Duckworth, Durbin, Whitehouse, Schneider Criticize Trump Administration For Proposed Weakening Of EtO Regulations

After Illinois communities like Waukegan and Willowbrook were impacted by the devastating effects of EtO emissions, Durbin, Duckworth, Whitehouse, and Schneider urge EPA to reinstate 2024 rule to limit the harmful carcinogen

[CHICAGO, IL] – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), both members of the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus; U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works; and U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), Co-Chair of the bipartisan Ethylene Oxide Task Force, sent a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin to underscore their opposition to the Trump Administration’s decision to roll back a critical EPA rule that protected Americans from harmful exposure to ethylene oxide (EtO), a known carcinogen. In March, the Trump Administration’s EPA published its draft rule for EtO commercial sterilizers, proposing weakened emission standards for EtO for commercial sterilization facilities.

Joining Duckworth, Durbin, Schneider and Whitehouse in sending the letter were U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-MD), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA).

“We write to express our strong opposition to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal to weaken emissions standards for the hazardous air pollutant ethylene oxide (EtO) from commercial sterilization facilities. EPA’s statutory mission is to protect human health and the environment,” the lawmakers began their letter. “EtO is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and EPA identifies it as ‘carcinogenic to humans by inhalation route of exposure.’ EPA must follow the law and scientific record to ensure the highest level of protection for communities living near facilities using EtO for sterilization.”

It is well-established, including through risk reviews conducted by the federal government, that EtO is a carcinogen that can raise the risk of cancer or other life-threatening health conditions for those living in communities with a sterilization plant.

“EtO has been linked to cancer and considered a hazardous air pollutant under the Clean Air Act (CAA) Amendments of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-549) for more than 35 years. In 2016, the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) reported the chemical to be more carcinogenic at lower concentrations than originally thought, leading EPA to officially classify EtO as a carcinogen in December 2016. In 2018, EPA’s National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) estimated that EtO significantly contributes to cancer risk of over one in one million… The scientific record is clear: EtO is a potent carcinogen and EtO emissions must be controlled to reduce the lifetime cancer risk of communities near commercial sterilizers,” the lawmakers wrote.

Despite clear evidence that failing to regulate EtO emissions will endanger Americans’ health, the Trump Administration has clawed back Biden-era regulations aimed at protecting communities from exposure to carcinogens. In 2024, the Biden Administration’s EPA implemented a new rule to tighten emission limits, monitoring, and controls for commercial sterilization facilities that use EtO. The rule, which covered plants like Medline in Waukegan, Illinois, and Vantage in Gurnee, Illinois, aimed to reduce EtO emissions by 90 percent by installing effective, achievable air pollution controls and preventing toxic emissions from reaching the communities in which these facilities operate. However, the Trump Administration’s EPA moved to loosen the limits implemented through the Biden-era rule.

“In 2024, EPA issued a final rule which tightened emissions limits, monitoring, and controls last updated in 2006 for nearly 90 commercial sterilization facilities that use EtO. These standards were set under various CAA section 112 authorities, including 112(d) and 112(f), the latter of which directs EPA to analyze residual risks to the public health after initial standards are set, and tighten standards accordingly. The installation of effective and achievable air pollution controls would reduce emissions by as much as 90 percent and protect communities from toxic exposure from nearby facilities. In its rulemaking, EPA provided facilities with the maximum compliance time legally permitted, and concluded, based on careful analysis, that the facilities would be able to access and install the required emissions controls ahead of the statutory deadline. Yet, the Trump Administration has now issued waivers under CAA 112(i)(4) for nearly half of all commercial sterilizer facilities, exempting them from the standards,” the lawmakers continued their letter.

The lawmakers urged EPA to swiftly reverse course and reinstate the 2024 rule that offered reasonable and measurable guidelines to sterilization facilities to ensure EtO emissions are properly regulated. The lawmakers emphasized that compliance with the 2024 standards are achievable as commercial sterilizers in Illinois are meeting stricter state standards that require these companies to reduce their EtO emissions by 99.9 percent.

“While EPA appears on a path to deregulate EtO despite the established carcinogenic data, we urge EPA to reverse course and set a more protective standard than the Biden Administration to address fugitive emissions from off-site warehouses and require fenceline monitoring. We know that a more protective standard is achievable: commercial sterilizers in Illinois are already meeting the State’s requirement to reduce EtO emissions by 99.9 percent, a near 10 percent improvement from the 2024 standard, and are implementing the State’s continuous emissions monitoring requirements. Further, emissions from warehouses where sterilized products also emit residual EtO before distribution also must be controlled to ensure maximum protection for surrounding communities,” the lawmakers wrote.

“This administration has the opportunity go above and beyond, matching the regulations Illinois has implemented, to achieve EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment by implementing these changes to the EtO sterilizer rule. Instead of stepping forward to protect human health, EPA is choosing to neglect science at the expense of our constituents,” the lawmakers wrote.

The lawmakers concluded their letter by underscoring that Americans will suffer from serious, life-threatening medical conditions if the federal government neglects to enact suitable EtO emission standards.

“EtO presents a clear danger to the health of the families living in communities located near facilities using the chemical. EPA rolling back these standards will lead to easily preventable harm. EPA must abandon this proposal and instead reinstate the 2024 rule that is proven to be effective and available,” the lawmakers concluded their letter.

In November 2023, Duckworth, Durbin and Schneider released a statement regarding a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) evaluating the public health impacts of the EtO, a cancer-causing agent, emitted from the now-closed Sterigenics medical sterilization facility in Willowbrook, Illinois. In the report, ATSDR concluded that, prior to February 15, 2019, long-term breathing of air within one mile of the Sterigenics facility is a concern for increased lifetime risk of cancer associated with EtO exposure, due to the gas’ concentration in the air during the sterilization operations at the facility. The report also found that the air within a mile of the facility no longer poses significant risk to residents as the Sterigenics facility is no longer operational.

Duckworth, Durbin and Schneider have been strong advocates for addressing the unacceptable level of EtO emissions. In July 2023, the lawmakers led a letter signed by 40 Members of Congress to EPA supporting the Biden Administration’s proposed EtO sterilizer rule. Durbin, Duckworth, and Schneider have also previously introduced legislation that would require EPA to update EtO emissions standards to reflect the stricter criteria outlined in EPA’s 2016 IRIS study. Under the bill, any updates to the emissions standards would have to incorporate the maximum achievable control technology requirements to exhaust vents and apply to both area and major sources, which covers plants like Sterigenics. It would also require EPA to undergo a residual risk assessment following implementation of the new rule, which is a stringent and public-health focused review of the rule’s impacts.

The lawmakers have also met with the CEO of Sotera Health, the parent company of Sterigenics; convened meetings with then-EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler on the issue; and sat down with Willowbrook residents.

EtO serves a variety of industrial purposes, including as a sterilizer for 50 percent of sterile medical devices. In 2016, EPA identified EtO as a human carcinogen and included the chemical in the National Air Toxics Assessment. Subsequently, EPA identified communities that faced potentially dangerous levels of EtO emissions from 86 EtO commercial sterilizers in the U.S.

A copy of today’s letter is available here and below:

May 8, 2026

Dear Administrator Zeldin,

We write to express our strong opposition to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal to weaken emissions standards for the hazardous air pollutant ethylene oxide (EtO) from commercial sterilization facilities. EPA’s statutory mission is to protect human health and the environment. EtO is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and EPA identifies it as “carcinogenic to humans by inhalation route of exposure.” EPA must follow the law and scientific record to ensure the highest level of protection for communities living near facilities using EtO for sterilization.

EtO is a colorless, flammable gas that poses serious risk to human health, including neurological, reproductive, developmental, and carcinogenic impacts when inhaled. EtO has been linked to cancer and considered a hazardous air pollutant under the Clean Air Act (CAA) Amendments of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-549) for more than 35 years. In 2016, the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) reported the chemical to be more carcinogenic at lower concentrations than originally thought, leading EPA to officially classify EtO as a carcinogen in December 2016. In 2018, EPA’s National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) estimated that EtO significantly contributes to cancer risk of over one in one million. A 2023 study from the University of Pennsylvania found that of the 88 medical sterilizers in the U.S., 11 elevated cancer risks in neighboring communities to more than 100 in a million. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) concluded in a 2023 report that EtO emissions from the now-closed Sterigenics medical sterilization facility in Willowbrook, Illinois, was a cause for concern for increased lifetime risk of cancer. Commercial sterilizers are a leading source of EtO, and nearly 14 million people and 10,000 schools and childcare facilities are within five miles of a commercial sterilizer. The scientific record is clear: EtO is a potent carcinogen and EtO emissions must be controlled to reduce the lifetime cancer risk of communities near commercial sterilizers.

EPA sets standards for toxic pollutants like EtO under section 112 of the CAA. In 2024, EPA issued a final rule which tightened emissions limits, monitoring, and controls last updated in 2006 for nearly 90 commercial sterilization facilities that use EtO. These standards were set under various CAA section 112 authorities, including 112(d) and 112(f), the latter of which directs EPA to analyze residual risks to the public health after initial standards are set, and tighten standards accordingly. The installation of effective and achievable air pollution controls would reduce emissions by as much as 90 percent and protect communities from toxic exposure from nearby facilities. In its rulemaking, EPA provided facilities with the maximum compliance time legally permitted, and concluded, based on careful analysis, that the facilities would be able to access and install the required emissions controls ahead of the statutory deadline. Yet, the Trump Administration has now issued waivers under CAA 112(i)(4) for nearly half of all commercial sterilizer facilities, exempting them from the standards.

