{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "is_view": false, "human_description_en": "where chamber = \"Senate\", party = \"Democrat\" and year = 2025 sorted by date descending", "rows": [["https://www.bennet.senate.gov/2025/12/31/bennet-hickenlooper-slam-trumps-veto-of-their-finish-the-avc-act/", "Bennet, Hickenlooper Slam Trump\u2019s Veto of Their Finish the AVC Act", "2025-12-31", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CO", "Michael F. Bennet", "B001267", "www.bennet.senate.gov", "bennet", "https://www.bennet.senate.gov/news/page/", "scraper", "Denver \u2014 Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper issued the following statement after President Trump vetoed their bipartisan Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act:\n\n\u201cNothing says \u2018Make America Great Again\u2019 like denying 50,000 rural Coloradans access to clean, affordable drinking water. President Trump\u2019s first veto of his second term blocks a bipartisan bill that both the House and Senate passed unanimously, costs taxpayers nothing, and delivers safe, reliable water to rural communities that overwhelmingly supported him. Trump\u2019s attacks on Southern Colorado are politics at its worst\u2014putting personal and political grievances ahead of Americans. Southeastern Coloradans were promised the completion of the Arkansas Valley Conduit more than 60 years ago. With this veto, President Trump broke that promise and demonstrated exactly why so many Americans are fed up with Washington. We will keep fighting to make sure rural Coloradans get the clean drinking water they were promised.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.bennet.senate.gov/2025/12/31/bennet-statement-on-federal-intervention-at-northwest-colorado-power-plant/", "Bennet Statement on Federal Intervention at Northwest Colorado Power Plant", "2025-12-31", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CO", "Michael F. Bennet", "B001267", "www.bennet.senate.gov", "bennet", "https://www.bennet.senate.gov/news/page/", "scraper", "Denver \u2014 Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet released the following statement following the Department of Energy\u2019s 202(c) 90-day order to require Craig Station\u2019s Unit 1, a 427 MW coal-fired power plant in Northwest Colorado, to remain operational past its planned 2025 retirement:\n\n\u201cPresident Trump\u2019s so-called \u201cenergy emergency\u201d is being used to justify tying the hands of utilities, forcing them to keep aging, outdated power plants open, often at high cost to the consumers they serve, whether or not it makes sense for energy reliability. It is unacceptable to burden ratepayers with these unnecessary costs. The Department of Energy (DOE) should be focused on doing everything it can to partner with transitioning communities and make energy more affordable. Instead, this administration is overriding business decisions and ignoring the costly consequences for Coloradans.\n\n\u201cThe DOE order is the latest in a string of attacks against Colorado, because we refuse to bend to the President. President Trump continues to take out his personal and political grievances on Coloradans who are already struggling to make ends meet. Federal intervention like this makes long-term planning impossible \u2013 this is not how you operate a business, plan an electric grid, or help a community stay prosperous. I am disappointed but not surprised by this continued revenge tour.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/press_releases/hickenlooper-bennet-slam-trumps-veto-of-their-finish-the-avc-act/", "Hickenlooper, Bennet Slam Trump\u2019s Veto of Their Finish the AVC Act", "2025-12-31", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CO", "John W. Hickenlooper", "H000273", "www.hickenlooper.senate.gov", "hickenlooper", "https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/press/page/", "scraper", "DENVER \u2014 U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet issued the following statement after President Trump vetoed their bipartisan Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act:\n\n\u201cNothing says \u2018Make America Great Again\u2019 like denying 50,000 rural Coloradans access to clean, affordable drinking water. President Trump\u2019s first veto of his second term blocks a bipartisan bill that both the House and Senate passed unanimously, costs taxpayers nothing, and delivers safe, reliable water to rural communities that overwhelmingly supported him. Trump\u2019s attacks on Southern Colorado are politics at its worst\u2014putting personal and political grievances ahead of Americans. Southeastern Coloradans were promised the completion of the Arkansas Valley Conduit more than 60 years ago. With this veto, President Trump broke that promise and demonstrated exactly why so many Americans are fed up with Washington. We will keep fighting to make sure rural Coloradans get the clean drinking water they were promised.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/padilla-statement-on-ninth-circuit-court-order-returning-control-of-national-guard-to-california/", "Padilla Statement on Ninth Circuit Court Order Returning Control of National Guard to California", "2025-12-31", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CA", "Alex Padilla", "P000145", "www.padilla.senate.gov", "padilla", "https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) issued the following statement after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted its stay on a federal judge\u2019s order barring the Trump Administration from deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles, ending the federalization of California\u2019s National Guard and returning authority over them to the state:\n\n\u201cToday\u2019s order affirms what we\u2019ve said from the beginning: the Trump Administration\u2019s choice to federalize and deploy National Guard troops in Los Angeles was unlawful. This deployment is reckless, harmful, and an abuse of executive power that has put service members in an impossible position.\n\n\u201cThe fight is not over but I look forward to the remaining service members returning to their families, their jobs, and their primary critical missions as soon as possible.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=B6BF6C33-92F6-4587-8F5C-F59D674DF378", "Klobuchar and Local Duluth Business Owners Advocate to Change Federal Hemp Ban", "2025-12-30", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "DULUTH, MN \u2014 U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar was joined by Ryan Kopperud, Vice President of Growth for Birdie at Wild State Cider, and Adam Ruhland, CEO of Wild State Cider, to advocate to change the recently enacted federal ban on hemp. Klobuchar is working across the aisle to change it.\n\n\u201cA one-size fits all approach to hemp regulation doesn't work for states like Minnesota that already have strong safety standards in place,\u201d said Klobuchar. \u201cWe can protect our kids and support our small businesses \u2014 Minnesota\u2019s model proves that\u2019s possible. Under current state rules, small businesses like Wild State Cider are licensed, meet labeling and packaging standards, and ensure their products are available only to adults. I want our state\u2019s small businesses and farmers to know: I\u2019ve got your back.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s at stake here is not just one business. Not just one taproom. It\u2019s manufacturers, distributors, retailers, farmers, labs\u2014the entire system behind these hemp products people already trust. Responsible, compliant, transparent businesses, and the jobs, revenue, and tax base that come with them. This is what happens when policy meets reality. And that reality\u2014for us and for thousands of Minnesota businesses\u2014is frankly terrifying,\u201d said Ryan Kopperud, Vice President of Growth for Birdie at Wild State Cider.\n\nWild State Cider is a well-known cidery based in Duluth that was founded in 2019. The cidery specializes in producing ciders made with natural ingredients. In 2023, Wild State Cider launched a successful line of THC-infused products called \u201cBirdie.\u201d However, a recent bill signed into law includes provisions that could severely impact Minnesota\u2019s hemp industry by banning many products currently manufactured in the state. Senator Klobuchar voted against the bill and voted for an amendment by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) to remove the provision impacting Minnesota\u2019s hemp businesses.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/peters-introduces-bipartisan-bill-to-strengthen-and-expand-mental-health-services-in-michigans-rural-communities", "Peters Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen and Expand Mental Health Services in Michigan\u2019s Rural Communities", "2025-12-30", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MI", "Gary C. Peters", "P000595", "www.peters.senate.gov", "garypeters", "https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen and expand mental health services in Michigan\u2019s rural communities. The Expand the Behavioral Health Workforce Now Act \u2013 which Peters introduced with U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) \u2013 aims to help states grow their behavioral health workforce, particularly in rural areas, to ensure mental health resources are accessible across the state. Specifically, the bill would require the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to issue guidance for states on ways to increase education, training, recruitment, and retention of mental health and substance-use disorder providers under Medicaid and the Children\u2019s Health Insurance Program.