U.S. Senator Tina Smith Introduces Bill to Strengthen Teacher Workforce

Washington, DC — This week, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) introduced the Addressing Teacher Shortages Act, bicameral legislation to help schools recruit, prepare and retain educators amid the ongoing teacher shortage. The bill is co-led in the House of Representatives by Congresswomen Haley Stevens (D-MI) and Jahana Hayes (D-CT).

In Minnesota, 84% of school districts report being affected by teacher shortages, and nearly one in four licensed teachers in Minnesota isn’t working in a classroom. Among those who do, almost one-third of new teachers leave the profession within five years.

“Building a stronger education system is one of the smartest investments we can make. I hear from Minnesota schools every year about the shortages they can’t seem to fill, and that it’s only getting worse. Smaller and rural districts particularly struggle to fill spots, but no matter where it is, we can’t seem to hire teachers in key subjects like STEM, technical education and special education,” said Senator Tina Smith. “These shortages hurt our students the most, and that’s why this legislation is so critical. Our kids deserve fully staffed schools.”

The Addressing Teacher Shortages Act would establish a competitive federal grant program that school districts can apply to for five years of funding to strengthen teacher recruitment, training and retention. The bill also provides staffing resources at the U.S. Department of Education to help under-resourced communities apply for and access these grants. The bill gives school districts broad latitude to determine how best to spend the grant money to hire and retain qualified teachers in their communities.

Grant funding could be used by school districts and education partners to establish or expand:

Teacher residency and mentorship programs to support early-career educators

“Grow Your Own” programs that recruit graduates and community members to teach in their local schools

“2+2” teacher preparation partnerships between community colleges and four-year universities

Programs encouraging STEM majors to pursue education coursework and teaching careers

Teacher preparation pathways in secondary schools

This legislation is endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, and Education Minnesota.

The full text of the bill can be found here.

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U.S. Senators Tina Smith, Jim Banks Introduce New Bipartisan Youth Suicide Prevention Legislation

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Jim Banks (R-IN) introduced the Raising Awareness for Youth Suicide Prevention (RAYS) Act, requiring middle and high schools to include mental health and suicide prevention information on student identification cards and school websites. The hotline and text line has been used nearly 20 million times since it was created in 2022.

“We can’t afford to leave holes in the safety net we’ve built to catch people when they’re going through hard times or struggling with their mental health. That’s why we created the 988 hotline in the first place. Now, we need to make sure everyone, especially young people, know that resources are available to them when they need it,” said Senator Smith. “This is a common-sense idea to help those facing mental health challenges. It tells them that they are not alone and help is out there.”

“It is unacceptable that suicide is the leading cause of death for Americans under 21. This legislation will expand access to vital resources and help save lives,” said Senator Banks.

The RAYS Act would require secondary education institutions to provide contact information for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, the Crisis Text Line, and a state or local suicide prevention hotline selected by the school, if available, on the back of all student ID cards. If a school cannot meet this requirement because it does not distribute physical student ID cards, cost is a barrier, or some other administrative burden, they will be required to publish the information on a publicly accessible website of the school.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the United States among young people (ages 12-18). Every day, there are an average of 3,703 suicide attempts made by middle and high school students in the United States. Increasing awareness of the 988 hotline and similar local resources will improve access to these low-barrier mental health supports for students.

The RAYS Act is cosponsored by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

Full text of the legislation is available here.

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EPW Committee Holds Hearing On Sullivan’s Cold Weather Diesel Reliability Act

WASHINGTON— U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) today welcomed a Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee hearing to examine S. 3135, the Cold Weather Diesel Reliability Act, legislation introduced by Senators Sullivan and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.). The hearing featured testimony from Ryan Anderson, Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (Alaska DOT), along with other expert witnesses. Commissioner Anderson detailed how current federal diesel regulations are creating serious, potentially life-threatening operational challenges in cold-weather states and explained why Sen. Sullivan’s legislation is needed to protect Americans who rely on diesel-powered vehicles and equipment—including emergency vehicles, commercial trucks, and critical infrastructure machinery—during extreme winter conditions.

Under current one-size-fits-all Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations, diesel trucks and heavy equipment are required to use emissions systems that can trigger engine shutdowns if the system detects a fault. In cold weather, these emissions components—including but not limited to diesel exhaust fluid (DEF)—often struggle to reach or maintain proper operating temperatures, causing the system to register faults even when the engine itself is running normally. The Cold Weather Diesel Reliability Act would direct the EPA to update its regulations to account for how diesel engines actually operate in cold-weather states, like Alaska, to prevent the automatic shutdowns caused by cold-related emissions faults, and to provide year-round exemptions from DEF system requirements for vehicles and equipment that operate primarily in cold weather climates.

In the hearing, Sen. Sullivan noted that his legislation was the result of hearing from Alaskans who deal with these problems, including from one trucking company about one of its trucks operating on the Dalton Highway—a 400 mile stretch of road leading to Prudhoe Bay, with only one gas station. It was 45 degrees below zero and the trucker was driving through a blizzard when it suddenly lost power.

“The driver went from highway speed to crawling along at about five miles per hour in the middle of a blizzard while hauling a heavy load through mountain terrain,” said Senator Sullivan. “There’s no cell service along most of the Dalton Highway. He had to call dispatch on a satellite phone while idling in brutal wind chills just to keep the truck from freezing solid. Hours later, another driver finally reached him and helped him out. He survived—but the load had to be dropped, and the company paid about $15,000 just to tow the truck back to Fairbanks.”

Stories like this, he noted, are not unusual in Alaska. Commissioner Anderson testified that this issue has become widespread in Alaska, noting that up to 80 percent of diesel engine maintenance issues affecting the state’s equipment fleet over the past two years have been related to DEF system failures in cold weather.

Click here or the image above to watch the video.

“Madam Chair, thank you for holding this hearing on my legislation, which would fix an issue that is important not just to me, but to the Alaskans I represent,” said Senator Sullivan. “This is a problem my constituents brought directly to my office, another EPA mandate that doesn’t work in the real world and, in a state like Alaska, can literally be a matter of life and death. Let me explain why.

First, how did we get here? Obama-era EPA emissions rules required nearly all new diesel engines to install emissions-control systems that use diesel exhaust fluid, or DEF. To enforce compliance, EPA also required manufacturers to program automatic “derate” safeguards that limit engine power or even shut the vehicle down if the system detects a problem, such as low DEF levels or a malfunction in the emissions equipment. But as often happens, the people hit with these one-size-fits-all regulations aren’t the lawyers in Washington, D.C. who wrote them. It's the truck drivers, mechanics, and equipment operators out on remote highways, doing the hard work that keeps our communities supplied and our economy moving.

Why do I say that? DEF freezes at just 12 degrees. Modern trucks have heaters to thaw them once the engine starts, and in normal winter conditions, those heaters do their job. But in places like Alaska, temperatures don’t just dip below freezing for a few hours; they can stay well below negative 20 for weeks at a time. When that happens, the emissions system can stay too cold to reach “ready” status. The extreme cold can affect the sensors, pumps, and heaters that these emission systems depend on. The sensors think something is wrong, even when the engine itself is running just fine. The truck’s computer reads that as a fault and starts reducing power. When that happens in a city, it’s an inconvenience. But when it happens on a remote highway in Alaska, where there’s no cell service and the nearest help might be hundreds of miles away, it becomes a serious safety risk.

Don’t just take my word for it. One of the calls my office received that led directly to this legislation came from a trucking company operating on the Dalton Highway, the only road to Alaska’s North Slope. One of their drivers was hauling north toward Prudhoe Bay during a blizzard. Temperatures were negative 45 degrees, with wind gusts over 60 miles per hour. The truck was practically brand new and properly winterized. Near Atigun Pass, the truck suddenly lost power when the DEF crystallized, and the sensors registered a fault. The driver went from highway speed to crawling along at about five miles per hour in the middle of a blizzard while hauling a heavy load through mountain terrain. There’s no cell service along most of the Dalton Highway. He had to call dispatch on a satellite phone while idling in brutal wind chills just to keep the truck from freezing solid. Hours later, another driver finally reached him and helped him out. He survived—but the load had to be dropped, and the company paid about $15,000 just to tow the truck back to Fairbanks.