Contrary to its own findings from the 2024 rulemaking, and the widespread exemptions under section 112(i)(4), EPA now claims industry cannot meet the standards set in 2024. Despite the 2024 residual risk review’s findings of negative health and environmental impacts from EtO, this EPA is determined to ignore them. Notably, in its proposal, EPA is not arguing the residual risk review results are incorrect. Instead, the agency insists that because EPA already conducted one residual health risk review on existing EtO standards, in 2006 before better science was available, a second review is not statutorily permitted under section 112(f)(2). This argument is wrong.

It is well-established that absent an express prohibition, an agency may revise a prior action.[1] Here, section 112(f)(2) does not prohibit a second look when new science emerges. On the contrary, a plain reading of 112(f)(2) suggests that EPA has a mandatory duty to set residual risk standards when it determines that cancer risks are unacceptable. Congress directed that “if standards promulgated pursuant to subsection (d) and applicable to a category or subcategory of sources emitting a…known, probable or possible human carcinogen do not reduce lifetime excess cancer risks to the individual most exposed to emissions from a source in the category or subcategory to less than one in one million, the Administrator shall promulgate standards under this subsection for such source category [emphasis added].”

Beyond the plain text of this specific provision, EPA’s actions here are at odds with the structure and purpose of the CAA. The fundamental purpose of the Act is to protect the public health and welfare, and section 112 addresses the most toxic and deadly pollution. It is alarming that EPA is now claiming that even when there is clear scientific evidence of air pollution causing harm to public health and the environment after an initial residual risk review, there can be no remedy.

While EPA appears on a path to deregulate EtO despite the established carcinogenic data, we urge EPA to reverse course and set a more protective standard than the Biden Administration to address fugitive emissions from off-site warehouses and require fenceline monitoring. We know that a more protective standard is achievable: commercial sterilizers in Illinois are already meeting the State’s requirement to reduce EtO emissions by 99.9 percent, a near 10 percent improvement from the 2024 standard, and are implementing the State’s continuous emissions monitoring requirements. Further, emissions from warehouses where sterilized products also emit residual EtO before distribution also must be controlled to ensure maximum protection for surrounding communities. In the announcement for the 2024 EtO rule, EPA acknowledged sterilizer warehouses could be a source of EtO and monitoring of warehouses has found them to be a significant source of EtO. To further address fugitive emissions, fenceline monitoring should be required to ensure complete monitoring of EtO emissions and that the facility is in compliance and that ambient concentrations of EtO do not reach unacceptable levels, including concentrations that exceed the 2016 IRIS value. This administration has the opportunity go above and beyond, matching the regulations Illinois has implemented, to achieve EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment by implementing these changes to the EtO sterilizer rule. Instead of stepping forward to protect human health, EPA is choosing to neglect science at the expense of our constituents.

EtO presents a clear danger to the health of the families living in communities located near facilities using the chemical. EPA rolling back these standards will lead to easily preventable harm. EPA must abandon this proposal and instead reinstate the 2024 rule that is proven to be effective and available. Thank you for your attention and consideration.

Sincerely,

-30-


Durbin, Duckworth, Whitehouse, Schneider Criticize Trump Administration For Proposed Weakening Of EtO Regulations

After Illinois communities like Waukegan and Willowbrook were impacted by the devastating effects of EtO emissions, Durbin, Duckworth, Whitehouse, and Schneider urge EPA to reinstate 2024 rule to limit the harmful carcinogen

CHICAGO – Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), both members of the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus; U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works; and U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL-10), Co-Chair of the bipartisan Ethylene Oxide Task Force, sent a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin to underscore their opposition to the Trump Administration’s decision to roll back a critical EPA rule that protected Americans from harmful exposure to ethylene oxide (EtO), a known carcinogen. In March, the Trump Administration’s EPA published its draft rule for EtO commercial sterilizers, proposing weakened emission standards for EtO for commercial sterilization facilities.

Joining Durbin, Duckworth, Schneider, and Whitehouse in sending the letter were U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-MD), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Raphael Warnock (D-GA).

“We write to express our strong opposition to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal to weaken emissions standards for the hazardous air pollutant ethylene oxide (EtO) from commercial sterilization facilities. EPA’s statutory mission is to protect human health and the environment,” the lawmakers began their letter. “EtO is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and EPA identifies it as ‘carcinogenic to humans by inhalation route of exposure.’ EPA must follow the law and scientific record to ensure the highest level of protection for communities living near facilities using EtO for sterilization.”

It is well-established, including through risk reviews conducted by the federal government, that EtO is a carcinogen that can raise the risk of cancer or other life-threatening health conditions for those living in communities with a sterilization plant.

“EtO has been linked to cancer and considered a hazardous air pollutant under the Clean Air Act (CAA) Amendments of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-549) for more than 35 years. In 2016, the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) reported the chemical to be more carcinogenic at lower concentrations than originally thought, leading EPA to officially classify EtO as a carcinogen in December 2016. In 2018, EPA’s National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) estimated that EtO significantly contributes to cancer risk of over one in one million… The scientific record is clear: EtO is a potent carcinogen and EtO emissions must be controlled to reduce the lifetime cancer risk of communities near commercial sterilizers,” the lawmakers wrote.

Despite clear evidence that failing to regulate EtO emissions will endanger Americans’ health, the Trump Administration has clawed back Biden-era regulations aimed at protecting communities from exposure to carcinogens. In 2024, the Biden Administration’s EPA implemented a new rule to tighten emission limits, monitoring, and controls for commercial sterilization facilities that use EtO. The rule, which covered plants like Medline in Waukegan, Illinois, and Vantage in Gurnee, Illinois, aimed to reduce EtO emissions by 90 percent by installing effective, achievable air pollution controls and preventing toxic emissions from reaching the communities in which these facilities operate. However, the Trump Administration’s EPA moved to loosen the limits implemented through the Biden-era rule.

“In 2024, EPA issued a final rule which tightened emissions limits, monitoring, and controls last updated in 2006 for nearly 90 commercial sterilization facilities that use EtO. These standards were set under various CAA section 112 authorities, including 112(d) and 112(f), the latter of which directs EPA to analyze residual risks to the public health after initial standards are set, and tighten standards accordingly. The installation of effective and achievable air pollution controls would reduce emissions by as much as 90 percent and protect communities from toxic exposure from nearby facilities. In its rulemaking, EPA provided facilities with the maximum compliance time legally permitted, and concluded, based on careful analysis, that the facilities would be able to access and install the required emissions controls ahead of the statutory deadline. Yet, the Trump Administration has now issued waivers under CAA 112(i)(4) for nearly half of all commercial sterilizer facilities, exempting them from the standards,” the lawmakers continued their letter.

The lawmakers urged EPA to swiftly reverse course and reinstate the 2024 rule that offered reasonable and measurable guidelines to sterilization facilities to ensure EtO emissions are properly regulated. The lawmakers emphasized that compliance with the 2024 standards are achievable as commercial sterilizers in Illinois are meeting stricter state standards that require these companies to reduce their EtO emissions by 99.9 percent.

“While EPA appears on a path to deregulate EtO despite the established carcinogenic data, we urge EPA to reverse course and set a more protective standard than the Biden Administration to address fugitive emissions from off-site warehouses and require fenceline monitoring. We know that a more protective standard is achievable: commercial sterilizers in Illinois are already meeting the State’s requirement to reduce EtO emissions by 99.9 percent, a near 10 percent improvement from the 2024 standard, and are implementing the State’s continuous emissions monitoring requirements. Further, emissions from warehouses where sterilized products also emit residual EtO before distribution also must be controlled to ensure maximum protection for surrounding communities,” the lawmakers wrote.

“This administration has the opportunity go above and beyond, matching the regulations Illinois has implemented, to achieve EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment by implementing these changes to the EtO sterilizer rule. Instead of stepping forward to protect human health, EPA is choosing to neglect science at the expense of our constituents,” the lawmakers wrote.

The lawmakers concluded their letter by underscoring that Americans will suffer from serious, life-threatening medical conditions if the federal government neglects to enact suitable EtO emission standards.

“EtO presents a clear danger to the health of the families living in communities located near facilities using the chemical. EPA rolling back these standards will lead to easily preventable harm. EPA must abandon this proposal and instead reinstate the 2024 rule that is proven to be effective and available,” the lawmakers concluded their letter.

In November 2023, Durbin, Duckworth, and Schneider released a statement regarding a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) evaluating the public health impacts of the EtO, a cancer-causing agent, emitted from the now-closed Sterigenics medical sterilization facility in Willowbrook, Illinois. In the report, ATSDR concluded that, prior to February 15, 2019, long-term breathing of air within one mile of the Sterigenics facility is a concern for increased lifetime risk of cancer associated with EtO exposure, due to the gas’ concentration in the air during the sterilization operations at the facility. The report also found that the air within a mile of the facility no longer poses significant risk to residents as the Sterigenics facility is no longer operational.

