VIDEO: Capito Delivers Speech Highlighting All-of-the-Above Energy Strategy and Importance of Completing FY26 Appropriations

To watch Senator Capito’s remarks, click here.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee and a leader on the Senate Appropriations Committee, delivered a speech on the Senate floor highlighting the need for an all-of-the above energy strategy during a period where Americans have been impacted by winter storms.

Senator Capito also emphasized the importance of restoring a functioning appropriations process as well as her leadership the Labor-Health and Human Services-Education-and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) bill. Senator Capito serves as chairman of the Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee.

Senator Capito’s remarks as prepared for delivery:

“Mr. President—

“This week, a major winter storm brought snow, sleet, freezing rain, and bitter cold temperatures to most of the middle and eastern parts of our country.

“I rise to highlight the role that dispatchable, baseload power, coal, natural gas, and nuclear energy, played in keeping the 200 million Americans impacted by this week’s winter storm safe and warm.

“Common sense tells us that in the peak heat of summer or the depths of winter cold, we will consume more electricity.

“Americans expect, very reasonably, that our country’s energy policy will result in affordable and reliable electricity so that they can keep their homes cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

“If we know that demand for electricity is at its peak during periods of extreme heat or extreme cold, then it would make sense for our energy policy to prioritize those generation sources that are available to meet demand when electricity is needed the most.

“So which sources of energy showed up this week?

“Not surprisingly, fossil fuels and nuclear power provided the bulk of the electricity during this week’s storm and the intense cold that followed.

“PJM Interconnection is the electric grid operator for all or part of 13 states – including West Virginia, that were impacted by this week’s winter storm.

“In a filing with the Department of Energy, PJM projected that its highest ever winter peak electricity demand would take place on Tuesday morning of this week.

“At 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning, fossil energy sources including coal – natural gas and oil provided two-thirds of PJM’s power, with another 23.6 percent provided by nuclear electricity.

“That means that at a time of record winter electricity demand, 90 percent of the load was shouldered by baseload energy sources.

“And electricity is only one part of the story, because natural gas is also used for residential heating in many of these same areas, providing energy beyond what is reflected in electricity generation figures.

“The chart next to me is from the Energy Policy Research Foundation and shows PJM electricity generation by source for the past week.

“It illustrates the fossil fuels and nuclear carried the load across PJM throughout this week’s winter storm and its aftermath.

“The solid blue represents the consistent supply of baseload energy from the nuclear fleet.

“Similarly, the red shows the reliable supply of electricity from coal plants.

“The green shows electricity produced from natural gas, the largest single source in the PJM region.

“At the very top, you see the relatively small amount of electricity produced from wind, solar, and hydroelectric sources.

“What is notable is not just that the renewable sources generate smaller amounts of electricity.

“It is also that they are sporadic.

“You can see from that chart that solar energy disappears during the overnight hours when it is coldest.

“And it also produced much less electricity on Sunday because of cloud cover during the storm.

“Wind power produced more on Friday but virtually disappears from the chart on Saturday.

“I highlight this chart not because I want to pick winners and losers among energy sources.

“To the contrary, I believe that all types of energy, including renewables, should be part of our country’s electricity mix.

“But our country must have enough dispatchable baseload energy, the type of reliable power that fossil fuels and nuclear provide, if we are going to stay warm in the depths of winter.

“The Biden administration, like the Obama administration before it did everything possible to shut down our nation’s coal fleet.

“The Biden EPA had an entire strategy for pursuing multiple regulations, including,

“The Clean Power Plan 2.0, ELG rules for power plants, coal ash regulations, unachievable particulate matter rules, ozone rules, and the MATS rule,

“All to make it impossible to keep a coal plant open.

“As the Wall Street Journal editorialized on Monday, coal is an especially valuable part of our grid during periods of peak winter demand because months of fuel can be stockpiled on-site at a plant, and can be used to supply more electricity when natural gas is also needed for residential heating.

“On the oil and gas side, the Biden administration imposed a natural gas tax designed to make energy more expensive for consumers.

“That administration cancelled the Keystone XL pipeline and, working with their allies in state governments, stood in the way of pipelines that could move abundant natural gas produced in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio to gas-starved regions in the Northeast and the Southeast.

“I am very proud of the bipartisan work that went into passing the ADVANCE Act to make nuclear licensing more efficient.

“But even that overwhelmingly bipartisan bill took years longer to pass because of a handful of Democrat opponents.

“I am glad that we had sufficient dispatchable power to make it through the winter storm this week.

“But I’m not convinced that we would have if we had continued the Biden Administration’s radical opposition to the energy sources that the American people rely on to keep them warm in winter and cool in summer.

“I appreciate President Trump, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and others across the administration for their commonsense approach to regulation that will allow us to keep producing and utilizing the energy resources we need,

“Especially during periods of peak demand when Americans need electricity the most.

“Going forward, I will continue working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to lock in common sense permitting reform so that projects of all types, including sources of dispatchable, baseload electricity, can be permitted through a fair and efficient process.

---

“Mister President—

“I rise today to discuss another topic, and that is the progress we’ve made in restoring a functioning appropriations process, and the critical importance of completing the work before us.

“But first, I’d like to thank our Appropriations leaders, Chair Collins and Vice Chair Murray, as well as Leader Thune.

“I applaud them for their steadfast commitment to returning to regular order, and I am glad to see that our work has brought these bills to the Senate floor.

“In particular, I am proud of the work we accomplished in a bipartisan fashion in my Labor-Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Bill.

“I’d like to thank all my fellow committee members for their input, as well.

“We received over 12,000 total member requests for this bill.

“As Senator Baldwin and I begin our fourth year leading this subcommittee together, I am pleased that we are once again bringing forward a bipartisan bill that reflects targeted investments, disciplined decision-making, and a shared commitment to meeting the needs of the American people.

“The Labor-H bill allocates limited taxpayer resources to key bipartisan priorities, and it does so at a lower level than fiscal year 2025.

“In fact, it decreases the base discretionary cost of the bill by $3.2 billion compared to FY-2025.

“To achieve this, the bill reduces or eliminates funding for more than 40 programs and activities, and realigns spending to reflect Republican priorities, while continuing to deliver on areas where agreement exists across the aisle.

“The bill includes a number of member priorities, such as greater investments in America’s biomedical research, child care, mental and rural health, workforce development, and continued efforts to combat the opioid epidemic.

“As we work to right-size the federal government, the bill also includes targeted decreases to administrative funding while ensuring that agencies have appropriate staffing levels to carry out their statutory responsibilities.

“We also preserve longstanding, consensus-driven policy provisions and reject the inclusion of any new controversial riders.

“That stability is important, not only for agencies, but for families, workers, and communities counting on the programs we authorize.

“A major priority in this bill is our sustained commitment to the National Institutes of Health.

“We provide funding for NIH to support lifesaving biomedical research, research that makes Americans healthier, strengthens our economy, and, pushes the boundaries of what is possible in medicine.

“This investment includes targeted increases for research in critical areas such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, Parkinson’s, women’s health, maternal health, rare diseases, and cancer.

“We also increase support for NIH’s IDeA program, which expands research capacity in 23 states, including my home state of West Virginia, and continues to be important for institutions like WVU and Marshall University.

“This bill also strengthens our efforts to combat substance abuse, an issue that continues to affect families and communities in West Virginia and across the country, by supporting prevention, treatment, research, and, recovery programs.

“We bolster support for rural health care programs to help increase access to care for the more than 60 million Americans who live in rural communities.

“And critically, we maintain important conservative policy riders like the Hyde and Weldon amendments, ensuring the bill reflects longstanding bipartisan consensus.

“The Labor-HHS bill also focuses on our children, from early childhood through postsecondary education, ensuring they’re prepared for the jobs of today and tomorrow.

“That includes critical investments to help American workers upskill and advance in their careers.

“And, we include funding for apprenticeship grants to support the Trump administration’s goal of creating one million active apprenticeships.

“This bill is important to our country, but make no mistake, for me, it is also critically important for West Virginia, for our universities and our hospitals, dozens of nonprofits and workforce programs, treatments for our coal miners and those suffering from opioid addiction.

“All these things can help West Virginians. I know this because I have heard directly from them about their needs.

“My driving focus in crafting this bill is to help meet those needs for my fellow West Virginians, and I am proud to say it helps do just that.

“Mister President—

“As encouraging as this progress is, our work is not done.

“The American people expect Congress to fulfill its most basic responsibility: funding the government responsibly and on time.

“Every delay undermines confidence in our institutions and forces our agencies into wasteful, short-term planning cycles.

“Completing this work is not about partisan victory. It’s about good governance, it’s about keeping our commitments, and it’s about demonstrating that Congress can function and can work together to deliver real results.

“That is why we must come together to pass this package.

“And, it ensures that the priorities we’ve carefully crafted, debated and agreed to in a bipartisan and bicameral manner, can actually be carried out.

“So once again, I want to thank Chair Collins for her leadership throughout this process.

“I encourage all of my colleagues to vote positively on this entire package so we can responsibly fund the government. This is what the American people sent us here to do.

“Thank you, Mr. President.

“I yield the floor.”

# # #


VIDEO: Capito Joins Fox Business Network’s “Kudlow”

To watch Senator Capito’s interview, click here or on the image above.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of Senate Republican leadership and a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined Fox Business Network’s “Kudlow” with Larry Kudlow to discuss government funding and immigration reform.

