Padilla Joins Warren, Booker, Colleagues in Renewed Push to Combat Maternal Health Crisis

Mamas First Act would expand Medicaid coverage to include prenatal, delivery, and postpartum care provided by doulas, midwives, tribal midwives, and lactation support providers

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), alongside Representatives Gwen Moore (D-Wis.-04), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.-06), Alma Adams (D-N.C.-12), Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.-14), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.-07), in reintroducing the Mamas First Act, legislation that would help address the maternal mortality crisis by expanding Medicaid coverage to include prenatal, delivery, and postpartum care provided by doulas, midwives, tribal midwives, and lactation support providers. These services have been proven to reduce C-sections, decrease maternal anxiety, and improve communication between pregnant women and their healthcare providers.

“As Republicans make health care harder to access and disparities worse, mothers across California and our country are in need of support,” said Senator Padilla. “This is the legislation we need to help close the maternal mortality gap that plagues too many mothers in California and across the country.”

“Instead of slashing health care for millions of Americans like Republicans in Congress are hellbent on doing, we should be expanding access to care to protect every momma and baby,” said Senator Warren. “It’s unthinkable that the richest country in the world would also have one of the highest maternal mortality rates. The Mamas First Act will help fix this crisis by improving access to high-quality care and rooting out the deep disparities and systemic racism in our health care system.”

“The Mamas First Act meets a crisis that is costing mothers their lives—especially Black and Indigenous women who walk into delivery rooms carrying risks no family should bear,” said Senator Booker. “By ensuring Medicaid reimburses doulas, midwives, tribal midwives, and lactation support professionals, this bill delivers the trusted care that keeps mothers safe and babies alive. Congress must act now.”

“Across this nation, 40 percent of moms depend on Medicaid when they give birth. Instead of gutting Medicaid, we need to strengthen it so we can save lives. The Mamas First Act would provide mothers with access to evidence-based supportive care that can lead to healthier outcomes for them and their babies,” said Representative Moore. “At a time when stark disparities in maternal mortality continue to hit our communities hard, I am thrilled to have such incredible colleagues and advocates supporting the Mamas First Act and the ongoing fight to save lives.”

“The quality of care a pregnant woman receives should not depend on the color of her skin, where she lives, or her income. Each childbirth is different, and women and their doctors should be empowered to decide what care is best. By providing access to adequate and proper maternal services, including doulas and midwives, we will help end the maternal mortality crisis in our country and ensure our children start their lives out healthy and strong,” said Representative Dingell.

“Support from care workers like doulas and midwives can make the difference between a positive and healthy pregnancy outcome, and a devastating one. Every mom should be able to access this critically important care,” said Representative Lauren Underwood. “As Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, I’m proud to join my colleagues and introduce the Mamas First Act, a bold step to address our country’s maternal mortality crisis by expanding Medicaid coverage to include doula, midwife, and lactation care. Together, we can, and must, take decisive action to save lives and end disparities.”

“Every mother deserves the care and support needed for a healthy pregnancy and safe delivery,” said Representative Adams, Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus. “That is why I am proud to support the reintroduction of the Mamas First Act. Research shows that doula and midwife care can improve maternal health outcomes and reduce pregnancy-related complications. Yet the United States continues to face an unacceptable maternal mortality crisis, and Black women are nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than women of other racial and ethnic groups. Moms can’t wait, and neither should Congress. We must expand access to high-quality maternal care and ensure every mother has the opportunity to thrive before, during, and after pregnancy.”

“It is incumbent upon us all to treat mothers with the dignity, respect, and care that they deserve—and that means tackling the maternal morbidity crisis head on, especially for Black communities who feel the disproportionate impact of this crisis,” said Representative Pressley. “Our Mamas First Act would save lives and improve the quality of care by expanding coverage for doula and midwifery care. I’m proud to co-lead this legislation with my colleagues to put an end to the maternal morbidity crisis and protect mothers now.”

Specifically, the Mamas First Act would:

Amend the Social Security Act to allow doulas, midwives, tribal midwives, and lactation support providers to be reimbursed by Medicaid.

Improve access to care before, during, and after delivery for underserved and under-resourced communities.

Increase the focus on culturally competent and patient-centered care to facilitate better health outcomes.

In addition to Padilla, Warren, and Booker, the bill is cosponsored by Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.).

In addition to Moore, Dingell, Underwood, Adams, and Pressley, the bill is cosponsored by Representatives Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.-36), Al Green (D-Texas-09), Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.-07), and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.-09).

The bill is endorsed by Ujima, The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community, the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice, the National Health Law Program, HealthConnect One, BMMA Inc. (Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Incorporated), Futures Without Violence, Every Mother Counts, the American Association of Birth Centers, In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, the National Partnership for Women and Families, Birth Center Equity, Families USA, and the What to Expect Project.

“The Mamas First Act will help address our country’s devastating maternal health crisis, which is causing vast, disproportionate harm to Black and Indigenous mothers and newborns, by ensuring that Medicaid reimburses doulas, midwives, and other birthing care workers for the vitally important care they provide,” said Esta Soler, president and founder of Futures Without Violence. “We thank Senator Warren and Representative Moore for championing this legislation, which will ensure these critical providers can continue providing quality care to the millions of people who rely on Medicaid for coverage. We urge leaders in both the House and Senate to prioritize its passage.”

“The Mamas First Act recognizes a simple but important truth: better support leads to better outcomes for mothers and babies,” said Anthony Wright, Executive Director of Families USA. “By expanding access to trusted community-based providers, including doulas, midwives, tribal midwives, and lactation support professionals, this legislation will help ensure that more families receive the high-quality, culturally congruent care they deserve during a time of immense change, vulnerability and excitement. Families USA is proud to endorse it.”

Full text of the bill is available here.

A one-pager of the bill is available here.

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Padilla, Schumer, Schatz, King, Heinrich Lead Investigation Into Trump Administration Efforts to Abandon Offshore Wind Projects

Trump actions will kill more than 30,000 Jobs and raise energy costs

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif), Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Angus King (I-Maine), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) led nine of their colleagues in launching an investigation into the Trump Administration’s efforts to kill offshore wind energy projects and seeking answers from four offshore wind companies about the lease buyout agreements.

“These buyouts have been announced amid a larger effort by the Trump Administration to stall wind and solar projects – the energy sources that are cheap, clean, and fastest to bring online – across the country,” the Senators wrote. “At a time when gas prices have spiked by an average of more than $1 dollar per gallon due to the President’s war in Iran and electricity prices are rising nearly twice as fast as inflation, clean energy offers a critical opportunity to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and relieve costs for people across the country. Dismantling the burgeoning offshore wind industry now and creating broader uncertainty for investment in cheap, clean energy will have consequences for decades to come.”

The Trump Administration has agreed to pay the four companies more than $2.7 billion in taxpayer funding to abandon projects that could have delivered energy to millions of homes and created tens of thousands of jobs up and down the East and West Coasts.

“These projects were poised not only to advance U.S. leadership in clean energy technology and generation capacity, but also to unlock hundreds of millions of dollars in federal and state investment in research and development, port upgrades, workforce development, and community benefit agreements,” the Senators continued. “The two Invenergy projects in the Gulf of Maine were expected to help power more than 2 million homes and support over 18,000 jobs. The Leading Light Wind project in the New York Bight was projected to generate more than $3.7 billion in economic development benefits and over 7,000 jobs. The Golden State Wind project off California’s Central Coast would have powered 1.1 million homes, created more than 8,000 jobs, and delivered a $30 million commitment to workforce development and supply chain initiatives.”

The Senators called on the companies to turn over internal communications and posed a series of questions: whether the Administration had raised legitimate national security concerns, whether the companies had struck a deal with the Department of the Interior involving a pledge to invest in fossil fuel projects, and whether any conditions were attached to the payouts.

The letters were also signed by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

Read the full text of the letters here and below:

Dear [TotalEnergies, Ocean Winds, Duke Energy, Invenergy]:

We write to express deep concern with your company’s voluntary termination of [nine] leases to develop offshore wind energy in the United States. Over the last few months, President Trump’s Administration has agreed to pay companies, including [TotalEnergies, Ocean Winds, Duke Energy, Invenergy], a total of more than $2.7 billion in taxpayer dollars to abandon projects that could have delivered energy to communities spanning from California to North Carolina to Maine. We are concerned that these decisions will harm grid reliability, job opportunities, and economic development in states across the country, and we request your response to several inquiries.

Since March, 2026, the Department of the Interior (DOI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have announced agreements to terminate eight leases for offshore wind projects, including TotalEnergies’ leases for Attentive Energy in the New York Bight and Carolina Long Bay; Ocean Winds’ leases for Bluepoint Wind in the New York Bight and Golden State Wind off Morro Bay in California; and Invenergy’s leases in the New York Bight, Gulf of Maine, Morro Bay in California’s Central Coast, and Duke Energy’s lease in the Carolina Long Bay. The Trump Administration agreed to reimburse companies for their leases in exchange for investments in oil, gas, and geothermal projects that, in large part, will be hundreds of miles away from the states that were planning for these offshore wind projects. In total, the Trump Administration’s agreements could result in the loss of more than 15 GW of planned, fixed-price clean energy, which would have helped meet increasing energy demand in regions such as New England and the Mid-Atlantic that are already facing supply constraints.

