Shaheen, Young Renew Push to Curb Mounting Student Debt by Improving Institutional Accountability

**Bipartisan bill would hold institutes of higher education accountable for debt their students are unable to pay while using those funds to support schools that serve low-income students well**

(Washington, DC) - As student debt continues to soar across the country, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Todd Young (R-IN) are renewing their push on the Student Protection and Success Act, bipartisan legislation to curb the mounting student debt crisis by increasing higher education institutions’ accountability for their students’ ability to repay their loans and requiring institutions to have a vested interest in the success of their students.

“The rising cost of college—coupled with the debt students incur in order to attend—has become a barrier for too many young people who want to pursue higher education to achieve their career and life goals,” said Senator Shaheen. “Our bipartisan bill will increase accountability measures for loan repayments to ensure that institutions of higher education keep their promises to borrowers and empower students to succeed after graduation – helping to address the alarmingly high cost of higher education and better ensure college affordability for generations of students to come.”

“Our Student Protection and Success Act will help ensure colleges and universities are preparing hard-working students for meaningful careers that will better enable graduates to repay their student loans,” said Senator Young.

The Student Protection and Success Act would enact a series of measures to hold higher education institutions accountable by requiring them to share responsibility for student success. The bipartisan bill would remove federal student loan eligibility from all colleges and universities where less than 15 percent of their students are able to begin repaying their loans within three years of graduating or leaving school. The bill would also require schools to pay a “risk-sharing fee” based on the total loan volume their students are not able to repay, and the Department of Education would then allocate those funds to support schools that are better assisting low-income students.

New Hampshire borrowers are consistently ranked as having some of the highest student loan debt rates in the nation. According to the U.S. Federal Reserve, student loan debt has more than doubled in the past two decades. While various initiatives have been undertaken to address mounting student debt, there has been little recent bipartisan collaboration about how to address affordability for the long term. Shaheen and Young’s bipartisan bill would better protect both borrowers and taxpayers by incentivizing colleges and universities to help ensure students are actually able to repay the loans they take out to attend.

The Student Protection and Success Act would:

Reform the eligibility standard for federal student aid.

Currently, institutions’ access to Title IV federal student aid is based on a school’s cohort default rate, which is the percentage of students who default on their federal loans over a given timeframe after going into repayment. While this metric is designed to remove low-performing and predatory schools from the system, it does not consider a complete picture of students’ ability to repay their loans.

This bill would include a cohort repayment rate metric in this eligibility standard, such that schools with less than 15 percent of students repaying their loans would be deemed ineligible for receiving Title IV student aid.

Require higher education institutions to pay a risk-sharing fee to the Department of Education based on a percentage of their students’ unrepaid loan balance.

This provision requires schools to have “skin-in-the-game” and share responsibility in the success of their students. Under this section, institutions pay a fee equal to a percentage of the loan balance that is not being repaid to the U.S. Department of Education. This fee will be pegged to the unemployment rate, ensuring that schools pay smaller fees during economic downturns.

Pay those funds directly back out to institutions serving low-income students well.

This bonus payment is designed to reward institutions that serve a significant number of low-income students. The payments will be entirely funded through revenue gained from the risk-sharing provision and allocated based on the number and percentage of Pell grant recipients enrolled in an institution, their repayment rates and the school’s spending on student services.

Full text of Shaheen and Young’s Student Protection and Success Act is available HERE.

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U.S. Senator Tina Smith on Release of Blatnik Bridge Replacement Funding

WASHINGTON, DC –Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) released the following statement after it was announced the U.S. Department of Transportation is releasing the funding necessary to begin construction to replace the Blatnik Bridge:

“Any delay in the Blatnik Bridge replacement project would’ve been incredibly costly to Minnesota and Wisconsin, to the tune of millions of dollars,” said Senator Smith. “Releasing this funding now means this project can move forward on schedule – and Minnesota taxpayers won’t have to pay more for the same bridge. I’m grateful the Administration heeded our calls to release this money and I’m looking forward to seeing construction completed on time and within budget.”

The announcement comes two weeks after Senator Smith joined Senators Klobuchar (D-MN) and Baldwin (D-WI) in pressing Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to give final approval and release the $1.05 billion grant. The Blatnik Bridge is a vital connection between Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, with over 33,000 vehicles passing through daily and 265,000 trucks transporting nearly $4 billion in goods annually.

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Alaska Delegation Celebrates Largest-Ever NPR-A Lease Sale

Washington, DC— U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and U.S. Congressman Nick Begich (all R-Alaska) today celebrated the results of the most successful oil and gas lease sale ever held in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A).

The delegation mandated the sale, the first held in the NPR-A since 2019, through last year’s budget reconciliation bill. According to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the sale was “exceptionally competitive” drawing 430 bids on nearly 200 tracts across 1.3 million acres. High bids totaled $163 million—the most in the history of the NPR-A—and will be split equally between the federal government and the State of Alaska.

By comparison, the last lease sale in the NPR-A brought in $11.3 million, making today’s total for high bids more than 1,300 percent higher.

Statement from Senator Lisa Murkowski:

“This is a great day for Alaska that further demonstrates the world-class energy potential across our North Slope. The delegation has focused on the NPR-A not only because it is a petroleum reserve—one of the most obvious places to produce energy anywhere in the nation—but also because we knew that industry’s interest in this area is remarkably strong. Our efforts to restore access, return to the rule of law, and get this program back on track have now been fully validated by these historic results. The best part is, the best is yet to come. From here, these leases will lead to new development and production, creating good jobs, generating even more revenues, and strengthening our energy security. I look forward to all of it and thank Secretary Burgum and his team for being excellent partners on behalf of Alaska.”

Statement from Senator Dan Sullivan:

“Today’s historic lease sale in the NPR-A is another clear sign that Alaska’s Comeback is underway—unlocking our vast resource potential, creating good-paying jobs, and strengthening both our state’s energy economy and the energy security of our entire country. This lease sale wasn’t just historic in the amount of bids, but also in terms of the companies bidding, from some of the biggest energy companies in the world, to smaller aggressive wildcatters. This milestone is the direct result of a three-pronged approach I have worked on for years to restore investment certainty in our state.

“First, President Trump’s Day One Alaska-specific executive order, Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential, set the stage to realign federal policy and empower Alaska to meet our nation’s energy needs and start to reverse the Biden-era Last Frontier Lock Up of Alaska. Second, we passed the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, which mandates five lease sales in the NPR-A over the next decade, ending the uncertainty caused by political pendulum swings and finally putting development certainty into law. It's important to note that Senate Democrats and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer fought to strip these Alaska energy provisions from this historic bill. And third, by working with my colleagues to overturn the Biden administration’s unlawful NPR-A rule through the Congressional Review Act, we reversed one of the most comprehensive and egregious examples of federal overreach and restored the balance Congress originally intended.

“For years, Alaska was whipsawed by one-size-fits-all federal actions—more than 70 executive orders and actions by the Biden administration specifically targeting our state—that ignored both the law and the voices of our communities. The Biden administration’s NPR-A rule alone locked up roughly half of the Reserve, despite Congress’s clear mandate for responsible development, undermining the jobs, revenues, and energy production that our communities—particularly on the North Slope—depend on. Overturning that rule not only reopened opportunity in the NPR-A, it will work to prevent future politically driven lock-ups of the area.

“Today’s lease sale is clear proof that this approach is working for Alaska and our economy. I want to thank President Trump and Secretary Burgum for their leadership in helping us advance this comprehensive, Alaska-focused approach to resource development and job creation. Together, we are restoring long-term certainty, strengthening American energy security, creating thousands of jobs, and continuing the Alaska Comeback for families and communities across our state.”

Statement from Congressman Nick Begich:

“For decades, Alaska’s resource potential was clear, but access was restricted. Today’s lease sale marks a new chapter of certainty for Alaska. When we remove federal barriers, investments in Alaska’s future follow. Removing those federal barriers and unlocking millions of acres in the NPR-A is a direct result of hard-fought efforts and strategic policymaking – provisions my team and I crafted and worked tirelessly to advance out of the House Natural Resources Committee while working to secure Alaska’s fair share of the benefits and increasing our revenue share from 50 percent to 70 percent starting in 2035. This is a major step toward long-term economic stability for our state. I’m grateful to Senator Murkowski and Senator Sullivan for their work in the Senate to ensure this effort became law. This is a clear example of what coordinated leadership across our delegation can deliver for Alaska. This lease sale is just the beginning of a stronger Alaska and a more secure American energy future.”

The NPR-A spans roughly 23 million acres in northwest Alaska and is roughly the size of Indiana. Congress specifically designated the area for responsible energy development, directing the Department of the Interior, through BLM, to conduct an “expeditious program of competitive leasing of oil and gas.”

The Biden administration ignored the law and sought to turn most of the petroleum reserve into de facto federal wilderness—refusing to hold a single lease sale; imposing an Integrated Activity Plan that closed at least 48 percent of its surface acreage to leasing; promulgating an illegal rule that established a presumption against new leasing and development; and initiating a process to expand and create new Special Areas where development could not occur.

The Alaska delegation has worked closely with the Trump administration and congressional colleagues to restore an effective NPR-A oil and gas program:

In January 2025, President Trump issued a day-one Executive Order for Alaska directing the rescission of damaging Biden-era rules and regulations that violated federal law to limit opportunity in the NPR-A.

