Padilla, Markey, Merkley, Democratic Colleagues Sound Alarm on Homeland Security Proposal to Develop Biometric Smart Glasses

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, joined Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), to lead their Democratic colleagues in pushing back on the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) dangerous budget proposal which includes the development of “smart glasses” for its immigration enforcement officers and agents.

In a letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, the Senators warn that these smart glasses would allow DHS officers and agents to quickly identify individuals in public by covertly taking their photo and running it through biometric identification systems — such as facial recognition software — threatening the privacy and civil liberties of every person in the United States. These biometric smart glasses are the latest example of the Trump Administration’s growing surveillance state, which is intended to silence dissent and intimidate people in communities across the country.

“Given DHS’s record during the Trump administration of exploiting surveillance technologies, we are deeply concerned that smart glasses will be abused by this administration,” wrote the Senators. “Over the past year, DHS has deployed biometric identification tools — including facial recognition technologies — to identify individuals engaged in protest activity, intimidate them, and deter lawful dissent. The Trump administration seems to relish these practices, which endanger the core democratic right to challenge the government without fear of punishment. Smart glasses would provide yet another opportunity for DHS to extend its surveillance capabilities and intimidate individuals across the country.”

In addition to Padilla, Markey, and Merkley, the letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.).

Earlier this year, Padilla and his Democratic colleagues called for an investigation of DHS agencies, including ICE, over warrantless purchases of Americans’ location data.

Padilla has strongly opposed President Trump’s cruel and indiscriminate mass deportation agenda and denial of basic services for detained individuals. In March, Padilla opposed Mullin’s confirmation to be Secretary of Homeland Security. Padilla has also confronted former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on the Trump Administration’s cruel mass deportation and detention campaign, attacks on legal immigration, and efforts to meddle in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections. Padilla has attended a series of bicameral spotlight forums to denounce DHS officers and agents’ unlawful arrests of U.S. citizens, violent tactics, and disproportionate use of force. He also co-led a letter denouncing the Trump Administration’s stops, arrests, detentions, and deportations of U.S. citizens.

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

Dear Secretary Mullin,

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) 2027 budget proposal to develop “smart glasses” for biometric identification presents a grave threat to the privacy and civil rights of people across the United States. DHS’s proposed smart glasses could allow its agents to identify individuals, including U.S. citizens, in real time by covertly collecting their biometric information — for example, through a facial scan — without their knowledge or consent. Given the Trump Administration’s record of abusing surveillance technologies, DHS would be able to weaponize smart glasses and turn them into an authoritarian tool against anyone who speaks out against President Trump. DHS should immediately abandon any plans it has to develop this technology.

The Trump administration’s proposal to develop smart glasses represents a chilling expansion of its surveillance state. According to DHS’s own budget documents, the Department seeks $7.5 million to develop new technologies and analytics tools for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), including smart glasses to “equip agents with real-time access to information and biometric identification capabilities in the field.” Smart glasses are designed to be indistinguishable from regular glasses but include small cameras, which would enable ICE and CBP officers to capture thousands of images of faces each day — without the subjects’ knowledge or consent — and identify them with biometric recognition technology. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that data collected would only be used for immigration enforcement. In essence, DHS wants to provide its officers with a tool to quickly and covertly identify members of the public, a breathtaking expansion of its technological capacity to surveil the American people.

The dangers here are obvious. This technology can easily be co-opted to support the wrongful arrest, detainment, and deportation of U.S. citizens or other lawful residents and immigrants, as the Department has already done since the start of the second Trump administration. An ICE officer could use smart glasses to identify and later target peaceful protesters, even exploiting that information to create a database of President Trump’s political opponents. A CBP officer wearing smart glasses in the field could covertly scan thousands of faces a day, cross referencing them against social media and government databases to flag journalists, activists or critics for detention. Meanwhile, immigration enforcement officers continue to use face coverings to avoid being identified in public, underscoring the irony of agents’ desire for privacy while simultaneously using privacy invasive technology. Such frictionless, real-time surveillance is un-American. Every person in the United States has the right to move through daily life without fear that the federal government is tracking, scanning, and cataloguing their every step.

Given DHS’s record during the Trump administration of exploiting surveillance technologies, we are deeply concerned that smart glasses will be abused by this administration. Over the past year, DHS has deployed biometric identification tools — including facial recognition technologies — to identify individuals engaged in protest activity, intimidate them, and deter lawful dissent. For example, in Portland, Maine, an ICE officer recorded a protester on video and told her that her information would go into a so-called “domestic terrorist” database. In a separate incident, an ICE agent, without consent, photographed a Minneapolis woman documenting ICE activity in her neighborhood and then recited her personal information to her, including her address — a clear intimidation tactic. The woman later described being terrified by the encounter. The Trump administration seems to relish these practices, which endanger the core democratic right to challenge the government without fear of punishment. Smart glasses would provide yet another opportunity for DHS to extend its surveillance capabilities and intimidate individuals across the country.

DHS’s funding request for smart glasses continues the Administration’s unaccountable expansion of its surveillance infrastructure under the banner of national security. Since the start of President Trump’s second term, we have repeatedly sounded the alarm on DHS’s abuses of its growing arsenal of surveillance tools. We, individually or as a group, have written oversight letters requesting detailed information about ICE’s “Mobile Fortify” facial recognition application; CBP’s nationwide network of license plate readers; DHS’s use of predictive algorithms to identify national security threats; DHS’s monitoring of social media information; and DHS’s deployment of Predator drones to observe protesters. DHS or its subcomponents have refused to provide a meaningful response to any of these inquiries. The pattern is unmistakable: DHS continues to introduce powerful new surveillance technologies while stonewalling legitimate congressional oversight. That is unacceptable.

Given the serious risk to the privacy and civil liberties of Americans, DHS should abandon its plans to develop and deploy smart glasses. In the meantime, the Department owes the American people answers about its plans to deploy such an invasive and dangerous technology. Please respond to the following questions in writing by June 4, 2026:

1. Please describe all evaluations DHS has conducted regarding the civil rights and privacy implications of deploying smart-glasses technologies. In your response:

Identify and describe any assessments of how such technologies would affect the privacy rights of individuals whose images or data may be captured, including bystanders and other non-targets.

Describe any analysis of whether biometric identification through smart glasses could chill lawful activity protected by the First Amendment.

State whether DHS has evaluated the risks of misidentification, disparate impact, or other discriminatory outcomes associated with these technologies, and provide any findings.

Describe any safeguards DHS has considered or adopted to prevent misuse by DHS personnel or contractors.

Identify any Privacy Threshold Analyses, Privacy Impact Assessments, or third party audits conducted or commissioned in connection with smart-glasses technologies, and provide copies. If none have been conducted, state whether DHS intends to do so and provide a timeline for completion and public release.

2. Please describe DHS’s anticipated practices regarding the collection, use, and retention of biometric data in connection with any deployment of smart glasses. In your response:

Identify the categories of biometric data that would be collected and the legal authorities supporting such collection.

Describe how DHS would provide meaningful notice and obtain consent from individuals whose biometric data may be captured, including bystanders and nontargets.

Specify applicable retention periods and the policies governing data minimization, deletion, and access controls.

State whether individuals will be able to request deletion of their biometric data and, if so, describe the procedures that will govern such requests and ensure timely and complete compliance.

Explain how DHS will ensure compliance with applicable state biometric privacy laws, including requirements related to notice, consent, retention, and restrictions on data sharing.

3. Please identify any third parties with which DHS has contracted or otherwise partnered to develop, test, or deploy smart-glasses technologies, and describe the scope and terms of those engagements.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

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Reed Celebrates $4.4 Million Federal Earmark for Rocky Point Gateway Project

WARWICK, RI – As part of the continued revitalization of Rocky Point State Park, U.S. Senator Jack Reed today delivered a $4.4 million earmark to the City of Warwick for upgrades to the north and south entranceways to Rocky Point along Palmer Avenue and Rocky Point Avenue.

Senator Reed was joined by Warwick Mayor Frank Picozzi and George Shuster, Jr. of the Rocky Point Foundation to celebrate the funding and get a sneak peak of the coming improvements.

Thanks to a $4.4 million federal earmark secured by Senator Reed, the City of Warwick will move forward with the Rocky Point Gateway Project to enhance roadway and pedestrian accessibility to the park and create inviting new entranceways that are worthy of the park’s history and natural beauty.

“Like so many Rhode Islanders, I have great memories of Rocky Point. From amusement park to state park, the work that we’ve been able to do here has helped to ensure that future generations of Rhode Islanders get to share and make new memories here too,” said Reed, who was an early champion of ensuring public access to the property. “This $4.4 million federal investment will shore up the park’s entryways for visitors now and in the future and improve public access to this beautiful park and shoreline.”

“Rocky Point is one of Rhode Island’s most treasured destinations, and these improvements will create welcoming entrances that match the beauty and history of the park,” said Mayor Picozzi. “We’re grateful to Senator Reed for his continued support and investment in Warwick.”

In 2003, Senator Reed secured the initial $2.2 million federal earmark that enabled the City of Warwick to acquire 41 acres of land at the park. After acquiring the remaining 80+ acres with the support of additional federal and state funds, state and local leaders moved forward with creating the Rocky Point State Park in 2014.

