Video: Blumenthal Delivers Opening Statement at Forum on Constitutional Violations by ICE

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), delivered an opening statement at a bicameral public forum on constitutional violations and abuses by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The forum, entitled, “Our Values at Stake (Part III): Terrorizing communities without warrants and no restraint,” featured testimony from Ryan Schwank, a whistleblower who spoke publicly for the first time about his experience as an Instructor for the incoming “surge” of new ICE recruits at the ICE Academy at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (“FLETC”) in Glynco, Georgia. The forum also featured testimony from Teyana Gibson Brown, a U.S. citizen and resident of Minneapolis, Minnesota whose home was forcibly entered by ICE agents without a judicial warrant.

“The truth is that ICE and DHS have deliberately and purposely trained their agents to break the law. I am shocked as I say those words, but they are the truth. ICE has trained officers of the United States government to disregard the Constitution and violate people’s fundamental rights—breaking down doors, detaining them with mass sweeps, engaging in brutal and violent conduct that directly contravene our laws,” Blumenthal said.

Blumenthal continued, “This training to break the law is not a thing of the past. It’s ongoing. It is not accidental; it is purposeful and deliberate. It is not only sanctioned, but it is ordered at the very top of this organization through a memo that explicitly states ICE policy. And Mr. Schwank will testify about it. It is not a momentary lapse. It is not isolated misconduct. It is purposeful and intentional instruction and teaching about breaking the law.”

“Today, we are also going to hear about the brutal reality of policies that the Trump Administration worked so hard to keep secret. Teyana Gibson Brown, who is with us today, experienced the reality of that policy on January 11th of this year. She is here today to share her story of her home being violently invaded and her husband being taken without a judicial warrant in one of the most egregious violations of the Constitution I have seen in America,” Blumenthal said.

“We need more protection for whistleblowers. We need reforms, fundamental and far-reaching, of ICE and DHS. We need America to be as shocked and horrified by what we see here as they should be, because that’s the way we will inspire bipartisan reform. And it must be bipartisan. I hope my Republican colleagues will take note and join us in welcoming whistleblowers and their speaking truth to power,” Blumenthal concluded.

Today’s event is the third public forum Blumenthal and U.S. Representative Robert Garcia (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, have hosted as part of their ongoing inquiry into the lawless and abusive tactics used by federal immigration agents.

Prior to the forum, Blumental released a memorandum and previously undisclosed documents revealing new details about drastic cuts the Trump Administration is making to the training and testing of new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) officers.

Video of Blumenthal’s opening statement is available here and the full text is copied below.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT): Thank you so much, all of you, for being here today. Special thanks from all of us to our witnesses who have come from afar, and to my colleague and partner in this effort, Congressman Garcia, who has come from afar, California, and across the Capitol. And to our colleagues on both sides, thank you for being here for this very consequential hearing.

I want to express my thanks to the witnesses today for their courage and strength in coming forward, most particularly to the whistleblower who is with us today, Ryan Schwank, who has a distinguished career even before working for ICE. I hope that his example of courage and strength will inspire others to do the same, to come forward and speak truth to power. That is an overused term, but it is actually very true as applied to what he is doing today.

The truth is that ICE and DHS have deliberately and purposely trained their agents to break the law. I am shocked as I say those words, but they are the truth. ICE has trained officers of the United States government to disregard the Constitution and violate people’s fundamental rights—breaking down doors, detaining them with mass sweeps, engaging in brutal and violent conduct that directly contravene our laws.

Their training has been truncated, and practical tests have been eliminated, reducing them from twenty-five to nine. But the training has been very specific on one point, and that is that no judicial warrant or court authorization is necessary to break down people’s doors and violate their rights.

People should be shocked and horrified by what they will hear today and so should my colleagues—so much so that I am hoping we will have bipartisan support for fundamental and far-reaching reform, that this hearing will be an impetus, among others that we are having, toward reforming ICE in a root-and-branch way, not just cosmetically but fundamentally, so that the kind of misconduct that we are seeing in America’s communities and streets will be stopped.

This training to break the law is not a thing of the past. It’s ongoing. It is not accidental; it is purposeful and deliberate. It is not only sanctioned, but it is ordered at the very top of this organization through a memo that explicitly states ICE policy. And Mr. Schwank will testify about it. It is not a momentary lapse. It is not isolated misconduct. It is purposeful and intentional instruction and teaching about breaking the law.

The truth that we will hear today completely discredits statements and testimony—some under oath—by DHS officials within the last few weeks. And we will see and hear evidence today, both in documents that we are releasing and testimony from Mr. Schwank, about the training of ICE agents and deliberate concealment of illegal ICE policies, directly refuting sworn testimony of Acting Director Lyons and other Administration officials. His testimony shows not only internal chaos and incompetence but intentional, calculated action that accompanied the brutal violence and violation of rights that we have seen on the streets.

A lot of people are wondering “How could this kind of brutality and violence happen at the hands of government officials in America, if they had the right training and the right people?” And the answer is they had the wrong training and, in many instances, the wrong people. The numbers of people have skyrocketed from 500 a year to more than 3500, and the training has been truncated and reduced, both in numbers of courses and substantive policy.

Two weeks ago, the head of ICE sat before members of Congress and promised that no cuts have been made to the contents of officer training. He claimed that fewer days of training are being made up for with extra hours every day. But as Mr. Schwank will share, this contention is simply not true.

The same head of ICE who contended incorrectly about officer training also testified about the memorandum in which he announced the Administration’s new policy to invade American homes based on a permission slip, signed by his own employees in violation of the Constitution, which was distributed to all ICE personnel. When I asked for the email distributing that memo, he assured me that ICE would produce it. They still haven’t responded, because the email doesn’t exist. Clearly that claim was untrue as well.

Today, we are also going to hear about the brutal reality of policies that the Trump Administration worked so hard to keep secret. Teyana Gibson Brown, who is with us today, experienced the reality of that policy on January 11th of this year. She is here today to share her story of her home being violently invaded and her husband being taken without a judicial warrant in one of the most egregious violations of the Constitution I have seen in America.

For centuries, our government and our courts have recognized the sanctity of people’s homes. John Adams believed that Britain’s warrantless entry into American homes—their breaking down doors and forcibly entering people’s houses—was the spark for the American Revolution 250 years ago.

The hurt and harm caused to Ms. Gibson Brown and other victims of this law-breaking will be deep and enduring. Perhaps most troubling, Ms. Gibson Brown, is that what happened to you was not some isolated mistake or accident. It was the result of a strategy, a conscious and deliberate, purposeful strategy taught to agents carefully with a memorandum that was shown to Mr. Schwank when he was told what to train them about breaking the law and violating your rights. That is unconscionable.

I want to finish by saying that I am hopeful that Mr. Schwank’s example of courage will inspire others to come forward. It has already inspired us on this Committee, and I think that the example of others before him are perhaps one of the reasons why he is here.

We need more protection for whistleblowers. We need reforms, fundamental and far-reaching, of ICE and DHS. We need America to be as shocked and horrified by what we see here as they should be, because that’s the way we will inspire bipartisan reform. And it must be bipartisan. I hope my Republican colleagues will take note and join us in welcoming whistleblowers and their speaking truth to power.

With that, Representative Garcia.

-30-


Witness Testimony: Blumenthal & Robert Garcia Receive Testimony About ICE Abuses from Whistleblower, U.S. Citizen Whose Rights were Violated, & Former Top Lawyer at DHS

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), and U.S. Representative Robert Garcia (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, held a bicameral public forum on constitutional violations and abuses by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The following Americans shared their personal experiences with the unconstitutional tactics ICE agents are being trained on and using in U.S. cities:

Ryan Schwank: In 2021, Mr. Schwank was hired as an Assistant Chief Counsel for the ICE Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA). In 2025, he became an Instructor for the incoming “surge” of new ICE recruits at the ICE Academy at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (“FLETC”) in Glynco, Georgia. As an ICE Academy instructor, Mr. Schwank was responsible for teaching the legal curriculum. Prior to his work at FLETC, Mr. Schwank’s duties included representing ICE in proceedings before the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR). Mr. Schwank resigned from his position at ICE on February 13, 2026.

“I believe in a strong and effective immigration system that provides fair and transparent due process. I recognize the need for the United States to control its borders. I believe that a good immigration enforcement system requires dedicated and professional officers who know their legal duties and understand the limits of their authority and role. This is why I profoundly regret the need to be here today,” Mr. Schwank said.

“I am duty bound to tell you the ICE Basic Immigration Enforcement Training Program is now deficient, defective, and broken.”

“Law enforcement is a deadly serious business. It is not a place for hyperbole, exaggeration, or falsehoods. Deficient training can and will get people killed. It can and will lead to unlawful arrests, violations of constitutional rights, and a fundamental loss of public trust in law enforcement. ICE is lying to Congress and the American people about the steps it is taking to ensure its over 10,000 new officers faithfully uphold the Constitution and can perform their jobs.”

Mr. Schwank’s written testimony is available here.

Teyana Gibson Brown: Ms. Gibson Brown is a U.S. citizen and resident of Minneapolis, Minnesota. In January, ICE agents forcefully entered her home without a judicial warrant, breaking down her door and pointing guns at her family.

