Hickenlooper, Democratic Colleagues Demand Answers from Big Pharma on Backroom Deals with Trump Admin

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper and seven of his Senate Democratic colleagues demanded information from major pharmaceutical companies about their ‘deals’ with the Trump administration and specific evidence on how these ‘deals’ will lower drug costs for Medicaid patients.

“We write today to seek more information from [company] about which drugs are subject to the Medicaid components of your agreement with the Trump administration and whether the prices you will make available on these drugs are actually lower than the net pricing states currently receive on the same products in Medicaid,” the senators wrote. “It is difficult to discern what American patients and taxpayers stand to gain from your agreement with the Trump Administration.”

The letters to AbbVie, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Genentech, Gilead, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Novartis, and Sanofi ask the pharmaceutical companies to list the drugs that will be affected by the deals with the Trump administration, and provide both the “most favored nation” price for the drug as well as the current state Medicaid price.

Hickenlooper has sounded the alarm about Trump’s broken promise to lower the cost of prescription drugs. He previously challenged Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, and Eli Lilly to provide specific pricing information on the drugs that are part of their ‘deals’ with the Trump admin.

Hickenlooper has also been a vocal opponent of the Trump administration’s massive cuts to health care. MAGA Republicans passed President Trump’s so-called One Big Ugly Betrayal, which slashes over $1 trillion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. In total, Republican cuts are expected to force 15 million Americans off their health insurance. Hickenlooper voted no.

Full text of the letter can be found HERE and below.

Dear Mr. Miels:

On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the Republican reconciliation bill (H.R. 1) into law. That bill included nearly $900 billion in cuts to the Medicaid program, which will create disastrous consequences for state budgets, and, in turn, access to health care services for Americans all across the country. States have few options when it comes to filling the hole left by massive federal cuts – all of which lead to less access for patients. States can either cut provider rates, cut services, or cut eligibility for Medicaid – each of these options will make Americans sicker, force hospitals to close and cut services, and increase health care costs for all.

The deep Medicaid cuts in H.R. 1 have put states in the impossible position of trying to figure out how to keep our Medicaid programs afloat and ensure continued patient access across the health care system writ large. With that in mind, we write today to seek more information from GSK about which drugs are subject to the Medicaid components of your agreement with the Trump Administration and whether the prices you will make available on these drugs are actually lower than the net pricing states currently receive on the same products in Medicaid.

On December 19, 2025, you held a press conference with President Trump announcing that GSK would offer “most-favored nation” pricing on certain prescription drugs in Medicaid. It is clear that GSK stands to gain a lot from this agreement, including relief from tariffs and potential priority review of new drug applications at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Trump Administration is also pressuring other countries, such as the U.K., to pay higher prices for drugs, which will further increase revenues for industry, even though it is unclear whether industry will be expected to proportionally lower pricing in the U.S.

It is difficult to discern, however, what American patients and taxpayers stand to gain from your agreement with the Trump Administration. On November 6, 2025, CMS announced the Generating Cost Reductions for U.S. Medicaid Model (GENEROUS) model and released a corresponding request for applications from manufacturers. The GENEROUS model is a voluntary demonstration program under which CMS will negotiate supplemental rebates and coverage terms on prescription drugs with participating manufacturers. The Trump Administration claims that these rebates will bring Medicaid drug costs closer to international pricing on covered outpatient drugs for states that choose to participate in the model.

Presumably, manufacturers like GSK that have announced agreements with the Trump Administration will be able to effectuate the Medicaid components of those agreements through the GENEROUS model.

States won’t benefit if GENEROUS model prices are essentially the same as current Medicaid net prices or higher. Medicaid already pays the lowest drug prices in the U.S., often in line with the prices paid in other wealthy countries. For example, a 2021 analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found that the average net price of top-selling brand drugs in Medicaid was $118, relative to an average price of $343 in Medicare Part D. Critical details about the GENEROUS model also remain unclear, including whether manufacturers can seek exemptions for the drugs where this model could potentially have the greatest impact. Furthermore, the RFA explicitly states that terms under CMS agreements with manufacturers can differ from the terms CMS just publicly released about the model. Thus, it is difficult to draw any firm conclusions about what pricing manufacturers will have to offer states under the model and on which drugs.

Attached to this letter, you will find a table listing brand drugs currently marketed by GSK and a list of GSK subsidiary and affiliate companies. We ask that GSK promptly respond by populating those tables and providing the following information:

Does GSK plan to effectuate the Medicaid components of its drug pricing agreement with the Trump Administration through the GENEROUS model? If not, please explain how GSK will effectuate its Medicaid drug pricing agreement with the Trump Administration.

During which calendar years does GSK plan to either participate in the GENEROUS model or otherwise offer agreed upon pricing to state Medicaid programs pursuant to your agreement with the Trump Administration?

Please populate Table 1 by:

Identifying which drugs in your current book of business are subject to the Medicaid part of your agreement with the Trump Administration and/or will be included in the GENEROUS model;

Providing the second lowest country specific average net price on each drug identified above over the last 12 months from the following countries: the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan, Denmark, and Switzerland;

Providing the net price available to state Medicaid programs under your agreement with the Trump Administration and/or the GENEROUS model for each such drug identified above; and

Confirming whether the price listed above is lower than the lowest net price GSK currently offers to any state Medicaid program for such drug (including both statutorily required rebates under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program and any supplemental rebates).

Please populate Table 2 by:

Listing all drugs marketed in the United States under labels of GSK subsidiary or affiliate companies;

Identifying which drugs among those listed above are subject to the Medicaid part of your agreement with the Trump Administration and/or will be included in the GENEROUS model;

Providing the second lowest country specific average net price on each drug identified above over the last 12 months from the following countries: the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan, Denmark, and Switzerland;

Providing the net price available to state Medicaid programs under your agreement with the Trump Administration and/or the GENEROUS model for each such drug identified above; and

Confirming whether the price listed above is lower than the lowest net price GSK currently offers to any state Medicaid program for such drug (including both statutorily required rebates under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program and any supplemental rebates).

If GSK is effectuating the Medicaid components of your agreement with the Trump Administration through a method other than the GENEROUS model:

Please explain how state Medicaid programs would receive any additional discounts or rebates on the relevant drugs.

In order to access any additional discounts on GSK drugs under the agreement, would state Medicaid programs need to agree to any conditions related to coverage, formulary placement, or utilization management for such drugs? If yes, would states have to opt into the agreement with respect to the entire bundle of drugs subject to the arrangement? Or could states make separate decisions with respect to each individual drug?

How would any additional discounts or rebates relate to the statutorily required rebates under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program or supplemental rebates obtained by state Medicaid programs?

Our states need timely access to this information in order to make urgent state budgetary decisions due to the loss of Medicaid funding, including during special sessions and in preparation of budgets for the upcoming state fiscal year, and prioritize preserving patient access to health care. Therefore, we ask that you provide this information no later than March 23, 2026.

Sincerely,

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Hirono, Colleagues Introduce Corruption Clawback Act to Recover Taxpayer Dollars Paid in Corrupt Settlements with Donald Trump

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined Senators Adam Schiff (D-CA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) in introducing new legislation creating a process to recover taxpayer dollars paid to presidents through settlements or judgments resulting from undue influence or coercion from the White House. The introduction of the Corruption Clawback Act comes as President Trump has sued the federal government, seeking more than $10 billion and demanding his own Justice Department repay him more than $230 million for past legal matters—a move that has caused ethics watchdogs to sound the alarm.

