Congresswoman Nikema Williams, Meng, Chu, McBath Lead Resolution Marking Five Years Since Atlanta Spa Shootings

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05) joined U.S. Representatives Grace Meng (NY-06), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Judy Chu (CA-28), CAPAC Chair Emerita, and Lucy McBath (GA-06) to introduce a resolution commemorating the five-year remembrance of the Atlanta spa shootings.

On March 16, 2021, a gunman senselessly murdered eight people, including six Asian women, and injured a ninth person at two spas and a massage parlor in Atlanta, Georgia. These shootings occurred amid an alarming surge in anti-Asian hate crimes and incidents nationwide fueled by the use of anti-Asian rhetoric that scapegoated Asian Americans for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05) said:

“Five years after the violent Atlanta spa shootings, we remember the eight lives stolen, the families still grieving, and the communities still carrying deep scars. Remembrance must also move us to action. The work to protect Asian American communities and confront anti-Asian hate is as urgent as it was five years ago. Part of the promise of America is freedom from fear or violence because of who you are, and we will keep fighting until that promise is realized. We honor the lives lost by standing shoulder to shoulder with Asian American communities in the ongoing fight for safety for all.”

“It is hard to believe that five years have passed since the horrific Atlanta spa shootings that took eight lives, six of whom were Asian women. For many in the Asian American community, it was our worst nightmare realized and the inevitable result of racist slurs like ‘kung flu’ that painted a target on our backs. While my COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act that passed into law marked real progress in addressing anti-Asian hate, more must be done to protect our communities,” said Rep. Grace Meng, Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. “As CAPAC Chair, I will never stop fighting against anti-Asian hate and for a future where every American can live with safety and dignity. Our caucus extends our deepest condolences to the victims’ families and loved ones as we mark this solemn anniversary. May the memories of those we lost forever be a blessing.”

“Five years after the Atlanta spa shootings, we remember the eight lives taken, six of them Asian women, in a heinous act of anti-Asian hate,” said Rep. Chu. “Their families and communities continue to carry this profound loss. Their memory reminds us of the painful surge in anti-Asian hate that scarred our nation during the pandemic and the responsibility we all share to confront it. While progress has been made, our work is far from finished. On this anniversary, we recommit ourselves to standing with AANHPI communities, rejecting xenophobia in all its forms, and building a country where no one lives in fear because of who they are.”

“Five years after the Atlanta spa shootings, our city still carries the grief of the eight lives stolen in an act of anti-Asian hate,” said Rep. McBath. “That tragedy shook our community and left lasting pain for the families, loved ones, and neighbors who continue to mourn. As someone who has dedicated my work in Congress to preventing gun violence, I know remembrance must also be matched with action to protect people from the hatred and violence which devastates communities across America. We must reject the hateful and harmful rhetoric that continues to fuel division and put lives at risk. On this anniversary, we honor the memories of those we lost and recommit ourselves to our responsibility to champion solutions that will prevent violence and save lives.”

In the five years since this horrific tragedy, Asian American communities have continued to grapple with the grief, trauma, and long-term mental health impacts of anti-Asian hate. The resolution not only marks the five-year remembrance of the Atlanta spa shootings, but also recognizes how anti-Asian hate has evolved—from misplaced blame and vitriol during the COVID-19 pandemic to enduring suspicions of dual loyalty, reflected in discriminatory policies such as alien land laws and initiatives like the so-called China Initiative that have targeted Asian communities.

The latest federal hate crime statistics show that anti-Asian hate crimes are nearly three times higher than pre-pandemic levels, and that anti-Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander hate crimes are at the highest number ever recorded since the Federal Bureau of Investigation began disaggregating this category in 2013. In a 2025 survey, 63 percent of Asian Americans reported feeling unsafe in day-to-day spaces, and 63 percent feared they will be victims of discrimination in the next five years.


House Passes Pettersen’s Bill to Bolster Post-Disaster Recovery Efforts

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the bipartisan Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Act introduced by Representatives Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) and Chuck Edwards (NC-11). This bill would help communities impacted by natural disasters recover and rebuild more resilient to future threats through reforestation and restoration efforts.

Over 3 million Coloradans – more than half of the state’s population – live in a moderate to high-risk wildfire area. As wildfires become increasingly common, it is crucial to invest in post-disaster recovery strategies, including reforestation and restoration efforts, to rehabilitate damaged ecosystems and protect communities from future disasters.

“As wildfires become a year-round threat, prioritizing post-disaster recovery is critical to making sure our communities have what they need to recover and rebuild more resilient to future threats,” said Pettersen. “That means restoring damaged land by investing in reforestation and restoration efforts to reduce the risk of future catastrophic fires. I’m thankful for the partnership of Congressman Edwards and will keep working to get this signed into law so we are better prepared for wildfires and other threats for generations to come.”

Specifically, the Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Act would:

Require the Department of Interior, in coordination with states, local governments, tribes, and colleges to identify critical lands in need of rehabilitation after natural disasters and support projects through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements.

The legislation is endorsed by the following organizations: The Nature Conservancy, American Forests, National Association of Counties, the National Association of University Forest Resources Programs, and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.


For Immediate Release Contact: Tionee Scotland

March 16, 2026 202-808-6129

PRESS RELEASE

CONGRESSWOMAN PLASKETT RESPONDS TO ST. JOHN EXTENDED POWER OUTAGE

St. John, USVI — Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (D-VI) today issued the following statement in response to the extended power outage affecting the island of St. John, which has now exceeded 40 hours:

“We want the people of St. John to know we feel the weight of what you are enduring. More than 40 hours without power is not an inconvenience; it is a crisis,” said Congresswoman Plaskett. “I know what it means to be at home when the lights go out: the isolation, the uncertainty, the fear for elderly neighbors and young children, the medications and food spoiling in refrigerators, the businesses that cannot open, the medical equipment that cannot run. This is an urgent crisis, demanding our full attention.”

The Congresswoman extends her deep gratitude to the line crews and technical workers who have been working around the clock since the outage began: “I want to offer my heartfelt thanks to the WAPA lineworkers and technicians who have not stopped working since this outage began. These men and women are out through the night and into the day, doing everything within their power to restore electricity to our fellow Virgin Islanders on St. John. Their dedication and professionalism in the face of a deeply challenging situation deserves to be recognized.”

Reports have emerged suggesting that the outage may have resulted from deliberate tampering with WAPA’s electrical infrastructure.

“If it is determined that someone intentionally tampered and caused the outage, it is my hope that the appropriate authorities will hold those responsible to the fullest extent of the law. An attack on our electrical infrastructure is an attack on our people. It should not go unaddressed.”

The Congresswoman also acknowledged the community support efforts underway in response to the outage. Love City Strong case managers have been actively reaching out to individuals on their high-risk list. The majority of residents Love City Strong has connected with have confirmed contingency plans are in place. Residents who feel they may need additional support are encouraged to self-identify by contacting the Love City Strong office at 340-714-7744 or via email at info@lovecitystrongvi.org, where staff will assess their situation and provide a vulnerability rating. Those identified as high-risk will be proactively contacted during future emergencies.

The Congresswoman also acknowledged ongoing discussions about battery storage and alternative energy solutions for St. John: “I am aware of the battery storage and alternative energy initiatives that have been planned and discussed for St. John. I remain a strong advocate for moving those projects forward with speed and seriousness. Realistically, a battery system would not have been able to carry an entire island through a 40-plus-hour outage of this magnitude, but it would have provided meaningful, critical relief in the earliest hours.

“The United States Virgin Islands deserves a resilient, modern, and reliable electrical grid. Our people deserve energy security. I will continue to fight for our people, and work with every available partner to bring the investment and infrastructure to our territory that our people have long been promised and have always deserved. We will get there. When we do, the strength of our community that we see now, in the way neighbors are looking out for one another across St. John will be the foundation we build upon.”


Chairman Rouzer Introduces Dalilah’s Law to Strengthen Road ...

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chairman David Rouzer (R-NC) released updated legislative text of Dalilah’s Law, a measure to strengthen Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) requirements in the United States, ensure commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers are properly trained and meet safety standards, require CMV drivers to be able to read and understand the English language, and prevent unqualified and illegal immigrants that could pose a significant safety hazard from obtaining a CDL through lax licensing enforcement by states.

Dalilah’s Law is named in honor of Dalilah Coleman, the 5-year-old girl who was struck and severely injured by an illegal alien driving a semi-truck. Dalilah was a guest of President Trump at this year’s State of the Union address, where the President called for Congress to pass such a law to block illegal and unqualified immigrants from obtaining a CDL in the United States. The accident that caused Dalilah’s injury is only one example of recent incidents caused by drivers who were not qualified to safely operate a commercial motor vehicle and should not have been given CDLs.

“Commercial driver’s license standards are in place for a reason: to ensure that only those qualified to drive a truck are allowed to do so. Dalilah’s story is the heartbreaking consequence of what happens when those standards are both insufficient and breached,” said Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chairman David Rouzer (R-NC), the lead sponsor of the legislation. “Unqualified, illegal foreign drivers behind the wheel of an 80-ton rig put the public in danger. President Trump called on Congress to end this systematic abuse, and Dalilah’s Law answers the call. I look forward to working with Secretary Duffy and Chairman Graves to get this bill to the President’s desk to prevent tragedies like Dalilah’s from happening again.”

