Senator Marshall: The Democrats are Destroying Our Democracy

Senator Marshall Joins The Vince Show

WaKeeney – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas), joined The Vince Show with Vince Coglianese to discuss why the Senate is in recess, the Democrats’ continuing refusal to work with Republicans for the good of the country, and the plan going forward for election integrity.

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

On the Democrats’ refusal to fund DHS:

“Well, Vince, I wish I had a great explanation, and I really don’t, and I don’t pretend to have one. All I can tell you is that the Democrats do not want to fund ICE, they don’t want to fund DHS. They want these 10s of millions of people that are in this country illegally; they want to give them a path to citizenship and a path to vote, so we’re just beating our head against the wall. Remember, it was 30 days after they shut down DHS before they were willing to even sit down and talk to us. I think they’ve proven that we overestimated that we could get 10 of them across the aisle to join us in funding DHS or ICE. We’re just at an impasse, so we need to work on a reconciliation bill. It’ll take them two weeks — Leader John Thune, Speaker Johnson, and the White House — to figure out what that reconciliation package looks like. As soon as they get it together, you know, we’ll come back and vote on it.”

On why the Senate is in recess:

“Yeah, Vince, well, no one’s on vacation. You know, I’m in the middle of my 105-county tour, I’m back here seeing and meeting the people of Kansas, we were getting nothing done in Washington. You know what insanity is: doing the same thing over and expecting a different result. When you’re in the minority of the Senate, it gives you the advantage so we tried to drag this out as best we could with them. But when you’re in the minority, you can ask for quorum calls, you can put amendments on the floor, forcing the majority to stick around. So we saw that — we stuck around over a week, and 10 of them checked out. You know, who was the first one on the train out of town? You know it’s Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders for the weekend. They don’t need to stick around for the votes, but when you have the majority, you have to stick around. So it punishes the majority, and that’s the way it was set up; the Senate was set up to protect the minority. Remember, we’re not a democracy, we’re a republic, so it protects those who are in the minority, and the Senate, in general, protects small states.”

“Yep. Vince again, I can assure you that at the leadership position, they’re trying to hammer this out. The Democrats have said hell no. They’ve said hell no to voter ID — not one Democrat senator would vote for voter ID, despite 70% of Democrats supporting voter ID. And they will not fund ICE; they’re not going to fund DHS, so they have closed that circuit. Shame on us for thinking for some 40 days that we could get some Democrats to come across the aisle. Now, I do wish the Senate could do a better job of going down two roads at the same time. I wanted a reconciliation bill weeks ago, and to get started on that. But the leadership folks are putting this reconciliation bill together, working hand in hand with the White House. It’ll be a miracle for them to get this together in two weeks to figure out exactly what we’re going to fund. How are we going to put the SAVE Act into a reconciliation bill? So it sounds really easy, but right now, our staffs are working really hard, phone calls as needed. Look, I’m as determined as you are, but it looks easier said than done.”

On voter ID and securing the election:

“Yeah, Vince, I mean you’re spot on. I don’t want to overpromise and underdeliver what we cannot do with reconciliation. By reconciliation, I mean we reconciled the budget. So whatever we pass vote, and vote on even, has more to do with budget than with policy. So for instance, just the last reconciliation bill — our Working Family Tax Cuts bill — we weren’t able to outlaw abortion, but we were able to defund Planned Parenthood for a year. So I think we have to use that same type of technique with this reconciliation bill, and it’ll have to be very thoughtful. So what we cannot do; we’re not going to be able to force states to have voter ID or proof of citizenship, but what we can do is use the power of the purse. So right now, 35 states have some type of voter ID, what we can do is give them monies to help them work on their voter rolls. And we can hook them up with technology to look at DHS rolls; who’s on government aid, immigration aid, we can have them look at social security information, we can have them look at the passport information and figure out if the people who are registered to vote in their states are citizens or not. So I think that there is some power of the purse here, every year we give the states about between $15 and $75 million for elections. I’m not sure if we can do this all the way, but in my opinion, if you don’t go back and go through your voter rolls every year, if you don’t have voter ID, then we’re not going to give you any of that money. So I think there’s some things we can nip at the edges, just like we defunded Planned Parenthood.”

“I think so. I think, you know, basically, we can stop funding these blue states. I think the biggest challenge to me is when you send out unsolicited ballots and you don’t have any type of confirmation of is that person dead you sent it to or not? Do they still live in the state? All those types of things as well. So I think we can defund those blue states that have no election integrity. We’ll see. Again, it’s easier said than done. It has to be thoughtful, we have to take it through the ‘Byrd Bath,’ and it’ll take days arguing this in front of the Parliamentarian.”

On removing the filibuster:

“Yeah, so Vince I agree with you, but it wasn’t without months of thought about it. I thought about this as much as I thought about what college I was going to go to, what medical school I was going to go to, what type of doctor I was going to be after I finished medical school. And it’s been a process for me, but I’m ready to do it, I’ve come to that same conclusion. But I think there’s only 10 or 12 of us on public record saying we’re ready to end the filibuster. I bet there’s a third of the Senate that’s a hell no, Republican senators, and probably a third that are undecided. And these are thoughtful people, Vince. However much time, with all due respect, that you’ve spent on this, United States senators have spent 10x time debating this, and we have debated it many times. Again, the filibuster protects you when you’re in the minority, and we’re not going to be in the majority all the time, and the Senate itself protects small states. Again, we’re a Republic and not a democracy. And so I guess what I’m saying is I respect where they’re coming from. But I think that election integrity is so important that I’m willing to end the filibuster, especially the silent filibuster, make them go up and hold the floor and talk as long as they want to. So I’m very willing to do that, but again a third of my Republican colleagues are not, and these are very these are thoughtful people. I know we kind of like to trash some of them, but these are very thoughtful people.”

“Yeah, I do. And this is one of my summary thoughts in my head is, I don’t want to die on this sort of principle. Look, I have my values and my sort of principle, but I don’t want to lose the Republic because of it. Right? I live in the real world; I don’t live in an ivory tower. If you would enshrine the filibuster in the Constitution and tell me the Democrats will never take it away, I would probably vote yes on that, but that’s not the world we live in. As you pointed out, there’s no longer this political middle, and we just come to a gridlock, unfortunately. That’s what it feels like to me, is we’ve come to this gridlock for a lot of reasons. It is just a different day than it was in 1917 when they started these filibuster rules.”

On Senate leadership and disagreements among Republicans:

“Yeah, you know, everyone has their different leadership skills Vince, and I would say that John Thune has done an incredible job. I think his leadership is more about listening, publicly. But every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, we have lunch together as a Republican Caucus for an hour and a half, and that’s where the real debate occurs without cameras on. And unless somebody is leaking information out of there — and unfortunately, some of my colleagues do that — what is said in there is supposed to stay in there. And then John Barrasso is the Whip — I respect heck out of these people, I think they did as much arm-twisting as you can in the United Senate. Look, these are grown men and women, okay? These are not, you know, some puppets that were sent here. We’re not lemmings like the Democrats — when Chuck Schumer tells his members to jump, they jump — and that’s not who the Republicans are. We believe in our principles, and we’re going to stand up, and that’s why you love us, that’s why you love our party, that we can debate this and we can disagree. But it’s been a long time since I’ve been this part of a close team, that we are fighting together. So I think the SAVE Act is a great example. I think we have 50, maybe 51, votes of Republicans who would vote for the SAVE Act. But if we were to talk about but ending the filibuster, we lose 10, 20, it’s not even close. If it was two or three people would be much easier, but I think a third of the Republican senators are against ending the filibuster, and a third are undecided. These are grown-up people.”

On the talking filibuster:

“I’m just going to say, Vince, that’s a fool’s errand. I spent weekends doing AI and doing more models on how this would work out, and we always lose. When you’re in the minority, you can sabotage this. And that was my point is that the the minority can bring up amendments, and then Republicans have to produce a majority to go in there and block their silly amendments. They would give us amendments on so many silly things, and some of them would pass, right? Some of their silly amendments — and I call them silly but they’re poison pills and then would kill the bill. They could ask for a quorum call as well, and we would have to get up 10 times in the middle of the night. So we would be anchored here, it would go on for months, very time they bring up a new amendment, then each one of them gets two more speeches as well. I’m disappointed that it was presented as an easy task, but I think there’s a 99% chance that we lose that at the end of the game. And that’s my opinion, I spent hours on this trying to figure out, you know, how does it really end up? We end up losing it 99 times out of 100 if not 100 times out of 100.”

On what is ahead for Republicans:

“I hear your desperation that we’re losing our republic and I share that 110%. And I think it’s great that you can challenge me, and just like you’re challenging me, these are the same type of discussions that we have at lunchtime in the United States Senate as well, so those same conversations are happening. Look, I think we are forced to do reconciliation, as soon as we’d passed the Working Family Tax Cuts, I was ready to go ahead and work on reconciliation then. I’ve come to the conclusion that Democrats hate Donald Trump so much, if he brought a cure for cancer to the Senate floor, they would vote against it. And that’s just the political reality that we live in right now. I still think there’s some moral issues and value issues going on back home as well. And people say, you know, what can you do to help me? Look we need people with traditional American values of faith and family, community, hard work, running for the school board and all those local offices as well. So I think there’s things that we need to do back home to shore up our families. But you’re absolutely right. I’ve never seen it — it probably goes back to the Civil War when you had two parties so distantly split. One more thing, in this day and age what I see is the far right and the far left running these political parties, it’s the tail wagging the dog. These vocal minorities control the narrative, they control the fundraising, and they control the news cycle as well, and the legacy media just beats the hell out of all of us. So if you’re a moderate — and I can use word moderate — if you’re a sensible Democrat, and you want to vote for voter ID or funding ICE, I mean, you will be torn to pieces and by your own party. And it is much more difficult than I think folks back home realize what it’s like to get torn up by your own party.

