Press Releases
The Republican Recap: Week of May 18, 2026
Washington,
May 22, 2026
Here’s a recap of what Republicans achieved on the House Floor this week:
Promoting Housing Market Growth and Affordability for Working Families✅
Middle-class Americans have been priced out of the housing market due to supply shortages caused by burdensome regulations, outdated zoning codes, and rising costs. As demand continues to outpace supply, families are finding it harder to build the future they hoped for. This week, House Republicans passed a bill to expedite development and lower housing costs so more citizens can attain the American Dream. This measure promotes construction by modernizing HUD programs and zoning standards, cutting red tape, increasing transparency and accountability, streamlining permitting processes, and removing barriers that slow production. Government overreach should never be the reason a family is barred from homeownership. The amended bill also gives urban and rural communities the tools to overcome housing supply shortages and sustain growth. H.R. 6644 strengthens rural banks’ lending capacity, protects consumers, and preserves community decision-making. Local communities should feel empowered to invest in development that meets their needs. Chairman French Hill’s legislation, H.R. 6644, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, amends the Senate-passed bill to lower housing costs for families across the financial spectrum by cutting burdensome regulations and unleashing development. House Republicans remain committed to driving down costs, increasing supply, promoting affordability, and ensuring American families are set up to achieve homeownership. “This week, we proved Washington still works. After months of bipartisan, bicameral negotiations – and with the partnership of the Trump Administration – the House delivered to make housing more accessible and affordable for American families,” said Chairman Hill. “I urge the Senate to move expeditiously to get our amended bill to President Trump’s desk and deliver the relief Americans have been waiting for.” What Members Said: Rep. Diana Harshbarger underscored the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act’s role in helping working families achieve the American Dream through homeownership.
 Rep. Pete Stauber celebrated the measure’s efforts to promote affordability in homebuilding.
 For decades, VA bureaucrats have blocked over 250,000 veterans with fiduciaries from exercising their Second Amendment rights. Under current law, the VA automatically reports veterans to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) if they are assigned a fiduciary to help manage their VA benefits due to a disability. As a result, veterans can lose their right to bear arms simply for needing financial assistance. Unlike civilians, veterans with fiduciaries are not guaranteed the same due process protections before being added to NICS. Instead of a judge determining whether someone poses a danger to themselves or others, VA bureaucrats can strip veterans of their constitutional rights without a court ruling. The VA accounts for roughly 97% of all federal agency NICS submissions. House Republicans advanced legislation to protect veterans’ Second Amendment rights and prevent bureaucrats from stripping veterans of their constitutional freedoms solely because they need a fiduciary. H.R. 1041, the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act, sponsored by Chairman Mike Bost, bars Veterans’ Affairs from giving the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) sensitive information without due process and protects veterans with fiduciaries. “The constitutional rights of every American – especially our nation’s veterans – shall not be infringed. As a veteran, and as a sportsman, my bill, the Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act, is long overdue to end government overreach and cement due process for veterans with fiduciaries,” said Chairman Bost. “House Republicans have been working on this issue for over a decade to give veterans the constitutional due process rights they have earned, and I am so proud to see my Republican-led bill move through the House this week to do just that. I look forward to working with our colleagues in the Senate to fulfill the promise this bill makes to the men and women who have served and have been wrongfully targeted for far too long.” What Members Said: Rep. Derrick Van Orden called out VA bureaucrats for stoking fear in veterans, like himself, from seeking mental health care by threatening their Second Amendment rights.
 Rep. Troy Downing emphasized that H.R. 1041 defends veterans seeking financial help and their right to bear arms.