The updated bill text of H.R. 5688, now known as Dalilah’s Law, improves safety and CDL policies by:

Ensuring all CDL holders understand English, road signs, and law enforcement officers;

Placing drivers who fail to meet the Law’s requirements and safety standards out-of-service;

Requiring states to verify that they are not issuing CDLs to illegal immigrants;

Significantly increasing penalties for states failing to comply with the Law, through withholding of Federal funds;

Banning shady foreign dispatch services and brokers, who have fueled a surge in freight fraud and cargo theft; and

Cracking down on “CDL mills” to ensure drivers entering the industry are receiving adequate training.

The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will mark up Dalilah’s Law at 10:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building.


Rep. Salinas Submits Water Infrastructure and Flood Management Projects for Inclusion in WRDA 2026

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Congresswoman Andrea Salinas (OR-06) announced she submitted a series of water infrastructure and flood management projects for inclusion in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2026. The bipartisan bill authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to carry out water infrastructure, ecosystem restoration, and flood control projects across the country. Her submissions include projects for drinking water improvements in Salem and Washington County, aquatic disposal facilities for Columbia River maintenance dredging, and continued flood risk management coordination with Canada under the Columbia River Treaty.

“Oregonians, regardless of zip code, deserve access to safe and reliable drinking water. It doesn’t matter if you live in rural areas or dense neighborhoods, our towns and cities deserve federal support to update their infrastructure,” said Rep. Salinas. “That is why I submitted projects to be included in the Water Resources Development Act of 2026. From strengthening drinking water infrastructure to supporting flood management along the Columbia River, these projects will help modernize our water systems and ensure our region has the resources it needs to thrive. I look forward to working with my colleagues to make these projects a reality for Oregon’s Sixth District.”

Rep. Salinas submitted several requests to support water infrastructure and economic activity across the region.

Columbia River Treaty: Protecting Oregon’s Flood Risk Management Funding

Rep. Salinas submitted language to maintain the status quo for U.S.-Canada flood risk management cooperation while Columbia River Treaty negotiations remain ongoing. Specifically, the submission would extend or remove the existing sunset clause and modify the authorization of appropriations to continue inflation-adjusted flood risk management payments to Canada through 2030, or until a modernized Columbia River Treaty is ratified. This provision ensures Oregon communities along the Columbia River are not left without critical flood protection during the treaty negotiation period.

Columbia River Maintenance Dredging: Lowering Costs for Oregon Ports

Rep. Salinas submitted language to establish aquatic disposal facilities for Columbia River maintenance dredging. The Army Corps of Engineers and Columbia River ports are developing a 20-year Dredged Material Management Plan. The most cost-efficient approach identified is to construct in-water confined aquatic structures near the mouth of the Columbia River. Rep. Salinas’ submission would clarify that these structures are classified as “operations and maintenance” rather than “construction” — a distinction that would eliminate a $97 million local cost share and keep Oregon’s ports and waterways competitive.

Salem Drinking Water: Infrastructure Upgrades and Source Resilience

Rep. Salinas submitted language to provide federal funding for Salem’s drinking water infrastructure, including planned improvements and the identification of alternative water sources. These investments are designed to address increased turbidity in Salem’s water supply resulting from periodic drawdowns at Detroit Lake. Safe, clean drinking water is a basic need — and Salem’s system requires modern, resilient infrastructure to meet that standard for years to come.

Washington County Water Infrastructure: Cutting Red Tape to Accelerate Delivery

WRDA 2024 authorized $60 million for water infrastructure projects in Washington County. However, Washington County, the City of Beaverton, and the Tualatin Valley Water District (TVWD) have raised concerns about the Army Corps of Engineers’ capacity to manage construction given its large project backlog.

Rep. Salinas submitted language that would allow the Corps to delegate construction responsibility to local partners — like Washington County and TVWD — when those partners have demonstrated the capacity to deliver. The Corps would retain full approval authority over project plans, specifications, and compliance with federal law, cost-share requirements, and applicable standards. This approach accelerates delivery of Congressionally authorized projects without sacrificing federal oversight.

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West Bloomfield Congresswoman Haley Stevens Condemns Antisemitic Attack; Calls for Stronger Action Against Rising Hate

Washington, D.C. — Today, Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens spoke on the House floor, condemning last week’s attempted antisemitic attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield and calling on Congress to take urgent action to combat rising antisemitism and protect houses of worship across the country.

Last Thursday, Temple Israel narrowly avoided a deadly act of antisemitic terrorism. Thanks to the swift action of private security guards and the rapid response from law enforcement, all 140 students and staff inside the building were safely evacuated.

Stevens thanked Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, the West Bloomfield Police Department, the Bloomfield Township Police Department, and the many first responders who responded immediately to the scene.

Michigan’s 11th Congressional District is home to one of the most vibrant Jewish communities in the United States, including Temple Israel. Stevens said the attack has deeply shaken families and community members throughout the region.

Watch the full speech here.

Highlights include:

We all saw the images on our television screens: Dozens and dozens of police vehicles showing up immediately. To the Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, the West Bloomfield and Bloomfield Township Police Departments, and all the first responders who answered the call—thank you.

No one should have to fear gathering at a synagogue, sending their kids to religious school, or simply practicing their faith. Tragically, this appears to be our new normal.

Antisemitism is at its highest level in decades. Driven by hate and vitriol and stirred up by social media, it has become widespread and all too common.

Congress must act. We have to fund Holocaust education programs. We must invest in efforts to combat antisemitism. And we must urgently fund the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to ensure that houses of worship—regardless of faith—can keep their congregations safe from acts of terror.

Congress has fallen short. The security guards who saved Temple Israel were only there thanks to private grant funding from the Jewish Federations of North America.

To our Jewish community: be proud of who you are. Know that we see you and we stand with you from the neighborhoods of West Bloomfield to the halls of Congress.

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Representative Tran Announces $1 Million Investment to Prevent Crime, Improve Public Safety in Orange County

Fullerton, CA – U.S. Representative Derek Tran (CA-45) presented HOPE Center of Orange County Executive Director George Searcy and Communications LAB CEO Arianna Barrios with a check for $1,031,000 in Community Project Funding the Congressman secured to enhance local emergency response, prevent crime, and improve public safety initiatives.

"I'm thrilled to bring over $1 million back to Orange County keep our communities safe," said Representative Tran. "This funding will equip the HOPE Center's homelessness outreach teams with the tools they need to respond to non-violent emergencies, increasing our law enforcement's capacity to rapidly address serious crimes. I'm proud to work with the HOPE Center to put our families' tax dollars to work, making our streets safer and our communities more secure."

The HOPE Center is a nonprofit service organization, based in Fullerton, CA, which provides housing, food, and healthcare resources to individuals experiencing homelessness and food insecurity across Orange County.

This funding is part of an over $14 million package Representative Tran is bringing back to LA and Orange Counties across 15 community projects that will make life safer, healthier, and easier for Southern California residents.

Through Community Project Funding (CPF), Members of Congress can request direct funding for specific local projects that benefit the communities they represent. The House Appropriations Committee considers up to 15 Community Project Funding requests from each member of Congress, and, once approved by the House and Senate and signed into law by the President, community projects are funded using federal tax revenue. Community Project Funding is subject to strict public transparency and accountability requirements, only available to nonprofit and government entities (for-profit grantees are not eligible), and must demonstrate evidence of compelling community support. In addition, each Member of Congress must certify in writing that there is no financial interest in the project for them and their immediate family. All projects will be audited by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to ensure sound stewardship of taxpayer dollars.

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Congressman Derek Tran represents California’s 45th Congressional District. Serving his first term in Congress, Congressman Tran is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and House Small Business Committee, where he is Ranking Member of the Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations Subcommittee. Congressman Tran is the son of Vietnamese refugees, a Veteran, and fought for consumers as an attorney before entering Congress.


Vindman Joins Congressional Amicus Brief Supporting Veterans’ Access to Education Benefits

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Eugene Vindman (D-Va.-07) joined U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Representatives Rob Wittman (R-Va.-01), Bobby Scott (D-VA-03), Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.-04), John McGuire (R-VA-05), Don Beyer (D-VA-08), Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10), and James Walkinshaw (D-VA-11) in filing a bipartisan, bicameral amicus brief in a challenge to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefit eligibility rules that make it harder for more than a million veterans to access education benefits under the GI Bills.

“As a 25-year Army veteran, I know firsthand the sacrifices our service members make. The education benefits they earn through their service are promises that must be honored,” said Vindman. “The courts have already affirmed that eligible veterans can access benefits from both the Montgomery and Post-9/11 GI Bills. Trying to strip those benefits away now is a cruel cost-cutting measure at the expense of those who have risked their lives in service to our country. I’m proud to join my colleagues in this bipartisan effort to affirm that our nation’s veterans can continue to access the benefits they’ve earned.”

“Veterans who have served long enough to receive benefits under both the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post-9/11 GI Bill deserve the full benefits of their service – it’s that simple. Army veteran and Virginian James Rudisill took that principle all the way to the Supreme Court and won,” said Kaine. “But the VA has, in defiance of the GI Bills and the Supreme Court decision in Rudisill, created more bureaucratic barriers that unfairly punish veterans for serving the country continuously without a break in service. That’s why I am again working with a bipartisan, bicameral group of colleagues to ensure that the court considering this case understands the legislative history and congressional intent of these GI Bills. I will always advocate for our servicemembers, our veterans, and their families.”

