Luján, Wyden, Markey Urge Apple and Google to Remove X and Grok from App Stores Following Grok Generating Illegal Sexual Images at Scale

Washington, D.C. — In response to X Corp’s Grok AI tool being used to generate nonconsensual sexualized images of women and children at scale in recent days,U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) urged Apple and Google to immediately remove the X and Grok apps from their app stores until the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Elon Musk, addresses these disturbing and likely illegal activities.

In recent days, X users have used the Grok AI tool to nonconsensually generate sexual imagery of real, private citizens, including sexualized depictions of children and modified depictions of women being sexually abused, humiliated, hurt and even killed. Researchers have also discovered that the Grok app has reportedly created more than 70 sexualized images of children since August. Musk has reportedly encouraged this behavior, including reacting to these trends with laugh-cry emojis.

“There can be no mistake about X’s knowledge, and, at best, negligent response to these trends,” the senators wrote in their letter to Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook and Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai. “Turning a blind eye to X’s egregious behavior would make a mockery of your moderation practices. Indeed, not taking action would undermine your claims in public and in court that your app stores offer a safer user experience than letting users download apps directly to their phones.”

Apple and Google’s app store policies are clear that they prohibit disturbing and offensive content, which includes nonconsensually generated sexual images of children and women. The companies’ failure to act in response to Grok’s production of disturbing and likely illegal content, including potentially child sexual abuse materials, contrasts with their speedy decisions to remove apps that allow users to lawfully report immigration enforcement activities, following pressure from political leadership at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The text of the letter is available here or below:

Dear Mr. Cook and Mr. Pichai:

Mr. Sundar Pichai Chief Executive Officer Google 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway Mountain View, CA 94043 We write to ask that you enforce your app stores’ terms of service against X Corp’s (hereafter, “X”) X and Grok apps for their mass generation of nonconsensual sexualized images of women and children. X’s generation of these harmful and likely illegal depictions of women and children has shown complete disregard for your stores’ distribution terms. Apple and Google must remove these apps from the app stores until X’s policy violations are addressed.

In recent days, X users have used the app’s Grok AI tool to generate nonconsensual sexual imagery of real, private citizens at scale. This trend has included Grok modifying images to depict women being sexually abused, humiliated, hurt, and even killed. In some cases, Grok has reportedly created sexualized images of children—the most heinous type of content imaginable. What is more, X has reportedly encouraged this behavior, including through the company’s CEO Elon Musk acknowledging this trend with laugh-cry emoji reactions. Researchers have also found a Grok app archive reportedly containing nearly 100 images of potential child sexual abuse materials generated since August, in addition to many other nonconsensual nude depictions of real people being tortured and worse. There can be no mistake about X’s knowledge, and, at best, negligent response to these trends.

Your app stores’ policies are clear. Google’s terms of service require apps to “prohibit users from creating, uploading, or distributing content that facilitates the exploitation or abuse of children” including prohibiting the “portrayal of children in a manner that could result in the sexual exploitation of children.” Apps that do not are said to be subject to “immediate removal from Google Play” for violations. Similarly, Apple’s terms of service bar apps from including “offensive” or “just plain creepy” content, which under any definition must include nonconsensually-generated sexualized images of children and women. Further, Apple’s terms explicitly bar apps from including content that is “[o]vertly sexual or pornographic material” including material “intended to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings.”

Turning a blind eye to X’s egregious behavior would make a mockery of your moderation practices. Indeed, not taking action would undermine your claims in public and in court that your app stores offer a safer user experience than letting users download apps directly to their phones. This principle has been core to your advocacy against legislative reforms to increase app store competition and your defenses to claims that your app stores abuse their market power through their payment systems.

Both Apple and Google have also recently demonstrated the ability to move quickly to moderate apps from the app stores. For example, under explicit pressure, and perhaps threats, from the Department of Homeland Security, your companies quickly removed apps that allowed users to lawfully report immigration enforcement activities, like ICEBlock and Red Dot. Unlike Grok’s sickening content generation, these apps were not creating or hosting harmful or illegal content, and yet, based entirely on the Administration’s claims that they posed a risk to immigration enforcers, you removed them from your stores.

We hope you will demonstrate a similar level of responsiveness and initiate swift action to remove the X and Grok apps from your app stores. Given the severity of the harm, at the very least, temporary removal pending a full investigation of the claims is appropriate.

To understand your approach to evaluating X and Grok under your existing policies, we request a written response to this letter by January 23, 2026.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

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Murphy, 13 Senators Call On Appropriations Leadership To Defend Funding For Northeast Corridor Development, Expanded Amtrak Lines Nationwide

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, led 13 of his Democratic Senate colleagues in urging U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee leadership, including the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development leadership, to defend funding for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (IPR) grant program in the fiscal year 2026 spending legislation. While the committee-passed U.S. Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill included $75 million for this account, House Republicans have proposed zeroing out the funding, risking ongoing work to upgrade the safety and reliability of rail infrastructure in the Northeast Corridor and expand our national passenger rail network.

The Senators laid out why annual appropriations of IPR grants are needed: “While the IIJA provided five years of guaranteed funding for the Federal-State Partnership grant program, this funding was always intended to be supplemental to annually appropriated dollars. The IIJA also authorized up to $1.5 billion for Federal-State Partnership grant program in fiscal year 2024. The IIJA investment alone is not sufficient to fully address the nation’s rail state-of-good-repair (SOGR) backlog nor to fully improve and expand intercity passenger rail in a way that America deserves.”

The senators warned failing to fund Northeast Corridor projects could lead to hundreds of millions of dollars in added costs and severe disruptions for riders: “The NEC’s SOGR backlog stands at well over $40 billion, representing a serious threat to the nation’s economy. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Amtrak and commuter railroads on the NEC transported more than 800,000 people per weekday, and the workforce that travels on the NEC contributes roughly $50 billion annually to the economy. However, the specter of the SOGR backlog causing delays or track closures is a constant concern. According to the Northeast Corridor Commission, “[t]he loss of the NEC for a single day could cost the country $100 million in added congestion, productivity losses, and other transportation impacts.” If Congress does not make the necessary investments, disruptions will become more frequent and more severe over time.”

They also highlighted how the funding would both expand and establish Amtrak passenger lines throughout the country: “In 2021, Amtrak released a $75 billion, 15-year vision to bring more trains to more people across the nation. This vision was meant to start an important conversation about the need for robust federal investment in passenger rail, especially in underserved and unserved communities. Congress responded by authorizing the FRA Corridor Identification and Development Program and the IIJA provided $12 billion via the Federal-State Partnership grant program as an initial down payment on non-NEC rail expansion. While this IIJA funding is a critical first step, to fully realize the type of passenger rail network that the country deserves, the Federal-State Partnership grant program will require robust additional funding in FY26 and beyond. Below is an illustrative list of types of non-NEC corridor development and related projects that federal investment could advance, assuming support from relevant states and communities and approval by the FRA”

The senators concluded: “On behalf of our millions of constituents who depend on a safe and reliable passenger rail network, and also those who deserve access to passenger rail but do not have it as a meaningful option today, we urge the Subcommittee to vigorously defend the $75 million appropriation for FY 2026 for the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail grant program.”

The letter was also signed by U.S Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).

Full text of the letter is available here and below.

Dear Chairs Collins and Hyde-Smith and Ranking Members Murray and Gillibrand,

As you work to finalize the fiscal year (FY) 2026 spending legislation, we urge you to support no less than $75 million for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail grant program—the amount included in the committee-passed Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill. The House of Representatives has proposed zeroing out this account. Eliminating funding for the Federal-State Partnership grant program would hinder ongoing work to improve rail infrastructure in the Northeast and across the country

The Federal-State Partnership grant program was reauthorized in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) “to fund capital projects that reduce the state of good repair backlog, improve performance, or expand or establish new intercity passenger rail service.” In general, not less than 45% of annual funding is reserved for projects along the Northeast Corridor (NEC), which are to be consistent with the most current NEC Service Development Plan. In addition, not less than 45% of annual funding is reserved for projects not located along the NEC, with preference given to projects included in a corridor development (i.e., service improvement and expansion) plan previously selected by the FRA. In addition, a share of the funding provided to non-NEC projects must also benefit, in whole or in part, one of Amtrak’s fifteen Long-Distance routes.

While the IIJA provided five years of guaranteed funding for the Federal-State Partnership grant program, this funding was always intended to be supplemental to annually appropriated dollars. The IIJA also authorized up to $1.5 billion for Federal-State Partnership grant program in fiscal year 2024. The IIJA investment alone is not sufficient to fully address the nation’s rail state-of-good-repair (SOGR) backlog nor to fully improve and expand intercity passenger rail in a way that America deserves.

