Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)
WASHINGTON – Senator John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement applauding the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) for entering into a 20-year lease agreement with McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La., the location of the PHMSA National Center of Excellence for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Safety (the Center). McNeese was chosen as the Center’s site earlier this year. The lease will start on August 1, 2025.
“LNG production is one of the most critical ways our nation can unleash our energy dominance and protect our national security, and Louisiana is leading the way. I’m proud to see the U.S. Department of Transportation take this major step forward in building our National Center of Excellence for LNG Safety in Lake Charles. This Center will be a game changer for our region and be the tip of the spear for LNG innovation, operations, and safety in the U.S.,” said Kennedy.
“Louisiana is at the heart of America’s growing LNG revolution. There is no better place to locate our Center of Excellence to ensure we safely transport this critical energy source,” saidU.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. 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, serve as an information repository on best practices for LNG facilities, and facilitate collaboration among LNG stakeholders.
“We are excited to reach another important milestone in the construction of the Center, which will be a hub for advancing U.S. LNG safety,” said PHMSA Acting Administrator Ben Kochman.
“We are thrilled to finalize the long-term lease with PHMSA for a location on our McNeese campus. This project has been in the works for over two years, and it would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of Senator Kennedy and his staff, our partners in Washington, D.C., and our colleagues at the University of Louisiana. We believe having PHMSA right here in Lake Charles—working alongside us—will serve as a powerful catalyst for securing the future of our region’s vital industries,” said Dr. 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 into the PIPES Act requiring the Center to be located 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 during the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies (THUD Appropriations). In response to Kennedy’s questions, 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 the LNG Business and already hosts 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 Kansas Roger Marshall
Washington – On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) announced the Trump Administration is fulfilling his request for disaster relief aid following multiple rounds of severe weather and tornadoes this past May. President Trump personally called Senator Marshall to share that he was allocating $6.7 million in public assistance for the affected communities.
“This past May, several of our communities experienced devastating EF3 tornadoes, causing widespread destruction. Entire towns were leveled and significant damage was sustained to Interstate 70, public infrastructure, and private property,” said Senator Marshall. “I am very grateful to President Trump and his administration for quickly fulfilling our request to provide the much-needed assistance to our Kansas communities.”
The following Kansas counties will be eligible for public assistance: Bourbon, Cheyenne, Edwards, Gove, Kiowa, Logan, Pratt, Reno, Scott, Sheridan, and Stafford.
Senator Marshall led a letter in June asking for this public assistance.
Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall
Washington – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) sat down with Fox News Digital to discuss the nearly 30 bipartisan bills he has proposed for his Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) legislative package. Senator Marshall is the chairman of the MAHA Caucus.
Read the full article HERE or below:
GOP Senator Reveals the ‘Dirty’ Secret to Trump’s Make America Healthy Again Movement
Alex Miller
Fox News Digital
July 18, 2025
For one lawmaker, the path to making Americans healthier starts in the dirt.
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., has styled himself as an early adopter of the Make America Healthy Again movement, a political slogan born on the 2024 campaign trail that has since seen major companies tweak their products to nix artificial additives.
But Marshall sees the initiative, commonly known as MAHA, as one that can start sooner than switching the oil in deep friers or swapping out high-fructose corn syrup for cane sugar in soda.
He has his own four pillars of MAHA, which include dialing up efficiency in agriculture; healthier, more nutrient-rich food; affordable access to primary care healthcare; and addressing mental health challenges among young people.
But it all starts below the surface with soil health.
“Soil is a dirty topic, you know, pun intended,” Marshall told Fox News Digital in an interview.
MAHA diehards and farmers are, at a surface level, at odds with one another, he said. For example, returning to an entirely organic food production process devoid of fertilizers would create healthier food, but also crank up the costs on consumers and strain farmland.
Earlier in the week, Marshall held a roundtable with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to try and bridge that gap.
“Soil health seems to be the common ground,” he said. “So healthy soil meets healthy food meets healthy people. Rather than MAHA telling these farmers what you can and can’t do, we wanted to say, ‘What’s our goal here?’ If we have the same goals, then we’re going to figure this out. Well, the goal is healthy soil.”
Getting those two in a room together, along with experts on regenerative agriculture, which is a more holistic approach to farming that targets soil health by restoring and enhancing ecosystems, is just a part of his plan.
He also intends to drop a massive package of bills that is divided up into categories that echo his four pillars, including legislation geared toward health care, mental health, nutrition and agriculture.
Among the nearly 30 bills and amendments in the package is one Marshall is particularly keen to see codified. The Plant Biostimulant Act would spur usage of organisms that can be placed into the soil and that latch onto the roots of plants that absorb nitrates and more water, he said.
The bill ties in directly with his passion for regenerative agriculture, which uses fewer fertilizers, water and other status-quo farming techniques to produce healthier foods on more sustainable farmland, which, in turn, would yield a cheaper, more nutritious diet for Americans.
“It’s growing more with less,” he said.
Among the various, bipartisan pieces of legislation from both chambers are bills that would push mobile cancer screenings with grant funding, add mental health warnings for kids scrolling through social media, require more transparency in food ingredients, expansion of employer healthcare coverage for chronic diseases, and measures that would allow bleeding edge soil health technology and processes to be considered conservation practices and eligible for Farm Bill funding, among others.
Most bills need to get 60 votes to pass in the Senate, Marshall noted, and that led to a desire to incorporate as many bipartisan measures in the package as possible. It’s also a topic that, in spite of the political polarization in Washington, “unites us, rather than divides us.”
Still, with President Donald Trump in office, he sees the chance for the measures to pass as a kind of now or never moment.
“We’re seeing a time in our lives where the incidence of cancer, the age of cancer, is growing younger and younger, the age of Alzheimer’s onset is growing younger and younger, and we believe it’s an inflammatory reaction to the food that we’re eating that leads to all that,” he said.
“We think heart disease, hypertension, is really an inflammatory reaction… to the food we’re eating and the constantly high sugar levels in our blood system,” he continued. “So absolutely, I think, seize the moment. This is it.”
Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today submitted a Statement for the Congressional Record excoriating President Trump for withdrawing from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). In his statement, Senator Welch called the withdrawal from UNESCO ill-conceived, and warned this move will allow the Chinese government to expand its influence in the United Nations.
Read Senator Welch’s Statement for the Congressional Record below:
“Mr. President, of all the uninformed, ill-conceived, and self-inflicted errors of this Administration, the just-announced decision to withdraw from UNESCO stands out.
“The justification given by the State Department spokeswoman was a recitation of outdated, vague, and inaccurate criticisms of an organization that has seen dramatic reforms over the past seven years under the outstanding leadership of Director General Audrey Azoulay. Since her initial appointment in 2017, Director General Azoulay has made numerous trips to Washington to meet with leaders in the Congress and the Administration. I have heard consistently positive reactions to her leadership of UNESCO by Republicans and Democrats alike, including regarding UNESCO’s efforts to address antisemitism.
“Given Director General Azoulay’s success in focusing UNESCO on its mission of promoting international cooperation and peace in a manner consistent with democratic values and human rights and dignity, one can only conclude that the Administration officials behind this short-sighted decision never bothered to do their homework. Or they were guided purely by Project 2025’s mindless opposition to multilateralism, regardless of the facts. As far as I am aware they did not bother to consult anyone in Congress, including those who have regularly engaged with Director General Azoulay and her professional staff.
“Mr. President, most Republicans and Democrats have long recognized that it is far better for the United States to be in the room, rather than remain outside and cede our influence to those who don’t share our interests or values. The Chinese Government is looking for any opportunity to expand its influence in the United Nations, and UNESCO is no exception. We rejoined UNESCO in 2023 after a five-year absence, and now we are withdrawing again. It sends a terrible message that the United States can no longer be counted on. It is a message the Chinese will applaud.”
Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined Larry Kudlow on Fox Business Network to highlight some of President Trump’s many wins since taking office six months ago, including historic tax cuts, increased military recruitment, protecting female athletes, securing the southern border, and making our food healthier.
Excerpts from the interview can be found below and the full interview can be viewed on YouTube or Rumble.
KUDLOW: “So Senator Tuberville, I think one of the themes here—this is something we’ve talked about. Victor Davis Hanson has been writing about this. The experts were wrong. Trump got this stuff done. In particular, the southern border—which is virtually flat now, virtually empty—no crossings. We didn’t need new legislation, right? Remember that push? We just needed somebody who was tough enough to enforce the laws. Let’s start with that one, okay? Immigration. How about that? Maybe his greatest achievement.”
TUBERVILLE: “Well, you’re exactly right and one of the repercussions of the immigration stoppage of keeping very few illegals coming to our country—we’re saving $40 billion dollars to this point in this budget. $40 billion dollars. And that’s going to count up. We could not afford for Kamala Harris to win this election because it would have been a disaster, just for the immigration alone, which would [have] just stair-stepped everything to becoming a disaster when it come to the economy.”
KUDLOW: “And you know Senator, the Democrats have to be crazy and just out of their minds to oppose this, okay? They’re still defend[ing]—and they’re still in the business of defending sanctuary cities and of defending the worst of the worst criminals. And we just had this awful shooting of a border agent in New York City. And DHS secretary Kristi Noem correctly just blasted New York City Democrats. They got a mayor—the Socialist mayor, Communist mayor, whatever he is—Mamdani the Commie. He wants to keep ICE agents out. He wants to keep Netanyahu out. He wants to keep Trump out. I mean, how can the Democrats be so stupid? I call them experts. They’re really just deep state people who arejust on the wrong side of all these issues.”
TUBERVILLE: “Well, the wrong side, and that’s the only side they can reach to, Larry, for votes. They have to have votes, and they’re looking for somewhere to get votes. This sanctuary city nonsense—it’s unlawful. People are going to get hurt more and more when you hang out in these sanctuary cities. But all they’re doing is pushing socialism, and all socialism is just—it’s communism without a gun, at the end of the day. And so, we need to understand the direction this country’s going if the Democrats have an opportunity to get a leg back into this country in terms of leadership. That’s not going to happen. As you just said, I was at that dinner in the White House Friday night when President Trump was going through all those wins that we’ve had. It’s just amazing to me that it takes so long to go through them, our dinner got cold. But at the end of the day, it was so fun to listen to all that. It’s just amazing what he’s done in six months.”
