King, Colleagues Urge HHS Director Kennedy to Return to Data-Based, Cost-Effective Preventive Health

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) led several of his Senate colleagues in calling for a return to evidence-based, cost-effective preventative health services after a key federal oversight group has been dormant for over a year. In a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the Senators raise concerns that the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has not met for a full year, which is delaying critical decisions that directly affect health outcomes. The scientifically independent volunteer panel is responsible for reviewing evidence in preventive medicine to help guide clinical practice and improve the health of the American people.

More specifically, the USPSTF helps people of all ages stay healthy and live well for years to come, as setting up healthy practices ahead of time often result in longer lives and better outcomes. Its evidence-based recommendations empower patients and their clinicians to make informed choices based on what works—and what doesn’t—in preventive care. The USPSTF systematically reviews the evidence on preventive services to make a conclusion about the benefits and harms of preventive services. Each step of the recommendation development process—from topic nomination to publication of the final recommendation—is transparent.

“Since its inception in 1984, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF or Task Force) has issued nearly 300 evidence-based recommendations across 90 different topics to support preventive care, ensure that health care services are affordable, and help people live longer, healthier lives,” the Senators began. “The independence and scientifically-backed nature of the Task Force is paramount to its operations, and we urge that the future work of USPSTF, including meetings, agendas, appointments of new Task Force members, and revisions of recommendations, continues to adhere to principles of independence and scientific rigor.”

The Senators continued, “As a result of Task Force recommendations, preventive health services are accessible for all Americans and save lives through screenings for heart disease, screenings for breast, colorectal, cervical, and lung cancer, folic acid supplements forpregnant women to prevent birth defects, behavioral counseling, prevention of maternal depression, childhood vision screenings, adult diabetes screenings, and many more.”

“Preventive services can help people avoid acute illness, identify and treat chronic conditions, prevent cancer as well as lead to earlier detection, improve health outcomes, and reduce the burden of end-stage chronic disease. To that end, we look forward to hearing from you in response to these questions, and urge that the administration prioritize resuming the cost- and life-saving work of the Task Force,” the Senators concluded.

This letter to USPSTF builds on earlier efforts by Senator King to support USPSTF, including introducing the a Senate Resolution affirming support for the Task Force. Known as the ‘Prevention Senator,’ Senator King has also long worked on policy solutions that keep Maine people healthy and lower the costs for patients and providers alike. Last year, he introduced the Preventive Health Savings Act which would instruct the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to fully study the costs and benefits that could be seen with proposed preventive health care legislation. He has previously introduced legislation require private insurance plans to cover three annual primary care visits and three annual outpatient mental health or outpatient substance use disorder treatment visits, without charging a copayment, coinsurance, or deductible-related fee. In doing so, this legislation also would catch smaller, or early health symptoms before they become larger threats requiring more extensive and expensive treatments.

Previously, Senator King also introduced the ‘Stand Strong’ legislative package, which included the Stand Strong Falls Prevention Act that would require the development of a National Falls Prevention Plan, the Preventive Home Visits Act, which would provide Medicare coverage for qualified care providers to assess the safety of seniors’ homes, and the Wellness and Education for Longer Lives (WELL) for Seniors Act, which would improve Medicare’s Annual Wellness Visit to encourage seniors and their physicians to work together and confront health issues before they become more serious.

In addition to King, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D- IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Jackie Rosen (D-NV).

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

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Dear Secretary Kennedy:

Since its inception in 1984, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF or Task Force) has issued nearly 300 evidence-based recommendations across 90 different topics to support preventive care, ensure that health care services are affordable, and help people live longer, healthier lives. Section 2713 of the Public Health Service Act (as added by the Affordable Care Act) mandates thatUSPSTF recommendations that receive an “A” or “B” rating be provided to enrollees at no cost. The USPSTF recommendations impact access and affordability for these life-saving interventions for all Americans. The Task Force has not met for a full year – the first time it’s not met consistently in at least a decade – delaying critical decisions that directly impact the health of Americans. Itshould restart its work immediately and without political interference. The independence and scientifically-backed nature of the Task Force is paramount to its operations, and we urge that the future work of USPSTF, including meetings, agendas, appointments of new Task Force members, and revisions of recommendations, continues to adhere to principles of independence and scientific rigor.

USPSTF is a scientifically independent volunteer panel of national experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine that is established in law. The mission of the Task Force is to systematically review the best available evidence to develop recommended preventive services, such as cancer screenings and more, to help guide clinical practice and improve the health of the American people. The independent and scientifically-backed nature of the Task Force is paramount to its operations, and was recently affirmed by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (P.L. 119-75), which provided over $11.5 million in funding for the Task Force and directed members of the USPSTF to “continue to uphold their mission and commitment to scientific evidence, transparency, and ensuring that Americans have access to affordable preventive health services.”

Based on USPSTF recommendations, insurers must provide coverage without cost-sharing for preventive services that have been proven to prevent disease based on evidence and empirical research. As a result of Task Force recommendations, preventive health services are accessible for all Americans and save lives through screenings for heart disease, screenings for breast, colorectal, cervical,and lung cancer, folic acid supplements for pregnant women to prevent birth defects, behavioral counseling, prevention of maternal depression, childhood vision screenings, adult diabetes screenings, and many more.

USPSTF recommendations have directly impacted millions of Americans, enabling them to have potentially fatal or debilitating conditions diagnosed at much earlier stages, thereby affording them a greater chance of living longer, healthier lives.

The Task Force membership historically has been comprised of experts in clinical medicine, scientific research, and public health. Itsmembers are extensively vetted for conflicts of interest, and their service is completely voluntary and uncompensated. USPSTF’sprocess for developing recommendations and its agenda is transparent to the public and based on high quality, methodologicallysound, scientifically defensible, reproducible, and unbiased scientific evidence that is rooted in a clearcut process laid out in the Task Force’s procedure manual.1 Thus, the Task Force’s recommendations can be considered neutral, unbiased and evidence-based by all stakeholders: policy makers; payers; providers; and most importantly the public.

However, we are particularly troubled by actions that have effectively rendered the Task Force dormant, and brought its life-saving work to a grinding halt. While the procedure manual clearly dictates that it is supposed to meet three times per year,2 the Task Force only met once last year. The July meeting was abruptly cancelled two days before USPSTF was scheduled to meet, and the November meeting was cancelled amidst the government shutdown. And HHS just recently confirmed that the March 2026 meeting has been cancelled.3 Without these meetings, the Task Force cannot vote on or move forward on its work, including recommendations and research plans. CNN has reported that in addition to previous departures due to Reduction in Force and Deferred Resignation Program efforts, much of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) staff that support the Task Force have left in recent weeks, further reducing the ability of the Task Force to function.4 As noted in the procedure manual, USPSTF meetings are used for formal votes for procedural and methodological decisions, for draft and final recommendations, and to reconsider the grade of previously voted recommendations.5 As the work of the Task Force languishes absent meetings, we are extremely concerned that the Administration is allowing the incredibly important work of USPSTF to stagnate.

Additionally, the terms of five of the sixteen Task Force members expired in December without any indication from the Department about the process to extend appointments or replace the members. Going back to at least 2002, HHS under Democrats and Republicans(including under President Trump’s first term6) has consistently used either the Federal Register or the Task Force’s website to announce and solicit requests for nominations.7

However, previous reporting from the Wall Street Journal suggests that you may look to remove the entirety of the Task Force.8 While the Supreme Court affirmed the Secretary’s authority to appoint and remove Task Force members at will in Kennedy v. BraidwoodManagement, Inc., we are concerned that you may appoint unqualified members to the Task Force, as you have done with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Doing so could undermine longstanding preventive health coverage policies, totally abandon any sense of continuity or institutional memory on the Task Force, and could directly harm patients by limiting access to cost- and life-saving preventive services.

Following the repeated cancellation of meetings and with a diminished workforce for USPSTF, we are deeply concerned that the work of the Task Force will be irreparably hindered—jeopardizing critical access to new or updated preventive interventions, services, and guidance, and potentially leading to worse health outcomes for the American people. In addition to an inability to finalizerecommendations and research plans that are languishing, the Task Force has failed to submit an annual report to Congress for the first time since it was statutorily required to.9 While the Department must now implement minimum staffing levels as a result of the Fiscal Year 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill,10 previous staffing cuts to AHRQ undoubtedly curtailed USPSTF’s work in 2025. Together, these developments leave us extremely worried about the work of the Task Force going forward.

Given the diminished activities last year, potential for detrimental upheaval within the Task Force, and possibility that USPSTF may no longer be guided by integrity, independence, scientifically-backed processes, or evidence-based recommendations, we requestanswers to the following questions by April 15, 2026:

1. As required by the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 299b-4(2)(F)), the Task Force is required to submit an annual report to Congress identifying gaps in research, such as preventive services that receive an insufficient evidence statement, and recommending priority areas that deserve further examination, including areas related to populations and age groups not adequately addressed by current recommendations.

