Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) celebrated the signing into law of bipartisan legislation she supported to target the malicious use of AI and empower revenge porn victims. The TAKE IT DOWN Act would criminalize the publication of non-consensual, sexually exploitative images – including AI-generated deepfakes – and require platforms to remove images within 48 hours of notice. President Donald Trump signed the TAKE IT DOWN Act into law today.
“I’ve seen firsthand how technology can drive our economy and deliver incredible innovations, but we have to make sure that there are guardrails in place to keep people safe,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I’m proud to support passage of this commonsense bipartisan law to protect and empower victims of real and deepfake revenge porn.”
The TAKE IT DOWN Act would protect and empower victims of real and deepfake non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII) by:
Criminalizing the publication of NCII in interstate commerce. The bill makes it illegal for a person to knowingly publish NCII on social media and other online platforms.
Protecting good faith efforts to assist victims. The bill permits the good faith disclosure of NCII, such as to law enforcement, in narrow cases.
Requiring websites to take down NCII upon notice from the victim. Social media and other websites would be required to remove NCII, pursuant to a valid request from a victim, within 48 hours. Websites must also make reasonable efforts to remove copies of the images. The FTC is charged with enforcement of this section.
Protecting lawful speech. The bill is narrowly tailored to criminalize knowingly publishing NCII without chilling lawful speech.
Senator Cortez Masto has been working to protect communities from bad actors abusing new technologies. Cortez Masto’s bipartisanIOGAN Act, which directs the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology to research technology for detecting deepfakes, was signed into law in 2020. The Senator has also cosponsored the EARN IT Act, which amends Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to remove internet service providers’ blanket immunity from Federal civil, State criminal, and State civil child sexual abuse material laws, holding them accountable for its distribution.
ST. LOUIS, MO. — Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) was on the ground in St. Louis, Missouri to meet with victims and survey the damage inflicted by Friday’s tornadoes. The storm claimed the lives of five people, injured 38, and damaged approximately 5,000 structures, resulting in $1.6 billion in damages.
The Senator was briefed by the mayor, fire chief, police chief, and officials from Ameren Corporation. He also met with non-profit groups, first responders, and other community leaders. In addition, he had the chance to walk the neighborhoods that had been hit hardest and speak with residents impacted.
Seeing the damage today in north St. Louis. These are good people who have been hit hard. We are going to need lots of assistance to rebuild. FEMA needs to come in strong. And insurers need to pay claims IN FULL pic.twitter.com/vFEDIGdynL
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) May 19, 2025
“These are beautiful neighborhoods full of exceptional people. And now they need our help. I support Governor Kehoe’s call for an emergency disaster declaration,” Senator Hawley said. “Now the federal government and insurance companies need to do their part to help these good people rebuild. There’s a lot of claims that need to be paid. We will be tenacious in seeing that these insurance companies pay claims to every person who has been injured or had property damaged. This is the real acid test for these insurance companies. I hope they will uphold their end of the contract–and if you can’t get your claim processed, come to me.”
Senator Hawley’s office has created a special landing page and tip line for constituents to report any problems with insurance claims following the storms.
Last week, Senator Hawley chaired a subcommittee hearing that exposed how insurance companies routinely deny or underpay insurance claims following recent natural disasters. He has committed to holding insurance companies accountable for paying out insurance claims as victims begin to rebuild.
Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley
Senator Grassley’s weekly Capitol Hill Report can be found HERE.
Topics include: Farm Bill Update, Federal Agriculture Risk Management Enhancement and Resilience (FARMER) Act, Soybean Association President Questioning, Qatari Plane Gift, NFA Regulation on Firearm Suppressors and Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform.
Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
BISMARCK, N.D. – On President Trump’s “Liberation Day” last month, he argued non-tariff trade barriers are often more damaging to America’s competitiveness than actual tariffs imposed by foreign governments. He rightly called out unfair practices like currency manipulation, export subsidies, and intellectual property theft. But one often-overlooked offense stands out: lax environmental standards, enforcement, and compliance.
In his remarks, the President blasted other countries for accusing America of committing environmental crimes and demanding that our producers pay for damages for which they were not responsible. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, penned an op-ed in RealClearEnergy, arguing for an America First approach to foreign pollution, and that the rules we impose on ourselves reflect our stewardship values. If countries want access to our markets they should abide by our standards, and we shouldn’t devolve to theirs.
If Countries Want Access to Our Markets, They Must Abide By Our Standards
RealClearEnergy – May 19, 2024
On President Trump’s “Liberation Day,” he argued non-tariff trade barriers are often more damaging to America’s competitiveness than actual tariffs imposed by foreign governments.
The President called out several unfair practices used to create an artificial advantage in trade – currency manipulation, export subsidies, intellectual property theft, exorbitant value-added taxes, and unfair rules. But one often-overlooked offense stands out: lax environmental standards, enforcement, and compliance. He is right to pinpoint this disparity as it undermines U.S. competitiveness and directly harms the wellbeing of Americans.
Emissions from industrial activities across the Pacific, particularly in China, contribute up to 30% of surface ozone and 20% of fine particulate matter in the western U.S., making it more difficult for states to meet their air quality targets under the Clean Air Act. In addition, mercury pollution from coal-fired plants in Asia accounts for 20 to 40% of mercury deposition in the West.
If American facilities fail to comply with our environmental statutes, a state’s federal highway funds can be withheld, or strict regulatory constraints impacting the permitting and investment of new industrial facilities could be imposed. This is why U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin recently announced the removal of red tape that placed excessive burden on states’ ability to prove their pollution problem was linked to foreign sources. He understands Americans should not be punished for another country’s’ pollution.
U.S. companies work hard to meet EPA requirements. They spend hundreds of billions on environmental compliance, with our manufacturing and energy-intensive sectors bearing the highest burden. A National Association of Manufacturers’ report found the average U.S. producer pays over $10,000 per employee annually on meeting environmental standards.
When a regulation’s costs outweigh its public benefits, it should be eliminated. But Americans live by the old Boy Scout adage to “leave this world a little better than you found it.” We want safe environments for our workers, clean air and water, and for our innovators to create more efficient ways to produce more in America. The rules we impose on ourselves reflect our stewardship values. If countries want access to our markets they should abide by our standards, and we shouldn’t devolve to theirs.
“Free-trade-at-any-cost” idealogues portend all commodities are created equal, as if there isn’t intrinsic value in where a product is made. In their mind, a barrel of Russian or Iranian oil is the same as one out of North Dakota or Alaska, or a rod of Chinese steel is no different than one out of Cleveland or Pittsburgh. Never mind these foreign producers are dirtier, use their profits to promulgate foreign wars, and exploit abhorrent labor standards.
In his remarks, the President blasted other countries for accusing America of committing environmental crimes and demanding that our producers pay for damages for which they were not responsible.
He’s right to decry this hypocrisy and I’m committed to working with him to hold overseas polluters accountable.
Last Congress, Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) and I introduced the PROVE IT Act, which would require the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a dataset to compare the relative carbon efficiency of U.S. production to our foreign competitors. Existing data compiled by the Climate Leadership Council already shows the United States has a clear carbon advantage over its competitors. While the idea of using carbon as a metric might confuse those who seek to punish overseas producers for traditional pollutants, it serves as an excellent proxy for actual emissions.
On paper, China’s environmental regulatory regime appears reasonable, but enforcement and compliance suffer from corruption that results in cheating. Chinese companies, especially coal-fired power plants and heavy industries, have been documented turning off or bypassing pollution scrubbers to cut costs. Our bill requires DOE to strictly review foreign data to make sure this type of cheating isn’t tolerated.
The President is right to focus on the effects of unfair trade practices to level the playing field. An America First approach on foreign pollution, however, can do much more – it can rewrite the script on how conservatives view U.S. environmental progress.
Paired with effective trade measures that hold overseas polluters accountable, we can monetize the superior environmental performance of our workers and industry and protect public health. At the same time, we can create a durable and transparent trade agenda that not only encourages domestic investment in manufacturing but also cleans up the global environment.
Global demand for virtually everything is growing. If we want cleaner, more secure supply chains, we won’t get there by punishing ourselves. The solution is recognizing our excellence and making more in America!
President Trump gets this. But first, we need the comparative emissions data authorized by the PROVE IT Act to determine the scope of this unfair trade practice and to help understand the impact of foreign pollution on America.
Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined Larry Kudlow on Fox Business to discuss the urgent need for Congress to pass President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which cleared the House Budget Committee last night.
Read excerpts from the interview below or watch on YouTube or Rumble.
KUDLOW: “Senator Tuberville, as always, sir, great to see you. The Laffer Curve is one thing, [but] I’m hearing rumors that Republican Senators are gonna take the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ and split it up into three parts. I can’t—I mean, we had this debate months ago. I can’t imagine getting three reconciliation bills through Congress, but you tell me what’s going on here with three parts.”
TUBERVILLE: “Well, first of all, Larry, we all need to read the book titled JFK and the Reagan Revolution, written by Larry Kudlow himself. I think a lot of us up here have read that book, Larry. It’s a great book.”
