Barrasso Slams Democrats for DHS Shutdown

“Democrats don’t seem to be determined in any way to fund the Department of Homeland Security. They seem determined, however, to protect illegal immigrant criminals. The goal of the Democrat party is to abolish ICE and to defund American security.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Majority Whip, today spoke on the Senate Floor ahead of a vote to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Senator Barrasso slammed Democrats for prioritizing illegal immigrants over the safety of American citizens.

Click HERE to watch Senator Barrasso’s remarks.

Sen. Barrasso’s remarks:

“I come to the Floor having heard the Minority Leader come to the Floor, and what he said was that the Democrats are going to vote against funding the Department of Homeland Security.

“Yesterday, the Democrats received the legislative text that they demanded. Just this morning, the Border Czar Tom Homan announced that the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota was over. There has been significant progress in the last two weeks. Enough progress that Democrats should join Republicans today to keep the Department of Homeland Security fully funded.

“Democrats don’t seem to be determined in any way to fund the Department of Homeland Security. They seem determined, however, to protect illegal immigrant criminals. The goal of the Democrat Party is to abolish ICE and to defund American security. Remember, the Democrats are the party of defund the police. They’re not for the safety and security of the American people. And a ‘no’ today will confirm that. And who pays the price? Well, the American people. Because FEMA will not be funded. The TSA will not be funded. The Coast Guard. The Secret Service. America’s cybersecurity defense. All defunded because Democrats are prioritizing illegal immigrant criminals ahead of the safety of the American people.

“The White House and Republicans are acting in good faith. Democrats should vote to keep the Department of Homeland Security open. The first duty of our government is to keep Americans safe. Today, the United States Senate faces a test. Republicans are going to answer that test by upholding our duty to the American people. The question is, are the Democrats going to join us? It sounds from listening to the Minority Leader that they have no intention of voting to keep America safe and secure.

“Democrats seem to be determined to block funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Senate Republicans have acted repeatedly to secure the border, to strengthen law enforcement, to remove illegal immigrant criminals from our midst, from our neighborhoods, and from our communities. From the Laken Riley Act to the current funding bill, we have worked in good faith with the Democrats to make America safer.

“Now what we see are Democrats flip-flopping on funding the government. This was a bipartisan bill. Democrats helped negotiate it. The Democrat Ranking Member of the Appropriations Committee, who is on the Floor right now, supported it. Democrats in the House voted for it. Republicans have offered Senate Democrats fair terms for reasonable reforms. Senate Democrats are now rejecting them.

“Over the course of the past two weeks, the Democrats’ list of unreasonable demands continued to balloon. Democrats are now demanding an end to Supreme Court-approved administrative warrants. Supreme Court says its good; Democrats say, ‘nope, not good enough.’ Democrats are now demanding harsh restrictions on cooperation between federal immigration officers and state and local officials. Democrats are now demanding a ban on immigration enforcement at so-called ‘sensitive locations.’ You know, they’ve been hospitals in the past. Schools. Places of worship. Not enough, not for the Democrats. No, their demands are so extreme they’re now defining ‘sensitive locations,’

expanding it, to include – out of all places – polling places. Illegal immigrants should not be at polling places, and certainly not illegal immigrant criminals. Now, the Democrats want to add this to their list of ‘sensitive locations.’ Even Joe Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary said that was a step too far.

“Taken together, these conditions would materially slow immigration enforcement in this nation. Polling locations would become a sanctuary location for illegal immigrant criminals. People allowed to roam free in our communities. Democrats want to turn America into a sanctuary country. They’ve been for abolishing borders.

“Republicans believe many of the Democrat demands would undermine public safety and the rule of law, and so do the American people. They agree with us. We are not going to accept proposals from the Democrats that are going to make our communities less safe.

“What comes next is entirely up to Senate Democrats. If the Department of Homeland Security is defunded, the pain will extend throughout the country. Democrats know what the Department of Homeland Security does. It funds disaster relief through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It keeps Americans safe when they fly through TSA. It protects our nation from cyberattacks through the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. It oversees the Coast Guard.

“The Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard testified to Congress this week about the devastating impact of a loss of funding. He said 56,000 active members of the Coast Guard would work without pay. He said morale would plunge and the Coast Guard’s recruitment efforts would suffer.

“The record is clear. Republicans have acted to protect the American people. 96 percent of the government is already funded today because of our work passing 11 of the 12 appropriations bills. And we’re down to the final one. The last 4 percent of funding, and we’re ready to do it again.

“Democrats have two options. Option 1: vote today to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Option 2: stand side by side with illegal immigrant criminals. That is the choice. What’s it going to be? If they refuse to fund our nation’s security, they will have made a deliberate choice to practice the politics of pain. The American people will regrettably be the ones paying the price for the destructive demands of the radical left that is running their party today.”

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Wyoming Coal Makes America Energy Dominant

“Coal is also saving American families money. According to a recent report, families saved more than one hundred dollars on their energy bills last year thanks to coal generation. Coal is one of the most affordable, available, and reliable sources of energy in the world.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Majority Whip, today spoke on the Senate Floor after meeting with President Donald J. Trump at the White House about the importance of affordable, available, reliable, coal.

Senator Barrasso highlighted the work Republicans have done to lower energy costs for American families and how Wyoming coal will make America energy dominant again.

Click HERE to watch Senator Barrasso’s remarks.

Sen. Barrasso’s remarks:

“Yesterday, I was at the White House with the President of the United States. President Trump and his all-star energy team have done historic work to unleash American energy. That includes Wyoming coal.

“Recently, the East Coast experienced something that Wyoming experiences every year. That is, sustained temperatures below freezing. The power grid was tested. Through it all, coal delivered. Coal generation jumped 31 percent during the recent winter storm. Meanwhile, wind and solar energy declined. Coal literally saved American lives.

“Coal is also saving American families money. According to a recent report, families saved more than one hundred dollars on their energy bills last year thanks to coal generation. Coal is one of the most affordable, available, and reliable sources of energy in the world.

“America has more coal than any other country. My home state of Wyoming produces nearly half of it. For America to be energy dominant, we need Wyoming coal.

“For years, the Biden administration tried to shut down coal mines, coal-fired power plants, and attack American coal miners. I’ll never forget when I heard Joe Biden tell his administration to prioritize ‘climate’ over energy that is affordable, available, and reliable. That’s what they did. And the American people paid a heavy price.

“What a difference a new administration makes. Today, America is no longer apologizing for using our God-given resources. President Trump’s announcement this week builds on the work Republicans have done over the past year. Our shared agenda is unleashing American energy. It is growing the economy. It is putting more money back in the pockets of families.

“Our Working Families Tax Cuts law opened up more federal land for new coal leasing. The Department of the Interior has already acted on this. It has opened eleven million new acres to leasing.

“Additionally, the Working Families Tax Cuts law reduced royalty rates for coal produced on federal lands. This is good news for Wyoming coal producers. They now have more certainty to reinvest in production. That means good-paying jobs in Wyoming for decades to come.

“At the same time, Republicans delivered No Taxes on Overtime for American workers. That includes hardworking Wyoming coal miners. They have earned every dollar they make. When they file their taxes this year, they will keep more of it.

“Wyoming families are thrilled by these changes. They know that coal funds our schools and services in our communities. Thanks to President Trump and Republicans, Wyoming coal miners are powering the nation with affordable, available, reliable coal.

“There’s a book that I speak about when I talk to students and others in Wyoming, and it’s called Hidden America: From Coal Miners to Cowboys, an Extraordinary Exploration of the Unseen People Who Make This Country Work. These are the men and women who put food on the table and keep our country with the energy we need. And it is a privilege for me to represent these fine American workers.”

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Bennet Statement on Partial Government Shutdown

Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet issued the following statement:

“Republicans in control of the Senate once again are sending legislators home without a clear path to ensuring ICE is subject to the same, common-sense practices we expect from our local law enforcement. As a result, some of the key federal agencies that help keep us safe, like FEMA and TSA, will go without funding while the Senate takes a week off.

“Coloradans are demanding more from our federal government, and unsurprisingly, the Trump Administration and my Republican colleagues in the Senate have failed to deliver.

“We cannot back down from the fight for real change and safeguards: preventing federal agents from wearing masks and requiring body cameras, not allowing children to be stripped from their families, and a complete overhaul of leadership and operations at DHS. None of those changes are in this legislation, and as I said two weeks ago, the Trump Administration has not — and likely will not — negotiate in good faith.”

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Bennet Statement on Trump Administration’s Rescission of Landmark Climate Finding

Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet released the following statement on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rescission of the 2009 “Endangerment Finding,” the scientific determination that established that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health, and underpins the federal government’s authority to limit those emissions.

“By abandoning the Endangerment Finding, the EPA is abdicating its duty to protect Americans’ health and outright ignoring decades of research, clear directives from the Supreme Court and Congress, and the reality that Coloradans and Westerners face every day with increasingly devastating wildfires, floods, and extreme drought driven by climate change. We owe it to the next generation to confront climate change head-on. Instead, the Trump Administration is more concerned with playing political games rather than safeguarding lives and livelihoods in Colorado. It is more important than ever that Colorado continues to lead the nation in cutting climate pollution, advancing clean energy innovation, and driving our country toward a net-zero economy.”