Madam Chair, stories like this are not unusual in Alaska. I hear them all the time from truckers, equipment operators, and small businesses that rely on diesel equipment to do their jobs. I’d like to submit additional testimonials from my constituents for the record. These are the men and women who keep America moving. They haul the food, the fuel, and the supplies that keep communities running. And what they’re telling us is simple: the rules coming out of Washington don’t reflect the reality they face on the ground.

In Alaska, these failures can leave someone stranded in fifty-below weather, hours away from help. That is a compliance trap, and it is dangerous. My bill brings some common sense into the system. It directs EPA to update its regulations to account for extreme cold and allows manufacturers to temporarily suspend automatic derate or shutdown functions during those conditions. I’m committed to working with manufacturers, regulators, and the trucking industry to get this right. But we have to start by listening to the people actually living with these problems every day. That’s what this bill does. It listens to the working men and women who keep our country running and makes sure federal policy reflects the reality they face on the road.”

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Thune: Democrats Set Dangerous Precedent with Their Shutdown Politics

Clickhereto watch the video.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:

Thune’s remarks below (as delivered):

“Mr. President, we’re almost now a month into the Democrats’ DHS – Department of Homeland Security – shutdown.

“And Democrats have essentially walked away from trying to solve it.

“That’s right.

“After almost a month of forcing DHS employees to work without pay, Democrats have shown their true colors.

“They don’t care about funding Homeland Security.

“They don’t actually care about reforming immigration enforcement – that’s also become very obvious.

“They’re only interested in keeping this issue alive for an election that is eight months away.

“Mr. President, this is the type of political game that the American people are sick of.

“I’m sick of it.

“I want to read for you something that was reported here by Bloomberg.

“This is a member of the Democrat leadership.

“The quote is, ‘We are very serene with what is going on.’

“‘We are very serene with what is going on.’

“Mr. President, we have a job to do.

“Part of that job is funding the federal government.

“That hasn’t always been treated like a priority around here, but this year we made some real, bipartisan progress on government funding.

“We made progress despite the fact that Democrats delayed things with a record-long, 43-day government shutdown last fall.

“And we were on track this year to complete all 12 appropriations bills by the end of January, finishing the work for fiscal year 2026 and laying the groundwork to continue our progress in fiscal year 2027.

“Among those bills was a bipartisan agreement for a full-year Department of Homeland Security funding bill with reforms requested by Democrats.

“It had money for more body cameras, deescalation training, and additional oversight of immigration enforcement activities.

“But then Democrats reneged on that agreement.

“So we went back to the negotiating table.

“Or, I should say, when I say ‘we,’ Mr. President, I mean we the Republicans, at least, went back to the negotiating table.

“Since Democrats reneged on the DHS agreement, the White House has made two very serious offers for legislating additional reforms.

“The same cannot be said of the Democrats.

“And with their refusal to respond to the White House’s second – and again, serious and substantial – offer, Democrats have now essentially walked away from negotiations entirely.

“We’ve made repeated overtures to them to get them back to the negotiating table.

“But they’re not interested in talking.

“Now, Mr. President, it might be understandable to walk away from a negotiation when there doesn’t seem to be a prospect of coming to a resolution.

“But that isn’t the case here.

“As I said, Republicans and the White House have demonstrated their willingness to negotiate and compromise.

“It’s Democrats who are refusing to talk.

“So why would Democrats walk away from what could otherwise be a very productive negotiation?

“Not long ago, Democrats were telling us how urgent the need for reform was.

“Now they’re apparently fine without reforms.

“Now, why would that be?

“Well, it could be that Democrats believe the actions the Trump administration has already taken on its own are enough to resolve the issues.

“Or it could be that Democrats were never really interested in implementing reforms in the first place.

“Actually, if Democrats cared about reforms, they’d be coming to the table to get a bill.

“Instead, they’re playing politics.

“Mr. President, there was a time when Democrats, I remember very well, would lecture about the importance of funding the government and the dangers of government shutdowns.

“Those days are apparently long gone.

“Democrats now see government shutdowns as a handy tool to use anytime they don’t get everything that they want.

“And they don’t care if they force people to work without pay indefinitely.

“They don’t care if they put our national security and public safety in jeopardy.

“They only care about what’s in it for them.

“Mr. President, as I said, the American people are tired of the games.

“Lines get longer at the airports because TSA isn’t funded.

“The American people want us to do our jobs.

“Republicans are at the table.

“We’re ready to work toward a solution.

“Democrats have walked away.

“And they’ll need to explain to the American people why they refuse to do their job – and why they regard doing nothing as better than doing something.

“Mr. President, maybe again, it’s because, in the words of one of the Democrat leaders, and I quote, ‘We are very serene with what is going on.’

“‘We are very serene with what is going on.’

“That captures it, Mr. President.”


Tuberville Advocates for American Agricultural Producers

WASHINGTON – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) spoke with American agriculture leaders at a U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry hearing titled “Increasing Domestic Consumption of U.S. Grown Agricultural Products.” Sen. Tuberville asked witnesses Zippy Duvall, Scott Metzger, Cathy Burns, Jed Bower, Nathan Reed, and Matt Perdue to share their recommendations for bolstering American farmers and producers. They also spoke about the need to pass the Buying American Cotton Act, Tuberville-backed legislation to incentivize American cotton consumption and revitalize the U.S. cotton industry.

Excerpts from Sen. Tuberville’s remarks can be found below, or viewed on YouTube or Rumble.

TUBERVILLE: “Mr. Chairman. Thanks for being here today. [In] my state of Alabama, we’re leaking oil bad. We had lost 150,000 farms and 25,000 farmers nationwide just a few years ago. Y’all know that. Mr. Duvall, I’m gonna get all of you to answer this. One wish to correct this god-awful mess. What do we do?”

DUVALL: “I don’t know that there’s just one wish that can solve this problem, but we need open markets. We need a labor force. And we need to tear down regulation to take down those barriers that gets in the way of us actually being able to make a living on the farm.”

TUBERVILLE: “Thank you. Scott?”

METZGER: “Yeah. Thank you. And that—yeah, there’s not a one-answer-fits-all on this, but—”

TUBERVILLE: “Give me a good shot at it.”

METZGER: “Give you a good shot at it? Well, let’s get some new markets opened up, continue with the trades that we’ve had. And then on domestic markets, getting those ramped up—45Z, we get the RVO numbers out and finalized, get some domestic use done. That’s gonna help.”

TUBERVILLE: “Mrs. Burns?”

BURNS: “Since Zippy said labor in open markets, I’ll do a third one. And I think the federal government can take action to incentivize healthy eating. And to incentivize and provide better access to domestic-grown products, especially crops products here in the U. S. And we can do that by driving consumption—huge opportunity for us in the U.S. and Americans will be healthier.”

TUBERVILLE: “Thank you.”

BOWER: “Senator, short term—I think that it’s a challenge for new markets. I think we all know. E15 is poised to be right there. But another one I need to bring up is we need to continue to support for the renewal of USMCA. I think that is critical to row crop farmers. Mexico is our number one exporter of corn. Canada is our number one export market of ethanol, truly critical for growers in the short-term while we build out these domestic markets.”

REED: “Thank you, Senator. Speaking for the cotton market or for the cotton production, as a cotton farmer, we need to be able to leverage the power of the American consumer through the Buying American Cotton Act and get that passed. So, thank you.”

PERDUE: “Senator, I’d say that the single biggest impact would be growing our renewable fuels markets. That’s gonna improve prices for corn and for soybeans. It’s gonna produce prices for—or improve prices for—wheat. We also need to make sure that we have strong, competitive, fair markets for farmers to buy inputs from and sell their commodities to.”

TUBERVILLE: “Mr. Reed—thank you very much—Mr. Reed, [you] just talked about the Buying American Cotton Act, which I’m sponsoring with my cohort, [Senator] Cindy Hyde-Smith here, I hear that this would totally revamp the cotton market because if we don’t do something, we’re gonna lose it all. In Alabama, we’re losing 400 dollars an acre before we even plant it. I mean, it’s ridiculous. Why would we get in the cotton business? We have to do something. Could you explain what this act would do?”