HIGHLIGHTS:

ON THE POTENTIAL FOR A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN: “There are conversations going, I think, between both the leadership and the great subcommittee chairs and the chair of the Appropriations Committee. I mean, the preferred route here is to move forward with the six bills that came over from the House, make those votes by Friday, no shutdown. The other option, I think that's been talked about is to separate the Homeland Security and pass the five bills. If that would occur, Homeland Security could be in a shutdown, which would be a perilous situation when you consider that TSA, Coast Guard, Secret Service, FEMA, as we look outside another storm approaching. So, I think hopefully cooler heads will prevail here, we'll have some concessions working with the White House in terms of maybe some of the parameters around ICE and ICE arrests. You know, the Democrats laid out what they want. It tells me, if they're telling us what they want in a more substantive way, that we may be able to get there by Friday. That's my hope.

ON LOCAL MINNESOTA OFFICIALS DISREGARDING FEDERAL LAW: “I think when the mayor of Minneapolis comes out and says, ‘we're going to disregard federal law in any form or fashion,’ I mean that, to me, is breaking the law. And I think that we would, you know, the American people want violent criminals that are here illegally taken off the street and deported. That was the president's mission. That's what he's been following through on.”

ON THE POTENTIAL FOR BROADER IMMIGRATION REFORM: “In the past Trump administration, you all came forward with a bill that we could have moved forward on, but it was obstructed by the Democrats, basically for political reasons. They didn't want the president to get the win. And you know, which would have been a win for the entire country, I think, one of the one of the really dangerous after effects of something like this, if you're not going to let your local law enforcement and your state law enforcement. If you're going to pit law enforcement against law enforcement and encourage that, you're really, I think, deflating the American people's trust in their own local law enforcement. And who wants to get into law enforcement when this is the way you're treated by the leaders in the Senate or, you know, in the cities and the governor's seat, so I am concerned about that as an after effect. But you're right, if we could come up with something comprehensive that would certainly move us in the right direction.”

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Cassidy Announces $480 Million for Louisiana Disaster Recovery and Emergency Preparedness

Funding AmountRecipientProject Description$75,714,165.00Office of Risk ManagementThis grant will provide federal funding for work on the West Belle Pass Barrier Headland Restoration Project in the Terrebonne Basin barrier island system following Hurricane Zeta.$59,679,166.27Jefferson ParishThis grant will provide federal funding for replacement of a severely damaged water line spanning 41 miles, new valve station construction, and related hazard mitigation efforts following Hurricane Ida.$37,519,274.70South Louisiana Electric Cooperative AssociationThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to the power distribution line providing electrical power to the Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center following Hurricane Ida.$30,382,233.30South Louisiana Electric Cooperative AssociationThis grant will provide federal funding for permanent repairs to a damaged 3.9-mile power transmission system from West Houma to Matherne and related hazard mitigation efforts following Hurricane Ida.$19,306,441.19Jefferson Davis Electric CooperativeThis grant will provide federal funding for emergency generators to support power restoration in Jefferson Davis and Cameron Parishes following Hurricane Laura.$17,838,732.00Jefferson ParishThis grant will provide federal funding for debris removal along Bayou Barataria’s waterways following Hurricane Ida.$16,372,172.55Terrebonne Parish School BoardThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to three damaged buildings at LaCache Middle School following Hurricane Ida.$16,002,544.94South Louisiana Electric Cooperative AssociationThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to approximately 44.9 miles of damaged electrical infrastructure following Hurricane Ida.$11,871,458.00South Louisiana Electric Cooperative AssociationThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to electrical distribution lines and related hazard mitigation efforts following Hurricane Ida.$11,503,834.40Jefferson ParishThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to the storm surge-damaged waterline between Lafitte and Grand Isle following Hurricane Ida.$10,082,841.20South Louisiana Electric Cooperative AssociationThis grant will provide federal funding for interest on loans required to finance electrical infrastructure repairs in Terrebonne Parish following Hurricane Ida.$9,318,659.71Terrebonne Levee and Conservation DistrictThis grant will provide federal funding for restoration and flood mitigation measures at the Bubba Dove Floodgate in the Houma Navigation Canal following Hurricane Ida.$9,205,678.65Terrebonne Parish School BoardThis grant will provide federal funding for capital asset financing costs related to the repair or replacement of multiple damaged facilities following Hurricane Ida.$7,831,241.75Cameron ParishThis grant will provide federal funding for replacement of the severely damaged South Cameron Memorial Hospital building following Hurricane Laura.$7,502,774.72Office of Risk ManagementThis grant will provide federal funding for permanent repairs to facilities at Fontainebleau State Park in Mandeville following Hurricane Ida.$7,241,016.07Office of Risk ManagementThis grant will provide federal funding for restoration of damaged roads and bridges in the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge and Game Preserve following Hurricane Laura.$7,068,244.23Jefferson Davis Electric CooperativeThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to damaged electrical power distribution and transmission systems following Hurricane Laura.$6,882,941.95Terrebonne Parish Recreation District #7This grant will provide federal funding for replacement of the Little Caillou Gym building in Chauvin following Hurricane Ida.$6,844,875.74Office of Risk ManagementThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to multiple damaged state facilities following Hurricane Laura.$6,794,425.41Diocese of Lake CharlesThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to the Our Lady Queen of Heaven Parish family life and aquatic center following Hurricane Laura.$6,498,584.38GOHSEPThis grant will provide federal funding for emergency support, including temporary facilities, meals and shelter for evacuees, and public warning systems following Hurricane Laura.$5,756,306.20St. James Parish Housing AuthorityThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to 113 buildings across four housing complexes following Hurricane Ida.$4,857,682.58Washington–St. Tammany Electric CooperativeThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to electrical transmission and distribution systems following Hurricane Ida.$4,775,787.21Old Emmanuel Baptist ChurchThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to the sanctuary building following Hurricane Laura.$4,277,436.91Jefferson ParishThis grant will provide federal funding for replacement of the Rose Thorne Gymnasium in Lafitte following Hurricane Ida.$3,973,406.93DEMCOThis grant will provide federal funding for interest costs and fees on loans required to finance electric distribution system repairs following Hurricane Ida.$3,630,671.36Terrebonne Parish District Attorney’s OfficeThis grant will provide federal funding for replacement of the Old Newspaper Building in Houma following Hurricane Ida.$3,501,795.25DEMCOThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to power generation, transmission, and distribution facilities following Hurricane Francine.$3,437,165.92Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal DistrictThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to severely damaged ship loader equipment following Hurricane Laura.$3,283,064.07Terrebonne Levee and Conservation DistrictThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to an earthen flood protection levee (Reach J-2) in Montegut following Hurricane Francine.$3,022,808.90Orleans Levee DistrictThis grant will provide federal funding for restoration of the South Shore Harbor Marina following Hurricane Ida.$2,985,001.12Sewerage & Water Board of New OrleansThis grant will provide federal funding for oxygen purchases at the East Bank Wastewater Treatment Plant following Hurricane Ida.$2,950,554.10Calcasieu Parish Police JuryThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to a four-story government building following Hurricane Laura.$2,869,533.00Acadia Parish Police JuryThis grant will provide federal funding for debris removal throughout parish drainage systems following Hurricane Laura.$2,859,946.22Office of Risk ManagementThis grant will provide federal funding for permanent repairs to McNeese University’s Cowboy Stadium press box following Hurricane Laura.$2,542,986.73Greater St. Mary Missionary Baptist ChurchThis grant will provide federal funding for replacement of a catastrophically damaged campus building following Hurricane Laura.$2,304,319.07Louisiana Department of HealthThis grant will provide federal funding for emergency protective measures following Hurricane Isaac.$2,259,741.92City of MandevilleThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to Sunset Point recreational park following Hurricane Ida.$2,123,725.00Terrebonne ParishThis grant will provide federal funding for wastewater treatment infrastructure restoration following Hurricane Francine.$2,049,888.86Diocese of Houma-ThibodauxThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs at Vanderbilt Catholic High School following Hurricane Ida.$1,944,581.70Terrebonne Parish District Attorney’s OfficeThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to the Houma police dispatch center following Hurricane Ida.$1,919,734.05Calcasieu Parish Recreation District No. 1This grant will provide federal funding for replacement of the Rigmaiden Gymnasium following Hurricane Laura.$1,721,988.05Lafourche Parish School BoardThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to the South Lafourche High School ROTC building following Hurricane Ida.$1,690,584.33Office of Risk ManagementThis grant will provide federal funding for replacement of contents across multiple state facilities following Hurricane Laura.$1,676,710.11Terrebonne Levee and Conservation DistrictThis grant will provide federal funding for debris removal operations following Hurricane Francine.$1,634,885.10Thibodaux Regional Health SystemThis grant will provide federal funding for emergency protective measures following Hurricane Ida.$1,582,781.95City of Lake CharlesThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to the city parking garage following Hurricane Laura.$1,581,338.20Diocese of Houma-ThibodauxThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to St. Mary Nativity Parish School following Hurricane Ida.$1,574,573.22Plaquemines ParishThis grant will provide federal funding for emergency repair of the Westbank back levee following Hurricane Francine.$1,490,410.73Calcasieu Parish Police JuryThis grant will provide federal funding for restoration of Prien Park following Hurricane Laura.$1,412,639.95Jefferson ParishThis grant will provide federal funding for demolition and debris removal of unsafe homes following Hurricane Ida.$1,241,568.00Jefferson Parish Public School SystemThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to Ray St. Pierre Academy following Hurricane Ida.$1,222,738.02Terrebonne Levee and Conservation DistrictThis grant will provide federal funding for levee embankment repairs (Reach L) following Hurricane Francine.$1,082,925.69Office of Risk ManagementThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to Nicholls State University following Hurricane Francine.$1,074,272.93Diocese of Lake CharlesThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish following Hurricane Laura.$1,069,255.80Terrebonne Levee and Conservation DistrictThis grant will provide federal funding for levee embankment repairs (Reach J-3) following Hurricane Francine.$1,060,780.09Office of Risk ManagementThis grant will provide federal funding for permanent repairs at Poverty Point following Severe Storms and Flooding.$1,049,672.00Jefferson Parish Public School SystemThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to Harahan Elementary School following Hurricane Ida.$1,042,698.88Cameron ParishThis grant will provide federal funding for levee and drainage hazard mitigation following Hurricane Laura.$1,040,860.00Jefferson Parish Public School SystemThis grant will provide federal funding for repairs to Lionel Collins Elementary School following Hurricane Ida.