“Yeah Vince, thank you for the conversation and thanks for letting me, you know, adequately respond. And we’re in this together — that’s all I can tell you and our listeners — we’re the patriots of today, we have to save this democracy, this republic, and I’m just out here battling every day with you. So thanks so much for your help.”

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Senator McCormick Hosts NIH Director for Visit to University of Pennsylvania

Tour Showcases Pennsylvania’s Role at the Forefront of Life Sciences Innovation

PHILADELPHIA, PA – U.S. Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA) today hosted National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya for a full-day visit to Penn Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where they met with researchers, clinicians, and innovators advancing some of the nation’s most groundbreaking biomedical research. The visit underscored how federal research investment supports lifesaving medical breakthroughs, strengthens America’s global leadership in science, and drives economic growth across Pennsylvania.

“Pennsylvania is helping lead the future of life sciences, and it was an honor to welcome Director Bhattacharya to Philadelphia to see that work up close,” said Senator McCormick. “At Penn, researchers are translating cutting-edge science into real treatments that are saving lives and giving families hope. With world-class institutions, talented researchers, and emerging tools and technologies like artificial intelligence accelerating discovery, Pennsylvania is well positioned to continue leading the next generation of medical innovation.”

“As I said yesterday, Pennsylvania shows what’s possible when regional collaboration is focused on saving lives, and it’s a model for how NIH investment turns scientific discovery into real care for patients. I’ve been especially inspired by Baby KJ, whose rare genetic disorder was treated using personalized gene editing developed right here at Penn and CHOP. It’s a powerful reminder that when NIH backs bold science, breakthroughs once thought impossible can become reality. We also saw where CAR-T therapy was first used to treat blood cancers. Not long ago, that work struggled to secure funding, and today, it’s one of the most important advances in cancer treatment. That’s why we’re expanding opportunities for innovative, high-impact research through NIH’s Unified Funding Strategy; so promising but unproven ideas have a real chance to succeed, and NIH investment can continue to save lives and pave the way for what comes next,” said NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya.

“Like Penn’s tightly integrated campus, what sets Philadelphia’s eds and meds apart is our critical mass of expertise and pioneering research – all nearby, in sync, and of service to all Pennsylvanians,” said Penn President J. Larry Jameson. “We were honored to welcome Senator McCormick and Dr. Bhattacharya and showcase how our historic partnerships continue advancing our Commonwealth and country, while also discussing innovative ways to drive progress for the future.”

Part of a two-day visit with NIH Director Bhattacharya, Senator McCormick convened researchers, clinicians, university leaders, and innovators to highlight how NIH-supported research is driving medical progress and strengthening Pennsylvania’s life sciences ecosystem.

At the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, Senator McCormick and Director Bhattacharya observed how Penn Medicine integrates patient care with clinical research to accelerate “bench-to-bedside” breakthroughs. Close connections among Penn Medicine’s hospitals and research centers — as well as with Penn’s other schools like Penn Nursing, Engineering, Penn Dental, Veterinary Medicine, and Arts and Sciences — create a powerful research ecosystem where NIH-funded investigators develop new therapies and models of care.

Senator McCormick and Director Bhattacharya also toured a CAR-T cell therapy laboratory, where they met with Dr. Carl June and discussed the groundbreaking workin this personalized cell therapy – in which patients’ own immune cells are engineered to fight their cancers – pioneered at Penn. The discussion highlighted how early federal research investment helped establish the scientific foundation for cell and gene therapies, which are now transforming patient care and offering new hope to those with previously untreatable diseases. Throughout the tour, Senator McCormick and Director Bhattacharya also heard from patients and families about the real-world impact of these medical breakthroughs.

The day concluded with a roundtable discussion with regional partners focused on the future of biomedical innovation, including how federal research partnerships can continue to accelerate discovery, support biotechnology commercialization, and expand access to life-saving treatments.

The University of Pennsylvania is consistently among the top recipients of NIH funding nationwide, receiving $723 million in NIH support in FY2025, ranking fifth nationally. Penn’s NIH-funded research spans critical areas including cancer, neuroscience, cardiovascular disease, aging, population health, and health services research, along with leading work in genomics, gene and cell therapy, and bioengineering.

Pennsylvania ranks as the fourth largest recipient of NIH funding in the nation, receiving $2.27 billion in federal research funding in FY2025. Statewide, NIH investment supports more than 21,000 research jobs and generates $5.31 billion in annual economic activity.

NIH-driven innovation has also helped launch thousands of businesses and nearly 100,000 biopharmaceutical jobs across the Commonwealth. For every dollar invested in NIH research, $2.56 flows back into the economy, delivering a strong return for American taxpayers.

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Merkley, Cruz, Kim, Curtis Launch Bipartisan Effort to Expand Taiwan’s Drone Production, Support U.S. National Security

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR)—a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and past Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC)—partnered with U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Andy Kim (D-NJ), and John Curtis (R-UT) to introduce bipartisan legislation that expands cooperation between the United States and Taiwan on the development of unmanned arial systems (UAS) in the face of the People’s Republic of China (PRC)’s increasing pressure on Taiwan and the PRC’s dominance in the UAS supply chain.

The Blue Skies for Taiwan Act promotes the development, production, and deployment of secure, resilient UAS to enhance American national security and support the defense and resilience of Taiwan, a longstanding and vital democratic partner for the United States in the Indo-Pacific region.

“Our longstanding partnership with Taiwan demands the United States use all the tools at our disposal to strengthen Taiwan’s security and counter China’s coercive tactics,” said Merkley. “Our bipartisan effort not only protects American strategic interests and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, but it also ensures that Taiwan is well-equipped to develop unmanned aerial systems in support of its own defense and our national security. As Beijing escalates its pressure campaign, American support for Taiwan will remain ironclad.”

“The Chinese Communist Party expends countless resources to erode the status of our Taiwanese allies and isolate them globally. This legislation will modernize the development and production of unmanned aerial system supply chains, strengthen supply chain integration, and deepen U.S.-Taiwan defense cooperation. It also importantly expands opportunities for collaboration on Blue UAS, including efforts like the Advanced Automation Manufacturing project at Red River Army Depot in Texarkana, Texas. I’m proud to join Senator Merkley in introducing this bill,” said Cruz.

“Drones are becoming increasingly central to defense systems worldwide — and the United States and our partners are unprepared to produce them at the necessary scale,” said Kim. “Making matters worse, the majority of commercially available UAS technology relies on components sourced from China, leaving the U.S. and partners like Taiwan vulnerable to supply chain manipulation. Supporting Taiwan’s UAS manufacturing through this legislation is how we close that gap and secure long-term stability for ourselves and our partners.”

“Strengthening our partnership with Taiwan is critical to advancing both American security and the stability of the Indo-Pacific,” said Curtis. “Our bipartisan legislation expands cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan to build secure, resilient drone systems—cutting China out of the supply chain and reinforcing deterrence in the region.”

The vast majority of commercially available UAS contain PRC-sourced components, creating significant cybersecurity, supply chain, and operational risks for both Taiwan and the United States. Taiwan is well-positioned to develop and produce UAS components and systems. This bill will identify roadblocks and expand opportunities for the United States and Taiwan to create PRC-independent drone systems and components to supply both Taiwan and U.S. defenses.

The bipartisan Blue Skies for Taiwan Act would tackle these challenges by:

Establishing a Blue UAS Working Group, led by the Departments of State and Defense, to assess Taiwan’s drone production capacity and identify opportunities and impediments to incorporating Taiwan-manufactured UAS and components in the Defense Contract Management Agency’s Blue UAS program and associated lists.

The Blue UAS program is a DOD initiative that vets and certifies secure drone systems and components that do not rely on PRC technology or supply chains.

Directing the establishment of a cooperative framework with regional allies to support secure, PRC-independent drone supply chains and expand opportunities for Taiwan’s drone industry.

Instructing the Departments of State and Defense to develop a fast-track certification process for Taiwan drone and drone component manufacturers.

Full text of the Blue Skies for Taiwan Act can be found by clicking here.

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ICYMI: Murkowski Delivers 2026 Address to Alaska State Legislature

Juneau, AK – Today, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) delivered her 2026 address to the Alaska State Legislature during a joint legislative session at the Alaska State Capitol Building in Juneau.

During her remarks, Senator Murkowski praised the steadfast partnerships that have led to meaningful progress across sectors around the state. Senator Murkowski reaffirmed her commitment to advocating for Alaskans at the federal level—and called on state legislators to continue their diligent work alongside the congressional delegation to secure a more prosperous future for Alaska.

Click here to watch the speech.

Full transcript of Senator Murkowski’s remarks, as delivered:

"Wow. Okay, it is good to be back. I know I'm not supposed to start with a little bit of a tease, but we were waiting for the Senate. Senates around the world, I swear, are just notoriously bad at telling time, and so Speaker Edgmon and I decided that we would maybe just go into the Senate gallery and sit down to watch the debate. We missed our opportunity—maybe next time.