REED: “Well, the American cotton farmer, we can produce the highest quality, most environmentally friendly, best crop, best cotton in the world. We can’t produce it cheaper. And unfortunately, between other countries without as much regulatory environment and synthetics, […] we have been unable to compete on a world market. Our domestic textile industry has been decimated, not only as a cotton farmer, but our whole industry—domestic textile industry—the farm or the gins and cottonseed crushing facilities. There’s so much that goes into cotton production just beyond the cotton farmer. A lot of these small, rural communities depend on all that. So, when you lose the cotton industry, you don’t just lose the farmers, you lose the whole industry in America. And we feel that the Buying American Cotton Act will reverse that trend and provide—allow us to use the power of the American consumer that consumes 40 million bales of textiles a year. It will allow us to bring that market back into because there’s rewards in there for domestic produced thread and fiber. There’s a bigger tax credit. But it’ll allow us to—until our American mill industry comes back further—export cotton, and then American cotton comes back in and garments that may have been produced overseas, and brands and retailers get a tax credit. So, it will increase demand for American cotton.”

TUBERVILLE: “Thank you. Good explanation. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.”

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

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Tuberville, Colleagues Call for End to Biden-Era Heat Rule

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined 15 of his GOP colleagues in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Labor to protect American workers from the Biden administration’s disastrous proposed heat rule. The Biden-era proposed rule would mandate that all businesses, no matter their safety record, size, location, or industry, comply with onerous requirements on safety staffing, recordkeeping, and mandatory breaks at certain temperatures. The one-size-fits-all proposal is inefficient, dangerous, threatens job opportunities, and hurts local businesses.

“We represent the states of Louisiana, Idaho, North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, Missouri, Texas, and Montana which have experience with high temperatures and whose workplaces have already developed strategies for protecting workers,” wrote the senators. “Protecting workers from a common and easily understandable workplace hazard does not require a prescriptive rule that will cause confusion and, in several circumstances, may even undermine worker safety. Workers and businesses thrive when there are clear standards that are flexible, understandable, and pragmatic.”

Sen. Tuberville was joined by Sens. Jim Banks (R-IN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Steve Daines (R-MT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Ron Johnson (R-WI), James Lankford (R-OK), Jim Risch (R-ID), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) in signing the letter.

Read full text of the letter below or here.

“Dear Secretary Chavez-DeRemer,

Nothing is more critical than our shared goal of protecting workers from workplace hazards, including heat, so they can return home from work safely.

The Department’s continued prioritization of heat-related hazards through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) National Emphasis Program (NEP) has spurred more than 7,000 Heat NEP Federal inspections resulting in more than 1,300 Hazard Alert Letters and 60 General Duty Clause citations under the General Duty Clause.1 This enforcement is possible because OSHA recognizes heat as a hazard. Currently, if OSHA finds that an employer has violated their duty to protect workers from heat-related workplace hazards, it can issue a citation under the General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act. This allows OSHA to evaluate the circumstances of each individual workplace safety incident and use its discretion.

In 2024, the Biden administration issued a one-size-fits-all proposed rule, Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings, mandating that all businesses, no matter their safety record, size, location, or industry, comply with proposed requirements that include heat triggers, new mandatory safety staffing requirements, safety plans, rigid acclimatization schedules, and burdensome record-keeping requirements, among other mandates.2 Businesses already comply with several workplace safety requirements relating to water, medical care and first aid for specialized industries, such as construction.

We represent the states of Louisiana, Idaho, Alabama, North Carolina, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, Missouri, Texas, and Montana which have experience with high temperatures and whose workplaces have already developed strategies for protecting workers.

Protecting workers from a common and easily understandable workplace hazard does not require a prescriptive rule that will cause confusion and, in several circumstances, may even undermine worker safety. Workers and businesses thrive when there are clear standards that are flexible, understandable, and pragmatic.

The Biden administration’s proposed rule fails to meet these criteria. As rulemaking continues, we ask the Department to consider the below concerns with the Biden administration proposed rule regarding issues that would negatively impact our constituents.

Heat Triggers

The proposed rule’s heat triggers at 80 and 90 degrees create two different levels of compliance for workers, mandating a 15-minute rest break every two hours and active monitoring of employees once the temperature hits 90 degrees. Its practical effects could force workers to make choices that endanger them, violate the law, or increase their workload.

The proposed rule’s mandatory break at 90 degrees can create dangerous hazards for some workers. For example, forcing roofers to climb down from roofs at two-hour intervals may create a heightened fall risk. In localities with noise ordinances prohibiting work before daylight hours, businesses that work in outdoor settings, such as construction and landscape contractors, may find it difficult to shift their work to accommodate both the proposed rule and local noise ordinances and potentially limiting work hours to impractical levels.

Employees who are part of a mobile workforce, such as delivery drivers, could face challenges finding where to park, locating a break area, and cooling off in addition to where and how to store suitably cool water. Time-sensitive work that is easily ruined, such as pouring concrete, may have to stop based on temperature fluctuations. This may then force workers to work longer hours in the heat or result in quality issues. The proposed rule also fails to take into consideration the restoration of critical infrastructure, such as the delivery of electricity, rebuilding roadways and highways, and other utilities, resulting from natural disasters.

Businesses are also required to follow different monitoring schemes for indoor or outdoor work settings, although, as written, it is unclear when a work setting – such as an equipment shed or house under construction – becomes indoor or outdoor.

Heat Safety Coordinator

The proposed rule also mandates that businesses designate staff members to oversee the regulation’s numerous requirements without providing sufficient guidance as to who can fill that role, where the heat safety coordinator’s duties end, and what happens if a heat safety coordinator is unavailable. Each business must install a heat safety coordinator charged with keeping employees free of heat-related illness or injury. The proposed rule states some of the duties of a heat safety coordinator include overseeing the implementation of the heat injury and illness prevention plan (HIIPP) compliance, heat hazard mitigation, and other examples – but, as written, the proposed rule does not indicate where the heat safety coordinator’s duties end. As currently written, the proposed rule also dictates the number of heat safety coordinators that an employers must designate given the current proposed cap of twenty employees per coordinator.

Although a heat safety coordinator can be an employee with the requisite training, this broad grant of responsibility may force businesses to create a position or multiple positions solely to comply with this requirement, potentially forcing small businesses to raise prices due to increased costs or hamstringing companies that could otherwise grow by creating roles that increase productivity.

Acclimatization Rules

The proposed rule requires acclimatization procedures for new employees or re-acclimatization for employees who have been away from work for more than 14 days to exposure to heat they experience on the jobsite over the course of three or four days. These proposed acclimatization procedures do not account for workers who are naturally acclimatized and accustomed to performing the same type of work. This disadvantages workers who are already acclimatized to the area and the type of work but have been out of work for 15 days or longer from getting jobs. It may also encourage some businesses to forgo creating a new job. For some types of businesses, like metal casting, implementing this proposed rule may make it impossible to hire people who are not already fully acclimatized.

The proposed rule’s uniform acclimatization standard may also make it difficult for workers to continue schedules and flexibility on which they rely. For example, it would hamper any deviation in the common energy sector practice of “14 on, 14 off,” in which workers work for two weeks and take the following two weeks off, creating challenges if workers were required to acclimatize every time they returned to work.

Written Safety Plan

The proposed rule requires that businesses with more than ten employees to create a HIIPP with highly detailed and site-specific information, including how to transport a worker to a location where they can be picked up and directions to a worksite, among other details. This level of complexity can cause well-meaning businesses, especially smaller businesses with frequently changing jobsites like construction sites, to violate this rule due to the specificity required in the HIIPP. The proposed rule also imposes superfluous requirements, like requiring businesses to spend additional time revisiting HIIPPs even when a plan addressed a problem before it could become more severe.

Many businesses already have plans that are tailored to their workplace’s needs. Forcing them to conform to an OSHA-specific rubric would impose additional costs while potentially losing key details in a current, business-developed plan. The proposed rule also requires that a HIIPP be available at worksites in a language each employee understands. This requirement could discourage businesses from hiring workers who speak a less common language.