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VIDEO: Blackburn Calls Out Democrats for Siding with Criminal Illegal Aliens, Recaps Arctic Frost Hearing

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) delivered remarks slamming the Democrats for siding with criminal illegal aliens over American citizens by opposing basic election integrity measures and voting against funding for FEMA as Tennesseans recover from the winter storms. She also recapped the hearing she chaired earlier this week, where she questioned executives from AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon on their involvement in Arctic Frost.

Click here to download Senator Blackburn’s remarks on the Senate floor.

EXCERPTS OF REMARKS

On Democrats’ Opposition to Deporting Criminal Illegal Aliens and Requiring Proof of Citizenship to Vote in U.S. Elections:“We've had quite a feisty afternoon here on the floor, and I am so pleased that my colleagues have called out some of the actions that we have witnessed from the other side.”

“It is beyond me that they would want illegal aliens to vote in U.S. elections, beyond me.”

“Maybe they don't want to preserve one person, one vote. Maybe that's not important to them.”

“It is important to 80% of the American people.”

“And they're not wanting to fund DHS… What they are doing, they are defunding FEMA. They are defunding TSA, so if your flights don't go next week, blame the Democrats.”

On Arctic Frost Hearing with Phone Carrier Executives:

“This week, we had a hearing in Judiciary Committee that looked at another inappropriate use of the federal government, inappropriate policies. And this week, I chaired the first in a series of hearings at judiciary committee that will address Arctic Frost.”

“We called before us the general counsels, legal representatives, from Verizon AT&T, and T-Mobile, the three wireless carriers that received unlawful subpoena requests from Jack Smith to access our phone records.”

“[Jack Smith] didn't have a statute that allowed him to be the Special Counsel, but he [went] to great lengths to make certain that we could never find out about this deep invasion of our privacy and the violation of our constitutional rights.”

“He went to an Obama appointee, Judge James Boasberg, who signed non-disclosure orders… to ensure that the subpoenas were going to be kept secret from us.”

“The Biden DOJ, they were out for Donald Trump. They wanted to block him from ever being president. They wanted to go get him six ways from Sunday. They were after him. So, they decided, well, there's a risk, but if you put a gag order on it, they're never going to find out. So, let's go ahead. Let's roll the dice, and let's go for it. Let's abuse their right to privacy. Let's infringe on the Speech and Debate Clause. Let's get in and tear up the Stored Communications Act.”

“Thank God we have whistleblowers.”

“These whistleblowers over at DOJ came to Chairman Grassley… and we learned that Verizon and T-Mobile complied with the subpoena request, no questions asked, no concern for constitutional rights. They just rolled over without a fight.”

“During yesterday's hearing, we got to ask them: Why did you comply with these secret unlawful subpoenas? Did getting a gag order on it not raise a red flag to you? Why did you do this”

“The answer was not satisfactory.”

“Verizon utterly failed in its responsibilities. So did T-Mobile… Yet, not a single person at Verizon or any of the carriers lost their jobs because of this.”

“There has to be accountability. If they can trample on the constitutional rights of sitting members of Congress and the President of the United States, they can do it to every U.S. citizen.”

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Blumenthal Travels to Munich Security Conference

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, will join a bipartisan bicameral delegation led by U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) to attend the Munich Security Conference (MSC).

On Friday, February 13 at 11:30 AM ET / 5:30 PM CET Blumenthal and Graham will deliver remarks on the “State of Russia,” which will be broadcast live on the MSC YouTube channel.

“At this critical moment for our national defense, I am eager to speak directly with our European allies to reaffirm our support for NATO and to our shared security goals,” Blumenthal said. “I look forward to continuing conversations about our common commitment to Ukraine’s brave fight against Putin’s bloody assault – vital to our own national interest and to Europe’s.”

The MSC is widely considered the world’s leading forum for international security policy. The conference is a “marketplace of ideas” where initiatives and solutions are developed and opinions are exchanged. It also provides a venue for diplomatic initiatives and ideas to cooperatively address the world’s most pressing security concerns.

More information on the 2025 MSC can be found here, and the YouTube channel of the conference panels and discussions can be found here.

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Blumenthal Introduces Bill to Protect Americans from Increasing Electricity Costs

[Hartford, CT] – Today, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Josh Hawley (R-MO.) introduced the Guaranteeing Rate Insulation from Data Centers (GRID) Act to stop data centers from driving up energy costs.

Over the last several years, data center construction has taken off, creating enormous strains on our energy infrastructure. This AI-fueled boom shows no signs of slowing down—in fact, data centers’ demand for power is expected to double over the next four years. Blumenthal and Hawley’s new bill would require data centers to have their own power sources, ensuring that the costs of their business are not passed on to American consumers.

“Our GRID Act stops Big Tech’s AI-driven drain on family’s pocketbooks,” said Blumenthal. “The rapid buildout of power-hungry data centers is straining our electrical grid—driving up demand and causing Americans’ energy bills to skyrocket. Our bipartisan bill ensures consumers have priority on the grid and do not have to pay a penny more because of burdensome data centers. Families should not be forced to bankroll Big Tech’s electricity and infrastructure costs.”

“American families should not have to shoulder the burden of the rising electricity costs produced by data centers in Missouri and across the country. This is unacceptable,” Senator Hawley said. “I am introducing legislation that will protect American citizens by requiring data centers to use energy from sources that are separate from the U.S. grid and publicly report their electricity usage.”

The GRID Act would:

Guarantee no increase in consumer utility prices due to data centers.

Guarantee consumers first priority on the grid.

Ensure new data centers use energy from power generation sources that are separate from the grid, with a 10-year off-ramp for existing data centers to find an alternative power source.

Establish new transparency measures so that data center operators publicly disclose their current and future utility usage and other related information.

Read the full bill text here.

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Blumenthal Introduces Bill to Stop Deceptive & Dangerous Gun Marketing

[Hartford, CT] – Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) joined U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (Ill.-02) in introducing a bicameral bill to investigate marketing practices of the gun industry and to implement consumer safety standards for guns. The Responsible Firearms Marketing Act would direct the Federal Trade Commission to launch an investigation into the advertising and marketing practices of gun manufacturers.

“Deceptive firearms marketing exploits and fuels gun violence — and must be stopped. Our goal is to hold accountable gun manufacturers who prey on vulnerable consumers to fatten their profits. Turning a blind eye to these dishonest advertisements and promotional campaigns will continue to threaten public safety,” said Blumenthal. “Wrongdoers must be held accountable. Our legislation – along with the FTC’s enforcement – will prevent the industry from peddling these dangerous weapons of war by misleading buyers.”

“For far too long, the gun lobby has held politicians in its clutches, but I’ve taken on the gun lobby—and won,” said Kelly. “I’m taking the fight to the gun industry’s pocketbooks because they should not be able to profit off gun violence and death. The gun industry advertises the number one killer of children and teenagers—to children and teenagers themselves. It’s sick and twisted. Guns should be sold responsibly with the basic safety standards expected for such deadly weapons.”

The investigation would focus on advertisements that appeal to children, imply or encourage illegal use of weapons, and sell assault weapons commonly used in mass shootings. Semiautomatic assault weapons are often the gun of choice for mass shooters due to its rapid-fire rate, causing maximum carnage.

Some examples of the gun industry’s marketing and advertising practices include:

Wee 1 Tactical: This Illinois-headquartered gun manufacturer advertised the “JR-15,” a child-sized AR-15 semiautomatic rifle. It included the tagline, “Get ‘em One Like Yours,” and the gun was decorated with cartoon skulls and crossbones.

Daniel Defense: Daniel Defense posted a child holding an assault rifle with the caption, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it,” invoking a Bible verse. Days later, a gunman armed with a Daniel Defense AR-15 killed 21 people and injured 18 others at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

Smith & Wesson: A gunman killed seven people and injured 48 more at a Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois. He used a Smith & Wesson M&P15 semiautomatic rifle, abbreviated for “Military and Police.” Smith & Wesson advertisements often feature military associations aimed at young male civilians, promising they will “Experience More Adrenaline.”

Mean Arms: This manufacturer’s magazine lock, a device that locks a magazine onto a semiautomatic rifle, was sold with removal instructions, allowing for higher magazine capacity. The shooter who killed ten people in a racist attack in Buffalo, New York, wrote in his manifesto how he easily removed the lock to add 30-round magazines, which are illegal in New York.

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Booker Joins Wyden, Colleagues in Introducing Bill to Restore Quality Care in Nursing Homes After Trump Gutted Staffing Standards

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) joined Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) and 5 Senate colleagues in introducing legislation that would improve quality and safety in nursing homes, following Republican efforts to roll back staffing standards that keep seniors safe. Republicans delayed the standards for nine years in the Big Ugly Bill and Donald Trump eliminated them after executives reportedly donated millions of dollars to his super PAC.

Every day, seniors across our state and country reside in dangerously understaffed nursing homes operating far below the level of care residents need,” said Senator Booker. “Everybody deserves basic human decency, especially our senior citizens. Families should have the assurance that their loved ones are getting the care they deserve. This legislation will set commonsense staffing standards for facilities, so every resident receives safe and compassionate care.”