“Our nation’s veterans have taken on great risk and sacrifice through their service, and they deserve every penny of the benefits promised to them. It is unacceptable that instead of complying with the Supreme Court, the VA is continuing to limit and deny veterans, like Virginian James Rudisill, access to the benefits they are legally entitled to,” said Warner. “I’m proud to stand with these veterans in support of their earned benefits and educational opportunities.”

“The Supreme Court was clear in Rudisill that veterans deserve all of their earned education benefits and VA cannot reinterpret that decision to narrow those benefits,” said Blumenthal. “Yet, the Trump Administration has denied millions of veterans these benefits over the past year. This must stop, and I will keep fighting until VA provides these benefits to every veteran who earned them.”

“Our veterans make tremendous sacrifices for our country, putting their bodies and lives on the line, and we must ensure they receive the full educational benefits they have earned. Yet veterans who deserve only the best that our nation has to offer, like James Rudisill of Richmond, have been denied their benefits after a lifetime of service thanks to needless and unfair eligibility rules,” said McClellan. “The VA must fully and immediately comply with the Rudisill decision, not waste time looking for workarounds. As this case finds itself before the U.S. Court of Appeals, I urge the court to deliver justice and live up to the promises made to our Army community.”

“America’s servicemembers honored their commitment to defend this country, and we must honor our commitment to them,” said Wittman. “I applaud the steps the Department of Veterans Affairs is taking to move forward on ensuring veterans receive the education benefits they earned through their service to our nation.”

“The Supreme Court made the law clear in Rudisill v. McDonough: veterans who qualify for both the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post-9/11 GI Bill are entitled to use them, up to the full 48 months Congress intended,” said Beyer. “The VA should stop putting roadblocks in the way of veterans who’ve rightfully earned their education benefits through service.”

“When Americans sign up to join the military, our country pledges to provide them with benefits like health care, home loans, and education. We don’t ask servicemembers to pick which risks they take in the military, so we shouldn’t be picking and choosing which benefits servicemembers can use,” said Subramanyam. “The VA must comply with the Rudisill v. McDonough ruling and allow servicemembers to use their earned education benefits.”

“Our veterans bravely answered the call to serve this country, and they deserve the benefits Congress promised them,” said Walkinshaw. “For generations, the GI Bill has opened the door to education and opportunity for those returning from service. We must ensure that every veteran can access the entirety of the benefits they rightfully earned.”

The case, Virginia et al. v. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, is before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The Commonwealth of Virginia, veterans’ groups including the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and several individual veterans are challenging the VA’s education benefit rules that illegally and unfairly keep veterans who qualify for education benefits under both the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post-9/11 GI Bill from fully using them just because they served the country without a break in their service.

In the congressional amicus brief, the members lay out the text, history, and purpose of the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post-9/11 GI Bill to show how the VA’s overly narrow interpretation of the law short-changes veterans and creates a bizarre, artificial distinction between different groups of veterans who may have served the same total amount of time.

A link to the full amicus brief can be found here.

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Wasserman Schultz Convenes Jewish, Law Enforcement Leaders to Bolster Security at Houses of Worship and Community Centers

Davie, FL – Today, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25) convened local law enforcement and Jewish faith and community leaders at the David Posnack JCC to discuss how to keep houses of worship and communal spaces safer for congregants, children, and families.

To watch the press conference, click here.

Last Thursday, the Jewish community came under attack once again, this time in West Bloomfield Township, MI., after a man drove a vehicle through doors of Temple Israel. In recent months, similar assaults took place at synagogues and Jewish centers in Los Angeles, Jackson, Miss., Brooklyn and Toronto.

“Hurt, frustrated and confused people become radicalized. And all too often, it’s religious minorities who bear the cost,” said Wasserman Schultz. “Protecting houses of worship is necessary but not sufficient. We need to attack the root cause – anti-Jewish hatred – by educating ourselves and holding our leaders accountable.”

Under the Trump Administration, the Department of Homeland Security has imposed arbitrary, politicized restrictions on the Nonprofit Security Grant Program that have generated confusion and delays. In a letter last week, Wasserman Schultz highlighted bipartisan concern regarding long-overdue reimbursements for Nonprofit Security Grant Recipients, writing that “[f]aith-based institutions and community organizations at risk of attack must be able to access security funds without delay.”

The shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security has also harmed allocation of these grants. Democrats in the House and Senate have introduced bills to fund the Department of Homeland Security in full, including FEMA, which administers Nonprofit Security Grants, except for ICE and CBP. Unfortunately, Congressional Republicans have blocked these bills, illustrating their preference to shut down the whole department rather than negotiate with Democrats to implement common-sense immigration enforcement reforms.

Wasserman Schultz was joined by representatives from the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO), BSO Cooper City District, BSO Dania Beach District, BSO Weston District, Davie Police Department, Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Hallandale Beach Police Department, Pembroke Pines Police Department, Plantation Police Department, Chabad of Southwest Broward, David Posnack Jewish Community Center, Jewish federation of Broward County, Ramat Shalom Beth Israel, Secure Community Network, Temple Beth Am, Temple Dor Dorim, Temple Solel, and Young Israel of Hollywood.

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Wittman Secures Funding for Virginia Institute of Marine Science’s Center of Excellence in Environmental Forecasting

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01) presented the Virginia Institute of Marine Science’s (VIMS) Center of Excellence in Environmental Forecasting (CoEEF) with $1.6 million to invest in high-performance technology. The funds, submitted through Community Project Funding (CPF) in the H.R. 6938 – Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026, were signed into law on January 23rd.

“VIMS is an environmental forecasting leader, and I am thrilled to deliver my $1.6 million funding request for their CoEEF program,” said Rep. Wittman. “This funding will contribute to the development of coastal and estuarine environmental forecasting and expand the impact of VIMS’ research across the United States and the world. ”

The CPF will be used to purchase a high-performance computing cluster and develop IT programming to disseminate forecasting and modeling tools for use by policy makers, community leaders, and the public. This will expand the reach of outcome-driven scientific solutions produced by VIMS. Ultimately, this investment will create cost savings by developing strategies for environmental resilience, supporting effective emergency response and mitigation planning, and providing data and expertise to millions of Americans living and working in coastal areas.

Community Project Funding (CPF) allows Members of Congress to bring tax dollars back home for district-specific priorities. Members have firsthand knowledge of their district’s needs and can prioritize federal funding for the most critical local projects—rather than leaving those decisions to unelected bureaucrats in Washington who lack a direct connection to the community. For Congressman Wittman, these projects address clear and present needs in communities across Virginia and enjoy broad support. The federal dollars designated for CPF projects exist within existing budget limits, reinforcing Congress’s control over the power of the purse. Rather than allowing that money to fund projects in different states, Community Project Funding gives Congressman Wittman the ability to empower Virginians by ensuring they have a critical voice in determining where funding goes.


Wittman Urges Naming of Next U.S. Aircraft Carrier USS Yorktown to Mark America’s 250th Anniversary

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01) sent a letter to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth urging that the next United States Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier (CVN-84) be named the USS Yorktown in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of American independence.

“An aircraft carrier represents more than a warship — it is a forward-deployed symbol of American presence, deterrence, and global leadership. In 1781, the Continental Army’s decisive victory at the Battle of Yorktown secured our American independence. In 1942, USS Yorktown fought with extraordinary courage at the Battle of Midway, helping secure victory in the Pacific during World War II. The next USS Yorktown will help secure the next century of American maritime power.

A nuclear-powered carrier bearing the name Yorktown in the 250th year of American independence would represent 250 years of sovereignty, from the evolution from wooden ships and iron cannon to nuclear propulsion and fifth-generation airpower, and the continued strength of American sea power.

Naming the next aircraft carrier USS Yorktown would appropriately honor the nation’s founding victory, celebrate our naval heritage and strength, and project American resolve as the United States enters its next 250 years.”

Read the letter here.

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Congressman Rob Wittman represents Virginia’s First Congressional District. He serves as vice chairman of both the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Armed Services Committee, where he serves as the chairman of the Tactical Air & Land Forces Subcommittee.


Baldwin, Senators Investigate Social Security Agency’s Customer Service Chaos & Disruption of Services

WASHINGTON, D.C.?– U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and her Senate colleagues are launching a new investigation into the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) ongoing customer service crisis reaching new extremes. The Senators are raising concerns that SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano’s staffing cuts and staff reassignments have left the agency unable to fully serve the nearly 75 million Americans who rely on the program.

“(Staff) reassignments are band-aid solutions to patch over ongoing service problems that have plagued the agency under your leadership,” wrote Baldwin and the Senators, highlighting ongoing staffing shortages and field office closures.

“Your forced staff reassignments are harming Social Security beneficiaries, endangering the accuracy of claims, and wasting taxpayer dollars. When SSA pulls employees away from already understaffed field offices or from processing backlogs in claims, customer service and the timely delivery of benefits suffer,” continued the Senators.