“The Trump regime’s corruption is rampant, and it starts at the top. As Trump plots to steal billions in taxpayer dollars, I am proud to introduce this legislation with my colleagues to counteract this abuse of power,” said Senator Hirono.

Specifically, this legislation would establish a new legal mechanism for the government to recover federal funds corruptly paid to a president by mandating that the attorney general initiate civil actions to reclaim covered payments unduly paid to a sitting president, including administrative awards under the Federal Tort Claims Act or Treasury-funded settlements.

Under this legislation, courts would be directed to evaluate whether the officials who authorized the payout were presidential appointees or former personal counsel, whether the award exceeds typical private-citizen benchmarks, and whether standard legal defenses were bypassed during negotiations. Once recovered, federal funds would go to the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section. Lastly, the bill mandates that the Comptroller General, who heads the Government Accountability Office (GAO), submit a formal report to Congress within 180 days of any covered payment exceeding $1 million addressing the same conflict-of-interest and procedural factors used by the courts, providing a secondary layer of accountability for high-value payouts.

This legislation is endorsed by Citizens for Responsible Ethics in Washington (CREW), Common Cause, Democracy Defenders Action, People for the American Way (PFAW), and Project on Government Oversight (POGO).

The full text of the legislation is available here.

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Hoeven, Crapo, Wyden, Colleagues Call on Trump Admin to Prioritize Opening Japanese Market Access to U.S. Potatoes

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven joined Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) in sending a bicameral letter to President Trump asking to prioritize market access for U.S. fresh potatoes during Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s upcoming visit to the United States. Ending Japan’s restrictions on U.S. fresh potatoes would result in an estimated $150 million a year in new American exports, benefitting farming communities in North Dakota and across the country.

“U.S. potato growers produce the best potatoes in the world. International trade and foreign export markets are critical to the U.S. potato industry,” wrote the legislators.

“With low commodity prices and increased input costs this year, the potato sector, and specialty crops more broadly, are facing a major economic crisis. Japan represents a massive market with significant export opportunities for American potato growers,” continued the legislators. “Securing this long-delayed market access petition and unlocking the critical Japanese export market would make a meaningful difference for potato growers in our states and across the country.”

In addition to Hoeven, Crapo, and Wyden the letter was signed by Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Angus King (I-Maine), Steve Daines (R-Montana), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Michael Bennet (D-Colorado), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin), Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), Patty Murray (D-Washington), Tim Sheehy (R-Montana), John Hickenlooper (D-Colorado), Elissa Slotkin (D-Michigan), Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska), Gary Peters (D-Michigan), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), Tina Smith (D-Minnesota) and Ted Budd (R-North Carolina) and Representatives Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), Jeff Hurd (R-Colorado), Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Michigan), Suzan DelBene (D-Washington), Bryan Steil (R-Wisconsin), Andrea Salinas (D-Oregon), Julie Fedorchak (R-North Dakota), Dan Newhouse (R-Washington), Jack Bergman (R-Michigan), Shri Thanedar (D-Michigan), Tony Wied (R-Wisconsin), Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho), Jeff Crank (R-Colorado), Glenn Grothman (R-Wisconsin), Marilyn Strickland (D-Washington), Cliff Bentz (R-Oregon), Gabe Evans (R-Colorado), Dan Meuser (R-Pennsylvania), Michael Baumgartner (R-Washington), Tom Tiffany (R-Wisconsin), Adrian Smith (R-Nebraska), Val Hoyle (D-Oregon), Brittany Pettersen (D-Colorado), Robert Bresnahan (R-Pennsylvania), Kim Schrier (D-Washington), Derrick Van Orden (R-Wisconsin), Rick Larsen (D-Washington), Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pennsylvania), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Washington), Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wisconsin), Michelle Fischbach (R-Minnesota), Joe Neguse (D-Colorado), John Moolenaar (R-Michigan), Jason Crow (D-Colorado), Suzanne Bonamici (D-Oregon), Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado), Adam Smith (D-Washington), Jared Golden (D-Maine), Hillary Scholten (D-Michigan), John James (R-Michigan), Brad Finstad (R-Minnesota), Janelle Bynum (D-Oregon), Bill Huizenga (R-Michigan) and Diana DeGette (D-Colorado).

Full text of the letter can be found here.

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Hoeven Outlines Efforts to Secure Additional Farm Assistance, Improve Domestic Demand & Foreign Market Access

Senator Introduces North Dakota Farmers Union President at Senate Agriculture Committee Hearing

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven this week introduced North Dakota Farmers Union President Matt Perdue at a hearing of the Senate Agriculture Committee, where the senator outlined priorities he is advancing to support farmers and ranchers through this difficult stretch and expand market opportunities for U.S. agricultural products. To this end, Hoeven discussed with Perdue and the other hearing witnesses his efforts to:

Secure additional farm assistance, building upon the $12 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program.

Hoeven is working with Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) to:

Expand FBA to cover a greater share of producer losses.

Include acres that were prevented from being planted as eligible under FBA.

Expand support for specialty crops and sugar producers.

Increase farm ownership and operating loan limits.

Hoeven stressed that this additional assistance would help ease financial struggles in farm country until the enhancements to crop insurance and ARC/PLC that he worked to secure in the One Big Beautiful Bill come into effect later this year.

Expand domestic demand for American agriculture producers’ goods, including by:

Passing legislation allowing the year-round, nationwide sale of E15.

Supporting value-added agriculture, such as the soybean crushing facilities that were built in North Dakota in recent years.

Work with the Trump administration, including U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, on securing better trade terms and additional agriculture sales.

Increase domestic energy production to reduce input costs for farmers, like he is working to do through his Crack the Code 2.0 initiative.

“We secured critical improvements to crop insurance affordability and ARC and PLC reference prices in the One Big Beautiful Bill, but those provisions don’t fully kick in until October. So we’re working to provide additional assistance to get our farmers through this stretch,” said Hoeven. “At the same time, we’re working to increase demand both domestically and internationally. That’s why we’re working to pass year-round E15, which will provide a boost here at home, and we continue to support the Trump administration as it works to secure both better trade terms and agriculture sales.

“North Dakota’s producers have tremendous insights to share on these issues, and I appreciate North Dakota Farmers Union President Matt Perdue for joining us in this discussion. His advocacy is particularly important as our farmers and ranchers are facing this difficult time.”

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Kaine, McClellan, and Wittman Lead Congressional Amicus Brief Supporting Veterans’ Access to Education Benefits

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and former civil rights attorney, Mark R. Warner (D-VA), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and U.S. Representatives Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04), Rob Wittman (R-VA-01), Bobby Scott (D-VA-03), Don Beyer (D-VA-08), John McGuire (R-VA-05), Eugene Vindman (D-VA-07), Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA-10), and James Walkinshaw (D-VA-11) filed a bipartisan, bicameral amicus brief in a challenge to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefit eligibility rules that make it harder for more than a million veterans to access education benefits under the GI Bills.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In 2023, Kaine and McClellan also led the congressional amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in Rudisill v. McDonough.

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

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Kaine, Schiff & Gallego Introduce War Powers Resolution for Cuba

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) introduced a War Powers Resolution to ensure any U.S. participation in hostilities against Cuba is explicitly authorized by Congress. The resolution is privileged and may be called up for a vote after 10 days. President Trump has engaged in a military blockade of Cuba, and has recently threatened direct military action against Cuba. He has said that the U.S. would “take care of Cuba” and suggested Cuba would “fall soon” and should make a deal “before it is too late.”