“The circumstances outside our home only intensified. We knew our rights though; we knew no one could barge in our homes without a warrant because the space was ours,” Ms. Gibson Brown said.

“Officers from the trucks started shooting pepper spray at the protestors. Amid all of this, about ten officers approached my front yard. They looked like SWAT agents, holding each other’s shoulders like a barricade. One of them grabbed a protestor that was in my front yard from the front and back of his shirt and slung him into the grass. The officers walked up to my door and started ramming the door. They hit the door three times until the door popped open. My stomach fell the moment I heard the door pop, and I realized we were no longer protected. Far away from ever experiencing something close to this, we have never even known of anything of this sort. I had no idea what would happen to my family.”

Ms. Gibson Brown’s written testimony is available here.

Stevan Bunnell: Mr. Bunnell served as General Counsel for the Department of Homeland Security from 2013 to 2017. He spent 17 years as a federal prosecutor, including as Chief of the Criminal Division at the US Attorney’s Office in Washington, DC.

“It is a basic principle of Fourth Amendment law that searches and seizures inside a home without a warrant are presumptively unreasonable,” Mr. Bunnell said. “Indeed, the Supreme Court has stated that the physical entry of the home is “the chief evil against which the working of the Fourth Amendment is directed.” The law is also clear that a warrant to enter someone’s home has to be issued by a “neutral and detached magistrate or judge.” In other words, the police can’t sign their own warrants.”

Mr. Bunnell’s written testimony is available here.

-30-


Booker, Marshall Urge CMS to Pilot Home-Delivered Medically Tailored Meals for High-Risk Medicare Patients

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) sent a letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz and Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) Director Abraham Sutton, urging CMMI to develop and test a model that evaluates the impact of providing medically tailored home-delivered meals to Medicare beneficiaries with acute and chronic diet-related illnesses.

“Congress established CMMI to test innovative payment and service-delivery models that improve care quality while reducing expenditures for the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Medically tailored meals (MTMs) are an ideal candidate therapy for achieving this mission,” the Senators wrote.

“MTMs are designed by dietitians to treat a patient’s diet-impacted illness, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, cancer, or AIDs, with a focus on individuals at high risk due to comorbidities, disability, or other characteristics that predict high risk of hospitalization or care utilization. Recent evidence shows that MTMs can reduce hospital stays, improve health outcomes, and lower overall health care costs in Medicaid and other payer settings,” the Senators wrote. One analysis projected that nationwide implementation for eligible patients could avert 2.6 million hospitalizations and save $23.7 billion in one year, even after accounting for program costs.

“We respectfully ask that CMS consider this opportunity as it evaluates future Innovation Center models. An MTM program offers a targeted, time-limited intervention for high-risk beneficiaries whose unmanaged conditions increase health care spending. If successful, this approach could provide a scalable, cost-effective tool to improve outcomes and support Medicare’s shift toward value-based care,” the Senators concluded.

To read the full text of the letter, click here.

Last September, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) wrote a letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz, urging the agency to establish standardized billing codes for Medically Tailored Meals (MTMs) to help streamline reimbursements and support efforts to make our communities healthier.


Capito Secures CDS Award for City of Ronceverte

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a leader on the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced a Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) allocation from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the City of Ronceverte for reconstruction of the Fred Workman Bridge in Greenbrier County, W.Va.

This allocation, which was secured through a CDS request made by Senator Capito in Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26), will be used for the demolition and rebuilding of the Fred Workman Bridge.

“I was thrilled to support the City of Ronceverte by securing Congressionally Directed Spending resources needed to finally rebuild the historic Workman Bridge. This project has been a long time coming, and it will make an enormous difference for the people who call Ronceverte home.” Senator Capito said. “Reestablishing this connection will provide a safe route to Island Park, improve access across downtown, and offer a critical evacuation option for residents during flooding events. I’m proud that I could help in assisting in efforts to help move this project forward, and I look forward to seeing the impact it will have for years to come.”

“The Mayor and I, along with members of City Council, are overjoyed and so thankful for the award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Fund. We know that this wouldn't be possible without Senator Capito and Senator Justice, and we are immensely grateful for their leadership, care and attention to the needs of their constituents.” City Administrator Pamela Mentz said. “The awarded funding is going to make a tremendous difference for the citizens of Ronceverte and everyone that utilizes the new and improved bridge. So many people will be able to enjoy the Island Park and all of its amenities for years to come. We can't wait to get started on this project and we will look forward to the exciting changes that this funding will help bring to Ronceverte.”

Individual allocation details listed below:


Cassidy Secures Nearly $6 Million for Louisiana Flood Protection, Economy with Support from His Infrastructure Bill

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) announced Louisiana will receive $5,800,000.00 in federal funding through the Delta Regional Authority (DRA), which received increased funding through his Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The funding will support critical water, wastewater, and drainage projects to reduce flood risk, strengthen drainage systems, and support the economy in communities across the state.

“Louisianans need to know their homes are protected and their water is safe,” said Dr. Cassidy. “This funding I secured is going directly to Louisiana communities to reduce flood risk, modernize water systems, and support the local economy.”

###


Cramer Announces Radio Talk Show Host Scott Hennen as State of the Union Guest

***Click here to download audio.***

WASHINGTON, D.C. – North Dakota radio listeners tuning into the State of the Union may see a familiar face in the audience Tuesday night. Longtime radio host Scott Hennen, who founded the state’s first radio talk show nearly 40 years ago, will attend as U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer’s (R-ND) guest. Hennen hosts the statewide program, “What’s On Your Mind?," which airs on AM 1100 “The Flag” in Fargo, AM 1090 KTGO “The Flag” in Watford City and Williston, SuperTalk 1270AM of Bismarck-Mandan. Cramer and Hennen hold a talk radio town hall Friday mornings on the show. It is also simulcast statewide on BEK-TV.

“I chose Scott Hennen as my invited guest for the State of the Union because I want to celebrate talk radio. Scott and I have worked together, him as a radio host and me as a fill-in, going all the way back to my days as Tourism Director and Economic Development Director in Ed Schafer’s administration,” said Cramer. “He and I have been doing talk radio hall since my very first day in Congress. And for over 13 years, I join Scott almost every week for an hour [and] take calls unfiltered.”

Cramer added, “Beyond that, I’ve joined several other talk radio shows throughout North Dakota, and I’m blessed by all of it. It’s been a great way for me to communicate with the citizens, a great way for them to call me—or for that matter text or email questions in—and to get an unfiltered answer. I’ve so much appreciated my relationship with the radio stations throughout North Dakota [and] the broadcasters throughout the Upper Midwest who honored me with an award last year.”

Cramer also spoke of the important role AM radio plays in North Dakota keeping voters informed of breaking political news. “It’s such a precious thing that is oftentimes overlooked because of our high-tech, clicking, social-media culture. We sometimes forget that when everything else goes out, the AM signal is still the strongest and the best.

“So, we’re going to celebrate talk radio, and I think it’s appropriate for a State of the Union […] with the President who makes himself accessible to the media every single day. He is transparent, he is authentic, he is sometimes offensive—which is too bad for the person that’s offended, quite honestly—because most people appreciate just how accessible he is,” Cramer continued.

“It’s important to note that it was on Scott’s show that I first announced my support for Donald Trump to be our Republican nominee back in 2016 when it wasn’t cool to do it. Now, of course, everybody does it, but in those days, it was very unusual. And as the President at that time, not even the nominee, Donald Trump joined me on the show. We did the exact same thing again in 2024. He and I joined Scott on his show to announce my support for Donald Trump to be President of the United States.

“Our relationship has served the people of North Dakota very well. It’s a long list of accomplishments and a long list of things that our state has benefited from because of my personal relationship with Donald Trump. I’m really honored that Scott has accepted my invitation to celebrate talk radio together at the State of the Union.”

Hennen’s “What’s On Your Mind” show has hosted myriad political leaders and media figures over the years, including presidents, governors, and members of Congress, underscoring the program’s ability to influence North Dakota’s media and political landscape.

“I have known Kevin since my radio career in North Dakota began in 1984,” said Hennen. “I’ll never forget when he brought President Bush 41 and First Lady Barbara Bush to Fargo to campaign for Dr. Ben Clayburgh for Senate in 1994. In true Cramer form, he orchestrated the mother of all photo ops with President Bush and Clayburgh in a TBM Avenger torpedo bomber, the very plane Bush was shot down in during World War II!

“He was instrumental in getting Ed Schafer elected Governor and for architecting a transformation of North Dakota politics by electing a countless number of Republican statewide offices and our legislature—a dominance that continues today. He was an early advocate for North Dakota’s energy revolution as a member of way the Public Service Commission. He campaigned for the U.S. House in 2012 promising unprecedented access to all North Dakotans. It was a promise he kept by launching the talk radio town halls. Since 2013, I have enjoyed hosting a townhall every week with Kevin as he famously takes calls, texts, and emails from listeners across the Midwest, whether they agree with him or not.

“Kevin has brought on many special guests over the years, ranging from Johnny Holm, Dale Brown, countless U.S. Senators, and President Donald Trump on several occasions. I’m proud that we were trailblazers by creating this first-in-the-nation platform, and we strive every week to report on numerous stories that are ignored by old media platforms. Talk radio was the first social media and remains a very effective way to directly connect with voters.”