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m proud to join my colleague in leading this bipartisan bill to help ensure all Michiganders can access quality mental health care from trained professionals. With the demand for mental health support higher than ever before, this commonsense legislation would help states strengthen this critical workforce to expand the mental health services available in rural and underserved communities,\u201d said Senator Peters.\n\nThe Expand the Behavioral Health Workforce Now Act is supported by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).\n\nPeters has been a consistent advocate for mental health care, supporting policies that expand access to quality, affordable treatment. Earlier this year, Peters introduced a bipartisan bill that would increase access to care in areas experiencing shortages of mental health care professionals. In 2024, Peters also cosponsored bipartisan legislation to expand access to telemental health care.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/over-the-past-year-schatz-worked-to-protect-federal-funding-for-hawaii-amid-national-cuts-secured-more-than-1-billion-to-support-mauis-recovery-improve-infrastructure-expand-high-speed-internet-across-the-state", "Over The Past Year, Schatz Worked To Protect Federal Funding For Hawai\u2018i Amid National Cuts; Secured More Than $1 Billion To Support Maui\u2019s Recovery, Improve Infrastructure, Expand High-Speed Internet Across The State", "2025-12-30", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Brian Schatz", "S001194", "www.schatz.senate.gov", "schatz", "https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "HONOLULU \u2013 In 2025, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai\u2018i) worked to protect Hawai\u2018i from significant cuts to federal funding by the Administration across the country and helped secure more than $1 billion for Hawai\u2018i to support Maui\u2019s ongoing recovery, expand high-speed internet, and improve airports and infrastructure, among other things.\n\n\u201cThis year, we delivered more than $1 billion to Hawai\u2018i, including funding to support Maui\u2019s ongoing recovery, help upgrade airports and health centers, and expand high-speed internet. My top priority always is making sure Hawai\u2018i gets its fair share of federal dollars, and together with the delegation and state and local leaders, we\u2019re going to continue working to lower costs and support families and communities across the state,\u201d said Senator Schatz.\n\nFunding highlights include:\n\nNearly $31 million to expand high-speed internet statewide. The federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021 will be used to build out and improve broadband infrastructure statewide.\n\nNearly $9.8 million to support the ongoing recovery effort on Maui following the devastating fires. The funding, which Schatz helped secure, will help the community of Lahaina rebuild the Waiola Church, Hale Aloha Museum, the Old Lahaina Courthouse Building, and the Master\u2019s Reading Room.\n\nMore than $70 million for Kona International Airport. The federal funding for Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole, the largest airport on Hawai\u2018i Island and the state\u2019s second international entry point, will be used to help complete KOA\u2019s ongoing runway rehabilitation project.\n\n$1 million for the Lana?i Community Health Center. The funding will support the Lana?i Community Health Center, a nonprofit and federally qualified health center serving the island of Lana?i, to purchase equipment.\n\nMore than $140 million for the Red Hill Water Treatment Plant. The funding will help build a water treatment facility provides a drinking water treatment facility at the Red Hill water supply shaft and ensures that treated water continues to meet all Federal and State drinking water standards.\n\nMore than $50 million for Lihu?e Airport. The funding will help improve takeoff and taxiway operations at LIH by increasing the Runway Safety Area.\n\nNearly $2 million to protect Hawai\u2018i-grown coffee. The funding will support the research and programs needed to stop coffee leaf rust, a devasting disease caused by a rust fungus.\n\nMore than $553 million to replace Dry Dock 3 at Pearl Harbor. The funding will support the construction of the new Dry Dock 5 to replace the existing Dry Dock 3. Dry Dock 5 will be able to accommodate maintenance and sustainment work on Virginia class submarines and the Next Generation Attack Submarine (SSNX), ensuring that Hawai\u2018i\u2019s public shipyard workforce will be able to support Navy\u2019s submarine fleet for years to come.\n\nThis year, Senator Schatz secured Senate passage of key legislation, including a bill to help stop illegal ahi from reaching people\u2019s plates, while protecting Hawai\u2018i fishermen. The bipartisan Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act would direct the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop a standard methodology for identifying the country of origin of red snapper and certain species of tuna imported into the United States.\n\nSchatz also authored and secured Senate passage of the Caring for Veterans and Strengthening National Security Act, bipartisan legislation to expand Department of Veterans Affairs health care and benefits to U.S. veterans who reside in the Freely Associated States of Palau, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases/duckworth-highlights-key-2025-efforts-as-2025-draws-to-a-close", "Duckworth Highlights Key 2025 Efforts as 2025 Draws to a Close", "2025-12-29", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "IL", "Tammy Duckworth", "D000622", "www.duckworth.senate.gov", "duckworth", "https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 As 2025 comes to a close, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) highlighted several key accomplishments she secured over the last year:\n\n\u201cWhether helping nearly 2,900 Illinoisans recover more than $13 million the federal government owed them, passing a law making it easier for new parents to travel with critical breast milk supplies, pushing back against Trump and Republicans as they work to jack up costs for everything from groceries to health care, fighting Donald Trump\u2019s illegal and reckless invasion of our state or getting Veterans\u2019 jobs back after this Administration cruelly fired Veterans Crisis Line workers\u2014I\u2019m proud of everything we\u2019ve been able to do this past year,\u201d Duckworth said. \u201cWhile this year was far too difficult for far too many in our community, I am as committed as ever to showing up and getting things done for my fellow Illinoisans\u2014and all those who feel targeted by the Trump Administration. I look forward to continuing my work for our state in 2026.\u201d\n\nOver the past year, Duckworth and her office responded to over 1,047,000 emails as well as other messages and assisted more than 2,800 Illinoisans who were experiencing difficulties navigating the federal bureaucracy, helping recover more than $13.2 million in Social Security payments, Veterans\u2019 benefits, tax refunds and more for her constituents. A select list of Duckworth\u2019s accomplishments from the past year is below.\n\nDuckworth hosted a series of town halls and telephone town halls this year to hear directly from her constituents on how the Trump Administration is negatively impacting their lives and the lives of their families and communities, hearing from Illinoisans in McHenry County, Rockford, Carbondale and throughout Chicagoland.\n\nKey Efforts:\n\nDuckworth\u2019s Bipartisan BABES Enhancement Act Became Law: After passing the House and unanimously passing the Senate, bipartisan legislation authored and championed by Senator Duckworth to make it easier for parents to safely embark on air travel with breast milk and breastfeeding supplies became one of roughly 30 bills to be signed into law in 2025. Senator Duckworth\u2019s Bottles and Breastfeeding Equipment Screening (BABES) Enhancement Act requires the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to clarify and regularly update guidance on handling breast milk, baby formula and other related nutrition products, including ice packs, in consultation with leading maternal health groups.