“For American families with a loved one in a nursing home, there is no greater fear than the prospect of an unsafe environment that could lead to abuse or neglect,” Senator Wyden said. “Republican actions and Trump’s backdoor deals with big executives mean your loved one’s nursing home will be less safe. It’s time to guarantee residents in nursing homes receive the quality of care they deserve and to lift the strain off long-term care workers reaching the breaking point.”

“We have no bigger obligation than to look after each other, as loved ones and as a nation. As a Congress, we need to step up in this moment to look after our seniors," said Senator Kim. "Safe staffing ratios make this easier. It means the staff we rely on to look after our loved ones can be supported, and that we can help build the care workforce we need for an aging population. It’s what our families and caregivers deserve."

“This legislation restores commonsense protections at nursing homes and bolsters safety standards to ensure residents receive quality care. The Trump Administration’s rolling back of staffing standards burdens an already strained workforce and leaves residents vulnerable to the devastating consequences of an understaffed facility. This bill ensures that nursing home residents receive proper care and give their loved ones peace of mind that they are being treated with dignity,” said Senator Blumenthal.

“We need basic, humane minimum staffing levels in nursing homes,” said Senator Murphy. “Under the previous administration, we were on that path, but – in yet another act of brazen corruption – Donald Trump reversed course after nursing home executives donated millions to his campaign. These wealthy executives are making themselves filthy rich off taxpayer funds while seniors and the staff who care for them suffer. Congress can put a stop to this corruption by making dignified nursing staff requirements the law and putting seniors and nurses ahead of billionaire donors.”

“It’s a no-brainer that Americans in nursing homes should have safe, high-quality care. But Republicans rolled back life-saving staffing requirements to pay for giant health care cuts, and Donald Trump finished the job after nursing home executives cut him a big check,” said Senator Warren. “Democrats are fighting back to protect nursing home residents and the long-term care workers who care for them."

“For families across New Mexico, adequate staffing in nursing homes is about ensuring our loved ones have the quality of life they deserve,” said Senator Luján. “Staffing levels directly affect the health and safety of all residents and help ensure they are treated with dignity. When President Trump and Congressional Republicans roll back staffing standards, our seniors pay the price. Seniors are put at risk, and health care workers are stretched too thin. New Mexico seniors deserve better.”

In 2024, the federal government finalized overdue federal minimum staffing standards that required a registered nurse (RN) on-site 24/7 to provide residents with no less than three and a half hours of care daily, which ultimately could have saved 13,000 lives per year. Thanks to the Trump administration revoking these nursing home protections, residents are left toendure months without showers, days trapped in bed sitting in their own waste, and missed meals and medications.

Adequate staffing is the single most important factor ensuring quality of care in nursing homes. Nearly all voters 50 and older support minimum staffing standards in nursing homes. Trump and Republicans’ rollback of these standards also undermines America’s health care workforce by straining already underpaid staff and creating impossible environments to provide the care residents deserve.

The Nurses Belong in Nursing Homes Act would restore common-sense protections and make nursing homes safe by:

Requiring a nurse to be in a nursing home 24/7.

Creating an initial federal minimum staffing standard confirming that each resident receives at least three and a half hours of nursing care per day.

Requiring regular, evidence-based updates to federal staffing standards to reflect the changing needs of residents.

Providing permanent funding for nursing home inspections, surveys, and enforcement to make sure nursing homes comply with staffing requirements.

Reinvesting civil monetary penalties imposed on nursing homes into supporting the recruitment and retention of nursing home workers.

Holding nursing homes accountable for investing taxpayer dollars in the frontline nursing home workforce.

The Nurses Belong in Nursing Homes Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Andy Kim (D-NJ); Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) ; Chris Murphy (D-CT); Elizabeth Warren (D-MA); and Ben Ray Lujan, D-NM.


Booker, Strickland, Adams, McGovern Reintroduce Bill to Make USDA Work Better for Small Farms

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and U.S. Representatives Marilyn Strickland (D-WA-10), Alma Adams (D-NC-12), and Jim McGovern (D-MD-02) reintroduced the bicameral Office of Small Farms Establishment Act, legislation to create a new Office of Small Farms at the US Department of Agriculture. The Office would directly serve small farms, ranches, and forest operations with grants and technical assistance and ensure that all USDA programs are designed to meet their needs.

Small acreage farms—those with fewer than 180 acres—make up 70 percent of all farms in the US and are vital to rural economic growth, food security, and local food supply chains. They also produce more value per acre than large farms. Despite their substantial contributions to the U.S. economy, they only receive 13 percent of federal payments to farms. USDA programs should serve all farmers equally, but they often favor large-scale operations. This can be traced to staff shortages, program design, and resource gaps that disadvantage small farms.

“Small farms in New Jersey and across our country provide healthy food to their communities, yet too many of them struggle to access the resources they need to survive,” said Senator Booker. “This bill will create an office dedicated to serving the needs of small farms and helping them navigate the USDA programs that are critical for their success.”

“Nearly 90% of all farms in Washington state and the vast majority of farms in the U.S. are operated by small, family farmers, but too often they lack the operational support to take full advantage of the grants and assistance programs offered by USDA,” said Representative Strickland. “The Office of Small Farms Establishment Act would ensure the resilience of the country’s food systems, invest in minority-owned farms that are often left behind, and recognize the challenges facing small farms today.”

“Small family farms are the backbone of our food system, yet nearly two million farms and ranches are operated by farmers who often face barriers to fully accessing USDA programs” said Congresswoman Adams. “The Office of Small Farms Establishment Act would help remove those barriers by giving farmers the tools they need to navigate grants and assistance, particularly historically underserved producers who are more likely to operate on a smaller scale. I’m proud to support this legislation to preserve family farmland, strengthen our food supply, and move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach for North Carolina farmers.”

“Massachusetts is home to over 7,000 farms—and small farms are our agricultural backbone,” said Representative McGovern. “Every farm ought to have access to the same resources and support no matter their scale. The Office of Small Farms would partner closely with small farmers to help them learn about USDA programs and apply for grants. When every farm is given what they need to succeed, we grow closer to building more resilient local food systems for all Americans.”

“Small farms are the drivers of our rural economy,” said Darin Von Ruden, President of the Wisconsin Farmers Union and a 50-cow organic dairy farmer from Westby. “Wisconsin’s local and regional supply chains contribute greatly to our nation’s food security. But too often, USDA programs are built around a one-size-fits-all model that doesn’t reflect the realities of smaller and diversified operations. When farms don’t fit that mold, they can struggle to access the tools and support they need. An Office of Small Farms would be an important step toward making USDA policies and programs more responsive and accessible for producers of all sizes, especially those who are the backbone of our rural communities.”

“Small farms play an outsized role in increasing the resilience of our food systems and our nation’s food security, but they do not always receive the support they need from the federal government,” said Tim Fink, Policy Director for American Farmland Trust. “This bill is about ensuring equitable access to the full range of essential support that Congress and USDA already provide to producers through Farm Bill programs. An Office of Small Farms would empower USDA to better examine its programs and delivery systems through the lens of those too often left out. We applaud Senator Booker and Representatives Strickland, Adams, and McGovern for working to level the playing field and ensure that this critical taxpayer support reaches all farmers.”

The Office of Small Farms would serve as a central hub for small farms, ranches, and forest operations, providing them with comprehensive support and enabling them to benefit from available USDA programs. The Office would issue grants to small farms, provide technical assistance, recommend improvements to service delivery to small farms in programs throughout the USDA, and provide a hotline for farmers to report issues with accessing USDA programs. This proposal would make USDA programs more accessible and beneficial to small farms, which would help the Department fulfill its mission, help small farms thrive, and strengthen the food system for everyone.

The legislation proposes an annual budget of $25 million to carry out these essential functions, with $15 million allocated for the operation of the Office and $10 million dedicated to technical assistance and grants for small farms, ranches, and forest operations.

A list of endorsing organizations can be found here.


Booker, Watson Coleman Reintroduce Legislation to Establish a Pilot for a Federal Jobs Guarantee Program

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and U.S. Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12) reintroduced the bicameral Federal Jobs Guarantee Development Act, legislation that would establish a model federal jobs guarantee program in up to 15 high-unemployment communities and regions across the United States.

Thanks to this legislation, hardworking Americans can gain access to a living wage and provide benefits like health insurance, paid sick leave, and paid family leave. Participating communities will be required to create an online portal featuring high-impact jobs sourced primarily by localities and Federal agencies alike, based on their respective needs and priorities.

“Our economy is supposed to be built on the promise that if you work hard and play by the rules you and your family can get ahead – but right now that American promise is broken. Working people are being squeezed by Trump, with the rising costs of groceries, housing, childcare, and other essentials outpacing their wages, causing workers to fall behind as their power on the job is being stripped away. Americans want to build a better future, but with over 7.5 million people unemployed and nearly 40 million earning less than $17 hour, the system is rigged against them. Our bill would make a direct investment in people by guaranteeing good-paying jobs, equipping workers with real skills, and strengthening the communities that power our economy," said Senator Booker.

