Tuberville Questions U.S. Southern Command and U.S. Cyber Command Nominees

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) questioned Lieutenant General Francis L. Donovan, nominee to be General and Commander of United States Southern Command, and Lieutenant General Joshua M. Rudd, nominee to be Commander of U.S. Cyber Command, Director of the National Security Agency, and Chief of the Central Security Service, during a Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) hearing.

Read excerpts from Sen. Tuberville’s exchange with the nominees below or watch on YouTube or Rumble.

TUBERVILLE: “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good morning. Thanks for your service, guys. Thanks for having your families here—and for some of their, obviously, service. Lieutenant Donovan, General, […]—you may not have had the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time at your new headquarters, but I’ve been there several times. It strikes me that while the current facility is good for Southern Command’s previous focus, theater security cooperation, I think the next commander will need to evolve the facilities and staff to operate as a more traditional command, especially given President Trump’s stated desire to focus more on our own hemisphere. And what’s your thoughts on that statement? And will you agree with that to evaluate your situation in terms of your headquarters once you get to Miami?”

DONOVAN: “Senator, thank you for that. I have been thinking a lot about that. And I have to credit the SOUTHCOM team that have done great work, as you mentioned, Senator, on the security cooperation. They’re known for that, allies and partners, [for] building that partnership capacity and capability. The NSS directs us to enhance that now into kind of full spectrum capabilities to offer the best military solutions or advice to the Secretary and the President. And, so, the assessment will include all those things you mentioned, Senator, and we’ll do that very quickly.”

TUBERVILLE: “Thank you. Being a football coach for thirty years, I’ve dealt with a lot of young people, and I saw the influx of drugs in our country really increase the last 10 or 15 years. But now that we are taking forceable action in your command, in our state of Alabama, I’ve seen and heard from our law enforcement officers that we have seen a decline in drugs. And I just wanna make that statement because if we don’t do something, if we don’t take a serious response to what they’re doing and coming through the Caribbean, we’re gonna lose this generation because our streets are filled with drugs. And if we’re closing our eyes to that then shame on us. But I would hope that what you understand, you got a family, you’ve seen your family grow up and you’ve seen the streets, but I think, you know, moving to Miami and moving to Southern Command is gonna be an eye-opening experience for you in terms of kind of a different world from what a lot of us are in.

General Rudd, the NSA is likely our most powerful intelligence agency. Cybercomm’s importance has become increasingly more important as it has become part of almost every operation we undertake. It’s time to reevaluate that dual hat. You know, I’ve heard some good arguments on both sides. What’s your thoughts? And I know our chairman has brought that up. What’s your thoughts on the dual role?”

RUDD: “Yeah. Senator, again, from my experience of where I see that applied throughout my career, I think there’s demonstration of effectiveness as well as efficiency. I would characterize effectiveness should always trump efficiency. But again, the principles of unity of command and then the ability for that individual to continue to harness and integrate the incredible capabilities of both those organizations I think is a component that enables that organization—both of those—to provide great support to our warfighters. And again, Senator, if I’m confirmed for this, I think my role is to be objective about that as that comes up or if it continues to come up as a topic, I’ll be objective. I’ll seek great insight from not only the two organizations, but the customer as well, if you will, how does it work best and provide my best advice?”

TUBERVILLE: “Yeah. There’s more than one way to skin a cat, you know, and we’ve got a lot of people doing dual roles, but this is gonna be a very important position—both of these obviously. […] You know, I got full confidence in you, but, you know, when we get you possibly back after you after you’re confirmed, we’d love to get a good evaluation of what you think for the future of both of these commands. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.”

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

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Tuberville Secures Several Key Wins for Alabama in Latest Appropriations Bill

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) issued a statement following his vote supporting the latest appropriations bill. The bill includes several key wins for Alabama.

“I’m proud that we were able to secure several big wins for Alabama in today’s appropriations bill, including $500,000 for the Alabama Port Authority, $1.4 million to support law enforcement across the state, $3.5 million for water and sewer projects, and more than $4.4 million to help with critical waterway projects,” said Senator Tuberville. “As long as I am Alabama’s Senator, I will continue fighting every day to make sure Alabama is first in line for every opportunity.”

BACKGROUND:

The appropriations bill passed by the Senate includes:

$500,000 for the Alabama Port Authority for the Study of Sediment Management in Mobile Harbor

$500,000 for the City of Enterprise to support law enforcement operations

$354,000 for the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office to support law enforcement operations

$325,000 for the Houston County Sheriff’s Office to support law enforcement operations

$250,000 for the Wilcox County Sheriff’s Office to support law enforcement operations

$2,900,000 for the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway and Black Warrior and Tombigbee Rivers Deepening Study

$1,000,000 for operations and maintenance on Fly Creek

$550,000 for Luxapallila Creek in Millport, AL

$3,500,000 for the City of Greenville Water Works and Sewer Board for Water Supply Augmentation

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

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Van Hollen Leads New Bill to Ensure Americans Aren’t Footing the Bill for Big Data Centers

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) announced his introduction of the Power for the People Act, legislation to rein in the rising electricity costs Americans are facing by addressing the huge amounts of energy required by data centers.

Amid the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI), corporations and big technology companies’ build out of data centers has exploded in the past decade and is projected to continue to rapidly increase. As more and more data centers aim to connect to the power grid, consumers are footing the bill for the infrastructure required to bring them online. Because data centers use so much power, they are also increasing energy demand which is further driving up electricity prices and placing a heavy burden on our electric grid – raising the risk of reliability issues such as blackouts. The Power to the People Act holds data center operators accountable for their role in driving up energy prices through reforms that would prevent consumers from subsidizing data center development through their utility bills. It also ensures that data centers connecting to the grid do not overwhelm it, preventing grid reliability issues that result in power outages, and ensuring that all of this work is done with strong labor standards in place, creating good-paying jobs.

Joining Senator Van Hollen as cosponsors of this legislation are Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.).

“Americans are already struggling to make ends meet – they shouldn’t have to foot the bill for big corporations’ massive expansion of data centers. But right now, the richest corporations on the planet are constructing new data centers at working families’ expense – driving up monthly electricity bills for consumers. The principle behind this legislation is simple: the huge corporations building and running data centers should cover the costs of the energy they need – not push those costs onto the backs of consumers,” said Senator Van Hollen.

In the mid-Atlantic grid region (PJM), the nation’s largest electric grid serving 67 million Americans in 13 states – including Maryland – and Washington, D.C., because of data centers, consumers have paid or will pay:

As least $4.6 billion in 2024 and $3.1 billion in 2025 for local transmission upgrades, or $7.7 billion total for local transmission upgrades over two years according to Union of Concerned Scientists.

Over $21 billion in capacity costs in the last three capacity auctions (July 2024, July 2025, and December 2025) alone (which are the costs to secure available energy supply for future years) due to projected data center demand. These costs were to secure supply for the period of June 2025 - May 2028, according to PJM’s Independent Market Monitor.

By 2028, the average household in PJM will see their energy bills increase by $70 per month because of data centers – that’s $840 per year – and that’s just due to rising capacity costs (not even taking into account all the other factors impacting energy bills like the price of wholesale energy and transmission costs). Capacity costs alone could balloon to $163 billion through 2033 if no action is taken to address the imbalance of supply and demand in PJM’s capacity market, according to NRDC.

The Power for the People Act is supported by: The Consumer Federation of America, National Consumer Law Center, Public Citizen, Maryland People’s Counsel, Illinois Citizens Utility Board, New Jersey Division of the Rate Counsel, Oregon Citizens Utility Board, Delaware Division of the Public Advocate, NRDC, and Union of Concerned Scientists.

Additional background on the Power for the People Act

Data centers are huge energy consumers. In 2024, the average size of a proposed data center in the US was 300 megawatts, which is as much energy as it takes to power around 240,000 homes. There are currently over 3,700 data centers in the U.S. with new facilities being proposed every day. Although they are not the only factor causing electricity prices to rise, it is clear that new data center energy demand is having a significant and growing impact on Americans’ utility bills.

The enormous energy needs of data centers push costs for consumers higher in two ways: 1) they increase overall electricity demand, outpacing available electricity supply – resulting in higher utility bills across the grid and windfall profits for power generators; and 2) they require expansions of the electric grid and the cost of these infrastructure upgrades are passed onto all electricity customers – not just the new data centers.

What’s more, the rapid influx of data center energy demand combined with power supply constraints is pushing electric grids across the country dangerously close to their limits, which increases the risk of blackouts.

To address these affordability and reliability issues, the Power for the People Act:

Ensures data centers are paying for the energy costs they cause by:

Directing states to evaluate the need for new rate classes specifically for data centers to more effectively assign costs caused by that customer class, while providing technical support to states to support this process.

Directing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to issue a rule to ensure data centers are paying for the local transmission upgrades that would not be needed if the new data center did not exist – increasing accountability in local transmission projects which often lack oversight.

Creates a system to manage data center interconnection to the grid that would protect affordability and grid reliability by incentivizing data centers to:

Offset their impact on the electric grid by bringing their own new and additional power generation and battery storage systems to the grid, as well as by agreeing to certain flexibility requirements.

Mitigate pollution by using clean energy resources.

Create good paying jobs with strong labor standards by paying locally prevailing wage, and using registered apprenticeship programs.