Hennen and his show’s reputation for engaging public officials and newsmakers in conversations are built by listeners who tune in through traditional radio broadcasts, online streaming, mobile apps, and live video. The multi-platform access allows the program to maintain a broad reach while preserving the interactive format that has long defined talk radio.


RealClearHealth: A Bipartisan Fix for the Prescription Drug Market

It is no secret that health care policy is a frustrating topic on Capitol Hill. That frustration reflects the worry felt by Americans searching for affordable health insurance and pharmaceutical options amid an opaque, complex and costly system. While Republicans and Democrats agree our health care system is broken, we often have very different ideas about what reforms will sustainably reduce costs and improve patient outcomes.

One thing we have long agreed on, however, is the need to crack down on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), the middlemen who negotiate between and set prices for insurers, drug manufacturers, pharmacies and patients. PBMs were created to help manage the complexity of the prescription drug supply chain. Positioned at the center of the market, PBMs can exact large concessions from manufacturers and pharmacies.

Unfortunately, those savings are not always passed on to patients and taxpayers. For years, reports have shown that lack of transparency and perverse incentives increase costs and reduce options for patients. For instance, PBMs often give special terms to their affiliated pharmacies and charge opaque, unreasonable fees to others.

Consolidation in the insurance market has worsened these problems. Because most of the major PBMs share corporate ownership with insurers and pharmacies, they have little reason to use their negotiating power to drive down prices. Instead, vertical integration incentivizes PBMs to steer patients to affiliated pharmacies and highly rebated treatments, regardless of price or effectiveness.

The government funding package recently signed into law by President Trump is beginning to tackle these issues. It includes critical bipartisan provisions advanced by the Senate Finance Committee that will prohibit some particularly harmful practices and disincentivize PBMs from raising costs for patients.

To support independent pharmacies, especially in rural areas, Congress reinforced protections that require PBMs to contract with all pharmacies that agree to their standard terms and conditions, not just their corporate affiliates. Allowing PBMs to set different terms for different pharmacies threatens small and independent pharmacies, forcing them to choose between operating at razor-thin margins (or even at a loss) or simply refusing to accept certain insurers. In turn, many patients have struggled to find nearby pharmacies in their insurance network, which has limited their access to needed medications.

PBMs and pharmacies will now be required to report drug prices and other information to Medicare plan sponsors and to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Combined with a provision allowing Medicare Part D plan sponsors to audit their PBMs for compliance with their contracts, this increased transparency will help insurers and pharmacies make more informed decisions about the PBMs they work with. As a result, PBMs will face more pressure to improve services and reduce costs.

To address perverse incentives for PBMs to prefer higher-priced drugs, the law also delinks PBM compensation from the list price of prescriptions and the rebates they negotiate with drug manufacturers. Currently, PBMs favor higher list price drugs that offer larger rebates. In some cases, PBMs restrict access to lower-priced, equally effective medications to increase their compensation. In response, manufacturers are often forced to raise the sticker price for drugs to produce larger rebates in return for better coverage. Patients pay the price in this misguided structure, so we took the first step in preventing this practice in Medicare Part D.

These reforms lay a solid foundation for further efforts to increase transparency and reestablish competition in the prescription drug market. Competition, after all, works best when patients and pharmacies have a clear understanding of how much they are paying for drugs and have multiple options for where to buy them. By restoring that much-needed clarity to Medicare Part D, this law marks real progress in the fight to reduce costs across the health care industry.

###


Duckworth Announces Jeremy Schumacher as Her State of the Union Guest

Schumacker’s story is a striking example of how Trump and Republicans’ extreme health care cuts are hurting Illinoisans, Senator also announces she will be boycotting Trump’s Address herself

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) announced that Jeremy Schumacher of Carbondale, Illinois, will be her personal guest to President Donald Trump’s 2026 State of the Union Address. Schumacher’s story is all too common across our state and country: this year his family’s health insurance costs jumped 288%—an $11,000 increase for deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs—after Trump and Republicans refused to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits. He has been forced to forgo his own health needs and choose which medications and treatments his family can afford to continue coverage for his wife’s medical costs. While Duckworth has invited Schumacher as her guest, she will be boycotting Trump’s address to Congress.

“I first met Jeremy at one of my town halls last year and his story stuck with me,” Duckworth said. “No one should have to pick and choose who gets health coverage, but that’s what Republicans made sure of when they sold out the American people to give tax breaks to billionaires. I’m proud to have Jeremy join me in Washington to share his story and the reality of life for so many middle-class families as Donald Trump spouts his lies about all he’s done to bring prices down while Americans can see them continuing to skyrocket. That’s why I won’t be attending the President’s State of the Union Address—I’m not interested in hearing another campaign rally full of lies.”

Schumacher is a consulting forester who works with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the federal government to protect natural areas and teach people about reptiles and amphibians. A proud Southern Illinois University of Carbondale graduate, Jeremy was already struggling to afford health insurance while helping cover medical costs for his wife as she continues her fight for disability coverage. In 2026, their insurance costs jumped 288% when ACA tax credits weren’t extended. He has been forced to forgo his own health needs and choose which medications and treatments his family can afford.

-30-


Durbin Announces Tereza Lee, His Inspiration For The Dream Act, As His Guest For President Trump’s State Of The Union Address

Tereza Lee was Durbin’s inspiration for writing the Dream Act in 2001

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced that he will host Tereza Lee as his guest for President Trump’s State of the Union Address. Tereza was Durbin’s inspiration to write the Dream Act in 2001 when he learned of her story after outreach by Ann Monaco, Tereza’s teacher at the Merit School of Music in Chicago. Tereza was a musical prodigy who had played as a soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She had been accepted into several of the country’s most prestigious music schools, but she had a problem—her parents had brought her to the United States when she was two, and she was undocumented.

“My office contacted the Immigration and Naturalization Service to see how we could help Tereza, and they told us there was only one option: Tereza would have to leave the United States for 10 years,” Durbin said. “I was frustrated by the lack of options in our immigration system for these young people who were brought here as children and infants by their parents. That’s when I started working on the Dream Act. Simply put, Tereza was my inspiration.”

Beginning in 2001, Durbin introduced the Dream Act to give young immigrants the chance to earn U.S. citizenship. He has introduced the legislation every Congress since. The bipartisan legislation would allow noncitizens without lawful status who were brought to the United States as children and meet certain education, military service, or work requirements to earn lawful permanent residence. These young people, known as Dreamers, have lived in America since they were children, built their lives here, and are American in every way except for their immigration status. However, under current law there is often no chance for them to ever become citizens and fulfill their potential.

In 2010, Durbin sent a letter, joined by the late Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), asking then-President Obama to stop the deportation of Dreamers. In 2012, President Obama responded by announcing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. More than 830,000 Dreamers have since come forward and received DACA, which has allowed them to contribute more fully to their country as teachers, nurses, doctors, engineers, and small business owners. As of September 2024, roughly 530,000 people had active DACA status. Over the years, Durbin has told the stories of 150 Dreamers on the Senate Floor. Durbin introduced the Dream Act of 2025 with U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in December.

“Tereza went on to obtain her BA, Masters, and Doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music and has been a teacher there since 2011. In 2009, Tereza played her debut at Carnegie Hall, and this year, she has been named Teacher of the Year at Church Street School and will be honored at their annual gala next month,” Durbin said. “Thankfully today, Tereza is an American citizen. However, over the past 24 years, I have met hundreds of other amazing young men and women—Dreamers—who are American in every sense of the word except on paper. But because Congress has failed to pass the Dream Act and with DACA hanging by a thread in the courts, these Dreamers live each day in fear of deportation.”

Durbin continued, “I am forever grateful to Tereza Lee for her bravery in sharing her story. Because of her, more than 500,000 people have active DACA status today and are able to work and contribute to their communities. But my work is not yet done. Passage of the Dream Act is a matter of simple American fairness and justice. To the Dreamers who have been with me in this fight: I promise to do everything in my power to fight for you and your future every day. As I have said to you many times: I’m not giving up on you. Don’t give up on me.”

Durbin concluded, “President Trump’s animus towards immigrants is on full display in his second term. He attempted to eliminate DACA during his first term, and now, his Administration is doing everything it can to strip Dreamers of their lawful presence and deport them from the country they grew up in. Only Congress can give Dreamers the stability they crave and deserve. The time to pass the Dream Act is now.”

The Dream Act was included in the 2013 comprehensive immigration reform bill that Durbin coauthored as part of the “Gang of Eight” – made up of four Democrats and four Republicans. The 2013 bill passed the Senate on a strong bipartisan vote of 68-32, but the Republican leadership of the House of Representatives refused to consider it. Over the years, Senate Republicans have filibustered the Dream Act at least five times.

Photos of Durbin and Tereza Lee over the years are available here.

-30-


Durbin Files Amicus Brief In Support Of The U.S. District Court For The District Of North Dakota's Ruling In Corner Post, Inc. V. Board Of Governors Of The Federal Reserve System

The District Court of North Dakota agreed with Corner Post, ruling that Reg II included cost components that the Durbin Amendment did not intend or allow, and thus the debit interchange fee cap was higher than intended

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and author of the Durbin Amendment, filed an amicus brief before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in support of the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota's ruling in Corner Post, Inc. v. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. In August 2025, the District Court ruled that the Federal Reserve’s Regulation II (Reg II) rule, which establishes whether a debit card interchange fee is “reasonable and proportional” under the Durbin Amendment, wrongly included “third category” costs that the Durbin Amendment did not intend or allow. Due to these “third category” costs, the Fed's debit interchange fee cap in Reg II was higher than intended under the Durbin Amendment.

