This week, the House Oversight Committee advanced my bipartisan bill to rename the Palatine Post Office at 1300 East Northwest Highway in honor of Bernard “Bernie” Bluestein, one of the last surviving members of the top-secret Ghost Army that helped defeat the Nazis during World War II. I introduced this legislation to ensure our community recognizes Bernie’s extraordinary service and the vital role he and his fellow soldiers played in protecting American forces.

Bernie, who is now 102 years old, served in the 603rd Camouflage Engineer Battalion, using inflatable tanks, sonic deception, and visual ruses to mislead German forces and shield American troops. His unit’s daring missions saved thousands of lives and contributed to key Allied victories across Europe. Their service remained classified for more than half a century, and in 2024 Congress awarded the Ghost Army the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of their heroism.

Through this legislation, I’m working to ensure Bernie Bluestein receives the lasting tribute he deserves. Renaming the Palatine Post Office in his honor will help future generations understand the courage, ingenuity, and quiet patriotism that helped win the war. I’m grateful the committee advanced my bipartisan bill, and I urge the full House to bring it to a vote quickly.

This week, the Oversight Committee advanced my bipartisan Skills-Based Federal Contracting Act to expand federal contracting opportunities for millions of Americans who have the skills to succeed but face degree-based discrimination. For too long, outdated degree requirements have acted as a barrier for Americans Skilled Through Alternative Routes (STARs), screening out talented workers whose real-world abilities far exceed what a diploma alone could measure.

My bill tears down this outdated “paper ceiling” by requiring federal agencies to justify any minimum education or experience requirements in contract solicitations. Instead of defaulting to degree-based filters that often overlook true competency, agencies will focus on demonstrated skills and proven capability. The result is stronger competition, better value for taxpayers, and more opportunities for workers who have the talent, even if they don’t have the degree.

This reform builds on years of federal efforts to promote skills-based hiring across the government. By aligning contracting practices with that same principle, we can open doors that have been unfairly closed for too long. With the committee’s approval, I am urging House leadership to bring this bill to the floor without delay. You can learn more about my bill here.

Last week, I partnered with Congresswoman Delia Ramirez in leading a coalition of House Members to demand answers from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) about a Trump administration budget proposal that could significantly disrupt housing assistance for tens of thousands of veterans. The administration’s 2026 budget suggests reallocating all $1.1 billion currently dedicated to the HUD-VA Supportive Housing program, known as HUD-VASH and widely regarded as the nation’s most successful veteran housing initiative, and directing those resources into a new and still undefined program called Bridging Rental Assistance for Veteran Empowerment (BRAVE).

HUD-VASH has helped more than 175,000 veterans secure stable housing by combining rental assistance with case management, mental health support, and other essential services. Any decision to dismantle or dramatically restructure this proven program, especially without a clear transition plan, oversight standards, or explanation of how services would continue, could put more than 112,000 existing housing vouchers at risk. It could also create uncertainty for the hundreds of thousands of veterans who rely on other HUD rental assistance programs.

As we wrote in the letter, veterans’ housing stability must never be jeopardized by vague proposals or incomplete planning. Veterans deserve consistency, dignity, and reliable support, not sudden changes that could leave them without a safe place to live. Read more about our letter here.

This week, I published an article in Foreign Affairs explaining why the United States must adopt a clear, consistent, and long-term approach to the Chinese Communist Party’s economic and geopolitical ambitions. As Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, I emphasized that America’s China policy is not just a foreign-policy issue; it has direct consequences for the wellbeing of American families.

In the article, I outline how China’s predatory market tactics, intellectual property theft, and efforts to dominate critical supply chains, including minerals, electronics, and advanced technologies, drive up costs for consumers and threaten good-paying jobs here at home. Without a principled strategy that invests in U.S. workers, rebuilds manufacturing, and secures essential supply chains, Beijing will continue to exploit vulnerabilities that harm our economy.

Most importantly, I stressed that competing with China is about protecting stability, opportunity, and long-term prosperity for American families. Our foreign policy must reflect those priorities, and I will continue working across the aisle to ensure it does. You can read my article here.

The best way to stay up to date on these issues beyond our newsletter is through my social media accounts, which I update multiple times each day. You can follow my Twitter (X) here, my Facebook page here, my Instagram here, my Threads here, and my Bluesky here. Thank you for staying engaged in our community.