“When will President Trump understand that Americans want lower prices, not more unnecessary wars? Only Congress has the power to declare war under the Constitution, but he operates with the belief that the U.S. military is a palace guard, ordering military action in the Caribbean, Venezuela, and Iran without Congress’ authorization or any explanation for his actions to the American people,” said Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees. “We shouldn’t risk our sons and daughters’ lives at the whims of any one person. After President Trump’s recent blockade and threats of military action in Cuba, I’m introducing this War Powers Resolution to prevent our Armed Forces from engaging in hostilities unless authorized by Congress.”

“The American people have spoken loud and clear that they do not want any more costly wars of choice that skyrocket prices at home,” said Schiff. “Instead, Donald Trump has bypassed Congress’s sole authority to declare war with attacks on Iran and Venezuela, and at the solemn cost of seven servicemembers whose lives have been lost. The president’s saber rattling toward Cuba makes clear where his sights are next. Congress must make its voice heard, or we risk involvement in another risky war of choice and losing our constitutionally granted authorities forever.”

“As if the disaster of the Iran War and the resulting spike in oil prices weren’t enough, Trump is now threatening to intervene in Cuba as well,” said Gallego. “He ran on America First, but now it’s clear he’s become a puppet of the war hawks in his party. The American people want nothing to do with nation building—they want lower prices, good health care, and affordable homes, not a new war to satisfy neoconservatives in South Florida.”

Full text of the resolution is available here.

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ICYMI: In Phoenix, Kelly Tours Housing Manufacturing Facility and Highlights Efforts to Boost Affordable Housing

Kelly also reconnected with Kelly Yu after her long-awaited release from ICE detention

Kelly later met with West Valley Mayors to discuss pressing issues such as rising costs and reliable water access

In case you missed it, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly toured Cavco Homes, a manufactured housing facility in Phoenix, to see firsthand how their homes are built and discuss how expanding housing supply can bring down costs for Arizona families.

Sen. Kelly tours Cavco Homes.

As housing prices continue to rise across Arizona and the country, boosting the supply of affordable homes helps working families afford rent or a down payment. During the visit, Kelly heard from workers about the construction process and discussed ways to support policies that make housing more accessible and affordable.

Yesterday, Kelly voted to pass the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which includes Kelly-backed provisions to support manufactured housing by eliminating the costly permanent chassis requirement, cut red tape that slows construction by simplifying National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) reviews for small and infill housing projects, and crack down on large institutional investors buying up single-family homes and pricing working families out of the housing market.

Sen. Kelly speaks to Kelly Yu at her restaurant in Peoria.

Kelly also got the chance to reconnect with Peoria small-business owner Kelly Yu at her restaurant, Kawaii Sushi, after her recent release from ICE custody following nearly a year at the Eloy Detention Center, where Kelly visited her last August. During the visit, Kelly heard from Yu about how she and her family are doing since her return home.

Kelly pushed the administration last year to prevent her deportation, stressing that Yu is a longtime Arizona business owner, mother, and valued part of the Peoria community with no criminal record who should not be in ICE detention. Yu is now rightfully back with her family and able to return to her life in Peoria.

Sen. Kelly sits down with West Valley mayors and local leaders.

Kelly also got the chance to sit down with West Valley mayors and local leaders over lunch in Avondale to hear directly about the challenges and opportunities facing one of the fastest-growing regions in Arizona.


Kelly, Gallego Back Legislation to Require DHS to Get Local Approval Before Opening New Detention Facilities

Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego backed the Respect for Local Communities Act, legislation that would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to solicit public comments and receive written approval from state and local officials before constructing, acquiring or operating any new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing facility or detention center. The bill also requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to notify relevant Congressional committees prior to initiating such activities.

“Local community members and officials deserve a seat at the table when the federal government makes decisions that affect them. Our bill makes sure DHS can’t blindside communities and force facilities on them like they did in Surprise. Instead, it will require transparency, coordination, and cooperation with people on the ground. We can enforce our laws and secure the border without leaving communities in the dark,” saidKelly.

“ICE’s plan to turn a warehouse in Surprise into a detention facility without consulting city, county or state officials shows the agency’s complete lack of transparency. I fully support securing the border, but that’s not what this is. Instead, once again, DHS has chosen Stephen Miller’s depraved and dangerous agenda over working with local leaders to protect Arizonans,” said Gallego. “This bill would ban DHS from forcing communities to shoulder the burden on public services and infrastructure of a detention center without any say in the decision.

Last month, DHS announced it had acquired and awarded a contract to retrofit a warehouse in Surprise, Arizona, to house and process 1,500 ICE detainees without notifying the City of Surprise or Maricopa County officials. The Surprise facility is part of ICE’s broader plan to spend $38.3 billion to drastically expand detention capacity, as deaths in custody reach record levels and local governments and residents remain in the dark about the impacts on public safety, emergency services, and infrastructure.

Last month, Senators Kelly and Gallego wrote to the Trump administration to demand answers on DHS’s plans for the Surprise facility and address concerns raised by constituents, including anticipated impacts on local systems and emergency services, compliance with environmental laws and detention standards, total and annual operating costs and funding sources, and how DHS will engage with local officials moving forward.


Senate Passes Kelly-Backed Bill to Boost Affordable Housing and Lower Costs

Yesterday, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly voted to pass the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, bipartisan legislation to build more homes, bring down housing costs, and expand affordable housing options for families across Arizona and the country. The bill includes Kelly-backed provisions to support manufactured housing by eliminating the costly permanent chassis requirement, cut red tape that slows construction by simplifying National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) reviews for small and infill housing projects, and crack down on large institutional investors buying up single-family homes and pricing working families out of the housing market.

“Housing costs are too high in Arizona, and families need solutions now,” saidKelly. “That’s exactly what we’re delivering. This bipartisan effort will build more homes, support manufactured housing, and remove unnecessary barriers that make it harder and more expensive to get affordable housing built. It’s an important step toward bringing down rent and making homeownership more attainable.”

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act also includes several provisions to support manufactured housing, including the Kelly-backed Housing Supply Expansion Act, which modernizes the federal definition of manufactured housing to include units not built on a permanent chassis. A major priority of affordable housing advocates, this provision will encourage innovation in manufactured housing, ease zoning constraints, and lower housing costs.

The bill is supported by a wide range of state and local officials, housing and consumer advocacy groups, industry associations, and civil rights organizations.

As Arizona families face rising rents, increased home prices, skyrocketing utility costs, and higher construction expenses, Kelly has pushed for policies that lower costs by increasing housing supply. He introduced the HOPE for Homeownership Act to crack down on hedge funds and other institutional investors driving up costs in the single-family housing market, introduced the More Homes on the Market Act to incentivize more homeowners to sell and increase the number of available homes on the market, and pressed the Trump administration to pursue policies that would lower housing costs for Arizona families and abandon the chaotic tariff schemes that are just making it more expensive to build new homes.

Background:

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is built around four core pillars:

Cutting red tape

Unlocking housing supply

Lowering costs for families

Including no new mandatory federal spending

The bill streamlines environmental reviews, modernizes manufactured housing rules, unlocks private investment, updates multifamily financing tools, streamlines construction activities across programs, and limits certain large institutional investors from crowding out families in residential markets.