The amicus brief argues that the “third category” costs conflict with the Durbin Amendment’s plain text and legislative history since the Amendment prohibits any costs other than the incremental costs of authorization, clearance, and settlement of a debit transaction from being included in interchange fee rates.

The amicus brief states, “Congress enacted the Durbin Amendment because American consumers and businesses deserve a debit system that is efficient, subject to competitive market forces, and free from excessively high network-established interchange fees. The Amendment was carefully crafted to promote these goals while avoiding possible negative impacts on consumers, small issuers, fraud prevention, and the overall viability of the debit system.”

The amicus brief continued, “However, the Board’s impermissible inclusion of third category costs in its Final Rule has countermanded the Durbin Amendment’s goal of reducing the burden of excessively high interchange fees for businesses and consumers. By incorporating fixed costs, fraud losses, and other ‘third category’ costs into its Final Rule, the Board ended up allowing Visa and Mastercard to fix debit interchange fee rates at 22 to 24 cents per transaction—far in excess of the 4.1 cents per transaction that regulated issuers currently incur in incremental ACS costs. If the Board’s improper inclusion of ‘third category’ costs is not corrected, not only will businesses and consumers continue to bear the burden of excessively high debit interchange fees, but fraud prevention will continue to be undermined.”

The amicus brief concluded, “This Court should affirm the decision of the court below to give proper effect to the text and purpose of the Durbin Amendment by correcting the Board’s Final Rule, which will aid in the efficient operation of the debit system for the benefit of consumers and our nation.”

Durbin’s amicus brief can be read in full here.

Durbin has made it a priority to protect consumers. In 2010, Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Act, containing the Durbin Amendment, which reduced Visa and Mastercard’s excessively high debit card fees. In May 2024, Durbin submitted a letter to the Federal Reserve, urging it to further lower the base component for debit interchange fees following years of decreasing transaction-processing costs for debit card issuers. Durbin also has filed amicus briefs in the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in support of the state’s Interchange Fee Prohibition Act (IFPA). In his briefs, Durbin has argued that the Durbin Amendment established a rate ceiling for large card-issuing banks, not a uniform standard. Reg II, which is the regulation that implements the Durbin Amendment, is explicit that payment card networks may establish interchange rates that are lower than the ceiling, including by eliminating the five basis point component of the fee rate. It is consistent with the Durbin Amendment for a state law to regulate debit interchange fee amounts as long as it does not allow issuers to receive rates that exceed the maximum amount.

Durbin expanded his efforts to curb Visa and Mastercard’s duopoly by introducing the bipartisan Credit Card Competition Act, which would enhance competition and choice in the credit card network market. The bill would direct the Federal Reserve to ensure that the largest credit card-issuing banks offer a choice of at least two networks over which an electronic credit transaction may be processed. Today, Visa and Mastercard control about 85 percent of the credit card market and refuse to negotiate fair terms with Main Street merchants. Currently, the average American family pays nearly $1,200 per year in swipe fees, while Visa and Mastercard profit $111.2 billion annually from swipe fees.

The legislation, co-led by U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS), was reintroduced last month, and President Trump has endorsed the legislation.

-30-


Durbin, Lankford, Quigley, Edwards, Pappas Recognize 175th Anniversary Of The YMCA

Headquartered in Chicago, the YMCA delivers programming to 11 million adults and 6.5 million children each year

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senate Democratic Whgip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-OK), and U.S. Representatives Mike Quigley (D-IL-05), Chuck Edwards (R-NC-11), and Chris Pappas (D-NH-01) today announced that they will introduce a bipartisan resolution to honor the YMCA ahead of the organization’s 175th anniversary. Headquartered in Chicago, the YMCA has about 2,600 locations, serving more than 10,000 communities across the country.

Since its founding in 1851, the YMCA has built its legacy around being a community space that meets the evolving needs of Americans and welcomes people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. In their resolution, the members of Congress recognize the YMCA’s history, which includes the invention of basketball and the first group swim lesson; providing safe housing during the Industrial Revolution; the establishment of the nation’s oldest and largest youth civics education program; and serving as the nation’s leading non-profit provider of early child care and education, before and after school programs, and summer camp.

“The YMCA’s history is intrinsically tied to our nation’s history, and even 175 years later, it will be a piece of our nation’s future,” Durbin said. “Chicago is the proud home of the YMCA’s headquarters, and our state is better for the contributions of this organization, which has served as a community hub for nearly two centuries. I’m joining my colleagues to introduce this bipartisan resolution to celebrate the long and storied history of the YMCA and the work it does to support American communities.”

“For 175 years, the YMCA has been a steady force for good in communities across America. Here in Oklahoma, 17 YMCAs are putting that mission into action every day, supporting families, mentoring young people, and strengthening the communities we’re proud to call home,” said Lankford.

“For 175 years, the YMCA has provided shelter, health services, and a place to stay active for Americans nationwide. It has also provided support for our young people, through sports, ESL, and nutrition programs not otherwise found in their communities,” said Quigley. “I’m proud to join Senator Durbin and my colleagues on this resolution to recognize the YMCA's deep and lasting importance.”

“As the YMCA celebrates 175 years, I’m grateful for the impact our local Ys have had here in Western North Carolina,” said Edwards. “From supporting families and developing young leaders to promoting healthy living, the YMCA continues to be a pillar and resource throughout our nation. This milestone is a testament to the lasting difference YMCAs make in our communities.”

“For 175 years, YMCA has been a champion of youth development, healthy living, and community-building. It’s a place where people, young and old, can socialize, connect, and thrive,” said Pappas. “Today we celebrate YMCA, its contributions to our communities, and its continued success.”

“On behalf of the nation’s 2,600 YMCAs, I offer my sincerest appreciation to Senators Durbin (D-IL) and Lankford (R-OK) and Representatives Quigley (D-IL) and Edwards (R-NC) for introducing the Y’s 175th anniversary resolution and celebrating the influential and enduring role of the Y in connecting people and strengthening communities across the country. We are honored by this recognition of the Y’s legacy of service, and we look forward to the next 175 years of helping people thrive and communities grow stronger together,” said Suzanne McCormick, President and CEO of YMCA of the USA.

Full text of the resolution is available here.

-30-


Durbin, Lee Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Reauthorize And Reform FISA Section 702 To Protect Americans From Foreign Threats And Warrantless Surveillance

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) today introduced bipartisan legislation to protect Americans’ national security and civil liberties. The Security and Freedom Enhancement (SAFE) Act advances national security by reauthorizing the foreign intelligence surveillance tool known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and protects Americans’ privacy and civil liberties by prohibiting the use of this tool for warrantless surveillance of Americans.

“Section 702 is a valuable tool to help keep our nation safe. However, it’s being used to conduct thousands of warrantless searches of Americans’ private communications. That’s unacceptable. Our bipartisan SAFE Act is a commonsense solution to continue protecting our country from foreign threats—while safeguarding Americans’ civil liberties and privacy,” said Durbin.

“The many documented abuses under FISA should provoke outrage from anyone who values the Fourth Amendment. From warrantless searches targeting journalists, political commentators, and campaign donors to monitoring sitting members of Congress, these infringements reveal a blatant disregard for individual liberties. Our bipartisan reforms to FISA Section 702 are common sense and imperative to restoring trust in our government’s commitment to the Constitution,” said Lee.

The SAFE Act reauthorizes Section 702 for two years and includes the following key safeguards:

Requires government agencies to obtain a FISA Title I order or a warrant before accessing the content of Americans’ communications collected under Section 702. This narrow warrant requirement is feasible to implement and sufficiently flexible to accommodate legitimate security needs.

The bill will not require a warrant for searches of foreigners’ communications or searches to uncover connections between targeted foreigners and Americans.

Requiring a warrant only for accessing the content of communications when a U.S. person search has returned results would dramatically limit the number of cases in which the government must seek a warrant, ensuring that the requirement is workable in practice.

The requirement contains robust exceptions for exigent circumstances, consent by the subject of the search, and cybersecurity-related searches—ensuring that the warrant requirement will protect civil liberties without endangering lives or national security.

Bolsters the role of amici curiae who assist the FISA Court in evaluating arguments presented by the Department of Justice by creating a presumption that amici should participate in certain particularly sensitive or important matters and by increasing amici’s access to information necessary for advising the court.

Adopts provisions requiring additional layers of internal supervision of U.S. person queries and other measures to increase accountability, compliance, and oversight.

Closes the “data broker loophole” that intelligence and law enforcement agencies use to buy their way around the Fourth Amendment and statutory privacy protections by purchasing Americans’ sensitive information, including location history, from commercial data brokers.

This provision strikes a compromise by allowing the government to purchase data sets that may include Americans’ information if that information cannot be identified and excluded before purchase. In such cases, the government would be required to apply strict minimization procedures to limit the retention and use of Americans’ data.

Currently intelligence agencies are left to craft their own rules for purchasing sensitive information without accounting for what information they buy and how they use it.