Last summer, the delegation added a provision on NPR-A to the budget reconciliation bill, restoring access to millions of acres in the reserve, mandating at least five lease sales over the next decade, and increasing Alaska’s share of revenues from 50 percent to 70 percent starting in Fiscal Year 2034.

In December 2025, the President signed into law a disapproval resolution led by Sullivan that nullified the Biden administration’s Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) for the NPR-A, restoring the first Trump administration’s management plan and preventing future administrations from attempting similar restrictions. Murkowski cosponsored the legislation and Begich led a companion resolution in the House.

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Thune: American Elections Are for American Citizens

Clickhereto watch the video.

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

Thune’s remarks below (as delivered):

“Mr. President, I don’t think this is a hot take: Only American citizens should be voting in American elections.

“Let me repeat that.

“Only American citizens should be voting in American elections.

“Of course, there’s only one way to be sure that only Americans are voting in our elections: Voters have to prove they’re citizens when they register to vote.

“That’s just intuitively obvious.

“It’s so obvious, in fact, that one poll shows that most Americans believe that proof of citizenship is already – already – a requirement to register to vote.

“But it’s not.

“And polls show that the majority of Americans believe that we should require proof of citizenship to vote.

“In one recent poll, 75 percent of voters said they support requiring proof of citizenship to vote.

“That includes 61 percent of Democrats.

“And more than two-thirds of Hispanic and Black voters.

“Mr. President, this is just common sense.

“And it’s why requiring proof of citizenship to vote is one of the pillars of the SAVE America Act.

“Mr. President, confirming eligibility is not some newfangled idea.

“The American people are used to proving they’re eligible – especially when dealing with their state or the federal government.

“If you want to join the military, you should be prepared to show you’re old enough, fit enough, and have graduated from high school.

“SNAP benefits?

“Same story – you need to hand over documents to prove need, residency, and eligibility.

“Seniors – who have paid into the system their entire lives – still need to prove that they’re eligible for Social Security and Medicare when they’re old enough.

“And every single job in this country requires new employees to fill out an I-9 and provide documents that prove they are eligible to work.

“Every job requires you to prove you’re eligible to work in this country – whether you’re working your first job scooping ice cream in the summer or joining a law firm as a senior partner.

“So why – why – don’t we require proof of eligibility – that is, proof of citizenship – to vote?

“As I said, you need to prove you’re eligible to work, to join the military, and to get any sort of government benefit.

“But under current law, you don’t need to prove you’re actually eligible to vote when you register.

“And the lack of a federal requirement on this point has stood in the way of states deciding for themselves to implement proof-of-citizenship requirements.

“On two separate occasions, the state of Arizona has attempted to require proof of citizenship when registering to vote.

“In 2004, Arizona voters approved a ballot referendum requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote in the state.

“It passed with a clear majority – 55 percent of Arizona voters supported the ballot question.

“But the U.S. Supreme Court struck it down.

“Fast forward to 2022, and the Arizona legislature passed a law requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.

“And – once again – the Supreme Court said that states cannot impose requirements that go beyond the standard federal voter registration form to vote in federal elections.

“The standard federal form that does not require proof of citizenship.

“And so here we are.

“Mr. President, the SAVE America Act would put this commonsense proof-of-citizenship requirement in place.

“This commonsense requirement that – as I said – polls show the majority of voters support.

“Passing this requirement should be a no-brainer.

“But Democrats roundly oppose this commonsense policy.

“And this should surprise nobody.

“A number of blue states happily issue driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.

“Democrats uniformly opposed Republicans’ efforts to prevent noncitizens from getting federal health care and nutrition benefits last year.

“And while states like Arizona and my home state of South Dakota are passing legislation to ensure only American citizens vote in our elections, blue cities are passing laws to allow – allow – noncitizens to vote in local elections.

“That’s right, Mr. President.

“In cities in Vermont, California, and right here in Washington, D.C., noncitizens are allowed to vote in local elections.

“So it should be no surprise that Democrats seem not to care very much about ensuring that American citizens – and American citizens only – are voting in our national elections.

“But it is deeply concerning.

“Mr. President, the vote of even one ineligible voter dilutes the vote of an American citizen.

“And that’s unconscionable.

“It’s unconscionable for Americans who faithfully cast their votes to nudge our country in the direction they believe is best for our future.

“And I have to imagine it’s especially galling for legal immigrants who have become American citizens – who have often spent years waiting and working for their citizenship and the right to vote.

“One individual in my state said this on getting his citizenship a few years ago, and I quote, ‘It’s a long time coming … I’m eager to vote, I’m eager to cast my voice and how I feel.’

“And that, Mr. President, is no surprise.

“Voting is, in many ways, synonymous with being an American.

“It is one of our most sacred rights as Americans.

“And a serious obligation we have to our fellow citizens and to the future of our country.

“Why shouldn’t we make sure everyone who casts a ballot in this country is actually eligible to vote?”


Thune Joins The Ben Shapiro Show, Martha MacCallum, The Hugh Hewitt Show

Clickhereto watch Shapiro,here to watch MacCallum, andhere to listen to Hewitt.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today joined The Ben Shapiro Show, Martha MacCallum on Fox News, and The Hugh Hewitt Show.

On the SAVE America Act:

“The SAVE America Act is a package of just commonsense policies that should get an automatic ‘yes,’ literally from every member of the Senate. And the core of it … is a requirement for Americans to demonstrate that they’re eligible to vote and that they are who they say they are when they go to do so. And requiring a photo ID for a whole lot of things in this country is something that … Americans expect. You would think that [the Democrats would] be able to produce one to vote in our elections … We just have to do everything we can to make sure that we’re pounding [Democrats] over the course of the next week or two, and then we’ll see where the votes are.”

[…]

“[Democrats’ position is] a very indefensible position, in my view, to say that noncitizens ought to be able to vote in American elections, but that seems to be the position that they’ve adopted at the moment. But we’ve got an opportunity, over the course of the next few days and perhaps into next week, to litigate the issue, to have … the debate on the floor, and to put Democrats on defense and on the record on whether or not they think it ought to be just American citizens who vote in American elections. This is a very straightforward issue, and we intend to make sure that the choice is clear.”

On preserving the legislative filibuster:

“Historically … the filibuster has protected conservative principles and priorities way more than it has Democrats’. And Democrats, typically, if you look throughout history, have had majorities in the House and the Senate more frequently than Republicans … The idea of enabling all the things that [Democrats] would do if they were able to nuke the legislative filibuster and pass their agenda with 51 votes, you’d start with … adding Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., as states. You’d go to expanding the Supreme Court. You’d federalize our elections. You’d have a wealth tax. You’d have … abortion on demand …

“Republicans in the Senate, by a big majority, support the legislative filibuster for that reason, and they understand how it’s protected us in the past. It’s a feature of the Senate that goes back to the country’s founding. The Senate was designed to be a place to give the minority a voice in our lawmaking process. It’s a way that the founders divided power in the Article I branch of the government between the House and the Senate.

“So there’s a lot of support for the legislative filibuster. And frankly, the only way you would get the SAVE Act passed, absent Democrat support, would be to nuke the legislative filibuster. And the votes aren’t there to do that. It’s just a … function of math … I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that’s the reality that we have to deal with.”

On Democrats’ DHS shutdown:

“It’s a dangerous world. We’ve got cyber threats, and the cyber office is located within the Department of Homeland Security, so that’s also affected by this appropriation bill. And … it makes you wonder what is on [Democrats’] minds … They are held so hostage by the far left in the country right now and are so infected with Trump Derangement Syndrome and blind hatred of the president that they don’t want to do anything … that gives him a victory.

“The White House has been very willing to negotiate … The administration has made numerous efforts to engage with the Democrats on some of the issues they care about, in ways that I think the Democrats ought to be willing to accept … This is about politics, nothing more, nothing less, for them.”


Tuberville, Husted Move to Help Alabama’s Family Farms

Ninety-five percent of Alabama’s farms are family-owned and operated

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator Jon Husted (R-OH) in introducing the U.S. Department of Agriculture Loan Modernization Act. This bill would remove outdated eligibility barriers that prevent modern family farms from accessing U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) loan programs.

“Family farms are the backbone of America’sagriculture industry, and Alabama’s family farms play a huge part in our national food security,” said Sen. Tuberville. “The system is outdated and doesnothing to serve these hardworking farmers. This bill goes to great lengths to update the loan programs that currently hold these farms back. Supporting those who put food on our tables is the least we can do here in Congress – I hope my colleagues join Sen. Husted and I in empowering family farms across the country.”

“Ninety-five percent of farms in Ohio are family-owned and operated, and they shouldn’t be penalized by outdated rules for securing their families’ and their farms’ future. This bill would modernize USDA loan rules so they reflect how family farms operate today and ensure they can continue to grow and pass their legacy on to the next generation,” said Husted.

There are over 37,000 farms in Alabama, and 95% of them are family-owned and operated or partnerships.

Current FSA loan rules require one person to hold a majority stake and personally run the farm, which can disqualify well-run farms simply because of how they’re structured. The USDA Loan Modernization Act would update loan eligibility standards to better reflect the structure of today’s multi-generational, family-owned farms, expanding access to guaranteed and direct operating, emergency, and real estate loans for producers across the country.

