PHOTOS: Sen. Schiff Delivers Commencement Addresses to Graduating Classes of San Diego Miramar College and California State University San Marcos

Schiff: “Don’t just be amazed. Amaze us. Be amazed at the quiet dignity of countless Americans who wake up early and work tirelessly to provide for their families and amaze us with your efforts to deliver them a more secure future.”

San Diego, CA – U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) delivered the commencement addresses for the 2026 graduating classes of San Diego Miramar College (SDMC) and the graduating students of the Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences class at California State University, San Marcos (CSUSM).

“Your presence here is a testament to how this place has supported and empowered you. And it is a testament, above all, to your talent, your drive, your resilience—and, no doubt, your impressive caffeine intake. The piece of paper you will shortly hold in your hand is not a guarantee of success, but it is a passport to a future of tremendous possibility. The question now is, what are you going to do with it?” said Senator Schiff.

Schiff addressed thousands of graduates across the two universities, offering encouragement and advice on how to be your best, look beyond caricatures, hold onto friendships, not let fear hold you back, and amaze the world.

San Diego Miramar College is a San Diego community college that services 14,000 students annually offering 70 associate degrees and 90 career technical education certificates preparing students to succeed in and out of the classroom. California State University San Marcos is home to more than 17,000 students and is recognized as the number one university for social mobility in the country. Schiff was a part-time professor at Glendale Community College where he taught political science. He continues to be a champion for California’s community colleges, state colleges, and access to a quality, affordable higher education.

View his remarks HERE and HERE.

Read his remarks as delivered below:

San Diego Miramar College:

Good morning!

Geysil thank you for that very kind introduction.

Chancellor Smith… President Lundburg… members of the Board of Trustees… proud parents and loved ones… and, of course, distinguished graduates — congratulations!

What a wonderful occasion this is and I’m so thrilled to be back in San Diego. My wife Eve is from this area and attended Torrey Pines High School. Any Falcons out there? Ok a couple.

This time last year, I was sitting in the audience at our son Eli’s graduation, his college graduation. Eli had the good fortune to have, Steve Carell as his graduation speaker. That’s Michael Scott for you fans of the Office.

In the middle of his remarks, Carell stopped to lead us all in a dance break that he called “as invigorating as it was disturbing.”

Now, to reach this day, you’ve already had to sit in traffic for a potentially long time on the I-15.

You endured a heartbreaking Padres collapse in the National League Division Series a couple seasons ago against my hometown Dodgers. Well, I got through almost a minute without a boo. My condolences.

And, just when it seemed like you were at the finish line, Miramar got hit by a cyber-attack that disrupted online classes, took down campus systems, and—perhaps most tragically—even closed the C-Store.

All of which is to say, I will not compound your suffering by subjecting you to my dancing. And I’ll try to be as brief as a politician can be.

Since this commencement, however, I will subject you to a few reflections and even some words of advice.

In many ways, a day like this is the very embodiment of the American idea.

Our nation was formed from an improbable experiment, rooted in an unproven idea that the people could govern themselves.

That we need not be ruled by a tyrant or a king.

That here, anyone with enough drive, talent, and intellect could prosper.

For 250 years now, that promise of something better — life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — has attracted the best and brightest to our shores. In places wracked by poverty and persecution, that single word — “America” —has been almost a whispered prayer.

At our best, our country has welcomed new arrivals, lifting our lamp beside a golden door.

And at our worst, America has been downright hostile to our newest Americans. The Chinese Exclusion Act. Prop 187. Fear and violence on the streets of Los Angeles, Chicago, and Minneapolis.

Yet even as every generation seeks to dim as some of the generations seek to dim America’s light, the idea at the heart of this country persists: that no matter who you are or where you’re from, where you begin in life should not determine where you end up.

Only you can do that.

When one of my former colleagues arrived in the Senate — he was a farmer from Montana named Jon Tester — he was greeted by the chamber’s richest man, John D. Rockefeller, who told him, “You and I started from very different places, but we both ended up here.”

And perhaps nowhere do we see the idea that we can determine our own future realized more clearly than through an education like the one you’ve received.

My father Ed—the grandson of Lithuanian immigrants—left high school early to enlist during World War II. He never finished college. Even as he went from selling clothes as a traveling salesman to building a successful lumber and concrete business, dropping out of college remained one of the few regrets he had in life.

Still, my father believed deeply in the great equalizing power of an education. “An education,” he’d remind me and my brother, “is the one thing they can never take away.”

Education is what brought my family, as we like to say, from the shtetl to the Congress in three generations.

It has opened doors for me, and it will open doors for you.

At a moment when the once-sturdy ladder into the middle class is shaky — when economists debate whether the American Dream is now more readily achievable in other places —schools like this one are helping so many talented strivers climb higher.

So many of you, I know, are the first in your families to attend college.

Many of you completed your coursework while juggling multiple jobs, raising kids, worrying about a spouse deployed overseas or even a knock on the door that could rip you away from your loved ones.

A handful of you — Miramar’s Rising Scholars — have overcome incarceration to pursue your education, learning side-by-side with fellow students who will one day pin on a shield to protect and serve their communities.

Your presence here is a testament to how this place has supported and empowered you.

And it is a testament, above all, to your talent, your drive, your resilience — and, no doubt, your impressive caffeine intake.

The piece of paper you will shortly hold in your hand is not a guarantee of success, but it is a passport to a future of tremendous possibility.

The question now is, what are you going to do with it?