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act lowers costs by increasing supply, empowering local communities, and protecting taxpayers, proving that Congress can solve big problems by addressing housing affordability concerns with common sense solutions.


Senator Kim Emphasizes Commitment to U.S.-ROK Strategic Alliance, Economic Ties at Meeting with South Korean Prime Minister

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) released the following statement:

“It was great to meet with Prime Minister Minseok Kim of South Korea as well as Ambassador Kang Kyung-wha. The U.S.-ROK alliance is critically important to NJ and our country, and one we should continue to foster and grow.

“In our meeting, we discussed partnerships that grow our economies by building innovation bridges between NJ and South Korea on issues like biotech, and the importance of making sure America’s immigration system can create wins for both of our countries.


Luján Leads Colleagues Demanding Secretary Kennedy Reverse Changes to CDC and FDA Websites that Promote False and Dangerous Information About Autism

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) led 12 senators in a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. demanding a reversal of changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) websites that promote false and dangerous information about autism and put Americans’ health at risk. In recent months, at the direction of Secretary Kennedy, the CDC and FDA websites have undergone dangerous changes that now include false information suggesting a link between vaccines and autism and have removed warnings about unapproved and potentially dangerous products and therapies falsely marketed as treatments for autism.

“Using the power of public health agencies to promote an ideology that will put children at risk and is simply unacceptable,” wrote the Senators.

“Rather than focus on ensuring families have accurate information, you and others in the Trump administration have chosen to promote unproven drugs like leucovorin, a known cancer medication, for the treatment of autism,” continued the Senators.

“These actions are yet another example of your attempts to undermine science and put Americans’ health at risk. The American people deserve better. We demand that you provide accurate medical information and reverse the changes to CDC and FDA’s websites immediately,” concluded the Senators.

In addition to Senator Luján, the letter was signed by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Reverand Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

The text of the letter is here and below:

Dear Secretary Kennedy:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently changed the information on their websites related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This comes after multiple actions by you and others in the Trump administration to promote unproven ASD treatments and use agency resources to perpetuate false information linking vaccines and autism. Using the power of public health agencies to promote an ideology that will put children at risk and is simply unacceptable.

At your direction, the CDC changed its website, “Autism and Vaccines,” to include false information suggesting a link between vaccines and autism. These changes masked in scientific language are dangerous and deceptive. The website declares that “the statement ‘Vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim” and goes so far as to accuse health authorities of “ignor[ing]” evidence to the contrary, both of which are demonstrably false. It was reported that these changes were not made by scientists and public health experts at CDC but rather by political appointees at HHS at your specific direction. This level of political overreach to change scientific information to reflect conspiracy theories is dangerous and puts Americans’ health at risk.

Additionally, the FDA removed a longstanding informational webpage that warned consumers about unapproved and potentially dangerous products and therapies falsely marketed as treatments for autism. The deleted page, titled “Be Aware of Potentially Dangerous Products and Therapies that Claim to Treat Autism,” had explained that there is no cure for autism, outlined evidence-based treatments for symptoms, and listed a variety of examples of bogus interventions such as chelation and other unapproved remedies that can pose serious health risks. Its removal is incredibly concerning as it eliminates a clear, science-based resource aimed at protecting patients from misinformation and unsafe practices, raising questions about your commitment to accurate and transparent public health guidance amid broader debates over health communication at FDA and CDC.

Rather than focus on ensuring families have accurate information, you and others in the Trump administration have chosen to promote unproven drugs like leucovorin, a known cancer medication, for the treatment of autism. You even went so far as to direct the manufacturer to submit a new supplemental application to expand the label of this drug, despite the lack of scientific evidence historically required for such a change. Several researchers have raised concerns about the dangers of expanding leucovorin for use among individuals with autism spectrum disorder and just yesterday, the FDA backed down from expanding its approval for autism. Despite the FDA relying on a systematic review of the literature yielding the strongest data supporting this conclusion, the Trump Administration’s rhetoric about the promise of leucovorin for people with autism resulted in doctors being inundated with calls and requests from parents seeking prescriptions. Making these claims without sufficient large-scale studies and evidence studying its long-term effects, misleads millions of families, gives false hope, and puts children in significant danger.

These actions are yet another example of your attempts to undermine science and put Americans’ health at risk. The American people deserve better. We demand that you provide accurate medical information and reverse the changes to CDC and FDA’s websites immediately.

Sincerely,

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POSTPONED: Merkley Announces Central Oregon Town Halls in March

Because of a change in the U.S. Senate voting schedule, all town halls scheduled for Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21 have been postponed. An updated event schedule and invitations will be shared in the coming weeks, so please stay tuned!

Bend, OR. — Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley announced he will continue his town halls with in-person community conversations in Klamath and Lake counties on Friday, March 20, followed by conversations in Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson counties on Saturday, March 21.

The five events continue Merkley’s 2026 town hall tour of Oregon, where he will hold a community conversation in each of the state’s 36 counties.

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

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

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

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Sen. Moran, Colleagues Urge the Administration to Prioritize Farmers in Final 45Z Rule

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry – yesterday joined his colleagues, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA-01), in urging U.S. Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to prioritize farmers, biofuel producers and the agricultural community in the finalized 45Z rule in order to provide clarity, bolster consumer confidence and make certain farmers receive the intended benefits of the tax credit.

“The recent advancement of proposed rulemaking for the Section 45Z clean fuel production credit is a significant and welcome step to deliver long-overdue certainty for farmers, renewable fuel producers, and consumers,” wrote the delegation. “As you finalize the rule, we urge you to ensure farmers can fully benefit from this new market by clearly recognizing and valuing conservation and regenerative practices used in the field.”

“45Z was designed to add value to farmers’ crops and expand domestic production of clean, homegrown biofuels. Still, its success depends on clear, workable rules allowing farmers and biofuel producers to meaningfully participate,” continued the delegation. “Planting season is a few short weeks away in many parts of the country, and farmers need clear answers soon to fully take advantage of 45Z.”

The letter was also signed by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Michael Rounds (R-S.D.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) and Reps. Adrian Smith (R-NE-03), Tracey Mann (R-KS-01), Mike Flood (R-NE-01), Michelle Fischbach (R-MN-07), Brad Finstad (R-MN-01), Ashley Hinson (R-IA-02), Zach Nunn (R-IA-03), David Valadao (R-CA-22), Erin Houchin (R-IN-09), Don Bacon (R-NE-02), Darin LaHood (R-IL-16), Derek Schmidt (R-KS-02) and Mike Bost.

In February, Sens. Moran and Ernst introduced the Securing America’s Fuels (SAF) Act to strengthen the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry, provide new markets for farmers and lower emissions in the transportation sector by reinstating the SAF bonus credit that would allow qualifying SAF producers to receive up to $1.75 per gallon, and extending the 45Z tax credit for all clean fuels through 2033.

Full text of the letter can be found here and below.

Dear Secretaries Bessent, Wright, and Rollins,

Thank you for your strong leadership and continued support for America’s biofuel industry. The recent advancement of proposed rulemaking for the Section 45Z clean fuel production credit is a significant and welcome step to deliver long-overdue certainty for farmers, renewable fuel producers, and consumers. We applaud the interagency work among the U.S. Department of Treasury (Treasury), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and other agencies in developing this guidance. As you finalize the rule, we urge you to ensure farmers can fully benefit from this new market by clearly recognizing and valuing conservation and regenerative practices used in the field.