LOCAL SPOTLIGHT: Cassidy Highlights Lilly Harvey for Turning Tragedy into Hope in Fight Against Fentanyl

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), for his monthly Local Spotlight, highlighted Lilly Harvey of Jonesville, Louisiana who founded the nonprofit “Millie Mattered” after losing her daughter to a fentanyl overdose. Lilly has dedicated her life to educating young people on the dangers of illegal opioids and helping families navigate the tragedy of addiction, turning this tragedy into hope for families across the country. Each month, Cassidy highlights a local story that truly reflects Louisiana values of humility, respect, and resiliency.

Read his full January 2026 Local Spotlight below:

This local spotlight is on Lilly Harvey from Jonesville, Louisiana.

And Lilly is known across the state for raising awareness about the effect, the terrible effect, of illegal opioids.

In 2017, Lilly received the nightmare call no parent ever wants to receive. Her 28-year-old daughter, Millie, had taken fentanyl and died.

Now, when you lose someone you love, particularly a child, it leaves a hole that can never be filled. For Lilly, that hole is because of Millie.

Now, what’s particularly awful, is that you can go to every parish, every county, every state in our nation and find a family who has their own tragic story like Lilly does.

And Lilly understood this. She founded a nonprofit called Millie Mattered, educating young people on the tactics that drug dealers use, and, because of this, Millie will not be forgotten.

Her legacy lives on through her mother, as her mother educates young people, helps families, saves lives.

Lilly, thank you for your work, your partnership, your dedication to giving others the chance that your daughter did not have.

You turned tragedy into something good, and that is the definition of being a hero.

Keep being a hero. Keep educating. Keep fighting. Keep making Louisiana proud. Let Millie’s legacy live on.

Background

Lilly has been an important partner in the fight to end the opioid epidemic. In December, she joined Cassidy at an event in New Orleans to celebrate the signing of his SUPPORT Act, standing alongside other angel families to share her testimony. The SUPPORT Act bolsters prevention, treatment, and recovery services for Americans with substance use disorders.

In August, Lilly also attended an event in Baton Rouge to celebrate the signing of Cassidy’s HALT Fentanyl Act, which gives law enforcement one more tool to fight back against fentanyl traffickers by permanently scheduling fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act.

In December, Cassidy highlighted Andrew Coleman, a Louisianan following God’s call to ministry by sharing the Gospel through his artistic gifts. After a year in seminary, Andrew discovered his true calling—serving God and his community through woodworking.

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Senator Collins Announces ICE Ceases Enhanced Operations in Maine

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins today announced that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has ceased its enhanced operations in the State of Maine. The announcement comes after several direct communications between Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Senator Collins.

“While the Department of Homeland Security does not confirm law enforcement operations, I can report that Secretary Noem has informed me that ICE has ended its enhanced activities in the State of Maine,” said Senator Collins. “There are currently no ongoing or planned large-scale ICE operations here. I have been urging Secretary Noem and others in the Administration to get ICE to reconsider its approach to immigration enforcement in the state. I appreciate the Secretary's willingness to listen to and consider my recommendations and her personal attention to the situation in Maine. ICE and Customs and Border Protection will continue their normal operations that have been ongoing here for many years. I will continue to work with the Secretary on efforts to end illegal immigration, drug smuggling, and other transnational criminal activity.”

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Cornyn, Colleagues Bill to Combat Illicit Gold Mining Passes Senate Foreign Relations Committee

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) released the following statements after their U.S. Legal Gold and Mining Partnership Act, which would require a comprehensive strategy from the U.S. Secretary of State to combat illicit gold mining in the Western Hemisphere, passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee:

“Criminal organizations and authoritarian actors will do whatever it takes to enrich themselves, and that includes illegally mining and trafficking gold throughout Latin America,” said Sen. Cornyn. “By fostering greater cooperation between the State Department, partner governments, and the private sector, this legislation would help combat the threat illicit gold mining poses to the Western Hemisphere and ensure this illegal activity that bankrolls cartels is rooted out once and for all.”

“Illicit gold mining leads to human rights abuses, organized crime, and instability,” said Sen. Kaine. “I’m glad that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed our bipartisan legislation to combat illegal mining in our neighborhood. I look forward to working with my colleagues to get this bill across the finish line and boost prosperity and security in the hemisphere.”

“America’s enemies use illicit gold mining to launder money, evade sanctions, and finance terrorism, undermining American national security and the safety of Americans and our allies,” said Sen. Cruz. “This legislation will provide new tools to counter these dangers. I commend my colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for advancing this bill, and I urge the Senate to swiftly pass this legislation.”

“Advancing this bipartisan bill is an important step towards developing a strategy to cut off a key source of funding for bad actors in the Western Hemisphere,” said Sen. Rosen. “Cartels illicitly mine and traffick gold to fund their criminal activities, and collaboration between the State Department, partner governments, and the private sector can help us combat this and improve security and stability in our region.”

Background:

The illicit mining and trafficking of gold is used to finance transnational criminal organizations and other bad actors, and negatively impacts the region’s security and economic dynamics.

The U.S. Legal Gold and Mining Partnership Act would:


Cornyn Introduces Resolution Recognizing National School Choice Week

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), along with Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and 34 of his Senate colleagues, introduced a resolution designating Jan. 25-31, 2026, as National School Choice Week to empower parents and students to choose the best learning environment that best fits their needs. The Working Families Tax Cuts Act, now law, included new tax benefits that improve educational opportunity and affordability for Texas families by expanding more than 500 Education Savings Accounts, creating a new school choice tax credit, and establishing the Workforce Pell grant program for short-term industry programs that open new academic and career pathways for students. Text is below, and you can view the full resolution here.

“Whereas providing a diversity of choices in K-12 education empowers parents to select education environments that meet the individual needs and strengths of their children;

Whereas high-quality K-12 education environments of all varieties are available in the United States, including traditional public schools, public charter schools, public magnet schools, private schools online academies, and home schooling;

Whereas talented teachers and school leaders in each of these education environments prepare children to achieve their dreams;

Whereas more families than ever before in the United States actively choose the best education for their children;

Whereas more public awareness of the issue of school choice in education can inform additional families of the benefits of proactively choosing challenging, motivating, and effective education environments for their children;

Whereas the process by which parents choose schools for their children is nonpolitical, nonpartisan, and deserves the utmost respect; and

Whereas tens of thousands of events are planned to celebrate the benefits of educational choice during the 16th annual National School Choice Week, held during the week of January 25 through January 31, 2026: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate—

designates the week of January 25 through January 31, 2026, as “National School Choice Week”;

congratulates students, parents, teachers and school leaders from K-12 education environments of all varieties for their persistence, achievements, dedication, and contributions to society in the United States;

encourages all parents, during National School Choice Week, to learn about the education options available to them; and

encourages the people of the Unites States to hold appropriate programs, events, and activities during National School Choice Week to raise public awareness of the benefits of opportunity in education.”

The resolution is being led by U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) and co-sponsored by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Ashley Moody (R-FL), James Lankford (R-OK), Katie Britt (R-AL), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Tom Tillis (R-NC), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), John Boozman (R-AR), Mike Lee (R-UT), Rick Scott (R-FL), Steve Daines (R-MT), Jon Husted (R-OH), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Jim Banks (R-IN), Jim Justice (R-WV), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Jim Risch (R-ID), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ted Budd (R-NC), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Todd Young (R-IN), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), John Curtis (R-UT), Bernie Moreno (R-OH), John Kennedy (R-LA), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), John Barrasso (R-WY), and Tim Sheehy (R-MT).


Cornyn Op-Ed: Congress Must Act to Crack Down on Child Care Fraud

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) authored the following op-ed in the Washington Examiner on his Stop Fraud by SOMALIA Act, legislation he recently introduced in response to the now-exposed Somali fraud empire in Minnesota. His bill would strengthen penalties for child care providers who commit fraud and impose immigration consequences on fraudulent child care providers who are not U.S. citizens, making them inadmissible and deportable.

