Pramila Jayapal

Senators Ed Markey and Jeff Merkley, along with Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley, have reintroduced legislation that would stop federal government use of facial recognition and other biometric surveillance technology. The measure, first put forward in earlier sessions of Congress, targets concerns over misidentification, privacy violations and disproportionate policing of communities of color, renewing a debate among civil liberties groups, law enforcement agencies and technology firms.

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, the Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee, issued a statement criticizing the Trump administration's use of 'pocket rescissions', a maneuver to withhold previously appropriated federal funds without congressional approval. Jayapal condemned the move as an overreach that bypasses Congress's constitutional power of the purse. The statement has drawn attention amid broader debates over executive spending authority.