Answering that question is perhaps more difficult than usual, compounded by a challenging economy, an unpredictable administration — to put it charitably — and rapid technological change.

A little while ago, the New Yorker featured a cartoon with a couple mob enforcers walking along, one of them wielding a baseball bat. And the other one says, “At least A.I. ain’t comin’ for our jobs.”

The uncertainty you may be feeling — fear, even — is understandable. It’s natural.

My own graduation occurred a little bit longer ago than I’d care to admit, but I do recall a few things.

I remember wondering if my girlfriend and I would stay together. Spoiler alert: we did not.

I remember that I would occasionally venture around campus wearing overalls — which may or may not have contributed to the aforementioned break-up.

What I remember most, though, was a sense of uncertainty that was equal parts invigorating and terrifying.

After graduation, I was going to spend the summer as a wildland firefighter, working alongside hotshots like those of you who’ve trained at the Fire Academy here.

Beyond that… I wasn’t entirely sure.

I decided to go to law school, but had no idea where that would lead me, whether I would enjoy it or find it fulfilling.

As it turned out, law school led me to the U.S. attorney’s office, which led to an interest in the criminal justice system and how it might be fixed, which led me to elected office.

Not exactly how I’d drawn it up when I was blasting Billy Joel at all hours of the night from my college dorm room.

But what helped me navigate the uncertainty were some words of wisdom from my father: “If you’re good at what you do, he said, there will always be a demand for you.”

I should warn you that we’ve reached the advice part of the speech, and that’s the first bit of guidance.

My father was a child of the Great Depression, with memories of working around the clock to keep the family pharmacy afloat. He could easily have told me to fixate on finding the most lucrative career possible.

But what he appreciated — what I hope you’ll come to appreciate — is that true job security comes not from pursuing a particular profession, but rather from pursuing excellence in whatever you do.

Dr. Martin Luther King put it more poetically. As he once told a different group of young people, “If it falls to your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures… Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well.”

That liberating idea is what my brother, is why my brother ended up becoming a playwright.

It’s what led me into politics — much to my parents’ chagrin. And eventual, if reluctant, pride.

Whether you’re headed next to a four-year institution or a job in aviation maintenance, no algorithm can match the curiosity, creativity, and resourcefulness that you’ve learned here.

So, focus on being very good at what you do. Here on this Compass Point, at the center of campus, let your interests and your passions be your true north.

And if you change your mind about what that thing is five times, or fifteen times? That is totally fine. Figuring it all out is the best part.

My second piece of advice: Dare to try.

Nobody likes to fail. To bomb an exam, or lose a job, or miss out on a promotion. But you can’t go through life so afraid of messing up that you never take your shot.

Take it from me.

When I was 30 years old, I ran for the California state assembly.

On Election Day, I got my ass handed to me. Finished eleventh out of fifteen candidates.

A few years later, I ran again. And same story. Lost again.

After that second loss, I was ready to hang it up. I’d given it my best. It just was not meant to be.

And just as I was moving on, the president of the state senate called me and asked me to try once more. Well third time was the charm, and here I am today.

I learned a lot from those failed races. Like, never cash out your retirement savings to keep your campaign afloat.

Really, don’t do that.

Most importantly, I learned there’s something worse than failing, and that is not trying. You can get a lot even from falling short, but the only thing you get from not trying is… regret.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the Nobel laureate and first democratically elected woman head of state in Africa, perhaps said it best: “If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough.”

Third, look beyond caricatures.

One of my favorite experiences so far as a senator happened when I was in the far north of state in Butte County. I was visiting the Farm Bureau, and let’s just say that a lot of the folks in the room only knew me from Fox News — which is not a particularly flattering portrait.

Now, I’m not an expert in farming. In my old LA urban-suburban district, the only agriculture we had was of the illegal variety.

So, I explained that I was eager to learn more, to talk about trade and tariffs and immigration and water, so I could represent them better.

And I knew I’d made progress when, at the end of the meeting, one of farmers turned to me and said, “I don’t know why the president calls you ‘watermelon head.’ You have a perfectly normal sized head.”

And they’re experts in melons up there.

It can be difficult to reach people who drastically have different worldviews. Especially in this inflamed moment. When so many people find it difficult to disagree without being thoroughly disagreeable. When we are experiencing a dangerous level of political violence.

But our families, our workplaces — our democracy — cannot function unless we open ourselves up to people with whom we disagree.

So, look past the labels and the fear-mongering. Seek out that tiny sliver of common ground and build from there.

More often than not, you’ll discover that the monster you’ve imagined — on the left or on the right — bears very little resemblance to the human being standing in front of you.

Which leads me to my fourth and final word of advice.

This one comes from one of the great philosophical texts of our time — the 1990 cult classic film Joe Versus the Volcano.

For those of you unfamiliar with Spielberg’s earlier work, the movie stars Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, and involves a terminally ill Tom Hanks getting paid to throw himself into a volcano to appease a fire god.

Pretty realistic, I know. And believe it or not, it’s a rom-com.

At one point, the two are floating on a boat in the Pacific when Meg Ryan says something that’s always stuck with me.

She says, “Almost the whole world is asleep… Only a few people are awake, and they live in a state of constant total amazement.”

Class of 2026, do not sleep-walk through life. Instead, live in a state of constant, total amazement.

Let yourself be amazed by the sun setting over Del Mar Beach.

By the feel of an infant’s small hand in yours.

By the fierce love and pride written on your families’ faces as you walk across this stage.