Full text of the legislation can be found here.

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

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Tuberville Takes Action to Prevent Fraud in Child Care Following Somali Disaster in Minnesota

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Education and the American Family and Co-Chair of a task force aimed at eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in education, released draft legislation to eliminate fraud and abuse of federal child care funding after it was revealed that Somali immigrants stole billions of dollars from American taxpayers in the form of fake “daycare centers.” The draft legislation is currently being circulated to relevant stakeholders and will be officially introduced following their feedback. Their responses are due by April 8, 2026.

“American families have been robbed for far too long,” said Senator Tuberville. “We need to find the source of this abuse and cut it off so that our children and families can truly thrive. I will always work to hold the bad actors in the system accountable and advocate for Alabama’s hardworking families and their children.”

Senator Tuberville was joined by Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA) in introducing this draft legislation. Read the full discussion draft here.

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

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Van Hollen, Alsobrooks, McClain Delaney Press Trump Administration on Changes at Fort Detrick’s NIAID Lab that Threaten to Undermine Nation’s Readiness for Emerging Threats

Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks and Congresswoman April McClain Delaney (all D-Md.) pressed Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya, over concerns about changes that threaten to undermine the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick’s (IRF-Frederick) ability to carry out its critical work of protecting the nation from infectious diseases and other emerging threats. The lawmakers’ letter follows their June 2025 inquiry regarding the safety stand-down at IRF-Frederick, which appears to have shuttered the lab’s work for months. In their letter sent today, the members press Secretary Kennedy and Director Bhattacharya for answers regarding the impacts of the safety stand-down as well as the restructuring of IRF-Frederick under a different NIAID division and how these changes could undermine our nation’s readiness to address new and emerging infectious diseases.

“We write as a follow-up to the June 10, 2025, letter regarding the safety stand-down at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick (IRF-Frederick). In the months since, significant developments have raised additional questions about the status and future of IRF-Frederick, including the restructuring of the facility under the NIAID Division of Intramural Research (DIR) and recent reports that NIAID is deprioritizing biodefense and pandemic preparedness research. We are seeking answers on these developments and have serious concerns about the impact these changes will have on our nation’s readiness to address emerging infectious diseases and biological threats,” the lawmakers began. “NIAID, one of the 27 Institutes and Centers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), leads U.S. research efforts to diagnose, prevent, and treat high-consequence infectious diseases such as Ebola, anthrax, and SARS-CoV-2. The IRF-Frederick is one of the few facilities in the world capable of conducting research at Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4), including advanced medical imaging of animal models under maximum containment. The facility plays a critical role in our nation’s biodefense infrastructure and in the development of new diagnostics, vaccines, and medical countermeasures against deadly pathogens.”

“These developments at IRF-Frederick and NIAID occur in the broader context of unprecedented disruption at NIH. NIAID has lost more grant funding by dollar amount than any other NIH Institute, and more than half of NIH Institutes and Centers currently lack permanent directors,” they continued. “The cumulative effect of grant terminations, workforce reductions, and restructuring of key research infrastructure raises serious questions about whether the United States will be prepared to respond to the next pandemic or biological threat.”

The lawmakers went on to list a series of questions for the officials’ response, including on the impacts of the safety stand-down on research activities and personnel, division restructuring, the current status of IRF-Frederick, and when the lab will become fully operational.

A full copy of the letter is available here and below.

Dear Secretary Kennedy and Director Bhattacharya:

We write as a follow-up to the June 10, 2025, letter regarding the safety stand-down at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick (IRF-Frederick). In the months since, significant developments have raised additional questions about the status and future of IRF-Frederick, including the restructuring of the facility under the NIAID Division of Intramural Research (DIR) and recent reports that NIAID is deprioritizing biodefense and pandemic preparedness research. We are seeking answers on these developments and have serious concerns about the impact these changes will have on our nation’s readiness to address emerging infectious diseases and biological threats. NIAID, one of the 27 Institutes and Centers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), leads U.S. research efforts to diagnose, prevent, and treat high-consequence infectious diseases such as Ebola, anthrax, and SARS-CoV-2. The IRF-Frederick is one of the few facilities in the world capable of conducting research at Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4), including advanced medical imaging of animal models under maximum containment. The facility plays a critical role in our nation’s biodefense infrastructure and in the development of new diagnostics, vaccines, and medical countermeasures against deadly pathogens.

These developments at IRF-Frederick and NIAID occur in the broader context of unprecedented disruption at NIH. NIAID has lost more grant funding by dollar amount than any other NIH Institute, and more than half of NIH Institutes and Centers currently lack permanent directors. Nearly 3,500 grants have been terminated altogether – and at least 300 clinical trials have been disrupted, impacting thousands of patients including children. The cumulative effect of grant terminations, workforce reductions, and restructuring of key research infrastructure raises serious questions about whether the United States will be prepared to respond to the next pandemic or biological threat.

In the interest of American lives, our nation’s readiness to address new and emerging infectious diseases, and maintaining U.S. leadership in biomedical research, we respectfully ask for your prompt response to the following questions by April 1, 2026:

What were the findings of the FBI investigation that Secretary Kennedy referenced during his May 14, 2025, testimony before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions?

When was the safety stand-down at IRF-Frederick officially lifted? Did NIAID, NIH, or HHS leadership communicate this action to local officials, the Frederick community, and the relevant congressional committees of jurisdiction?

Please provide a list of all research activities that were impacted, suspended, or terminated as a result of the safety stand-down, including the status of the facility’s animal models.

Did any safety protocols or standard operating procedures at IRF-Frederick or other BSL-4 labs change as a result of the March 10, 2025, incident and subsequent investigation?

Reports indicate that prior to the safety stand-down, IRF-Frederick maintained 168 personnel. What is the current status of these personnel? How many were contract staff versus federal employees?

What happened to the federal employees who were reportedly put on administrative leave at the time of the safety stand-down? Were any of these employees transferred to other NIAID divisions, separated from employment, or otherwise affected?

How and when was the decision made to restructure IRF-Frederick and move it from the Division of Clinical Research to the Division of Intramural Research (DIR)? What was the rationale for this change?

How will the research priorities, activities, and staffing at IRF-Frederick differ under DIR compared to its prior structure under the Division of Clinical Research? What will this transition entail and when will it be completed? To what extent will any research activities or operations be contracted out?

What is the current status of research activities at IRF-Frederick? To what extent have operations been restored since the safety stand-down was lifted, and when will the facility be fully operational?

How will the research priorities, activities, and staffing at IRF-Frederick change under the “New Strategic Vision” 5 outlined by Director Bhattacharya on January 16, 2026?

If NIAID is deprioritizing biodefense and pandemic preparedness research, how will NIH and the Administration ensure that the United States is prepared to prevent and respond to emerging pathogens and infectious diseases? Please provide an analysis of the impact deprioritizing these research areas will have on the development of new diagnostics, vaccines, and medical countermeasures.

Sincerely,


Warner, Kaine Slam Save America Act As Voter Suppression Measure That Could Disenfranchise Millions

WASHINGTON – Ahead of a Senate vote, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) are sounding the alarm on the so-called ‘SAVE America Act’ and its far-reaching and harmful consequences for eligible voters. If signed into law, the SAVE America Act could strip millions of Americans of their ability to vote by imposing unnecessary and burdensome verification requirements. Under the SAVE America Act, voters would be required to provide proof of citizenship – such as a passport or birth certificate – to register to vote and photo identification to cast a ballot – even when voting by mail.

“We support reasonable steps that help maintain trust in our elections, including the voter identification requirements we already have in Virginia,” said the senators. “But the SAVE America Act goes far beyond that – it is a pretext for voter suppression. Republicans continue to raise baseless fears about election fraud and noncitizen voting, despite the fact that our elections are regularly audited and have also been tested repeatedly in courts, especially after 2020. Yet, no evidence of widespread voter fraud has ever been found. This bill is yet another extension of President Trump’s fixation on the 2020 election, and part of a broader effort to undermine confidence in our democracy ahead of 2026 and 2028.”

The SAVE America Act would:

Require proof of name and citizenship before registering to vote (e.g., passport or birth certificate).

Require photo identification before voting in person or by mail.

Expose poll workers to new criminal penalties, even if they’re just trying to help U.S. citizens vote.

Require states to purge voters, potentially using unreliable data and as late as on Election Day.

Under the bill, voters would need to provide proof of citizenship each time they register to vote or update their voter registration. Voters could use a passport or birth certificate with a matching name as proof of citizenship. However, 40 percent of all Virginians — or nearly 3.3 million people — lack a valid passport, and almost 2 million women in Virginia may not have a birth certificate that matches their current legal name. Those women would need to bring both their birth certificate and marriage license to register to vote under the proposed law.

Registering to vote for almost all voters would become more complex. All voters who register at the DMV, online, or by mail would have to present documentary proof of citizenship to their election official in person. This increased burden would have a disproportionate impact on rural voters due to longer drive times required to get to an in-person election office. Furthermore, only 21 percent of Americans with household incomes under $50,000, or 21 million eligible voters nationwide, possess a passport, compared to 64% of those earning over $100,000 — meaning the burden would fall disproportionately on lower-income citizens.