When does the Department and the Task Force plan to release the 2025 statutorily required annual report?

With two-thirds of the Task Force meetings cancelled and AHRQ’s staff cut significantly last year, what components ofHHS were involved in developing the annual report?

i. Were experts on clinical medicine, scientific research, and public health involved?

2. The Task Force’s authorizing statute stipulates that the AHRQ Director shall convene an independent Task Force to be composed of individuals with appropriate expertise.

The Task Force has not met since March of last year, and the July and November meetings were not rescheduled. Please share the justification for the cancellation of the March 2026 meeting, and when the Task Force will next meet.

The Task Force has had five vacancies since December 2025. Will the Task Force or Department solicit through the Federal Register or Task Force website a request for nominations? If so, when will that process begin? If not, will the process otherwise provide opportunity for public review and input?

Unless it is already underway, when new potential Task Force members are undergoing vetting, will their qualificationsbe transparently judged on previous metrics and relevant expertise?

3. As stipulated within the authorizing statute, the Task Force shall review the scientific evidence related to the effectiveness, appropriateness, and cost-effectiveness of clinical preventive services for the purpose of developing recommendations for the health care community, and updating previous clinical preventive recommendations, forindividuals and organizations delivering clinical services.

In making changes for vaccine coverage, you and your hand-picked ACIP have baselessly and without evidence madechanges to vaccine schedules including for SARS-CoV-2 and the Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule, resulting in professional societies making their own declarations for appropriate vaccine schedules and policies. A preliminary ruling in American Academy of Pediatrics v. Kennedy found that your previous efforts to dismantle ACIP and make changes to the childhood vaccine schedule were likely illegal.

i. How will the Task Force make recommendations going forward?

ii. When, if not now, will the Task Force or HHS determine whether to re-examine existing evidence-based recommendations?

iii. Will USPSTF continue to rely on the processes and guidelines laid out and prescribed under the Task Force’s procedures manual?

iv. If there are changes to the procedures manual processes, will you look to maintain transparency, scientificrigor, and independence of the process by requesting public input for any process changes?

4. On President Trump’s first day in office, he issued a number of Executive Orders including an Executive Order on Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing. This has led to the cancellation of grantsand programs across HHS related to gender- and racial-based work.

Many USPSTF recommendations incorporate age-, gender-, or race-specific guidance because the evidence and data clearly demonstrate that there are risks for these specific populations, and that targeted interventions can preventdisease. Of note, recommendations that incorporate factors such as age, gender, race etc. do not do so as a matter of “DEI”, but rather because the scientific evidence suggests that certain populations are at greater risk for the disease of concern. Population-based recommendations allow policymakers, payers and providers to target screening interventions in the most cost-effective manner possible. Will there be changes to these existing recommendations to align with the President’s Executive Orders on DEI?

Will the Task Force continue to make recommendations based on the evidence and data, even when the evidence anddata require those recommendations to be age-, gender-, or race-specific?

We are concerned that the Task Force, under your guidance, may re-examine recommendations for the prescribing ofpreexposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Please share if you plan to direct them to do so.

You have said you aim to “Make America Healthy Again” by addressing chronic disease; however, you are not prioritizing themaintenance, support, and continuation of the USPSTF. As you know, the most common causes of chronic disease in the United States include tobacco use, obesity, high blood sugar, hypertension, and high cholesterol, and the Task Force has made recommendations regarding prevention of all of those causes for both children and adults.

Preventive services can help people avoid acute illness, identify and treat chronic conditions, prevent cancer as well as lead to earlier detection, improve health outcomes, and reduce the burden of end-stage chronic disease. To that end, we look forward to hearing from you in response to these questions, and urge that the administration prioritize resuming the cost- and life-saving work of the Task Force.

Sincerely,

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King, Ricketts Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Provide Mental Health Services to Incarcerated Veterans

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and U.S. Representatives Herb Conaway, MD (D-NJ) and Morgan Luttrell (R-TX) are introducing bicameral, bipartisan legislation to support mental health services for incarcerated veterans. The Get Justice-Involved Veterans Behavioral Assistance and Care for Key Health Outcomes to Maintain Empowerment (BACK HOME) Act would create a pilot program to allow the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) to provide mental health services to incarcerated veterans, with a priority given to providing services to veterans with a service-connected disability for post-traumatic stress injuries (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), or military sexual trauma (MST).

Currently, the VA is prohibited from providing hospital or inpatient care to veterans who are patients or inmates in an institution of another government agency with a duty to provide care or services, such as prisons. Additionally, veterans who are convicted of a felony and sentenced to more than 60 days have their disability compensation payments reduced during their imprisonment. The Get Justice-Involved Veterans BACK HOME Act would create a pilot program that allows the VA to provide mental health services to incarcerated veterans, with a priority to those with a service-connected disability for PTSD, TBI, or MST. The bill also encourages prison facilities to establish dedicated veteran housing units, where possible, to provide an environment more conducive to the discipline, structure, and order familiar to veterans and facilitate more effective treatment, peer support, and rehabilitative efforts.

“Too many of our veterans carry invisible wounds from their service, and far too often those wounds go untreated—especially for those who become incarcerated,” said Senator King. “The Get Justice-Involved Veterans BACK HOME Act meets veterans where they are and ensures they receive the care they’ve earned. Expanding mental health services to incarcerated veterans helps give individuals a better path toward stability and rehabilitation.”

“Our veterans deserve our utmost respect and gratitude,” said Senator Ricketts. “We owe them real support. That means confronting PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and substance abuse head-on before those invisible wounds lead to bigger challenges. The Get Justice-Involved Veterans BACK HOME Act supports incarcerated veterans by providing sustainable access to mental health services and a guarantee of resumption of benefits upon their release. Our veterans fought for us. I will keep fighting for them.”

"Every veteran makes a sacred commitment to this nation, and we have a duty to stand by them, no matter where life takes them after their service," said Representative Luttrell. "PTSD, TBI, and the invisible wounds of war don't disappear in difficult circumstances, and neither should our commitment to those who've worn the uniform. That means confronting these challenges head-on and making sure these men and women have a real shot to rebuild their lives and successfully reintegrate into the communities they once swore to defend."

“Service to our country does not end at incarceration, and neither should our commitment to care,” said Congressman Conaway. “As a physician, I’ve seen how untreated conditions like PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and military sexual trauma can shape the course of a veteran’s life. The Get Justice Involved Vets BACK HOME Act is about closing a dangerous gap in care by ensuring that justice-involved veterans can still access the mental health services they need to heal, rebuild, and successfully reenter their communities. If we are serious about honoring their service, we must also be serious about meeting them with dignity, treatment, and a real pathway forward.”

As of 2023, there were an estimated 15.8 million veterans in the United States, with about 200,000 additional servicemembers transitioning to civilian life each year. In 2016, it was estimated that 107,400 veterans were serving time in state or federal prison. Combat exposure and associated mental and physical health problems, including PTSD, traumatic brain injuries (TBI), mood disorders, and substances use disorders, are associated with a greater likelihood of involvement with the criminal justice system amongst veterans. Some studies have suggested that veterans with PTSD are 61% more likely to be involved with the criminal justice system than those without PTSD, and 59% more likely to be arrested for violent offenses.

The legislation is supported by the Maine Department of Corrections Commissioner, the American Legion, Vietnam Veterans of America, the American Correctional Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Psychiatric Association.

“As a retired U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major, who served in Fallujah, I have seen firsthand the psychological impact of war,” said Maine Department of Corrections Commissioner Randy Liberty. “While serving as Sheriff of Kennebec County, as Warden of the Maine State Prison, and now as the Commissioner of the Maine Department of Corrections, I have witnessed many incarcerated Veterans who required mental health treatment related to their service, that was unavailable. This legislation will provide critical services by the Veterans Administration that the Veterans have earned, allowing them successful reentry back into the community.”

"On behalf of our 1.5 million members, The American Legion applauds Senator King’s leadership on the Get Justice Involved Vets BACK HOME Act,” said American Legion Executive Director Mario Marquez. “Post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries, and military sexual trauma are often significant factors for veterans who become involved in the criminal justice system. Ensuring these veterans have access to qualified clinicians who are equipped to address their unique needs is essential to facilitate successful re-entry in society."

"Vietnam Veterans of America salutes Senator King for his efforts in advancing the 'Get Justice Involved Veterans BACK HOME Act,'" said Dominick Yezzo, General Counsel at Vietnam Veterans of America. "This congressional mandate provides immediate comprehensive Veterans Administration support to military men and women upon their return to civilian life. VVA thanks Senator King for undertaking our creed-'Never Again will one generation of veterans abandon another.'"

Representing one of the states with the highest rates of military families and veterans per capita, Senator King is a staunch advocate for America’s servicemembers and veterans. In March, Senator King was honored by The American Legion with its 2026 Distinguished Public Service Award. Last year, Senator King was honored by the Disabled American Veterans as its 2025 Legislator of the Year. He was also recognized by the Wounded Warrior Project as the 2024 Legislator of the Year for his “outstanding legislative effort and achievement to improve the lives of the wounded, ill, and injured veterans.”