Why the Northeast Corridor needs robust funding

The NEC’s SOGR backlog stands at well over $40 billion, representing a serious threat to the nation’s economy. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Amtrak and commuter railroads on the NEC transported more than 800,000 people per weekday, and the workforce that travels on the NEC contributes roughly $50 billion annually to the economy. However, the specter of the SOGR backlog causing delays or track closures is a constant concern. According to the Northeast Corridor Commission, “[t]he loss of the NEC for a single day could cost the country $100 million in added congestion, productivity losses, and other transportation impacts.” If Congress does not make the necessary investments, disruptions will become more frequent and more severe over time.

While the IIJA made a significant down payment to help address this SOGR backlog, it is simply not enough given the years of underinvestment and the age of the assets. Without sufficient annual appropriations to supplement the IIJA, many of the NEC’s most critical projects will not advance.

Why non-NEC projects need robust funding

In 2021, Amtrak released a $75 billion, 15-year vision to bring more trains to more people across the nation. This vision was meant to start an important conversation about the need for robust federal investment in passenger rail, especially in underserved and unserved communities. Congress responded by authorizing the FRA Corridor Identification and Development Program and the IIJA provided $12 billion via the Federal-State Partnership grant program as an initial down payment on non-NEC rail expansion. While this IIJA funding is a critical first step, to fully realize the type of passenger rail network that the country deserves, the Federal-State Partnership grant program will require robust additional funding in FY26 and beyond. Below is an illustrative list of types of non-NEC corridor development and related projects that federal investment could advance, assuming support from relevant states and communities and approval by the FRA:

· Vermonter route expansion to Montreal;

· Chicago Access Program projects in Illinois to reduce trip times and improve capacity for existing and future Midwest routes and connections to the south and east;

· More frequencies and enhanced service on Cascades Corridor in Washington and Oregon;

· A new Front Range Corridor in Colorado and Wyoming connecting Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Cheyenne;

· A new Massachusetts Inland Route service;

· More frequencies on the Hiawatha Corridor in Wisconsin and Illinois and extension to Madison, Green Bay, and Eau Claire, Wisconsin, as well as St. Paul, Minnesota;

· A new Phoenix-to-Tucson corridor in Arizona;

· More frequencies on the Downeaster Corridor in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine;

· A new “3C+D Corridor” in Ohio connecting Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati;

· Rebuilding of an abandoned higher-speed rail corridor between Richmond, Virginia, and Raleigh, North Carolina;

· Heartland Flyer route extension to connect Kansas communities, including Wichita, with Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Fort Worth, Texas;

· Upgrades to the rail corridor between Chicago, Indianapolis and Cincinnati, potentially including new service to Louisville;

· A new corridor in Texas, connecting Dallas/Ft. Worth, Austin, and San Antonio;

· Multiple new rail connections in California; and,

· A multi-corridor network from a new Atlanta Hub station, including new corridors to Nashville, Tennessee; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Savannah, Georgia; and elsewhere in the South; and

· Reestablish passenger rail service between Scranton and New York via New Jersey

On behalf of our millions of constituents who depend on a safe and reliable passenger rail network, and also those who deserve access to passenger rail but do not have it as a meaningful option today, we urge the Subcommittee to vigorously defend the $75 million appropriation for FY 2026 for the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail grant program.


Sen. Rick Scott Joins Sen. Roger Marshall on Public Charge Clarification Act to Prevent Illegal Aliens from Draining Taxpayer Resources

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Rick Scott joined Senator Roger Marshall and Congressman Troy Nehls in introducing the bicameral Public Charge Clarification Act to codify the President Trump’s first term proposed rule to establish clear, enforceable “public charge” standards that protect American taxpayer funds and ensure any individuals who comes into our nation are self-sufficient and want to live the American dream, not rely on our nation’s safety net programs at the expense of the American taxpayer. In 2022, the Biden administration revised President Trump’s actions, narrowing the definition of a “public charge,” allowing illegal immigrants to use taxpayer-funded benefits—including most Medicaid benefits, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and vital housing assistance—from consideration in granting permanent residency to aliens.

Senator Rick Scott said, “The Biden administration’s inconsistent and weak enforcement of our border policies and use of taxpayer dollars have allowed illegal aliens to drain taxpayer resources while crime surged. The Public Charge Clarification Act codifies President Trump’s effort to provide clear and fair standards, strengthens accountability to safeguard the opportunity of living the American Dream for those who come ready to work and succeed.”

Senator Roger Marshall said, “For too long, hardworking Americans have been left high and dry while Washington props up a broken immigration system that rewards dependence. If we truly want to put America First, immigrants coming to our country should contribute — not rely on taxpayers. The Public Charge Clarification Act of 2025 does exactly that by reversing Biden’s disastrous policies and codifying the Department of Homeland Security’s commonsense 2018 proposed standard that puts American families first.”

Congressman Troy Nehls said, “The Biden Administration not only scrapped President Trump’s effective border security policies, which kept the American people safe from illegal aliens coming from all corners of the world, but also altered policies that safeguarded public benefits meant for American citizens, to allow for foreign nationals to drain these vital resources and encouraged dependency on these programs. It’s simple—if an alien will be a drain on critical resources that Americans fall back on during hard times, they shouldn’t be admissible. I’m proud to introduce legislation that protects American taxpayers, discourages benefit-seeking immigration, and restores the fundamental requirement that those seeking the privilege of living in the United States must be able to support themselves.”

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Sen. Rick Scott, Senate Republicans Demand Accountability from Gov. Walz on Fraud and Abuse of Taxpayer Money in Minnesota

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Rick Scott and every Senate Republican joined together in a letter demanding accountability from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz amid widespread reports of fraud and abuse of American taxpayer money meant for child care funding in Minnesota.

Read the full letter HERE and below:

Dear Governor Walz:

We write to express serious concern regarding recent reports and federal investigations alleging widespread fraud and misuse of federal funds within Minnesota’s state-administered child care assistance programs. The state’s apparent negligent management of federal funds raises significant concerns about the adequacy of the state’s oversight, verification, and compliance systems for safeguarding taxpayer dollars intended to support vulnerable children and working families. Unfortunately, these latest reports appear to reflect only the tip of the iceberg.

Federal prosecutors have been conducting a broader investigation of large-scale fraud in Minnesota’s social services programs. Some authorities estimate that billions in federal funds across various programs, including child care, nutrition, Medicaid, and housing assistance, may have been misappropriated since 2018. One example includes the “Feeding Our Future” scheme, where more than 50 individuals were convicted for diverting hundreds of millions of dollars in pandemic relief funds intended for school meals.

Under the leadership of President Trump, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has acted promptly to freeze child care payments to Minnesota pending verification and audits of how funds were used. The Constitution grants Congress the power of the purse, and the United States Senate is exercising its duty to ensure proper stewardship of federal taxpayer dollars for child care programs, and we take this responsibility very seriously. To that end, we are writing to request detailed responses to the following questions, on a question-by-question basis, no later than Thursday, January 22, 2026:

Please describe the state’s ongoing efforts to comply with federal directives to conduct a comprehensive audit of child care centers identified as high-risk.

What is the state’s estimated timeframe to achieve full compliance?

Please detail any additional verification requirements Minnesota has adopted or plans to implement in the near term to support proof of legitimate use of federal child care payments. In your response, please specify whether these verification requirements apply to each federal funding stream used to support Minnesota’s child care programs, including the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), COVID-19 pandemic relief funds, and any other sources of federal taxpayer dollars. Please also indicate whether any of the providers identified as high-risk receive Head Start or Early Head Start funding.

How often does the state conduct on-site monitoring, inspections, or investigative visits of licensed, registered, and state exempt child care providers that receive child care subsidies?

How many investigations has the state conducted since January 1, 2018, and what evidence of fraud has been uncovered?

Please detail specific examples of fraudulent billing, including but not limited to billing for children who did not exist or were not present; falsifying attendance records and/or names; enrolling ineligible children to increase reimbursement; overbilling for services not provided; and using fake business structures to draw down additional public funds.

Please describe the prior compliance and enforcement efforts the state has undertaken to address concerns about accountability raised in previous federal audits documenting oversight shortcomings in Minnesota’s child care assistance program.

Please list all regulatory and oversight actions (as well as technology and systems improvements for fraud prevention) that the state has undertaken since January 1, 2018, in response to the findings of federal audits documenting the systemic misuse of welfare funds, including but not limited to the May 2025 HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) audit report.

Please include the dates of implementation and scope of all mandated reforms to comply with federal audits.