Provides resources to improve data center load forecasting, including weeding out duplicative or speculative requests, as accurate data center energy demand projections are key to ensuring proper investment in the grid and preventing overly inflated energy bills.

The text of the Power for the People Act is available here.

“As data centers continue to grow and burden our electrical grids, consumers are forced to bankroll skyrocketing electricity costs, leaving them with soaring utility prices. This bill represents an important opportunity to hold data centers accountable for increased energy prices,” said Senator Blumenthal.

“For the United States to lead responsibly in AI, the benefits must be broadly shared, and the costs—especially higher electricity prices—must not be shifted onto working families in places like New Jersey that are seeing spiking utility bills,” said Senator Booker. “The Power for the People Act is about fairness and shared progress: it ensures data centers pay for the costs of their own development, prioritizes the clean energy critical to protecting our public health, protects consumers from rising electricity bills, strengthens grid reliability, and keeps America at the cutting edge of innovation.”

“The American people are already struggling to keep up with the rising costs of groceries, housing, health care and more—the last thing they need is to foot the bill for data center energy costs,” said Senator Duckworth. “This commonsense bill would help ensure that data centers don’t pass along their operating costs to Americans’ monthly energy bills or jeopardize the grid—while also supporting the development and improvement of data centers across the country.”

“The data centers behind the AI boom are consuming more energy than ever before—that demand is only expected to grow. At the same time, energy prices are spiking across the country, saddling working families with higher utility bills and threatening the reliability of the grid. Data centers must be held accountable for the costs of their connection,” said Senator Welch. “We cannot force everyday Americans to subsidize profits of the multi-billion dollar AI industry.”

“Marylanders are struggling to get by – the costs of groceries, rent, and health care are skyrocketing. That’s why it is absolutely essential that data centers cover the costs of increased energy prices they are creating: not hardworking American families. Data centers are critical to our national security, job creation, and economic development, but we cannot subsidize the costs of these data centers with our energy bills – which are already way too high,” said Senator Alsobrooks.

“It’s unconscionable that people’s utility rates are rising because of data centers being built by billion dollar companies to fuel their AI products,” said Ben Winters, Director of AI and Privacy at the Consumer Federation of America. “This bill is a critical step in remedying this injustice that brings the very real issues of affordability and Big Tech abuse to the forefront.”

“The Power for the People Act helps shield families from unfair and unaffordable data center subsidization on their electric bills,” said Olivia Wein, Senior Attorney at the National Consumer Law Center. “It is outrageous that households are stuck paying billions of dollars to energy companies for costs that should be borne by data centers. The added expense is particularly harmful for low-income households who already face impossible choices between paying the monthly electric bill and paying for food, medicine, and rent.”

“The way we currently regulate electricity doesn't work for the city-sized power demands of data centers. The Power for the People Act modernizes regulation to protect residential customers from subsidizing wealthy data centers, saving residential customers in Maryland and across the country from paying billions of dollars in electricity costs to support data center growth,” said Maryland People's Counsel David S. Lapp.

"Across the country, the rapid growth of data centers is the number one threat to affordable electricity—energy costs will continue to hit record highs if we don't act now. The Power for the People Act would hold data centers accountable for their impact on the grid, helping ensure reliability and affordability for everyone,” said Sarah Moskowitz, Executive Director at the Citizens Utility Board of Illinois. “These companies are among the wealthiest in the world, and it is simply unacceptable for everyday consumers to foot the bill for their energy guzzling. The Power for the People Act would rein these companies in and help restore balance to our energy system."

“The Power for the People Act takes a balanced approach. It holds data centers accountable for their impact on the grid while providing them with tools to manage their energy needs,” said Brian Lipman, Director for the New Jersey Division of Rate Counsel. “Without this legislation, residential customers will be unprotected from higher rates and potential blackouts and brownouts at peak times - during the hottest summer days and coldest winter nights. We must protect customers from these risks, while enabling data centers to plan responsibly. This bill is an important first step toward that goal.”

“Oregon is becoming a top destination for data center growth in the country and we have seen that growth in home power bills rising by more than 50% in five years,” said Bob Jenks, Executive Director of Oregon Citizens' Utility Board. “This federal legislation would allow us to go further than state policy allows, supporting more affordable energy bills for American families.”

“Data centers are transforming the energy sector at a speed and a scale unlike anything in decades, increasing electricity costs for worse reliability at a time when families can least afford spiking costs. Individual data centers can have the energy needs of cities, impacting the energy system and the communities around them. Collectively, the explosive growth in data centers is worsening the reliability of our energy system and imposing enormous costs – expensive transmission upgrades, rapidly increasing capacity prices, increasing energy prices – that will be paid by electricity customers. We must ensure that the economic opportunities that data centers provide for some does not come at the expense of everyone else,” said Jameson Tweedie, Public Advocate for the State of Delaware. “The Power for the People Act helps do just that, protecting the reliability of our energy system by ensuring new power generation is built to match the power demands of data centers, while requiring data centers to pay for the costs they impose on the system to protect existing customers.”

“Congress needs to step in and make sure utility customers don't get stuck with the bill for the data center construction boom, or the increased pollution that boom will cause if those companies don't bring their own new, clean energy. This commonsense legislation will hold data centers accountable and make sure they are paying the real costs for all the power they are using. Power for the People is an important step in the right direction, and Congress should act on it pronto,” said Jackson Morris, Director, State Power Sector at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

“We applaud Senator Van Hollen for stepping forward to address the critical grid reliability and consumer cost issues associated with the build-out of data centers. The Power for the People Act pushes direct fixes to the regulatory shortcomings that leave consumers on the hook for data centers’ transmission upgrade costs, emphasizes the need to ensure reliable service, and prioritizes clean energy solutions to meet growing data center demand. UCS encourages Congress to move swiftly to consider the Power for the People Act and ensure the data center boom does not threaten electricity reliability or affordability,” said Mike Jacobs, Senior Energy Manager at Union of Concerned Scientists.

“This legislation answers an urgent challenge: how to grow the economy while insulating mom & pop retail customers from rising electric bills caused by data centers. It modernizes our electric sector’s approach to this new part of the economy, creating an orderly process for connecting data centers and ensuring that data centers are flexible and clean. These are necessary steps to address rapidly rising bills and ensure that data centers pay their fair share,” said Abe Silverman, Assistant Research Scholar at the Ralph O'Connor Sustainable Energy Institute, Johns Hopkins University.


Van Hollen Statement on Senate Passage of Commerce, Justice, Science, & Related Agencies FY 2026 Appropriations Bill

U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS), released the following statement regarding the Senate’s passage of the CJS FY 2026 Appropriations bill, which will now go to the President’s desk for signature:

“As we face a lawless Trump Administration, Congress’s role in fighting for Americans’ priorities is all the more important. That’s why, within this bill, I worked to invest in those priorities, reject the Administration’s attempts to defund critical initiatives both in Maryland and nationally, and create new safeguards against their efforts to withhold Congressionally-mandated funds. This legislation includes critical investments to boost economic opportunity and strengthen public safety in our communities. I also fought to reject the Trump Administration’s attacks on science, including at NASA Goddard, NOAA, and NIST – all based in my home state of Maryland. Our bill makes clear that Congress, on a bipartisan basis, will not accept this Administration’s reckless, harmful cuts.

“In addition to these priorities, I also worked to secure language within this bill around the Trump Administration’s efforts to ignore the decades-long site selection process for a new FBI Headquarters. This provision requires that, prior to spending reprogrammed construction funds on the Headquarters, the FBI must submit the contracted and completed architectural and engineering plan for the new headquarters building, including the security plan, for review by the Appropriations Committees. This is an important step to reassert Congress’s oversight role in the relocation of the FBI headquarters and to ensure the new headquarters meets the mission and security needs of the FBI.

“This bill is not perfect. I continue to support greater investment in science and research, Justice Department resources that help make our communities safer, and economic development initiatives that help local businesses.

“Republicans also chose to strip out my amendment that was previously passed unanimously in Committee to require the Justice Department to ‘retain, preserve, and compile any records or evidence related to any investigation, prosecution, or incarceration of Jeffrey Epstein’ and submit a report to Congress within 60 days regarding the records and evidence. Republicans would rather strip this measure out behind closed doors than actually deliver answers to the victims and the American people. That is why I have filed a floor amendment to restore that provision. Unfortunately, Republicans refused to hold a vote on that amendment.

“That being said, within this bill we rejected nearly 100 Republican poison pill riders – including attempts to block gun violence prevention measures, restrict access to reproductive health care, restrict scientific climate crisis research, and impede on Americans’ civil rights. I also fought to include new legal safeguards to prevent the Trump Administration from decimating essential programs. These – and the many investments we secured – were hard-fought, and this bill will help invest in and protect important priorities for the American people.”