"We have tunnels and bridges in disrepair, families that can’t find childcare, and aging and toxic water infrastructure which means there are plenty of jobs available and unfilled. This is not the result of a lack of people willing to do the work, it’s a gap created because localities cannot afford to pay them thanks to an ever-rising affordability crisis and lack of funding from the Trump Administration,” said Representative Watson Coleman. “The Federal Jobs Guarantee Act creates a pilot program for the communities who need it most, giving good paying jobs to people who have suffered while both wages and opportunities have shrunk. The work they’ll do will make tangible improvements in those same communities and reverberate through the national economy."

“While Minnesotans are still struggling to make ends meet, Trump and Republicans have only deepened the affordability crisis,” said Representative Omar. “If we’re serious about building an economy that works for everyone, we have a responsibility to ensure that anyone who wants a good job can find one. That’s why I’m proud to partner with Senator Booker and Representative Watson Coleman on legislation that invests in workforce development and strengthens our communities.”

Originally introduced in 2018, the Federal Jobs Guarantee Development Act was the first legislation of its kind ever introduced in Congress. Specifically, it would:

Target employment in vital labor forces: The job guarantee program would particularly create more opportunities for the support of family care, infrastructure development, community revitalization, and more.

Level the playing field among communities for job opportunities: Today, the unemployment rate sits at 4.4%. A job guarantee program would ensure that both racially and geographically marginalized communities across the nation who experience above-average unemployment rates would have a chance to join the workforce.

Raise the floor for workforce wages: As unemployment rates continue to remain at higher levels and more and more Americans seek the same job opportunities with more urgency, employers are more prone to take advantage, offering jobs at lower wages. The job guarantee program will help set a new baseline for wages, urging private-sector employers to raise their wages to incentivize employment over public sector jobs.

The Federal Jobs Guarantee Development Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) , as well as U.S. Representatives Ilhan Omar (D-MN-5), Summer Lee (D-PA-12), and LaMonica McIver (D-NJ-10).


Environmental Justice Caucus Co-Chairs Booker, Duckworth, Markey Slam Trump Administration for Eliminating EPA’s Ability to Protect Public Health from Climate Change

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Edward J. Markey (D-MA)—co-chairs of the U.S. Senate Environmental Justice Caucus—issued the following statement in response to Donald Trump and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin rescinding the 2009 endangerment finding today, undoing a landmark determination that requires the EPA to address greenhouse gas emissions and pollution because of the threat that climate change poses to public health and welfare. By rescinding the endangerment finding, the Administration will effectively declaw the EPA’s ability to protect public health and will eliminate the vehicle greenhouse gas pollution standards, giving big businesses a green light to pollute our air and devastate environmental justice communities.

“Donald Trump is once again sacrificing our future to protect polluters’ profit margins. The endangerment finding is the key legal foundation that directs the government to act on climate change to protect the health of Americans—and annihilating it will make it even more difficult for the federal government to enact commonsense policies to protect the environment and our public health. Environmental justice communities, which already face much higher rates of illness and shorter lifespans from exposure to heavy pollution, will be especially devastated. This disastrous decision reverses decades of progress and ignores decades of legal and scientific precedent, and its negative impacts won’t just be felt immediately, but for generations to come as well. It’s yet another Trump-created disaster for American families, all to line his billionaire donors’ pocketbooks, as Americans pay the price.”

As co-chairs of the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, Booker, Duckworth, and Markey have long pushed to strengthen and defend environmental justice efforts across the country. Last September, the three Senators joined the entire Senate Democratic caucus in opposing

EPA’s plans to reverse the endangerment finding. Last year, the three Senators condemned Republicans’ cuts to environmental justice, and Booker and Duckworthcondemned the Trump Administration for shutting down all of EPA’s environmental justice offices and slashing over 30 EPA regulations that have helped protect our nation’s public health and the environment for decades.

Booker, Duckworth, and Markey—along with U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE)—last year urged EPA Administrator Zeldin to reopen the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR), which Booker and Duckworth led the charge to create. Booker, Duckworth, and Markey also helped introduce legislation that would permanently codify the Office of Environmental Justice within the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) in response to Attorney General Bondi’s order eliminating all environmental justice efforts at the DOJ.


Boozman, Cornyn Call to Investigate Obamacare Subsidy Fraud

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) joined Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and 13 of his Senate Republican colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Division Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate calling on the Department to investigate and pursue civil remedies to recover Obamacare subsidy payments made during the Biden administration to insurance companies due to fraudulent, unauthorized or improper enrollment in insurance plans at the expense of American taxpayers.

“President Biden’s expansion of ACA subsidies in 2021 under the American Rescue Plan Act allowed $0 premiums in silver plans on the ACA marketplace, emboldening certain brokers and agents who sought to profit from enrolling as many consumers as possible onto ACA insurance plans, even without consumer consent,” the senators wrote.

“I urge you to evaluate civil remedies to recover ACA subsidy payments made to insurance companies due to waste, fraud, and abuse. Americans deserve to know that their taxpayer dollars are not being spent in furtherance of fraudulent ACA marketplace enrollment schemes,” the lawmakers continued.

Boozman and Cornyn were joined by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Ashley Moody (R-FL), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), John Kennedy (R-LA), Steve Daines (R-MT), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Roger Marshall, M.D (R-KS), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), John Barrasso (R-WY), Jon Husted (R-OH), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and John Hoeven (R-ND).

You can read the full letter here and below:

The Honorable Brett A. Shumate

Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division

U.S. Department of Justice

950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20530

Dear Assistant Attorney General Shumate:

I am writing to encourage the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate and pursue civil remedies to recover Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace subsidies paid to insurance companies due to fraudulent, unauthorized, or improper enrollment in insurance plans. When an improper enrollment occurs due to fraudulent broker or agent activity, the broker or agent receives a commission from the insurance company, and the insurer receives a direct ACA subsidy payment from the federal government. As a result, every improper enrollment directly harms the American taxpayer.

As you are aware, President Biden’s expansion of ACA subsidies in 2021 under the American Rescue Plan Act allowed $0 premiums in silver plans on the ACA marketplace, emboldening certain brokers and agents who sought to profit from enrolling as many consumers as possible onto ACA insurance plans, even without consumer consent. In fact, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) received approximately 275,000 complaints between January and August 2024 that consumers were enrolled in a plan or had their plans changed without their consent.

While I am encouraged by the DOJ’s recent criminal convictions of certain brokers and agents in connection with fraudulent enrollment schemes, the federal government has a duty to ensure that the associated ACA marketplace subsidies paid directly to insurance companies are properly recouped. In April 2025, a Florida executive pled guilty to submitting fraudulent applications to enroll consumers in fully-subsidized ACA insurance plans, costing the federal government at least $133.9 million in fraudulent subsidies paid to insurers. Then, in November 2025, a president of a brokerage firm and a marketing company executive were convicted in a $233 million, years-long, fully-subsidized ACA marketplace insurance plan fraudulent enrollment scheme. Under this scheme, the federal government paid at least $180 million in subsidy payments directly to insurers.

At the end of last year, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published its preliminary report on its review of ACA marketplace subsidy fraud, concluding that significant fraud risks persist. In the report, the ACA marketplace approved all of GAO’s fictitious applicants in plan year 2024 and 18 of its 20 fictitious applicants in plan year 2025. Additionally, GAO identified risks related to potential misuse of social security numbers and unauthorized enrollments. Most concerning, GAO could not identify evidence of reconciliation for over $21 billion in ACA marketplace subsidies in tax year 2023.

I’m encouraged by the reconstitution of the HHS-DOJ False Claims Act Working Group, which shows this administration’s commitment to combat healthcare fraud and to restore integrity to the federal healthcare system. The DOJ has a responsibility to ensure taxpayer funds are not misused and to enforce federal civil fraud remedies, when necessary. Accordingly, I request the following information:

Following criminal convictions for ACA fraudulent enrollments, what current mechanisms exist for the DOJ to pursue recovery of federal funds paid to insurance companies that were tied to fraudulent ACA marketplace enrollments?

Is the DOJ currently pursuing or considering pursuing False Claims Act or unjust enrichment cases against insurance companies to recover the improper ACA subsidy payments paid to insurers?

If not, what other remedies are available to recover the improper ACA subsidy funds paid to insurers?

Since April 1, 2021, when enhanced ACA tax subsidies under the American Rescue Plan Act went into effect, how many civil matters has DOJ opened relating to:

fraudulent or unauthorized ACA marketplace enrollments;

subsidy-eligibility misrepresentations; or

identity misrepresentations.


Boozman, Blumenthal Lead Bipartisan Push to Secure Toxic Exposure Benefits for K2 Veterans

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR), Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Angus King (I-ME) led a formal request for the Department of Defense to review and confirm the presence of radiation and toxic substances at the Karshi Khanabad (K2) Air Base in Uzbekistan. Once confirmed, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can deliver K2 veterans exposed to radiation long-overdue benefits through the authorities of the PACT Act Boozman championed into law in 2022.

“Without an accurate accounting of the toxic substances found at K2 by the Department, VA is unable to ensure veterans who suffer from conditions related to radiation, jet fuels, asbestos, chemical agents, and other toxins receive the benefits they deserve,” wrote the senators in a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The senators pointed to early reviews identifying toxic substances at K2, and a study from the Army Medical Department Journal on a potential connection between K2 deployment and certain rare cancers associated with radiation exposure. They requested DOD conduct a review of the toxic and radiological substances present at K2 and a review of the potential health effects of combined exposure to the contaminants found at K2.