Congress must act to crack down on child care fraud

Senator John Cornyn

Washington Examiner

January 29, 2026

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/4438102/congress-must-act-crack-down-child-care-fraud/

The recent child care fraud scandal in Minnesota exposed a twofold problem: first, the blatant and ongoing misuse of taxpayer dollars, and second, that some of these offenders were not even American citizens. A sovereign nation can do better than allowing foreigners into our country to steal money from the American taxpayer. It is clear that Congress must exert its authority to crack down on this abuse. For this reason, I have introduced the Stop Fraud by Strengthening Oversight and More Accountability for Lying and Illegal Activity Act, which will impose just consequences for these offenders.

My legislation, which was introduced with the support of Sens. John Kennedy (R-LA), Rick Scott (R-FL), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), would amend the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act and impose strict penalties on child care providers who commit fraud. It would require states to repay the federal government for misspent funds and to authorize additional sanctions against fraudsters, including penalties such as debarment for providers found to have committed fraud, and disqualification from receiving CCDBG funds in the future. In addition, my legislation requires offenders to be referred to the Department of Justice for federal criminal investigation and prosecution. These penalties would serve the twofold purpose of restoring stolen funds while deterring future potential fraudsters from engaging in these nefarious crimes.

Repayment and prosecution are a necessary first step, but for those who are in our country illegally, additional actions must be taken for justice to be served. My legislation would address criminal immigrants by imposing immigration penalties on those who commit child care fraud. It would authorize the federal government to deport any immigrants who engage in child care fraud and make them inadmissible to the United States. We should not reward alien fraudsters by allowing them to continue living in our country without consequences, and my legislation will ensure that they receive the justice they deserve.

I have long been a champion of holding accountable those who commit fraud with taxpayer funds. Last fall, I introduced the LETITIA Act, which will create accountability mechanisms for public officials who commit mortgage fraud. Any fraud is a serious crime, but fraudulent use of taxpayer dollars is an affront to the people I represent who work so hard to put food on their tables. In the same way that those who commit mortgage fraud deserve enhanced criminal penalties, illegal immigrants who create money laundering schemes with funds intended to help vulnerable American citizens deserve consequences. I am working with the relevant committees to ensure my legislation advances through the Senate so that these fraudulent criminals receive just penalties.

Committing fraud with taxpayer dollars intended to help the less fortunate is a serious offense, and those who engage in such activities deserve criminal penalties. Moreover, immigrants who are actively committing fraud in our country must be deported. The hardworking people of Texas that I represent deserve accountability regarding how their tax dollars are spent, and my Stop Fraud by SOMALIA Act will deliver the accountability all Americans deserve.


Cornyn Praises Abbott’s New World Screwworm Disaster Declaration

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) today praised Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s disaster declaration to help protect the state from the highly destructive New World screwworm (NWS) as it continues to migrate north toward the United States from Mexico:

“Governor Abbott’s disaster declaration is good news for Texas agriculture and ranching communities who deserve protection from the destructive New World screwworm,” said Sen. Cornyn. “As the screwworm moves north, I will continue to work alongside Secretary Rollins and state and local leaders to ensure necessary safeguards and resources are in place to combat this parasite.”

Background:

Senator Cornyn has led the fight in Washington to combat the growing NWS threat to protect the Texas agriculture industry and cattle production nationwide, including:

Introducing legislation to authorize funds for and direct the USDA to begin construction on a new sterile fly production facility;

Calling attention on the Senate floor to the growing NWS threat and passing an amendment as a part of the Senate appropriations package to bolster the federal government’s response;

And working with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Rollins and stakeholders to propose solutions to halt the growth of this destructive parasite.


Cramer Commends VA Secretary Collins on Reducing Backlog, Expanding Veterans’ Access to Care

***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.***

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee heard testimony from U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) leadership about how proposed changes to the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) would affect veterans in North Dakota and the rest of the nation. The VA recently announced theRestructure for Impact and Sustainability Effort (RISE) initiative to reorganize the VHA over the next 18-24 months, aiming to reduce bureaucracy and deliver better outcomes for veterans.

U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) commended VA Secretary Doug Collins about the massive decrease in VA’s benefits backlog and discussed expanding access to care for veterans, including his legislation with U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT), the Critical Access for Veterans Care Act.

Cramer presented a poster showcasing the VA’s benefits backlog between the Biden administration and the Trump administration. When Secretary Collins came into office, Cramer said he immediately began working through the massive mess he inherited from President Biden and has decreased the backlog by 60%, a drop from 264,000 claims to 105,000 in just one year. “There is no way that you could’ve made the agency so efficient that you could come into this mess with 264,000 backlogs and turn that into 105,000 in one year,” Cramer said.

Cramer asked Secretary Collins how the department was able to achieve this rapid reduction in the backlog.

“It was put forth by our [Veterans Benefit Administration], who actually came to us and said, ‘We can do better than this,’” said Secretary Collins. “125 days is our standard for a backlog claim. In other words, it has to be 125 days before it even goes on the backlog. So, think about that for a minute. This had grown up exponentially over time, and also, by the way, when I first came in last year at 264,000, there was also over a million claims in the pipeline. That now number is closer to 600,000 to 550,000 in the pipeline.”

Secretary Collins said the agency has not only been able to reduce the backlog, but it has reduced the total claims number as well while also providing transparency and accuracy in the claim’s appeals process. He added how “That’s just a win for veterans.”

Cramer presented a second poster, which highlighted the 25 new VA clinics which have opened across the country over the past year, providing more options for veterans seeking care. He said, “25 VA clinics have opened since Jan. 20 of last year. So once again, backlogs are down, employee numbers evidently are down, and yet there's 25 more VA clinics.” Secretary Collins agreed, saying he wants to see more of this because VA is expanding access and improving the experience for veterans.

Cramer then pointed out the relationship between the two new clinics in North Dakota, located in Williston and Grand Forks, which are 333 miles apart, and his bill with Senator Sheehy, the Critical Access for Veterans Care Act. The bill would allow veterans living in rural America to seek health care services at local Critical Access Hospitals or Rural Health Clinics. The North Dakota Rural Health Association and a coalition of 22 rural healthcare providers across North Dakota submitted letters of support for Cramer’s legislation. The bill is also supported by the American Hospital Association, America’s Warrior Partnership, and the National Rural Health Association. There are 37 Critical Access Hospitals in towns across North Dakota, but only five of those communities also have a VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs).

“We have all these communities far from a CBOC or a hospital,” added Cramer. “We would, as you know, in our legislation, like to utilize these critical access hospitals in a more efficient way that makes them better and provides better care to that local veteran.”

Secretary Collins said he completely agreed, and VA Under Secretary of Health John Bartrum said he’s asked the team to look at what, if any, restrictions are there for them to do some of our leases with the Community Access Hospitals. Bartrum said he believes “it is a double win because it helps support the facility itself, and then it supports our veterans where they are and partnering with them to be part of our TPA network or our clinical care network.”


Working Families Tax Cuts Invest in Educational Opportunity

Washington, D.C.—This week is National School Choice Week, and the Working Families Tax Cuts—driven by U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho)—are making education more accessible and affordable for families across America. In the legislation, congressional Republicans created a new school choice tax credit, expanded 529 savings accounts and permanently extended tax benefits for certain student loan repayments. These changes are helping families access the schools and educational opportunities that best meet their needs.

“A quality education can provide for a lifetime of learning and prepare students for rewarding careers,” said Crapo. “Education is best overseen by the people closest to every student, and by reducing the cost of education, these provisions help students and their families access the schools and programs they choose.”

Key wins:

New Education Freedom Tax Credit of up to $1,700 for contributions to scholarship granting organizations, which will support school choice in K-12 education.

Permanent tax exclusion for employer payments of student loans.

Expanded expense eligibility for 529 plans.

Doubled K-12 education expense limit for 529 plans.

What they are saying:

“History has been made in America as education freedom heads to the President’s desk for the first time.” – American Federation for Children CEO Tommy Schultz

“This is a huge victory for American families that have been praying and hoping for a financial lifeline to provide their children with the education they need to thrive.” – Invest in Education Coalition Chairman Anthony de Nicola

Click HERE to see how the Working Families Tax Cuts make education more affordable.

Click HERE for more information about the Education Freedom Tax Credit.

Click HERE to learn more about the Finance Committee provisions in the Working Families Tax Cuts.

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Sen. Cruz Honors the 67 Lives Lost in Mid-Air Collision at Reagan National Airport

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, spoke yesterday to commemorate the 67 lives lost one year ago today when a U.S. Army helicopter collided with American Airlines Flight 5342. At the memorial, “Honoring the 67 & Unsung Heroes,” Sen. Cruz commended the families who worked closely with him to develop the ROTOR Act, turning their grief into advocacy to make American skies and the flying public safer.

Click here or the image above to watch Sen. Cruz’s remarks.

See below for Sen. Cruz’s remarks as prepared for delivery:

“One year ago, tragedy struck just a few miles from here over the Potomac River. 67 souls were tragically lost in an instant.

“Every one of the lives lost mattered; every person lost is missed terribly. Unfortunately, for many in the audience tonight, it is a loss that you carry every single day.

“Yet, amid unimaginable grief, over the past year, I have witnessed extraordinary strength. I have witnessed resilience, courage, and determination. Instead of turning inward, you chose to stand up, speak out, and insist that no other family endure the pain you have faced.

“Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege of meeting many of you personally. Hearing about your loved ones, your stories, your frustrations, and your hopes has helped to shape the work we’ve done and only strengthened my resolve. I remember meeting with Tim and Sheri Lilley the week of the crash and many family members of others lost many times since.

“After the crash it became clear that serious gaps had allowed this accident to happen. Gaps in oversight, coordination, and regulation that allowed an area of intolerable risk to persist.