These projects were poised not only to advance U.S. leadership in clean energy technology and generation capacity, but also to unlock hundreds of millions of dollars in federal and state investment in research and development, port upgrades, workforce development, and community benefit agreements. The two Invenergy projects in the Gulf of Maine were expected to help power more than 2 million homes and support over 18,000 jobs. The Leading Light Wind project in the New York Bight was projected to generate more than $3.7 billion in economic development benefits and over 7,000 jobs. The Golden State Wind project off California’s Central Coast would have powered 1.1 million homes, created more than 8,000 jobs, and delivered a $30 million commitment to workforce development and supply chain initiatives.

Several states have already begun making substantial investments to prepare for offshore wind projects to move forward, including over $100 million in investments by California to modernize ports and support planning. By accepting DOI’s buyout deals, you are stranding these investments, undermining job expectations, and disrupting the yearslong process of electricity capacity planning by states and utilities.

These buyouts have been announced amid a larger effort by the Trump Administration to stall wind and solar projects – the energy sources that are cheap, clean, and fastest to bring online – across the country. In December 2025, the Administration paused the construction of five largescale offshore wind projects, claiming “national security risks.” Secretary Burgum issued a directive requiring his personal review and approval of every wind and solar energy project on public lands, holding up at least 57GW as identified in court documents. The Department of Defense is holding up all new wind projects on private land, a total of more than 30 GW of onshore wind capacity.At a time when gas prices have spiked by an average of more than $1 dollar per gallon due to the President’s war in Iran and electricity prices are rising nearly twice as fast as inflation, clean energy offers a critical opportunity to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and relieve costs for people across the country. Dismantling the burgeoning offshore wind industry now and creating broader uncertainty for investment in cheap, clean energy will have consequences for decades to come.

There is no law that entitles leaseholders to refunds for voluntarily surrendering a lease, and lease cancellations must be executed according to the law. The Trump Administration has asserted that these payments can be made from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Judgment Fund—a position that may not be permissible under statute and that is the subject of ongoing litigation brought by the attorneys general of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont. These buyouts risk setting a dangerous precedent that could encourage further misuse of public funds to terminate clean energy projects in certain states in favor of fossil fuel investments that benefit other states.

In light of these questions and concerns, and to better understand the legal basis for the lease buyout agreements between your company and DOI, we request the following information by August 7, 2026:

Please state when initial conversations began between your company and the Administration regarding initiating a lease buyout agreement.

Please state if anyone in the Trump Administration communicated to your company, whether verbal or written, that it would suspend your offshore wind projects if the project moved forward. If communication occurred, please provide responses to the following:

Did your company consider the threat of suspension a viable threat?

Did your company communicate directly that it would file suit for a breach of contract if the Trump Administration suspended your company’s project(s)? Please provide all supporting documentation and communications.

Please state what national security issues, if any, the Trump Administration raised or identified with your company with respect to the terminated leases.

Please state if your company or any representative of DOI or the Trump Administration provided notice to the states affected by the lease terminations. If not, why not?

Please state whether DOI held a hearing related to the planned termination of your company’s leases. If so, please describe.

Please state which projects your company has agreed to reinvest in and the settled payments amount. In responding to this question, please provide the following information:

The location of these projects.

If specific projects have not been identified, how and when will those investments be chosen?

If the specific projects have been identified, was your company already planning in investing in those projects prior to the settlement, or is the investment contingent on receiving funds from DOI?

If your company accepted an agreement with DOI in exchange for a pledge to invest in fossil fuel projects, describe the nature of the pledge and note whether any aspects of the pledge are legally binding.

Please state whether your company currently has other clean energy projects that are pending review by DOI, the Department of Defense, or any other federal government agency. In responding to this question, please provide the following information:

The name and type of project(s) affected and the location.

The total generation capacity at risk by ongoing delays.

The total amount of investment at risk by ongoing delays.

The total number of jobs supported by the projects that are stalled.

Please provide all correspondence with DOI, including with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and any email correspondence, papers, books, records, and documents in your possession or under your control relating to these agreements.

We look forward to your prompt response with the information requested above.

Sincerely,

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Senator Ricketts’ Weekly Column: Combatting Fraud, Waste and Abuse Will Preserve Our Nation

Nebraskans are honest, trusting people. We expect others to behave the same way. However, that’s not always the case.

Too many people are stealing and abusing tax dollars. These people lie and cheat to line their own pockets. In some cases, they send stolen money overseas. This illegal behavior drives up the cost of living. It also burdens programs meant to help Americans who need it. Too many politicians made stealing from the government easy. I’m fighting to put an end to this fraud, waste, and abuse.

The Trump Administration has unearthed widespread misuse of government resources. In Minnesota and California, we’ve learned of extensive fraud and abuse. A federal prosecutor found that at least half of the Medicaid funding for 14 Minnesota-run programs was stolen. That’s at least $9 billion in taxpayer money. In one case in California, over $50 million in Medicare benefits were stolen. This is just one example of pervasive fraud and abuse in California. Los Angeles County alone accounts for about 34% of hospice care fraud in the U.S. CBS News found that 93% of Los Angeles County hospice care providers have at least one indication of fraud. Funds meant to support those in hospice are being used for personal gain.

Even in Nebraska, our state auditor has found abuse. People live in homes worth half a million dollars and receive paychecks over $100,000. Then, they draw benefits from the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program. WIC wasn’t designed for those folks. WIC is a safety net designed to help women, infants, and children in need. We must stop people from abusing this program. They are taking away resources from the people who need them.

To build on these efforts, I co-founded the new Senate Anti-Fraud Task Force. We are identifying vulnerabilities in existing programs. We’re strengthening government accountability. And we’re ensuring proper stewardship of taxpayer dollars. The Government Accountability Office looked at fraud between 2018 and 2022. They estimated that between $233 billion and $521 billion a year in taxpayer money was stolen. We are working to stop this bleeding of taxpayer dollars.

I also have a bipartisan bill to increase transparency on improper federal payments. Improper payments are when the government overpays or underpays. It’s also when they pay the wrong person. The Improper Payments Transparency Act would require the President to provide data on improper payments in the annual budget request. Transparency brings accountability. My bill is included in the Protecting American Taxpayers Act. This is a legislative package to combat fraud. We expect to vote on it soon.

The Working Families Tax Cuts also fights against fraud. We placed work and eligibility requirements on Medicaid and SNAP. We did this to prevent abuse of American taxpayer dollars. Medicaid and SNAP should benefit moms and children, the elderly, and the disabled. That’s who these programs were created for. These reforms ensure that dead people do not remain enrolled in Medicaid. They also make sure that people cannot be enrolled in multiple states.

As we often do, Nebraska led the nation on these reforms. To receive Medicaid, able-bodied Americans without young kids will need to be productive. These people will have to contribute to their community by working, volunteering, or studying for 20 hours a week. These requirements are less restrictive than what is currently required for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. That’s not too much to ask. These requirements will help preserve the programs for who they were designed for. They will also increase workforce participation and save taxpayers $250 billion.

We also tightened requirements on illegal immigrants. Our system was never intended to subsidize non-Americans. There were over 1.2 million illegal immigrants receiving Medicaid benefits. These reforms make sure only Americans can receive government assistance.

Fraudsters have stolen from Nebraskans and the American people for too long. I am working to combat fraud, waste, and abuse. We need to protect Americans, our tax dollars, and our values. This is how we preserve our great nation for another 250 years.


Sen. Rick Scott Announces New Communications Team

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, U.S. Senator Rick Scott announced his new communications team, which has recently changed with several new hires and a promotion as he continues to connect with Floridians and Americans in his efforts to make Washington work.

Senator Rick Scott said, “I’m confident the new communications team we’ve assembled will deliver for the people of Florida and our nation. My team and I are committed to sharing important updates on the issues my constituents care about most, like the SAVE America Act, and making sure Floridians and Americans know how I am fighting to create more jobs, advance conservative values, support President Trump, and deliver for Florida families in Washington. We serve the American people, and my communications team is working overtime show the results we secure.

“I’m especially proud to announce the well-deserved promotion of Rosa Virginia Pérez to State Media Director. Rosa has been an indispensable member of our team since my first term in the U.S. Senate and has played a critical role in communicating our work to Floridians, especially throughout Florida’s Hispanic community.”

Senator Scott’s full communications team and their current titles can be found below:

Nate Madden, Communications Director

Rosa Virginia Pérez, State Media Director

Hannah Starcher, Deputy Communications Director of Digital Operations

Jack Chambers, Deputy Communications Director of Media Operations

Hannah Benfield, Digital Director

Gracie Englund, Press Secretary

Kristen Carr, Deputy Press Secretary

Luke Johnson, State Communications Coordinator

Shaina Weinberg, Rapid Response Assistant

Press inquiries can be directed to members of the communications team or at press_scott@rickscott.senate.gov

Hispanic media inquiries can be directed to Rosa Virginia Pérez.

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Sens. Rick Scott, Mark Kelly Introduce Clean Water Allotment Modernization Act

WASHINGTON, D.C.- On Thursday, July 16, U.S. Senators Rick Scott and Mark Kelly introduced the Clean Water Allotment Modernization Act. The bill replaces the outdated, fixed percentage formula for distributing Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) grants with a transparent, needs-based formula that reflects current clean water infrastructure demands, state populations, and economic burden.