KUDLOW: “So the experts were wrong, tariffs are not inflationary, real wages are actually going up, the stock market is now hitting new record highs. I believe today, both the NASDAQ and the SMP hit new record highs. But here’s one for you, which I think is very important: in six months, military recruitment—new military recruitment—Pete Hegseth, Defense Secretary, Donald Trump, President of the United States and Commander in Chief—new military recruitment has gone sky high, record levels. What do you make of that, Senator?”
TUBERVILLE: “Well, I’ll tell you why, people—these young men and women—are feeling good about our country again. They’re not being told that they’re woke, and they need to be social justice warriors. They’re doing it for the right thing. They’re doing it to protect our country. But it’s also a great way to get an education. It’s a great job. But it wasn’t sold that way by the Democrats. It was sold by the Democrats as ‘Hey, be part of a basically a clown show,’ and that’s what it was turning into. I’m on Armed Services. I’ve never seen anything like the recruiting that was going on. The books that our generals were telling our troops to read, whether it was on ships or in in some of these camps—it’s just amazing to me the direction where we were going.”
KUDLOW: “Well, here’s another one then. We obliterated Iran, but the deep state experts said, ‘No. No. No. If we hit Iran, it would cause a massive blow-up and war throughout the Middle East and the rest of the world.’ What I don’t see is any of that stuff. In fact, we’re—I guess, we’re at a ceasefire, de facto, if not de jure. But the point is he obliterated the Iran nuclear program. None of them under the Bidens or the Obamas or anybody else had the backbone, I’ll call it, to do such a thing. You know what I mean? Here—tough wins, okay? Tough always wins.”
TUBERVILLE: “Yep. President Trump’s a peacemaker. He understands sometimes you have to take the tough decision. Don’t listen to everybody else around you. Go by your instincts. He understood that, hey, there is no possible way we can allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. And if they’re getting this close as his experts were telling him, we’ve got to do something. And so go in, go out. He set them back probably a year and a half, two years. They can always build back. But who’s to say we won’t go back in there in two years and destroy it again? And it’s cost them a trillion dollars to build this infrastructure up. […]”
KUDLOW: “Here’s another one: no men in women’s sports. How about that? Commonsense, you wouldn’t have thought. This was like a major battle—a major battle. This was like the Democrats’ last stand, but no men in women’s sports.”
TUBERVILLE: “Yeah. Of course, I’ve been on this ever since it started. This was my first vote when I got here four years ago. And there’s [been] no Democrats in four years vote on any of my bills about no men and women sports. It’s absolutely insane what they’ve tried to do. And it’s an attack on women. And it doesn’t—I don’t understand this. I must be talking to people from a different planet sometimes when they talk about [how] they need the opportunity to do whatever they want to do. No, they don’t. Men and women have separate identities in terms of physical ability, and they need to be separate in sports and that’s the reason we’ve had it this way for 249 years.”
KUDLOW: “How about this one? I didn’t put it in my riff, but alright, fancy colleges and universities—no more antisemitism. No more racism. No more affirmative action. And if you don’t play ball, you’re gonna lose your grants, your federal grants. Now that is a tough President doing the right thing. Is he not?”
TUBERVILLE: “Exactly. Our education is going to hell in a handbasket. And here’s the reason why: it’s become a business, Larry. It’s become a business of making money and doing things to where they can pay their presidents $2 or $3 million dollars each and have their private planes. It’s really gone overboard. But let me give you one: 35-40% of the companies in this country have cut out this poison that we’re putting in our food. And of all the people I talk to, this is one of the major wins that President Trump’s had. We don’t talk about it enough. I’m having dinner with Dr. Oz and some of the people of MAHA tonight, and it’s gonna be a celebration of making a lot of progress in just a short period of time and cleaning up our food.”
KUDLOW: “Well, I love that. Look, we had Bobby Kennedy on the show. He was absolutely terrific. I gotta stop eating ice cream because they’re always weird dyes. I can’t do that anymore. I’m gonna stick to my—”
TUBERVILLE: “Eat vanilla. Eat vanilla, Larry.”
KUDLOW: “I don’t know. Even vanilla, I can’t be sure anymore. He really shook everybody up. But finally, Senator—and this is a tragedy. Today a Border Patrol agent got shot in New York City. I think people, alright. Kristi Noem—DHS Secretary Noem—is blasting this as part of the New York City problem. This is part of the sanctuary city problem. This is part of the blue city Democratic problem. This is Mamdani the Commie problem. He’s gonna make it worse. I mean, this poor guy got shot for no good reason. Now, this stuff has gotta stop.”
TUBERVILLE: “It really does have to stop. And again, law enforcement, Customs and Border Patrol, whoever is in authority—protect yourself. President Trump has given them authority to protect themself. It’s unfortunate this young person got shot and shot in the face [is] my understanding. Hope he’s fine. But again, this is not gonna be the end of it, Larry. It’s gonna get worse and worse as we go from here. But they have to protect themselves, give them the right to shoot back if they shoot at them…”
KUDLOW: “And so, let me ask you. I mean, Democrats defunding the police again. I haven’t heard that this is what Mamdani the Commie wants to do. Defund the police, put social workers in their place. By the way, he’s got a clone who just got the Democratic nomination for mayor out in Minneapolis, unbelievable to me. How can they actually argue that? You got your Mayor Bass. You got your Governor Newsom. You got all these people, okay? They may not come out for defund the police, but they don’t want any law and order when it comes to chasing the worst of the worst of the illegal criminals who should be deported. I mean, honestly, this is the Democratic position. I think I saw poll today. The Democratic Party has an approval rating, Senator, of 19%. How about those apples? 19%.”
TUBERVILLE: “It’s gonna get worse. Can you imagine [in] Minneapolis, and Chicago, and Detroit, and New York, San Francisco, LA—social workers being the police? What uniform are they gonna wear, first of all? And then are they gonna be armed? It will be a total disaster and it’s a disaster waiting to happen. But [radical Democrats] believe in this. I don’t understand it, but it’ll all get straightened out at the end of the day. They’re not gonna win any of the elections coming up [that] they think they’re gonna win. And President Trump’s gonna keep hammering them every day in terms of making sure we take this social justice nonsense out of everything that we do.”
KUDLOW: “Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Absolutely. Senator Tommy Tuberville, as always, sir, thank you for your wisdom.”
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 Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) in introducing the Stop Financial Underwriting of Nefarious Demonstrations and Extremist Riots (Stop FUNDERs) Act. The legislation would add rioting to the list of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) predicate offenses, giving the U.S. Department of Justice authority to use the full suite of RICO tools against entities who fund or coordinate violent interstate riots, such as the ones recently seen in Los Angeles, California.
“77 million Americans voted for President Trump and his America First policy agenda – and that includes arresting and deporting illegal aliens,” said Senator Tuberville.“Democrats don’t like that – so they are rioting in the streets and violently attacking law enforcement officers. This cannot stand. My colleagues and I are introducing a bill to make sure the Department of Justice has the tools it needs to go after anti-American terrorist groups and their funders who are protecting illegal rapists, murderers, and criminals. We have to cut these violent riots off at the source. The adults are back in charge, and law and order will prevail.”
“Every American has the right to freedom of speech and peaceful protest, but not to commit violence,” said Senator Cruz.“Domestic NGOs and foreign adversaries fund and use riots in the United States to undermine the security and prosperity of Americans. My legislation will give the Department of Justice the tools it needs to hold them accountable, and I urge colleagues to pass it expeditiously.”
U.S. Senators Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Mike Lee (R-UT), Thom Tillis (R-NC), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Josh Hawley (R-MO) also joined the legislation. U.S. Representative Beth Van Duyne (R-TX-24) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
This bill is supported by Heritage Action and National Right to Work Committee.
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 Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) spoke with Vice Admiral Frank Bradley, President Trump’s nominee to be Admiral and Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and Lt. Gen. Dagvin Anderson, President Trump’s nominee to be General and Commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) during their Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) nomination hearing. They discussed SOCOM’s military operations in Panama and Latin America to combat narco-terrorism and secure our southern border, along with the strategic need for having a military presence in Africa.
Read Sen. Tuberville’s remarks below or on YouTube or Rumble.
TUBERVILLE: “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good morning.
Thanks [to] both of you. Thanks for what you’ve done for our country over your careers—you and your family. What a sacrifice it’s been, but you’ve done an outstanding job.
ON SOCOM EFFORTS TO COMBAT NARCO-TERRORISTS:
“Admiral, I think [for] far too long, we’ve had our eyes on other things and not on our hemisphere—whether it’s illegal migrants, drugs, or both. So, what is [the] Special Operations community doing to assist the militaries and governments in our hemisphere like Panama to combat narco-terrorists?”
BRADLEY: “Senator, in my current capacity, I’m not privy to all of the activities that SOCOM is engaged in, in the Southern Hemisphere. But in listening and watching General Fenton and his leadership over these last three years, I know that the partnerships that our teams have been engaging in and developing remain critical to being able to help them build capacity, to be able to defend themselves, but also to provide security locally, which, of course, helps to prevent and secure our Southern border as well.”
TUBERVILLE: “Yeah, I’m sure you’re up on the point of the Darién Gap and the problems that’s caused over the years, and relationship with our Special Ops, down in that area—training people—that will probably be in your forte going forward. What’s your thoughts about cooperation activities with Latin America as [you’re] going into this job?”
BRADLEY: “Yes, sir. I think as the counterterrorism fight informs us, it is far better to find the root of the problem well away from our borders than it is to have to defend them internal to the United States. And so, if confirmed, making it a priority to provide assistance to all of our combatant commanders as far forward as possible, and with those partnered forces to help them to be able to secure their own territory.”
ON AMERICAN MILITARY PRESENCE IN AFRICA:
TUBERVILLE: “Yeah, and we and we have problems all over the world. But if we don’t watch our back door, then we’re gonna [really have] problems within our country, which we already have. General, I think we need to be reinforcing our military presence in Africa. Unfortunately, under the previous administration, we seemed like we were doing just the opposite. Niger—you and I talked about this in a meeting in my office—the vacuum that was caused there. China, Russia, Iran, were all too happy to feel the things that we were doing there. What’s your assessment of our withdrawal from Airbase 201? And have we learned from these lessons? And your thoughts about maybe the future there?”
ANDERSON: “Senator, I appreciate that question and there was a significant investment that went into that airbase. It was in a key area for us to be able to monitor the threat. So, the loss of that is one that we have to find creative ways to continue to get the indicators and warnings of what the terrorists are doing in that area. I think we also have to understand that there is some volatility across the continent. So how do we make smart investments with the partners that we can continue to sustain. I will say that the relationships that we built in Niger with the military over several decades are still there. There is—when the time is right—I believe there will be an opportunity, but that time will have to be determined. And if confirmed, I’ll look at what that is.”