But Speaker Edgmon, it is good to be back with you. And to President Stevens, thank you. Members of the legislature, it's good to be back with you as we continue our annual conversation about the future of Alaska. You know, I love being back in this building. I think it shows because I get just kind of animated about the energy. Sometimes it's really hard; sometimes it doesn't feel very good, but there's a lot of energy that goes on here. It takes me back to my time in the legislature—a time that really helped shape me and taught me a lot of really important lessons. Know that the lessons learned here are ones that continue to guide me in another body across the country, in the United States Senate.

Because it does feel like home, I always start with giving a little bit of a family update. I just had an opportunity over the weekend to spend time with my parents. It was Dad's 93rd birthday, so they send their best. Yeah, thank you. Dad said, 'What's the registration fee for running for governor?' Like Dad, he's still rattling cages, let me just tell you, but he's doing well. Verne and the boys are well also; they continue to be my strongest supports, and I appreciate them a great deal.

I also travel with some good, strong supports. I've got some members of my team that are back in the gallery there. Logan is holding up the wall to the right—Logan, anybody that's interested in transportation, he's your man there. Sam Hiratsuka is with me on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee; a great man who's been serving Alaska well. Angelina Burney—many of you know Angelina, not only from my office, but when she spent time here in Juneau. Kate Williams is next to her. Kate handles my election matters and my judiciary matters; she's my General Counsel in the office and a local Juneau girl. The other local Juneau woman is Kara Hollatz, who is my Northern Southeast Regional Coordinator. I’ve got folks that are sprinkled around the building today, so as you see them, know that we're here as a resource to you today and really going forward.

As I'm looking out, there's some new faces—good, it's great. But as I look out, I'm just reminded of how things do change with time. You are not really approaching the end of session yet. Unfortunately, all you need to do is look out the window there and say, 'Okay, we're gonna be here for a bit.' But you’ve got some retirements that are coming up that are more than a little bit bittersweet. It's always been kind of comforting, President Stevens, to know that you have my back, literally; but knowing that this is the last time that you'll be behind me for this address—and Senator Hoffman in the back, he always sits tucked way there in the back—this is probably going to be the last time in this forum that you're going to be able to grill me about what I have done to bring down the price of energy in rural Alaska. I know that you're not going to stop delivering that message to me going forward, but maybe not from the place that you're sitting just now.

When you think about these contributions—Barry, it's been 25 years, and Lyman, you have given nearly 40 years. All throughout these decades, you have kept your passion for Alaska. You have led. You have delivered for Alaskans. And so to both of you—truly to both of you—thank you for everything, including your decades of counsel and your friendship to me. I value it enormously. But also to the women and the strong supports in your life—to Lillian and to Rita—we owe them eternal thanks and gratitude.

Over the years, these two gentlemen have built strong partnerships with every member of your federal delegation, with administrations on both sides of the aisle, and with so many of you and others who preceded you. That's what I want to speak to today: how we can follow that good example to work together as legislators and as partners for Alaska.

I'm kind of the closer this year. You've already heard from Dan and Nick about the legislation that we have been successful in advancing for Alaska, including the highlights from the budget reconciliation bill from last year. I'm not going to take our time this morning and repeat much of that, but I would only observe that our accomplishments are not solitary; they're the result of teamwork where we all do our part to pull that sled along for the state of Alaska.

What the two of my colleagues shared—that there is plenty of room for optimism—is absolutely right. We have kept federal income taxes low. We made the child tax credit permanent. We provided tax relief for everyone from waitresses to whaling captains. We made historic investments in aviation safety and, of course, for our Coast Guard. We're going to be homeporting the newest ship in our growing icebreaker fleet. Over the years you've heard me say, perhaps a little cynically, that you cannot call one ship a fleet. Well, we are changing that dynamic, and it is exciting to have the Storis homeported here in Juneau. Soon, in October, we're going to be commissioning a new guided missile destroyer that is aptly named the USS Ted Stevens.

Thank you to so many who've been working on that. On the national security side, we have strengthened enormously through strategic investments across our state—at JBER, Eielson, Fort Wainwright, Greely, the Pacific Spaceport Complex, and more. We secured over $465 million for military construction in Alaska this year alone, including for new barracks at Fort Wainwright and the runway expansion at JBER; there's $40 million for Arctic facility sustainment, renovation, and maintenance. The investments that we're making in this space are considerable. I've shared with some of you, but I think it is exciting news and belongs in the bucket of things we need to get ready for: a major project on the way for JBER is a state-of-the-art fighter campus recapitalization that will support multiple platforms. This is coming, and it's coming soon to our state.

Of course, national security relies on more than funding or technology. Above all, it requires the courageous men and women who risk their lives on our behalf. I want to recognize the active duty and the Guard members who carry the weight of that service. To all those who are serving now—from the 11th Airborne to those who respond to Russian incursions in the 18th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (so proud of those guys), the 168th Refueling Squadron, the 176th Air Defense Squadron, and the 210th, 211th, and 212th Rescue Squadrons—thank you for keeping us safe.

As we recognize those who are serving now, it's always appropriate to thank those who have served us in times prior. I know that there are many of you here who have committed a level of service to our nation, and I would just ask that you rise briefly so that we can publicly acknowledge you today.

As we're meeting this morning, nothing is going better for Alaska than resource development. Our state is no longer the 'special' on the menu; we are the heart of the plan. Just think about it: Willow is on track. Pika is nearing first oil. We've restored access and mandated lease sales. We'll soon keep a greater share of the revenues from our petroleum reserve, the coastal plain, and Cook Inlet. When you think about the good news—and not just the news Alaskans are looking at—consider that first NPRA lease sale about 10 days ago. It was the best ever. Fully half the revenues—more than $80 million for Alaska—with rightful priority for the North Slope. We are seeing companies returning to the state, like Shell, in a significant way. This is real, meaningful, and happening now. In light of global geopolitics and supply disruptions, this is a great opportunity to finally bring our natural gas to both Alaskans and to Asia.

"Think about where else we are making headway. We put billions of dollars on the table to help rebuild our mineral security through projects like Graphite One up in the Nome area. We've got the King Cove road—I noticed a couple people had a King Cove pin on today. To the patient and the persistent people of King Cove: they now own the land for their life-saving road. That road is going to be built after decades and decades and decades; that's good news for us.

Another highlight for Alaskans is one that you don't hear discussed necessarily in these legislative speeches, but I raise it today, and that is Congressionally Directed Spending. We used to call them earmarks, but we call them Congressionally Directed Spending. They make up less than 1% of the discretionary budget and they don't increase spending on a net basis. But this is a part of what we've seen come to Alaska that is making a difference. I'll tell you, as an appropriator, it takes a lot to wade through the hundreds of requests that we receive every year, and I get why some offices choose not to participate. But for me, as far as I'm concerned and my team, this work is entirely worth it. Over the past five years, my team and I have secured just over $2 billion for the state of Alaska.

I'm just going to point out to my good friends in the back there, Lyman and Bert: it's comparable to the state's share of the capital budget over that same period. I was hoping that this might even actually impress Lyman! But seriously, these projects make a difference in your districts. Looking at Representative McCabe over here and Senator Rauscher: your constituents in Caswell, Sunshine, Trapper Creek, and Willow are going to have some help on childcare through the funding for the Sunshine Station Child Care Center. Representative Moore and Senator Giessel—I saw where she was sitting here—Senator Young back there: we directed funding to Wasilla’s Set Free Alaska to build recovery residence facilities. This is going to help expand their capacity to help Alaskans heal and recover from substance abuse. To our Speaker and to Senator Hoffman: with federal dollars, Chignik will gain a new water distribution system. I happen to think that Alaskan communities deserve to have clean drinking water. We have hundreds of examples like this for clean water, heavy equipment, workforce development, housing, and public safety.

It's not my team and I that are sitting and dreaming up these projects. They come from you. They come from legislators. We hear from mayors, from city council members, from community leaders. The state of Alaska asked for help, and we then work to lock in the requests and bring them home. Know that when we're talking about partnerships, this is one way that we can help you, but we need to hear from you. We need to have that coming from home.

We made some good progress on legacy legislation—bills that we have written and have worked out over multiple Congresses. You all know legislating takes some time; we'd like it to move quicker. With icebreakers, we've been working on those for 15 years, but you’ve got to get things teed up and ready to go so that when you can move, you move. Many of the measures the delegation has passed over the last year reflect Alaska Native priorities, whether it was extending the Vietnam Veterans Allotment Program, returning control of ANCSA lands, as well as ensuring that elders and individuals with disabilities are not inadvertently excluded from federal assistance programs. So, we've made some good progress there.

We've also enacted Bruce's Law in memory of Bruce Snodgrass. I think we have Bruce's uncle up in the gallery, Mr. Ashlock, a friend of ours. I'll tell you, this bill would not have become law were it not through the force of a woman, Sandy Snodgrass, whose determination to stop fentanyl from taking additional innocent lives carried that measure to the President's desk. It's individuals like Sandy Snodgrass working with you and working with us that make a difference in our laws, but more importantly, make a difference for individuals.

So, we're working on what's coming up next. What do we have on the legislative horizon? I've got my Working Waterfronts Act. Many of you have weighed in with commentary on this; it is designed to help our coastal communities. We’ve got measures to streamline permitting for hydropower projects and advancing new technologies. We've got so much potential around our state when it comes to hydro and marine hydrokinetics, so we're working to advance that. We've got a big measure that we're working on to convert the recommendations from the Commission on Native Children into legislation that addresses child welfare, behavioral health, nutrition, education, housing, and more. We're going to be introducing this in the next month or so. This is substantive and really goes to the heart of what we see in so many communities regarding the health of our children.