\n\nFighting to Prevent Healthcare Costs from Skyrocketing: As Republicans time and again voted to gut Medicaid with Trump\u2019s Big, Beautiful Betrayal and did nothing to stop health insurance premiums from skyrocketing, Senator Duckworth fought against these efforts at every turn. She voted against the Republicans\u2019 Big Beautiful Bill and voted against all of Republicans\u2019 extreme partisan funding bills. She met with health care leaders throughout Central Illinois, Southern Illinois and the Chicagoland area to discuss how these cuts will impact health care access for all Illinoisans. Trump and Republicans plunged the nation into the longest government shutdown in history to guarantee that out-of-pocket health care costs will skyrocket, refusing to negotiate an extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)\u2019s enhanced premium tax credits set to expire at the end of the year. Duckworth continuously called out Republicans for refusing to help stop health insurance bills from doubling or even tripling for millions of hardworking families, including their own constituents. Then, in December, when Republicans finally had the chance to vote to extend these ACA subsidies, they chose to please Donald Trump and his billionaire buddies rather than serve the tens of millions of Americans who will see their premiums rise\u2014or the four million who will lose coverage entirely.\n\nDefending Reproductive Freedom and Expanding Access to IVF: Senator Duckworth has been a strong advocate for reproductive freedom and access to IVF in the face of Republicans\u2019 anti-choice crusade. In June, she introduced the Protect IVF Act to establish a nationwide right to IVF. She has also long pushed to pass her Right to IVF Act\u2014which Senate Republicans blocked not once, but twice last year\u2014that would both establish a right to IVF and other assisted reproductive technology (ART), expand access for hopeful parents, Veterans and federal employees, as well as lower the costs of IVF for middle-class families across the country. This year, Duckworth successfully secured a provision in the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act requiring TRICARE coverage of fertility services, including IVF, for servicemembers, reflecting her earlier IVF for Military Families Act. However, Speaker Mike Johnson single-handedly blocked her provision, denying troops the same IVF coverage available to Members of Congress despite broad bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate. This is the second time Duckworth secured this provision in an NDAA bill that passed committee, only to have Republicans block her amendment from the final NDAA\u2014despite it being included in the committee-approved version.\n\nProtecting Our State from Trump\u2019s Unlawful Domestic Deployment: Senator Duckworth, alongside Governor Pritzker and Senator Durbin, helped lead our state\u2019s effective pushback against the Trump Administration\u2019s unconstitutional and dangerous deployments of National Guard troops into American cities, including Chicago. She singlehandedly secured the first and only Senate hearing on Trump\u2019s domestic deployments, during which top Trump Defense officials admitted to three damning revelations that had never been publicly stated before. In addition to numerous actions, including visiting Naval Station Great Lakes amid threats to deploy the military to Chicago and filing an amicus brief with the Ninth Circuit against Trump for his misuse of the U.S. military, Duckworth successfully advanced her Military in Law Enforcement Accountability Act to finally help rein in Trump\u2019s continued misuse of our military and troops.\n\nPushing Back on DHS\u2019 Invasion on Chicago: In light of Trump\u2019s \u201cOperation Midway Blitz,\u201d Senator Duckworth continued her efforts as an outspoken champion for defending Illinoisans and their First Amendment rights. She condemned DHS\u2019s excessive and aggressive force, including unlawful abductions, deploying tear gas near schools and raiding community shelters. Additionally, she demanded an end to forcing law enforcement to abandon criminal investigations in order to assist ICE and called on ICE and CBP to enforce body-camera requirements in compliance with federal orders. Duckworth and Senator Durbin also visited the grounds of the Broadview ICE processing center in their congressional oversight roles.\n\nSupporting Servicemembers and Holding Pete Hegseth Accountable for Putting Them at Needless Risk: As a combat Veteran and member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), Senator Duckworth has condemned Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth\u2019s lack of experience or qualifications to lead our troops, repeatedly calling on him to resign, especially after reports confirmed he sent highly-sensitive war plans in an unclassified group chat with other Trump Administration officials, putting servicemembers at greater risk and undermining mission effectiveness. She denounced the Trump Administration\u2019s unlawful military strikes and supported a resolution to block illegal use of force in or against Venezuela without congressional approval, while raising concerns about violating the laws of war and endangering our servicemembers and national security.\n\nSupporting Our Veterans: After Trump fired more Veterans than any other President in history and imposed illegal pauses in federal funding and slashed Veterans\u2019 care, Senator Duckworth continued her life\u2019s mission of advocating for our brave servicemembers and their families affected by Trump\u2019s recklessness. This year, she introduced legislation to protect the lifesaving Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) and restore collective bargaining rights for VA health care professionals. She demanded accountability from Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins for the VCL firings. She also introduced her Protect Veteran Jobs Act to reinstate Veterans who were fired from their jobs as part of Trump and Elon Musk\u2019s indiscriminate purge of federal employees. Duckworth spoke at the \u201cUnite for Veterans\u201d rally on the National Mall, criticizing Trump for using Veterans as political pawns and undermining their care and benefits. She also hosted a Veterans town hall in Crystal Lake to hear directly from Veterans about the impact of the Trump Administration and Elon Musk\u2019s cuts to federal programs and mass federal worker firings.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.murphy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/murphy-releases-2025-end-of-year-report", "Murphy Releases 2025 End Of Year Report", "2025-12-29", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CT", "Christopher Murphy", "M001169", "www.murphy.senate.gov", "chrismurphy", "https://www.murphy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "HARTFORD\u2013U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Monday released his 2025 End of Year Report. In a year marked by turmoil, Senator Murphy joined with elected leaders, civic organizers, and Connecticut residents to defend Americans\u2019 rights and fight for a better future. This report highlights the measures Sen. Murphy and his office took to stand up to Trump\u2019s corruption and deliver for Connecticut families. As Donald Trump systematically dismantled programs working people rely on, while transforming the government into a tool of personal enrichment, Murphy helped deliver federal dollars to Connecticut while taking action to unrig our economy and democracy from billionaire interests.\n\nThis year, Murphy and his office:\n\nIntroduced or co-sponsored 270 pieces of legislation and amendments, including 91 bills, resolutions, or amendments as the lead sponsor;\n\nCompleted his ninth Walk Across Connecticut: four days, 67 miles, 11 towns, and hundreds of conversations with Connecticut residents along the way;\n\nEngaged with over 436,800 calls, emails, and letters;\n\nReturned more than $7 million to constituents, including owed Social Security payments, veterans\u2019 benefits, tax refunds, and other savings from federal agencies;\n\nHelped over 3,233 constituents work through federal issues and get their owed benefits", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=082A36F7-1B14-44EB-81D7-6852ADCB2B2F", "Klobuchar, Sullivan and Colleagues Introduce VISIT USA Act to Promote U.S. Tourism", "2025-12-26", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) \u2014all members of the Senate Commerce Committee \u2013 introduced the bipartisan Vital Investment in Sustaining International Tourism to the USA (VISIT USA) Act to fully restore Brand USA\u2019s funding in Fiscal Years (FY) 2026 and 2027.\n\nBrand USA is a public-private partnership charged with promoting America as a premier international travel destination and clearly communicating U.S. visa and entry policies abroad.\n\nThis legislation will fully fund Brand USA to promote the United States as an international travel destination ahead of several significant events hosted in the U.S., including the 250th anniversary of America\u2019s independence, the FIFA World Cup, and the 2028 Olympic games. President Trump\u2019s FY 2026 budget request also calls for fully funding Brand USA.\n\n\u201cTravel and tourism powers economic growth in communities in Minnesota and across our country,\u201d said Sen. Klobuchar. \u201cOur bipartisan legislation will restore funding for Brand USA, providing the resources it needs to continue to support an additional 1.6 million visitors, $6 billion in spending, and nearly 80,000 jobs every year\u2014all at no cost to taxpayers.