KUDLOW: “Thank you, sir.”
TUBERVILLE: “But there is a lot of Republican Senators up here that would love to see more than ‘One Big Beautiful Bill.’ There are some pluses and there are some minuses [to that]. But at the end of the day, we’ve gone a long way and let’s go ahead and get this done if we possibly can. I think it’s gonna be very tough, though, Larry. There’s a lot of reform that has to be put into this bill, not cuts, but reform. […] So, I think tomorrow, President Trump’s coming here at 8:30 in the morning, as we just heard, is a warning signal that something’s not going very well over in the House to get this thing pushed to the Senate.”
KUDLOW: “I mean, you wanna get these tax cuts done. July 4th is fine. Memorial Day, March 31st would have been better, but whatever. July 4th is fine, okay? Get them done and [let them] take effect. The withholding rates will change. The depreciation rates will change. We’ll get the overtime pay and the tax-free tips and so forth and so on. We’ll get growth into the middle class, the blue collar, the working folks coalition. You wanna get it done as soon as possible. I can’t imagine dilly dallying through the rest of the year with three bills or whatever and risk a $5 trillion dollar tax hike?”
TUBERVILLE: “Yeah, we can’t do that. It’ll be disastrous. And, again, going back to the Laffer Curve, we all know. Everybody understands the more you lower taxes, the more money that comes into the federal government. And we have to understand that. A lot of people don’t believe that. Democrats keep fighting back on that. But as you said, it has been proven right. So, let’s get this done. Let’s let President Trump have his tax cuts that he ran on. We need to do that, but if we don’t get a tax bill done in the very near future, it won’t get done this year, and it will be a disaster for the Republican party.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.
Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) announced that they have secured $981,241 in federal funding through the State Wildlife Grant Program to protect, manage, and address wildlife conservation needs across Nevada. This funding, which is administered by state agencies, will go toward implementing Nevada’s Wildlife Action Plan.
“Nevada is home to an incredible and diverse range of wildlife that rely on our beautiful outdoors for their critically important habitats,” said Senator Rosen. “I helped secure this federal funding to further protect our natural landscapes from ever-increasing threats like climate change, drought, and wildfires.”
“Our state’s wildlife and their habitats are part of what makes Nevada a great place to live and visit,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I’m proud to have helped secure the necessary funding to help our wildlife agencies in their conservation efforts.”
Since 2000, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Conservation Investment has distributed over $1 billion to states, territories, commonwealths, and D.C. through the State Wildlife Grant Program. Funds are used by state fish and wildlife agencies for developing and implementing programs that benefit wildlife and their habitats, including species that are not hunted or fished. Grant funds may be used to address a variety of conservation needs, such as research, fish and wildlife surveys, species restoration, habitat management, and monitoring.
Senators Rosen and Cortez Masto are strong supporters of wildlife conservation in Nevada. Each year, they request funding for the State Wildlife Grant Program to make sure Nevada has the resources it needs to protect, manage, and promote wildlife conservation.
Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) joined House and Senate colleagues in sending a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) urging them to investigate which big corporations are using the Trump tariffs as an excuse to raise prices in excess of actual cost increases caused by the President’s tariffs, and to prosecute individuals and companies that price gouge American consumers.
“President Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs build an especially fertile environment for price-gouging. The new tariffs have created a cloud of uncertainty that gives companies cover to raise prices on all goods, regardless of whether they are subject to new tariffs or whether their costs have meaningfully increased, above and beyond what is necessary to cover any cost increases,” the members wrote.
“Armed with the knowledge that the FTC has turned a blind eye to this price-gouging tactic, companies now have free rein to use surveillance pricing to price gouge consumers. A former FTC official said, ‘The message that is coming out of this administration…is that the watchdog is gone and companies feel emboldened to rip people off.’ We urge you to fulfill your public commitment and to ensure President Trump’s trade war is not a ‘green light’ for price gouging,” concluded the members.
You can read the full text of the letter HERE.
Senator Rosen is working to lower costs and protect American consumers. Earlier this year, she sent a letter to the FTC expressing concern over the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by corporations to target individuals with different prices for the same products through surveillance pricing. Senator Rosen was also part of a letter pressing the Trump Administration on how mass firings at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will hurt Nevada families. She has also introduced legislation to crack down on price gouging by corporate investors who are driving up housing prices. Last Congress, Senator Rosen successfully pushed the FTC to block the Kroger-Albertsons grocery store mega merger because it could reduce competition and raise grocery prices.
Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn a lower court’s decision to block President Trump from revoking Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans.
“Venezuelans still face dire and unimaginable conditions as a result of the Maduro regime’s brutality and oppression,” said Senator Rosen. “TPS has allowed law-abiding Venezuelans to escape political violence and economic collapse, and legally live in the United States and contribute to our economy. It’s outrageous that the Supreme Court is allowing Donald Trump to end this protection and send Venezuelans back into harm’s way.”
Senator Rosen has been clear in her support for securing the border and making sure the asylum process is humane and orderly. She has also been outspoken in opposing mass deportation, and strongly supporting DACA and TPS recipients and their families. Earlier this year, she condemned the Trump Administration’s decision to revoke a previously authorized TPS extension for Venezuelans and released a statement condemning President Trump’s unconstitutional attempt to end birthright citizenship. Last month, Rosen helped introduce legislation to reaffirm access to legal counsel during immigration proceedings.
Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the co-chairs of the Senate Diabetes Caucus, introduced the Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act. This bipartisan legislation would improve care for patients with diabetes by allowing nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician associates/physician assistants (PAs) – who often act as sole primary care providers for many patients with diabetes – to prescribe therapeutic shoes.
Diabetes can often lead to health complications, such as foot ulcers and calluses, and can even necessitate the amputation of toes, legs, and feet. In addition to managing the disease through physical activity, diet, and medication, diabetic patients often benefit from the use of therapeutic shoes, which are an important preventive measure to mitigate these complications.
“Therapeutic shoes are a proven method for preventing costly and painful complications related to diabetes, yet current Medicare regulations force patients to endure a time-consuming process to obtain them,” said Senator Collins. “Our bipartisan legislation would allow nurse practitioners and physician assistants to certify their patients’ need for this important treatment method, saving patients time and allowing them to keep their current medical provider.”
“Ensuring patients with diabetes can access the full range of treatments in a timely manner is critical to helping them manage their diabetes and prevent medical emergencies,” said Senator Shaheen. “Therapeutic shoes can help put a stop to a number of complications caused by diabetes — so it’s only commonsense to clear the way for nurse practitioners and physician assistants to prescribe these life-changing shoes for their patients.”
“On behalf of more than 431,000 nurse practitioners (NPs) nationwide, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) thanks Senators Collins and Shaheen for their leadership on the Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act,” said American Association of Nurse Practitioners President Stephen A. Ferrara, DNP. “This legislation will authorize NPs to continue providing high-quality, cost-effective care for their Medicare patients with diabetes. By introducing this important legislation, Senators Collins and Shaheen have renewed their commitment to remove outdated barriers to care, improve patient access, and empower patients with diabetes to continue receiving care from their provider of choice.”
“Medical care for America’s aging population who live with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, should never be delayed by unnecessary restrictions. The American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) extends our gratitude to Senators Susan Collins and Jeanne Shaheen for their commitment to the health and well-being of those served by the Medicare program through the introduction of the Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act. This bill would correct an undue barrier to care for Medicare beneficiaries by authorizing physician associates/assistants (PAs) to order diabetic shoes for their patients. With this change in the law, PAs will be able to provide timely care that means so much to the patient who needs it,” said American Academy of Physician Associates President and Board Chair Jason Prevelige, DMSc, MBA, PA-C, DFAAPA.
While NPs and PAs often act as sole primary care providers for patients with diabetes – particularly those in underserved and rural communities – current law requires that they send their diabetic patients on Medicare who need therapeutic shoes to a physician who will certify that they do in fact need these shoes. The physician is then required to become the provider managing the patient’s diabetic condition moving forward. Not only does the current law impose additional costs on the Medicare program by requiring the participation of an additional provider, it can also result in delays for patients in underserved and rural areas which could jeopardize their overall health. This bill would authorize NPs and PAs to certify a Medicare beneficiary’s need for therapeutic shoes, improving timeliness and access to care while reducing costs.
The Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act is endorsed by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the American Academy of Physician Associates.
The full text of this legislation can be read here.
Source: United States Senator for Mississippi Roger Wicker
For decades, most Americans thought of artificial intelligence (AI) as a make-believe character in science fiction movies. Now, the future has arrived. We are adjusting to a world full of AI.
Artificial intelligence is with us at the doctor’s office, helping detect cancer during our annual screenings. Companies use AI to support self-driving vehicles. On Facebook, users debate whether video clips are authentic or are eerily believable “deepfakes.” ChatGPT notoriously allows students to produce illicit term papers in seconds. On the battlefield, AI lets soldiers quickly analyze enemy activity. I could go on – to AI’s applications in finance, agriculture, manufacturing, and more.