Other Requirements

The proposed heat rule also augments the current legal parameters around training and recordkeeping processes, requires hazard alerts, and dictates how and when businesses must provide water. Its training requirements would require businesses, including small businesses, to explain medical concepts and symptoms to their workforce frequently. The proposed rule includes additional requirements related to temperature monitoring but lacks clarity around when some areas – like boat manufacturing facilities exposed to open air – become indoor or outdoor settings and imposes new monitoring and data storage costs on businesses.

The proposed rule also requires businesses to issue hazard alerts to employees prior to work shifts or when employees are exposed to high-heat above the heat trigger, a more than daily occurrence in some parts of the country. In consistently hot climates, these hazard alerts may need to be issued frequently causing them to become “background noise” or to crowd out messages about other safety hazards that could cause employees greater harm. The proposed heat rule requires that businesses provide one quart of suitably cool water per employee per hour. While well-intentioned, the prescriptive nature of the mandate presents challenges for unique worksites and may inadvertently expose well-meaning businesses to multiple citations based on a formula.

We urge you to consider these challenges our constituents have raised with the proposed rule as you engage in further rulemaking and consider how to center worker safety in the ongoing discussion regarding pragmatic solutions for preventing heat-related hazards in the workplaces.

Sincerely,”

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

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Van Hollen Joins Hirono, Murray, King, Colleagues in Demanding HHS Immediately Release Title X Funding

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Angus King (I-Maine) and 35 colleagues in sending a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., demanding that HHS take immediate action to protect Americans’ uninterrupted access to comprehensive family planning and services by awarding a one-year full funding extension for all current Title X grantees.

Last year, the Trump Administration withheld millions in funding from almost one in five Title X grantees for months, placing over 840,000 people at risk of losing access to Title X-funded care and forcing some sites to close. While the administration restored funding to these groups by December 2025, many grantees were forced to serve the same need with reduced funding. Now, Title X grantees’ current funding is set to lapse on March 31, 2026.

In their letter, the senators highlight the importance of Title X, helping to provide broader access to important services that have resulted in improved health outcomes like lower maternal and infant mortality, fewer premature births, and lower rates of cancer. Since 1970, the Title X Family Planning Program has provided lifesaving family planning and preventive health services for low-income or uninsured patients. Title X services include contraception, cervical cancer screenings, pregnancy testing and counseling, and sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment.

“In short, these services not only make our communities healthier, but also improve educational and economic attainment for women and their families,” the senators wrote.

While funding for all Title X grantees is set to lapse at the end of the month, HHS typically releases Title X non-compete continuation grant guidance in late December, affording grantees about 90 days to complete their continuation application. So far, HHS has not released any guidance or the notice of continuation funding opportunity for Title X year-five awards, creating widespread uncertainty. If this administration fails to meet the April 1, 2026 deadline for releasing Title X funding to current grantees, the repercussions could be catastrophic, with over two million patients losing access to contraception and preventive care and thousands of health care sites put at risk of closure.

“Any gap in Title X funding could result in over two million patients losing access to contraception and preventative care, worsen maternal health outcomes, and increase sexually transmitted infections,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter. “It will also risk layoffs of essential health care providers and staff who provide care for patients at thousands of Title X clinics nationwide, worsening the national maternal and reproductive health care crisis.”

The senators concluded their letter by emphasizing the importance of releasing this funding and how this delay has already caused uncertainty for clinics and patients across the country.

“A lapse in funding caused by this administration would deny patients and their families the dignity of affordable health care and irreparably worsen the health care crisis that President Trump and Republicans in Congress have already exacerbated by enacting the largest cuts to health care in American history,” the senators concluded. “It is imperative that the Department act now and issue a one-year extension of Title X funding.”

In addition to Senators Van Hollen, Hirono, Murray, and King, the letter was also signed by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

Full text of the letter is available here and below.

Dear Secretary Kennedy:

For nearly 60 years, the Title X Family Planning Program (“Title X”) has provided millions of working Americans with access to family planning and essential preventive care services, like cancer screenings. Congress recently renewed its longstanding support for the program in the latest funding package. But under your leadership, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) has so far failed to release annual funding for Title X clinics across the country, as it ordinarily would have by this point in the year. Existing awards are set to lapse on March 31, 2026, and any loss of congressionally appropriated Title X funding will hurt millions of patients and significantly weaken communities’ access to comprehensive family planning services. As such, we demand that the Department take immediate action to protect Americans’ uninterrupted access to these critical services by awarding a one-year full funding extension for all current Title X grantees.

Title X is the only dedicated source of funding for domestic family planning services and preventive health care. Since its establishment in 1970, this program has provided vital reproductive health care services to patients at little to no cost, covering services like contraception, cervical cancer screenings, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, and pregnancy testing and counseling. Access to these services improves health outcomes, resulting in lower maternal and infant mortality, fewer premature births, and lower rates of cancer. In short, these services not only make our communities healthier, but also improve educational and economic attainment for women and their families. Title X funding also saves taxpayer dollars elsewhere in the health care system, with every dollar spent on public funding for family planning programs saving at least seven dollars in Medicaid costs.

In 2022, HHS awarded five-year grants to over 85 Title X grant recipients to deliver affordable, patient-centered family planning and preventive health services across the United States and its territories. Without immediate action, funding for grants will lapse on March 31, 2026. Title X grantees were told that non-compete continuation application guidance was required to be released by HHS no later than December 31, 2025. As of current date, that guidance has not been released, creating widespread uncertainty for grantees, patients, and providers with less than a month of funding remaining. If the administration fails to meet the April 1, 2026, deadline for releasing Title X funding to the current grantees, the repercussions for critical health care will be catastrophic. Any gap in Title X funding could result in over two million patients losing access to contraception and preventative care, worsen maternal health outcomes, and increase sexually transmitted infections. It will also risk layoffs of essential health care providers and staff who provide care for patients at thousands of Title X clinics nationwide, worsening the national maternal and reproductive health care crisis.

These harms are not hypothetical. In 2019, the first Trump administration finalized regulations, which had lasting consequences for the program. Over 1,000 clinics became ineligible for funding. Last April, the Trump administration withheld all or partial funding from a quarter of all Title X grantees for months, cutting off over 840,000 patients’ access to contraceptive care and forcing Title X sites to close. When funding was finally restored, clinics were forced to try to meet the same need but with significantly reduced funding.

This delay is already causing costly uncertainty for clinics across the country and the patients that they serve. A lapse in funding caused by this administration would deny patients and their families the dignity of affordable health care and irreparably worsen the health care crisis that President Trump and Republicans in Congress have already exacerbated by enacting the largest cuts to health care in American history. It is imperative that the Department act now and issue a one-year extension of Title X funding.


Van Hollen Joins Welch, Colleagues in Calling for Investigation into Potential Whistleblower Retaliation at DHS

U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) joined Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) in calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General (IG) to investigate all complaints the IG has received regarding FEMA. In their letter, the Senators raise concerns about allegations that DHS has retaliated against FEMA whistleblowers.

“Since January 2025, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has lacked sufficient leadership, failed to respond to congressional inquiries, and appeared to retaliate against staff engaging in protected activities,” wrote the Senators. “This is unacceptable. To help us understand the full scope of FEMA and DHS’ actions, we write to request a briefing regarding all complaints you have received related to FEMA since January 2025.”

The Senators continued: “FEMA has gone without a Senate-confirmed Administrator since President Trump took office, fueling widespread employee uncertainty and policy whiplash. President Trump’s temporary picks to lead FEMA—David Richardson and Karen Evans—both lack the legally required emergency management experience to serve as the Acting Administrator of FEMA. Moreover, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has expressed a desire to ‘eliminate FEMA’ and reportedly made plans to cut nearly half the agency’s staff this year. A prolonged deficiency of steady, competent leadership—combined with consistent attacks undermining the integrity of the agency—underscores the importance of whistleblower complaints in revealing the truth.”