TUBERVILLE: “Yeah. After your confirmation, I guess, by telling committee and people even watching at home—why do we need to have [a] presence in Africa? What [are] your thoughts?”
ANDERSON: “So, Africa is key to any strategy. It’s just on strategic terrain. It’s just the waterways that it forms between the Strait of Gibraltar all the way down to the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. It [has] critical minerals and resources that are on the continent that we need for the future economy. Both China and Russia see their strategies going through the continent, and they are going to engage there and so we can cede that ground or we can compete in that ground. And I think we have a very powerful tool to compete with. As Admiral Bradley mentioned, nobody brings more credibility to the counterterrorism fight than the U.S. As a matter of fact, when we rescued that hostage in Niger, the next morning [there was an] influential blogger that posted, ‘The Americans came like the lion in the night. They killed their enemies and rescued their own.’ No other nation on Earth could do that.And that is a powerful symbol across the continent and around the world of what our military and what the United States is capable of. And I do think that some level of engagement in Africa does matter. I’d agree it’s an economy of force, but a small investment goes a long way so that we don’t have a strategic surprise that then distracts the United States from focusing on the rising threats in the Pacific and other areas.”
TUBERVILLE: “Thank you. Thanks Mr. Chairman.”
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 Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined Newsmax’s Chris Salcedo Show to discuss DNI Tulsi Gabbard’s recent report exposing the FBI’s involvement in covering up then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s mishandling of classified information. Sen. Tuberville and Salcedo also discussed the Senate’s effort to continue advancing President Trump’s America First policy agenda as well as the Radical Democrat Socialist Party’s violence against law enforcement.
Excerpts from the interview can be found below and the full interview can be viewed on YouTube or Rumble.
SALCEDO: “Senator Tommy Tuberville. Senator, it’s always good to see you. DNI Gabbard releases revelations about Obama, Comey, Brennan, and that gang. Now, we learn that James Comey’s FBI rigged the Hillary Clinton investigation so we would never know how badly she damaged our national security when they didn’t probe those crucial thumb drives. Senator, where is your party’s push for accountability?”
TUBERVILE: “Well, thanks for having me on, Chris. What a colossal cover up this has been. I got here right after Joe Biden took office, and it has been a disaster of […] most Republicans watching this go down. It is a huge cover up.
They’ve tried to push a narrative that, basically, they wanna change our country [into] something that it’s not. They wanted to take all the ability of us as Republicans, as Americans, to try to keep our country going in the right direction. But the mainstream media, the Democrats, and a few Republicans have pushed this narrative of ‘let’s do it the right way. Let’s make sure we’re doing the right thing.’ It has been something that I’ve been shocked at since I’ve been here. And now we’re finally seeing things start to leak out, the truth of really what happened.
The American people are going to find out. It is going to be fun up here to watch all this start taking a narrative, a true narrative, of what really happened of the Democrats trying to change this country into a socialist-communist country for the last four years. These people need to lawyer up, and they need to find out what it’s really like to be under the gun. Putting their hand up, testifying in front of people all over this country because it’s gonna be much-watched as we look at all this narrative being brought forward.”
SALCEDO: “Well, Senator, you know, getting real Americans put into prosecutorial positions would help bring this accountability to these lawless Democrats. There are a number of confirmations for U.S. Attorney backed up in the United States Senate right now. Some have been waiting for months. Has leader Thune committed to you that this backlog will be done away with before the August recess?”
TUBERVILLE: “Well, we’ve talked about that. We’re trying to catch up. The problem, Chris, is the Democrats are playing four corners of basketball here. Slow play. They don’t get back anytime.
It’s a lot of fundamental errors that have happened, not just from here in the Senate, but also the White House. We have to have some firepower. We have to be able to fight back. But at the end of the day, we’re gonna get this done, even if we have to stay up here weekends through August. The Democrats don’t think that we’ll stay up here and work. Guess what? We’ll stay up here and work. We’ll have enough people up here to get a quorum to make sure that we push the agenda. And if they don’t wanna take a vacation, we don’t have to take one.”
SALCEDO: “Wow. I think you’re breaking some news right there. ‘The Senate actually works.’ That’s some big news, Senator. Look, over the weekend, an off-duty CBP officer was shot in the face by an illegal alien suspect. In Wisconsin, an illegal alien was finally arrested by ICE after he allegedly decapitated a woman and stored her body three months after a nut job Illinois judge let him walk free on those gruesome charges. And then there’s Hunter Biden. He’s upset with Americans for trying to stop illegal immigration and the effort to deport illegal aliens.” […]
TUBERVILLE: “This is coming from somebody that’s never had a job, Joe Biden’s son. He’s lived off his dad for many, many years. And so whatever you get from him, you can take [with] a grain of salt. Again, but he’s coming back even at his Democrat team, the members that have actually pushed everything towards the Republicans. But 800% surge of assault on our law enforcement officers in this country. Our justice system, Chris, is in shambles.
Judges taking people that are arrested, letting them go in the front door, go out the back door. That is stopping as we speak, but we have to continue to push that. Again, the Democrats pushed a lot of these judges out in the last few years. They’re overwhelmed all over the country of being very lax on crime. But if we don’t take our neighborhoods back and our streets back, we do not have a country […] but we’ve gotta protect our law enforcement people. They get up every day, ICE, Border Patrol. They get up every day, put a badge on, a gun on their side, and not knowing whether they’re gonna come back or not.
President Trump gave them authority, and they need to take that authority. That [if they’re] shot at, they need to shoot back. We need to take advantage of what’s going on right now and make sure we take our streets back because the Democrats […] could[n’t] care less about that. They want their voters to vote for them, that’s the voters for the Democratic Party. These people are breaking all these laws all over the country.” […]
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 for Maine Susan Collins
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, announced that the Committee advanced the Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 by a 15-2 vote. The bill authorizes funding, provides legal authorities, and enhances congressional oversight for the U.S. Intelligence Community, and includes multiple provisions authored by Senator Collins. The bill now awaits consideration by the full Senate.
“The Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 is critical for the Intelligence Community to defend U.S. interests and to arm policy and decision makers with critical information,”said Senator Collins. “This bipartisan bill would also build upon the effectiveness of the security clearance process, strengthen cybersecurity, and increase congressional oversight of the Intelligence Community.”
The provisions co-authored by Senator Collins address the following issues:
Requiring improvement to the security of our voting and election systems through cybersecurity penetration testing and accreditation, by amending the Help America Vote Act of 2002. This provision was co-authored with Chairman Warner, and was originally introduced as the SECURE IT Act (“Strengthening and Enhancing Cybersecurity by Using Research, Education, Information, and Technology” Act) in the FY24 and FY25 IAA.
Ensuring continued support for victims of Anomalous Health Incidents (AHIs) by mandating that the Intelligence Community support Department of Defense AHI medical research, along with a requirement for the ODNI to issue standard AHI reporting guidelines. This provision was co-sponsored with Senators Cotton, Warner and Gillibrand.
Extension of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015, to 2035. This provision was co-sponsored with Senators Warner, King, and Rounds.
Additional subjects of critical importance to Senator Collins which were included in this IAA were: AHI budget increase to military intelligence centers and health agencies for medical and mechanical research; new policy requirements to support biomedical and biotechnological research to defend against various threats; and multiple security clearance reform initiatives.
Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer
Current 42nd Infantry Division HQ Armory Built in 1971 Has Long-Been Running Out Of Space, Technology, And Infrastructure Needed To Maintain US Army Division HQ And Support Training, Readiness, And Mission Requirements
After Months Of Work, Schumer Just Secured New $90M Authorization – Unlocking The Funding Process – For Project In The FY 2026 Senate NDAA; Senator Is Pushing To Deliver $$ In Future Appropriations Bill For New, Consolidated National Guard Headquarters
Schumer: NDAA Authorization Is A Major Step Forward For A New Armory For NY Army National Guard’s 42nd Infantry Division In Capital Region!
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today announced a major step forward for building a new armory and readiness center for the NY Army National Guard’s 42nd Infantry Division Headquarters to be located in Colonie at the former site of the old Heritage Park minor league baseball stadium that was home to the Albany-Colonie Yankees. The long needed new HQ will also consolidate NY Army National Guard facilities currently located at Watervliet Arsenal, which is needed to maximize space and accommodate planned modernization and expansion projects at Watervliet Arsenal.
Schumer explained the current armory does not meet Army division HQ requirements, and securing this authorization for funding in the Senate’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 is a critical milestone that unlocks the funding process. The next step is to pursue funding in future appropriations. The $90 million authorization he secured to be eligible for the project in the Senate is a massive step forward for the NY Army National Guard which has long been pushing for a new modern expanded armory and readiness center.
“This is a major step towards securing funding to build a new Armory for the 42nd Infantry Division, all while breathing new life into the former site of the Heritage Park minor league in Colonie. NY’s Army National Guard is critical to our national security, but the 42nd Infantry Division’s current headquarters was built over 50 years ago and needs more space to meet the Army’s growing requirements. When I heard the NY National Guard needed help to continue its vital mission and service in the Capital Region, I immediately got to work to secure this critical funding authorization so it can receive future appropriations funding in order to begin the process of building a new, modern facility,” said Senator Schumer. “This funding authorization in the Senate’s national defense bill is a major milestone for building a new state-of-the-art armory and readiness center for the Rainbow Division. I will continue to fight tooth and nail to secure this funding in future appropriations so we can get shovels in the ground for this new Armory.”
Major General Ray Shields, Adjutant General, New York National Guard said, “Senator Schumer has delivered again for the New York Army National Guard – in the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2026 with $90M in authorized federal funds to build a new Readiness Center in Albany for the historic 42nd Infantry Division. Because of the Senator’s efforts to authorize this funding, we are one step closer to the construction of this new 140,000 square foot facility. The impact of this facility on the Division’s readiness will be significant and long lasting.”
Schumer explained that the 42nd Infantry Division Armory in Troy was constructed in 1971 for a smaller organization, but the current Armory housing headquarters does not meet the Army’s minimum facility requirements, with the Division growing and needing a larger space. Simultaneously, the Watervliet Arsenal is modernizing its manufacturing facilities and production streams. However, as a result, this will displace the National Guard Division’s warehouses located on Watervliet Arsenal grounds by 2028. The New York Army National Guard will move the warehouses at Watervliet Arsenal to the site of the current Armory will continue to be used by the NYNG.
