WATCH: Padilla Pushes for Affordable Water Utility Bills, Critical Flood Protection

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, advocated for affordable water utilities for families across the country and stronger flood protections for communities.

At an Environment and Public Works Committee hearing, Padilla and U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) proposed an amendment to the Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA), legislation that would authorize flood risk management, navigation, and ecosystem restoration projects for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). WRDA also reauthorizes the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) drinking water and wastewater infrastructure programs. Padilla and Blunt Rochester’s amendment would make water utilities more affordable for American households.

“Look, water affordability is a critical issue. It’s not a red state, blue state thing. This is for working families across the country,” said Senator Padilla. “But water and wastewater utility rates have been growing at twice the rate of inflation for 25 years, and we know that there’s programs that can work because we did it during the pandemic. We offered support for families that didn’t just help them pay their water bills. It helped prevent water shutoffs. It helped folks who had been in arrears reinstate their services. 1.4 million households across 49 states were helped, but that program has come to an end. We’re trying to reinstate it and improve upon it.”

Video of Padilla’s remarks is available here.

Although Padilla and Blunt Rochester withdrew their amendment, the committee’s chairman, Senator Shelley Capito (R-W.Va.), committed to further collaboration on water affordability moving forward. The committee voted to advance WRDA. Padilla then delivered remarks highlighting the importance of flood protection and prevention across California and the nation.

“I just wanted to take an opportunity to highlight one other issue of importance, and that’s continuing the critical flood protection work for the cities of Temecula and Murrieta, who have experienced devastating floods with loss of life,” said Senator Padilla. “Just last week, the Army Corps of Engineers completed a general reevaluation study that provides finally a certified cost estimate for the project. So as WRDA moves forward, I’d ask that the committee use the Corps’ completed study to increase the project’s cost ceiling, which is so critical for the flood protection work and for it to be able to continue.”

Padilla has consistently advocated for strong federal investments in California’s water infrastructure and utilities. Following the committee mark-up, Californian organizations expressed support for Padilla’s advocacy.

“We are grateful to Senator Padilla for his critical work on the Senate Water Resources Development Act,” said Port of San Francisco Executive Director Michael Martin. “The Bay waterfront is part of San Francisco’s identity — an essential, shared public asset that supports transportation, jobs, small businesses, housing, recreation, and historic places. This bill moves us closer to federal funding to defend the City against coastal flooding and sea level rise.” The bill includes a provision requiring the Corps to move forward more quickly with finalizing the City’s feasibility study for its downtown flood protection project, which will help the City access Federal funding sooner to undertake the project.

“The legislation advancing today strengthens the federal partnerships we need to deliver meaningful results for Californians,” said California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crawfoot. “It gives new momentum to restore some of our state’s most vital landscapes—from critical dust suppression and habitat restoration at the Salton Sea to expanding a large-scale floodplain restoration and flood control project at one of California’s newest state parks, Dos Rios. Together, these efforts protect public health, restore ecosystems, and build a more resilient California.” The bill broadens the scope of the Corps’ comprehensive plan for restoring the Salton Sea to include lands owned by the Bureau of Reclamation, and deauthorizes federal levees to expedite the restoration of California’s new state park at Dos Rios.

“Reauthorizing the Water Resources Development Act is critical to strengthening America’s supply chain and driving economic growth. At the Port of Long Beach, we are building the Port of the Future, and this legislation will help advance key infrastructure projects, including our planned Deep Draft Navigation Project, which will enhance navigational safety, improve cargo efficiency and strengthen the flow of goods to communities across the country,” said Port of Long Beach CEO Dr. Noel Hacegaba. “We are grateful to Sen. Padilla, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and our many federal partners for advancing the bill. Continued federal investment in our nation’s ports is essential to expanding trade opportunities, supporting jobs across all 50 states.”

“Orange County is grateful for Senator Padilla’s leadership and support in advancing this important cost share change in the Senate’s Water Resources Development Act,” said Supervisor Doug Chaffee, Chairman of the Orange County Board of Supervisors. “This language represents a major boost for the Westminster East Garden Grove project that would deliver up to $150 million in additional federal funding to Orange County to strengthen flood protection, improve public safety, and support the long-term resilience of our communities. We look forward to continuing to work with Senator Padilla and our federal partners to ensure this critical provision moves through Congress and becomes law.”

Padilla also raised concerns about Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan application delays that have impacted applicants across California. Padilla highlighted the provision in WRDA to monitor the average amount of time for loan processing.

“In my state, multiple applicants, including the city of Hayward and Valley Water, have been literally waiting for a year or even longer for OMB and the EPA to approve their fully completed loan applications,” concluded Senator Padilla. “These are important projects that should be reviewed in a timely manner. As you know, time is money, but also the longer we wait, the more we risk further damage and devastation.”

Senator Padilla also advocated for provisions in the bill that:

Allow the Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency to acquire properties in fee title to expedite needed flood protection work around Pajaro and Watsonville;

Allow local water districts to undertake authorized wastewater and flood control projects under the Environmental Infrastructure Program and then seek reimbursement from the Corps;

Authorize new funding for Environmental Infrastructure projects in Silicon Valley and counties including San Mateo, Sonoma, Sacramento, Sutter, Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Ventura;

Authorize feasibility studies for projects in Morro Bay, Hayward, Redondo Beach, Redwood City, and Pacifica, and a study modification for Buchanan Reservoir; and

Ensure that the selected alternative for a beach restoration plan in Oceanside is acceptable to the city.

Video of Padilla’s remarks is available here.

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Reed Grills Trump’s Pick to be Nation’s Spy Chief

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence held a confirmation hearing for Walter “Jay” Clayton III, President Trump’s nominee to be the next Director of National Intelligence (DNI). Mr. Clayton currently serves as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. The hearing follows a previous controversial postponement in June when President Trump derailed Clayton’s confirmation hearing at the last minute to demand that Congress prioritize unrelated legislative goals, leading to the appointment of Federal Housing Finance Agency director Bill Pulte, who has no national security experience and is unqualified for the job, as ‘acting director.’

The DNI leads the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies. In his role as acting director, Pulte has undertaken troubling steps to terminate dozens of U.S. Intelligence officials.

During today’s hearing, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), an ‘ex officio’ member of the Intelligence committee, asked Mr. Clayton about President Trump’s unexplained pardon of convicted drug trafficker Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras, who was convicted in 2024 after a successful prosecution by the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Hernández was serving a 45-year sentence in an American prison when President Trump granted him a “full and complete pardon” in 2025.

During the hearing, Reed stated: “In a speech in September last year, you highlighted the great successes of the Southern District of New York, specifically calling out, and I quote, the successful prosecution of the former president of Honduras and other high-level Honduran officials for narcotics trafficking and firearms charges for partnering with some of the largest and most violent cartels in the world to distribute tons of cocaine to the United States.”

Reed asked Clayton if he was consulted about the pardon and Clayton reported he was not.

Clayton responded: “I’m not going to get into the pardon process here. The president’s pardon power, I think there’s only a few powers in our Constitution that are unreviewable and absolute. That’s one of them.”

“Are you aware of any quid pro quo regarding the pardon?” Reed asked.

“I’m not aware of any such thing,” Clayton replied.

“Why would the President of the United States pardon someone that you had convicted and described as being involved in violent activities and allowing tons of cocaine to enter the United States?” Reed asked.

Clayton refused to discuss the pardon, claiming that it falls under the president’s authority.

Reed replied: “Well, it seems to me that all of the rhetoric that we have heard about fighting drugs and in fact we have killed over 200 people in the Caribbean and Pacific because they were not presidents of countries but minor dealers or transporters of heroin, and yet here is a kingpin… who gets to walk.”

By overriding the conviction of the former president of Honduras, President Trump undermined his own Justice Department’s credibility, signaling that high-level officials may be shielded when it suits President Trump’s interests, despite the facts and evidence clearly showing abuse of power and influence to support violent drug trafficking.


Reed Rebukes Trump for Threatening Another U.S. Federal Gov’t Shutdown

WASHINGTON, DC – There are 77 days left to pass annual appropriations bills and fund the federal government ahead of the next fiscal year, which starts in October.

But this week, President Trump blindsided lawmakers across the political spectrum when he threatened to force a government shutdown unless Republican Senators abolish the filibuster, pass his election takeover scheme known as the so-called SAVE Act, and allow Republicans to advance any legislation they want through a party line vote.

During a Monday interview on Fox & Friends about the so-called SAVE Act, President Trump told the hosts: “It’s so important that Republicans have to do it. It’s so insane. Otherwise, we’re going to have a shutdown in September.” Trump also added: “If you terminate the filibuster, everything goes away. And we do anything we want. We pass everything we want.”

U.S. Senator Jack Reed calls Trump’s threat to deny taxpayers basic services “wasteful, irresponsible, and outrageous.” Senator Reed also notes that the regressive SAVE Act is an attempted power grab that even leading Republicans acknowledge is an unworkable ploy that would “hurt voters” and hand the president unprecedented authority to be the arbiter of electoral outcomes – something the Founding Fathers warned against.