It is extremely rare for noncitizens to vote. In 2024, Virginia Public Radio reviewed over 650 cases of election-related crimes in Virginia’s state court system over the last 20 years found no instances of a noncitizen being convicted of voting illegally. Nationwide, the Center for Election Innovation & Research found that noncitizen voter registration and voting are exceedingly rare, and reported claims often exaggerate the scope of the issue.

Under the Republican proposal, Virginia’s 15,000+ volunteer poll workers would be exposed to new criminal penalties if they register someone to vote without proof of citizenship — even if that person is a U.S. citizen.

Yesterday, Sen. Warner spoke on the Senate Floor about the SAVE America Act, making clear it is nothing more than a disenfranchisement tactic – and that Virginia already has voter ID laws.

###


WATCH: Senate Republicans Block Warnock’s Attempt to Pay TSA Workers

Today, Senate Republicans blocked Senator Reverend Warnock’s push to pay TSA workers during the ongoing government shutdown

Senator Warnock has voted twice over the past year to pay federal workers, including TSA workers, during lapses in federal funding

Senator Warnock’s call for a vote comes as TSA workers risk missing a second paycheck

Senator Reverend Warnock: “Here’s what I believe. I believe that if you are working, particularly during a government shutdown, then you should be fully paid”

VIDEO OF FLOOR REMARKS HERE

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) took to the Senate floor to attempt to pass legislation that would immediately pay TSA officers and other federal workers during the ongoing partial government shutdown. Senate Republicans immediately blocked the Senator’s attempt to pass Senator Jacky Rosen’s Transportation Security Administration Pay Act of 2026. TSA workers risk missing a second paycheck because Washington Republicans refuse to vote on legislation to pay them.

“Here’s the choice that [Senate Republicans] are presenting to us. They’re saying to us, either shut down the government, denying working people the money that they have earned, or vote to continue to support the President’s paramilitary force that is wreaking havoc in our streets and killing ordinary citizens for exercising their First Amendment rights. That’s a false choice, one I simply cannot accept, and it confounds common sense,” said Senator Reverend Warnock.

During his remarks, Senator Warnock addressed his bipartisan attempts to make a deal. Over the past year, Senator Warnock has voted twice to pay federal workers during lapses in federal funding, even breaking with his own party. Both votes failed on the Senate floor.

“Here’s what I believe. I believe that if you are working, particularly during a government shutdown, then you should be fully paid. I believe in this so much that I’ve broken with members of my own party to vote to pay all federal workers, which includes TSA officers, during government shutdowns. I think it’s simply wrong for my Republican colleagues to use these hard-working Americans as leverage, as pawns, in what they are presenting as a false choice to the American people,” said Senator Reverend Warnock.

“The time is always right, Dr. King used to say, to do what’s right. And so, I’m calling on this chamber to pay TSA workers right now before we again all head to the airports. Let’s keep having this debate but pay the TSA workers,” Senator Reverend Warnock added.

Watch Senator Warnock’s full remarks HERE.

Read the full transcript below:

Senator Reverend Warnock (SRW): “The thing that we have in common on both sides of the aisle is that my colleagues and I travel back and forth from this city to our home states every week, airplanes are our other office.”

“So, every week I fly here or fly back home, I pass by hard working agents of the TSA. I get to see their dedication up close, their professionalism. They are public service in action. They are working long hours around the clock every day of the year. Wherever we’re trying to go, our TSA agents get us there safely. Safely to work, safely back to our families, wherever the public is trying to go. And these public servants sacrifice their holidays, their special moments with their families so that we can get to our families. They work nights and weekends to make sure that we in this chamber — and the millions of Americans that travel through our nation’s airports — can do that without fear. This is basic. No one should be fooling around with the TSA agents.”

“We have our differences, our debates in this chamber. But for the second time in a year, our TSA workers are working without pay because of Washington dysfunction. Here’s what I believe. I believe that if you are working, particularly during a government shutdown, then you should be fully paid. I believe in this so much that I’ve broken with members of my own party to vote to pay all federal workers, which includes TSA officers, during government shutdowns. I think it’s simply wrong for my Republican colleagues to use these hard-working Americans as leverage, as pawns, in what they are presenting as a false choice to the American people.”

Here’s the choice that they’re presenting to us: they’re saying to us, either shut down the government, denying working people the money that they have earned, or vote to continue to support the President’s paramilitary force that is wreaking havoc in our streets and killing ordinary citizens for exercising their First Amendment rights. That’s a false choice, one I simply cannot accept, and it confounds common sense.”

“The time is always right, Dr. King used to say, to do what’s right. And so, I’m calling on this chamber to pay TSA workers right now before we again all head to the airports. Let’s keep having this debate but pay the TSA workers.”

“And so with that, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 4127, the TSA Pay Act, that the bill be considered, read a third time and passed, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.”

###


On Senate Floor, Warren Fights Back Against “Jim Crow 2.0,” Slams Trump’s Reckless War in Iran

Warren calls for lowering costs for health care, child care instead of funding war

“[I]nstead of changing their policies and actually trying to help the American people… Trump and the Republicans are working to keep as many Americans from voting as possible… Every Senator must vote no.”

Video of Floor Speech (YouTube)

Washington, D.C. — Today, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) took to the floor of the U.S. Senate to hit back at Republicans’ attempts to disenfranchise millions of Americans through the SAVE Act. Senator Warren also called out the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans for attempting to use the bill to distract the country from Trump’s war in Iran and skyrocketing costs for consumers.

“Don’t let Trump and the Republicans in Congress fool you…this is not an ordinary voter ID bill. This is not a bill that says everybody has to show either a driver's license or student ID to vote. This is a way to keep American citizens from voting,” said Senator Warren.

She pointed out that under the SAVE Act, in 45 out of 50 states, a driver’s license wouldn’t satisfy the bill’s proof of citizenship requirement, and a birth certificate also wouldn’t count for married women who have changed their name. Although a passport would count, less than half of Americans own one. Anyone who doesn’t already own a passport would have to pay $165 to get one and apply with enough lead time to register before the midterm elections.

“I’ve heard this bill called Jim Crow 2.0, harking back to the days when states in the South blocked Black people from being able to vote with a whole series of tests and barriers in the way so they wouldn't be able to vote. The Trump bill is Jim Crow 2.0,” said Senator Warren.

“[W]hile Donald Trump and Republicans try to spread conspiracies and lie about the SAVE Act, it’s important that each and every one of us stays focused on what the Trump administration is really doing…After promising no more wars, Donald Trump dragged the United States into an illegal and reckless war with Iran,” said Senator Warren, calling attention to the 200 service members who have been hurt and 13 killed in Iran.

Some estimates say the war is costing around $2 billion a day, with just the first six days costing an estimated $11.3 billion, with an additional $300 million in lost aircraft. Senator Warren pointed out that the rate of spending comes out to $23,000 every second.

In contrast, $30 billion would have paid for lower health care costs for millions of Americans through an extension of Premium Tax Credits. $12 billion would pay for restoring the expanded Child Tax Credit for one year.

“For the same amount the U.S. is burning on just one single day of Donald Trump’s reckless war with Iran, we could provide a full year’s worth of food assistance for nearly half a million Americans. Or Medicaid coverage for 300,000 children,” Senator Warren pointed out.

Senator Warren also called out how Trump’s war in Iran has sent prices of gas and food skyrocketing. About one-fifth of the world’s oil supply and a third of the world’s fertilizer go through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been choked off since the start of the war. Trump’s advisors have publicly said the higher costs American families are paying are the “last of our concerns right now.”

Last week, a preliminary investigation by the Department of Defense confirmed that it is likely that the U.S. military bombed a girls’ school in Iran. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gutted the office that was in charge of preventing civilian harm, which Senator Warren led the charge to establish. Senator Warren reiterated her call for Hegseth to be fired.

“[I]nstead of changing their policies and actually trying to help the American people and not just themselves and their rich buddies, Trump and the Republicans are working to keep as many Americans from voting as possible… Every Senator must vote no,” concluded Senator Warren.

Transcript: Floor Speech in Opposition of the SAVE Act

U.S. Senate Floor

March 18, 2026

As Prepared for Delivery

Senator Elizabeth Warren: Donald Trump is trying to stop American citizens from voting.

Why? Because he knows his agenda is unpopular and Republicans can’t win based on what he’s doing, so he wants to rig the election by picking his own voters.

That’s what the SAVE Act is all about.

Don’t let Trump and the Republicans in Congress fool you. They’ll say things like, “You should have to show ID to vote just like you do to buy a beer.”

But this is not an ordinary voter ID bill. This is not a bill that says everybody has to show either a driver's license or student ID to vote.

This is a way to keep American citizens from voting. I'll give you an example.

If this bill passes, then in 45 of 50 states, your driver's license won’t count as valid ID.

Let’s say you’re a married woman who lives in Massachusetts. And let’s say that when you got married, you took your husband’s name.

Well, when you go to the polls to vote, you can't register by showing them your updated driver’s license. Why? Because Massachusetts is one of the 45 states where a driver’s license doesn’t prove citizenship.

So you bring along your birth certificate? Now can you vote?

Nope. Your birth certificate is still under your maiden name.

