On Tuesday, the House took up a vote to fund the government. Like in December, we did not have the opportunity to vote on an actual budget but instead Speaker Johnson presented us with a Continuing Resolution to get us from March 14 to the end of September (the last day of the government’s fiscal year). The Senate passed the CR on Friday afternoon.

Funding the government through a continuing resolution (CR) is not ideal. Doing it over and over again is a signal: either that the majority party isn’t as good at governing as they need to be, or they’ve chosen to forfeit their responsibilities and handed them to the executive branch instead. Either way, it’s not good for you.

While the government is now funded through September 30, this was not a “clean CR” nor is it the same bill that was passed in December to keep the government open until March 14.

Here are a few key things to know about the CR passed on Tuesday:

• It cuts funding for non-defense programs and services by $13 billion while increasing defense spending by $6 billion compared to fiscal year 2024 levels.

• It prohibits Congress from challenging tariffs imposed by President Trump.

• It blocks Congress’ ability to force a vote that could revoke President Trump’s immigration actions.

• It cuts $23 billion from veterans’ care.

• It provides a $4 billion check to the FAA, enabling Elon Musk to direct contracts to Starlink and SpaceX, which he owns, while mission-critical jobs at FAA have been eliminated. SpaceX rockets are exploding, and Americans are increasingly concerned about the safety of air travel.

• It allows Elon Musk and President Trump to fire thousands of employees at the Social Security Administration which will result in office closures, increased wait times and unacceptable backlogs for people trying to access their earned benefits.

• It cuts funding to the National Institute of Health by $280 million, effectively eliminating Congressional directives to support life saving biomedical research on cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, ALS, infectious diseases, mental health and heart disease.

• It fails to fully fund the Emergency Food Program (TEFAP), leaving more than 25,000 seniors unable to participate in the commodity supplemental food program at the same time that food costs continue to rise.

• It underfunds the Disaster Relief Fund, leaving the nation unable to address disasters, including tornadoes, hurricanes and other weather disasters.

• It fails to lower the cost of housing while cutting rent subsidies for working and low-income Americans by more than $700 million.

In The District

While I try to find common ground — and common-sense solutions — in Washington, D.C., my work in the district continues to ground and sustain my team and me. Meeting with people throughout the Sixth District gives us the perspective and energy we need and helps us focus on what matters to you.

I had the opportunity recently to meet with representatives from PennDOT at an intersection in Chatham Village, where 16 different accidents and one tragic fatality have occurred. Pennsylvania is one of the oldest states, and as such we have a lot of aging infrastructure that isn’t designed to deal with the demands of modern transportation, and PennDOT is working to address that. However, the Trump Administration had indicated it will direct the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to cut billions of dollars in funding previously allocated by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which means critical infrastructure projects will be delayed or abandoned.

I also spent some time with leadership from LCH Pharmacy, which just had its grand opening at the end of January. LCH uses the 340B Pharmacy Program to sell discounted outpatient drugs to health care organizations, making it possible to provide care to low-income and uninsured patients. LCH accepts Medicaid and Medicare, both of which are in the sights of Elon Musk and the DOGE squad at present.   

I was fortunate enough to meet with four local companies at the forefront of biomedical and pharmaceutical research, including Progenra, Janssen, VenatoRx, and the University of Pennsylvania.

Progenra is researching treatments for Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's. Janssen Pharmaceuticals develops a wide range of drugs for diseases ranging from HIV and cancer to neurological disorders. VenatoRx researches anti-infectives to treat multi-drug-resistant bacterial infections. The University of Pennsylvania currently has 126 active NIH clinical trials, many of which are focused on finding cures for brain, pancreatic, breast, lung, and ovarian cancers.

Unfortunately, the work of these companies has already been significantly disrupted by the Trump Administration’s recent attempts to steeply curtail NIH research grants. Some life-saving research has already stopped.  The disastrous scaling back of vital research is putting the lives of countless Americans at risk and could permanently damage American innovation in the research field. It also means a potentially huge hit to employment and tax revenue here in the Sixth District.

Introducing! 

The turmoil in Washington, D.C. isn’t likely to calm anytime soon, but I am going to share with you regularly the bipartisan work that we do accomplish, and that I will continue to prioritize. Let me tell you a bit about some bills my colleagues and I introduced this week.

I joined Representatives Carter (R-GA), Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Veasey (D-TX), and Mackenzie (R-PA) to reintroduce the State Strategic Stockpile Act. The COVID pandemic taught us a lot about national and state-level readiness, and we now know it’s critical that states have medical products and treatments at hand, tailored to our own geography and specific citizen needs. This bipartisan bill ensures that states have the resources they need to respond quickly to future public health emergencies without solely relying on the federal government.

I reintroduced the Resident Education Deferred Interest Act (REDI Act) with Representative Babin (R-TX), which addresses the growing doctor shortage, makes medical education more affordable, and boosts health care outcomes. We’re trying to make it possible for more students to enter the medical and dental fields, recognizing that the nation has a deficit of people entering or staying in these fields of study because of the financial burden they shoulder while studying.

Together with Representatives Nunn (R-IA) and DeLauro (D-CT, I reintroduced the Infant Formula Made in America Act of 2025. This bill will diversify the formula supply chain by supporting small-sized manufacturers based in the United States. Right now, there are just a handful of big formula manufacturers, so when, like in 2022, we face a major supply shortage, it’s a real emergency for parents who need to feed their babies. The bill would create a transferrable tax credit for small, domestic infant formula manufacturers across the nation, including the one in our district.

Serving as our community's representative is the honor of my lifetime, and I hope to hear from you soon about any issue that concerns you. 

As always, please contact my office if you need assistance.

Be well, and see you soon!

Chrissy Houlahan

U.S. Member of Congress

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