Throughout the park, signage and plaques help preserve and remember the rich history of Rocky Point, highlighting significant events and artifacts from the park. In 1877, Rocky Point was the site where President Rutherford B. Hayes made the first official telephone call by a U.S. President, receiving a call from Alexander Graham Bell in Providence. And in 1914, during a Providence Grays baseball game, legendary slugger Babe Ruth launched a homerun ball into the waters of Narragansett Bay.


In Case You Missed It… Sen. Rick Scott in the Daily Wire: Victory in Iran, Nothing Less

WASHINGTON, D.C. Earlier this week, Senator Rick Scott published an op-ed in the Daily Wire explaining why American victory, and nothing less, should be Washington’s focus in military operations against Iran.

In the op-ed, Senator Rick Scott wrote, “Iran’s radical Islamic leadership has chanted ‘Death to America’ for nearly half a century. To them, that’s not a slogan; it’s a promise. When your enemy tells you who they are, believe them.

…

“This is the greatest nuclear threat America has faced since the Soviet Union fell. Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon for deterrence. The regime actively wants to detonate a nuclear weapon in our homeland and kill millions of Americans. Our nation has never experienced such a violent tragedy, and we cannot passively watch Iran achieve that ambition.

…

“If your neighbor spent the last decade saying he wants to burn your house down, you might dismiss him as crazy. But if he starts making Molotov cocktails in his garage, you’d worry he wants to use them. It doesn’t take more than common sense to predict his target.

…

“At a time like this, we need to focus on helping warriors accomplish the mission, not bicker about process in Washington and speculate on cable news.”

Read the full article HERE

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Rosen, Cornyn Introduce Bill to Combat Fuel Theft by Cartels

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced a bill to address fuel theft by cartels in Mexico. The bipartisan Stop Fueling Cartel Violence Act would require the Department of Defense to report to Congress on its efforts to clamp down on fuel smuggling by criminal groups in Mexico.

Transnational Criminal Organizations in Mexico steal fuel by illegally tapping pipelines, seizing trucks, and conducting sophisticated cross-border smuggling schemes. These criminal groups profit by selling the stolen or trafficked fuel at lower prices on the black market to evade taxes and get rich, leading to a major rise in violence in Mexico that then bleeds into the United States. Communities near pipelines are experiencing cartel-connected shootings, extortion, and intimidation. In recent years, the illicit trade has expanded beyond Mexico, with fuel smuggling linked to international money laundering and cross-border criminal operations, making it an economic, energy, and national security issue.

“Fuel theft in Mexico has become the most significant source of non-drug revenue for cartels, enabling them to sustain their illegal operations on both sides of the border, and we must take action to combat it.” said Senator Rosen. “I am proud to help introduce this bipartisan bill to help clamp down on the cartels’ ability to profit off of stolen fuel and crude oil, and I will continue to work across party lines to protect American families.”

“Cartels and other criminal groups in Mexico are developing increasingly sophisticated methods to steal or smuggle hydrocarbon products, sell them on the black market, and use the profits to fund the drug and human trafficking that infiltrates our communities and kills innocent Americans every day,” Cornyn said.

Senator Rosen has been a leader in the fight against cartels and illicit drug trafficking. She recently helped introduce legislation to combat illicit gold mining by transnational criminal organizations, including drug trafficking organizations, in the Western Hemisphere. Senator Rosen also helped introduce legislation to stop illicit drug trafficking through commercial aircraft, railroads, vehicles, and ships. She also helped pass into law the bipartisan FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which requires the President to sanction drug rings involved in international drug trafficking.


Rosen, Cortez Masto Deliver Natural Disaster, Emergency Funding for Nevada

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) delivered over $3.5 million in funding to community projects across Nevada for disaster mitigation and for emergency planning and response. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill recently signed into law provides a full year of funding to the Secret Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and Coast Guard. It does not include any additional funding for ICE and Border Patrol.

“I’m proud to have helped pass this legislation to pay TSA officers and other federal employees in Nevada, while securing critical funding for projects in our state to keep hardworking families safe,” said Senator Rosen. “I’ll continue working across party lines to make sure Nevada gets its fair share of federal resources to support our first responders and protect Nevadans.”

“I’ve been calling for the passage of this bill to pay FEMA, TSA, Secret Service, and Coast Guard employees for months,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I’m glad to see it finally signed into law and on its way to delivering critical support for federal employees and projects across rural Nevada and Las Vegas.”

A full breakdown of the funding can be found below:

$1.1 million to fund the installation of new backup generators at the Flamingo Water Resource Center (FWRC) wastewater treatment facility, which will provide resilience during power outages.

$1 million to help Clark County fund critical upgrades to the emergency notification, communication, and information management systems at the South Site Emergency Operations Center.

$500,000 for Humboldt County to repurpose a historic Air Force Base as the County’s emergency operations center.

$375,000 for Lyon County to purchase and install emergency backup generators for the Lyon County Administrative Complex, Yerington Senior Center, Silver Springs Senior Center, and Dayton Senior Center.

$338,000 to formulate and document viable alternatives to address the persistent flooding issues experienced throughout the Town of Pahrump.

$323,000 to help Nye County develop construction-ready solutions to mitigate dangerous flooding conditions that regularly threaten both motorists and pedestrians during inclement weather.

$150,000 for the City of Las Vegas to make upgrades at their emergency operations center.

Senator Rosen has been a champion for Nevada’s first responders and their families. Senator Rosen helped pass the bipartisan Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act into law, expanding access to federal support for the families of first responders who pass away or become permanently disabled from service-related cancers. Additionally, Senator Rosen has secured critical funding for Nevada’s first responders, including $8 million to support hiring efforts for firefighters through the Fire Grants and Safety Act she helped pass into law.

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Rosen, Curtis Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Help Protect Drinking Water Infrastructure During Extreme Heat

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and John Curtis (R-UT) introduced a bill to help protect drinking water infrastructure in the case of extreme heat or cold. The bipartisan Protecting America’s Drinking Water from Extreme Temperatures Act would make extreme temperatures, like extreme heat, an eligible condition for public water systems to apply for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Midsize and Large Drinking Water Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Program, which is currently only available to bolster water infrastructure against extreme weather, natural disasters, and cybersecurity attacks. Their bill would also reauthorize the program – which is set to expire this year – through 2032. This legislation is cosponsored by Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE).

Communities facing extreme temperatures are especially vulnerable to drinking water contamination and interruptions. Rapid temperature changes can weaken underground drinking water pipes, and extreme heat can warm drinking water enough to grow toxic microorganisms and expose the water to plastic or metal pollutants from overheated pipes. In the case of extreme cold, pipes can burst and leave many homes without running water.

“Nevada has seen some of the hottest summers ever recorded over the past few years – putting at risk our ability to access clean drinking water when we need it the most,” said Senator Rosen. “Extreme temperatures pose as much of a threat to our infrastructure as other weather events. That’s why I’m glad to introduce this bipartisan bill to ensure our communities can qualify for federal resources to strengthen public water systems.”

“From prolonged heat to freezing winter conditions, extreme weather can threaten access to safe, reliable drinking water for communities across Utah and the West,” said Senator Curtis. “This bipartisan bill gives local water systems greater flexibility to strengthen infrastructure before emergencies happen and helps ensure families can continue to count on clean water no matter the weather.”

“Americans count on their government to ensure they have access to clean water, especially during extreme heat and extreme cold,” said Senator Blunt Rochester. “We must properly invest in the resiliency of the infrastructure that makes it happen. I am proud to stand with Senators Rosen and Curtis to introduce the bipartisan Protecting Midsize and Large Drinking Water Systems from Extreme Temperature Act.”

Senator Rosen has worked to ensure that Nevadans have the support they need to stay safe during natural disasters, including extreme temperatures. Last summer, she introduced a bill to qualify extreme heat as a major disaster, which would make more federal resources available for affected communities. For years, she has been calling on the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide federal assistance to address extreme heat in Nevada. Senator Rosen has also supported legislation to cut red tape and make it easier for individuals and families devastated by natural disasters, such as wildfires or severe weather, to request federal assistance.

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Schmitt Statement One Year After St. Louis Tornado

U.S. SENATE – Today U.S Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) released the following statement ahead of the one year anniversary of the tornado that hit St. Louis.

“One year ago today, St. Louis was forever changed by a devastating tornado that stole the lives of five Missourians, upended hundreds of families, and left lasting scars in communities throughout our city. One year later, the pain of that day is still fresh—but so is the determination to rebuild. I could not be prouder to see St. Louisans rally together with the common goal of supporting each other. I know that only together—we will recover,” said Senator Eric Schmitt. Since the storm, I’ve been working hand and glove with Mayor Spencer, Governor Kehoe, and the Trump administration to secure critical resources to help St. Louis. We’ve made meaningful progress—but there’s still work to be done, and I look forward to continuing these partnerships to help make these communities whole again.”

Background:

Senator Schmitt was the first member of the federal delegation to tour the devastation and advocated directly with President Trump and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles for St. Louis to receive federal support that same weekend.

On May 21, 2025 Senator Schmitt sent a letter to President Trump, requesting immediate action on Governor Mike Kehoe’s disaster declarations for the storm that touched down in St. Louis on May 16. Read the full letter Senator Schmitt led HERE.

Senator Schmitt pushed for the approval of these declarations, and on June 9, it was announced that President Trump approved a Major Disaster Declaration for Missouri, unlocking critical federal resources. Read the release HERE.