In the May 2025 HHS OIG audit report, the OIG made the following three recommendations: (1) recover identified overpayments; (2) strengthen monitoring of attendance records; and (3) implement real-time electronic attendance reporting, as previously recommended by the Legislative Auditor. As of the end of 2025, these recommendations remain open, indicating that they have not been completely adopted by the state. Why have these recommendations not been completely adopted by the state, and who made the decisions not to expeditiously move forward with adopting the OIG’s recommendations?

Please describe any additional reforms Minnesota has evaluated for potential implementation to prevent fraud in the state’s federally funded welfare programs, including but not limited to individual registration requirements, use of fingerprinting technologies, etc.

Please provide detailed documentation for all providers receiving federal child care funds from the state of Minnesota since January 1, 2018, including attendance records, licenses, inspection and monitoring reports, complaints, and investigations.

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SCHUMER STATEMENT ON DELTA AIRLINES REVERSING COURSE AND REMAINING IN BINGHAMTON

New York, NY – After Delta Airlines last month announced its decision to drop flights at Greater Binghamton Airport, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today announced that following his personal push Delta will continue service in Binghamton:

“Delta is the only commercial airline in Binghamton, making a world of difference for families and local businesses across the Southern Tier. When I first heard Delta was planning to end service at the Greater Binghamton Airport, I made it clear that this decision to permanently end service at Greater Binghamton Airport would leave thousands of New Yorkers across the region without access to air service and urged them to reconsider. I’m thrilled that Delta has heeded the call to reverse course and resume daily service at Binghamton in the spring. I have been proud to deliver millions in federal funding to improve passenger experience and safety at the Greater Binghamton Airport and will always fight to protect vital services that help the Southern Tier reach new heights.”

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Shaheen Continues “Affordability Action Tour” with Roundtable on Efforts to Lower Household Expenses and Harmful Impacts of Trump Administration Policies on Home Heating Costs

(Rochester, NH) – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) continued her “Affordability Action Tour” with a roundtable discussion on the harmful impacts of the Trump Administration’s energy policies on home heating costs in New Hampshire. Shaheen was joined by fuel delivery companies, advocates and members of Strafford County Community Action Partnership (CAPSC). Prior to the roundtable, Shaheen toured Gafney Home, CAPSC’s new, energy efficient and affordable housing facility for older adults. Photos from today’s event can be found HERE.

“Energy costs are always a top concern for families and businesses, especially during New Hampshire’s cold winters,” said Senator Shaheen. “The Trump Administration’s misguided actions are keeping electricity and home heating costs high instead of lowering them, so I appreciated hearing directly from folks on the ground about the challenges they’re facing as a result. With so many Granite Staters already feeling squeezed by the high cost of household expenses, it remains one of my top priorities to protect federal programs that help families lower their energy bills and stay warm in their homes.”

At a time when the cost of living is top a concern, Shaheen has led the charge in Washington to protect federal programs that help Granite Staters afford their energy bills and make energy efficiency updates that save money. Thanks to Shaheen’s efforts, the administration recently released delayed federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding, which more than 57,000 Granite Staters rely on to help pay their home heating bills. Shaheen has condemned efforts by the Trump Administration to eliminate staff responsible for administering the LIHEAP program.

Shaheen was a key supporter of the Inflation Reduction Act and a lead negotiator of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, legislation that made landmark investments in energy efficiency. In the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Shaheen helped secure $3.5 billion in additional funding for the Weatherization Assistance Program, including $18 million for New Hampshire. Shaheen has long-championed the Weatherization Assistance Program to lower energy costs for low-income families in New Hampshire, as well as the State Energy Program, which assists states with the development of energy efficiency renewable projects. In December, the New Hampshire delegation called on the Department of Energy to immediately release the remaining $9 million in funding for weatherization from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In addition, Shaheen led the delegation in opposing the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to terminate a $43 million grant for New Hampshire to support community solar and other solar projects that would reduce residents’ utility bills by 20% or more.

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Slotkin, Whitehouse, and Schakowsky Introduce Public Health Insurance Option Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) introduced the Affordable Consumer Health Options and Insurance Competition Enhancement (CHOICE) Act to add a publicly operated health insurance option to the Affordable Care Act’s individual marketplaces on healthcare.gov and state level exchanges.

The measure would drive competition and guarantee American consumers access to an affordable, high-quality plan in every insurance market in the country. In June 2025, Slotkin called for a public insurance option in her Economic War Plan speech.

“Our health care system is fundamentally broken, it’s not working,”said Slotkin. “We need deep changes to make sure everyone has access to health care coverage they can afford. That’s why we need a public insurance option, similar to Medicare, that provides affordable coverage to those who need it. The Affordable CHOICE Act will do just that, while supporting competition to drive down costs for everyone.”

“Democrats remain united in our fight to make high-quality, affordable health care available to families across America,”said Whitehouse. “Republicans have a longstanding obsession with taking health care from their constituents. Republicans’ concern that the tax credits are lining the pockets of big insurance companies should be easily assuaged by a public option — a health plan administered by the government that would get more people covered and lower insurance costs across the marketplace.”

“I am committed to ensuring that every person in the United States has access to quality, affordable health care,”said Schakowsky. “At a time when families are being squeezed by rising premiums and high health care costs, Congress must act. This legislation is a practical, proven way to drive down premiums, increase competition, and expand access to coverage for millions of Americans and small businesses. Health care is a right, not a privilege, and it is long past time we give people a real, affordable choice.”

The Affordable CHOICE Act would create a public health insurance option subject to the same requirements that apply to other plans offered on Affordable Care Act exchanges. It would offer the same tax credits available to individual marketplace consumers as well as essential, comprehensive benefits.

The full text of the bill is available here.

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Klobuchar, Smith Urge DOJ to Reverse Decision and Allow Joint Investigation Into Fatal ICE Shooting

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) are pressing the U.S. Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to coordinate with state and local law enforcement and allow for a joint investigation with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension into the tragic shooting of Renee Nicole Good.

In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Klobuchar and Smith called for a thorough, objective, and impartial investigation, which requires full cooperation with state investigators and local authorities.

“We write to express our serious concerns regarding reports that the Justice Department, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is no longer coordinating with state and local law enforcement in the investigation into the tragic shooting of Renee Nicole Good. It is critical there be a thorough, objective, and impartial investigation. That requires full cooperation with state investigators and local authorities,” wrote the Senators.

“After the assassination of Melissa Hortman and the horrific shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church, federal officials worked closely and cooperatively with state law enforcement. As in those cases, state law enforcement and investigators can bring extensive expertise to this critical investigation,” the Senators continued.

The full text of the letter is below and can be found here.

Dear Attorney General Bondi:

We write to express our serious concerns regarding reports that the Justice Department, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is no longer coordinating with state and local law enforcement in the investigation into the tragic shooting of Renee Nicole Good.

It is critical there be a thorough, objective, and impartial investigation. That requires full cooperation with state investigators and local authorities.

It was initially reported that the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) would conduct a joint investigation with the FBI, and had already begun investigating. According to BCA, the Justice Department has reversed course and is now not even allowing state investigators to access case materials and evidence.

After the assassination of Melissa Hortman and the horrific shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church, federal officials worked closely and cooperatively with state law enforcement. As in those cases, state law enforcement and investigators can bring extensive expertise to this critical investigation.

The administration’s decision raises serious questions about its objectivity, particularly after administration officials have made statements that conflict with the video and other evidence that has already become public. Therefore, we strongly urge you to reverse your decision and coordinate with state and local officials.