Yes, you can use a passport, if you have one. But remember that fewer than half of all Americans have a passport and it costs $165 to get one — and takes a month or two, if everything is working on time.

No passport and no birth certificate that matches your driver’s license? Well, Trump and the Republicans say you’re out of luck.

And that’s just one example of how this bill will actually make it harder for Americans to vote.

Here’s another deeply disturbing thing about this bill: it would require states to hand over sensitive information about voters to Trump’s Department of Homeland Security, so that some shadowy guys can do whatever they want with it.

Maybe they take you off the voter rolls. Maybe they use that information for something else. No one knows what will happen.

This is an agency whose former leader Kristi Noem said, just a few weeks ago, “we need to . . . make sure that we have the right people voting.”

Guess who's going to get swept off the voter rolls? People that the Republicans think are likely to vote Democratic.

So, sweep off Black people, sweep off Brown people, sweep off women, sweep off students, sweep off people in precincts who voted Democratic last time, sweep off people that you think might vote Democratic in the upcoming election.

I’ve heard this bill called Jim Crow 2.0, harking back to the days when states in the South blocked Black people from being able to vote with a whole series of tests and barriers in the way so they wouldn't be able to vote.

The Trump bill is Jim Crow 2.0.

Noncitizen voting is extremely rare. Republicans know that.

They’ve seen the data: Voter roll audits in Georgia prior to the 2024 election found only 20 registered noncitizens out of 8.2 million registered voters, or 0.00024%.

A 2024 Michigan audit found only 16 noncitizen votes out of 5.7 million votes, or 0.00028%.

So why do they want to do this?

Lucky for us, Republicans have been saying the quiet part out loud.

Republicans in Congress know they’re in deep trouble for the midterms unless they can rig the rules and pick their own voters.

Donald Trump even said it himself: he said passing the SAVE Act will, “guarantee the midterms.”

Because the Republicans know, and Donald Trump knows, that the policies they are shoving through right now are wildly unpopular.

So while Trump and Republicans try to spread conspiracies and lie about the SAVE Act, it’s important that each and every one of us stays focused on what the Trump administration is really doing.

And here is what the Trump administration is really doing: After promising no more wars, Donald Trump dragged the United States into an illegal and reckless war with Iran. That was lie number one.

Already, at least 200 American service members have been hurt. 13 service members have been killed.

There are American lives lost and families grieving because Donald Trump dragged us into a war based on lies. A war launched without an imminent threat to our country or any end in sight.

Trump promised no wars and said he’d be the “President of Peace.” He lied.

The U.S. is spending at least a billion dollars a day on war with Iran.

If we put the money we’re using at war with Iran towards health care, we could lower costs for millions of Americans.

Just this week, Donald Trump’s own Energy Secretary said, out loud: “We were very aware that we would cause a little bit of increased prices on Americans.”

Think about that: Trump and his top officials knew this war would raise costs for Americans and they did it anyway.

In just the first six days of the war, the Trump administration spent an estimated $11.3 billion.

We also lost three F-15 aircraft in those first few days. That will cost us $300 million.

And estimates say that the Trump administration has kept burning about a billion taxpayer dollars a day on the war in Iran. We’re on Day 18.

Some estimates look more like two billion dollars a day. That’s over $23,000 every second — and something like $11.5 million since I started this speech.

Let’s look at “Trump’s Warmongering by the numbers”:

$11.3 billion: The estimated cost of the first six days of Trump’s war.

$5.6 billion: The cost of munitions spent by the Pentagon in the first two days of the war.

$300 million: The cost to replace the three U.S. F-15s lost to friendly fire in the first week of the war.

$50 billion: How much the Trump administration wants to add to an already massively-inflated defense budget to pay for a war that was never authorized by Congress.

$1 trillion: The Pentagon’s budget this year.

$1.5 trillion: The total amount Trump is reportedly requesting for the Pentagon budget next year. That means Republicans in Congress want to increase the Pentagon’s budget by $500 billion.

To put these numbers in context: The Trump administration will spend $30 billion in just the first 30 days of this war.

That’s exactly how much we could have used to lower costs for millions of people for an entire year — people who got knocked off their health care or saw their premiums go up because of Trump’s health care cuts.

So instead of going to war with Iran, we could lower health care costs and save lives here at home.

Here’s one more: $12 billion is how much it would cost to restore the expanded Child Tax Credit for one year.

In less than two weeks of Trump’s Iran war, we spent the same amount of money that would’ve lifted millions of kids out of poverty.

For the same amount the U.S. is burning on just one single day of Donald Trump’s reckless war with Iran, we could provide a full year’s worth of food assistance for nearly half a million Americans.

Or Medicaid coverage for 300,000 children.

But there’s more we could have done with the $12 billion the Trump administration has spent on war with Iran so far:

We could have provided housing assistance for around one million Americans.

Lowered prescription drug costs for millions of people.

Paid for the entire National Park Service — for more than three years.

Given Pell grants to 1.6 million students so they can afford college.

Provided retirement and disability pay for veterans wounded in combat — and still have money left over.

Helped pay the salaries of more than 100,000 teachers and nurses, two jobs that are crucial and where we’ve seen shortages.

Funded Direct File, the program that lets Americans file their taxes online and for free, for 240 years.

Provided humanitarian assistance for countries around the world for almost three full years.

This is an exorbitant amount of money.

And I want to talk about one more thing we could be spending taxpayer money on instead of Trump’s reckless war in Iran: making child care more affordable for families.

Here’s the thing: People have been getting child care all wrong.

Child care costs are painfully high.

Right now, families are having to choose between breaking the budget, being forced to cut back work hours, or settling for lower-quality care just to ensure that their kids have safe and accessible child care.

In 49 states, families pay more for child care for their two kids than they do for rent.

And the reason why costs are so high is that right now, people think of child care as a privilege or as a service that’s for sale.

That’s all wrong.

We should be thinking about universal child care as basic public infrastructure.

We should be thinking about it the same way we think about roads and highways.

Why? Because for this country to work, we need to care for our kids — and when parents don’t have child care, they can’t go to work.

Investing in universal child care is good for our kids’ development. And it’s good for our economy.

We need affordable child care just as much as we need schools to educate our workers and bridges to connect goods to the market. It’s infrastructure.

And up til now, this country hasn’t been thinking about it that way.

That’s why we need to invest in child care for every family.

It’s basic supply and demand.

There are a whole bunch of families who need child care.

But there are a whole lot fewer child care workers.

Normally, when we want to attract more workers, we pay them more.

But child care prices are already sky-high, and families can’t afford it. So where does that leave us?

There’s a huge gap that the federal government needs to fill.

Imagine if the federal government didn’t invest in roads and bridges. We wouldn’t have them. That’s what’s happening with child care.

And it’s why we need to invest in universal child care and raise wages for child care workers. They should at least make the same amount as local public school teachers.

In the wealthiest country on the planet, access to affordable, high-quality child care and early education shouldn’t be a privilege reserved for the rich. It should be a right.

But instead of talking about lowering child care costs, Donald Trump is delivering a punch to the gut for every parent struggling with those costs.

Donald Trump is spending billions of dollars a week bombing Iran for reasons he cannot explain, but he can't find a nickel to help the millions of people who are struggling to pay for their health care or groceries.

But this is a one-two punch: the Trump administration is spending a tremendous amount of money on war, and the war is also driving up everyday costs for Americans.

Take the price of gas over the last month. For months, Donald Trump has been saying gas prices are going down. He’s been loud and proud about it.

Right now, the average price for gas is more than $3.70 — more than 80 cents higher per gallon than just one month ago when Donald Trump started this war.

That’s more than a 25% increase in gas prices in a single month, which Donald Trump called a “very small price to pay.”

We have not seen gas prices jump this much since Russia attacked Ukraine.

Now, Donald Trump’s war is choking off the Strait of Hormuz. That is where about one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas supply comes through, and right now, it’s bottled up.

What does that mean? Trump’s war with Iran means gas prices are skyrocketing for American families here at home.

And Donald Trump’s response? “If they rise, they rise.”

He just doesn’t care.

Here’s another one: food prices. About a third of the world’s fertilizer goes through that same Strait of Hormuz, and the price has jumped up by 30% in the days after Trump started this war.

One U.S. farmer even said his fertilizer suppliers are warning that they just can’t get the fertilizer.

Without that fertilizer, they say they can’t plant as much food this year — and yes, that means food prices will go up.

So that’s gasoline and food. But the prices of clothes, technology, and basically anything else that’s moved around by trucks that use gasoline or diesel will go up, too.

Diesel prices are already up by more than 25%, raising the cost of shipping goods, including Amazon packages and food, nationwide.

And jet fuel prices have shot up by 58% since Trump started the war. Airlines are passing these costs onto consumers by pushing ticket prices up even higher.

Donald Trump’s war with Iran is gearing up to become another forever war that burns billions of taxpayer dollars and makes life even more expensive for Americans at home.

This is a war that the American people do not want and did not ask for — but they’re footing the bill.

And what does the Trump administration have to say about that?

Well, listen to Trump’s top economic advisor.

He said: “If the war were to be extended, it wouldn't really disrupt the US economy very much at all. It would hurt consumers, and we'd have to think about what we'd have to do about that, but that's really the last of our concerns right now.”