Reed, a leading member of the Appropriations Committee, says it’s simple: Democrats want to follow regular order and establish a bipartisan agreement on domestic and defense spending so the Senate can pass balanced, bipartisan appropriations bills that help working Americans pay their bills and ensure the Trump Administration follows the law.

Meanwhile, Republicans, who already control the White House, U.S. House of Representatives, and U.S. Senate, are prioritizing wasteful wars, White House vanity projects, and a new fleet of luxury aircraft for Trump and his political appointees. Instead of providing meaningful oversight, Congressional Republicans are handing President Trump more power and greenlighting his sky-high tariffs and inflation-inducing, billionaire-first economic policies.

Reed notes that Democrats have popular opinion on their side and are focused on lowering the costs of housing, health care, groceries, and transportation, while pushing back against the Trump Administration's controversial and unpopular health care cuts, price-raising tariffs, and executive overreach.

“Democrats are laser focused on lowering costs, expanding opportunity, and ensuring the federal government works for the people it serves. Republicans want to pretend that the economy is great and that if they just give the wealthy a bigger tax break everything will be fine. It’s not fine. And it’s not okay that President Trump seems to be leveraging the Oval Office to pocket billions of dollars for himself while placing a heavier financial burden on working Americans. It’s not okay for Republicans to pass lopsided bills with limited oversight that reduce accountability while allowing the President’s allies to fly around in luxury aircraft at taxpayer expense. It’s time to put a stop to wasteful corporate subsidies for Big Oil and direct real savings and tax breaks to hardworking Americans,” said Reed.

Republicans have already used a party-line vote to fund Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) through 2029, but have failed to pass any of the 12 Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations bills through the House and the Senate.

“Democrats want a budget for the middle-class that helps people, not a shutdown. We are fighting for a high quality of life at an affordable cost and a federal government that works better for families,” noted Reed.


Reed Statement on Trump Planning Prime-time Speech on 2020 Election Allegations

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today expressed deep skepticism about President Trump’s plans to deliver a prime-time national address on Thursday night regarding 2020 election allegations.

“Once again, President Trump is seeking to undermine election integrity and relitigate the 2020 election, which he lost overwhelmingly,” said Reed. “Before every election he’s ever run, Donald Trump claims the election is rigged against him. Then, if he wins, he says it was fair and if he loses, he ramps up unfounded allegations of fraud and produces no actual evidence. If he had any evidence that could stand up in a courtroom, he’d submit it. Instead, he is going to go on national TV to try to mislead and maybe even flat out lie.

“Donald Trump won an election when Barack Obama was President and when Joe Biden was President. He lost by 7 million votes in 2020 when he was President. Democrats didn’t rig anything and nothing was stolen from him. In fact, Trump’s own federal cyber experts and election security watchdogs declared the 2020 vote “the most secure in American history.”

Senator Reed noted that foreign adversaries routinely seek to influence U.S. elections by spreading disinformation, amplifying political divisions, and attempting to undermine Americans’ confidence in democratic institutions. However, unclassified assessments from the U.S. Intelligence Community, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the FBI, the Senate Intelligence Committee, and bipartisan state election officials all note that what these foreign adversaries have not done is alter vote totals, hack voting machines to change election outcomes, or compromise the integrity of the 2020 presidential election.

Senator Reed says the myth of stolen elections must not become a pretext for weakening America’s democratic system or stripping states and local election officials of their longstanding constitutional role in administering elections. Senator Reed says there must be robust, bipartisan support for strengthening election security, supporting state and local officials, and combatting foreign influence operations. Allowing the president to “take over” or federalize election administration does not achieve those goals, in fact, it undermines them.

“Last week, President Trump purged members of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission,” said Reed. “This is part of the Trump Administration’s broader campaign to interfere with the 2026 mid-terms. He wants to create new barriers for eligible Americans to exercise their right to vote. He is trying to increase the executive branch’s control over U.S. elections in dangerous and unprecedented ways. That is why he keeps demanding passage of the repressive, unworkable, so-called SAVE Act which faces bipartisan opposition. His bill offers no resources and would simply throw the nation’s elections into chaos and disenfranchise millions of voters.

“It is notable that President Trump is basing his latest assertions on so-called intelligence that a White House task force is set to declassify this week. The acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Bill Pulte is a partisan attack dog with zero intelligence experience. It is illegal for the DNI to be personally involved in a domestic criminal investigation. The trumped up investigation of Fulton County, Georgia is the same state where Donald Trump is on tape telling Georgia’s top election official to “find” enough votes to overturn the election result. President Trump’s exact quote to Georgia’s Secretary of State was: “I just want to find 11,780 votes.” The Republican election official replied by telling the President that Georgia’s results are correct,” continued Reed.

“It’s also unfortunate that President Trump is echoing the talking points of America’s foreign adversaries when it comes to U.S. elections and trying to imply that Americans cannot trust their election systems. It’s time for President Trump to quit amplifying misinformation and acting like he’s an aggrieved victim and to start fixing the very problems he’s creating. I believe in the goodness of the American people, the wisdom of voters, and the rule of law. I urge Republicans to join Democrats in standing up for truly free, fair, safe, secure, and accurate elections. And I urge any networks that air this political, ego-fueled address to fact-check it and offer Democrats equal air time to rebut Trump’s falsehoods.”


Ricketts Issues Statement After Voting to Support Perkins County Canal, Nebraska Water Infrastructure

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) issued the following statement after voting to pass the Water Resource Development Act (WRDA) in the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works:

“The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) is critical to addressing water infrastructure needs across Nebraska and the rest of the country. This legislation includes my efforts to address ice jams along the Missouri River. It also includes provisions to improve government efficiency and expedite a permit to construct the Perkins County Canal. Efficient, predictable regulatory frameworks drive down costs. I’m glad to support this effort on behalf of Nebraskans.”

BACKGROUND:

The Water Resource Development Act of 2026 (WRDA) includes an amendment from Senator Ricketts that would expedite permitting for Perkins County Canal construction. The legislation would require the Corps to issue a permit for construction before February 15, 2028.

The legislation also addresses ice jams along the Missouri River, flood risk management on the Platte River, and reporting for the Wehrspann Lake spillway basin. The legislation would require the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to expedite its 408 permitting process and to brief the Environment and Public Works Committee on endangered species on the Missouri River.

The legislation was voted out of committee unanimously.


VIDEO: “America is Safer When Putin Loses”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) joined a press conference announcing a bipartisan Russian sanctions bill. This legislation was the result of the late Senator Lindsey Graham’s tireless efforts to protect Americans against Vladimir Putin. Sanctioning Russia will prevent the spread of its aggression and keep Americans safe.

“America is safer when Putin loses,” said Ricketts. “Lindsey Graham was very clear-eyed about the threat Vladimir Putin created for the United States — the threat he was to the United States. And he knew that we are safer with peace through strength. And that’s why Senator Graham pushed this bill so hard — to make America safer.”

Watch the video here.

TRANSCRIPT:

“America is safer when Putin loses.

“Lindsey Graham was very clear-eyed about the threat Vladimir Putin created for the United States — the threat he was to the United States.

“And he knew that we are safer with peace through strength.

“And that’s why Senator Graham pushed this bill so hard — to make America safer.

“This bill will put additional sanctions on Putin, the oligarchs, businesspeople in Russia, banks, the shadow fleet, who allow the president to put up to 100% tariffs on people who are buying Russian oil.

“Who are supporting the war machine that is terrorizing Ukraine.

“If Putin were to be successful in Ukraine, he will move on NATO members and then we will be involved directly in the war.

“This sanctions bill will allow us to continue to put pressure on Russia so that we can end this war before that happens and make sure Putin loses.

“Senator Graham’s commitment to this bill is part of his commitment to keeping our country safe — and all our commitment to keeping this country safe.

“And I want to thank all my colleagues who are standing up here and all the ones who are on this bill and support getting this bill passed as quickly as possible so we continue to let Putin know he will not win in Russia.”


Sen. Rick Scott Discusses Election Fraud with James O’Keefe at HSGAC Hearing

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) hearing on fraud across the country, U.S. Senator Rick Scott asked journalist James O’Keefe about his recent reports about election fraud in California.

This follows shocking reports of election fraud that occurred in the Los Angeles Mayoral and gubernatorial primary elections in California on June 2, 2026. Aside from HSGAC Ranking Member Senator Gary Peters, all Democrat committee members refused to attend the hearing.

Senator Rick Scott asked, “Mr. O'Keefe, your team returned to Skid Row after the DOJ indicted somebody for election fraud and found the same operation running openly: cash for signatures, fake voter data, and coaching on forgery. So, walk us through what you documented and what it tells you about whether the indictment deterred anybody. How widespread is the model beyond Skid Row in Los Angeles? Based on your investigation, do you think this model could easily be replicated in other states and cities around the country?”