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OP-ED: Securing historic $1.4 billion for generational opportunity to transform health care in Alaska

COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE: DAN SULLIVAN
Securing historic $1.4 billion for generational opportunity to transform health care in Alaska
Dan Sullivan
Jan 9, 2026
Jan 9, 2026
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Happy New Year, Alaska!
As we look to 2026, we have challenges, but we also have enormous opportunities, many of which we’ve been pursuing for decades: an oil production boom on state and federal lands; historic progress on the gasline; bringing icebreakers to our state; billions of dollars of military, Coast Guard, and infrastructure investments; and major tax cuts for working families and our seniors who’ve worked so hard to build our state. This progress, which will benefit communities across the state and create thousands of jobs, is the result of Republicans in charge in Congress and the White House who want to partner with Alaska and help us thrive.
Another area of historic state-federal government partnership is in health care. Last week, Gov. Dunleavy, Rep. Begich, and I announced a historic federal investment from the budget reconciliation bill’s $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program in our state’s health care system: $272 million per year for five years — nearly $1.4 billion in total — to transform Alaska’s health care system and make it more responsive and affordable.
Alaska is finally receiving funding that reflects the realities of delivering care in the most rural, high-cost state in America. Importantly, it’s flexible and tailored to Alaska’s unique geography and costs. For too long, when it came to federal health care funding, Alaska was consistently left behind — receiving fewer dollars per capita than states with far lower costs and far greater access to care. Alaskans felt the consequences: patients traveling thousands of miles for treatment, rural clinics stretched thin, and families paying more for less.
Take Medicaid’s Federal Medical Assistance Percentage — FMAP — which determines how much the federal government pays toward a state’s Medicaid program. Despite our extreme costs and geography, Alaska receives only slightly above the statutory minimum — a 50–50 match — the lowest possible level in the country. At the same time, other states with lower health care costs receive far more generous federal funding.
Fixing this inequity and bringing much-needed federal health care funding to Alaska has been a top priority of mine since joining the Senate.
Earlier this year, during the budget reconciliation process that resulted in the Working Families Tax Cut Act, my team and I pushed hard to include a provision to correct the broken FMAP formula and raise Alaska’s federal Medicaid funding by an estimated $200 million annually.
Both the White House and Senate Republicans supported my provision, and it was included in the bill.
But, at the one-yard line, in the middle of the night, Senate Democrats — led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — challenged my Alaska FMAP provision under procedural rules, stripping it from the bill. After nearly a decade of trying to pass this pro-Alaska provision, it was a gut punch. But we pivoted, to get other major funding for Alaska.
The Rural Health Transformation Program originally totaled $25 billion nationwide. My team and I worked to overhaul this program to benefit Alaska. We doubled its funding to $50 billion, accelerated its start date to 2026, and ensured a $100 million base amount for every state — a huge benefit for us. Importantly, we amended the formula to prioritize the most rural states when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) evaluated the funding applications.
Because of that formula, the commitments I received for our state, and the innovative application that the Alaska Department of Health submitted at $1.4 billion over five years, only Texas received a larger funding award than Alaska.
More federal dollars alone do not automatically produce better health outcomes. But targeted, thoughtful investments — paired with accountability — can be transformative.
While the Rural Health Transformation Program focuses on access and affordability for Alaskans, other immediate challenges remain.
We’ve already begun to undertake significant reforms on prescription drugs, a major health care cost driver. The Trump administration recently announced a new agreement with nine major pharmaceutical companies to reduce drug prices for Americans. I’ve long pushed to end the practice of Americans paying more for the same medicines than patients in other developed nations. That effort is finally gaining traction.
All these historic opportunities work in the same direction: toward a health care system that is fairer, more affordable, and grounded in our unique Alaska challenges.
The Rural Health Transformation Program, based on flexibility, accountability, and trust in Alaska-based solutions, is a crucial part of that effort. If we work together to smartly implement this historic federal investment, we have a generational opportunity to transform health care in Alaska for the better and seize a brighter future for our kids and grandkids.
Sen. Dan Sullivan has represented Alaska in the U.S. Senate since he was first elected in 2014.
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Thune, Colleagues Demand Accountability Over Widespread Reports of Fraud and Abuse in Minnesota

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) joined Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and 51 of their Senate colleagues in writing a letter to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to demand accountability over widespread reports of fraud and abuse of federal child care funding in the state.

“The allegations of fraud coming out of Minnesota are egregious,” said Thune. “It’s exactly the kind of fraud that Senate Republicans went after with the Working Families Tax Cuts, which included commonsense reforms to make sure that benefits are going to people for whom they are actually intended. I’m grateful to Chairman Cassidy for leading this effort to help get to the bottom of this and ensure the responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.”

“Every American should be angry,” said Cassidy. “These federal funds are supposed to be used for improving children’s lives. Every dollar stolen is a dollar taken away from a family who needs it. President Trump and Senate Republicans will end this fraud and abuse in our government."

In addition to Thune and Cassidy, the letter was signed by Sens. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Shelly Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Curtis (R-Utah), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Jon Husted (R-Ohio), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), John Kennedy (R-La.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), and Todd Young (R-Ind.).

Full letter below:

Dear Governor Walz:

We write to express serious concern regarding recent reports and federal investigations alleging widespread fraud and misuse of federal funds within Minnesota’s state-administered child care assistance programs. The state’s apparent negligent management of federal funds raises significant concerns about the adequacy of the state’s oversight, verification, and compliance systems for safeguarding taxpayer dollars intended to support vulnerable children and working families. Unfortunately, these latest reports appear to reflect only the tip of the iceberg.

Federal prosecutors have been conducting a broader investigation of large-scale fraud in Minnesota’s social services programs. Some authorities estimate that billions in federal funds across various programs, including child care, nutrition, Medicaid, and housing assistance, may have been misappropriated since 2018. One example includes the “Feeding Our Future” scheme, where more than 50 individuals were convicted for diverting hundreds of millions of dollars in pandemic relief funds intended for school meals.

Under the leadership of President Trump, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has acted promptly to freeze child care payments to Minnesota pending verification and audits of how funds were used. The Constitution grants Congress the power of the purse, and the Senate is exercising its role to ensure proper stewardship of federal taxpayer dollars for child care programs, and we take this responsibility very seriously. To that end, we are writing to request detailed responses to the following questions, on a question-by-question basis, no later than Thursday, January 22, 2026:

Please describe the state’s ongoing efforts to comply with federal directives to conduct a comprehensive audit of child care centers identified as high-risk.

What is the state’s estimated timeframe to achieve full compliance?

Please detail any additional verification requirements Minnesota has adopted or plans to implement in the near term to support proof of legitimate use of federal child care payments, based on recent media reports. In your response, please specify whether these verification requirements apply to each federal funding stream used to support Minnesota’s child care programs, including the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), COVID-19 pandemic relief funds, and any other sources of federal taxpayer dollars. Please also indicate whether any of the providers identified as high-risk receive Head Start or Early Head Start funding.

How often does the state conduct on-site monitoring, inspections, or investigative visits of licensed, registered, and state exempt child care providers that receive child care subsidies?

How many investigations has the state conducted since January 1, 2018, and what evidence of fraud has been uncovered?

Please detail specific examples of fraudulent billing, including but not limited to billing for children who did not exist or were not present; falsifying attendance records and/or names; enrolling ineligible children to increase reimbursement; overbilling for services not provided; and using fake businesses structures to draw down additional public funds.

Please describe the prior compliance and enforcement efforts the state has undertaken to address concerns about accountability raised in previous federal audits documenting oversight shortcomings in Minnesota’s child care assistance program.

Please list all regulatory and oversight actions (as well as technology and systems improvements for fraud prevention) that the state has undertaken since January 1, 2018, in response to the findings of federal audits documenting the systemic misuse of welfare funds, including but not limited to the May 2025 HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) audit report.

Please include the dates of implementation and scope of all mandated reforms to comply with federal audits.

In the May 2025 HHS OIG audit report, the OIG made the following three recommendations: (1) recover identified overpayments; (2) strengthen monitoring of attendance records; and (3) implement real-time electronic attendance reporting, as previously recommended by the Legislative Auditor.

As of the end of 2025, these recommendations remain open, indicating that they have not been completely adopted by the state. Why have these recommendations not been completely adopted by the state, and who made the decisions not to expeditiously move forward with adopting the OIG’s recommendations?

Please describe any additional reforms Minnesota has evaluated for potential implementation to prevent fraud in the state’s federally funded welfare programs, including but not limited to individual registration requirements, use of fingerprinting technologies, etc.


Tillis, Colleagues Demand Accountability From Governor Walz Over Child Care Fraud

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) and his Republican Senate colleagues recently sent a letter to Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) demanding accountability amid widespread reports of fraud and abuse of federal child care funding in Minnesota.

“We write to express serious concern regarding recent reports and federal investigations alleging widespread fraud and misuse of federal funds within Minnesota’s state-administered child care assistance programs. The state’s apparent negligent management of federal funds raises significant concerns about the adequacy of the state’s oversight, verification, and compliance systems for safeguarding taxpayer dollars intended to support vulnerable children and working families. Unfortunately, these latest reports appear to reflect only the tip of the iceberg,” the senators wrote.

“Federal prosecutors have been conducting a broader investigation of large-scale fraud in Minnesota’s social services programs. Some authorities estimate that billions in federal funds across various programs, including child care, nutrition, Medicaid, and housing assistance, may have been misappropriated since 2018. One example includes the Feeding Our Futurescheme, where more than 50 individuals were convicted for diverting hundreds of millions of dollars in pandemic relief funds intended for school meals,” the senators continued.

“Under the leadership of President Trump, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has acted promptly to freeze child care payments to Minnesota pending verification and audits of how funds were used. The Constitution grants Congress the power of the purse, and the United States Senate is exercising its duty to ensure proper stewardship of federal taxpayer dollars for child care programs, and we take this responsibility very seriously,” the senators concluded.