Durbin, Duckworth, and Schneider have been strong advocates for addressing the unacceptable level of EtO emissions. In July 2023, the lawmakers led a letter signed by 40 Members of Congress to EPA supporting the Biden Administration’s proposed EtO sterilizer rule. Durbin, Duckworth, and Schneider have also previously introduced legislation that would require EPA to update EtO emissions standards to reflect the stricter criteria outlined in EPA’s 2016 IRIS study. Under the bill, any updates to the emissions standards would have to incorporate the maximum achievable control technology requirements to exhaust vents and apply to both area and major sources, which covers plants like Sterigenics. It would also require EPA to undergo a residual risk assessment following implementation of the new rule, which is a stringent and public-health focused review of the rule’s impacts.

The lawmakers have also met with the CEO of Sotera Health, the parent company of Sterigenics; convened meetings with then-EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler on the issue; and sat down with Willowbrook residents.

EtO serves a variety of industrial purposes, including as a sterilizer for 50 percent of sterile medical devices. In 2016, EPA identified EtO as a human carcinogen and included the chemical in the National Air Toxics Assessment. Subsequently, EPA identified communities that faced potentially dangerous levels of EtO emissions from 86 EtO commercial sterilizers in the U.S.

A copy of today’s letter is available here and below:

May 8, 2026

Dear Administrator Zeldin,

We write to express our strong opposition to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal to weaken emissions standards for the hazardous air pollutant ethylene oxide (EtO) from commercial sterilization facilities. EPA’s statutory mission is to protect human health and the environment. EtO is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and EPA identifies it as “carcinogenic to humans by inhalation route of exposure.” EPA must follow the law and scientific record to ensure the highest level of protection for communities living near facilities using EtO for sterilization.

EtO is a colorless, flammable gas that poses serious risk to human health, including neurological, reproductive, developmental, and carcinogenic impacts when inhaled. EtO has been linked to cancer and considered a hazardous air pollutant under the Clean Air Act (CAA) Amendments of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-549) for more than 35 years. In 2016, the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) reported the chemical to be more carcinogenic at lower concentrations than originally thought, leading EPA to officially classify EtO as a carcinogen in December 2016. In 2018, EPA’s National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) estimated that EtO significantly contributes to cancer risk of over one in one million. A 2023 study from the University of Pennsylvania found that of the 88 medical sterilizers in the U.S., 11 elevated cancer risks in neighboring communities to more than 100 in a million. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) concluded in a 2023 report that EtO emissions from the now-closed Sterigenics medical sterilization facility in Willowbrook, Illinois, was a cause for concern for increased lifetime risk of cancer. Commercial sterilizers are a leading source of EtO, and nearly 14 million people and 10,000 schools and childcare facilities are within five miles of a commercial sterilizer. The scientific record is clear: EtO is a potent carcinogen and EtO emissions must be controlled to reduce the lifetime cancer risk of communities near commercial sterilizers.

EPA sets standards for toxic pollutants like EtO under section 112 of the CAA. In 2024, EPA issued a final rule which tightened emissions limits, monitoring, and controls last updated in 2006 for nearly 90 commercial sterilization facilities that use EtO. These standards were set under various CAA section 112 authorities, including 112(d) and 112(f), the latter of which directs EPA to analyze residual risks to the public health after initial standards are set, and tighten standards accordingly. The installation of effective and achievable air pollution controls would reduce emissions by as much as 90 percent and protect communities from toxic exposure from nearby facilities. In its rulemaking, EPA provided facilities with the maximum compliance time legally permitted, and concluded, based on careful analysis, that the facilities would be able to access and install the required emissions controls ahead of the statutory deadline. Yet, the Trump Administration has now issued waivers under CAA 112(i)(4) for nearly half of all commercial sterilizer facilities, exempting them from the standards.

Contrary to its own findings from the 2024 rulemaking, and the widespread exemptions under section 112(i)(4), EPA now claims industry cannot meet the standards set in 2024. Despite the 2024 residual risk review’s findings of negative health and environmental impacts from EtO, this EPA is determined to ignore them. Notably, in its proposal, EPA is not arguing the residual risk review results are incorrect. Instead, the agency insists that because EPA already conducted one residual health risk review on existing EtO standards, in 2006 before better science was available, a second review is not statutorily permitted under section 112(f)(2). This argument is wrong.

It is well-established that absent an express prohibition, an agency may revise a prior action.[1] Here, section 112(f)(2) does not prohibit a second look when new science emerges. On the contrary, a plain reading of 112(f)(2) suggests that EPA has a mandatory duty to set residual risk standards when it determines that cancer risks are unacceptable. Congress directed that “if standards promulgated pursuant to subsection (d) and applicable to a category or subcategory of sources emitting a…known, probable or possible human carcinogen do not reduce lifetime excess cancer risks to the individual most exposed to emissions from a source in the category or subcategory to less than one in one million, the Administrator shall promulgate standards under this subsection for such source category [emphasis added].”

Beyond the plain text of this specific provision, EPA’s actions here are at odds with the structure and purpose of the CAA. The fundamental purpose of the Act is to protect the public health and welfare, and section 112 addresses the most toxic and deadly pollution. It is alarming that EPA is now claiming that even when there is clear scientific evidence of air pollution causing harm to public health and the environment after an initial residual risk review, there can be no remedy.

While EPA appears on a path to deregulate EtO despite the established carcinogenic data, we urge EPA to reverse course and set a more protective standard than the Biden Administration to address fugitive emissions from off-site warehouses and require fenceline monitoring. We know that a more protective standard is achievable: commercial sterilizers in Illinois are already meeting the State’s requirement to reduce EtO emissions by 99.9 percent, a near 10 percent improvement from the 2024 standard, and are implementing the State’s continuous emissions monitoring requirements. Further, emissions from warehouses where sterilized products also emit residual EtO before distribution also must be controlled to ensure maximum protection for surrounding communities. In the announcement for the 2024 EtO rule, EPA acknowledged sterilizer warehouses could be a source of EtO and monitoring of warehouses has found them to be a significant source of EtO. To further address fugitive emissions, fenceline monitoring should be required to ensure complete monitoring of EtO emissions and that the facility is in compliance and that ambient concentrations of EtO do not reach unacceptable levels, including concentrations that exceed the 2016 IRIS value. This administration has the opportunity go above and beyond, matching the regulations Illinois has implemented, to achieve EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment by implementing these changes to the EtO sterilizer rule. Instead of stepping forward to protect human health, EPA is choosing to neglect science at the expense of our constituents.

EtO presents a clear danger to the health of the families living in communities located near facilities using the chemical. EPA rolling back these standards will lead to easily preventable harm. EPA must abandon this proposal and instead reinstate the 2024 rule that is proven to be effective and available. Thank you for your attention and consideration.

Sincerely,

-30-


Durbin Hosts Maternal Health Roundtable Ahead Of Mother’s Day Weekend

CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today held a roundtable discussion ahead of Mother’s Day weekend with officials from Cook County Health (CCH) to discuss maternal health initiatives that provide critical assistance to new and expectant mothers.

“We lose hundreds of women every year to preventable pregnancy-related conditions,” said Durbin. “Supporting and investing in high-quality, affordable maternal health care, like the services provided by Cook County Health, is critical for mothers and babies. This weekend, when families across the country celebrate the mothers in their lives, we must also thank the people who keep those moms safe during and after their pregnancy.”

“At Cook County Health, we are proud to approach maternal health across the full continuum through our hospitals and clinics, our public health department, and CountyCare,” said Dr. Lauren Smith, Chief Medical Officer, CCH. “Healthy beginnings can shape a child’s health and development for a lifetime, and supporting mothers before and during pregnancy as well as the postpartum period can have lasting impacts across generations. That’s certainly something to celebrate this Mother’s Day.”

The U.S. is one of only thirteen countries in the world where the maternal mortality rate is worse now than it was twenty-five years ago, and the U.S. is the only industrialized country with a rising maternal mortality rate.

Durbin, alongside U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02), have worked for years to address maternal health, first by introducing and passing components of their MOMMA’s Act, part of which was signed into law as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. More recently, they introduced the CARE for Moms Act, which supports the maternal health workforce, promotes access to prenatal and postpartum care, and provides the resources that moms and babies need to thrive.

-30-


Gallego Spotlights Arizona’s Growing Economy in Valley Swing

PHOENIX – Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) spent the week spotlighting Arizona’s growing economy, touring manufacturing facilities big and small and learning about job training programs across the Valley.

To kick off National Small Business Week, the Senator toured Phoenix-based small business Teaspressa, followed by a roundtable with local small business owners. During the tour and discussion, he heard from the entrepreneurs about the struggles they are facing as costs continue to rise and shared what he’s doing in Congress to support small businesses.

Thanks to legislation like the CHIPS and Science Act and other federal investments Senator Gallego has backed, Arizona has become a hub of high-tech manufacturing. This week, the Senator toured the U.S. headquarters of SUMCO, a leading manufacturer of high-purity silicon wafers used in semiconductor production, supplying critical materials for electronics, automotive, and advanced technology industries.

He then visited the Glendale campus of Honeywell Aerospace Technologies, a key hub for the organization’s aerospace operations that has helped develop components and systems supporting NASA missions such as Artemis II.

Later in the week, Senator Gallego gave an update from Capitol Hill to business and civic leaders at the Greater Phoenix Leadership Annual Conference. The Senator discussed how he’s working to build Arizona’s economic future by focusing on water security, housing affordability, energy, and more.

