Slotkin, Ricketts Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Keep Biotech Industry in America, Not China

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Pete Ricketts (R-NE) introduced the Biotech Investment National Security Act (BINSA). This bill would ensure American investment in adversary biotechnology is subject to the review requirements of the Comprehensive Outbound Investment National Security (COINS) Act.

Specifically, this legislation adds biotechnology, including pharmaceutical development, biologics manufacturing, and clinical research to the list of sectors subject to screening and scrutiny from the federal government.

“Biotech is crucial for driving economic growth, creating jobs, and spurring innovation in science and technologies, like lifesaving medicines,” said Senator Slotkin. “But right now, China is eating our lunch in this field. This bill ensures strong U.S. leadership in biotech and protects U.S. intellectual property and investments. We’ve seen China use this playbook before to dominate other critical sectors, such as the automotive industry and drone market. This bill will stop that.”

“America leads the world in innovation across all sectors,” said Senator Ricketts. “This critical legislation ensures American investment in the biotech industry benefits Americans—not our enemies. We cannot allow Communist China to obtain the resources it needs to threaten our way of life. I will fight every effort that weaponizes American investments to undercut our businesses and reshape supply chains against us. Maintaining America’s innovative leadership and global economic dominance is a matter of national security.”

This legislation would:

Amend the COINS Act to include biotechnology –specifically pharmaceutical and biological product development—to the list of sectors subject to receive increased federal scrutiny.

Make U.S. pharmaceutical licensing deals, joint ventures, and equity investments with Chinese covered foreign persons subject to review by the U.S. Treasury Department.

Direct the Treasury Department to consult with Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Defense (DoD), and the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and implement regulations within one year of enactment.

Require the Secretary of Defense to assess within 60 days whether U.S. capital flows into Chinese biotechnology negatively affect national security and military readiness.

Companion legislation was introduced in the House by Reps. John Moolenaar (MI-02) and Debbie Dingell (MI-06) in June 2026.

Click here to download the bill text.


U.S. Senator Tina Smith’s Statement on Agriculture Committee’s Markup of Long-Delayed Farm Bill

Sen. Smith and colleagues offered dozens of amendments to strengthen the Farm Bill, which ultimately failed to gain bipartisan support

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) released the following statement after the Senate Agriculture Committee failed to pass a bipartisan Farm Bill:

“Patience is a virtue, it’s just not my virtue. I’m disappointed that we could not come to agreement on the Senate Farm Bill today, but we will keep working to find a path forward. It’s crucial that we pass a bipartisan Farm Bill that meets the needs of farmers, ranchers and rural America, including year-round E15,” said Sen. Smith.

“I’m glad that several of my provisions are included in this bill. However, it is not possible to pass a Farm Bill that fails to fix the deep cuts to SNAP that are taking food off the table for millions of Americans, including at least 1.5 million children. Democrats have offered a commonsense solution that would delay the giant cost shift to county taxpayers, which would end up costing Minnesota taxpayers $140 million, for two years,” she continued.

“While the Republican have not accepted this so far, we will keep working. I’m grateful for the relentless efforts of Ranking Member Klobuchar to improve this Farm Bill and find a bipartisan solution. Amid shrinking markets, tariffs and skyrocketing costs for fuel and fertilizer caused by Trump’s war in Iran, farmers need Congress to get the job done,” she concluded.

Sen. Smith, along with her Democratic colleagues, were clear that they could not support a Farm Bill that did not delay the cost-shift of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by at least two years. Without this delay, counties would be forced to increase property taxes to cover the costs of administering the program, which most Minnesotans could not afford. Senate Republicans went forward with a markup in full knowledge that without a provision addressing SNAP, the bill would fail.

Democrats offered an amendment to delay the SNAP cost shift by two years, but it was blocked by Republicans. Sen. Smith pushed for multiple amendments to the legislation that would have improved its chances of passing, including amendments that would:

Allow for year-round sale of E-15

Expand Tribal self-determination authority for the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations

Establish self-determination authority for Tribal meat processing

Restore canceled Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants, which is particularly important for recipients who spent money preparing their operation for projects that the federal government had already committed to

Prohibit prediction markets from offering sports betting and casino-like games that violate state and Tribal regulations

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Sullivan & Cruz Lead Letter Urging Sanctions on China’s Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing Fleet

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, sent a bipartisan letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent outlining a strategy to counter illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing conducted by China’s distant-water fleet. The letter identifies vulnerabilities in China’s IUU fishing fleet linked to its reliance on a relatively limited number of support vessels, calls for the imposition of sanctions on such vessels, and specifically identifies 29 currently unsanctioned vessels.

The letter is co-signed by Sens. Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).

“Chinese trawl fleets ravage fish stocks in every corner of the world’s oceans without regard for any other users or future generations,” Sen. Sullivan said. “These fleets also engage in gross human rights abuses, including utilizing slave labor. I’ve led the fight against this cancer on our fisheries, authoring the Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvest (FISH) Act, which passed the Senate in March. Working with Senator Cruz and my colleagues, we’ve identified another powerful channel to target these evasive IUU fleets—by tightening the screws on the relatively few support vessels that enable Chinese IUU fleets to continue their abusive practices. We are urging Secretary Bessent to deploy the numerous Treasury Department tools and designations available to aggressively sanction these support vessels and dismantle the Chinese Communist Party’s hub-and-spoke IUU fishing scheme. Doing so will enhance the sustainability of our oceans and help support America’s and Alaska’s hard-working fishermen and our many coastal fishing communities.”

“The Chinese Communist Party is using its global distant-water fleet to conduct ecocide across at least three continents in both hemispheres,” Sen. Cruz said. “They kill endangered species by the hundreds and sharks, whales, and dolphins by the thousands, and have destroyed tens of thousands of acres of coral reefs. Their fleet uses coerced laborers, who are subjected to physical abuse, malnutrition, overwork, and withheld pay. They could not conduct these activities without supply ships, including reefers, tankers, and floating bases. The U.S. should bolster our Maritime Domain Awareness capabilities to identify these vessels, and then we should use every available option to sanction and disrupt them.”

“China’s dark fleets and forced labor threaten New Jersey’s fishing industries, our supply chains, and our national security,” Sen. Kim said. “Without action, global ecosystems and economies will suffer irreversible harm. I’m proud to join this bipartisan effort to use all of our tools to stop it.”

“Vessels that support and protect China’s illegal, unregulated fishing fleet threaten our maritime security and American’s livelihoods,” Sen. Cotton said. “We are encouraging Secretary Bessent to sanction these vessels.”

“China’s illegal fishing fleet is destroying our oceans and making it harder for our allies to fish right off their own coasts, threatening whole communities’ livelihoods and ability to feed themselves,” Sen. Coons said. “It also hurts American fishermen who are undercut by cheap, illegally harvested fish. This bipartisan letter calls on the administration to take action to protect our and our allies national and food security against China.”

“Illegal, unreported, and unregulated Chinese fishing vessels threaten the American maritime economy,” Sen. Wicker said. “It is a no-brainer that the United States should sanction these Chinese ships to protect our fishing industry.”

“China’s distant water fishing fleet continues to disrupt global and regional fishing economies,” Sen. Young said. “Through overfishing and illegal incursions into foreign waters, China seeks to undermine the global fishing industry until there is nothing left. The United States must take steps to combat these activities and promote American fishing practices, which remain the gold standard for sustainable fishing.”

“The Chinese Communist Party is evil and barbaric,” Sen. Scott said. “They are using slave labor and violating human rights on the high seas to prop up their regime, undermine America’s economy, and attack our way of life. America needs to do everything we can to end this practice, stop the oppression, and protect American workers at the same time. I will always stand up to Xi and the CCP—whether it’s cutting off these state-sponsored slave fishing fleets or blocking Chinese military companies from American markets—we need to start treating China like the enemy they are.”

“The Chinese Communist Party is committing gross human rights abuses by using forced labor on its fleet of thousands of fishing vessels that engage in illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing,” Sen. Blackburn said. “We are urging Secretary Bessent to counter this malign activity by sanctioning the support vessels that enable this Chinese water fishing fleet so we can ensure we are not doing business with them.”

Read the full letter here.

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Sullivan, Commerce Committee Advance Legislation to Protect Youth Online, Demand Accountability from Big Tech

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation (CST) Committee, yesterday voted with his committee colleagues to advance four pieces of legislation related to the safety of youth online, including the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), of which Sen. Sullivan was an original cosponsor. KOSA provides new safeguards and controls for parents and youth to protect their online experiences and creates accountability for social media companies by requiring them to mitigate against harmful content.

“We can have the strongest economy and the best quality of life, but none of that matters if our kids are depressed, isolated, or considering ending their lives because of what they’re consuming online,” said Sen. Sullivan. “I want to commend my committee colleagues for coming together once again to advance serious legislation that protects young people online and shakes the vise grip that Big Tech has on our kids. When this bill comes to the floor, I’ll be working to incorporate my ADS for Mental Health Act, which would provide greater transparency around social media advertising targeting kids and promote mental health resources for users on these platforms. I urge my House colleagues to join us in passing these reasonable accountability safeguards and not allow the financial interests of Big Tech to override the well-being of our kids.”