I want to ask something more of you:

Don’t just be amazed. Amaze us.

Be amazed at the quiet dignity of countless Americans who wake up early and work tirelessly to provide for their families… and amaze us with your efforts to deliver them a more secure future.

Be amazed by this wondrous, fragile democratic experiment of ours — free elections, a free press, and the rule of law — and amaze us by the way you take a stand to defend it.

Figure out a cause that’s important to you, and dive in.

There is nothing more demoralizing than feeling powerless, and nothing more empowering than working towards a goal. All of us — all of us — have the ability to influence others, whether our circle is large or small.

Class of 2026, you now have an education that can never be taken away.

You have achieved so much already and will achieve greater things still.

And as you do, I will be watching… in a state of constant, total amazement.

Congratulations, and good luck! Thank you so much.

California State University San Marcos:

Hello, Cougars! How are you doing today?

President Neufeldt faculty and administrators… thank you making this school truly a gem of higher education in California.

As the father of two recent college graduates, I would be remiss not to acknowledge everyone who helped make this day possible: parents and grandparents, siblings… Frank the Therapy Dog. This moment belongs to you.

And, of course, to the Class of 2026 — congratulations! Congratulations!

Whether it took you three or four or six years, you’re here. At your graduation.

You’ve worked hard in your classes… and perhaps even harder to find parking.

You’ve discovered, and I can understand why looking at this beautiful campus, with your glutes and quads burning, why some students call this “Cal State Stair Master.”

All of you, evidently, managed to avoid stepping on that Founder’s Seal. And here you are.

Now I know I can’t compete with the time Jeremiah from Love Island visited here, but I’m going to do the best that I can.

What I may lack in reality TV star power, I make up for with a truly encyclopedic knowledge of obscure 1980’s movies.

In many ways, a day like this is the very embodiment of the American idea.

Our nation was formed as an improbable experiment, rooted in the unproven idea that the people could govern themselves.

That we did not be ruled by a tyrant or king.

That here, anyone with enough drive, talent, and intellect could prosper.

For 250 years now, that promise of something better — life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — has attracted the best and brightest to our shores. In places wracked by poverty and persecution, that single word — “America” — has been almost a whispered prayer.

At our best, our country has welcomed new arrivals, lifting our lamp beside a golden door.

At our worst, America has been downright hostile to the newest Americans. The Chinese Exclusion Act. Prop 187. Fear and violence on the streets of Los Angeles, Chicago, and Minneapolis.

Yet, the idea at the heart of this country persists: that no matter where you’re from, where you begin in life should not determine where you end up.

Only you can do that.

When one of my former colleagues arrived in the Senate — a farmer from Montana named Jon Tester — he was greeted by the chamber’s richest man, John D. Rockefeller, who told him, “you and I started from very different places, but we both ended up here.”

And perhaps nowhere do we see the idea that we can determine our own future realized more clearly than through an education like the one you’ve received here.

My father Ed—the grandson of Lithuanian immigrants — left high school early to enlist during World War II. He never finished college. Even as he went from selling clothes as a traveling salesman to building a successful lumber and concrete business, dropping out of college remained one of his few regrets in life.

Still, my father believed deeply in the great equalizing power of an education. “An education,” he would remind me and my brother, “is the one thing they can never take away.”

Education is what brought my family, as we like to say, from the shtetl to the Congress in three generations.

It has opened doors for me, and it will open doors for you.

More than half of you are the first in your families to attend college.

Many of you completed your coursework while juggling multiple jobs, raising kids, worrying about a spouse who was deployed overseas or a knock on the door that could rip you away from loved ones.

Your presence here is a testament to how this institution has supported and empowered you.

It is a testament, above all, to your talent, your drive, your resilience — and, no doubt, your impressive caffeine intake.

The piece of paper you shortly will hold in your hand is not a guarantee of success, but it is a passport to a future with tremendous possibility.

The question now is, what are you going to do with it?

The uncertainty you may be feeling — fear, even — is understandable. It is natural.

My own graduation occurred a little bit longer than I’d like to admit, a little bit longer ago, but I do recall a few things.

I recall wondering if my girlfriend and I would stay together. Spoiler alert: we did not.

I remember I would occasionally venture around campus wearing overalls — which may or may not have contributed to the aforementioned break-up.

What I remember most, though, was a sense of uncertainty that was equal parts invigorating and terrifying.

After graduation, I was going to spend the summer as a wildland firefighter.

Beyond that… I wasn’t entirely sure.

I thought I’d try being a lawyer, but had no idea where that would lead me, whether I would find enjoyment in it or fulfillment.

As it turned out, law school led me to the U.S. attorney’s office, which led to an interest in criminal justice system and how it might be fixed, which led me to elected office.

That was not exactly how I drew it up when I was blasting Billy Joel at all hours of the night and day in my college dorm room.

But what helped me navigate the uncertainty were some words of wisdom from my father: “If you’re good at what you do, he said, there will always be a demand for you.”

I should warn you that we’ve reached that point of the speech where I give advice.

My father was a child of the Great Depression, with memories of working around the clock to keep the family pharmacy afloat. He could easily have told me to fixate on finding the most lucrative career possible.

But what he appreciated — what I hope you’ll come to appreciate — is that true job security comes not from pursuing a particular profession, but rather from pursuing excellence in whatever you do.

Dr. Marin Luther King put it more poetically. As he once told a different group of young people, “If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures… Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well.”