Fixes the overbroad expanded definition of Electronic Communications Service Provider (ECSP) that now defines an ECSP as any service provider with equipment used to transmit or store electronic communications. This definition would subject almost any business, religious organization, or nonprofit that uses email, voicemail, or any other communications equipment to compelled government data collection under FISA.

Closes the Section 215 loophole that has allowed the Government to continue using a surveillance authority which expired in 2020.

The bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI).

Read the full bill text here.

-30-


Gallego Backs Bills to Protect Vulnerable Immigrant Youth

WASHINGTON – Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) backed two bills to protect immigrant youth, including unaccompanied children and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) recipients from harmful policies that subject them to hefty asylum fees and put them in years of legal limbo.

“If we’re a country that values families, then we shouldn’t be subjecting children to extra fines or forcing them to jump through hoops just to find safety,” said Senator Gallego. “That’s why I’m supporting these bills to protect unaccompanied youth escaping trafficking and abuse from the cruel provisions in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill and help them move faster toward permanent legal status. The safety and well-being of children should always come first.”

The Upholding Protections for Unaccompanied Children Act would reverse provisions in H.R. 1—the One Big Beautiful Bill—that harm unaccompanied children who are seeking safety from trafficking, abuse, and exploitation in their home countries.

Specifically, the bill would:

Exempt unaccompanied children from all H.R. 1 fees tied to humanitarian protection, including asylum fees, annual maintenance fees, immigration court fees, and the $5,000 Border Apprehension Fee.

Eliminate H.R. 1’s fee on abandoned, abused, or neglected children applying for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status.

Repeal the H.R. 1 provision funding deportations of “specified unaccompanied children” without robust trafficking screenings or full review before an immigration judge.

Repeal H.R. 1 provisions funding intrusive body examinations of children in federal custody.

Prohibit the use of Office of Refugee Resettlement funds to share children’s sponsor information with the Department of Homeland Security for enforcement purposes.

The Protect Vulnerable Immigrant Youth Act would exempt SIJS recipients from employment-based visa caps and ensure faster, permanent protection for eligible children.

Specifically, the bill would:

Remove SIJS recipients from employment-based visa backlogs and per-country caps that currently delay access to permanent residency.

Help ensure faster access to lawful permanent status for children who have already been approved for humanitarian protection by U.S. courts.

Senator Gallego has consistently stood up for immigrant youth, including Dreamers, in the Senate:


ICYMI: Senator Gallego Swings Through Phoenix and Yuma County, Meets with Workers, Students, and Community Leaders

ARIZONA – Last week, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) traveled across Phoenix and Yuma County to hear directly from Arizonans, meet with local leaders, and host a town hall on workforce and immigration issues.

In Phoenix on Tuesday, Senator Gallego spoke with small business owners and local community leaders at an event hosted by the Tempe Chamber of Commerce. Gallego then headed to Mrs. White’s Golden Rule Cafe, a historic Black-owned restaurant in Phoenix, to celebrate Black History Month alongside Black leaders from across the Valley and Mrs. White herself.

Senator Gallego presents Mrs. Elizabeth White, owner of Mrs. White’s Golden Rule Cafe, with a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol in her honor

Later in the week, Gallego toured and welded at Sheet Metal Workers Local 359, a five-year, college-accredited apprenticeship program where workers can earn good-wages while they learn, met with leaders in the West Valley, and convened his Labor Advisory Board — a group of labor leaders from across Arizona who help guide his work on workforce development and fair wages.

On Thursday, Gallego traveled to San Luis to meet with experts from the Greater Yuma Port Authority to discuss the role ports of entry play in strengthening Arizona’s economy, supporting jobs, and facilitating cross-border trade.

Gallego then visited Southwest Junior High, where he answered students’ questions and spoke about the importance of hard work, overcoming obstacles, and believing in yourself.

Senator Gallego with students at Southwest Junior High in San Luis

He then swung over to the city of Somerton where he met with city officials and the Director of Housing of America to discuss city updates and tour a new affordable housing build.

Later on Thursday, the Senator hosted a town hall in San Luis focused on immigration and workforce issues impacting border communities.

See coverage:

KYMA: Senator Ruben Gallego hosts town meeting in San Luis [Paul Vozzella]

Yuma Sun: Nation’s immigration policy ‘is chaos,’ says Gallego [Cesar Neyoy]

KAWC Arizona Edition [Yuma, AZ]

Telemundo Arizona [Phoenix, AZ]

Senator Gallego hosts a town hall in San Luis, a border town in Arizona

Friday morning, Senator Gallego joined workers in Yuma County to harvest produce at Western Growers, a local lettuce farm. He then toured the University of Arizona Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture to see firsthand how the center’s research is advancing innovative farming solutions for desert agriculture.

WATCH MORE: Arizona’s Family[Phoenix, AZ]

Senator Gallego tours the University of Arizona Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture

See more coverage of Senator Gallego’s trip below:


Gillibrand Statement On Trump’s Consideration Of Military Action Against Iran

Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee, released the following statement regarding President Trump’s consideration of military action against Iran:

“The president should be focused on reducing costs for Americans, not abusing his power to start more foreign wars. Unilateral action by the president without justification to the American people or approval from Congress isn’t just unconstitutional — it undermines America’s credibility and security around the world.

“No one disputes that the Iranian regime is a brutal dictatorship that abuses its people and is a destabilizing threat to the United States and our allies, but without a clear plan and objective, we risk engaging in another forever war in the Middle East.

“No one should be comfortable with Congress giving President Trump a blank check for war at the taxpayers’ expense.”

###


Capitol Hill Report, 02-23-26

Audio from this afternoon’s call is available HERE.

Topics include: Term limits, President Trump’s executive order on glyphosate, the Supreme Court’s tariff decision, the partial government shutdown, Grassley’s 99 county meetings and the State of the Union.


NH Congressional Delegation Continues to Urge DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to Engage with Local Merrimack Officials on ICE Facility Proposal

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan, a senior member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, alongside Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), and Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander (NH-02) are continuing to push Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to address the serious concerns raised by local Merrimack officials regarding ICE’s effort to build a new detention facility in the town.

The New Hampshire Congressional Delegation wrote to Secretary Noem transmitting a letter from New Hampshire State Representative Bill Boyd outlining his opposition and concerns regarding ICE’s proposed Merrimack facility. Despite widespread public concern in Merrimack about the project, local Merrimack officials say they have still not been contacted by DHS or ICE about the project.

“The accompanying letter details the potential negative impact this facility may have on the community’s economic development, as well as the potential strain such a facility would place upon the local economy, infrastructure, and public safety,” wrote New Hampshire’s Congressional Delegation. “We share the local concerns expressed about the project, and these concerns must be addressed.”

“We...request that you expeditiously engage with local leadership, including law enforcement and emergency services, regarding the proposed plan. We look forward to your prompt outreach to local officials, law enforcement, and emergency services,” concluded the Congressional Delegation.

The letter follows a January letter from the Congressional Delegation urging Secretary Noem to acknowledge and respond to concerns raised by the Merrimack Town Council regarding reports that ICE was planning to establish a new processing center in the town. Recently, during a hearing in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Senator Hassan pressed the head of ICE about the proposed Merrimack facility, getting him to publicly confirm for the first time that the agency is planning on establishing a facility in New Hampshire and pushed him to listen to the people of Merrimack, who will be directly impacted by this facility.

Read the letter the delegation sent to Secretary Noem last week here or below:

Dear Secretary Noem,

We write today to transmit a letter from New Hampshire State Representative for the Town of Merrimack, Bill Boyd, detailing his opposition and concerns related to the Department of Homeland Security’s proposed plan to purchase property in Merrimack to use as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention and processing facility. The accompanying letter details the potential negative impact this facility may have on the community’s economic development, as well as the potential strain such a facility would place upon the local economy, infrastructure, and public safety.

We share the local concerns expressed about the project, and these concerns must be addressed. We request that you confirm receipt of this correspondence. We further request that you expeditiously engage with local leadership, including law enforcement and emergency services, regarding the proposed plan.

We look forward to your prompt outreach to local officials, law enforcement, and emergency services.

Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

###


Senators Hassan, Shaheen Lead Introduction of Bicameral Legislation to Require DHS Notify Congress, Acquire Local Approval Before Opening New ICE Processing and Detention Facilities

**Reports of new ICE facilities have sparked backlash in New Hampshire and communities across the country**

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), alongside U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and U.S. Representatives Chris Pappas (D-NH-01) and Maggie Goodlander (D-NH-02), is introducing a new bill that would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to solicit public comments and receive written approval from state and local officials before constructing, acquiring or operating any new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing facility or detention center. The new bicameral Respect for Local Communities Act would also require the Secretary of Homeland Security to notify relevant Congressional committees prior to initiating such activities.

“Americans are justifiably concerned as DHS moves to open secretive facilities across the country to detain thousands of individuals at a time, with little transparency or regard for the communities they’re being located in. I, along with the overwhelming majority of Americans, agree that we should have a secure border and a humane and rules-based immigration system – but that’s not what the Trump Administration has done, with stunning displays of violence and cruelty, including against U.S. citizens. At a time when so many Americans are struggling with high costs for things like health care and housing, the Trump Administration is instead spending $38 billion in taxpayer money to purchase and operate these facilities,” said Senator Shaheen. “Our new bill responds directly to the concerns we’ve heard from local officials in towns like Merrimack, New Hampshire and across the country: They were never consulted about ICE’s plans, and they don’t want the chaos of new detention facilities in their communities. By requiring DHS to secure approval from state and local officials, our legislation would ensure that Americans and Granite Staters have a say in what the federal government is planning in our own communities.”