On August 1, 2025, Senator Schmitt led the entire Missouri federal congressional delegation in a letter to FEMA writing in support for private property debris removal assistance. Read the full letter Senator Schmitt led HERE.

Senator Schmitt followed up on that letter with direct advocacy with the Trump Administration for St. Louis to receive a mission, and on September 18th, Senator Schmitt secured a debris removal mission, estimated to include $180 million in federal funding alongside technical assistance from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Read the release Senator Schmitt led HERE.

Senator Schmitt remained, and continues to remain, in close communication with the Trump Administration, the Governor’s Office, and the Mayor’s Office throughout the review process to advocate for St. Louis to receive debris removal assistance.

Senator Schmitt has also been in contact with Mayor Spencer and has met with the Trump Administration on multiple occasions to advocate for a potential U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant Disaster Relief allocation.

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Tuberville, Husted Make Move to Crack Down on Student Aid Fraud

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Education and the American Family, and U.S. Senator Jon Husted (R-OH) introduced the Student Aid Fraud Oversight and Accountability Act. This bill would implement strong safeguards to prevent student aid fraud.

The bill would target “ghost students,” a stolen or fabricated identity that impersonates a student to enroll in classes to fraudulently obtain federal and state financial aid. These scammers, often operating in coordinated, international networks, collect grants and financial aid, then disappear without ever attending classes, leaving taxpayers holding the bill.

This comes as Sens. Tuberville and Husted co-lead a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP) task force centered on rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse in federal funding.

“Our students spend years paying back debts from higher education institutions that are oftentimes recklessly spending their money without any sort of accountability,” said Sen. Tuberville.“Bad actors steal student aid funds and never pay them back—meanwhile actual students pay the price when they aren’t allowed to take the courses needed to graduate. This bill creates much needed oversight that puts the student and taxpayer first and holds our universities accountable.”

“Criminals are exploiting financial aid programs by impersonating students, which is wasting taxpayer dollars that could be going to the students who need it the most,” said Sen. Husted.“This bill would strengthen oversight capabilities at the Department of Education to ensure federal aid goes to real students while protecting hard-earned taxpayer dollars.”

Sens. Tuberville and Husted were joined by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) in introducing the bill. U.S. Congressman Glenn Thompson (R-PA-15) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives which passed out of the Education and Workforce Committee in March.

Read full text of the bill here.

BACKGROUND:

Specifically, the Student Aid Fraud Oversight and Accountability Act would create an oversight mechanism requiring the Department of Education to identify institutions that disburse federal aid to applicants flagged for potential fraud. Schools that are flagged would then be placed in a priority category for program review, audits and other oversight. Schools can be exempted if they verify student identities through an in-person or live video call, before aid is dispersed.

MORE:

Tuberville Helps Introduce Bill Targeting Financial Aid Fraud

Tuberville Introduces Bill to Prevent Illegals from Receiving Federal Student Loans

Tuberville Joins Colleagues in Introducing Legislation to Provide Transparency for Students

Tuberville, Banks Call for End of Taxpayer-Funded Student Loans for Terrorists

Tuberville, Grassley Introduce Bill to Help Students Navigate College Costs

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

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Warren, Sanders, Blumenthal, Heinrich, Probe Major Airlines On Fare and Fee Increases as Jet Fuel Costs Spike Due To Trump’s Iran War

Flights are almost 20% more expensive to fly this year than at the same time last year.

“Americans are paying the high price for President Trump’s war.”

Text of Delta Letter (PDF) | Text of United Letter (PDF) | Text of American Letter (PDF) | Text of JetBlue Letter (PDF) | Text of Alaska Letter (PDF) | Text of Southwest Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) pressed the CEOs of the six biggest U.S. airlines over how they plan to address rising jet fuel costs as President Trump’s war in Iran continues to increase costs for American businesses and consumers.

Following President Trump's launch of attacks on Iran, global oil and fuel markets fell into chaos. Before the start of the war, the average jet fuel price was $2.50. By the end of April, jet fuel prices had climbed to $4.51, increasing by 80%.

One of the airlines impacted, Spirit Airlines, was set to successfully emerge from bankruptcy when the jet fuel increases hit, delivering the final nail in the coffin that drove the airline to collapse.

Reporting initially suggested the Trump administration might enter into a $500 million deal to bail out Spirit and was considering a similar $2.5 billion action on behalf of other value carriers, who have been “disproportionately affected by the run-up in fuel prices.”

However, in late April, “Spirit was informed that this potential new financing was no longer an available option,” and on May 2, Spirit announced that the company had begun to wind down operations and had cancelled all flights. In a declaration filed in bankruptcy court, Spirit’s Chief Financial Officer blamed geopolitical events, pointing to Trump’s war with Iran, which caused a “massive and sustained increase in fuel prices” that “will require U.S. airlines to spend billions of incremental dollars on fuel in 2026.”

Travelers are facing potentially permanent fare and fee increases from airlines following the beginning of President Trump’s war:

American announced it raised bag fees by $10 to $50 for the first bag and $60 for the second bag.

United Airlines claims it aims to pass on 100% of the fuel increase to passengers, hiking fares by as much as 20 percent and raising checked bag fees by $10 to $50.

Delta Air Lines raised checked bag fees by $10, to $45 for the first bag and $55 for the second. Delta has also announced that it will eliminate food and beverage services for all flights shorter than 350 miles for all passengers who are not in first class.

Southwest Airlines also raised checked bag fees by $10, to $45 for the first bag and $55 for the second.

Alaska Airlines raised checked bag fees by $5 for the first bag and $10 for the second.

JetBlue is reportedly working to “identify flights”— presumably to eliminate — that “won't bring in enough revenue to cover the costs of fuel, airport landing fees, and maintenance” and has raised baggage fees for economy passengers by up to almost $10 to a minimum of $39.

“Americans are paying the high price for President Trump’s war,” wrote the senators.

Yet, there has been no indication from airlines that they will take other measures — such as capping executive pay or limiting stock buybacks and dividends — to offset costs. CEOs continue to rake in exorbitant profits: in 2025, American’s CEO made more than $13.8 million, United's CEO made more than $32.2 million, Delta's CEO made more than $19.2 million, Southwest's CEO made more than $16.5 million, Alaska's CEO made more than $9.9 million, and JetBlue’s CEO made more than $5.1 million.

To inform work addressing the pressure on American families from rising costs, the senators requested that the airlines answer questions by May 29, including airlines’ profit margins in 2025, how the airlines determine fares, whether the companies plan to offset rising costs by reducing CEO pay or limiting stock buybacks and dividends, and whether and when airlines will bring fares and fees back down if jet fuel costs decrease.

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Welch, Klobuchar, Colleagues Raise Concerns about the USDA Research, Education, and Economics Mission Area Reorganization

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, joined Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and 22 fellow Senate Democrats in raising strong concerns about the reorganization of the Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

“We write with strong concern regarding the reorganization and restructuring of the Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),” wrote the Senators. “While we support actions to improve efficiencies and enhance service, this effort will erode the capacity of USDA’s research agencies and threaten their ability to deliver innovation and timely economic data for farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.”

“In order to address these concerns, we ask that you provide a detailed description of actions the Department has taken to minimize disruptions to farmers, ranchers, and ag researchers and adhere to recommendations as outlined by GAO regarding agency reorganizations,” the Senators continued. “As strong supporters of USDA’s research agencies, it is our goal to make sure the REE mission functions as Congress intends – focused on helping farmers, ranchers, and rural communities overcome the challenges they face through scientific innovation and complex data analysis.”

Along with Senator Welch and Ranking Member Klobuchar, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Angus King (I-Maine), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

The full letter is available here and below:

Dear Deputy Secretary Vaden:

We write with strong concern regarding the reorganization and restructuring of the Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). While we support actions to improve efficiencies and enhance service, this effort will erode the capacity of USDA’s research agencies and threaten their ability to deliver innovation and timely economic data for farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.

Previous relocations of the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) in 2018 and 2019 resulted in dramatic staff losses, as outlined in a December 2022 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). In their publication, GAO noted that this relocation resulted in ERS and NIFA losing over half their staff, with the USDA failing to engage employees, Congress, and stakeholders throughout the relocation process or follow best management practices.

Agencies of the REE mission area were also impacted by dramatic staff losses in 2025, including a loss of over 30 percent of staff within the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). These staff losses have real and immediate impacts on farmers, with many stakeholders now questioning the reliability of USDA’s own data reports. The REE reorganization and restructuring announced this April proposes to relocate REE mission area staff to over 27 different locations within months, but specific details of the relocations remain unclear. This could result in decreased agency capacity, further deteriorating the Department’s ability to conduct research, administer funding, and produce timely and reliable data products.

In order to address these concerns, we ask that you provide a detailed description of actions the Department has taken to minimize disruptions to farmers, ranchers, and ag researchers and adhere to recommendations as outlined by GAO regarding agency reorganizations. Additionally, we ask that you detail your engagement with REE mission area staff, including plans to engage with staff covered by existing collective bargaining agreements as well as non-bargaining unit employees. Proactive and ongoing engagement with these employees will be necessary to prevent major disruptions to research, data collection, and education.