Witness James O’Keefe responded, “Yeah, within seconds of appearing on Skid Row, I personally, disguised as a homeless person, caught this behavior happening in broad daylight. So, it's happening thousands of times… These people are logging in to an online database called Sigvalid.com and pulling real names and voters. Those people's votes are disenfranchised. We went to their homes, and we knocked on their doors. One of them said, ‘What if I wanted to vote in this election?’ This is a completely nonpartisan, nonpolitical issue.”

Click HERE to watch Senator Rick Scott’s full line of questioning to witness James O’Keefe.

Citizen journalist Nick Shirley, who exposed massive fraud in Minnesota and California, was also a witness before the committee.

BACKGROUND:

On June 12, 2026, Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate reports of voters being paid to register, voters registered to incorrect addresses, and irregularities in the recent mayoral primary in Los Angeles.

Senator Rick Scott has been one of the loudest voices on passing the SAVE America Act. Earlier this week, he penned an op-ed in Fox News urging the Senate to deliver on key promises made to the American people, including election security, before leaving Washington, D.C. for a 5-week August recess.

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Risch, Crapo Applaud Move to Return Grizzly Bear Management to States

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo (both R-Idaho) today applauded the Department of the Interior proposal to provide new flexibility for western states in managing grizzly bears.

“It’s abundantly clear Idaho’s grizzly bear populations have widely exceeded recovery goals,” said Risch. “Increasing state authority to manage grizzly bears ensures our own local wildlife agencies, who understand Idaho’s environment best, can follow the science and make commonsense conservation decisions without bureaucratic inefficiencies.”

“The recovery of the grizzly bear in the West is a conservation success story made possible by decades of work from state, tribal, federal and local conservation partners,” said Crapo. “For years, I have advocated for returning grizzly bear management to the states as recovery objectives and benchmarks have been achieved. Secretary Burgum’s announcement moves us one step closer to allowing Idaho wildlife professionals to manage a recovered grizzly population in a way that protects both the species and Idaho communities.”

The announcement, made by Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik, proposes a revised rule to increase management flexibility for grizzly bears in areas where the species has met, and in many cases exceeded, federal recovery benchmarks. The updated proposal ensures the Endangered Species Act is being used as Congress intended while continuing to support the species’ long-term conservation.


Risch Introduces Bill to Increase Geothermal Energy Production

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) introduced the Committing Leases for Energy Access Now (CLEAN) Act to require the Bureau of Land Management to hold annual geothermal lease sales.

“Idaho has long benefited from our abundant natural geothermal resources, and there is great potential to ramp up the production of this reliable energy to power our communities,” said Risch. “The CLEAN Act requires annual geothermal lease sales, cutting red tape and offering more efficient and responsible opportunities to access this natural resource.”

The CLEAN Act would:

Require annual lease sales that include at least 75% of eligible parcels nominated for geothermal development;

Require replacement lease sales be held in the event of a missed sale; and

Establish 30-day deadlines for consideration of permit applications.

In June, the House of Representatives unanimously passed the companion bill, H.R. 1687, introduced by U.S. Representative Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho). The bill now awaits action in the Senate.

Both traditional and enhanced geothermal technologies offer unique advantages that are distinguishing from other forms of energy, including the ability to be deployed nationwide, match local demand, and create pathways to high-paying jobs. In addition to generating electricity, geothermal heat can be used for district heating, industrial processes, mineral production, and aquaculture and agricultural applications.


Rosen Asks State Department What It’s Doing to Ensure American Aid Reaches Venezuelans Affected by Deadly Earthquakes

Watch the full exchange HERE

WASHINGTON, DC – During a hearing for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Western Hemisphere subcommittee, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) asked Ambassador Michael Kozak, Senior Bureau Official for the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, about how the Department is ensuring that American aid to Venezuela is reaching the people affected by the deadly June earthquakes and is not diverted by corruption. As of today, the earthquakes have claimed the lives of more than 4,000 people, and an additional 16,000 have been injured.

Excerpts from the exchange below:

Senator Rosen: I have just a few seconds left. I want to ask about the catastrophic earthquakes last month. Nearly 4,000 Venezuelans have sadly lost their lives. We believe 16,000 sustained injuries, thousands more left homeless without adequate shelter as a result of these horrific earthquakes and experts estimate that Venezuela will require roughly $37 billion to recover, yet the country’s institutions just have very limited capacity to manage any reconstruction. Again, the risks of corruption are significant… How is the State Department working with international partners to ensure reconstruction assistance is coordinated, is transparent, is protected from corruption, and really helps these folks that have lost everything? What are you doing to help there?

Ambassador Kozak: Yes, well what we have done so far is provide $386 million in assistance and this was largely food, medicine.

Senator Rosen: Will you be using some of the oil revenue to help with reconstruction?

Ambassador Kozak: That will come. This was U.S. assistance money that I’m mentioning now. That got us through the period of trying to recover people that were buried under rubble, and feeding people that had been displaced and so on. There are about, almost 18,000 people who have been displaced from their homes. In terms of the housing issue, trying to get adequate housing for people, that’s where we were looking for them using their own revenues. They should have plenty of cash flow to do that. We are providing advisors and so on. We have got one company that’s in, helping them look at buildings to see if they’re safe to be reoccupied again, or what repairs would be needed to make them so. We’re also looking at companies that can supply modular housing and this kind of thing to rapidly get housing in. So we are helping them select the people who can do this in an honest and transparent way and then looking to use the oil revenues to pay for it in the end. So that is the phase we are in right now, and that’s working. You are absolutely right, I mean, it’s a huge disaster for the country.

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Rounds Introduces DNI Nominee Jay Clayton at Senate Intelligence Committee Hearing

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today delivered the introduction for Director of National Intelligence nominee Jay Clayton at his nomination hearing in front of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Rounds first met Jay through his role on the Senate Banking Committee when Clayton was nominated and confirmed to be Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2017.

“Jay is a consummate professional with a distinguished career in both the private and public sectors,” said Rounds. “The Senate previously confirmed him on a bipartisan basis to serve as the SEC Chair, and I’d like to think we were proven correct in judging his character the first time around.”

“Jay’s time at the SEC and in the private sector has given him valuable experience with issues that the DNI faces on a daily basis: cyber threats from state and non-state actors, illicit finance, economic competition with China, and the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence by both our adversaries and our own intelligence community,” continued Rounds. “He brings valuable insight into each of these areas that will serve him well.”

Click HERE to watch Rounds’ full introduction. Read Rounds’ remarks as prepared for delivery below.

+++

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Today, I have the privilege of introducing the Honorable Jay Clayton, President Trump’s nominee to serve as the next Director of National Intelligence.

I first met Jay through my role on the Banking Committee when he was nominated by President Trump and confirmed by the Senate to be Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2017.

He’s a consummate professional with a distinguished career in both the private and public sectors. The Senate previously confirmed him on a bipartisan basis to serve as the SEC Chair, and I’d like to think we were proven correct in judging his character the first time around.

It’s no surprise President Trump would select him to serve in his cabinet. The DNI has to be a trusted, unbiased voice to provide ongoing intelligence to the President. I believe Jay will do great work in this role.

Jay is an accomplished lawyer with decades of experience, and he currently holds one of the most high-profile and demanding posts in the Department of Justice as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

He’s made the most of his time in New York by prosecuting some of America’s worst enemies and threats to our national security: Mohamed Al-Sadia, the Iranian-Iraqi national responsible for over a dozen terrorist attacks in Europe and two attempted attacks in America, Nicolas Maduro, and multiple other narco-terrorists.

These efforts required extensive coordination with the intelligence community and larger national security enterprise, including the Department of Justice, the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. If confirmed, Jay’s experience at the helm in New York will serve him well as DNI.

Mr. Clayton chaired the SEC through a period of significant uncertainty for financial markets during the depths of the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020.

His success in leadership roles at the SEC and DOJ is strong evidence of his ability to be an effective coordinator as the Director of National Intelligence.

Many of the most pressing national security threats we face today are cross-cutting issues that involve technology and economics and go beyond the IC’s traditional focus on foreign military capabilities and foreign leadership intentions.

Jay’s time at the SEC and in the private sector has given him valuable experience with issues that the DNI faces on a daily basis: cyber threats from state and non-state actors, illicit finance, economic competition with China, and the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence by both our adversaries and our own intelligence community. He brings valuable insight into each of these areas that will serve him well.

Jay holds a TS/SCI clearance and has worked in highly classified compartmented environments requiring discretion and security compliance. As a result, he knows first-hand the critical importance of Section 702 of FISA. His extensive experience working across agencies is a quality needed as DNI. He has a working relationship with CIA director Ratcliffe that will make for a smooth transition into this leadership role.