“Arizona is a hot state – not just in temperature. People want to move here,” said Senator Gallego. “Every day, I meet with some CEO, whether it’s in Washington D.C. or here in Arizona, and they’re telling me that they’re looking for some site to bring in some huge company and/or something that will bring in billions and billions of dollars’ worth of investments. That is a story that is not found in many other states in this country right now.”

Watch his full remarks HERE.

A growing economy means more good-paying jobs are coming to Arizona. To meet the demand, job training and apprenticeship programs are expanding across the state.

On Monday, Senator Gallego toured Pima Medical Institute’s Phoenix campus, which provides hands-on healthcare training in dental assisting, medical assisting, phlebotomy, sterile processing, surgical technology, and veterinary programs.

Later in the week, Senator Gallego visited Boilermakers Local 627 to meet with union leaders and trainees, learn about their apprenticeship program, and try his hand at welding.


Gillibrand Announces $1 Billion In Funding For Second Avenue Subway Extension And Gateway Hudson Tunnel

Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD), announced $307 million in funding for the Second Avenue Subway Extension project and $700 million for the Gateway Hudson Tunnel project. This funding, allocated through the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Fiscal Year 2026 Capital Investment Grants Program, was provided by the enacted FY26 THUD appropriations bill. Gillibrand secured this funding for both projects and fought for new provisions in the bill to force the Trump administration to execute funding for the CIG program by detailing which projects to fund and at what amounts. She also included a provision requiring the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) to allocate CIG funding no later than 120 days after enactment of the FY26 THUD appropriations bill.

“New Yorkers have waited decades for the completion of the Second Avenue Subway Extension into East Harlem and the Gateway Hudson Tunnel,” said Senator Gillibrand. “These critical infrastructure projects are the lifeblood of our economy, and once complete, they will deliver the safe, reliable and accessible public transportation system that our commuters and families deserve.

“I secured this $1 billion investment and authored strict provisions requiring USDOT to follow the law and release this funding. No more excuses and no more delays.

“For too long, the Trump administration has played political games with our infrastructure, using New Yorkers and our hardworking union laborers as pawns. By forcing the administration to execute this funding, we are putting an end to the delays and ensuring that federal dollars are used for their intended purpose: building a stronger New York.

“I will never stop fighting to protect New Yorkers from targeted political attacks that harm working families and threaten our economy. I am committed to bringing home every federal resource necessary to modernize our infrastructure, create good-paying jobs, and ensure that New York remains the public transportation capital of the world.”

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Gillibrand Statement On Release Of UAP Files

Today, after the Trump administration announced its release of files related to unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand released the following statement. Gillibrand has long championed UAP disclosure and transparency, and in the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act, she secured language to require that the government declassify UAP records, with limited exceptions for national security purposes.

“Transparency is the only path to truth. For years, I have fought to declassify and release UAP files, including by successfully passing legislation requiring government disclosure of UAP records. I am encouraged that the administration has finally heard my call and the call of millions of Americans to begin unsealing these files. This is another important step, but there is much more work to do. I will continue to fight to ensure the administration finally meets its legal obligation to the American people.”

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Capitol Hill Report, 5-08-26

Audio from this morning’s call is available HERE.

Topics include: Iran, E15, USDA funding to the Leland wastewater system, the Farm Bill and fraud.


Q&A: Cancer in Iowa

Q: What did you learn from the recent report issued by the Iowa Cancer Registry?

A: The report found Iowa ranked second highest in the United States for new cancer cases. The findings show we’ve got more work to do to advance cancer awareness, prevention and treatments. It also helps explain why cancer is top of mind for Iowans who contact my office or when I visit with people face-to-face during my annual 99 county meetings. The Iowa Cancer Registry is financed in part with federal funds that I’ve worked to secure for Iowa from the Department of Health and Human Services. This year’s annual report estimates 21,700 Iowans will be diagnosed with cancer in 2026 and 6,400 Iowans will die from the disease. Similar to the rest of the country, more younger Iowans are developing cancer. The good news is, the report estimates more than 175,000 Iowans with cancer will survive their diagnosis.

The Iowa Cancer Registry used data collected from the Agricultural Health Study that started more than three decades ago and includes farmers, their spouses and pesticide applicators in Iowa and North Carolina. The study tracks agricultural exposures, lifestyles and genetic factors to understand cancer risks in farming communities. Notably, Iowa farmers had 13% fewer cancers overall compared to the general population in Iowa, with the exceptions of prostate and lip cancers.

Farms across Iowa stay on top of soil stewardship to help mitigate nitrate runoff and limit pesticide use. No-till, buffer strips and cover crops help prevent excess nitrates from reaching waterways and following label instructions for proper fertilizer application can improve soil and water quality and help lower input costs. From one generation to the next, Iowa farmers have a vested interest in protecting natural resources that sustain their livelihoods and where they raise their families.

Q: How are you working in Congress to boost cancer prevention and access to treatment?

A: More than two decades ago, as then-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, I steered through Congress the first-ever Medicare prescription drug benefit, including coverage for pain management, oral chemotherapy and anti-nausea medication. I continue to work to improve access to medication by working to lower prescription drug costs and hold powerful drug middlemen, called pharmacy benefit managers, accountable. Expanding access to affordable cancer care, particularly in rural areas, is a top priority for me on behalf of Iowans at the policymaking tables in Washington, D.C.

Most recently, President Trump signed into law my bipartisan legislation that improves access to care for children with complex medical conditions, including cancer treatments. The Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act reduces obstacles to care that helps parents and providers get kids the therapies and treatments they need to survive and thrive. My bill to extend telehealth access for Medicare patients was included in the federal spending bill signed into law in February. This makes it easier for patients to connect with their health care providers, including from home.

Last year, I helped advance the passage of the Rural Health Transformation Fund included in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. The $50 billion fund is the largest single investment in rural healthcare in history. Over the next five years, it will pump $10 billion every year into the rural healthcare pipeline, targeting access, infrastructure and the workforce. At a minimum, Iowa stands to gain at least $100 million per year. Each state will administer the funds through competitive grant requests. Iowa’s project is called Healthy Hometowns and its priorities include adding advanced equipment, combating cancer and boosting provider recruitment and retention. Already, recipients are using these federal dollars to improve cancer care in their local communities, including:

Jones Regional Hospital, Anamosa – Da Vinci surgical robot will bring surgical care closer to home for oncology patients and help recruit surgeons trained in robotics;

Burgess Health Center, Onawa – Advanced mammography system to detect breast cancer;

Unity Point, Marshalltown – Loan forgiveness grant to recruit an advanced nurse practitioner specializing in oncology, will bring cancer care closer to home so patients don’t have to drive to Waterloo or Des Moines;

Lucas County Health Center, Chariton – first-ever MRI machine onsite will bring early detection cancer screenings to local residents;

Pella Regional Health Center, Pella – PET CT scan to detect and monitor cancer for local patients;

Mahaska Health, Oskaloosa – PET CT scan to detect and monitor cancer and leveraging funds to recruit physician and physician assistant.

My wife, Barbara, is a 39-year breast cancer survivor. We’re fortunate that her breast cancer was detected very early. Early detection remains one of the most effective ways to treat cancer. All of these efforts contribute to improving access to early detection and treatment.

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, Brain Cancer Awareness Month, Bladder Cancer Awareness Month and National Cancer Research Month.


During National Small Business Week, Senator Hassan and Manchester Small Business Owner Discuss Challenges Created by Trump Tariffs

Visit Follows Release of a New Report on How Trump’s Tariffs Are Hurting Small Businesses

MANCHESTER – Yesterday, U.S Senator Maggie Hassan and a Manchester small business owner discussed the ways in which President Trump’s tariffs are challenging small businesses across the state. The Senator met with Karen Boisvert and Mike Pelopida of Queen City Cabinetry, a specialized kitchen and bath firm that both sells and installs a range of cabinetry lines. During her visit, Senator Hassan heard from Queen City Cabinetry’s leaders about the economic strain that the company has experienced since President Trump imposed tariffs last year, including challenges tied to revenue and staffing.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our state and our economy, but President Trump’s tariffs are making it much harder for our smallest businesses in particular to stay afloat,” said Senator Hassan. “What I heard at Queen City Cabinetry reflects a new report released by the Joint Economic Committee Minority, which found that in the year since Trump announced his tariffs, small business employment and revenue have both fallen fast while the price of key inputs across industries has continued to rise.”

The Joint Economic Committee – Minority, led by Senator Hassan, released a report yesterday highlighting declines in employment and revenue at the smallest businesses. The report includes new Committee data, including that the smallest businesses lost 4.5 times more jobs in 2025 than during the pandemic in 2020. This report comes during National Small Business Week, which runs from May 3 – 9, 2026.

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Santa Fe New Mexican: Politicians tout bill to protect Caja del Rio; would not impact LANL power line

During the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rev. Andrew Black said he loaded his baby into a pack and hiked with her in the Caja del Rio almost every day.

Black’s daughter, now 5, returned to the area Friday to attend a news conference on recently introduced federal legislation that would designate more than 67,000 acres in the Santa Fe National Forest and roughly 18,000 acres owned by the Bureau of Land Management for special management and protection.