I say there is so much that we should be positive about right now. Again, it's based on partnership, not necessarily personal triumph. I can stand up here and say, 'I got you that,' but you know what? We all got it. We're all working together to do good things for the state of Alaska. Just as we talk about the good things, I think it's also important to not just talk about the good stuff. I'm not going to stand here and tell you everything is fine in the world and all is right, because you know that's not the case. This is a moment for optimism, and we should take pride in all that's going well, but we should also recognize that this is a time that demands realism, where we acknowledge our challenges and what it takes to address them.

As I delve into this part of it, part of my purpose this morning is to help perhaps translate some of what is happening outside our state and the implications for us here in Alaska. We can start with the crises around the world that are impacting Alaskans now—from military service members who are deployed abroad to rural residents who are already feeling the echoes of war through higher fuel prices, shipping surcharges, and certainly more expensive groceries. We pray for those who have been lost and for the safety of those in combat. In Iran now, there's no question the world would be better off without a fanatical, terror-spreading regime in charge there, but it's not necessarily clear at this moment that that's going to be the case.

Here at home, people are confronting volatility and economic hardship. I mentioned fuel prices. I'm worried about the impact of higher fuel prices, but I'm also worried about shortages of our ability to get refined product. This is something we all need to be paying attention to. This is why, also, for years, I've warned against LNG imports. We have to ask the question: how would we be feeling right now if Southcentral was competing against most Asian nations for cargoes of LNG? We need to be thinking about that now. Most of our focus right now is on the Middle East, but we must not lose focus on Ukraine. We stand with President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people. This is now their fourth year of war. They're still holding their own, even after an awful, deadly winter, against Russian aggressors. There's no ambiguity here. Russia has chosen Iran over regional stability. You've seen the reporting out there; it's public. Russia is helping Iran to target our troops and military assets. Meanwhile, Ukraine is sending teams to the Middle East to help knock Iranian drones out of the sky even while they are engaged in their own battle. They are saying, 'This matters over here.'

Every day for us here in Alaska, I'm reminded of the geostrategic position that this state holds for our nation's national security—whether it's intercepting Russian air bombers or knowing that American troops can deploy more quickly to the Middle East out of Alaska than anywhere else in the country. Beyond the geostrategic importance, the opening of the Arctic presents incredible opportunities for us. I think we recognize that, whether it's resource development, maritime shipping, or tourism. But we're also seeing the region drawing unprecedented attention, not all of which is welcome or good. I don't think that Alaska is better off, or that the region is more secure, when the U.S. threatens allies like Greenland; that pushes them away instead of reinforcing the partnerships that protect our mutual interests. This is something that I've been deeply engaged with. I think we're going to be fine, but we need to remember that these relationships matter.

In the midst of everything that is happening abroad, let's bring it back to here in the United States. In the Congress, the Senate has been debating a measure known as the SAVE Act. Count me in. I strongly agree with the premise that only citizens should vote, and it's reasonable that voters should have to show their ID. The problem here is with implementation. Under the Act, it requires that original documentation to prove your place of birth and your citizenship has to be presented in person. Right now, it's clear that it can be presented to your Division of Elections offices. We have six of them in Alaska, a state that is one-fifth the size of America. We have six offices; four of them are on the road system, and the others are here in Juneau and up in Nome. What this effectively does is say that if you were required to present in person and you're living in Ketchikan, you've got to come here to Juneau. If you're in Barrow, you've got to go down to Fairbanks. If you're in Unalaska, you're coming into Anchorage. Registering to vote is going to be harder, and it will certainly be more costly for many in Alaska. The other concern I have is that this has an immediate effective date, with no time for voters to figure out what's going on or to present documentation for registration. It doesn't provide any resources to the state to help with implementation. This bill, while well-intended and built on a strong premise, was not intended to disenfranchise Alaskans who can rightly vote, but I fear that could be its effect.

As we're talking about electoral reforms, I want to commend this legislature for doing things the right way. Senator Wielechowski, I visited with you earlier back there. Representative Vance, thank you—you and so many others have worked for multiple sessions to build a bipartisan consensus for a legislative package. I think what you put together will fundamentally improve Alaska's elections.

As you are working at the state level to address that, I hope you're also paying attention to the SAVE Act, which would impose costs and change how elections are conducted here. I hope you're also tracking a case moving through the Supreme Court—they just heard this a couple weeks ago—called Watson v. RNC, that would prohibit states from accepting ballots after Election Day. That would change a great deal of how we approach our elections. These things are important and they are coming at all of us, so eyes are on them.

A different sort of threat to Alaska is emerging as the administration and some members in Congress are targeting the Small Business Administration's 8(a) contracting program. Those who don't understand 8(a) are trying to tear it down, even though it delivers value to the federal government and helps fulfill the promise of ANCSA. I want to be unequivocal: we need to protect 8(a). The Native Corporations who utilize it employ tens of thousands of Alaskans; it serves as an unheralded economic engine for our state. When they're under attack, Alaska's economy is also under attack.

Another concern is federal spending. The federal debt is projected to reach a shocking level of $64 trillion in a decade. It's not Alaska's fault, but it's also not sustainable. We're going to have to address it, and Alaska will need a legitimate fiscal plan as the federal budget inevitably tightens. We're all watching the price of oil—it's higher right now, sitting at over $100 a barrel—but higher oil prices are no substitute. The windfall will only go so far and last so long, and it's much better to get revenue from volume than it is from price. I want to thank the House Majority here for calling for fiscal restraint. Good for you, because we can't count on anyone or anything to bail us out of our fiscal woes. Only a long-term plan will truly end the cycle of boom and bust. We're all thinking: how can we take advantage of this moment in time? But we also need to be thinking long-term and thinking wisely.

Now, I'm telling you some of the things that I think you all want to do, and I'm not going to stand here and say, 'You guys have work to do; we're just fine in Congress.' Not so. The federal government is often beset by chaos these days—that's a nice way to put it. Lisa, we're looking at the situation with the Department of Homeland Security being shut down now for 46 days. We have seen workers, whether they be TSA, FEMA, or some in our Coast Guard, working without paychecks. We've seen many of our Alaskan families impacted as they move through long delays in airport security lines.

The problem that we're dealing with here is that shutdowns are becoming far too routine, and too many policymakers are just becoming numb to their impacts. These impacts are real; they are harmful. We cannot use a shutdown as a form of a political football. It's not great in Congress right now, but we have to admit—we’ve got to look at ourselves honestly here. I’m just going to say it out loud: there are areas where the state also is perhaps not meeting expectations.

One of those areas I’m going to offer up here is matching funds. When the delegation secures a federal allocation, we really need you to come through with your share in a timely manner. We need you to meet the match. It's not just the big ones, the obvious ones like transportation; it's some of the smaller ones too, like for USGS to bring ShakeAlert to Alaska to give us some early warning on earthquakes. Sometimes it's not even a match; sometimes it's hiring a couple of employees to unlock federal dollars for our state. That's what we've seen with the Micro-Grants for Food Security Program. Within just a few years, we've been able to see projects that are feeding thousands of Alaskans. Again, it's not a match; it's just a couple of staff that are needed there.

You know it's coming, so here it is: the Alaska Marine Highway. I can't stand in front of you all without reinforcing and reminding you of the priority for Alaska's coastal communities. This is our transportation system—or certainly one of them—and a very key one that's important not only for Southeast, but it's important for our state and our state's economy. It's statewide. We have to recognize that when one region benefits, other regions in our state benefit. I made the Alaska Marine Highway System a priority in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law five years ago, and through that bill, you've heard me say we've received about $700 million over the past five years, and there's more on the way. But the fact of the matter is, federal funding for MHS is a lifeline; it's not an entitlement. There's no guarantee that we're going to be able to renew it at any level, and so it's not a good strategy to rely on a temporary, competitive federal grant program to cover 45% of our state's operating costs, all of which used to be paid for by the state.

That's the case that we're facing right now. I don't want to lecture—I’m not—but I think you know my passion for this as a transportation system and how it gets into our broader statewide system.

Healthcare: a worry for me, and I know a worry for you all. I mentioned the reconciliation bill earlier in my speech. I held my vote out from the reconciliation package—it was not a pleasant time—but I needed to make sure that Alaska would see the adjustments and the flexibilities built in, whether it was delays or exemptions, but basically I think what was needed to minimize the harm to Alaska. Even with all that we gained with that, I worry about those Alaskans who may fall through the cracks as requirements change.

That was again one of the reasons why I held firm as we negotiated the Rural Health Transformation Fund, pushing to double that funding and demanding that Alaska be a priority within it. As a result, Alaska will receive the second-most dollars of any state and the most per capita—about $1.3 billion in all. But the state needs to do dramatically better on this five-year effort than we did on ferries, just putting it out there. If we don't, Alaska's funds can be redirected elsewhere, and we will miss a generational opportunity to improve care.

I’m going to do a shout-out—I don't mean to signal just to Lori Wing-Heier—but Lori, you, Senator Giessel, and Representative Mina on the Advisory Task Force: you know the big job that we have in front of us. It is considerable, and we need to stay on this in order to secure the full benefits to our state and do right by healthcare for Alaskans. So, thank you for your work on that as well.