Below is a timeline of Sen. Sullivan’s work on Big Tech accountability and mental health:

In March 2026, the Senate unanimously passed Sen. Sullivan’s Advancing Digital Support (ADS) for Mental Health Services Act, legislation to bring greater transparency to social media advertising and encourage online platforms to promote mental health resources and community engagement.

In October 2024, Sen. Sullivan joined a roundtable discussion hosted by Alaska Children's Trust on the youth mental health crisis with educators, school administrators, law enforcement officials, youth mental health specialists, parents, and other experts.

On July 30, 2024, Sen. Sullivan voted with 90 of his Senate colleagues to pass the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act. This bill combined provisions from the Kids Online Safety Act, of which Sen. Sullivan was an original cosponsor, and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act to combat harmful online content targeted toward minors and to encourage parent and guardian involvement in their children’s online activities.

In May 2024, Sen. Sullivan launched the “One Pill Can Kill – Alaska” campaign to combat the increase in fentanyl-related deaths in Alaska and across the country.

In August 2023, Sen. Sullivan published an op-ed in the Anchorage Daily News encouraging Alaskans to unite to address the youth mental health crisis.

In July 2023, Sen. Sullivan hosted U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy in Anchorage for a series of town hall-style roundtables to discuss the mental health crisis among youth, how social media impacts the crisis, and what can be done to combat it.

In July 2023, Sen. Sullivan introduced the Advancing Digital Support (ADS) for Mental Health Services Act, which would require reporting on targeted advertising and encourage online advertisers to dedicate some of their ads to mental health PSAs.

In April 2023, Sen. Sullivan introduced Bruce’s Law with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) to bolster federal prevention and education efforts surrounding fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid that is increasingly being incorporated into illicit street drugs. The measure was named after an Alaskan, Robert “Bruce” Snodgrass, who tragically passed away in 2021 at the age of 22 from fentanyl poisoning.

In January 2023, Sen. Sullivan sent a letter calling for hearings and potential congressional action on TikTok related to privacy issues, national security concerns, and the platform’s troubling influence on youth.

In March 2021, Sen. Sullivan introduced the Leveraging Integrated Networks in Communities (LINC) to Address Social Needs Act to expand collaborative care in Alaska to make it easier for health care and social service providers to work together for the benefit of patients’ whole health. This legislation was signed into law in December 2022. Sen. Sullivan introduced similar legislation for veterans in July 2023.

In April 2018, Sen. Sullivan questioned Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg during a joint Senate Commerce and Judiciary Committee hearing about Facebook’s market dominance and responsibility for published content.

In August 2016, Sen. Sullivan hosted an opioid summit to address Alaska’s unique challenges dealing with opioid and heroin abuse. The summit was attended by Dr. Murthy, as well as representatives from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Veterans Health Administration, and several Alaska health care administrators.

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Delegation Encourages Administration to Quickly Approve Disaster Declaration for Central South Dakota

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) recently sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging his support for South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden’s request for a major disaster declaration following storms in central South Dakota, including Highmore, between June 28 and July 3.

“We support the state’s request and urge you to approve a major disaster declaration, as soon as possible so that the necessary federal resources are available to assist the relevant areas of our state,” wrote the delegation. “We also strongly urge you to approve the state’s request for hazard mitigation funding. This will allow the state to mitigate future damages to vulnerable electric infrastructure. Without this funding, preventable damage to utilities from future disasters will only compound existing repair challenges.”

Full letter below:

The Honorable Donald J. Trump

President of the United States

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Trump,

We write in strong support of the state of South Dakota’s major disaster declaration request submitted by Governor Larry Rhoden on July 27, 2026. This disaster declaration request would assist in recovery efforts from severe weather that occurred June 28 to July 3, 2026.

From June 28 to July 3, 2026, a single severe weather system brought a series of devastating storms across central South Dakota. This multiday storm system included: a mini-derecho, windstorms, hail, straight line winds, tornadoes and flooding. The system also included peak wind gusts of 131 MPH, making it the strongest recorded thunderstorm wind gust since 1983 and among the strongest recorded in the United States.

This combination of severe weather impacted 21,786 households in eight counties and two tribal communities across nearly an 8,500 square mile area.

In the city of Highmore alone, 80-90% of all structures in the city sustained damage. It also caused significant damage to public infrastructure and led to widespread power outages. In some cases, residents were left without power for over a week while experiencing extremely hot summer temperatures.

The damage to public utility infrastructure is also severe and far reaching. Across South Dakota, electric infrastructure has been repeatedly weakened by year-round extreme weather events including severe storms, ice accumulation, wildfire, high winds, and flooding.

We support the state’s request and urge you to approve a major disaster declaration, as soon as possible so that the necessary federal resources are available to assist the relevant areas of our state. We also strongly urge you to approve the state’s request for hazard mitigation funding. This will allow the state to mitigate future damages to vulnerable electric infrastructure. Without this funding, preventable damage to utilities from future disasters will only compound existing repair challenges.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this request, and please do not hesitate to contact us if we can provide any additional information.


Thune: Democrats Put Politics Ahead of Producers and Rural America at Senate Farm Bill Markup

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a longtime member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today issued the following statement after Democrats blocked the Senate farm bill from being reported out of the Agriculture Committee. Multiple Thune priorities for South Dakota, including the year-round sale of E15 fuel, are included in the legislation.

“Democrats’ refusal to support the farm bill and year-round E15 is deeply disappointing and only creates more uncertainty for South Dakota’s farmers and ranchers,” said Thune. “This bill includes over 100 bipartisan bills, yet Democrats chose to put partisan politics above producers and rural America. I know Republicans on the Senate Agriculture Committee stand ready to enact these sensible agriculture policies.”

Thune-authored proposals included in the Senate farm bill:

Thune’s Livestock Disaster Assistance Improvement Act (introduced on March 6, 2025), which would expand the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program’s (ELAP) authority to cover transportation costs for hauling feed and water and add adverse weather and drought as qualifying disasters;

Thune’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Improvement and Flexibility Act (introduced on July 31, 2025), which would bolster CRP by improving access to grazing, maximizing enrollment options for producers, and expediting emergency haying in response to drought and other weather-related disaster events;

Thune’s Safeguarding American Food and Export Trade Yields (SAFETY) Act (introduced on April 1, 2025), which would protect American food products from unfair trade practices by foreign countries;

Thune’s Rural Internet Improvement Act, which would streamline USDA’s broadband authorities by merging and codifying the popular Rural e-Connectivity Pilot Program (ReConnect) with USDA’s traditional broadband loan and grant program;

Thune’s Strengthening Local Processing Act (introduced on April 29, 2025), which would provide support to America’s small meat and poultry processors to help strengthen and upgrade their operations;

Thune’s Promoting Precision Agriculture Act (introduced on February 11, 2025), which would facilitate the further adoption of precision agriculture technologies for farmers and ranchers;

Thune’s Fertilizer Price Transparency Act (introduced on March 19, 2026), which would provide American producers with more accurate information on prices for fertilizer and fertilizer products in response to longstanding concerns over rising input costs;

Thune’s proposed one-time increase to the voluntary base acre update cap passed in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act to ensure all eligible acres can be enrolled in commodity programs; and

Thune’s American Beef Labeling Act (introduced on February 5, 2025), which would reinstate mandatory country of origin labeling (MCOOL) for beef.

Thune has served on the Agriculture Committee in both the House and Senate. Thune has written four farm bills during his time in Congress, and the 2026 farm bill is his fifth. Agriculture is South Dakota’s top industry, with more than 42 million acres of agricultural land throughout the state.


Thune Joins America’s Newsroom on Fox News

Click here to watch.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today joined America’s Newsroom on Fox News:

On Democrats embracing socialism:

“The progressive wing of [the Democrat] party, the liberal far-left wing, is ascendant in the in politics right now … But when you got the DSA and people out there advocating openly for those types of policies, I think the American people are going to say a big fat no to that come November, Bill … This is a clear contrast … elections are about differences, and the choices couldn’t be more clear.”

On Republicans’ agenda:

“If you look at the policies when it comes to taxes and regulations and energy and all the things that Republicans are delivering on for the American people, our goal and objective is to have more money in people’s pockets, and they will as a result of the policies we put in place.”

On the SAVE America Act:

“We’ve had five votes on it already … We’ll figure out a way to get yet another vote on the SAVE America Act, but I don’t expect the Democrats to change their view. The issue here is all 47 Democrats, all five times we’ve voted on the SAVE America Act on the floor of the United States Senate, have voted no.

“This is an issue about going after Democrats, making this an issue in the fall campaigns, and holding them accountable for being on the wrong side of an 80-20 issue with the American people. But we will try and set up a way to get more votes on that to put them on the record again … The fact of the matter is, you have block opposition from Democrats in the United States Senate when it comes to this issue, and that’s why it’s so important that we elect more Republicans to the Senate in November.”

On Todd Blanche’s nomination:

“We intend to vote on him before we leave, and I am hopeful and optimistic that we will get him confirmed.”