Staff cuts have left the agency with an average of only one field office representative per nearly 4,000 beneficiaries – a ratio that is 12 percent higher than it was before the cuts. With over 100,000 people visiting their local SSA office every day, these staffing reductions translate to declining customer service. According to a recent survey of SSA employees, nearly two-thirds reported that “service quality had declined in the past 12 months” and 70 percent reported “service speed had declined.”

Over the last year, the Trump administration has slashed SSA’s workforce by over 7,000 employees, causing some rural field offices to close. At the same time, SSA is short-staffing field offices in an effort to eliminate 15 million in-person field office visits, forcing seniors and people with disabilities to wait even longer for an appointment or wait hours on the phone to speak with a live agent.

Instead of fixing those problems, Bisignano has attempted to cover up the mess by reassigning employees and seeking technological shortcuts to paper over staff shortages. Some of those reassignments include pulling expert employees away from SSA’s “disability adjudication, financial and management, field office services, risk and quality, digital services and chief information officer units” to help answer SSA’s national phone line.

Reassigned employees are reportedly now only receiving three hours of training before starting on the SSA help line, despite the agency claiming they would receive eight hours of training. Employees familiar with handling the phone line say that eight hours of training is “insufficient due to the complexity of issues that can arise on a call.” The impacts of this lack of training are already becoming apparent — with literal life and death consequences. Newly reassigned employees have reported that they are receiving alarming guidance on handling callers expressing suicidal thoughts, including reminding callers “that suicide is only one option.”

Bisignano’s past responses to Congress about staff reassignments and field office wait times failed to provide details on the number of employees reassigned or clarify the length of their reassignments. He has also failed to answer the senators’ metric-specific questions on the initial results of reassignments.

The Senators asked Bisignano to provide information about the ongoing staff reassignments and customer service problems at SSA by March 27, 2026.

As Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS), Senator Baldwin has been a leader in the Senate in holding SSA accountable under the Trump Administration. In February of 2025, Senator Baldwin demanded answers from then Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek on DOGE’s access to Americans’ sensitive Social Security information. In March of 2025, Senator Baldwin pressed the Trump Administration on their plans to slash the SSA workforce and called on the administration to reverse course on their plan to instate in-person verification that would put up roadblocks for seniors to access their benefits. In July of 2025, Senator Baldwin demanded that the SSA stop using the agency email to peddle lies about the Republican reconciliation bill.

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) led the letter and it was also signed by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL),Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Patty Murray (D-WA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

The full text of the letter is available here.

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Banks Warns TSA of American Flight Schools Training Chinese Nationals

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) sent a letter to Acting TSA Administrator Ms. Ha Nguyen McNeill raising concerns about how American flight schools are quietly training Chinese nationals, potentially benefitting the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) military aviation pipeline.

Read more about the letter here.

Read the full letter here or see below:

Dear Ms. McNeil:

I write today to express concern over Chinese nationals receiving flight training in the United States. As you know, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) employs a strategy of Military-Civil Fusion (MCF), which deliberately erases lines between the military and the commercial. As one study put it, MCF has “helped Chinese enterprises, both state-owned and nominally private, to capture significant global market share in advanced industries, while also concentrating the party’s capacity to mobilize national resources in times of emergency and war.”

The aviation sector is no exception. Speaking at the 70th anniversary of the Chinese aviation industry, former Vice Premier Liu He promised that “China will transform itself into an aviation power,” both achieving self-sufficiency through domestic innovation and enriching its talent pool. As Xi Jinping put it, echoing former Premier Wen Jiabao, “enabling China’s large aircraft to soar through the skies embodies the nation’s will, the people’s dreams, and their aspirations.”

Standing in the way of China’s aviation ambitions is a shortage of pilots. According to the International Trade Administration, China is expected to require 130,000 commercial and general aviation pilots by 2043 to meet the demands of its aviation sector. This shortage extends to the Chinese military. In 2024, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF)’s Shijiazhuang Flight Academy shortened its training cycle from four years to three to accelerate training, while the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) highlighted pilot recruitment from non-traditional pipelines, noting that expanded recruitment is essential to meeting demand stemming from China’s growing fleet of aircraft carriers.

According to new reporting by investigative journalist Peter Schweizer, China needs roughly

5000 pilot cadets per year to meet both military and civilian demand, while China’s domestic flight

schools can produce only about 1200. To help address this gap, prospective Chinese pilots are seeking out training in the United States.

The Chinese government’s commercial aviation regulatory authority, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), approves flight schools in the United States to train Chinese pilots. One of those CAAC-approved institutions is the AeroGuard Flight Training Center in Phoenix, Arizona. In 2022, AeroGuard signed a long-term partnership with Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific to establish a pilot training pipeline. Chinese state media boasts that AeroGuard’s student body is nearly two-thirds Chinese national. Meanwhile, in Atwater, California, the Sierra Academy of Aeronautics reportedly trains 800 Chinese pilots per year. As a Sierra Academy executive put it, “Because Sierra Academy has been working with the Chinese government, institutions, airlines – we have all the right contacts to put this program in place.”

Each Chinese citizen trained at an American flight school helps break through China’s pilot bottleneck. While many of these students will go on to civilian and not military careers, the Chinese Communist Party, through its Military-Civil Fusion strategy, has foreclosed our ability to view this training with the benefit of a doubt. The more Chinese citizens there are with aviation training, the more options the Chinese military has to recruit pilots and instructors for its malign purposes.

In the aftermath of September 11th, Congress recognized that foreign nationals training at American flight schools could pose a threat to our national security. The Vision 100-Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act assigned responsibility to the Secretary of Homeland Security to vet prospective foreign national flight school candidates for potential threats to national security. Recognizing that training at American flight schools may be useful to individuals from foreign militaries, Congress explicitly exempted foreign military pilots endorsed by the Pentagon from these requirements.

Today, the Transportation Security Administration implements this requirement through the Flight

Training Security Program (FTSP), which includes a Security Threat Assessment to determine if a pilot candidate poses a threat to transportation or national security. While TSA currently assesses risk based on immigration records, terror watchlists, and criminal history, the scale of the threat posed by the CCP and other foreign adversaries clearly warrants consideration as an additional factor.

Therefore, I respectfully request that TSA update the Flight Training Security Program to preclude

individuals from foreign adversary nations, such as China, from attending flight training schools in the United States. We must ensure that American flight training programs serve American interests—not Xi Jinping’s dreams.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

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Blumenthal Urges Passage of Student Athlete Fairness & Enforcement (SAFE) Act

[Hartford, CT] — U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today urged Congress to pass his Student Athlete Fairness and Enforcement (SAFE) Act, legislation to codify athletes’ rights and protections in law, expand revenue for all schools, support women’s and Olympic sports and bring much-needed stability to the college sports system. The bill was introduced in September and is led by Blumenthal, U.S Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ).

The Act, for the first time, gives all athletes Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rights, establishes uniform health and safety standards, protects scholarships and requires agents to register with a state and abide by clear contract requirements, including a 5 percent cap on fees. The bill provides new opportunities for schools to increase revenues for all sports by amending the Sports Broadcasting Act, and ensures all schools, not just the biggest and the richest, benefit from those increased resources. The legislation stops collectives from engaging in pay for play by requiring that any payments to students are for legitimate use of their NIL. For the millions of fans who care deeply about their college sports teams, the Act requires football and basketball games to be made available for free in schools’ local media market and tackles transfer portal concerns.

“The Student Athlete Fairness and Enforcement Act (SAFE Act) provides clear and enforceable rights and protections to college athletes,” said Blumenthal. “For far too long, college athletes had their basic economic rights denied while the NCAA failed to protect their health, safety, and academic success. Our measure centers athletes’ rights and wellbeing with real reforms while bringing schools the clarity they need and promoting women’s and Olympic sports.”

“This legislation is a path through the new world of NIL,” said Cantwell. “This bill will protect athlete rights, preserve women’s and Olympic sports, and help smaller schools compete. It is a fair shake for everyone, instead of the biggest, richest schools.”

“The SAFE Act empowers athletes and strengthens protections for their health, safety, and education,” said Booker. “In stark contrast to harmful legislation being considered in the House, our bill preserves athletes’ rights to advocate for themselves and ensures meaningful avenues for accountability. Playing college football was one of the great gifts of my life—and it instilled in me a lasting conviction to fight for justice and fairness for athletes today and into the future.”

Over the past 5 years, college athletics has changed significantly after many states passed laws to allow athletes to earn compensation from their NIL, creating a patchwork of rules that upended how schools recruit, train, and retain athletes. The college sports landscape was further changed by the unanimous Supreme Court decision in Alston vs. NCAA in 2021 that paved the way for NIL and the recent Grant House vs. NCAA settlement that allows schools to directly compensate athletes, up to 22 percent of athletics revenue.

These are some of the changes that have fostered the current “wild west” environment and a financial model that is unsustainable for small- to mid-sized schools. For example, in 2023, the average athletic department in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) earned $79 million in revenues and spent $98 million. This legislation addresses revenue challenges facing schools today while at the same time protecting student athletes and non-revenue sports.

The Student Athlete Fairness and Enforcement Act Key Provisions:

First-ever National Rights and Protections for Student Athletes. Grants student athletes a new federal right to their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) and replaces the patchwork of state laws with a strong national NIL standard. The Act establishes:

A 10-year scholarship guarantee.