Senator Rick Scott said, “It’s time to bring the CWSRF into the 21st century. Through the Clean Water Allotment Act, Florida, along with 30 other states, will start receiving the proper funds which reflect our modern population sizes, areas of need, and economically constrained areas. This will help maintain our clean water infrastructure while protecting our beautiful natural lakes, rivers, and wetlands.”

Senator Mark Kelly said, “Arizona has grown dramatically, but the allocation system for federal water infrastructure funding hasn’t been updated. Our bipartisan bill fixes this so Arizona gets the resources it needs for a secure water future.”

BACKGROUND:

Each year the federal government gives grants through the CWSRF to help pay for clean water projects such as fixing old sewers, upgrading wastewater treatment plants, converting septic systems, managing stormwater, and protecting natural wetlands like the Everglades. The outdated distribution allotment hasn’t been adjusted since 1987 and doesn’t provide for each state’s need and population growth.

Florida’s current allotment of 3.43 percent was set when the state’s population was roughly 12 million; it now exceeds 23 million. Florida’s clean water needs are substantial: the state faces ongoing challenges with aging wastewater infrastructure, septic-to-sewer conversions (particularly in the Indian River Lagoon and Biscayne Bay watersheds), nutrient management for Everglades restoration and Lake Okeechobee, stormwater management across rapidly urbanizing areas, and coastal resilience. Under the updated formula, Florida’s allotment of the CWSRF grants would increase from 3.43 percent to approximately 6.16 percent after the 4-year transition.

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Rosen Demands Answers from TSA Administrator Nominee on Las Vegas Airport ICE Arrest, Pledges to Not Support Until Addressed

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) demanded answers from Donald Trump’s nominee to become the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), David Cummins, regarding TSA’s information sharing agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), how law enforcement is supposed to identify itself at airports when making arrests, and how, if confirmed, he would ensure ICE provides an active warrant before TSA assists in ICE enforcement actions at airports. Senator Rosen is pledging not to support Cummins’ nomination until her questions are fully addressed. Rosen’s actions come in the immediate aftermath of an incident at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas where masked, plain-clothed ICE officers — without any identification and seemingly with the support of TSA — attempted to violently arrest an elderly man before running off following public intervention. It was later reported that the man had no outstanding warrants.

“ICE’s violent attempted arrest of an elderly man at Harry Reid International raises a lot of serious questions about how ICE agents are continuing to act with impunity. These actions instill fear in our communities – scaring away tourists and further hurting Nevada’s economy,” said Senator Rosen. “As someone nominated to run the federal agency in charge of security at our nation’s airports, Mr. Cummins needs to answer my questions about the conduct of ICE agents at Harry Reid International Airport and commit to preventing such abuses in the future. Let me be clear: if I don’t get adequate answers to my questions, I will not support the confirmation of David Cummins.”

You can find the full line of questioning HERE.

Senator Rosen is a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, which has jurisdiction over TSA. She has been adamant about the need for commonsense guardrails for ICE agents. Senator Rosen criticized Trump’s decision to reverse the suspension of ICE traffic stops following two separate ICE killings during enforcement operations. In June, Senator Rosen voted against the ultra-partisan Republican budget, which gave ICE more funding without any guardrails or accountability mechanisms. In February, she released a statement reaffirming her commitment to fighting for ICE reforms following the killing of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.

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Rosen Leads Senate Colleagues in Demanding More Assistance from FEMA for Wildfire Prevention and Response

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) led Senate colleagues in urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to ensure that all communities receive the federal resources they need to respond to and prevent wildfires. States can request financial assistance from FEMA through Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAGs) to help cover costs relating to emergencies, fire-fighting activities, and administrative costs. After an FMAG is declared, states can request assistance to help impacted communities rebuild and mitigate future wildfire disasters through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) Post Fire. However, many communities are still waiting for HMGP Post Fire funds from previous wildfire disasters, which has left them vulnerable to current and future wildfire disasters.

Senator Rosen was joined by Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR).

“Wildfires are one of the most frequently recurring disasters that, while once common only to western states, have recently become a major threat to communities across the country,” wrote the Senators. “These wildfires can be lethal and destroy critical infrastructure and entire residential communities, negatively affect public health through harmful smoke and air pollutants, and place large economic burdens on urban and rural communities.”

“Unfortunately, over 3.1 million acres have already burned across the country since the beginning of this year, which is the second largest number of acres burned in a January to July period in the past 10 years,” continued the Senators. “Given these recent fires, the persistent drought across multiple states, and the expected above normal wildfire activity, it is imperative that FEMA helps communities quickly respond to wildfires and increase their resilience to future wildfire disasters.”

“As we approach the summer months and prepare for above normal wildfire activity, we urge you to ensure FEMA can quickly respond to future wildfires and that FMAG and HMGP Post Fire funds are promptly approved and distributed to communities, including those in rural areas,” the senators concluded.

Read the full letter HERE.

Senator Rosen has fought to ensure that Nevada has all the federal resources it needs to combat extreme weather-related emergencies. She recently sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services and FEMA, urging them to respond to the extreme heat emergency in Nevada. In May, Senator Rosen introduced a bipartisan bill to help protect drinking water infrastructure during extreme heat emergencies. Last year, Senator Rosen introduced a bill to declare extreme heat as a major disaster, which would make affected communities eligible for federal emergency resources.

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Rosen Statement on Trump Focusing on Old, Debunked Conspiracy Theories While Ignoring Nevadans’ Real Concerns

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) released a statement following Donald Trump’s address to the nation earlier this evening, in which he once again peddled false conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, which happened under his watch while he was still in office. Instead of discussing any specific plans to lower the cost of groceries, health care, or housing, Donald Trump is focused on his petty old grievances.

“Donald Trump made it abundantly clear tonight that he is more focused on old, debunked conspiracy theories from six years ago than doing anything now to lower costs and improve Nevadans’ lives. Trump doesn’t care that families can’t afford rent, groceries, gas, or even health care. He only cares about nursing his bruised ego after losing in a fair and secure election,” said Senator Rosen. “Donald Trump may have forgotten, but he was President in 2020 and his Administration oversaw the election that year. Many investigations have shown that his allegations about the results of the 2020 election are wrong, and they’re nothing more than a desperate attempt to distract Americans from the problems he has caused for hardworking families.”

As Donald Trump ignores Americans’ needs, Senator Rosen has been laser-focused on working to bring down costs for hardworking families in Nevada and across the country. She recently helped pass the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, landmark legislation to lower housing costs that became law without Donald Trump’s signature after he called it “so unimportant” and a “big yawn.” Last year, she introduced a bill to block Trump from raising grocery prices through tariffs, and has introduced several bipartisan bills to help lower health care costs.

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Schmitt Leads Senate Anti-Fraud Task Force in Exposing Massive Medicaid Fraud Scandal in Maine, Launching Oversight Investigation into Potential Medicaid EVV Vulnerabilities

U.S. SENATE — Today, U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO), joined by Senators Roger Marshall (R-KS), Ashley Moody (R-FL), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), sent oversight and document preservation letters to Sandata Technologies/HHAeXchange and Gainwell Technologies regarding potential vulnerabilities in Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) systems used to verify Medicaid services. The letters seek information related to whistleblower allegations that EVV records may be susceptible to post-service modifications and request extensive documentation to determine whether existing safeguards adequately protect taxpayer dollars before Medicaid claims are paid.

The senators wrote, “Electronic Visit Verification was established to ensure Medicaid only pays for services that were actually provided to eligible beneficiaries by authorized caregivers at the correct time and location. When implemented correctly, EVV serves as an important safeguard against fraud, waste, and abuse. But if weaknesses in these systems allow visit records to be altered after the fact without meaningful transparency or oversight, taxpayers deserve answers.”

“The Senate Anti-Fraud Task Force has received whistleblower information raising serious questions about whether audit trails, GPS location data, and other critical verification records are consistently preserved, accessible, and used during the claims review process. Our oversight seeks to determine whether federal and state partners have the tools necessary to identify improper payments before taxpayer dollars leave the door,” the senators continued.

In the letters, the senators request:

Immediate preservation of documents, communications, audit trails, databases, GPS and geolocation records, and electronically stored information related to MaineCare’s EVV program dating back to January 1, 2021.

Detailed information regarding Sandata’s audit logs, manual edit capabilities, GPS and location verification data, provider-level edit rates, fraud detection processes, and contracts supporting MaineCare’s EVV system.

Comprehensive information from Gainwell Technologies regarding how EVV records are matched to MaineCare claims, what audit information is available during claims adjudication, and whether claims processors can identify manually modified records or location anomalies before payments are issued.

Technical documentation, provider-level reports, and claims data necessary to evaluate whether existing verification systems effectively detect fraud, prevent improper payments, and safeguard taxpayer-funded Medicaid programs.

Information that will help determine whether similar oversight concerns exist in other states utilizing Sandata or comparable Electronic Visit Verification systems.

“Congress has a responsibility to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent as intended and that the systems designed to prevent fraud are actually working,” the senators concluded. “These letters are an important first step in determining whether current safeguards are sufficient, identifying potential vulnerabilities, and ensuring federal Medicaid dollars are protected through transparent, accountable oversight.”

Read the letter sent to Sandata Technologies HERE.