“I know this isn’t a political event and policy isn’t the focus, but I want to convey a real message – in Congress, we have made serious progress in advancing the ROTOR Act, bipartisan aviation safety legislation. We’re very close to having it become law and I’m hopeful our House colleagues will come around and pass it. I don’t know if the reforms being debated would have come together without the tenacious advocacy from family members here tonight. For that, I want to say thank you. Thank you for investing your time, energy, and grief into action.

“I am committed to seeing this work through, honoring the lives lost by ensuring that meaningful aviation safety reforms become law.

“While we cannot change the past, we can work together to create a safer future – one that honors your loved ones not just for how they were lost, but for the enduring impact their lives have made.”


Sens. Cruz, Cornyn, Colleagues Bipartisan Bill to Combat Illicit Gold Mining Passes Senate Foreign Relations Committee

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) released the following statements after their U.S. Legal Gold and Mining Partnership Act passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. This bipartisan legislation would require a comprehensive strategy from the U.S. Secretary of State to combat illicit gold mining in the Western Hemisphere.

“America’s enemies use illicit gold mining to launder money, evade sanctions, and finance terrorism, undermining American national security and the safety of Americans and our allies,” said Sen. Cruz. “This legislation will provide new tools to counter these dangers. I commend my colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for advancing this bill, and I urge the Senate to swiftly pass this legislation.”

“Criminal organizations and authoritarian actors will do whatever it takes to enrich themselves, and that includes illegally mining and trafficking gold throughout Latin America,” said Sen. Cornyn. “By fostering greater cooperation between the State Department, partner governments, and the private sector, this legislation would help combat the threat illicit gold mining poses to the Western Hemisphere and ensure this illegal activity that bankrolls cartels is rooted out once and for all.”

“Illicit gold mining leads to human rights abuses, organized crime, and instability,” said Sen. Kaine. “I’m glad that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed our bipartisan legislation to combat illegal mining in our neighborhood. I look forward to working with my colleagues to get this bill across the finish line and boost prosperity and security in the hemisphere.”

“Advancing this bipartisan bill is an important step towards developing a strategy to cut off a key source of funding for bad actors in the Western Hemisphere,” said Sen. Rosen. “Cartels illicitly mine and traffick gold to fund their criminal activities, and collaboration between the State Department, partner governments, and the private sector can help us combat this and improve security and stability in our region.”

BACKGROUND:

The illicit mining and trafficking of gold is used to finance transnational criminal organizations and other bad actors, and negatively impacts the region’s security and economic dynamics.

The U.S. Legal Gold and Mining Partnership Act would:


Daines on Fox Business: “We Need to Avoid Another Government Shutdown”

Discusses Future of Chagos Islands

U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today joined Fox Business to discuss a possible government shutdown, Department of Homeland Security funding, and the future of the Chagos Islands.

Watch the full interview HERE.

Daines on a possible government shutdown:

“Let me be clear that White House and Senate Republicans do not want to see any government shutdown. We saw the nonsense that happened last time last fall, 43 days of a shutdown. What’s going to happen is there’s going to be a vote today in the next hour that probably gets defeated, this appropriation bill that came to us from the House. We have to approve the same bill would go to the president’s desk if we change it in any way the House has to approve it once again that results in some kind of a short-term shutdown. The other irony behind all this, and it shows the problem that Democrats have. They painted themselves in a political corner. The reality is, we funded the Department of Homeland Security. We funded ICE through the Working Families Tax Cut Bill that we passed back in July. We put more money in there for protecting this country and making sure we went after criminal illegal aliens and get them off the street. Here’s what I think is going to happen. There’ll be a vote today in the next hour that will probably fail and then a deal cut that will pass all of the appropriations except the one chunk of Homeland Security. We will set that aside and pass a temporary bridge, a CR, for a few weeks to negotiate parameters as it relates to DHS. We will see a partial may be a day or two shutdown over the weekend that will have minimal harm. We do not want to see any disruption because the crazy part about this is ICE would not be disrupted, what would be disrupted is FEMA, TSA, Coast Guard, Secret Service. That’s what will get disrupted if the Democrats have their way.”

Daines on ICE and the Department of Homeland of Security:

“The reality is we have funded DHS, at this point that may sound political from a policy viewpoint it’s not really that much. But let’s remember something we hired thousands of new ICE agents thanks to President Trump’s leadership. There’s 22,000 ICE agents who go to work every day doing their job to take criminal illegal aliens off the street-150,000 of them have been rounded up. Remember this is a result of Joe Biden’s out-of-control open border policies that have made our communities unsafe. The death threats to ICE agents are up 8,000 percent from where they were last year back in 2024. They have a very tough job. We all agree what happened in Minneapolis needs an investigation. If there’s a shooting with law enforcement involved, typically you suspend whoever was involved for a period of time and do a complete investigation with an independent group. We all agree that needs to happen in Minneapolis but to completely hold of the DHS funding frankly is a political stunt more so than a policy outcome.”

Daines on the Chagos Islands:

“Remember that is a place we can forward posture B-2’s. It is a very important part of the deterrents in the Middle East and across Asia. A very, very strategic part of our overall military geopolitical map. There is a 99-year commitment to have that base on that island. President Trump is right to raise concerns about the long-term outcome. Credit to President Trump, he’s fighting right now for our grandchildren. This won’t initially come to roost in the next few years; this is out there in decades in advance he wants to make sure America is protected not only today but also we think about our kids and grandkids.”

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Duckworth Meets DHS IG and Reiterates Her Demand for Independent Investigations into Trump Agent Killings

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) met with U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General (IG) Joseph Cuffari to discuss the urgent need to conduct an independent investigation into the egregious public execution of Alex Pretti and pattern of brutality from Trump’s lawless agents. The meeting comes after Duckworth repeatedly called on DHS and the Department of Justice IGs to establish a joint task force to investigate these abuses. Shamefully, just days before Trump’s agents murdered Alex Pretti, the DHS and DOJ OIGs—both of whom Trump appointed—denied Duckworth’s request.

“Alex Pretti was publicly executed while trying to protect a woman from being assaulted—just two weeks after Trump’s agents had already gunned down another citizen in Minneapolis. The American people are crying out for accountability—and the Trump Administration has proven that it cannot be trusted to investigate their own untrained, unhinged agents. IG Cuffari was clear that his office has the experience, expertise and most importantly, independence, to conduct investigations into all use of force incidents—including regularly investigating Border Patrol and ICE use of force. If IG Cuffari is as serious about the need for independent investigations as he told me he is, then he must put his words into action. That’s what this moment demands and what the American people deserve.”

Earlier today, Duckworth voted against the DHS funding bill that lacked the common-sense, reasonable safeguards Democrats are calling for to address the vicious abuses our nation is seeing from Trump’s lawless agents in Chicago, Minneapolis and across the country.

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Duckworth Presses VA Secretary on Haphazard Restructuring Plan Amidst Trump-Induced Staffing Shortage at the VA

Senator also secures Secretary’s commitment to continue working with her on legislation to improve access to health care for rural Veterans

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) pressed U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins on his haphazard plans to restructure the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), which comes at a time when the VA is facing a severe staffing shortage as a direct result of the Trump Administration betraying our Veterans and removing 40,000 dedicated civil servants from the agency. During the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) hearing, Duckworth continued raising her longstanding concerns that addressing the dire staffing levels should be at the forefront of any conversation about further restructuring at the Department to ensure our heroes’ access to care isn’t further impaired by this Administration. Video of Duckworth’s remarks can be found on the Senator’s YouTube.

“The Trump Administration has already gutted the VA of 40,000 dedicated civil servants, betraying our Veterans by impacting their access to care at facilities in Illinois and all over the country,” said Duckworth. “If your goal with this plan is to ‘free up resources’ for Veterans, you must start by restoring staffing levels to ensure timely access to the quality care that our heroes need and have earned through their service.”

During the hearing, Duckworth also secured a commitment from Secretary Collins to continue working with her as she seeks to pass her Improving Access to Care for Rural Veterans Act. Duckworth’s bill, co-led by fellow SVAC member Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), would help expand access to care for our heroes who live in rural areas by requiring the VA to establish partnerships between its own facilities and other medical facilities in rural areas.

“The VA must ensure it’s doing everything possible to fulfill its core mission of providing timely, high-quality care to our heroes—regardless of where they live,” continued Duckworth. “My bill would help ensure that Veterans who live in rural communities that may not have a VA hospital nearby can more easily access VA care, and I will hold Mr. Collins to his commitment today to continue working with me on this critical legislation.”

Duckworth has been a fierce leader and advocate for improving our Veterans’ and servicemembers’ access to the care they need. In September, she reintroduced legislation that would improve Veterans’ access to contraception and increase efficiency and cost-effectiveness for contraceptive products at the VA. A few weeks prior, Duckworth sent a letter to VA Secretary Collins demanding he block ICE from stealing VA resources at Hines VA Hospital in Chicago.

Duckworth also joined U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in reintroducing legislation to help make it easier for our Veterans who struggle with infertility to build their families. Earlier last year, Duckworth railed against the Trump Administration for indiscriminately firing Veterans Crisis Line workers and introduced her Protect Veteran Jobs Act with U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) to reinstate the thousands of Veterans who were fired in Trump’s mass layoffs—an effort Republicans shamefully blocked in March.