Van Hollen, Curtis Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Combat Affordable Housing Crisis, Strengthen USPS

Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and John Curtis (R-Utah) introduced bipartisan legislation to confront the shortage of affordable housing across the country while simultaneously helping to address funding shortfalls at the United States Postal Service (USPS). Amid record-breaking housing costs, the Senators’ new bill, the Delivering Americans Affordable Homes Act, would allow local communities to lease Postal Service property rights for new affordable housing construction. At the same time, this legislation protects against the sale of Postal Service assets, supports the rehabilitation and new construction of Postal facilities, and eases the Postal Service’s critical financial constraints.

“Far too many working Americans are faced with housing costs they simply cannot afford. At the same time, the Postal Service faces financial struggles that, if left unaddressed, will result in USPS running out of money to operate. With this legislation, we’re not only bringing new, affordable homes to communities across the country, we’re also working to shore up the Postal Service so that it can continue serving Americans for generations to come. It’s a win-win,” said Senator Van Hollen.

“Utah desperately needs more housing, and the Postal Service needs new sources of revenue; this commonsense legislation helps accomplish both,” said Senator Curtis. “By giving USPS the authority to lease underutilized property for housing development, we can put unused land to work, expand the housing supply, and strengthen an institution that millions of Americans rely on every day.”

Currently, the Postal Service owns about 8,500 properties around the United States, many of which are located in places suitable for housing construction and in areas with high housing demand. According to a recent analysis from Brookings, housing construction on postal property could build over 200,000 new homes and bring hundreds of millions of dollars to the Postal Service each year.

The Delivering Americans Affordable Homes Act would set guardrails on housing construction by USPS by allowing for the lease, but prohibiting the sale, of Postal Service property for housing construction and ensuring USPS maintains discretion over its real estate assets. The bill also requires housing units constructed on Postal Service property to include tenant affordability restrictions on at least 20% of units, among other provisions.

This legislation is supported by a broad array of stakeholders including Chamber of Progress, Bipartisan Policy Center Action, Inclusive Abundance Action, and Up for Growth.

“Solving the nationwide housing crisis calls for innovative solutions, and Senator Van Hollen and Senator Curtis are proposing one: repurposing U.S. Postal Service-owned properties into housing. This effort would drive new housing to supply-constrained areas like Maryland while also generating revenue and supporting the Postal Service's continued success,” said Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day. “This approach echoes what the Moore-Miller Administration is doing at the state level, giving state government-owned property a new life as home to affordable housing, vibrant communities, and walkable places with easy access to transit. I commend the Senators for proposing this common-sense, bipartisan housing bill that would be a win-win for Americans.”

“I applaud Senators Van Hollen and Curtis for their leadership in crafting this win-win legislation,” said Aaron Shroyer, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Brookings Metro. “This bill would enable the United States Postal Service to tap an underutilized asset – its land – to create a durable revenue source, while also adding much-needed housing to main streets and downtowns across the country.”

“USPS-owned sites could offer meaningful opportunities to add homes in communities where housing is badly needed,” said Ben Metcalf, Managing Director, Terner Center for Housing Innovation. “Terner Center research has identified hundreds of USPS-owned sites that warrant closer evaluation for housing. While not every site will be feasible, underutilized postal properties could offer one solution to policymakers who are looking for ways to increase their affordable housing stock.”

“The Postal Service owns 8,500 properties, many of them on prime, well-located land that cities and states need for housing,” said Colin Higgins, Executive Director of the National Housing Crisis Task Force. “In our Federal Housing Policy Agenda, the National Housing Crisis Task Force called for putting federal land to work this way, and it's good to see a bipartisan bill take up the idea. The hope is that cities and states can chart a path to build homes on underused public land while the Postal Service keeps its footprint and earns revenue.”

“The Postal Service is sitting on excess land that could be used for more than 200,000 new homes,” said Adam Kovacevich, Founder and CEO of Chamber of Progress. “Sen. Van Hollen and Sen. Curtis’s legislation will turn underused postal sites and parking lots into housing in the places people want to live, and provide much needed revenue back to the Postal Service.”

“America’s housing affordability crisis is driven, in part, by a severe shortage of homes. One of the most practical ways to close that gap is to build on well-located land the public already owns,” said Mike Kingsella, Chief Executive Officer of Up for Growth and Up for Growth Action. “This bill puts underutilized postal property to work creating new homes. Long-term leases on thousands of sites across the country could support affordable housing near jobs and transit while generating steady revenue to help keep the Postal Service strong.”


Van Hollen Secures Committee Passage of Bill to Rename Post Office in Olney After Beloved Employee, Edward Ramsey

Today, legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks (both D-Md.) to name the U.S. Post Office located at 3570 Olney Laytonsville Road in Olney, Maryland, after Sergeant Edward Lawrence Ramsey unanimously passed the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee. Ed Ramsey was an Army veteran and employee of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) until his passing in 2022. Ramsey served honorably in the United States Army for over 20 years, serving in Panama, Louisiana, Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. During his 27-year USPS career, he served as a clerk at the Olney Post Office, where he became a beloved fixture of the Olney community. Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) introduced companion legislation, which passed the House of Representatives earlier this year. Following this key Committee passage, the bill is eligible for consideration by the full Senate.

“Sergeant Ed Ramsey lived a life of public service – joining the Army to defend our nation, then going on to serve his community in his local post office for nearly three decades. During those years, his unstinting kindness made such an impression on his neighbors that they launched a grassroots effort to rename the Olney Post Office in his memory after his passing. I have been honored to stand with them and lead this charge in the Senate. Today’s Committee passage is an important step forward, and I will continue working to pass this legislation in the Senate to honor Ed’s legacy as a committed public servant and beloved member of the community,” said Senator Van Hollen.

“Sergeant Ed Ramsey spent 20 years serving our country in the Army followed by another 27 years working for USPS. He is a patriot and a public servant who served with courage, kindness, and conviction. At the Olney Post Office, every member of our community became a quick friend of Ed’s. It is fitting that the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has passed our bill to rename the Olney Post Office in his honor so every day we can all be reminded of his great service and continue to cherish his memory,” said Senator Alsobrooks.


Key Senate Committee Passes Bills to Establish Fairlawn ZIP Code and Rename Three Virginia Post Offices

WASHINGTON – Today, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved legislation to establish a unique ZIP code for Fairlawn, Va., as well as three bills introduced by U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) to rename United States Postal Service (USPS) offices in Loudoun County, Fairfax, and New Kent.

“Giving Fairlawn its own ZIP code will ensure the town and Pulaski County do not unfairly lose out on tax revenue to fund public services, as well as alleviate confusion and stress for its residents. Gerry Connolly, Trevor Brown, and Patricia Paige were three exceptional Virginians who devoted their lives to serving the Commonwealth,” said the senators. “We are thrilled to see these bills pass out of committee and urge our colleagues to support this legislation to give Fairlawn its own ZIP code and honor these dedicated public servants.”

The Loudoun County post office, in Sterling, would be designated as the “Firefighter Trevor Brown Post Office Building,” honoring the service of firefighter Trevor Brown – a husband, father of three, and youth soccer and baseball coach who lost his life in the line of duty on February 16, 2024. The USPS facility is located at 46164 Westlake Drive in Sterling, VA.

The Fairfax post office would be designated as the “Congressman Gerald E. ‘Gerry’ Connolly Post Office Building.” The renaming honors the late Congressman Gerald E. “Gerry” Connolly, whose decades of service and leadership transformed Northern Virginia and inspired a generation of public servants. The USPS facility is located at 10660 Page Avenue in Fairfax, VA.

The New Kent post office would be renamed the “Patricia Paige Post Office” after an Army Reservist who became the first black woman to serve on the New Kent Board of Supervisors. Page was a persistent advocate for the replacement of the former New Kent Post Office due to its aging structure and inability to accommodate residents and postal workers. The USPS facility is located at 12109 New Kent Highway in New Kent, VA.

Last year, Sens. Warner and Kaine and Rep. Morgan Griffith (VA-09) introduced bills in the Senate and the House of Representatives to designate a unique ZIP code for Fairlawn, Virginia.

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Warnock Secures Key Victory: Puts Guardrails on President Trump’s Tariff Powers

Senator Reverend Warnock secured a key concession from the Trump Administration limiting the President’s tariff authority after a week-long pressure campaign

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness, secured a written commitment from the Trump Administration that would limit the President’s tariff authorities in the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. The legislation will help curb Russia’s ability to continue earning billions of dollars from energy exports through third countries.

After weeks of working behind the scenes to limit the President’s tariff authorities in the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, Senator Warnock supported the start of debate on the legislation and introduced a series of amendments to improve the bill. To ensure at least one of his amendments received a vote, the Senator successfully used procedural tools to pressure Senate leadership to call a vote on a bipartisan amendment with Senator Cassidy.

After a conversation with United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer earlier today, the Senator secured a written commitment restricting the President’s tariff authority under this legislation. The letter concedes the same limits that would have been established in the Warnock/Cassidy amendment.