For Division 1 schools, 5 years of post-eligibility medical coverage for sports-related injuries.

Safety standards for heat exertion, brain injury, sickle cell trait and asthma; enforced by independent officers.

NIL contract requirements that protect student athletes; contracts must include key terms like what the athlete must do under the contract and how much they will be paid.

Endorsement rights for athletes so schools cannot restrict athlete NIL endorsement deals, except during organized team activities.

Whistleblower protections for those who report violations.

An Office of Athlete Ombuds at the NCAA to provide independent information and advice to student athletes and assist them to resolve disputes with schools and conferences.

Pooling Media Rights to Maximize Revenue. Allows colleges and universities to lawfully negotiate their media rights as a group to increase their value—just like the NFL, NBA and NHL are able to do, without violating antitrust laws. The bill accomplishes this by amending the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 to include college sports. Additionally:

The antitrust exemption begins upon signing of the legislation.

The Act creates a Committee within the NCAA to help maximize revenue for all schools and conferences.

It charges the Committee with determining fair distribution of media rights to ensure that schools can maintain scholarship and roster slots at 2023-2024 levels for women’s and Olympic sports. Each school shall receive more media rights revenue than they received in the 2024-2025 academic year.

New Broadcast Revenue to Bolster Olympic and Women’s Sports. Schools will receive more revenue from their pooled media rights.

Schools must use the increased media rights revenues to retain the same number of scholarships and roster spots for non-revenue generating and women’s sports as provided during the 2023-24 academic year.

The Committee will represent Division 1 schools broadly and will not be controlled by the biggest conferences. Members of the Committee will be chosen by university presidents and include members across the college sports ecosystem. It will not be subject to NCAA’s weighted voting rules.

Market Level Broadcast Access for Football and Basketball Rights. The legislation requires, just like the NFL, that content be made available for each college athletic competition for football and basketball on a non-exclusive basis for not less than one local outlet.

Local content is not behind a pay wall.

Streaming Media Utilization Rights. Requires broadcast networks, streaming media platforms, or other distributors who control streaming media rights to reconvey those rights back to schools if the entity does not use or materially underutilizes the streaming media rights.

This will strengthen digital distribution rights for athletic competitions other than football and basketball.

Allows non-revenue generating sports to grow through narrowcasting.

Cracks Down on Bad Actor Agents. Puts strong penalties in place against bad actors taking advantage of the new NIL world. The Act will:

Require agents to register with a state and certify to the NCAA that they are registered before they can lawfully represent a student athlete.

Cap agent fees at 5 percent.

Prohibit agents from making fraudulent statements in their registration.

Prohibit agents from misrepresenting NIL deals to entice student athletes to enroll or transfer. Give athletes a private right of action to enforce their NIL rights and bring cases in court against bad actor agents.

Brings Certainty to the Transfer Portal. Sets a national standard for student athlete transfers.

Student athletes can transfer twice without having to sit out for a year.

Student athletes can transfer without having to sit out for a year if their sport is cut or materially reduced.

Shines a Light on Collectives. Requires transparency for NIL deals between collectives and student athletes.

Collective NIL deals must be for a valid business purpose related to the promotion or endorsement of actual goods and services and the compensation must be at rates and terms commensurate with what other individuals would be paid.

Collectives must report to the NCAA their basic business information, what sport programs they arrange NIL deals for, and their associated schools.

These provisions are enforceable by the FTC and state attorneys general.

Preserves the Grant House vs. NCAA Settlement 22 Percent Revenue Share Cap. The legislation does not touch the 22 percent revenue share cap.

Other legislation would bust the settlement cap—this bill would leave it in place.

The Act respects the agreement between the NCAA and the student athletes regarding the revenue share cap.

Provides for Strong Enforcement. Establishes new tools for the FTC and state attorneys general.

Under the Act, the FTC can sue in court and get first-time civil penalties for violations of athletes NIL rights; and can sue agents and collectives.

The Act grants state attorneys general authority to enforce this federal law in court including against agents and collectives.

The Act gives athletes a private right of action to enforce their NIL rights and bring cases in court against bad actor agents.

The full text of the bill is available here.

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So Casually Cruel: New PSI Report Reveals How Ticketmaster's Monopoly Supercharges Prices & Fees for Consumers

[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), released a Minority staff report today, entitled, “So Casually Cruel: How Ticketmaster’s Monopoly Supercharges Prices and Fees,” revealing new details about how Ticketmaster exploited the COVID-19 pandemic to grow its monopoly over live event ticketing and make concert-going unaffordable.

PSI’s report concludes a years-long investigation into Ticketmaster and reveals new details about how the company leveraged its monopolistic control over ticketing and venues to drive up prices at every level. Today’s report comes as the Department of Justice (DOJ) pursues a settlement with Live Nation Entertainment that leaves American consumers vulnerable to ongoing anticompetitive harms from the practices described in the attached report.

In a note from the Ranking Member in today’s report, Blumenthal wrote, “The DOJ abruptly dropped its demand to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster after Ticketmaster hired lobbyists and fixers with deep ties to the Trump Administration, and instead settled for a meager fine, the divestment of a selection of venue booking agreements, and agreed to a few conditions on how it operates. This settlement will do little to protect musicians, their fans, and independent venues. Alarmingly, it may drive up prices and further cement Ticketmaster’s monopoly. That’s why today I am releasing the enclosed report of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which presents new information on the ways in which Ticketmaster abused its monopoly power to reap huge profits and push concert tickets farther out of reach for fans.”

PSI’s investigation spanned more than 112,000 pages of documents and seven years of comprehensive data compiled by Ticketmaster about its revenue and its 14 largest venues. A summary of PSI’s key findings is below:

Ticketmaster leveraged its control of the market to push artists to make tickets available on the resale market before they were available to the public, thereby driving up prices and increasing its own revenue.

Although Ticketmaster claims artists and venues control ticket prices, the company pushed artists to aggressively expand the use of dynamic pricing, which resulted in steep price increases.

Prior to highly publicized technical failures in 2021 and 2022, Ticketmaster executives knew that the company’s focus on maximizing sales when demand was at its highest posed challenges for its technology.

Based on these findings, Blumenthal wrote to 27 state Attorneys General to urge them to reject the proposed settlement, and to stand for what the Department of Justice sought when they filed their complaint: breaking up Live Nation-Ticketmaster. Blumenthal’s letters to state Attorneys General are available here.

In addition to calling on state Attorneys General to reject the proposed settlement, Blumenthal highlighted the following recommendations in PSI’s report to curb the monopoly abuses PSI’s investigation identified:

Congress Should Enact a Price Cap on Secondary Sales: Congress should pursue statutory limitations on the prices of resold tickets. Such a measure could be narrowly tailored and would address glaring shortcomings in the current market that reward opportunistic actors instead of dedicated fans.

Congress Should Enact Restrictions on Deceptive and Abusive Ticketing Practices: Congress should pursue legislation that improves transparency about the price and availability of tickets, including Blumenthal’s Junk Fees Prevention Act and the BOSS and SWIFT Act.

The full text of PSI’s Minority staff report is available here.

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Cantwell Statement On Upcoming NBA Board Vote to Enter Into the Official Expansion Process Specific to Seattle and Las Vegas

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This morning, ESPN reported the NBA’s Board of Governors plans to meet next week to vote on opening a negotiation window to expand teams into Seattle and Las Vegas, a process that could result in the two franchises tipping off in the 2028-2029 season.

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation – the committee tasked with overseeing sports – issued the following statement:

“It's good news that the NBA wants to hold expansion discussion in March. What a great month for basketball. There is no better and deserving city than Seattle if you want to talk about expansion. HUGE fan base plus history equals great future for the NBA in Seattle.”


Capito Reintroduces Bill to Address Wastewater Needs of Low-Income Households

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) joined Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Representative Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) in reintroducing the Rural Decentralized Water Systems Reauthorization Act, legislation that would expand and strengthen the USDA Rural Decentralized Water Systems Program to provide support for low- and moderate-income households to install or upgrade their water well and wastewater systems.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over one million U.S. residents lack access to safely managed sanitation – meaning that their homes do not have an adequate method for disposing of human waste. The Rural Decentralized Water Systems Reauthorization Act would reauthorize the Rural Decentralized Water Systems Grant Program through 2031, increase the maximum subgrant or loan amount, and target funding through subgrants to individuals earning 60 percent or less of the median nonmetropolitan household income for the area. Additionally, the bill would reinstate eligibility for loans to individuals earning up to 100 percent of the area median income and allow subgrant funding to include the cost of a performance warranty for individually owned household’s decentralized wastewater systems.

“Strengthening infrastructure across West Virginia has long been a top priority for me,” Senator Capito said. “This legislation will improve home water systems in our state and reauthorize the Rural Decentralized Water Systems Grant Program, a program that has delivered real results for West Virginians. This legislation is also included in my Farm Bill priorities this year, and I look forward to continuing my work to move it forward.”

“Hundreds of thousands of homes across the U.S. lack access to basic sewage systems, with many left with no option but to straight-pipe raw sewage directly into their back yards,” Senator Booker said.“Many New Jerseyans in low-income households are dealing with broken or outdated wastewater systems, and this bill will help provide better access to wastewater infrastructure for families who desperately need it.”