While Jay may not have served in the intelligence community, he has the right mix of practical experience working with the IC, including experience with the Justice Department and coordination with the Department of the Treasury. His professional background is important to the growing demands being placed upon the IC related to technology and economic competition. Furthermore, his diverse experience in the private sector, the SEC and as a U.S. attorney in a very active district give him the wealth of management, leadership, and organizational experience to succeed in coordinating with all the different equities that make up the Intelligence Community.

In closing, I offer my strong endorsement for Mr. Clayton to serve as the next Director of National Intelligence. Thank you.

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Rounds Introduces Legislation to Expedite Scientific Research on Diseases

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) today introduced legislation to expedite scientific research on diseases through specimen collection. This is the first piece of legislation introduced using feedback from Rounds and Heinrich’s American Science Acceleration Project (ASAP), a national initiative to support making American science 10 times faster by 2030.

The Homestake AI Act would establish a pilot program in the Department of Energy (DOE) focused on the collection, cataloguing and sequencing of whole genomes and metabolites from samples collected in unique locations. This includes locations exposed to extreme properties such as high heat or pressure, locations at extreme risk of destruction in coming decades and other locations that hold potential for finding useful organisms to help advance health care treatments.

The Homestake AI Act was inspired by the case of the Gila monster. The Gila monster, native to the deserts of North America, can survive on just a few meals a year due to a digestion-slowing hormone in its venom. This discovery helped pave the way for Ozempic, a drug for diabetes patients to manage blood sugar.

“The Homestake AI Act would take great strides to accelerate scientific research on diseases here in the United States,” said Rounds. “Evidenced by the Gila monster, species who survive in extreme environments usually hold an interesting secret to doing so. Increasing the amount of data we collect from these specimens could unlock cures to diseases such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes and different types of cancers. I’m pleased to be unveiling our first piece of legislation related to our ASAP initiative. Thank you to everyone who provided information to make this legislation possible.”

“We need to leave no stone unturned in the race to discover cures and treatments for cancer, diabetes, and dementia,” said Heinrich. “Our Homestake AI Act will establish a new initiative at the Department of Energy that helps researchers harness the power of AI to identify, catalog, and sequence plants, animals, and microbes that may hold the secret to potential cures and treatments. This is how we keep America at the forefront of scientific innovation while saving lives.”

Supporters of the Homestake AI Act include:

“The South Dakota Science and Technology Authority (SDSTA) owns and operates the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, SD. SURF is America’s Underground Lab and has a strong track record of supporting leading biological research deep underground,” said Mike Headley, Executive Director of SDSTA and Lab Director at SURF. “We’re excited to potentially play a role in the Extremophile Whole Genome Sequencing Initiative and thank Senators Rounds and Heinrich for their strong support of U.S. science leadership.”

“Artificial intelligence is only as powerful as the infrastructure that supports it,” said Dr. José-Marie Griffiths, Chancellor of Dakota State University. “The Homestake AI Act, the first legislative initiative of the American Science Acceleration Project led by Senator Mike Rounds and Senator Martin Heinrich, recognizes that the next generation of breakthroughs will depend not only on advanced computing, but also on access to rich, high-quality biological data. By investing in the collection, preservation, and accessibility of genomic and metabolic data, this act lays the foundation for AI-driven discoveries that could transform how we prevent, diagnose, and treat countless health challenges. Building this research infrastructure today will ensure the United States remains at the forefront of scientific innovation and discovery for decades to come.”

“Biological organisms’ diversity is an incredibly rich resource for America and the world,” said Barry Dunn, President of South Dakota State University. “Their genomes carry the information we need to harness a diversity of organisms' unique properties for our greater use. The Homestake AI Act is a critically important step toward discoveries that will change the way we live.”

“The Homestake AI Act underscores the tremendous potential of artificial intelligence and scientific discovery to improve lives. By strengthening scientific datasets and accelerating research, this initiative can help unlock new insights into some of our most pressing health challenges,” said Sheila K. Gestring, President of the University of South Dakota. “At the University of South Dakota, we see every day how innovation, data-driven research and strong partnerships can advance knowledge and create meaningful impact. This legislation recognizes the value of investing in discovery today to improve health outcomes for future generations. We commend Senators Mike Rounds and Martin Heinrich for their leadership in advancing this forward-looking effort and strengthening America’s capacity for scientific innovation.”

“South Dakota Mines strongly supports the Homestake AI Act,” said Dr. Brian Tande, President of the South Dakota School of Mines. “This bill would accelerate American science by using artificial intelligence and unique datasets to pursue breakthroughs in treating cancer, diabetes, dementia, and other serious diseases. It enhances the kind of bold research we do at Mines every day: driving innovation and improving lives.”

“America's leadership in AI and biotechnology depends on building the scientific infrastructure that will power the next generation of discovery,” said Ylli Bajraktari, CEO of the Special Competitive Studies Project Action Program. “The Homestake AI Act recognizes that the genomes and molecular diversity of living organisms represent a strategic and largely untapped resource for innovation. By investing in the systematic collection and analysis of these data, the United States can accelerate the development of new therapies, fuel AI-driven scientific breakthroughs, and strengthen our nation's leadership in innovation, economic competitiveness, and national security for decades to come.”

“AlphaFold solved protein structure prediction only because researchers spent decades building the dataset behind it,” said Josh New, Director of Policy at SeedAI. “The Homestake AI Act lets us jumpstart that process for genomics, treating untapped genomes as the national resource they are and turning them into an open library for American researchers that could speed new treatments for some of our worst diseases. The pace of scientific discovery is a choice, and the Homestake AI Act is a choice to move faster. This kind of effort is why we launched Accelerate Science Now, and SeedAI applauds Senators Rounds and Heinrich for their progress with the American Scientific Acceleration Project (ASAP) and commitment to keeping America the global leader in scientific discovery”

“We are grateful to Senators Rounds and Heinrich for their bipartisan leadership on the Homestake AI Act,” said Chan Park, Head of U.S. and Canada Policy and Partnerships at OpenAI. “By creating a secure, interoperable collection of genomic data from extreme environments, this bill would give American scientists a powerful new resource to accelerate breakthroughs in medicine and other critical fields.”

“I applaud the bipartisan effort of Senators Rounds and Heinrich to accelerate American scientific breakthroughs, especially those that directly improve individual health and well-being,” said Pat Gelsinger, General Partner at Playground Global. “From its inception, Playground Global has taken big bets on hard problems. The Homestake AI Act similarly recognizes that technological advancement alone won't cure cancer; it requires a moonshot. By ensuring America secures and responsibly shares relevant data, this bill unlocks new innovation opportunities by addressing a significant bottleneck to medical scientific progress.”

“The Homestake AI Act proposes the creation of a national biological data resource for research that can accelerate progress on longstanding health challenges while strengthening the nation's scientific and national security capabilities,” said Fred Humphries, CVP of U.S. Government Affairs for Microsoft. “We commend Senators Rounds and Heinrich for their leadership.”

“By supporting the collection, cataloguing, and sequencing of genomes and metabolites, the Homestake AI Act would help build a powerful scientific resource that could accelerate treatments for serious diseases, such as cancer,” said Eliezer Van Allen, MD, Chandra Nohria Family Chair for AI in Cancer Research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “Making these data broadly accessible to researchers, while safeguarding national security, is an important investment in American science that could save lives at Dana-Farber and across the country.”

“For all human existence the language of life was an unreadable secret--until American scientists deciphered the DNA-based alphabet of life,” said Daniel Gluesenkamp, Executive Director of the California Institute for Biodiversity. “Today, the Homestake AI Act gives America a golden library card to the most powerful library in existence. The Institute for Biodiversity applauds the ambitious plan: send the best scientists on Earth to collect the rarest and most imperiled creatures, leverage AI to turn their secrets into miraculous medicines and new materials and store these priceless samples in repositories secure against even meteor strike. This legislation seizes a strategic opportunity to secure some of the most valuable resources in the world, and ensure American leadership in the most crucial technologies of the 21st century and beyond.”

“Biomedical insights and innovation using AI begin with great data, and by preserving and sharing the genomes of extraordinary species, this bill helps turn nature's ingenuity into treatments and cures,” said Tom Secunda of the Secunda Family Fondation. “The Secunda Family Foundation is proud to support the Homestake AI Act, and I thank Senator Rounds and Senator Heinrich for their leadership.”

Click HERE for full bill text.

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NEWS: Sanders, Cassidy Applaud Senate Advancement of Bipartisan Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act

WASHINGTON, July 15 — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), and Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.) applaud the Senate unanimously passing the Older Americans Act (OAA), a critically important law that provides services supporting the health, independence and dignity of older adults across the nation. The bill’s reauthorization effort was also led by Senators Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.).

“I’m delighted that the Senate unanimously passed legislation last night to expand and improve the Older Americans Act,” Sanders said. “This legislation begins to pay attention to the urgent unmet needs of seniors in America and what we should do as a nation to reduce the senior poverty rate, prevent hunger, combat loneliness and isolation and improve the health and well-being of some of the most vulnerable people in our country. Not only does the Older Americans Act save lives and ease human suffering, it saves money. In fact, it costs less to feed a senior for an entire year through the Older Americans Act than it does for a senior to spend one night in a hospital. While there is much more that we must do to reduce the senior poverty rate in America and to make sure that every senior in America has access to the services they need this bi-partisan legislation is a very good step forward.”