“When it comes to plans for a potential ICE facility, the Department of Homeland Security and ICE need to work with state and local officials so that our communities have a say and we can ensure that our communities are safe,” said Senator Hassan. “Granite Staters, local law enforcement, and local leaders have raised serious concerns about the proposed ICE detention facility in Merrimack, and this bill would prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from unilaterally forcing a processing facility or detention center on our communities. I’ll continue to work to ensure that we have secure borders, an immigration system consistent with American values, and that Granite Staters, local leaders, and New Hampshire’s first responders have a say in what goes on in their communities.”

“Granite Staters want safe communities, accountable government, and local control,” said Congressman Pappas. “That is why I stand with the residents of Merrimack, local leaders, and the thousands of Granite Staters who are voicing strong opposition to the construction of a large scale immigration detention center. It is completely unacceptable for the Trump administration to continue to bypass local leaders throughout this process. That’s why I’m working to require the federal government to get local approval before this or any similar proposal moves forward. I will continue to work with community and state leaders to stop this plan and to demand the full transparency and accountability that is lacking from this administration.”

“The half-baked $38 billion campaign to commandeer industrial warehouses for the detention of human beings without the knowledge or approval of local communities in Merrimack, New Hampshire, and across America is a dangerous and un-American overreach by the Department of Homeland Security. It is undermining our local leaders. It is eviscerating public trust. It is imperiling public safety. It is threatening economic growth. It must stop,” said Congresswoman Goodlander. “Our commonsense legislation will rein in this chaos by mandating the transparency and accountability that local communities across New Hampshire and America need and deserve over these decisions.”

Click HERE to view the bill text.

Across the country, reports of ICE purchasing warehouses to convert into detention centers have sparked widespread backlash from communities and elected officials alike. ICE documents unveiled last week detail plans to spend $38.3 billion to boost detention capacity.

Since reporting in December that listed Merrimack, New Hampshire as a potential for a new processing site, the New Hampshire Congressional delegation has continuously pushed DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to address the serious concerns raised by Merrimack officials regarding ICE’s effort to build a new facility in the town. In recent weeks, the delegation has sent letters to DHS demanding that Secretary Noem respond to concerns expressed by the Merrimack Town Council and New Hampshire State Representative Boyd. Despite widespread public concern in Merrimack about the project, local Merrimack officials say they have still not been contacted by DHS or ICE about the project.

###


Hickenlooper Hosts Caroline Dias Goncalves as Guest for State of the Union

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper announced that Caroline Dias Goncalves, a 20-year-old Dreamer who was detained by ICE in Colorado last year, will join him as his guest at President Trump’s State of the Union address tomorrow, February 24th.

“Dreamers like Caroline have grown up here since they were young kids, and are an essential part of our communities. They, and families all across the country, shouldn’t have to live in fear of violence from ICE,” said Hickenlooper. “ICE is out of control and needs a top-to-bottom overhaul. We won’t let up until the lawlessness of ICE is reined in, so what happened to Caroline doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

“Immigrants like me—we’re not asking for anything special. Just a fair chance to feel safe and to keep building the lives we’ve worked so hard for in the country we call home,” said Dias Goncalves. “I hope no one else has to go through what I did, and I hope my story and presence can help inspire change for a better future.”

Dias Goncalves is a 20-year-old student at the University of Utah. Last June, Dias Goncalves was pulled over during a traffic stop in Colorado, where she was arrested by ICE and detained in the Aurora ICE detention facility for 15 days. Dias Goncalves is a Dreamer and raised in the U.S. since she was seven years old. Hickenlooper, his office, and organizations like TheDream.US were involved in demanding answers from ICE about Dias Goncalves’ arrest and ensuring that Dias Goncalves was released.

Hickenlooper has been outspoken in the face of ICE’s lawlessness and demanded a top-to-bottom overhaul of the agency to stop ICE from terrorizing our communities. He has consistently pushed for more oversight andtransparency for federal immigration enforcement efforts, and has worked to help families desperately searching for loved ones arrested by ICE. Last month, Hickenlooper spoke on the Senate floor to denounce the horrifying killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, condemn the reports that families in Eagle County found “Death cards” left in the cars of family members taken by ICE agents, and to demand the overhaul of ICE. He’s shown up at ICE facilities to conduct congressional oversight visits and raise concerns about ICE disregarding due process. He helped launch an investigation into ICE’s unlawful obstruction of congressional oversight and introduced bills to ban ICE from wearing masks, prevent immigration enforcement from targeting schools, hospitals, polling locations, and places of worship, and cut back the excessive funding that MAGA Republicans gave them. Hickenlooper also voted against the DHS funding bill because it failed to overhaul ICE.

###


ICYMI: Under Questioning from Hirono, All of the Military’s Senior Enlisted Leaders Agree No Evidence Women in Combat Lower Standards

~VIDEO OF SENATOR HIRONO’S LINE OF QUESTIONING HERE~

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Under questioning from Senator Mazie K. Hirono’s (D-HI), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), top enlisted leaders from each of the armed services, along with the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers that there is no evidence that women in combat roles lower standards for their units. Following a Pentagon decision to review the “effectiveness of women in combat jobs," Hirono raised concerns during a SASC Personnel Subcommittee hearing about the administration’s “attack on women” and potential steps to remove women from combat positions.

The Department of Defense’s review “undermines the sacrifice of thousands of female service members who have already met the rigorous gender-neutral standards and have served in combat with distinction,” Senator Hirono said.

Women have been able to serve in combat roles for the past ten years. At a SASC hearing, Hirono pressed miliary leaders on if they believed the fact of women being present in combat units lowers standards. Each enlisted leader disagreed.

“I’ve seen no data that supports that there’s any lowering of standards or that there’s lowering of the readiness of units with those females in those units,” said Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff David Isom, a former member of the Navy’s SEAL Team 6.

Top military publications Marine Corps Times and Task & Purpose reported on the hearing, detailing how Hirono’s questioning led leaders to confirm that gender alone does not compromise military standards or readiness.

Read the full article from the Marine Corps Times here and Task and Purpose here or below.

Marine Corps Times: No evidence women in combat roles lower standards, top enlisted leaders say

By: Karen Jowers | Thurs, Feb 12, 2026

Top enlisted leaders from each service told lawmakers Wednesday that they support women serving in any role in the military, including combat arms, if they meet the established standards.

Enlisted leaders from the five services, as well as the senior enlisted adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, added that they have yet to see any indication that women serving in combat units have caused standards to lower.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s recent call for a review of the effectiveness of women in combat roles prompted Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, to question the service leaders during a Senate Armed Services personnel subcommittee hearing.

“This is an attack on women to call for this kind of review,” Hirono said during the hearing focusing on troops’ quality of life. “I think that he is laying the groundwork to reverse the policy allowing women to serve in combat arms positions.”

Hirono added that she plans to introduce legislation to codify the DOD policy allowing women to serve in combat arms positions as long as they meet required standards.

The six-month assessment, first reported by NPR in January, requires the Army and Marine Corps to submit data to assess the operational effectiveness of ground combat units. It will also analyze how women have integrated into these ground combat roles over the span of more than a decade.

“I’ve seen no data that supports that there is any lowering of standards or that there’s lowering of the readiness of units with those females in the units,” Navy Master Chief David L. Isom, senior enlisted adviser to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at the hearing.

“I’m not seeing anything that leads me to believe there’s an issue with meeting the standard or affecting readiness,” Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer added.

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David Wolfe said he has served with “some of the best warfighters that the world has ever known” in the Air Force. “Some of them happen to be men, some of them happen to be women. Absolutely not, I’ve not seen any erosion.”

From the Space Force, the service’s Chief Master Sgt. John Bentivegna noted that “we have not seen any erosion in the readiness based on any of the administration’s positions.”

Hegseth’s review, Hirono added, “undermines the sacrifice of thousands of female service members who have already met the rigorous gender neutral standards and have served in combat with distinction.”

She said everyone who wants to serve their country should have the opportunity to do so, to include LGBTQ members.

Task & Purpose: Top enlisted leaders say they see no issue with women in combat arms meeting standards

By: Patty Nierberg | Thurs, Feb 12, 2026

The top enlisted leaders for each of the military branches — all of whom are men — said they have no issue with women in combat roles meeting the same standards as men.

The remarks were in response to a question posed at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday about a recently ordered Pentagon review of the “effectiveness” of women in combat jobs. The review, which will look at data on ground combat troop readiness, training, casualties, and deployability, comes more than a decade after the Department of Defense lifted the ban on women in combat roles.

Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) asked the all-male panel for their input, saying that the review was “an attack on women” and that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was “laying the groundwork” to reverse the decade-old policy that approved women to serve in combat jobs.

“It also undermines the sacrifice of thousands of female service members who have already met the rigorous gender-neutral standards and have served in combat with distinction,” she said.