That liberating idea is why my brother ended up as a playwright.

It’s why I went into politics — much to my parents’ chagrin.

It’s why I’m confident you will find not only gainful employment but fulfilling employment.

Here at San Marcos, you have learned creativity, curiosity, resourcefulness. That no algorithm can match.

So, focus on being very good at what you do.

And if you change your mind about what that thing is five times, or fifteen times? That is totally fine.

Figuring it out is the best part.

My second piece of advice: Dare to try.

Nobody likes to fail. To bomb an exam, lose a job, miss out on a promotion. But you can’t go through life so afraid of messing up that you never take your shot.

Take it from me.

When I was 30 years old, I ran for California state assembly. Spent hours knocking on doors.

And on Election Day, I got my ass handed to me. Finished eleventh out of fifteen.

A few years later, I ran again. Same story. Lost again.

After that second loss, I was ready to hang it up. I’d given it my best. It just wasn’t meant to be.

Just as I was moving on, the president of the state senate called me and asked me to try once more. Third time was the charm, and here I am today.

I’ve learned a lot from those failed races. Like, never cash out your retirement savings to keep your campaign afloat.

Really, don’t do that.

Most importantly, I learned there’s something worse than failing, and that is not trying. You can get a lot from falling short, but the only thing you get from not trying is… regret.

Third, as you’re navigating life’s uncertainties and failures, its joys and successes, never walk past an old friend to greet a new friend. One of my own old friends taught me that.

By all means, make new friends. But cherish the old ones.

So don’t forget the friendships you have made here, forged over $5 pints at Players and pies to the face during U Hour. I shudder to think of how much I could raise for charity with a pie to the face.

Don’t cast these relationships aside because you meet someone with a flashier car, or a fancier title, or connections that might help you get ahead in your career.

The people sitting beside you right now, they know where you come from, they’ve seen who you are, they’ve read everything posted about you on YikYak—and they like that person.

Hang onto them. Let them ground you, uplift you, and cheer you on.

Fourth, look beyond caricatures.

One of my favorite experiences as a senator so far was up north in Butte County. When I was visiting the Farm Bureau, and let’s just say that a lot of the folks in the room only knew me from Fox News — which is not a particularly flattering portrait.

Now, I’m not an expert in farming. In my old LA urban-suburban House district, the only agriculture we had was of the illegal variety.

So, I explained that I was eager to learn more, to talk about trade and tariffs and immigration and water, so I could represent them better.

And I knew when I’d made progress when, at the end of the meeting, one of farmers turned to me and said, “I don’t know why the president calls you ‘watermelon head.’ You have a perfectly normal sized head.”

And they’re experts in melons up there.

It can be difficult to reach people with very different worldviews. Especially in this inflamed moment. When so many people find it difficult to disagree without being thoroughly disagreeable.

When we are experiencing a dangerous level of political violence.

But our families, our workplaces — our democracy — cannot function unless we open ourselves up to people with whom we disagree.

So, look past the labels and the fearmongering. Seek out that tiny sliver of common ground and build from there.

More often than not, you’ll discover that the monster you’ve imagined — on the left or the right — bears very little resemblance to the human being standing in front of you.

Which leads me to my final bit of advice.

This one comes from the great philosophical texts of our time — the 1990 cult classic film Joe Versus the Volcano.

So for those of you unfamiliar with Spielberg’s earlier work, the movie stars Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, and involves a terminally-ill Tom Hanks getting paid to throw himself into a volcano to appease a fire god.

Believe it or not, it’s a rom-com.

At one point, the two are floating on a boat in the Pacific when Meg Ryan says something that has always stuck with me.

She says, “Almost the whole world is asleep… Only a few people are awake, and they live in a state of constant total amazement.”

Class of 2026, do not sleep-walk through life. Instead, live in that state of constant, total amazement.

Let yourself be amazed by the sun setting over Carlsbad Beach.

By the feel of an infant’s small hand in yours.

By the fierce love and pride written on your families’ faces as you walk across this stage.

And lastly, I want to ask you something of you:

Don’t just be amazed. Amaze us.

Be amazed at the quiet dignity of countless Americans who wake up early and work tirelessly to provide for their families… and amaze us with your efforts to deliver them a more secure future.

Be amazed by this wondrous, fragile democratic experiment of ours — free elections, a free press, the rule of law — and amaze us by the way you take a stand to defend it.

Figure out a cause that’s important to you, and dive in.

There is nothing more demoralizing than feeling powerless, and nothing more empowering than working towards a goal. All of us — all of us — have the ability to influence others, whether our circle is large or small.

Class of 2026, you now have an education that can never be taken away.

You have achieved so much already and will achieve greater things still.

And as you do, I will be watching… in a state of constant, total amazement.

Congratulations, and best of luck to you! Go Cougars!

###


PHOTOS: Sen. Schiff Tours Feeding San Diego, Highlights Harmful Impact of Trump’s SNAP Cuts

San Diego, CA – On Saturday, May 16, 2026, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, toured Feeding San Diego to learn more about the organization’s food rescue and hunger relief programs which provide meals for thousands of families in San Diego.

During the visit, Senator Schiff joined volunteers to package up local produce, learning about the work that goes into the production of meals. He also heard directly about the devastating impact that President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act is already having for food-insecure families through the gutting of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known as CalFresh in California, placing a larger strain on food assistance organizations across the country.