K2 was a military base in Uzbekistan where some of the first servicemembers were deployed in the Global War on Terror. It was a former chemical weapons site believed to be linked to uranium contamination.

The letter is available here and below:

Dear Secretary Hegseth,

We write to request a review of the toxic substances present at the Karshi Khanabad (K2) Air Base in Uzbekistan. Nearly 16,000 service members deployed to K2 from 2001 to 2005. These service members have since developed serious health conditions. Yet, the federal government has not provided a consistent explanation of the hazards they encountered, which denies them the answers, care, and benefits they deserve.

Early reviews identified a range of toxic substances at K2. However, follow-up reviews have disputed their toxicity, creating delays and confusion for veterans seeking care. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has acknowledged that conditions at K2 posed immediate and long-term risks to military personnel. VA’s ability to recognize radiation-related exposures, however, remains dependent on confirmation from the Department of Defense (DOD). Without an accurate accounting of the toxic substances found at K2 by the Department, VA is unable to ensure veterans who suffer from conditions related to radiation, jet fuels, asbestos, chemical agents, and other toxins receive the benefits they deserve.

These veterans dispute the federal government’s dismissal and denial of the hazards associated with their service. The Army Medical Department Journal previously identified a potential connection between K2 deployment and certain rare cancers associated with radiation exposure. Additionally, evidence submitted to the Federal Register by a former member of the US Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine’s environmental assessment team confirms that enriched uranium was found at K2. If true, DOD must acknowledge enriched uranium was found at K2, as it explains the prevalence of cancer-related health conditions among K2 veterans. A complete review by the Department would resolve the differences in records.

We respectfully request the following:

1. Review all sources of information regarding toxic and radiological substances at K2, including health record data, scientific research, and information provided directly by service members.

2. A review of the potential health effects of combined exposure to contaminants found at K2. Previous reviews have focused on the health effects of exposure to each contaminant.


U.S. Senators Katie Britt, Tammy Baldwin, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen U.S. Trade Law Enforcement Against Bad Actors

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) led their colleagues in introducing the Fighting Trade Cheats Act, bipartisan legislation to strengthen U.S. trade law enforcement and empower American manufacturers to take action against bad actors that engage in customs fraud.

“The Chinese Communist Party continues to be America’s greatest geopolitical and national security threat, and manufacturers across Alabama are paying the price as the CCP and other bad actors cheat Americans out of jobs, intellectual property, and opportunity,” said Senator Britt. “It’s past time we stand with our manufacturers and the hardworking families who depend on them for their livelihoods by giving them the tools needed to combat malicious trade practices. I am proud to help lead this bipartisan legislation that will allow manufacturers to take direct action against bad actors, onshore good-paying American jobs, and stop these manipulative practices.”

The bill takes aim at companies that dump foreign-made goods into the United States and would allow private companies to sue foreign producers that harm American companies. By allowing private companies harmed by trade cheats to use their own resources to fight back, the bill would help address customs fraud and protect American workers and American jobs.

“In Wisconsin, our workers and manufacturers produce world-class products – and they deserve a fair shot to compete. But, too often, foreign companies and countries, like China, rig the system, undermine our companies, and put Wisconsinites out of work,” said Senator Baldwin. “That’s why I am proud to work with my Republican and Democratic colleagues to crack down on trade cheats like China, level the playing field for American workers, and move our Made in Wisconsin economy forward.”

“McWane Inc., and its 6,000 + team members in Alabama and across the country, commend Senator Britt for her leadership on the Fighting Trade Cheats Act and for sharing its commitment to American manufacturing and its resolve to fight imports that evade U.S. laws or enforcement actions,” said Charlie Hartman, McWane Inc.’s Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “Transshipment schemes and other forms of trade fraud are undermining U.S. unfair trade laws by evading injury-remedying antidumping and countervailing duty orders, and perpetuating harms to U.S. manufacturers and their workers. It is high time that U.S. enforcement tools are updated to better and more rapidly address customs fraud.”

“Trade laws only work if they’re enforced. The Fighting Trade Cheats Act gives our government the tools it needs to hold bad actors accountable, stop duty evasion, and protect workers and industries that play by the rules,” said United Steelworkers President Dave McCall. “As we work level the playing field and sustain good union jobs across the United States, we applaud Sens. Baldwin and Britt’s efforts to pass this vital legislation.”

In addition to Senators Britt and Baldwin, the legislation is also co-sponsored by Senators John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). You can read the full text of the bill here.

Senator Britt is a champion for American workers, families, and companies, supporting legislation that seeks to decrease the CCP’s threat to domestic industry. This includes the Not One More Inch or Acre Act, the Cutting-off Communist Profiteers Act, theRevitalizing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals Dominance Act of 2025, and more.

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Budd, Gillibrand Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Bilateral Defense Programs between the U.S. and Israel

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) introduced the bipartisan, bicameral United States-Israel Framework for Upgraded Technologies, Unified Research, and Enhanced Security (FUTURES) Act today, which would strengthen cooperation on bilateral defense programs between the United States and Israel. This bill aims to expand and accelerate defense technology research, development, testing, evaluation, and industrial cooperation between both countries.

“The U.S. has a long history of working with our ally Israel on defense programs to counter unmanned aerial systems from our adversaries, strengthen missile defense, and detect and neutralize underground tunnels threatening the security of our two respective countries. The U.S.-Israel FUTURES Act offers an opportunity to strengthen existing bilateral programs by advancing joint investments such as emerging technologies, defense industrial base cooperation, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology initiatives. I am proud to be working with Senator Gillibrand to advance regional security in the Middle East and strengthen U.S. and Israeli defense,” said Senator Budd.

“This bipartisan initiative will enable long-term collaboration on shared security goals between the United States and our vital democratic ally Israel. We must strengthen our military and technological capabilities to counter continued and future threats in the region,” said Senator Gillibrand.

U.S. Representatives Ronny Jackson (R-Texas-13) and Don Davis (D-N.C.-01) introduced the legislation in the House of Representatives.

“This legislation secures America’s competitive edge in defense technology and reinforces our alliance with Israel, our greatest partner in the Middle East, to deter evolving global threats. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are ensuring the technological supremacy of our military and delivering the unmatched capabilities our warfighters need to dominate the battlefield and protect the American people,” said Congressman Jackson.

“By establishing the United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative, we are fortifying a vital partnership, accelerating joint development, and transforming groundbreaking research into operational capabilities. As emerging threats like unmanned systems and electronic warfare evolve, technical cooperation stands as a critical pillar in preparing our servicemembers for the challenges of tomorrow,” said Congressman Davis.

Read the full bill text HERE.

BACKGROUND

The U.S.-Israel FUTURES Act builds upon Senator Budd’s support for existing cooperative programs between the U.S. and Israel:

Senator Budd has led the re-authorization of the U.S.-Israel Anti-Tunnelling and Counter-UAS programs over the last two years.

Senator Budd has expressed his unwavering advocacy for the strategic security relationship between the U.S. and Israel, particularly as Israel seeks a new security deal with the U.S.

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Capito Applauds Trump EPA’s Repeal of Greenhouse Gas Vehicle Standards

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, commended the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) repeal of greenhouse gas vehicle standards which resulted in inefficient and burdensome mandates that increased costs for households and businesses. The repeal of the endangerment finding coincides with other Republican efforts to undo harmful Democrat regulations, including the reversal of the CAFE standards and Chairman Capito’s work to overturn California’s nationwide electric vehicle (EV) mandate in 2025.

“I applaud this groundbreaking effort from the Trump EPA to further roll back costly regulations from the Obama and Biden administrations that have placed economic hardship on hardworking Americans. This repeal will have a transformational impact on my home state of West Virginia, as these efforts reverse the harmful Democrat attacks on affordable, gas-powered vehicles that West Virginians have endured for far too long. This action represents a key win for affordability, job creation and consumer choice, and I congratulate President Trump and Administrator Zeldin for their continued success in producing visible results for the American people,” Chairman Capito said.


Senator Collins Presses for Stronger Oversight to Prevent Fraud in Federally Funded Child Care Programs

Click HERE for a full-resolution image.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing focused on fraud in federally funded child care programs, U.S. Senator Susan Collins pressed witnesses on the need for stronger oversight and clearer accountability standards to protect taxpayer dollars. Senator Collins underscored that every dollar lost to fraud is a dollar that cannot be used to support working families who rely on child care services, particularly in rural areas where options are already limited.

Q&A on Preventing Fraud in Child Care Programs

Click HERE to watch and HERE to download video of this exchange

Sen. Collins:

I've been a strong supporter of federal programs ranging from the Child Care Development Block Grant to tax credits to workforce legislation to try to strengthen our network of child care centers and providers, but we're still falling woefully short, particularly in a lot of rural areas. I want to point out that I agree with the Senator from Ohio when he reminds us that every dollar that's lost to fraud is a dollar that could be used to provide quality child care to another child, and I think that's why this hearing is so important.

So, Dr. Polito, you mentioned in your testimony that the state of Louisiana does daily licensing inspections. This was something that Mr. Wilde also mentioned, and I think you said that 35% of centers receive unannounced monthly compliance visits. So, I think that that's very different from what Senator Murray is talking about. We're not talking about any random person going into a child care center. You're talking about state inspectors, is that correct?