“Today is a small but meaningful victory for all Americans who’ve suffered under this President’s reckless tariffs. I continue to reject the idea that we have to choose between putting a check on Putin’s aggression and putting a check on this President’s tariff regime. I hope this is the first step towards Congress reasserting its role in placing guardrails on this President’s tariffs that raise the price of everything.”

The non-partisan Tax Foundation found President Trump’s tariffs cost the average American household $1,000 last year. Most American families are on track to lose $1,300 from President Trump’s tariffs in 2026. This week, Senator Warnock unveiled a new report that found the cost of required school supplies for a 4th grader can cost Georgia families more than $130 per child. Senator Warnock continues to push back against the Trump administration’s reckless tariff policy and the uncertain market conditions it creates for Georgia small businesses and the higher prices it imposes on Georgia families.

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Warnock Statement on Dr. Erica Schwartz’s Nomination to Lead the CDC

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) released the following statement on his decision not to support the nomination of Dr. Erica Schwartz to serve as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“As a voice for Georgia, I am honored to represent the hardworking scientists, doctors, and administrative professionals who make up the CDC. These hardworking public servants have consistently put the American people and our country first, despite the attacks Secretary Kennedy and this administration continue to levy against them.”

“As we approach the one-year anniversary of the attack on the CDC headquarters in Atlanta, it was important for me to hear that the next leader of the agency would stand up for the thousands of Georgians who have devoted their careers to protecting the health and safety of our nation.”

“While I appreciated the opportunity to speak with Dr. Schwartz, I am not confident she will be able to serve as a strong enough check on this administration’s most dangerous impulses. Secretary Kennedy has shown again and again that he will pressure even good people to put politics ahead of public health. For that reason, I cannot support her nomination.”

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Warnock Statement on Senate Agriculture Committee Farm Bill Markup

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) released the following statement after today’s Farm Bill markup in the Senate Agriculture Committee.

“Today’s Agriculture Committee markup was a missed opportunity to advance a bipartisan Farm Bill that supports farmers and families. Between the president’s tariff policy and his ongoing war in Iran, our farmers and the American people are struggling under the higher costs of everything. I have maintained for months that any deal needs to include a solution that would mitigate the disastrous cuts to SNAP that Senate Republicans enacted in their One Big Ugly Bill in July 2025. Senate Republicans’ current proposal does not go far enough in addressing my concerns.”

“I will continue to work closely with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to reach an agreement that supports Georgia’s farmers and ensures families have the resources they need to buy groceries at the end of the month. There is a path to a bipartisan deal, and I remain hopeful we can get one done.”

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Warnock, Wyden Push Trump Administration to Cut Red Tape Requirements in Medicaid

Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock and Ron Wyden are calling on the Trump administration to withdraw a policy that imposes strict Medicaid eligibility requirements on Americans seeking to obtain and maintain coverage

Senator Warnock is a leading proponent of Medicaid expansion and has long championed efforts to increase access to affordable health care

About 1.75 million fewer kids were enrolled in Medicaid this January, a year after Congressional Republicans cut $1 trillion from the program

Senator Reverend Warnock, colleagues: “Implementing this rule will worsen Americans’ overall quality of health, waste millions of dollars on administrative red tape, and cause preventable health emergencies for all Americans”

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Ranking Member of the Finance Subcommittee on Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness, and Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, led 47 of their Senate colleagues in demanding the Trump administration rescind new Medicaid work reporting requirements that would severely limit access to lifesaving health care coverage for millions of Americans.

“We urge CMS to withdraw this rule to ensure that Medicaid can continue its mission of providing health coverage to low-income Americans. Implementing this rule will worsen Americans’ overall quality of health, waste millions of dollars on administrative red tape, and cause preventable health emergencies for all Americans,” wrote Senator Warnock and his colleagues. “States are not prepared to implement the agency’s onerous, subjective requirements. It is families who will suffer, especially the sickest Americans, like those with mental health and substance use disorders, cancer, and diabetes, who most urgently need the health care Medicaid provides.”

In the letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz, Senator Warnock and his colleagues underscore that unnecessary restrictions on Medicaid eligibility would increase costs for millions of Americans already struggling with the ongoing affordability crisis.

Senator Warnock is a leading proponent of Medicaid expansion and has long championed efforts to increase Georgians’ access to affordable health care. Last year, he released a report titled “Healthy People, Healthy Economy,” which found that investing in Medicaid stimulates economic growth and promotes access to employment. In June, Senator Warnock forced a vote pushing for the release of data surrounding Medicaid coverage loss nationwide. The Senator’s effort to release the data was blocked by Senate Republicans.

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

Dear Administrator Oz,

We write to urge you to withdraw the Administration’s interim final rule (IFR) implementing the Medicaid work reporting requirements passed by Congressional Republicans and signed into law by President Trump last year in H.R. 1. These policies will not increase employment and will instead lead to millions of Americans needlessly losing their health coverage. We support full repeal of all of H.R. 1’s Medicaid cuts. In the absence of Congressional action, CMS must delay implementation. States are not prepared to implement the agency’s onerous, subjective requirements. It is families who will suffer, especially the sickest Americans, like those with mental health and substance use disorders, cancer, and diabetes, who most urgently need the health care Medicaid provides.

This rule transforms Medicaid from a health care program into a bureaucratic maze that will fail eligible Americans. It will strip coverage not because people are not already working or refuse to work, but because they cannot navigate a complex web of forms, passwords, and deadlines. Implementing ineffective, exclusionary work reporting requirements will create costly administrative barriers and deny Americans access to health care, resulting in poorer health, higher mortality, and reduced financial security. This rule does little to mitigate anticipated harms and makes exceptionally cruel and arbitrary choices with regard to medical frailty, significantly subverting the Congressional intent of this particular exemption.

Nearly all adults with Medicaid (92%) are already working, going to school, caregiving, or have a disability. Moreover, an extensive body of evidence demonstrates that work reporting requirements do not promote employment but rather increase medical debt, delay care and contribute to poorer health outcomes. In its assessment of H.R. 1, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected an estimated 5.3 million enrollees will lose coverage by 2034, not accounting for the IFR’s even more stringent and burdensome requirements concerning the medical frailty exception. This evidence was not considered in the drafting of the IFR.

Similarly, the IFR fails to acknowledge or account for states’ ineffectual and costly experiences implementing work reporting requirements. When Arkansas implemented similar requirements, 18,000 people lost coverage in just five months. They didn’t lose their Medicaid coverage because they suddenly found jobs with health benefits; they lost it because they didn’t have internet access, never received the notices, or couldn’t log into a glitchy state website. Michigan was poised to implement these work reporting requirements but paused the programs when they received astronomical coverage loss projections of 80,000 enrollees (33 percent of participants). In Georgia, the state spent $91,000,000 in taxpayer dollars to build a “work requirement” tracking system that often experienced technical failures. This translates to $13,000 per enrollee in administrative costs – almost five times higher than total spending on health care benefits for enrollees. Further, a recent study looking at these requirements in Georgia added to the body of evidence that they do not increase employment.

CMS’ Onerous Definition of Medical Frailty Subverts Congressional Intent

H.R. 1 includes explicit exemptions for individuals who are determined to be medically frail, including those with disabling mental disorders, substance use disorders, disabilities, or complex medical conditions. In including these exemptions, the statute provided protections for some of the most vulnerable Americans, while preserving states’ flexibility to determine how medical frailty should be defined and operationalized. However, the IFR impermissibly adds extra-statutory restrictions and requirements to this statutory exemption, limiting it to individuals whose disability or condition significantly impairs their ability to comply with the work reporting requirement. By attempting to rewrite the standard from the existence of a condition to its demonstrated impact on an individual’s ability to work, the IFR establishes a much narrower pathway to the exemption than H.R. 1 permits.

CMS asserts authority for this expansion through the statutory phrase “as defined by the

Secretary,” but a limited delegation to define specific conditions is not authority to override the categorical structure Congress enacted. This is legal overreach, not a policy choice. And this legal overreach, if maintained, will have devastating consequences for millions of Americans, states, and health care providers.

States will face significant challenges operationalizing this narrower definition of medical frailty, and individuals will face challenges showing they meet the definition. The new standard will force the Medicaid program to take on completely novel responsibilities that are more akin to workers’ compensation than health insurance. States will not be able to rely on automation nor implement the law in a way that protects individuals with health needs, likely needing to revamp information technology (IT) systems; add new eligibility staff and call center support; modify applications, renewal forms, and educational materials; and train health care providers on how to assess and document whether someone’s condition “significantly impairs” their ability to work, a task that will be brand new to many providers.

The IFR forces vulnerable Americans to quite literally prove they are “sick enough” to deserve health care. In practice, a person in the middle of a mental health crisis or a course of cancer treatment, or someone managing severe substance use disorder, will be forced to secure explicit provider attestations linking their illness to their capacity to work. If they cannot jump through this hoop, the penalty is severe: they are cut off from the very medical care they need to survive.