The Senators highlight how FEMA also appears to be illegally retaliating against staff who stand up to the Trump Administration: “In August 2025, FEMA leadership placed fourteen FEMA staff on leave after they signed a letter addressed to Congress warning of the Trump Administration’s erosion of our country’s disaster response capacity. In November 2025, these employees were notified that they were being reinstated. On December 1, hours after returning to work, these employees were again placed on leave for alleged ‘misconduct.’ As you know, it is illegal to retaliate against whistleblowers at federal agencies. Whistleblower intimidation and retaliation have a chilling effect on others coming forward, compromising FEMA’s ability to address misconduct and improve the disaster preparedness systems that are essential to protecting Americans’ lives.”

The Senators also highlight how FEMA has obstructed Congress’ oversight responsibilities by failing to respond to bipartisan congressional letters: “We have sent FEMA a series of unanswered letters—as have our Republican and Democratic colleagues—since President Trump took office in January 2025. FEMA and DHS’ failure to respond to our letters is an abdication of their responsibilities under the law and to the American people.”

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

Dear Inspector General Cuffari,

Since January 2025, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has lacked sufficient leadership, failed to respond to congressional inquiries, and appeared to retaliate against staff engaging in protected activities. This is unacceptable. To help us understand the full scope of FEMA and DHS’ actions, we write to request a briefing regarding all complaints you have received related to FEMA since January 2025.

FEMA has gone without a Senate-confirmed Administrator since President Trump took office, fueling widespread employee uncertainty and policy whiplash. President Trump’s temporary picks to lead FEMA—David Richardson and Karen Evans—both lack the legally required emergency management experience to serve as the Acting Administrator of FEMA. Moreover, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has expressed a desire to “eliminate FEMA” and reportedly made plans to cut nearly half the agency’s staff this year. A prolonged deficiency of steady, competent leadership—combined with consistent attacks undermining the integrity of the agency— underscores the importance of whistleblower complaints in revealing the truth.

FEMA also appears to be illegally retaliating against staff who stand up to the Trump Administration. In August 2025, FEMA leadership placed fourteen FEMA staff on leave after they signed a letter addressed to Congress warning of the Trump Administration’s erosion of our country’s disaster response capacity. In November 2025, these employees were notified that they were being reinstated. On December 1, hours after returning to work, these employees were again placed on leave for alleged “misconduct.” As you know, it is illegal to retaliate against whistleblowers at federal agencies. Whistleblower intimidation and retaliation have a chilling effect on others coming forward, compromising FEMA’s ability to address misconduct and improve the disaster preparedness systems that are essential to protecting Americans’ lives.

In addition, FEMA has obstructed Congress’ oversight responsibilities by failing to respond to bipartisan congressional letters. We have sent FEMA a series of unanswered letters—as have our Republican and Democratic colleagues—since President Trump took office in January 2025. FEMA and DHS’ failure to respond to our letters is an abdication of their responsibilities under the law and to the American people.

Absent compliance with oversight requests, whistleblowers play a critical role in alerting Congress to potential violations of the law and the misuse of public resources. To fulfill Congress ‘oversight obligations, we request a briefing from you about all complaints you have received regarding FEMA. Please include information about the subject matter of each complaint received by your office, as well as aggregated information about the scope of complaints, in the briefing.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. We look forward to your response.


Van Hollen, Kaine, Schatz, Warren Lead Over 40 Senators in Pressing DOD for Answers on School Bombing and Civilian Casualties in Iran

Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) were joined by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and 41 colleagues in pressing the Department of Defense to provide answers to the American people on the airstrikes on a school in Minab, Iran and civilian casualties in the Trump Administration’s war on Iran, as well as accountability for those responsible.

Senators Van Hollen, Kaine, Warren, Schatz, and Schumer were joined in sending this letter by Senators Reed (D-R.I.), Shaheen (D-N.H.), Hirono (D-Hawaii), Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Bennet (D-Colo.), Murray (D-Wash.), Merkley (D-Ore.), Heinrich (D-N.M.), Baldwin (D-Wis.), Markey (D-Mass.), Welch (D-Vt.), Duckworth (D-Ill.), Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Smith (D-Minn.), Kim (D-N.J.), Sanders (I-Vt.), Gallego (D-Ariz.), Warnock (D-Ga.), Durbin (D-Ill.), Padilla (D-Calif.), Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Luján (D-N.M.), Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Wyden (D-Ore.), Peters (D-Mich.), Kelly (D-Ariz.), Slotkin (D-Mich.), Coons (D-Del.), Rosen (D-Nev.), Booker (D-N.J.), Ossoff (D-Ga.), Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Schiff (D-Calif.), Warner (D-Va.), Cantwell (D-Wash.), Hassan (D-N.H.), Murphy (D-Conn.), and King (I-Maine).

“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 Senators begin.

“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,” they note.

“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,” the Senators stress.

The Senators go on to press for answers to the following questions:

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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?

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.

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?

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?

The full text of the letter is available 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.


Van Hollen, McClain Delaney Visit Hood College, Highlight $2.5 Million in Federal Funding Secured to Bolster Biotech Research & Job Training Program

Last Monday, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen and Congresswoman April McClain Delaney (both D-Md.) visited Hood College to highlight $2.5 million in fiscal year 2026 Congressionally Directed Spending they, along with U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), fought to deliver for the college’s Biomedical Research and Training Center. The funds will support the build-out of two labs with equipment for teaching high-demand biotechnologies, as well as two new classrooms and additional student spaces, offices, and meeting spaces. The training center, which is part of the Maryland Tech Council’s BioHub Initiative, will help students and workers seeking to study and train in biotechnology and research fields.

“Maryland’s colleges play an essential role in strengthening our scientific workforce, and Hood College’s Biomedical Research and Training Center will help ensure students have the tools they need to learn and advance cutting-edge science. We worked to secure this direct federal investment to support students who are interested in studying biomedical sciences and pursuing careers in a field that is critical to the success of our economy and country,” said Senator Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“I was proud to join Senator Chris Van Hollen last week to celebrate funding for Hood College's new Biomedical Research & Education Center. This investment will give students hands-on experience, strengthen Maryland’s biomedical ecosystem, and help train the next generation of scientists and health professionals in Frederick County and beyond. The future of innovation starts here at Hood!” said Congresswoman McClain Delaney.

“Frederick is the fastest growing part of our state – and it is helping to lead our state in science and technology. I am so proud to have worked to secure $2.5 million for Hood College’s new Bioscience Research and Education Center. This critical bioscience research funding won’t just support students at Hood College, but it will advance the greater Western region, our state’s economy, and continue to ensure Maryland remains a global leader in research and science,” said Senator Alsobrooks.

“Hood College is grateful for the support and stewardship we have received from Senators Van Hollen and Alsobrooks in helping us launch the Bioscience Research and Education Center,” said Debbie Ricker, Ph.D., president of Hood College. “These renovations will allow us to better serve both our students and the region by providing cutting-edge facilities for education and training in biotechnology, an area of rapidly growing demand in Frederick County and across Maryland.”

“Training the next generation of life sciences professionals is critical to growing Maryland’s innovation economy. This funding for Hood College’s Biomedical Research and Training Center directly advances our BioHub Maryland initiative by providing the modern labs and classrooms needed to train our future workforce. By partnering with Hood College to equip trainees with specialized biopharma manufacturing skills, we are preparing them for high-paying life sciences careers while meeting the workforce needs of our life sciences industry. We are deeply grateful to Senator Van Hollen and Congresswoman McClain Delaney for being true champions of a strong and diverse life sciences workforce,” said Kelly Schulz, Chief Executive Officer of the Maryland Tech Council.

The lawmakers secured this investment within the government funding bills passed and signed into law for Fiscal Year 2026. The center will serve Hood College students, students from other regional schools, mid-career employees from area companies, and middle and high school teachers. Programming will include regular college courses, internships, workshops, and apprenticeships, and will focus on equipping participants with the skills necessary to meet the region’s immediate workforce needs.