Key Bill Points & Highlights:

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): The bill provides $24.44 billion for NASA, which is $5.63 billion above President Trump’s request. The bill rejects the administration’s devastating proposal to cut NASA Science by 47% and terminate 55 operating and planned missions. It instead provides $7.25 billion. The bill provides $1.6 billion for Astrophysics, including $300 million to complete the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to investigate dark energy and the formation of galaxies and stars and $150 million to ramp up development of the Habitable Worlds Observatory that will search for potentially habitable planets, both of which are being developed at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The bill also provides $500 million for the Dragonfly mission to explore Titan, the largest moon of Saturn—led by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory—and $100 million to ramp up development of the Geospace Dynamics Constellation (GDC) to better understand the Sun’s impact on the Earth—led by Goddard. The bill continues support for a new “Earth Observatory,” which is a collection of five missions to implement the Earth Science Decadal Survey, and the Landsat Next mission to ensure continuity of the longest space-based record of Earth’s land surface. The bill also provides increases for Hubble and James Webb Space Telescope operations and science to ensure full utilization of these incredible assets.

The bill includes critical resources to support the goal of returning Americans to the Moon and of eventually landing on Mars, providing $7.78 billion for Exploration, which is $117 million above fiscal year 2025. The bill supports progress on the Artemis Campaign, including sufficient funding for NASA to meet the ambitious goal of returning humans to the Moon by 2028.

Aeronautics is supported at $935 million, equal to fiscal year 2025 and $326 million above President Trump’s budget request, to ensure continued U.S. leadership in aviation and to invest in sustainable aviation technologies. The bill rejects President Trump’s shortsighted request to eliminate the NASA Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Engagement programs and provides $143 million for the programs. This includes: the Space Grant ($58 million), the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Technology ($26 million), and the Minority University Research and Education Project ($45.5 million).

The bill also includes language regarding recent reports of consolidation at Goddard, noting Congress is concerned about potential negative impacts to operations and capabilities at the Center. The bill directs NASA to preserve all the technical and scientific world-class capabilities at Goddard, including those that will be used to complete any mission funded in fiscal year 2026 by Congress during any campus consolidation. In addition. the bill directs NASA to, no later than 30 days after the enactment of this act, contract a study with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering. and Medicine regarding the current technical and scientific capabilities housed at Goddard, what capabilities are positioned to ensure long-term success of the NASA mission, including for future cutting-edge scientific discovery and crewed space exploration, and what facilities are needed to house and operate those capabilities.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): The bill provides $6.171 billion for NOAA, $1.67 billion above President Trump’s request. NOAA provides critical weather prediction that people, businesses, and communities rely on each and every day. The bill provides $1.46 billion for the National Weather Service to improve weather prediction capabilities, including a $10 million increase to bolster staffing at Weather Forecast Offices. The bill also provides $1.67 billion to maintain the current generation of NOAA weather and climate satellites and to invest in next-generation satellites—$135 million above President Trump’s request. It also rejects more than $300 million in proposed cuts to the National Marine Fisheries Service, which ensure sustainable management of U.S. fisheries.

Climate Research: The bill supports investments to advance critical climate research. In particular, it provides $224 million for climate research at NOAA, rejecting President Trump’s push to eliminate much of this funding, and it provides $2.15 billion for NASA Earth Science, rejecting President Trump’s proposed 53% budget cut. Funding for NOAA includes $32 million for the National Ocean and Coastal Security Fund, which improves the resilience of coastal communities around the country.

Maryland’s Coasts: Funding for NOAA includes $32 million for the National Ocean and Coastal Security Fund and $81.5 million for Coastal Zone Management Grants, which improve the resilience of coastal communities around the country. It also includes $7.1 million for the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office, including $3.25 million for oyster restoration activities—an increase of $1.5 million—and $80 million for the National Sea Grant College program and $14 million for Sea Grant Aquaculture program, all of which support improved health and productivity of the Chesapeake Bay. The bill also includes $2.5 million for a new menhaden survey in the Chesapeake Bay to ensure the sustainability of a critical species.

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST): The bill rejects the administration’s proposal to slash NIST research and standards work by $150 million and instead invests a total of $1.847 billion for NIST, including $1.25 billion to spur research advances in cutting-edge fields like carbon dioxide removal, artificial intelligence, quantum information science, and cybersecurity. The bill maintains the Senate bill level of $128 million in base construction funding, an increase of $40 million over President Trump’s budget request and the fiscal year 2025 level, to repair and upgrade major NIST research facilities, including facilities at NIST’s main campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Department of Commerce: The bill provides $11.132 billion for the Department of Commerce, $744 million more than fiscal year 2025 and $2.4 billion more than President Trump’s budget request. This includes: $400 million for Economic Development Assistance Programs (EDAP), which is $30 million more than was available in fiscal year 2025, including $41 million for the Regional Technology and Innovation Hub (Tech Hubs) Program—enough for up to two implementation grants for designated Tech Hubs. It also includes $175 million for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program.

Census Bureau: The bill provides a $108 million increase over fiscal year 2025 for the Census Bureau to bolster the agency’s preparations for the 2030 Census and its ability to continue producing high-quality data.

Department of Justice: The bill provides $37 billion for the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the critical grant programs it administers, which help keep communities safe.

Addressing and Preventing Violence Against Women: The bill provides $720 million for grants provided by the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) and rejects President Trump’s proposal to combine OVW with the Office of Justice Programs (OJP). The OVW funding level is an increase of $7 million above fiscal year 2025 and is $215 million more than President Trump’s budget request. Funding is provided for multiple competitive and formula grant programs that support training for police officers and prosecutors, state domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions, rape prevention programs, lethality assessment and homicide reduction initiatives, domestic violence hotlines, women’s shelters, transitional housing, and rural support services.

Continued funding is provided for several OVW programs authorized in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization Act of 2022, including a restorative justice program and the Abby Honold Act. In addition, $12 million is provided for a grant program to increase access to sexual assault nurse exams, which will support grants for regional Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) training, salaries for SANEs, and Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners (SAFEs), and technical assistance and resources to increase access to SANEs and SAFEs.

The bill also includes $10 million in continued funding to incentivize states to adopt laws that protect the rights of sexual assault survivors.

The bill provides $50 million to support the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, which is administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. This program supports multi-disciplinary community response teams tasked with developing and implementing comprehensive reform regarding sexual assault, including reducing the backlog of rape kits at law enforcement agencies. Additionally, the bill provides increased funding for other programs that are critical to assisting survivors, including: $79.5 million for the Sexual Assault Services Program; $55 million for Legal Assistance for Victims grants; $51 million for Transitional Housing Assistance grants; $50.5 million for the Rural Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking Program; and $14.5 million for grants to assist governments exercising Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction.

Supporting Crime Victims: The Crime Victims Fund (CVF) provides critical support through direct assistance and programs offered by victim service providers to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, human trafficking, and other violent crimes. The bill makes $1.95 billion from the CVF available in fiscal year 2026. Of this amount, $97.5 million is designated for efforts to assist Tribal victims.

Maintaining Critical DOJ Oversight: The bill rejects President Trump’s request to cut DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) by 30%, or $42 million compared to fiscal year 2025. The agreement maintains $139 million in funding for the OIG, providing the funding necessary so that it can detect waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct at the DOJ.

Strengthening Police-Community Relations: The bill provides dedicated funding of $18 million for the COPS Community Policing Development program, as well as $15 million for the Law Enforcement Officer De-escalation Act. The bill provides a total of $35 million for three grant programs dedicated to preventing hate crimes. The bill also provides a total of $50 million for the Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative—a proven, evidence-based strategy that reduces violence and saves lives, which President Trump’s budget request seeks to eliminate.

Supporting State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Law Enforcement: The Byrne Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) program is funded at $964 million, of which $346 million is released from Byrne JAG core funding to states and territories. Funding is also included for programs that support officer mental health and wellness ($6 million), and the purchase of bulletproof vests ($30 million). COPS Hiring is funded at $253 million, which will help hire approximately 1,260 more police officers nationwide.

Responding to Substance Use Disorder in Our Communities: The bill provides communities and first responders with dedicated grant program funding to respond to substance use disorder and to crack down on drug trafficking. The bulk of this funding is for Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act grants, which receive $403 million to fund specialized court docket programs like drug, mental health, and veteran treatment courts and substance abuse treatment programs administered by state and local correctional facilities. The bill also funds the COPS anti-heroin task force program at $34.5 million and the COPS anti-methamphetamine task force program at $13.5 million.

Rejecting Trump’s Attempts to Gut Federal Law Enforcement and DOJ Grants: The bill rejects President Trump’s proposal to merge the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) into the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and to substantially reduce resources for both, gutting the main federal law enforcement agencies charged with enforcing our nation’s gun and drug laws and keeping people safe. It also rejects President Trump’s efforts to dismantle DOJ’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) by restricting that funding to activities only related to fighting major drug trafficking organizations and transnational organized crime—not immigration raids. It also continues to fund and maintain all DOJ grant-making components as independent offices, rejecting President Trump’s attempts to not only gut critical resources that help support victims of crime, but to diminish OVW and the COPS Office existence as independent entities with subject matter and grants expertise, as Congress set them up to be under law.

Juvenile Justice: The bill provides $375 million for grant programs within the Office on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, which is $74.5 million above President Trump’s budget request. The bill increases funding for long-standing programs and provides $105 million for Missing and Exploited Children Program grants; $43 million for Victims of Child Abuse Act grants; and $105 million for youth mentoring grants.

Supporting Tribal Businesses and Economic Development: The bill provides significant additional resources for Tribes and indigenous communities, including $5 million for the Office and Native American Business Development in the Office of the Secretary of Commerce, $6.5 million to support Tribal businesses through the Minority Business Development Agency, and another $5 million for the Assistance to Indigenous Communities program at EDA, which is specifically designed to address the needs of indigenous communities that have historically suffered from a lack of investment in core economic development needs.