Unfair Medical Frailty Verification Requirements Burden Sick Patients and Providers

In addition to the limitations imposed by the medical frailty definition put forth by this rule, the verification and self-attestation requirements impose infeasible expectations on individuals. Beginning in 2028, the rule directs states to implement a stricter documentation verification regime that will drive up administrative costs, overwhelm already-stretched eligibility staff, and push people off coverage. The verification requirements in 2027 compared with 2028 function as a bait-and-switch: to the extent that implementation looks potentially manageable in the first year, then procedural barriers and coverage losses spike when the documentation default kicks in. In particular, the rule holds people who should qualify for the medical frailty exemption to a higher standard of evidence than for all other eligibility requirements or exemptions/exclusions (e.g., caregiving, being a veteran, or being incarcerated), requiring significant documentation that goes well beyond self-attestation starting in 2028.

Year-Round Paperwork Requirements Will Exacerbate Coverage Loss

There is a long-standing requirement for states to process an application within 45-days as a patient protection, so people are not waiting for their coverage to kick in. The IFR creates a new exception to this timeliness standard, effectively permitting states to process applications on longer timeframes. In providing this exception to states, CMS is acknowledging that states are unlikely to meet the standard patient protection because of increased paperwork burdens, an implicit recognition of the harm to come. This exception is even more harmful to beneficiaries when combined with the H.R. 1 policy that requires states to reverify eligibility for individuals in the expansion group and comprehensive 1115 waivers every six months, in addition to the fact that the law provides States the option to conduct more frequent verifications of compliance with the work reporting requirement.

CMS acknowledges that the IFR creates a nearly impossible timing problem and offers no solution while barreling on with ill-advised and devastating policies. By combining the six-month eligibility renewal requirement with ongoing work-reporting checks, this rule ensures that families are never not in the process of signing up for health care, effectively setting a structural trap. The red tape gauntlet Americans will have to contend with to maintain health insurance coverage will be constant. A family will barely finish submitting documents for one review cycle before the state triggers the next, creating hurdles that are particularly burdensome for hourly workers with volatile schedules, single parents, and individuals with fluctuating health conditions.

The Rule Requires State and Local Taxpayers to Foot the Bill for Costly System Upgrades

The IFR creates even more administrative barriers and paperwork hurdles for individuals attempting to enroll in or keep their Medicaid coverage than the statute permits. This manifests in both more costly and onerous technology requirements for states as well as unnecessary hoops for individuals to jump through.

In H.R. 1, Congressional Republicans provided a total of $200 million for all 50 states and the District of Columbia in FY 2026 to support the system upgrades they will need to comply with the law. However, in the IFR, CMS itself estimates that each state will spend approximately $15 million on systems changes, totaling nearly $700 million for the 44 states that are required to implement these changes, nearly four times the amount provided to states in the law. Recent reporting shows that state estimates of the costs to implement these requirements are significantly higher; North Carolina, for example, expects it will need to spend an estimated $31.2 million annually to enforce these requirements. While CMS announced in January 2026 that the agency secured deep discounts for states on implementation costs, no details have been released about these arrangements. As the price tag of Medicaid work reporting requirements continues to rise, every dollar spent by states to implement this new red tape is a dollar that could have instead been used to provide health care to vulnerable Americans.

We urge CMS to withdraw this rule to ensure that Medicaid can continue its mission of providing health coverage to low-income Americans. Implementing this rule will worsen Americans’ overall quality of health, waste millions of dollars on administrative red tape, and cause preventable health emergencies for all Americans. This rule does not strengthen Medicaid; it dismantles it, turning a program designed to protect vulnerable Americans into a system that systematically denies them care.

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Title and affiliation are provided for identification purposes only. A pastor and social justice advocate, Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock was elected to the United States Senate in 2021 and reelected for a full term in 2022. The Senator serves on the Senate Agriculture, Banking, and Finance committees, as well as the Senate Aging Committee.


After Senate Republicans Block Welch’s Amendments, Welch Votes Against Partisan Farm Bill in Committee

Welch offered 42 amendments to better support small and family farms, strengthen rural communities, improve access to nutrition

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit, today joined all Democrats on the Committee in voting against advancing Senate Republicans’ Farm Bill. The bill failed to advance out of the Committee.

Historically, Republicans and Democrats on the Agriculture Committee have worked together to craft a bipartisan Farm Bill. The Farm Bill has not been fully reauthorized since 2018. This year, Senate Republicans on the Agriculture Committee drafted a partisan bill that does not address the needs of Vermont’s small and family farmers, does little to address the devastating cuts to SNAP and nutrition assistance programs in Republicans’ tax bill, and fails to invest in rural communities.

“The serious question that we are grappling with, and we don’t have all the tools we need to do it, is the reality that American agriculture is really in crisis. Our farmers are creating an immense amount of wealth, they’re just not getting any of it. I saw a graph from the Secretary of Agriculture showing that for 11 major commodity crops it costs more to plant and harvest than the revenue that our farmers get. That is not a sustainable situation. And that’s the existential challenge that I think we have in this committee: to restore the vitality of American agriculture,” Senator Welch said in the Agriculture Committee markup.

“Senate Republicans’ Farm Bill failed to meet the moment. I’m hopeful we can come to the table in good faith to make substantial changes to this Farm Bill, and work together in a bipartisan way to make a real difference for rural America,” Welch said after the bill failed.

Watch Senator Welch’s remarks in Committee below:

Senator Welch filed 42 amendments to improve Senate Republicans’ Farm Bill. Two were called for a vote and blocked by Republicans on the Committee. Senator Welch’s proposed changes to the bill include measures to better support small and family farms, strengthen rural communities, reform farm subsidy programs, and improve access to nutrition. Senator Welch’s proposed amendments to the Farm Bill included measures to:

Better Support Vermont Farmers:

Halt the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) reorganization plan

Cut red tape for small-scale meat producers in rural communities

Improve access to farm loans and credit

Provide free access to the Dairy Margin Coverage Program (DMC) for eligible producers

Improve data collection for organic dairy farmers

Expand eligibility and access to conservation programs

Help eliminate barriers for farmers entering the organics market

Strengthen Rural Communities:

Improve rural broadband buildout and speed standards

Lower energy costs for rural communities

Combat the threat of invasive species

Establish national and regional agroforestry centers

Provide multi-year flexible grants to rural communities

Strike the Farm Bill’s E15 language, which is bad for dairy and specialty crop farmers, bad for the environment, and could raise food costs for families

Reform Farm Subsidy and Crop Insurance Programs:

Ensure taxpayer-provided aid makes it into the hands of actual farmers

Improve record-keeping requirements for farm subsidies

Develop a crop insurance product for specialty crop and diversified farms facing extreme weather events

Improve Access to Nutrition:

Increase funding for the Farm to School nutrition program and support initiatives that deliver fresh, local foods to schools nationwide

Cut red tape for SNAP applicants

Improve USDA’s Food for Peace program

View all of Senator Welch’s amendments to the Farm Bill.

The Committee meeting will remain open for continued discussions on the Farm Bill.

Senator Welch is the Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit. Learn more about Senator Welch’s work by visiting his website or by following him on social media.

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Welch Reintroduces CAP Act to Enhance Consumer Protection, Hold Mega-Corporations Accountable for Consumer Safety Violations

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) todayled U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) in reintroducing the Consumer Advocacy and Protection (CAP) Act, legislation to bolster consumer protection by incentivizing companies to prioritize and invest in product safety. The legislation aims to protect consumers from corporate negligence and create safer products by strengthening the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) authority to impose financial penalties on large corporations that violate consumer protection laws.

“Integrity and transparency are crucial to ensuring consumer protection. But right now, massive companies continue to undermine federal safety standards and evade responsibility. We need to create incentives that put consumer and product safety first,” said Senator Welch. “Our commonsense bill will hold corporations accountable when they knowingly put products on the market that endanger consumers.”

“Our legislation will help hold corporate actors accountable when their defective products cause harm. Fundamentally faulty products like Generac portable generators and Peloton Tread+ treadmills seriously impacted consumers and more action is needed to deter manufacturers from rushing to release flawed products onto the market. By increasing penalty caps and allowing the CPSC to levee appropriate fines, the CAP Act will raise the stakes for companies and significantly bolster consumer safety,” said Senator Blumenthal.

“It’s clear existing penalties aren’t enough to deter companies that are harming consumers in violation of the law,” said Senator Schatz. “Our bill will protect consumers by increasing fines and making sure bad actors are held accountable.”

“Consumers deserve the confidence that the products they bring into their homes are not only effective, but safe,” said Senator Luján. “When major corporations knowingly market and sell unsafe products, they must be held accountable, but current penalties are just a little more than a slap on the wrist. I’m proud to join Senator Welch and my colleagues in reintroducing this legislation to strengthen accountability and protect consumers.”

The CPSC utilizes various tools to deter safety regulation noncompliance, promote adherence to standards, and hold companies accountable, including the imposition of civil penalties. Under current law, manufacturers, importers, and distributors of consumer products are required to report immediately to the CPSC information that reasonably supports the conclusion that a product contains a defect that could create a substantial product hazard or an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death. If violations occur, the CPSC can administer $120,000 per violation and $17,150,000 for a series of related violations. The CPSC is allowed to adjust the maximum civil penalty amounts every five years for inflation.