On the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC), he works to ensure American veterans receive their earned benefits and that the VA is properly implementing various programs. Earlier this year, he introduced the TAP Promotion Act which would allow accredited representatives from Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs), or other organizations, to participate in Transition Assistance Program (TAP) classes to help transitioning servicemembers file Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) claims. Additionally, he introduced the Ensuring Benefits for Disabled Veterans Act, which would address an unfair rule in federal law that creates unnecessary delays when veterans with service-connected disabilities attempt to access earned education and employment benefits.

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Lankford, Cassidy, Colleagues Launch Investigation into Abortion Drug Manufacturers, Urge FDA to Crack Down on Illegal Online Sellers

WASHINGTON, DC — US Senators James Lankford (R-OK), Chair of the Senate Values Action Team, Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Steve Daines (R-MT), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) began an investigation into chemical abortion drug manufacturer compliance with US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-mandated safeguards associated with marketing their drugs. The senators also urged the FDA to leverage its authorities to combat the illegal sale of unapproved and misbranded chemical abortion drugs into the US by online entities.

“Chemical abortion drugs are being sold online with little oversight, putting women at risk and ending innocent lives,” said Lankford. “The FDA must enforce the law, hold manufacturers accountable and crack down on illegal distribution. Basic safeguards exist for a reason and should be reinstated.”

“Chemical abortion drug makers profit off killing innocent children while putting mothers’ lives at risk,” said Dr. Cassidy. “These manufacturers and websites have facilitated the explosion in online sales of these harmful drugs without regard for women’s health and safety while opening the door for coercion and abuse. FDA should act within its existing authorities to curb this abuse and immediately reinstate safeguards such as the in-person dispensing requirement.”

Background

Previous Democrat administrations recklessly removed the Mifepristone Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) Program requirements for reporting non-fatal adverse events and in-person dispensing to receive the chemical abortion drugs, among other important safeguards. Ending these requirements has led to horrific instances of coerced abortions and serious adverse events going untreated and undetected.

Despite these dangers, it is unclear how the three FDA-approved chemical abortion drug manufacturers, Danco, GenBioPro, and Evita, ensure that prescribers and pharmacies comply with the few remaining REMS requirements, especially when pills are sold online and without the in-person oversight of a medical professional.

Additionally, various types of domestic and international websites appear to illegally sell unapproved and misbranded chemical abortion drugs directly to U.S. consumers, often with no prescription, no medical oversight, and no assurances on whether the drug is actually what the seller claims it is. As it did under the first Trump administration, FDA must use all of the tools at its disposal to protect women and children.

You can read the full letter to Danco HERE.

You can read the full letter to GenBioPro HERE.

You can read the full letter to Evita HERE.

You can read the full letter to FDA HERE.

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ICYMI: Graham Introduces Sheria Clarke, Nominee to be a U.S. District Court Judge for South Carolina

WASHINGTON – During today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) introduced Sheria Clarke, President Trump’s nominee to be a U.S. District Court Judge for the District of South Carolina. Ms. Clarke currently practices law in Greenville, South Carolina, and holds years of high-level experience in the legal profession. As demonstrated by her testimony, Clarke has dedicated her professional career to defending the rule of law and commands an extraordinary understanding of our nation’s constitutional order.

Throughout President Trump’s first term, Senator Graham worked with him to confirm a record number of federal judges who have upheld the original meaning of the Constitution and our nation’s laws. Graham’s backing of Clarke exemplifies his continued commitment to help President Trump place qualified conservatives on the federal bench for life.

In his introduction, Senator Graham highlighted Ms. Clarke’s professional achievements as well as her impeccable character. Among her many accomplishments include working under former U.S. Congressman Trey Gowdy (R-South Carolina) and serving as a federal prosecutor in South Carolina.

GRAHAM: “[Sheria Clarke] served for a decade on Capitol Hill, first as Counsel [for the] House Ethics Committee – which you probably learned a lot about bipartisanship there. And then as Counsel [on] the Select Committee on Benghazi before returning to the Ethics Committee, and that’s where [she] met Trey [Gowdy].” https://youtu.be/7u9BTz_pTrg?si=eU1tvaWDhFPolav4&t=32

GRAHAM: “She has served as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina where she handled both civil and criminal cases. She is currently a partner at Nelson Mullins, which is one of the bigger, more prestigious firms in the state.” https://youtu.be/7u9BTz_pTrg?si=fDp3HSc_SrOgk15S&t=56

GRAHAM: “She’s been described by her colleagues as someone who’s highly intelligent, even-keeled and humble.… I believe, of all the people we could have picked to serve [as a] federal district judge in South Carolina, we could not have done better than you.” https://youtu.be/7u9BTz_pTrg?si=5KnYQ90LewLGsCq1&t=74

GRAHAM: “[To Ms. Clarke:] You [have] absolutely lived a stellar life. You deserve this nomination, and the people of South Carolina would benefit from your ability to be a fair-minded judge if you get on that court.” https://youtu.be/7u9BTz_pTrg?si=zzKamMmVk1IU5pgg&t=115

Click here to watch Graham’s introduction

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Click play to view the video or follow this link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u9BTz_pTrg&t=5s


Chairman Graham Statement on Second Reconciliation Bill

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, today made this statement in consultation with the White House regarding a second reconciliation bill.

“After consulting with President Trump and his team and Leader Thune, the Senate Budget Committee will expeditiously move toward creating a second budget reconciliation bill.

“The number one priority of the federal government has always been keeping our homeland safe and keeping our enemies at bay over there so they can't hit us here. While federal law enforcement spending represents about only one percent of the federal budget, what these men and women can accomplish with it is incredible.

“The purpose of the second reconciliation bill is to make sure there is adequate funding to secure our homeland and to support our men and women in the military who are fighting so bravely. More funding will mean they can complete the task assigned and keep America safe – which is money well spent. During President Trump’s second term, the murder rate marked the largest single-year drop in recorded history and illegal border crossings are at the lowest level since the 1970’s. Imagine what will happen when we fully invest in President Trump’s public safety mission. I also think we have many opportunities to improve voter integrity through reconciliation.

“President Trump and Leader Thune are right to push for a second reconciliation bill to address the threats we face and keep our elections secure and fair.

“I, along with the great members of the Senate Budget Committee, intend to deliver.”

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Senate Republicans Block Legislation to Pay TSA for 9th Time

Senate Republicans have now blocked TSA pay 9 times & blocked bills to fund TSA, FEMA, CISA, & Coast Guard 12 times in total

Washington, D.C. — Senate Republicans have now blocked pay for TSA workers 9 times and blocked bills to fund TSA, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Coast Guard 12 times in total.

“TSA officers shouldn’t miss paychecks, and Americans’ safety shouldn’t be collateral damage in a political standoff that Republicans created,” said Senator Luján. “TSA agents are working around the clock to make our country safer, yet aren’t being paid because Republicans have blocked their pay nine times. Instead of punishing travelers and hardworking public servants, this administration should get serious about negotiating a DHS funding bill that pays TSA officers and reins in ICE and Border Patrol.”

Senate Republicans continue to block bills to pay TSA agents and to fund other important parts of DHS—like FEMA, CISA, and the Coast Guard:

On Thursday, March 5, Senate Republicans:

Blocked a bill offered by Senator Murray to fund all of DHS except for ICE, CBP, and the DHS Secretary’s office while negotiations on ICE and Border Patrol continue.

Senator Murray sought unanimous consent to pass the bill. But Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) blocked the bill.

On Wednesday, March 11, Senate Republicans:

Blocked Senator Murray’s bill to fund all of DHS except for ICE, CBP, and the DHS Secretary’s office while talks continue.

Senator Murray sought unanimous consent to pass the bill. But Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) blocked the bill.

On Thursday, March 12, Senate Republicans:

Blocked a bill offered by Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) to pay TSA workers while broader negotiations continue.

Senator Rosen sought unanimous consent to pass the legislation. But Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH) blocked the bill.

Blocked a bill offered by Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) to fund CISA while broader negotiations continue.

Senator Kim sought unanimous consent to pass the bill. But Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) blocked the bill.

Blocked a bill offered by Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) to ensure members of the Coast Guard are paid while broader negotiations continue.

Senator Murphy sought unanimous consent to pass the bill. But Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) blocked the bill.

Blocked a bill offered by Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) to fund FEMA while broader negotiations continue.

Senators Padilla and Schiff sought unanimous consent to pass the bill. But Senator James Lankford (R-OK) blocked the bill.

On Wednesday, March 18, Senate Republicans:

Blocked a bill offered by Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) to pay TSA workers while broader negotiations continue.

Senator Warnock sought unanimous consent to pass the legislation. But Senator James Lankford (R-OK) blocked the bill.

On Thursday, March 19, Senate Republicans:

Blocked a bill offered by Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) to pay TSA workers while broader negotiations continue.