As strong supporters of USDA’s research agencies, it is our goal to make sure the REE mission functions as Congress intends – focused on helping farmers, ranchers, and rural communities overcome the challenges they face through scientific innovation and complex data analysis. Thank you for your attention to this issue, and we look forward to receiving your response within 30 days.

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Chairman Wicker Leads SASC Hearing on United States Central Command and United States Africa Command Posture for FY 2027

Watch Video Here

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today led a hearing to examine the posture of United States Central Command and United States Africa Command amid ongoing operations in the Middle East, the significant degradation of Iran in Operation Epic Freedom, growing threats from Islamist terrorist organizations, and increasing strategic competition from China and Russia across Africa.

Admiral Charles B. Cooper II, USN, Commander of United States Central Command, and General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, USAF, Commander of United States Africa Command, both testified before the committee.

In his opening remarks, Chairman Wicker emphasized the importance of sustaining pressure on Iran and countering growing threats from terrorist organizations, China, and Russia across the Middle East and Africa. The chairman also highlighted the critical role of United States Central Command and United States Africa Command in protecting American interests, combating terrorism, and responding to increasing strategic competition across both regions.

Read Chairman Wicker’s hearing opening statement as delivered.

We convene publicly after a classified session on the posture of U.S.?Central Command and U.S. Africa Command.??At the outset, I want to thank Admiral Cooper?and General Anderson for their distinguished service to their country as well their candid testimony during the closed session.

Let me start by addressing the situation in the Middle East. Throughout Operation Epic Fury, Admiral Cooper commanded our highly trained and courageous men and women in uniform as they executed an exceptional military campaign. That campaign has rendered the Islamic Republic of Iran a shadow of its former self. The effort has not been without significant losses, though. And certainly, we continue to honor the memory of the fourteen service members who lost their lives in this campaign, as well as the approximately [300] service members who have been injured.

Since 1979, Iran’s clerical regime has chosen to make the United States its number-one enemy. The motto of Iran’s ayatollahs has never been “God bless Iran” or “long live Iran.” They have chanted “Death to America, Death to Israel.” The regime states its murderous goals plainly. Its entire foreign policy revolves around killing others rather than building for its people.

As part of Iran’s war of choice against the United States, the regime has directed its terrorist proxies to kill hundreds of American service members, take dozens of Americans hostage, and assassinate senior American officials— including attempts on the life of President Trump. It has also developed a nuclear and ballistic missile program that aimed to hold multiple continents, and dozens of U.S. partners, at risk.

Every American president since Carter has had to deal with the consequences of Iran’s war on the United States. Yet rather than dealing with the problem, successive Democrat and Republican administrations sought so-called “de-escalation” with Iran. This often afforded Iran the time and resources to develop its nuclear program, the ballistic missile program, and global terrorist infrastructure.

I commend President Trump for recognizing that the Iranian regime cannot be appeased and for directing action to defeat this threat. Doing so will not be easy. The Iranian regime is deeply ideological and insists that it is winning even when it is losing by every conceivable metric. I look forward to Admiral Cooper sharing his assessment of how close we are to destroying Iran’s military capabilities. I would also like to hear what he needs from Congress to ensure our men and women in uniform have what they need to finish the job.

Failing to complete the Iran mission would send our adversaries a dangerous signal about our nation’s wherewithal and resolve. We would send it that erroneous message to Iran and other adversaries around the globe.

As we have seen, the nature and scope of the threats we face transcend geographic boundaries. This is particularly true as we look to Africa. That is where General Anderson comes in. The continent is not a distant concern for American national security. Rather, it is an arena of growing strategic consequence, defined by converging threats from adversarial nation-states like China and Russia, radical Islamist terrorism, and instability driven by weak governance.

China and Russia recognize the strategic importance of Africa. China is leveraging economic coercion, debt diplomacy, and military basing to support President Xi’s global ambitions. Through its mercenaries and other proxies, Russia is destabilizing fragile states and extracting resources in order to bankroll its malign activities in Ukraine and elsewhere around the world. I look to General Anderson to provide his assessment of Chinese and Russian objectives in Africa and to update the committee on how Africa Command is addressing the threat posed by these nefarious actors.

The terrorist threats across Africa remain persistent, adaptive, and dangerous. Increasingly, Africa is becoming the epicenter of global terrorism. Al-Qaeda and ISIS senior leadership now reside in Africa, and their terrorist affiliates are expanding in size, capability, and geographic reach — from the Sahel to the Horn of Africa. Their murderous ambitions are not confined to that continent. These groups remain intent on killing Americans around the world. Yet, significant shortfalls in key military capabilities, including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, complicate our ability to track these groups and the threat they pose.

So, we look to General Anderson to let the committee know how these resource shortfalls are impacting his ability to combat the terrorist threat, and where this committee can be helpful.


Senate Designates May 16 as “Kids to Parks Day”

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., and colleagues today applauded the Senate’s passage of their bipartisan resolution to empower young people and their families to get outdoors and promote healthy outdoor recreation by designating May 16, 2026 National Kids to Parks Day.

Started in 2011 with the National Park Trust, the fifteenth annual Kids to Parks Day kicks off a summer-long series of events at local, state and national parks. The Senate passed the resolution by unanimous consent last night.

“Appreciation for our beautiful outdoor spaces is in the DNA of every Oregonian,” Wyden said. “This bipartisan National Kids to Parks Day resolution recognizes the generational connection of Oregonians enjoying and preserving our beloved outdoor spaces for years to come.

“Time outdoors gives children the chance to be active, curious, and connected to the world around them,” Hyde-Smith said. “National Kids to Parks Day is a great reminder for families to step away from screens, explore our parks and trails, and enjoy the natural beauty we’re fortunate to have in Mississippi and across the country.”

“We are excited that National Kids to Parks Day is commemorating its Sweet 16 --16 years of park celebration and appreciation on May 16th. This initiative, launched by National Park Trust in 2010, inspires families to get outside, connect with nature, and support the parks they love. Spending time enjoying our public lands and parks plays a vital role in children’s health and well-being. We also believe that kids who grow up exploring parks are more likely to become the future stewards these spaces need to thrive,” said Grace Lee, executive director of National Park Trust.

Wyden and Hyde-Smith were joined by Senators Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V., Jim Justice, R-W.V., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Chris Coons, D-Del., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., in introducing the resolution.

The text of the resolution is here.

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Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Raise Concerns about Trump Administration’s USDA Reorganization

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today joined Senate colleagues in questioning how Trump’s reorganization of the Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area at the U.S. Department of Agriculture will affect farmers and ranchers in Oregon and nationwide.

“We write with strong concern regarding the reorganization and restructuring of the Research, Education, and Economics (REE) mission area at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),” the senators wrote to Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden. “While we support actions to improve efficiencies and enhance service, this effort will erode the capacity of USDA’s research agencies and threaten their ability to deliver innovation and timely economic data for farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.”

“In order to address these concerns, we ask that you provide a detailed description of actions the Department has taken to minimize disruptions to farmers, ranchers, and ag researchers and adhere to recommendations as outlined by GAO regarding agency reorganizations,” the senators continued. “As strong supporters of USDA’s research agencies, it is our goal to make sure the REE mission functions as Congress intends – focused on helping farmers, ranchers, and rural communities overcome the challenges they face through scientific innovation and complex data analysis.”

The Research, Education, and Economics mission area conducts critical research relating to agriculture production, pest and disease resistance, market transparency, and rural economies. In their letter, Wyden and Merkley highlighted that previous attempts at reorganizing the Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture in 2018 and 2019 resulted in dramatic staff losses and interrupted services for farmers and rural communities.

The letter was led by U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. In addition to Wyden and Merkley, the letter was cosigned by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., John Fetterman, D-Pa., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, Angus King, I-Maine, Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., Patty Murray, D-Wash., Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Rev. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and Peter Welch, D-Vt.


Wyden Presses Trump Administration Over Failure to Respond to Emerging Threat of Synthetic Opioids

Wyden warns reorganization of key agency could threaten substance abuse work on nitazenes and more

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today pressed the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) over its failure to adequately prepare for emerging drug threats like synthetic opioids known as nitazenes, as well as how its proposed reorganization of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will undermine the agency's work to combat substance abuse.

Today’s letter follows a response from HHS to Wyden’s call late last year for the Trump administration to crack down on the growing threat of synthetic opioids.

“Furthermore, I am concerned that recent decisions by HHS to dismantle SAMHSA and consolidate it within a larger agency, therefore weakening its existing powers, are inconsistent with the Department’s stated commitment to enhanced monitoring and rapid response,” Wyden wrote. “These actions risk undermining the ability of states and community-based organizations to detect and respond to emerging synthetic opioids, even as these threats accelerate.”

Nitazenes, a class of synthetic opioid are most commonly illicitly manufactured abroad and then smuggled into the United States. While originally developed as pain relievers in the 1950s, nitazenes were never approved for clinical use. Instead, nitazenes have entered the illicit drug supply and can be as much as ten times more potent than fentanyl. Many times, nitazenes are not detectable during field toxicology tests, posing unique challenges to law enforcement’s counternarcotics strategies.

Since its inception in 1992, SAMHSA has been a linchpin in helping local communities fight the evolving drug and mental health crises in America. Earlier this year, the Trump administration announced the abrupt cancellation of $2 billion in funding for SAMHSA grants, but then backtracked on the funding cuts less than 24 hours later. Just last month, it was announced that the administration proposed a significant consolidation and reorganization of the agency under Donald Trump’s FY2027 budget, threatening staffing and funding levels.