Full text of the letter is available HERE.

###


Tuberville, Scott Introduce Resolution Celebrating Trump Admin’s Successful Operation in Venezuela

WASHINGTON – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) in introducing a resolution commending the United States military for its recent action in Venezuela with the arrest of indicted narco-terrorist dictator Nicolás Maduro. The resolution praises the operation’s precision and the Trump administration’s leadership in the fight for a more free and secure Western Hemisphere—paving the way for a democratic Venezuela.

“Nicolás Maduro is the leader of a terrorist gang and has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans through illegal drugs,” said Sen. Tuberville. “Thank you to the brave service members who have apprehended this criminal and sacrifice every day to keep America safe. This is what AMERICA FIRST national security looks like. Let this be a warning to anyone who threatens our country.”

“This decisive mission demonstrated American strength and resolve, arrested an indicted narco-terrorist who has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans, and sent a clear message that the United States will no longer tolerate criminal regimes that endanger American families, especially in our hemisphere,” said Sen. Scott. “A Latin America free of socialist and communist rule is in the best interest of the United States, and that’s why for years, I have fought alongside the people of Venezuela to restore their God-given freedom and liberty. It’s incredible to see the community come together with such gracious excitement for the future of their nation. Thank you, President Trump, Secretary Rubio, and Secretary Hegseth, for fighting for the Venezuelan people. I am proud to stand with them and all of Latin America in celebrating this incredible occasion.”

Sens. Tuberville and Scott were joined by Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Curtis (R-UT), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Eric Schmitt (R-MO) in introducing the resolution.

Read full text of the resolution here.

Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.

###


ICYMI: Warnock Delivers Commencement Address to Morgan State University Fall Class of 2025

Recently, Senator Reverend Warnock delivered the keynote commencement address to Morgan State University’s Fall 2025 graduating class in Baltimore, Maryland

Senator Warnock encouraged the Class of 2025 to use their voices to shake up the world, pushing them to challenge the status quo

Morgan State University, a Historically Black College & University (HBCU), has benefited from the $17 billion in federal investments secured by Senator Warnock since 2021

Senator Reverend Warnock: “So here, graduates. Do something more with your degree than just make a living, make a life”

Above: Senator Warnock at Morgan State University’s commencement

Photo courtesy of Morgan State University

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) delivered the keynote commencement address to Morgan State University’s Fall 2025 graduating class in Baltimore, Maryland. The Senator commended the university and its graduates for its rich history, academic excellence, and commitment to fostering Black leadership.

During his remarks Senator Warnock, an alum of Atlanta’s Morehouse College and the only sitting U.S. Senator to graduate from a Historically Black College & University (HBCU), urged the graduates to make their life’s project longer and larger than their lifespan and give themselves over to a mission bigger than themselves.

“So here, graduates. Do something more with your degree than just make a living, make a life. Decide to begin to work today, if you haven’t already decided what will be your life’s project, and make sure your life’s project is larger than your life span. If your life’s project can be accomplished in your life span, you’re thinking too small,” said Senator Warnock.

Senator Warnock also highlighted the important role of HBCUs in helping shape the next generation of changemakers, as well as his work to successfully secure $664 million in federal funding for Georgia’s HBCUs, part of $17 billion in investments the federal government has delivered to HBCU campuses throughout the nation since the Senator was elected to the Senate in 2021.

A video link of Senator Warnock’s speech can be found HERE.

See below Senator Warnock’s speech at Morgan State University:

“Hello, Morgan State University!

Come on, I’m a Baptist Preacher, you can talk back to me, we call it call and response, make some noise in this house! This is the day the Lord has made, we have come to rejoice and be glad in it.

Morgan State University, thank you so very much for this high honor. It’s great to be here with you for your 12th annual Fall Commencement Ceremony. I like to remind us at these ceremonies that while graduation represents the end of whatever degree you are pursuing, commencement is not the end, it’s the beginning. You have crossed the river, the ocean still lies ahead, and miles to go before you sleep.

It’s always great to be back in Maryland. I’m no stranger to this state. I had the honor of serving here my first senior pastor at Douglas Memorial Community Church, where they allowed a young man to experiment on them, until I became a pastor.

I want to thank your President, Dr Wilson, for that kind introduction and for his sterling leadership over this great institution, you ought to give your president a great big round of applause.

The third largest HBCU in the nation! All of us are family here today, whether you have or are being awarded a PhD or no D [Doctorate]. There are a lot of hands on these diplomas. This is about the village. Am I right? Give the village a round of applause.

It’s great to be here with my friend, my brother, Congressman Kweisi Mfume. Not just your congressman, but Chair of the Morgan State University Board of Regents. I have watched his career with great interest over the decades, and I remember his first foray into the Congress, and I was about where a lot of these students were when he had the Congress the first time. I didn’t know I’d be his colleague years later, but we’re so grateful for his voice and for his commitment to speaking truth to power. It’s great to have a liberationist is at the helm of the Board of Regents here at Morgan State.

Last but certainly not least, let’s take a moment and really celebrate the future, the mighty class of 2025!

Give them a great big hand! Give yourselves a great big hand because you deserve it!

This indeed is a special day. You have reason to rejoice. I’m always delighted to be a part of any college commencement, but as an HBCU grad, I know the unique history of places like Morgan State University. There must have been something special in the water or in the air in 1867, the year this school was born. And I was struck as I was reading and doing the research on Morgan State University, that you’re born, your first board of trustees met on Christmas Day in 1864, began to work on this vision that came into fruition in 1867. But your president, who is astute, and a serious thinker and scholar, was saying to me as I was coming in that some non-HBCUs were organized in 1867, the largest number of schools in higher education in the history of our country. Something special was in the air in 1867. I’m a graduate of an 1867 institution, Morehouse College, and I understand as a first-generation college graduate, the sacrifice that it took for you to get here. That’s why HBCU commencements are really a church service in an academic framework. Y’all acting real dignified, but I’ve come out here to hear a hallelujah, before it’s all over. Somebody’s grandmother is going to say ‘Thank you Jesus’ before we get out of here.

I speak from experience, because, as I said, I’m the first college graduate in my family. I’m number 11 out of 12 children, my folks, who were Pentecostal preachers, clearly read the scripture: Be fruitful and multiply.

But I decided as a kid, growing up in public housing, that my parents’ income ought not determine my outcome. I had a village that convinced me that God believes in in diversity, equity, and inclusion. That God raises up genius and talent and expertise and promise and possibility all over town on both sides of the track. And so I decided that I was going to Morehouse College. And I went primarily because that was the alma mater of Martin Luther King, Jr, whose vision and whose voice absolutely captured the imagination of this post-Civil Rights generation, baby.

I just wanted to be in the school. I just wanted to be a part of the environment that shaped Martin Luther King Jr. I just wanted to go to his school. I never knew at that point. I did not know that I would become the pastor of his church. God always dreams a dream bigger than the dream you’ve been dreaming for yourself. What you have achieved so far is impressive, but eyes have not seen. Ears have not heard, neither has it been revealed today what God has prepared for you. Exceedingly, abundantly, and above anything you could ever ask Him or imagine. I’m standing on tiptoe waiting to see what you graduates will become.

I went to school on a full faith scholarship. That’s when you don’t have enough money for the first semester.

The year I went to college, my folks’ annual income was equal to the tuition, room, and board of the college. We were short on money, but long on faith, long on love. We had a sense of humor. Faith and humor will take a long way. Love will open the door.

And I remember that when I arrived on the campus of Morehouse College, another great HBCU, there were young men there who were from prominent middle-class and upper-middle-class families, some of them, and you know how we have a sense of style in these schools, some of those brothers were already dressed in Brooks Brothers suits hadn’t been to the first class yet. Looked like they were working on Wall Street. Some of them were driving fancy cars. I said to myself, I don’t have enough clothes to be in this place.

And I looked at my dad as they were dropping me off on the campus. I told you my folks were Pentecostal preachers, and when you live in the house of a preacher, two preachers every day, instructions sound like scripture.

My folks had a way of speaking to me in King James English. My mom would say ‘Thou shalt wash the dishes, lest I smite thee with my rod and my staff.’ I looked at my dad just trying to get a few dollars to get through the first semester. And my dad had a lot of love, but he also had a lot of children, and he spoke to me in King James English. He said, ‘Son, Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have […] grace of the Lord Jesus, be with you.’ He gave me a great big hug. Mom gave me a great big hug. They got in the car, drove off into the horizon. Let me stand there.