Promoting Competition and Enforcing Antitrust Laws: The bill promotes economic freedom and opportunity by guaranteeing at least $245 million in funding for DOJ’s Antitrust Division—$12 million, or 5%, above fiscal year 2025. The bill also includes language allowing the Antitrust Division to retain and use all of the pre-merger filing notification fees it collects in fiscal year 2026—even if those collections exceed the $245 million appropriation for the agency.

Economic Development: The bill provides $466 million for community economic development through the Economic Development Administration. This includes $41 million for the Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (Tech Hubs) Program—enough for EDA to fund two implementation grants. This also includes $100 million for Public Works grants, $10 million for newly-authorized Workforce Training Grant Programs, and $50 million for the Regional Innovation Program. EDA awards infrastructure and planning grants to all 50 States.

Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS): The bill includes $235 million, an increase of $44 million over fiscal year 2025, for the Bureau of Industry and Security. BIS plays a critical role in enforcement of Russian and Belarussian export controls and efforts to counter Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. It also supports stringent export control measures on high-end technologies, including an increase of no less than $10 million strengthen enforcement of export licenses for semiconductors, like the Nvidia H200, with end users in the People’s Republic of China.

National Science Foundation (NSF): NSF is funded at $8.75 billion, rejecting President Trump’s ludicrous proposal to cut federal investment in this essential scientific research and innovation by 57%—which would have returned NSF to its fiscal year 2000 funding level just as our global competitors are doubling down on their investments. The bill invests $7.18 billion for NSF’s research and related activities, level with fiscal year 2025, to help drive U.S. economic competitiveness, including investments in artificial intelligence and quantum information science, and the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships. NSF’s education and training programs to build tomorrow’s innovation workforce are funded at $938 million, rejecting President Trump’s proposal to eliminate these programs. This funding level for NSF should support nearly 10,000 new competitive awards and more than 250,000 scientists, technicians, teachers, and students.

Legal Services Corporation (LSC): The bill rejects President Trump’s proposal to eliminate LSC and instead provides $540 million for LSC. The bill also makes permanent a provision to permit LSC recipients to operate with boards of directors that composed of as little as 33% attorneys without requiring appointment by bar associations, greatly improving recipients’ ability to have fiscal experts and community representatives on their governing bodies. Additionally, the bill includes language to reinforce the existing legal requirement for LSC to receive its appropriation as an annual installment, ensuring that LSC recipients can continue providing services without interruption. LSC is the largest funder of civil legal aid in the country, and its grantees serve millions of low-income Americans every year, helping them with family law, domestic violence, housing, fraud, and other legal matters.


Warren, Lawmakers Question Federal Trade Commission on Trump Mobile’s Questionable Marketing Practices

Company initially promised consumers a phone “Made in the USA” and later quietly scrapped promise from website

Consumers asked to place $100 deposit and promised phone by August 2025—and to date no phones have been delivered

“The American people deserve to know that consumer protection laws apply equally to all businesses, regardless of political connections. The FTC’s response to any violations of consumer protection law by Trump Mobile will serve as a critical test of the FTC’s independence”

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Development, and Representative Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee, led 9 lawmakers in writing to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) with a set of questions regarding how the agency would address Trump Mobile’s potentially deceptive marketing practices. The lawmakers also requested answers from the FTC about any attempts by the Trump White House to intervene in the agency’s enforcement of consumer protection laws and regulations.

Senators Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), along with Representatives Greg Casar (D-Texas), Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.), Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), Summer Lee (D-Pa.), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) also joined the letter.

“Our review of publicly reported information about the advertising and sale of the phone reveals a pattern of potentially deceptive practices that warrant FTC investigation,” wrote the lawmakers.

In June 2025, the Trump Organization launched Trump Mobile, announcing a “T1” smartphone that would be “Made in the USA” and available in August 2025 to those who placed an order, which required a deposit of $100. Just a few weeks later, claims that the phone would be domestically produced were replaced with vague phrases like “American-Proud Design,” “Proudly American,” and “brought to life right here in the USA.”

Trump Mobile faced scrutiny for posting inconsistent designs for the phone, originally launching with a design similar to the iPhone Pro, and later posting a different design mimicking the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Phone case manufacturer Spigen threatened legal action as the phone in the image was in a Spigen case.

In August 2025, Trump Mobile began accepting $100 deposits from consumers, and to date has failed to deliver any T1 phones to consumers, and “there are no signs that the phone has become a reality.” Instead, Trump Mobile has consistently pushed back its delivery date, originally promising August 2025 and then postponing to November 2025 and then the beginning of December. As of January 2026, no phone has been delivered.

While customers wait for the promised T1 phone, Trump Mobile has been selling refurbished iPhones, which are largely manufactured in China, and Samsung devices, which are manufactured by a Korean company, while claiming these products are “brought to life right here in the USA.”

“The FTC is responsible for ensuring that companies like Trump Mobile do not make false or misleading claims when marketing products,” wrote the lawmakers.

The FTC has previously taken action against companies for false “Made in the USA” claims, misleading representations about product features and origins, bait-and-switch tactics involving deposits for products never delivered, and failure to honor promised delivery dates.

Senator Warren led an initial letter to the FTC in August asking the agency to explain its plan to uphold laws and regulations with respect to Trump Mobile and received no responses.

“The American people deserve to know that consumer protection laws apply equally to all businesses, regardless of political connections. The FTC’s response to any violations of consumer protection law by Trump Mobile will serve as a critical test of the FTC’s independence and commitment to its mission of ‘protecting the public from deceptive or unfair business practices,’” the lawmakers concluded.

The members asked the agency to address, by February 14, 2026, whether the Trump Mobile issues to date constitute deceptive practices and whether agency personnel have communicated with President Trump, the Trump Organization, or Trump Mobile at all about the T1 phone. In addition, the lawmakers asked the FTC to explain how it would respond to attempts from the Trump White House to interfere with the agency’s actions.

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Warren Questions Trump Military Nominee: Is It ‘Sedition’ for Someone in the Military to Question Whether an Order is Legal?

Nominee would be responsible for future military actions in Venezuela but said he would not say questions about the legality of orders is "seditious"

Video of Exchange (YouTube)

Washington, D.C. — At a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) questioned Lieutenant General Francis Donovan, nominee to be General and Commander of the United States Southern Command, about declining to execute illegal military orders.

As SOUTHCOM Commander, Lieutenant General Donovan would be responsible for future military actions in Venezuela. The previous SOUTHCOM Commander, Admiral Alvin Holsey, reportedly had expressed serious concerns about being given illegal orders in the role. Lieutenant General Donovan explained that in his 37 years of experience, he has frequently consulted legal advisors to ensure the execution of military orders complies with the law. However, Lieutenant General Donovan refused to answer if he had previously received illegal orders, saying only that he would not use the term “sedition” to describe officers questioning whether an order is legal.

Senator Warren also questioned Lieutenant General Donovan on whether he would carry out an order that a legal advisor determined was illegal.

Lieutenant General Donovan said, “I will take that very seriously if my legal advisor says that is an illegal order…I will never carry out illegal orders.”

Last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced he was taking steps to censure and demote Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy Captain, for releasing a video with other lawmakers urging members of the military not to comply with illegal orders. President Trump accused all of the lawmakers in the video of “seditious behavior” and said they should be punished by death. The Department of Justice has reportedly also begun investigating the lawmakers involved with the video.

Transcript: Hearing to Consider the Nomination of Lieutenant General Francis L. Donovan, USMC to be General and Commander, United States Southern CommandSenate Armed Services CommitteeJanuary 15, 2026

Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Nicolás Maduro was a terrible leader—there’s no question about that. It does not change the fact that President Trump’s military action to attack another country and seize Maduro was unconstitutional and threatens to drag Americans into a war they never voted for.

What does the President mean when he says the United States will “run” Venezuela for years? When he says “Venezuela now has the United States of America, the most powerful military in the World (by far!), to protect them and protect them we will.” It sounds like another “forever” war.

Lieutenant General Donovan, you are nominated to lead Southern Command, which would make you the commander responsible for any future military actions in Venezuela. You won’t make policy decisions, but service members will count on you to ensure that they are not asked to engage in military operations that are not legal. Now, according to press reports, your predecessor had serious concerns about illegal orders—that was not the case with these strikes.

General Donovan, is it ‘sedition’ for someone in the military to question whether an order is legal?

Lieutenant General Francis L. Donovan of the U.S. Marine Corps, Nominee to be General and Commander of the United States Southern Command: Senator, in my 37 years of experience, I received many orders over time and when I ever have faced a situation where I need to see clarity, I asked headquarters to clarify the task. And I come back and work on that with legal advisors, the Corps staff, Board of Commanders, senior enlisted leaders and present my thoughts to higher headquarters for their consideration.

Senator Elizabeth Warren: So, I think that what you're telling me is you have questioned whether an order is legal, is that right?

Lieutenant General Donovan: We face orders, we carry out missions, and so in that planning process, we look at all the aspects of each mission, each task, each order to ensure that we’re structuring the Command, the Force, the Unit to achieve the objective.