Senator Slotkin sought unanimous consent to pass the legislation. But Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH) blocked the bill.

Blocked a bill offered by Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) to fund all of DHS except for ICE, CBP, and the DHS Secretary’s office while talks continue.

Senator Schatz sought unanimous consent to pass the bill. But Senator James Lankford (R-OK) blocked the bill.

On Saturday, March 21, Senate Republicans:

Voted against straightforward legislation to pay TSA workers while broader negotiations continue.

Every Senate Republican present (49 in total) voted against the bill. Every Democrat present voted for it.

On Monday, March 23, Senate Republicans:

Blocked a bill offered by Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) to pay TSA workers while broader negotiations continue.

Senator Rosen sought unanimous consent to pass the legislation. But Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) blocked the bill.

Yesterday, March 24, Senate Republicans:

Blocked Democrats’ attempt to call up and vote on a proposal to pay TSA workers while broader negotiations continue.

Every Senate Republican voted to table the motion. Every Democrat voted against tabling the motion in order to force a vote on the proposal.

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Markey Introduces Legislation to Protect Children from Privacy and Safety Risks Posed by AI Chatbots

Bill Text (PDF) | One-Pager (PDF)

Washington (March 25, 2026) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today introduced the Youth AI Privacy Act, legislation that would require artificial intelligence (AI) companies to implement privacy safeguards in their AI chatbots. In 2025, approximately two-thirds of teenagers reported using AI chatbots, and roughly a quarter reported using them daily. In a couple tragic cases, a teenager died by suicide after encouragement or advice from an AI chatbot.

“AI chatbots pose grave new risks to kids’ privacy and safety, but Big Tech continues to speak only one language: profit,” said Senator Markey. “My bill stops AI companies from using manipulative tricks to keep kids hooked on chatbots, and it imposes critical privacy protections to stop Big Tech from profiting off our young people. Right now, these chatbots can collect a kid’s deepest thoughts, feelings, and fears, and then use that information to keep them coming back. You wouldn’t let a stranger do that to your child. A chatbot shouldn’t get to either. My Youth AI Privacy Act will stop this exploitative behavior and protect children from the growing dangers of AI chatbots.”

Emerging evidence clearly suggests that minors are especially vulnerable to the harms of AI chatbots, particularly as companies introduce increasingly manipulative design features and rely on large amounts of children’s personal data. The Youth AI Privacy Act would set new privacy standards for these systems, curb the business incentives that drive harmful design choices, and address the ways Big Tech has engineered chatbots to encourage compulsive use among young people.

The Youth AI Privacy Act would establish:

Safe Design Features

Disclosure Requirements: AI chatbots must provide clear, repeated notices to minors that the AI chatbot is not a human.

Memory Restrictions: AI chatbots may only use recently collected data in personalizing responses to a minor. AI chatbots may not use any other data in delivering a response to the minor.

Addictive Features Limitations: AI chatbots cannot include any features that encourage minors’ usage of, or time spent on, the AI chatbot, such as push alerts.

Privacy Safeguards

Advertising Ban: AI chatbots cannot display advertisements to minors.

Prohibition on Training Models on Minors’ Personal Data: AI chatbot companies cannot use minors’ personal data to train an AI chatbot.

Profiling: AI chatbots cannot use minors’ personal data to profile a user.

Prohibition on Repurposing Minors’ Inputs: Companies cannot use minors’ AI chatbot inputs for any reason except to provide an output to the minor or to address safety issues in the AI chatbot.

Enforcement: The Federal Trade Commission, state attorneys general, and private plaintiffs are authorized to enforce the legislation.

Senator Markey continues to demand transparency from AI companies about their deployment of AI chatbots. Most recently in January, Senator Markey wrote to seven major tech companies—OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Snap Inc., and xAI—urging details on how the companies will protect their users from manipulation and exploitation if the companies plan to integrate advertising into their AI chatbots.

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Markey Statement on Social Media Addiction Trial Verdict

Washington (March 25, 2026) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, released the following statement today after Meta and Google were found liable in a social media addiction lawsuit.

“Big Tech’s Big Tobacco moment has arrived. Today’s verdict against Meta and Google is a historic moment for protecting young people online. Big Tech is finally facing the consequences for its actions. I commend the courageous kids and families who are pursuing these cases and fighting to hold Big Tech accountable. But we cannot rely on the courthouse alone – Congress must do its part to impose real guardrails on these platforms. It’s time for the House of Representatives to show courage itself and pass my COPPA 2.0 legislation – which passed the Senate unanimously – into law,” said Senator Markey.

Senator Markey’s Children and Teens’ Online Privacy and Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) legislation, which would update online data privacy rules for the 21st century and ensure children and teenagers are protected online, passed through the Senate unanimously earlier in March. Senator Markey is the original House author of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), passed in 1998.

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Senators Markey, Merkley Reintroduce Legislation to Restrict Saudi Access to Nuclear Weapons Technologies

Bill Text (PDF)

Washington (March 25, 2026) - Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), co-chairs of the bicameral Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group, today reintroduced the No Nuclear Weapons for Saudi Arabia Act, legislation that would mandate that any nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia can go into effect only if it receives the affirmative vote of Congress. Congressman Brad Sherman (CA-32) leads the legislation in the House of Representatives. Senator Markey first introduced this legislation in 2019 with then-Senator Marco Rubio.

Since the start of his second term, Trump has launched two illegal attacks against Iran in part to prevent Tehran from enriching uranium. Ironically, the administration is now planning to allow Saudi Arabia to gain access to that same technology, even though the Saudi regime has openly coveted nuclear weapons. This will only increase the risk of an arms race in the Middle East.

“Trump and Secretary Rubio are not only reckless, they are hypocrites. They are allowing Saudi Arabia, a belligerent and authoritarian nation, to develop nuclear weapons technologies while starting a war with Iran under the guise of preventing an Iranian nuclear bomb,” said Senator Markey. “Let us be clear: allowing Saudi Arabia to develop nuclear weapons would be irresponsible and dangerous. We want to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons, not expand it.”

“Trump is moving quickly to sign a deal that provides Saudi Arabia with the capability to pursue a nuclear weapon—a massive mistake,” said Senator Merkley. “Trump launched a war in part to stop the possibility of Iran pursuing a nuclear weapon. Yet Trump's deal would reportedly allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium, reprocess nuclear reactor fuels, and forego inspections at many Saudi nuclear facilities. This is a massive invitation for Saudi Arabia to pursue development of a nuclear weapon. Such nuclear proliferation would damage the security of the United States and the security of nations throughout the region.”

The No Nuclear Weapons for Saudi Arabia Act is cosponsored by Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

On March 18, Senators Markey and Merkley and Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.), along with Representative Joaquin Castro (TX-20), wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding the Trump administration meet the “gold standard” of nuclear non-proliferation protections by denying Saudi Arabia the means to produce weapons-grade uranium and plutonium, materials that could be used in a nuclear bomb.

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Senator Marshall: Agriculture is Such an Important Part of Our Economy

Senator Marshall Joins RFD TV

Washington – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), joined Eliza Petry on RFD TV’s Market Day Report to discuss his work advocating for Kansas farmers and ranchers in Washington, D.C., including his Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, the Homegrown Fertilizers Act, and the USDA’s “Product of the USA” label campaign.

Click HERE or on the image above for Senator Marshall’s full interview.

On the importance of advocating for agriculture in Washington, D.C.:

“Well, Eliza, happy Ag Day, right? I think it’s important that my perspective here is that I’m a fifth-generation farm kid. If you think about any economy, the backbone of any economy has to be agriculture, manufacturing, and mining, so agriculture is such an important part of our economy. And I was just sitting here thinking about this today, when my grandparents were born and took over our family farm, 30% of Americans were farmers, when I was born, it was only 10% of Americans were farmers, and today it’s 2%. So 2% of Americans are farming and feeding not only our country, but the rest of the world. You know, from a policy standpoint, I’m so proud of what we have accomplished. Our Working Family Tax Cuts bill: it doubled the death tax limits, raised the reference prices, provided more money for crop insurance, and protected the 199A pass-through as well. So in a world where inputs are so high, the only way these farms stay alive is good policies in Washington, D.C.”

On the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act:

“Yeah, so my dad’s farm was a dairy. They had, I think, some 45-50 mama Holstein cows that they milked every day. They didn’t take a day off, like most dairies, for over 20 years as well. And even after the economy got so tight that a small dairy couldn’t survive, my grandfather still brought milk to us — whole milk — twice a week. And we would take the cream off the top of it, and we’d put that on our cereal, and of course, my dad would take that cream and put it in his coffee as well. But milk is the most nutritious drink out there, known to humankind. You know water would be right there with it as well, but it’s full of nutrients, full of protein, and it was important to get it back into our school lunches as an item. You know, the kids quit drinking milk when they went to this 1%, 2% skim milk — there’s no taste to it. So we lost a generation of children who didn’t drink any milk, and consequently they’re going to have osteopenia and osteoporosis at a very young age.”

