John Mannion

Puerto Rico Nutrition Assistance Fairness Act

This bill establishes a process to enable Puerto Rico to participate as a state in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Under current law, a state receives SNAP funding based on the number of participating households in the state whereas Puerto Rico receives a block grant to fund its nutrition assistance program.

The bill requires Puerto Rico to submit to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) a plan of operation to transition from the consolidated block grant program to SNAP. USDA must provide appropriate training and technical assistance to enable Puerto Rico to formulate such plan.

Essential Caregivers Act of 2025

This bill prohibits certain health care facilities from limiting the access of essential caregivers to residents of those facilities, including during designated emergency periods.

Specifically, the bill generally prohibits Medicare skilled nursing facilities, Medicaid nursing facilities, Medicaid intermediate care facilities, and associated inpatient rehabilitation facilities from restricting the access of essential caregivers to residents of the facilities, including during emergency periods in which visitation rights are otherwise restricted. During emergency periods, facilities may restrict access for an initial period of up to seven days and for one additional maximum seven-day period (if the additional period is approved by the state health department). Facilities may restrict access for a total of 7 days (or 14 days with the approval of the state health department) during an emergency period.

Essential caregivers must agree to comply with any safety protocols set by the facility, which may be no more stringent for caregivers compared to those for staff. Caregivers who fail to comply with these requirements may be denied access, subject to an appeals process.

Medical Foods and Formulas Access Act of 2025

This bill expands coverage under Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program to include medically necessary food and associated equipment and supplies.

The bill defines medically necessary food as specially formulated and processed products (e.g., nutritional formulas) prescribed by health care practitioners for individuals who have special dietary requirements because of certain digestive or metabolic disorders or conditions.

Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act

This bill specifically includes pharmacy services and home infusion drugs that are administered without a pump as part of covered home infusion therapy under Medicare. The bill also allows nurses and physician assistants to establish and review the plan of care for home infusion therapy, and it specifies that payment may be made regardless of whether a practitioner is physically present in the home at the time the drug is administered.

Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act

This bill expedites payment of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits and eligibility for Medicare coverage for those with metastatic breast cancer (i.e., breast cancer that has spread to other sites in the body).

Specifically, the bill eliminates the 5-month waiting period for SSDI benefits and the subsequent 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage for individuals with metastatic breast cancer. Under current law, individuals generally must wait 5 months after the onset of disability to begin receiving SSDI benefits and an additional 24 months to become eligible for Medicare.

This bill increases the annual limit on the tax credit for qualified railroad track maintenance expenses (also referred to as the short line railroad tax credit) and expands eligibility for claiming the credit.

Under current law, the tax credit is limited each tax year to $3,500 multiplied by the sum of the number of miles of railroad track owned or leased by the taxpayer (miles owned or leased) and the number of railroad track miles assigned to the taxpayer by a Class II or III railroad (miles assigned). This bill increases the annual limit to $6,100 multiplied by the sum of miles owned or leased and miles assigned. The $6,100 amount used in the calculation of the tax credit limit is adjusted for inflation for tax years beginning after 2025.

The bill also expands eligibility for the tax credit to include gross expenses for maintaining railroad tracks owned or leased as of January 1, 2024. Under current law, the tax credit is limited to gross expenses for maintaining railroad tracks owned or leased as of January 1, 2015.

Foreign Robocall Elimination Act

This bill modifies and expands certain Federal Communications Commission (FCC) programs targeting illegal robocalls and creates a task force to advise the federal government on foreign robocalls.

For example, the bill directs the FCC to issue rules under which certain voice service providers (i.e., phone companies) may be required to post a bond before filing required certifications in the Robocall Mitigation Database. (Under current law, providers must file annual certifications in this database regarding their compliance with illegal robocall mitigation requirements. Noncompliant providers are removed from the database and effectively blocked from the U.S. telephone network.) Providers that do not demonstrate legitimate operations, sufficient regulatory oversight, or the ability to pay fines may be subject to the bond requirement. The FCC must establish categorical exemptions for classes of legitimate providers that satisfy certain criteria.

Further, the bill makes changes related to the FCC’s traceback consortium, a group selected by the FCC to conduct private-led efforts to trace the origin of suspected illegal robocalls. Specifically, the bill protects the consortium from liability for receiving, sharing, or publishing information about suspected fraudulent, abusive, or illegal robocalls and other illegal calls. Additionally, the bill authorizes the consortium to publish a list of voice service providers based on information about providers’ transmission or origination of illegal robocalls or refusal to participate in traceback efforts. (Currently, only the FCC may publish this list.)

The bill also establishes an interagency task force on combating robocalls that originate outside the United States.