Senator Elizabeth Warren: I appreciate that, General, but the question I’m trying to ask is: is it sedition for someone in the military to question whether an order is legal? And I thought I just heard you say that you had actually questioned orders and whether they were legal and you sought advice.

So, I will ask it one more time: is it sedition to question whether an order is legal?

Lieutenant General Donovan: Senator, I would not use the term ‘sedition.’ I would use the term that basically, good order and discipline, how we approach any situation where we had to accomplish the mission and provide the best capability for the task at hand.

Senator Elizabeth Warren: I'm sorry, I still can't understand your answer here. I'm just asking a straightforward question. You tell me you have questioned orders in the past—about their legality, is that right?

Lieutenant General Donovan: Senator, I have questioned orders when either one, I either didn't understand, I wasn't equipped to carry them out, and I needed clarity before I can actually execute those orders. That’s just part of our planning process.

Senator Elizabeth Warren: But you have never questioned whether an order was legal? You’ve never wondered whether or not an order was legal and sought additional counsel on that?

Lieutenant General Donovan: Senator, in our planning processes, I always have a legal advisor at my side as a part of the planning process, so I always have leveraged those legal advisors to give me the best answer and in the end I'm responsible for the final decision to carry out or not carry out the order.

Senator Elizabeth Warren: We’ll stop playing dodgeball here. You know, I felt that that was going to be the easy question leading to harder questions. Back in 2016, Secretary Hegseth was clear that service members have a duty not to follow illegal orders. Since then he has repeatedly made clear his contempt for legal review, including by sidelining military legal advisors—the people who are supposed to help you stay on the right side of the law. What I wanted to know is how you look at those issues.

So, let me try a different version of the question. General Donovan, if your legal advisor tells you that an order is illegal, would you refuse to carry out that order?

Lieutenant General Donovan: Senator, the legal advisor is one of many staff members that provide their advice as we look at the scenario and the situation at hand. I will take that very seriously if my legal advisor says that is an illegal order and I will seek clarification from higher headquarters.

Senator Elizabeth Warren: Okay, and if somebody higher says no, what are you going to do at that point?

Lieutenant General Donovan: Senator, then I’d make a decision—using 37 years of experience—to carry out that order or not.

Senator Elizabeth Warren: Okay, but your intention is not to carry out an illegal order? Is that right?

Lieutenant General Donovan: I will never carry out illegal orders, Senator.

Senator Elizabeth Warren: I appreciate that. That’s what I want to hear. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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Welch and Cornyn’s Bipartisan Bill to Mitigate Foreign Influence on U.S. Policymaking Passes Through Committee

Legislation would ban former Senate-confirmed government employees from lobbying for countries of concern

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today celebrated the advancement of the Conflict-free Leaving Employment and Activity Restrictions (CLEAR) Path Act, bipartisan legislation introduced alongside Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), which would mitigate foreign influence on U.S. policymaking by prohibiting former Senate-confirmed government employees from lobbying on behalf of countries of concern. The bill advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee with bipartisan support.

“Public trust in our democratic institutions is eroding. It’s vital we set higher standards against potential conflicts of interest for former government employees, particularly when it involves foreign adversaries that might be working to influence U.S. policy,” said Senator Welch. “I’m thankful for the support of my Judiciary Committee colleagues on our bipartisan legislation and look forward to bringing this bill to the Senate floor.”

“Foreign adversaries with ill intentions should not wield influence on American policymaking, nor should they exploit our own citizens to intercede on their behalf,” said Senator Cornyn. “This commonsense legislation would root out attempts of malign foreign interference and ban high-level former U.S. government employees from lobbying for countries of concern like Russia and China.”

“Corrupt foreign nations put their thumb on the scales of American policy through both secret and overt channels of influence. Senior U.S. government officials should not be allowed to sell their expertise and access to benefit America’s adversaries after they leave public service, and I’m pleased to partner with Senators Cornyn and Welch to clear this bipartisan measure through the Judiciary Committee,” said Senator Whitehouse.

“It isn’t right for senior government officials to turn their public service experience into a payout from malign foreign governments,” said Senator Risch. “This bill will help prevent corruption at the highest levels of our government, protect our national security, and ensure that our public servants do not abuse their power for the good of America’s adversaries.”

With attempts by foreign actors to manipulate the U.S. political and governing processes in recent years, the CLEAR Path Act would seek to mitigate foreign malign influence in our political system by:

Permanently banning Agency Heads, Deputies, and Senate-confirmed employees from lobbying the executive and legislative branches on behalf of countries of concern, including China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and Cuba; and

Providing a mechanism to add or remove countries of concern via a Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Judiciary Committee joint resolution and with the concurrence of the U.S. Secretary of State and U.S. Attorney General.

Senator Welch has led bipartisan efforts to combat the influence of foreign entities in American government and elections. Last Congress, Senator Welch cosponsored the bicameral Get Foreign Money Out of U.S. Elections Act to close a campaign finance loophole created by the Citizens United v. FEC decision that allows foreign entities to contribute unlimited sums of money into American elections.

Read and download the full text of the CLEAR Path Act.

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Wicker Applauds Mississippi Wins in the Appropriations Package

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss,. highlighted the Mississippi initiatives included in a fiscal year 2026 appropriations package that passed the Senate today. The package includes funding for the Commerce, Justice, and Interior Departments, as well as for agencies handling science, energy, and water issues.

“This is how Congress should operate, passing federal spending bills through the appropriations process. I am pleased that the Senate has embraced regular order. I look forward to the ways this legislation will help Mississippi’s needs and will support job creators and local governments.”

Full text of the legislation can be found here.

Below is a section-by-section of Mississippi projects funded in this appropriations package:

$22.455 million for Mississippi Projects in the FY26 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Bill.

$4 million for Frontier Measurements of Graphene and Graphene-Like Low-Dimensional Materials at University of Mississippi.

$2.5 million for Forensic Science Institute and Digital Forensics Lab at Mississippi State University.

$2.5 million for Composite Manufacturing for Blended Wing Body Airframe at Mississippi State University.

$1.426 million for Geospatial Science for Disaster and Emergency Management for University of Southern Mississippi.

$1.1 million for Agriculture Autonomy Technology Incubator at Mississippi State University.

$1 million for Technology Enhancements for the Northeast Mississippi Area Crime Center.

$1 million for Secured Research Computing Infrastructure at Mississippi State University.

$1 million for Mississippi Oyster Restoration and Workforce Program for Mississippi Wildlife Fisheries Parks Marine Foundation.

$1 million for Crime Prevention Initiative at the City of West Point.

$1 million for the Chickasaw County Sheriff Department COPS Project.

$907,000 for University of Mississippi Campus Public Safety Enhancements.

$838,000 for Training for Justice System Professionals at University of Mississippi.

$750,000 for Real Time Crime Center at City of Meridian.

$750,000 for Public Safety Project at Pearl River County.

$500,000 for Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Initiative at Mississippi Youth Challenge Academy.

$500,000 for Cybersecurity Equipment and Data Management Upgrade at Institute for Marine Mammal Studies.

$500,000 for Public Safety Technology and Equipment Upgrades at City of Florence Police Department.

$483,000 for Vehicle Fleet Expansion at City of Corinth Police Department.

$460,000 for Law Enforcement Equipment Upgrades at Humphreys County.

$300,000 for Removal of Marine Debris at Mississippi Commercial Fisheries United.

$130,000 for Fleet Expansion at City of Leland.

$142,000 for Sheriff’s Office Modernization Initiative at Greene County Sheriff's Office.

$100,000 for Public Safety Mobile Data Terminals at Moss Point Police Department.

$69,000 for Surveillance Enhancement Project at Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

$118.3 million for U.S. Army Corps of Engineer Mississippi Projects in the FY26 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill:

$49 million for Yazoo Backwater Project,

$21.9 million for Arkabutla Lake,

$15 million for DeSoto County Regional Utility Authority,

$10 million for Meridian Wastewater Upgrades,

$5 million for Yazoo Basin Headwaters Project,

$3.8 million for Rankin County Wastewater Upgrades,

$3.1 million for Rosedale Harbor,

$3 million for Greenville Harbor,

$2.9 million for Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway Deepening Study,

$2.4 million for Vicksburg Harbor,

$2.2 million for Mississippi River Levee Slide Repair, and

$14.425 million for Mississippi Projects in the FY26 Interior Appropriations Bill:

$7.8 million for City of Clinton, Bolton, and Raymond for Wastewater Improvements.

$2.5 million for DeSoto County Regional Utility Authority (DCRUA) Pump Station.

$1.75 million for City of Petal for Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements.

$1.5 million for City of Starkville for Wastewater Infrastructure.

$500,000 for City of Louisville Strand Theatre Preservation and Restoration.

$375,000 for Columbus Cultural Heritage Foundation Tennessee Williams Museum.

Additionally, this appropriation package also provides federal funding for programs that will benefit Mississippians including:

$531.6 million for Mississippi Rivers and Tributaries Project: Mississippi Rivers and Tributaries is a comprehensive, unified system of public works within the lower Mississippi Valley that provides unprecedented flood risk management and an equally efficient navigation channel. This is a $163 million increase from FY25 enacted levels.

$314 million for State and Private Forestry Programs: These programs within the Forest Service reach across the boundaries of National Forests to States, Tribes, communities, and non-industrial private landowners. This is a $9 million increase from FY25 enacted levels.