Representative Jimmie, since I'm singling out folks here, I want to recognize you because I read the statement that you made when Congresswoman Peltola was here about the human toll that Typhoon Merbok continues to take months afterwards. You're absolutely right. Hundreds of Alaskans have lost everything, and it only adds to that devastation that some have lost hope and they've taken their own lives. My commitment to you is that we will not forget those who were devastated by the storm. I mentioned that I'm going to be chairing a field hearing of the Indian Affairs Committee on this in Bethel in May. We need to keep pushing our federal officials to provide the relief we have to demand. I will certainly demand that it will be Alaskans who have been impacted by this storm that determine their futures going forward. We will work on this together.

Our fisheries also remain in crisis. We know when salmon runs collapse, it threatens the food security, the culture, and the way of life of so many Alaskans. The reality is that these declines cannot be attributed to one factor alone. There's no silver bullet out there to solve a very complex problem. But when faced with causes beyond our immediate control, like climate change, I think it's understandable why the discourse focuses on what we can control: bycatch. Don't get me wrong on this—there is absolutely more that we can do to reduce bycatch, and we need to do it. Senator Sullivan has a bill that I'm a co-sponsor on, the Bycatch Reduction and Research Act. But I think we also need to be cautious about demonizing one sector of Alaska's fisheries at a time where we need to be working together to find solutions.

Commercial fishing provides good jobs; it's the economic backbone of dozens of our coastal communities. While it's often easy and often appropriate to point fingers at Seattle, I think it's important that we remember that many Alaskan towns and villages are suffering after losing their fleets and their processing plants, so life isn't necessarily better without them. We need to have sound science as the foundation of sound management, and we need constructive dialogue that respects the needs of communities upriver while also recognizing the benefits of the industry. We need to focus on what it is that unites us so that we can conserve and responsibly harvest one of our most precious and irreplaceable resources.

That brings me to education. This legislature's decision to increase the Base Student Allocation was a great step, so thank you for that. But I find it just appalling in certain cases that we have, to this day, so many Alaska schools that remain in such disrepair. I've been in the schools; I've seen the black mold, shown where the asbestos is, the bathrooms that don't function, and the roofs that are literally collapsing. That's one part of the problem.

Another part of it is who's in the building: how we are able to hire and retain good teachers. That requires districts to be able to pay teachers enough to live here. It requires municipalities to build housing that is affordable on a teacher's salary, and it requires competitive retirement benefits that aren't falling behind the Lower 48. Right now, the fact is—and you know it—Alaska doesn't produce enough of our own, and so we're seeing many of our teachers that are hired from abroad. You know what doesn't work for that? The President's $100,000 fee on H-1B visas. That may work in places like New York City, but it doesn't work in Kodiak. It doesn't work in Kivalina.

It will devastate our ability to recruit. I've introduced a bill to exempt teachers and I'm pressing our new Secretary of Homeland Security for an administrative fix, so we're working on the federal side of it. But Representative Galvin, I want to thank you for raising awareness and advancing the resolution on this in the legislature; that helps us, and I appreciate that.

We need to have great teachers to help train our workforce. That's another area where we are back to this whole issue of partnership. Non-residents now make up almost a quarter of our non-government workers, and it's compounded by an unprecedented 13 straight years of net out-migration of working-age adults. We're not growing enough of our own, and when we do, we're not keeping them. Now, this is not a slight to the university; I think they're our best engine to reverse these trends. We know that kids who graduate from our university are far more likely to stay here, so that's good for us. Pat Pitney has done a great job. We're going to miss her; she's leaving the university in good shape. I'm excited about what we're seeing with the recent rebranding of UAF as 'America's Arctic University.' It's great. Enrollment continues to grow there. We need to support our university system, but that's not enough either. Ultimately, this goes back to making Alaska the best place to work and to raise families. We do this through improvements in public safety, housing, childcare, schools, and community services—all of those things that make life here so special.

And yet, as we think about our workforce, Alaska has always been a state that relied on newcomers to fill out our workforce and to move our biggest projects and our industries forward. I think it is undeniably good that President Trump has closed the southern border to control it, and I credit him for doing that; it is important for our security. But when the extension of these policies results in a mother in Soldotna and her three children being taken into custody—with the mother deported and the oldest put in jail—I think it's time for serious reflection and reform of our legal immigration policies in this country.

My point in raising these topics is that Alaska has big needs that demand strong leadership. We’ve got a lot going for us, but we have to be clear-eyed about our challenges. We need to tackle them head-on and remember we are in this together. We are a state that is one-fifth the size of the country—I remind people about this all the time—and so it is understandable that oftentimes we think about our needs regionally.

It's Southeast versus the Interior versus Southwest versus Southcentral. No, there should be no 'versus.' There should be no 'us against them.' Our economies are interdependent, and we need to avoid the temptation to break down by region or by party, because neither of those best serves our state. When Alaskans support one another, we all rise together. I think this is an opportunity for us now. We are in the semiquincentennial—our nation's 250th birthday. It's hard to say 'semiquincentennial,' but I've been practicing all year, so I'm glad I didn't trip it up!

There's no better time for unity than as our nation recognizes this moment. This is a reminder of how incredibly fortunate we are to be Americans and to be Alaskans. We are blessed to live in this great state and even more blessed to be able to represent it. We get to wake up and work for Alaska, but we also know that is a responsibility and that people are counting on us. So, let's make the most of our time. Let's set aside the politics and the regionalism. Let's focus on partnerships for all of Alaska to achieve as much as we can for every part of our state and for every person in it. Thank you for the honor and the privilege to be in front of you and with you again today."


At Port of Seattle, Murray Talks Fighting for Waterway Infrastructure, Securing Historic $3.47 Billion for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund

Murray: “When federal law is putting Washington state at a disadvantage, I will push with everything I’ve got to change the law and deliver a solution that works for our communities and creates jobs.”

*** VIDEO OF PRESS CONFERENCE HERE, PHOTOS AND B-ROLL HERE***

Seattle, WA – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and ranking member of the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee, visited the Port of Seattle and delivered remarks on the importance of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund supporting the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma, while affirming her continued efforts to end Trump’s tariffs. Senator Murray also highlighted securing $8 million for the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) to install shore power at the Port of Seattle, securing $2.33 million for the Army Corps of Engineers’ Seattle Harbor project to deepen navigation channels at the Port of Seattle, and increasing the funding level for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to a historic $3.47 billion, while ensuring donor ports like the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma get their fair share.

Murray was joined by Ryan Calkins, Port of Seattle Commission President, and Co-Chair of the NWSA; Dan McKisson, ILWU Washington Area District Council President; Nicholas Gauthier, President of the Container Division, SSA Marine; Bill Bloxom, Owner of F.C. Bloxom Company International; and Bryan Gonzalez, Export Sales, F.C. Bloxom Company International.

“Our ports are the engine of our economy in Washington state. So many farmers and manufacturers rely on you to get their goods out to customers across the world,” said Senator Murray. “For decades the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma have been some of the biggest contributors to the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, but they’ve been essentially walled off from using the fund because of outdated and unfair restrictions that disadvantage Washington state ports in a major way. The status quo was patently unfair—and I’ve been working year after year for over a decade to fix it. In 2014, I was able to unlock a small amount of annual funding for the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma by expanding eligible uses for the trust fund, but even before then I was working toward the much more ambitious goal of creating an annual set-aside for donor ports like Seattle and Tacoma. In 2024 it finally happened. And this year, I secured a historic $3.47 billion for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund—more than ever before, and I wrote in very specific language to make sure our ports get their fair share… When federal law is putting Washington state at a disadvantage, I will push with everything I’ve got to change the law and deliver a solution that works for our communities and creates jobs.”

In the FY26 appropriations bill, Senator Murray secured a historic $3.47 billion for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund—a longtime priority for Senator Murray—to invest in our nation’s port and waterway infrastructure, including in Washington state. Senator Murray also ensured the appropriations bill included language explicitly directing the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to fully implement language she championed in the 2020 Water Resources Development Act that requires the Corps to provide additional funding to Donor and Energy Transfer ports, which contribute more to the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund than they can access. The Ports of Seattle and Tacoma are both Donor ports, and this language will help them get their fair share from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund.

“Senator Murray is a tireless advocate for our region’s maritime industry. The NWSA is grateful to her for securing provisions in the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bill which will help us secure a cleaner environment for generations to come. Her efforts will result in over $50 million this year for Northwest Seaport Alliance projects that will enable the port to further our decarbonization efforts and move more cargo,” said Ryan Calkins, Port of Seattle Commission President and The Northwest Seaport Alliance Co-Chair.

“With Senator Murray’s support, we will secure our fair share of funding from the Harbor Maintenance Tax that has been collected at our ports. The Senator also has helped us receive essential funding for shore power infrastructure and harbor deepening work that will support cleaner air in our region and ensure our port remains competitive in the global marketplace,” said Dick Marzano, Port of Tacoma Commission President and The Northwest Seaport Alliance Co-Chair.

“Dock workers, ferry crews, and tugboat operators understand firsthand the importance of transitioning to clean energy. We work daily in industrial settings and projects like the installation of shore power at T18 will enhance our working conditions and reduce impacts on our communities. The West Waterway dredging initiative will enable us to accommodate vessels with drafts up to 55 feet, positioning us to handle the largest ships worldwide boosting, our competitive edge. Additional Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund allocations will promote greater fairness among donor ports and help cover costs for these vital improvements,” said Dan McKisson, ILWU Washington Area District Council President, representing 3,000 ILWU workers across 11 Washington state ports. “I would also like to express gratitude to Senator Murray for her many years of advocacy addressing the HMT land border loophole, which diverts cargo to foreign ports to avoid paying the Harbor Maintenance Tax. Through her unwavering leadership, we are closer than ever to leveling the playing field for US workers.”