Building a new, modernized Armory to house headquarters and consolidating warehouses, now at Watervliet, to the old Heritage Park site in Colonie would ensure that the 42nd Infantry Division has the centralization, resources, infrastructure, and capabilities needed to maintain the division’s mission readiness and its training and deployment activities.
Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy said, “Building a new Capital District Armory on the former site of Heritage Park would be a win-win for both the NY Army National Guard’s 42nd Infantry Division and Albany County. A new division headquarters, on what has been a long vacant county-owned property, would accommodate the need for more space in a modern facility. It would also provide a nice shot in the arm for our restaurants and hotels in that area. I want to thank Senator Schumer for his continued efforts to move this forward and secure funding for what will be a transformational project. This state of the art center will keep the Division mission ready and be able to maintain vital training and preparation for deployments.”
Schumer took action to push for the federal funding needed to support the Army’s operations in the Capital Region. NY State has already provided $5 million to acquire a new Capital Region location for a headquarters facility near the Albany International Airport that is shovel-ready and capable of handling large military vehicles. The state has also delivered $10 million to advance design and has pledged to contribute an additional $30 million to bring this idea to life if the federal government is able to deliver the $90 million needed to complete the project.
Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer
Fort Drum Has History Of OB/GYN Staffing Shortage & Relying on Local Hospitals & Providers For Maternal Care; Amid Nationwide OB/GYN Shortage, Senator Says Department of Defense Needs To Boost Access To Maternal Health Care At Fort Drum & In Watertown, As Well As Military Installations Across The U.S.
After Months Of Work, Schumer Just Secured Language In The Senate NDAA To Address The Longstanding Maternal Healthcare Issues At Fort Drum, Directing The DoD To Develop A Comprehensive Plan & Study Of The OB/GYN Shortage In The Greater Watertown Area
Schumer: Fort Drum’s Military Moms & Families Deserve The Very Best When It Comes To HealthCare
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today announced he has secured legislation in the Senate’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) to begin to address the long standing shortage of Obstetrician-Gynecologists (OB/GYNs) at Fort Drum. For years, Fort Drum has faced shortages of OB/GYNs, forcing soldiers and military families in need of maternal health care to seek care from local hospitals off base or to drive for hours when local care is unavailable.
Schumer said if this language passes into the final NDDA it would require the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Defense Health Agency (DHA) to immediately begin work to create a comprehensive plan to expand OB/GYN care serving Fort Drum and the surrounding Watertown area.
“Our Fort Drum military moms & families, who serve our nation proudly, deserve better access to vital maternal healthcare. But right now, our servicemembers at Fort Drum and their families often have to leave base to access the basic maternal healthcare they need. The bottom line is that we need to take better care of our brave military moms,” said Senator Schumer. “The North Country already experiences major shortages when it comes to recruiting OB/GYNs, and we can’t be forcing our military families who sacrifice so much to be stuck without the proper care they need when they move to our community in service to our country. That is why I am proud to have secured a provision in the Senate NDAA to put Fort Drum’s military moms & families’ first. This is a massive step in the right direction, and we need DoD to immediately address this urgent need to expand OB/GYN care at military installations and make sure families—both at Fort Drum and around the country—have what they need to be safe and healthy. Fort Drum is woven in the very fabric of the North Country, and our military families, military moms and those on the base deserve only the best when it comes to health care.”
Fort Drum has a history of relying on the civilian healthcare network for primary health care, as well as specialty care provided by OB/GYNs. When Camp Drum became Fort Drum in 1974, the decision was made to not build a hospital on-post, and to instead only have a clinic, in order to integrate Fort Drum families with the local network in Watertown.
Shortages of OB/GYN providers on base force those in need of maternal health care to seek care in the community for a multitude of reasons, which can range in urgency from routine check-ups to emergency childbirth. Samaritan Medical Center and Carthage Area Hospital serve Fort Drum soldiers and families with incredible dedication and top-notch medical care, but when their OB/GYNs are spread too thin, soldiers and families must travel over an hour and a half to Syracuse or farther for care. Schumer said this not only increases the risk to patients unnecessarily, but it also saddles soldiers with expenses that they are not eligible to be compensated for under the Department of Defense’s Joint Travel Regulation (JTR).
To help fix the situation, Schumer proudly pushed for and successfully secured language in the Senate version of the NDAA to develop a plan & study the administrative and cost barriers to expanding OB/GYN care specifically in the Watertown area and to create a comprehensive plan to expand OB/GYN care serving Fort Drum. The provision also directs the Secretary of Defense to brief Congress on the plan December 1 of this year to ensure that there is no more delay in providing the Fort Drum community with reliable, high-quality maternal health care close to home.
Schumer said the shortage of OB/GYNs at Fort Drum is part of a nationwide shortage, with particularly low access in rural areas. OB/GYNs have one of the highest attrition rates compared to most medical professions, and increased threats to OB/GYN safety driven by anti-abortion politics. Labor and delivery units, especially in rural areas, are currently closing nationwide due to low reimbursement, and with Medicaid paying for more than 40% of births across the country, even more L&D units are at risk. The recent GOP cuts to Medicaid – the largest in history – will force more units in rural parts of the country to close. This will exacerbate the already dire situation of limited access to critical OB/GYN care for those living on bases in rural America.
Erika Flint, Executive Director, Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization, said “Ensuring access to high-quality OBGYN care for military members and their families continues to be a key focus for the local healthcare community. Maintaining this standard of care—locally and consistently—reflects a deep commitment to the well-being of those who serve. We appreciate the support and attention given to this issue by Senator Schumer, which affects our North Country families, both civilian and military alike.”
Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer
Fort Drum Has History Of OB/GYN Staffing Shortage & Relying on Local Hospitals & Providers For Maternal Care; Amid Nationwide OB/GYN Shortage, Senator Says Department of Defense Needs To Boost Access To Maternal Health Care At Fort Drum & In Watertown, As Well As Military Installations Across The U.S.
After Months Of Work, Schumer Just Secured Language In The Senate NDAA To Address The Longstanding Maternal Healthcare Issues At Fort Drum, Directing The DoD To Develop A Comprehensive Plan & Study Of The OB/GYN Shortage In The Greater Watertown Area
Schumer: Fort Drum’s Military Moms & Families Deserve The Very Best When It Comes To HealthCare
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today announced he has secured legislation in the Senate’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) to begin to address the long standing shortage of Obstetrician-Gynecologists (OB/GYNs) at Fort Drum. For years, Fort Drum has faced shortages of OB/GYNs, forcing soldiers and military families in need of maternal health care to seek care from local hospitals off base or to drive for hours when local care is unavailable.
Schumer said if this language passes into the final NDDA it would require the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Defense Health Agency (DHA) to immediately begin work to create a comprehensive plan to expand OB/GYN care serving Fort Drum and the surrounding Watertown area.
“Our Fort Drum military moms & families, who serve our nation proudly, deserve better access to vital maternal healthcare. But right now, our servicemembers at Fort Drum and their families often have to leave base to access the basic maternal healthcare they need. The bottom line is that we need to take better care of our brave military moms,” said Senator Schumer. “The North Country already experiences major shortages when it comes to recruiting OB/GYNs, and we can’t be forcing our military families who sacrifice so much to be stuck without the proper care they need when they move to our community in service to our country. That is why I am proud to have secured a provision in the Senate NDAA to put Fort Drum’s military moms & families’ first. This is a massive step in the right direction, and we need DoD to immediately address this urgent need to expand OB/GYN care at military installations and make sure families—both at Fort Drum and around the country—have what they need to be safe and healthy. Fort Drum is woven in the very fabric of the North Country, and our military families, military moms and those on the base deserve only the best when it comes to health care.”
Fort Drum has a history of relying on the civilian healthcare network for primary health care, as well as specialty care provided by OB/GYNs. When Camp Drum became Fort Drum in 1974, the decision was made to not build a hospital on-post, and to instead only have a clinic, in order to integrate Fort Drum families with the local network in Watertown.
Shortages of OB/GYN providers on base force those in need of maternal health care to seek care in the community for a multitude of reasons, which can range in urgency from routine check-ups to emergency childbirth. Samaritan Medical Center and Carthage Area Hospital serve Fort Drum soldiers and families with incredible dedication and top-notch medical care, but when their OB/GYNs are spread too thin, soldiers and families must travel over an hour and a half to Syracuse or farther for care. Schumer said this not only increases the risk to patients unnecessarily, but it also saddles soldiers with expenses that they are not eligible to be compensated for under the Department of Defense’s Joint Travel Regulation (JTR).
To help fix the situation, Schumer proudly pushed for and successfully secured language in the Senate version of the NDAA to develop a plan & study the administrative and cost barriers to expanding OB/GYN care specifically in the Watertown area and to create a comprehensive plan to expand OB/GYN care serving Fort Drum. The provision also directs the Secretary of Defense to brief Congress on the plan December 1 of this year to ensure that there is no more delay in providing the Fort Drum community with reliable, high-quality maternal health care close to home.
Schumer said the shortage of OB/GYNs at Fort Drum is part of a nationwide shortage, with particularly low access in rural areas. OB/GYNs have one of the highest attrition rates compared to most medical professions, and increased threats to OB/GYN safety driven by anti-abortion politics. Labor and delivery units, especially in rural areas, are currently closing nationwide due to low reimbursement, and with Medicaid paying for more than 40% of births across the country, even more L&D units are at risk. The recent GOP cuts to Medicaid – the largest in history – will force more units in rural parts of the country to close. This will exacerbate the already dire situation of limited access to critical OB/GYN care for those living on bases in rural America.
Erika Flint, Executive Director, Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization, said “Ensuring access to high-quality OBGYN care for military members and their families continues to be a key focus for the local healthcare community. Maintaining this standard of care—locally and consistently—reflects a deep commitment to the well-being of those who serve. We appreciate the support and attention given to this issue by Senator Schumer, which affects our North Country families, both civilian and military alike.”
Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) announced funding secured for New Mexico communities through the Appropriations Committee’s bipartisan passage of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Bill and Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Bill.
From both appropriations bills, Senator Luján secured $189,820,000 for key local projects that will strengthen our national security, boost violence intervention programs, and equip law enforcement with the resources needed to keep New Mexico communities safe.