$252.5 million for Ocean, Coastal, and Great Lakes Research: The U.S. needs affordable sensors and platforms to expand research from the seafloor to space with local to global coverage to ensure national security and economic prosperity.

$48.2 million for NASA’s Rocket Propulsion Testing Program: These funds will support all locations within the Rocket Propulsion Testing Program Office and are crucial for the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

$47.5 million for Gulf of America Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS) Regional Integrated Ocean Observing System: GCOOS Regional Association supports regional observations, data integration, and product development. GCOOS data and developed products support many marine operations vital to the economy of Mississippi, including commercial fishing, energy extraction, and marine transportation.

$26 million for Safe Drinking Water Technical Assistance: These grants provide rural communities with the technical assistance necessary to improve water quality and provide safe drinking water. Small and rural communities rely on technical assistance to ensure compliance with Environmental Protection Agency regulations. This is a $500,000 increase from FY25 enacted levels.

$14 million for Sea Grant Aquaculture Research: This will support aquaculture farmers in Mississippi and has resulted in job creation and sustainability for over 1,000 aquaculture-related jobs and over 400 aquaculture-related businesses nationwide.

$2.2 million of new funding for Mississippi Levee Slide Repair: The funding will allow the Army Corps to repair more quickly the damage to the Mississippi levees after high-water events.

$850,000 for Fisheries Data Collection, Surveys, and Assessments: This funding will bring development and implementation of new technology and collection of scientific shrimp effort data.


Merkley, Padilla, Wyden Lead Senate Colleagues to Protect Timely USPS Delivery of Ballots, Mail Across the Nation

Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and California’s U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, raised concerns with recent developments by the United States Postal Service (USPS) affecting postmark practices.

Right before the holiday season, USPS clarified its recent practices in a rule stating, “the postmark date does not inherently or necessarily align with the date on which the Postal Service first accepted possession of the mailpiece.” Due to recent Postal Service consolidations, this could make it harder to vote-by-mail, especially for folks in rural communities who rely on USPS to make their voices heard and access basic services like prescription drug deliveries and bill payments.

“This misguided decision to delay postmarks has potentially harmful implications for our election system, and vote-by-mail. Many states determine whether a mail-in ballot can be counted using the postmark date. Election officials are already concerned and warning that this change could ultimately lead to higher mailed ballots being rejected,” the Senators wrote to USPS Postmaster General David Steiner.

“Postmarks delays are especially problematic in states that vote entirely or largely by mail. Rural areas across the country will be especially impacted as experts estimate at least a one-day delay in postmark and mail delivery in rural areas,” the Senators continued. “In theory, a rural voter could submit their ballot in time according to their state law, but due to the changes you are implementing, their legally-cast ballot would not be counted as it sits in a local post office. As we enter a year with many local and federal elections, the risk of disrupting this vital democratic process demands your attention and action.”

They emphasized, “We should be working to make voting easier for eligible voters, not harder. These changes will only increase the likelihood of voter disenfranchisement. While voters can request a manual postmark at a post office, this is unrealistic for millions of voters who vote by mail and will only serve to discourage mail voting. Inevitably, many voters will not learn about the changes to their postal service until it is too late, creating uncertainty about whether their vote will be able to count.”

In addition to Merkley and Padilla, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Angus King (I-ME), Patty Murray (D-WA), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Dick Durbin (D-IL).

Full text of the letter can be found by clicking here and follows below:

Dear Postmaster General Steiner,

We write in strong opposition to the USPS’ decision to codify its decision to abandon the goal of timely postmarks by downgrading mail processing services. We urge you to immediately reverse the underlying mail processing changes which contribute significantly to new postmark delays, including the policy described in the new USPS Postmarks and Postal Possession Final Rule. Moving away from postmarking mailpieces on the date they are received into the postal system presents significant negative consequences for millions of Americans conducting commercial transactions, government functions, which alarmingly includes voting.

On December 24, 2025, the Postal Service added a new section to its Domestic Mail Manual, formally stating “the postmark date does not inherently or necessarily align with the date on which the Postal Service first accepted possession of the mailpiece.” This means that many voters and other users of the Postal Service could no longer receive a postmark the day they cast their ballot or drop off their tax forms in the mail. Instead, they will receive a postmark date when their mail reaches a regional processing center, which is likely to be significantly further away from their community due to recent USPS consolidations.

This misguided decision to delay postmarks has potentially harmful implications for our election system, and vote-by-mail. Many states determine whether a mail-in ballot can be counted using the postmark date. Election officials are already concerned and warning that this change could ultimately lead to higher mailed ballots being rejected.

Postmarks delays are especially problematic in states that vote entirely or largely by mail. Rural areas across the country will be especially impacted as experts estimate at least a one-day delay in postmark and mail delivery in rural areas. In theory, a rural voter could submit their ballot in time according to their state law, but due to the changes you are implementing, their legally-cast ballot would not be counted as it sits in a local post office. As we enter a year with many local and federal elections, the risk of disrupting this vital democratic process demands your attention and action.

We should be working to make voting easier for eligible voters, not harder. These changes will only increase the likelihood of voter disenfranchisement. While voters can request a manual postmark at a post office, this is unrealistic for millions of voters who vote by mail and will only serve to discourage mail voting. Inevitably, many voters will not learn about the changes to their postal service until it is too late, creating uncertainty about whether their vote will be able to count.

Postmarks that do not match the date a mailpiece is first received by the USPS are often the direct result of eliminating twice daily mail dispatches from local post offices to regional processing centers under the Regional Transportation Optimization (RTO) plan. Now, many mailpieces received after the first and only transfer truck leaves will sit overnight until the next daily transfer. This service downgrade should be reversed.

Delayed postmarks further pressure a mail delivery system struggling under the weight of ill- conceived cost-cutting measures. In recent years, mail processing facility closures and consolidations implemented under the disastrous “Delivering for America” plan have caused delays in mail delivery, affecting vital services like prescription deliveries, bill payments, and other essential communications. Seniors, rural residents, and small business owners have been particularly impacted by downgraded postal services. In addition to election and tax implications, delayed postmarks will result in late fees, missed legal document submissions, application denials, overdue notices, and increased costs for the American people.

In addition to restoring timely postmarks and ensuring voters aren’t negatively impacted, we urge the Postal Service to promptly engage cooperatively with union representatives to fully stand up the Postal Election Mail Task Force. Early engagement between management and postal workers will help ensure all necessary extraordinary measures are well understood and ready for implementation as election mail comes in for processing.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. We look forward to hearing your plans to address these concerns and request a response no later than 14 days from today.

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Young, Colleagues Introduce Resolution in Support of International Religious Freedom

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) and a group of Senate Republican colleagues introduced legislation expressing the need for America’s continued leadership on matters of international religious freedom.

“As people of faith face persecution around the world, the United States must continue to stand for religious freedom,” said Senator Young. “This legislation reaffirms our commitment to defending religious liberty and pushes our allies to do the same.”

“Around the world, religious freedom is under attack. Whether in China, Syria, across Africa, or beyond, Christians face alarming levels of persecution, from social discrimination to legal restrictions to systematic oppression. All people deserve the internationally recognized right to practice their freedom of religion, share their convictions, and live according to their beliefs without fear of reprisal. Here in America, we believe that all people are endowed with inalienable rights from their Creator and that religious freedom is a cornerstone of any free nation. America must continue to be a leader in defending religious freedom at home and abroad, and we must push our allies to do so as well,” said Senator Risch.

“Religious persecution is one of the worst forms of oppression because it denies people their basic freedom and dignity. As the world’s leading democratic nation, founded on the very principle of religious freedom, we cannot allow the targeting of people of faith to go unchecked in countries such as China, Nigeria, Iran, and Syria. Freedom and the right to worship are inseparable, and it is our responsibility to lead in exposing and confronting these grave injustices around the world,” said Senator Budd.

“Religious freedom is an inalienable right and the bedrock principle of a free nation. Protecting the rights of individuals to express their religious beliefs without threat of discrimination or harm by the government or others is of paramount importance, and the United States must continue to lead the defense of this right globally,” said Senator Crapo.

“The free exercise of religion is a cornerstone of our Constitution and a fundamental human right. At home and across the globe, everyone deserves to practice their faith without fear, coercion, or persecution,” said Senator Barrasso. “America must continue to lead the world in defending and advancing religious freedom against those who seek to destroy it.”

“Religious freedom is a fundamental right and a cornerstone of our nation’s founding. Yet millions around the world are denied the basic freedom to worship and openly express their faith,” said Senator Scott. “The United States must remain a beacon for religious freedom and stand with those who seek nothing more than the ability to worship freely and without fear.”

“The United States must continue bearing the standard for religious liberty. Faith is a matter of individual conscience, and no government has the right to punish or promote any religion. As we witness horrific persecution around the world, American leadership can push back, showing both the faithful and their oppressors that every human being should be free to worship as they see fit,” said Senator Wicker.

“America has always been a leader in religious freedom. But around the globe, religious minorities are being persecuted. We cannot accept this violent persecution. I will always stand in defense of religious freedom,” said Senator Ricketts.

“Liberty begins with worshiping according to one’s conscience without fear of persecution or punishment, which is why I’m proud to cosponsor this resolution alongside Chairman Risch to promote the fundamental right to freedom of religion in America and across the globe,” said Senator Cornyn.