The Risks and Rewards of AI
Those capabilities make people both excited and troubled. We call this intelligence “artificial” because scientists create it. They use math to teach computers how to solve problems and recognize patterns. Americans recognize that AI has nearly unlimited potential to benefit humanity. But the technology also raises difficult questions about privacy and job security.
Even the recently-elected pope understands these concerns. In his first address to the world, Pope Leo XIV said this rapidly developing technology raises, “new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice, and labor.” I believe the pope is right to recognize the high stakes. To use AI wisely, we need input from leaders in the church, government, academia, and the private sector.
In the U.S. Senate, my colleagues and I are working to balance the risks and rewards of AI. Earlier this year, we acted to protect Americans from some of the harmful uses of the technology. Congress passed and President Trump signed into law a bill called the Take It Down Act. A key part of that law sets punishments for those who use AI to create certain pornographic deepfakes.
Beat China in the AI Race
The Take It Down Act demonstrates the unfortunate fact that individuals can misuse AI to devastating effect. The same is true for our adversaries. For the past two decades, the Chinese Communist Party has been pouring trillions of dollars into its military, trying to challenge the United States in hard power. It has also been investing in cyber capabilities such as AI.
The United States is – and can remain – ahead of the Chinese Communist Party’s technological ambitions. But we must act quickly to keep America’s edge. Simply put, if we do not win the AI race, China will – directly threatening our national security.
To Win, Unleash American Innovation
America is poised to succeed in AI because we have the world’s most dynamic talent, research, and business ecosystem. The government should do what it can to facilitate that marketplace. Any government regulations on AI must begin with a “light touch” so that innovators can experiment, prototype, and compete. In this way, we mirror the approach the government took with the internet, allowing that technology to grow and develop in the United States.
Unfortunately, President Biden took the opposite approach. In the final week of his term, officials set new rules that would have handicapped the supply chain for chips and semiconductors, which power AI. The rule would have gone into effect this month, weakening the American companies helping us win the technology race.
My Republican colleagues and I encouraged President Trump to block the heavy-handed rule, and he did so this month. The president replaced that Biden-era policy with a framework that makes the United States and our allies more competitive again.
On that positive note, it seems fitting to conclude with a summary written by ChatGPT: “America has always led the world in innovation. From the lightbulb to the moon landing to the internet, we have proven time and again that freedom fosters invention. AI should be no different.”
Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy today announced that McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La. was selected as the site of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) National Center of Excellence for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Safety.
“In 2020, Congress passed the PIPES Act, which improved pipeline safety and infrastructure. As part of the bill, I added language that created the first-ever National Center of Excellence for LNG Safety, but I didn’t stop there. I made sure in that bill that the newly created Center was required to be in Louisiana. Today, President Trump and Transportation Secretary Duffy announced that the Center will be headquartered at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, and I thank them,” said Kennedy.
“Producing and exporting LNG is one of the most powerful ways we can unleash American energy, and the Lake Charles region is a critical hub of LNG activity in the U.S. The sheer volume of product supplied by the state of Louisiana is unparalleled and growing, and there is no better place to locate our Center of Excellence,” said Duffy.
The Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety (PIPES) Act of 2020 required PHMSA to establish that the National Center of Excellence for LNG Safety improve the federal government’s LNG facility expertise, act as an information repository on best practices for LNG facilities and facilitate collaboration among LNG stakeholders.
“The Center will advance LNG safety by promoting collaboration among government agencies, industry, academia, and other safety partners. Consolidating such remarkable levels of expertise will benefit the LNG sector for many generations to come,” said PHMSA Acting Administrator Ben Kochman.
“The PHMSA National Center of Excellence for LNG Safety at McNeese will be a game-changer for our region in terms of workforce development and groundbreaking research. We are excited to be on the forefront of helping ensure safety and sustainability in the energy sector and look forward to working with PHMSA to develop a world-class facility to house their staff,” said Wade Rousse, President, McNeese State University.
Kennedy has long fought for the National Center of Excellence for LNG Safety and its presence in southwest Louisiana.
In 2020, Kennedy inserted a provision to the PIPES Act requiring that the Center be in Louisiana. The PIPES Act, including Kennedy’s addition, became law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.
In May 2024, Kennedy questioned then-Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg in the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies (THUD Appropriations). In response to Kennedy’s questioning, Buttigieg confirmed that the Center would be located in Lake Charles, La.
During a May 2025 THUD Appropriations hearing, Kennedy questioned Secretary Duffy and confirmed that McNeese State University would be the site of the new Center. McNeese State University is the first undergraduate institution in the U.S. to offer a certificate program in LNG Business and is already the site of its own LNG Center of Excellence.
PHMSA and other federal agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, Department of Energy and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, have worked together to ensure the Center is focused on its mission of making the U.S. the leader in LNG operations.
Additional information about the National Center of Excellence for LNG Safety is available on PHMSA’s website.
Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
May 17, 2025
[CRYSTAL LAKE, IL] – Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today hosted a town hall in Crystal Lake to hear directly from Veterans and other Illinoisans about how the Trump Administration and Elon Musk’s draconian cuts to federal programs and indiscriminate firings of federal workers are impacting them. Duckworth, who serves on both the U.S. Senate Armed Services (SASC) and Veterans’ Affairs Committees (SVAC), discussed her efforts at the federal level to help Veterans and shared information about local resources available to the community, including how her casework staff can assist Veterans and other constituents who are having issues receiving the benefits they’ve earned. Also joining Duckworth at today’s town hall was Army Veteran Major General James Mukoyama as well as representatives from McHenry County Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs), the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs (IDVA), Lake-McHenry County Habitat For Humanity, Illinois Joining Forces and local community leaders. Photos from today’s town hall can be found on the Senator’s website.
“Our government has an obligation to support our Veterans in a way that honors their service and sacrifice,” Duckworth said. “By firing thousands of Veterans, gutting the VA and jeopardizing Veterans care and benefits, Donald Trump is completely betraying that obligation. I appreciate all of the Veterans and local leaders who came out to share their stories at my town hall today, and I’m as committed as ever to pushing back against Trump’s efforts to privatize our VA and defending those who sacrificed to defend us.”
Duckworth has been a fierce leader and advocate for Veterans, VA staff and Veteran Crisis Line (VCL) workers in the wake of the disastrous Trump-Musk layoffs at the VA. After the Trump Administration’s indiscriminate purge of Veterans and VA employees, including staff who help operate the VCL, Duckworth led her fellow Democratic colleagues in demanding answers from Trump and VA Secretary Doug Collins on exactly who was impacted—requesting a list of public answers detailing the specific job categories that were impacted, how many of those fired were Veterans and more. After the first purge at VA laid off workers with the VCL—including several Veterans—Duckworth successfully pushed the Trump Administration to reinstate these devoted public servants that work to support our Veterans in their darkest moments. Earlier this month, she criticized VA Secretary Doug Collins for erroneously firing workers with Veterans Crisis Line without cause in the first place and jeopardizing the lives of Veterans who depend on it.
This spring, Duckworth introduced a resolution to condemn the Trump-Musk layoffs and demand the immediate reinstatement of all Veteran federal employees illegally and indiscriminately fired since Trump took office. Ultimately, Republicans blocked the resolution. Pushing for this resolution came after Duckworth and U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) introduced their Protect Veteran Jobs Act in March, legislation that would reinstate the thousands of Veterans who were fired in the Trump-Musk layoffs. Duckworth and Kim subsequently introduced their legislation as an amendment to Republicans’ slush fund continuing resolution. Republicans shamefully blocked it from passing.
In February, Duckworth also joined SVAC Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and a group of 34 Democratic Senators calling on VA Secretary Collins to immediately reinstate the more than 1,000 VA employees terminated earlier that month who serve Veterans and their families nationwide, including critical employees addressing Veteran suicide working at the Veterans Crisis Line.
Additionally, Duckworth has long been a leader in pushing for better benefits and support for members of the armed and uniformed services and their family members. In April, she introduced legislation that would help expand leave benefits for the millions of devoted health professionals serving in the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) Commissioned Corps. Last year, she helped secure $2.9 billion to support family caregivers of disabled Veterans and $2.4 billion to expand benefits and services for military and Veteran caregivers to include health care and mental health services, among other things. Last month, she also renewed her push to ensure IVF treatment costs are covered on servicemembers’ and military families’ health care plans.
Last December, Duckworth helped pass the bipartisan Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that gave servicemembers a pay raise and included a Duckworth-led provision to improve access to high-quality medical care for servicemembers and their families in the Indo-Pacific region, among other wins for military families.
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Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
May 19, 2025
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) helped U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and U.S. Representative Grace Meng (D-NY-06) introduce a bicameral and bipartisan resolution to mark May 2025 as Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. The resolution recognizes the significant contributions that Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities have made to this country.
“No matter what anyone says, AANHPI stories are the American story—from our struggles to our triumphs, our diversity has always made our nation stronger,” said Duckworth. “Every Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is an opportunity to honor the trailblazers who came before us, uplift diverse stories and celebrate our community as we continue to forge that path toward a better tomorrow where the American Dream remains within reach for all.”