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe United States is the third most visited country in the world. As we prepare to host several once-in-a-generation global events\u2014from America250, to the FIFA World Cup, to the 2028 Olympic Games\u2014there has never been a better moment to showcase all that our country has to offer,\u201d Sen. Sullivan said. \u201cRestoring Brand USA\u2019s full funding will help us welcome more international visitors, strengthen our tourism economy, and support the thousands of small businesses that make America and Alaska such remarkable places to experience.\u201d\n\nThis legislation is endorsed by the U.S. Travel Association. Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Kathy Castor (D-FL) have introduced companion legislation in the House.\n\n\u201cThis legislation is an important step forward, and we are grateful for Senators Sullivan and Klobuchar for leading this effort,\" said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. \"With the World Cup, America 250 and the 2028 Olympics on the horizon, the U.S. has a pivotal chance to capture global attention. By restoring Brand USA\u2019s resources, Congress can help drive new visitors, support jobs nationwide and ensure the United States stands out on the world stage.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.merkley.senate.gov/ranking-member-shaheen-senators-tillis-rosen-barrasso-coons-king-moran-merkley-van-hollen-statement-on-russias-christmas-bombing-of-ukraine/", "Ranking Member Shaheen, Senators Tillis, Rosen, Barrasso, Coons, King, Moran, Merkley, Van Hollen Statement on Russia\u2019s Christmas Bombing of Ukraine", "2025-12-25", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "OR", "Jeff Merkley", "M001176", "www.merkley.senate.gov", "merkley", "https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/press-releases/", "scraper", "\u201cWe condemn Russia\u2019s brutal attacks on Kherson, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Sumy, Donetsk and Kryvyi Rih waged on innocent Ukrainians as they convened to mark the birth of the Prince of Peace with their loved ones and in prayer.\n\n\u201cIt bears repeating that President Zelenskyy agreed to a Christmas truce, but Putin declined, yet he directs soldiers to continue to commit brutal crimes of aggression on one of Christianity\u2019s holiest days.\n\n\u201cEven for countries at war, there is a long history of Christmas ceasefires, including notably during World War I. Today\u2019s decision by Putin to launch attacks rather than hold fire is a sobering reminder for us all: Putin is a ruthless murderer who has no interest in peace and cannot be trusted.\n\n\u201cWe stand with the people of Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Kherson and Donetsk marking the birth of Christ under the most challenging of circumstances. Ukrainians\u2019 faith is a stronger force than the evil unleashed today by the Kremlin.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-murkowski-and-merkley-lead-call-for-inspector-general-audit-following-dojs-failure-to-release-the-full-epstein-files-as-demanded-by-survivors-required-by-law", "Blumenthal, Murkowski & Merkley Lead Call for Inspector General Audit Following DOJ\u2019s Failure to Release the Full Epstein Files as Demanded by Survivors, Required by Law", "2025-12-24", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CT", "Richard Blumenthal", "B001277", "www.blumenthal.senate.gov", "blumenthal", "https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press", "scraper", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) led a bipartisan group of senators in writing Acting Inspector General Don Berthiaume requesting the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ OIG) perform an audit of the Department of Justice\u2019s (DOJ) compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, bipartisan and bicameral legislation requiring the release of all records and documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein.\n\n\u201cGiven the Administration\u2019s historic hostility to releasing the files, politicization of the Epstein case more broadly, and failure to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a neutral assessment of its compliance with the statutory disclosure requirements is essential,\u201d the senators wrote. \u201cAs such, we request that the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (\u201cDOJ OIG\u201d) perform an audit of the Department\u2019s compliance with the statute.\u201d\n\nIn addition to Blumenthal, Murkowski, and Merkley, today\u2019s letter was signed by U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Gary Peters (D-MI).\n\n\u201cFull transparency\u2014as called for bravely and repeatedly by survivors\u2014is essential in identifying members of our society who enabled and participated in Epstein\u2019s crimes,\u201d the senators concluded. \u201cSurvivors deserve full disclosure. They also deserve the peace of mind that would be afforded by an independent audit of the Department\u2019s compliance.\u201d\n\nThe full text of today\u2019s letter is available here and copied below.\n\nDear Acting Inspector General Berthiaume:\n\nWe write to you following the December 19 deadline imposed by the Epstein Files Transparency Act for the Department of Justice (\u201cDOJ\u201d or \u201cthe Department\u201d) to release all records and documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein. By the Department\u2019s own admission, it is in violation of the law\u2014before DOJ had even begun to release the files, Deputy Attorney General Blanche admitted that it would not disclose them all by the December 19 deadline. And DOJ has lived up to that promise, failing to fully disclose the files in violation of the Act.\n\nNot only has DOJ withheld files, but those records that were disclosed are largely information that was already public. Even those records are so heavily redacted that there are serious questions as to whether the Department is properly applying the limited exceptions for redaction that are permitted under the Act. Moreover, several records appear to have been removed, without explanation, from the files the Department did release.\n\nGiven the Administration\u2019s historic hostility to releasing the files, politicization of the Epstein case more broadly, and failure to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a neutral assessment of its compliance with the statutory disclosure requirements is essential. As such, we request that the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (\u201cDOJ OIG\u201d) perform an audit of the Department\u2019s compliance with the statute.\n\nIn passing the Epstein Files Transparency Act with overwhelming margins in both the House and the Senate, Congress demonstrated a clear, bipartisan mandate for public transparency in the Epstein case. The legislation expressly enumerates the limited circumstances in which withholding or redaction is permitted. Any withholding or redaction beyond those specified circumstances is against the law. But because Congress and the public do not have complete access to the Epstein documents, we are not able to fully assess for ourselves whether records were inappropriately withheld or redacted. DOJ OIG\u2014with access to the full Epstein files and with independence from the larger Department\u2014is ideally positioned to do a complete and independent assessment of the Administration\u2019s compliance with the Act.\n\nDespite calls from Epstein survivors for complete release of the documents, this Administration has shown consistent hostility towards transparency and a perceived willingness to weaponize the case for political ends. In February, Attorney General (\u201cA.G.\u201d) Bondi gave binders of supposedly newly declassified Epstein files\u2014not to survivors, but to reported \u201cright-wing influencers.\u201d She also claimed that Epstein\u2019s so-called \u201cclient list\u201d was \u201csitting on [her] desk right now to review.\u201d Yet, in July, DOJ and FBI released an unsigned memo directly contradicting her, and claiming it had found no evidence of Epstein having kept a client list. In August, Ghislaine Maxwell was moved to a lower security prison after two days of meetings with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. In November, President Trump expressly and publicly urged A.G. Bondi to investigate prominent Democrats and banks connected to Epstein. Just days later, A.G. Bondi announced she would follow the President\u2019s command. These actions, including inconsistent public statements about the contents of the files, have raised fundamental questions about the Department\u2019s willingness to faithfully and impartially comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. These questions have only grown in volume since the incomplete release of files on December 19.\n\nGiven DOJ OIG\u2019s ability to access the full set of Epstein files and its independence from the Department, it is ideally placed to perform an audit to ensure the Department\u2019s compliance with the law. Such an audit is essential not only to ensure the Department has acted as the law requires, but also to maintain the public\u2019s trust in the disclosure of the files and in the Department\u2019s handling of the case. Specifically, DOJ OIG should ensure that: (1) redactions were properly applied to protect all survivors; (2) redactions were not used to shield abusers, perpetrators, or enablers; (3) records were not withheld for any reason other than those enumerated in the statute; (4) all withholding of records was appropriate under the statute and narrowly tailored; and (5) the Department did not consider politics in deciding whether or how to release documents.