Read the letter sent to Gainwell Technologies HERE.

Last month, Schmitt launched the Senate Anti-Fraud Task Force with a group of his Republican colleagues to identify fraud, strengthen oversight, and protect taxpayer dollars through aggressive investigations, legislative reforms, and coordinated enforcement efforts.

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Senators Schmitt, Klobuchar Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Protect Americans from Harmful Online Search Monopolies

Follows Schmitt’s Win Against Big Tech Monopoly as Missouri AG

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senators Eric Schmitt (R-MO) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the bipartisan Securing Enforcement of Americans’ Right to Competition at Home (SEARCH) Act to prevent large search engines from blocking smaller competitors. The bipartisan legislation would put into law remedies sought by then-Attorney General Schmitt and the Justice Department after the Google Search Monopoly Case, the nation’s first Big Tech antitrust win.

“Big Tech monopolies are shaping what information Americans see and censoring free speech. A handful of search engines dictate how virtually every American accesses information, meaning the companies controlling those search engines hold massive power over what people see online and control the most basic infrastructure of human speech and freedom of information in the digital sphere, that is unacceptable. As Missouri’s Attorney General, I sued Google over its illegal online search monopoly and its efforts to crush competitors, as well as fought Big Tech companies’ collusion with left-wing organizations and the administrative state that censored conservatives. Now, I am proud to work with Senator Klobuchar to offer a bipartisan path to protect one of the key tenets of modern American society: free speech online,” said Senator Schmitt.

“Through three administrations, the Justice Department has proven in court that Google has stifled competition and created barriers to user choice, Upstart search engines should be able to compete and innovate, bringing new tools to consumers. That’s why Congress should put the guardrails in place that both the Biden and Trump Administrations have said are necessary to bring competition to online search,” said Senator Klobuchar.

The SEARCH Act would ban dominant, monopoly search engines from blocking smaller competitors by paying distributors to make them users’ default choice, a practice federal courts have found violates antitrust laws by illegally maintaining a monopoly. The legislation would also require search engines to share data and search results to create competition and require access points to offer users alternative search engine tools.

Statements of Support:

“In U.S. v. Google, the court found Google had illegally used its search monopoly to lock out search defaults from competitors, preventing them from operating at the scale needed to be optimally competitive. The SEARCH Act proposes to finally do something to fix this broken search market. DuckDuckGo is grateful to Senator Klobuchar and Senator Schmitt for their leadership on this bill and for taking on a fight that’s long overdue. This is what a serious, bipartisan fix looks like, and we’re proud to support it,” said Gabriel Weinberg, Founder and CEO, DuckDuckGo.

“The courts have done what they can with the tools they have, and it isn’t enough. Even after a federal judge found that Google unlawfully monopolizes the search market, the remedies that followed relied on behavioral fixes rather than the kind of structural relief that actually restores competition, proving that antitrust law as written wasn’t built for markets like this one. Congress can’t keep leaving it to judges to improvise solutions case by case; lawmakers need to give the courts clear, modern guidance for dealing with dominant digital platforms, and DPI urges Congress to pass the SEARCH Act,” said Joel Thayer, President, Digital Progress Institute.

“Google’s motto used to be, “Don’t be evil.” They dumped that years ago, instead choosing to eliminate competition through self-preferencing and exclusivity agreements. Using their browser, Google Chrome, and their search engine – the main venue through which millions of Americans find information – Google picked winners and losers while also giving preference to themselves, including their AI, Gemini. The SEARCH Act will hold Google and other future monopolists accountable by building upon the proposed remedies from U.S. v. Google, opening up search, advertising, and even internet browsers as areas of competition and innovation instead of control by one behemoth. We commend Senators Schmitt and Klobuchar for introducing this bill, and encourage quick and speedy passage,” said Aiden Buzzetti, Founder and President, Bull Moose Project.

“The Google search case shows why antitrust enforcement and legislation must work together. Courts must stop unlawful conduct and restore competition in the market Google monopolized. Google’s effort to overturn the remedies should fail, and the states are right to seek stronger relief. But litigation takes years, often after monopoly power has become deeply entrenched. The SEARCH Act would establish clear, forward-looking rules for the largest search platforms, including restrictions on payments for preferential treatment and exclusive distribution arrangements. Antitrust remedies can reopen the search market. The SEARCH Act can help keep it open,” said Patrick Gallaher, Senior Policy Advocate, Public Knowledge.

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Shaheen Joins Moran to Lead Her Final Bipartisan Congressional Delegation to Farnborough International Air Show

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, is leading her final bipartisan Congressional delegation to the Farnborough International Air Show in the United Kingdom with Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations and Commerce Committees. Farnborough is the largest biennial trade show in the world and will showcase aerospace manufacturers and suppliers from New Hampshire and around the world. Since 2023, Shaheen and Moran have led bipartisan Congressional delegations to the Farnborough and Paris Air Shows to highlight U.S. capabilities and strengthen international partnerships.

“The Farnborough Air Show is an opportunity to showcase American manufacturing and innovation on the world stage. As NATO allies commit to increased defense spending to ward off growing threats from Russia and China, it’s in our national interest to deepen trade partnerships with our allies while strengthening national readiness,” said Senator Shaheen. “I’m grateful to once again, and for the final time as a member of the Senate, co-lead a bipartisan group of lawmakers to London to meet with foreign and U.S. aerospace leaders. Additionally, I’m looking forward to meeting with New Hampshire’s robust trade mission; our aerospace sector plays a pivotal role in both national defense and civilian aviation, and the United Kingdom is one of our largest trading partners.”

“The United States continues to lead the world in the aerospace and defense industries, and Kansas’ innovation and manufacturing capabilities play an important role in that leadership,” said Senator Moran. “Last year’s airshow included the largest delegation of Kansans yet, and I look forward to seeing that record surpassed as Senator Shaheen and I lead a bipartisan delegation to the Farnborough International Airshow. This forum provides a valuable avenue to showcase American innovation, highlight the capabilities of our talented workforce and strengthen partnerships with allies and industry leaders from across the world. As our adversaries continue to exert pressure in the Middle East, Europe and Asia, opportunities like this are critical to strengthening our national security and expanding economic partnerships with our allies.”

Joining Senators Shaheen and Moran are U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Deb Fischer (R-NB), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), John Kennedy (R-LA), Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Katie Britt (R-AL).

Every two years, the aerospace, aviation and defense industries are invited to Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre for the Farnborough International Air Show, where civilian and military aircraft are demonstrated to potential customers and investors in Farnborough, Hampshire, England. Moran and Shaheen led a bipartisan delegation to the Paris Air Show in 2025 and 2023.

New Hampshire’s Office of International Commerce will also feature New Hampshire exhibitors at the Air Show through the State Trade Expansion Program (STEP), which provides export assistance to small businesses. Senator Shaheen created the STEP program in 2010 and continues to lead action in support of STEP in Congress - including through leading efforts to advance STEP’s reauthorization out of the Senate Small Business Committee. Senator Shaheen’s new legislation would streamline reporting and administrative requirements of STEP, making it easier for businesses to use. New Hampshire exported about $19 million in aerospace products to the United Kingdom in 2023. 22 percent of all exports from the state are in the aerospace industry.

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Sullivan Welcomes EPA Regulatory Relief Putting Downward Pressure on Alaska Fuel Prices

Measure will unlock tens of thousands of gallons per day in refining capacity

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Environment & Public Works (EPW) Committee, today welcomed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin’s issuance of an emergency fuel waiver under Section 211 of the Clean Air Act, an action the Senator has been advocating for as a way to lower fuel prices. The waiver is an action of the National Energy Dominance Council’s (NEDC) Rural Alaska Energy Security Task Force, announced in May by Secretary of the Interior and NEDC Chairman Doug Burgum. The waiver temporarily relaxes federal diesel-fuel sulfur requirements for qualifying sales of Arctic-grade diesel above the Arctic Circle in compatible engines and equipment.

The action will allow North Slope producers to put substantial idle refining capacity to work, increase local fuel production, and displace a significant portion of the ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) currently transported to the North Slope so that it can be utilized by Alaskans.

“Global fuel supply disruptions have been a significant challenge for Alaska communities, resulting in rising fuel prices,” said Sen. Sullivan. “This targeted, commonsense measure—part of the NEDC Rural Alaska Energy Security Task Force—frees up Alaska-produced fuel to help put downward pressure on prices for hard-working Alaskans. I want to thank members of the administration, especially Secretary Burgum, Secretary Wright, and EPA Administrator Zeldin, for working with me to get this done. This is one important near-term step that I’ve relentlessly pushed for, and I will continue pressing for additional actions that will bring relief for Alaska’s families facing high energy costs.”

“President Trump has prioritized ensuring American families have an affordable domestic energy supply and EPA is proud to once again deliver, this time specifically for Alaska,” said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. “Thanks to strong support and advocacy by Senator Sullivan, Alaskans will no longer be forced to unnecessarily truck their fuel hundreds of miles across the state and Alaskan families will feel lower prices at the pump. This is a prime example of why EPA has waiver authorities in the first place; unique circumstances warrant unique solutions.”