“Across New Mexico, these vital investments will deliver resources to enhance public safety in our communities and upgrade infrastructure at our military bases to boost our military’s readiness and safety,” said Senator Luján. “This funding will equip our brave law enforcement officers with the tools they need to protect New Mexicans, support programs aimed at reducing youth violence and violence in Tribal communities, and reinforce critical infrastructure at our military bases. I’m proud to have fought to secure these investments for our communities, and I’ll continue working to deliver the federal support our families and communities need and deserve.”
The Committee process is the first step, and the appropriations bills will next be considered by the full U.S. Senate.
Senator Luján Secured Nearly $190 Million for the Following Local Projects:
Strengthening New Mexico’s Air Force Bases:
$90,000,000 for Cannon Air Force Base to construct a 192-bed dormitory. Secured by Senator Luján and Senator Heinrich.
$83,000,000 for Kirtland Air Force Base to construct a Space Rapid Capabilities Office. Secured by Senator Luján and Senator Heinrich.
$8,100,000 for infrastructure upgrades at Cannon Air Force Base, specifically for ADAL Security Forces Facility. Secured by Senator Luján and Senator Heinrich.
$2,000,000 for infrastructure upgrades at Kirtland Air Force Base, specifically for the design for the Wyoming Gate Project. Secured by Senator Luján and Senator Heinrich.
$700,000 for infrastructure upgrades at Holloman Air Force Base, specifically for the design for the Holloman High Speed Test Track. Secured by Senator Luján and Senator Heinrich.
Boosting Public Safety Throughout New Mexico:
$1,069,000 for the City of Albuquerque’s Real Time Crime Center for the purchase of law enforcement technology.
$1,042,000 for Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office to purchase a new fleet of vehicles.
$1,031,000 for the New Mexico Department of Public Safety Police to provide 5G technology in fleet vehicles. Secured by Senator Luján, Senator Heinrich, and Representative Stansbury in the House-companion bill.
$1,000,000 for UNM Office of the Medical Investigator DNA processing laboratory to allow for the purchase of equipment for DNA identification. Secured by Senator Luján and Senator Heinrich.
$500,000 for Bernalillo County public safety technology upgrades to address high rates of crime in the Albuquerque metro area. Secured by Senator Luján, Senator Heinrich, and Representative Vasquez in the House-companion bill.
$250,000 for the San Juan County Partnership’s Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program to assist in mitigating individuals with substance use disorder or mental/behavioral health challenges from continuously interacting with law enforcement.
Funding Violence Intervention and Prevention Programs:
$1,0350,000 for the City of Albuquerque’s expansion of school-based violence intervention program to assist at risk students by improving grades and reducing youth violence.
$93,000 for the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native women to address challenges in domestic violence and sexual violence in Tribal communities.
Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)
Nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office Predicts Republican Bill Will Add $3.4 Trillion to National Debt
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) published analysis that the final version of the Republican Budget Betrayal will add $3.4 trillion to the national debt over the next 10 years:
“The latest CBO analysis confirms what we’ve known all along: the Republican budget betrayal will deal a devastating blow to our nation’s fiscal future and harm New Mexico families.
“This law will rip health care away from millions of Americans, take food off the tables of hungry children, and pile an additional $3.4 trillion to the national debt. To satisfy President Trump’s demands, Congressional Republicans rushed through a reckless plan that cuts critical lifelines for working families, all to hand out massive tax breaks to the ultra-wealthy and big corporations.
“The facts are clear: Congressional Republicans turned a blind eye and pushed through legislation that hurts children, families, and seniors, and leaves the American people to foot the bill.”
Senator Luján backed aseries of amendments and motionsto the Republican reconciliation bill aimed at protecting access to health care and nutrition programs and lowering costs for New Mexicans. Senate Republicans blocked these common-sense proposals from Senator Luján and Senate Democrats.
Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, alongside Senators Tim Scott (R-SC), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), introduced the Improving Care in Rural America Reauthorization Act, bipartisan legislation to reauthorize programs to improve access to health care in rural communities.
“Across Virginia and throughout the U.S., rural communities often face unique challenges that lead to reduced or even nonexistent access to lifesaving medical care,” said Kaine. “Republicans in Congress just passed a bill to pay for tax cuts for the uber-wealthy at the expense of everyday Americans, and our rural health providers are now grappling with severe budget cuts that could force them to close their doors. Now more than ever, I urge my colleagues to join us in lifting up our rural communities by passing this bipartisan legislation to reauthorize key federal grants that support their access to health care.”
The introduction comes shortly after President Donald Trump signed the Republican budget megabill that will devastate hospitals, health care access, and Medicaid coverage in rural communities. Kaine strongly opposed and voted against the legislation.
Rural communities face unique challenges in accessing lifesaving medical services, including geographic isolation, workforce shortages, transportation barriers, facility closures, and inadequate insurance coverage. These barriers result in unmet health care needs, which translate into a 43 percent higher mortality rate for rural residents compared to their urban and suburban counterparts.
To combat these startling gaps, the Improving Care in Rural America Reauthorization Act reauthorizes the following three programs under the Public Health Service Act through Fiscal Year 2030 (FY30):
Rural Health Care Services Outreach Grants to fund projects that improve the delivery of health care services in rural communities through community engagement and evidence-based models;
Rural Health Network Development Grants to support integrated health care networks that collaborate to achieve efficiencies, expand access to, coordinate, and improve quality of health care in rural communities; and
Small Health Care Provider Quality Improvement Grants to support the planning and implementation of quality improvement activities for rural primary care providers or providers of health care services, like critical access hospitals, rural health clinics, or a network of providers serving rural communities.
As a member of the Senate HELP Committee, Kaine has long advocated for improved health care access and health infrastructure in rural communities. In February, Kaine introduced the bipartisan Rural Hospital Support Act, legislation to prevent rural hospital closures by extending and modernizing critical Medicare programs. In 2024, Kaine introduced the Primary Care Team Education Centers Act, legislation to support the education and clinical training of new primary care professionals to address the health workforce shortage across America, including in rural communities.
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
July 22, 2025
“I cannot in good conscience support this funding bill while the Trump administration illegally withholds funding for programs appropriated by Congress for veterans in need.”
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), released the following statement ahead of the Senate’s vote on the FY 2026 MilCon-VA Appropriations Bill:
“I care deeply about improving service members’ housing and honoring our nation’s promise to our veterans. All three of my brothers served in the military, and I’m the senior Senate Democrat for military personnel.
“The Trump administration’s actions are disgraceful – freezing VA grants, cutting funds for veterans’ suicide prevention, stripping support for veteran homelessness, firing VA workers, gutting programs to help veterans avoid foreclosure and get mental health support in times of crisis. Nothing in this bill puts a stop to those actions.
“I cannot in good conscience support this funding bill while the Trump administration illegally withholds funding for programs appropriated by Congress for veterans in need and Republicans unilaterally claw back bipartisan funding that Donald Trump doesn’t like. Congress is a co-equal branch of government. When we vote to protect our veterans, we need to stand by that vote. We swore an oath to the Constitution, not to a king. If Republicans want support for this bill, they can start by demonstrating they will uphold the law.
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
July 22, 2025
Warren, Bisignano meeting scheduled for Wednesday, July 23
“The nearly 70 million Americans who receive and rely on Social Security benefits deserve answers about the future of the program under your leadership.”
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a leader of the Senate Democrats’ Social Security War Room, announced today that she will meet with Social Security Administration (SSA) Commissioner Frank Bisignano tomorrow, on July 23. Ahead of the meeting, Senator Warren sent Bisignano a letter outlining her ten key concerns and asked him to come prepared to provide answers to her specific questions.
“Under the Trump administration, Americans are being forced to deal with hours-long phone wait times, understaffed field offices, AI doom loops, and website glitches. SSA Commissioner Bisignano is making it harder for Americans to get the Social Security benefits they’ve earned over a lifetime of work. That’s wrong — and I’m looking forward to meeting with him and getting answers for the American people,” said Senator Warren.
“The nearly 70 million Americans who receive and rely on Social Security benefits deserve answers about the future of the program under your leadership,” wrote Senator Warren.
Senator Warren’s ten questions for Commissioner Bisignano are:
After dramatically shrinking SSA’s workforce and cutting thousands of jobs, how can you still claim that SSA is adequately staffed when extensive reporting—and your own decision to reassign staff to DOGE-created staffing holes—shows this is not the case?
Will you commit to keeping all SSA field offices open?
How are you ensuring that staffing reductions and reassignments are not degrading services at field offices?
Why did you remove key customer service metrics from the SSA website?
How can you account for the difference in the wait times that you are reporting and the longer wait times revealed by independent investigations?
Are you directing relevant SSA staff to follow the SSA’s own IT modernization plan, last updated in 2024, or have you directed any subordinate to follow a plan created or issued by any individual associated with DOGE?
How is SSA protecting the sensitive personal information stored in its databases? Will you commit to not allow access to individuals’ data beyond what is strictly necessary for the provision of benefits?
Why are you perpetuating lies that SSA is rife with fraud, when in reality, your own fraud checks—which slowed claims by 25 percent—revealed it was nearly nonexistent?
Are you using fraud markers as a way to cut off immigrants from financial services in hopes of “self-deporting”?
Would you consider privatizing any part of SSA? If so, which parts of the agency are under consideration for privatization?
Senate Dems’ Social Security War Room is a coordinated effort to fight back against the Trump administration’s attack on Americans’ Social Security. The War Room coordinates messaging across the Senate Democratic Caucus and external stakeholders; encourages grassroots engagement by providing opportunities for Americans to share what Social Security means to them; and educates Senate staff, the American public, and stakeholders about Republicans’ agenda and their continued cuts to Americans’ Social Security services and benefits.
Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven
07.22.25
BISMARCK, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today announced that Christa Kiedrowski will serve as his regional director for the south-central region of North Dakota. Based in Hoeven’s Bismarck office, Kiedrowski will manage outreach to 10 counties, helping with the senator’s efforts to assist constituents, businesses and community leaders in the region.
“We’re excited to have Christa step in as our regional director for North Dakota’s capital city and the surrounding region,” said Hoeven. “Throughout her career, she has been focused on building relationships in her community, whether through the stories she’s reported or the business clients she’s worked with. This experience will serve her well as we continue working to advance the priorities of families and businesses across the state.”