On lowering input prices through the Homegrown Fertilizer Act:

“Yeah, Eliza, so this fertilizer issue I’ve been focused on since I was elected to the Senate. Under the previous administration, we saw fertilizer prices go up 50%. And certainly the wars in Ukraine, as well as Iran, have impacted the prices of fertilizer, remembering that nitrogen-based fertilizers come from natural gas. So one of the bills we just introduced, and I want to give credit to my co-lead, Senator Amy Klobuchar — talk about working across the aisle, this is what people never talk about back home — but Senator Klobuchar has been a great agriculture partner for us on many bills, and this fertilizer bill is one of them. Unfortunately, like many inputs in agriculture, fertilizers are controlled by three or four big, big companies, so we’re trying to promote more competition. We’re going to reward some money to small businesses that want to get into the game of making fertilizer as well. And I would go back to our Working Family Tax Cuts bill, that we are allowing manufacturing, and also some really good tax breaks as well. So again, trying to promote more competition, trying to encourage small businesses to get back in this game of making fertilizers.”

On the USDA’s “Product of the USA” label campaign:

“Yeah, so this is one of the signature bills that we introduced shortly after becoming senators. And I want to give Tucker Stewart credit, who was then my Ag Legislative Director. Tucker is a fourth-generation ranch kid and certainly understands the beef industry. And what we wanted to do is a ‘Product of the USA’ label. Particularly beef, if that head of steer, that heifer was born, raised, and then processed in the U.S., then you could put that label on, ‘Product of the USA.’ So very proud of the USDA for moving forward on this. I hope Congress will codify it as well. And again, it is just so great that we have these multigenerational farm kids, ranch kids from Kansas up here influencing policy. And just encourage your listeners that your children and grandchildren that come up and do an internship with us, or there are internships back in the state as well, that ag policy is important, and that by the way, food security is national security.”

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Senator Marshall: The Democrats Are Paralyzing Our Country

Senator Marshall Joins The Scott Jennings Show

Washington – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), joined The Scott Jennings Show on the Salem News Channel to discuss the Democrats’ backing out of a deal to fund DHS, the consequences of defunding TSA, how Democrats weaponized the government during Operation Arctic Frost, and President Trump’s objectives in Iran.

Click HERE or on the image above for Senator Marshall’s full interview.

On the Democrats’ backing out of a deal to fund DHS:

“Yeah, Scott, well, I would take a double dose of relief factor right now, I really would. You know, it’s pretty much paralyzed the whole country. I mean, we’re not able to work on anything else because of this. You know, the TSA situation, the agents themselves, the officers themselves, their families, are at the end of their ropes. And of course, our constituents out there in four-hour lines, that just doesn’t work. You know, Scott, things don’t make sense to me. I mean, I can’t explain why the Democrats said we’ll fund everything but ICE, we said, ‘Great.’ They’re like the dog that caught the car, and now they’re going to say no. So it’s political, right? It’s a political reason they’re not wanting to do this. They like the issue, they like the DHS being shut down, they like the issues at the airport, the legacy media is covering for them right now, blaming Republicans for it. But we voted five times to fund it, we’re going to vote a sixth time this afternoon and take out the ICE funding like they wanted, and still they won’t take yes for an answer. So frustrated would be an understatement.”

“Yeah, and that’s why a lot of them have quit, a lot of them are looking for other jobs, or they’ve found another job. It’ll take months to recover from this. But again, it’s the why of this — the Democrats want the issue; they waited 30 days for DHS to be shut down before they were even willing to sit down and talk to us. And then on the Senate floor over the weekend, they said, ‘Well, we’ll fund everything but ICE.’ So great, we got the bill together, we worked it out with the President, we’re going to go back and fund ICE — we’ve already funded it, we have two years of more funding already because of our Working Family Tax Cuts bill, and we’ll go back into a reconciliation bill with Republican votes only to fund ICE for the next 10 years. But now they’re backing out of this, and it’ll be interesting to see where they go.”

On Operation Arctic Frost:

“So Arctic Frost was a weaponization of the government by the Biden administration in 2022. This was the Attorney General, this was head of the FBI, they appointed a special counsel, Jack Smith; they actually worked with the post office, they worked with the National Archives, and, of course, our telecommunications company. We found out yesterday that they bugged Susie Wile’s phone call, a privileged phone call with her lawyer. We found out that a fifth of Republican senators had their phone records retrieved and looked at as well. Again, Scott, I just think, you know, Chuck Grassley called it worse than Watergate, and I can’t disagree with him. Watergate was kind of a bottom-up crime, and this is a top — from the very top — multi-agency crime of our constitutional rights is what occurred here. The total weaponization of the government.”

“Well, I think number one, of course, is just full transparency. I think we need to look at every document, every subpoena, every internal memo that was going on, and make sure the American people know exactly what happened. And then accountability, you know, I think FBI Director Patel has already started that accountability process; he disbanded the unit that was in charge of this. But we need to go through the cover-up and figure out who ordered it, how high did it go? You know, think back again to Watergate, that’s something I lived through. But will the national media cover this story and expose this weaponization of government? You know, Scott, one of the things I talk about a lot is projection — what the Democrats accuse Donald Trump of is what they’re doing. You know, they said Donald Trump weaponized government, well, here’s a clear example of them weaponizing government; they’ll say that Donald Trump is a threat to democracy, well, they’re the threat to democracy. But it’s real hard to throw anybody in jail over this. And that’s what people back home would love to see, is, how do we throw people in jail? And I don’t think we ever get to that point. Again, I’m the country doctor, I’m not a lawyer, but I don’t know how we throw anybody in jail over this.”

On the conflict with Iran:

“Well, I think we’re 90% there, Scott. I think that we’ve accomplished 90% of what we set out to do. Remember the President said very clearly — don’t let the legacy media fool you — the President very clearly said the four objectives were to destroy their missiles, their nukes, their navy, as well as their ability to fund and arm terrorists in the future. So I think we’re very much at 90% of those, but the last 10% may be harder than the first 90%. I feel like, regardless of how you felt about getting here, we need to keep our foot on their neck and finish the job. They are a wounded animal; they’re going to do crazy things. Look, I don’t want boots on the ground. I don’t know if you know much about my bio, Scott, but I served in the military, my dad and my brother served, my son is serving, and I hate war. ‘I hate war,’ President Eisenhower said, ‘as only a soldier who lived it can, with all its brutality and futility.’ So I want this war to come to a very quick conclusion, but I also want to make sure that my family and future generations of Americans are safe as well, and I don’t think we’re there yet. If they have a regime change this week, then I think that we’re getting closer to it, but we need to put the pressure on them, and maybe that’s not what America wants to hear. I don’t want boots on the ground; we need to keep the pressure on them until they give up. And right now, I think they’re just lying to us, I think that’s all that’s going on.”

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Baldwin, Merkley, Moore Introduce Legislation to Address Maternal Health Crisis, Expand Access to Care

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-WI-04) introduced the Perinatal Workforce Act, legislation to address the urgent maternal health care crisis in the United States. Specifically, the bill will help grow the perinatal workforce by creating grant programs to increase the number of maternity care providers and workers who provide care during and after pregnancy.

“No mother should have to worry about whether she can find quality care during one of the most important moments of her life. Sadly, the reality is that too many women — especially women of color — face dangerous gaps in maternity care that put their and their babies’ lives at risk,” said Senator Baldwin. “That’s why I am proud to work with my colleagues to help address disparities and ensure that every mother has access to the care and support that she not only needs, but deserves.”

“More than 80 percent of maternal deaths are preventable, so we must make critical interventions to save lives. Our Perinatal Workforce Act helps build the maternal workforce that we need to keep mothers and their babies healthy while meeting their cultural needs and addressing the shortage of perinatal workers. Congress must pass the Perinatal Workforce Act as well as the other bills in the Momnibus, as they are critical first steps in addressing the maternal health crisis,” said Congresswoman Moore.

“It is disturbing and unacceptable that Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native women are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women—a glaring sign that the inequities in our health care system are costing lives and hitting communities of color the hardest,” said Senator Merkley. “We must do everything we can—including supporting more diversity and representation within our perinatal workforce—to fix this and ensure that every person in America receives high-quality maternity care.”

The U.S. has the worst maternal health outcomes and maternal health disparities of any high-income country and it’s rapidly getting worse. One driving force of the U.S. maternal health crisis is a lack of access to maternity care, and to culturally congruent maternity care and support specifically. More than 1,100 American counties are “maternity care deserts,” with no hospitals offering obstetric care and zero obstetric providers, and more than 2.3 million women of childbearing age live in maternity care deserts.

Women in maternity care deserts are more likely to have asthma and hypertension than women in counties with full access to maternity care, putting them at greater risk for pregnancy complications and pregnancy-related death. Research shows a wide range of community-based approaches could improve maternal health outcomes and patients’ experiences, including efforts to ensure that providers are better trained to address racism and work to build a more diverse health care workforce.