Due to the recent surge in these drugs, Wyden warned that the Trump administration is still vastly unprepared to meet the challenge synthetic opioids are inflicting on people and communities in the United States.

The response from HHS to Sen. Wyden's previous letter is here.


Condemning ABC57’s Unprofessional Behavior

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The office of Congressman Rudy Yakym is condemning ABC57 for secretly recording a congressional intern without their knowledge as part of an ongoing effort to smear the Congressman.

“ABC57 has made clear they are not interested in journalism. They are interested in a hit job. Secretly recording an intern is a cowardly, unethical tactic that exposes exactly the kind of outlet they are. ABC57 has ignored every single bill that Congressman Yakym has introduced in the last two years, including legislation that became law. No statement from this office will be given to a network that operates in such an unprofessional manner.” – Ben Falkowski, Chief of Staff for Congressman Rudy Yakym

BACKGROUND

A recent ABC57 segment opened with a reporter calling Congressman Yakym’s office. This call was answered by an intern on her fourth day. Interns are not authorized to speak on the record to reporters and have no ability to schedule meetings or interviews with the Congressman. The intern was not informed the call was being recorded or that what she was saying was on the record for a news report. The intern performed admirably in the face of unprofessional and unethical behavior from a reporter who should know better than to engage in such deceptive tactics.

Here are the facts about ABC57:

Congressman Yakym has introduced 24 bills in the 119th Congress. This includes bills impacting local industries and honoring Lou Holtz. ABC57 has covered none of them.

One of Congressman Yakym’s bills became law, two have passed the House, and two have advanced out of their committees. ABC57 has covered none of them.

Congressman Yakym has sent 159 press releases on a range of national and local issues to news outlets, including ABC57 since the beginning of the 119th Congress. He has also posted hundreds of times on social media across all platforms, which are readily available to ABC57 and others. ABC57 has chosen not to avail themselves to these publicly available statements and statements sent to them directly.

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Reps. Yakym, Castro Launch U.S.- Mexico Caucus

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Congressman Rudy Yakym (IN-02) and Congressman Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20) launched the bipartisan U.S.-Mexico Caucus. They will lead as co-chairs of the Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, which will focus on strengthening the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico and facilitating a dialogue on trade, security, and culture.

Rep. Yakym speaks at the U.S. – Mexico Caucus launch.

“I’m proud to co-chair the U.S.-Mexico Congressional Caucus and help foster strong relations between our two countries,” Rep. Yakym said. “The U.S.-Mexico relationship is important for our shared economic security and national security. Hoosier manufacturers and farmers rely on Mexico for inputs and exports, while our communities count on a strong security relationship to keep fentanyl and other deadly drugs off the streets. I look forward to this caucus serving as a forum to deepen that relationship.”

“I am thrilled to announce the official launch of the U.S.-Mexico Caucus to strengthen the relationship between the United States and Mexico,” Rep. Castro said. “Our shared border, history and interests—particularly in trade, migration, and security—make the creation of this caucus relevant now more than ever. I am looking forward to working with Congressman Yaykm and my colleagues to continue building a bipartisan and collaborative U.S.-Mexico relationship and strengthening our bilateral policy approach.”

“America’s security and economic future are deeply connected to our relationship with Mexico,” Rep. Salazar, Chairwoman, House Foreign Affairs Western Hemisphere Subcommittee said. “From immigration to trade to energy security and the fight against the cartels, these challenges demand serious cooperation and strong leadership. I’m proud to join the bipartisan US-Mexico Caucus to deepen this alliance, strengthen America’s position in the region, and help build a safer, stronger, and more prosperous hemisphere.”

“This is a critical moment in U.S.-Mexico relations. Our two nations have so much to gain by drawing closer together — especially with the USMCA review on the horizon,” Rep. Stanton said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues in this caucus to strengthen our partnership with our Mexican counterparts on trade, security, and the deep people-to-people ties that bind our communities together.”

“Mexico and the United States are connected not only by our southern border, but also by mutual security challenges and shared economic interests,” Rep. McCaul said. “As the chair of the U.S.-Mexico Interparliamentary Group who recently led a delegation to Mexico, I’m very proud to join this caucus to ensure Congress continues to prioritize our bilateral relationship. Strengthening areas of collaboration — from agriculture to immigration to counter-narcotic efforts — will no doubt benefit both our nations and the broader region.”

“As Co-Chair of the U.S.-Mexico Interparliamentary Group, I know how important the U.S.-Mexico relationship remains for Laredo and communities across South Texas,” Rep. Cueller said. “Our economy, trade corridors, and daily way of life depend on strong coordination between both countries. Both nations need to continue working together to address security challenges, water issues, and strengthen military coordination along the border. This caucus will help bring leaders to the table, improve communication, and support the businesses, workers, and families who rely on a strong U.S.-Mexico partnership every day. I would like to thank Co-Chairs Congressman Castro and Congressman Yakym for leading this initiative.”

“This is about creating opportunity, prosperity and economic security for communities across the United States,” Sergio Gonzales, Founding President & CEO of the AMLC said. “So many of the sectors that drive our economy, from agriculture to finance, innovation and trade depend on a successful relationship with Mexico. America’s strength and competitiveness in the world are deeply connected to the success of this partnership.”

“The launch of this bipartisan caucus sends a strong message: the U.S.-Mexico relationship transcends politics,” Ambassador Nathalie Rayes, founder and co-chair of the American Mexican Leadership Council said. “It is about maintaining economic strength, striving towards shared security, and the millions of people whose lives are shaped by this partnership.”

Inaugural members of the U.S.-Mexico Caucus include:

Rep. Rudy Yakym (R-IN-02)

Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20)

Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA-33)

Rep. María Salazar (R-FL-27)

Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13)

Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06)

Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ-04)

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX-10)

Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX-16)

Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE-02)

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28)

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Yakym Votes to Fully Fund Veterans’ Healthcare, Invest in Military Infrastructure

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Rudy Yakym (IN-02) voted in favor of H.R. 8469, the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2027. The legislation fully funds veterans’ health care and benefits while making critical investments in military infrastructure, housing, and improving VA facilities.

“The men and women who served this country deserve care and benefits that match their sacrifice,” Rep. Yakym said. “This bill delivers on that promise. It fully funds veterans’ medical care, protects their constitutional rights, and invests in the military infrastructure our service members and their families rely on every day.”

Background:

The FY2027 MilCon-VA Appropriations Act provides $469.49 billion in total funding, including $157 billion in discretionary funding. Key provisions include:

Veterans’ Medical Care: Fully funds veterans’ medical care at $138.2 billion, equal to the President’s FY2027 Budget Request.

Military Construction: Provides $19.2 billion for critical investments in infrastructure, housing, and childcare for service members and their families.

Community Care: Fully funds the Community Care account, empowering veterans to seek specialty care that meets their individual needs.

VA Facility Upgrades: Invests over $2 billion in capital improvements for VA medical facilities and four national cemeteries.

Veterans’ Second Amendment Rights: Prevents the VA from transmitting veterans’ information to the FBI without a judge’s consent.

American Security: Prohibits the VA from purchasing resources from the People’s Republic of China and maintains the prohibition on closing Naval Station Guantanamo Bay.

Taxpayer Protections: Upholds the Trump Administration’s prohibition on taxpayer-funded abortion, DEI programs, and biological sex-rejecting procedures.

The legislation also provides $352.93 million for related agencies, including the American Battle Monument Commission, Arlington National Cemetery, and the Armed Forces Retirement Home.

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LEADER JEFFRIES STATEMENT ON ISLAMOPHOBIC ATTACK IN BROOKLYN

Know Your Immigration Rights

If you or a loved one encounter immigration enforcement officials, it is essential that you know your rights and have prepared your household for all possible outcomes.

Ask for a warrant: The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution protects you from unreasonable search and seizure. You do not have to open your door until you see a valid warrant to enter your home or search your belongings.

Your right to remain silent: The Fifth Amendment protects your right to remain silent and not incriminate yourself. You are not required to share any personal information such as your place of birth, immigration status or criminal history.

Always consult an attorney: You have a right to speak with an attorney. You do not have to sign anything or hand officials any documents without speaking to an attorney. Try to identify and consult one in advance.

The New York City Office of Civil Justice and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) support a variety of free immigration legal services through local nonprofit legal organizations. To access these resources, dial 311 and say “Action NYC,” call the MOIA Immigration Legal Support Hotline at 800-354-0365 Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. or visit MOIA’s website.


Whip Clark in Alabama: "We Are Going to Keep Fighting"

Montgomery, AL — Today, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) joined Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-7) and Members of the House Democratic Caucus for a press conference ahead of “All Roads Lead to the South” — a national day of action for voting rights. Below is a transcript of her remarks:

"House Democrats are here to stand with you, Terri, and with Congressman Figures. We are here to stand with the people of Alabama whose fundamental rights are under attack. We are here to stand with voters across this country. Because we are witnessing an assault on American democracy, at a scale that we have not seen in half a century.

"An attack on the legacy and the hard-won progress of those who organized, bled, and died across this state of Alabama. Americans who died so their children and grandchildren could know the taste of freedom and know the power of having a voice. So they could know that this is their democracy, too. Full stop. We will not let anyone steal that legacy.