“I’m joining my Senate colleagues to introduce this resolution, recognizing the numerous contributions and achievements of the Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities while also acknowledging the hardships they have faced. As a diverse nation, we are made stronger by celebrating the heritage and traditions of Asian Americans and uplifting their stories,” said Durbin. “Not just this month, but every day, it is also our responsibility to condemn and combat racism and discrimination targeting Asian Americans.”
Along with Duckworth, Durbin and Hirono, this resolution is cosponsored in the Senate by U.S. Senators Andy Kim (D-NJ), Susan Collins (R-ME), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), John Fetterman (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ed Markey (D-MA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
Full text of the resolution is available on Senator Duckworth’s website.
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Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Todd Young (R-IN), and a group of Senate colleagues introduced a resolution demanding that Hamas release all remaining 58 hostages, and calling on the White House to take all possible steps to ensure their release. The resolution also celebrated the release of Israeli-American Edan Alexander.
“Hamas is pure evil,” said Dr. Cassidy. “They kill Jews, kidnap Americans, and use people as human shields. We must do everything in our power to bring the hostages home.”
“As part of its terrorist attacks on Israel, Hamas took innocent Americans and Israelis hostage. Since that day, we have grieved the lives of those murdered in captivity by Hamas, gladly welcomed home those who have been freed, and continued to demand the safe release of the remaining hostages,” said Senator Young. “I’m glad to join this bipartisan resolution that reaffirms the United States will not give up until all hostages are free.”
Cassidy and Young were joined by U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Susan Collins (R-ME), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Andy Kim (D-NJ), and Chris Coons (D-DE) in introducing the resolution. U.S. Representatives Haley Stevens (D-MI-11) and French Hill (R-AR-02) introduced the resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“Hamas’s brutal, premeditated attack on Israel and its ongoing captivity of innocent civilians must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. This bipartisan, bicameral resolution reflects our unwavering commitment to securing the freedom of all hostages, standing with their families, and honoring the victims of Hamas’s atrocities,” said Representative French Hill. “As Co-Chair of the Hostage Task Force, I am proud to co-lead this effort and stand alongside my colleagues in the House and Senate in sending a clear and united message: America will never relent in the pursuit of justice and accountability for those who harm our citizens.”
Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) took a critical step toward unleashing American liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports that were halted under the Biden administration. With this action, DOE has completed the final hurdles left over from the Biden administration’s pause on LNG export permits, paving the way for the Trump administration to fully unleash American LNG exports.
“Democrats led a full-out assault on American energy during the Biden administration. We’re still fixing their mess,” said Dr. Cassidy. “It’s great to finally have an administration on the side of Louisiana energy workers.”
Background
In January, Cassidy released a statement applauding President Trump’s executive order to lift the Biden administration’s harmful pause on liquefied natural gas (LNG) export permitting. In March, Cassidy was joined by U.S. Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) in reiterating support for President Trump’s approach to American energy.
Last year, immediately following the Biden administration’s announcement that they would freeze pending applications for LNG export permits, Cassidy led 25 of his Republican colleagues in condemning the decision. Cassidy later delivered a speech on the U.S. Senate floor blasting the decision. In February 2024, Cassidy penned an op-ed with U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) in the Houston Chronicle underscoring the devastating economic, environmental, and national security impacts of the LNG export freeze.
Cassidy also introduced the LNG Security Act to reverse President Biden’s LNG export ban and require DOE to approve LNG exports to all countries that have imported, currently import, or are capable of importing Russian or Iranian natural gas. Additionally, he introduced the Unlocking Domestic LNG Potential Act, which depoliticizes the export of American LNG. It eliminates the requirement for the DOE to authorize exports and instead gives the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) sole authority over the approval process.
Source: United States Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) announced that their bipartisan TAKE IT DOWN Act was signed into law.
The TAKE IT DOWN Act criminalizes the publication of non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), including AI-generated NCII, and requires social media and similar websites to have in place procedures to remove such content within 48 hours of notice from a victim.
“Passing the TAKE IT DOWN Act into law is a major victory for victims of online abuse – giving people legal protections and tools for when their intimate images, including deepfakes, are shared without their consent, and enabling law enforcement to hold perpetrators accountable,” said Sen. Klobuchar. “This is also a landmark move towards establishing common-sense rules of the road around social media and AI. Thank you to the victims, advocates, and law enforcement officials who have banded together to work with Senator Cruz and me to pass this legislation. The support of the First Lady has been key to this effort, and I am glad the President is signing this historic bill into law.”
“The TAKE IT DOWN ACT is an historic win for victims of revenge porn and deepfake image abuse. Predators who weaponize new technology to post this exploitative filth will now rightfully face criminal consequences, and Big Tech will no longer be allowed to turn a blind eye to the spread of this vile material,” said Sen. Cruz. “This day stands as a powerful testament to the bravery and dedication of Elliston Berry, Francesca Mani, Breeze Liu, and Brandon Guffey, whose relentless advocacy made this law possible. I am deeply grateful to my legislative partners, particularly Sen. Amy Klobuchar and First Lady Melania Trump, for their collaboration in advancing this critical legislation to protect every American’s privacy and dignity online.”
The TAKE IT DOWN Act protects and empowers victims of real and deepfake NCII while respecting speech by:
Criminalizing the publication of NCII in interstate commerce. The bill makes it unlawful for a person to knowingly publish, or threaten to publish, NCII on social media and other online platforms. NCII is defined to include realistic, computer-generated pornographic images and videos that depict identifiable, real people. The bill also clarifies that a victim consenting to the creation of an authentic image does not mean that the victim has consented to its publication.
Protecting good-faith efforts to assist victims. The bill permits the good-faith disclosure of NCII, such as to law enforcement, in narrow cases.
Requiring websites to take down NCII upon notice from the victim. Social media and other websites would be required to have in place procedures to remove NCII, pursuant to a valid request from a victim, within 48 hours. Websites must also make reasonable efforts to remove copies of the images. The FTC is charged with enforcement of this section.
Protecting lawful speech. The bill is narrowly tailored to criminalize knowingly publishing NCII without chilling lawful speech. The bill conforms to current First Amendment jurisprudence by requiring that computer-generated NCII meet a “reasonable person” test for appearing indistinguishable from an authentic image.
The legislation was co-sponsored by Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), John Barrasso (R-WY), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Ted Budd (R-NC), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Todd Young (R-IN), John Curtis (R-UT), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Gary Peters (D-MI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).
Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) tonight spoke on the Senate floor about how health care is at risk for millions, and challenged President Trump to join him and Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) in working to lower prescription drug prices through concrete, durable legislation, such as the recently-introduced, bipartisan Fair Prescription Drug Prices for Americans Act:
“The bottom line is that President Trump issued an executive order that I support—my hope is that he’s going to follow through, because we are going to need the leadership of the president of the United States, and the influence he has in Congress, to…make more progress on price negotiation. All for the goal of making lifesaving medications more accessible to folks on Medicare, folks on Medicaid, to folks who have private insurance, and also to bring down the cost for our employers,” said Senator Welch.
Watch more here:
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Senator Welch’s Committee and Subcommittee Assignments for the 119th Congress include:
Senate Committee on Finance
Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry
Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit
Senate Committee on the Judiciary
Ranking Member, Subcommittee on the Constitution
Senate Committee on Rules & Administration
Learn more about his work by visiting his website or by following him on social media.
Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
ICYMI: Murray, Kaptur call for reversal of arbitrary cap on DOE-funded research—a policy already blocked in federal court for university grants
Washington, D.C. — Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-09), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, sent a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Chris Wright expressing deep concern about the Department’s recently announced caps on indirect costs for DOE research for a variety of recipients. The new caps, which follow the Department’s previously announced arbitrary cap on indirect costs for research at universities, will jeopardize critical research and innovation—and Murray and Kaptur call for the immediate reversal of the policy.
“We write in response to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) decision to impose sweeping new caps on indirect cost rates across a wide spectrum of its funding recipients—including state and local governments, non-profit organizations, and for-profit partners,” write Murray and Kaptur. “Capping indirect cost rates far below their current values compounds the detrimental policy you have already announced cutting funding for university-led research, and these proposed cuts put energy innovation and economic development in communities across the country at serious risk.”
The lawmakers note the policy will disproportionately hurt smaller research institutions: “Ultimately, this policy threatens to prevent smaller, under-resourced organizations from getting the support they need to conduct cutting-edge research, which will stifle innovation in regions that need investment the most.”
“If left to stand, the consequences of these cuts will be severe: multi-sector collaboration will be chilled, community-led innovation efforts across the US will be disrupted, and thousands of jobs supporting energy and infrastructure will be at risk. This abrupt policy change will undercut the very institutions—state and local governments, non-profits, and research organizations—that drive energy innovation, workforce development, and clean energy solutions in local communities,” Murray and Kaptur write.