Dr. Paula Polito:

Thank you for the question, Senator Collins. And yes, that is exactly correct. So, 25% to 30% of Louisiana's licensing visits are unannounced, and I think that is critical because every day child care centers should be doing what is right for children, not just on the days that licensing is scheduled to step in. But I'd also add that in Louisiana, we have a robust accountability system that also has visits that are unannounced. And these visits are not simply looking at “are our light switches covered?” These observers are coming in, they're counting each child, and they're looking at publicly funded child care to ensure that the interactions that are happening between our teachers and children are quality interactions.

So, I would argue it's layers of accountability. It's our licensing inspections, it's unannounced inspections, it's observations because, again, as everyone up here has echoed, it is about preparing children for success later on in life, not about babysitting.

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Cornyn Introduces Bill to Bolster Flood Response, Natural Disaster Infrastructure in Texas

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) today introduced the Strengthening Infrastructure, Readiness, and Emergency Notifications (SIREN) Act, which would allow Texas and other states to repurpose unused Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program funding to go toward strengthening natural disaster response and mitigation infrastructure, including through investments in severe weather warning siren systems or rapid notification and disaster sensor technologies:

“As Texas continues to mourn and recover from the devastating floods in Central Texas last year, it’s critical that regions vulnerable to natural disasters are able to strengthen their emergency readiness and response infrastructure,” said Sen. Cornyn. “My bill would unlock federal funding for life-saving systems like warning sirens, mass notification technologies, and severe weather sensors, and I urge my Senate colleagues to join me in working to equip communities with the tools needed to help prevent future severe weather tragedies.”

This legislation would work in tandem with the new Texas state law providing state funding for now-required siren networks in disaster-prone areas by allowing existing federal funding to also be used for counties to build or upgrade those systems. Text of the bill can be found here.

Background:

The SIREN Act would:

Add the procurement and installation of the following natural disaster response, prevention, and mitigation capabilities as eligible uses of BEAD non-deployment funding:

Audible warning sirens or other similar rapid notification technologies and infrastructure;

Wind, flood, fire, earthquake, or other sensor technologies for detecting and responding to major disasters;

And any IT equipment or software necessary to the operation of such infrastructure.

Permit multi-state agreements for infrastructure that crosses state lines;

Prioritize proposals that include a 25% state and local cost-share for projects;

And prevent the redistribution of state BEAD funding until each state is given the opportunity to use leftover funding for these new purposes.


Cornyn on U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty Compliance in USMCA Review

WASHINGTON – During today’s Senate Finance Committee hearing, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) questioned former House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (TX-8) on how America can use the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) joint review process to push Mexico to comply with the 1944 Water Treaty. This comes after Sen. Cornyn last month urged United States Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer to bring up the ongoing water treaty issue during USMCA joint review. Excerpts are below, and video can be found here.

CORNYN: “In 1944, the United States and Mexico entered into a water treaty. The enforcement of that has been fraught with problems and resulted in tremendous hardship and loss of jobs in the Rio Grande Valley.”

“Thanks to President Trump and Secretary Rollins, now I think we’re in a better place than we were in terms of delivery of water to our South Texas farmers, but how can the U.S. use the USMCA joint review process to help reinforce compliance and accountability with Mexico to help safeguard these South Texas agricultural jobs?”

BRADY: “Senator, thank you for your leadership on that water treaty. This has been an issue that has been troubling for Texas for decades. Your leadership, along with Senator Cruz and our congressional delegation…to see now Mexico stepping forward on an agreement to both unleash that water to Texas, pay back what is owed in the past, working with the administration, I can’t tell you how important that is to our state.”

“This is an opportunity to work with the administration to make sure that their commitments are being kept, that this is being enforced across the board. It’s an opportunity to improve it as well, working with Mexico and Canada in a whole range of areas and making sure the agreement itself is working for Texas workers and manufacturers, farmers, and it is.”

“It’s an opportunity to go beyond that to improve the agreement, certainly for Texas, economic security, transshipments from China, investment in China, making sure that screening is done not just at the U.S. border, but our neighbors as well.”


Cornyn, Tuberville Introduce Defeat Sharia Law in America Act

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) today introduced the Defeat Sharia Law in America Act, which would help root out and stop the spread of Sharia Law in the U.S. by clarifying that discriminating in the provision of goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations on the basis of Sharia Law is in violation of the Civil Rights Act:

“Sharia Law is the antithesis of the rights, beliefs, and values that make Texas and America great, and we must root out and eradicate this existential threat to our way of life,” said Sen. Cornyn. “I’m introducing the Defeat Sharia Law in America Act to ensure anti-American jihadists and those who dare to try and implement Sharia Law’s hateful ideology in our freedom-loving, God-fearing communities are stopped and held accountable for their radical discrimination and flagrant violation of our Constitution.”

“Sharia Law is not a religion; it is a death cult and has no place in this country,” said Sen. Tuberville. “People are afraid to call out Sharia Law for what it is: an ideology that calls for the killing of freedom-loving Americans. We have to take action against this poisonous ideology and protect Americans from the growing threat of Radical Islam.”

Background:

Sen. Cornyn is introducing the Defeat Sharia Law in America Act to ensure that the Civil Rights Act’s antidiscrimination provisions apply when an establishment is trying to implement Sharia Law. The legislation would clarify that discriminating in the provision of goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations on the basis of Sharia Law is discrimination and in violation of the Civil Rights Act. The bill would also prevent the private unconstitutional implementation of Sharia law by adding a rule of construction.

Sen. Cornyn called on the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) last spring to investigate the East Plano Islamic Center’s (EPIC) planned Muslim community, EPIC Ranches City, in Josephine, Texas, in light of potential religious discrimination against Christians, Jews, and other non-Muslim minorities. This legislation builds on these efforts as well as the No Sharia Act, which Sen. Cornyn cosponsored. The No Sharia Act would prohibit courts from enforcing judgments, decrees, or contracts relying on foreign laws that violate the Constitution.


Crapo Statement at Hearing on USMCA

Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) delivered the following remarks at a hearing to discuss the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

As prepared for delivery:

“Thank you all for joining us today for this timely hearing on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA.

“Almost exactly six years ago, Congress and the President approved the USMCA.

“The Senate overwhelmingly endorsed the Agreement 89 – 10, the most bipartisan vote ever taken in the Senate on a free trade agreement.

“This demonstrates the broad support for trade deals that expand jobs, wealth and growth in the United States.

“Six years later, we are now on the road to the Agreement’s first joint review, where we can assess whether USMCA commitments deliver as intended.

“The answer is largely yes.

“Overall, USMCA protects American jobs, strengthens domestic manufacturing and continues to grow the U.S. economy.

“For example, trade with Canada and Mexico supports 13 million American jobs. That is roughly the population of the entire Pacific Northwest.

“Moreover, since the enactment of USMCA, $775 billion were invested in the U.S. from Canada and Mexico, which is a 55 percent increase from pre-USMCA.

“USMCA propelled the United States to export $60 billion in agricultural goods to Canada and Mexico, which represents nearly one-third of all U.S. agriculture exports.

“Is USMCA a perfect agreement? No, but no agreement ever is.

“For instance, I have long called for more robust enforcement of USMCA commitments—including, but not limited to, ag biotech, dairy, digital trade, energy, financial services and intellectual property.

“In fact, both chambers of Congress approved USMCA with large bipartisan majorities largely because of its strong rules and its mechanisms necessary to enforce those rules.

“It is therefore critical for the United States to ensure that all its stakeholders—including U.S. farmers, businesses and workers—fully benefit from USMCA.

“I appreciate and commend President Trump and Ambassador Greer’s unwavering commitment to enforce the Agreement, and I look forward to working with them in that effort.

“But, as the USMCA review proceeds, it is wise also to remember to not let the perfect become the enemy of the good.

“Mexico and Canada are two of our most important trading partners. That strong partnership will continue to drive forward America’s economic competitiveness.

“This trilateral relationship should not be taken for granted.

“This message is generally reflected in the 1,500 comments submitted to the U.S. Trade Representative in December.

“As Ambassador Greer recently acknowledged during a Finance briefing on USMCA, “many stakeholders expressed support for the USMCA and many explicitly called for the Agreement to be extended” in those comments.

“Many of those public comments and testimony conveyed the singular importance of business certainty, which is best achieved by a timely conclusion to the review and extension of the Agreement.

“Today’s hearing is an opportunity to continue the conversations necessary to deliver on USMCA and business certainty in the United States.

“I look forward to hearing what our knowledgeable witnesses have to say as we evaluate the issues underlying this first joint review.”

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Sens. Cruz and Britt Introduce Legislation to Protect Community Banks

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.) introduced the Community Bank Relief Act. The legislation raises the current $10 billion asset threshold that caps debit card fees for banks and index annually to inflation.

Sen. Cruz said, “The Durbin Amendment was not designed for the current economic and regulatory reality and subjects community banks to fee limits that the original language intended for much larger institutions. My legislation modernizes the interchange fee cap to reflect inflation, helping small banks support local economies while lowering banking costs for Americans.”