Schiff highlighted his commitment to ensuring the Farm Bill reverses cuts to SNAP as well as bolsters other federal feeding programs that will ensure American families and the most vulnerable can easily access nutritious food.

View photos from the visit below:

###


STATEMENT: Sen. Schiff on Islamic Center of San Diego Shooting

San Diego, CA – Today, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) released the following statement in response to today’s shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, which took three lives:

“I’m heartbroken by the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, and my prayers are with the families of the three precious lives lost today.

“Today’s shooting is a horrific attack on Southern California’s Muslim community. Every American should be able to practice their faith without fear of violence. And we must never be silent in the face of hate.

“I am immensely grateful to law enforcement officers and first responders who, in the face of terror, heroically ran into harm’s way to protect families and children.

“My heart is with all San Diego families during this terrible tragedy.”

###


Alaska Delegation Celebrates First Oil from Pikka Development

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski, and Congressman Nick Begich (all R-Alaska), today celebrated an announcement from Santos and Repsol that first oil has been produced at the Pikka development on Alaska’s North Slope.

“The Pikka project, Alaska’s largest oil development in more than 20 years, is over a decade in the making,” said Sen. Sullivan. “I had the honor of approving the exploration well when I served as Alaska’s DNR Commissioner and as we were marshaling new companies from around the world, large and small, to come and invest in our great state. We worked relentlessly to make our permitting system more efficient, and ensured companies were abiding by the terms of their leases, and if they weren’t, we got them out to bid to others quickly. We also worked with the Legislature to create a more predictable tax system. All of this resulted in the Pikka discovery and more energy companies working on the North Slope—which is now one of the hottest oil plays in the world. Pikka will deliver 80,000 barrels of peak daily production through TAPS, billions of dollars in investments in our state and communities over its lifetime, and thousands of good-paying direct and indirect jobs for Alaskans across the state. I want to congratulate all the hard-working men and women who put in thousands of hours to bring Pikka online and to reach this major milestone in Alaska energy development. The Alaska Comeback continues!”

“This is one of the most significant achievements on the North Slope in decades and further cements the region’s renaissance. Pikka will help refill the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, create great jobs for Alaskans, and bring billions to the state over its lifespan—benefitting all who live here,” Murkowski said. “This is also just the start, with new phases of the project yet to come and additional development taking place across the Nanushuk formation. I heartily congratulate Santos, Repsol, their hard-working teams, and individuals like Bill Armstrong who made this happen—from the vision to explore and discover, to now firmly putting Alaska back on the map as the place to produce energy.”

“First oil at Pikka signifies that Alaska’s North Slope remains one of the world’s premier energy regions and reinforces Alaska’s critical role in American energy security. This project is the result of decades long persistence and the willingness to invest in Alaska when many doubted what was possible,” said Congressman Begich. “At peak production, Pikka is expected to deliver 80,000 barrels per day, generating billions in investment and revenue for Alaska. That kind of opportunity only exists because people were willing to reject the idea of decline, think long-term, and invest in Alaska’s future. I congratulate everyone involved in bringing Pikka to first oil and look forward to seeing the opportunities this project will continue to create for Alaska families and America’s energy future.”

According to Santos, production at Pikka will initially reach 20,000 barrels per day over the next few weeks as various subsystems are brought online and eventually reach 80,000 barrels per day by the third quarter of 2026.

# # #


Thune Honors Members of the United States Military

Clickhereto watch the video.

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

Thune’s remarks below (as delivered):

“Mr. President, the month of May is dedicated to America’s finest.

“We observed Police Week and Peace Officers Memorial Day last week, and the entire month of May is Military Appreciation Month.

“Armed Forces Day was Saturday, and next week we will observe Memorial Day and remember all those who have laid down their lives in America’s service.

“Mr. President, it’s an extraordinary thing they do, the men and women who sign up to join our military.

“They don’t simply choose service; they choose a kind of service that may require them to sacrifice everything.

“And they do it. Willingly. Proudly.

“For love of their country.

“For love of their fellow soldiers.

“And for love of their fellow man.

“Mr. President, we live in a country of unmatched blessing.

“And it can be easy to take that for granted.

“To take our prosperity, our freedom, our peace and safety as a given.

“But they are not a given, Mr. President.

“They are secured for us – and have been secured for us – by the men and women of the United States military.

“That’s not patriotic rhetoric.

“That is a fact.

“None of the blessings we enjoy as citizens of the United States would last long in the absence of the men and women who commit their lives to defending them.

“Mr. President, my job as a senator gives me the privilege of regularly getting to interact with our military men and women.

“That might be at Ellsworth Air Force Base talking to airmen about recent B-1 or MQ-9 combat operations or the fast-approaching B-21 mission.

“It might be welcoming home South Dakota National Guard troops or our 114th Fighter Wing from a deployment.

“Or it might be greeting veterans on an Honor Flight here in Washington, D.C.

“It is a privilege, Mr. President.

“To talk to men and women who have not only chosen to serve a cause greater than themselves, but have committed to giving their lives for that cause if necessary.

“Their pride, their professionalism, their enthusiasm – their wholehearted embrace of our country’s ideals – there is nothing more inspiring and uplifting than meeting the men and women of the United States military.

“Mr. President, I’ve talked about our armed forces’ willingness to sacrifice – to lay down their lives if necessary to protect our country.

“And across the river from the Capitol building where we stand, at Arlington National Cemetery, rows upon rows of white markers bear witness to the men and women who have made that ultimate sacrifice.