Full text of the legislation can be found here.

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PHOTOS: Capito Visits NASA IV&V Facility with NASA Administrator

FAIRMONT, W.Va. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation, visited the Katherine Johnson Independent and Validation (IV&V) Facility in Fairmont, W.Va. with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.

“West Virginia has played a critical role in America’s leadership in space, and seeing the incredible work being done at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and the Katherine Johnson IV&V Facility today only reinforces that legacy,” Senator Capito said. “The men and women here will play a critical role in accelerating America’s return to the moon. I was glad to visit with Administrator Isaacman who conveyed the agency’s strong commitment to the workforce and capabilities here in West Virginia. And it was a fitting day to visit on the 100th anniversary of Robert Goddard’s first rocket fueled rocket launch. That legacy lives on at Katherine Johnson IV&V.”

“Thank you to Senator Capito for joining the team at the IV&V Facility today,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “The work happening here in West Virginia strengthens NASA’s entire mission, helping ensure the software behind our spacecraft and programs performs safely and reliably across the agency.”

Photos from today’s tour are included below:

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) joins NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman for a tour of the Katherine Johnson Independent and Validation (IV&V) facility in Fairmont, W.Va. on Monday, March 16, 2026.

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) joins NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman for a tour of the Katherine Johnson Independent and Validation (IV&V) facility in Fairmont, W.Va. on Monday, March 16, 2026.

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) greets NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman for a tour of the Katherine Johnson Independent and Validation (IV&V) facility in Fairmont, W.Va. on Monday, March 16, 2026.

BACKGROUND:

In 2019, Senator Capito led the successful effort to rename NASA’s Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Facility in Fairmont after West Virginia native and pioneering mathematician Katherine Johnson, ensuring her historic contributions to the nation’s space program would be permanently recognized. She also introduced a Senate resolution honoring Johnson’s remarkable life and legacy. Continuing her work to elevate Johnson’s impact, Senator Capito led the congressional effort in September 2024 to award Johnson and her colleagues the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the nation’s highest civilian honors, recognizing the “Hidden Figures” whose brilliance and perseverance helped propel the United States into the space age.

Based in Fairmont, the IV&V Program supports NASA missions by providing systems engineering and independent software assurance, helping improve reliability, identify defects earlier, reduce development costs, and mitigate risks in safety- and mission-critical software. This work also contributes to the advancement of the NASA Artemis Program, the initiative to return humans to the Moon and eventually travel to Mars. Alongside the IV&V Program, West Virginia’s aerospace manufacturers, companies, and research universities support Artemis through engineering, testing, and workforce development. Together, these efforts demonstrate how the state’s technical expertise is helping power the next era of American lunar exploration.

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Cassidy Participates in Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Baton Rouge

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) on Saturday rode in the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Baton Rouge, which has occurred every year since 1986 thanks to the leadership of Mr. Pat Shingleton and his family. The parade route was surrounded by thousands of people and helped local businesses across the city.

Beforehand, Cassidy spoke at an opening ceremony where he congratulated the Shingletons and others involved for their efforts.

“St. Patrick’s Day, the Shingletons brought it to Baton Rouge,” said Dr. Cassidy. “It means family and fun and a beautiful day at home.”

Others who were at the opening ceremony included Grand Marshal Jim Cantore with The Weather Channel and Catholic Bishop of Baton Rouge Michael Duca, among others. Cassidy was introduced at the ceremony by State Representative Dixon McMakin, who said the following:

“Over these years, we are blessed and lucky to have Senate and Congressional leadership capable of putting petty politics to the side, and focus on winning for Louisiana,” said Rep. McMakin. “Since 2015, [Cassidy] has utilized his talents and abilities to focus on healthcare, energy, [and] delivering over $10 billion dollars for our great state. He’s passed legislation on mental health, tax cuts, the HALT Fentanyl Act, and the 2025 Social Security Fairness Act.”

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Duckworth Joins Heinrich, Colleagues in Push to Deliver Tariff Refunds to American Families

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and her Senate Democratic colleagues in introducing legislation that would create a tax rebate program for individuals and families who have paid increased prices for groceries and everyday essentials due to President Trump’s unlawful foreign tariffs. According to a U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC) report, Trump’s illegal tariffs have already cost American families more than $1,700 each.

“Donald Trump’s illegal tariffs stole billions from American families—and they deserve a refund,” said Duckworth. “This President forced families across the country to pay more for groceries, toys and so many more everyday essentials. Americans should not be stuck with the bill for his self-inflicted economic catastrophe caused by his greed, vanity and hunger for power. Our legislation would help right this wrong and deliver relief to the thousands of families who are suffering under Trump’s disastrous, unlawful economic policies.”

Following the Supreme Court’s recent decision declaring many of Trump’s broad, cost-raising tariffs unconstitutional, Trump announced additional tariffs his administration plans to impose on imported goods. A new JEC report announced that American families could pay over $2,500 more as a result of Trump’s ongoing tariffs this year.

The Tariff Refunds for Working Families Act would establish the “Working Families Refund.” Specifically, the legislation would provide a tax rebate of $600 to individual filers making $90,000 or less, provide a tax rebate of $600 to head of household filers making $120,000 or less, provide a tax rebate of $1200 to joint filers making $180,000 or less and provide an additional tax rebate of $600 for each dependent child. For example, a family of four with two parents filing jointly and two dependent children making less than $180,000 a year would receive a $2,400 Working Families Refund.

In addition to Duckworth and Heinrich, this legislation is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Chris Coons (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Jack Reed (D-RI).

The full text of the legislation is available on Senator Duckworth’s website.

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Senate, House Judiciary Leaders Refer Kristi Noem To Justice Department For Perjury Investigation

Durbin, Raskin to Bondi: “Making false statements to Congress is a crime … While we have low expectations that you will pursue this matter given your partisan weaponization of the Department of Justice, we note that the statute of limitations for knowingly and willfully making false statements to Congress is five years.”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, referred embattled Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for investigation into potential perjury charges and for knowingly making false statements under oath following her appearances before the Committees on March 3 and 4, 2026.

In a letter to Attorney General Bondi, the Ranking Members write: “We write to refer evidence showing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem repeatedly misled the Senate Committee on the Judiciary during her testimony on March 3, 2026, and the House Committee on the Judiciary during her testimony on March 4, 2026. A number of her statements appear to violate criminal statutes prohibiting perjury and knowingly making false statements to Congress.”

The Ranking Members continued, after citing 18 U.S.C. §1001 and 18 U.S.C. §1621: “After months of evading our Committees’ requests to testify in routine oversight hearings, Secretary Noem made a series of demonstrably false statements in a brazen attempt to undermine critical congressional oversight of the Department of Homeland Security.”

The Ranking Members then cite four categories of statements from the hearings that amply support an investigation into whether Noem knowingly and willfully made false statements to Congress, including statements regarding DHS’s failure to comply with court orders, contracting, detaining U.S. citizens, and detention conditions.

The Ranking Members concluded: “Making false statements to Congress, and making false statements under oath, are federal crimes. The examples above highlight Secretary Noem’s false and misleading testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 3, 2026, and the House Judiciary Committee on March 4, 2026. We accordingly refer this matter to the Department of Justice to determine if her testimony warrants investigation under 18 U.S.C. §§1001 and §1621. While we have low expectations that you will pursue this matter given your partisan weaponization of the Department of Justice, we note that the statute of limitations for perjury and for knowingly and willfully making false statements to Congress is five years.”

For a PDF of the referral, click here.

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Ernst Names Small Business of the Week, Boone River Financial

RED OAK, Iowa – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chair of the Senate Small Business Committee, today announced her Small Business of the Week: Boone River Financial of Hamilton County. Throughout the 119th Congress, Chair Ernst plans to recognize a small business in each of Iowa’s 99 counties.

“Boone River Financial has become a trusted partner for individuals and businesses in Webster City, delivering financial advice and services that pay dividends,” said Chair Ernst. “By prioritizing personal relationships, this small business continues to invest in their clients and empowers them to make confident financial decisions.”

Founded in 2021 by Andrew Hejlik, Boone River Financial is committed to helping individuals and business owners develop thoughtful financial strategies to make informed decisions. From investment management to comprehensive financial planning and 401(k) advisory services, the team helps their clients create sustainable strategies for long-term growth – building a strong presence in Hamilton County.

Stay tuned as Chair Ernst continues to recognize outstanding Iowa small businesses with her Small Business of the Week award.

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Gillibrand, Colleagues Introduce New Bill To Cut Taxes For Millions Of Working Americans

Legislation would eliminate federal income taxes for Americans who make under $46,000 – the median cost of living

Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), along with Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Andy Kim (D-NJ), introduced new legislation to provide much-needed tax relief for millions of working Americans who are struggling with rising costs in President Trump’s America.

The Working Americans’ Tax Cut Act would provide broad, permanent tax cuts to nearly 130 million working Americans. The bill would eliminate federal income taxes for Americans who make under the median cost of living, $46,000, and provide a significant tax break to individuals making between $46,000 and $80,500, with proportionally higher rates for heads of households and married couples.