The CAP Act aims to increase consumer protection from corporate negligence by striking the maximum civil penalty cap on a series of violations and increasing the individual violation cap from $100,000 to $250,000. The legislation would also clarify under what offenses CPSC can fine manufacturers and ensure fines accurately reflect inflation by adjusting the inflation review period from every five years to every year.

The CAP Act is endorsed by the Consumer Federation of America, Consumer Reports, National Consumers League (NCL), Public Citizen, and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG).

“Every American, especially our children, deserve products that are safe,” said Courtney Griffin, Director of Consumer Product Safety, Consumer Federation of America. “Unfortunately,the current limits on civil penalties allow big corporations to treat them as little more than the cost of doing business. Consumer Federation of America applauds Senator Welch for introducing legislation that will close this gap and strengthen corporate accountability.”

“People are put at risk when companies do not follow product safety laws and see civil penalties as the cost of doing business,” Oriene Shin, Manager for Safety Advocacy, Consumer Reports. “For too long, the civil penalty limits have been far too low to deter giant, multibillion-dollar companies from breaking the law. The CAP Act would change this—and protect consumers by improving corporate accountability. Consumer Reports supports this bill and urges all members of Congress to do the same.”

“The nation’s product safety cop on the beat shouldn’t have its hands tied when holding bad actors accountable,” said Daniel Greene, Senior Director of Consumer Protection & Product Safety, National Consumers League. “Existing penalty caps only permit the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to assess $100,000 penalties per violation, not to exceed $15 million total. That’s a slap on the wrist—merely the cost of doing business for unscrupulous actors flooding the market with dangerous, violative products. As Americans, we place a far higher value on the lives and wellbeing of our family, friends, and fellow citizens. So should our product safety laws. The National Consumers League applauds Senator Welch for his leadership on this important issue.”

“Lawmakers need to do more to hold multi-billion-dollar corporations accountable when they intentionally put consumers at risk or lie to regulators. Sure, the CPSC in 2021 raised the cap to $120,000 per individual violation and $17.5 million for a series of safety violations, but a future CPSC could ratchet those back. Congress hasn’t increased the cap in nearly two decades. Companies need to face meaningful penalties for putting consumers at risk,” said Teresa Murray, Consumer Watchdog Director, U.S. PIRG.

Learn more about the CAP Act.

Read and download the full text of the bill.

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Wyden, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Support Coast Guard Installations and Allow Cost-Saving Community Partnerships

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate colleagues to introduce legislation that would allow the U.S. Coast Guard to collaborate with state and local governments through intergovernmental support agreements.

“Oregon’s Coast Guard works tirelessly every day to keep our coastal communities and fishermen safe, and they deserve the same tools as the rest of our military branches to operate efficiently,” Wyden said. “This common-sense legislation cuts red tape, saves taxpayer dollars, and builds stronger partnerships between Coast Guard installations and Oregon’s communities up and down the coast that support them.”

For more than a decade, every branch of the U.S. military has been able to benefit from the authority to enter into intergovernmental support agreements- except for the Coast Guard. By requiring the Department of Homeland Security to grant that authority to the Coast Guard Commandant, the Strengthening Coast Guard Communities Act would enable the Coast Guard to secure better contracting agreements in collaboration with local government bodies, deliver lower-cost, higher-quality services to its installations, and strengthen local ties within Coast Guard communities in Oregon and across the nation.

The legislation introduced today was led by U.S. Senators Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. In addition to Wyden, the legislation was cosponsored by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Susan Collins, R-Maine, Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., Andy Kim, D-N.J., Angus King, I-Maine, Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Gary Peters, D-Mich., Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Rick Scott, R-Fla., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Mark Warner, D-Va., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.


Wyden, Merkley Demand Trump Administration Drop Effort to Weaken Health Protections for Millions of Americans

New EPA rule would roll back federal protections for clean drinking water

Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight said today they have joined colleagues to demand the Trump administration withdraw its proposal to roll back drinking water protections, which would remove federal public health limits on the amount of certain polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs) or “forever chemicals” in our drinking water.

The senators emphasize in their letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that removing these health limits will expose Americans to unsafe levels of chemicals linked to kidney and testicular cancer, immune suppression problems, developmental harm, thyroid disease, pregnancy complications, and liver damage.

“Safe drinking water is not a partisan issue. Families across the country expect that when they turn on the tap, their water is safe to drink. Congress enacted the Safe Drinking Water Act to ensure EPA relies on the best available science to protect public health—not to weaken existing protections once the science has been established,” the senators wrote to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.

Despite the Trump administration touting its ‘Make America Healthy Again’ agenda, if enacted, the EPA’s new proposal would rescind the 2024 National Primary Drinking Water Regulations for PFAS and delay compliance for the perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) standards until 2031 – risking the health of millions of Americans.

“As far back as the 1950s, scientists observed that PFAS compounds could accumulate in human bloodstreams. It took decades of advocacy and heroic scientific research to reach the historic moment in 2024 when EPA finally promulgated the very first national drinking water standards for PFAS compounds. We cannot afford to go backwards and make Americans’ health worse,” the Senators concluded.

In addition to Wyden and Merkley, other signers of the letter led by U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate EPW Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife, are EPW Committee Ranking Member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).


Wyden Seeks Passage of Bill to Deliver Financial Relief to Wildfire Victims

As over 2 million acres burn across Oregon, Republican senator blocks Wyden legislation to deliver immediate tax relief to Oregonians who lose their homes in wildfires

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., sought passage today on the Senate floor of his bill that would deliver immediate tax relief to every American who loses their home from a natural disaster, including Oregonians who lose their homes in wildfires.

“When you lose your home in a wildfire, the last thing you should be worried about is being hit by a massive tax bill,” Wyden said in his floor remarks. “The bipartisan disaster relief bill being considered on the floor today would give the people of my state affected by these blazes some peace of mind.”

The legislation would end unfair taxes on natural disaster settlement payments after Americans lose their homes through unpredictable natural disasters. These burdensome taxes were passed into law under the Trump-Republican tax bill in 2017. Subsequently, the Senate successfully suspended the tax in 2024, but is up for renewal this year.

The bill has already passed the House on a bipartisan basis and awaits Senate action. Wyden urged immediate passage today of the bipartisan bill to deliver financial relief now to wildfire victims in Oregon and the West, but the legislation was blocked by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) using a procedural tactic.

“I’m heading home this weekend to meet with Oregonians fearing in real time for their lives and livelihoods because of wildfires threatening communities and spreading smoke statewide,” Wyden said. “And my message will be I’ll never stop battling to pass this bill that will ease their concerns about getting walloped with a tax bill when they may already be dealing with the loss of their homes.”


Yakym Leads Majority of House Republicans in Push to Strengthen USMCA

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Rudy Yakym (IN-02) led a letter signed by 168 House Republicans to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer that backs the Trump Administration’s approach to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Joint Review, pushing for improvements before agreeing to an extension.

“President Trump is a master negotiator, and the USMCA has delivered meaningful benefits to Hoosier manufacturers, farmers, and small businesses,” Rep. Yakym said. “This review process represents an important opportunity to strengthen the agreement, and I support the President’s focus on securing improvements before agreeing to an extension. Addressing shortcomings and confronting emerging challenges will set our economy up for even more success in the years to come. I hope Mexico and Canada bring their best offers to the table so that an extension can become reality.”

The letter notes the positive benefits of the USMCA and voices overall support for an extension. It backs the Trump Administration’s approach to the Joint Review process, which prioritizes outcomes over a set deadline for securing an extension.

Those outcomes include:

Securing market access that was promised six years ago but not meaningfully delivered;

Addressing new actions taken by Mexico and Canada that harm American manufacturers, agriculture, services providers, and workers;

Confronting unfair trade and investment practices from third countries that seek to undermine the North American economy and threaten American jobs; and

Rationalizing tariff structures to strengthen regional competitiveness in the global marketplace.

Background:

Support for the letter spans the conference. Nearly 90% of the Ways and Means, Agriculture, and Energy and Commerce Committees signed on, along with 80% of Appropriators and 85% of committee chairs.

July 1 marked the first USMCA Joint Review, in which the U.S., Mexico, and Canada met to decide whether to extend the agreement for 16 more years. Mexico and Canada agreed to an extension, while the U.S. did not.

The USMCA remains in force until 2036 as the three sides continue to discuss improvements to the agreement.

USTR Jamieson Greer has said that the U.S. wants to secure commitments from Mexico and Canada that improve market access for American producers and make other changes before agreeing to a renewal.

Yakym sits on the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over U.S. trade policy, and has closely tracked the USMCA Joint Review.


Reps. Houlahan, Whitesides, Haridopolos Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Bolster Military Readiness for Natural Disasters

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06), George Whitesides (CA-27), and Mike Haridopolos (FL-08) introduced the bipartisan Military Readiness Through Resilient Lands Act, legislation that instructs the Department of Defense to develop and maintain goals and metrics to assess natural resources on military installations. Natural disasters, such as wildfires and floods, and deterioration of environmental conditions can compromise important operations on military installations, reducing military preparedness and posing risks to national security. This bill asks the Department of the Defense to assess technologies that could be used to monitor their natural resources, which would enable better preparation on military installations for natural disasters and other threats to the ecosystem.