Murray has championed provisions to more equitably provide funding from the HMTF and tirelessly worked for more than a decade to change the law so that the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma get their fair share of funding after decades of contributing far more than they are eligible to use from the HMTF on traditional operation and maintenance activities. Murray’s efforts included introducing multiple pieces of legislation to reform the HMTF and securing a new provision, Section 2106, in the 2014 Water Resources Reform and Development Act and every reauthorization since to allow donor ports, like Seattle and Tacoma, to access federal funding for additional uses that were previously ineligible for support—including port infrastructure improvements and rebates to importers to help address competition from ports in Canada and Mexico that are not subject to the same fees. Senator Murray successfully secured changes to the HMTF in the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020, to more equitably distribute money from the HMTF for projects at America’s ports.

Below is an abbreviated timeline of Senator Murray’s work to address inequities in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund and secure fair funding for Washington state’s ports:

August 2013: Murray announces new legislation, the Maritime Goods Movement Act for the 21st Century, to completely overhaul the Harbor Maintenance Tax (HMT) and Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF) to get rid of the inequities and make the system work better for the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma. Murray formally introduces the legislation in September.

June 2014: Murray secures in the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) of 2014 a provision called Section 2106 that—for the first time in history—begins to address the HMTF system’s inequities toward donor ports and cargo diversion by authorizing $25 million in discretionary funding for donor and energy transfer ports to use for port infrastructure improvements and rebates to importers in order to help even the playing field for the Ports of Seattle, Tacoma, and others. The legislation is signed into law by President Obama on June 10.

The Section 2106 change unlocks a combined $44,660,180 for the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma for the next nine fiscal years, FY16-FY24. See the chart further down for a full breakdown showing how much funding the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma have received each year thanks to Section 2106 since the change was first funded in Fiscal Year 2016.

While this was a meaningful step forward, major inequities in the disbursement of HMTF dollars persisted.

March 2016: Murray introduces the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund Reform Act of 2016, new legislation to reform the HMTF by, among other things, making sure all of the money collected through the Harbor Maintenance Tax each year is returned directly to ports and establishing a set-aside for donor ports so that collected funds are allocated more equitably.

July 2017: Murray reintroduces her Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund Reform Act legislation to reform the HMTF.

March 2020: The CARES Act of 2020 is passed into law; the legislation includes a provision that, for the first time, allows all of the money collected through the HMTF each year to be returned directly to ports to improve infrastructure and keep ports competitive. However, there was no set distribution of the funds, which threatened to continue to disadvantage Washington state ports from getting funding—something Senator Murray worked immediately with former Appropriations Chair Richard Shelby (R-AL), port officials, the Army Corps, and other stakeholders to address in the WRDA reauthorization later that year.

June 2020: Murray pushes to include an amendment to WRDA 2020 that would modify the HMTF to more equitably fund operation and maintenance projects at America’s ports. The amendment does not receive a vote but lays the groundwork for the final language enacted in WRDA 2020.

KEY INFLECTION POINT – December 2020: Murray secures in the final WRDA 2020 long sought-after changes for HMTF distributions and secures 12 percent for donor and energy transfer ports, which contribute more to the HMTF than they can access—ensuring a more equitable distribution and an influx in annual funding for the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma. This funding is separate from the authorization and funding Murray has secured for the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma through Section 2106 since 2014. The formula changes for donor and energy transfer ports for funding from the HMTF are set to take effect in Fiscal Year 2023.

February 2023: Army Corps releases their Work Plan for Fiscal Year 2023; the plan fails to follow the enacted formula for HMTF distributions for donor and energy transfer ports.

March 2023: Senator Murray, now Chair of the full Appropriations Committee, has a call with ASA Connor to make clear the Corps’ failure to implement that donor and energy transfer port set-aside was unacceptable and press on HMTF implementation in the next fiscal year.

April 2023: Chair Murray presses ASA Connor at an Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on the Army Corps’ Fiscal Year 2024 budget about the steps being taken to ensure the Army Corps meets all targets for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund.

July 2023: Senator Murray secures language in the draft Senate Energy and Water Appropriations bill explicitly directing the Army Corps to fully implement the donor and energy transfer set-aside in Fiscal Year 2024.

July 2023-March 2024: Extensive engagement between Senator Murray’s office and the Army Corps on final appropriations language that would ensure the Corps fully implemented the donor and energy ports set-aside as Congress intended.

March 2024: In the final Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2024, Chair Murray secures language explicitly directing the Army Corps to fully and correctly implement the provisions Murray secured in WRDA 2020 that required the Corps to provide additional HMTF funding to donor and energy transfer ports, including Seattle and Tacoma. Additionally, Chair Murray secures a historic $2.77 billion for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund overall and $58 million in Section 2106 funding for Donor and Energy Transfer ports—a $2 million increase over the Fiscal Year 2023 level.

April 2024: Extensive engagement between Senator Murray’s office and the Army Corps to ensure the Corps’ work plan for Fiscal Year 2024 was done right.

May 2024: The Army Corps Work Plan for Fiscal Year 2024 is released and includes, for the first time ever, the HMTF donor and energy transfer port set-aside Murray secured in WRDA 2020—providing a total of $368 million to all eligible donor and energy transfer ports. From this set-aside, the Port of Seattle received $22.15 million and the Port of Tacoma will receive $25.555 million—and the WRDA 2020 change in funding distribution of the HMTF applies every year moving forward.

January 2026: Senator Murray secured a historic $3.47 billion for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund in the FY26 appropriations bill and ensured the bill included language explicitly directing the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to fully implement the language Senator Murray championed in the 2020 Water Resources Development Act that requires the Corps to provide additional funding to Donor and Energy Transfer ports, which contribute more to the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund than they can access. The Ports of Seattle and Tacoma are both Donor ports, and this language will help them get their fair share from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund.

Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below:

“Thank you for joining me to discuss the work at our ports and the challenges we face.

“Our ports are the engine of our economy in Washington state. Our farmers, our manufacturers rely on all of you to get their goods out to customers across the world.

“And so many businesses—small and large—rely on all of you to help them bring in the resources they need for manufacturing, and goods they sell to Washington state families. Our salmon travel far on their own—but you all are the reason they are famous worldwide!

“I’m proud to be your partner. And as a leader on the Appropriations Committee, I managed to secure some really crucial wins for our Ports and our economy.

“For decades the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma have been some of the biggest contributors to the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, but they’ve essentially been walled off from using the fund because of outdated and very unfair restrictions that disadvantage Washington state ports in a major way. The status quo was patently unfair—and I’ve been working year after year for over a decade to fix this.

“In 2014, I was able to unlock a small amount of annual funding for the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma by expanding eligible uses for the trust fund. Even before then I was working toward the much more ambitious goal of creating an annual set-aside for donor ports like Seattle and Tacoma.

“Well in 2024 it finally happened. And this year, I secured an historic $3.47 billion—‘b’ billion—for the Harbor Maintenance Trust fund—that’s more than ever before, and I wrote in very specific language to make sure our ports get their fair share.

“This has been a long-fought battle, but it is nothing short of a sea change when it comes to annual funding for the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma. The [HMTF change] is permanent—meaning that every year it is in effect, Washington state ports will take home many times more funding they previously received each year from the Corps.

“When federal law is putting Washington state at a disadvantage, I will push with everything I can to change the law and deliver a solution that works for our communities and for jobs.

“And I have more good news today: I also secured $8 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for the Northwest Seaport Alliance to help them install shore power here at the Port of Seattle. That will mean the enormous shipping container boats won’t have to run their engine to keep the lights on when they dock—that is a huge benefit for everyone.

“And I secured $2.33 million for the Army Corps of Engineers’ Seattle Harbor project to deepen navigation channels here at the Port of Seattle.

“Now I want to be clear, while everyone here understands the importance of our ports, and the value that all of you bring to our economy, and our families—we have a President who just does not get it. Our ports have been especially hit hard by Trump’s absurd trade war. These tariffs are not good for trade, they are not good for families, and they are not good for our ports.

“And his war in Iran is already making shipping and trade even more expensive. To say nothing of the global energy crisis which threatens to get worse with every passing day.

“Rest assured, I am going to be using my voice and my vote in the United States Senate to stop the tariffs and end the war.

“I’m really grateful to be here today at the Port to announce this funding—it’s good news. But I’m also here to affirm my commitment to our ports. You are bringing in—and shipping out—the goods here in Washington state.

“Well, I will keep fighting to deliver ‘the goods’ in the other Washington.”

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Following SCOTUS Ruling, Senator Murray Reiterates Call to Pass Her Legislation to Ban Conversion Therapy Nationwide

ICYMI: Murray, Booker, Lieu Reintroduce Legislation to Ban Conversion Therapy

ICYMI: Murray, Congressional Democrats File Amicus Brief Urging Supreme Court to Support Conversion Therapy Bans

Seattle, WA – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s decision in Chiles v. Salazar. The decision rejected a Colorado law that protects children from the harmful practice of conversion therapy, putting at risk the safety and wellbeing of children in Colorado and 23 states around the country—including Washington state—with similar restrictions.