“The Older Americans Act helps Americans remain independent and connected to the communities they helped build. For more than 60 years, the Older Americans Act has connected seniors with services that help them age with dignity,” Cassidy said. “This bipartisan reauthorization ensures that support continues as the nation’s aging population grows.”

The OAA, first signed into law in 1965, funds a wide range of services. The act has provided vital nutrition, social, economic and health services to millions of older adults for over six decades. Last reauthorized in 2020, OAA expired in the 118th congress. The previous OAA reauthorization effort, also lead by Sanders and Cassidy, passed the Senate unanimously in 2024 but did not pass the House.

The bipartisan reauthorization of the Older American Act marks a major step forward in strengthening the nation’s commitment to older adults. The legislation expands critical nutrition, health and community-based services at a time when millions of older adults are facing growing unmet needs. It would reauthorize OAA programs through fiscal year 2030 and make improvements to better support family caregivers and direct care workers, Tribal seniors and those with disabilities in their communities.


NEWS: Ahead of Attorney General Confirmation Hearing, Sen. Schiff Challenges Todd Blanche on Conflicts of Interest Over Family Firearms Company and Gun Safety Regulatory Rollbacks

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is demanding answers from Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on conflicts of interest Blanche has with his close family connection to a major firearm parts manufacturer.

Schiff, who today will be part of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s confirmation hearing for Blanche to serve as Attorney General of the United States, is probing what role his connection to Check-Mate Industries has played in rollbacks of gun safety regulations, what financial benefits Blanche gains from his connection to the company, and why Blanche has visited the company in his official government capacity.

“Under your leadership, the Department [of Justice] has…settled legal matters and brought new legal challenges that also stand to benefit Check-Mate Industries and the broader firearms industry, which raise additional conflict of interest questions. These actions, too, appear to have been taken despite clear risks to the public,” Senator Schiff wrote in a letter to Blanche Tuesday night.

“The Attorney General of the United States must understand the immense and important responsibility the Department has to protect the public from gun crime and violence. For the Attorney General, conflicts of interest are unacceptable, and appearances of impropriety are inexcusable. The Attorney General must be someone who puts public safety first – not gun industry profits.”

Blanche’s mother-in-law currently serves as the CEO and Chair of Check-Mate Industries, a gun magazine manufacturer based in Thomasville, Georgia. Schiff’s probe seeks answers from Blanche on financial benefits he receives through family connections to the company, as well as how his connection influenced regulatory changes on gun safety rules.

Under Blanche’s tenure as Acting Attorney General, the Trump administration has announced more than 30 proposed regulatory changes that would roll back critical gun safety measures designed to keep dangerous weapons off American streets and out of the hands of criminals and those who pose harm to others.

The full text of Blanche’s letter can be found here and below.

Dear Acting Attorney General Blanche:

In light of your nomination to be Attorney General, I write to raise serious concerns about potential conflicts of interest between your official position at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and your close familial connection to Check-Mate Industries. In recent months, the Department has announced over 30 rules that would make significant and sweeping changes to federal firearms regulations – changes from which Check-Mate Industries and the broader firearms industry stand to benefit. At the same time, these changes would, as DOJ has admitted, create “greater” and “increased” risks to public safety, including, in some instances, “mass casualties” and “potential mass casualty events.”

In April 2026, you attended the National Rifle Association’s Annual Meetings and Exhibits in Houston, Texas. There, you were asked in a video interview whether you were “part of the gun industry.” You said, “Yes, I am.”

As you well know, the Department comprises numerous component agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). ATF’s mission is to protect the public from violent gun crime, which it does by enforcing federal firearms laws and, of course, regulating and overseeing the firearms industry. If confirmed, you will be responsible for industry regulation and oversight and, where appropriate, holding industry actors – including those who provide illegal firearms to gun traffickers, prohibited persons, and violent criminals – accountable. I am alarmed that a self-proclaimed “part” of the firearms industry could be expected to independently and impartially regulate and oversee that same industry. I am even more alarmed given the actions that the Department has already taken to benefit the industry at the expense of public safety. In other words, I do not believe that the fox should be trusted to guard the henhouse – especially one whose own family, as you have said, “has been in the gun manufacturing business for 40 years.”

The longstanding family business is Check-Mate Industries – a magazine manufacturer founded in 1972 by the late Thomas Vieweg and Regina Vieweg. Mrs. Vieweg, who now serves as Check-Mate Industries’ Chair and CEO, is your mother-in-law. Check-Mate Industries operates facilities in West Babylon, New York, and Thomasville, Georgia. Check-Mate Industries reports that, over the last four decades, it has “manufactured over 100 million firearm magazines for the U.S. Military, law enforcement, and leading firearms manufacturers.” In fact, Check-Mate Industries has received federal contracts as recently as the current Fiscal Year. Check-Mate Industries also sells pistol and rifle magazines to civilians. In Check-Mate Industries’ own words, “When you buy a new 1911 [pistol] or M1A [rifle] from a major manufacturer, there’s a good chance it came with a Check-Mate magazine in the box – even if our name wasn’t on it.”

Check-Mate Industries also manufactures high-capacity magazines (HCMs). HCMs allow shooters to fire more rounds without needing to reload. The more rounds a shooter can fire without reloading, the more wounds – fatal and non-fatal – the shooter can inflict on more victims. Since 2016, all 10 of the highest-casualty mass shootings in the United States have involved HCMs and assault weapons. HCMs are also used in everyday gun crime and gun violence. Firearms equipped with HCMs account for 22 percent to 36 percent of crime guns in most jurisdictions, with some estimates of up to 40 percent in cases involving serious violence, including homicides of law enforcement officers. To protect public safety, 15 states and Washington D.C. have enacted bans on HCMs.

In November 2025, you visited Check-Mate Industries in Georgia. Check-Mate Industries celebrated your Thomasville visit, posting on LinkedIn, “This week, we had the honor of hosting United States Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche …. He toured our operations, spent time with our CEO, Vice President, and our team members, and saw firsthand the precision, craftsmanship, and dedication that define Check-Mate.” Mrs. Vieweg reposted Check-Mate Industries’ post as her own, writing that Check-Mate Industries was “looking forward to seeing … Blanche at SHOT Show” and that attendees could “[s]top by the Check-Mate booth … [to] catch him there.” Three months later, you did, in fact, attend the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show – otherwise known as SHOT Show – in Las Vegas, Nevada.

DOJ and ATF have since announced over 30 rules to “reduce burdens on” and “rebuild trust with” the firearms industry. On April 29, 2026, you – as Acting Attorney General – and ATF Director Robert Cekada made this announcement as you stood before nearly a dozen firearms industry lobbyists, including those from organizations who have called for ATF to be defunded and dismantledand then abolished altogether. You stated, “We listened to industry leaders – many of whom are in this room” because, “[f]or too long, regulations [had been] written without any real understanding of how firearms businesses operate.”

These rules make clear how the firearms industry operates: not for public safety, but for profit. These rules are filled with statements about increasing revenue for, saving costs to, and reducing burdens on the industry. At the same time, numerous rules contain statements that their so-called “regulatory reforms” could result in “greater” and “increased risks” to public safety. In at least two separate rules, the Department and ATF admit that these risks could even involve “potential mass casualty events” and “mass casualties.” In another, DOJ and ATF concede that such changes could make it harder for law enforcement “to track and stop violent offenders.” Those are just some of the stated risks. These new rules would also create more opportunities for gun traffickers, violent criminals, and prohibited persons to obtain illegal firearms, make it more difficult for law enforcement to investigate and solve gun crimes, and allow more gun dealers to engage in irresponsible and even unlawful business operations.

In addition, under your leadership, the Department has also settled legal matters and brought new legal challenges that also stand to benefit Check-Mate Industries and the broader firearms industry, which raise additional conflict of interest questions. These actions, too, appear to have been taken despite clear risks to the public. For example, in May 2025, DOJ announced a settlement with Rare Breed Triggers related to forced-reset triggers (FRTs). FRTs are replacement triggers that automatically return forward, or reset, after being pulled, which, in effect, turn semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic machine guns. The Department’s settlement reversed ATF’s longstanding classification of FRTs as machine guns, which, in turn, legalized these devices for the civilian market – even though civilian ownership of machine guns and the parts that convert firearms into machine guns has been banned under federal law for 40 years. Such rapid fire will empty magazines at a quick rate, making magazines with high capacity, like those manufactured by your mother-in-law’s company, Check-Mate Industries, more appealing to reduce the need to reload. In addition, DOJ has also filed lawsuits against HCM bans in Washington D.C. and Colorado. If these statutes are invalidated, it stands to reason that Check-Mate Industries would be able to regain access to these markets.