$2.50 for America’s 250th Act

This bill requires the minting of $2.50 coins to commemorate the 250th anniversary, or the semiquincentennial, of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Specifically, the Department of the Treasury must mint and issue a $2.50 circulating coin upon determining that such minting is technically feasible, economically feasible, and not cost prohibitive. The design of such a coin during the first five years of its issuance must be as described by the bill, however, subsequent designs may be selected by Treasury to celebrate the founding of the United States.

Treasury may also mint and issue $2.50 numismatic coins (i.e., collectible coins) in silver, clad, and other alloys, including gold.

Guarding Unprotected Aging Retirees from Deception Act of 2026 or the GUARD Act of 2026

This bill allows state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies and grantees that receive funds from certain law enforcement grant programs to use the funds to investigate general financial fraud, elder financial fraud, and pig butchering. Pig butchering refers to a confidence and investment fraud in which a victim is gradually lured into transferring increasing amounts of money, generally in the form of cryptocurrency, into a fake virtual investment.

The bill allows federal law enforcement agencies to assist state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies and fusion centers in the use of tracing tools for blockchain and related technology tools.

Finally, the bill requires the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to report on efforts to combat general financial fraud, elder financial fraud, pig butchering, and scams, including an evaluation of any legislative recommendations to improve the efforts. The bill also requires FinCEN to report on the state of general financial fraud, elder financial fraud, pig butchering, and scams in the United States, including trends in the crimes.

Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025

This bill extends and modifies the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000, including by

• extending payments made to states and counties containing federal land through FY2026,

• providing for payments for FY2024 and FY2025,

• extending the authority of counties to initiate projects using such funds through FY2028, and

• extending the authority to initiate projects proposed by resource advisory committees through FY2028.

Save America's Forgotten Equines Act of 2025 or the SAFE Act of 2025

This bill permanently prohibits the slaughter of equines (e.g., horses and mules) for human consumption. (Current law prohibits the slaughter of dogs and cats for human consumption. This bill extends the prohibition to equines.)

Specifically, this bill prohibits a person from knowingly (1) slaughtering an equine for human consumption; or (2) shipping, transporting, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donating an equine to be slaughtered for human consumption or equine parts for human consumption.

The bill subjects a violator to a fine.

The bill applies to conduct in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. However, it does not apply to an activity carried out by an Indian for a religious ceremony.

As background, in recent years, the appropriations acts have prohibited the Department of Agriculture (USDA) from using federal funds to inspect horses before they are slaughtered for human consumption. Therefore, there are currently no USDA-inspected horse slaughter facilities in the United States.

Keep SNAP and WIC Funded Act of 2025

This bill provides FY2026 appropriations for the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to continue operating the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and a related block grant program if there is a lapse in FY2026 appropriations for USDA.

Specifically, the bill provides appropriations to USDA for any period in which legislation to provide FY2026 interim continuing appropriations or full-year appropriations for USDA has not been enacted. If such a lapse in appropriations occurs, the bill provides the appropriations that are necessary to continue

• providing uninterrupted SNAP benefits,

• providing consolidated block grants to Puerto Rico and American Samoa for nutrition assistance programs, and

• carrying out WIC without interruption.

In addition, the bill provides appropriations to pay any benefits under these programs that were missed on or after September 30, 2025, and before this bill is enacted.

The appropriations for these purposes are available until the earlier of (1) the enactment into law of legislation to provide FY2026 appropriations for USDA (including continuing appropriations), or (2) September 30, 2026.

The bill also requires USDA to use the funds provided by this bill to reimburse state agencies for costs that were incurred to carry out these programs during a lapse in appropriations, to the extent that the programs were carried out in accordance with federal law (including regulations) during the lapse.

Leveling the Playing Field 2.0 Act

This bill addresses unfair trade practices by making various changes to U.S. antidumping and countervailing duty laws. Antidumping laws provide relief to U.S industries and workers that are materially injured or threatened with injury due to imports of like products sold in the U.S. market at less than fair value, while countervailing duty laws provide such relief from imports of products subsidized by a foreign government or public entity.

Specifically, the bill establishes a process for successive antidumping and countervailing duty investigations. Successive investigations may be concurrent (an ongoing investigation of the same product) or recently completed (not more than two years before the date of the initiation of the successive investigation). Further, the bill establishes a timeline for the Department of Commerce to issue determinations in successive investigations.

Among other provisions, the bill authorizes Commerce to

• apply countervailing duty law to subsidies provided by a foreign government or public entity to a company operating in a different country,

• use another method for calculating the cost of production in specific circumstances, and

• require importers to certify that the imported merchandise is not subject to an antidumping or countervailing duty order.

Additionally, the bill statutorily establishes procedures for Commerce to conduct circumvention inquiries, including by specifying the deadlines for preliminary and final determinations.

The bill also provides statutory authority for Commerce to investigate currency undervaluation as a countervailable subsidy.