45Z was designed to add value to farmers’ crops and expand domestic production of clean, homegrown biofuels. Still, its success depends on clear, workable rules allowing farmers and biofuel producers to meaningfully participate—clarity the Biden administration repeatedly failed to provide. Indeed, Treasury under the previous administration did not issue an “intent to propose rulemaking” until January 10, 2025, after the credit had already taken effect. The lack of urgency sent a shock to the farm economy in our states.

To make matters worse, the updated Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Technologies (GREET) model published by DOE under Biden came five days later and omitted USDA’s farm calculator entirely. In practice, this omission effectively excluded the American farmer from the model used to determine credit values.

Thankfully, at the onset of President Trump’s return to the White House, and with the positive comments from each of you in your testimonies before Congress, it was clear rural America would no longer be on the back burner, and unleashing homegrown biofuels would be a priority. Your early and continued actions signal a decisive shift towards putting farmers and rural communities first. Building on this momentum, we proudly secured many necessary modifications in the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB). These wins include extending the credit through 2029, removing unfair environmental penalties against U.S. farmers, promoting the use of American-grown crops, and reversing the political modeling bias, all of which better position farmers and rural businesses to utilize 45Z.

The newly released proposed rulemaking from Treasury on February 4, 2026, in coordination with USDA, DOE, and other agencies, appropriately moves 45Z towards its final form and creates new domestic demand for the American farmer—aligning with the President’s priority to create more markets here at home for U.S. producers. As this rule is finalized, it is critical the final rule clearly identifies the types of on-farm conservation practices capable of generating lower-carbon feedstocks and ultimately qualifying for a premium under 45Z. Examples of these practices include, but are not limited to no-till, cover crops, strip till, manure application, and optimized fertilizer use.

The final rule must not replicate the top-down approach taken by the Biden administration when it implemented a similar program under the section 40B sustainable aviation fuel credit. Those rules required farmers to “bundle” a select few practices regardless of the facts on the ground. Instead, 45Z guidance should provide farmers with maximum flexibility to implement a wide range of practices based on what works best for their farm. Moreover, the guidance must ensure the credit does not box out family farmers from participating by imposing unnecessary red tape or overly prescriptive requirements.

We are thankful for commitments within the proposed rulemaking affirming Treasury will soon include the new 45ZCF FD-CIC to account for carbon intensity reductions attributed to agricultural practices. While this is encouraging, we strongly urge that the new feedstock calculator be fully integrated into the 45ZCF GREET model in a timely manner. Only with this integration can farmers’ real-world conservation efforts and regenerative practices be accurately measured and rewarded under 45Z. Accordingly, we respectfully request this integration be finalized and published expeditiously.

Consistent with the OBBB’s mandate to reward agricultural innovation, we also ask for the swift implementation of distinct emission pathways for animal manure-derived renewable natural gas (RNG). Providing specific rates for dairy and swine manure feedstocks within the 45ZCF GREET model is essential to turning traditional liabilities into profit centers for our livestock producers.

In addition, we want to stress that farmer participation under 45Z should be structured using a “Book and Claim” accounting framework. This approach ensures farmers can generate value from lower-carbon practices without requiring the physical delivery of grain to a specific biofuel facility. A mass balance system, by contrast, would force acres to compete and create unnecessary challenges for farmers located far from biofuel facilities or those who rely on grain for livestock feed. “Book and Claim” avoids these distortions, broadens participation, and allows 45Z to function as a truly nationwide market opportunity for American producers.

Planting season is a few short weeks away in many parts of the country, and farmers need clear answers soon to fully take advantage of 45Z. Timely inclusion of the 45ZCF FD-CIC, updated pathways and farm practices in the updated 45ZCF GREET model, and the use of “Book and Claim” accounting will provide the necessary clarity, create confidence in the marketplace, and ensure farmers can actually receive a premium for their farming efforts. Delivering this outcome after years of mismanagement under the previous administration will be a clear win for U.S. farmers and demonstrate the Trump administration’s commitment to a stronger rural America.

Again, we thank you for your work to put the American farmer and biofuel producer first. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

# # #


Murkowski Supports Bipartisan Housing Package

Washington, DC—U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voted in favor of the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, a bipartisan legislative package designed to increase housing supply, reduce costs, and strengthen federal housing programs nationwide. The legislation incorporates provisions from bipartisan housing proposals previously considered by Congress and represents one of the most significant federal housing packages in decades. The bill now goes to the House for consideration.

“Housing affordability is a serious challenge in Alaska, where high construction costs, limited infrastructure, and logistical hurdles make it even harder to build homes,” said Senator Murkowski. “While no single bill will solve Alaska’s housing shortage, this package represents a start that will offer additional tools to support families and communities across our state. Throughout this process, I worked to ensure that the unique housing needs of rural and Tribal communities would be addressed in the legislation. While some of those provisions did not make it into the final package, I will continue working with my colleagues to advance solutions that address the challenges facing all Alaskans, including those Alaska Native communities that face more acute housing issues.”

Several provisions in the bill would directly benefit Alaska, including:

Faster Disaster Recovery: The bill permanently authorizes the Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program and establishes a new Office of Disaster Management and Resiliency at HUD to streamline disaster recovery assistance and speed the delivery of aid to communities rebuilding after disasters. These improvements will help Alaska respond more quickly and effectively to rebuilding efforts in communities such as Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, which were devastated by the remnants of Typhoon Halong.

Strengthening the HOME Program: The legislation improves the HOME Investment Partnerships Program by increasing administrative flexibility, simplifying requirements for local partners, and allowing communities to use funds more efficiently for housing construction, rehabilitation, and rental assistance.

Support for Veterans’ Homeownership: Multiple provisions expand awareness and accessibility of VA home loan benefits and improve housing assistance programs for veterans, including updates to mortgage disclosures and improvements to the HUD-VASH program serving unhoused disabled veterans. As the state with the highest per capita rate of veterans, it is essential we have the resources needed to take care of our retired servicemembers.

Modernizing Manufactured and Modular Housing: The bill includes reforms to modernize federal rules for manufactured and modular housing, helping expand innovative housing construction methods that can lower costs and better accommodate unique cold-weather building needs in states like Alaska.

Addressing Corporate Home Purchases: The legislation includes a provision to prohibit large institutional investors from purchasing certain single-family homes, helping ensure that more homes remain available for families rather than large corporate buyers.

The legislation also includes programs to support home repairs, improve housing counseling and financial literacy, and expand opportunities for affordable housing construction nationwide.

During Senate consideration of the bill, Senator Murkowski filed three amendments aimed at addressing the housing needs of Tribal communities. While these were not included in the final package, she will continue working to advance these priorities in her role as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. The three amendments would have included the following provisions in the package:

Income Requirements: To allow Tribes to raise the income ceiling for housing assistance to 120 percent of Area Median Income (AMI), provided the majority of units continued to serve families at or below 80 percent of AMI, expanding homeownership opportunities while maintaining a focus on low-income Native families.

Environmental Review Streamlining: To reduce duplicative federal environmental reviews by allowing Tribes to rely on HUD environmental review determinations when NAHASDA or ICDBG funding was the primary source and the Tribe had assumed environmental review authority.

Build America, Buy America Waiver: To provide an exemption from Build America, Buy America (BABA) requirements for Tribes and rural communities facing unique supply chain and cost challenges that delay housing construction.

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Murray, Hirono, King Lead Colleagues in Demanding HHS Immediately Release Title X Funding

Senators: “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.”