The Caja del Rio sits west of Santa Fe at the crux of Cochiti, Santo Domingo, Sal Ildefonso, Pojoaque and Tesuque pueblos. Tribal leaders at a Friday news conference emphasized the area is a “living landscape” and called for its protection for future generations.

“Out there, on the landscape, there are Puebloan footprints,” Tesuque Pueblo Gov. Mark Mitchell said at Friday’s event at La Cieneguilla Petroglyphs. “We are the direct descendants of those people, our people. And we want to make sure that we pass on the information to not only our current children, but yet generations to come.”

The legislation, which has the support of New Mexico’s all-Democratic congressional delegation, was introduced April 30 and endorsed by the All Pueblo Council of Governors. It would create a Special Management Area in the Santa Fe National Forest and a National Conservation Area in parts owned by the BLM and require consultation with local tribes and historic communities on land management plans. It would also restrict new roads, mining, or rights of way while preserving existing and traditional uses like hunting, grazing and gathering.

It would also add protections to an additional almost 21,000 acres of BLM lands adjacent to the protected area, including withdrawing them from mining and barring their sale, for a total protected area of about 105,000 acres.

The Caja del Rio has been subjected to vandalism, damage from off-road vehicles, and illegal shooting, according to advocates. Sen. Martin Heinrich, who introduced the version of the bill in that chamber, said it would limit threats to the landscape, including preventing the sale of the public lands and making recreation uses more “responsible.”

The legislation, however, will not impact the construction of a third power line to Los Alamos that will cut through the Caja or other existing uses. The power line, which federal and lab officials have said are needed as existing infrastructure reaches capacity and supercomputing needs grow, drew protest and prompted calls during the last year of the Biden administration to designate the Caja del Rio as a national monument. Black and others formed the Caja del Rio Coalition, which pushes for protections for the area.

“The electric lines are existing uses,” said Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, whose district includes the Santa Fe area and who introduced the House version of the bill. “Los Alamos needs to get that, but ... that piece is going to now be governed by, I think, the collaboration that you see in the legislation ... and I think we’re very honest about it, [the legislation] does not resolve it, but it sets up a collaborative way of addressing it and making sure that all of the players are involved in that conversation.”

Heinrich added, “I wish we would have had this sort of formal structure for collaboration even earlier, but we have to work with what we have.”

At a Tuesday meeting of the Los Alamos County Council, deputy laboratory director for operations Mark Davis said work on the Electrical Power Capacity Upgrade Project, which started late last year, was going “quite well.”

“It’s a huge project for us,” Davis said. “It’s bringing a third power line up to Los Alamos, which will enable a lot of our [artificial intelligence] efforts going forward ... with the two lines we have now, we’ll be nearing capacity by 2028 so we need that third power line to really take us to the next level.”

Both the House and Senate have Republican majorities, making it unlikely a Democratic-sponsored bill extending environmental protections will pass. Heinrich and Leger Fernández both decried the current climate in Congress but expressed optimism about the bill’s future nevertheless.

“The current gridlock will pass,” Heinrich said. “One of the things I’ve learned in being in Washington, D.C. as a representative now for well over a decade is that there are windows when Congress has the opportunity to really move legislation like this.”


Source New Mexico: NM federal, local and tribal leaders celebrate legislation to protect the Caja del Rio

Members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation on Friday celebrated the recent introduction of legislation to protect a 107,000-acre expanse of the Caja del Rio plateau. The public lands spanning volcanic fields west of Santa Fe have historical, ecological, spiritual and cultural significance to pueblos, land grant communities and other advocacy groups.

Lead sponsor U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, along with U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, both New Mexico Democrats, said at a news conference held at La Cieneguilla Petroglyphs trailhead the bill ensures protections for “generations to come.”

In addition to backing from Hispano and environmental groups, the legislation is endorsed by the All Pueblo Council of Governors; along with local governments including Santa Fe and Sandoval county commissions, and Santa Fe Mayor Michael Garcia.

The legislation — identical in the U.S. Senate and House — bans parceling or selling the land; prohibits new roads, mining and construction; protects traditional uses of herb and mineral gathering, hunting and grazing; and will require federal agencies to manage the land collaboratively with area tribes and historic communities. The bill additionally will prevent disclosure of confidential sacred site locations under federal public records laws.

“The Caja del Rio is not acreage on a map. It is a place of memory, of identity, of ceremony, of recreation and refuge. Its future depends on our ability to embrace this shared responsibility, not just for ourselves, but for everyone who will come after us,” Heinrich said.

Heinrich made the announcement framed by the slope of a mesa sprouting craggy volcanic boulders of basalt; the landscape dotted with twisted juniper and dusty blue sage in La Cienaguilla. He was joined by two dozen advocates from pueblos, Hispano, outdoor recreation, ranchers and environmental groups.

Pueblo of Tesuque Gov. Mark Mitchell celebrated the legislation, saying he and other pueblo leaders will “see it through to the end.”

“It’s a living landscape,” Mitchell said about the Caja del Rio. “It holds the history of our ancestors and our ongoing relationship with the land, water, plants, animals that sustain our ceremonies for our people. This is about protecting the landscape, but also the way of life that we continue today.”

The bill does not change “existing uses” in the Caja del Rio, including the construction of a transmission power line project to power Los Alamos National Laboratory, despite overwhelming public opposition.

“We’re very honest that it does not resolve this, but it sets up a collaborative way of addressing it and ensuring all the players are involved…making sure that pueblos, Hispanos and the end users are talking to each other,” Leger Fernández said.

Both Heinrich and Leger Fernández said that the hard work of getting local support and consensus for the bill clears major hurdles for it to move in Congress.

“It’s impossible to get things done in Washington D.C. until it isn’t,” Heinrich said. “When you have community support and your ducks all in a row…we can push those through.”


Heinrich Hosts Cost-of-Living Roundtable, Highlights How President Trump is Making Everyday Essentials More Expensive for New Mexico Families and Small Businesses

Heinrich: “The Trump administration is making policy choices that are showing up in our costs...We need to push back against these policies — they just don’t make any sense”

PHOTOS

ALBUQUERQUE — Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) hosted a roundtable with local small business owners, Roadrunner Food Bank, and Women’s Economic Self-Sufficiency Team, Corp. (WESST) to discuss how President Trump’s global tariffs and war with Iran are making gas, groceries, and everyday essentials more expensive for New Mexico families and businesses.

Heinrich was joined by Lindsey Kay, President & CEO of WESST; Katy Anderson, Roadrunner Food Bank; Briana Smith, South Valley Economic Development Center; Chrystal Trykoski, Enchanting Soap Collections; and Giovanna Urbina, Film Worker and IATSE Local 480 member.

“The Trump administration is making policy choices that are showing up in our costs. They're holding back clean energy projects that can lower the cost of electricity. Trump’s war with Iran has completely wrecked the price of gasoline and diesel. And this administration's tariffs are making groceries and everyday essentials more expensive. We need to push back against these policies — they just don’t make any sense,” said Heinrich.

New Mexicans are paying more for electricity, gas, groceries,healthcare, prescription drugs, and housing due to Trump’s illegal war with Iran, unlawful foreign tariffs, and the Trump administration’s war on American-made clean energy.

According to the Economic Policy Institute’s Family Budget Calculator, a single filer needs to earn $45,087 annually, a joint filer $60,718, and a family of four $105,685, to cover basic living expenses in the Albuquerque Metro Area. Additionally, according to a U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC) report, Trump’s illegal tariffs have already cost American families more than $1,700 each. In New Mexico, these tariffs have cost New Mexico families an average of at least $1,355 each.

For more information on Heinrich’s actions to hold President Trump accountable for his illegal, costly, and reckless war on Iran, click here.

For more information on Heinrich’s work to lower energy costs for New Mexico families, click here.

For more information on Heinrich’s work to combat Trump’s tariffs and lower the cost of groceries and everyday essentials, click here.

For background on Heinrich’s actions to lower housing costs, address homelessness, and build more housing for New Mexico working families, click here.

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Heinrich Joins Grand Opening of New Saranam ADC Family Housing Development in Albuquerque

Heinrich secured $1 million in FY24 funding to construct 23 housing units for New Mexico families experiencing homelessness

PHOTOS

ALBUQUERQUE – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, joined the grand opening of Saranam’s new ADC Family Campus, which includes 23 housing units that Heinrich helped fund in the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) appropriations bill to support New Mexico families experiencing homelessness.

At the grand opening, Heinrich toured the new housing development and delivered remarks emphasizing how Saranam’s ADC Family Campus demonstrates what’s possible when we invest in transitional housing and comprehensive family support services. He also reaffirmed his commitment to advancing proven, community-driven solutions that help New Mexico families achieve long-term stability and create pathways to homeownership.

“Saranam understands the pieces that need to come together for people to build stable lives. We have so many housing programs that are missing those community pieces or those education pieces. But when you put it all together, it really is about the lives of people who then thrive and go on to reach their dreams, sometimes dreams that they didn’t even know were possible,” Heinrich said.

Heinrich continued, “This is what works when you put these pieces together – when you have the supportive community, the educational trajectory, when you have not just a stable home but a community. Those are the things that allow people to reach their potential. We need to scale this: it is what success looks like.”

As a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee and New Mexico’s senior senator, Heinrich has directly secured millions in investments to lower housing costs, address homelessness, and build more housing for New Mexico families.

In Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) funding, Heinrich secured:

$3.5 billion to prevent veteran homelessness, including:

$659 million to bolster the Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program, which will help meet the needs of veterans including help with the rising costs of household goods;

703 million for case management and administration of Housing and Urban Development – Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers;

$277 million for the Grant and Per Diem Program, which will support transitional housing and assist veterans in achieving housing stability; and

$174 million for Veterans Justice Outreach and Legal Services for Veterans grants to award community-based organizations with funds to assist veterans with legal issues like accessing benefits, navigating family law, and securing safe and stable housing.

$1.715 billion for rental assistance to help ensure Americans living in rural areas have access to safe and affordable housing.

$1 billion in Single Family Direct Loans to help more low-income families and first-time home buyers get mortgages.

Last month, Heinrich announced that the Senate passed legislation he cosponsored to tackle the housing crisis in New Mexico and nationwide by increasing the housing supply and lowering the cost of housing for working families. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act includes four bills Heinrich cosponsored, including the: Choice in Affordable Housing Act; HOME Investment Partnerships Reauthorization and Improvement Act; Streamlining Rural Housing Act; and Rural Housing Service Reform Act.

For additional background on Heinrich’s actions to lower housing costs, address homelessness, and build more housing for New Mexico families, click here.

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Heinrich, Leger Fernández Lead N.M. Delegation to Unveil New Legislation to Permanently Protect Caja del Rio

SANTA FE, N.M. — At a press conference in front of La Cieneguilla Petroglyphs, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and co-founder of the U.S. Senate Stewardship Caucus, and U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs, unveiled their Caja del Rio Protection Act, legislation to permanently protect the Caja del Rio Plateau.

The legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee, U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, and U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.), founder and co-chair of the U.S. House Public Lands Caucus.

“The Caja del Rio is not acreage on a map. It is a place of memory, identity, ceremony, recreation, and refuge. Its future depends on our ability to embrace this shared responsibility — not just for ourselves, but for everyone who will come after us. The Caja has shaped the history and identity of northern New Mexico for centuries. Now it is our turn to shape a future worthy of this place,” said Heinrich. “It is my great honor to introduce legislation to permanently protect the Caja del Rio for generations to come. And this is just the beginning. We must continue to work together to keep public lands in public hands.”

“The Caja del Rio is where the beautifully diverse story of New Mexico lives — in our petroglyphs, our piñon gathering, our Tribal traditions, and our Hispano ranching communities. This land belongs to the people of New Mexico who have cared for it since time immemorial and to future generations who deserve to inherit its tradition and its beauty. As Republicans in Washington push to sell off public lands, we're making clear that the Caja is not for sale. This legislation not only reflects our diverse heritage — it is also a product of collaboration and diverse communities coming together to protect their shared heritage. That’s how it’s done in New Mexico where we know that diversity is our strength,” said Leger Fernández.

“The Caja del Rio holds deep significance and is part of the traditions and culture for many,”said Luján. “That is why I am joining Senator Heinrich and Representative Leger Fernández in introducing the Caja del Rio Protection Act, legislation that would safeguard the public lands of the Caja del Rio plateau. With a united coalition of local governments, Tribes, ranchers, and community organizations, this legislation is vital to warding off threats and preserving the heritages of the region.”

“The Caja del Rio is one of New Mexico’s most treasured landscapes — a place where Tribal communities, our Land Grants, and New Mexico families have lived, gathered, prayed, and cared for the land for generations,” said Stansbury. “This landscape must be protected. As the GOP continues to threaten selling off and developing public lands, protecting Caja del Rio is more urgent than ever. That’s why we are introducing the Caja del Rio Protection Act to honor the legacy of these lands and ensure they remain protected for generations to come. I’m proud to stand alongside Tribes, local governments, community organizations, and advocates across New Mexico who have come together to protect this place which is so deeply sacred, culturally significant, and uniquely New Mexican.”

“The Caja del Rio is a place sacred to our Pueblos and holds the history of New Mexico across its vast, rugged landscape. But unfortunately, it’s also a place that has been neglected and used as an illegal dumping ground for far too long,” said Vasquez. “From Diablo Canyon to the La Cieneguilla Petroglyphs, these public lands must be protected for future generations, safeguarded from vandalism, and accessible for New Mexicans to enjoy. I’m proud to co-sponsor this legislation with my colleagues and move this effort forward.”

U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and co-founder of the U.S. Senate Stewardship Caucus, unveils the Caja del Rio Protection Act at a press conference in front of La Cieneguilla Petroglyphs trailhead, May 8, 2026.

The Caja del Rio is one of the Southwest’s most culturally significant landscapes — a living testament to centuries of New Mexico’s complex and often under-told history. It holds deep importance for traditional Spanish land grant communities, acequia communities, livestock permittees, and has been vital to Tribal communities since time immemorial. The Caja remains part of the traditions and culture of the surrounding Pueblos and Traditional Historic Communities today.

The plateau also contains one of the most historically intact sections of the El Camino Real, a vital artery that linked New Mexico to the wider world during the Spanish colonial era. Ecologically, the Caja serves as a critical wildlife corridor, linking essential habitats for a wide range of species.

Multiple threats have united local governments, Tribes, Traditional Historic Communities, and community organizations to preserve the shared yet distinct heritages of the region. These threats include desecration of petroglyphs, irresponsible off-roading, illegal dumping, and President Trump and Senate Republicans’ ongoing attempts to sell off public lands.

The Caja del Rio Protection Act permanently protects the plateau for future generations by establishing two new protected areas near Santa Fe — the Caja del Rio Special Management Area (SMA) and National Conservation Area (NCA) — to conserve and permanently protect local cultural, ecological, and spiritual values. Specifically, the legislation:

Protects public lands from sale or privatization;

Prohibits new roads, mining, and rights-of-way, ensuring the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Electrical Power Capacity Upgrade (EPCU) transmission line will be the last to cross the Caja del Rio plateau;

Requires consultation with Tribes and coordination with Traditional Historic Communities;

Preserves traditional uses such as herb and mineral gathering, hunting and grazing;

Protects confidential Indigenous knowledge and sacred site locations from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA);

Reduces unauthorized roads and limits motor vehicle use;

Calls for public land agencies to provide adequate law enforcement and requires the posting of signs to inform the public of designated routes and penalties for violations; and

Allows for ecological restoration, such as reducing wildfire risk or improving habitat, where necessary.

The legislation is endorsed by the All Pueblo Council of Governors, Santa Fe County Commission, Sandoval County Commission, Santa Fe Mayor Michael Garcia, and more. For a full list of endorsers, click here.

A map of the proposed Caja del Rio Special Management Area and National Conservation Area created by the legislation is here.

A one-page summary of the bill is here.

A section-by-section summary of the bill is here.

The full text of the bill is here.

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Heinrich, Luján Demand Answers about U.S. and Israeli Military’s Adherence to International Law in the Middle East

A dozen Senate Dems ask U.S. Central Command whether American forces have provided support to Israel’s forced displacement of 1,000,000 civilians in Lebanon

New Mexico – U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and nine Senate Democrats in requesting answers from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) regarding Israel’s practice of unilaterally declared mass evacuation orders in Lebanon and Iran, which likely contravene international law, in light of assertions from Israeli officials that American and Israeli forces are coordinating on military targeting actions in the current conflict in the Middle East. The letter comes ahead of congressional testimony by CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper.

“The Israeli practice of military exclusion or evacuation zones in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran presents major risks of violating international law and has been linked to the deaths of thousands of civilians. The declaration of military evacuation zones has been used to permanently displace people and destroy homes and towns—acts that are in violation of international law,” wrote the Senators. “Furthermore, no declaration of evacuation zones or ‘kill zones’ absolves Israeli and U.S. forces from the absolute legal responsibility to determine that each individual person or civilian facility targeted by drones, jets, and gunfire is, in fact, a military target.

The Senators highlighted how in Southern Lebanon, hundreds of civilians have already been killed in areas under Israeli evacuation orders: “For example, Father Pierre al-Rahi, a leader in the Christian village of Qlayaa, was killed by Israeli tank fire just days after he announced the people of the village would not leave their homes. Across Lebanon, more than a million people—at least a sixth of the population—have been forced to flee their homes under mass evacuation and bombing threats. The Israeli Defense Minister has ordered his forces to destroy the homes of hundreds of Lebanese communities and hinted at a long-term or permanent displacement of up to a million people.”

The Senators requested answers to the following questions by May 20, 2026:

1. Do U.S. forces under your command coordinate military targets with Israeli forces as part of Operation Epic Fury?

2. Have forces under your command provided refueling services, intelligence, or other assistance for Israeli imposition of evacuation zones in Lebanon and/or Iran?

3. Have you received any intelligence assessments or analyses on the military utility of Israel’s mass evacuation zones in Lebanon and/or Iran?

4. Have you signed off on U.S. military support to the establishment, enforcement, or targeting of any persons or infrastructure in evacuation zones?

5. Have any personnel under your command raised any concerns or provided any legal analysis on Israeli unilateral designation of evacuation zones or targeting decisions in such zones to you, anyone in your chain of command, the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, CENTCOM or DOD’s Office of Inspector General, or DOD’s Office of the General Counsel? If so, provide a copy of any such reports or communications to the Judiciary, Intelligence, Armed Services, and Foreign Relations/Affairs committees.