 Raising Benefits for Gold Star Families and Veterans with Service-Oriented Disabilities✅
When service members suffer catastrophic injuries or make the ultimate sacrifice, VA compensation programs are meant to help veterans and their families manage the burden. But many recipients found these benefits no longer kept pace with rising medical costs, caregiving needs, and everyday expenses. After Chief Warrant Officer 3 Donovan Lee ‘Bull’ Briley was tragically killed overseas in 1993, his wife, Sharri Briley, relied on the VA’s Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) program. Like many Gold Star families, she found those survivor benefits fell short of meeting her family’s financial needs. In 2005, Sgt. Eric Edmunson was serving in Iraq when his vehicle was struck by an IED, leaving him in need of around-the-clock at-home medical care. Congress created Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) to help veterans with life-altering injuries cover medical expenses and caregiver costs, but outdated payment levels and eligibility requirements have left many struggling to afford the care they need. No Gold Star family or disabled veteran should have to carry these burdens alone after sacrificing for our nation. This week, House Republicans passed legislation to raise DIC compensation rates for Gold Star families and double SMC benefits for veterans with service-oriented disabilities, helping ensure these benefits better reflect the level of support recipients need. H.R. 6047, the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefit Expansion Act, sponsored by Rep. Tom Barrett, increases disabled veterans’ monthly compensation by $833.33 – or $10,000 per year. Additionally, DIC for family members of deceased veterans would increase by 1.5% over the next two years. This would provide meaningful relief for over 500,000 veterans and their families for the first time in decades. “Our nation can never fully repay the debt we owe to the heroes and families who have served and sacrificed for our freedom,” said Rep. Barrett. “But passing my bipartisan legislation today is further proof that we will never stop trying. The Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act will finally deliver a long-overdue increase in financial support for catastrophically injured veterans and the loved ones of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. I worked hard with my colleagues to get this bill done and am proud it includes another one of my bills to help more service members and veterans achieve the American Dream of homeownership. These benefit expansions will help our veterans and military families who have given so much for our nation.” What Members Said: Rep. Ashley Hinson highlighted America's responsibility to care for severely disabled veterans and outlined how this legislation's benefits do that.
 Rep. August Pfluger underlined the bill's overdue benefits for disabled veterans and Gold Star families.
 Protecting Parents’ Rights and Preventing Woke Gender Ideology Indoctrination in Schools✅ For years, schools across the country have increasingly cut parents out of decisions involving their children while promoting woke gender ideology in classrooms. Under the Biden Administration, school boards tried to silence concerned parents while the Department of Justice and FBI investigated those who spoke out at school board meetings. At the same time, some schools encouraged students to transition to the opposite gender without informing their parents. A report from Parents Defending Education found that 1,200 school districts—covering 21,000+ schools and 12 million students—have policies requiring or encouraging staff to withhold information about a child's gender transition from parents. Parents deserve transparency and must remain central in their children’s lives. That’s why House Republicans advanced legislation to stop schools from socially transitioning children without parental consent and prevent taxpayer dollars from promoting gender ideology in classrooms. Chairman Tim Walberg’s legislation, H.R. 2616, the Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act, ensures parents remain central in their children’s lives by prohibiting federally funded elementary or middle schools from socially transitioning a child – such as by changing their name, pronouns, or bathroom access – without parental consent, and blocking federal funding from supporting gender ideology teachings in classrooms. “Too many schools are keeping parents in the dark about what’s happening in their own children’s classrooms, even going so far as to withhold critical information about their kid’s wellbeing and development. Families deserve honesty, not secrecy—especially when it comes to issues like gender identity,” said Chairman Walberg. “Simply put, parents should never be the last to know—that’s not political, it’s common sense. Meanwhile, political and ideological agendas are being pushed through curriculum without parents’ knowledge or consent, sidelining the very people responsible for raising these children. Parents don’t lose their rights at the schoolhouse door. It’s time to restore transparency and put parents back in the driver’s seat.” What Members Said: Rep. Burgess Owens highlighted the critical need for parents – not schools – to have a say in their child's social transition.
 Rep. Julia Letlow touted House Republicans' passage of the Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act, which protects parental rights in classrooms.
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