They conclude by calling for an immediate reversal of the policies and demanding answers on how the Department determined the caps, whether it consulted with stakeholders, and whether it considered the economic consequences.
The full letter is available HERE and below:
The Honorable Christopher Wright Secretary of Energy U.S. Department of Energy 1000 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20585
Dear Secretary Wright,
We write in response to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) decision to impose sweeping new caps on indirect cost rates across a wide spectrum of its funding recipients—including state and local governments, non-profit organizations, and for-profit partners. While direct costs support salaries, supplies, and equipment, indirect costs provide essential support for general operations and infrastructure. Capping indirect cost rates far below their current values compounds the detrimental policy you have already announced cutting funding for university-led research, and these proposed cuts put energy innovation and economic development in communities across the country at serious risk. Like so many actions your Department has already taken, these new cuts will also raise energy costs for American families and businesses.
By imposing an arbitrary, inflexible cap of 10 or 15% on indirect costs—regardless of organizational type, mission, or financial structure—the Department is undermining the ability of its grantees and partners to deliver on DOE’s core priorities. Ultimately, this policy threatens to prevent smaller, under-resourced organizations from getting the support they need to conduct cutting-edge research, which will stifle innovation in regions that need investment the most. These indirect cost caps disregard the essential infrastructure required to administer safe, scalable, and high-impact projects.
Local governments and non-profits, already stretched thin, now face arbitrary limitations that will squash efforts to fortify electricity grids to be robust to storms and other disruptions, initiatives to ensure all community members can access affordable and reliable energy, and emerging technology deployment at the local level.
If left to stand, the consequences of these cuts will be severe: multi-sector collaboration will be chilled, community-led innovation efforts across the US will be disrupted, and thousands of jobs supporting energy and infrastructure will be at risk. This abrupt policy change will undercut the very institutions—state and local governments, non-profits, and research organizations—that drive energy innovation, workforce development, and clean energy solutions in local communities. America’s energy future must be built on strong partnerships—not policies that penalize those on the front lines of progress.
These abrupt changes have been announced without the transparency you have promised, without public engagement, and without any meaningful justification. Worse, they appear to ignore the diverse cost structures and compliance burdens that entities must absorb to responsibly manage federal funds. These are not “wasteful” administrative expenses—they are essential costs of conducting federally sponsored research that benefits the American people.
We reiterate our call to immediately reverse these harmful caps, urge you to engage stakeholders and experts in crafting any future reforms, and request written responses to the following questions by no later than May 30:
What will happen to existing (conditional and nonconditional) awards if they do not meet the new terms and conditions in this policy?
What data and models did DOE use to conclude that a uniform 10 or 15% cap would be sufficient and sustainable across such varied institutional types (e.g., local governments, non-profits, for-profits)? Will DOE release this analysis publicly?
How does DOE justify this cap given that many organizations and governments currently operate with indirect cost rates significantly higher than the new proposed cap?
How does DOE reconcile these cost caps with existing negotiated indirect cost rates under OMB Circulars and 2 CFR 200, particularly where they exceed the new ceilings?
What outreach or consultation—if any—did DOE undertake with non-profit, municipal, or private-sector stakeholders prior to issuing these policy changes?
What specific exemptions, waivers, or appeal mechanisms will DOE make available for awards where capped indirect costs would result in program delays, layoffs, or funding shortfalls?
Has DOE assessed the potential regional economic and workforce consequences of capping indirect costs on state, local, and non-profit implementation partners? If so, will DOE release that analysis publicly?
We look forward to your responses and attention to this critical issue.
Source: United States Senator John Hickenlooper – Colorado
Hickenlooper: “Rev. Peters carried that same commitment when he came to Denver and to Colorado. That same commitment to justice… Along the way, he had a significant impact on many of Colorado’s leaders. I was one of them.”
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper spoke on the Senate floor in memory of longtime civil rights leader Reverend Dr. James D. Peters, Jr.
“He knew that they were – that we are – strongest when we’re united, marching hand in hand. Walking next to Rev. Peters, it was impossible not to feel buoyed up by the enduring hope he carried with him pretty much at all times,” said Hickenlooper on the Senate floor.
Reverend Peters was a founding member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and worked with Martin Luther King Jr. in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. He served as pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in the Denver metropolitan area for 28 years and previously chaired the Colorado Civil Rights Commission. He passed away on Saturday, May 10th.
Hickenlooper continued: “As Rev. Peters’ friend and mentor Dr. King famously said that ‘the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.’ Like many around the country today, I’ve felt that, in recent years, that arc has not bent as far as we had hoped. But, if Rev. Peters’ taught us one thing, it is that neither today or tomorrow is the day to bow our heads.”
Hickenlooper with Rev. Peters outside of the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery.
To download a full video of Hickenlooper’s remarks, click HERE. A full transcript of his remarks is available below:
“I come to the floor today to honor the incredible life of Rev. Dr. James D. Peters, seated here.
“Rev. Dr. James D. Peters, I should say, who passed away last week at the age of 92. And what a life he lived.
“James was truly one of the greatest men I’ve ever known.
“Rev. Peters’ story started not far from these walls here in Washington, D.C.
“He grew up in Washington during a time of deep segregation and became an early leader in the civil rights movements of the 1950s and 1960s and into the 1970s.
“In 1957, he helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference along with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“He worked with Dr. King for many years to help shape the course of American history.
“He marched unbowed in the March on Washington in 1963 and numerous other marches. Notably, Selma across the Edmund Pettus bridge in 1965.
“Rev. Peters carried that same commitment when he came to Denver and to Colorado. That same commitment to justice.
“For more than 28 years, he preached Dr. King’s gospel of freedom and unity as pastor of New Hope Baptist Church, the largest Black church in Denver.
“He also served many years on the Colorado Civil Rights Commission to make Colorado a better place for all our residents.
“Along the way, he had a significant impact on many of Colorado’s leaders. I was one of them.
“In 2003, I was the newly elected Mayor of Denver. Not quite inaugurated yet when on July 5th, Paul Childs was shot and killed in his own front hall by an inexperienced Denver police officer.
“Paul was only fifteen years old. But he was beloved by his community and his death shook the entire city.
“Following that awful tragedy, Rev. Peters, alongside my predecessor, Wellington Webb, who’s one of the great mayors of the 20th century, they helped organize their community and mentored me on the appropriate ways to address this tragedy in such a way that it could be constructive. That somehow the community could be made more stronger and more resilient.
“Reverend Peters knew that the community had to change and use this tragedy to make a better future for the entire community.
“He was one of those leaders who helped us create Denver’s first Citizen Oversight Board to oversee the Denver Police and Sheriff Departments, and make sure any allegation of police misconduct could be investigated. And to make sure all neighborhoods would have an active voice in how their neighborhoods were policed.
“He also helped us start the Office of the Independent Monitor, with subpoena power again to make sure that allegations of police misconduct could be fully investigated.
“Over the past twenty years, the Citizen Board and the Independent Monitor has worked to improve the policies of Denver’s police departments and improve the relationship and the trust between the community and law enforcement.
“Many, many years later, about eight years ago, I was fortunate enough to join Rev. Peters, along with Rev. Dr. Patrick Demmer and a small group, in Montgomery to visit the National Memorial for Peace and Justice – our country’s first national memorial to victims of lynching and racial terrorism in the United States.
“And it’s hard to describe the feeling of that memorial. The power is so immense. The weight of our country’s nagging, persistent shame remains so heavy.
“Walking through the memorial with Rev. Peters, he spoke about his life growing up in Washington D.C. during segregation and his fierce belief in nonviolence and nonviolent movements.
“He reflected on how their nonviolent tactics led more and more people to join them. He knew that they were – that we are – strongest when we’re united, marching hand in hand.
“Walking next to Rev. Peters, it was impossible not to feel buoyed up by the enduring hope he carried with him pretty much at all times.
“I think so many of those lessons from Rev. Dr. Peters still ring true today.
“As Rev. Peters’ friend and mentor Dr. King famously said that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
“Like many around the country today, I’ve felt that, in recent years, that arc has not bent as far as we had hoped.
“But, if Rev. Peters’ taught us one thing, it is that neither today or tomorrow is the day to bow our heads.
“We can’t give up our work and our dreams that Dr. Peters fought for.”
Source: United States Senator Pete Ricketts (Nebraska)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) introduced the SNAP Next Step Act. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) joined the bill as the leading Democrat co-sponsor. The bill would authorize the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds for employment and training activities under the Workplace Innovation and Opportunity Act. The bill was modeled after asuccessful State of Nebraska program initiated when Ricketts was Governor.
“SNAP Next Step worked in Nebraska and will help workers across America on the path to a stable financial situation,” said Senator Ricketts. “When I was governor, this program helped workers find better employment. It helped increase monthly income. And it reduced or eliminated their need for government assistance. I am eager to work with my colleagues to make this proven Nebraska solution a reality for workers across America.”
The text of the bill is available here.