Since 2022, Kiedrowski has worked as an anchor, reporter and producer at KFYR TV. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism and Mass Communications Technologies, with a minor in Public Relations, from North Dakota State University in 2011. She will be working from Hoeven’s office at 220 East Rosser Avenue, Room 312 in Bismarck and can be reached at 701-250-4618 or christa_kiedrowski@hoeven.senate.gov.
Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo
Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) delivered the following remarks at an executive session to consider the nominations of Joseph Barloon to be a Deputy United States Trade Representative (USTR) and Brian Morrissey, Jr. to be General Counsel for the Department of the Treasury.
As prepared for delivery:
“We meet today to consider favorably reporting the nominations of Joe Barloon, who is nominated to serve as Deputy USTR and Ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Brian Morrissey, who is nominated to serve as the General Counsel of the Treasury Department.
“The meeting this morning will provide members with the opportunity to make remarks on the nominees. Following statements, we will recess briefly then proceed to our nominations hearing this morning. Later today, we will notify members of the time and location of the vote on Mr. Barloon and Mr. Morrissey.
“During his hearing, Mr. Barloon discussed his plan to work in good faith with WTO Members to advance the interests of the United States. Importantly, based on his prior tenure as General Counsel to the U.S. Trade Representative, Mr. Barloon understands the critical role the WTO plays in ensuring market access for our farmers and businesses of all types. If confirmed, Mr. Barloon will work to restore U.S. leadership at the WTO.
“Building on prior Treasury Department experience, Mr. Morrissey is well-suited to provide critical legal and policy advice to the Secretary and other senior Department officials. He is exceptionally qualified for the position, and his nomination received bipartisan support from Treasury General Counsels dating back to 1977. I was encouraged to hear that he will prioritize a close working relationship with Congress to ensure that the Department effectively implements all laws Congress sends to it.
“I will vote in favor of both nominations and I encourage all of my colleagues on the Committee to do the same.”
Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo
Washington, D.C.–The U.S. Senate Finance Committee today advanced the nominations of Joseph Barloon to be a Deputy United States Trade Representative (USTR) and Brian Morrissey, Jr., to be General Counsel for the Department of the Treasury, each by a vote of 14-13. Following the vote, Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) issued the statement below:
“Each of the nominees advanced by the Committee today will bring vital experience to their respective roles. Mr. Barloon will work to advance the Unites States’ trade interests at the World Trade Organization as the Administration reestablishes U.S. leadership and will be an incredible advocate for American businesses and farmers. Mr. Morrissey is well-suited to provide critical legal and policy advice to the Secretary and other Treasury officials, and has made it clear he will work closely with Congress to ensure the Department effectively implements all laws. I look forward to each nominee’s confirmation by the full Senate.”
Executive session information can be found here.
Read Chairman Crapo’s full statement at the nomination hearing here, and his statement at the executive session here.
Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo
Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) delivered the following remarks at a nomination hearing to consider Jonathan McKernan to be an Under Secretary of the Treasury and Alex Adams of Idaho to be Assistant Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary for Family Support.
As prepared for delivery:
“Thank you to our nominees, Mr. McKernan and Dr. Adams, for being here today. Congratulations on your nominations and thank you both for your willingness to serve.
“Today, we will first hear from Jonathan McKernan who is nominated to serve as the Under Secretary for Domestic Finance at the Treasury Department.
“The Domestic Finance office develops policies and guidance for Treasury Department activities in areas involving financial institutions, federal debt finance, financial regulation and capital markets. Sensible guidance in these areas better ensures financial stability and the growth and resilience of our economy.
“Mr. McKernan has a demonstrated track record of support for sound and balanced regulation. As a member of the Board of Directors at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Mr. McKernan opposed burdensome rulemakings, such as the Basel III Endgame Proposal, which would have hindered economic growth and reduced lending to households and businesses.
“He also served in senior advisory roles on the staff of the Senate Banking Committee, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and the Treasury Department.
“Mr. McKernan, I look forward to working with you, if confirmed, to bolster and protect our domestic financial system.
“We will also hear from Dr. Alex Adams–from Eagle, Idaho–who is nominated to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Family Support, which oversees the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
“ACF plays a vital role in supporting some of America’s most vulnerable populations, including foster care and adoption assistance, both of which have garnered bipartisan interest from this Committee. It is imperative that this agency is led by someone with a deep understanding of these complex issues, a commitment to sound fiscal management, and a proven track record of delivering results.
“Dr. Adams’ service as the Director of Idaho’s Department of Health and Welfare has prepared him to lead ACF. He has overseen a staff of nearly 3,000 individuals and an annual budget of $5.5 billion and delivered clear results for Idahoans.
“As Director, Dr. Adams placed a strong emphasis on child welfare, working with the Idaho State Legislature to enact laws to extend foster care to age 23, allow kin-specific licensing standards, and enhance time to permanency.
“Dr. Adams also has a strong record on budget and efficiency, having served as Governor Little’s budget and regulatory director. He has demonstrated a keen eye toward fiscal responsibility, reducing regulatory burden and maximizing the impact of taxpayer dollars. This experience will be invaluable as he oversees the varied programs under ACF’s purview.
“His nomination has also received letters of support from a broad range of different stakeholders, which I request to be entered into the record.
“Thank you again to our nominees for their time today.”
With Skydance/Paramount merger pending, Skydance reportedly set up secret side deal with Trump worth tens of millions more dollars
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., pressed Skydance Media about reports of a secret deal between Skydance and Donald Trump that may be related to Paramount’s recent multi-million-dollar settlement agreement with the Trump administration, in a letter with Senate colleagues.
Skydance and Paramount are awaiting approval from the Trump administration on their proposed mega-merger, raising concerns about potential bribery related to the deal. In May, following reports of a potential settlement in Paramount’s legal battle with Trump, the senators wrote to the company with concerns that its attempt to settle Trump’s “meritless” lawsuit for tens of millions of dollars, while approval for its $8 billion merger with Skydance is pending in front of the Trump administration, could be construed as bribery.
“These reports raise fresh questions about corruption in the Trump administration and President Trump’s willingness to accept payments from entities with significant policy interests before agencies he controls,” the senators wrote in a letter to Skydance Media CEO David Ellison.
Despite warnings from senators that the deal resembled back-door bribery, Paramount reached a $16 million settlement with Trump, a portion of which will go towards his presidential library. Moving funds to the presidential library offers a discrete way for Trump to collect money under the appearance of ‘contributions’. It was later revealed that the arrangement exceeds the original $16 million. The arrangement may involve public service announcements and other broadcast content promoting conservative causes, potentially worth an additional $15 to $20 million – leading to reports of a back-door deal with Skydance. Consequences could include CBS’ decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert just days after he publicly criticized Paramount’s settlement.
Along with Wyden, the letter was led by Senators Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
To understand whether Skydance’s actions complied with federal anti-bribery laws, the senators are requesting answers to the following questions by August 4.
Is there currently any arrangement under which you or Skydance will provide compensation, advertising, or promotional activities that in any way assist Trump, his family, his presidential library, or other Administration officials?
Have you personally discussed with Trump, any of his family members, any Trump administration officials, or presidential library fund personnel any matters related to the Paramount-Skydance transaction? If so, what was the nature of these discussions?
Were you or any other Skydance executives involved in discussions about settling Trump’s lawsuit against CBS? If so, please provide information regarding the timing, nature of, and participants in these discussions, including whether the pending transaction with Paramount was discussed.
Has Skydance agreed or have you personally agreed to make changes to Skydance’s content or Paramount’s or CBS’s content at the request of the Trump administration, to facilitate approval of the transaction? If so, please describe those requests.
Were you or other Skydance executives involved in discussions about canceling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert? If so, please provide information regarding the timing, nature of, and participants in these discussions, including whether the pending transaction with Paramount was discussed.
Does Skydance have any policies, procedures, or guidance related to compliance with 18 U.S.C. 201 or any other laws governing public corruption? If so, please provide a copy of those policies and procedures.
Does Skydance conduct any training for its staff or executives related to compliance with 18 U.S.C. 201 or any other laws governing public corruption? If so, please provide details regarding these trainings.
In a move to amass more money under the guise of ‘contributions’, at least part of Paramount’s $16 million settlement will go towards Trump’s presidential library. Wyden joined his colleagues to introduce legislation in the Senate and House that would close loopholes allowing presidential libraries to be used as tools for corruption and bribery, including Trump’s potential back-door deal with Skydance.
Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) along with his colleagues Sens. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Richard Blumental (D-CT) led their colleagues in demanding answers from Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian after the company announced that it plans to ramp up its use of Artificial Intelligence to set surveillance-based ticket prices.
“Individualized pricing, or surveillance-based price setting, eliminates a fixed or static price in favor of prices that are tailored to an individual consumer’s willingness to pay. Delta’s current and planned individualized pricing practices not only present data privacy concerns, but will also likely mean fare price increases up to each individual consumer’s personal “pain point” at a time when American families are already struggling with rising costs,”wrote the senators.“The technology making that determination is trained using “all the data we can get our hands on” according to Fetcherr CEO Roy Cohen, and the company’s website claims that AI adoption and usage could increase aviation industry profits by up to $4.4 trillion annually.”
“The implications for individual consumer privacy are severe on their own. Surveillance pricing has been shown to utilize extensive personal information obtained through a variety of thirdparty channels, including data about a passenger’s purchase history, web browsing behavior, geolocation, social media activity, biometric data, and financial status,”they continued.“Former FTC Chair LinaKhan has cautioned against a particularly egregious but conceivable example of an airline using AI to charge a higher fare to a passenger ‘because the company knows that they just had a death in the family and need to fly across the country.’”
In the letter, the senators demanded answers on the company’s plans to protect Americans from pricing discrimination. They also requested answers to a series of questions around the types and sources of data Delta will use to train this AI system, how many passengers and which routes will be impacted, and what steps the company has taken to ensure compliance will follow all applicable federal and state laws.
Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget would end LIHEAP program, which provides heating assistance for more than 26,000 Vermonters
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today grilled Dr. Alex Adams, President Trump’s pick to serve as Assistant Secretary for Family Support at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), about the Trump Administration’s plans to eliminate funding for the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). LIHEAP helps more than 26,000 Vermonters and 6.2 million Americans afford heat and air conditioning.
“LIHEAP is an incredibly important program—it’s getting zeroed out in the budget. I know that you played a major role in Idaho in administering the LIHEAP program there. It’s really, really important in Vermont in those cold winters,” said Senator Welch. “I’m asking you—as a person who did really good work for the people of Idaho, administering the LIHEAP program—what do you think about zeroing out that program?”