Sen. Britt said, “As we’ve seen in so many instances, countless regulations in the Dodd-Frank Act were not only onerous but set fixed thresholds that have become outdated over time, and the Durbin Amendment is no exception. The largest burden is on our smallest financial institutions who provide vital sources of credit to Main Streets that drive our local economies. This commonsense legislation would simply index, to both inflation and COLA, the outdated threshold in this provision of Dodd-Frank, ultimately providing relief for our community banks who were never intended to be burdened by this regulation.”

Companion legislation was introduced in the House by Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY-6).

Rep. Barr said, “The Durbin Amendment was sold as a win for consumers in the Dodd-Frank Act by Democrats. Instead, it’s hurt Kentucky’s community banks and credit unions that do so much for underserved communities by limiting their ability to grow and compete with larger financial institutions. I’m working with Senator Cruz to fix this — because Washington shouldn’t be picking winners and losers at the expense of our local banks and the families they serve.”

This bill is supported by Americans for Tax Reform, Independent Bankers Association of Texas, and the Texas Bankers Association.

Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist said, “Indexing the Durbin exemption cap to inflation prevents government price controls from expanding by default. Price controls on interchange were a mistake from the start. They have raised costs for cardholders, reduced benefits, and entrenched government interference in the payments market. Senator Cruz should be commended for his bill to fix the harms caused by Dodd-Frank.”

Texas Bankers Association President and CEO Chris Furlow said, “The success of the nation’s economy depends on healthy community banks that provide capital and critical financial resources for small businesses and families. We thank Sen. Cruz for the Community Bank Relief Act that will right-size regulation and help strengthen the ability of community banks to bolster local economies in Texas and across America.”

Independent Bankers Association of Texas President and CEO Christopher Willston said, “Indexing the Durbin threshold to inflation is a smart, targeted update that keeps community banks where Congress intended—outside the regulatory regime meant for the largest players. By directing the Federal Reserve to make both the initial catch-up adjustment and annual CPI updates, this amendment brings needed certainty and proportionality to the payments system. We appreciate Senators Cruz and Britt for their thoughtful leadership.”

Click here to read the full bill text.

BACKGROUND:

The Durbin amendment to the Dodd–Frank Act, enacted in 2010, authorized the Federal Reserve to cap debit card interchange fees charged by large card issuers and limits transaction fees for debit card purchases by capping fees at 21 cents plus 0.05% of the transaction for banks with assets of $10 billion or more. Currently, the cap stands at roughly 22 cents per transaction.

When Dodd-Frank passed, roughly 80 banks exceeded the $10 billion threshold. Today, roughly 130 banks have exceeded the $10 billion threshold, bringing a larger share of the banking sector under the fee cap that was unintentionally captured under the existing limit.

The Community Bank Relief Act raises the $10 billion asset threshold for covered bank issuers and ties it to an annual cost-of-living adjustment measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to enable more community banks to remain exempt from the Durbin restrictions, allowing them to strengthen their financial flexibility and ultimately reduce costs for American families.


Curtis to Oppose Jeremy Carl Nomination

The full transcript of the exchange is below, and the video file can be downloaded here.

Full transcript:

Senator Curtis: Mr. Carl, I heard in your testimony something very similar to this, but core among U.S. interests at international organizations is the protection of U.S. sovereignty and our national security. And I’m sure that we agree on this. What I didn’t hear, and what is important to me—high among these interests is the protection of our allies, namely Israel and Taiwan, both of which are consistently mistreated in these international organizations.

As Assistant Secretary for International Organizations, I view one of your core responsibilities to counter the systemic antisemitism and anti-Israel bias in international organizations. Israel rarely asks for direct military intervention from the United States, but it does ask for diplomatic support and help. So, in your podcast of October 2024, you said, “the United States spends too much time and energy on Israel, often to the detriment of our own national interests.” So, share with me specifically what is in the U.S. interests that has been harmed by sustained American support of Israel.

Jeremy Carl: Senator, thank you for that question. It’s a good one. I think in the context of this particular role, actually we are Israel’s closest ally. So, I think in the UN context, I wish the UN would stop being antisemitic all the time. And so therefore we could stop have, you know, there’s a million other problems, like the Rohingya.

Curtis: Hold that thought, because I kind of want to come back to that. But let me just clarify. Do you think it’s all one directional? And what I mean by that is it’s all U.S. going to help Israel. And do you recognize the intelligence, the military innovations, and things like that that come back to the United States?

Carl: I’m so glad you mentioned that, Senator Curtis. As mentioned before, I spent ten years under one of the greatest friends of Israel that U.S. diplomatic corps has ever had in Secretary Schultz. Charlie Kirk was also probably second to no one in America.

Curtis: Let me just rein you in here because that’s not going in the direction to my [question.] Let me ask this—do you view diplomatic support as important or critical, or does that fall in the “too much time and energy?”

Carl: Senator, thank you for that question. I think diplomatic support of Israel in the UN context is absolutely critical.

Curtis: Are there other allies, for whom you believe the United States spends too much time and energy?

Carl: Senator, it would depend. Thank you for the question on the situation, but in the UN context, I want to be very clear that we have to be by Israel’s side because nobody else is going to be by Israel’s side. And you see the effects of the systemic antisemitism that is rife throughout the UN system. It’s one of the reasons that we withdraw from several major UN organizations.

Curtis: Do you see how difficult it is for you when approached by these other countries, and you hear that line from them—for you to defend what you just said when you’ve made these other comments—how do you say to some of these other foreign nations diplomats when they echo that same thinking that you have echoed, that they’re wrong?

OK, so let me give you a specific on the same podcast. The host—and I understand this is the host, not you—he criticized Jews for claiming “special victim status” because of the Holocaust. He said that the State of Israel is not a victim, but instead a perpetrator. And said, how long are you going to rest on the Holocaust? Because based on how you are treating the Palestinians now. That was the host, but this was your response, “right, right. Yeah, no, I mean, I think that’s true.” So, given that, when asked by other diplomats who do come with these agendas that you referred to in your remarks, how do you push back on that when you didn’t push back on that moderator?

Carl: Sure. Senator, first of all, thank you for the question, and I would have to review the podcasting question that you mentioned. I would have to review the podcast in question—I do a lot of podcasts that I’m not familiar with.

Curtis: I have given you your exact words.

Carl: I know, I’m sure that they’re accurate. I’m sure that they’re accurate.

Curtis: Trust me, those diplomats also know your exact words. So, let me ask you this question: do you believe that it is remotely acceptable to compare the Holocaust to the war launched after October 7th?

Carl: Absolutely not. Senator.


Daines Hails Trump Administration Action to Counter Russia’s Predatory Palladium Trade Practices

Will Protect Montana Jobs at Sibanye-Stillwater Mine

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Steve Daines issued the following statement today commending the Trump administration for issuing a duty countering Russian efforts to flood markets with palladium in order to drive down prices. Russia’s actions put jobs at Montana’s Sibanye-Stillwater Mines in jeopardy. The mine is the only primary source of palladium in the United States and has been negatively affected by Russia’s actions. The administration’s 132.83 percent anti-dumping duty rate is enforceable upon publication in the Federal Register.

“Montana mining is on a roll thanks to President Trump. Russia’s malign actions are aimed at eliminating competition in the United States and creating a world-wide monopoly on production. Those days are now over thanks to the Trump administration’s aggressive action today. Montana jobs saved and less dependence on Russia is a win all around for Montana and America,” said Daines.

Background:

Addressing Russia’s malign action with regards to critical minerals has been a Daines priority. The Sibanye-Stillwater mine laid off 700 workers in November 2024 as a result of Biden administration inaction over Russia’s anti-market behavior. In response Daines introduced legislation to address the situation in Sept 2024 and again in Feb 2025.

Senator Daines sent several letters to the Trump Administration urging corrective action to counter Russia’s behavior and protect Montana mining- read more HERE.

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Daines in Senate Finance Committee: Trade with Canada and Mexico is Critical for Montana

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today spoke with former House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady in a Senate Finance Committee hearing about the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) and its impact on Montana.

Watch the full exchange HERE.

Daines on how the USMCA benefits Montana producers, manufacturers, and consumers:

Daines: The United States – Mexico – Canada Agreement is vital for Montana ag producers, manufacturers, and consumers alike. President Trump was correct when he sought to modernize NAFTA in 2017, securing better terms for American farmers and businesses and fortifying supply chains in the Western Hemisphere. I’ve heard quite often that USMCA created business and investment certainty for companies who sought to get out of East Asia and reshore operations. That has been a key driver of innovation and growth both here and nearby. Increased trade with Canada and Mexico has been crucial for Montana, which has grown steadily since USCMA was ratified. Canada is Montana’s most important trading partner, accounting for nearly half of our exports and almost all of our imports. Farmers use fertilizer from Canada to grow malt barley that goes to Mexico, which comes back as imported beer. Manufacturers use inputs from both countries for value added industrial processing. Our supply chains are interconnected, and Montana producers are better for it. However, President Trump and Ambassador Greer are right to point out that there is room for improvement for the current Agreement. The Joint Review is an opportunity to address issues like discrimination against Montana electricity exports to Alberta, improper digital trade regulations, and strengthening rules of origin so USMCA benefits only flow to member countries. Chairman Brady,do you think that the Joint Review could be used an effective tool to strengthen the current agreement and secure better terms for American producers?