You don't need to wonder why prices are going up.

The Trump administration said the quiet part out loud: the higher costs American families are paying are the LAST of their concerns.

They can’t even be bothered to care about lowering costs for the American people.

Lie number two (and three, four, five, and six): Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth, and other top Trump officials can’t keep their story straight.

They have no clear plan and for weeks have failed to tell the American people what the goals are for this war and when this war will end.

First, Trump said the war would be over in four or five weeks.

That was three weeks ago.

Since then, Trump has said all of these things:

The war is won.

The U.S. still needs to “finish the job.”

The operations could end “soon.”

The military may need to go “further.”

Every hour, the Trump administration’s justification for this war sounds completely different.

Why did the U.S. strike Iran?

On March 2, Pete Hegseth said it was to end a 47-year war.

The same day, Hegseth said it’s because Iran refused to negotiate.

And in another comment on the very same day, Marco Rubio said it was a response to Israel planning to strike.

And then — yep, on the same day — Donald Trump said it had nothing to do with Israel planning to strike. Trump said, “if anything, I might have forced Israel’s hand.”

Rubio said Iran would have “so many short-range missiles” in a year.

Two days later, Trump says the reason why the U.S. struck Iran is because he had a “good feeling” that Iran would strike U.S. assets and our personnel in the region.

That’s one story after another, and none of them add up. How can the American people trust this government when it can’t even keep its own story straight?

And the Trump administration clearly has no plan for how this war will end.

On the very first day of the war, Trump called the attacks “major combat operations in Iran.” A week later, Trump called it a “short-term excursion” that we’re “getting very close to finishing.”

And what’s the goal? This administration has no clue.

On Day One of the war, Trump told the American people that he had to attack Iran because Iran posed an imminent threat based on their nuclear capabilities.

But remember: last June, Trump bombed Iran and claimed that Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities had been, “completely and totally obliterated.”

Both of those things cannot be true.

And understand this: If Trump believes that Iran’s nuclear ambitions are a threat, then he had a chance to curb them.

In fact, the United States had a deal that could have prevented Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

That was President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran — and Trump ripped up that deal and got nothing in return.

Instead of doing the hard work of diplomacy to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, Trump is lying to Americans while dragging us into yet another reckless war that is costing American lives.

If you can believe it, Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth have even given conflicting takes on whether the war is over.

On March 8, Hegseth said, “this is only just the beginning.”

The next day, Trump says the war is “complete, pretty much.” But he also said: “you could say both [very complete and just the beginning].”

Trump also said we “haven’t won enough” and that we will “go further.”

But just days later, he said: “We won. The first hour, it was over.”

And then, he said: “we don’t want to leave early, do we? We’ve got to finish the job.”

Then last week, Trump said we’re ramping up strikes.

On how long the war will go on:

One day after the war, Trump said: “four to five weeks.”

The same day, Hegseth said: “more or less than two, four or six weeks.” He added: “It could move up, it could move back.”

Then Hegseth said: “we’ll go as far as we need to go to advance American interest.”

On March 10, Hegseth said it’s up to Trump. He said: “our will is endless. Ultimately, the president gets to determine the end state of those objectives.”

On March 11, Trump said the war with Iran will end, “soon.”

This is not a game. This administration is sending young Americans to die overseas.

And that means our government leaders must treat this conflict with life-and-death seriousness.

Instead, they don’t even have the decency to level with the American people.

Yet another lie from the Trump administration was about the horrific U.S. military strike on an elementary school in the early days of the war.

Last week, a preliminary investigation by the Department of Defense confirmed that it is likely it was our own military that bombed a girls’ school in Iran.

This was one of the most devastating military mistakes in decades.

175 people were killed. Most were children.

Before the investigation, Trump said over and over that the attack was done by Iran.

But even after, Trump kept lying to the American people.

He said he “didn’t know” about the investigation — an investigation done by his own military on one of the most horrific military mistakes in recent history.

And remember: Pete Hegseth gutted the office that was in charge of preventing civilian harm.

How do I know? I led the charge to establish that office in the first place.

Hegseth is also purging the military’s legal experts — the people who act as legal guardrails — and ordered a “ruthless” overhaul to make sure no one else who might question him is left standing.

It is a betrayal of our service members and a betrayal of the American people that we still don’t have answers and accountability.

For starters, Pete Hegseth must be fired immediately.

Hegseth’s long pattern of chaos and incompetence has put our service members and the American people at risk.

We haven’t even scratched the surface of Signalgate or Hegseth’s role in boat strikes that could be war crimes.

Pete Hegseth has got to go — now.

Working families are struggling to pay for basic needs like groceries, housing, health care, and electricity.

Now, prices are shooting up even higher because of Donald Trump's new war in Iran.

Donald Trump’s dangerous actions overseas are making everyday life much more expensive, and regular Americans are paying the price.

That’s Trump’s America in a nutshell.

And instead of changing their policies and actually trying to help the American people and not just themselves and their rich buddies, Trump and the Republicans are working to keep as many Americans from voting as possible.

That’s what this bill is really about. Every Senator must vote no.

###


Welch Speaks on SAVE America Act: “Any attempt by a president, including this president, to ‘take over’ elections is flat-out unconstitutional.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) denounced President Trump and Republicans’ efforts to disenfranchise voters with the so-called ‘SAVE America Act’ from the floor of the U.S. Senate. Welch highlighted how this reckless bill would block millions of U.S. citizens from voting—disproportionately impacting women, people of color, seniors, and rural voters—and make it harder to register and vote by disrupting online registration and eliminating universal mail-in voting.

“The Save America Act in any form—as it’s drafted—would block millions of U.S. citizens from voting. We can have reasonable ID requirements, like allowing U.S. citizens to register with a driver’s license or a military ID—several states have them. Vermont does not have that, except at the initial point of registering, and we have such good, high-level participation by voters and basically zero election fraud. But voter registration should permit all eligible citizens, and only eligible citizens, to register to vote and vote in federal elections. That’s already federal law. That is not what this ‘Save America’ legislation does,” said Senator Welch.

Senator Welch concluded: “The Trump Administration has been on a furious effort to silence citizens and deny them our most fundamental constitutional right—the right to vote. The ‘show your papers’ requirement is an attack on the freedom to vote. Congress should stand firm to protect the right of all of our citizens to vote and reject the SAVE America Act.”

Watch Senator Welch’s full remarks below:

In February, Senator Welch joined Senate Rules Committee Democrats for a public forum underscoring how President Trump’s unconstitutional threats to “take over” federal elections and Republicans’ SAVE America Act endanger the voting rights of millions of Americans and jeopardize the integrity of U.S. elections. Senator Welch is a long-time supporter of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, legislation that would update and restore critical safeguards of the original Voting Rights Act of 1965 that have been eroded in recent years by federal court rulings.

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Wyden, Merkley Demand Transparency from Meta on Facial Recognition Technology in Smart Glasses

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley (both D-Ore.) today demanded transparency from Meta on the company’s plans to integrate facial recognition into its smart glasses.

Smart glasses are designed to be worn throughout the day as their user passes hundreds, if not thousands, of people whose faces could be scanned without any practical way for a bystander to consent to or even know about this real-time identification. While facial recognition may offer real benefits for blind and visually impaired users, Meta’s history of failing to protect user privacy raises serious questions about its plan to deploy this technology in its smart glasses.

“Despite Meta’s desire to minimize public attention on this product, the deployment of smart glasses equipped with facial recognition technology threatens Americans’ privacy rights and civil liberties, and therefore warrants close scrutiny,” wrote Wyden and Merkley along with U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) to Meta Chair and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. “The widespread deployment of facial-recognition-enabled smart glasses also risks accelerating the normalization of mass surveillance in the United States,”

Despite abandoning facial recognition technology across its platforms in 2021 over ethical concerns, an internal memo revealed Meta intends to release this technology and hopes that the current chaotic political environment will help Meta avoid public scrutiny.

“Federal agencies are already using facial recognition tools to identify individuals engaged in lawful protest activity and potentially to assemble databases of those exercising their First Amendment rights. This abuse of facial recognition tools demonstrates how easily real-time identification technologies can be repurposed to discourage political expression, target vulnerable communities, and chill lawful dissent,” concluded the senators.

The senators requested answers by April 6, 2026, to questions that include:

Can individuals—both device owners and people whose images the glasses capture—request deletion of their biometric data? If so, how does Meta ensure timely and complete deletion?

Does Meta use biometric data collected through its smart glasses to train machine learning models or improve facial recognition algorithms? If so, how does Meta inform individuals and provide an opportunity to opt out?

Has Meta conducted any internal privacy impact assessments or commissioned third-party audits of its biometric data practices related to smart glasses facial recognition?

Does Meta plan to allow users to upload images of known individuals — such as friends, family members, coworkers, or public figures — to create a personalized database for facial recognition matching?

Has Meta evaluated the civil liberties risks associated with linking real-time facial recognition to its social media platforms, including the potential for stalking, harassment, doxxing, or government misuse?

Does Meta intend to share biometric data — or any outputs generated by facial recognition features in its smart glasses — with federal, state, or local law enforcement agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security?