Dr. Adams: “Senator, I’ll reiterate what the Secretary said. If Congress funds it, we’ll get the money out the door.”
Senator Welch: “But the President is zeroing it out. And you’re not in Congress…you’re working for President Trump, right? So, my question goes back to, what’s your view about zeroing out the LIHEAP program?”
Dr. Adams: “So, as a former state budget director, I would say no budget decision is ever made in a vacuum. It has to look at the total picture, and because this is an Administration that’s committed to energy policies, more permits—”
Senator Welch: “So you won’t answer, basically.”
Watch Senator Welch’s full remarks below:
Read a key excerpt from Senator Welch’s exchange with Alex Adams, President Trump’s nominee to serve as Assistant Secretary for Family Support at HHS:
Senator Welch: “The whole point of LIHEAP is it’s people who don’t have the resources to participate in the market. They have no control over a) the weather and b) the price of home heating fuel, right?”
Dr. Adams: “Senator, I think in states like mine we have policies that prohibit shutting off of utilities for certain critical months. I think you’re going to have to take into account the nuances and all the other factors in the market.”
Senator Welch: “I’ll just say candidly: I really admire the work you did in Idaho on the LIHEAP program, among other things, and I’m really disappointed in your—from my perspective—lack of candor about what your view is about zeroing out a program that you worked really hard on.”
In May, the Vermont Congressional Delegation pushed back against the Trump Administration’s plans to eliminate the LIHEAP and terminate employees at HHS who distribute the funding. The Delegation previously called on Secretary of HHS Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to immediately reinstate the staff of the Division of Energy Assistance at HHS and disburse funding to states for LIHEAP. They have yet to receive a reply.
Learn more about Senator Welch’s work by visiting his website or by following him on social media.
Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
Welch to gaggle at 4:30 PM, or immediately after the hearing
Assistant Attorney General Dhillon to Testify
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, will gaggle with press immediately following the conclusion of tomorrow’s hearing, entitled “Ending Illegal DEI Discrimination & Preferences: Enforcing Our Civil Rights Laws.”
Witnesses will include Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon; Gene Hamilton, President, America First Legal; and Alabama State Senator Robert Stewart.
Former career staff attorneys at the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division plan to attend the hearing.
Hearing: “Ending Illegal DEI Discrimination & Preferences: Enforcing Our Civil Rights Laws.”
Hearing Time: 2:30 PM
Hearing Location: Dirksen 226
Gaggle with Senator Welch: 4:30 PM or immediately after the hearing concludes; outside of the hearing room
Questions/RSVP: Aaron White; 202-960-0677
Source: United States Senator Ted Budd (R-North Carolina)
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.) joined Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.), and several of his Senate Republicans colleagues, in sending a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick urging the Trump Administration to use ongoing trade negotiations to eliminate foreign price controls that leave American patients footing the cost for pharmaceutical research and development.
“We welcome President Trump’s efforts to ensure foreign nations pay their fair share toward the cost of pharmaceutical research and development. For too long, some developed nations have benefited from American-financed innovation by implementing policies that suppress prices and limit spending on new medicines in their own markets,”wrote the senators.“These actions have contributed to American patients bearing a disproportionate share of global pharmaceutical innovation costs. U.S. trade negotiations offer a valuable mechanism to address these unfair practices, which not only burden Americans, but also function as non-tariff barriers to trade.”
The letter also urges the Administration to designate a senior political official within the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to lead trade discussions on pharmaceutical pricing in the near term, and to promptly nominate a qualified individual to fill the long-vacant Chief Innovation and Intellectual Property Negotiator role, who would ultimately assume leadership of this effort. Created by Congress in 2015, the position was intended to “address acts, policies, and practices of foreign governments that have a significant adverse impact on the value of United States innovation.”
“Appointing an experienced Chief Innovation and Intellectual Property Negotiator would send a strong signal to our trading partners that the United States is committed to addressing imbalanced pharmaceutical pricing and ensuring that any commitments secured are effectively implemented and enforced over the long term,”the senators wrote.
U.S. Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Jon Husted (R-Ohio), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) also joined in signing the letter.
Read the full letter text HERE and below:
Dear Secretary Lutnick and Ambassador Greer,
We welcome President Trump’s efforts to ensure foreign nations pay their fair share toward the cost of pharmaceutical research and development. For too long, some developed nations have benefited from American-financed innovation by implementing policies that suppress prices and limit spending on new medicines in their own markets. These actions have contributed to American patients bearing a disproportionate share of global pharmaceutical innovation costs. U.S. trade negotiations offer a valuable mechanism to address these unfair practices, which not only burden Americans, but also function as non-tariff barriers to trade.
Executive Order 14297, issued on May 12, directed the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) and the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to pursue the removal of policies and practices abroad that have “the effect of forcing American patients to pay for a disproportionate amount of global pharmaceutical research and development, including by suppressing the price of pharmaceutical products below fair market value in foreign countries.” Consistent with this directive, it is important that Commerce and USTR engage with U.S. trading partners to negotiate binding commitments to remove these market-distorting price controls.
Currently, dozens of countries—including those with longstanding pricing policies affecting U.S. pharmaceutical products—have expressed interest or are currently undergoing tariff negotiations. Now is the time for Commerce and USTR to clarify top priorities, capitalize on opportunities, and resolve unfair foreign government policies in support of American workers and patients.
Given the complexity of the issues and their importance to the American public, we urge the Administration to immediately designate a senior political official at USTR to lead the effort to secure and enforce pharmaceutical pricing commitments through trade negotiations and also to promptly nominate a qualified individual to fill the vacant position of Chief Innovation and Intellectual Property Negotiator. Congress created this important position in 2015 to “address acts, policies, and practices of foreign governments that have a significant adverse impact on the value of United States innovation.” Once filled, we recommend this role—supported by a team within USTR—be charged with leading this effort.
Appointing an experienced Chief Innovation and Intellectual Property Negotiator would send a strong signal to our trading partners that the United States is committed to addressing imbalanced pharmaceutical pricing and ensuring that any commitments secured are effectively implemented and enforced over the long term.
We look forward to working with you as you confront these longstanding and unfair price controls that leave Americans disproportionately funding global health care innovation. Eliminating these egregious practices could increase investment in medical research and development by billions of dollars and lower overall health care costs for Americans. In addition, encouraging foreign governments to appropriately value medicines developed and produced in the United States would significantly bolster U.S. exports and jobs. We appreciate your continued attention to this issue and stand ready to support efforts that promote fair and sustainable trade outcomes.
Source: United States Senator Ted Budd (R-North Carolina)
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.) joined Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.), and several of his Senate Republicans colleagues, in sending a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick urging the Trump Administration to use ongoing trade negotiations to eliminate foreign price controls that leave American patients footing the cost for pharmaceutical research and development.
“We welcome President Trump’s efforts to ensure foreign nations pay their fair share toward the cost of pharmaceutical research and development. For too long, some developed nations have benefited from American-financed innovation by implementing policies that suppress prices and limit spending on new medicines in their own markets,”wrote the senators.“These actions have contributed to American patients bearing a disproportionate share of global pharmaceutical innovation costs. U.S. trade negotiations offer a valuable mechanism to address these unfair practices, which not only burden Americans, but also function as non-tariff barriers to trade.”
The letter also urges the Administration to designate a senior political official within the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to lead trade discussions on pharmaceutical pricing in the near term, and to promptly nominate a qualified individual to fill the long-vacant Chief Innovation and Intellectual Property Negotiator role, who would ultimately assume leadership of this effort. Created by Congress in 2015, the position was intended to “address acts, policies, and practices of foreign governments that have a significant adverse impact on the value of United States innovation.”
“Appointing an experienced Chief Innovation and Intellectual Property Negotiator would send a strong signal to our trading partners that the United States is committed to addressing imbalanced pharmaceutical pricing and ensuring that any commitments secured are effectively implemented and enforced over the long term,”the senators wrote.
U.S. Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Jon Husted (R-Ohio), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) also joined in signing the letter.
Read the full letter text HERE and below:
Dear Secretary Lutnick and Ambassador Greer,
We welcome President Trump’s efforts to ensure foreign nations pay their fair share toward the cost of pharmaceutical research and development. For too long, some developed nations have benefited from American-financed innovation by implementing policies that suppress prices and limit spending on new medicines in their own markets. These actions have contributed to American patients bearing a disproportionate share of global pharmaceutical innovation costs. U.S. trade negotiations offer a valuable mechanism to address these unfair practices, which not only burden Americans, but also function as non-tariff barriers to trade.
Executive Order 14297, issued on May 12, directed the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) and the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to pursue the removal of policies and practices abroad that have “the effect of forcing American patients to pay for a disproportionate amount of global pharmaceutical research and development, including by suppressing the price of pharmaceutical products below fair market value in foreign countries.” Consistent with this directive, it is important that Commerce and USTR engage with U.S. trading partners to negotiate binding commitments to remove these market-distorting price controls.
Currently, dozens of countries—including those with longstanding pricing policies affecting U.S. pharmaceutical products—have expressed interest or are currently undergoing tariff negotiations. Now is the time for Commerce and USTR to clarify top priorities, capitalize on opportunities, and resolve unfair foreign government policies in support of American workers and patients.
Given the complexity of the issues and their importance to the American public, we urge the Administration to immediately designate a senior political official at USTR to lead the effort to secure and enforce pharmaceutical pricing commitments through trade negotiations and also to promptly nominate a qualified individual to fill the vacant position of Chief Innovation and Intellectual Property Negotiator. Congress created this important position in 2015 to “address acts, policies, and practices of foreign governments that have a significant adverse impact on the value of United States innovation.” Once filled, we recommend this role—supported by a team within USTR—be charged with leading this effort.
Appointing an experienced Chief Innovation and Intellectual Property Negotiator would send a strong signal to our trading partners that the United States is committed to addressing imbalanced pharmaceutical pricing and ensuring that any commitments secured are effectively implemented and enforced over the long term.
We look forward to working with you as you confront these longstanding and unfair price controls that leave Americans disproportionately funding global health care innovation. Eliminating these egregious practices could increase investment in medical research and development by billions of dollars and lower overall health care costs for Americans. In addition, encouraging foreign governments to appropriately value medicines developed and produced in the United States would significantly bolster U.S. exports and jobs. We appreciate your continued attention to this issue and stand ready to support efforts that promote fair and sustainable trade outcomes.