Brady: There is no question, and I think this is what the review was designed to do.

Daines: I appreciate Ambassador Greer’s view that a rubber stamp of the Agreement is not the only way to proceed. There is always room for improvement. That said, any path forward for USMCA should focus on certainty for American producers, manufacturers, and consumers. Chairman Brady,what would potentially ten years of annual revisitations without an extension mean for American stakeholders?

Brady: I think that uncertainty couldn’t come at a worse time, I think would lower the economic value of that agreement, certainly to America.

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Daines, Sheehy Congratulate Katie Lane on Nomination to Serve as Federal Judge for the District of Montana

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy issued the following statement today congratulating Katie Lane on her nomination by President Trump to serve as United States District Judge for the District of Montana:

“We congratulate Katie Lane on her nomination to serve as the next District Judge for Montana. Katie’s experience as Deputy Solicitor General for the State of Montana and in various courts across America gives her the skills and perspectives to serve Montana as District Judge. We will work diligently with Senate leadership and our colleagues to confirm her nomination.”

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Daines Urges Colleagues To Support His Bill Improving Outdoor Recreation, Access to Montana Public Lands

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today spoke with Jon Raby, the Nevada State Director for the Bureau of Land Management, and Christopher French, Associate Chief of the U.S. Forest Service, in a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing. They discussed his “Montana Sportsmen Conservation Act” to resolve Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs) in Montana, improving access for recreation, wildlife management, and grazing.

Watch the full exchange HERE.

Daines’ opening remarks:

Thank you, Chairman Barrasso and Ranking Member Cortez Masto, for holding this hearing. Included in today’s agenda is one of my bills, the Montana Sportsmen Conservation Act. As a fifth generation Montanan and an avid outdoorsman, I know how important public lands are to Montanans. Local input and the best available science guide land management plan revisions, but unfortunately Congressional inaction has left many areas in Montana in limbo. The original intent of Wilderness Study Areas was for land management agencies to study and make recommendations to Congress whether they an area should be made wilderness or released to regular management. Congress then must act on those recommendations. Montanans are tired of going through the process of studying and providing input on these areas and then not seeing any action or resolution. The consequence of this inaction is unacceptable and I’m determined to fix it. Following a multi-year collaborative process with strong public comment spanning multiple administrations, the three areas in my bill covering just over 100,000 acres have been deemed unsuitable for permanent wilderness: These are the Hoodoo Mountain, Wales Creek, and the Middle Fork Judith Wilderness Study Areas. This bill is supported by both Powell and Judith Basin County Commissions, as well as multiple outdoor recreation, timber, and agricultural groups. I ask unanimous consent to add the 8 letters of support I have received into the record. I’d also like to note that if this bill were to be enacted, the lands included in it, as well as the Forest System as a whole, will continue to enjoy statutory protection from:

NEPA

The Endangered Species Act

The Clean Water Act

Clean Air Act

CERCLA

FLPMA

And a number of other important conservation and land management statutes and policies. The Forest Service, with public input, also develops Forest Management Plans and Travel Analysis Reports. In sum, The Montana Sportsmen Conservation Act does not “strip protections” but instead will improve the ability to restore wildlife habitats, enhance sportsmen opportunities, mitigate wildfire risk, and increase multiple-use opportunity in Montana. Montanans have already waited too long for Congress to act on these WSAs. It’s time to listen to the science, listen to those on the ground, and return these areas to general management. Thank you to our witnesses for their attendance in today’s hearing, I look forward to your testimony.

Daines and Raby discussed the need to unlock WSAs:

Daines: Mr. Raby, when FLPMA was enacted, the BLM was directed to identify lands with wilderness characteristics. Congress has the opportunity to consider adding these lands to the National Wilderness Preservation System. Today, the BLM manages 487 Wilderness Study Areas, totaling about 11.1 million acres. 37 of these are in Montana. Until Congress decides what to do with the WSAs, the BLM continues to manage the area with the study status in limbo indefinitely. Mr. Raby, what are the long-term consequences for recreation, forest management, and even wildfire response of Wilderness Study Areas not getting resolved?

Raby: Wilderness Study designation complicates multiple use management. And so, it inherently limits our ability to carry out hazardous fuels reduction treatments. It can affect forest management activities. It can create limitations on recreation and access. Those in your legislation have never been found suitable for wilderness. And that’s since 1986.

Daines: Do you agree that Congress does need to move forward to finally resolve these 11 million acres currently in limbo to either put them in permanent Wilderness or back to general management?

Raby: Yes.

Daines and French discussed grazing in WSAs:

Daines: Deputy Chief French, the Forest Service determined the Middle Fork Judith Wilderness Study Area was identified as unsuitable for wilderness over thirty years ago and that was reaffirmed again in the fall of 2021 after extensive public engagement. Can you briefly talk about what led to this determination and what public input there was in that process?

French: Our force planning process that look at this a second time, the engagement occurred

over the course of six years, many, many public meetings. I think there were over 100 organizations that commented we had about 1,200 individual comment letters that came in.

Daines: The Forest Service also manages four separate grazing allotments that cover the majority of the WSA. In 2019, the Forest Service reported to the Montana Legislature that there is no mining and vegetative management is minimal, though the Forest Service has recommended, “Nearly 1 million board feet of harvest per year for fuels management and to help maintain early successional habitat for elk.” Can you confirm for the committee that this continues to be the recommendation and that releasing the Middle Fork Judith back to general management will benefit hazardous fuels reduction and wildlife habitat?

French: Yes.

Daines: How does the current designation affect the grazing allotments and what happens if the WSA is returned to general management?

French: It’s being managed as wilderness right now. It changes the way we can access and the way we can do improvements for our permittees that have range allotments in those places. It limits our ability for flexibility for increasing some of those allotments because Wilderness requires to only to allow what’s historically there when it was designated. And it limits our ability for active management in those areas. Even in some places folks not wanting to see prescribed fire, although we can do. All of that is limited by the designation, of which, again, at the request of Congress, to see if we could do, and through a large public process, we determined no, twice.

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Duckworth, Durbin Statement on Trump Administration Terminating Federal Funding for Health Grants in Illinois

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement regarding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) terminating more than half a billion dollars in funding for four Democratic-led states, including Illinois, which is used to prevent deadly disease outbreaks and to keep Americans safe and healthy.

At least $170 million of this funding may be part of the Administration’s cuts for Illinois projects, including funding for the prevention of HIV and other viral diseases; funding to train pediatricians to address food allergies, sepsis, and mental illness in children; and funding to prevent chronic diseases like diabetes.

“Most states, red and blue alike, receive federal funding for many of these subjects, yet only the states that voted against Donald Trump in the 2024 election saw their funding cut. This is disgusting. Americans should not be punished with their health care because of who they voted for—yet our constituents are now at elevated risk of disease because of President Trump’s cuts.

“The vindictiveness of this President knows no bounds. Cutting funding for Americans’ health care does not make America great. It makes us weaker, poorer, and sicker.”

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Duckworth Rips FAA For Failing to Carry Out Safety Measures Before Tragic DCA Collision, Urges Trump Administration to Heed Her Yearslong Calls for Better-Equipped Aviation Workforce

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)—Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Aviation, Space and Innovation—today lambasted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its failure to carry out key safety procedures, maintain crucial inter-agency communications with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and address the air traffic controller (ATC) shortage leading up to the tragic, but preventable, DCA mid-air collision. During today’s hearing with National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy, Duckworth stressed the urgent need for the FAA to heed her yearslong calls to invest in our ATC workforce and equipment and improve inter-agency communication to protect the flying public. Video of Duckworth’s remarks are available on the Senator’s YouTube.

“Many of the NTSB’s findings from the DCA mid-air collision point to issues that have persisted for years, and I’ve been sounding the alarm on them for years,” said Duckworth. “There is an unacceptable culture of complacency at the FAA. The agency’s failure in the face of blaring alarm bells proved that it was a matter of when—not if—one of the near misses at DCA would become a deadly tragedy.”

“We’ve long known about the mounting strain on air traffic controllers, and we must ensure any investment in our ATC system prioritizes its most important asset—its people,” continued Duckworth. “The House needs to pass the ROTOR Act so we can codify the NTSB’s recommendations, but even if that happens, we have much more work to do.”

Duckworth is a leading voice in the push to make our skies safer. For years, she has been sounding the alarm that we must make critical aviation safety investments immediately to prevent all-too-often near-misses from becoming catastrophic tragedies. Two months ago, Duckworth pushed for long-term funding certainty for ATC modernization and impressed upon FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford to invest in both training and equipment upgrades in the modernization project. Last Congress, Duckworth chaired two CST Aviation Subcommittee hearings—one in December 2024 and the other a year prior—to address our aviation industry’s chilling surge in near-deadly close calls and underscore the urgent need to improve air traffic control systems to protect the flying public.

Duckworth helped author the bipartisan FAA reauthorization that was signed into law in 2024 to extend the FAA’s funding and authorities through Fiscal Year 2028. The reauthorization included several of her provisions to safeguard the 1,500-hour rule, improve consumer safety, expand the aviation workforce and enhance protections for travelers with disabilities.

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