Young, Shaheen Renew Push to Curb Mounting Student Debt by Improving Institutional Accountability

WASHINGTON – As student debt continues to soar across the country, U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) are renewing their push on the Student Protection and Success Act, bipartisan legislation to curb the mounting student debt crisis by increasing higher education institutions’ accountability for their students’ ability to repay their loans and requiring institutions to have a vested interest in the success of their students.

The Student Protection and Success Act would enact a series of measures to hold higher education institutions accountable by requiring them to share responsibility for student success. The bipartisan bill would remove federal student loan eligibility from all colleges and universities where less than 15 percent of their students are able to begin repaying their loans within three years of graduating or leaving school. The bill would also require schools to pay a “risk-sharing fee” based on the total loan volume their students are not able to repay, and the Department of Education would then allocate those funds to support schools that are better assisting low-income students.

“Our Student Protection and Success Act will help ensure colleges and universities are preparing hard-working students for meaningful careers that will better enable graduates to repay their student loans,” said Senator Young.

“The rising cost of college—coupled with the debt students incur in order to attend—has become a barrier for too many young people who want to pursue higher education to achieve their career and life goals,” said Senator Shaheen.

The Student Protection and Success Act would:

Reform the eligibility standard for federal student aid.

Currently, institutions’ access to Title IV federal student aid is based on a school’s cohort default rate, which is the percentage of students who default on their federal loans over a given timeframe after going into repayment. While this metric is designed to remove low-performing and predatory schools from the system, it does not consider a complete picture of students’ ability to repay their loans.

This bill would include a cohort repayment rate metric in this eligibility standard, such that schools with less than 15 percent of students repaying their loans would be deemed ineligible for receiving Title IV student aid.

Require higher education institutions to pay a risk-sharing fee to the Department of Education based on a percentage of their students’ unrepaid loan balance.

This provision requires schools to have “skin-in-the-game” and share responsibility in the success of their students. Under this section, institutions pay a fee equal to a percentage of the loan balance that is not being repaid to the U.S. Department of Education. This fee will be pegged to the unemployment rate, ensuring that schools pay smaller fees during economic downturns.

Pay those funds directly back out to institutions serving low-income students well.

This bonus payment is designed to reward institutions that serve a significant number of low-income students. The payments will be entirely funded through revenue gained from the risk-sharing provision and allocated based on the number and percentage of Pell grant recipients enrolled in an institution, their repayment rates and the school’s spending on student services.


Buchanan, Moody Lead Letter Urging Trump Administration to Protect Florida Growers in USMCA Review

“Florida’s Farmers Are Being Squeezed Out of Their Own Market by a Flood of Low-priced Imports from Mexico.”

Lawmakers Call for Targeted Tariff Measures to Stop Unfair Mexican Trade Practices

WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Vern Buchanan, Vice Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and a senior member of the Trade Subcommittee and Senator Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) led a bipartisan letter joined by 12 colleagues to President Donald Trump urging the administration to protect Florida farmers from unfair Mexican trade practices that have triggered a surge of low-priced fruit and vegetable imports devastating the state’s produce industry and putting thousands of American jobs at risk.

The lawmakers are urging the administration to negotiate temporary tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) for fruits and vegetables as part of the upcoming United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Joint Review. The letter highlights the severe harm Florida growers are facing from escalating imports of low-priced Mexican produce and calls for targeted trade measures to protect American farmers and strengthen the nation’s food security.

“Florida’s farmers are being squeezed out of their own market by a flood of low-priced imports from Mexico,” said Buchanan. “Unfair Mexican Trade Practices are putting American farms, jobs and our national food supply at risk. The administration has an opportunity during the USMCA review to restore balance and stand up for Florida growers by implementing targeted tariff-rate quotas that ensure our farmers can compete on a level playing field.”

“For too long, Mexico has taken advantage of trade agreements in ways that put Florida growers at a disadvantage—harming the industry and our farmers,” said Moody. “That’s why I’m co-leading an effort to ensure U.S. trade policies support American agriculture, protect Florida farms and keep our state growing.”

“We write to express our deep concern about escalating imports of low-priced fruits and vegetables from Mexico, which are causing dire harm to our produce growers in Florida,” write the lawmakers in the letter. “We urge the Administration to act decisively during the upcoming USMCA Joint Review to safeguard Florida’s produce sector and our country’s vital U.S.-grown fruit and vegetable supply.”

Florida’s fruit and vegetable growers have faced mounting losses in recent years as imports from Mexico have surged. According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Florida’s share of the fruit and vegetable market has fallen by nearly 50 percent over the past two decades, while Mexico’s share has increased by more than 200 percent.

The lawmakers are calling on the administration to use the USMCA Joint Review to establish seasonal, product-specific tariff-rate quotas, which would allow continued trade while preventing damaging import surges during Florida’s peak harvest months. The letter notes that these targeted measures would help restore market balance, preserve American agricultural jobs and protect the long-term security of the nation’s food supply.

Joining Buchanan and Moody in signing the letter are Reps. Aaron Bean (R-Fla.), Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), Neal Dunn (R-Fla.), Scott Franklin (R-Fla.), Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.), Mike Haridopolos (R-Fla.), Laurel Lee (R-Fla.), John Rutherford (R-Fla.), Darren Soto (D-Fla.) and Daniel Webster (R-Fla.).

This letter is endorsed by the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association.

“Florida growers urgently need the Administration to establish seasonal, product-specific tariff rate quotas (TRQs) to effectively limit imports of fruits and vegetables from Mexico,” said Mike Joyner, President of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association. "We are grateful to Congressman Buchanan and the entire Florida Congressional Delegation for their leadership in urging the Administration to use the USMCA Joint Review process to achieve these TRQ measures. Without these targeted safeguards, we risk undermining our nation’s food and national security.”

Buchanan has championed policies that support Florida’s fruit and vegetable industries and is a long-standing advocate for fair trade. He previously introduced the Defending Domestic Produce Protection Act to help Florida fruit and vegetable growers combat illegal seasonal dumping and Mexico’s unfair trade practices.

Read the full letter here or below:

Dear Mr. President:

We write to express our deep concern about escalating imports of low-priced fruits and vegetables from Mexico, which are causing dire harm to our produce growers in Florida. This harmful import trend, which began under NAFTA and continues under USMCA, has put at risk Florida’s entire produce industry and America’s access to U.S.-grown fruits and vegetables during the fall to spring months of the year. We urge the Administration to act decisively during the upcoming USMCA Joint Review to safeguard Florida’s produce sector and our country’s vital U.S.-grown fruit and vegetable supply.

Despite USMCA’s promise to boost trade fairness and economic prosperity for American interests, unchecked imports of low-priced Mexican produce are causing growing losses in sales, market share, and jobs for our Florida growers. According to the October 2025 report by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Florida’s market share in the fruit and vegetable industry has fallen by nearly 50% over the past two decades while the Mexican industry’s share has surged by more than 200%. Between 2004 and 2024, despite growing U.S. consumption, numerous Florida produce sectors have sustained catastrophic market share losses: 73.4% for bell peppers, 54.4% for tomatoes (rounds), 52% for blueberries, 74.3% for cucumbers and 26.3% for squash.

Mexico’s growing market dominance at the expense of Florida growers has caused our state to lose an estimated 14,000 jobs and sustain annual economic damage of between $570 million and $1.14 billion. The reduction of Florida’s agricultural land base, a permanent and irreversible effect, adversely impacts not only our state but the long-term food security of the entire nation.

We commend your Administration for repeatedly stressing the importance of safeguarding America’s food security, including in the fruit and vegetable sectors, to protect our national security interests. We also commend Ambassador Greer for making clear in his USMCA Joint Review “Opening Statement” that the Administration will not consider the Joint Review to be a success unless it resolves the import harm being caused to our growers by Mexican seasonal produce. We share the view that concrete, effective trade measures are urgently needed during the Joint Review process to sustain our Florida industry.

We therefore urge the Administration, within all applicable rules and regulations, to use the Joint Review process to implement seasonal, product specific tariff rate quotas (TRQs), as requested by our Florida industry. Targeted TRQs will allow for continued trade while preventing import surges that jeopardize the viability of domestic production during Florida’s peak harvest months. We believe these measures are essential to restoring market balance and preserving our nation’s fruit and vegetable production for generations to come.

We appreciate your attention to this urgent matter and stand ready to work with your Administration to achieve the trade measures our Florida industry critically needs. Thank you for prioritizing the wellbeing of America’s farmers and food supply.

Sincerely,

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ICYMI: Buchanan Chairs Hearing on Improving Kidney Health Through Better Prevention and Innovative Treatment

“We’ve Got to Find a Way to Help People, Educate People ... To Make Better Choices Themselves.”

Discusses Rise of Chronic Kidney Disease, Need for Prevention and Innovative Treatments

WASHINGTON — Yesterday, Congressman Vern Buchanan, Vice Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and Chair of the Health Subcommittee, chaired a hearing examining ways to improve kidney health through better prevention and innovative treatment options for patients suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

During the hearing, Buchanan emphasized the growing health and financial burden of kidney disease in the United States and the importance of preventing chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure, which account for the majority of new kidney failure cases.

Witnesses included Ashli Littleton, home dialysis patient; Dr. Suzanne Watnick, Health Policy Scholar at the American Society of Nephrology; Dr. Robert Taylor, Chief Medical Officer at DCI; and John P. Butler, President and Chief Executive Officer of Akebia Therapeutics.

