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Friday, August 8, 2025

Tag: legislation
July 18, 2025
Health
Politics

This U.S. Territory Just Banned Sex Changes for Under-21s.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Sex change surgeries for people under 21 have been banned in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the use of public funds for such procedures has been prohibited.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Governor Jenniffer González-Colón (R), Puerto Rican Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz (R), and the Puerto Rico LGBTQ+ Federation.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The bill was signed into law on Wednesday and will take effect in October.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The protection of our children and the well-being of all minors is fundamental and non-negotiable!” — Puerto Rican Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz

🎯IMPACT: Sex change medics face fines, prison time, and license revocation for violations, but the law’s constitutionality is set to be challenged in court.

IN FULL

Puerto Rico has enacted a law banning sex change surgeries for people under the age of 21 and prohibiting the use of public funds for such procedures. Governor Jenniffer González-Colón (R) signed the bill into law on Wednesday. The legislation imposes fines of $50,000 per violation on medics who provide hormone therapy or sex change surgeries to minors in the U.S. territory, along with potential penalties of 15 years in prison and the revocation of medical licenses and permits.

Puerto Rican Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz (R), who authored the legislation, celebrated the signing, stating, “The protection of our children and the well-being of all minors is fundamental and non-negotiable!”

The law emphasizes officials’ responsibility to protect minors, stating, “Minors, having not yet reached the necessary emotional, cognitive, and physical maturity, are particularly vulnerable to making decisions that can have irreversible consequences. Therefore, it is the State’s duty to ensure their comprehensive well-being.”

The Puerto Rico LGBTQ+ Federation has announced plans to challenge the law in court. Co-director Justin Jesús Santiago described the law as “cruel and inhumane,” while federation president Pedro Julio Serrano criticized Governor González-Colón, calling her “the most anti-equity governor in history.”

Image by Quinn Dombrowski.

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June 17, 2025
Health
NatSec

This Bill Would Pay Back Troops Fired by Biden for Refusing Vax Mandate.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT) has introduced a bill to provide back pay to troops impacted by former President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Sen. Tim Sheehy, former President Joe Biden, and affected U.S. service members.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The legislation was announced on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “This unacceptable action by the last administration robbed servicemembers of the pay and benefits they rightfully earned in service to our country,” said Sen. Sheehy.

🎯IMPACT: The bill aims to restore pay and benefits to nearly 100,000 service members and their families affected by the mandate.

IN FULL

Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT) will introduce legislation on Tuesday that would, if passed and signed into law, provide back pay to the thousands of troops negatively affected by former President Joe Biden’s COVID military vaccine mandate. The legislation is designed to restore pay and benefits to thousands of U.S. service members discharged for noncompliance with the vaccination requirement under the former Biden government.

“This unacceptable action by the last administration robbed servicemembers of the pay and benefits they rightfully earned in service to our country,” Sheehy said in a statement. He added: “My legislation will right this wrong by building on President Trump’s Executive Order to reinstate those servicemembers, ensuring we fulfill our government’s sacred obligations to the men and women who put their lives on the line in defense of our freedoms.”

According to the Montana Republican, nearly 8,500 active-duty troops were dismissed for noncompliance with Biden’s mandate, while the Army Reserve and National Guard lost over 60,000 more. In total, around 100,000 servicemembers and their families were impacted, with many losing pay, benefits, and retirement credit.

Although Congress repealed the mandate in the fiscal year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and courts later ruled the mandate unconstitutional, many former troops are still struggling to reclaim lost compensation and recognition. Sheehy’s bill would allow those affected to opt into a claims process for back pay and entitlements under the Military Pay Act, with eligibility contingent on meeting specified criteria. The relief would be in addition to benefits granted under President Donald J. Trump’s executive order reinstating servicemembers discharged over the mandate.

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April 12, 2024
Immigration

Senate Dems Demand Work Permits for Illegals to Boost Profits.

Senate Democrats have reintroduced legislation that could further exacerbate the immigration crisis at the southern border by granting illegal immigrants working in the agricultural sector a pathway to legal status. First introduced in 2022, the Affordable and Secure Food Act — backed by Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) — would provide a 10-year process for illegals working in agriculture to become legal immigrants with work visas. The legislation would also expand H-2A visas to include non-seasonal employment.

The legislation’s Democrat proponents point to the ongoing surge in food prices as the impetus for the changes. They contend that flooding the American agricultural sector with cheap, immigrant labor will alleviate grocery costs and stymie ongoing farm closures. However, some experts have argued that mass illegal immigration actually threatens the food supply.

The National Pulse previously reported that the expansive reliance on immigrant labor has suppressed American wages and artificially boosted the labor market. Labor force participation among native-born Americans has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels.

One significant provision of the act is the establishment of a Certified Agricultural Worker status. This would grant illegal immigrant workers legal rights to employment in America and authorize them to travel internationally with a guarantee of re-entry. Immediate family members would also be given legal status, further incentivizing illegal immigration and the abuse of chain migration.

Sens. Bennet and Gillibrand aren’t the only Democrats pushing for granting potentially millions of illegal immigrants legal status. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is urging the Biden government to authorize work permits for over half a million illegal immigrants currently residing in Illinois — arguing the move would help alleviate the strain they’ve placed on public assistance programs.

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Senate Democrats have reintroduced legislation that could further exacerbate the immigration crisis at the southern border by granting illegal immigrants working in the agricultural sector a pathway to legal status. First introduced in 2022, the Affordable and Secure Food Act — backed by Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) — would provide a 10-year process for illegals working in agriculture to become legal immigrants with work visas. The legislation would also expand H-2A visas to include non-seasonal employment. show more
TikTok
March 9, 2024
NatSec
TECH

TikTok Tells Users To Lobby Congress Against Bill That Could Ban The China-Owned App.

Chinese-owned social media app TikTok is leveraging its American users to lobby Congress against legislation that could ban the app in the United States. TikTok sent a push notification to its users on Wednesday, warning about Congress’s plans, the ramifications being “170 million Americans stripped of their Constitutional right to free expression.”

The social media company stated that the ban would adversely affect millions of businesses and creators nationwide – impeding artists’ accessibility to audiences. Users were provided with information on how to contact their representatives. The National Pulse previously reported that TikTok has ramped up efforts to lobby lawmakers in the US, spending $7.4 million in 2023 — a $2.1 million increase from their 2022 spending.

Despite the user-driven lobbying campaign, the legislation — which could force TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance to divest from the US version of the app — passed through the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday by a unanimous (50-0) vote. Titled the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, the legislation is sponsored by Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL).

TikTok is not alone in opposing the legislation. The American Civil Liberties Union argues that the bill infringes on the First Amendment. However, Reps. Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi contend their bill only focuses on regulating corporate ownership by countries deemed hostile to the United States — including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

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Chinese-owned social media app TikTok is leveraging its American users to lobby Congress against legislation that could ban the app in the United States. TikTok sent a push notification to its users on Wednesday, warning about Congress’s plans, the ramifications being “170 million Americans stripped of their Constitutional right to free expression.” show more