“And not just on Memorial Day, but every day – every day, Mr. President – we need to remember them.

“To remember that our freedom has been secured for us at a great cost.

“And to live in such a way as to honor that sacrifice.

“Mr. President, no discussion of the service of our military men and women is complete without mentioning their families.

“They too embrace a cause greater than themselves.

“They also serve, and often without recognition.

“They endure long absences from their loved ones, missed birthdays and date nights and dinners.

“Frequent moves, new schools, and job changes.

“And for some, their loved one never comes home.

“And just as we remember our soldiers this month, we remember their families.

“Their families, and what they too have given in the service of our country.

“Mr. President, as we celebrate Military Appreciation Month, Armed Forces Day, and Memorial Day, my prayers and gratitude are with the men and women of the United States military.

“God bless and protect them as they stand on guard for us.”


Warnock Demands Secretary Kennedy Allow CDC Experts to Do Their Jobs Amid Global Health Emergencies

In a new letter, Senator Reverend Warnock is demanding that Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. allow expert scientists and physicians at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to speak candidly, “without political interference” about the hantavirus and other infectious disease outbreaks

The CDC’s lack of communications response to the recent outbreak has drawn criticism from public health experts

Reports allege that Trump administration political appointees have been suppressing communications by career CDC professionals.

Senator Warnock: “Let us be clear: we have complete confidence in the career experts at CDC who are, and have been, working to respond to this potential threat. What concerns us is the Administration’s potential hamstringing of those experts’ ability to convey scientifically backed information to the public.”

Washington, D.C. – In a new letter, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) is demanding that Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. allow expert scientists and physicians at the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to speak freely and candidly, “without political interference” about the hantavirus threat to the public. Senator Warnock was joined by U.S. Senators Angela D. Alsobrooks (D-MD), Michael F. Bennet (D-CO), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

“Let us be clear: we have complete confidence in the career experts at CDC who are, and have been, working to respond to this potential threat,” said Senator Reverend Warnock, senators. “What concern us is the Administration’s potential hamstringing of those experts’ ability to convey scientifically backed information to the public.”

“The absence of a trusted voice allows conspiracy theorists and misinformation to fester, creating more panic,” said Senator Reverend Warnock, senators. “Getting factual, real-time information gives the American people confidence in the U.S.’s ability to keep them safe.”

Criticism of the CDC’s lack of public response has been growing since news agencies first reported that six Americans and 30 passengers had been sickened with hantavirus aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The first death from the current outbreak occurred on April 11, 2026, with the second death occurring just two weeks later on April 26. The CDC did not issue an alert until May 8, nearly a month after the first reported death, roughly two weeks after the second death, and six days after the World Health Organization (WHO) issued its first notice about the potential outbreak on May 2.

The lawmakers’ letter comes on the heels of another global health emergency in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. On Sunday, the CDC announced that a small number of U.S. citizens have been directly impacted by the latest outbreak. Senator Warnock and his office are closely monitoring the situation and will share updates when available.

Since the CDC and its employees became a target of this administration, Senator Warnock has led several efforts defending their employment and the crucial role they play in keeping the nation safe. In August 2025, Senator Warnock reaffirmed his commitment to supporting Georgia’s CDC employees following the shooting at the CDC that claimed the life of a DeKalb County police officer. During a September hearing, Senator Warnock pushed for accountability after the firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez and the attack at the Atlanta campus, subsequently calling on President Trump to fire Secretary Kennedy.

Senator Warnock has repeatedly called for the firing or resignation of Secretary Kennedy, delivering a frank assessment of Kennedy’s leadership of the nation’s top health agency. In just 15 months, Secretary Kennedy has overseen massive reductions in the federal health workforce, a shooting at CDC headquarters in Atlanta, the firing of his own CDC Director, and a deadly measles outbreak that ravaged the U.S. Secretary Kennedy’s incompetence has gravely impacted infectious disease research at the CDC, jeopardizing America’s public health.

According to numbers shared to Congress by HHS in April 2026, CDC has lost over 26 percent of its staff, or 3,369 employees, since January 2025, which raises questions whether the beleaguered agency and HHS can effectively fulfill its role of leading preparedness and response efforts to a larger outbreak or epidemic.

A copy of the letter can be found HERE and text is below:

Dear Secretary Kennedy,

Given the growing threat of hantavirus, we write with a simple request: let the experts speak. The Department of Health and Human Services and particularly the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) employ hundreds of infectious disease experts, and their knowledge is needed now more than ever. We have been alarmed by reports that political appointees have been muzzling CDC communications, and we urge you to allow our nation’s expert scientists and physicians to speak candidly, without political interference. Given your previously expressed commitment to “radical transparency,” we expect you will be able to easily honor this commitment.

The first death from this outbreak of the hantavirus was on April 11, 2026. The second death was two weeks later, on April 26. The World Health Organization (WHO) received notice about the potential outbreak on May 2. However, the CDC did not put out an alert on the Health Alert Network (HAN) to public health practitioners, officials, laboratorians and clinicians until May 8, nearly a month after the first death, nearly two weeks after the second death, and six days after the WHO received its first notification.

CDC held its first briefing on May 9, but only for invited press. According to reports, the invited media “could not cite the speakers by name under rules set by aides to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.” An open press briefing in Nebraska on May 11 provided more answers, and we urge you to give CDC experts the flexibility to share information as it changes.

