housing stays affordable for the long run.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;Encourage revamping zoning codes to&amp;nbsp;eliminate&amp;nbsp;barriers to affordable housing construction.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;Open more low-cost financing to affordable housing developers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
    &lt;li&gt;
    &lt;p role="presentation"&gt;Support affordable homes and apartments for rural residents.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
    &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The&amp;nbsp;&lt;i&gt;Community Housing Act&lt;/i&gt;&amp;nbsp;is endorsed by&amp;nbsp;the&amp;nbsp;National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC),&amp;nbsp;the&amp;nbsp;National NeighborWorks&amp;nbsp;Association,&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;Grounded Solutions Network.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;"Across the nation, households with the lowest incomes continue to face rising cost burdens and housing instability,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;said Renee M. Willis, President and CEO, National Low Income Housing Coalition.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;“To address this crisis, we need sustained investments in programs that provide deep affordability and stability for these families. Representative Balint's legislation would increase rental supply where it is needed most by making historic investments in the National Housing Trust Fund, provide funding for legal assistance for renters at risk of eviction through the Eviction Protection Grant program, and fund and reform programs to preserve affordable rental housing in rural areas. I thank Representative Balint for focusing on the needs of low-income renters in this bold legislation.”&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;span style="text-align: center;"&gt;A one pager on the bill can be found&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://balint.house.gov/UploadedFiles/CHA_One_Pager.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="787c873e-645f-48c9-b3ca-8a394f14c106" title="https://balint.house.gov/UploadedFiles/CHA_One_Pager.pdf" style="text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;u&gt;here&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="text-align: center;"&gt;. A section-by-section summary can be found&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://balint.house.gov/UploadedFiles/CHA_Section-by-Section.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="d8baa00d-322b-4701-9650-ad362674b22f" title="https://balint.house.gov/UploadedFiles/CHA_Section-by-Section.pdf" style="text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;u&gt;here&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="text-align: center;"&gt;. The full bill text can be found&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="https://balint.house.gov/UploadedFiles/CHA_Full_Text.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="db010f70-6da5-4bb9-b997-97c6b49b221e" title="https://balint.house.gov/UploadedFiles/CHA_Full_Text.pdf" style="text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;u&gt;here&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="text-align: center;"&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="text-align: center;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: center;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;###&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>http://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=757</link>
      <guid>http://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=757</guid>
      <pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>Rep. Balint Leads 75 Colleagues in Condemning Israeli Military Engagement in Lebanon, Destruction of Civilian Homes and Infrastructure </title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;WASHINGTON, D.C.&amp;nbsp;—&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;U.S. Representative&amp;nbsp;Becca Balint (VT-AL)&amp;nbsp;today&amp;nbsp;led&amp;nbsp;75&amp;nbsp;of her colleagues in&amp;nbsp;sending a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio&amp;nbsp;expressing concern&amp;nbsp;about the&amp;nbsp;Israeli military’s&amp;nbsp;operations&amp;nbsp;in&amp;nbsp;southern&amp;nbsp;Lebanon.&amp;nbsp;Since the temporary cessation of hostilities in&amp;nbsp;Lebanon&amp;nbsp;was&amp;nbsp;announced on April 16, 2026, both Israeli forces and Hezbollah have continued military&amp;nbsp;operations in violation&amp;nbsp;of the ceasefire.&amp;nbsp;As the Trump&amp;nbsp;administration&amp;nbsp;implements the memorandum of understanding with Iran, the letter urges the State Department&amp;nbsp;to take all&amp;nbsp;possible steps&amp;nbsp;in bringing a&amp;nbsp;swift end to the wars in Iran and Lebanon. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Members called&amp;nbsp;attention to&amp;nbsp;reports of the Israeli military’s use of&amp;nbsp;U.S.-origin weapons and equipment&amp;nbsp;in the destruction of civilian homes and infrastructure. Hundreds of civilians have died from these&amp;nbsp;attacks and more than&amp;nbsp;one&amp;nbsp;million people, approximately 20 percent of Lebanon’s population, have been&amp;nbsp;forced from their homes.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Every government has a right and a responsibility to protect its citizens, and Israel has a right to&amp;nbsp;defend&amp;nbsp;itself,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;the Members wrote.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;“However, this does not justify unrestrained Israeli military operations,&amp;nbsp;especially&amp;nbsp;those that violate the current ceasefire, destroy civilian infrastructure, and lead to the death of&amp;nbsp;hundreds of civilians. All sides must fully abide by the ceasefire agreement.”