I request written responses to the following questions by July 21, 2026:

You have previously acknowledged publicly your wife’s family owns Check-Mate Industries, a manufacturer of high-capacity firearms magazines, and has “been in the gun manufacturing business for 40 years.” Do you or your wife currently hold ownership in, or otherwise receive financial benefits from, Check-Mate Industries or its subsidiaries or affiliate businesses?

If so, please describe the nature of the financial benefits you or wife receive from Check-Mate Industries.

If confirmed, will you or your wife commit to divesting all ownership or financial interests you have in Check-Mat Industries?

Do you believe your familial relationship with Check-Mate Industries or any of its subsidiaries creates a conflict of interest?

If not, why do you believe your relationship does not create a conflict of interest?

If confirmed, will you commit to recusing yourself from any cases or investigations involving Check-Mate Industries or its subsidiaries?

During an April 2026 interview at the National Rifle Association’s Annual Meetings and Exhibits, you responded “Yes, I am” when asked if you are “part of the gun industry.” In reference to your relationship to Check-Mate Industries, you stated “I’ve been part of the fight, struggle, everything that we’ve been going through as a nation for really for 40 years.” What did you mean by this statement?

In that same interview, you stated “Any gun owner, anyone who is in the industry, whether you’re a manufacturer, you’re a reseller, you’re going to be, to realize that this Administration is going to do more to restore rights to where they belong than any other Administration in history.” Does your relationship to Check-Mate Industries influence your desire to “restore rights” for weapons manufacturers “more than any other Administration in history?”

Have you ever discussed forthcoming regulations published by DOJ agencies, including by ATF, with lobbyists, employees, or shareholders of Check-Mate Industries?

Check-Mate has received federal contracts in FY26. Have you ever contacted anyone within the Administration regarding Check-Mate’s contracts?

If so, will you commit to providing complete records of those communications to my staff at least one week prior to a floor vote on your nomination?

If so, why did you believe your relationship to Check-Mate Industries did not create a conflict of interest?

In November 2025, in your capacity as Deputy Attorney General, you conducted an official visit to Check-Mate Industries’ Georgia facility. Why did you select Check-Mate Industries for this visit?

How did your family’s connection to Check-Mate Industries play a role in your decision to visit?

Were there other facilities you considered visiting? If so, please explain why you ultimately decided not to visit them.

In May 2025, the Department announced a settlement with Rare Breed Triggers and reversed a longstanding classification of forced-reset triggers (FRTs) as machine guns, effectively legalizing these devices – which have been previously banned under federal law for 40 years – for the civilian market

Please describe the role you played in this settlement.

Did your relationship with Check-Mate Industries play a role in your involvement with the case?

Did your relationship with Check-Mate Industries inform your position in this case? If so, please explain.

Did you consult with individuals at Check-Mate Industries at any point throughout the ongoing litigation with Rare Breed Triggers?

Thank you for your prompt attention to these concerns. DOJ’s mission is to uphold the rule of law and keep our nation safe. The Attorney General of the United States must understand the immense and important responsibility the Department has to protect the public from gun crime and violence. For the Attorney General, conflicts of interest are unacceptable, and appearances of impropriety are inexcusable. The Attorney General must be someone who puts public safety first – not gun industry profits. Given your track record so far at DOJ, I have strong concerns that you will do just the opposite.

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NEWS: EPW Committee Passes Bipartisan Water Resources Development Act of 2026

Washington, D.C. – Today, the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee voted unanimously to pass the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2026 introduced by Chairman Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), and Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).

The Water Resources Development Act is biennial legislation that authorizes flood risk management, navigation, and ecosystem restoration projects for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). The bill authorizes 61 feasibility studies and 15 new or modified construction projects across the country. WRDA 2026 also reauthorizes the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) drinking water and wastewater infrastructure programs, including the State Revolving Funds (SRFs).

“I am proud to advance this critical bipartisan legislation to provide millions of Americans with access to clean drinking water and modernize waterways to support flood risk management. For California, urban and rural communities alike will receive much-needed funds for the delivery of essential needs. This is a significant step in the right direction that will serve Americans for generations to come,” said Senator Schiff.

“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 Chairman Capito.

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

Click here to view the bill text.

Click here to view a section-by-section overview of the bill.

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WATCH: Sen. Schiff Breaks Down Todd Blanche Hearing, Condemns Continued Evasions from Trump Nominees on CNN and MS NOW

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) joined CNN’s OutFront with Erin Burnett and MS NOW’s The Briefing with Jen Psakito recap his questioning of Todd Blanche during the Acting Attorney General’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. He condemned Blanche’s role in the conception and approval of President Trump’s tax immunity deal and proposed slush fund, and Blanche’s leadership of a Department of Justice (DOJ) that has been weaponized to pursue prosecutions of the president’s enemies.

The Senator also spoke on the confirmation hearing for Jay Clayton as the next Director of National Intelligence (DNI), emphasizing his lack of confidence in Clayton’s ability to serve as the leader of the intelligence community if he is unable to state clearly the 2020 election results.

View the full interviews here and here.

Key Excerpts on CNN’s OutFront with Erin Burnett:

On Todd Blanche’s weaponization of the Justice Department:

[…] He said yes to this slush fund. He said yes to this self-dealing IRS settlement that a judge just this week basically said was a fraudulent act of collusion. And referred Todd Blanche to the Bar Association in New York to look at his ethics or lack of ethics. There’s nothing it appears that he’s unwilling to do for the president. He even went to the length of telling the president he loves him at the podium at the Justice Department. And there you just saw him deny exactly what he said, which is he was asked about prosecuting the president’s enemies, and he said, “Yeah, there are people out there the president has had disagreements with, and he has not only the right to go after them, but a duty to do so. Those were his words, and much as he tries to dissemble, he owns that. And of course, the Justice Department is acting upon that. No self-right, you know, self-respecting prosecutor in his old office would bring a seashells case against James Comey or a case against my Senate colleagues for a video they made that Hegseth didn’t like. It would be unthinkable. And yet this is where Todd Blanche is today.

On Jay Clayton’s confirmation hearing:

This is a position where it is all the more important to be able to speak truth to power, to confront the president or members of Congress with unpleasant truths in order to protect the country. If Jay Clayton can’t say out loud that Donald Trump lost the election and Joe Biden won the election. Can we have any confidence then, when push comes to shove, when we need the straight scoop about threats to our country, that he’s going to level with us instead of merely singing by the president’s song sheet? It also suggests that if the president wants the intelligence agencies to cook up something to justify voter interference in the midterm elections. That Jay Clayton doesn’t have the backbone to stand up to him. That may be the most significant consequence because, of course, Tulsi Gabbard didn’t have the backbone to stand up to the president. There she was in Fulton County, Georgia, where she has no business being during an FBI raid seizing ballots. So, doesn’t harbor well in terms of what Clayton is willing to do or not do if Trump tries to interfere once again in the next election.

On Schiff’s continued efforts to bring the Iran War to an end:

There is every way to stop him if members of Congress vote to bring an end to this. We can defund these operations. We can pass these War Powers Resolutions with even greater bipartisan support. Force him to veto it, or if necessary, overcome a veto. But yes, we have all the power that we need in Congress to stop this. What we don’t have yet is sufficient bipartisan will to do it. But this appears to be going on without end, and it appears to be a classic definition now, sadly, tragically, of a quagmire.

Key Excerpts on MS NOW’s The Briefing with Jen Psaki:

On the biggest takeaway from Todd Blanche’s confirmation hearing:

I think the central question the senators had for him, he didn’t answer very well, and that is, ‘who do you represent?’ Do you represent the American people as the attorney general is supposed to, or do you represent Donald Trump? Are you still his criminal defense lawyer? And he has made it very clear he is still the president’s lawyer. He signs this settlement agreement, which a judge just said was basically collusion and a fraud, and just a pretense of some kind of a court proceeding to give a patina of respectability to something absolutely devoid of that. He’s made it clear that he will go after the president’s enemies. He’s made it clear that he believes the president has not only the right but the duty to go after his adversaries and abuse the Justice Department to do it. So, he has basically made it clear he is there to be an instrument of Donald Trump’s will to protect him, use the law as a shield to protect him, and also as a sword to go after his enemies.

[…] Who wrote this tax giveaway for the president? I asked Blanche about it. It’s his name that signed it. He couldn’t tell us who wrote it. Now he said he assumed it was written by a Department of Justice lawyer or an IRS lawyer, but actually, when you look at the terms of it, it is so favorable to Donald Trump. You might surmise that it was actually written by his attorney. The person who is joined in filing the suit, the person who’s now been referred to the Florida Bar Association by that judge in Miami for potential disciplinary proceedings. That judge also referred Todd Blanche to the New York Bar. But we don’t know who wrote this thing. We don’t know why Todd Blanche was the only one who signed it. The agreement from the day before was signed also by someone from the IRS and someone else from the Justice Department. But this alone had Todd Blanche’s signature. So, he’s taken full ownership of this at one level and at another wants to deny any responsibility. I don’t know who wrote this thing.