In addition to Senator Young, U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Dave McCormick (R-Penn.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), John Curtis (R-Utah), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), and John Cornyn (R-Texas) also introduced the legislation.


Young, Shaheen Introduce Legislation to Boost U.S. Critical Minerals Supply

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced legislation to support domestic supply chains for critical minerals to meet national and economic security needs through the creation of a new Strategic Resilience Reserve (SRR).

Critical minerals have emerged as a key chokepoint in the global economy and give adversaries like China and Russia enormous leverage, as they’ve demonstrated in the past. Just like the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and the CHIPS and Science Act have created more resilient domestic supplies of energy and semiconductors, this legislation will play a vital role in insulating the U.S. economy from external threats and creating good-paying jobs at home.

Specifically, the Securing Essential and Critical U.S. Resources and Elements (SECURE) Minerals Act would establish the SRR in an independent government corporation—run by a seven-member board appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate—to focus on supporting the critical minerals market, including through stable prices, and expanding domestic and allied production capacity, stockpiles, competitive markets, and supply chains, with minerals where the U.S. is reliant on China (including rare earths, where China controls 90 percent of processing). The legislation also prioritizes support for projects that recycle, reuse, or repurpose critical minerals or extract minerals from mining or industrial waste.

“For years, China has leveraged its dominance of critical minerals by manipulating global markets and supply chains. Our bill would counter China’s ongoing coercion and ensure the United States has a secure and accessible supply of the minerals that power our defense systems and high-tech industries. Creating this Reserve is a much-needed, aggressive step to protect our national and economic security,” said Senator Young.

“China’s global dominance of critical minerals supply chains gives it significant leverage and leaves the U.S. vulnerable to economic coercion. This bipartisan legislation is a historic investment in making the U.S. economy more resilient and supporting good-paying jobs in key sectors like aerospace, autos and technology,” said Senator Shaheen. “Delivering much-needed stability to the market, providing targeted investments and stockpiling key inputs will help insulate the U.S. from foreign threats and will provide a significant, and cost effective, boost to the U.S. economy.”

In the U.S. House of Representatives, Representatives Rob Whittman (R-VA-1) and John Moolenaar (R-MI-4) introduced companion legislation.


Young Speaks About Situation in Venezuela on Senate Floor

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) spoke on the Senate floor about the situation in Venezuela and the War Powers Act.

In his remarks, Young discussed his interactions with senior national security officials and the commitment he received that if President Trump were to determine American forces are needed in major military operations in Venezuela, the Administration will come to Congress in advance to ask for an authorization of force.

To watch Young’s full floor speech, click here.

Senator Young’s full remarks are below:

Since the beginning of this year, there’s been a lot of conversation both here in Washington and around the country about the future of American involvement in Venezuela and how that relates to the War Powers Act.

As we head to a recess – my colleagues head back to their respective states and other locales – I just wanted to take a minute and update my constituents on how this U.S. Senator is approaching this situation.

First, I want to reiterate that I support President Trump’s decision to bring Nicolás Maduro to justice for his many crimes. I know I speak for countless Hoosiers in expressing my gratitude that after years of oppression, the Venezuelan people now have a new hope.

In fact, I’ve taken meetings in recent days with diplomats, national security luminaries, business people, expats, and others, and those meetings have reinforced the reality for me that right now we have an opportunity for brighter days ahead in Venezuela. And I know the Administration is working with multiple stakeholders to affect that sort of positive change that we are all hoping for.

And I, of course, also want to commend the bravery and professionalism of U.S. personnel who carried out this successful law enforcement mission in Venezuela earlier this month. Highly impressive. Highly sophisticated. I’m awestruck by the mission, all that it accomplished, and I thank the men who were part of that.

Now, while I applaud and stand with the President and his team on the law enforcement action taken in Venezuela to remove Nicolás Maduro. That law enforcement is now complete. I just want to clarify that for many of my constituents.

I’ve also expressed concerns about the possibility of American military involvement in Venezuela as we move forward.

The President and members of his national security team have openly stated that the United States now “runs” Venezuela.

And because we can’t predict the future, no one can guarantee, with certainty, that an American military presence won’t be required to stabilize the country.

So, I – along with what I believe to be the majority of Hoosiers – am not prepared to commit American troops to that mission.

I strongly believe that any such commitment of U.S. forces in Venezuela must be subject to debate and authorization in Congress. And that is what animated so much of my activity in recent days and weeks.

Now that belief is not a new one to this situation or to this President.

For over a decade and under multiple presidents, I’ve pushed for Congress to fulfill its role defined in the Constitution on matters involving the use of military force.

Since U.S. involvement in Venezuela began last year, I’ve pushed for briefings and other forms of congressional engagement.

Just last week, because of those concerns, I ultimately voted to advance a War Powers resolution to make my concerns crystal clear to the Administration and to my colleagues.

The reality though is this, even if the Senate had adopted the resolution – had it not been derailed through a procedural vote – it likely would have died in the House of Representatives, very likely. Or at a minimum been vetoed by the President. That much was clear.

Given that … reality, I’ve had numerous conversations with senior national security officials over the past week since the first vote took place.

And in those conversations – some in person, some by phone – I’ve received assurances that there are, number one, no longer any American troops in Venezuela.

I’ve also received a commitment that, if President Trump were to determine American forces were needed in major military operations in Venezuela, the Administration will come to Congress in advance to ask for a formal authorization on the use of military force.

And lastly, Secretary Rubio has agreed to my request to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to provide a public update on Venezuela immediately after the recess – facilitating the very type of public debate and, if necessary, someday, authorization around these matters.

Hopefully working the muscle memory of this institution and its various committees on issues of war powers, so that they may be more inclined to exercise those prerogatives in the future.

For those like me who want Congress to perform its longstanding role in these issues, the commitments I’ve secured are major commitments that will help keep Congress better informed, help ensure we make better decisions, and ensure in this situation that any future commitment of U.S. forces in Venezuela is subject to public debate and authorization here in this body.

So let me just end by saying that President Trump campaigned against forever wars.

Millions of people strongly supported him in that position.

I strongly support him in that position, still today.

And I believe that a drawn-out campaign in Venezuela involving the American military, even if unintended, would be the opposite of President Trump’s goal of ending foreign entanglements.

But I also make that statement with humility, understanding that world events are fluid. The world is complicated – circumstances can change.

What all of us in this body should want is the opportunity to perform oversight and provide input on these critical foreign policy issues on behalf of those we represent.

If we must make a decision – a very difficult decision – at some point in the future, our constituents should be able to hold us accountable for those decisions.

Regardless of who serves as president or which party controls the White House, Congress must get back to carefully fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities.

I am pleased that we have a path forward toward that goal now, and I look forward to the next steps in the weeks ahead.


Smith Announces Upcoming Staff Outreach Events

Washington, D.C. - Constituents of Third District Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE) are invited to meet with a member of his staff during these outreach events in Harrison, Wayne, Bassett, Ainsworth, Ogallala, Alliance, Chadron, Pender, Springview, Rushville, and Grant.

A staff outreach event is an opportunity for constituents to meet directly with a member of Smith's staff about federal issues, receive assistance with a federal agency, or take advantage of the services available through his office.

Smith, who has offices in Grand Island, Scottsbluff, and Nebraska City, will provide a staff member at the following times and locations:

Monday, February 2, 2026

Sioux County Courthouse

325 Main Street, Harrison

2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. MT

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

Wayne County Courthouse

219 W. 6th Street, Wayne

9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. CT

Rock County Courthouse

400 S. State Street, Bassett

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. CT

Brown County Courthouse

148 W. 4th Street, Ainsworth

1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. CT

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Keith County Courthouse

511 N. Spruce Street, Ogallala

9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. MT

Box Butte Courthouse, 1st Floor

515 Box Butte Avenue, Alliance

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. MT

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Dawes County Courthouse

451 Main Street, Chadron

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. MT

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Keya Paha County Courthouse

310 Courthouse Drive, Springview

10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. CT

Sheridan County Courthouse

303 East 2nd Street, Rushville

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. MT

Perkins County Courthouse

200 Lincoln Avenue, Grant

2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. MT

For additional information, please contact Smith’s Grand Island office at (308) 384-3900, his Scottsbluff office at (308) 633-6333, or his Nebraska City office at (402) 874-6050.


Congressman Al Green's Black History Month Legislative Breakfast Meeting on February 7, 2026, at 9:00 AM CT

January 16, 2026

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Amo Unveils PARK Act to Block Trump’s Plan to Force Nation to Celebrate His Birthday

Washington, DC – Ahead of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Congressman Gabe Amo (D-RI), unveiled the Preventing Authoritarian Resource Kidnapping or PARK Act, which would block President Trump from making admission to national parks free on his birthday, alongside Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-CA) of the Natural Resources Committee, which has jurisdiction over the National Park Service, and six other colleagues.

“Donald Trump never learned ‘leave no trace.’ Now he’s once again trying to dirty our National Parks with self-absorbed antics,” said Congressman Gabe Amo. “Cancelling free admission on MLK Day and Juneteenth, while promoting his own birthday is perverse and wrong. I’m proud to introduce the PARK Act and push back against this madness. National Parks belong to all of us, not a President focused on selfishness, not service.”