"Montgomery has been in this fight before. Here in this city, the forces of freedom and democracy stood up to the forces of tyranny and racism. And we will wage that fight again. Because we’re not going back. We’re not going back to Jim Crow. We’re not going back to racist voter suppression. We’re not going to stand by while they decimate Black and Brown political power.

"Ella Baker told us what we need to do. She said, 'We who believe in freedom cannot rest.' And our dear friend and mentor — and we are so proud to have called him those two words — liked to tell us: 'Find a way to get in the way.' And that’s exactly what we’re going to do.

“We are going to keep fighting in the courts. We are going to fight for and pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. We are going to keep organizing and mobilizing in every community across this country. We are going to channel the fury that is out there — hardworking people across this country who can't work any faster or harder but are not making it because the system is rigged against them. And they know that we can't have a fair economy, we can't have fair opportunity, unless we have fair elections. So we are going to win back the People's House because we have the American people on our side. We have truth on our side. We have history on our side. And that is why we will triumph in the end.

"But it is so, so moving to be here with all of you. We see it, just like we did when John Lewis took us across that Edmund Pettus Bridge, with that steep rise on that bridge, that you're in the middle of it before you can see what awaits. And we know we're facing the same violence and ugliness that John Lewis and those foot soldiers faced. But we're going to cross it. And we're going to cross it together — and when we do, we will triumph."

To watch the full press conference, click HERE.

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Raskin Delivers Commencement Address at American University's Washington College of Law

On May 16, 2026, Representative Jamie Raskin (MD-08) delivered the commencement address at American University's Washington College of Law. These are his remarks as delivered:

Washington College of Law

Commencement Address

May 16, 2026

Good morning, Class of 2026! I’m very honored to be invited to spend the next hour and 45 minutes with you providing my analysis of the rise and fall of substantive due process jurisprudence between Griswold v. Connecticut and the Dobbs decision. Take out your notepads.

Graduates, Moms and Dads, brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts, husbands and wives, friends and cousins. Nico Menacho-Foronda, that was quite a speech man, that was really quite a speech. President Jonathan Alger, Provost Vicky Wilkins, Dean Heather Hughes, your very cool Board President Charlie Lydecker Members of the Board of Trustees, Trustee Mehdi Heravi, Members of the President’s Council, faculty, staff, graduates, and families, and above all, residents of Maryland’s beautiful 8th Congressional District. Professor Stephen Wermiel, Professor Brenda Smith, Adeen Postar. And fellow Emeritus professors, “emeritus” being Latin for “you no longer have an office, but you can keep your email address.”

I know a great story about Oliver Wendell Holmes, the famously absent-minded professor and Supreme Court Justice who was taking the train north from Union Station. When the Conductor came down the aisle collecting tickets, Justice Holmes could not find his ticket anywhere—he’s checking his pockets, his suit coat, his overcoat. But the conductor recognized him and said: “No problem, Justice Holmes. You ride all the time, and we know you have a ticket.” He walked on but Holmes kept searching, under the seat, overhead, on the floor. The Conductor returned and said: “Justice Holmes, honestly, we know you have a ticket and you need not worry another minute about finding it.”

And Holmes said to him: “Good Sir, you seem to think the problem is where is my ticket? The problem is where am I going?”

So where are you going today? It’s the question of the hour. But before we get there, permit me to say something personal about WCL because I was a ConLaw professor here for 25 years when our kids were small and my career was just starting out. With the sainted Tom Sargentich, I co-founded the Program on Law and Government. With Steve Wermiel, a luminous teacher, constitutional patriot, and WCL graduate himself, I co-founded the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project. I was adviser to the American Constitution Society and to the Federalist Society. I had remarkable students, not to mention great Dean’s Fellows, moot court advisees, and, most importantly, very reliable babysitters. All of these fine WCL grads today are judges, public defenders, prosecutors, managing partners of law firms, lawyers who make me proud, business people, and an impressive array of elected officials including a Boston City Councilwoman, a Nebraska State Senator, a Member of Congress I serve with from the Virgin Islands, the Majority Leader of the Maryland State House, a D.C. City Councilman and the Shadow Senator from the disenfranchised Capital City. I served with extraordinary Colleagues under remarkable Deans. I wrote books and law review articles. In fact, I was even the Academic Dean myself for awhile, although I confess I never figured out what I was supposed to do be doing in that job.

But I left the safety of our dazzling new campus in January 2017 to go to Congress, the same day Donald Trump was elected President. And since leaving the warm, supportive, and intellectually vibrant environment of WCL, I have lived through the following public events:

- A mass violent insurrection and attempted political coup at the Capitol;

- three total government shutdowns and two partial ones;

- a global pandemic;

- an unconstitutional war and several failed War Powers Act Resolutions;

- a Judiciary Committee hearing with the Attorney General of the United States who called me “a washed-up loser lawyer” and “not even a lawyer;”

- and a presidential assassination attempt several weeks ago just down the road a bit in April, during which I got thrown to the ground by a Secret Service Agent;

So my main message is, hell no, do not graduate. Stay right here at beautiful and safe WCL. Get an LLM or an SJD. Stay as long as you can! In fact, do you guys know whether they’ve found someone to take Steve Wermiel’s classes in the Fall yet? because I’ve brought my resume with me today.

But, alas, for both you and me, and fortunately for your parents, time rolls on, it stops for no one. You can’t stay on campus in the glory of youth forever. Academia has its place in our lives, and it dwells close in many hearts, especially the further away you get from it. But I assure you that there are other ways to keep learning and perhaps even better ways to contribute, to make your life count.

Now, distinguished graduates of 2026, maybe some of you believe we inhabit a Golden Age of peace, prosperity and fairness for all. And if you do, well, all I can say is more power to you.

But for the rest of you, I don’t need to tell you that we’re in the fight of our lives today to save constitutional democracy and the rule of law and freedom, which are in danger not just in America but all over the world. The dangers of authoritarianism, antisemitism, racism and fascism loom large, but other perils are on the near horizon too, including climate change—which is the overhanging crisis of civilization, and Artificial Intelligence, which can be part of our salvation and progress or an instrument of our disempowerment, dehumanization and even extinction, depending on how we manage it.

So I want to tell you—in the few minutes left before you graduate—that the most important thing you need to know to be prepared to join this fight is something you have not yet been taught in law school.

You’ve learned the body and content of essential legal subject matters. You know criminal law and civil procedure. You have had the chance to become expert in the Socratic Method and the Platonic Relationship.

But here’s the thing—nobody can ever really teach you or impress upon you: Nothing in the profession you are about to embark upon is self-executing. That is, the law of war is not like the law of gravity. It doesn’t work on its own. If someone commits war crimes, they just commit war crimes. If someone commits human rights violations, they just commit human rights violations. God does not strike them down. An indictment does not appear suddenly under their pillow like a dollar from the tooth fairy.

Every part of the Constitution just sits there on paper waiting for a citizen, a lawyer, to come along and make it real. The Freedom of Speech, the Establishment Clauses, Due Process, Equal Protection, the Foreign and Domestic Emoluments Clauses, the 15th Amendment, the 25th Amendment. The laws of the country—anti-trust, civil rights, voting rights, the laws against rape and sexual harassment—they all mean nothing unless and until citizens and lawyers decide to use them to fight for justice—in court, in the legislatures, in the streets. As my friend Dar Williams sings, “it’s a long road from law to justice.”

And that is where you come in—your values, your dreams, your convictions. The law in 2026 will only be as strong as your understanding of it, your physical and mental energy to engage with it and, above all, your moral and existential courage to fight for it.

Jean-Paul Sartre and the existentialists were right about this: the choice is yours.

I know a funny story about this that I learned from my Dad. The young Bobby Kennedy—a different Bobby Kennedy than the 21st Century version—was an attorney with the Senate Committee on Racketeering and he was questioning the mobbed-up union boss Jimmy Hoffa. He said, “Mr. Hoffa, as President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and Secretary-Treasurer of the Teamsters Mid-Atlantic Pension Fund, a man of your great power and resources is capable of doing both very great good and very great evil.” And Hoffa leaned into his microphone and said: “I intend to live up to both of my responsibilities.”

Now, I know Professor Wermiel has taught a seminar on what has happened to constitutional law in the Trump era. Someone else should teach a professional responsibility seminar on how lawyers have responded to the ethical dilemmas and political traps of practicing law in these mad times.

Some attorneys in Trump’s employ have acted like in-house mob lawyers who work not to stop their client from committing crimes and transgressions against the Constitution, but to facilitate and encourage them.

There was a coterie of lawyers who helped Trump try to steal the 2020 election, which Joe Biden one by more than 7 million votes, 306-232 in the Electoral College. Sidney Powell pled guilty in 2023 to six misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to interfere with elections.

A law school classmate of mine, whom I served on the Law Review with and who was a research assistant to Professor Laurence Tribe, pled guilty to a felony count of conspiracy to commit the filing of false documents in the fraudulent elector scheme. Jenna Ellis pled guilty in 2023 to a felony charge of aiding and abetting false statements and perjury. Stewart Rhodes, Yale Law School graduate and founder of the Oath Keepers, was convicted of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to 18 years in prison before Trump commuted his sentence. And he now wants a piece of the $1.7 billion pie at the new slush fund at the Department of Justice.