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Duckworth Votes Against Department of Homeland Security Funding Bill

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – As our nation continues to see Trump’s lawless federal agents repeatedly use excessive force and kill American citizens, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today voted against the government funding package that included the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill:

“Alex Pretti was publicly executed while trying to protect a woman from being assaulted—just two weeks after Trump’s agents had already gunned down another citizen in Minneapolis. The American people are crying out for accountability—and I could not vote to bankroll Trump’s lawless agents to continue terrorizing our communities.

“Democrats have outlined three very reasonable safeguards to address the vicious abuses we’ve seen in Chicago, Minneapolis and across the country. It shouldn’t be difficult for Senate Republicans to both prevent a government shutdown and protect American citizens from being killed in their own communities by their government—and I’m deeply disappointed they refused to work with us to achieve those goals today.

“I’m also pushing for independent investigations into these tragic killings. The Trump Administration has proven beyond a doubt that it cannot be trusted to investigate their own untrained, unhinged agents. All Americans expect and deserve a government that tells the truth and doesn’t murder its citizens.

“Senate Republicans must come to their senses, listen to the American people and help us overhaul the DHS funding bill. Lives are at stake.”

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Durbin Statement On Senate Agriculture Committee Advancing Partisan Crypto Market Structure Legislation

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, released the following statement after the Committee advanced cryptocurrency market structure legislation along party lines. Republicans also voted to reject two amendments that Durbin offered in order to strengthen the bill. Durbin’s amendments attempted to crack down on crypto ATM fraud and ban some crypto intermediaries from receiving a federal bailout.

“The 2008 financial crisis was a wake-up call to Congress and led to the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Dodd-Frank Act. With the rise of cryptocurrency, we can’t repeat the 2008 mistakes in 2026. Congress must regulate this industry, which is a risky, volatile, and unpredictable investment.

“Now that Senate Agriculture Committee Republicans have advanced this partisan legislation, I strongly advise the full Senate to pause this advancement and work to provide meaningful protections and transparency for consumers, instead of rubber stamping an industry that President Trump is using to enrich himself and his family. Rushing this process is unwise and poses a serious danger to the U.S. financial system.”

Durbin has continuously raised concerns about cryptocurrency. He offered two amendments today to strengthen the bill, but they were rejected by Senate Republicans. The first amendment was modeled after his Crypto ATM Fraud Prevention Act to help prevent scammers from stealing Americans’ savings through cryptocurrency schemes. The amendment would have required crypto ATM operators to register with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and report on their kiosks’ locations, as well as impose daily transaction limits and refund policies for victims who were scammed. Durbin’s second amendment to the bill would have prevented a taxpayer funded bailout of crypto intermediaries.

Durbin has also raised concerns about the inclusion of crypto in retirement accounts, especially how it exposes plan participants to unnecessary risk and could have devastating impacts. Following the collapse of FTX, Durbin urged Fidelity Investments to reconsider their decision to allow 401(k) plan sponsors to offer plan participants exposure to Bitcoin

Last June, Durbin sent a letter to Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer urging the Department to reverse a recent action to rescind guidance warning of the risks of offering cryptocurrency in employees’ 401(k) plans. Last April, Durbin sent a letter urging Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to reverse the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) recent decisions to effectively terminate the Department’s cryptocurrency investigations and prosecutions.

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Durbin Votes Against Department Of Homeland Security Funding Bill

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement after voting against the government funding package that includes the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill:

“As we have said, Democrats are ready to pass the five bipartisan government funding bills now, but the DHS bill needs serious work. I’m glad that the White House has finally come to the table and is working with Leader Schumer to avoid a partial government shutdown, rein in ICE, and find legislative solutions to restore order and public safety.

“This Administration’s campaign of terror has led to deaths, serious injuries, and the detention of innocent people. Americans are demanding change—we must deliver for them.”

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Following Big Pharma’s Troubling Schemes With DTC Telehealth Platforms, Durbin, Warren, Welch Sound Alarm On Launch Of TrumpRx

“Legitimate concerns about inappropriate prescribing, conflicts of interest, and inadequate care have been raised about the exact types of DTC platforms to which TrumpRx would route patients,” the Senators wrote in their letter to HHS OIG urging additional review prior to the launch of TrumpRx

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Peter Welch (D-VT) today sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) raising serious questions about the operations of TrumpRx, a new direct-to-consumer (DTC) platform that the Trump Administration expects to launch this month. In their letter, the Senators underscored how new guidance issued by the HHS OIG appears insufficient to curb inappropriate conduct by pharmaceutical companies’ DTC platforms, which may rely on hand-picked telehealth companies to inappropriately steer patients toward specific, high-cost medications and inflate Big Pharma’s profit margins. As the Senators made clear, without stricter safeguards before its official launch, TrumpRx could be used as a potential vehicle for unlawful kickback schemes that result in excessive costs for the federal government.

Earlier this week, HHS OIG released a guidance document that outlines parameters that DTC platforms should comply with in order to “minimize the risk of fraud and abuse under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute.” The guidance document was published just days before the White House plans to launch TrumpRx, but questions remain as to whether the unprecedented government platform that promotes Big Pharma’s profiteering will be held to these anti-fraud guidelines. In their letter, the Senators specifically call on HHS OIG to enhance oversight to ensure if TrumpRx complies with the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits the willful payment of remuneration to induce patient referrals for Medicare or Medicaid-covered services or goods.

“We write to express concern with how the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) intends to conduct oversight of and apply the federal Anti-Kickback Statute to direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug sales by manufacturers. On January 27, 2026, HHS OIG published a guidance document just days before the White House plans to launch the ‘TrumpRx’ website, which will incorporate drug manufacturers’ DTC platforms. While HHS stated that the January 27 guidance document ‘clears [the] path’ for the TrumpRx website, we do not believe HHS OIG has adequately addressed whether TrumpRx and affiliated DTC platforms will be compliant with federal law, including the Anti-Kickback Statute. We believe the characteristics of the TrumpRx website require further HHS OIG review prior to launch of this government program,” the Senators began their letter.

The Senators further called out potential conflicts of interest related to TrumpRx, particularly that the President’s son, Donald Trump, Jr., sits on the board of BlinkRx – a company that could benefit from the Trump Administration pushing Americans to use DTC websites to purchase their prescriptions.

“Considering the White House press conferences with drug manufacturers to tout participation in a website bearing the President’s name, the Trump Administration clearly wants to give the appearance of lowering prices for patients. But there appear to be possible conflicts of interest involved in the potential relationship between TrumpRx and an online dispensing company, BlinkRx, on whose Board the President’s son, Donald Trump, Jr., has sat since February 2025,” the Senators wrote.

In October 2024, Durbin led a letter to the CEOs of Pfizer and Eli Lilly demanding answers about the pharmaceutical companies’ recent move to establish new DTC telehealth platforms. Following that letter, in March 2025, Durbin then sent letters to five telehealth companies that have held contracts with Pfizer and Eli Lilly, inquiring about their financial relationships and possible influence on prescriptions for medications from those two pharmaceutical manufacturers. Durbin, Warren, Welch, and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) released findings from their investigation in a 2025 report. The report found, that in one instance, 100 percent of the patients routed to a virtual visit with one of Eli Lilly’s chosen telehealth companies received a prescription.

“Last year, we released a report on an investigation of Eli Lilly’s and Pfizer’s DTC platforms, and their use of hand-picked telehealth companies to steer patients toward their own specific, high-cost medications. We found that Eli Lilly and Pfizer spent up to $3 million combined for partnerships with telehealth companies, who funneled patients to the manufacturers’ products. In certain instances under these arrangements, the telehealth appointments were cursory and no physician laid eyes on the patient, patients could choose the drug they wanted, and virtual visits resulted in a high rate of prescriptions issued,” the Senators wrote. “If manufacturers continue to use affiliated telehealth companies for their DTC platforms under TrumpRx, it is not clear whether these prescriptions could be considered, “from an independent, third-party prescriber.”

Continuing their letter, the Senators wrote that the tactics used by DTC telehealth platforms, which TrumpRx will also utilize, often directly stray from HHS OIG’s guidance.

“Given that oversight requests from Congress for information about the scope, structure, and legal authority underpinning the TrumpRx website have gone unanswered by HHS, and due to the lack of clarity with how HHS OIG will conduct oversight of a manufacturer’s DTC platform that is embedded in the TrumpRx website, we cannot be sure that TrumpRx will comply with existing federal laws. Because of the practices that some pharmaceutical manufacturers have used to advertise and steer patients, we believe additional safeguards and transparency are required for any ‘.gov’ website that will be promoted extensively by the White House and pharmaceutical manufacturers,” the Senators wrote.

The Senators concluded their letter by pressing HHS OIG to ensure that TrumpRx complies with the guidelines set out by the agency. The Senators highlighted the HHS OIG’s Special Fraud Alert in 2022 that warned of kickback schemes on telehealth platforms that pushed health care providers to unnecessarily prescribe medications in order to enrich pharmaceutical companies, which can lead to fraudulent Medicare claims. The Senators warned that, without proper oversight, the TrumpRx platform could offer Big Pharma a new avenue to run such fraudulent schemes.

