Rep. Matt Gaetz

Maddy summaryHRES 469 is a resolution recommending that the House of Representatives find Mark F. Pomerantz - a New York-based author and lawyer - in contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions about his book after he testified under oath that its claims were true. The resolution states Pomerantz had waived his Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination when he confirmed the book’s accuracy, yet later declined to answer over 100 questions about it. If adopted, the resolution would direct the House to formally declare him in contempt and order the Sergeant at Arms to summon him to comply with the subpoena. This procedural resolution does not change law but seeks to enforce a congressional subpoena through House authority.

Maddy summaryThis bill ensures national cemeteries remain open during government shutdowns or debt ceiling crises by requiring the VA Secretary to maintain operations using available funds. It directly affects veterans' families and cemetery staff by preventing closures during funding gaps, allowing the VA to transfer money from other accounts to cover costs. Key provisions mandate reporting to Congress if a cemetery closes despite these measures, including the number of days closed. The law focuses on maintaining continuous access to burial sites without relying on new appropriations during budget disputes.

Maddy summaryHR 3176, the Veterans Health Care Freedom Act, creates a 3-year pilot program allowing eligible veterans (enrolled in VA care) to choose any provider within the VA healthcare system or approved non-VA facilities, removing prior location restrictions for VA care. Veterans can select primary and specialty care providers freely, with VA coordinating care through a designated primary provider. After the pilot, these expanded choices become permanent policy, requiring the VA to offer full provider selection without geographic or administrative barriers. The bill implements these changes using existing VA funding without new appropriations.

Maddy summaryHR 3684, the Douglas Mike Day Psychedelic Therapy to Save Lives Act of 2023, authorizes the Department of Defense to fund research on using psychedelic substances for treating specific conditions in active-duty military personnel. The bill creates a grant program to support phase II clinical trials (using substances like MDMA, psilocybin, or ibogaine) or training for treating PTSD, traumatic brain injury, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, with participants including active-duty service members. It removes barriers for military personnel to join these trials, regardless of federal scheduling of the substances or military justice rules. The bill appropriates $15 million annually from 2024 to 2028 for this research and requires regular reports to Congress on grant recipients and trial findings.

Biden Time Act of 2023 This bill rescinds certain unobligated funds that were provided to address COVID-19 and for activities of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).  Specifically, the bill rescinds unobligated funds that were provided by  the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021; the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020; the Families First Coronavirus Response Act; the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act); the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act; and Divisions M and N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. The bill also rescinds specified unobligated funds that were provided for activities of the IRS by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

Beautifying Federal Civic Architecture Act This bill declares U.S. policy applicable to public buildings and establishes the President's Council on Improving Federal Civic Architecture. The policy includes that applicable federal public buildings should uplift and beautify public spaces, command respect from the general public, be visually identifiable as civic buildings, respect regional architectural heritage, and meet other specified criteria; in the District of Columbia, classical architecture is the preferred and default architecture for federal public buildings absent exceptional factors; buildings that do not meet specified criteria should be considered for redesign where feasible and economical, particularly with respect to the exterior of the applicable federal building; and the General Services Administration (GSA) should seek input from future users of the applicable federal public buildings and the general public in the community where such buildings will be located before selecting an architectural firm or design style and give the general public's input substantial consideration. The GSA must adhere to the policy. If the GSA proposes to approve a design for a new applicable federal public building that diverges from the preferred architecture, it must notify the Office of the Domestic Policy Advisor and Congress not later than 30 days before the date on which the GSA could reject the design without incurring substantial expenditures and describe the reasons for proposing to approve the design.

Put Zombie Donors to Rest Act This bill requires a contributor to political organizations who uses a credit card to make online contributions to such organizations to disclose the billing address, and the credit verification value, of such credit card at the time a contribution is made. A credit verification value is a series of numbers on a credit card (usually on the back of the card) that provides additional security for a transaction by credit card.

Maddy summaryHouse Resolution 437 is a procedural resolution formally censuring Rep. Adam Schiff (CA-30) for allegedly making false claims about Trump-Russia collusion and misusing intelligence access. The resolution demands Schiff appear in the House chamber for a public censure reading and imposes a $16 million fine, citing specific incidents including false statements about the Steele dossier and a flawed FISA memo. This resolution does not change laws or policies but addresses Schiff's conduct as a representative, based on the resolution's allegations. It was introduced by Rep. Luna on May 23, 2023, and referred to the Committee on Ethics.

This resolution impeaches President Biden for high crimes and misdemeanors for allowing aliens to enter the United States in violation of the immigration laws and for related offenses.

Maddy summaryHRES 411 is a resolution introduced by House members to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, alleging he failed to secure U.S. borders and enforce immigration laws. It claims he violated the Secure Fence Act of 2006 and the Immigration and Nationality Act by not maintaining border control (citing statistics like 6 million border encounters during his tenure), ending border wall construction, and implementing policies like "catch and release" that allegedly facilitated illegal crossings and drug trafficking. The resolution specifically cites failures related to fentanyl seizures (over 14,000 pounds in 2023) and border security protocols. This is a formal House accusation seeking Senate trial, not a law or policy change.