BACKGROUND:
The SNAP Next Step Act assists SNAP beneficiaries in pursuing better job and career opportunities through services like job search coaching, interview preparation, and resume writing. This legislation adds no new costs to taxpayers. It would allow already available SNAP administrative funds to be utilized in enrolling SNAP recipients in Department of Labor Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Programs. The bill also urges states to develop benefits calculators that show participants the real-world impacts of increased wages on eligibility for all government assistance programs.
In 2016, then-Governor Ricketts’ administration implemented SNAP Next Step. Since then, SNAP Next Step has helped hundreds of Nebraska families find new employment and more predictable hours, allowing them to spend more time together as a family. They’ve also increased their monthly income by more than $2,100. About 60% of these families no longer rely on state food assistance and the other 40% have reduced their need for SNAP benefits.
Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters
Senators’ Letter Comes After Students Across Michigan Have Their Legal Visas Terminated
WASHINGTON,DC – U.S. Senators Gary Peters (MI) and Elissa Slotkin (MI) are calling for more information about recent visa terminations and apprehensions that have caused confusion at Michigan universities and threatened students’ ability to go to school and remain in the United States. In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Peters and Slotkin requested details about the Trump Administration’s recent actions targeting students and urged their agencies to instead focus their efforts on public safety threats.
“We have heard concerns from constituents in Michigan about the impact of the Administration’s actions on students and our universities.” Peters and Slotkin wrote: “we call on you to immediately prioritize law enforcement actions that keep us safe, not those that threaten First Amendment protected activities, and to take steps to ensure student visas are not threatened or terminated due to students exercising their constitutional rights.”
“In addition to the chaos and confusion, the surveillance and arrests of students exercising their freedom of speech are creating fear amongst students at Michigan universities. Reports indicate that international students admitted this spring to colleges and universities are rethinking their choices due to the visa revocations and deportations,” the senators wrote. “We have serious concerns that the Administration’s policies towards international students will deprive the United States of global talent that fuels innovation.”
Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters
WASHINGTON,D.C. – U.S. Senators Gary Peters (MI), and Elissa Slotkin (MI), as well as U.S. Representative Jack Bergman (MI-01), are calling on President Trump to declare a Major Disaster for northern Michigan following the severe winter storms in late March. In their letter, the lawmakers supported Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s request for assistance for Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, Montmorency, Oscoda, Otsego, and Presque Isle, Kalkaska and Mackinac Counties, as well as the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians. The National Weather Service has ranked this as one of the most significant ice storms ever recorded in northern Michigan.
“Starting on March 28, northern Michigan experienced extreme winter weather, including a prolonged period of freezing rain which resulted in severe ice accumulation,” the lawmakers wrote. “This caused widespread destruction to homes, businesses, and infrastructure, causing long-term power outages for hundreds of thousands of residents.”
The lawmakers continued: “The affected counties also have poverty and unemployment rates that exceed the national average, and seven of the counties have a higher unemployment rate than Michigan’s state average. The disaster area also includes a significant population of individuals who are older than 65 years of age, have disabilities, or receive retirement income. As you know, these factors indicate that these communities are particularly vulnerable after disasters and increases the need for federal assistance to ensure equitable recovery.”
State and federal officials estimate the storm caused $137 million in immediate response costs and inflicted severe damage to homes and infrastructure. Given the scale of the damage from this storm, and as the state continues to recover from three other state-declared disasters in the past two years, federal assistance is needed to help these Michigan communities fully recover.
“We commend the great work the federal government has done in helping Michigan recover from previous disasters,” continued the lawmakers. “However, in the absence of a federal disaster declaration, Michigan will not have the capacity to ensure these communities receive the aid they need to fully recover. We urge your speedy approval of this request.”
Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)
WASHINGTON – After a highly concerning report revealed Pentagon bureaucrats used government charge cards for more than 11,000 transactions at “known high-risk merchants,” including casinos, night clubs, and bars, U.S. Senate DOGE Caucus Chair Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) are commissioning a government-wide review of federal charge card programs.
Among the issues raised by the lawmakers to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is a recent U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) audit finding which revealed the federal government maintains approximately 4.6 million active charge cards and accounts, nearly double the number of federal employees.
“With tens of billions in taxpayer funds at stake each year, a comprehensive assessment is urgently needed to identify systemic risks, eliminate inefficiencies, and restore accountability to federal charge card programs. To better understand the scope of this issue and to inform potential reforms, we request the GAO conduct a comprehensive review of the issuance and management of government purchase, travel, fleet, and integrated charge cards and accounts across federal agencies subject to the Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Act of 1990,” wrote the lawmakers.
Click here to view the letter.
Washington, D.C.— U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said today he has written the Trump administration about the challenges Native communities will face under Trump’s “election integrity” executive order and the SAVE Act, including requirements documenting proof of citizenship and restricting mail-in voting.
The SAVE Act passed by the Republican-controlled House and Trump’s executive order would require Native Americans to use a government issued state ID to register to vote instead of their Tribal IDs which are currently accepted in nearly every state and have been for decades. The SAVE Act also has an in-person requirement for voter-registration that would force Tribal voters in rural areas to travel significant distances to prove their citizenship and register to vote.
“Enactment of new voter registration policies under the Executive Order and the SAVE Act would lead to mass disenfranchisement of eligible Native voters and further depress the Native vote,” Wyden and colleagues wrote Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “Tribal IDs generally lack place of birth information required by the legislation, and the vast majority of these IDs lack the specific U.S. citizenship documentation required by the Executive Order. And the SAVE Act’s in-person requirement would exacerbate existing barriers, such as requiring IDs that list residential mailing addresses, by forcing many Native voters to travel great distances, including costly flights or multi-hour drives, to reach their local elections office or polling place.”
Wyden and his colleagues also highlighted that the vote-by-mail restrictions would disproportionately hurt Native Americans who rely on mail-in voting because of their lack of transportation and rural locations. Trump’s executive order penalizes states that accept absentee or mail-in ballots received after Election Day, harming Native voters in Oregon, especially as the State processes ballots for days as long as they were postmarked by Election day.
“As Secretary of the Interior, you have a special moral and legal responsibility to uphold our nation’s trust and treaty obligations,” continued the senators. “If implemented, the sweeping federal mandates included in the Executive Order and the SAVE Act would disenfranchise eligible Native voters who are following state laws. We encourage your active engagement with the White House and the Department of Justice to ensure that Native communities are able to exercise the franchise fully and have their voices heard at the ballot box.”
In addition to Wyden, the letter was also led by U.S. Senators Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Brian Schatz, D-Hawai’i, and signed by U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawai’i, Tim Kaine, D-Va., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.
Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) last week introduced the No Handouts for Drug Advertisements Act—bipartisan legislation that would prohibit pharmaceutical companies from claiming tax deductions for expenses on drug advertisements to consumers. Under current law, pharmaceutical companies can deduct the costs of direct-to-consumer advertising, subsidizing their media campaigns at taxpayers’ expense. Shaheen’s and Hawley’s bipartisan legislation would end this practice that contributes to increased health care costs.
“It’s flat-out wrong that drug companies receive huge tax breaks for running ads directly to consumers, especially as taxpayers in my state pay more and more for life-saving drugs,” said Senator Shaheen. “It’s well past time for Congress to step in to end these tax breaks, lower costs for everyday Americans and hold pharmaceutical companies accountable. My bipartisan bill with Senator Hawley offers a practical solution to do just that.”
“For too long, Big Pharma has used our tax dollars to fund ads that push their products directly on patients. That needs to end,” Senator Hawley said. “HHS Secretary RFK, Jr. has made it clear that he wants to ban prescription drug commercials, and I’m proud to introduce legislation to do just that. Making America Healthy Again starts by ending handouts to these corporations and empowering consumers to make the health decision that is truly in their best interest.”
“This bipartisan bill seeks to eliminate a tax break that fuels the flood of prescription drug ads designed to boost profits and drive up prices for patients. The U.S. is one of just two countries that even allow direct-to-consumer drug advertising — there’s no reason taxpayers should be footing the bill for it. We’re proud to support Senators Shaheen and Hawley’s common-sense reform to put patients before pharma profits,” said Merith Basey, Executive Director of Patients for Affordable Drugs Now.
The No Handouts for Drug Advertisements Act would:
Amend the Internal Revenue Code to disallow tax deductions for expenses related to direct-to-consumer advertising of both prescription drugs and compounded medications.
Define “direct-to-consumer advertising” as advertisements primarily targeted to the general public through television, radio, direct mail, billboards, internet, social media, and other digital platforms.
Shaheen has spearheaded efforts to combat rising drug prices and make essential medications more affordable, including by supporting key provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act that provide Medicare the ability to directly negotiate the prices of certain high-cost drugs with pharmaceutical manufacturers. As co-chair of the bipartisan U.S. Senate Diabetes Caucus, Shaheen has consistently pressed to hold insulin manufacturers, insurers and pharmacy benefit managers accountable for the skyrocketing cost of life-saving insulin. Her bipartisan legislation with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), the INSULIN Act, would comprehensively address the skyrocketing costs of insulin and remove barriers to care making it more accessible to millions of Americans.
Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement ahead of a Senate procedural vote on a revised version of the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act:
“The stablecoin market has reached nearly $250 billion and the U.S. can’t afford to keep standing on the sidelines. We need clear rules of the road to protect consumers, defend national security, and support responsible innovation. The GENIUS Act is a meaningful step forward. It sets high standards for issuers, limits big tech overreach, and creates a safer, more transparent framework for digital assets. It’s not perfect, but it’s far better than the status quo.
“Many senators, myself included, have very real concerns about the Trump family’s use of crypto technologies to evade oversight, hide shady financial dealings, and personally profit at the expense of everyday Americans. We have a duty to shine a light on these abuses and stop Donald Trump from exploiting emerging technologies to enrich himself, dodge accountability, and weaken the safeguards that protect American consumers and the rule of law.
“But we cannot allow that corruption to blind us to the broader reality: blockchain technology is here to stay. If American lawmakers don’t shape it, others will – and not in ways that serve our interests or democratic values. Innovation in this space is happening, with or without us. We have a responsibility to ensure it happens safely, transparently, and in a way that advances U.S. economic and national security interests. The GENIUS Act will help get us started.”
Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) led a group of their colleagues in challenging President Donald Trump to end a tax loophole, the carried interest loophole, that benefits wealthy money managers on Wall Street. Senator Baldwin leads legislation to close this loophole and, in February, she pushed for a vote on her amendment to end the tax break during the Senate’s budget resolution debate. While he failed to enact it in his first term, President Trump has been supportive of closing this loophole and has advocated for closing it as recently as this year.
“During your first campaign, you claimed that the carried interest loophole was ‘ridiculous’ and ‘unfair to American workers’ and that the individuals reaping the benefits from the loophole were ‘getting away with murder.’ We agree,” wrote Baldwin and the lawmakers in a letter to President Trump. “We write to ask that you follow through on your promise to eliminate the carried interest loophole and demand that Congressional Republicans eliminate it in any tax bill they send to your desk.”
When private equity managers oversee an investment fund, they receive a 20% share of the profits earned from the funds’ investments, called “carried interest.” This interest is not subject to the ordinary income tax rate of 37%, and is instead taxed at the 20% capital gains rate as long as the investments are held for at least three years. As a result, private equity fund managers who routinely make hundreds of millions of dollars are subject to a tax rate lower than that of an average blue-collar worker.
“Despite the extraordinary profits that private equity funds are raking in each year, the carried interest loophole allows private equity managers to avoid paying their fair share of taxes, often paying tax rates that are lower than middle-class workers,” continued Baldwin and the lawmakers.
The massive loophole costs the federal government tens of billions of dollars in tax revenue, and the private equity industry regularly donates significant sums to politicians sympathetic to their cause in order to make sure the loophole remains open for their profit. The industry has donated almost $600 million to political campaigns over the last decade to maintain a loophole worth upwards of $63 billion over the next 10 years.
In addition to Senators Baldwin and Warren, this letter is co-signed by Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jack Reed (D-RI), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
The full letter is available here and below.
Dear Mr. President:
We write to ask that you follow through on your promise to eliminate the carried interest loophole and demand that Congressional Republicans eliminate it in any tax bill they send to your desk.
During your first campaign, you claimed that the carried interest loophole was “ridiculous” and “unfair to American workers” and that the individuals reaping the benefits from the loophole were “getting away with murder.” We agree. Despite the extraordinary profits that private equity funds are raking in each year, the carried interest loophole allows private equity managers to avoid paying their fair share of taxes, often paying tax rates that are lower than middle-class workers.
When private equity managers oversee an investment fund, they receive a 20% share of the profits earned from the funds’ investments. This portion of future profits is known as “carried interest.” Although carried interest is essentially salary for private equity managers, it is not subject to the ordinary income tax rate of 37% and instead is taxed at the 20% capital gains rate as long as the investments are held for at least three years. The result? Private equity fund managers who routinely make hundreds of millions of dollars are subject to a tax rate lower than that of an average blue-collar worker making $85,000 a year.
Though this massive loophole costs the federal government billions of dollars in revenue, efforts to constrain it have consistently fallen short. In a desperate attempt to retain Wall Street’s favorite loophole, the private equity industry doles out eye-popping amounts of campaign cash to curry favor with politicians sympathetic to their cause. And it works. In fact, economists have credited the hedge-fund-led lobbying blitz to the survival of the loophole. Overall, the industry doled out almost $600 million to political campaigns over the last decade, a cheap price tag for a loophole worth upwards of $63 billion over the next ten years.
It is clear that the private equity industry has fought hard to retain these extraordinary tax giveaways. What is less clear is whether you will allow your party to deviate from your commitments, bow to industry demands, and fail to close the loophole for a second time. You were an avid supporter of closing the carried interest loophole throughout your first campaign and during the first few months of your first administration. Your chief economic adviser even publicly confirmed in September 2017 that you “remain[ed] committed to ending the carried interest deduction.” Yet, only a few months later, your signature legislative package, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, did virtually nothing to change the loophole.
Now, you have another opportunity to get the job done. You have once again confirmed your desire to end the loophole, and we understand that last week you asked Speaker Johnson to close the carried interest loophole. Notably, the House Ways and Means Committee defied your wishes and chose to advance legislation that does not eliminate the carried interest loophole.
Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia
New AJC Op-Ed: 42,000 New Jobs in Georgia Could Vanish if GOP Tax Bill Passes Warns Warnock
Read the op-ed HERE
Senator Reverend Warnock penned an op-ed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) outlining how Georgia risks losing up to 42,000 good-paying jobs if Washington Republicans repeal the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) Clean Energy Tax Credits
These endangered clean energy tax credits support 51 clean energy projects worth over $28 billion, largely outside metro Atlanta
Senator Reverend Warnock in the AJC: “If the President and Congressional Republicans were serious about bringing American manufacturing back to the United States, as I am, they would protect these tax credits”
Senator Reverend Warnock in the AJC: “Politics has a way of trying to make easy stuff, complicated. I’ll tell you what’s not complicated – 51 new projects worth $28 billion all across our state and up to 42,000 new jobs”
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) penned an op-ed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) warning that 42,000 good-paying Georgia jobs could be at risk if Congress passes the GOP tax bill, which repeals the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) Clean Energy Tax Credits. The Senator called on his House GOP colleagues to protect good-paying Georgia jobs.
“If Washington Republicans move forward with a GOP tax bill that repeals these clean energy tax credits, it’s their districts that will lose jobs and private investments: three out of four clean energy projects that were announced or boosted following the passage of these tax credits have gone to House districts held by Republicans. This is especially true in Georgia: 80% of the projects, 94% of the total investments, and 75% of the proposed new jobs and investments are in Congressional districts represented by Republicans,” warned Senator Reverend Warnock. “By repealing clean energy tax credits to give a tax cut to the wealthy and well-connected, Washington Republicans could cause Georgia to lose up to 42,000 jobs in communities desperate for new jobs and investments. If the President and Congressional Republicans were serious about bringing American manufacturing back to the United States, as I am, they would protect these tax credits.”
The op-ed follows the release of the Senator’s comprehensive report that found Georgia risks losing up to 42,000 good-paying jobs if Washington Republicans repeal the clean energy tax credits. Since the tax credit’s passage, clean energy jobs and investments exploded across the country, but nowhere was that growth more potent than in Georgia. In less than three years, 51 new projects in Georgia worth over $28 billion have been announced or boosted by the clean energy tax credits. According to the Senator’s report, in Georgia, nearly all the new investments and new jobs are in counties outside of the Atlanta region. Over 70 percent of the new investments and 83 percent of new jobs are in counties with median family incomes below the national median. More than 95 percent of the new jobs and investments are in counties where the percentage of people with a bachelor’s degree is below the national average.
The full op-ed is availableHEREand below.
This week, Washington politicians are voting on partisan legislation to cut taxes for billionaires by repealingclean energy tax credits that are creating tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs and are bringing billions of investments to communities across Georgia. It’s up to us to speak out and keep these good-paying, advanced manufacturing jobs coming to communities that are too often overlooked.
The sad truth is cynical politicians want to repeal these tax credits because they were passed by a Democratic Congress and signed into law by a Democratic president. They’re so focused on the politics that they’re willing to take good-paying jobs, which often don’t require a college degree, away from their constituents. If we set politics aside and center what’s best for ordinary people, there’s no doubt everyone would come together to protect these tax credits and thousands of Georgia jobs.
During my first term in the Senate, I was proud to champion these clean energy tax credits, which were passed as part of landmark climate legislation in August 2022. Since then, clean energy investment has exploded across Georgia. In less than three years, businesses have announced or advanced 51 new projects worth over $28 billion in our state. In fact, Georgia has benefited from these clean industry tax credits more than any other state. New projects are expected to add nearly 42,000 jobs across all corners of Georgia. More than 95% of these new jobs are outside metro Atlanta, and these projects overwhelmingly benefit places where folks are less likely to have a college degree and don’t earn as much as the average American.