The Perinatal Workforce Act will:

Require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to (1) provide guidance to states on the promotion of racially, ethnically, and professionally diverse maternity care teams and (2) to study how culturally congruent maternity care promotes better outcomes for moms, especially in communities of color.

Provide funding to establish and scale programs that will grow and diversify the maternal health clinical and non-clinical workforce, increasing the number of nurses, midwives, physician assistants, doulas, and other perinatal health workers who moms can trust throughout their pregnancies, labor and delivery, and the postpartum period.

Study the barriers that prevent women – particularly from underserved communities – from entering maternity care professions and receiving equitable compensation.

The Perinatal Workforce Act is supported by a number of Wisconsin organizations, including Planned Parenthood Wisconsin, Wisconsin Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, United Way of Dane County, Children’s Wisconsin, Kids Forward, The Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness, African American Breastfeeding Network, Black Child Development Institute, Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC), Wisconsin Doulas of Color Collective Inc., State Senator Dora Drake, State Rep. Robyn Vining, and Wisconsin DHS Secretary Kirsten Johnson.

“As a mom and fierce advocate for maternal healthcare access in Wisconsin, I am proud to again support the Perinatal Workforce Act! Every pregnant person deserves affordable, accessible healthcare, and through legislation like the Perinatal Workforce Act, we can take critical steps to address maternal health, and the racial disparities in maternal healthcare. I want to extend my gratitude to Senator Baldwin and Congresswoman Moore for their work on this legislation,” said Wisconsin State Representative Robyn Vining.

“The Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness proudly supports the reintroduction of the Perinatal Workforce Act. At a time when maternal health providers are declining in many parts of the country and maternity care deserts continue to expand, investing in a diverse perinatal workforce has never been more urgent. Expanding support for midwives, nurses, physicians, doulas, and community health workers who provide culturally congruent care will help ensure that mothers and babies receive the care and advocacy they deserve throughout pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. For Black families, who continue to experience the most severe maternal and infant health disparities in the nation, these investments are not optional—they are lifesaving. The Perinatal Workforce Act represents a smart, evidence-based pathway to strengthen care teams, improve birth outcomes, and move our nation closer to true maternal health equity,” said Lisa M. Peyton, CEO & President of The Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness.

“The Perinatal Workforce Act represents a vital step toward ensuring that every family has the support they need from pregnancy through postpartum. By expanding and diversifying the perinatal care workforce, we are not only addressing the maternal health crisis but also building a foundation for healthier communities. This legislation recognizes that culturally competent care saves lives and strengthens families, and I join Senator Baldwin and Congresswoman Moore in urging Congress to pass this critical bill without delay,” said Wisconsin State Senator Dora Drake, Chair of the Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus.

“Making sure all moms receive respectful and culturally congruent care leads to healthy pregnancies, positive birth experiences, and a strong start for their babies. I commend Senator Baldwin and Representative Moore for introducing the Perinatal Workforce Act to grow and diversify this vital workforce and to improve maternal health outcomes in Wisconsin and across the country,” said Wisconsin DHS Secretary Kirsten Johnson.

A one-pager on the bill is available here. Full text of the bill is available here.

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Bynum, Wyden, and Merkley Celebrate Over $4 Million in Federal Funding for Two Oregon Airports

Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (OR-05), along with U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), announced over $4 million in federal funding for the Redmond and Albany Municipal Airports. This funding will be used for rebuilding essential infrastructure at both airports to meet increasing passenger demand.

“Federal investments like this are vital to keeping Oregon’s communities connected and our economy moving,” said Rep. Bynum.“ This funding will expand travel access, boost local businesses, and strengthen our region’s ability to compete and grow. I will continue fighting to ensure our airports have the resources to thrive and better serve Oregonians.”

“Oregonians rely on federal investments like these to support small businesses, emergency responses, and safe travel in communities across our state,” said Sen.Wyden. “I’ll keep battling for continued federal support for all airports in Oregon to keep our state’s residents and products moving smoothly and securely from point A to point B.”

“Our regional airports are vital hubs for Oregonians, supporting local businesses and providing essential lifelines during natural disasters,” said Sen. Merkley. “Investing in critical airport improvements such as terminals and runways strengthens infrastructure across Central Oregon. I’ll keep fighting to secure critical federal funds for improving the efficiency and reliability of Oregon’s airports, benefitting the folks who rely on them for business, travel, and so much more.”

Rep. Bynum has consistently fought for improvements to airports in Oregon. In June 2025, she announced $9.7 million for rural airports across Oregon.


Merkley Announces Additional Oregon Town Halls April 2-4

Senator holding seven in-person conversations in Gilliam, Sherman, Klamath, Lake, Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties

Bend, OR. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley announced today he will hold seven in-person town halls for Oregonians in Gilliam, Sherman, Klamath, Lake, Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties between Thursday, April 2 and Saturday, April 4. These events follow previously announced town halls between Monday, March 30 and Wednesday, April 1.

“I’m looking forward to again visiting wonderful communities all over our state. By talking directly to folks in each county my team and I can go to work for the interests and needs most important in each corner of our state,” Merkley said.

Since taking office in 2009, Senator Merkley has kept his promise to hold an open town hall for each of Oregon’s 36 counties every year – more than 630 to date.

Upcoming town hall conversations are as follows, with additional details to be sent to local media ahead of each event.

Thursday, April 2

Gilliam County Town Hall

Time: 2:45 pm PT

Location: Gronquist Building

1650 Railroad Ave. Arlington, OR 97812

Sherman County Town Hall

Time: 5:00 pm PT

Location: Rufus Community Center

304 W. Second St. Rufus, Oregon

Friday, April 3

Klamath County Town Hall

Time: 2:30 pm PT

Location: OIT, College Union Building

3201 Campus Dr, Klamath Falls, OR 97601

(Park in Parking Lot B and follow signage to College Union)

Lake County Town Hall

Time: 6:30 pm PT

Location: Lake County Courthouse

513 Center St, Lakeview, OR 97630

Saturday, April 4

Deschutes County Town Hall

Time: 11:00 am PT

Location: Sisters High School

1700 W McKinney Butte Rd, Sisters, OR 97759

Crook County Town Hall

Time: 2:00 pm PT

Location: Barnes Butte Elementary School

1875 NE Ironhorse Dr, Prineville, OR 97754

Jefferson County Town Hall

Time: 5:00 pm PT

Location: Madras Performing Arts Center

412 SE Buff St, Madras, OR 97741

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Merkley Joins Push to Ban Private Equity from Owning Nursing Homes and Hospitals

Washington, D.C. — Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley put his support behind the Take Back Our Hospitals Act, a bill to effectively ban private equity ownership of hospitals and nursing homes by making them ineligible to receive Medicare funding.

More than 400 hospitals and nursing homes are currently owned and operated by private equity firms, despite overwhelming research revealing disastrous outcomes for patients and workers. After private equity takeovers, hospitals and nursing homes routinely slash services, staffing, and supplies, and upcharge patients while degrading the quality of care. Patients in private equity-owned hospitals are more likely to experience infections and complications, while elderly patients living in nursing homes owned by private equity face an 11% higher mortality rate. Private equity firms follow a ‘buy, strip, flip’ playbook to reap short-term profits, and sell off what’s left, leaving patients and entire communities to deal with the life-or-death consequences.

As health care cuts from Trump and Republicans’ ‘Big, Ugly Betrayal’ law continue to cause hospital, nursing home, and health care facility closures nationwide—totaling over 750 closures to date—private equity positions itself to take over financially distressed providers throughout the country. The Take Back Our Hospitals Act would ensure private equity cannot wreak further havoc on patients and communities already reeling from the Trump Administration’s health care catastrophe.

“Sick patients should never be used to turn healthy profits. But that’s exactly what is happening in Oregon and across the nation as greedy corporate executives turn hospitals and nursing homes into profit centers,” said Merkley. “We must crack down on private equity, whose greed is destroying our health care system for executives’ and shareholders’ profit, while patients are stuck footing the bill.”

According to the Private Equity Risk Index, 3.4% of hospitals in Oregon are controlled by private equity, and 0.8% of nursing homes in Oregon are controlled by private equity. In addition, Oregon has a health risk score of 67 out of 100, which is considered high risk, and makes Oregon the seventh riskiest state in terms of health risk and private equity.

Merkley has long warned about the corporate takeover of health care. Earlier this Congress, he introduced new legislation to tackle corporate greed in health care—the Patients Over Profits Act—to crack down on health insurers and their subsidiaries who are buying up clinics and physician practices—a trend that reduces competition, drives up costs, and limits patient choice.

The Take Back Our Hospitals Act was led by U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and U.S. Representative Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05).

Full text of the bill can be found by clicking here.