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), and Angus King (I-ME) led 34 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 these critical 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 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 Murray, Hirono, and King, the letter was also signed by Senators 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), 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), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

Senator Murray has consistently fought to strengthen and preserve the Title X program. Last year, Senator Murray condemned the Trump administration’s plans to freeze tens of millions of dollars in federal Title X family planning grants for Planned Parenthood and other critical family planning organizations. Senator Murray also co-leads the Expanding Access to Family Planning Act, a bill that would safeguard funding for Title X. Senator Murray was also a vocal critic of the first Trump Administration’s Title X gag rule and countless other efforts to undermine reproductive health care. Early in 2019, Senator Murray released a memo highlighting some of the negative impacts of the rule and comments from patients, providers, city and county officials, and religious organizations submitted in opposition.

Senator Murray is also a longtime leader in the fight to protect and expand access to reproductive health care and abortion rights, and she has led Congressional efforts to fight back after the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Murray has introduced more than a dozen pieces of legislation to protect reproductive rights from further attacks, protect providers, and help ensure women get the care they need; Murray has led efforts to push for passage of these bills on the floor multiple times.

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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[1] https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/B09437

[2] https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/2013a_bailey.pdf

[3] https://www.guttmacher.org/news-release/2015/publicly-funded-family-planning-yields-numerous-positive-health-outcomes-while


Amid Rising Costs & Growing Demand for Energy Assistance, 40 U.S. Senators Urge HHS to Release Remaining LIHEAP Funds

WASHINGTON, DC – As working families across the country face sticker shock from their eye-popping gas and utility bills, a leading group of bipartisan U.S. Senators is calling for action to help alleviate energy prices for those in need.

Today, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a member of the Appropriations Committee, along with U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), the Chair of the Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), a member of the Appropriations Committee, led a bipartisan letter with 37 of their Senate colleagues urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to swiftly release the approximately $400 million in remaining Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding that Congress delivered in fiscal year (FY) 2026.

LIHEAP is a federally funded program that helps low-income households pay utility bills, address energy crises, and lower costs by improving home energy efficiency through weatherization. Over the last year, nearly six million households nationwide received LIHEAP assistance to help them lead a healthier, more stable life and avoid having their utilities shutoff or having to make tradeoffs such as skipping medical care or meals or turning to unfair payday loans that lead to a cycle of unending debt.

Overriding the Trump Administration’s attempt to eliminate LIHEAP, Reed, Collins, and Murkowski successfully led bipartisan efforts to provide a total of $4.045 billion for the program in FY 2026 – a $20 million increase over the previous year. Much of that LIHEAP funding has already been distributed to help struggling families and seniors on fixed-incomes bridge the financial gap and pay their skyrocketing utility bills.

On November 28, the Trump Administration released about $3.7 billion of that federal LIHEAP aid to states for distribution by authorized, local non-profit organizations that deliver social services, community health, and housing assistance to low-income, elderly, and those with disabilities across the country.

A nationwide cold snap, coupled with soaring home heating costs and spiking gas prices has put a squeeze on many American’s finances, with those who can least afford the energy price shocks suffering the hardest financial blow.

Now, the 40 U.S. Senators are urging U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr. to immediately distribute the remaining emergency LIHEAP funds. They say the federal funds are essential to help more Americans keep up with rising energy bills and help state-based organization effectively budget and distribute LIHEAP aid to those in need.

"We urge you to immediately release the remaining roughly $400 million of FY26 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding available under PL 119-75,” the 40 U.S. Senators wrote. “Any delay in the release of appropriated funds would set back states’ efforts to cover outstanding bills relating to unexpected delivered fuels emergencies, to weatherize low-income homes, and to plan for summer cooling programs. Our states are ready to deploy these funds to help vulnerable households as soon as they receive them from HHS.”

Eligibility for LIHEAP is based on income, family size, and the availability of resources.

In addition to Reed, Collins, and Murkowski, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators: Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Charles E. Grassley (R-IA), Angus S. King, Jr. (I-ME), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mark Warner (D-VA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Chris Coons (D-DE), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Angela D. Alsobrooks (D-MD), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NM), Ron Wyden (D-OR) Adam Schiff (D-CA), Peter Welch, Richard Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Mark Kelly (D-AZ) Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Cory Booker (D-NJ).

Full text of the letter follows:

The Honorable Robert Kennedy, Jr.

Secretary of Health and Human Services

200 Independence Avenue SW

Washington, DC 20201

Dear Secretary Kennedy:

We urge you to immediately release the remaining roughly $400 million of FY26 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding available under PL 119-75.

As the main federal program that helps low-income households and seniors with their energy bills, LIHEAP provides critical assistance during the cold winter and hot summer months. According to the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association, households are expected to spend 11% more on winter heating costs this winter compared to last year. With low-income families and seniors feeling additional strains on their household budgets, a timely release of LIHEAP funding is even more critical to ensure families do not need to choose between paying their energy bills and other essentials, like food or medicine.

Any delay in the release of appropriated funds would set back states’ efforts to cover outstanding bills relating to unexpected delivered fuels emergencies, to weatherize low-income homes, and to plan for summer cooling programs. Our states are ready to deploy these funds to help vulnerable households as soon as they receive them from HHS.

We look forward to working with you on this critical program. Thank you for your attention to our concerns and those of our constituents.

Sincerely,


Reed Celebrates U.S. Navy Nurse's 105th Birthday and Seeks to Collectively Honor U.S. WWII Nurses with Congressional Gold Medal

EAST PROVIDENCE, RI – Eighty years after the official end of World War II, it is easy for some to forget the sacrifices of unsung heroes who made valuable contributions to the war effort and helped the U.S. achieve victory. For U.S. Senator Jack Reed, there is an urgency to honor members of the ‘Greatest Generation’ and ensure they know how much people today appreciate their service.

Today, Senator Reed dropped by Anchor Bay at East Providence to salute Ms. Lillian “Chris” Nauta, one of the few female members of America’s nearly depleted corps of World War II nurses. Reed said he was also there to help uplift the voices of Nauta’s fellow World War II veterans and ensure their stories are widely shared and will never be forgotten.

Senator Reed helped celebrate Ms. Nauta’s 105th birthday (her actual 105th was last week), highlighted her devoted service as a U.S. Navy Nurse during World War II, and urged Congress to pass a bipartisan bill to collectively award Ms. Nauta and her fellow World War II U.S. Army and Navy nurses a Congressional Gold Medal – one of our nation's highest honors. The medal would be struck to honor women veterans who proudly put on the uniform to care for our sick and wounded service members on the front lines, those stationed on ships, bases, and hospitals at home and abroad, and especially for those nurses who were killed in action and never made it home.

Born in Rhode Island, Ms. Nauta was just 18-years old when World War II began. She proudly served as a Lieutenant Junior Grade as a Navy Nurse during the war and her service was marked by the highest standards of professionalism and devotion to duty. Stationed at a Navy hospital facility in Massachusetts, Ms. Nauta helped care for servicemembers who were injured and returning home from World War II.

Lillian met her husband, Russell Nauta, a fellow Navy servicemember, while she was serving in the Nurse Corps. They married and put down roots in New London, Connecticut to raise their son, Russell J. Nauta, who would later be inspired by his mother’s service and go on to become an acclaimed teaching surgeon. After the war, Ms. Nauta continued serving as a nurse in private practices throughout New England for many years.