This month, I laid out the benefits of these tax credits in a report that outlines Georgia’s Clean Energy Boom. In an era defined by gridlock, Democrats and Republicans across the state agree: these clean energy manufacturing jobs are good for Georgians and their families.
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said solar panel manufacturer Qcells, which will invest over $2.5 billion in projects across Georgia, partially thanks to these tax credits, is “fantastic” and claims her constituents are “excited to have jobs”. Congressman Barry Loudermilk, whose congressional district is home to a future Qcells facility, praised the company’s solar panel production as a “win for our state” and a “great source of jobs”.
Congressman Buddy Carter has noted that “countless American companies” have used the tax credits to make “major investments” in clean energy. His constituents alone stand to benefit from 11 new clean energy projects representing nearly $7.9 billion in investments and 7,400 new jobs announced after these tax credits were signed into law. The congressman has supported preserving these private sector investments, which he said, “increase domestic manufacturing, promote energy innovation, and keep utility costs down.”
If Washington Republicans move forward with a GOP tax bill that repeals these clean energy tax credits, it’s their districts that will lose jobs and private investments: three out of four clean energy projects that were announced or boosted following the passage of these tax credits have gone to House districts held by Republicans. This is especially true in Georgia: 80% of the projects, 94% of the total investments, and 75% of the proposed new jobs and investments are in Congressional districts represented by Republicans.
By repealing clean energy tax credits to give a tax cut to the wealthy and well-connected, Washington Republicans could cause Georgia to lose up to 42,000 jobs in communities desperate for new jobs and investments. If the President and Congressional Republicans were serious about bringing American manufacturing back to the United States, as I am, they would protect these tax credits.
Politics has a way of trying to make easy stuff, complicated. I’ll tell you what’s not complicated – 51 new projects worth $28 billion all across our state and up to 42,000 new jobs. Georgians are smart enough to know who is actually looking out for them. Now, it’s up to Georgians to ask their Congressional representatives: when the GOP tax bill comes up for a vote, are you going to protect good-paying Georgia jobs?
Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Maggie Hassan
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) is pressing the Social Security Administration about a surge in constituent concerns about delays in receiving their Social Security benefits.
“Due to the haphazard actions of Elon Musk and his so-called ‘Department of Government Efficiency,’ seniors in New Hampshire are struggling with significant delays in receiving the Social Security benefits that they worked for their entire lives,” wrote Senator Hassan in her letter to Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano. “I urge you to immediately reverse Elon Musk’s slow-down in Social Security benefit payments, open an investigation into Social Security payment delays, and provide transparent answers to Congress regarding how many seniors are waiting longer than they did last year for their Social Security checks.
“My office has seen a significant increase in outreach from Granite Staters who are facing issues receiving the Social Security benefits that they have earned,” continuedSenator Hassan. “Constituents have reported delays in receiving their checks or receiving a lower benefit amount than usual. Others have reported being unable to access their accounts and unable to reach anyone on the phone to get assistance… The surge in issues faced by seniors comes as the Administration has made very clear that this Administration is deliberately trying, as part of its agenda, to make it more difficult for seniors to access their earned benefits.”
Senator Hassan urged Commissioner Bisignano to explain the delays and pressed him to provide information on how many seniors have experienced delays, as well as information on what actions Elon Musk and DOGE have taken that affected systems related to the timely payment of benefits.
Senator Hassan has been speaking out against President Trump’s attacks on Social Security, including the Administration’s moves to close Littleton’s Social Security office and to fire employees across the country who help provide in-person and telephone customer service to seniors. Earlier this month, Senator Hassan participated in a town hall with Granite State seniors to hear about their concerns, particularly their concerns about Social Security. In March, she met with North Country seniors to hear their concerns and explore what can be done to avert closure of the Littleton Social Security field office. Earlier this year, Senators Hassan and Shaheen sent a letter calling on the leaders of the General Services Administration and Social Security Administration to stop any efforts to close the Littleton Social Security field office as well as stop broader attacks on Social Security.
Click here to see the full letter or see below:
Dear Commissioner Bisignano:
Due to the haphazard actions of Elon Musk and his so-called “Department of Government Efficiency,” seniors in New Hampshire are struggling with significant delays in receiving the Social Security benefits that they worked for their entire lives. I urge you to immediately reverse Elon Musk’s slow-down in Social Security benefit payments, open an investigation into Social Security payment delays, and provide transparent answers to Congress regarding how many seniors are waiting longer than they did last year for their Social Security checks.
My office has seen a significant increase in outreach from Granite Staters who are facing issues receiving the Social Security benefits that they have earned. Constituents have reported delays in receiving their checks or receiving a lower benefit amount than usual. Others have reported being unable to access their accounts and unable to reach anyone on the phone to get assistance. Most concerning is that multiple seniors have contacted my office after the Social Security Administration unilaterally suspended their benefits with little explanation and limited recourse to get assistance online or by phone. This is absolutely unacceptable.
The surge in issues faced by seniors comes as the Administration has made very clear that this Administration is deliberately trying, as part of its agenda, to make it more difficult for seniors to access their earned benefits. Elon Musk called Social Security a “Ponzi scheme” and called for cutting one-third of Social Security and Medicare. Howard Lutnick, the Commerce Department Secretary, subsequently claimed that seniors waiting for Social Security checks “wouldn’t call and complain.” According to Secretary Lutnick, only fraudsters would complain about a delayed or missing Social Security payment: “a fraudster always makes the loudest noise, screaming, yelling and complaining.”
Given the harm that Elon Musk’s actions have imposed on seniors in New Hampshire, I urge you to take immediate steps to reverse any changes at the Social Security Administration that have delayed Social Security payments to seniors and to open an investigation into the consequences of DOGE’s actions on payments to beneficiaries. Further, I ask you to answer the questions below by June 5th.
How many seniors have experienced delayed Social Security payments from January 20th, 2025, to present? Please compare this figure to the same period over each of the preceding three years.
What is the Social Security Administration’s on-time payment rate for Social Security retirement benefits from January 20th, 2025, to present? Please compare this figure to the same period over each of the preceding three years.
What has been the typical Social Security payment delay-period experienced by a senior from January 20th, 2025, to present, among those seniors who are not paid their benefits on time by the Social Security Administration? Please compare this figure to the same period over each of the preceding three years.
What actions taken by Elon Musk and DOGE have affected systems that relate to the timely payment of Social Security benefits to seniors? Please provide a comprehensive list of these actions, the dates on which the actions took place, the affected systems, and the DOGE-affiliated individuals who carried out the actions.
Does the Social Security Administration collect information regarding how many seniors attempt to call the Social Security Administration for assistance but cannot reach a person for assistance? If so, please provide this figure for January 20th, 2025, to present and please compare this figure to the same period over each of the preceding three years.
Thank you for your attention to this pressing matter.
Source: United States Senator for Texas Ted Cruz
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced legislation to reimburse the State of Texas for the more than $11 billion dollars Texas taxpayers spent on Operation Lone Star, Texas’ border security mission launched due to President Biden’s dereliction of duty.
Sen. Cruz said, “Texas was on the frontlines of the Biden administration’s open border crisis, and Texans were on their own dealing with the consequences. I am proud to stand with Governor Abbott and Senator Cornyn to ensure the Lone Star State is reimbursed, and I urge my colleagues to pass this bill expeditiously.”
Sen. Cornyn said, “For four years, Governor Abbott and Texas taxpayers were forced to bear the brunt of the Biden-Harris border crisis. Today, I am proud to introduce my legislation to reimburse Texas for its historic efforts to secure the southern border. My bill will ensure the Lone Star State is repaid for stepping up to protect and defend our nation’s southern border while the Biden-Harris administration abdicated its federal duty. Thanks to the strong leadership of President Trump, Secretary Kristi Noem, Border Czar Tom Homan, and Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks, our country is finally back to enforcing the immigration laws that have been on the books for years, and I will continue to work with the Trump administration to ensure Texas never again has to endure an open-border disaster like we saw under Joe Biden.”
Companion legislation is being led in the House by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas-21).
Rep. Roy said, “For four years, Texans stood in the breach of the worst border crisis in recent American history. Joe Biden and Alejandro Mayorkas’s dereliction of duty led to an invasion of lawlessness, crime, danger, and drugs, putting Texans, and every American in harms way. The states like Texas that stood on the front lines to defend our nation when the federal government would not, deserve to be reimbursed by the very federal government that should have done its job in the first place. It’s critical states like Texas have these resources to ensure adequate law enforcement funding to partner with the Trump administration to secure our border.”
BACKGROUND
The State Border Security Assistance Act would:
Create funds at the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to reimburse states for actions they took after January 20, 2021, to secure the border;
Reimburse costs of activities such as construction of border wall, surveillance of the border, and apprehension, detention, and prosecution of individuals who illegally entered the United States;
Appropriate enough money to the funds to ensure that Texas is fully reimbursed;
And sunset the funds after the end of the Trump Administration and return any remaining money to the Treasury for debt-reduction purposes.