Warner, Rounds Unveil Bipartisan Plan to Prepare American Workers for AI-Driven Workforce Changes

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) introduced the Economy of the Future Commission Act, bipartisan legislation aimed at developing practical solutions to help American workers adapt to the rapid economic and workforce changes driven by artificial intelligence (AI). The legislation will bring together policymakers and experts from across industries to identify steps Congress can take to strengthen workforce training, support workers as jobs evolve, and ensure the United States remains globally competitive in an AI-driven economy.

“AI is going to transform nearly every sector of our economy,” said Sen. Warner. “The question isn’t whether these changes are coming — it’s whether we are prepared. We need clear-eyed analysis and practical, bipartisan solutions to help workers gain new skills, support people whose jobs are disrupted, and make sure the United States leads the world in the industries of the future. This legislation is about bringing together the expertise needed to chart that path forward.”

“American dominance in AI is a matter of both economic and national security,” said Sen. Rounds. “America’s workforce must be equipped to lead the transformation of the economy happening due to AI. This commission would help keep America ahead of our global competitors and keep America prosperous and innovative.”

Under the legislation, the Economy of the Future Commission would develop recommendations to help policymakers address the economic and workforce impacts of AI. Within seven months of enactment, the commission would publish an interim report outlining expected employment changes from AI and providing accessible resources for the public to better understand the technology. Within 13 months, it would deliver a final report with legislative recommendations on issues including AI education and workforce training, reskilling for workers affected by automation, unemployment insurance policy, taxation policy, and strategies to maintain U.S. leadership in key industries such as technology and manufacturing.

The commission would include bipartisan members of Congress alongside leading experts from industry, academia, and government agencies focused on education, labor, commerce, and economic policy.

This legislation is endorsed by Americans for Responsible Innovation; Alliance for Secure AI; Dr. Eric Brynjolfsson, Professor at Stanford and Director of the Stanford Digital Economy Lab; Ali Crawford, Senior Research Analyst, Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET); President Gregory Washington, George Mason University; Google; IBM; Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF); President James C. Schmidt, James Madison University; Jobs for the Future; Meta; Microsoft; National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU); Shalin Jyotishi, Managing Director at the Future of Work and Innovation Initiative, New America; President Anne M. Kress, Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA); Partnership for Public Service; SeedAI; Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) Action Program; Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM); Third Way; President Scott C. Beardsley, University of Virginia; President Tim Sands, Virginia Tech; William & Mary; and Workday.

“Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping our economy, and policymakers must act now to ensure workers and learners are not left behind. The Economy of the Future Commission Act creates a bipartisan, expert-driven forum to develop practical solutions across education, workforce development, and worker supports. At Jobs for the Future, we believe this commission is a critical step toward aligning innovation with opportunity and ensuring the benefits of AI are broadly shared,” said Maria Flynn, President & CEO, Jobs for the Future.

"The bipartisan Economy of the Future Commission Act takes a proven, consensus-driven approach to preparing the U.S. economy for the AI transition. As AI reshapes jobs, skills, and productivity across every sector, it is critical that Congress advance thoughtful solutions to support workers and long-term economic growth. We believe this legislation offers a pragmatic, bipartisan path forward at a pivotal moment for the U.S. workforce. Microsoft strongly supports Senator Warner and Senator Rounds’ efforts and thanks them for their leadership,” said Fred Humphries, Corporate Vice President of U.S. Government Affairs, Microsoft.

"AI is already dramatically reshaping our country's workforce and economy. Lawmakers have to act before advanced AI puts Americans' economic security at risk. The Economy of the Future Commission Act is a smart, bipartisan approach to developing legislative solutions that protect working Americans and their families. This is an important first step to navigating the AI-era economy, and Congress must continue working to guarantee that federal AI policy keeps Americans' livelihoods at the center," said Brendan Steinhauser, CEO, The Alliance for Secure AI.

"For all the hype and anxiety surrounding AI, the honest truth is we still have far more questions than answers about how this technology will reshape our economy. What we need is sober, bipartisan, whole-of-society analysis, not overconfident or alarmist predictions. The Economy of the Future Commission Act delivers that by bringing together policymakers, technologists, educators, and workforce experts to produce rigorous, consensus recommendations. SeedAI commends Senators Warner and Rounds for their leadership on this critical topic," said Josh New, Director of Policy, SeedAI.

“BPC Action applauds Sens. Rounds (R-SD) and Warrner (D-VA) for taking an important step forward on artificial intelligence. The need for a thoughtful national dialogue on AI and its impacts, particularly its impact on the workforce, has never been greater, and it’s encouraging to see a bipartisan effort bringing together voices from government, industry, and civil society to tackle such a complex issue. We must work together across our government to ensure workers have the skills, training, and support they need to stay connected to the workforce and succeed in a changing economy,” said Michele Stockwell, President, BPC Action.

“Artificial intelligence is poised to reshape the economy in ways we are only beginning to understand," said Americans for Responsible Innovation President Brad Carson. "The Economy of the Future Commission Act creates a bipartisan forum where Congress can seriously examine the opportunities and disruptions ahead and develop smart policy responses. That kind of bipartisan foundation is essential to building durable AI policy that strengthens American workers, innovation, and economic leadership.”

"AI has the potential to be the most transformative engine for growth in human history, but that growth isn't guaranteed to be inclusive. The Economy of the Future Commission Act recognizes that we cannot leave the transition to chance. By bringing together experts in technology, education, and taxation, this commission will provide the essential roadmap needed to ensure that AI-driven productivity gains translate into broad-based economic opportunity,” said Dr. Erik Brynjolfsson, Professor at Stanford and Director of the Stanford Digital Economy Lab.

"Artificial intelligence is evolving at a pace that demands forward-looking leadership. The Economy of the Future Commission Act rises to that challenge by bringing together a bipartisan group of experts and policymakers to chart a path forward for our country. We applaud Senator Warner for introducing this legislation and encourage all lawmakers to focus on how AI is impacting the federal workforce — an essential component of ensuring our government can deliver on its mission responsibly and effectively," said Max Stier, President and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service.

“The AI transition will reshape every sector of the American economy, creating enormous opportunities for growth, competitiveness, and productivity. By establishing the Economy of the Future Commission, this bill will provide policymakers the evidence-based, consensus-driven recommendations they need to turn that transformation into a competitive advantage for American workers, businesses, and industries,” said the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF).

"In this era of transformation, the United States must recognize that workforce readiness is a paramount national security priority; it is the decisive factor in the struggle for strategic advantage," said Ylli Bajraktari, President of the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) Action Program. "The outcome of the global technological competition will be determined by our ability to mobilize human capital through reskilling and education. This Commission provides the essential flightpath to cultivate an AI-ready workforce and sustain the enduring vigor of our economic growth and national security.”

“As artificial intelligence is continuously integrated into the mainstream economy, it is imperative that workforce policy responds in a timely and coordinated manner. But workforce development infrastructure is largely segmented at a time when cohesion is necessary to coordinate a federal response that effectively aligns industry momentum and demand with existing and scalable workforce development programming. Among other directives, this bill would establish and direct a Commission to develop evidence-based recommendations that connect workforce development to near-term demand, estimate changes in employment, and identify skills and training needs as a result—all of which are necessary to ensure economic competitiveness and resilience,” said Ali Crawford, Senior Research Analyst, Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET).

“The Economy of the Future Commission Act represents a sensible, even-keeled, and bipartisan proposal to comprehensively assess how the federal government can best support Americans in navigating the impacts of AI on our economy and labor market," said Shalin Jyotishi, Founder & Managing Director of the Future of Work & Innovation Economy Initiative, New America. “We look forward to supporting Senators Warner and Rounds in realizing the promise of this vision for a better future for workers and families.”

“Artificial intelligence can reshape the economy, the workforce, and education at all levels. The Warner-Rounds legislation is an important step forward in helping the United States find appropriate, consensus legislation that will help address the potentially disruptive nature of this very transformative technological innovation,” said President Tim Sands, Virginia Tech.

“UVA stands ready to work with Congress to advance responsible AI innovation and ensure our nation is prepared to thrive in the economy of the future. The bipartisan commitment led by Senator Mark Warner, Economy of the Future Commission Act, reflects a thoughtful commitment to understanding how AI will reshape our workforce, education systems, and economy,” said President Scott C. Beardsley, University of Virginia.