Hirono prompted the enlisted leaders to answer the question: “Do you believe the mere fact of women being in these combat arms units lowers standards?”

She directed the question to each enlisted leader and they all disagreed.

“I’ve seen no data that supports that there’s any lowering of standards or that there’s lowering of the readiness of units with those females in those units,” said Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff David Isom, a former member of the Navy’s SEAL Team 6.

Both Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman IV and Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Carlos Ruiz responded the same way, saying: “Senator, no.”

Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer also said “no,” adding that “I’m not seeing anything that leads me to believe there’s an issue with meeting the standard or affecting readiness.”

And Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Wolfe said that “From my perspective, I serve with some of the best war fighters that the world has ever known. Some of them happen to be men. Some of them happen to be women. Absolutely not. I have not seen any erosion.”

Lastly, “from the Space Force perspective, we’ve not seen any erosion in the readiness based on any of the administration’s positions,” said Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John Bentivegna.

The top enlisted leaders in the U.S. military testified before the Senate on Feb. 11 about quality-of-life issues facing junior troops. Air Force photo by Chad Trujillo.

In January, Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said that the military’s combat standards would be “uniform” and “sex neutral,” adding that they “will not compromise standards to satisfy quotas or an ideological agenda.”

A number of women who served in combat arms, like infantry and armor, told Task & Purpose that they have repeatedly proved that they can meet the same standards as men — whether by graduating from Ranger School, one of the Army’s most physically grueling schools, or in their day-to-day jobs, which require they complete physically demanding tasks like loading artillery shells or even carrying their peers on their back.

Hirono then asked the leaders if they agreed that troops, “regardless of gender,” should be allowed to serve in any role, including combat arms, if they meet “established standards.”

All agreed, with Weimer adding, “Yes, senator. It’s about standards.”

###


Photos: Kaine Completes Week of Official Meetings in Australia in Support of Aukus Agreement & Shared National Security Priorities

Photos are available here

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower, concluded a week-long series of bilateral meetings with local, state, and federal lawmakers and defense industrial base partners in Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, and Darwin, Australia, to discuss the Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) agreement. Kaine has long been a leading voice in Congress in support of the agreement, which aims to bolster the security interests of the United States and its allies in the Indo-Pacific and involves the sale of three to five Virginia-class submarines—a significant portion of which are built in Hampton Roads, Virginia—from the United States to Australia.

Kaine also met with rabbis in Sydney in the wake of the horrific terrorist attack on a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach and participated in commemorative services in Darwin to honor the hundreds who lost their lives in a Japanese bombing attack on February 19, 1942, including 88 American sailors killed in the sinking of the USS Peary that was stationed there to help defend our ally Australia.

“The AUKUS partnership is vital to the safety and security of the United States, Australia, and our allies throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Virginia is proud to be home to a significant portion of the Virginia-class submarine production needed to implement the agreement, and I was glad to meet with local, state, and federal leaders and shipyards in four key regions in Australia to discuss the work that lies ahead to see it through,“ said Kaine. “It‘s clear that Australia is pouring a massive amount of effort and resources into preparing to receive and maintain this technology. Last week alone, the Australian government announced its intent to invest another AU$30 billion in a key shipyard for submarine construction, and to launch a submarine workforce development program to train 1,000 new shipbuilding apprentices. Australian leaders are all in, and I emphasized that the Trump Administration and a bipartisan coalition in Congress are right there with them. I’m looking forward to keeping the channels of communication open between the United States and Australia to get this done.“

In Sydney, Kaine convened local rabbis for a roundtable discussion about Australia and the United States’ shared challenge with antisemitism, and the importance of the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion ordered by Prime Minister Albanese that is expected to be completed before the first anniversary of the Bondi Beach attack. Also in Sydney, Kaine met with Assistant Minister for Immigration and for Foreign Affairs and Trade Matt Thistlethwaite, officials at HMAS Kuttabul and other defense partners to discuss AUKUS and the overall bilateral relationship.

In Adelaide, Kaine visited the Osborne Naval Shipyard, which is dramatically expanding to enhance the country’s submarine-building capacity. While at Osborne, Kaine also met with South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas, who announced his intention to create a job training program to bolster the Australian shipbuilding workforce that will be critical to the continued implementation of the AUKUS agreement. The visit came the day after the Albanese government announced an AU$30 billion investment in the shipyard.

In Perth, Kaine met with Australian Royal Navy officials at HMAS Stirling, the Australian Naval base that will host future rotational U.S. submarines and their crew and will be home to the Virginia-class submarines the U.S. will sell to Australia. As part of his visit, Kaine toured housing that is being built to accommodate those servicemembers. Then, Kaine met with local mayors to hear about how the agreement will impact cities in the surrounding area. Next, Kaine visited the Henderson Defence Precint—which received an AU$12 billion investment from the Australian government in 2025—which will eventually provide depot-level submarine maintenance support. Finally, Kaine met with Ministers Rita Saffioti and Paul Papalia to reflect on his visits in the region and emphasize the United States’ commitment to fulfilling the AUKUS agreement.

In Darwin, Kaine participated in the Commemorative Service for the USS Peary Bombing on February 18, 1942, and the Commemorative Service for the Bombing of Darwin Day. Kaine expressed his appreciation for Australia‘s commitment to honoring the U.S. servicemembers who died, and, citing the Prophet Isaiah’s call to beat swords into plowshares, reflected on the strong relationship that has been forged between Australia, the U.S. and Japan in the years after World War II.

Also in Darwin, Kaine toured HMAS Coonawarra, facilities used by Marine Rotational Forces - Darwin at Larrakeyah Defense Project, and was briefed on Australia’s expanded capacity to support docking and logistics. Then, Kaine visited RAAF Darwin—the Australian Defence Force’s premier forward-operating air base in the northernmost area of Australia’s Northern Territory (NT)—to see U.S.-funded military construction projects and airfield facilities. Kaine also met with NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro, Northern Territory General Manager Jimmy Kiploks and Territory Coordinator Stuart Knowles to discuss continued U.S.-Australia defense cooperation.

In addition, Kaine participated in American Chamber of Commerce forums in Adelaide, Perth, and Sydney to discuss the importance of various industries, including shipbuilding and critical minerals, to America and Australia‘s shared national security needs.

Since the AUKUS agreement was announced in 2021, Kaine has helped get signed into law provisions to implement and strengthen the AUKUS agreement. He has played a key role in securing more resources for the submarine industrial base, including additional funding for the Virginia-class submarine program.

###


Klobuchar to Bring Sean Syverson, Minnesota Small Business Owner Impacted by Tariffs, as her Guest to the State of the Union

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar announced that Sean Syverson, owner of Swing Barrel Brewing in Moorhead, will be her guest for the President’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.

“Small business owners in Minnesota like Sean have been hit hard by the tariffs imposed by this Administration,” said Klobuchar. “Breweries have struggled with rising aluminum costs due to tariffs on Canadian imports, making canning and distribution more difficult. Sean will be there to represent all the Americans who are being crushed by rising costs as the administration has decided to double down on tariffs.”

“These tariffs are such a challenge because of the uncertainty and the instability that we face - not knowing what our costs are going to be, when they’re going to rise, how they’re going to rise, how it’s going to upset the supply chain,” Syverson said. “There are many variables that we just don’t know, and that makes it really hard for a business of our size to plan because we do not have a surplus of money to gamble with.”

Sean and his friend John Kapla opened Swing Barrel Brewing Co. in downtown Moorhead in 2021. Breweries like Swing Barrel have been hit especially hard by aluminum tariffs that have increased the cost of aluminum cans.

###


Lee, Durbin Introduce Bipartisan Protections Against Warrantless Data Searches

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) today introduced bipartisan legislation with cosponsor Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) protecting Americans from warrantless government surveillance and foreign threats. The Security and Freedom Enhancement (SAFE) Act advances national security by reauthorizing Section 702 of FISA and protects Americans’ privacy and civil liberties by establishing safeguards against warrantless surveillance by the federal government.

“The many documented abuses under FISA should provoke outrage from anyone who values the Fourth Amendment,” said Senator Mike Lee. “From warrantless searches targeting journalists, political commentators, and campaign donors to monitoring sitting members of Congress, these infringements reveal a blatant disregard for individual liberties. Our bipartisan reforms to FISA Section 702 are common sense and imperative to restoring trust in our government’s commitment to the Constitution.”

“Section 702 is a valuable tool to help keep our nation safe,” said Senator Dick Durbin. “However, it’s being used to conduct thousands of warrantless searches of Americans’ private communications. That’s unacceptable. Our bipartisan SAFE Act is a commonsense solution to continue protecting our country from foreign threats—while safeguarding Americans’ civil liberties and privacy.”

The SAFE Act reauthorizes Section 702 for two years and includes the following key safeguards:

Requires government agencies to obtain a FISA Title I order or a warrant before accessing the content of Americans’ communications collected under Section 702. This narrow warrant requirement is feasible to implement and sufficiently flexible to accommodate legitimate security needs.

The bill will not require a warrant for searches of foreigners’ communications or searches to uncover connections between targeted foreigners and Americans.

Requiring a warrant only for accessing the content of communications when a U.S. person search has returned results would dramatically limit the number of cases in which the government must seek a warrant, ensuring that the requirement is workable in practice.