“Conversion therapy is a dangerous practice based on the hateful idea that being part of the LGBTQ+ community is an illness that requires treatment—it’s child abuse. Conversion therapy should be banned nationwide, and I have a bill to do just that because there is no real debate in the medical community—the overwhelming majority of mental health care providers know how harmful this practice is. I’m not going to stop fighting for a world where every person, no matter their gender or sexual orientation, can live with dignity and without fear.”

Senator Murray has consistently fought to ban conversion therapy and ensure that LGBTQ+ people have access to high-quality health care. Last year, Senator Murray, joined by Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-CA-36), reintroduced her Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act legislation that would ban conversion therapy—a practice that has been recognized by the national community of professionals in health, education, social work, and counseling as being both dangerous and useless. Senator Murray first introduced the legislation in the 114th Congress and has pushed to pass it every Congress since.

In addition to Senators Murray and Booker, the Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act was cosponsored by Senators Baldwin, Bennet, Blumenthal, Cantwell, Coons, Cortez-Masto, Duckworth, Durbin, Fetterman, Gillibrand, Hassan, Heinrich, Hickenlooper, Hirono, Kaine, Kelly, Kim, King, Klobuchar, Luján, Markey, Merkley, Murphy, Padilla, Reed, Rosen, Sanders, Schiff, Shaheen, Slotkin, Smith, Van Hollen, Warren, Welch, Whitehouse, and Wyden.

The legislation was introduced in the House with 70 original cosponsors. The Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act is endorsed by the Congressional Equality Caucus, Human Rights Campaign, PFLAG, American Academy of Pediatrics, Equality California, National Association of School Psychologists, Christopher Street Project, and Advocates for Trans Equality.

Also last year, Senator Murray joined Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate in filing an amicus brief urging the United States Supreme Court to uphold the constitutionality of Colorado’s ban on mental health professionals engaging in conversion therapy for minors in this case, Chiles v. Salazar.

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Sen. Ossoff Expanding Access to Diapers & Supplies for Families Across Georgia

Norcross, Ga. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is delivering resources to expand access to diapers and supplies for Georgia families.

Sen. Ossoff brought Republicans and Democrats together to help Helping Mamas Inc., purchase and distribute more diapers to families, helping ease financial strain for families facing rising costs.

Sen. Ossoff is delivering $268,000 for the project through bipartisan government funding legislation that became law on February 3.

“Every Georgia family deserves access to basic necessities for their children,” Sen. Ossoff said. “That’s why I brought Republicans and Democrats together to support Helping Mamas in their mission to ease the financial burden on working parents and ensure their children have a healthy start in life.”

“Diapers are a basic health necessity, yet they are not covered by public safety net programs,” said Jamie Lackey, Founder and CEO of Helping Mamas. “Investments like this help close that gap by strengthening the community systems families rely on for essential supplies. We are grateful to Senator Ossoff for bringing people together across party lines to support solutions that help Georgia families care for their children and stay connected to work and childcare.”

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Padilla, Cortez Masto, CHC Members Lead Amicus Brief Defending Taxpayer Privacy Against IRS-DHS Data Sharing Agreement

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chair Representative Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.-13), Representative Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.-38), and Representative Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.-34) led 115 Senate and House Democrats in filing a bicameral amicus brief in the case Center for Taxpayer Rights v. IRS, currently before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The brief opposes the illegal data sharing system between the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“The IRS’ agreement to turn over massive amounts of sensitive taxpayer data to ICE is dangerous, un-American, and illegal,” said Senator Padilla. “This reckless, mistake-prone system has almost certainly sent DHS agents after hardworking immigrants and citizens alike who are following the law, paying taxes, and contributing to our economy. We will keep fighting to hold the Trump Administration accountable for this gross violation of the law and harmful erosion of public trust.”

In the brief, the Democratic lawmakers argue that IRS’ implementation of bulk data transfers to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for immigration enforcement violates the privacy protections of taxpayers enshrined by Congress in section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code.

“The data sharing here was illegal and threatens federal government revenues, adversely affecting all taxpayers. It would also compromise taxpayer privacy and raise the possibility of grave consequences for individuals misidentified by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”), chilling participation in the tax system, impacting our constituents, and destroying public trust,” wrote the amici curiae.

“The IRS’s decision to share taxpayer data with DHS is in direct contradiction with the law and does absolutely nothing to keep Americans safe. Instead, it has struck fear in hardworking immigrant communities and led to a lack of trust in government to protect taxpayer privacy. I urge the Court to swiftly hold this Administration accountable for its violations of the law,” said Senator Cortez Masto.

“Taxpayer privacy is the foundation of a functioning tax system. Congress wrote laws that make the tax system a lockbox against abuses, and no Administration has the legal authority to simply ignore them. We are making clear to the D.C. Circuit that Congress means what it wrote,” said Representative Espaillat.

“This case is pretty cut and dry: the IRS broke the law. By handing taxpayer data over to DHS, the Trump administration not only violated clear privacy protections and put taxpayers’ personal data at risk but also betrayed decades of trust and undermined confidence in our entire tax system,” said Representative Sánchez.

“I’ve been pushing back on Trump’s effort to turn the IRS into another arm of his mass deportation machine since it was first uncovered because families should be able to file their taxes without fearing their private information will be used against them,” said Representative Gomez. “This case is about whether the Administration can ignore the law and undermine trust in the tax system for millions of people who file and pay their taxes every year. The Court should reject this abuse of power and uphold the privacy protections Congress put in place.”

Taxpayers without Social Security Numbers paid $59 billion in federal income taxes in 2022 alone, and the Yale Budget Lab estimates the policy could cost more than $300 billion in lost tax revenue through 2035.

This brief is part of a sustained, coordinated effort to defend the taxpayer privacy protections Congress established nearly fifty years ago. The filing marks the fourth CHC-led amicus filed in court cases pushing back against IRS-DHS data sharing efforts during the second Trump Administration.

Padilla has led the charge against the IRS-ICE data sharing agreement. Last month, Padilla and Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) demanded answers and accountability from the IRS after the agency admitted in a court filing that the flawed system it adopted to transfer people’s home addresses to ICE potentially led to thousands of records being shared improperly in violation of taxpayer privacy laws. Padilla also slammed the Trump Administration after a U.S. district judge ruled that IRS-ICE data sharing system resulted in almost 43,000 cases of the Trump Administration violating strict taxpayer privacy laws.

Padilla, Wyden, Cortez Masto, and additional Senate Democrats warned early last year that the data sharing agreement between the IRS and ICE would result in serious errors and violate taxpayer privacy. They demanded details about the status and potential misuse of the data sharing program as recently as January 30 of this year. Last spring, Padilla, Wyden, and Cortez Masto led a letter and statement condemning the IRS’ plan, raising the alarm on initial reports that the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Government Efficiency illegally requested sensitive taxpayer information from the IRS.

The full brief is available here.

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Padilla Meets With Doctors, Sounds Alarm on Health Care Cuts From Trump’s So-Called One Big Beautiful Bill

SAN JOSE, CA — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) toured the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center with frontline physicians to highlight the real-world, devastating consequences of health care cuts from Republicans’ billionaire-first reconciliation bill, which was signed into law last summer.

Santa Clara Valley Medical Center — a county-run hospital that serves 2 million residents — is already feeling the strain. Health care spending accounts for roughly one-third of the county’s total budget. Because of the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill,” new federal cuts are deepening a projected $1 billion deficit, threatening patient care, hospital services, and access to critical treatment for working families.

As Republicans continue to slash funding, doctors are warning of longer wait times, reduced access to care, and fewer resources for working families, seniors, and vulnerable patients who rely on the county system to survive. Padilla’s visit alongside Santa Clara County Medical Physicians and the Valley Physicians Group comes as communities across California feel the devastating consequences of Washington Republicans’ decision to cut health care to pay for tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy — shifting the burden to local hospitals and the patients they serve.

“Republicans would rather spend trillions on tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy, bankroll Trump’s unauthorized war in Iran, and fuel ICE’s cruelty than ensure Americans can access lifesaving health care,” said Senator Padilla. “Thanks to Donald Trump and Republicans’ not so beautiful bill, hospitals in the Bay Area and across the country are now facing massive budget shortfalls, driving up wait times, restricting access to critical treatment, and raising costs for hardworking families, seniors, and at-risk patients. I’ll continue supporting physicians on the front lines working tirelessly to address Trump’s manufactured health care crisis.”

“Medically, I can prescribe medication for the reflux. I can prescribe laxatives for constipation. I can alert social work and direct patients to food banks to help with food access. But I cannot prescribe safety. And until our children feel safe — until the threat of sudden, traumatic separation is removed — their bodies will continue to bear the burden of that fear,” said Rachel Ruiz, MD, Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Chair of VPG.

“Public healthcare is our safety net to help maintain quality care for all patients, allowing them to return to their lives and jobs at full capacity. Protecting it is important for all of us to help maintain a functioning society and economy. Critical services such as trauma and stroke are utilized by everyone, and increased wait times for patients at public systems will spill into each and every hospital, regardless of zip code. The effects of HR1 will be felt by everyone, even the wealthy,” said Praveen Anchala, MD, Chair of Radiology, Vice Chair of VPG.

“Access to affordable, life-saving HIV antiretroviral therapy is paramount to ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Antiretroviral therapy helps keep patients living with HIV/AIDS healthy as well as the community. HR-1 directly threatens insurance coverage and enrollment, putting more pressure on federal programs such as the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program to fill the gap which is already stretched thin. These events taken together will lead to increased morbidity and mortality for people living with HIV/AIDS, new infections and overall a decline in the health of our population,” said Joseph Cooper III, MD, Infectious Disease Physician, Secretary of VPG.