Let us be clear: we have complete confidence in the career experts at CDC who are, and have been, working to respond to this potential threat. What concerns us is the Administration’s potential hamstringing of those experts’ ability to convey scientifically backed information to the public. The absence of a trusted voice allows conspiracy theorists and misinformation to fester, creating more panic. Getting factual, real-time information gives the American people confidence in the U.S.’s ability to keep them safe.

We also worry that this outbreak shows the gaps in our country’s ability to respond to threats, considering the United States’ recent withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). Additionally, the CDC has been crippled by staffing cuts over the past year, which has undoubtedly weakened its ability to promptly respond to emerging health threats. According to numbers shared to Congress by HHS in April 2026, CDC has lost over 26 percent of its staff, or 3,369 employees, since January 2025. These reckless staffing cuts call into question whether the beleaguered agency and HHS as a whole can effectively fulfill its role of leading preparedness and response efforts to a larger outbreak or epidemic.

According to experts, the current strain of the hantavirus outbreak has historically required very close contact with symptomatic individuals. However, if this virus or a different virus with high transmission and case fatality rates circulates, the country’s lack of involvement with WHO, staffing shortages at CDC, and absence of frequent communication from experts will be a recipe for disaster. The least this Administration can do is allow CDC to communicate publicly to build trust with the American people and to keep families safe.

We do not need a lengthy or extensive response to our request. We respectfully request a “yes” or “no” to the following question: With the growing threat of hantavirus, will you permit public health experts and scientists at the CDC, and not the Administration’s political appointees, to make the final decisions on what is said to the public, when it is said, and through what manner, about the hantavirus and other infectious disease threats?

We also request a briefing on efforts to respond to this outbreak by CDC career subject matter experts within one week of receipt of this letter.

Sincerely.

###


Warnock Statement on Air Force Plan to Retire E-11 BACN Fleet

According to reporting, the U.S. Air Force plans to divest its E-11 Battlefield Airborne Communication Node (BACN) aircraft and will retire the fleet in fiscal year 2028

The E-11 is the only permanently stationed aircraft flying at Robins Air Force Base

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) released the following statement regarding the U.S. Air Force’s plan to divest and retire its fleet of E-11 Battlefield Airborne Communication Bode (BACN) aircraft in fiscal year 2028.

“I am deeply disappointed by this plan from the U.S. Air Force to phase out and retire the E-11,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “Since 2023, the E-11 has been the only permanently stationed aircraft at Robins Air Force Base, and its divestment would be a major loss for Georgia and the Warner Robins community. My office has reached out to the Air Force for an explanation. Should the Air Force move forward with this plan, I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Georgia Congressional delegation and Secretary Meink to ensure a strong and sustainable replacement mission is brought to Robins Air Force Base.”

###


Warren, King, Wyden Push Government Watchdog to Launch Probe Into Ineffective “Free File” Tax Program

“Free File cannot efficiently, effectively, and securely serve the taxpayers who are statutorily entitled to free tax filing services.”

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, Angus King (I-Maine), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to launch a new probe into the Free File program, a partnership with private tax prep companies. The request comes after the Trump administration killed the Direct File program, instead touting its failed Free File program, which has a nearly two-decade-long record of underperformance.

“We have serious concerns that Free File cannot efficiently, effectively, and securely serve the taxpayers who are statutorily entitled to free tax filing services,” wrote the lawmakers.

In April 2022, GAO released a report entitled “IRS Should Develop Additional Options for Taxpayers to File for Free,” highlighting the need for the government to develop new ways for low- and middle-income Americans to file their taxes for free. In response, the Biden administration created the Direct File program, which allowed Americans to file their tax returns online, for free, and directly with the IRS.

Last October, the Trump administration killed the Direct File program, asserting that the Free File program, which is operated by for-profit tax preparation firms and has a lengthy track record of underperformance, could meet taxpayers’ needs.

In addition to GAO’s earlier report, numerous reports by Congressional committees, nonpartisan watchdogs, and media outlets have identified serious problems with Free File. Free File partners have deliberately misled taxpayers into paying for assistance when they are eligible to file for free. Additionally, an investigation by Senator Warren found that Free File partners have leaked sensitive taxpayer data to private tech companies, putting taxpayers’ most sensitive information at risk.

To address concerns surrounding Free File’s underperformance and the lack of options for Americans to truly file their taxes for free, the senators requested that GAO initiate an investigation to evaluate the program’s user experience, accessibility, accuracy, and costs.

Senator Warren is a leading voice in advocating for taxpayers and for improved IRS resources:

In April 2026, Senator Warren introduced the Stop Corporations and High Earners from Avoiding Taxes and Enforce the Rules Strictly (Stop CHEATERS) Act, a bill to restore and revitalize the IRS with additional funding for tax enforcement, technology operations support, systems modernization, and taxpayer services like free taxpayer assistance.

In April 2026, Senator Warren took to the Senate floor to seek unanimous consent to pass the Direct File Act. The bill would reverse the Trump administration’s decision to end the highly successful Direct File program—which allowed Americans to file their taxes online, for free, and directly with the government—and make the program permanent.

In February 2026, Senator Warren led over 150 lawmakers in introducing the Direct File Act, new legislation that would reverse the Trump administration’s decision to end the highly successful Direct File program — which allowed taxpayers to file their taxes online, for free, and directly with the government — and make the program permanent.

In February 2026, Senator Warren led her colleagues in pressing Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Chief of Taxpayer Services Ken Corbin on the Treasury Department’s decision to end Direct File and instead promote Free File.