The requirement contains robust exceptions for exigent circumstances, consent by the subject of the search, and cybersecurity-related searches – ensuring that the warrant requirement will protect civil liberties without endangering lives or national security.

Bolsters the role of amici curiae who assist the FISA Court in evaluating arguments presented by the Department of Justice by creating a presumption that amici should participate in certain particularly sensitive or important matters and by increasing amici’s access to information necessary for advising the court.

Adopts provisions requiring additional layers of internal supervision of U.S. person queries and other measures to increase accountability, compliance, and oversight.

Closes the “data broker loophole” that intelligence and law enforcement agencies use to buy their way around the Fourth Amendment and statutory privacy protections by purchasing Americans’ sensitive information, including location history, from commercial data brokers.

This provision strikes a compromise by allowing the government to purchase data sets that may include Americans’ information if that information cannot be identified and excluded before purchase. In such cases, the government would be required to apply strict minimization procedures to limit the retention and use of Americans’ data.

Currently intelligence agencies are left to craft their own rules for purchasing sensitive information without accounting for what information they buy and how they use it.

Fixes the overbroad expanded definition of Electronic Communications Service Provider (ECSP) that now defines an ECSP as any service provider with equipment used to transmit or store electronic communications. This definition would subject almost any business, religious organization, or nonprofit that uses email, voicemail, or any other communications equipment to compelled government data collection under FISA.

Closes the Section 215 loophole that has allowed the Government to continue using a surveillance authority which expired in 2020.

Read the full bill text here.

###


Luján Joins Wyden, Markey, Shaheen, and 18 Senate Democrats in Releasing Legislation Requiring Refunds of Trump’s Illegal Tariffs

Bill Instructs the Trump Administration to Prioritize Small Businesses; Requires Full Refund With Interest of Illegal Trump Tariffs in 180 Days

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, joined Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Small Business Committee Ranking Member Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), and Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) in introducing the Tariff Refund Act of 2026, legislation to require full refunds of Trump’s illegal tariffs, after they were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday by a 6-3 vote.

To date, the Trump administration has collected an estimated $175 billion in illegal tariff revenue, raising taxes on products from nearly every country on earth, and jacking up prices for American families. The Tariff Refund Act of 2026 would require the full refund, with interest, of those funds.

“Instead of lowering costs for American families as he promised, President Trump ignited a global trade war the moment he took office by illegally imposing sweeping tariffs and causing pain for millions of Americans,” said Senator Luján. “President Trump’s sweeping, reckless tariffs are responsible for driving up prices and hurting small businesses and working families across New Mexico and the country. That is why I’m joining Senate Democrats in introducing legislation that requires the Trump administration to provide certainty to New Mexico’s small businesses by refunding the costs they have endured.”

“Trump’s illegal tax scheme has already done lasting damage to American families, small businesses and manufacturers who have been hammered by wave after wave of new Trump tariffs,” Senator Wyden said. “Senate Democrats will continue fighting to rein in Donald Trump’s price-hiking trade and economic policies. A crucial first step is helping people who need it most, by putting money back in the pockets of small businesses and manufacturers as soon as possible.”

“Trump’s illegal tariff taxes cost small businesses, consumers, and families up to $175 billion. That money must be repaid immediately. For small businesses with little to no resources, this refund process can be extremely difficult and time consuming,” Senator Markey said. “That is why I am proud to introduce the Tariff Refund Act with Senators Wyden and Shaheen. Our bill would require the tariffs to be refunded and level the playing field—putting small importers and small businesses first in the refund process and eliminating needless administrative barriers. It’s Main Street and working families that paid Trump’s tariff taxes, and we must ensure they get their money back—not big corporations.”

“President Trump’s reckless and chaotic tariffs have only caused uncertainty and pain—raising prices on consumers and businesses when they can least afford it,” Senator Shaheen said. “Now that the Supreme Court has made it clear that the President did not have the authority to unilaterally impose sweeping emergency tariffs, it’s critical that American families and small businesses get the relief they need. That starts by President Trump refunding the illegally collected tariff taxes that Americans were forced to pay.”

In addition to Senators Luján, Wyden, Markey, and Shaheen, the bill is co-sponsored by: Senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai’i), Chris Coons (D-Del.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Angus King (I-Maine), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Michael Bennet (D-Colo).

The Trump administration previously recognized that it must refund, with interest, any duties determined to have been unlawfully collected. However, it is unclear what timeline, process, or other guidelines the Administration would follow to provide refunds—and the lack of a clear, accessible process would necessarily advantage large importers with resources to dedicate to outside counsel and consultants.

The Tariff Refund Act of 2026 would ensure that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) completes the payment of refunds quickly and prioritizes the interests of small businesses in that process. Importantly, the bill would ensure that importers are not required to take costly administrative steps to receive a refund of the tariffs unlawfully collected by the Administration. The bill would also direct CBP to coordinate with the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide information and technical support. Finally, the bill’s reporting requirements would provide Congress, which has constitutional authority over trade and tariffs, with proper oversight over the refund payment process.

Specifically, the Tariff Refund Act of 2026:

Requires CBP to pay refunds of all tariffs that were unlawfully imposed by the President under IEEPA and paid by importers—even if the importation has already been finalized and closed (“liquidated”) by CBP.

Sets a deadline of 180 days after enactment for CBP to process all refunds.

Requires CBP to pay interest on the refunded amount.

Directs CBP to prioritize small businesses when paying refunds and to coordinate with the SBA to provide key information on the refund process to small businesses.

Requires CBP to report every 30 days to relevant congressional committees on the status of refunds until CBP has completed the payment of all refunds.

Directs CBP to issue guidance on how to address duty drawback claims.

Expresses the Sense of Congress that importers, wholesalers, and large corporations should pass on those refunds to their customers.

A copy of the bill text is here.

###


Wyden, Merkley Announce Nearly $49 Million in Retroactive Secure Rural Schools Funds for Oregon Counties

Funding comes after passage of Wyden/Merkley/Crapo/Risch bill to reauthorize Secure Rural Schools Program

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that nearly $49 million in retroactive federal funding from the U.S. Forest Service for fiscal year 2024 will be coming to Oregon counties following the passage of their bipartisan bill late last year to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program, with more to come when the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces its payments for the 18 Oregon & California counties.

Wyden first authored the law that created the SRS program in 2000. Funding for the program lapsed in September 2023, and counties in Oregon and nationwide have not received payments since early 2024. The bill to reauthorize the program had previously passed the Senate, but stalled twice in the House, delaying crucial funding for rural schools, law enforcement, and infrastructure projects.

“Secure Rural Schools is a lifeline for rural communities in Oregon and across the country,” Wyden said. “It’s about damn time these funds get distributed to the counties that need them, and this lapse in funding is exactly why we need a permanent solution to get rural communities off the financial rollercoaster and ensure they have the funds they need, and that’s what I’ll be focused on in the months ahead.”

“SRS payments are a lifeline for rural communities here in Oregon and across America—supporting our schools, public safety, and wildfire preparedness,” said Merkley. “This nearly $49 million in federal funds ensures counties with federal forest lands have the resources they need to stay safe and resilient.”

A full breakdown of funding for each Oregon county is here.

###


Wyden, Merkley, Salinas Announce $3 Million for Salem Bus Transit Center

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley with U.S. Representative Andrea Salinas today announced $3 million to support the construction of a bus transit center in Salem.

“Ensuring safe and reliable public transportation is essential for Oregonians to easily get from Point A to Point B,” Wyden said. “This federal award for Salem will help keep Oregon communities connected and local economies rolling, and I will continue to fight for more resources to support transportation projects across the state.”

“Reliable public transportation keeps our communities connected and our economy moving,” Merkley said. “Once completed, the South Salem Transit Center will give folks safe and accessible travel options. This $3 million investment builds on the federal dollars that Senator Wyden and I have secured with the support of the Oregon delegation for the South Salem Transit Center — including over $3 million in community project funding. We’ll keep fighting to deliver the resources Oregonians need to help folks arrive at their destinations conveniently and safely.”

“Getting to work or dropping your kids off shouldn’t be a safety risk or a logistical challenge,” said Rep. Salinas. “I’m proud to have helped secure this much-needed federal funding for Cherriots. It will only make public transportation in the area safer, more accessible, and more dependable for those who rely on it.”

This investment from the Federal Transit Administration’s Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program. The program makes federal resources available to states and direct recipients to replace, rehabilitate and buy buses and related equipment and to build bus-related facilities, including technological changes or innovations to modify low- or no-emission vehicles or facilities.

“This federal investment is a huge boost to completing the South Salem Transit Center and Mobility Hub; a transformative project for the Salem community that will bring safe, reliable, and flexible transportation options to the area,” said Maria Hinojos Pressey, Cherriots Board President. “Cherriots is deeply grateful to Senator Wyden, Senator Merkley, and Representative Salinas for their strong support in securing this grant award through the FTA’s Buses and Bus Facilities Program.”

Wyden, Merkley and Salinas have long been advocates for public transportation funding. This additional funding for the Salem transit center follows $2.56 million Wyden and Merkley announced for the project in 2023, and $500,000 in 2024. In November 2025, Wyden and Merkley announced $11.5 million to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) on behalf of Coos County Area Transportation, Yamhill County Transit Area, and Benton Area Transit to acquire and maintain new buses.

###