Before the waiver, federal diesel-fuel sulfur standards prevented locally refined Arctic-grade diesel from being used in most internal-combustion engines, effectively limiting its use to heating and freeze protection and leaving significant North Slope refining capacity idle. Industry data indicate that at least 56,000 gallons of ULSD are currently trucked from Fairbanks to the North Slope each day, increasing to approximately 63,000 gallons per day during peak periods. By allowing existing topping units to supply eligible engines and equipment with locally produced fuel, the waiver will displace a substantial share of these shipments and unlock tens of thousands of gallons per day in previously unused local refining capacity. Up to an estimated 75,000 gallons of additional diesel per day could be brought online by North Slope producers.

The waiver takes effect upon signature, remains in force for 20 days, and can be renewed. Sellers must label fuel distributed under the waiver, and the fuel may be used only in eligible engines and equipment consistent with EPA’s conditions.

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Thune, Fetterman, Fischer Introduce Legislation to Improve the FCC’s Broadband Mapping Process

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) on Thursday introduced the Broadband Mapping Accurate Providers (MAP) Act of 2026, bipartisan legislation that would direct the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to evaluate and improve its broadband mapping process. The FCC has made significant strides in enhancing the accuracy of its National Broadband Map, but providers have reported difficulties with the FCC’s challenge process, which allows providers to dispute the serviceability of certain locations. The Broadband MAP Act of 2026 would instruct the FCC to review and assess its mapping and challenge procedures.

“Broadband providers who are on the ground in South Dakota and across rural America have vital, firsthand knowledge of the communities they serve,” said Thune. “Ensuring the accuracy of the FCC’s broadband map and its corresponding challenge process is critical to build on our progress to make federal broadband investments as effective and efficient as possible. I thank Chairman Carr for supporting our efforts and for his continued commitment to connecting households across our country to the internet.”

“Broadband internet is a necessity, especially for our rural communities,” said Fetterman. “The first step we can take to ensure families have internet access across Pennsylvania and the country is figuring out who still doesn’t. I’m proud to join Senator Thune in introducing this bill to get us one step closer to bringing connectivity to every American. I look forward to working with the FCC when the maps are complete to continue to expand broadband.”

“We need a better understanding of where internet connectivity falls short, especially in rural America,” said Fischer. “With broadband maps, we can accomplish this goal; however, they must be accurate. I’m joining Leader Thune to make sure these maps correctly identify unserved and underserved communities. This will safeguard taxpayer dollars while connecting more Americans to high-speed internet.”

“From his time as chairman of the Commerce Committee to today, Leader Thune has passed smart broadband policies that have expanded affordable broadband,”said Brendan Carr, chairman of the FCC. “This legislation will make more great progress by ensuring the FCC’s National Broadband Map stays up to date and serves as a trusted resource for the American people and broadband builders for years to come.”

“The South Dakota Telecommunications Association (SDTA) member companies know firsthand that accurate, location-level broadband mapping is essential for the FCC to make sound policy and funding decisions,” said Kara Semmler, executive director of SDTA. “The Broadband MAP Act of 2026 would help ensure continued refinement to the map through a careful review of the standards, processes, and data used to determine where broadband is truly available. On behalf of SDTA’s member companies and the South Dakota communities they serve, we appreciate Majority Leader Thune’s leadership in advancing legislation that will help ensure broadband resources are directed where they are needed to expand and sustain service, essential for a rural state like South Dakota.”

“While we have seen improvements to the National Broadband Map over time, precisely because this is an iterative and evolving process, there is more to be done to make sure the map accurately captures where services are in fact available and the locations that could be served,” said Mike Romano, chief executive officer of NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association. “The Broadband MAP Act of 2026 would help spur continuous improvement in the map through a renewed look at the standards and processes used to develop and refine it. I applaud Majority Leader Thune and Senators Fetterman and Fischer for their leadership in seeking to ensure that broadband policy and funding decisions are based upon the best possible real-world data.”


Tillis Joins 60+ Senators in Co-sponsoring Bipartisan Legislation to Hold Purchasers of Russian Oil and Gas Accountable

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), co-chair of the Senate NATO Observer Group (SNOG), joined Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Darline Graham (R-SC), along with 60+ colleagues in introducing the bipartisan Senator Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026 legislation to hold major purchasers of Russian oil and gas accountable for supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the effort last week and secured an agreement with the White House on Friday, before his death.

“There is no doubt that Vladimir Putin must be severely punished for his illegal aggression, and crippling economic sanctions on Russia are long overdue,” said Senator Tillis. “Lindsey led the Senate’s fight to impose meaningful consequences on Putin, and we owe it to the Ukrainian people and to his legacy to pass this legislation.”

The legislation is cosponsored by Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Katie Britt (R-AL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jim Risch (R-ID), Chris Coons (D-DE), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Jack Reed (D-RI), Tim Scott (R-SC), Angus King (I-ME), John Barrasso (R-WY), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Brian Schatz (D-HI), John Cornyn (R-TX), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), John Curtis (R-UT), John Fetterman (D-PA), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Gary Peters (D-MI), James Lankford (R-OK), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Boozman (R-AR), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Jon Husted (R-OH), John Hoeven (R-ND), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Jim Justice (R-WV), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Kennedy (R-LA), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Rick Scott (R-FL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Dave McCormick (R-PA), Alan Armstrong (R-OK), and Steve Daines (R-MT).

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Warnock Slams CFPB Acting Director Russell Vought for Prioritizing Debt Collectors Over the American People

Senator Reverend Warnock questioned Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Acting Director Russell Vought over his decision to expose millions of financially vulnerable Americans to predatory medical debt collectors

Medical debt can ruin credit scores and exacerbate the crushing effects of the ongoing affordability crisis for rural and working-class Americans

In Georgia, 27% of rural residents have medical debt collections on their credit report—ten percentage points higher than the national average

Senator Reverend Warnock: “CFPB, by its nature, is advocating for the everyday consumers, and I don’t see how any of your actions suggest that you’ve been advocating for the people that I represent”

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking Committee’s Economic Policy Subcommittee, slammed Russell Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Acting Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), for reversing a finalized CFPB rule that would have removed almost $50 billion in medical debt from the credit reports of tens of millions of Americans.

“CFPB, by its nature, is advocating for everyday consumers, and I don’t see how any of your actions suggest that you’ve been advocating for the people that I represent,” said Senator Warnock. “It seems to me that this shouldn’t be a partisan issue. People on both sides of the aisle know that medical emergencies can happen to anybody. They can happen to anyone. We’ve seen that up close in this very body over the last few weeks. But thanks to you, there are now families who cannot buy a house. They are hounded by debt collectors, and they’re denied business loans all because they got sick.”

Last year, Senator Warnock joined Banking Committee Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and 28 of his Senate Democratic colleagues in demanding the Trump administration publicly produce the data and analysis used to justify the CFPB’s position that the medical debt rule was unnecessary or unlawful. Acting Director Vought has yet to respond to this inquiry, opting instead to deflect blame when confronted by Senator Warnock in Thursday’s Banking Committee hearing.

In a similar effort to rectify Director Vought’s disastrous decision to reverse the CFPB medical debt rule, Senator Warnock forced a vote on the Senate floor to restore protections for the millions of Americans vulnerable to predatory medical debt collectors. Most of his Republican colleagues refused to support the resolution, and it ultimately failed on a 50-50 party line vote.

27% of Georgians in rural communities have medical collections on their credit report—ten percentage points higher than the national average. Statewide, roughly 640,000 Georgians lack adequate access to affordable health care because the Republican state legislature has repeatedly refused to fully expand Medicaid. Despite these setbacks, Senator Warnock continues to fight to ensure every Georgian has access to quality, affordable health care.

Watch the Senators full remarks HERE.

See below for a transcript of Thursdays hearing exchange

Senator Raphael Warnock (SRW): “Thank you, Mr. Chair. Director Vought, have you or anyone you know ever had a medical emergency?”

Acting Director Russell Vought (RV): “Of course.”

SRW: “Do you personally know anyone who has ever gone into debt because of a medical emergency?”

RV: “Yes.”

SRW: “Before the president took office, the CFPB finalized a rule that would have removed almost $50 billion in medical debt from the credit reports of tens of millions of Americans. Debt which, by the way, is often incorrect. But Director Vought, within months of your taking office, the CFPB reverse itself and joined with the very same debt collectors who were set to profit off medical debt to overturn this rule. How did your decision in any way help those tens of millions of Americans, some of whom are watching today, being crushed by nearly $50 billion in medical debt? How was this helpful for them?”

RV: “Senator, the statute specifically ensures that credit reporting agencies can take into account medical debt. So, until you change that statute, we don’t have the ability to just regulate however we want to.”

SRW: “Well, you could have tried to narrow the rule, right?”

RV: “No, we really couldn’t.”

SRW: “You could have tried to fight it in court?”

RV: “No, our oath is to the statutes that you have passed—to faithfully execute those laws.”

SRW: “That’s not something you could have fought in court?”

RV: “Not if we have a fundamental disagreement about what the statute requires.”

SRW: “You and I can agree to disagree. I think you chose not to fight it in court, and you joined forces with those debt collectors. A year ago, I, along with nearly 30 of my colleagues, demanded answers from you about this decision, and I request unanimous consent to enter our letter into the record. You never responded. Do you ever respond? Do you ever plan to respond to my letter?”