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Senators Markey, Merkley Reintroduce Legislation to Restrict Saudi Access to Nuclear Weapons Technologies

Bill Text (PDF)

Washington (March 25, 2026) – Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), co-chairs of the bicameral Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group, today reintroduced the No Nuclear Weapons for Saudi Arabia Act, legislation that would mandate that any nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia can go into effect only if it receives the affirmative vote of Congress. Congressman Brad Sherman (CA-32) leads the legislation in the House of Representatives. Senator Markey first introduced this legislation in 2019 with then-Senator Marco Rubio.

Since the start of his second term, Trump has launched two illegal attacks against Iran in part to prevent Tehran from enriching uranium. Ironically, the administration is now planning to allow Saudi Arabia to gain access to that same technology, even though the Saudi regime has openly coveted nuclear weapons. This will only increase the risk of an arms race in the Middle East.

“Trump and Secretary Rubio are not only reckless, they are hypocrites. They are allowing Saudi Arabia, a belligerent and authoritarian nation, to develop nuclear weapons technologies while starting a war with Iran under the guise of preventing an Iranian nuclear bomb,” said Senator Markey. “Let us be clear: allowing Saudi Arabia to develop nuclear weapons would be irresponsible and dangerous. We want to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons, not expand it.”

“Trump is moving quickly to sign a deal that provides Saudi Arabia with the capability to pursue a nuclear weapon—a massive mistake,” said Senator Merkley. “Trump launched a war in part to stop the possibility of Iran pursuing a nuclear weapon. Yet Trump’s deal would reportedly allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium, reprocess nuclear reactor fuels, and forego inspections at many Saudi nuclear facilities. This is a massive invitation for Saudi Arabia to pursue development of a nuclear weapon. Such nuclear proliferation would damage the security of the United States and the security of nations throughout the region.”

The No Nuclear Weapons for Saudi Arabia Act is cosponsored by Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

On March 18, Senators Markey and Merkley and Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.), along with Representative Joaquin Castro (TX-20), wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding the Trump administration meet the “gold standard” of nuclear non-proliferation protections by denying Saudi Arabia the means to produce weapons-grade uranium and plutonium, materials that could be used in a nuclear bomb.

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Wyden, Merkley Introduce Legislation to Modernize Power Grid, Lower Energy Costs and Reduce Wildfire Risk

WATCH: Wyden unveils legislation at Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on power grid resilience

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today introduced legislation that would overhaul aging power line infrastructure and improve efficiency in order to bring down energy costs and reduce wildfire risks in Oregon and nationwide.

“It’s time for the federal government to stop pretending like our outdated energy infrastructure can keep up with growing demand and risk of natural disasters,” Wyden said. “Our bill takes a significant step to help bring our electric grid into the 21st century, ensuring we can meet demand. And it would take much-needed action to combat skyrocketing energy costs as a direct result of Donald Trump’s illegal war in Iran and his inane unraveling of clean energy alternatives.”

“No one should have to worry about their lives being at risk because they’ve been stranded for days or weeks on end without electricity due to failing grid infrastructure,” Merkley said. “As climate chaos fuels extreme weather in Oregon and across the United States, we must invest in resilient power grids that can stand up to dangerous heat waves and storms.”

Aging power line infrastructure has led directly to increased risk of wildfire ignition during dry summer months, and in the winter months, strained energy grid infrastructure has led to collapsed powerlines, blown transformers, broken utility poles, and widespread blackouts. Many of the costs associated with rebuilding power lines after a natural disaster are then placed directly on consumers, leading to higher energy bills.

The Wildfire and Grid Reliability Act would help power companies do their part to reduce the risks of blackouts and wildfires through system upgrades, fire and disaster mitigation, and proper vegetation management. It provides direct incentives to power companies to better maintain the power lines and reduce risks to local communities.

The Wildfire and Grid Reliability Act would:

Establish a $15 billion-per-year matching grant program for power companies through the Department of Energy to reduce the risk of disaster-caused outages or power lines causing wildfires.

Give special priority to smaller, rural electric companies.

Promote proven methods for hardening the power grid and reducing wildfire risks, including undergrounding of powerlines, installation of microgrids, and strengthening utility poles.

Provide for hardening of overhead power lines and clearing of brush and other hazardous vegetation where undergrounding of power lines is not a favorable option.

Require power companies to have “skin in the game” by making the program a 1-to-1 matching grant, with an exception for smaller utilities where the matching requirement is one third of the grant.

Deliver accountability on the part of utilities and the Department of Energy by generating a report every two years on efforts conducted under the grant program.

Provide funding to support smaller utilities in completing the application for federal funding.

“This legislation reflects a clear understanding that wildfire risk is a long-term challenge requiring sustained, coordinated action. Continued investment in resilient infrastructure is essential to protecting our communities, and encouraging the adoption of comprehensive wildfire mitigation plans will help ensure we are better prepared before disasters occur. This bill carries forward the spirit of the Federal Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission and meaningfully advances several of its key recommendations. It represents an important step toward building safer, more fire-adapted communities across the country,” said Mariana Ruiz-Temple, Oregon State Fire Marshal.

“Increasing natural disasters like wildfires, floods, and landslides continue to damage electric utility transmission and distribution infrastructure, threatening communities, tribes and rural economies. This legislation will empower forward thinking utilities to collaborate with rural communities on microgrids and other resilience measures to keep the power on and prevent rates from skyrocketing,” said Dylan Kruse, President of Sustainable Northwest.

“The League supports Senator Wyden’s Wildfire and Grid Reliability Program and calls for immediate consideration in the Senate. Oregon cities have been plagued recently by severe and persistent drought leading to ever-increasing wildfire risk resulting in reduced electric transmission during natural emergencies causing blackouts in Oregon communities. 2024 Oregon wildfires took an unconscionable human toll, burned a record 1.9 million acres, cost Oregon more than $350 million in resources and billions in economic loss. Resources made available through this program demonstrate a commitment by federal partners to hardening the electrical grid to mitigate wildfire risk and usher in new microgrid technology that will help with grid resilience during natural disasters,” said Patricia Mulvihill, Executive Director, League of Oregon Cities.

“Pacific Power supports any effort to identify funding for necessary infrastructure projects, including work related to wildfire prevention and system strengthening. Investments in grid infrastructure, upgrades to safety equipment and continued wildfire prevention are necessary for the health, safety and economic growth of our customers and communities,” said Ryan Flynn, President of Pacific Power.

A one-pager for the bill is here.

Legislative text is here.

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Wyden, Merkley Push to Stop Trump’s Education Department From Politicizing Civil Rights Investigations

Oregon senators: “Students whose civil rights have been violated should never serve as political pawns. They deserve justice and an equal opportunity to pursue an education”

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today called on the Trump administration to stop weaponizing the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights by refusing to investigate legitimate claims of discrimination.

Wyden and Merkley underscored that the types of cases the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) is failing to investigate are concerning – all while failing to provide standard transparency into its work. OCR has been reportedly neglecting to investigate and resolve cases involving racial and sexual harassment, despite its duty to protect students who are denied their right to an education free from harassment and discrimination.

In their letter to Department of Education Secretary McMahon and OCR Assistant Secretary Kimberly Richey, Wyden, Merkley and other senators underscored that the department “has severely undermined OCR’s capacity to carry out this mission through unprecedented personnel cuts and the injection of political considerations into OCR’s investigatory work.”

In March 2025, the department fired about half of its staff and seven regional offices, leaving students, families, and schools in the dark about any investigative updates as more of them pile up. With the growing backlog of cases and remaining employees left with doubled caseloads, Wyden and Merkley emphasized that “the Department is now expected to rely upon hundreds of employees it attempted to fire to work through this self-inflicted caseload backlog.”

Instead of addressing the backlog of 24,000 pending cases, the Department of Education has elevated investigations that pursue Trump’s partisan priorities, including penalizing education institutions for protecting transgender students and promoting on-campus equity.

“The federal government is obliged to protect students from all forms of discrimination, and OCR must therefore investigate and resolve complaints without bias or a harmful ideological agenda,” the senators concluded. “The Department is continuing to use OCR as an ideological arm of the Trump Administration rather than an enforcer of civil rights law.”

The letter was led by Senator Adam Schiff, D-Calif. In addition to Wyden and Merkley, the letter was signed by Senators Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawai’i, Tim Kaine, D-Va., Andy Kim, D-N.J., Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., Ed Markey, D-Mass., Patty Murray, D-Wash., Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

The text of the letter is here.

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NEWS RELEASE: Senator Moody Applauds Department of Justice’s Action to Combat Antisemitism at Harvard University

Senator Moody previously introduced the RECLAIM Act – a bill that runs parallel to the Administration’s action to address the issue of antisemitism on college campuses.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator Ashley Moody released a statement following the Department of Justice taking legal action to protect Jewish university students at Harvard University:

“America’s previously respected universities have become cesspools of hate and antisemitism aimed at Jewish students. I’ve previously met with Harvard University’s president to urge him to make meaningful, positive change on the issue, and have been deeply disappointed with the school’s response. I’m glad to see President Trump take legal action today to protect our students, and will keep pushing for the Senate to pass my RECLAIM Act, because American universities like Harvard desperately need accountability,” said Senator Ashley Moody

BACKGROUND:

One of Senator Moody’s first bills filed after being appointed to the U.S. Senate was the RECLAIM Act – a bill aimed to claw back federal funding from universities who allow violations of students’ civil rights.