\n\nWe appreciate your attention to this important request. Full transparency\u2014as called for bravely and repeatedly by survivors\u2014is essential in identifying members of our society who enabled and participated in Epstein\u2019s crimes. Survivors deserve full disclosure. They also deserve the peace of mind that would be afforded by an independent audit of the Department\u2019s compliance.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases/duckworth-statement-on-trumps-va-abortion-ban-that-denies-millions-of-veterans-the-care-theyve-earned", "Duckworth Statement on Trump\u2019s VA Abortion Ban That Denies Millions of Veterans the Care They\u2019ve Earned", "2025-12-24", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "IL", "Tammy Duckworth", "D000622", "www.duckworth.senate.gov", "duckworth", "https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) issued the following statement after the Trump Administration quietly implemented a policy banning the VA from providing abortion care to Veterans and their families\u2014including in cases of rape, incest or to protect the health of the mother\u2014despite widespread opposition from advocates and the Veteran community:\n\n\u201cOur Veterans risked their lives to safeguard our freedoms. And yet a man who has never served a day in his life is taking away their own freedom to choose what's best for their health.\n\n\u201cIn cases of rape, incest or when the health of the mother is at risk, Trump is denying our heroes the care they\u2019ve earned through their service\u2014and it\u2019ll be those living in states with extreme abortion bans who will suffer the most.\n\n\u201cTrump implemented this extreme policy during the holiday season, quietly and over the objections of Veterans, thinking we wouldn\u2019t notice. Well, we did. And I will keep fighting to give Veterans and all Americans the health care and reproductive freedom they deserve.\u201d\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.merkley.senate.gov/blumenthal-murkowski-merkley-lead-call-for-inspector-general-audit-following-dojs-failure-to-release-the-full-epstein-files-as-demanded-by-survivors-required-by-law/", "BLUMENTHAL, MURKOWSKI & MERKLEY LEAD CALL FOR INSPECTOR GENERAL AUDIT FOLLOWING DOJ\u2019S FAILURE TO RELEASE THE FULL EPSTEIN FILES AS DEMANDED BY SURVIVORS, REQUIRED BY LAW", "2025-12-24", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "OR", "Jeff Merkley", "M001176", "www.merkley.senate.gov", "merkley", "https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) led a bipartisan group of senators in writing Acting Inspector General Don Berthiaume requesting the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ OIG) perform an audit of the Department of Justice\u2019s (DOJ) compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, bipartisan and bicameral legislation requiring the release of all records and documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein.\n\n\u201cGiven the Administration\u2019s historic hostility to releasing the files, politicization of the Epstein case more broadly, and failure to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a neutral assessment of its compliance with the statutory disclosure requirements is essential,\u201d the senators wrote. \u201cAs such, we request that the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (\u201cDOJ OIG\u201d) perform an audit of the Department\u2019s compliance with the statute.\u201d\n\nIn addition to Blumenthal, Murkowski, and Merkley, today\u2019s letter was signed by U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Gary Peters (D-MI).\n\n\u201cFull transparency\u2014as called for bravely and repeatedly by survivors\u2014is essential in identifying members of our society who enabled and participated in Epstein\u2019s crimes,\u201d the senators concluded. \u201cSurvivors deserve full disclosure. They also deserve the peace of mind that would be afforded by an independent audit of the Department\u2019s compliance.\u201d\n\nThe full text of today\u2019s letter is available here and copied below.\n\nDear Acting Inspector General Berthiaume:\n\nWe write to you following the December 19 deadline imposed by the Epstein Files Transparency Act for the Department of Justice (\u201cDOJ\u201d or \u201cthe Department\u201d) to release all records and documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein. By the Department\u2019s own admission, it is in violation of the law\u2014before DOJ had even begun to release the files, Deputy Attorney General Blanche admitted that it would not disclose them all by the December 19 deadline. And DOJ has lived up to that promise, failing to fully disclose the files in violation of the Act.\n\nNot only has DOJ withheld files, but those records that were disclosed are largely information that was already public. Even those records are so heavily redacted that there are serious questions as to whether the Department is properly applying the limited exceptions for redaction that are permitted under the Act. Moreover, several records appear to have been removed, without explanation, from the files the Department did release.\n\nGiven the Administration\u2019s historic hostility to releasing the files, politicization of the Epstein case more broadly, and failure to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a neutral assessment of its compliance with the statutory disclosure requirements is essential. As such, we request that the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (\u201cDOJ OIG\u201d) perform an audit of the Department\u2019s compliance with the statute.\n\nIn passing the Epstein Files Transparency Act with overwhelming margins in both the House and the Senate, Congress demonstrated a clear, bipartisan mandate for public transparency in the Epstein case. The legislation expressly enumerates the limited circumstances in which withholding or redaction is permitted. Any withholding or redaction beyond those specified circumstances is against the law. But because Congress and the public do not have complete access to the Epstein documents, we are not able to fully assess for ourselves whether records were inappropriately withheld or redacted. DOJ OIG\u2014with access to the full Epstein files and with independence from the larger Department\u2014is ideally positioned to do a complete and independent assessment of the Administration\u2019s compliance with the Act.\n\nDespite calls from Epstein survivors for complete release of the documents, this Administration has shown consistent hostility towards transparency and a perceived willingness to weaponize the case for political ends. In February, Attorney General (\u201cA.G.\u201d) Bondi gave binders of supposedly newly declassified Epstein files\u2014not to survivors, but to reported \u201cright-wing influencers.\u201d She also claimed that Epstein\u2019s so-called \u201cclient list\u201d was \u201csitting on [her] desk right now to review.\u201d Yet, in July, DOJ and FBI released an unsigned memo directly contradicting her, and claiming it had found no evidence of Epstein having kept a client list. In August, Ghislaine Maxwell was moved to a lower security prison after two days of meetings with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. In November, President Trump expressly and publicly urged A.G. Bondi to investigate prominent Democrats and banks connected to Epstein. Just days later, A.G. Bondi announced she would follow the President\u2019s command. These actions, including inconsistent public statements about the contents of the files, have raised fundamental questions about the Department\u2019s willingness to faithfully and impartially comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. These questions have only grown in volume since the incomplete release of files on December 19.\n\nGiven DOJ OIG\u2019s ability to access the full set of Epstein files and its independence from the Department, it is ideally placed to perform an audit to ensure the Department\u2019s compliance with the law. Such an audit is essential not only to ensure the Department has acted as the law requires, but also to maintain the public\u2019s trust in the disclosure of the files and in the Department\u2019s handling of the case. Specifically, DOJ OIG should ensure that: (1) redactions were properly applied to protect all survivors; (2) redactions were not used to shield abusers, perpetrators, or enablers; (3) records were not withheld for any reason other than those enumerated in the statute; (4) all withholding of records was appropriate under the statute and narrowly tailored; and (5) the Department did not consider politics in deciding whether or how to release documents.\n\nWe appreciate your attention to this important request. Full transparency\u2014as called for bravely and repeatedly by survivors\u2014is essential in identifying members of our society who enabled and participated in Epstein\u2019s crimes. Survivors deserve full disclosure. They also deserve the peace of mind that would be afforded by an independent audit of the Department\u2019s compliance.