“As ranking member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel, I believe readiness begins with protecting our servicemembers and ensuring they have safe, resilient installations where they can live, work, and train. Wildfires, flooding, and other effects of a changing climate can threaten our people, disrupt operations, and undermine mission readiness,” said Rep. Houlahan. “I am proud to co-lead the Military Readiness Through Resilient Lands Act with Congressman Whitesides to give military leaders better data and modern tools to manage our natural resources, strengthen installation resilience, and keep our forces safe and ready.”

“As our nation’s military continues to protect our country, it is imperative that our bases and installations are prepared for potential threats, including natural disasters,” said Rep. Whitesides. “If a wildfire strikes a military installation, like we saw in Camp Pendleton earlier this year, it could shut down its operations, putting all of us at risk. Through the use of advanced technology and cutting-edge monitoring systems, our military can better understand the natural resources that exist on their installations, and take preventative actions to protect the installation from threats like natural disasters.”

“America’s military bases are critical to keeping our country safe, and it’s important that they stay strong and ready to do their jobs,” said Rep. Haridopolos. “The Military Readiness Through Resilient Lands Act protects our land and natural resources around these bases that are needed for training and operations, using improved technology and better information to make sure our military stays prepared to meet new challenges.”

Specifically, the Military Readiness Through Resilient Lands Act directs the Department of Defense to:

Evaluate, test, and, where appropriate, use, technologies and methodologies to improve natural resources programs on military installations.

Assess natural resources and ecosystem services on military installations to allow for the comparison of conditions and trends concerning wildfire risk and fuels conditions, flood risk, ecosystem conditions, and biodiversity within that installation.

Provide consistent and regular updates to data for use in integrated natural resource management plans.

Add additional information to a report that the Department of Defense gives to Congress concerning progress made and benefits of using the metrics, technologies, methods, and data.


Rep. Smith Introduces Bill to Put Washington's Aerospace Workers and Safety Experts on Manufacturer Boards

WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 7, 2026) – Rep. Adam Smith today introduced the Safety Starts at the Top Act of 2026, legislation that would require large aerospace manufacturers to include worker representatives and safety experts on their boards of directors.

Washington's 9th District sits at the center of the nation's aerospace manufacturing workforce, home to thousands of machinists, engineers, and skilled tradespeople who design and build commercial aircraft flown by millions of passengers every day. The bill would ensure that expertise has a permanent, guaranteed voice at the highest levels of corporate decision-making.

“Washington's aerospace workforce builds some of the safest aircraft in the world, and they know better than anyone what it takes to keep it that way. This bill gives them a permanent seat at the table where safety decisions get made,” said Rep. Adam Smith.

The bill is the House companion to legislation introduced by Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) in the Senate.

“For years, Boeing has prioritized financial engineering over mechanical engineering, undermining the company’s safety culture. It's time for that to change,” said Senator Edward Markey. “Without input from the workers on the factory floor every day, Boeing is flying blind. By requiring Boeing’s Board to include worker and safety representatives, the Safety Starts at the Top Act will ensure that Boeing listens to the professionals who know safety best.”

The Safety Starts at the Top Act would require any Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) holder with at least $15 billion in annual gross revenue to annually certify to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator that its board of directors includes two labor representatives — one from each union representing employees directly involved in aircraft design and manufacturing — and two aerospace safety experts with proven, demonstrable safety outcomes. The FAA Administrator would be directed to rescind the ODA delegation of any manufacturer that does not meet these requirements within 90 days of enactment.

The Safety Starts at the Top Act is endorsed by the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (IAM), IAM Local 751, IAM District W24, and SPEEA/IFPTE Local 2001.

Statements of Support:

“Safe airplanes are built by people who are empowered to speak up and leaders who are willing to listen. America's aerospace engineers and technical professionals bring decades of expertise to designing and manufacturing the world's safest aircraft, yet too often their voices have not reached the highest levels of corporate leadership. The Safety Starts at the Top Act helps ensure that the knowledge and experience of frontline workers, together with aviation safety experts, are represented where the most consequential decisions are made. That's good governance, good public policy, and most importantly, good for the flying public,” said Brandon Anderson, Legislative Director of the Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, (SPEEA, IFPTE Local 2001).

“IAM 751 appreciates and supports this proposed legislation and if passed would ensure that workers voices are heard at the highest levels when decisions impacting aerospace manufacturing and safety are being discussed and implemented,” said Jason Chan, President & Directing Business Representative for the International Association of Machinists (IAM) District 751.

“IAM District W24 supports the Safety Starts at the Top Act of 2026. When passed, it will allow workers' concerns and their voices to be heard. Safety has been a foundation of our Union, and when decisions are made with workers' input, manufacturing and working safely can be mutually beneficial,” said Brandon Bryant, President & Directing Business Representative for the International Association of Machinists (IAM) District W24.


Barrett Joins Army Secretary, Michigan Officials for Northern Strike Military Training at Camp Grayling

Grayling, Mich. — Congressman Tom Barrett (MI-07) today joined U.S. Secretary of the Army Daniel P. Driscoll, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Congressman Jack Bergman (MI-01), and other officials at Camp Grayling for Exercise Northern Strike, the annual military training coordinated by the Michigan National Guard.

During the exercise, Driscoll announced a new Army initiative to expand testing range access for private industry partners at Camp Grayling and four other bases. The initiative is designed to expedite testing for new weapons, drone systems, and other technologies that have practical applications for combat, reconnaissance, and other military purposes.

“Exercise Northern Strike enables our military to take advantage of the best Michigan has to offer — from our lakes, terrain, and airspace to our advanced engineering and manufacturing base,” Barrett said. “I experienced that firsthand during my years participating in Northern Strike in the Army, and I enjoyed seeing our troops in action alongside Secretary Driscoll and bipartisan leadership from across our state. I’m confident Michigan will continue to lead the way in training our armed forces in the tactics and skills they need to keep our nation secure.”

Exercise Northern Strike takes place throughout the National All-Domain Warfighting Center, which encompasses the state of Michigan, including Camp Grayling and other sites. Driscoll's announcement comes after Barrett and his colleagues secured a decision by the Army and the National Guard Bureau to designate NADWC as a national drone testing site.

This year’s Exercise Northern Strike brought together more than 9,000 participants from 36 states and territories and five international allies. From August 3 to 14, the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, reserves, National Guard, and foreign partners are conducting combat training operations in the land, sea, air, space, and cyber domains.

Barrett participated in a roundtable with Driscoll, Whitmer, and other officials about the secretary's announcement. He then took an aerial tour of the camp in a Chinook helicopter, met with defense industry stakeholders, witnessed a firefighting exercise, a doorway clearing detonation, and more.


Congressional ASEAN Caucus Co-Chairs Recognize 59th ASEAN Day

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representatives Ami Bera, M.D. (D-CA) and Ann Wagner (R-MO), Co-Chairs of the Congressional ASEAN Caucus, released the following statement recognizing the 59th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Day on August 8, 2026:

As Co-Chairs of the bipartisan Congressional ASEAN Caucus, we join in commemorating ASEAN Day and celebrating the enduring ties between the United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Today marks 59 years since ASEAN was founded through the signing of the ASEAN Declaration on August 8, 1967. Since its establishment, ASEAN has played a pivotal role in fostering economic growth, advancing regional stability, promoting social progress, and strengthening cultural ties across Southeast Asia.

Southeast Asia is home to some of the world’s fastest growing economies, and ASEAN and its member states have been crucial partners in advancing our shared interests and values in the Indo-Pacific. The United States continues to underscore this strategic partnership, as demonstrated by Secretary Rubio's participation in the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting last month. We welcome recent initiatives to strengthen security cooperation, expand collaboration in emerging technologies and energy, deepen economic engagement, and combat transnational crime in the region.

The theme of this year's ASEAN Day, "Navigating Our Future, Together," highlights ASEAN centrality and the need for regional leaders to continue exercising leadership and shared responsibility in addressing the opportunities and challenges facing the Indo-Pacific.

We congratulate ASEAN on 59 years of regional cooperation, and we look forward to continued collaboration between the United States and ASEAN member states to strengthen people-to-people ties, expand economic opportunity, reinforce regional security, and promote a free, safe, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.


Beyer: President Trump’s Policies are Doing Serious Damage to the American Economy

U.S. Representative Don Beyer, Senior House Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee, today issued the following statement after the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its July 2026 jobs report, which found that the U.S. economy lost 23,000 jobs in July with previous job gains in May and June revised down by a combined 103,000 lower than previously reported. While the unemployment level edged down to 4.1 percent, that decline came as labor force participation fell again to 61.4 percent – its lowest level since February 2021 – with another 264,000 Americans leaving the workforce entirely.

“Today’s jobs report is deeply alarming and offers some of the clearest evidence yet that President Trump’s policies are doing serious damage to the American economy. Job creation has effectively ground to a halt, and businesses simply are not hiring at the pace a healthy economy demands. Wages tell the same troubling story: wage growth slowed to just 3.2 percent, its weakest pace in five years, while inflation has surged to 3.5 percent.