RV: “Much of the correspondence that we’ve gotten has to do with litigation that we’re a part of, and so we can’t speak and respond to letters of which we’re going to have to provide answers in court, and that is a reality that we face. But we do intend to have a very open relationship with Congress, and I’m happy to correspond with you on a regular basis.”

SRW: “Do you do you ever plan to respond to our letter?”

RV: “I’m leaving the post on August 1st, so there’s a lot of things that hopefully [President Trump’s nominee for CFPB Chair] Brian Johnson will be doing, and one of those is those types of correspondence.”

SRW: “You’re leaving on August 1st—you’ve done quite a bit of damage in a few months. We had a simple ask: show your work, publicly disclose the data and the analysis to justify the CFPB’s position that the medical debt rule was unnecessary or unlawful. Since you didn’t respond, I’ll ask you now: How many Americans were projected to have their medical debt wiped from their credit scores by the CFPB’s medical debt rule, which you overturned?”

RV: “I don’t know, but the rule was unlawful.”

SRW: “The answer is 15 million. Medical debt can ruin credit scores, which can make it impossible for folks to ever buy a home. Do you know how many more mortgages consumers would have been able to afford each year if you hadn’t overturned the rule?”

RV: “I don’t have that off the top of my head.”

SRW: “So the answer is 22,000. So, 22,000 mortgages that consumers would have been able to afford. 15 million Americans who were set to have their medical debt wiped from their credit scores. I’ve seen this up close in the state of Georgia, and the impact, the real human costs behind the very cold and clinical language about statutory authority, authority which I think you do have. Questions that you could have raised.”

“CFPB, by its nature, is advocating for everyday consumers, and I don’t see how any of your actions suggest that you’ve been advocating for the people that I represent. It seems to me that this shouldn’t be a partisan issue. People on both sides of the aisle know that medical emergencies can happen to anybody. They can happen to anyone. We’ve seen that up close in this very body over the last few weeks. But thanks to you, there are now families who cannot buy a house. They are hounded by debt collectors, and they’re denied business loans all because they got sick. Director Vought, you’ve spent the last 18 months decimating the CFPB and its consumer protections, and I think families across America will be that better off when you’re gone. I’d like a response to my letter.”

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Welch Joins Bicameral Legislation to Expose Corporate Abuse of Tax Havens, Job Offshoring

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, joined the Disclosure of Tax Havens and Offshoring Act, legislation led by U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen (D-CO-07), which would provide transparency around corporations’ use of tax havens and incentives to offshore jobs. The lawmakers’ bill would require public companies to disclose their financial reporting on a country-by-country basis to give Americans insight into how the tax system incentivizes the outsourcing of American jobs or enables corporations to dodge U.S. taxes. The legislation would also provide investors with the tools they need to understand the tax structures and risks of the businesses in which they invest.

“Our tax law in the United States is totally broken–we have a system where corporations are incentivized to ship profits and good-paying jobs overseas. The American people deserve full transparency about how companies are using these loopholes to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. We’re working to ensure that corporations are held accountable for hiding profits in foreign tax havens,” said Senator Welch.

“While working Americans struggle to get by, large corporations continue to ship jobs overseas and take advantage of tax loopholes to hide their profits. This bill will provide critical transparency to both the American public and investors as to how these corporations abuse our broken tax system and the risks they are taking in the use of offshore tax havens. We must stand up for American workers, end incentives for big corporations to offshore jobs, and unrig our broken corporate tax code. Sunlight is the best disinfectant – shining a light on this issue is the first step,” said Senator Van Hollen.

“As everyday families struggle to find jobs and pay for basic necessities, corporations are dodging taxes by shifting profits outside the country and making the rest of us pay. I’m proud to support this legislation that will require companies to disclose foreign operations, and ensure corporations pay into the system here at home,” said Rep. Pettersen. “The Disclosure of Tax Havens and Offshoring Act will increase transparency, and make corporations start paying their fair share.”

In addition to Senators Welch and Van Hollen, the legislation is cosponsored by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL).

While President Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act established a new global tax framework, it also introduced incentives for large U.S. companies to shift profits and jobs overseas. The so-called ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ largely preserved those incentives. New research shows that last year alone, large corporations reduced their tax liability by more than $11 billion via tax havens. Firms continue to benefit from shifting profits because they can pool income and foreign taxes across affiliates in both high- and low-tax countries, while foreign income remains subject to a significantly lower U.S. tax rate than domestic income.

The Disclosure of Tax Havens and Offshoring Act would ensure greater transparency in these tax practices by requiring large corporations to disclose basic information on each of their subsidiaries, and country-by-country financial information that sums together all of their subsidiaries in each country – including profits, taxes, employees, and tangible assets. Thus, when a corporation sends jobs overseas, a country-by-country financial report would show the extent to which the U.S. tax system is rewarding their behavior.

This Disclosure of Tax Havens and Offshoring Act is supported by the Financial Accountability & Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition, Public Citizen, Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

Learn more about the Disclosure of Tax Havens and Offshoring Act.

Read and download the full text of the bill.

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Welch, Luján, Schiff, Raskin, Ocasio-Cortez Introduce Bicameral Legislation Imposing Gift Ban on Supreme Court Justices

Legislation cracks down on lavish gifts to Supreme Court Justices with $50 limit aligning ethics rules with Congress, other judges, and federal officials

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights, this week joined U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) in introducing the High Court Gift Ban Act, legislation to close a glaring ethics loophole that allows U.S. Supreme Court Justices to accept lavish gifts from wealthy benefactors and individuals with interests before the Court. U.S. Representatives Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14) introduced companion legislation in the House.

“For years, conservative Supreme Court Justices have accepted expensive gifts and travel from their friends who have business before the Court. It’s unethical, and it’s why public trust in the Court has eroded. Those serving on the Supreme Court should be held to the same ethical standards as every other federal judge—and it’s high time they are,” said Senator Welch. “I’m proud to partner with Senators Luján and Schiff on this bill to increase accountability and restore public trust in our nation’s most powerful court.”

“Over the past several years, we’ve seen far too many reports detailing how lavish gifts and luxury travel have undermined public confidence in the Supreme Court,” said Senator Luján. “That’s why I’m proud to partner with colleagues to introduce the High Court Gift Ban Act, which would hold Supreme Court justices to the same ethical standards as other high-ranking federal officials. The Supreme Court — our nation’s highest and most powerful court — should be held to the highest ethical standards to protect our democracy from the influence of dark money and special interests.”

“The Supreme Court has lost the trust of the American people, and Justices accepting lavish gifts from wealthy individuals with business before the court has only made matters worse. We need to put an end to these egregious conflicts of interest and can start by establishing basic ethical standards for the Justices,” said Senator Schiff.

“In every other part of the federal government, taking lavish gifts from interested parties is called corruption—but at the Supreme Court, it’s bizarrely been treated as a job perk. A gaping ethics loophole has allowed Justices to accept lavish gifts from individuals who may have business before the Court, which totally undermines public confidence in judicial fairness and independence. Our bill closes this indefensible loophole by saying that Supreme Court Justices should follow the same basic gift rules as every other federal official and their fellow judges. Americans shouldn’t have to wonder whether wealthy litigants and interested parties are influencing Supreme Court decisions with trips to luxury resorts, flights on private jets, and cruises on luxury yachts,” said Ranking Member Raskin.

“The Supreme Court is facing a major corruption crisis. As it stands, Supreme Court Justices are legally allowed to accept gifts from wealthy benefactors and people with special interests before the Court, actively furthering the distrust between working-class Americans and our legal institutions. That is why I am proud to introduce the High Court Gift Ban Act, alongside Congressman Jamie Raskin and Senator Ben Ray Luján, to remove the influence of dark money from our nation’s highest judicial body. We must pass this commonsense proposal to safeguard the sanctity of our legal institutions and democracy,” said Rep. Ocasio-Cortez.

Unlike other federal judges, Members of Congress, and executive branch officials—who are all bound by strict gift rules—Supreme Court Justices are not currently bound by any limits on the value of the gifts they can accept. Investigative reporting has shown that some Justices have exploited this loophole, taking in lavish “gifts” from wealthy benefactors and political allies worth tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The scale of these undisclosed perks is staggering. One analysis found that Justices have accepted at least 445 gifts worth nearly $5 million over the past two decades. Reports have detailed that Justice Clarence Thomas alone received more than $4.2 million in luxury travel and other benefits from wealthy individuals with interests before the Court, including trips to Bali, stays at exclusive private retreats, and even a forgiven loan to purchase a luxury motor coach.

The High Court Gift Ban Act would block Justices from receiving gifts valued at more than $50 in a single instance or more than $100 in aggregate over the course of a year. It would also cap gifts of personal hospitality, like free trips on billionaire’s yachts and private jets, which are currently unregulated. This brings the Supreme Court in line with similar ethical standards applying to Members of Congress and other federal officials.

The High Court Gift Ban Act is endorsed by leading advocacy organizations, including: AFSCME, American Federation of Teachers, Alliance for Justice, American Humanist Association, Center for American Progress, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Clean Elections Texas, Courage California, Court Accountability, Courts Matter Illinois, EarthJustice, Enough of Gun Violence, Equality California, FFRF Action Fund, Fix the Court, Free Speech for People, Government Information Watch, Greenpeace USA, Indivisible, Leage of Conservation Voters, MoveOn, National Association of Consumer Advocates, National Women’s Law Center, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Ohio Fair Courts Alliance, People for the American Way, People Power United, Public Citizen, Reproductive Freedom for All, Secular Coalition for America, Secure Elections Network, Stand Up America, Supreme Court Integrity Project, Take Back the Court Action Fund, True North Research, Voices for Progress, and The Workers Circle.