On the potential future of the intelligence community under Jay Clayton:

[…] They set the bar at Pulte. Isn’t anyone better than Pulte? Shouldn’t we just jump at Clayton because he’s not Pulte? Clayton has very little experience, and as you saw today during the hearing, he couldn’t even answer a basic question that would have required him to speak truth to power. He couldn’t say who won the election because he knows Donald Trump doesn’t want him to say that. If he can’t say who won the election in 2020, how can we count on Jay Clayton to give it straight to the president to Congress when the intelligence might contradict what the president prefers? I mean, let’s say there’s intelligence that Iran is cheating on this deal, but the president doesn’t want to believe it because he’s telling the public something otherwise. We need the director of national intelligence to both level the president say, “Sir, I’m sorry, but we have strong intelligence. The Iranians are cheating. Here’s what it looks like. Here’s our degree of confidence in it.” We need them to brief Congress this way. And what we saw with Tulsi Gabbard is a willingness to manipulate the intelligence, to basically tell an intelligence counsel, “No, I don’t like that conclusion. Rewrite it and fire people who won’t.” That is the worst thing you could ask for in a director of intelligence. Clayton gave us no confidence that he would be any different than Gabbard.

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WATCH: “What happened to you, Todd Blanche?” – Sen. Schiff Presses Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Recusals, Trump Tax Immunity Deal

Schiff: “What happened to the Todd Blanche of the Southern District of New York that could convert him into you? Someone willing to say the president has both the right and the duty to prosecute his political enemies.”

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) pressed Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche at his nomination hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on his role in the settlement reached by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the tax immunity deal created for the president in that agreement, and Blanche’s obligation to recuse himself from matters involving cases he handled as Trump’s personal criminal defense lawyer.

While under oath, Blanche claimed, for the first time, that he recused himself from matters related to lawsuits in which he represented the president, including the case concerning the president’s involvement in the January 6 insurrection. Schiff pressed Blanche on why his recusal did not apply to the firing of DOJ career prosecutors involved in those cases, and Blanche’s role in preventing the release of a previous DOJ report detailing Donald Trump’s retention of classified documents.

Schiff repeatedly called out Blanche for compromising his integrity for the president, using his power to further the president’s desire to target his political enemies while enriching himself, his family, and his allies.

Watch the full clip here. Download the clip HERE.

Key Excerpts:

On Blanche’s conflicts of interest:

Schiff: Mr. Blanche, you represented the president in three, at least three, criminal cases: the hush money payment case in New York, the January 6th case, and the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case. You said when you appeared last before this committee, you would consult with ethics lawyers about that apparent conflict of interest in handling any case involving the president, having been his personal counsel. Did you consult with Joseph Tirrell, a senior ethics lawyer at the Department?

Blanche: I believe I met with Mr. Tirrell. Yes.

Schiff: Did Mr. Tirrell tell you that ethics laws and policies required that you not be involved in cases involving your prior representation of the president?

Blanche: Yes.

Schiff: So, in those three matters – the hush money payment case, the January 6th case, the Mar-a-Lago case, you were to recuse yourself?

Blanche: I’m recused. Correct. Well, by the way, the cases are not ongoing, Senator. But to the extent there’s any work around those cases, yes, I’m recused.

On the release of Volume Two of the special counsel’s report on Mar-a-Lago:

Schiff: You have also refused to release Volume Two of the special counsel’s report. That was an investigation into the Mar-a-Lago documents case. How is that not an abundant conflict of interest – refusing to release to the public an investigative report of an investigation into your client?

Blanche: I am not a judge. A federal judge has said it cannot be released –

Schiff: No, no, no, no, no. The department’s position under you, Mr. Blanche. The department’s position under you, Mr. Blanche, was do not release the report.

Blanche: So that position –

Schiff: If you went into court asking them to release it, it would be released by now. So how is that not a patent conflict of interest?

Blanche: What you’re saying happens to not be true. I did not do that. What you’re talking about happened before I became the Deputy Attorney General –

Schiff: So, you support the release of Volume Two?

Blanche: No, I don’t. But I’m recused and had nothing to do with that case. Like, you can’t accuse me of violating my ethical rules and then lie about what I did.

Schiff: So, you had nothing to do with the decision to prohibit the release of the report. You had nothing to do with the department’s position?

Blanche: I wasn’t in court. I wasn’t the Deputy –

Schiff: No, I’m not asking you whether you were in court. I’m asking you whether anyone sought your opinion or used your guidance in refusing to release Volume Two. You’re saying you had nothing to do with that decision?

Blanche: When that litigation was ongoing, I was a private citizen, still representing the President of the United States. It was before March – since March, to the extent there’s been anything in front of that judge, I haven’t been part of it.

Schiff: Mr. Blanche, I asked you in your last confirmation hearing whether you would release the report. Your answer was no. Your answer was not, “I will recuse my myself.” Your answer was “No, I will not release the report.” That was your testimony last before this committee. You subsequently were advised by ethics lawyers not to be involved in these matters, but it appears you were involved in these matters. Let me ask you about another matter.

Blanche: I wasn’t involved. Well, you can’t say that it appears I was involved.

Schiff: Let me ask you about another one you have your name on.

Blanche: The truth has to matter at some point.

Schiff: Yeah, it does matter, we just don’t hear much of it from you.

On Acting Attorney General Blanche’s decision to sign the slush fund:

Schiff: You signed an agreement for the U.S. basically indicating that the Justice Department’s position that the statute of limitations applies doesn’t matter.

Blanche: I didn’t. That’s not what I said. I didn’t say that anywhere.

Schiff: Who rejected the 25 defenses the IRS had to this sham lawsuit? Who rejected them? Who said that these defenses we’re not going to accept, we’re just going to go with the president’s agreement and the slush fund and this immunity?

Blanche: There was a lot of discussion internally about the case.

Schiff: But you made the decision?

Blanche: I – what’s the decision? What do you mean? What decision?

Schiff: You made the decision to not defend the IRS and the Justice Department. You made the decision and said to sign this slush fund agreement.

Blanche: We made the decision to settle the case. Correct.

Schiff: Yeah, and in doing that, you basically decided that you were going to be the lawyer for the president and the lawyer for the IRS and the Justice Department. As the court found in this case there was no adversarial relationship.

Blanche: Yes –

Schiff: The court found it was a sham. It was a collusive relationship, and what I don’t understand, Todd Blanche, what happened to the Todd Blanche who was a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York? What happened to the prosecutor people had respect for? What happened to the prosecutor who once respected the rule of law? What happened to the prosecutor who said that there wouldn’t be a whiff of political partisanship and then prosecutes the president’s enemies over seashells cases, over making a video stating the plain law and Constitution? What happened to the Todd Blanche of the Southern District of New York that could convert him into you. Someone willing to say the president has both the right and the duty to prosecute his political enemies.

Blanche: I never said that.

Schiff: I cannot imagine the Todd Blanche of the old days would have ever done that. What happened to you, Todd Blanche? I’ll tell you this. I think Robert Caro had it right when he said that “Power doesn’t corrupt as much as it reveals.” I suspect it has just revealed who you are. And who you are is someone willing to sacrifice everything you once believed in for that title, for that position of Attorney General. And it is a sad story that we have seen from Trump appointee after appointee after appointee. We have seen people compromise themselves little by little, and then a lot by a lot until they’re sitting before this committee and trying to justify the unjustifiable.

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Shaheen Receives Highest Honor from National Guard Association of the United States for Distinguished Service in Support of U.S. National Defense

(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee and co-chair of the Senate National Guard Caucus, was presented with the Harry S. Truman Award for Distinguished Service in Support of National Defense from the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) for her work throughout her career in support of U.S. national security. The Harry S. Truman Award for Distinguished Service in Support of National Defense was authorized by the NGAUS Board of Directors in 1968 and is the highest recognition conferred upon an individual by the Association. Photos from the award presentation can be found HERE.

“My work on behalf of the National Guard has been a point of pride in both my Senate and gubernatorial careers so I’m very honored to be recognized today by the National Guard Association,” said Senator Shaheen. “My gratitude goes out to all the men and women who risk their lives every day in defense of our nation, particularly the New Hampshire Air National Guard’s 157th Air Refueling Wing who deployed in support of Operation Epic Fury and the brave soldiers from New Hampshire’s own Charlie Company, 172nd Mountain Infantry Regiment, who deployed last month in support of Operation Spartan Shield.”

“The Harry S. Truman Award is our association’s highest honor,” said retired Army Maj. Gen. Francis M. McGinn, the NGAUS president. “It is reserved for individuals who have made sustained contributions of exceptional and far-reaching magnitude to the defense and security of the United States in a manner worthy of recognition at the national level. Senator Jeanne Shaheen is that kind of patriot.”