In addition to serving up slices of Gregg’s Lemon Burst Cake – Ms. Nauta’s favorite – Reed announced that he is teaming up with U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Steve Daines (R-MT) to cosponsor the WWII Nurses Congressional Gold Medal Act (S.2195). The bipartisan and bicameral bill would award the Congressional Gold Medal to recognize nurses from the U.S. Army Nurse Corps and U.S. Navy Nurse Corps who served during World War II.

Reed says passing the legislation will be no easy feat: The bill requires two-thirds support in each chamber – 67 U.S. Senators and 290 members of the U.S. House of Representatives. So far it only has a dozen sponsors in the Senate and ten in the House.

Reed says he thinks the more people hear about the bill, the more support it will get. But time is of the essence: “This would be a heavy lift and it has to be bipartisan. Next year, when we’re back here celebrating Ms. Nauta’s 106th birthday, I hope to have a Congressional Gold Medal to present her. Navy nurses like Ms. Nauta didn’t do it for the glory, or the recognition. They did it because it was the right thing to do. Their talents and dedication made a world of difference. And for that, she’s a hero to me. Medal or no, the contributions of Ms. Nauta and her fellow nurses were essential to the war effort and deserve to be recognized. Her life has been a remarkable journey: she and her fellow nurses helped make history.”

Even at 105, Ms. Nauta is remarkably vibrant and engaging, surrounded by loving family and dear friends, and not even her walker slows her down.

Established on May 13, 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt, the Navy Nurse Corps set high educational and professional standards for nurses who within the next decade were stationed at hospitals and aboard U.S. Navy hospital and transport ships both at home and around the world.

During World War II, there were more than 10,000 women serving in the Navy Nurse Corps across 12 hospital ships, 40 naval hospitals, 176 dispensaries, and medical evacuation planes. Today, only a few are still living. One of the most famous examples of women serving as nurses during World War II are ‘the Angels of Bataan’ – also known as the ‘The Battling Belles of Bataan’ – members of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps and the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps who served during the Battle of the Philippines. When Bataan and Corregidor fell, 11 Navy nurses, 66 Army nurses, and one nurse-anesthetist were captured and imprisoned in and around Manila. They continued to serve as a nursing unit while prisoners of war. After years of hardship, they were finally liberated in February of 1945.

On April 10, 2024 in Washington DC, the Rosie the Riveters of World War II were awarded, collectively and symbolically, a Congressional Gold Medal that is now on display at the National Museum of American History. Senator Reed hopes the nurses will be next.


Reed, Heinrich Seek to Refund Working Families for Trump’s Unlawful Tariffs

WASHINGTON, DC – Americans paid for President Trump’s unconstitutional ‘emergency’ tariffs. Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled those tariffs illegal, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) says Americans households deserve to get their money back in a swift and orderly fashion.

This week, Reed is teaming up with U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and half a dozen colleagues to introduce the Tariff Refunds for Working Families Act. This legislation would create a tax rebate program for individuals and families who have paid increased prices for groceries and everyday essentials due to President Donald Trump’s unlawful foreign tariffs.

While President Trump tried to claim foreign countries and companies would pay the tariffs, multiple studies across the political spectrum indicate otherwise: American consumers ultimately bear the burden of Trump’s tariffs and were forced to pay higher prices. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said it collected more than $166 billion in invalid tariffs.

According to a U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC) report, Trump’s unlawful tariffs have already cost American families more than $1,700 each.

After the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision ruling Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) for tariffs was unlawful and therefore many of Trump’s broad, cost-raising tariffs unconstitutional, the Trump Administration responded by doing exactly what it argued before federal courts that it could not do: use Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 as a replacement to IEEPA to impose worldwide tariffs.

Now more costs from these new blanket Trump tariffs are being passed on to American consumers and working families without them receiving the economic relief they deserve. The Yale Budget Lab estimates that Section 122 tariffs could cost the average U.S. household between $600 and $800 per year.

While large corporations and importation companies have already sued the Trump Administration seeking refunds on tariff costs for themselves, this approach is unlikely to reach most consumers and small businesses, who bore the ultimate financial cost of the tariffs. The Tariff Refunds for Working Families Act would refund Americans for the increased costs they’ve shouldered and reaffirms that the power to tax and regulate commerce resides with Congress.

“President Trump’s illegal tariffs have cost New Mexico families an average of $1,355. This is money that belongs to working families — not the CEOs of Walmart or Amazon or any other big corporation,” said Senator Heinrich. “The President may call the affordability crisis a ‘hoax,’ but working people feel it every time they pay for groceries or everyday essentials. This bill will return the money lost to Trump’s tariffs back to the people who paid the price.”

“President Trump's executive overreach was an unconstitutional power play that increased prices for working Americans. The Trump Administration has a duty to refund these costs in a swift and orderly manner. Rebate and refunds should quickly go to working people and small businesses who were hit hardest. The Tariff Refunds for Working Families Act offers a sensible framework and is a good place to start. President Trump must also halt his harmful blanket tariffs that are a de facto sales tax on hardworking Americans, create an unnecessary drag on the U.S. economy, and continue to cause uncertainty and economic disruption for American businesses of all sizes,” said Senator Reed.

The Tariff Refunds for Working Families Act will establish the “Working Families Refund.” Specifically, the legislation will:

• Provide a tax rebate of $600 to individual filers making $90,000 or less;

• Provide a tax rebate of $600 to head of household filers making $120,000 or less;

• Provide a tax rebate of $1200 to joint filers making $180,000 or less; and

• Provide an additional tax rebate of $600 for each dependent child.

For example, a family of four with two parents filing jointly and two dependent children making less than $180,000 a year would receive a $2,400 Working Families Refund.

In addition to Heinrich and Reed, the Tariff Refunds for Working Families Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Chris Coons (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL).


Ricketts Hosts Agriculture Roundtable in West Point with Chairman Boozman; Focuses on Wins for Farmers and Ranchers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) hosted a Working Families Tax Cuts roundtable in West Point, Nebraska to discuss the critical issues facing Nebraska’s farmer and ranchers. Senator Ricketts was joined by Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR).

“Agriculture is the heart and soul of what we do in Nebraska. Family farms and ranches are the backbone of our communities,” said Sen. Ricketts. “During the roundtable, I heard about the critical issues Nebraska farmers and ranchers are facing. Chairman Boozman and I had the chance to share how the Farm Bill, renewable fuels, and the Working Families Tax Cuts will strengthen Nebraska agriculture. We’re expanding investment in rural communities, restoring regulatory certainty, and putting more money in the pockets of farmers and ranchers. This is how we keep supporting the Good Life.”

“Hardworking farm families have faced three straight years of challenges including low commodity prices, high input costs, increasing inflation and extreme weather,” said Sen. Boozman. “These pressures have placed producers under severe financial strain. The good news is that we have their backs. Senator Ricketts helped deliver historic investments in Nebraska agriculture and supported farmers and livestock producers through the Working Families Tax Cuts. I look forward to continuing our work together to strengthen the industry and make sure the agricultural community has the resources it needs to continue feeding, fueling, and clothing the world. Hearing directly from Nebraska producers is critical to fulfilling that commitment.”

The discussion focused on the impact of the Working Families Tax Cuts on the next generation of Nebraska agriculture and other ag policy-related topics.