6. Have any personnel under your command shared intelligence with the Israeli government that could be used to support the creation, enforcement, or targeting of evacuation zones in Lebanon and/or Iran? Has anyone under your command analyzed whether such sharing would violate the terms of any intelligence sharing agreements with regards to the use of any U.S.-provided intelligence in operations that might violate international law, U.S. law, and the laws of armed conflict?

In addition to Heinrich, Luján, and Welch, the letter is signed by Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.).

Read and download the Senators’ full letter to U.S. Admiral Cooper.

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Hickenlooper, Sanders, Colleagues Protest Trump Admin Rule to Exploit Workers

An estimated 10% to 30% of employers misclassify their employees, leaving millions of workers without fair labor protections

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Bernie Sanders, along with 19 of their Democratic Senate colleagues, demanded Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling withdraw a recent proposed rule allowing employers to misclassify employees as independent contractors to suppress their wages and benefits. This week, during Hickenlooper’s roundtable about the cost-of-living emergency with Colorado workers, labor leaders spoke out against the practice that hurts workers.

“While 60% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, it is unacceptable that the Administration is focused on making it easier to exploit workers, rather than making life more affordable for working families,” wrote the senators. “Instead of protecting America’s workers, this proposed rule would be a disaster for workers across the country, especially the workers most vulnerable to exploitation. We urge you to do the right thing, immediately reverse course and withdraw the proposed rule.”

The rule makes it easier to exploit workers and deny them basic labor protections, including minimum wage, overtime, and family and medical leave. It also allows employers to deny protections for migrant and seasonal agricultural workers.

For example, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a typical truck driver loses as much as $23,300 a year in income and benefits as a result of being misclassified. A misclassified construction worker could lose more than $20,000 a year and a misclassified home health aide could lose more than $10,000 a year.

Hickenlooper is a strong advocate for workers rights and protections. As governor, he created the Joint Enforcement Task Force on Payroll Fraud and Employee Misclassification in the Construction Industry to address the issue of employee misclassification in Colorado’s construction industry. He also jumpstarted CareerWise Colorado, a nonprofit designed to create statewide apprenticeship opportunities to prepare students for high-paying, competitive jobs at Colorado companies.

When Colorado workers at JBS went on strike this year, Hickenlooper stood with them in their fight to secure better working conditions and pay. Last year, when workers at King Soopers in Colorado went on strike, he picketed alongside workers in their fight for better work conditions.

Full text of the letter is available HERE and below:

Dear Acting Secretary Sonderling,

We write to strongly oppose the proposed rule that would make it easier to deny workers basic labor standards and protections, including minimum wage and overtime protections, the right to job-protected family and medical leave, and important protections for migrant and seasonal agricultural workers.

Worker misclassification—when employers deliberately classify their workers as “independent contractors” rather than “employees” in order to skirt labor rights and protections—is a rampant and serious issue in the United States. An estimated 10 to 30% of employers misclassify their employees, meaning there are millions of workers across the country who are left without fundamental labor protections.

This has a devastating impact on these workers and their families. For example, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a typical truck driver loses as much as $23,300 a year in income and benefits as a result of being misclassified. A misclassified construction worker could lose more than $20,000 a year and a misclassified home health aide could lose more than $10,000 a year. While 60% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, it is unacceptable that the Administration is focused on making it easier to exploit workers, rather than making life more affordable for working families.

By making it easier for employers to misclassify workers, you are giving unscrupulous corporations a free pass to not only avoid paying their workers minimum wage and overtime but also avoid providing job-protected family and medical leave and basic protections to farm workers.

Instead of protecting America’s workers, this proposed rule would be a disaster for workers across the country, especially the workers most vulnerable to exploitation. We urge you to do the right thing, immediately reverse course and withdraw the proposed rule.

Sincerely,


Hoeven Secures $3 Million for Four Year Extension of UND Vets2Wings Program

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today highlighted the continuation of the University of North Dakota’s (UND) Vets2Wings program, as the university hosted a student luncheon welcoming a new cohort of participants. Hoeven secured $3 million for the program in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 appropriations legislation to extend the program for four years. This effort builds on the $2.5 million Hoeven previously secured to establish the initiative in 2022.

Vets2Wings expands flight training opportunities for veterans and National Guard members at UND by helping cover the gap for costs not included under the GI Bill and other benefits, like Federal Tuition Assistance. Administered through a partnership between UND and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the program supports efforts to address the nation’s pilot shortage.

Since 2022, the program has supported over 92 students at UND. More than half of the program participants were Air National Guard members and non-traditional college students, earning more than 178 FAA certificates and ratings on their way towards a career in aviation.

“As our country faces a shortage of commercial pilots, we created this program to support our veterans and National Guard members as they pursue careers in aviation,” said Hoeven. “By helping cover the cost of flight training, Vets2Wings provides a pathway for these individuals to become commercial airline pilots, strengthening our workforce and helping meet the nation’s aviation needs.”

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Hoeven Secures $36 Million for Crack the Code 2.0 Phase One

BISMARCK, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today announced he has secured a total of $36 million in federal funding from the Department of Energy (DOE) for Crack the Code 2.0, putting in place the final funding piece for phase one of the $157 million initiative. Hoeven announced the federal funding at a press conference today with North Dakota Petroleum Council President Ron Ness to outline the federal, state and industry effort to Crack the Code 2.0 and partner North Dakota’s oil and coal industries with the goals of:

Doubling oil recovery in the Bakken.

Doubling the life of North Dakota’s coal-fired power plants.

Hoeven has been working with U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and his team at DOE to finalize the federal award. To this end, Hoeven met in Grand Forks with both Secretary Wright and DOE Assistant Secretary Kyle Haustveit, the University of North Dakota (UND) Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) and energy producers to advance this initiative.

The phase one funding, which also includes $76 million in private investment and $45.1 million in state funding, will be used to develop large-scale pilot projects to advance the technical and commercial viability of EOR in the Bakken.

Crack the Code 2.0 is further supported by a policy Hoeven worked to secure in the One Big Beautiful Bill (OB3), also known as the Working Families Tax Cut Act, to properly align the 45Q tax credit to incentivize the use of CO2 for EOR. Doing so supports coal producers’ continued operations by providing access to a new revenue stream through selling CO2 to oil producers, while providing a strong, long-term incentive for EOR, making it the clear, commercially-viable choice to improve oil recovery in the Bakken.

“By securing this $36 million in federal funding for Crack the Code 2.0, we are taking a major step forward in efforts to partner North Dakota’s oil and coal producers and provide a more solid foundation for the future of both of these essential industries,” said Hoeven. “EOR has the potential to double both the oil recovery rate in formations like the Bakken and the life of our coal-fired power plants. Doing so benefits not only North Dakota, but is essential to the economic security of all Americans, who will continue to have access to reliable and affordable energy produced right here in the U.S.”

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Hoeven Securing Federal Support for New Facilities at Dickinson Airport

DICKINSON, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today outlined work with local, state and federal officials to build new facilities at the Dickinson-Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport. As a member of the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Committee, Hoeven is working to secure federal support for new facilities, including:

$55 Million New Terminal

The senator is working to get final approval for $13 million in federal funding for the new terminal.

$67.8 Million Runway Project

Hoeven secured nearly $50 million in federal funding to reconstruct and extend the runway.

Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) Facility

The senator recently secured $2.5 million in federal funds for the final phase of construction.

Hoeven joined local and state officials at the groundbreaking for the terminal project, which will replace the existing terminal with a new approximately 20,000 sq ft. terminal. Hoeven organized a meeting in 2022 to kick off the project and help identify potential funding opportunities to help move the effort forward. The new terminal will include expanded lounging and dining options, a single-level layout to enhance accessibility, and a new jetway allowing passengers to board planes without being exposed to outdoor elements.

The Dickinson-Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport recently completed a runway reconstruction and expansion project, which added 900 feet to the runway length, making it 7,300 feet long. Hoeven secured nearly $50 million in federal funding for the runway reconstruction and extension project. In total, the airport received approximately a total of $67.8 million in federal, state and local funding for the project.

More recently, Dickinson-Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport was awarded $2.425 million in federal funds to expand the airport’s ARFF facility. The funding supports a 2,692-square-foot expansion of the facility and the final phase of construction.

“Investing in our rural airports is essential to supporting economic growth, public safety and connectivity across North Dakota,” said Hoeven. “These upgrades in Dickinson will help ensure the airport can continue to serve the region effectively. The new terminal will improve the travel experience with residents, visitors and business alike while helping meet the growing demand we expect with the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. This airport will serve as a gateway to western North Dakota and everything our state has to offer.”

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HYDE-SMITH, PRO-LIFE COLLEAGUES FILE AMICUS BRIEF URGING SCOTUS TO PROTECT WOMEN & BABIES FROM DANGEROUS ABORTION DRUGS

Senate, House Lawmakers Support Louisiana Case on In-person Dispensing Requirement for Chemical Abortion Drugs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), chair of the Senate Pro-Life Caucus, is among 27 pro-life Senators who have signed a congressional amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court supporting the state of Louisiana in its lawsuit seeking to reinstate the in-person dispensing requirement for the chemical abortion drug, mifepristone.