“Families are struggling amidst higher costs in Trump’s America,” said Senator Gillibrand. “I’m proud to cosponsor the Working Americans’ Tax Cut Act to support working families, drive economic growth, and reduce income inequality. While the Trump administration turns its back on hardworking Americans, I will keep fighting to lower costs and make sure Americans can take home more of their hard-earned pay.”

In addition to Senators Gillibrand, Van Hollen, Kelly, Booker, and Kim, this legislation is cosponsored in the Senate by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Angus King (I-ME), Ed Markey (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE). Representative Don Beyer (D-VA) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The legislation is fully paid for and avoids raising the national debt through a tiered surtax on income above a million dollars. This proposal stands in stark contrast to the tax law that President Trump and Republicans in Congress passed last year, which provided a tax giveaway to billionaires and exploded the deficit, while offering only temporary relief for some working families.

This legislation has been endorsed by a broad range of organizations: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Americans for Tax Fairness, Community Change Action, Demos, Get Out the Vote PAC, Indivisible, Institute for Policy Studies, MoveOn, National Education Association (NEA), NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Oxfam US, Patriotic Millionaires, People’s Action, Public Citizen, Social Security Works, Strong Economy for All Coalition, SURJ, Take on Wall Street, and United for a Fair Economy.

The full text of the legislation can be found here.

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Capitol Hill Report, 03-16-26

This afternoon’s call is available HERE.

Topics include: Grassley’s meeting with the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce, Democrats’ Department of Homeland Security shutdown, fuel prices, the Farm Bill and democracy in the Western Hemisphere.


ICYMI: Grassley Talks Oversight, Whistleblower Protection, Bipartisanship and More on “Jason in the House” Podcast

WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined former Rep. Jason Chaffetz’s (R-Utah) “Jason in the House” podcast to kick off “Sunshine Week” with a discussion on congressional oversight and his work to protect whistleblowers. Grassley also discussed the importance of bipartisanship, his Iowa roots, setting the standard for representative government and more.

“Senator, you’ve been a pillar of integrity and [have] a work ethic that is enviable and admirable in every way,” Chaffetz said. “To the good people of Iowa: thanks for sending Senator Grassley [to the U.S. Senate], because nobody works harder and is smarter at doing it than Chuck Grassley.”

Listen to the full interview HERE. Excerpts follow.

AUDIO

On the importance of congressional oversight:

“I learned checks and balances in eighth grade civics, and I know that we not only pass laws and we appropriate money, but we have a responsibility to make sure that any Republican or any Democrat president faithfully executes those laws.

“So, I've come to the conclusion that a great deal of productive time can be spent on oversight. And that started way back in my first term in Congress, when I was going after fraud in the Defense Department. We got the False Claims Act [amendments] passed. That has brought in $85 billion of [fraudulently] taken money. But beyond that, it's just our responsibility to make sure that we're a check on the president and that the president faithfully executes the laws.”

On protecting whistleblowers:

“I've developed a good reputation for protecting whistleblowers. And these whistleblowers...are very patriotic people. They just want the federal government to do what the law says they should do [and] spend the money the way Congress intended to spend it. And when they see something wrong, and they go to [higher ups] in their agency, and nothing happens, then they end up being an official whistleblower, because they come to Chuck Grassley or people like Jason Chaffetz... I’ll bet you 80% to 90% of the ideas I get to investigate...that information comes from whistleblowers.

“When some cabinet person or agency head comes to my office because they want me to vote for their confirmation, I always preach to them about listening to whistleblowers – because where they got a few hundred people in their agency, or hundreds of thousands of people in their agency, as head of that agency, they don't know what's going on below, and they should listen [to] whistleblowers. If these people I'm talking to that are head of these agencies would listen to their whistleblowers, there wouldn't be any need for Chuck Grassley to protect whistleblowers, because the action would be taken where it should be taken within the agency, and not because Senator Grassley gets on them to do what's right...

“I don't find as much prosecution as I find whistleblowers that are actually fired or hurt professionally because they sincerely [reported] a wrongdoing and then [were] fired for it.

“So far, since [President Trump’s] new term…we've had the cooperation of President Trump's people at lower levels to get 16 [whistleblowers] that were fired, mostly in the Biden administration – get their job[s] back… [You’ve] just got to have a reputation for following through and helping people.”

On changes to the Senate schedule:

“When I first came here, we started at 10:00 a.m. on Monday morning and went until 4:00 [p.m.] on Friday afternoon. Now, the first vote is 5:00 [p.m.] on Monday. We work all day Tuesday [and] all day Wednesday, but by midafternoon on Thursday, we're all [done].

“So, I tell people…there's enough work for an individual senator to [work] seven days a week if he wants to, all by himself. But you don't solve [this] country’s problems until you get 100 senators together in a body. We’ve got so many problems – you’ve got to be working more than two and a half days a week.”

On bipartisanship:

“Over the last 10 or 15 years, we've [developed] too much partisanship, and I like to explain that the cause of this may be partly because the voters have divided our country into red and blue. That's one thing. [We’ve] ended up with all the conservatives – except for three or four – being in the Republican caucus, and all the progressives or socialists being in the Democrat caucus.

“But when I first came here…the Republican caucus would have a good amount of moderate and conservatives divided – not exactly even, but a lot of moderates. And then the Democrat Party would have moderates and very progressive people, and they solved a lot of things within their caucus before it ever got to the floor. Now, it's just more difficult to build bipartisanship.

“I get this question at the back of the courtroom [at town meetings] in Iowa. [Constituents ask,] ‘How come [Democrats and Republicans] can't get along?’ They get the impression from our media today that Republicans don't talk to Democrats and vice versa. That's not true.

“People are losing faith in government...because of all the negative media that comes out [where] they always emphasize disagreement. They never emphasize agreement. I'll give you an example: three weeks ago, out of my Judiciary Committee, we had updated social media criminal law with three or four bills that got out of committee with bipartisanship on a voice vote and attached to a House bill. And the House likes the bills we pass[ed], so [the package] should get to the president updating our criminal law. And you never hear reports about that – but if Chuck Grassley and [Dick] Durbin are fighting about immigration, then it hits the news.”

On Grassley’s upbringing and his Iowa roots:

“I live now within four miles of the farmhouse I was born in... I lived on that farm until I was married at age 20. I was also a college student when I got married.

“And I grew up in a family that was not politically active, but I got my interest in politics when I was in grade school, because at the supper table, my mom and dad were always talking about American history, or maybe history generally. They were always talking about something that dealt with government, and I don't want to say it was extreme left or right political discussions. There probably wasn't much of that. It was just talking about what's going on in the world.

“So, I knew when I got out of high school that I was either going to be a college professor of political science, or I was going to be an [elected official]. And so, I majored in political science and history at the University of Northern Iowa, and then I started working on a PhD at the University of Iowa. But at age 25, I was elected to the legislature.

“You may be thinking that at age 18, I knew I was going to be a U.S. senator. No, I didn't. I just knew that I wanted to be in elected office or teach government... I served [in the state legislature for] 16 years, and [then] a [U.S.] congressman of 30 years retired, and I was elected in the Watergate scandal of 1974. I was the only Republican in the congressional delegation; I imagine that's the first time that had ever happened in the history of Iowa. We thought the Republican Party was dead in 1974. [After] six years in the U.S. House, I ran for the Senate, and Reagan was elected. I was elected, and we elected 16 brand new Republican senators – and all of a sudden, I was in the majority.

“Now you may wonder...how did I get into farming...? Well, my dad died in 1960, and [my] mom wanted to stay on the family farm, and I was the only person in the family to take on that responsibility. That's how I became a farmer. During my years in the [state] legislature, I farmed 80 acres, [and then] eventually 200 acres…

“On an 80-acre farm in the 1960s, you couldn't make a living, so I was an assembly line worker putting screw holes in furnace registers at Waterloo Register [in] Cedar Falls, Iowa, a company that no longer exists. But it paid for me to stay in the legislature and operate a family farm.

“When I went to the University of Northern Iowa, we didn't have student loan programs like we do now, and so...I worked 40 hours a week at the Rath Packing Company, which slaughtered pigs, cattle and sheep… I worked...five days a week, [and] that paid for my education.”

On lessons learned from his parents:

“From my mother, I learned to always tell the truth, and [if you do,] you don't have to worry about what you tell somebody else.

“From [my] dad, I learned hard work, because milking cows by hand and everything else you do on the farm is not easy work.”

On his 99 county meetings:

“[I go] to each one of the 99 counties every year to have a Q&A with constituents. Those Q&As take a variety of environments – sometimes an open town meeting at the courthouse [or] sometimes on a factory floor, if they'll shut down the assembly line [and] let their workers gather around me...

“I went to 13 counties [last month]...when we were in recess. I think I went to three or four high schools, because you never get people under 18 years of age coming to your town meetings. So, if I want to have opinions from young people, I’ve got to go to them. Just like the factory workers that can't get off work, I go to them. Just like the people that work in the hospital.”

On the secret to a successful marriage:

“[We’ve been married] 71 years. Always say yes.”


Senator Hassan Investigation Forces Big Pharma Company to Abandon Monopoly & Egregious Price Hike Strategy, Allowing Lower-Cost Generic Inhaler for Kids to Enter Market

Hassan Investigative Report Details How Kids Suffered While the Company Profited

New FDA Approved Generic Will Enable More Kids to Get Asthma Treatment They Need

WASHINGTON – Following two years of pressure from U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care, a major pharmaceutical company has ended its decades-long practice of pairing egregious price hikes and monopoly protection by allowing a low-cost generic alternative for an asthma inhaler commonly used by children to enter the market.