Specifically, the RECLAIM Act:

Expands the prohibition on the provision of federal funds to an entire entity found in violation of Title VI, rather than limiting the prohibition to the specific activity being funded.

Grants the federal government the ability to claw back federal funds that have already been awarded during the period when the violation of Title VI was found to have occurred by a court. Additionally, if those funds were already spent, the bill enables the enforcing authority to recoup the full value of awarded funds from the entity found in violation of Title VI, i.e. from a university’s endowment.

Creates a requirement to impose a moratorium on the provision of federal funds to an entity if an injunction is issued in a case where a Title VI Civil Rights Act violation is alleged. Consideration for the entity to receive funds is dependent upon a court certifying that the entity is compliant with the injunction.

Last year, Senator Moody met with Harvard President Alan Garber to express deep frustration with Harvard’s inaction regarding students who violated the civil rights of, and even assaulted, their peers simply because of their religion.

The DOJ complaint charges Harvard of remaining “deliberately indifferent” to antisemitic and anti-Israeli conduct, and of allowing a hostile environment to persist while continuing to receive billions in taxpayer-funded research grants.

Following the horrific Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel in October 2023, antisemitic activity at college campuses across the nation increased.

Senator Moody is committed to combatting antisemitism and supporting the United States’ ally Israel. As Florida’s former Attorney General, Senator Moody fiercely fought antisemitic activity on college campuses and worked with law enforcement to stop anti-Jewish hate crimes.

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NEWS RELEASE: Senator Moody, Colleagues, Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen Florida Agriculture by Supporting New Farming Technology to Lower Costs and Increase Efficiency

Senator Moody, Colleagues, Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen Florida Agriculture by Supporting New Farming Technology to Lower Costs and Increase Efficiency

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Senator Ashley Moody, along with Senators Rick Scott, Jon Ossoff, and Raphael Warnock, introduced S. 4067, The Land Grant Research Prioritization Act of 2026. This legislation aims to help Florida’s land grant universities support new technology that aids farmers and strengthens America’s food supply:

“Florida’s farmers have been hit hard by droughts, freezes, hurricanes, and other unforeseen challenges, but they remain resilient. Our Florida universities are the best in the nation, and they should continue to lead in innovation. Under this bill, land-grant universities can expand research into advanced technologies that can lower costs, improve efficiency, and equip American growers to meet the challenges of modern agriculture,” said Senator Ashley Moody.

BACKGROUND:

This bill would allow land-grant universities to apply for USDA grants supporting research into farm technology, artificial intelligence in agriculture, invasive species, and aquaculture.

This legislation is aimed to encourage research into precision agriculture, which focuses on the use of tools such as sensors, data systems, advanced machinery, and artificial intelligence to help American farmers grow crops more efficiently.

These technologies can help farmers reduce the amount of water, fertilizer, and other resources they use while still producing strong crop yields.

Land-grant universities are public colleges that were created through federal legislation to focus on teaching agriculture, science, and engineering while conducting research that helps farmers and communities.

These schools also operate cooperative extension programs that provide research and practical guidance directly to farmers.

Florida has two land-grant universities: University of Florida and Florida A&M University.

Across the United States, there are more than 100 land-grant universities that conduct agricultural research and work closely with farmers to address challenges facing the industry.

The Land Grant Research Prioritization Act of 2026 is just the latest effort by Senator Moody to support Florida agriculture.

After February’s historic freeze, Senator Moody urged USDA to support Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service’s request for federal disaster declaration.

Last month, Senator Moody met with Florida farmers affected by the recent catastrophic deep freeze to discuss solutions.

Senator Moody introduced the Defending Domestic Orange Juice Production Act last April to help the Florida citrus industry by modernizing the Brix Standard. Senator Moody worked closely with President Trump, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to correct the outdated and unnecessary regulation.

Senator Moody introduced the TEMP Act to examine resilience for American growers when extreme weather hits.

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NEWS RELEASE: Senator Moody Demands End to Taxpayer Funded Travel for Senators While Critical Public-Safety Employees Work Without Pay

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Senator Ashley Moody released a statement calling on the Senate to adopt a rule prohibiting the use of taxpayer funds to reimburse Senate travel when a lapse in funding occurs for critical federal agencies and workers:

“No other place in America runs as shamelessly as Washington. I am calling on the Senate to suspend the use of taxpayer dollars for reimbursement of Senate flights while critical workers go unpaid. This resolution will ensure that unfinished business, like funding government agencies, is properly addressed as Senators will be incentivized to stay in D.C. and get the people’s work done,” said Senator Ashley Moody.

BACKGROUND:

Senator Moody recently spoke on the Senate floor regarding the Democrats failure to protect Americans while holding the Department of Homeland Security hostage.

Senator Moody donated her paychecks to the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay during the longest government shutdown.

During the first Democrat shutdown, Senator Moody cosponsored the Eliminate Shutdowns Act and voted for the Shutdown Fairness Act.

Read the Resolution here.

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Sen. Moran Applauds Trump Administration Decision to Permit Nationwide, Year-Round E15 Fuel Sales

Moran is a longtime advocate for year-round E15 & has introduced legislation to make it permanent

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry – today applauded the decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to extend the nationwide sale of E15 fuel throughout the summer of 2026:

“Today’s announcement is welcome news. Expanding access to this affordable fuel blend will open markets for Kansas farmers and ethanol producers, support American energy independence and provide consumers with more affordable options at the pump. I have long supported allowing the year-round, nationwide sale of E15, and I applaud the administration’s action to help meet our nation’s energy needs and lower fuel costs for the American people. While this is an important step, Congress must act to provide a long-term solution by making this policy permanent.”

Items to note:

Last spring, President Trump approved E15 sales throughout the summer of 2025, following requests from Sen. Moran and his colleagues that the administration take this action to support America’s energy security and lower fuel costs for consumers while leveraging U.S. agriculture.

Sen. Moran joined his colleagues in introducing the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act, bipartisan legislation that would allow the year-round, nationwide sale of E15 fuel to end years of regulatory uncertainty and prevent a patchwork of uneven state regulation.

In floor remarks yesterday, Sen. Moran highlighted the need for year-round E15 to help expand and diversify domestic energy production.

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Sen. Moran, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Bolster Primary Care Training on Dementia Detection & Treatment

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) – joined Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) in introducing bipartisan legislation to bolster training for primary care providers so they can better diagnose Alzheimer’s and other dementia and deliver high-quality, person-centered care in community-based settings.

The Accelerating Access to Dementia & Alzheimer’s Provider Training (AADAPT) Act would utilize virtual continuing education to provide additional opportunities for Alzheimer’s and dementia education and training to more primary care providers in order to improve detection, diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s, as well as other forms of dementia.

“Expanding access to care for individuals with Alzheimer’s and related dementias can improve outcomes while we continue striving for a cure for this devastating disease,” said Sen. Moran. “This bipartisan legislation would help to equip our healthcare workforce with the resources they need to deliver earlier diagnoses and more effective care for Kansans and families across the country.”

“As new technologies continue to emerge to detect and treat Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia, we must use all available tools to train medical providers, especially those in primary care. This will allow us to provide timely diagnosis and quality care for those at risk of and living with these diseases,” said Sen. Capito. “I’m pleased to introduce the AADAPT Act, which will expand the existing successful Project ECHO program to provide this important training. This is especially important for rural states like West Virginia where access to specialized care is often limited.”

“Detecting Alzheimer’s and other dementias early can reduce stress for patients and families, lower unnecessary health costs, and improve access to care,” said Sen. Klobuchar. “Primary care providers have been calling for more training resources to improve early detection, accurate diagnosis, and care. This bipartisan legislation will deliver those tools and improve patients' and caregivers’ quality of life and health outcomes.”

“For people living with Alzheimer’s and their families, delays in diagnosis often mean missed opportunities for care, planning and support,” said Rachel Conant, senior vice president of public policy at the Alzheimer’s Association and executive director of Alzheimer's Impact Movement (AIM). “The bipartisan AADAPT Act is needed to ensure primary care providers have the tools and training to recognize dementia earlier and guide patients through the care journey within their own communities. On behalf of families nationwide, we thank Sens. Capito, Klobuchar, Moran, Booker, Sullivan, Kim, Lankford and Cantwell for advancing this important legislation and for their continued commitment to addressing Alzheimer’s and other dementia.”

Sen. Moran helped secure a $100 million increase for Alzheimer's and related dementia research across the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as part of the FY2026 LHHS appropriations bill.

Full text of the legislation can be found here.

Companion legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Troy Balderson (R-Ohio), Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.), Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) and Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.).

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