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.merkley.senate.gov/wyden-merkley-raise-alarm-over-loss-of-mental-health-access-in-eastern-oregon/", "Wyden, Merkley Raise Alarm Over Loss of Mental Health Access in Eastern Oregon", "2025-12-24", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "OR", "Jeff Merkley", "M001176", "www.merkley.senate.gov", "merkley", "https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/press-releases/", "scraper", "Senators: Trump and congressional Republicans\u2019 budget bill threatens essential mental care for nearly 800 Malheur County residents enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today wrote health care providers serving Malheur County to ask how they\u2019ll ensure nearly 800 residents keep access to the mental health services they need in the wake of new coordinated care organization (CCO) coverage changes brought on by the devastating cuts by Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to Medicaid.\n\n\u201cWe understand your organization faces unprecedented financial strain as Oregon braces for nearly $4 billion in Medicaid cuts to rural communities alone signed into law by Donald Trump as part of Republicans\u2019 Big Ugly Bill,\u201d the lawmakers wrote to Greater Oregon Behavioral Health, Inc. CEO Ann Ford and Eastern Oregon CCO CEO Sean Jessup. \u201cAs you manage through this calamity, We ask that you do everything in your power to maximize access to a wide range of providers, ease patient transitions, and ensure continuity of care.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn Oregon, Malheur County stands to lose most of all. With more than half of its residents enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan, it has the highest share among Oregon\u2019s 36 counties,\u201d the lawmakers continued. \u201cAmong those enrolled, the vast majority (almost 80%) are children, nearly 25% have a disability, nearly 50% are Hispanic or Latino, and more than 25% speak Spanish as their primary language. We voted against these devastating cuts to protect these very residents and providers like yourselves.\u201d\n\nThe senators asked Greater Oregon Behavioral Health, Inc. (GOBHI), which distributes Medicaid dollars for mental health in eastern Oregon, to answer the following questions no later than January 9, 2026:\n\nHow will GOHBI manage this process to limit disruption for patients and their health care providers?\n\nWhat determination did GOHBI make to ensure network adequacy and sufficient access for patients?\n\nWhat circumstances led GOHBI to make these changes to its provider network in 2026?\n\n\u201cWe recognize your organizations are presented with an unworkable task,\u201d Wyden and Merkley wrote. \u201cRepublicans\u2019 Medicaid cuts will force health care providers throughout Oregon to do more with less. We will keep fighting to repeal these devastating cuts to health care for Malheur County and the countless other communities for which the Oregon Health Plan is a lifeline.\u201d\n\nThe entire letter is below.\n\nAnn Ford\n\nGreater Oregon Behavioral Health, Inc.\n\n3729 Klindt Dr.\n\nThe Dalles, OR 97058\n\nSean Jessup\n\nEastern Oregon Coordinated Care Organization\n\n601 SW Second Ave\n\nPortland, OR 97204\n\nDear Ms. Ford & Mr. Jessup,\n\nWe write with deep concern about recent reporting that nearly 800 residents of Malheur County enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan will not be able to see the mental health providers they rely on starting next year. We understand your organization faces unprecedented financial strain as Oregon braces for nearly $4 billion in Medicaid cuts to rural communities alone signed into law by Donald Trump as part of Republicans\u2019 Big Ugly Bill. As you manage through this calamity, we ask that you do everything in your power to maximize access to a wide range of providers, ease patient transitions, and ensure continuity of care.\n\nWe know that Oregon\u2019s families and health care providers are staring down the largest cuts to health care in U.S. history. Republicans\u2019 Big Ugly Bill cuts federal funding for the U.S. health care system by over $1 trillion, raising health care costs for everyone while kicking 15 million Americans off of their health insurance. States, Medicaid managed care organizations, and health care providers will need to make impossibly hard choices. Already, the effects of these catastrophic cuts are harming rural communities like Malheur County. Hospitals are closing. Mental health counselors, nurses, doctors, and other essential health care workers are losing their jobs. Service access, especially care for new mothers and babies, is dwindling.\n\nIn Oregon, Malheur County stands to lose most of all. With more than half of its residents enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan, it has the highest share among Oregon\u2019s 36 counties. Among those enrolled, the vast majority (almost 80%) are children, nearly 25% have a disability, nearly 50% are Hispanic or Latino, and more than 25% speak Spanish as their primary language. We voted against these devastating cuts to protect these very residents and providers like yourselves.\n\nWe recognize your organizations are presented with an unworkable task. Republicans\u2019 Medicaid cuts will force health care providers throughout Oregon to do more with less. We will keep fighting to repeal these devastating cuts to health care for Malheur County and the countless other communities for which the Oregon Health Plan is a lifeline.\n\nAs you navigate this challenging landscape, we ask that you limit life-threatening disruptions for patients and their families and ensure the residents of Malheur County have ample access to a sufficient network of health care providers.We are hearing from members of the community who are deeply concerned about their ability to continue to see the doctor of their choice, and ask that you share answers to the following questions:\n\nAccording to reports, the Greater Oregon Behavioral Health, Inc. (GOHBI) is offering a transition period, permitting patients to complete a current episode of treatment after January 1, 2026 with an out-of-network provider and allowing extension requests for medically-necessary care. How will GOHBI manage this process to limit disruption for patients and their health care providers?\n\nWhat is GOHBI\u2019s process for granting medically-necessary extensions?\n\nPlease describe appeals processes and other patient protections available to patients related to provider access.\n\nYou represent the best of our nation\u2019s health care system, and we know you seek to do right by the patients with mental health and substance use disorders who you tirelessly serve. Please provide the requested information to Andrew Cutler at Andrew_Cutler@wyden.senate.gov no later than January 9th, 2026. Thank you for providing a prompt response to this inquiry.\n\nSincerely,\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-colleagues-demand-trump-administration-pause-discriminatory-national-park-entry-fees", "Wyden, Colleagues Demand Trump Administration Pause Discriminatory National Park Entry Fees", "2025-12-24", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "OR", "Ron Wyden", "W000779", "www.wyden.senate.gov", "wyden", "https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "Senators express concerns over January 1 implementation \u2014 without proper notice \u2014 of $250 America the Beautiful non-resident annual passes and $100 non-resident fee for highly visited national parks\n\nWashington, DC \u2014 U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said today he has joined colleagues in calling on the Trump administration to pause its expensive new national park entry fees and annual passes for non-residents scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026.\n\nWyden and the other senators emphasized these new passes and fees were not properly noticed in accordance with the law, will slow park entry, and will further limit international visitation. In late November, the federal Department of Interior announced a new fee structure for access to public lands. Beginning next year, the annual pass will cost $80 for U.S. citizens and residents and $250 for non-residents, the first time the United States has required proof of residency to have access to public lands. Non-residents age 16 and up who don\u2019t have an annual pass will be forced to pay a $100 per person fee to enter 11 of the country\u2019s most visited national parks.\n\n\u201cAmerica\u2019s national parks serve as destinations for visitors both domestically and internationally to experience our country\u2019s natural beauty, cultural heritage, and history,\u201d the senators wrote Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. \u201cWhile we understand that entrance and recreation fees are vital to enhancing the visitor experience, we want to ensure all feel welcome to enjoy all national treasures. Since these new fees are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026, we strongly believe these fees are being implemented too quickly, without public input, and will be a barrier for both residents and non-residents alike.