Four years later, I was standing on the stage, some of those guys driving those fancy cars were driving past the stage when I was standing on the stage getting my degree. I did that because I had a fierce work ethic. I had a commitment to finish. I had perseverance, so discipline, I have all of that, but here’s the other side of the deal. I finished also because somebody gave me some Pell Grants, somebody gave me some low-income student loans. In other words, I had a path to progress. And the sad reality is that because of the short-sightedness of so many in the Congress, public leadership and public policy, it would have been tougher for me to do today than it was for me to get that accomplished all of those years ago. That’s the sad commentary.

So that’s why we need you 2025 graduates. That’s why we need the Spirit, the social consciousness, the perspective of these young graduates. Young people have a way of shaking up the world, pushing us to think outside of the box. Young people have a lower tolerance for contradictions between our ideals and what we have achieved, and we need that vision. We need that impatience with things as they are. We need the energy and the activism and the spirit of young it. That’s why we got to do something to make sure that young people all across this country, not just in four-year institutions, but in our community colleges and technical colleges, have a path because America can’t win unless its children can win. We need everybody from every zip code. I want America to win, and the only way America can win is if every child has a chance. That’s the legacy and the commitment of a place like Morgan State University.

It makes a difference when an HBCU graduate is in the House. Your chairman and I working through the Congress, we we’ve secured some $[1]7 billion for HBCUs all across this country. It makes a difference when there’s HBCU graduates in the House.

So thank God for you, Morgan State. You teach us the saying: ‘I’m tired of sailing my little boat far inside of the harbor bar; I want to be out where the big ships float — Out on the deep where the Great Ones are! And should my frail craft prove too slight for those waves and sweep the billows, oh I’d rather go down in the stirring fight, than drowse to death by the sheltered shore!’

You teach us how to dream. Places like Morgan State teach us how to say to everyone: ‘They’re opening up the way and the way, the way, high soul climbs the highway, while the low soul gropes the low and in between on misty flats, the rest drift to and fro. But to everyone, they’re opening up the highway and the low, and each one must decide the way his soul would go.’

Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays used to say that ‘We make our living by what we get, but we make our life by what we give.’ He said: ‘I have only a minute, 60 seconds in it. Forced upon me, can’t refuse it, Didn’t seek it, didn’t choose it, But must give account if I lose it. a tiny little minute, but eternity is in it.’

So make sure graduates that your minute counts. Make your minute count. Will you make that promise to yourself? Will you make that promise to the village, whether you live to be 99 years old? That’s just one minute. Make your minute count. So go forth and be the light.

This is the season of Advent. It is also the season of Hanukkah. It is a season of light. Scripture tells us that ‘The light shines in the darkness and the darkness overcometh it not.’ It’s not that it isn’t dark in the world. It’s just that we refuse to let the darkness overcome the light, let your light shine.

Keep the flame burning, a flame that was carried to the Western Hemisphere from the distant shores of an African west coast where we already knew God, a flame that was used to illuminate the books of our ancestors as they hid and read when it was illegal for them to read, and that led the path of slaves who fled by foot to freedom. Keep the flame alive, flame that was alive in Frederick Douglass, who traded bread with poor little white boys for the bread of literacy and the hope of freedom. Keep that flame alive. The flame alive in the distinguished graduates of this institution, Earl Graves and Kweisi Mfume, and April Ryan and so many others, and now it’s your turn to stand up and say, I got a light. I’ve got gifts. I have opportunity, I have possibility. Thank God for all of them. But it’s my time now, I’m going to keep the flame alive. I’m going to make sure that I make a difference in the world, the light shines, in the darkness and the darkness overcometh it not.

So here, graduates. Do something More with your degree than just make a living, make a life.

Decide to begin to work today, if you haven’t already decided what will be your life’s project, and make sure your life’s project is larger than your life span. If your life’s project can be accomplished in your life span, you’re thinking too small. You need to grab hold of something that it will take somebody else to finish. You give your life over to something larger than yourself. You will find yourself. We need that kind of idealism, especially in this moment where we’re dealing with spiritual wickedness in high places, the rulers of the darkness of this world.

Don’t you dare give in to this, the dystopian designs of an administration that does not know what America is really about. Don’t you give this country over to the autocrats and the billionaires. Don’t you know that our ancestors gave too much? They die too young. We sacrifice too much to give this country back to a distorted vision of yesterday. We’re not about to go back. You’re not about to erase us. We’re moving forward. Were pressing on the upward way.

I heard a confused man who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania, say in the wake of a terrible tragedy at the beginning of this year. Remember, there was a plane crash in D.C., and while bodies were still in the icy waters of the Potomac, he said, ‘I know what did this, DEI.’

That’s narrow vision. The truth is, aviation is one of the least diverse sectors in our economy. I met a young man named Ezekiel a few years ago who wanted to be a pilot. He had the aptitude, but years later, and $100,000 of his money, 10 years later, he was still struggling to be a pilot, because we haven’t created the pathway for all of the talent to emerge in our country.

So you keep the light burning, because young people have always been the ones to create in us a sense of restlessness, a conscientious discontent with the world as it is, and a determination to fight for the world that we can build together. Want to remind you in closing, and nobody believes a Baptist preacher when he says ‘In closing’, that we’ve seen tyrants before. We’ve seen racists and bigots before. We’ve seen xenophobes before. John Lewis didn’t have any reason to believe that he could win as he was crossing that Edmund Pettus Bridge, but he was 25 years old and foolish enough to believe that he can make a difference.

Brute force on the other side of that bridge, under the cover of law, he and Hosea Williams kept on marching. Not only did he cross a bridge, he built the bridge.

The young kid who grew up in Kayton Home, down in Savannah, Georgia, crossed that bridge into the United States Senate. We’ve seen challenges before, and we kept on marching.

When I was born, I told you that I’m the first black senator from Georgia, but when I was born, Georgia was represented by two outstanding senators, but they were both segregationists. One of them said, ‘We love the Negro in his place. And his place is at the back door.’ I came all the way to Baltimore just to tell you that I sit in his seat.

The light shines in the dark, darkness overcometh it not. The other senator was so distinguished that out of three administrative buildings in the Senate, there been over 2000 senators in the history of our country. He has a whole building named after him but he too was a segregationist.

And after I won the fifth time in less than three years, I’m not bragging, I’m just testifying. They came to me, and they said, ‘Senator, you’ve gone up in the seniority now, you can get a larger office. Matter of fact, you can move out of this building into another building.’ And eventually, I did move out of that building, but I had to stay there for just a few years. Because I love the prophetic and poetic irony that I was residing in the Senate office building of a segregationist Senator from Georgia.

I said I’m going to stay here for a little while, because after all his statue is in the vestibule of this building. His statue is in the rotunda. And because his statue is in the rotunda when I’m on my way to my office every now and then, I have to pass by his statue and when I pass by his statue I look back over my shoulder and I say ‘How do you like me now?’

We have come over a way that with tears has been watered. we have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered. Yet with a steady beat. Have not our weary feet come to the place for which our fathers sighed?

So don’t let anybody turn you around. If you have a mountain, just climb it. If you have river, just cross it. If you have a dream, just pursue it. If you have a vison, just do it. If you have an idea, just capture it. If you have a bad habit, just break it. A handicap, overcome it, a talent, just develop it, a song, just sing it, a testimony, just tell it, a sermon, just preach it.

If you have life, just live it! Let your light shine in the darkness.

###


Welch, Colleagues Urge Big Oil Executives to Proceed With “Extreme Caution” as Trump Plots Seizure of Venezuelan Oil

Letter Advises Chevron, ExxonMobil, and ConocoPhillips to “be on notice” that Trump has no authority to compensate them for investments.

Big Oil execs met with President Trump at the White House this afternoon.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today led his colleagues in urging oil industry giants Chevron, ExxonMobil, and ConocoPhillips to proceed with extreme caution as President Trump plots to illegally seize Venezuela’s oil reserves. In their letter, the Senators demand transparency from oil industry executives regarding any communication the companies may have with Executive Branch officials about U.S.-Venezuela policy. The Senators also call on the companies to publicly affirm their intention not to seek or expect U.S. taxpayer dollars to support their activities in Venezuela.

Senator Welch was joined by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).

“The United States has no right to attack another country to seize its oil. President Trump has been candid that his objective in Venezuela is for the U.S. to have access to its oil reserves,” wrote the Senators. “In a social media post late Tuesday, President Trump said that ‘Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States of America,’ a quantity that would be worth between $1.8 billion and $3 billion, according to the New York Times.”

In recent days, President Trump has revealed his Administration’s intentions to take over Venezuela’s oil assets: “We’re going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground,” said President Trump. “We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars.” The President has also claimed that: “A tremendous amount of money will have to be spent, and the oil companies will spend it, and then they’ll get reimbursed by us or through revenue.”