###


Welch Leads Effort to Rein in Defense Department’s Use of Fast-Tracked Contracts to Help Build ICE Warehouses

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) led 15 of his colleagues in calling for new language in the Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) appropriations bill to tighten control and oversight of the Department of Defense’s (DOD) use of fast-tracked contract vehicles for domestic immigration enforcement. In the absence of this oversight, DOD has helped the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) bypass local and state regulation and federal procurement rules to build ICE’s warehouse-style migrant detention centers across the country.

“We write to request your inclusion of language in the FY27 Defense Appropriations bill and report tightening control and oversight over the Department’s use of DOD expeditionary contract vehicles for domestic immigration enforcement. Congress intended contract vehicles such as the Worldwide Expeditionary Multiple Award Contract (WEXMAC) to give DOD exceptional authority to provide accelerated and flexible logistical and support services to U.S. expeditionary forces around the world. Yet in recent months, DOD has deviated from this purpose by allowing DHS to use WEXMAC-TITUS to bypass federal acquisition procedures and local and state control, in order to fast-track construction and acquisition of domestic infrastructure for a campaign of mass deportation,” wrote the lawmakers.

“DOD’s warfighter contract vehicles are being misused to facilitate the largest immigrant detention camp system since World War II’s detention of persons of Japanese ancestry. This bill and report language will allow Congress to reassert appropriate oversight and restore original legislative intent surrounding these authorities,” the lawmakers conclude.

Senator Welch was joined by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.).

Read the full letter hereand below:

Dear Chairman McConnell and Ranking Member Coons:

We write to request your inclusion of language in the FY27 Defense Appropriations bill and report tightening control and oversight over the Department’s use of DOD expeditionary contract vehicles for domestic immigration enforcement. Congress intended contract vehicles such as the Worldwide Expeditionary Multiple Award Contract (WEXMAC) to give DOD exceptional authority to provide accelerated and flexible logistical and support services to U.S. expeditionary forces around the world. Yet in recent months, DOD has deviated from this purpose by allowing DHS to use WEXMAC-TITUS to bypass federal acquisition procedures and local and state control, in order to fast-track construction and acquisition of domestic infrastructure for a campaign of mass deportation.

To restore WEXMAC to its intended purpose, we respectfully request inclusion of the following bill and report language in the FY27 Defense Appropriations bill:

Bill language: SEC. ___. PROHIBITION AGAINST THE USE OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FUNDING TO SUPPORT DOMESTIC IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT OPERATIONS. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the Department of Defense by this Act may be used to enter into any new contract or agreement or to execute any existing contract or agreement whose primary purpose is expeditionary logistics, contingency contracting, base operations support, theater opening or sustainment contracting, and operational contract support, for the purpose of supporting domestic immigration enforcement operations for the Department of Homeland Security.

Report language: Report and Briefing—The Committee is concerned by reports that the Department of Homeland Security has used the Department of Defense’s WEXMAC-TITUS contracting vehicle to bypass standard federal contracting guidelines, state and local oversight and approval, farmland and rural land preservation guidelines, and standard environmental review requirements. Within 60 days of enactment, the committee requests a report and briefing by the Department on actions by the Department to (1) amend regulations to clarify that “humanitarian assistance” and “logistics support” for purposes of the WEXMAC-TITUS vehicle shall not include incarceration or detention of humans; (2) bring WEXMAC-TITUS in line with federal competitive bidding procurement regulations requiring public notice and competitive bidding; (3) ensure that state and local zoning laws and approval regulations are respected by WEXMAC-TITUS federal procurement processes; (4) require all DHS facilities contracted through DOD vehicles to undergo full environmental impact studies with regards to sewage and water usage for detention purposes. The committee also requests that the Department share all WEXMAC-TITUS contract documents and all amounts spent on detention-related warehouses, facilities, and services for DHS with the committees on armed services and appropriations.

DOD’s warfighter contract vehicles are being misused to facilitate the largest immigrant detention camp system since World War II’s detention of persons of Japanese ancestry. This bill and report language will allow Congress to reassert appropriate oversight and restore original legislative intent surrounding these authorities.

Sincerely,

###


Young Attends Heartland BioWorks Groundbreaking in Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS – Today, U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) joined Hoosier leaders from government, industry, and academia for a groundbreaking ceremony on the Heartland BioWorks HQ, a $24.3 million biomanufacturing workforce training and innovation facility located in the 16 Tech Innovation District in downtown Indianapolis.

Heartland BioWorks will offer a centralized training facility with world-recognized curriculum to rapidly provide individuals with the hands-on, industry-grade preparation required. The facility is funded with $18.3 million from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) as part of the CHIPS and Science Act, which Young helped author, and a $6 million investment from Eli Lilly and Company for state-of-the-art laboratory and pilot-scale process simulation equipment.

“When I helped author and pass the CHIPS and Science Act, this is the kind of national impact I envisioned,” said Senator Young. “Heartland BioWorks is proving that the Midwest can lead the next generation of American innovation by developing the talent, technology, and partnerships needed to secure our nation’s economic and biosciences future.”

The 20,000-square-foot, two-story building will be the first centralized biomanufacturing training facility in the multi-state Midwest region and is expected to open in mid-2027.


Please Join me for our Virtual Town Hall on May 19, 2026 at 6:30 PM

Please be advised that I will be hosting a Virtual Town Hall next Tuesday, May 19, starting at 6:30 PM.

To sign up, please register here - https://tthm.com/RepLynch