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe request that you stop implementation of the new non-resident passes and fees until the public has an opportunity to weigh in, impacts to visitation are studied, and clarity on implementation is provided to Congress, NPS employees, and impacted stakeholders,\u201d the senators wrote.\n\nThe National Park Service is permitted to collect and retain entrance and recreation fees under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act. These fees play an important role in making sure these parks can provide a positive visitor experience for citizens and non-residents alike. However, the law requires the Secretary of the Interior to allow the public the chance weigh in on the development of or changes to recreation fees, and it mandates advanced notice to affected communities in local publications. The senators criticized the administration for failing to provide this legally required opportunity for public input.\n\nIn addition to Wyden, the letter led by U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) was also signed by Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).\n\nThe senators also warned that this plan would further strain the understaffed Park Service workforce, as the Trump administration has cut 24% of permanent Park Service employees since January, including positions like fee collectors and information technology specialists. These staffing shortages will likely further compound entry delays, especially at the highly visited parks charging an extra $100 for non-residents.\n\nWith overseas visitation to national parks already down over 3% (and down 25% for visitors from Canada), the senators expressed concerns that these numbers could fall even further with the steep price of non-resident passes, hurting the U.S. economy.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-merkley-raise-alarm-over-loss-of-mental-health-access-in-eastern-oregon", "Wyden, Merkley Raise Alarm Over Loss of Mental Health Access in Eastern Oregon", "2025-12-24", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "OR", "Ron Wyden", "W000779", "www.wyden.senate.gov", "wyden", "https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "Senators: Trump and congressional Republicans\u2019 budget bill threatens essential mental care for nearly 800 Malheur County residents enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today wrote health care providers serving Malheur County to ask how they\u2019ll ensure nearly 800 residents keep access to the mental health services they need in the wake of new coordinated care organization (CCO) coverage changes brought on by the devastating cuts by Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to Medicaid.\n\n\u201cWe understand your organization faces unprecedented financial strain as Oregon braces for nearly $4 billion in Medicaid cuts to rural communities alone signed into law by Donald Trump as part of Republicans\u2019 Big Ugly Bill,\u201d the lawmakers wrote to Greater Oregon Behavioral Health, Inc. CEO Ann Ford and Eastern Oregon CCO CEO Sean Jessup. \u201cAs you manage through this calamity, We ask that you do everything in your power to maximize access to a wide range of providers, ease patient transitions, and ensure continuity of care.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn Oregon, Malheur County stands to lose most of all. With more than half of its residents enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan, it has the highest share among Oregon\u2019s 36 counties,\u201d the lawmakers continued. \u201cAmong those enrolled, the vast majority (almost 80%) are children, nearly 25% have a disability, nearly 50% are Hispanic or Latino, and more than 25% speak Spanish as their primary language. We voted against these devastating cuts to protect these very residents and providers like yourselves.\u201d\n\nThe senators asked Greater Oregon Behavioral Health, Inc. (GOBHI), which distributes Medicaid dollars for mental health in eastern Oregon, to answer the following questions no later than January 9, 2026:\n\nHow will GOHBI manage this process to limit disruption for patients and their health care providers?\n\nWhat determination did GOHBI make to ensure network adequacy and sufficient access for patients?\n\nWhat circumstances led GOHBI to make these changes to its provider network in 2026?\n\n\u201cWe recognize your organizations are presented with an unworkable task,\u201d Wyden and Merkley wrote. \u201cRepublicans\u2019 Medicaid cuts will force health care providers throughout Oregon to do more with less. We will keep fighting to repeal these devastating cuts to health care for Malheur County and the countless other communities for which the Oregon Health Plan is a lifeline.\u201d\n\nThe entire letter is below.\n\nAnn Ford\n\nGreater Oregon Behavioral Health, Inc.\n\n3729 Klindt Dr.\n\nThe Dalles, OR 97058\n\nSean Jessup\n\nEastern Oregon Coordinated Care Organization\n\n601 SW Second Ave\n\nPortland, OR 97204\n\nDear Ms. Ford & Mr. Jessup,\n\nWe write with deep concern about recent reporting that nearly 800 residents of Malheur County enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan will not be able to see the mental health providers they rely on starting next year. We understand your organization faces unprecedented financial strain as Oregon braces for nearly $4 billion in Medicaid cuts to rural communities alone signed into law by Donald Trump as part of Republicans\u2019 Big Ugly Bill. As you manage through this calamity, we ask that you do everything in your power to maximize access to a wide range of providers, ease patient transitions, and ensure continuity of care.\n\nWe know that Oregon\u2019s families and health care providers are staring down the largest cuts to health care in U.S. history. Republicans\u2019 Big Ugly Bill cuts federal funding for the U.S. health care system by over $1 trillion, raising health care costs for everyone while kicking 15 million Americans off of their health insurance. States, Medicaid managed care organizations, and health care providers will need to make impossibly hard choices. Already, the effects of these catastrophic cuts are harming rural communities like Malheur County. Hospitals are closing. Mental health counselors, nurses, doctors, and other essential health care workers are losing their jobs. Service access, especially care for new mothers and babies, is dwindling.\n\nIn Oregon, Malheur County stands to lose most of all. With more than half of its residents enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan, it has the highest share among Oregon\u2019s 36 counties. Among those enrolled, the vast majority (almost 80%) are children, nearly 25% have a disability, nearly 50% are Hispanic or Latino, and more than 25% speak Spanish as their primary language. We voted against these devastating cuts to protect these very residents and providers like yourselves.\n\nWe recognize your organizations are presented with an unworkable task. Republicans\u2019 Medicaid cuts will force health care providers throughout Oregon to do more with less. We will keep fighting to repeal these devastating cuts to health care for Malheur County and the countless other communities for which the Oregon Health Plan is a lifeline.\n\nAs you navigate this challenging landscape, we ask that you limit life-threatening disruptions for patients and their families and ensure the residents of Malheur County have ample access to a sufficient network of health care providers.We are hearing from members of the community who are deeply concerned about their ability to continue to see the doctor of their choice, and ask that you share answers to the following questions:\n\nAccording to reports, the Greater Oregon Behavioral Health, Inc. (GOHBI) is offering a transition period, permitting patients to complete a current episode of treatment after January 1, 2026 with an out-of-network provider and allowing extension requests for medically-necessary care. How will GOHBI manage this process to limit disruption for patients and their health care providers?\n\nWhat is GOHBI\u2019s process for granting medically-necessary extensions?\n\nPlease describe appeals processes and other patient protections available to patients related to provider access.\n\nReports suggest GOHBI\u2019s changes to the Malheur County provider network will reduce the number of available mental health and substance use disorder providers from four to just one, representing a dramatic downward shift. What determination did GOHBI make to ensure network adequacy and sufficient access for patients?\n\nDoes GOHBI have plans to monitor patient access throughout 2026?\n\nWhat circumstances led GOHBI to make these changes to its provider network in 2026?\n\nWere anticipated cuts to the Oregon Health Plan a factor? Thank you.\n\nYou represent the best of our nation\u2019s health care system, and we know you seek to do right by the patients with mental health and substance use disorders who you tirelessly serve. Please provide the requested information to Andrew Cutler at Andrew_Cutler@wyden.senate.gov no later than January 9th, 2026. Thank you for providing a prompt response to this inquiry.