“On behalf of George Mason University, I commend Sen. Mark Warner and his colleague Sen. Mike Rounds for their important legislation, Economy of the Future Commission Act. By developing consensus legislative recommendations to address changes brought on by artificial intelligence, the Commission would provide a degree of certainty and stability surrounding AI technologies. This would be a tremendous help not only for institutions of higher education, but for the nation as a whole. George Mason, as Virginia’s largest public university and a national leader in AI research and education, would welcome the passage of this bill,” said President Gregory Washington, George Mason University.

“James Madison University (JMU) is pleased to endorse the establishment of the Economy of the Future Commission (EFC). We value the foresight and strategic intent driving this effort. As technology rapidly evolves, the nation must prepare for significant shifts in the workforce landscape,” said President James C. Schmidt, James Madison University.

“Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) is already seeing AI reshape our region's workforce—creating new roles, eliminating legacy positions, and driving incumbent workers to rapidly upskill. The Economy of the Future Commission Act, introduced by Senators Warner and Rounds, will help community colleges across the country continue serving as regional economic engines by providing the clearer understanding of future career pathways needed to inform our programs and partnerships. NOVA thanks Senators Warner and Rounds for their important leadership at this critical moment,” said Anne M. Kress, PhD, President, Northern Virginia Community College.

“The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities is pleased to endorse the bipartisan Economy of the Future Commission Act, which will develop multi-jurisdictional legislative recommendations addressing a range of challenges arising from the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI).? The Commission will help strengthen the essential partnership between the federal government and higher education as the nation navigates economic and educational changes driven by the integration of AI in the workplace and at schools and colleges across the United States,” said Karin Johns, Director of Tax and Workforce Policy, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU).

“More workers and businesses are using AI every day, a shift that is rapidly reshaping the workplace and will accelerate in the months and years ahead. SHRM research shows that nearly half of U.S. workers are using AI in their jobs, placing HR and business leaders on the front lines of helping organizations adapt while supporting workers through rapid change. As the voice of HR professionals and the employers they represent, SHRM supports the Economy of the Future Commission Act of 2026 and believes employer and HR perspectives are essential to ensuring that both workers and businesses succeed in an increasingly AI-integrated economy,” said the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

"Artificial intelligence is smart, so Washington must get smarter. We can rely on the industry for innovation, but not on ensuring the United States leads the economy of the future or that Americans will benefit widely from it. This commission is an urgent, bipartisan step to harness whole-of-society expertise and address the economy-wide changes AI will bring,” said Ruth Whittaker, Director of Technology Policy, Third Way.

"Workday applauds Senator Warner and Senator Rounds for their leadership,” said Chandler C. Morse, Vice President of Public Policy at Workday. "AI continues to drive opportunity, unlock human potential, and reshape the U.S. economy. Bringing together workforce, AI, and government experts through the Economy of the Future Commission will help key stakeholders across government, education, and industry better understand how to equip jobseekers, candidates, and employers with the agility to thrive in an ever-evolving future of work. This legislation meets the moment as the American economy seeks to advance AI competitiveness and strengthen workforce resilience."

Sen. Warner has been leading the charge in Congress to ensure American workers have the skills they need to succeed in an AI-driven economy and to improve understanding of how emerging technologies are reshaping the labor market. In March, Warner urged the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Census Bureau to expand data collection and public reporting on the impact of AI on the U.S. workforce. In December, Warner introduced the Investing in American Workers Act to modernize the tax code to encourage employers to invest in workforce training tied to recognized postsecondary credentials so employees can adapt to new technologies, transition into emerging roles, and share in the gains of a rapidly evolving economy. In November, Warner introduced the AI-Related Job Impacts Clarity Act requiring major companies and federal agencies to report AI related layoffs to the Department of Labor to be compiled into a public report.

Read the full bill here. Read a section-by-section summary of the bill here.

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Warner, Colleagues Demand HHS Immediately Release Title X Funding

WASHINGTON –Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) joined 38 colleagues in sending a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., demanding that HHS take immediate action to protect Americans’ uninterrupted access to comprehensive family planning and services by awarding a one-year full funding extension for all current Title X grantees.

Last year, the Trump Administration withheld millions in funding from almost one in five Title X grantees for months, placing over 840,000 people at risk of losing access to Title X-funded care and forcing some sites to close. While the administration restored funding to these groups by December 2025, many grantees were forced to serve the same need with reduced funding. Now, Title X grantees’ current funding is set to lapse on March 31, 2026.

In their letter, the senators highlight the importance of Title X, helping to provide broader access to important services that have resulted in improved health outcomes like lower maternal and infant mortality, fewer premature births, and lower rates of cancer. Since 1970, the Title X Family Planning Program has provided lifesaving family planning and preventive health services for low-income or uninsured patients. Title X services include contraception, cervical cancer screenings, pregnancy testing and counseling, and sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment.

“In short, these services not only make our communities healthier, but also improve educational and economic attainment for women and their families,” the senators wrote.

While funding for all Title X grantees is set to lapse at the end of the month, HHS typically releases Title X non-compete continuation grant guidance in late December, affording grantees about 90 days to complete their continuation application. So far, HHS has not released any guidance or the notice of continuation funding opportunity for Title X year-five awards, creating widespread uncertainty. If this administration fails to meet the April 1, 2026 deadline for releasing Title X funding to current grantees, the repercussions could be catastrophic, with over two million patients losing access to contraception and preventive care and thousands of health care sites put at risk of closure.

“Any gap in Title X funding could result in over two million patients losing access to contraception and preventative care, worsen maternal health outcomes, and increase sexually transmitted infections,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter. “It will also risk layoffs of essential health care providers and staff who provide care for patients at thousands of Title X clinics nationwide, worsening the national maternal and reproductive health care crisis.”

The senators concluded their letter by emphasizing the importance of releasing this funding and how this delay has already caused uncertainty for clinics and patients across the country.

“A lapse in funding caused by this administration would deny patients and their families the dignity of affordable health care and irreparably worsen the health care crisis that President Trump and Republicans in Congress have already exacerbated by enacting the largest cuts to health care in American history,” the senators concluded. “It is imperative that the Department act now and issue a one-year extension of Title X funding.”

In addition to Sen. Warner, the letter was also signed by Sens. Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Angus King (I-ME), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Richard Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Edward Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

The full text of the letter is available here and below.

Dear Secretary Kennedy:

For nearly 60 years, the Title X Family Planning Program (“Title X”) has provided millions of working Americans with access to family planning and essential preventive care services, like cancer screenings. Congress recently renewed its longstanding support for the program in the latest funding package. But under your leadership, the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) has so far failed to release annual funding for Title X clinics across the country, as it ordinarily would have by this point in the year. Existing awards are set to lapse on March 31, 2026, and any loss of congressionally appropriated Title X funding will hurt millions of patients and significantly weaken communities’ access to comprehensive family planning services. As such, we demand that the Department take immediate action to protect Americans’ uninterrupted access to these critical services by awarding a one-year full funding extension for all current Title X grantees.

Title X is the only dedicated source of funding for domestic family planning services and preventive health care. Since its establishment in 1970, this program has provided vital reproductive health care services to patients at little to no cost, covering services like contraception, cervical cancer screenings, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, and pregnancy testing and counseling. Access to these services improves health outcomes, resulting in lower maternal and infant mortality, fewer premature births, and lower rates of cancer.[1] In short, these services not only make our communities healthier, but also improve educational and economic attainment for women and their families.[2] Title X funding also saves taxpayer dollars elsewhere in the health care system, with every dollar spent on public funding for family planning programs saving at least seven dollars in Medicaid costs.[3]

In 2022, HHS awarded five-year grants to over 85 Title X grant recipients to deliver affordable, patient-centered family planning and preventive health services across the United States and its territories. Without immediate action, funding for grants will lapse on March 31, 2026. Title X grantees were told that non-compete continuation application guidance was required to be released by HHS no later than December 31, 2025. As of current date, that guidance has not been released, creating widespread uncertainty for grantees, patients, and providers with less than a month of funding remaining. If the administration fails to meet the April 1, 2026, deadline for releasing Title X funding to the current grantees, the repercussions for critical health care will be catastrophic. Any gap in Title X funding could result in over two million patients losing access to contraception and preventative care, worsen maternal health outcomes, and increase sexually transmitted infections. It will also risk layoffs of essential health care providers and staff who provide care for patients at thousands of Title X clinics nationwide, worsening the national maternal and reproductive health care crisis.