Read Senator Hassan’s new investigative report HERE.

“For decades, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has blocked competitors and increased prices on a life-saving asthma inhaler to unconscionable levels, with children, families, and taxpayers paying the price,” said Senator Hassan. “Now that the company has given up its monopoly and finally allowed a lower-cost generic to enter the market, fewer families around the country will have to live in constant fear that their child may die from an asthma attack because GSK has priced them out of life-saving medication. Congress must act to close the loopholes that GSK exploited so that no other Big Pharma company can cause the harm that GSK did.”

GSK, a massive multinational pharmaceutical company, previously manufactured Flovent, a life-saving asthma inhaler relied on by children across the country. GSK spent years increasing the price of Flovent well above the rate of inflation, protecting its monopoly over it, and squeezing families who relied on the drug. Then GSK went so far as to take Flovent off the market in 2024 after creating a more costly copycat all to exploit a loophole that enabled the company to avoid paying rebates to Medicaid for exorbitant price hikes. In a new investigative report released today, Senator Hassan details how GSK’s tactics have harmed kids and families. Thanks to Senator Hassan’s pressure, GSK has abandoned its monopoly over the drug and is now allowing a lower-cost generic competitor to enter the market. The new FDA-approved generic – approved just days before the release of Hassan’s report – will mean that the nearly 5 million children with asthma in the United States will soon have access to a more affordable version of this medication.

Senator Hassan has been pressing GSK over its actions since 2024, when she first called on the company to restore Flovent to the market. Last year, she formally launched an investigation into the impact the profit-driven discontinuation had on families, culminating in this week’s new report. As detailed in Hassan’s new report, the removal of Flovent from the market significantly reduced access and created financial hardship for many of the 5 million children with asthma and their families nationwide, resulting in worsening symptoms, more emergency room visits, increased hospitalizations, and potentiallyeven deaths.

Read Senator Hassan’s full report on the health consequences to children and financial harm to families from GSK’s profit-padding tactics HERE.

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Heinrich, Luján Press Trump Administration for Answers on School Bombing and Civilian Causalities in Iran

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Select Intelligence Committee, and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) sent a letter demanding that U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Secretary Pete Hegseth provide answers to the American people on the airstrikes on a school in Minab, Iran and civilian casualties in the Trump Administration’s illegal, reckless war on Iran.

On February 28, during the opening salvo of U.S. and Israeli operations on Iran, airstrikes on a girls’ elementary school reportedly killed at least 175 people – mostly children – in Minab, Iran. A new preliminary investigation from the DoD found the U.S. was likely responsible for the strike.

“The war against Iran is a war of choice without Congressional authorization,” the senators wrote to DoD Secretary Hegseth. “As these military actions continue, the United States and Israel must abide by U.S. and international law, including the law of armed conflict. There must be a swift investigation into the strikes on this school and any other potential U.S. military actions causing civilian harm, and the findings must be released to the public as soon as possible, along with any measures to pursue accountability,”

The senators continued, “The results of this school attack are horrific. The majority of those killed in the strikes were girls between the ages of 7 and 12 years old. Neither the United States nor the Israeli Government has yet taken responsibility for this attack.”

“There have also been reports of airstrikes that have hit multiple hospitals, cultural heritage sites, and other critical civilian infrastructure... Massive civilian casualty incidents like the attack in Minab are not only detrimental to the Iranian people, who have already suffered so much at the hands of its own government, but they also undermine U.S. national security interests. These concerns are compounded by the reported use of artificial intelligence tools to select and prioritize targets in Iran,” the senators underscored.

Heinrich and Luján voted for a War Powers Resolution directing President Trump to end military operations in Iran if not explicitly authorized by Congress. Senate Republicans blocked this War Powers Resolution.

The letter is led by U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii). In addition to Heinrich and Luján, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jeffrey Merkley (D-Ore.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Christopher Coons (D-Del.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Catherine Cortez Mastro (D-Nev.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Angus King (I-Maine).

The full text of the letter is here and below.

Secretary Hegseth,

We write with grave concern regarding the airstrikes on a girls’ elementary school that reportedly killed at least 168 people – mostly children – in Minab, Iran during the opening salvo of U.S. and Israeli operations on Iran on February 28. To be clear, the war against Iran is a war of choice without Congressional authorization. Nonetheless, as these military actions continue, the United States and Israel must abide by U.S. and international law, including the law of armed conflict. There must be a swift investigation into the strikes on this school and any other potential U.S. military actions causing civilian harm, and the findings must be released to the public as soon as possible, along with any measures to pursue accountability.

The results of this school attack are horrific. The majority of those killed in the strikes were girls between the ages of 7 and 12 years old. Neither the United States nor the Israeli Government has yet taken responsibility for this attack. On March 4, you acknowledged that the United States was looking into the strikes at the school, saying "all I know, all I can say, is that we're investigating that," but shared no information about a timeline for review nor a commitment to accountability. A New York Times analysis of available evidence suggests that U.S. forces most likely struck the school amid attacks on an adjacent Iranian naval base, despite satellite imagery showing that the building had been walled off from the military base and used as a school since at least 2016. And U.S. military investigators themselves reportedly believe that U.S. forces were likely responsible.

There have also been reports of airstrikes that have hit multiple hospitals, cultural heritage sites, and other critical civilian infrastructure. This includes the use of explosive weapons in major Iranian cities and populated areas, including the capital, Tehran, which is home to approximately 9 million people. As of March 10, 2026, there have been over 1,245 civilians killed and over 12,000 civilians injured in the war, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). Massive civilian casualty incidents like the attack in Minab are not only detrimental to the Iranian people, who have already suffered so much at the hands of its own government, but they also undermine U.S. national security interests. These concerns are compounded by the reported use of artificial intelligence tools to select and prioritize targets in Iran.

These civilian harm events are not taking place in a vacuum. As Secretary of Defense, you set the tone for U.S. military conduct, and your recent comments send a clear message of disregard for the laws of war. On March 3, you said that Operation Epic Fury would have “no stupid rules of engagement.” On March 4, you said while describing U.S. military operations in Iran that there will be “death and destruction from the sky all day long.” This rhetoric only serves to endanger civilians, including American citizens, in the region and around the globe. The United States is a party to the Geneva Conventions and bound by international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution. These are binding and non-negotiable standards designed to protect innocent human life, and it is unacceptable for the Secretary of Defense to suggest otherwise.

Your comments reflect a broader pattern of policies abandoning the Defense Department’s commitment to minimizing civilian harm in U.S. military operations. Under this administration, budgetary and personnel cuts at the Department have robbed military commands of crucial resources to prevent and respond to civilian casualties, including at U.S. Central Command and the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence, which supports commands in this work and was codified into law with bipartisan congressional support. You have also removed senior, nonpartisan Judge Advocate General (JAG) officers who provide essential legal guidance to U.S. service members, particularly regarding compliance with the law of armed conflict and U.S. policies aimed at reducing civilian harm. These actions, combined with your comments and the horrific reports of civilian casualties stemming from the war against Iran, suggest the administration has abandoned its duty to protect civilians.

We request answers to the following questions regarding the February 28 attack on the elementary school no later than March 18, 2026.

1. Did U.S. forces conduct the strikes that struck the girls’ school in Minab, Iran on February 28, 2026? If not, did the United States play any role in planning, coordinating, or supporting the strikes?

a. If U.S. forces carried out the strikes on the school, what was the intended target? What led to the errant strike? At what command level was authorization granted? What weapons and systems were used in the strikes?

b. What analysis was done to determine the purpose of the building? When was this analysis completed? What measures were implemented to reduce the risk of civilian casualties? What was the intended military objective? Were AI tools used in planning or executing these strikes?

c. What analysis, if any, led the U.S. military to conclude that the expected civilian harm would not be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated?

2. You said U.S. forces would follow "no stupid rules of engagement." Are you complying with rules to prevent the commission of war crimes? If so, what procedures are in place to implement those rules?

3. What steps has the U.S. military taken to prevent and mitigate civilian harm in its operational planning and targeting? Was a “no-strike list” established prior to the commencement of U.S. military operations in Iran?

4. Have any U.S. military operations in Iran utilized, or will any utilize, artificial intelligence tools, and if so, provide specifics of how they are being used and for what purpose? What human verification and redundancy policies are in place, if any, to evaluate the accuracy and legitimacy of AI-generated targets? Please provide a copy of any procedures service members use to verify AI-generated targets and recommend them for execution.

5. What role do civilian harm mitigation and response (CHMR) staff at CENTCOM play in operational planning and targeting? How has CENTCOM compensated for the reduction in resources dedicated to this effort, including the loss of dedicated civilian harm mitigation teams?

6. The U.S. has reported that it struck over 1,000 targets in just 24 hours. Given this volume, the compressed timeframe, and the presence of targets in populated areas, what steps and precautions has the U.S. taken to ensure compliance with the laws of war during these strikes? How has the U.S. implemented established CHMR policies and practices?

Sincerely,

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