Source: United States Senator for Illinois Tammy Duckworth
July 17, 2025
More than $241 million in federal funding is being withheld from Illinois schools
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) in sending a letter to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought and Education Secretary Linda McMahon demanding the immediate release of nearly $7 billion in funding for K-12 schools and adult literacy programs across America that the Trump Administration abruptly and indefinitely blocked earlier this month. More than $241 million of the nearly $7 billion in federal funding being withheld is for Illinois schools.
The Trump Administration’s decision to withhold the funding has sent school districts scrambling to determine how they could fill the significant budget hole and whether they’ll have to lay off teachers or end after school programs in the coming weeks. Some school districts have announced they will have to end after school programs, told parents to prepare backup options and adult literacy programs have already been forced to lay off staff.
“We are writing to demand an immediate end to the illegal withholding of nearly $7 billion in federal education formula grant funds our states and communities are expecting for the coming school year, which is set to begin in just a few weeks in some communities,” wrote the Senators. “These funds were made available by the bipartisan Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, signed into law on March 15, 2025. Yet, instead of supporting the tens of millions of students and adult learners intended to benefit from these investments, the administration has chosen to continue an unprecedented and opaque ‘programmatic review’ of these formula grant funds past the July 1, 2025, date these funds became available for allotment to states.”
The lawmakers blasted the Trump Administration for its abrupt notice and illegal freeze of the funds, which has sent school districts and programs nationwide scrambling: “We are shocked by the continued lack of respect for states and local schools evidenced by this latest action by the administration.”
They noted that blocking funding for before and after school programs, as well as summer learning programs, is already hurting families nationwide: “By withholding these funds from states, the Department will impact programs for nearly 1.4 million students served by 10,000 summer and before and afterschool programs around the nation, which the Department’s latest performance report showed supported significant improvements in student attendance, grades, and teacher reports of student engagement in learning. These centers also help working parents by providing a safe and productive place for their children to be after the school day ends and during the summer months. It is beyond comprehension why the administration would want to jeopardize these outcomes.”
Warning of how denying these funds will cause schools to lay off teachers and cut back on teacher training, the Senators wrote: “This rash decision will only worsen school working conditions and teacher shortages.”
The lawmakers also detailed how the move affects adult learners nationwide: “This pause could jeopardize services to more than 1.2 million adult learners working to develop foundational literacy and numeracy skills needed to enter and succeed in workforce training and health, financial, digital, and information literacy skills necessary for full participation in community and civic life. The withholding will have an even more significant impact on 12 states that rely on these funds for 70 to 75 percent of their adult education programs.”
The Trump Administration has confirmed it is blocking funding for the following programs—all of which are programs President Trump has requested to eliminate in his budget request, raising serious concerns about this Administration’s intentions to simply impound the funding:
Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants (Title II-A), which support professional development and other activities to improve the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders, including reducing class size.
21st Century Community Learning Centers (Title IV-B), which support high-quality before and after school programs focused on providing academic enrichment opportunities for students.
Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants (Title IV-A), which provide flexible funding for school districts for a wide range of activities including supporting STEM education, accelerated learning courses, college and career counseling, school-based mental health services and improving school technology, among many others.
English Language Acquisition (Title III-A), which supports language instruction to help English language learners become proficient in English.
Migrant Education (Title I-C), which supports the educational needs of migratory children, including children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
Adult Basic and Literacy Education State Grants (including Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education State Grants), which support adult education and literacy programs to provide the basic skills to help prepare adults and out-of-school youth for success in the workforce.
In addition to Durbin, Duckworth, Murray, Sanders and Baldwin, the letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Jack Reed (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), John Fetterman (D-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ed Markey (D-MA), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR).
Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty
The discussion draft builds on the CLARITY Act, which passed the House of Representatives last week with strong bipartisan support
WASHINGTON—Today,United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, joined Senators Tim Scott (R-SC), Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, Cythia Lummis (R-WY), Chairwoman of the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Digital Assets, and Bernie Moreno (R-OH), in releasing an initial discussion draft of digital asset market structure legislation covering issues under the Banking Committee’s jurisdiction. The discussion draft builds on the CLARITY Act, which passed the House of Representatives last week with strong bipartisan support. Along with the discussion draft, the Senators are issuing a Request for Information (RFI) for stakeholders to submit feedback on the draft and on a wide range of questions.
“For too long, outdated laws and regulatory uncertainty around digital asset market structure have hindered American innovation and left consumers without adequate protections,” said Senator Hagerty. “This discussion draft demonstrates a strong commitment to unlocking the full potential of the digital asset economy by delivering responsible legislation that reflects input from stakeholders, fosters innovation, establishes consistent guardrails, and ensures the United States remains a global leader in digital assets.”
“My colleagues and I in the House and Senate share the same goal: to provide clear rules of the road for digital assets that protect investors, foster innovation, and keep the future of digital finance anchored in America,” said Chairman Scott. “I’m grateful for the hard work of our House counterparts to craft smart, bipartisan legislation, and I look forward to building on their work here in the Senate. Working with President Trump, we can deliver a comprehensive, bipartisan regulatory framework for digital assets.”
“The time for regulatory uncertainty in the digital asset space has come to an end,” said Senator Lummis. “This discussion draft represents a thoughtful, balanced approach that will provide the clarity our innovators need while providing robust consumer protections. We cannot allow regulatory confusion to continue driving American innovation overseas. Market structure legislation will establish clear distinctions between digital asset securities and commodities, modernize our regulatory framework, and position the United States as the global leader in digital asset innovation.”
“The GENIUS Act was a critical stride toward ensuring the United States is a leader in Digital Assets,” said Senator Moreno. “This draft represents the next step in putting a bipartisan regulatory framework on President Trump’s desk and I look forward to continuing our important work to encourage innovation, protect consumers, and strengthen national security and US dollar dominance.”
The discussion draft takes important steps to:
Define Ancillary Assets – The discussion draft clearly defines an “ancillary asset” to clarify which digital assets are not securities.
Create Disclosure Requirements – The discussion draft creates disclosure requirements that are tailored for offers, sales, or distributions of ancillary assets.
Promulgate New Rules – The discussion draft requires the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to promulgate new rules:
Regulation DA: To exempt certain offers or sales of ancillary assets from SEC registration, including offers of sales that do not exceed $75 million in gross proceeds per year over four years.
Investment Contracts: To more clearly define what constitutes an investment contract.
Modernize Securities Regulations – The discussion draft directs the SEC to tailor existing requirements to digital asset activity, so that regulations are no longer outdated, unnecessary, or unduly burdensome in light of the unique technological characteristics of digital assets.
Prevent Illicit Finance – The discussion draft requires the creation of examination standards for digital assets and encourages private sector entities to partner with federal law enforcement, to detect and deter illicit finance.
Promote Responsible Banking Innovation – The discussion draft ensures financial holding companies can use a digital asset or distributed ledger system to perform, provide, or deliver any activity, function, product, or service that banks are otherwise authorized by law to perform, provide, or deliver.
Full text of the discussion draft can be found here.
In addition to the discussion draft, the Senators are calling on stakeholders to submit their feedback on a wide range of questions around:
Regulatory Clarity and Tailoring
Investor Protection
Trading Venues and Market Infrastructure
Custody
Illicit Finance
Banking
Innovation
Preemption
To participate in the Request for Information (RFI), please submit your feedback to MarketStructure_RFI@banking.senate.gov.
Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Congressman Tony Wied (R-WI-08) introduced a bipartisan bill to honor veterans who participated in Operation End Sweep with the Vietnam Service Medal. Currently, participants in Operation End Sweep, a mission to clear dangerous mines from Haiphong harbor and surrounding waters in North Vietnam after the war concluded, are ineligible for this service medal because their service took place after the United States had officially withdrawn from Vietnam in January 1973. The Honoring Operation End Sweep Veterans Act is inspired by Retired Navy Commander Michael Cosgrove of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, who served in Operation End Sweep but was not properly honored for his service.
“The sailors who spent months sweeping for mines in North Vietnam risked their lives to clean up the legacies of the Vietnam War, save lives, and make good on the United States’ commitment to international law,” said Senator Baldwin. “Their service and sacrifice deserve to be honored and recognized alongside the millions of Americans who served their country during the Vietnam War. I’m proud to work with Representative Wied to honor these sailors.”
“Operation End Sweep marked the end of the Vietnam War and serves as a powerful example of the dedication and bravery of our Vietnam veterans, like Retired Navy Commander Michael Cosgrove of Sturgeon Bay, who risked their lives to clean up naval mines left behind in the war’s aftermath,” said Congressman Wied. “I’m proud to stand with Senator Baldwin in introducing this bipartisan bill to ensure their service is honored equally alongside that of every other Vietnam veteran.”
“I am a retired commander in the Navy. As a lieutenant, I was Executive Officer of an ocean-going minesweeper. In 1973, we sailed from Hawaii to Haiphong Harbor as part of Operation End Sweep, sweeping the mines we had placed in Haiphong Harbor,” said Retired Navy Commander Michael Cosgrove of Sturgeon Bay, WI. “We spent 5 months in and out of North Vietnamese waters after Congress had declared the war ended. We received virtually no credit for our efforts. Most have no idea the operation even occurred. I would like to see this bill passed so that those of us who participated in End Sweep receive some recognition for our service.”
The signing of the Paris Peace Accords on January 27, 1973, officially ended direct U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War and the subsequent withdrawal of U.S. forces from Vietnam. Under the Hague Convention of 1907, the U.S. was required to eliminate the mine threat it had created after the end of hostilities.
For this reason, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps conducted Operation End Sweep to remove naval mines from Haiphong harbor and other coastal and inland waterways in North Vietnam between February and July 1973. Since Operation End Sweep occurred after the official end of the Vietnam War, servicemembers who participated in the operation are not eligible for the Vietnam Service Medal.
The Honoring Operation End Sweep Veterans Act would direct the Department of Defense to award veterans who participated in Operation End Sweep with the Vietnam Service Medal to recognize their service and sacrifice.
Senator Baldwin has long advocated for addressing the legacies of war and honoring those that do this important and dangerous work. She leads bipartisan legislation with Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) to honor members of the Southeast Asian Diasporas who supported and defended the U.S. during the Vietnam War. The bill also would authorize funding for the removal of landmines and unexploded ordnances and victim support programs for those injured by landmines and other legacies of war in Vietnam.
A one-pager on this bill is available here. Full bill text is available here.