Sullivan, Hassan Introduce Legislation to Encourage Employer-Provided Child Care

WASHINGTON— U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) have introduced legislation to help more employers offer child care support for their employees by establishing a dedicated business child care liaison within the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The new liaison would serve as a central point of coordination between the IRS, businesses, child care providers, advocates, and state and local governments to help employers better understand and use existing federal tools that support child care for working families. This bill builds on the progress made in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, passed in July, which significantly strengthened federal incentives for employer-supported child care by expanding the employer-provided child care tax credit and increasing the amount families can set aside in Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts.

“Quality child care is not only essential for the well-being of families, it is also key to a thriving economy and a strong workforce,” said Sen. Sullivan. “I hear repeatedly from Alaska parents that the lack of affordable child care is one of their top concerns, and the data backs that up. Sixty-one percent of Alaskans are living in communities classified as child care ‘deserts,’ and too many families struggle to find reliable, affordable care close to home. This legislation will help employers, providers, and other nonprofits better utilize federal tools for employees—specifically the significant expansion of federal incentives in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act for child care facilities and the provisions that expand opportunities and support for working families.”

“We need to make sure that businesses are able to take advantage of every available tool to help their workers afford child care,” said Senator Hassan. “This bipartisan legislation will help cut through the confusion around federal child care tax incentives, increase awareness among businesses about these incentives, and make it easier for Granite State businesses and employers across the country to invest in the child care that their employees need to stay in the workforce.”

The legislation has been endorsed by numerous child care providers and family support organizations in Alaska and across the country:

“Affordable, reliable child care is essential for strong families and a strong economy,” said Trevor Storrs, president and CEO of Alaska Children’s Trust. “Alaska’s businesses want to support working families, but navigating child care tax benefits can be complicated. This bill gives employers the clear guidance and partnership they need to offer meaningful child care support to their employees’ families. At the Alaska Children's Trust, we believe strengthening businesses’ ability to invest in child care strengthens our economy and our communities.”

“This bill helps employers offer child care benefits that better support working families,” said Stephanie Berglund, CEO of Thread. “That is especially important in rural states like Alaska, where child care shortages can limit workforce participation. We appreciate Senator Sullivan’s leadership and his engagement with organizations like ours as we work to strengthen Alaska’s child care system.”

“The YMCA of Alaska endorses this legislation that lessens hurdles for accessible childcare and helps all families find affordable childcare options,” said Nate Root, President and CEO of YMCA Alaska.

“The All Alaska Pediatric Partnership (A2P2) supports any legislation that promotes coordination and utilization of benefits aimed at increasing access to employer-supported child care tax benefits,” said Tamar Ben-Yosef, executive director of A2P2. “The Child Care Tax Benefit Outreach and Assistance Act sponsored by Senator Sullivan and Senator Hassan is a positive step toward increasing the Federal government’s understanding and consideration of the unique challenges experienced by Alaskans. We look forward to working with Senator Sullivan leveraging the information gathered through the Business Child Care Liaison office to identify further opportunities to increase utilization among Alaskan employers in rural communities where access to child care services is greatly limited.”

“The U.S. Chamber of Commerce applauds Senators Hassan and Sullivan for introducing the bipartisan Child Care Tax Benefit Outreach and Assistance Act,” said Stephanie Ferguson Melhorn, Executive Director of Workforce & International Labor Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “By establishing a dedicated Business Child Care Liaison, this legislation will help businesses leverage the employer-provided child care credit and other existing incentives. Employer-provided child care is a proven recruitment and retention tool, and this commonsense bill will empower more employers to take advantage of these benefits.”

“Employers in New Hampshire understand that child care is workforce infrastructure — when parents can't find or afford care, they can't show up to work,” said Trina Ingelfinger, Early Care and Education Policy Director of New Futures, Concord, NH. “Federal tax credits and flexible spending accounts are available to help businesses invest in child care solutions for their employees, but too many companies are finding it challenging to use these programs. The Child Care Tax Benefit Outreach and Assistance Act closes that gap by giving businesses the guidance and support they need to act on the child care challenges their employees face every day. This kind of practical approach will give more families access to programs that can help them better afford child care.”

“As a statewide organization dedicated to supporting child care programs and the families they serve, Early Learning NH understands how helpful a Business Child Care Liaison housed at the IRS will be to parents working hard to provide for their family,” said Jackie Cowell, Early Learning NH.

“We’re grateful to Senators Hassan and Sullivan for their leadership in introducing the Child Care Tax Benefit Outreach and Assistance Act,” said Sarah Rittling, Executive Director of the First Five Years Fund. “The 45F credit recognizes that employers are eager to be part of the child care solution for their employees. Having an IRS advocate dedicated to employer-provided child care, as this bill does, would go a long way in helping businesses utilize the 45F tax credit, leading to more child care options that support working parents and help our youngest learners grow.”

“Employers know that child care is the necessary infrastructure that supports their workforce,” said Susan Gale Perry, CEO of Child Care Aware of America. “But many are unaware of the federal tools available to defray the cost of providing child care support. Establishing a Business Child Care Liaison at the IRS would help ensure employers understand and can better utilize the Employer-Provided Child Care Credit (Section 45F). Greater awareness of this credit will help more employers partner with Child Care Aware of America's network of child care resource and referral organizations to connect working families with the child care they need.”

“The Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska is pleased to endorse the bipartisan Child Care Tax Benefit Outreach and Assistance Act, introduced by Senators Hassan and Sullivan,” said Walter S. Gilliam, PhD, Executive Director of the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska. “This bill smartly addresses one of the biggest challenges regarding businesses utilizing tax benefits to increase access to child care—lack of tailored technical assistance that businesses can use. Thank you Senators Hassan and Sullivan for prioritizing businesses and working families by prioritizing affordable access to child care.”

“When employers support child care options for their employees, it is a win-win - families have access to the care they need to thrive and participate in the workforce, and employers have tools to help them attract and retain employees,” said Nicole Riehl, President & CEO of Executives Partnering to Invest in Children (EPIC). “Federal child care tax incentives are an important tool for encouraging businesses to invest in child care, but they can be intimidating to navigate. By providing resources to help with this navigation, we are confident that more employers will take the leap to invest in child care as a workforce and economic development tool.”

“For too long, women have been forced to choose between their careers and their kids, not because they want to, but because child care is treated like a personal problem,” said Reshma Saujani, Founder and CEO of Moms First. “Last year, with the help of Moms First’s National Business Coalition for Child Care, Congress expanded the employer child care tax credit for the first time in over two decades. That’s a $700 million opportunity to get more companies providing child care benefits to their workers, but only if they know how to use it. This bill makes sure they do, and that means more women in the workforce, stronger businesses, and an economy that can actually grow.”

“Employers are a critical piece of the puzzle as we work to ensure all families, regardless of income or geography, have access to high-quality, reliable child care,” said Radha Mohan, Executive Director, Early Care and Education Consortium. “The Early Care and Education Consortium (ECEC) commends Senators Hassan and Sullivan for introducing the Child Care Tax Benefit Outreach and Assistance Act. This bill will ensure recent enhancements to the Employer-Provided Child Care Tax Credit (Sec. 45F) and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (DCAP FSAs) are fully realized. By creating a Business Child Care Liaison at the IRS to educate employers, issue clear guidance, and troubleshoot real-world implementation challenges, this bill will help turn underused tax incentives into real child care options for working families. Paired with continued investments in core programs like the Child Care and Development Block Grant, this kind of smart, business-facing infrastructure is exactly what we need to expand affordable, accessible child care and support the workers and businesses who depend on it.”

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