“In 2022, the HHS OIG issued a Special Fraud Alert to notify health care practitioners of the specific risks of schemes involving telehealth platforms that ‘intentionally paid physicians … kickbacks to generate … prescriptions for medically unnecessary … medications, resulting in submission of fraudulent claims to Medicare.’ HHS OIG noted that fraudulent aspects of these arrangements for prescribers may include: limited interaction with the purported patient, limited opportunity to review the patient’s medical records, and/or a directive to prescribe a preselected item, regardless of clinical appropriateness. Manufacturer DTC platforms that may be linked to via TrumpRx appear to reflect many aspects of this 2022 warning for potential fraud,” the Senators wrote.

“Will the TrumpRx website vet manufacturers’ DTC arrangements with telehealth companies to ensure consistency with the 2022 Special Fraud Alert?” the Senators asked. “How will the HHS OIG evaluate and ensure compliance with the provision in the January 27 guidance document—that an individual has a valid prescription from an independent, third-party prescriber—in light of the identified risk of telehealth fraud?”

The Senators then called for greater transparency as the White House has left the public in the dark about the details of the Trump Adminsitration’s deals with Big Pharma that will allow the drug companies to sell their prescriptions directly to consumers through TrumpRx.

“TrumpRx could be used to steer patients to specific medications, potentially favoring one company’s medications over another, depending on concessions companies have made to the White House as part of the deals, which still have not been made public. How has the HHS OIG advised the White House and HHS to depict different companies or their medications on the website to avoid steering patients to particular drugs?” the Senators concluded their letter.

A copy of the letter is available here and below:

January 29, 2026

Dear Inspector General Bell:

We write to express concern with how the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) intends to conduct oversight of and apply the federal Anti-Kickback Statute to direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug sales by manufacturers. On January 27, 2026, HHS OIG published a guidance document just days before the White House plans to launch the “TrumpRx” website, which will incorporate drug manufacturers’ DTC platforms. While HHS stated that the January 27 guidance document “clears [the] path” for the TrumpRx website, we do not believe HHS OIG has adequately addressed whether TrumpRx and affiliated DTC platforms will be compliant with federal law, including the Anti-Kickback Statute. We believe the characteristics of the TrumpRx website require further HHS OIG review prior to launch of this government program.

The January 27 guidance document stipulates that certain characteristics of a DTC platform could “minimize the risk of fraud and abuse under the Federal anti-kickback statute” that is presented by a manufacturer participating in TrumpRx. This includes that: (1) a patient has a valid prescription from an independent, third-party prescriber; (2) no claims are submitted to Medicare (or any other federal health care program) for purchases through the DTC platform; (3) the manufacturer does not use the DTC platform as a vehicle to market other federally reimbursable products; (4) the manufacturer does not condition the DTC platform price on any future purchases; and (5) the manufacturer makes the prescription drug available to enrollees in its DTC program for at least one full plan year. We do not believe that all existing DTC platforms meet these criteria.

Considering the White House press conferences with drug manufacturers to tout participation in a website bearing the President’s name, the Trump Administration clearly wants to give the appearance of lowering prices for patients. But there appear to be possible conflicts of interest involved in the potential relationship between TrumpRx and an online dispensing company, BlinkRx, on whose Board the President’s son, Donald Trump, Jr., has sat since February 2025. Moreover, legitimate concerns about inappropriate prescribing, conflicts of interest, and inadequate care have been raised about the exact types of DTC platforms to which TrumpRx would route patients.

Last year, we released a report on an investigation of Eli Lilly’s and Pfizer’s DTC platforms, and their use of hand-picked telehealth companies to steer patients toward their own specific, high-cost medications. We found that Eli Lilly and Pfizer spent up to $3 million combined for partnerships with telehealth companies, who funneled patients to the manufacturers’ products. Under these arrangements, virtual visits resulted in a high rate of prescriptions issued—as the telehealth appointments often were cursory and with limited to no physician involvement. In one instance, 100 percent of the patients routed to a virtual visit with one of Eli Lilly’s chosen telehealth companies received a prescription. If manufacturers continue to use affiliated telehealth companies for their DTC platforms under TrumpRx, it is not clear whether these prescriptions could be considered, “from an independent, third-party prescriber.”

In addition, the pharmaceutical manufacturers who will reportedly be participating in TrumpRx have spent billions of dollars in combined advertising expenses for drugs sold on existing DTC platforms. As President Trump and HHS Secretary Kennedy have acknowledged, the pharmaceutical industry’s outrageous DTC advertisements fuel demand for specific medications, which balloon health care expenses. We are concerned that DTC advertising, including in relation to TrumpRx, will steer customers to prescriptions that may be reimbursed by federal health programs, creating the potential for unnecessary or wasteful spending.

Given that oversight requests from Congress for information about the scope, structure, and legal authority underpinning the TrumpRx website have gone unanswered by HHS, and due to the lack of clarity with how HHS OIG will conduct oversight of a manufacturer’s DTC platform that is embedded in the TrumpRx website, we cannot be sure that TrumpRx will comply with existing federal laws. Because of the practices that some pharmaceutical manufacturers have used to advertise and steer patients, we believe additional safeguards and transparency are required for any “.gov” website that will be promoted extensively by the White House and pharmaceutical manufacturers. We request responses to the following questions by February 15, 2026, or prior to the launch of the TrumpRx.gov website, whichever is earlier.

Will advertisements or promotions by pharmaceutical manufacturers touting their participation in or offerings on the TrumpRx website require adherence to the principles included in the guidance document?

Will manufacturers be required to make statements regarding insurance coverage, pricing, or the requirement to first obtain a valid prescription from an independent, third-party prescriber in their advertising regarding TrumpRx?

In 2022, the HHS OIG issued a Special Fraud Alert to notify health care practitioners of the specific risks of schemes involving telehealth platforms that “intentionally paid physicians … kickbacks to generate … prescriptions for medically unnecessary … medications, resulting in submission of fraudulent claims to Medicare.” HHS OIG noted that fraudulent aspects of these arrangements for prescribers may include: limited interaction with the purported patient, limited opportunity to review the patient’s medical records, and/or a directive to prescribe a preselected item, regardless of clinical appropriateness. Manufacturer DTC platforms that may be linked to via TrumpRx appear to reflect many aspects of this 2022 warning for potential fraud.

Will the TrumpRx website vet manufacturers’ DTC arrangements with telehealth companies to ensure consistency with the 2022 Special Fraud Alert?

How will the HHS OIG evaluate and ensure compliance with the provision in the January 27 guidance document—that an individual has a valid prescription from an independent, third-party prescriber—in light of the identified risk of telehealth fraud?

Will the HHS OIG require that the TrumpRx website, as well as the participating pharmaceutical manufacturers, include notices to consumers regarding the January 27 guidance document’s provision that no claims for drugs purchased via the DTC platform be submitted to any insurer, including Medicare?

Under their agreements with the White House, pharmaceutical manufacturers of certain GLP-1 medications appear to have agreed to sell “initial doses” of their medications for a discount on the TrumpRx website. However, patients typically initiate their regimens at lower doses prior to titrating up to higher maintenance doses.

Would a situation in which a patient purchases a starting dose through a DTC platform linked via TrumpRx, then later seeks reimbursement for a higher dose through a federal health program, be in conflict with the January 27 guidance document?

How will HHS OIG evaluate and ensure compliance with the provision in the January 27 guidance document that the manufacturer not use the DTC program for one product as a vehicle to market other federally reimbursable products?

TrumpRx could be used to steer patients to specific medications, potentially favoring one company’s medications over another, depending on concessions companies have made to the White House as part of the deals, which still have not been made public. How has the HHS OIG advised the White House and HHS to depict different companies or their medications on the website to avoid steering patients to particular drugs?

Which individuals did your office communicate with during preparation of the January 27 guidance document?

Specifically, did your office communicate with any representative of BlinkRx, including with Donald Trump, Jr.?

Did your office communicate with individuals from the White House? If so, please provide a list of all such individuals and the nature of the communication.

What other outside entities did you consult with during the preparation of this guidance document? Please provide a complete list, including the nature of the communication.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your timely response.

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Fischer, Wittman Statement on FCC Action to Prevent Foreign Adversaries from Infiltrating U.S. Communications Networks

Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE), a senior member of the Senate Commerce Committee, and U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) released a joint statement after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) advanced an order to establish new foreign investment disclosure requirements:

“We’ve been pushing hard to prevent adversarial regimes like communist China and Russia from acquiring silent footholds in our telecommunications networks. It’s why we’ve continued to champion our bipartisan, bicameral FACT Act to protect the privacy of our citizens and safeguard our national security.

“We thank Chairman Carr and the FCC for taking this important step to put our legislation into motion. Now, it’s time to pass our bill to make this action permanent, enabling the FCC to evaluate these network infrastructure risks not only today, but into the future. We are ready to finish the job and look forward to seeing the FACT Act signed into law,” said Fischer and Wittman.

Background:

Fischer and Wittman introduced the Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency (FACT) Act last year. The Senate passed Fischer’s version in October of 2025, and the House passed Wittman’s version in April of 2025. The legislation will strengthen America’s telecommunications against foreign adversaries by requiring the FCC to publicly identify entities that hold FCC licenses, authorizations, or other grants of authority that are owned, wholly or partially, by foreign adversarial governments.

Fischer questioned an expert cybersecurity witness during a Senate Telecommunications and Media Subcommittee in December 2025, who agreed the FACT Act must be signed into law to serve as a frontline defense in protecting the United States from foreign adversaries.

In the wake of the FACT Act’s progress, the FCC’s order similarly requires holders of certain commission licenses, authorizations, and other approvals to report if they are owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of a foreign adversary. The measures give the commission a more comprehensive, systematic view of potential threats and are essential to mitigating national security risks.