Rudy Guiliani was disbarred in New York and Washington in 2024 because he made knowingly false statements in multiple frivolous court challenges to the 2020 election. As he admitted outside of court, “we have a lot of theories, we just don’t have the evidence.” Law Professor and former Law Dean John Eastman was permanently disbarred in California for his role in the scheme to nullify and overturn the election. Numerous other lawyers have been sanctioned across the country for participating in the counterfeit electors’ scheme and making false statements in court alleging electoral fraud, claims that were rejected in 60 federal and state court decisions.

Look, politicians can, alas, lie freely in politics, but the Supreme Court has found that lawyers are officers of the Court and cannot knowingly lie to the bench. Indeed, nobody can perjure himself or herself in court. The law is not agnostic about the existence of the truth, which is why witnesses swear to tell “the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” And this is why we have evidentiary standards in court that revolve around proof beyond a reasonable doubt or clear and convincing evidence: we assume that the truth is actually true, as Daniel Berrigan once said of Dorothy Day and her approach to life. Our entire system of law and justice depends on the actual existence of that most beleaguered and endangered species, which we call facts.

In the current presidential term, the lawyers thrust most dangerously into the maelstrom have not been the couple dozen who chose to go to work for the President but the thousands he has targeted for their politics, their clients or their workplace.

Right after taking office, Trump unleashed unprecedented financial shakedowns of law firms he felt had wronged him, either because one of their lawyers had investigated him, like former Special Counsel Robert Mueller or Jack Smith, or because they simply represented people that he didn’t like. Or because they did their jobs and helped prosecute 1,600 rioters and insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol. Trump issued unheard-of Executive Orders targeting thousands of lawyers who had done nothing wrong for government sanctions. He ordered them to be barred from federal contracts, federal employment, federal security clearances and federal buildings, including courthouses, which makes it difficult to practice law. It was like a really absurd constitutional law issue-spotter.

Now, here’s the remarkable thing. When I heard about these Executive Orders and shakedowns, I said to myself, “The firms are going to fight back and win. The Executive Orders were imposed on innocent lawyers without any Due Process. They impose mass collective guilt and guilt by association, and blatantly violate both the client’s right to counsel and the lawyers’ own rights to freedom of speech and association. They’ll fight and win. They’ll become heroes.”

Well, here’s the thing. That’s not what happened. A lot of the most prestigious law firms in the country, like Paul Weiss in New York, didn’t fight back at all. They said they could not afford to alienate the President. Their clients might suffer the consequences or they might leave the firm, and the partners could lose a lot of money. Some partners earning tens of millions of dollars per year reportedly complained they might have to take a pay cut of a few million dollars if they fought back. So they caved in and they signed themselves and their Associates up for the staggering assignment of doing free legal work for the President of the United States and his ever-expanding legal docket. So many targeted law firms worked to appease the President’s wrath that he pocketed nearly a million hours of promised pro bono hours, worth nearly a billion dollars, to be used for whatever purpose Trump chose, for his policies like unilaterally imposed tariffs, undeclared wars, illegal deportations, lawless political slush funds, and unauthorized demolitions of federal buildings belonging to the people.

But not all of the law firms buckled under. They followed the inspiring actions of Danielle Sassoon, a conservative Federalist Society Lawyer who had clerked for Justice Scalia and was the Acting U.S. Attorney in New York. She refused to participate in a corrupt order to terminate a criminal indictment handed down unanimously by a Grand Jury for purely political reasons. She and her entire staff decided to fight back, choosing to resign instead of to participate in that illegality from the White House.

A number of the law firms affected by these retaliatory Executive Orders like Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, Susman Godfrey, and Wilmer Hale caucused, rallied their lawyers, did real legal analysis and they chose to do what lawyers are trained to do when necessary—they sued. Hundreds of other law firms not directly targeted—thousands of solo practitioners—signed statements in support of the firms who stood up against the threats.

And the law firms that sued won sweeping victories in every case, in every federal district court. Right here in D.C., four different federal judges—John Bates, Richard Leon, Beryl Howell and Loren Alikahn—issued orders blocking the President’s blanket retaliatory punishment of these firms, with Judge Alikahn calling the Executive Order against Susman Godfrey “unconstitutional from beginning to end.”

What can we draw from this remarkable episode?

Well, first of all, it’s hard to predict how any lawyer or any person will react in a moment of moral, political, legal and existential crisis, and the powers of self-rationalization are formidable, especially in lawyers, mind you. One lawyer whose firm complied justified it by saying that it really wasn’t unfair because the Administration was cracking down on all law firms that had defied his will, firms with both Democrats and Republicans working there.

That reminded me of a story about a friend of my Dad’s, named Sidney Morgenbesser, who was a philosopher at Columbia University. And he was subpoenaed for jury duty and in the voir dire process, the judge said, “Professor Morgenbesser, this is a case about police brutality and before we put you on the jury, we want to make sure you haven’t had any experience with the police that was unpleasant or unfair.” And Morgenbesser said: “Well, I did have one experience with the police and it was unpleasant, but it wasn’t unfair.” And the judge said, “Well, what happened?” And he said, “Well, I went to this civil rights rally in Central Park and these two police officers started beating me over the head with billy clubs.” And the judge said, “Well, that’s awful, but why do you say it was unpleasant, but it wasn’t unfair?” And he said: “Well, when they were hitting me over the head, it hurt a lot, so it was unpleasant, but they were doing it to everybody, so it wasn’t unfair.” I guess that you could say, in that sense, that these Executive Orders weren’t unfair.

I have tried to talk both to lawyers who fought back and to the lawyers who succumbed. Many knew each other from practice or law school, and they all wrestled with the same issues when they were trying to deal with this onslaught. And they were all torn about what to do because decision-making under authoritarian circumstances is agonizing and confusing.

But the ones who fought back clearly saw our profession as a calling to improve our common social and political life. They believed that the rule of law must be an instrument of justice for society and not just a form of private business activity, much less a tool of official repression. They saw the choice facing them as a moral and existential crossroads, and not just as a financial and business crisis. They saw the Constitution as foundational to their work.

It seems to me and this is not rooted in any kind of formal study—but hey it’s a Commencement Address—it seems to me that the lawyers who hung tough for their rights were the ones who had not lost touch with the values that drove them to become lawyers in the first place. They remembered the promises they had made to their friends, their families, their classmates, their professors, themselves. They considered themselves part of a profession, yes, but also part of a community. They did not place newly acquired status, money and power above the dream of professional excellence and effective community service. They kept their personalities and their consciences intact. And, in fact, amazingly, at least so far, they have been rewarded with more clients, more job applicants, more public acclaim and more pride in our profession even as some of the fanciest law firms in America have suffered a public disgrace and the dramatic loss of clients and moral standing within the Bar. Sometimes—just sometimes—the brave thing to do is not only the right thing to do but the popular thing to do as well.

I’m not saying that this was an easy decision for anyone or that people’s careers and livelihoods have not been affected by this lawlessness from the top, and I am definitely not judging anyone in this situation. One thing we have learned is that ethical and personal decision-making in a time of authoritarian stress is extremely difficult. I clearly have my sympathies, but in the situations of legal, moral and personal exigency that multiply furiously under tyranny, we are all torn between our longing for personal integrity and the struggle for personal survival and the survival of those we love.

But in that see-saw battle between integrity and survival, just remember when you are out on the battlefield my friends, that we swear an Oath. An Oath to support and defend the Constitution, an Oath that can sometimes tip the balance when we are in a moral and civic emergency and a professional quandary. That’s what the law is for. As lawyers we are not just making decisions for ourselves but, in a very deep sense, we are deciding for everybody else too. So choose wisely.

My son Tommy loved a passage from Wittgenstein, in which the philosopher said that “the truth of an empirical proposition is whether it corresponds to empirical reality, the truth of an analytical proposition is whether it corresponds to the rules of logic, but the truth of a moral or ethical proposition is the courage with which we act to make it real in the world.”

I want to express my hope that you will act with courage in your career to make democratic truths real, to stand on the side of justice rather than on the side of power if they come into conflict when the times have found you. My father used to say: when everything looks hopeless, you are the hope. I see a lot of hope out there today, tremendous talent, boundless promise. I pray you all become instruments of justice in your careers and shower happiness and love on your families and friends every day.

I got a late-night call one night from your Dean of Students and my former student, David Jaffe, last year. Because a WCL alum, Diane Seltzer, was running for President of the D.C. Bar and he asked whether I would meet with her and consider endorsing her. Well, of course, I said, I had heard of her already as a renowned employment lawyer with a law firm in downtown Bethesda in the heart of the Eighth District, and I always lean to the WCL candidates anyway. After I met her, I was incredibly impressed by her commitment to public service and equal rights of everybody. No surprise, I suppose, given her alma mater, which is one of the Top Five law schools in America for students going into public service and to government.

But of course, I had to do my due diligence. Who was she running against? I feared it might be another WCL grad, since WCL has dominated the D.C. Bar since the days of Emma Gillette and Ellen Spencer Mussey. But it turned out that her opponent was one Bradley Bondi, a University of Florida grad and brother of none other than the then-Attorney General Pam Bondi, the one covering up the Epstein files, the one who had called me a “washed-up loser lawyer” and “not even a real lawyer.” Brad Bondi was the subject, I learned, of news reports that, since his sister had become the AG in 2025, he had suddenly and miraculously settled several high-profile cases worth tens of millions of dollars on extremely favorable and unusually rapid terms with the Department of Justice.