“None of this is happening in a vacuum. President Trump inherited a strong economy and has spent the past 18 months tearing it down. His chaotic tariffs have raised costs for American families and businesses while creating enormous uncertainty that discourages investment and hiring. His cruel and indiscriminate immigration policies are shrinking the labor supply and making it harder for businesses to find the workers they need, and his reckless war in Iran is imposing still more costs on working families, including higher prices at the gas pump.

“We are now seeing the consequences of these disastrous policies, which economists repeatedly warned would raise prices and weaken economic growth. Trump’s economy is not merely slowing down, it is moving backwards. Wages are failing to keep pace with inflation, businesses aren’t hiring, and discouraged Americans are leaving the workforce altogether.

“Yet Republicans in Congress continue to cede their constitutional authority rather than rein in the Trump Administration’s harmful economic policies or confront the President’s shameless corruption. As Americans struggle to afford groceries, electricity, housing, and health care, Donald Trump is abusing the presidency to enrich himself while insulating himself and his family immunity from tax audits. Republicans in Congress are standing by while working families pay the price. It is a complete disgrace and a profound dereliction of our duty to the American people.”


Beyer, Meeks Reiterate Concerns on Senate Passage of Russia Sanctions Bill

U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA), Senior House Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee, and Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today issued the following statement upon Senate passage of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026:

“While we do not doubt the good intentions of our Senate colleagues’ work on the Sanctioning Russia Act, the fundamental concerns we’ve previously stated about this bill have not been addressed with its Senate passage. This bill’s sanctions still contain the broadest possible waiver authority for President Trump, who already has the power to impose these sanctions on Russia under U.S. law but has refused to do so.

“What the bill does grant, however, are sweeping new tariff authorities that the president could weaponize with abandon, as he has repeatedly done in the past. President Trump just last month recklessly imposed new 50% tariffs on our closest trading partner, Canada; there is no reason to believe he would not use the even larger tariffs authorized by this bill in a manner similarly harmful to our alliances and Americans’ wallets.

“We welcome our Senate colleagues’ urgent effort to support Ukraine and punish Russia for its continued illegal war, but this bill would not achieve those goals. Instead, it would allow President Trump to dodge holding Russia accountable and impose yet more tariffs in his destructive trade wars, leaving Americans to foot the bill.

“Though the Paul-Wyden amendment to strike the dangerous tariff authorities failed, the vote total demonstrates that continued refinement of the Sanctioning Russia Act is imperative before it can be sent to the president’s desk. We will continue to seek a path forward that remedies this bill’s flaws, and we remain ready to negotiate expeditiously with Congressional colleagues to achieve our common objectives. But the current text is unacceptable.”


Beyer, Walkinshaw, Subramanyam Conduct Unannounced Oversight Visit at Chantilly ICE Facility

U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (VA-08), James Walkinshaw (VA-11), and Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10) released the following statement after conducting an unannounced oversight visit yesterday evening at ICE’s temporary holding facility in Chantilly, Virginia.

“We exercised our right to direct congressional oversight over ICE facilities after hearing reports of overcrowding and lengthy stays at a facility designed for temporary processing.

“At the time of our visit, we did not witness overcrowding. ICE staff asserted that they are complying with a recent court order limiting stays at temporary processing facilities like Chantilly to 12 hours.

“Our oversight does not end with one visit. We will continue monitoring this facility and holding ICE accountable to ensure everyone in its custody is treated humanely and in accordance with the law.”


Beyer, DeGette, Raskin, House Democrats Demand AHRQ Reverse Cancellation of More Than $200 Million in Health Care Research Grants

Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), House Energy and Commerce’s Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Diana DeGette (D-CO), and House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) today led 68 House Democrats in demanding that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) immediately reverse the cancellation of more than 150 grants supporting over $200 million in critical health care research. Among the research projects affected by the cancellations are efforts to integrate behavioral health services into routine pediatric care; use telehealth to expand access to care and reduce costs, including in rural communities; improve postpartum care for patients with chronic medical conditions; and reduce the overuse of antibiotics following hospital discharge to combat antimicrobial resistance.

In a letter to AHRQ Director Roger Klein, the lawmakers noted that Congress provided AHRQ with $345.38 million in funding as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 Consolidated Appropriations Act, reflecting bipartisan support for the agency’s work to improve health care access, affordability, and quality. The lawmakers warned that the mass cancellation of grants may constitute an illegal impoundment of Congressionally authorized and appropriated funding and raised concerns that the agency failed to follow federal regulations governing the termination of awards.

“Given the disastrous impact of these notices, the potential procedural defects in issuing them, and our concerns surrounding AHRQ’s use of Congressionally-appropriated funds, we ask that you immediately withdraw these notices and fully fund the grantees that have waited for committed funds for over a year,” wrote the Members. “Additionally, we ask that you provide Congress with a comprehensive list of all awards for which notices referenced above have been issued and, for each of the canceled grants, list grant-specific information regarding the grantee’s progress, management practices, and other factors considered before issuing the notice.”

The letter is also signed by Representatives Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Nanette Barragán (D-CA), Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Wesley Bell (D-MO), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Troy Carter (D-LA), Kathy Castor (D-FL), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Herb Conaway (D-NJ), Angie Craig (D-MN), Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), Jacon Crow (D-CO), Danny Davis (D-IL), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Mark DeSaulnier (D-WA), Maxine Dexter (D-OR), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Maxwell Frost (D-FL), John Garamendi (D-CA), Jesús "Chuy" García (D-IL), Dan Goldman (D-NY), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Adelita Grijalva (D-NM), Van Hoyle (D-OR), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Robin Kelly (D-IL), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Greg Landsman (D-OH), Summer Lee (D-PA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), John Mannion (D-NY), Doris Matsui (D-CA), April McClain Delaney (D-MD), LaMonica McIver (D-NJ), Grace Meng (D-NY), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Kelly Morrison (D-MN), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Kevin Mullin (D-CA), Jerry Nadler (D-NJ), Richard Neal (D-MA), Brittany Pettersen (D-CO), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Delia Ramirez (D-IL), Andrea Salinas (D-OR), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Kim Schrier (D-WA), Terri Sewell (D-AL), Lateefah Simon (D-CA), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Mark Takano (D-CA), Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Dina Titus (D-NV), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), James Walkinshaw (D-VA), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Frederica Wilson (D-FL) and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC).

Full text of the letter follows below, and a signed copy is available here.

***

Dear Director Klein:

We write to request the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Grants Management Office immediately reverse the mass cancellation of grants issued July 15, 2026. AHRQ has a statutory responsibility to support research to improve the quality and effectiveness of health services for the American people. The cancellation of more than 150 meritorious grants violates this duty and is likely an illegal impoundment of Congressionally-authorized and appropriated funds. The Grants Management Office also failed to follow federal regulations governing the termination of awards. We urge you to realign your Agency with federal law and the best interests of the American people and reverse these grant cancellations.

On July 15, 2026, AHRQ reportedly sent an estimated 150 cancellation notices to grant recipients. This action is expected to eliminate more than $200 million in lifesaving healthcare research that AHRQ funds as the lead federal agency directing studies into delivering care efficiently, effectively, and safely. At a time when the United States spends $5.3 trillion on healthcare annually, accounting for 18% of national gross domestic product, it is shocking that AHRQ would choose to end its support of that critical research.

Congress consistently authorizes and appropriates federal dollars to AHRQ, and most recently received $345.38 million in the FY26 Consolidated Appropriations Act, demonstrating bipartisan support for improving healthcare access, affordability, and quality, including in areas of priority for AHRQ like rural healthcare, artificial intelligence, and the prevention of healthcare associated infections. Examples of canceled research grants include programs to:

Integrate behavioral health services into routine pediatric care offerings.

Use telehealth to improve access and reduce costs of unscheduled care, making healthcare more affordable and accessible for the communities who rely most on telemedicine, including in rural areas.

Improve postpartum care in primary care settings for patients with chronic medical conditions.

Reduce overuse of antibiotics upon hospital discharge, reducing the well-recognized, long-term risks of antimicrobial resistance.

The above list is a small sample of the myriad topics addressed through canceled AHRQ grants that would improve healthcare quality, safety, and cost for the American people.

Withholding federal dollars from grant recipients across nearly 30 states without seeking Congressional approval under the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 is likely illegal and continues what is now a multi-year violation of federal law. The cancellation notices issued on July 15 fail to meet basic standards for grant cancellation notices. The notices cite 42 C.F.R. § 67.17(d) and 42 C.F.R. § 67.17(e), styling the notices as “non-awards” of future funding, rather than cancellations of ongoing research. However, the notices then assign recipients specific obligations under 2 C.F.R. § 200.344, which only applies when grants are canceled. The authorities to cancel ongoing grants provided under 42 C.F.R. § 67.17 require that specific factors are taken into account to cancel individual awards, including “the grantee's progress and management practices and the availability of funds.” Applying blanket language across up to 150 grants covering more than $200 million in awards is not consistent with careful consideration of individual grantees’ progress or performance.