Eugene Vindman

Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Act of 2025

This bill reauthorizes through FY2030 and revises the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP). This Department of Agriculture program provides loans and grants to eligible microenterprise development organizations to (1) capitalize revolving loan funds that provide loans to qualified rural microenterprises (i.e., sole proprietorships located in rural areas or business entities with not more than 10 full-time employees located in a rural area), and (2) provide related training and technical assistance.

The bill increases the amount a rural microenterprise may borrow to up to $75,000 (from up to $50,000).

The bill also increases the maximum allowable federal cost share to 100% (from 75%). The bill further specifies that a RMAP project loan may not be used to cover more than 50% of any demolition, construction, or related costs of real estate improvements.

Harnessing Effective and Appropriate Long-Term Health for Moms On Medicaid Act of 2025 or the HEALTH for MOM Act of 2025

This bill allows state Medicaid programs to cover services that are provided by maternity health homes (designated providers or health teams that provide pregnancy and postpartum coordinated care services).

Participating maternity health homes must meet standards set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), including the ability to coordinate prompt access to services, develop individualized care plans, provide supportive services, and coordinate with pediatric care providers. States must conduct outreach to providers, pregnant women, and other relevant stakeholders on the availability of such health homes and must report specified information relating to the implementation and outcomes of such services.

The CMS must award grants to states to develop plans for implementation. The bill also temporarily increases the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (i.e., federal matching rate) for maternity health home services.

Combating Cartels on Social Media Act of 2025

This bill requires the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, and State to combat the use of social media by transnational criminal organizations to recruit individuals in the United States for illicit activities.

Specifically, the departments must jointly assess and implement a strategy to combat the use of social media platforms, messaging services, and other interactive digital platforms by these organizations to recruit individuals to engage in or support unlawful activities in the United States, Mexico, or otherwise near a U.S. international border.

Community Services Block Grant Improvement Act of 2025

This bill reauthorizes the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program through FY2032 and makes certain changes to the program and associated eligibility requirements. The CSBG program supports various antipoverty activities, primarily through formula-based allotments to states, tribes, and territories, the majority of which must be made available in grants to eligible local entities.

Specifically, the bill permanently sets the measure of eligibility for services, assistance, or resources provided directly to individuals or families under the program at 200% of the poverty line. (Under current law, the eligibility measure is temporarily set at 200% of the poverty line, an increase from the previous measure of 125% of the poverty line.)

The bill also makes certain changes to the permitted uses of funding, including by allowing CSBG funds to be used to facilitate low-income individuals’ and communities’ access to high-speed broadband, digital literacy training, technical support, and other services. States may also use certain funds allocated for training and technical assistance to assist eligible entities in responding to statewide and regional conditions that create economic insecurity, including emergency conditions.

The bill also expands requirements for the plans that states must submit to the Department of Health and Human Services in order to receive CSBG funds (e.g., transparency assurances), and sets deadlines by which states must make funds available to eligible entities.

Finally, the bill repeals a provision that allowed states to use CSBG funds to offset revenue losses associated with state charity tax credits.

Border Enforcement, Security, and Trade Facilitation Act of 2025 or the BEST Facilitation Act

This bill establishes a pilot program for positions within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to review inspection images of vehicles and cargo entering or exiting the United States.

Specifically, the bill establishes the position of image technician 1 within the CBP Office of Field Operations. An image technician must (1) review nonintrusive inspection images of vehicles and cargo entering or exiting the United States; (2) assess whether such vehicles and cargo contain contraband, illicit drugs, weapons, or persons seeking to unlawfully enter the United States; and (3) refer suspicious vehicles and cargo for further inspection by a CBP officer. These reviews must take place at one of five regional command centers established pursuant to this pilot program.

The bill also establishes the position of image technician 2 with additional responsibilities, including receiving and reporting intelligence to the National Targeting Center about techniques used by malign actors to transport contraband, illicit drugs, weapons, and persons seeking to unlawfully enter the United States.

Image technicians must be supervised by a supervisory CBP officer.

The bill establishes annual training requirements for both positions, including training on privacy and civil liberties and how to analyze inspection images.

This pilot program ends five years after the date of enactment of this bill. Individuals employed as image technicians at the end of the pilot program may transfer to comparable positions within CBP or the Department of Homeland Security.

Farm Credit Administration Independent Authority Act

This bill specifies that the Farm Credit Administration (FCA) is the sole regulator of the Farm Credit System (FCS) and establishes reporting requirements for FCS institutions (i.e., lenders).

Specifically, the bill states that the FCA is the sole and independent regulator of the FCS and exempts entities that are supervised by the FCA from the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA).

As background, the bill addresses a rule issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) that implements provisions of the ECOA by requiring covered financial institutions, including FCS institutions, to collect and report to the CFPB data on credit applications for small businesses, including the principal owner's race, sex, and ethnicity. This 2023 rule has been challenged in court.

The bill also requires FCS institutions to (1) request that loan applicants and borrowers that are small farmers disclose information identifying their race, sex, and ethnicity; and (2) annually report the collected information to the FCA. The FCA must make the collected information available to the public on annual basis. If an FCS institution customer does not voluntarily report the requested information, the FCA may not require the institution to use other means to deduce the information.

In addition, the bill specifies that FCS institutions shall not be required to comply with the bill's requirements if financial institutions are not required to comply with the CFPB rule due to a court invalidating the rule or a repeal of the rule.

Sustainable Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Services in the Home Act

This bill permanently allows services relating to cardiac rehabilitation programs, intensive cardiac rehabilitation programs, and pulmonary rehabilitation programs to be furnished via telehealth at a beneficiary's home under Medicare.

Agriculture Skills Preparation for Industry Recruitment Efforts Act or the ASPIRE Act

This bill directs the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to establish a grant program within its Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program for eligible educational institutions to develop and carry out agriculture workforce training programs. Eligible institutions include U.S. land-grant universities, non-land-grant colleges of agriculture, junior or community colleges with agriculture programs, and area career and technical education schools with agriculture programs.

The grants must be used to develop and carry out agriculture workforce training programs to (1) promote the growth of the agriculture industry, (2) foster competitiveness within the industry, and (3) improve the training and retention of workers in the industry.

An agriculture workforce training program is a program developed by an eligible institution in collaboration with a targeted industry partner through which the industry partner provides training to enrolled students. This may include training through internships, apprenticeships, experience-based curricula, and educational programs and workshops.

The program must be implemented by January 31, 2026.

This bill directs the Agricultural Marketing Service to establish a grant program for commercial specialty crop producers to acquire equipment and provide related training.

Funds must be used for mechanized or automated systems and tools that increase the efficiency of a task or reduce human labor for a specific activity (e.g., low-dust harvesting tools and equipment, sorting machines, and crop monitoring and analytics equipment and tools).

The bill includes a minimum 50% cost-sharing requirement.

Joe Fiandra Access to Home Infusion Act of 2025

This bill provides for Medicare coverage of certain home infusion drugs that are administered by health care professionals at a beneficiary’s home.

Specifically, the bill provides for coverage of external infusion pumps and associated home infusion drugs for which (1) the prescription requires that the drug be administered by or under the supervision of a health care professional, (2) a qualified home infusion therapy supplier administers or supervises the administration of the drug at the beneficiary's home, and (3) the prescription requires that the drug be infused at least 12 times per year in a manner that requires the use of an external infusion pump.