“A 60-year-old breast cancer survivor, mid-reconstruction, rushed her surgery in December — not because she was ready, but because she was afraid. Afraid that after December 31st, she couldn’t afford to be insured. She had a port in her chest and a tissue expander in her breast — devices that require surgery to remove — and she needed them out while she still had coverage. She has not been able to follow since. She should be on maintenance chemotherapy. We don’t know if she is,” said Jennifer Cheeseborough, MD.

“Santa Clara Valley Healthcare is one of the largest healthcare systems in Santa Clara County and Northern California. Our physicians, hospitals, and clinical systems have helped patients throughout the County, regardless of geography, income, insurance status or ability to pay. We have taken care of elderly patients on commercial Medicare plans admitted for acute illnesses such as stroke, heart attack, heart failure to name a few, because other healthcare systems did not have capacity, were too far away, or did not accept the patient’s insurance. We have helped patients seeking substance use and behavioral health treatment not available in other partner healthcare systems, such as for adult and pediatric opioid use disorder, serving as the safety net for all residents with acute substance and mental health crises. H.R.1 will have devastating impacts on our public healthcare system, with even more detrimental effects on hundreds of thousands of people that rely on public coverage. Our healthcare systems collectively will see more high-cost emergency utilization for preventable illness, higher justice-involvement and incarceration for preventable substance use and mental health crises, and worse, it would exacerbate strain on already inundated systems — thus not being able to effectively ensure all our County residents have timely, equitable access to the highest standards of care that all people deserve. Imaging taking your mother to the nearest emergency room only to learn the wait-time is several hours until she can be seen. Imagine searching for months for a substance treatment program when you fear your child may overdose at any time. These impacts will be felt by every county resident, and most tragically, with disproportionate harm to our most underserved, vulnerable patients and communities. H.R.1 will make applying for and renewing healthcare coverage administratively more complicated and challenging that many will simply not be able to keep up despite eligibility. Furthermore, many community members are weighing risks to seek care because of active, ongoing ICE activity and surveillance. We hope that by working together we can ensure the viability of our public safety net hospital and clinical systems, and ultimately, ensure all people — our families, our neighbors, our communities — have access to healthcare,” said Annie Chang, MD.

“My experience, over twenty plus years as a hospital pediatrician, is that families always want to do the right thing for their child. But now, they’re not sure what the right thing is. Should they bring their sick child to the hospital to get medical treatment? Or should they stay home to avoid the risk of deportation? This is a heartbreaking choice I wish no family had to face,” said Monica Stemmle, MD, Pediatric Hospitalist.

“I recently launched a food referral program at our clinic because hunger isn’t a social problem — it’s a medical one. H.R. 1 doesn’t just cut a budget line; it cuts into the health of real children. I see it in my exam room every day: kids without enough food struggle in school, carry the weight of depression and anxiety, and fall further behind with every missed meal. Feeding children isn’t a political position — it’s a moral baseline,” said Iliana Harrysson, MD, General Pediatrician.

“Trauma patients are uniquely vulnerable to catastrophic health expenditures because traumatic injuries are unpredictable, often require expensive and complex care, and disproportionately affect poor patients of racial and ethnic minorities. I wrote a paper in 2020 detailing catastrophic expenditures in California trauma patients before and after the Affordable Care Act. We found that of over 7,500 trauma patients, more than 20% experienced catastrophic health expenditures (out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures exceeding 40% of post-subsistence income), including 89% of uninsured patients. However, the implementation of the ACA was associated with a 74% lower risk of catastrophic spending by trauma patients, with greater decreases among Black and Hispanic patients. The HR1 bill, which will cause 10-17 million people to lose healthcare coverage, will significantly increase the number of patients experiencing catastrophic health expenditures — not just trauma patients, but also anyone suffering from an unexpected health emergency,” said Tiffany Chao, MD, Trauma Surgeon.

Additional photos and b-roll footage from today’s event are available here.

Padilla has consistently fought against Trump and Republicans’ reckless cuts to health care to hand out tax cuts to billionaires. Last July, Padilla blasted Senate Republicans’ passage of their tax bill that that is gutting critical health care and nutrition assistance programs while devastating families in California and across the country. Last June, Padilla joined the entire Senate Democratic Caucus in calling on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to reverse course on Republicans’ plan to take health care and food assistance away from millions of Americans — including seniors, children, people with disabilities, and veterans — to pay for tax breaks for ultra-wealthy Americans.

Padilla also consistently slammed President Trump and Senate Republicans for rejecting Democrats’ bill to protect health care coverage for millions of Americans. In December, Padilla called on Republicans to pass Senate Democrats’ proposal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits for three years before they expired. After Senate Republicans voted against Democrats’ plan to prevent millions of Americans’ health care costs from skyrocketing, Padilla also hosted a virtual press conference to sound the alarm on the looming Republican health care crisis. In September, Padilla joined California health care leaders in Los Angeles to call on Congressional Republicans to work with Democrats to protect health care coverage for nearly 2 million California residents and avoid a Republican-caused government shutdown.

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Padilla Statement on Trump’s Illegal Election Takeover Executive Order

SAN JOSE, CA — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and California’s former Secretary of State, issued the following statement as President Trump issued a sweeping illegal election “takeover” executive order, including by attempting to crack down on mail-in voting:

“Instead of focusing on lowering the cost of energy, groceries, and health care, Donald Trump is desperately attempting to take over and rig our elections and avoid accountability in November. This executive order is a blatant, unconstitutional abuse of power. The President and the Department of Homeland Security have no authority to commandeer federal elections or direct the independent Postal Service to undermine mail and absentee voting that nearly 50 million Americans relied on in 2024. A decade of lies about election fraud does not change the Constitution.

“Make no mistake: Trump’s attacks on our elections are a clear and present threat to our democracy. In the middle of an unauthorized war abroad and an escalating authoritarian crackdown by ICE here at home, Trump is attempting another illegal power grab. I will use every tool I can to stop him, and I expect immediate legal challenges in order to protect our free and fair elections.”

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Reed Announces New $27.75 Million Investment to Strengthen RI’s Affordable Housing Safety Net & Upgrade Public Housing

WASHINGTON DC – In an effort to strengthen affordable housing options for more Rhode Islanders, U.S. Senator Jack Reed today announced that twenty-four Rhode Island cities and towns will receive a total of $27,752,056 in federal funding through the Public Housing Capital Fund. Senator Reed led efforts at the federal level to make this money available to support the development, financing, and modernization of public housing projects and for management improvements. Rhode Island utilizes federal public housing funds to prevent homelessness, reduce housing instability, and enhance economic outcomes for low-income families.

Administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), this fiscal year 2026 Public Housing Capital Fund money will help local communities preserve, develop, finance, and modernize public housing. Housing authorities can allocate the federal funding to complete large-scale improvements, such as replacing roofs or making energy-efficient upgrades to heating and cooling systems.

“We’ve got to restore, maintain, and create more affordable housing opportunities. This new federal funding will improve housing conditions for vulnerable residents and help increase the supply and quality of affordable housing. It will help local housing agencies improve the condition of their buildings, preserve affordable housing, and help us build stronger neighborhoods and communities,” said Senator Reed, a senior member of both the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, which authorizes the program, and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD), which appropriates money for it. “This funding will be put to work making capital repairs, maintaining public assets, and ensuring quality, affordable housing is available. It means local housing authorities can address their most pressing needs and hire additional maintenance staff and contractors.”

Public housing aims to provide safe and affordable housing for lower-income families, elderly Americans, and people with disabilities.

The Public Housing Capital Fund Program provides local housing authorities with funding for the modernization of public housing and ongoing maintenance needs. Local agencies can use the funding for a broad array of improvements that may include redesigning, reconstructing, and reconfiguring public housing sites and buildings; addressing safety code compliance needs; replacing obsolete utility systems and dwelling equipment; and investing in resident programs that help improve economic empowerment.

Through his work on the THUD Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Reed helped include $3.2 billion for the Public Housing Capital Fund in the 2026 appropriations law.

In addition to his critical work on appropriations, Senator Reed helped write and advance structural housing reform initiatives. The full U.S. Senate recently approved the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which includes regulatory streamlining, modernization of HUD program administration, and expanded flexibility for public housing authorities. It also incorporates two of Reed’s bipartisan housing affordability bills: the Property Improvement and Manufactured Housing Loan Modernization Act (S.964) with Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and the Helping More Families Save Act (S.970) with Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), as well as other key initiatives Reed championed.

According to HUD, Rhode Island has approximately 9,000 public housing units across the state.

Public Housing Agencies in the following cities and towns will receive funding:

Bristol: $480,892

Burrillville: $247,742

Central Falls: $907,431

Coventry: $440,147

Cranston: $1,610,506

Cumberland: $355,949

East Greenwich: $96,683

East Providence: $1,145,228

Jamestown: $72,111

Johnston: $380,867

Lincoln: $687,460

Providence: $8,721,537

Pawtucket: $2,630,138

Narragansett: $30,483

Newport: $2,218,616

North Providence: $310,603

Smithfield: $151,525

South Kingstown: $280,922

Tiverton: $118,658

Warren: $362,665

Warwick: $1,180,528

Westerly: $339,375

West Warwick: $647,066

Woonsocket: $4,334,924