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Senator Sheehy Sworn into U.S. Navy Reserve by President Trump

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Tuesday afternoon, Senator Sheehy participated in a swearing-in ceremony in the Oval Office, where President Donald J. Trump swore the senator in as a Navy Reservist.

“Fighting for our nation overseas as a Navy SEAL was one of the greatest honors of my life, and standing with my family in the Oval Office to be sworn into the Navy Reserve by President Trump was a humbling reminder that serving this country is a lifelong calling. I’m proud to continue serving both the people of Montana in the U.S. Senate and our nation in uniform, and I’ll never stop fighting for the country I love and all the brave Americans who answer the call to serve,” said Senator Sheehy.

Background:

Upon graduating from the Naval Academy in 2008, Senator Sheehy was commissioned into the U.S. Navy and completed SEAL training. He completed several deployments and hundreds of missions as a Navy SEAL Officer and Team Leader, deploying to Iraq, Afghanistan, South America, and the Pacific region.

Senator Sheehy was involved in dozens of engagements with enemy forces. After being wounded and injured in the line of duty in 2014, Senator Sheehy left active duty and started his veteran-led businesses with the vision of bringing some of the technological capability he observed during his military service to the civilian world to better protect Americans from public safety threats like wildfire.


Slotkin, Gillibrand, Colleagues Press Pentagon to Release Findings on Deadly Iran School Strike

WASHINGTON D.C. — This week, U.S. Senators Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), joined by 23 other colleagues, are placing additional pressure on the Department of Defense to release its findings on the February bombing of an elementary school in Iran. The attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab reportedly killed around 120 children and roughly 175 people overall, making it the deadliest civilian casualty event tied to U.S. military action in decades.

In a letter sent to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper, the senators urged the Pentagon to complete its investigation into the strike and publicly release its findings. The probe was reportedly turned in back in April but has remained under review by top military officials since then. The senators also asked the Department to give Congress a concrete plan for preventing a similar tragedy from happening again.

“More than four months after the strike, and after the reported submission of the investigation in April, Congress and the American people still have not received the Department’s investigation and findings,” the senators wrote. “There is no justification for withholding an unclassified accounting of what happened, what went wrong, and what the Department is doing to prevent recurrence.”

“These reported issues, if accurate, raise deeply troubling questions about the integrity of U.S. target development, the adequacy of target validation and vetting procedures, the interoperability of intelligence and targeting databases, the timeliness and reliability of intelligence used for lethal targeting, and the Department’s implementation of civilian harm mitigation policies,” the senators wrote. “They also raise urgent questions about whether the Department has sufficient targeting personnel, training, accountability mechanisms, and technical safeguards to support large-scale conventional operations.

The senators concluded, “The United States military has a legal and moral obligation to take all feasible precautions to prevent civilian harm. When a U.S. strike kills civilians, the Department owes Congress, the American people, and the victims’ families a clear accounting of what happened and a credible plan to prevent future failures.”

In addition to Senator Slotkin (D-MI), the letter was signed by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Senator Gillibrand (D-NY), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Edward Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Peter Welch (D-VT).

Read the letter to Secretary Hegseth here.

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Thune: Democrats Must Come to their Senses, Stop Obstructing NDAA

Click here to watch the video.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today spoke at a press conference with Senate Republican leadership:

Thune’s remarks below (as delivered):

“It’s been a heavy week here in the United States Senate, with the tragic and unexpected passing of Senator Lindsey Graham.

“Lindsey was a great American patriot.

“He was a champion for the Republican Party.

“And for many of us, he was a trusted and loyal friend and adviser.

“And so, we mourn his loss, and we welcome his beloved sister Darline here to the United States Senate.

“She will take up his duties and responsibilities as a senator for the state of South Carolina.

“And I say all this in the context of, I wish we had Lindsey here, because right now we are dealing with an important national security matter, the National Defense Authorization Act, something that Congress has done every year now for the last 65 years.

“And yesterday, we had what was simply a motion to proceed to get on the bill – actually, it was a cloture motion to proceed to get on the bill – and the Democrats blocked it, every single one.

“And that, my friends, I believe is really unfortunate.

“This is an issue that ought to be bipartisan.

“It’s about the national security interest of this country, and the Democrats seem to be dug in and willing to play politics with America’s vital national security interests.

“This is not about funding for Iran.

“This is something we do on an annual basis, and we have for the last 65 years in a row.

“So, I am hopeful that at some point the Democrats will come to their senses and realize that national security ought to be a priority for them.

“It certainly is for us.

“And we will give them more opportunities in which to change that vote, and to express their support for even moving forward and having the debate.

“By the way, I would add that there were 38 Democrat amendments that were included in the National Defense Authorization Act that we tried to get up on the floor yesterday.

“So, national security is important to this country.

“Border security is important to this country.

“The Democrats have a pattern, going back now over a year, of, you know, not wanting to pay air traffic controllers, not wanting to pay border security personnel, and in this particular case, holding hostage the pay increases for our men and women in uniform.

“That is really unfortunate and unprecedented, and I certainly hope that soon they’ll come to their senses.”


Thune on NDAA: Democrats’ Latest National Security Hostage-Taking Exercise

Click here to watch the video.

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

Thune’s remarks below (as delivered):

“Mr. President, Americans tend to trust Republicans more than Democrats when it comes to national security, and boy oh boy, do Democrats seem determined to demonstrate why that is the case.

“Yesterday afternoon, Democrats voted against the National Defense Authorization Act – the annual bill that authorizes spending for our nation’s defense.

“Their ostensible excuse was the conflict in Iran.

“Well, in case they were operating under a misconception, I am happy to tell them that this year’s National Defense Authorization Act is not an Iran funding supplemental.

“It is the annual – annual – legislation authorizing the basic needs of our military and the basic needs of our men and women in uniform.

“Needs that exist no matter what is happening in Iran.

“Let’s just talk about what Democrats voted against yesterday.

“They voted against a pay increase for our troops.

“They voted against quality-of-life improvements for our troops.

“They voted against the reform of the Pentagon’s acquisition process.

“They voted against funding for unmanned systems, like drones and counter-drone measures – an essential security need in this day and age.

“They voted against shipbuilding efforts to strengthen our naval fleet.

“They voted against measures to maintain our nation’s air power.

“They voted against including 38 of their own amendments!

“I could go on here, Mr. President, but you get the point.

“Once again, Democrats are playing fast and loose with our nation’s security.

“I say once again, Mr. President, because Democrats have been playing fast and loose with our nation’s security all year.

“First there was their record-breaking full-government shutdown last fall, which affected our military and all of our nation’s security agencies – to say nothing of the impact that it had on air travel.

“Then there was their record-breaking shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, which lasted a staggering 76 days.

“Then, after that, Democrats refused to reauthorize a critical intelligence-gathering tool, which the Democrat leader himself has described as, I quote, a ‘very important tool for ensuring our national security.’

“And now they’ve blocked the Senate from considering the National Defense Authorization Act.

“And who knows what’s next?

“Mr. President, in either a fit of self-delusion or an attempt to distract from their actions, Democrats are trying to peddle the narrative that somehow they can’t agree to anything because Republicans are trying to make things partisan.

“That’s right, Mr. President.

“Well, let me spend just a minute correcting the record here.

“The National Defense Authorization Act that Democrats voted against yesterday?

“Bipartisan.

“That’s right, Mr. President.

“The National Defense Authorization Act is bipartisan legislation.

“Four Democrats voted for a bill – for a bill – at the committee markup.

“Democrats’ record-breaking full-government shutdown in the fall?

“Well, that was because they wouldn’t accept a nonpartisan, short-term, clean government funding extension to allow bipartisan negotiations to continue.

“The Democrats’ record-breaking Department of Homeland Security shutdown?

“Well, that was also because Democrats couldn’t take yes for an answer.

“Democrats and Republicans had agreed on a bipartisan DHS funding bill; Democrats reneged on that agreement because they wanted to negotiate for more; and Republicans said yes to negotiation – and then Democrats shut down the department anyway.

“Even though Republicans were willing to negotiate further.

“Even though the White House repeatedly offered a robust package of reforms.

“So as I said, Mr. President, I don’t know whether it’s self-delusion or deliberate deception, but I have heard few things more ludicrous than Democrats’ narrative that they can’t agree to legislation because Republicans are being partisan.

“Here are the facts, Mr. President.

“Democrats can’t bring themselves to authorize funding for our nation’s security – whether that’s security at our border, funding for our military, or paychecks for our troops.

“It doesn’t matter how bipartisan the bill is.

“Democrats can’t bring themselves to support our nation’s security.

“Is it politics, Mr. President?

“Do Democrats think that voting against our national defense and our nation’s military will gain them points with their base?

“Or do they simply think they can afford to ignore our nation’s defense needs until some hostile actor takes advantage of our weakness?

“I don’t know, Mr. President.

“But I do know that our nation is less safe because of Democrats’ actions.”