“When President Trump says he will pay the oil companies with revenue seized from Venezuela that he will ‘control,’ be on notice: The President of the United States has no Constitutional authority to appropriate funds to pay oil companies for doing his bidding. Only Congress has the Constitutional authority to appropriate funds. The President cannot obligate federal funds without Congressional approval, including to reimburse or subsidize corporations for private sector projects,” the Senators continued.

The Senators also emphasized their strong opposition to the United States “‘running Venezuela,’” as suggested by President Trump: “We are opposed to a United States occupation of Venezuela to seize that country’s oil assets. Your company should not expect Congress to finance or reimburse oil sector reconstruction projects, absent explicit advance approval, and Congress will scrutinize and possibly reverse any financing package proposed by the Administration without explicit Congressional approval.”

Read and download the full letter here.

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Welch, Moore, Reintroduce Bicameral Bill to Bolster SNAP Benefits for Social Security Recipients

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, this week joined U.S. Representative Gwen Moore (D-WI-04) in reintroducing the COLAs Don’t Count Act, bicameral legislation to allow households utilizing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—known as 3Squares in Vermont—to deduct annual Social Security cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) from their income when calculating eligibility for the food assistance program. Railroad retirement and veterans’ benefit COLAs and state supplementation program payments would similarly be exempt.

“Nearly 70,000 Vermonters rely on SNAP for vital hunger assistance, so it’s essential this program accurately captures the financial reality of those who need it. Yet we’re seeing SNAP recipients lose out on vital benefits because of outdated requirements that don’t account for modern financial hardships,” said Senator Welch. “We need to update SNAP to help families put food on the table and keep up with rising costs.”

“For individuals and American families who rely on Social Security, SSI, and SNAP, the annual Social Security COLA increase can deliver economic support especially as inflation remains too high in our country. At the same time, the COLA can result in cuts to critical food assistance. Our legislation would exempt the Social Security COLA from being counted as income for purposes of determining SNAP eligibility and the benefit amount,” said Rep. Moore. “This is similar to existing exemptions of many other federal benefits, which work to protect SNAP benefits for vulnerable Americans. As Republicans cut SNAP and food insecurity grows, Congress needs to advance this legislation to strengthen SNAP and help families keep food on the table.”

In addition to Senator Welch, the COLAs Don’t Count Act is co-led by Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and cosponsored by Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). The legislation is co-led in the House by Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA-28) and cosponsored by Reps. Becca Balint (D-VT-At-Large), Julia Brownley (D-CA-26), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC-AL), Mark Pocan (D-WI-02), and Bobby Scott (D-VA-03).

“After Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans took a sledgehammer to Americans’ SNAP benefits, we should be doing everything we can to protect lifesaving nutrition assistance,” said Senator Padilla. “Annual cost-of-living adjustments are meant to help people keep up with rising prices and inflation, not to unintentionally strip away vulnerable families’ SNAP benefits. This bill would make overdue updates to SNAP eligibility calculations so that the 5.5 million Californians who depend on CalFresh can afford their grocery bills and keep food on the table.”

“People relying on food assistance are already walking an economic tightrope,” said Senator Wyden. “Because of outdated red tape, many of these Americans are also being forced to shoulder higher living expenses across the board with grocery bills, and so much more. Our legislation will ensure that retiree’s cost-of-living adjustments aren’t treated as an afterthought so that families, seniors, and people with disabilities don’t go hungry.”

“At a time when millions of American families are facing skyrocketing grocery and electricity costs and health care bills, the annual cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security is meant to help households keep up with rising inflation. Unfortunately, that same annual boost can cause some families who receive SNAP benefits to see their payments reduced or even outright eliminated because of outdated income eligibility requirements. We must pass COLAs Don’t Count Act so that families in Massachusetts and all across the country are not further burdened by Trump’s affordability crisis,” said Senator Markey.

“We should be making it easier, not harder, for New Mexicans receiving SNAP benefits to put food on the table. Unfortunately, too many people who rely on both Social Security and SNAP are being punished for annual Cost of Living Adjustments, leading to a decrease or complete elimination of their overall SNAP benefits. I’m proud to join this legislation to right this wrong, protecting eligibility for the thousands of people in our state who depend on this program for their health and well-being,” said Senator Heinrich, a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees funding for SNAP, WIC, and other federal nutrition programs.

“Social Security’s annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) are supposed to help our most vulnerable Americans, including seniors and Veterans, keep up with the rising cost of basic necessities. But for too many Americans, those COLA increases cause them to receive lower monthly food assistance benefits or even to lose eligibility altogether. It’s harmful and unacceptable,” said Rep. Chu. “I’m proud to join Representative Gwen Moore in introducing this common-sense bill to stop penalizing seniors by ensuring Social Security COLAs are no longer counted as income for the purposes of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility.”

“The cost of living in America is too high and it only gets higher each year. Social Security cost-of-living adjustments are intended to help seniors and people with disabilities keep up with rising costs, not to push them off a nutritional lifeline,” said Rep. Norton. “This commonsense legislation ensures that modest COLA increases do not trigger harmful reductions in SNAP benefits, allowing vulnerable Americans to maintain access to the food assistance they rely on.”

“As costs continue to rise, seniors and veterans should not have to worry about putting food on the table,” said Rep. Scott. “This bill ensures that they can continue to afford their necessities and receive the nutrition needed without annual cost-of-living adjustments impacting their SNAP benefits.”

In 2023, approximately 9 million Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries were also SNAP recipients, with 33% of SNAP households receiving Social Security benefits (an average of $1,096) and 23% of households receiving SSI benefits (an average of $723 monthly). Each year, Social Security beneficiaries receive a COLA provided through the Social Security Act to ensure the value of benefits is not eroded by inflation. In 2025, Social Security and SSI benefits increased by 2.5%, resulting in a $50 increase for Social Security checks—totaling $1,976 per month on average.

However, when the income of a SNAP household rises, beneficiaries face a potential reduction in SNAP benefits or risk becoming ineligible, creating a benefits cliff. Further, as COLAs raise a household’s overall income—and are not considered an allowable deduction under SNAP income eligibility requirements—it can impact households’ ability to receive vital food assistance. For example, in 2023, an estimated 28,000 SNAP households lost their eligibility for the program as a result of Social Security COLAs, and 36% of SNAP recipients saw a decrease of an average of $32 per month in benefits.

Last year, Vermonters who are enrolled in SNAP received an average of $184.48 per month, or $6.06 per day, in benefits.

The COLAs Don’t Count Act is endorsed by the Food and Research Action Center; Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin; Hunger Free Vermont; Hunger Task Force; National Council on Aging; Social Security Works; and the Strengthen Social Security Coalition.

“No one should lose SNAP benefits because their Social Security check went up by a few dollars,” said Anore Horton, Executive Director, Hunger Free Vermont. “Social Security cost-of-living adjustments are meant to help older adults keep up with rising costs—not to take grocery money off their tables. This bill ensures that modest increases in Social Security don’t trigger SNAP cuts that push seniors closer to hunger. We are grateful to Senator Welch for introducing this important piece of legislation.”

Senator Welch has been a leading advocate for protecting and expanding access to nutrition programs in the Senate. He voted against the so-called ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Act, which slashed nutrition assistance, and was outspoken in his opposition to the cuts and changes to the SNAP program. Senator Welch also introduced the Improving Access to Nutrition Act of 2025, legislation to help more Americans access SNAP by lifting Republicans’ punitive time limits on SNAP eligibility requirements.

Learn more about the COLAs Don’t Count Act of 2026.

Read and download the full text of the bill.

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Chairmen of Senate and House Armed Services Committees Back President Trump's $1.5 Trillion Defense Budget Topline Proposal

“We commend President Trump for committing to a $1.5 trillion defense budget. This is exactly the kind of investment it will take to rebuild our military and restore American leadership on the world stage.

America faces intensifying global threats from China, Russia, Iran, and narco-terrorists. This substantial increase in defense spending is therefore both timely and essential. We are also leading by example by bringing U.S. defense spending to approximately 5% of our GDP, which is what we expect from our NATO allies.

"Increased investment will lead to tangible hard power: accelerated shipbuilding and aircraft production, a modernized arsenal, and innovative technologies that ensure our warfighters remain unmatched. These efforts prioritize the needs of our men and women in uniform and deliver the 'Dream Military' President Trump has envisioned.

“Leaders across the political spectrum have long been proud to call the U.S. military the most powerful in the world. They have vowed never to let it fall behind. Yet too many have failed to match those words with resources and action. The previous administration resisted adequate military funding, instead settling for depleted stockpiles, aging equipment, and worsening recruitment challenges.