Read and download the full text of the bill.

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Whitehouse Cheers Unanimous Passage of Bipartisan Water Infrastructure Bill Out of EPW Committee

WRDA reauthorization strengthens RI’s environmental resiliency while spurring new water infrastructure projects

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ranking Member and Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, are applauding the Committee’s unanimous passage of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2026. The bipartisan legislation now heads to the Senate floor.

“Unanimously advancing this significant package demonstrates bipartisan commitment to maintaining and upgrading the nation’s water infrastructure. The Ocean State stands to benefit much from this bill, which supports investments in safe drinking water and wastewater systems as well as flood risk management, ecosystem restoration, and navigation,” said Ranking Member Whitehouse.

“WRDA 2026 is an incredible bipartisan achievement that will strengthen water resources infrastructure and increase access to clean and safe drinking water nationwide. I look forward to the impact this bill will have on my home state of West Virginia as it supports flood risk management efforts, restores ecosystems, strengthens cybersecurity for critical water systems, and provides vital funding for water infrastructure projects across our state. I am proud to see this legislation move forward with strong bipartisan support,” said Chair Capito.

The WRDA is biennial legislation that authorizes flood risk management, navigation, and ecosystem restoration projects for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). Whitehouse included a number of measures to protect Rhode Island’s natural ecosystems and secure greater Corps involvement in a slate of major water infrastructure projects.

Whitehouse worked to include provisions:

Increasing the federal share of the cost of the Rhode Island Coastline Coastal Storm Risk Management Project to 90 percent.

Increasing the federal share of the cost to remove pilings in the Providence River to 90 percent.

Increasing the federal share of the cost to provide fish passage at dams on the Lower Blackstone River to 90 percent and allowing the Corps to adopt the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and The Nature Conservancy’s plan.

Authorizing Corps assistance to address invasive species like hydrilla in Rhode Island waters.

Authorizing the Corps to provide assistance to address erosion compromising breachways.

Authorizing a comprehensive flood and coastal storm risk management study for Providence and the surrounding areas that will examine potential measures to bolster the Fox Point Hurricane Barrier.

Adding the Blackstone River to the list of priority areas under section 212 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1999, which provides a streamlined implementation process for coastal and riverine protection and restoration and a 90 percent federal cost share for design and construction of projects.

Reauthorizing the National Estuaries Program, which supports the health of estuaries like Narragansett Bay.

Authorizing an EPA Point-of-Use (POU) filtration pilot to distribute filters to homes with PFAS or other contaminants in their drinking water.

Increasing authorizations for both the Clean and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds.

Reauthorizing provisions from the Whitehouse-Sullivan Save Our Seas Act that direct EPA to conduct research on microplastic pollution.

Congress first enacted the Water Resources Development Act in 1974 to establish and improve water-related programs and authorize the Army Corps to assist with flood protection, ecosystem restoration, and navigation to facilitate the flow of commerce in U.S. waterways. By law, the statute must be periodically renewed by Congress.


Whitehouse Introduces Bill to Curb Excessive CEO Pay

In 2024, CEOs made 285 times what the average worker earned

Washington, DC – As executive pay reaches new heights, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is introducing the Curtailing Executive Overcompensation (CEO) Act to apply an excise tax on companies that have at least a 50 to one CEO-to-median-worker pay disparity. The CEO Act would raise over $8 billion from the top 100 US companies alone, based on 2024 data.

“Right now, a handful of mega-billionaires are reaping the rewards of the labor of millions of hardworking Americans. We are talking about people who have more money than they could ever dream of spending,” said Whitehouse, a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee. “Congress needs to rein in out-of-control CEO pay once and for all.”

Since 1978, economic productivity has outpaced workers’ wages by more than four times. Meanwhile, executive pay has soared by more than 1,209 percent – over 18 times as much as productivity growth, and outpacing the growth of the stock market. In that same period, workers’ earnings increased only about 15 percent.

Tax cuts in President Trump’s Big, Beautiful-for-Billionaires law are set to increase CEO take-home pay even more. Each CEO is expected to receive $500,000 back from those tax cuts as working families are faced with higher costs of living due to cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and free school lunches – provisions in that same law. The CEO Act would incentivize companies to pay their CEOs less while paying their workers more.

The CEO Act would apply an excise tax on both publicly traded and privately held companies, which have at least a 50 to one CEO-to-median-worker pay disparity. The tax would apply only to large companies with over $100 million in gross receipts and $10 million in payroll. The tax rate imposed would be proportional to the size of the executive’s compensation (including salary, bonuses, and stock awards and options) and the degree the pay ratio exceeds 50 to one. The tax would be limited to one percent of a company’s gross receipts.

The CEO Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Peter Welch (D-VT).

The CEO Act is endorsed by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), United Auto Workers (UAW); Communications Workers of America, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), American Federation of Teachers, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), Institute for Policy Studies, Americans for Financial Reform, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the Global Economy Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, Jobs with Justice, Labor Network for Sustainability, Main Street Alliance, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Open Markets Institute, Oxfam America, Patriotic Millionaires, People’s Action, Public Citizen, Revolving Door Project, Social Security Works, The Value Alliance, and Unrig Our Economy.


Whitehouse Keeps Up Questions to Blanche on Cop-Beaters Slush Fund & Trump Family Tax Fraud Amnesty Deal

New letter comes during the two-day confirmation hearing for Todd Blanche, who greenlighted the purported settlement

Whitehouse’s previous requests to DOJ have gone unanswered

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter this week to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche following up on the Senator’s last two requests that the Department of Justice provide documents regarding President Trump and DOJ’s attempted creation of a massive taxpayer-funded slush fund to reward the President’s political allies. The letter also inquires about the related tax amnesty and legal immunity agreement for the Trump family and their business associates.

In May, DOJ announced that President Trump had agreed to drop a $10 billion lawsuit he initiated against his own Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax information in exchange for the creation of an unprecedented $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” The commission overseeing the fund would have the authority to dole out nearly $1.8 billion in taxpayer funds to settle claims brought by anyone who believed they were harmed by the purported “weaponization” of the justice system, including participants convicted of assaulting law enforcement and other crimes related to the January 6 insurrection.

One day after the purported settlement agreement was reached, DOJ announced an addendum that was signed by Acting Attorney General Blanche. The addendum would purportedly prohibit the IRS from pursuing audits against Trump, his family, and their business associates for any previous tax offenses, and shield them from any other “lawfare and/or weaponization” as part of a bizarre side deal to the DOJ’s compensation fund agreement.

The federal judge in Florida overseeing the Trump v. IRS case opened an inquiry into whether DOJ and Trump’s personal lawyers committed “fraud on the court,” an allegation against senior DOJ officials unheard of in DOJ history. The judge invited a response, which DOJ failed to provide – a telling signal of the department’s own consciousness of wrongdoing.

This week, the court ruled that the case was “brought for an improper purpose” because the case was a product of collusion, the parties were never actually adverse, and the case was filed solely to provide cover for a settlement. The court repeatedly called out DOJ’s unusual and indefensible silence in the matter, including its decision not to make an appearance, nor file a single pleading, nor challenge any of the plaintiffs’ claims, after being given multiple opportunities to do so, leading the court to conclude that DOJ “actively avoided” judicial review. The court ordered Rule 11 sanctions against Trump’s personal lawyers and directed that the court’s order be transmitted to the New York and D.C. bars where disciplinary actions against Acting Attorney General Blanche and Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward are pending.

“In discussing DOJ’s conduct, the court said, ‘[i]t is telling that the DOJ, which is tasked with enforcement of United States law, has remained conspicuously absent and silent when serious questions about this matter have been raised.’ The court noted that ‘Defendants never appeared, never challenged Plaintiffs’ claims, and never filed a single pleading.’ The court further said, ‘[i]n abdicating its responsibility to zealously defend the interests of the United States, the Government entered into a ‘settlement’ that deviated from its litigation posture in similar actions, disregarded DOJ policies, and accomplished objectives beyond those authorized, as well as those specifically prohibited, by law,’” wrote Whitehouse in the new letter.

During the first day of Acting AG Blanche’s two-day confirmation hearing, Whitehouse demanded that Blanche provide documents and communications between DOJ and Trump plaintiffs in the matter as well as responses to 15 outstanding oversight requests and 12 outstanding FOIA requests. Blanche claimed that he was “not aware” of any communication in the Trump v. IRS case.

Whitehouse concluded in the letter, “Specifically, I want to be sure you provide all documents, including any correspondence with plaintiffs’ counsel, related to DOJ’s decision not to defend the IRS, nor challenge the plaintiffs’ claims, nor make any appearance or file any pleading in the case; or related to any understandings reached with plaintiffs regarding their pleadings or posture in the case.”

Senators Whitehouse and Dick Durbin, the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote a letter to Blanche in late May requesting that the Department of Justice preserve all records related to the proposed “Anti-Weaponization Fund” and the purported “Settlement Agreement” in Trump v. Internal Revenue Service. Whitehouse sent another letter earlier this month to Blanche, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and IRS CEO Frank Bisignano seeking answers to outstanding questions on the matters.