The amicus brief, which was filed Thursday, asks the Supreme Court to allow a Fifth Circuit decision to stand while the Louisiana lawsuit to nullify the Biden-era mifepristone Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) continues to be litigated.

“Our fight to reinstate safety requirements for chemical abortion drugs continues as strong as ever because we believe the federal government is responsible for acknowledging the very real risks posed by these life-ending abortion drugs. We hope the Supreme Court will act to begin restoring the safeguards so carelessly suspended by the previous administration,” said Hyde-Smith, who authored the SAVE Moms and Babies Act to restore abortion drug safety protocols.

On May 8, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Biden administration’s 2023 REMS, which removed the in-person dispensing requirement, was unlawful. It placed an immediate stay on the 2023 REMS as the litigation continued, effectively restoring the in-person dispensing requirement.

The congressional amicus brief in support of Louisiana’s opposition to the pro-abortion parties’ application to stay the Fifth Circuit’s order makes two primary arguments:

The Biden FDA’s 2023 Mifepristone REMS Is Contrary to Law Because It Fails to Meet the Statutory Requirement to Demonstrate Safety, and the Fifth Circuit’s Ruling is Justified

The Biden FDA’s 2023 Mifepristone REMS Violates Federal Law.

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.) and U.S. Representative Chris Smith (R-N.J.) led the brief, which was also signed by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

Other Senate signees included U.S. Senators Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kan.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Rand Paul, M.D. (R-Ky.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), and Todd Young (R-Ind.).

It was also signed by 78 members of the House of Representatives, including U.S. Representative Michael Guest (R-Miss.).

In March, Hyde-Smith joined an investigation into chemical abortion drug manufacturer compliance with Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-mandated safeguards associated with marketing their drugs. This effort includes seeking information from chemical abortion drug manufacturers regarding online prescriber compliance with even the minimal risk evaluation standards that remain on chemical abortion drugs like Mifepristone.

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Kaine Statement on VA Supreme Court Ruling on Redistricting Referendum

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) released the following statement regarding the Virginia Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn a free and fair constitutional amendment referendum to redraw congressional districts in Virginia:

“Unlike Republican-led states that have redrawn their maps through backroom deals, the Virginia General Assembly let the people decide for themselves in a free and fair election. If the Virginia Supreme Court had legitimate concerns about this referendum, the time to stop it would have been before three million Virginians cast their ballots. But the Court let the process move forward, and Virginians sent a message loud and clear: we see President Trump’s brazen power grab in states across the country, and we won’t stand for it.

“The timing of this ruling speaks volumes. The U.S. Supreme Court eviscerates the Voting Rights Act in a lawsuit brought by a January 6 extremist and Southern states race to craft backroom deals disenfranchising minority voters and candidates. Meanwhile Virginia voters choose to stand up against national disenfranchisement only to see their votes cast into the trash by a 4-3 ruling. A sad day indeed but I’m proud of Virginians’ willingness to stay true to our state’s motto after 250 years. That spirit is needed now more than ever.”

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ICYMI: In Chandler, Kelly Meets with Veterans at John McCain VFW Post

In case you missed it, Arizona Senator and Navy combat veteran Mark Kelly met today with veterans and military families at the John S. McCain III VFW Post 7401 in Chandler to hear directly about the challenges they are facing: delays accessing VA care and benefits, concerns about toxic exposure-related illnesses, housing insecurity, and cuts affecting veterans’ services and support programs.

During the discussion, veterans and advocates shared personal stories about navigating the VA system, the growing strain on veterans’ health care services, and the importance of protecting programs that support veterans and military families. Several attendees raised concerns about staffing shortages and restructuring at the VA, long wait times for claims and care, and the need for expanded support for veterans exposed to toxic substances during their service.

Jennifer, a military spouse, spoke about her husband, a Marine Corps veteran battling terminal service-connected cancer after serving during Desert Storm, and urged action to improve early cancer detection and screening for veterans exposed to hazardous environments. Kelly has led efforts to better understand and address cancer risks facing veterans, including through his bipartisan Aviator Cancer Examination Study (ACES) Act, which was signed into law and directs the VA to study cancer rates among military aviators and aircrews. He’s also worked on the bipartisan Counting Veterans’ Cancer Act, which improves the tracking of veterans’ cancer cases to strengthen research, treatment, and prevention efforts.

Emilio, an advocate with Soldier’s Best Friend, an Arizona nonprofit that trains and pairs service dogs with veterans at no cost, highlighted the importance of supporting veterans living with PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, and homelessness. Kelly discussed his bipartisan Working Dog Commemorative Coin Act, signed into law in 2024, which helps raise funding to train and provide service dogs for veterans.

Many veterans in attendance also discussed ongoing efforts to pass the Major Richard Star Act, legislation Kelly has repeatedly cosponsored to allow combat-injured veterans medically retired before 20 years of service to receive both military retirement and VA disability benefits concurrently.

Throughout the event, Kelly emphasized the country’s obligation to keep its promises to veterans and reiterated his commitment to protecting access to care, benefits, and services veterans have earned through their service. Kelly also encouraged veterans experiencing issues with the VA or federal agencies to contact his office for assistance.


Kim Visits Edison Community Center to Discuss Future Plans Made Possible by Federal Funding

Senator Kim secured $2.9 million for the Minnie B. Veal Community Center in congressionally directed spending (CDS) during this year’s federal appropriations

EDISON, NJ – Senator Kim (D-NJ) traveled to Edison, NJ, where he visited the Minnie B. Veal Community Center, a recent recipient of $2.9 million dollars in federal funding that was successfully secured by Senator Kim and Congressman Frank Pallone (NJ-06), who represents Edison.

You can watch a video of the Senator’s visit HERE.

“As I work to bring care to all, the Minnie B. Veal Community Center will be able to use this CDS funding to expand its footprint, offer more programming, and make needed upgrades to better help seniors live a full life while strengthening their sense of community here in Edison,” said Senator Kim. “This visit gave me insight as to just how crucial this center is for their community, and I look forward to seeing the results of the CDS funding and the resulting impact it will have, especially for Edison seniors.”

“The funding we’ve secured for the Minnie B. Veal Community Center will truly make a difference in the lives of Edison’s seniors,” said Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. “This expansion isn’t just about adding more space—it’s about creating a welcoming place where our seniors can feel supported and connected. With easier access to essential services, and the opportunity to learn new skills and form lasting friendships, we’re helping to build a community that values and uplifts its older residents.”

“I thank Senator Andy Kim for awarding funds for the Minnie B. Veal Community Center expansion project,” said Edison Mayor, Sam Joshi. “This location serves as a community pillar for residents to engage and connect. We look forward to developing our senior services with recreation, social services, classes, technology education, and assistance and more.”

Senator Kim toured the center with its dedicated staffers, spoke with residents who use the center’s programs and centers, and discussed how the $2.9 million in CDS funding would further enrich the community.

As a member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Senator Kim is committed to fighting for economic and health security for older Americans and cutting the red tape that often accompanies programs seniors rely on every day. During his maiden speech as Senator given in December 2025, he committed to working to find solutions to bring affordable care to all.

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As Trump’s Illegal War with Iran Drives up Costs at Every Turn, Luján Fights to Tackle Affordability Crisis Hitting New Mexicans and the Agricultural Industry

Luján Concludes Weeklong Tour Across New Mexico Meeting with Industry Experts and New Mexicans to Address President Trump’s Affordability Crisis

Las Cruces, N.M. – As President Trump’s illegal war with Iran continues to drive up costs across industries, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) brought together experts and representatives from business, health care, housing, family services, and agriculture sectors to address the administration’s policies that are increasing operational expenses and hitting pocketbooks across Southern New Mexico.

At the Community Action Agency of Southern New Mexico, Senator Luján brought together representatives from various sectors, including housing, health care, family and economic support, and business, to address the growing affordability crisis facing New Mexicans. Senator Luján and participants underscored how rising costs are straining families at every level — from housing and health care to groceries and childcare — and discussed his legislative efforts to lower costs, strengthen economic security, and deliver meaningful relief for families across New Mexico.

“New Mexicans are paying the price for the Trump administration’s costly and chaotic policies,” said Senator Luján. “From higher everyday expenses to growing uncertainty across local industries, families and workers in Southern New Mexico and across our state are feeling the impact. I’m continuing to push back against policies that are driving up costs and hurting working families, while fighting for solutions that lower costs, strengthen local economies, and help our families.”

As President Trump’s illegal war with Iran continues to drive up costs for the agricultural industry, Senator Luján led a coalition of farmers and agricultural representatives to examine and address the financial strain facing agricultural operations and its impact on New Mexicans. Senator Luján and agricultural experts highlighted how the war with Iran has driven up the costs of inputs — including fuel, fertilizer, and equipment — and is squeezing thin margins and threatening the industry. Senator Luján also outlined policy priorities aimed at lowering costs for producers and consumers, while underscoring his push to reverse SNAP cuts made by Congressional Republicans.

“Across New Mexico, our farmers, ranchers, dairy producers, and entire agriculture industry work tirelessly to provide for our communities. But because of actions taken by this administration, the industry is being hit with higher costs and tremendous uncertainty,” said Senator Luján. “To the folks that were able to join me at NMSU: thank you for your time and insight. These conversations will help me fight back against policies that hurt our state’s agricultural industry.”

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