&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“We are troubled by the Israeli military’s practice of mass demolitions of civilian infrastructure in&amp;nbsp;southern Lebanon and targeting practices that kill Lebanese civilians,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;the Members continued.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/b&gt;“After&amp;nbsp;the Israeli military invaded southern Lebanon and began an occupation of the territory, Israeli Defense&amp;nbsp;Minister Israel Katz&amp;nbsp;announced plans to raze all homes in southern border villages, ‘following the Rafah&amp;nbsp;and Beit Hanounmodel in Gaza,’ a reference to the Israeli military’s systematic destruction of&amp;nbsp;homes&amp;nbsp;and civilian&amp;nbsp;infrastructure in Gaza. Since then, reporting and satellite imagery have&amp;nbsp;confirmed&amp;nbsp;widespread&amp;nbsp;demolitions of civilian homes, buildings, and religious sites in southern&amp;nbsp;Lebanon, including&amp;nbsp;the use of bulldozers and controlled demolitions. The Israeli military has also demolished bridges, roads,&amp;nbsp;water pipelines, and fuel stations in southern Lebanon.”&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The letter highlights Trump administration’s responsibility&amp;nbsp;to investigate whether U.S.-origin weapons are being used in activities inconsistent with U.S. law and arms transfer agreements, while supporting the Lebanese government and Lebanese Armed Forces in efforts to disarm Hezbollah and strengthen state authority. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“The use of U.S. origin weapons in the systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure is a violation of U.S. military assistance transfer agreements with the Israeli government,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;the Members wrote.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;“The targeted, mass destruction of civilian homes and infrastructure does not constitute Israeli self-defense. If U.S.-origin arms are confirmed to be used in these unauthorized activities, we ask the Trump administration to enforce existing law and stop arms transfers being used in these operations until these violations cease.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“The Trump administration should take all possible steps to bring a swift end to the war and&amp;nbsp;continue&amp;nbsp;good-faith negotiations between the Lebanese and Israeli governments,”&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;the Members concluded.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;“We&amp;nbsp;urge the&amp;nbsp;administration to work to empower the Lebanese government and to fund the Lebanese Armed&amp;nbsp;Forces to pursue Hezbollah’s full demilitarization and disarmament.”&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;J Street has endorsed the letter, with&amp;nbsp;&lt;b&gt;J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp;releasing the following statement:&amp;nbsp;"We are deeply grateful for Congresswoman Balint and Congressman Castro's leading this important Congressional letter, expressing concern over the situation in southern Lebanon. While Hezbollah must be disarmed and the Lebanese government supported, Congress must ensure that this does not evolve into another long-term Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. We share the Members’ concerns about the Israeli military's conduct in southern Lebanon, especially the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure. The Members are right to seek to ensure that U.S. law is being enforced and that American weapons are not being misused."&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In addition to Rep. Balint, the letter was signed by&amp;nbsp;Reps.&amp;nbsp;Amo, Ansari, Barragan, Bonamici, Carbajal, Carson, Casten, Castro, Chu, Cisneros, Cleaver, Cohen, Davids, Davis, Dean, DeLauro, Deluzio, DeSaulnier, Dingell, Doggett, Escobar, Evans, Foster, Garamendi, Garcia (Chuy), Garcia (Robert), Garcia (Sylvia), Grijalva, Hayes, Hoyle, Huffman, Jackson, Jacobs, Jayapal, Johnson (Hank),&amp;nbsp;Kamlager-Dove, Kaptur, Kelly, Khanna, Leger Fernandez, Lofgren, Lynch, Magaziner, Matsui, McCollum, McDonald Rivet, McGarvey, McGovern, McIver, Min, Moulton, Pallone, Pelosi, Pingree, Pocan, Quigley, Randall, Ross, Ryan, Salinas, Schakowsky, Scott, Simon, Stansbury, Takano, Thompson (Bennie), Thompson (Mike), Tokuda, Tonko, Tran, Vasquez, Velázquez, Waters, Watson Coleman, Williams.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Earlier in June, Rep. Balint&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=738" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="d7af934c-a3e1-4cd7-bde9-70eccd05a8c9" title="https://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=738"&gt;&lt;u&gt;voted in favor&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;of&amp;nbsp;a War Powers Resolution to cease U.S. involvement in&amp;nbsp;the war in&amp;nbsp;Lebanon.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The full text of the letter can be found&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href="https://balint.house.gov/UploadedFiles/06.26.26_Sec._Rubio_Lebanon_Letter_FINAL.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-outlook-id="96a5f519-0ce6-4364-b4e7-0522c972a448" title="https://balint.house.gov/UploadedFiles/06.26.26_Sec._Rubio_Lebanon_Letter_FINAL.pdf"&gt;&lt;u&gt;here&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="text-align: center;"&gt;###&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <link>http://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=755</link>
      <guid>http://balint.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=755</guid>
      <pubDate>Mon, 29 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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