In the most recent letter, Whitehouse requested documents by July 22. Full text of the letter is available here.

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ICYMI: Rep. Al Green Warns Public - President Trump Will Pardon ICE Officers if Federal Crimes Are Proven

(Washington, DC) — On Thursday, July 16, 2026, Congressman Al Green delivered remarks on the House floor warning the public that President Donald Trump will pardon ICE officers if federal crimes are proven.

You can access and listen to Congressman Al Green’s speech on his official YouTube page or by clicking here. The floor speech highlighted is also accessible on various social media platforms, including Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly known as Twitter).


Statement on the Loss of Servicemembers in Jordan

America’s servicemen and women are the guardians of liberty and the very best of our Nation—ordinary citizens who willingly accept extraordinary sacrifice.

Today, we mourn the loss of true American heroes who answered their country’s call with courage and honor. We pray for the safe return of missing servicemembers, the full recovery of those wounded, and every military family whose sacrifice is so often borne in quiet.

May we always prove worthy of the brave men and women who selflessly place themselves in harm’s way so that freedom may endure and peace may prevail.


Rep. Hageman Moves to Terminate California’s Hijacking of National Emissions Standards

Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY) introduced a joint resolution pursuant to the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to nullify the EPA’s California waiver to enforce strict greenhouse gas (GHG) standards on cars. The ability to enact state-based emissions standards is only afforded to California under federal law, and the state is abusing this authority in an attempt to force automakers to fit its emissions standards, which raises costs for consumers.

“The 119th Congress is reclaiming its Article I authority over the administrative state by using the Congressional Review Act to repeal bad regulations. In 2025, Congress moved swiftly to terminate three other California emissions waivers, and we have successfully thrown out nearly 30 regulations intended to destroy American energy production and force a green transition on the American people. Today’s legislation is another step to reclaiming our authority as the national policymaker, and to stop inflicting harm on the American people in the name of climate lunacy.”

The Clean Air Act preempts state governments from adopting their own pollutant emissions standards for new motor vehicles and engines. However, California can apply to the EPA for a waiver from this federal preemption. After denial by the Bush administration, one of the first actions of the Obama administration EPA was to grant California’s waiver that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from vehicles qualify as pollutants California may regulate. With this new GHG authority, California and the Obama administration created a national standard that aligned with radical California GHG emissions standards, which then resulted in the rolling out of several burdensome regulations on cars and trucks nationally. In June 2026, EPA Administrator Zeldin reported these waivers to Congress for review pursuant to the CRA, and Rep. Hageman’s legislation officially starts this push to end these harmful regulations once and for all.


Krishnamoorthi Condemns Deadly Iranian Attack, Warns Iran Against Further Attacks, and Calls for Diplomacy to End Trump’s Illegal War

WASHINGTON — Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) released the following statement after two American service members were killed in an Iranian attack:

“The deaths of two American service members in today’s Iranian attack are a tragic reminder of the escalating human cost of this illegal war of choice waged by Donald Trump. Iran must immediately cease its attacks against Americans and abandon any threats against civilians, or face even greater international isolation and military consequences. The conflict is now spiraling, and we cannot allow it to become another forever war that costs more American lives abroad and drives up prices here at home. President Trump must work with our friends, partners, and allies to pursue a real diplomatic path to end the war he recklessly started.”


Landsman Statement on Malaysia Deporting Israelis

Cincinnati, OH – Today, Congressman Greg Landsman (D-OH-01) released the following statement after the Malaysian Prime Minister ordered the immediate deportation of Israelis from the country:

They’re kicking Jews out of Malaysia.

We’ve seen this all before. The purge of Jews has begun. Predictable, and just the beginning. We know where this leads.

There is only one country in the world that will take all Jews kicked out of another country, and that’s Israel. The same people targeting Jews in their countries are also working to destroy Israel.

The Unites States does send money to Malaysia, and we shouldn’t penalize the Malaysian people for what their government is doing.

We must make it clear that our aid comes with the expectation they won’t brazenly discriminate against our allies, and our office is reaching out directly to the Malaysian embassy.

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Chelan County Firefighters Will Be Able to Better Respond to Wildfires Thanks to $1M Federal Grant

Grant to help pay for 2 new firetrucks & associated equipment

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chelan County Fire District 6 has received a $1,000,000 federal grant to purchase two fire fighting trucks and reduce wildfire response times, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, announced today.

“This grant will help Chelan County’s first responders purchase two new fire trucks, enabling them to get to fires faster and limit damage,” Sen. Cantwell said. “With wildfires in Central Washington becoming more frequent and dangerous, investments like these can help save lives and property.”

This month’s Chelan Hill fire resulted in the loss of one life, the evacuation of more than 500 people, the destruction of 19 homes and destruction of or damage to more than 100 structures, and burned nearly 10,000 acres.

Chelan County Fire District 6 provides dedicated fire protection and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to approximately 7,300 residents across a 45-square-mile coverage area in Washington's Upper Wenatchee Valley. The grant comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Program.

As wildfires in the West become more frequent and intense, Sen. Cantwell is working to ensure communities have access to the resources to prevent, prepare for, fight, and recover from major wildfires. She secured billions of dollars to support wildfire prevention, response, and recovery in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Last year, she spearheaded Senate passage of the bipartisan Fire Ready Nation Act to formally establish a permanent Fire Weather Services program within NOAA and authorize funding for new technologies to forecast weather conditions that cause and impact wildfires.

In January 2024, Sen. Cantwell co-introduced the Making Aid for Local Disasters Equal Now (MALDEN) Act, a bipartisan proposal to improve coordination between local, state, tribal, and federal agencies to deliver resources faster in the aftermath of disastrous wildfires. The MALDEN Act is named for the town of Malden, WA, which was destroyed by the 2020 Babb Road Fire.

Following 2023’s devastating Gray and Oregon Road fires in Eastern Washington, Sen. Cantwell sent a letter to the Biden administration in support of then-Gov. Jay Inslee’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration, and sent another letter in January 2024 asking for an immediate update on the status of this request. Shortly after Sen. Cantwell sent that letter, President Joe Biden declared a major disaster declaration for Spokane County to deliver funding and assistance for residents and business owners.


Senator Collins Walks in Maine Potato Blossom Parade

Click HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE for individual photos.

FORT FAIRFIELD, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins walked in the Maine Potato Blossom Parade in Fort Fairfield. The parade is the centerpiece of the 79th annual Maine Potato Blossom Festival, a nine-day celebration held as potato fields are in bloom to honor Aroostook County’s proud agricultural heritage. Thousands of spectators lined the route to see members of local organizations, Maine Potato Blossom Queens, the Loring Job Corps Color Guard, and other community groups.

“For nearly eight decades, the Maine Potato Blossom Festival has brought people together from across The County to celebrate our cherished farmers, families, and agricultural traditions that make this part of Maine so special,” said Senator Collins. “As a native of Aroostook County, where my first job was picking potatoes for a local farmer, this festival has always felt like a celebration of home. It was a joy to walk in the Potato Blossom Parade, see so many familiar faces, and feel the community spirit that makes this event one of the highlights of a County summer.”

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Markey Calls for Comprehensive Plan to Combat Health, Environmental, Economic Effects of Wildfires

Letter Text (PDF)

Boston (July 18, 2026) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, today sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin and Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Doug Burgum, urging the agencies to respond to any requests for immediate fire assistance and develop a longer-term plan, in coordination with Canada, to manage the increasingly frequent and severe cross-border wildfire smoke events. Senator Markey expressed concerns about the lack of planning amidst the ongoing U.S.-Canada cross-border emergency that has prompted air quality alerts, public health harm, and economic losses across the Midwest and Eastern Seaboard of the United States.

Senator Markey wrote, “Despite this ongoing emergency and a growing pattern of large-scale U.S.-Canada wildfire smoke events in recent years, there has been little public coordinated activity from the administration to combat this crisis and no indication that the federal government is working to improve its ability to address future cross-border wildfire smoke incidents. In fact, the central federal message so far has been President Trump’s announcement that he will add the cost of wildfire pollution to the tariffs that he wishes to assess on Canada.”

Senator Markey continued, “Like the climate crisis, the wildfire crisis is a shared crisis. It does not respect national boundaries, and our response cannot stop at our border. We must have a federal government that responds to crises effectively and quickly, invests in institutions that can match the evolving scale of climate change and its impacts, and work together with our neighbors – not against them – to ensure our mutual health and wellbeing.”

In his letter, Senator Markey asked that the administration respond to any requests for assistance that have been made by the Government of Canada or its Provincial/Territorial Governments through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) to the National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC). He also asked the administration to add PM2.5, the major air pollutant caused by wildfires, to the Canada-United States Air Quality Agreement, which has served as an effective cooperative instrument in managing transboundary air pollution.

Wildfires are becoming larger and more severe as a result of climate change. Senator Markey has been a champion for climate mitigation and adaptation, as the initial sponsor of the Green New Deal and the author of the Preventing HEAT Illness and Deaths Act. He has also fought to strengthen federal air quality laws and secure additional funding for air quality monitoring, with his Environmental Justice Air Quality Monitoring Act receiving $3 million in funding for hyper-local air pollution monitors through the Inflation Reduction Act.

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