Click here to watch Congressman Buchanan’s remarks.

Here’s what Buchanan said about improving kidney health in America:

On hearing from patients living with kidney disease

Buchanan: “Before I begin with my question, I want to thank Ms. Littleton for coming here today and having the courage to let us understand your story better. ... This is critical to a large community, including yourself. Thank you for your leadership on this issue. I mean that personally.”

On preventing chronic diseases that lead to kidney failure

Buchanan: “Dr. Watnick, I was surprised to learn that many cases of CKD and ESRD are preventable chronic diseases. We keep spending more on health care, yet you could make the argument that we’re getting sicker as a nation. We must reduce the cost and burden of chronic diseases in the United States. What can Congress do to support better kidney health care through chronic disease management?”

Dr. Watnick: “There’s a lot we can do ... we need to start upstream. We want people never to walk through those dialysis treatment doors. So how can we make sure, first of all, that we even know people have kidney disease?

“We know that nine out of ten people with kidney disease aren’t aware that they have it. Anything we can do to ensure that upstream care is recognized is a benefit. The second thing is that we have new drugs ... that slow down kidney disease and prevent end-stage kidney disease. ... Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were also able to provide research funding to specifically target kidney diseases? ... If we can ensure that we’re slowing kidney disease by providing therapies through targeted research with appropriate funding, we can make sure patients are better treated to slow the progression of their disease.”

On moving kidney care toward value-based payment models

Buchanan: “Dr. Taylor, I’m very interested in value-based care and how that can help reduce health care costs. We must move away from fee-for-service and look more toward paying for outcomes. I know there have been efforts to transition kidney care to value-based care, so I’d like to get your thoughts about moving in that direction.”

Dr. Taylor: “First of all, it goes back to what Dr. Watnick was saying. With appropriate care, many patients don’t need to end up on dialysis. Unfortunately, over time, payment and policy have primarily been focused on dialysis. As a nephrologist, one of the real benefits of what I do is my ability to walk with a patient as they go through the various stages of chronic kidney disease. We have participated in the CMMI models, including ESCO, which was the first demonstration model, and currently the CKCC model. We strongly support how policy and resources have been directed toward caring for patients with stage four and stage five kidney disease. In the demonstration models, there have also been incentives placed on transplantation, and there have been benefits that provide better care for patients at the end of life.

“From a value-based perspective, DCI strongly supports these initiatives. It doesn’t look at the patient as someone who simply ends up on dialysis, it helps care for them along the entire journey.”

On prevention, nutrition and empowering patients to improve health outcomes

Buchanan: “We’re spending $5 trillion or more on health care. It’s 20 percent of the economy. I’m very big on prevention. I happened to have someone give me a couple of books to read, and one book had an equation in it. At the top of the equation was the quality of the nutrition of the food. The bottom of the equation was calories. What’s the most nutritional food, when you go up to the buffet, with the fewest calories, and you eat all you want.

“When you look at it, about 20 percent of kids are obese today ... a lot of 30 and 20-year-olds can’t qualify for the military ... 50 percent of adults are obese. ... You’ve got to be the CEO of your own health. You can’t rely on everybody else. ... I even see it with my 10 grandkids ... she’s (daughter-in-law) so good about feeding the kids real food. If I go over there and sneak into the corner and try to get a Diet Coke, they’ll (grandkids) find me, hunt me down, and say, ‘Papa, that’s poison. You can’t drink that.’ That’s a true story. ... We’ve got to find a way to help people, educate people ... to make better choices themselves. Because I’m convinced a lot of the food that we eat isn’t food. It’s garbage. We need to do a better job of trying to get real food.”

On diet, lifestyle and early intervention

Buchanan: “We need to take on the challenge of helping educate people who are interested in listening so they can make better choices. ... What do you think about what I said? Is that applicable? Do you feel like what we’re talking about today is applicable in general? ... Let’s not get heart disease and cancer in the first place. 90 percent of cancer, if you catch it early, you can nip it. ... Don’t react, be proactive. ... We’ve got to give people full access ... to good information and knowledge.”

Mr. Butler: “I’m going to defer to my medical colleagues here, but I know as a businessperson, the best way to bring down costs is to prevent people from having to go to dialysis. Focusing on prevention and treating chronic kidney disease is the best way to yield savings for the medical system.”

Buchanan: “As we look down the road, the next five or ten years, how important is it that we take some responsibility ourselves?”

Dr. Taylor: “It’s tremendous. The goal is to get older, but to get older healthily and well. There’s no doubt that when you look at the two most common causes of kidney disease, diabetes and hypertension ... there is a nutritional component to increasing the risk for developing one of those. ... Anything we can do to increase awareness, increase education and increase access to healthy foods and healthy lifestyles decreases the risk that some of these diseases will develop and as a society will also decreases the amount of money we have to spend on health care, which is a win-win.”

Dr. Watnick: “I’m going to get more specific to give some examples, because I agree 100 percent that thinking about treatment and diet first for high blood pressure and diabetes is the way to go. Rather than throwing medications, let’s try to do this by diet and exercise. This includes things that are low in sodium for your diets, not processed foods and foods that are low in sugar. ... This is not about any one food. In fact, you don’t only want to eat one food, you want a palette of colorful foods that are heart-healthy and kidney-healthy.”

Ms. Littleton: “What would have helped me a lot is having that information beforehand, before it got to dialysis. ... Now I have a dietitian that I see regularly because I’m on dialysis. But if I had had them beforehand and gotten the knowledge I have now, maybe treatment could have been delayed, or I would have never been on dialysis to begin with if I had had the same access that I have now.”

In addition to being the Vice Chairman and most senior Republican on the powerful U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, Buchanan is also the Chairman of the Health Subcommittee, which has broad jurisdiction over traditional Medicare, the Medicare prescription drug benefit program and Medicare Advantage.

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Higgins Introduces Legislation Recognizing Utility Line Technicians as First Responders

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) reintroduced H.R. 7996, the Linemen Legacy Act, which would include utility line technicians under the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) definition of “emergency response providers.”

The bill would properly recognize the role of utility line technicians in the aftermath of natural disasters. Congressman Donald Norcross (D-NJ) is co-leading the bipartisan legislation.

“Utility linemen perform heroic work after natural disasters. We see this firsthand in Louisiana, as linemen work tirelessly for weeks to restore power to our state after a major hurricane,” said Rep. Higgins. “Our bill both honors linemen and streamlines storm recovery efforts by enhancing the Stafford Act definition of first responders.”


Rep. Cline, Sens. Warner, Kaine Urge Secretary Rubio to Secure the Swift Release of Chuck Zimmerman

In a bipartisan letter to Secretary Marco Rubio, Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA), Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) urged the State Department to prioritize the case of American citizen Charles “Chuck” Zimmerman and called for a formal designation as “wrongfully detained” by the Russian government. The lawmakers also pressed for timely diplomatic efforts to secure his release after more than 250 days in Russian custody.

“We write to elevate the plight and wrongful detention of American Charles “Chuck” Zimmerman. A father of two, Navy veteran, master electrician, and sailor, Zimmerman has been held for more than 250 days at the time of this writing under what can only be described as politically retributive pretenses,” the lawmakers wrote. “We therefore ask that this case be made a priority for the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs so that the U.S. Government can work expeditiously towards his release.”

Read the full letter here or below:

Dear Secretary Rubio:

We write to elevate the plight and wrongful detention of American Charles “Chuck” Zimmerman. A father of two, Navy veteran, master electrician, and sailor, Zimmerman has been held for more than 250 days at the time of this writing under what can only be described as politically retributive pretenses.

Zimmerman’s passion for sailing and travel extended well past his time in the Navy, and he decided it was time to realize his dream of sailing the world in a 35’ sailboat with a course set for New Zealand. On his journey, he had made it all the way to the Mediterranean and decided to explore the Black Sea before sailing through the Suez Canal.

However, almost immediately upon entering the Black Sea via the Bosphorus Strait, the Russian Navy intercepted his boat in international waters. Upon arrival, Zimmerman voluntarily declared and surrendered a firearm onboard his boat meant for self-protection, a common practice among sailors.

Following the search and seizure of the vessel that would have yielded no material threat, the Russian government arrested Zimmerman, brought what can only be seen as political charges related to arms smuggling, and imposed a retributive five-year prison sentence.

Chief among our concerns is the denial of consular services, visits, or calls that could substantiate Zimmerman’s health and wellbeing. It is our understanding that no American official has seen him in over seven months. These concerns are elevated due to our understanding that he is currently imprisoned in penal colony IK-9, with a diet that supplements gruel with only one nutritionally dense meal of protein and vegetables per week, and without any confirmed allowance for exercise.

We therefore ask that this case be made a priority for the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs so that the U.S. Government can work expeditiously towards his release. Additionally, we ask that your department designate Zimmerman as ‘wrongfully detained’ by the Russian government and continue to consider his case in the ongoing negotiations with the Russian government.

Congressman Ben Cline represents the Sixth Congressional District of Virginia. He previously was an attorney in private practice and served both as an assistant prosecutor and a Member of the Virginia House of Delegates. Cline and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Botetourt County with their two children.