Download a fact sheet on the order here.


Gallego, Colleagues Urge Justice Department to Stop Pressure Campaign to Obtain States’ Sensitive Voter Data, Purge Voter Rolls

WASHINGTON — Today, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) joined 27 Senate colleagues in pushing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to stop its unlawful pressure campaign to coerce dozens of states into providing the Trump Administration their voter rolls, which include voters’ personally identifiable information. Despite lacking legal authority, DOJ has sued 24 states and Washington, D.C. for refusing to hand over their full voter registration lists.

In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, the senators sounded the alarm that the Administration’s efforts risk unjustified voter roll purges, pose severe privacy and national security concerns, and subvert state and local election officials’ authority to maintain registration lists.

The letter comes after Bondi wrote to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz pushing him to surrender the state’s voter rolls as part of an exchange for the Administration calling off its dangerous deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and agents to Minneapolis, an operation that has already led to the unjustified killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Additionally, two recent federal court rulings rejecting DOJ’s voter roll lawsuits in California and Oregon.

The Attorney General’s letter to Governor Walz “marked an unacceptable escalation of DOJ’s campaign to centralize state voter rolls and sensitive personal information under its control,” wrote the Senators. “It is also the clearest admission that the Department knows it lacks authority to obtain state voter rolls and is instead resorting to strong arm tactics and intimidation by force.”

“While most states are resisting this illegal voter roll grab, we are gravely concerned by the amount of sensitive data the Department has already amassed on millions of American voters,” the Senators continued. “The Department has failed to provide Congress, or the public, any information on how it is maintaining this vast amount of data, the guardrails in place to protect state voter information, how the data is to be used, or who in the federal government has access to this sensitive data.”

The Senators highlighted President Trump’s baseless claims of federal authority over elections, standing in stark contrast to American federalism and the Constitution, which outline clear roles for states and Congress but none for the Executive Branch. Trump erroneously claimed in a Truth Social post that “states are merely an ‘agent’ for the Federal Government in counting and tabulating the votes.”

Two weeks ago, federal judges in California and Oregon held that those states were not required to provide DOJ with unredacted copies of their voter registration lists. The court in California warned that “DOJ’s campaign to collect sensitive voter data … paints an alarming picture regarding the centralization of Americans’ information within the Executive Branch — without approval from Congress or Americans themselves.” The Senators pushed Attorney General Bondi to stop wasting taxpayer dollars through DOJ’s unchecked mass litigation pressure campaign that jeopardizes data privacy and could lead to voter purges.

Despite the Administration’s claims, voting by noncitizens is extremely rare, made even clearer by a review of Texas’ voter registration list of more than 18 million voters through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Systemic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program. The review flagged only 33 people — 0.000001% of registered voters — as potentially having voted illegally in the 2024 election.

As DOJ has sharply increased its possession of voter registrations and data, including from Texas and at least seven other states who have already relinquished their complete voter registration lists, the Senators stressed that recent changes to and the expanded use of the insufficiently tested SAVE program could lead to some individuals mistakenly being flagged as noncitizens, threatening their right to vote. DOJ’s pressure campaign, in collaboration with outside election denier groups, to coerce state voter registration lists and run them through the SAVE program has already led to issues. Last month, 70 county clerks in Missouri sent a letter to state House and Senate leadership underscoring that the flawed SAVE program has erroneously flagged individuals known by the county clerks to be U.S. citizens, including voters that the clerks personally registered at naturalization ceremonies.


Gallego, Homeland Security Democrats Call on DHS Secretary Noem to Testify Following Shooting Deaths of Two U.S. Citizens

WASHINGTON – Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) joined Democrats on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in demanding that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem testify before the committee following the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens by federal law enforcement officials in Minneapolis this month.

Last week, Gallego and his colleagues sent a separate letter to Chairman Rand Paul, urging him to conduct desperately needed oversight of DHS’ escalating use of excessive force. This week, Chairman Paul announced a committee hearing on February 12th with the heads of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The senators are pressing for Secretary Noem to also testify publicly before the committee, as she is ultimately responsible for the Department’s actions. The senators also note that Secretary Noem has also failed to appear before the committee for its annual hearing on threats to the homeland.

“You have presided over an increasingly dangerous and untenable breakdown in trust in federal law enforcement across the country, and your actions in the wake of these tragedies have weakened the Department’s credibility, enflamed tensions, harmed public safety, and divided Americans,” wrote the senators. “You have authorized actions that have resulted in a vast overreach of the Department’s authorities and have cost innocent lives. Masked federal agents from DHS have violently assaulted peaceful protestors, arrested American citizens without cause, undermined protections under the Fourth Amendment, and shot and killed two Americans – Renee Good and Alex Pretti – who, contrary to your own baseless assertions, clearly did not pose a lethal threat.”

The senators continued: “The fact that you have doubled down to justify these indefensible killings in the face of widespread public outrage has caused DHS to lose credibility and calls into question your ability to lead this Department and its tens of thousands of federal agents entrusted to ensure public safety and to protect the homeland. Since your confirmation, you have failed to appear before this Committee for its annual hearing on threats to the homeland – even though you appeared before the House Committee on Homeland Security and have reportedly agreed to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the coming weeks. As the Secretary of Homeland Security, you have an obligation to appear before the Senate Committee with jurisdiction over DHS and the security of our homeland, as the urgency of this moment requires.”

In addition to calling on Secretary Noem’s immediate testimony, the senators’ letter serves as a formal notice for DHS to preserve all records related to the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, as well as all other instances of excessive use of force by federal agents conducting immigration enforcement under this administration.


Gallego Introduces Bill to Strengthen Water Storage Infrastructure

WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) introduced the Water Security and Drought Resilience Act to strengthen our country’s drought preparedness and recovery infrastructure. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) co-sponsored the bill.

“In Arizona, water is everything. This bill helps us build the water storage infrastructure we need to withstand droughts and make sure communities across our state have reliable access to water,” said Senator Gallego. “Being able to store, move, and use water efficiently is essential to our Arizona’s future.”

“Californians are all too familiar with devastating long-term droughts, and as the climate crisis worsens, we must make investments in resilient water infrastructure now to protect our communities from the next mega drought,” said Senator Padilla. “I am pleased to work with Senator Gallego to reauthorize the small storage program with particular emphasis on groundwater storage and to authorize natural infrastructure projects that store water for the environment and for downstream farms and cities’ use.”

“As Arizona faces a historic drought, we can’t afford to miss chances to manage our water carefully and responsibly,” said Senator Kelly. “By expanding eligibility for existing federal funding, water storage projects can move forward and help communities across the Valley build long-term drought resilience. That means more security for families, businesses, and communities that rely on Arizona’s water systems.”

The Water Security and Drought Resilience Act would strengthen water storage programs in Arizona and across the country by:

Reauthorizing the IIJA’s Small Storage Program, which increases surface water or groundwater storage between 200- and 30,000-acre feet, with level funding.

Creating a grant program for natural water retention and release projects that are designed to increase water availability through aquifer recharge, floodplain retention, the alteration of the timing of runoff to allow increased utilization of existing storage facilities, or another mechanism using primarily natural materials and mimicking natural hydrologic processes.


Gallego Statement on DHS Funding Bill Vote

WASHINGTON – Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) released the following statement on his vote against the government spending bill, which funds the Department of Homeland Security:

“I cannot vote to give ICE and Border Patrol more money to terrorize our communities until we see significant changes to how these agencies operate.

“That includes stop terrorizing our cities, professionalizing our law enforcement, increasing accountability, and bringing ICE back to its core mission of keeping communities safe.

“I will not vote to greenlight DHS’ racial profiling and violence.”


WATCH: Gallego Presses VA Officials on Agency’s Cuts, Effects in Yuma

WASHINGTON – At a Senate Veterans Affairs Committee hearing yesterday, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) pressed officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), including Secretary Doug Collins, on how the agency plans to ensure that veterans in Arizona will receive the care they deserve amid the VA’s massive workforce cuts and plans to reshape the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).

During the hearing, Senator Gallego raised concerns about a new VA medical facility set to open in Yuma by summer 2027. The facility was designed to provide Yuma’s large, rural veteran population with comprehensive, local care – including primary care, women’s health, mental health services, lab and imaging, optometry, and audiology – so veterans wouldn’t have to travel long distances for treatment.

However, under the VA’s newly imposed staffing caps, the Yuma facility will not be allowed to hire new staff. Instead, it would be forced to pull providers from already understaffed VA hospitals elsewhere in Arizona.

“How can you guarantee that veterans in Yuma will be able to get medical care if there are these staffing caps are still existing?” Senator Gallego asked VA Secretary Doug Collins. “How can I look my constituents in the eye and tell them that this VA does not understand that they are essentially robbing Peter to pay Paul and potentially not creating a fully functioning system in one place?”

Senator Gallego also pressed officials on wait times for mental health appointments at the VA, which are especially long in Arizona.

“We are going to be opening up the VA Facility at the same time you are starting this new process,” Senator Gallego continued. “As of two weeks ago, the average wait time for new VA patients for mental health appointments in Arizona was 51 days. I don’t have to tell you guys, especially from my personal experience, when people have problems we need to get them in to see somebody. The national average was around 35 days. What was happening in Arizona, we have that 16 day difference, which is growing, [and it] is going to be extremely dangerous if we can’t prevent veteran suicide or other problems.”