Say no more. For the very first time, I publicly and enthusiastically endorsed a candidate for Bar President, not that she needed my support anyway. President-elect Seltzer won more than 90% of the vote in an election that had a record-breaking turnout of the Members of the Bar. She will be the President of the D.C. Bar who swears you in when you all pass the Bar in D.C. if that’s the one you’re taking. The moral of that story: Don’t mess with WCL. Don’t mess with David Jaffe.

I hope you all go out in your glorious careers and follow the path of Diane Seltzer and Steve Wermiel, Judge Reggie Walton, Brenda Smith, Adeen Postar, Emma Gillette and Ellen Spencer Mussey, and not Rudy Guiliani and Pam Bondi. But that’s just my personal preference. The choice is yours.

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Rep. Steube and Sen. Scott Host U.S. Service Academy Fair

SARASOTA — U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) and Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) today hosted a U.S. Service Academy Fair at the Sarasota Military Academy. Each of the five military academies sent representatives to the event to answer questions and provide information to potential applicants.

“One of the most rewarding parts of serving Florida’s Suncoast is meeting young men and women who are ready to answer the call to serve our nation,” said Rep. Steube. “The Service Academy Fair gives students and their families a chance to connect directly with representatives from our nation’s top military academies and better understand the nomination process. Seeing so many students eager to serve their country speaks volumes about the strength and patriotism of the next generation.”

All students interested in attending the United States Military Academy (West Point, NY), the United States Naval Academy (Annapolis, MD), the United States Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs, CO), or the United States Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point, NY) must receive a congressional nomination. Applicants must also possess an exceptional academic background, pass a physical aptitude test, and demonstrate strong leadership potential in order to receive consideration.


Gillibrand Statement On Long Island Rail Road Strike

Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, released the following statement regarding the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) strike that began Saturday morning after stalled contract negotiations between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and five unions:

“With over 300,000 New Yorkers relying on the LIRR every day, the strike underscores just how critical this service is to our city and state. To get our trains running, we must treat the workers with the dignity and respect they have earned. LIRR workers haven’t seen a pay increase since 2022. While the cost of living in New York continues to climb, these workers have shown up every single day to keep commuters and families moving. I am urging both sides to come to a fair deal and resume train service.”

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Golden Ballroom Slush Fund Violates Byrd Rule, According to Senate Parliamentarian

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Senate Parliamentarian advised that the provision in the Judiciary Committee title of the Republicans’ bill that provides $1 billion for Trump’s gilded ballroom would be subject to a 60-vote threshold if it remains in the bill.

“The American people shouldn’t spend a single dime on Trump’s gold-plated ballroom boondoggle. That’s why in a bill where Republicans are ignoring the needs of working America and instead attempting to funnel a billion dollars into Trump’s Louis XIV-style ballroom and throw tens of billions more at two lawless agencies, Democrats are fighting back,” said Ranking Member Jeff Merkley. “While we expect Republicans to change this bill to appease Trump, Democrats are prepared to challenge any change to this bill. We cannot let Republicans waste our national treasure on a mission of chaos and corruption while turning a blind eye to the needs of the American people.”

Provisions Subject to a 60-Vote Byrd Rule Point of Order

United States Secret Service (Section 5)

This section provides $1 billion to the U.S. Secret Service for the ballroom project in the East Wing of the White House. A project as complex and large in scale as Trump’s proposed ballroom necessarily involves the coordination of many government agencies which span the jurisdiction of many Senate committees. As drafted, the provision inappropriately funds activities outside the jurisdiction of the Judiciary Committee.

The Parliamentarian’s advice is based on whether a provision is appropriate for reconciliation and conforms to the limitations of the Byrd Rule; it is not a judgement on the relative merits of a particular policy.

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Leader Schumer, And Ranking Members Merkley, Durbin, Peters, Whitehouse, Heinrich Statement On Successfully Striking GOP’s First Attempt To Fund $1 Billion For Trump’s Gilded Ballroom In Republican Bill

Washington, D.C. – Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee, Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee released the below statement after winning their initial challenge before the Senate Parliamentarian, who advised that the current language in the reconciliation bill providing funding for Trump’s gilded ballroom would be subject to a 60-vote Byrd Rule point of order.

“Throwing a billion taxpayer dollars at Trump’s gold-plated ballroom is the last thing Congress should be doing while hardworking Americans are getting crushed at the gas pump, at the grocery store, and by higher housing, health care, and home energy costs. That’s why Senate Democrats are fighting tooth and nail to strip the funding for Trump’s gold-plated ballroom from this Republican funding bill.

“Republicans’ only focus has been funding Trump’s ballroom and throwing tens of billions more taxpayer dollars at ICE and Border Patrol without any reforms or accountability – all while providing $0 in cost relief to American families. Senate Democrats are focused on bringing down costs, and throughout this process, Democrats will continue to show the American people that we are fighting to make it easier for families to get ahead and build an economy where families thrive and billionaires pay their fair share.”

Following this guidance from the Senate Parliamentarian, Republicans will either have to strip the provision as drafted from the bill, or Democrats will raise a Byrd Rule point of order on the floor, and the provision will fail to get the necessary 60 votes to remain in the bill. Democrats are prepared to challenge any future language the Republicans try to pass to use taxpayer dollars to fund Trump’s ballroom.

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Wyden Statement on Trump Administration Ignoring Request from Senate Intelligence Committee Leadership to Release Secret Surveillance Court Opinion

Senate Intelligence Committee Leaders Urged Executive Branch to Release Opinion by May 15; FISA Court Document Sheds Light on Violations of Americans’ Constitutional Rights During Government Surveillance

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., the longest-serving member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called out the Trump Administration for ignoring a request by Senate Intelligence Committee leaders to declassify a surveillance court opinion by May 15.

Wyden secured a commitment from Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Vice-Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., to push for release of a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Court opinion about surveillance conducted under FISA Section 702.

"The executive branch has ignored a request from the chair and vice-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee for basic transparency about FISA surveillance. I'll have more to say about this next week," Wyden said. “It's clear that this administration cannot be trusted with unfettered, warrantless surveillance of Americans. Every member of Congress should keep this in mind when we consider FISA 702 in a few weeks.”

The opinion, which was issued on March 17, reveals compliance issues with federal surveillance that are directly related to Americans’ Constitutional rights, and must be made public before Congress debates reauthorizing FISA Section 702, Wyden has said. The executive branch is already required to declassify the opinion under federal law, within 180 days.

On May 1, Cotton and Warner wrote to the Director of National Intelligence and Acting Attorney General, making clear the opinion should be released by May 15.

“In order to inform the Senate debate on reauthorization of section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, we expect that this declassification review will be completed, and the FISC opinion released publicly, within 15 days,” Cotton and Warner wrote.

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act allows government surveillance of intelligence targets overseas, but also scoops up vast quantities of Americans’ communications in the process. The NSA, FBI and other federal agencies can then end-run the Fourth Amendment and read those communications without a warrant or any court order whatsoever.

Wyden and a bipartisan coalition of members in the House and Senate have called for reforms to Section 702 to ensure the law is only renewed with strong protections for Americans’ constitutional rights.

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House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Releases B...

WASHINGTON, DC - House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit Chairman David Rouzer (R-NC-07) issued the following statement today after the Committee released its bipartisan, five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill that invests in America’s roads, bridges, transit, rail transportation, and highway and motor carrier safety programs.

The Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America’s 250th (BUILD America 250) Act emphasizes moving people, goods, and freight safely and efficiently across the country. The bill provides the largest ever investment in America’s bridges, focuses on proven surface transportation infrastructure programs, provides passenger rail investments and reforms, improves rail safety, ensures transportation projects and programs are more efficient, encourages innovation, and provides the first ever autonomous commercial motor vehicle framework.

The bill also strengthens the long-term stability of the Highway Trust Fund by ensuring highway users contribute to the maintenance and improvement of our roads. The BUILD America 250 Act injects the Highway Trust Fund with its first new stream of revenue for infrastructure in over three decades. While there is still much to be done to address its solvency, this legislation is a step in the right direction.

"Our nation’s infrastructure is the silent engine of American productivity, and it cannot afford to sit idle," said Congressman Rouzer. "The BUILD America 250 Act brings commonsense fundamentals back to the forefront, strengthening our roads, highways, and bridges while ensuring the strategic, responsible use of hard-earned taxpayer dollars to get even more projects delivered. This bill is the culmination of years of hard work and input from Members of Congress and the public, including job creators around the nation, to pass a surface transportation bill that meets the fundamental infrastructure needs of the country. I look forward to working with Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Larsen, and my other colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get this critical legislation across the finish line.”

Background:

To prepare for the BUILD America 250 Act, the Committee spent the last 18 months holding numerous hearings, including several chaired by Congressman Rouzer. The Committee also solicited input, ideas, and priorities for consideration from all Members of the House and infrastructure job creators across the nation – over 11,000 individual policy requests were submitted in total.

The Committee will announce further plans for a legislative markup of the bill, with the ultimate goal of sending legislation from Congress to the President’s desk before the current surface transportation authorization expires on September 30, 2026.