These harms are not hypothetical. In 2019, the first Trump administration finalized regulations, which had lasting consequences for the program. Over 1,000 clinics became ineligible for funding. Last April, the Trump administration withheld all or partial funding from a quarter of all Title X grantees for months, cutting off over 840,000 patients’ access to contraceptive care and forcing Title X sites to close.[4] When funding was finally restored, clinics were forced to try to meet the same need but with significantly reduced funding.

This delay is already causing costly uncertainty for clinics across the country and the patients that they serve. A lapse in funding caused by this administration would deny patients and their families the dignity of affordable health care and irreparably worsen the health care crisis that President Trump and Republicans in Congress have already exacerbated by enacting the largest cuts to health care in American history. It is imperative that the Department act now and issue a one-year extension of Title X funding.

Sincerely,

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Warnock, Duvall Agree: Trump Tariffs Are Making Farming More Expensive for Georgia Producers

In Tuesday’s Senate Agriculture Committee hearing, Senator Reverend Warnock questioned American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall on the impact President Trump’s tariff policy is having on Georgia farmers

The Trump administration’s tariff policies are raising input costs, reducing market access, and hurting Georgia’s farmers

Fertilizer prices are 10-15 percent higher in 2026 than they were in 2025, in part, due to tariffs

Senator Reverend Warnock: “The President’s tariff taxes have increased the cost of everything farmers need — like fertilizer, fuel, and equipment — and it’s eroding the very slim margins that they already had left”

Watch Senator Reverend Warnock at Tuesday’s Agriculture Committee hearing HERE

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) questioned American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Zippy Duvall on the impact President Trump’s tariff policy is having on Georgia farmers. Thanks to the president’s haphazard trade agenda, Georgia farmers are facing higher prices for essential materials like fertilizer and farming equipment, as well as reduced access to overseas markets. President Trump’s policies are having a particularly negative effect on Georgia’s specialty crop producers, many of whom are being undercut in domestic markets due to cheaper international supply.

“The President’s tariff taxes have increased the cost of everything farmers need — like fertilizer, fuel, and equipment — and it’s eroding the very slim margins that they already had left,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “The President’s tariff taxes have made a tough business even tougher.”

After taking office in January 2025, President Trump imposed tariffs on almost all of the United States’ trading partners. In February, after the Supreme Court ruled against the administration’s tariff policy, President Trump quickly reimposed a 15 percent global flat tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. Recently, Senator Warnock cosponsored legislation that would repeal Section 122 and prevent President Trump, or any other president, from levying tariffs for balance-of-payment reasons. The higher costs associated with the administration’s trade policy have tightened farmers’ already slim margins and contributed to a rise in farm bankruptcies across the country.

Senator Warnock continues to push back against the Trump administration’s reckless tariff policy and the uncertain market conditions it creates for Georgia farmers. As a veteran member of the Senate committee overseeing federal agriculture policies, and the ranking member of the Finance Subcommittee on Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness, Senator Warnock is vigilant in defending programs that help Georgia farmers keep more profits in their pockets and keep the industry at the frontlines of Georgia’s success.

Watch the Senator’s full remarks HERE. See excerpts of the exchange below:

Senator Reverend Warnock (SRW): “Thank you, Brother chair.”

“Look, I’m all for helping our farmers sell their crops across the country, and coming from the state of Georgia, I certainly support any efforts to strengthen and bolster the hands of our cotton growers. But we’re talking about increasing American markets today, in part because international markets have been decimated by the President’s tariffs.”

“We need our growers to be able to sell here in the United States, certainly, but we also need them to be able to sell globally, and the President’s tariffs taxes, which is what it is, taxes have increased the cost of everything farmers need — like fertilizer, fuel and equipment — and it’s eroding the very slim margins that they already had left. It’s a tough business.”

“I spend a lot of time with our farmers all across the state, and I admire people who are just really committed to that work. Farmers, for me, are an answer to a basic prayer that we Christians pray all the time: ‘Give us this day our daily bread’, and the margins are thin. There’s so much that you can’t control. The President’s tariff taxes have made a tough business even tougher.”

“Mr. Duvall, it’s good to see you again. Always good to see you, and thank you again for your leadership, first over the Georgia Farm Bureau and now the American Farm Bureau. Now that we’re approaching a year into the tariffs, what’s the latest that you’re hearing from farmers about the effects on their business since last April?”

AFBF President Zippy Duvall (ZD): “Well, it’s been very difficult for our farmers because it has raised the cost of inputs. Some have been exempted, not all, but the loss of markets — we lost some markets in first trade war that we never recouped. Now we’re very appreciative of the work the administration has done in opening up some of that market, but we’ve now, we haven’t gotten back to the place that we were in the first trade war.”

“So, we’ve had promises of frameworks of trade treaties all over the country, all over the world. Understand, eight of them have been closed, so we’re very appreciative of that. But until we see ships leaving the dock with our products in it, going to a destination, our farmers are not going to find any relief. And when it comes to fruits and vegetables, you know, and you want to talk about USMCA, and we’re coming up on a review, it is so important for us to renew that, but it’s so important for us to have something like a rapid response technique to be able to deal with the flooding or dumping of products from other countries.”

“You know, we — our fruits and vegetable guys — are devastated, because when they go into production, these other countries will dump product in there and just destroy the market, and it takes it below the cost of production for our specialty crops. The other plaything is we need to emphasize the importance of our federal government when they should purchase foods, that they purchase American grown food, and we have to protect those markets so that we give farmers certainty that they can stay in business produce fruits and vegetables.”

“You realize that our school system, 94% of the fruits that served in our school system come from out of country, 94%, 53% of them vegetables. Why? Because we probably can’t. We don’t have the producers producing it because there’s no certainty there. They don’t have any risk management tools. They’re there, and there’s no protection from dumping from other countries. And those things need to be solved before we can get the certainty out there and bring young people and farmers back into the business of producing specialty crops.”

SRW: “Well, absolutely. And you know, as a ranking member on trade for the Finance Committee, I’ll be taking a close look at USMCA.”

“On the other hand, you know, I think it would help if we could get a Farm Bill, a bipartisan farm bill, passed through this Congress. I was glad to see that the USDA admitted that farmers have been hurt by the President’s tariffs. It’s one thing to have a theory of the case. The President clearly has a theory of the case. He’s had it about 30 years, not sure that he’s responding to facts on the ground, but now that we’re beginning to hear from farmers, they’ve admitted as much by providing a bridge payment program. But I was — and I would point out that farmers, while they appreciate the bridge payment program, what I’m hearing from farmers all the time — and Senator Grassley said the same thing, ‘we want trade, not aid’. But here we are. I was disappointed to see that only $1 million of the $12 million was dedicated for specialty crop farmers. As a former president of the Georgia Farm Bureau, you know, as well as anyone how important specialty crops are, like blueberries, peaches and peppers.”

“What’s your view on how much of the funding is going to specialty crop farmers based on your understanding of their specific market conditions? I know I’m running out of time. Mr. Chair.”

ZD: “$1 million doesn’t even come close to covering the losses that we had in specialty crop and like in other programs that are there to protect producers, specialty crops do not have those risk management tools, and they don’t get the attention that they need, because in this country, the consumers want more and more of those fruits and vegetables in the compound but the problem is the lack of labor. It’s a lot more labor intense. We don’t have the labor to actually get out in the field, pick it, harvest it, and get it to the stores.”

SRW: “So across the board, tariffs putting pressure on farmers, and immigration policy that is so unforgiving that you’re struggling with labor and now we’re facing USMCA, all of these make for a difficult mix for our farmers.”

“I think we need to center the farmers if I hear what you’re saying, and then we have a chance of getting the policy right. Thank you so very much for your work, and thanks to all of the witnesses.”

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