“President Trump’s decisive commitment reverses these years of neglect. He is replacing rhetoric with investment and sending a message to our adversaries. America can and will defend the homeland and stand with our allies. We share the president’s ultimate desire for peace, and we agree that it will only be achieved through strength, by preventing conflict before it begins.

"As we welcome this step, we are ready to continue working with President Trump and Secretary Hegseth to rebuild America’s military and get this budget passed into law.”


Wyden, Colleagues Reintroduce Bill to Protect Food Assistance for Social Security Recipients

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate colleagues to reintroduce legislation that would ensure Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients in Oregon and nationwide who also depend on Social Security income are not cut off due to incremental changes to their income.

The COLAs Don’t Count Act would allow SNAP recipients to deduct annual Social Security cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) from their income when calculating eligibility for the food assistance program. Railroad retirement, veterans’ benefit COLAs and state supplementation program payments would similarly be exempt.

“People relying on food assistance are already walking an economic tightrope,” Wyden said. “Because of outdated red tape, many of these Americans are also being forced to shoulder higher living expenses across the board with grocery bills, and so much more. Our legislation will ensure that a retiree’s cost-of-living adjustments aren’t treated as an afterthought so that families, seniors, and people with disabilities don’t go hungry.”

In 2023, about 9 million Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries were also SNAP recipients, with 33% of SNAP households receiving Social Security benefits (an average of $1,096) and 23% of households receiving SSI benefits (an average of $723 monthly). Each year, Social Security beneficiaries receive a COLA provided through the Social Security Act to ensure the value of benefits is not eroded by inflation. In 2025, Social Security and SSI benefits increased by 2.5%, resulting in a $50 increase for Social Security checks—totaling $1,976 per month on average.

However, when the income of a SNAP household rises, beneficiaries face a potential reduction in SNAP benefits or risk becoming ineligible, creating a benefits cliff. Further, as COLAs raise a household’s overall income—and are not considered an allowable deduction under SNAP income eligibility requirements—it can undermine households’ ability to receive vital food assistance. For example, in 2023, an estimated 28,000 SNAP households lost their eligibility for the program as a result of Social Security COLAs, and 36% of SNAP recipients saw a decrease of an average of $32 per month in benefits.

The legislation was by U.S. Senator Peter Welch, D-Vt., and U.S. Representatives Gwen Moore, D-Wis., and Judy Chu, D-Calif. In addition to Wyden, the legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., and Martin Heinrich D-N.M. The legislation is cosponsored in the House by U.S. Representatives. Becca Balint, D-Vt., Julia Brownley, D-Calif., Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., Mark Pocan, D-Wis., and Bobby Scott, D-Va.


Wyden, Markey and Lujan Urge Apple and Google to Remove X and Grok from App Stores Following Grok Generating Illegal Sexual Images at Scale

Washington, D.C. — In response to X Corp’s Grok AI tool being used to generate nonconsensual sexualized images of women and children at scale in recent days, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., and Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., urged Apple and Google to immediately remove the X and Grok apps from their app stores until the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Elon Musk, addresses these disturbing and likely illegal activities.

In recent days, X users have used the Grok AI tool to nonconsensually generate sexual imagery of real, private citizens, including sexualized depictions of children and modified depictions of women being sexually abused, humiliated, hurt and even killed. Researchers have also discovered that the Grok app has reportedly created more than 70 sexualized images of children since August. Musk has reportedly encouraged this behavior, including reacting to these trends with laugh-cry emojis.

“There can be no mistake about X’s knowledge, and, at best, negligent response to these trends,” the senators wrote in their letter to Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook and Google Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai. “Turning a blind eye to X’s egregious behavior would make a mockery of your moderation practices. Indeed, not taking action would undermine your claims in public and in court that your app stores offer a safer user experience than letting users download apps directly to their phones.”

Apple and Google’s app store policies are clear that they prohibit disturbing and offensive content, which includes nonconsensually generated sexual images of children and women. The companies’ failure to act in response to Grok’s production of disturbing and likely illegal content, including potentially child sexual abuse materials, contrasts with their speedy decisions to remove apps that allow users to lawfully report immigration enforcement activities, following pressure from political leadership at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The text of the letter is here

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Young, Colleagues Demand Accountability for Taxpayers Following Rampant Child Care Fraud in Minnesota

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) joined Republican colleagues in demanding accountability from outgoing Minnesota Governor Tim Walz amid widespread reports of fraud and abuse of federal child care funding in Minnesota.

“We write to express serious concern regarding recent reports and federal investigations alleging widespread fraud and misuse of federal funds within Minnesota’s state-administered child care assistance programs. The state’s apparent negligent management of federal funds raises significant concerns about the adequacy of the state’s oversight, verification, and compliance systems for safeguarding taxpayer dollars intended to support vulnerable children and working families. Unfortunately, these latest reports appear to reflect only the tip of the iceberg,” the senators wrote.

This effort is in conjunction with the Trump administration, which has paused child care funding to Minnesota and other states pending verification and audits of how funds were used. There is also a current federal investigation into large-scale fraud in Minnesota’s social services programs.

In addition to Senator Young, U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy (R-La.), John Thune (R-S.D.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kan.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Jon Husted (R-Ohio), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Jim Justice (R-W. Va.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), John Curtis (R-Utah), Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) also joined the letter.

Read the full text of the letter below.

Dear Governor Walz:

We write to express serious concern regarding recent reports and federal investigations alleging widespread fraud and misuse of federal funds within Minnesota’s state-administered child care assistance programs. The state’s apparent negligent management of federal funds raises significant concerns about the adequacy of the state’s oversight, verification, and compliance systems for safeguarding taxpayer dollars intended to support vulnerable children and working families. Unfortunately, these latest reports appear to reflect only the tip of the iceberg.

Federal prosecutors have been conducting a broader investigation of large-scale fraud in Minnesota’s social services programs. Some authorities estimate that billions in federal funds across various programs, including child care, nutrition, Medicaid, and housing assistance, may have been misappropriated since 2018. One example includes the “Feeding Our Future” scheme, where more than 50 individuals were convicted for diverting hundreds of millions of dollars in pandemic relief funds intended for school meals.

Under the leadership of President Trump, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has acted promptly to freeze child care payments to Minnesota pending verification and audits of how funds were used.[5] The Constitution grants Congress the power of the purse, and the Senate is exercising its role to ensure proper stewardship of federal taxpayer dollars for child care programs, and we take this responsibility very seriously. To that end, we are writing to request detailed responses to the following questions, on a question-by-question basis, no later than Thursday, January 22, 2026:

Please describe the state’s ongoing efforts to comply with federal directives to conduct a comprehensive audit of child care centers identified as high-risk.

What is the state’s estimated timeframe to achieve full compliance?

Please detail any additional verification requirements Minnesota has adopted or plans to implement in the near term to support proof of legitimate use of federal child care payments, based on recent media reports. In your response, please specify whether these verification requirements apply to each federal funding stream used to support Minnesota’s child care programs, including the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), COVID-19 pandemic relief funds, and any other sources of federal taxpayer dollars. Please also indicate whether any of the providers identified as high-risk receive Head Start or Early Head Start funding.

How often does the state conduct on-site monitoring, inspections, or investigative visits of licensed, registered, and state exempt child care providers that receive child care subsidies?

How many investigations has the state conducted since January 1, 2018, and what evidence of fraud has been uncovered?

Please detail specific examples of fraudulent billing, including but not limited to billing for children who did not exist or were not present; falsifying attendance records and/or names; enrolling ineligible children to increase reimbursement; overbilling for services not provided; and using fake businesses structures to draw down additional public funds.

Please describe the prior compliance and enforcement efforts the state has undertaken to address concerns about accountability raised in previous federal audits documenting oversight shortcomings in Minnesota’s child care assistance program.

Please list all regulatory and oversight actions (as well as technology and systems improvements for fraud prevention) that the state has undertaken since January 1, 2018, in response to the findings of federal audits documenting the systemic misuse of welfare funds, including but not limited to the May 2025 HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) audit report.

Please include the dates of implementation and scope of all mandated reforms to comply with federal audits.

In the May 2025 HHS OIG audit report, the OIG made the following three recommendations: (1) recover identified overpayments; (2) strengthen monitoring of attendance records; and (3) implement real-time electronic attendance reporting, as previously recommended by the Legislative Auditor.

As of the end of 2025, these recommendations remain open, indicating that they have not been completely adopted by the state. Why have these recommendations not been completely adopted by the state, and who made the decisions not to expeditiously move forward with adopting the OIG’s recommendations?

Please describe any additional reforms Minnesota has evaluated for potential implementation to prevent fraud in the state’s federally funded welfare programs, including but not limited to individual registration requirements, use of fingerprinting technologies, etc.