"Donald Trump thinks our national parks should celebrate him like royalty while erasing the legacies of Martin Luther King Jr. and Juneteenth,” said Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-CA). “It's pathetic, it's un-American, and it tells you everything you need to know about this president's priorities. Our national parks represent the best of America: our shared heritage, our natural treasures, our commitment to equality, not a shrine to one man's fragile ego. Our PARK Act will put American values back where they belong—above any president's vanity.”

The full text of the bill can be found here.

This bill is cosponsored by Representatives Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), Terri Sewell (D-AL), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D-DC), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Dan Goldman (D-NY), and House Natural Resources Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-CA).

Background

Trump has long sought to leave his mark on our National Parks. He has said that he would like to be on Mount Rushmore, and Republicans in Congress introduced a bill to mar the memorial with his visage. As of January 1st, 2026, his face appears on many National Park Service admission passes.

Congressman Amo has long been a champion of America’s best idea, our National Park Service. He joined a bipartisan group of Members calling for the Trump Administration to stop staffing cuts at the National Park Service.

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Bacon, Nebraska Delegation Introduces Hal Daub Freeway Renaming Act

Washington – Rep. Don Bacon (NE-02) today introduced the Hal Daub Freeway Renaming Act, bipartisan legislation to designate a portion of I-680 in Omaha as the Hal Daub Freeway, honoring the longtime Nebraska public servant and community leader.

The Hal Daub Freeway Renaming Act is introduced with the support of the entire Nebraska congressional delegation, including Sens. Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts, and Reps. Adrian Smith (NE-03) and Mike Flood (NE-01).

“Hal is a model public servant who has had an outsized impact on Omaha and the state of Nebraska. He dreamed big and helped build Omaha into the sprawling metro area it is today,” said Rep. Bacon. “Hal led with vision, humility, and a deep sense of service while never losing sight of the people he represented. Our city and state are stronger because of his leadership, and there is no one more deserving of this lasting honor.”

“I’m pleased to introduce this bicameral bill in the Senate, which will designate a portion of Interstate Route 680 as the “Hal Daub Freeway” to commemorate and honor his life of service and devotion to Nebraska,” said Sen. Fischer.

About Hal Daub:

Hal Daub is a well-respected public servant and community member in Nebraska. A Distinguished Eagle Scout, former Infantry Captain, and attorney, Daub began his political career in 1980 when he was elected to Congress to represent Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District. He later served as Mayor of Omaha from 1995 to 2001. Following this, Daub served in the George W. Bush administration as Chair of the Social Security Advisory Board. Daub then went on to be elected to the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska System.

Daub is credited with planning, developing, and constructing the RiverFront in downtown Omaha, the West Dodge Expressway, CHI Arena and Convention Center, among many other amenities and public works in Omaha. Daub’s leadership and ingenuity helped position Omaha as the No. 1 city to move to, according to Forbes.

Beyond his formal roles, Daub is remembered as a prominent figure in the community and remains a role model for countless emerging leaders in Nebraska. As mayor, he kept his personal phone number in the phone book and routinely responded directly to constituent calls, even once personally going to a resident’s house to pick up their trash when the garbage truck did not come. There are generations of Nebraska public servants who credit Daub’s mentorship and example for guiding their own careers, both in Nebraska and Washington, D.C.

The Hal Daub Freeway Renaming Act recognizes Daub’s lasting impact on Omaha and Nebraska by permanently honoring his contributions to our community.

In addition to the entire Nebraska delegation, the legislation is cosponsored by Reps. Vince Fong (CA-20), Jeff Hurd (CO-03), Mike Ezell (MS-04), Brian Babin (TX-36), Kimberlyn King-Hinds (MP-AL), and Tim Burchett (TN-02).

You can view the Hal Daub Freeway Renaming Act text here.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 16, 2026

Contact: Jin.Choi@mail.house.gov

Representatives Barragán and Chu Lead a California Member Letter Urging DHS and ICE to Investigate CoreCivic for Disability Rights Violations at California City Detention Facility

Washington, D.C. — Yesterday, Representatives Nanette Barragán (CA-44) and Judy Chu (CA-28) led a letter, signed by 26 Members of Congress, to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), urging immediate federal oversight and accountability for serious violations at the California City Immigration Processing Center in Kern County.

The letter calls on DHS and ICE to refer CoreCivic, the private prison contractor operating the facility, to the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) and the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for investigations into alarming reports of unsafe and unlawful treatment of detained immigrants with disabilities. The lawmakers’ action follows a September site visit by Disability Rights California (DRC), conducted just weeks after the facility opened. Despite its recent launch, DRC documented serious violations of federal disability protections and ICE detention standards, raising urgent concerns about the facility’s ability to safely and lawfully house individuals with disabilities. Key findings included delayed or denied medical care, missed medications, lack of mobility aids, unsafe conditions, and insufficient oversight.

“The reports coming out of the California City facility are deeply troubling and completely unacceptable,” said Rep. Nanette Barragán. “People with disabilities in ICE custody are being denied basic medical care, medication, and mobility assistance—protections that are guaranteed under federal law. DHS and ICE must act immediately to investigate these violations, hold CoreCivic accountable, and ensure that no one is subjected to neglect or abuse while in government custody.”

“People in detention, particularly those with disabilities, deserve to be treated with dignity and have legal rights to reasonable accommodations, necessary medical care, and protection from neglect and abuse. Unfortunately, the Trump administration continues to prove they are unwilling and incapable of enforcing basic federal disability and detention standards that protect the health and rights of those in custody,” said Rep. Chu. “That’s why I am proud to join Rep. Barragán in demanding a full investigation and immediate corrective action to protect the rights, health, and safety of people with disabilities at the California City Detention Facility and any of these facilities nationwide.”

The letter urges DHS and ICE to:

– Refer CoreCivic, the private prison contractor operating the facility, to the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) and the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for investigations.

– Conduct immediate inspections and require corrective actions to ensure detainees with disabilities have consistent access to medications, mobility aids, and appropriate medical care;

– Require public reporting by CRCL and OIG on investigative findings and remedial measures; and

– Enforce federal disability laws, including the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and ICE’s 2011 Performance-Based National Detention Standards (PBNDS) across all California immigration detention facilities.

The lawmakers emphasized that the serious failures documented at the California City Immigration Processing Center demand immediate oversight and accountability, and that federal agencies must act swiftly to protect the civil and human rights of detained individuals with disabilities.

The Members who signed onto the letter are as follows: Rep. Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28), Rep. Julia Brownley (CA-26), Rep. Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Rep. Gil Cisneros (CA-31), Rep. Jim Costa (CA-21), Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Rep. Laura Friedman (CA-30), Rep. Robert Garcia (CA-42), Rep. Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Rep. Jared Huffman (CA-02), Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Rep. Sam Liccardo (CA-16), Rep. Ted Lieu (CA-36), Rep. Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Rep. Doris Matsui (CA-07), Rep. Dave Min (CA-47), Rep. Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Rep. Luz Rivas (CA-29), Rep. Raul Ruiz (CA-25), Rep. Brad Sherman (CA-32), Rep. Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA-14), Rep. Mark Takano (CA-39), Rep. Norma Torres (CA-35), and Rep. Derek Tran (CA-45).

This letter was endorsed by Disability Rights California (DRC).

The full text of the letter can be found HERE.

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Barrett Introduces Bill To Ensure Timely Payments for Vehicle Modifications That Help Disabled Veterans

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Tom Barrett (MI-07) today introduced the Centralized Reimbursement for Upgraded Innovative Service Equipment (CRUISE) Act to ensure the Department of Veterans Affairs efficiently reimburses businesses that modify vehicles to accommodate veterans’ disabilities.

Currently, individual VA hospitals are responsible for issuing these reimbursements, but some hospitals have fallen behind on paying invoices. This creates a real financial burden that is hurting the small businesses that install wheelchair ramps, lifts, and other vehicle modifications for veterans. Barrett’s CRUISE Act will centralize and streamline the process to provide timely payments.

“We have an obligation to ensure the men and women who were injured in the line of duty can get to the grocery store, the doctor’s office, or a loved one’s home,” said Barrett. “When VA hospitals can’t pay their bills on time, they hurt the professionals who install ramps and other vehicle modifications for disabled veterans. These delays are unacceptable and jeopardize the stability of the program. Mobility equipment dealers need to know they can count on the VA for timely, fair compensation, and the CRUISE Act will streamline the payment process to make sure that happens and veterans can get where they need to go.”

Background Information:

The VA’s Automobile Adaptive Equipment (AAE) program pays for vehicle modifications necessary for veterans with service-connected disabilities to drive or to enter and exit their vehicles. As of May 2025, the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association was aware of nearly $11 million in payments owed to dealers that were more than 90 days overdue.

Barrett’s CRUISE Act (H.R. 7083) would centralize the AAE reimbursement process at the VA and remove that responsibility from VA hospitals. The bill would require the department to implement a process to track invoices and issue payments. If the department is unable to process a payment within 30 days, it must inform a dealer how many days are necessary to make the payment.

Barrett has been a leader on efforts to help disabled veterans with their transportation needs. Last year, the House unanimously approved Barrett’s Automotive Support Services to Improve Safe Transportation (ASSIST) Act, which would authorize the VA to cover a wider variety of vehicle modifications.

CLICK HERE to read the bill.

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