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.bennet.senate.gov/2025/12/23/icymi-bennet-fights-back-against-trumps-targeted-attacks-on-colorado/", "ICYMI: Bennet Fights Back Against Trump\u2019s Targeted Attacks on Colorado", "2025-12-23", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CO", "Michael F. Bennet", "B001267", "www.bennet.senate.gov", "bennet", "https://www.bennet.senate.gov/news/page/", "scraper", "Denver \u2014 Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet slammed President Trump for canceling hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grants from the Departments of Transportation and Energy, dismantling the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), and denying Colorado\u2019s request for two emergency declarations following extreme flooding and wildfires. Before the Senate adjourned for the year, Bennet blocked the appropriations package from advancing before the holidays to demand funding to protect NCAR.\n\n\u201cAfter more than a week of targeted actions against Colorado, it\u2019s clear President Trump has turned his sights on our state because we refuse to go along with his corrupt demands,\u201d said Senator Bennet. \u201cThis holiday season, hundreds of NCAR employees face uncertainty about their jobs and communities across the state are worried they won\u2019t get the support they need to rebuild their lives after historic flooding and wildfires. Colorado deserves better, and I am doing everything in my power to fight back and protect our state from the President\u2019s vindictive chaos.\u201d\n\nHere\u2019s how Senator Bennet is fighting for Colorado:\n\nKKCO 11: Colorado Senator Bennet accuses Trump of retaliating against Colorado over Tina Peters\n\nSen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., is accusing President Donald Trump of taking punitive actions against Colorado that Bennet describes as political retaliation.\n\nDuring a press call, Bennet criticized several recent decisions tied to the federal government\u2019s relationship with the state \u2014 including the administration\u2019s reported call to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).\n\nBennet also warned of broader consequences beyond Colorado if NCAR were dismantled.\n\n\u201cI think that Colorado deserves much better from our federal government. Our entire country deserves better from our federal government. We will not stand by while President Trump attacks Colorado and puts our communities in danger. We\u2019ll use every tool at our disposal to fight back against this reckless political attack,\u201d he said.\n\nColorado Sun: Colorado\u2019s U.S. senators hold up appropriations package over NCAR\u2019s future\n\nColorado\u2019s U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper\u2026put a hold on the so-called mini-bus package over the Trump administration\u2019s decision to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder.\n\n\u201cPresident Trump is attacking Colorado because we refuse to bend to his corrupt administration. His reckless decision to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research will have lasting, devastating impacts across the country,\u201d Bennet and Hickenlooper said in a joint statement.\n\nIn a social media post, Bennet, who is also running for governor, said \u201cwhen Trump comes after Colorado, we don\u2019t back down, we fight back.\u201d\n\nThe Denver Post: Trump denies disaster declarations for Colorado fires, flooding: \u2018We won\u2019t stop fighting\u2019\n\nSen. Michael Bennet called President Trump\u2019s decision to deny Colorado\u2019s request for federal assistance \u201cunacceptable.\u201d\n\n\u201cTrump continues to use Coloradans for political games; it is malicious and obscene,\u201d Bennet said. \u201cA disaster is a disaster, regardless of what state in the country it took place. Together with Governor Polis and the Colorado delegation, I will take every available step to appeal this decision.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-calls-on-stb-doj-to-oppose-railway-merger-threatening-jobs-and-driving-up-costs", "Blumenthal Calls on STB, DOJ to Oppose Railway Merger Threatening Jobs & Driving Up Costs", "2025-12-23", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CT", "Richard Blumenthal", "B001277", "www.blumenthal.senate.gov", "blumenthal", "https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press", "scraper", "[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) wrote Surface Transportation Board (STB) Chairman Patrick Fuchs and Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division Gail Slater urging them to oppose the proposed merger between Union Pacific Railroad and Norfolk Southern Railway\u2014two of the four largest railroads in the country. In today\u2019s letter, Blumenthal raised concerns that the merger would significantly reduce competition in the rail industry, driving up costs for shippers and threatening railroad workers\u2019 job security.\n\n\u201cRailroads are a critical link in the supply chain for everyday consumer goods, including food, fuel, building materials, and household products. When competition in rail transportation is reduced, higher shipping costs are often passed directly on to consumers in the form of higher prices at the checkout counter. With inflation and affordability already top concerns for American families, approving a merger that could further raise the cost of moving goods across the country would worsen financial strain on households nationwide,\u201d wrote Blumenthal.\n\n\u201cThe proposed merger also threatens job stability for countless employees at Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern,\u201d continued Blumenthal. \u201cTogether, the two companies have more than 50,000 employees. While the companies have said they will protect all union jobs during a merger, precedent shows us such promises are little more than hollow words. Instead of trusting these empty promises, you should protect thousands of jobs for hardworking Americans.\u201d\n\nThe full text of the letter can be found here and below.\n\nDear Chairman Fuchs and Assistant Attorney General Slater,\n\nI write with serious concerns about the proposed merger between Union Pacific Railroad and Norfolk Southern Railway. A merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern \u2013 two of the four largest railroads in the United States \u2013 would further consolidate the nation\u2019s rail network, resulting in potential job insecurity for workers, higher costs and less competition for shippers, and safety and community harms. At a time when families are already struggling with the rising cost of groceries, household goods, and other essentials, further consolidation in the rail industry risks driving up consumer prices even more. As the Surface Transportation Board considers the application from Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, I urge you to oppose this proposed merger.\n\nRailroads are a critical link in the supply chain for everyday consumer goods, including food, fuel, building materials, and household products. When competition in rail transportation is reduced, higher shipping costs are often passed directly on to consumers in the form of higher prices at the checkout counter. With inflation and affordability already top concerns for American families, approving a merger that could further raise the cost of moving goods across the country would worsen financial strain on households nationwide.\n\nThe proposed merger also threatens job stability for countless employees at Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. Together, the two companies have more than 50,000 employees.[1] While the companies have said they will protect all union jobs during a merger, precedent shows us such promises are little more than hollow words.[2] For example, after Union Pacific and Southern Pacific merged in 1996, thousands of employees were laid off or relocated despite assurances to protect workers before the merger went through.[3] Instead of trusting these empty promises, you should protect thousands of jobs for hardworking Americans.\n\nIn addition, the consolidated transcontinental railroad system that would result from the proposed merger would undoubtedly increase prices and decrease service for shippers. Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern largely serve different markets, and as a result, shippers are able to negotiate with each of them and their competitors for better prices for various portions of their trip. Under the proposed merger, however, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern would control a transcontinental rail line, which they could then use to preferentially price their services to direct shippers. Additionally, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern currently have various intermodal partnerships with each other and their competitors to improve access to shipping containers and underserved areas around the country.[4] The proposed merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern would jeopardize these partnerships. As shipping costs rise, consumers inevitably pay the price through higher costs for everyday goods, and as prices for consumer goods reach record highs, you should be focused on ensuring that shippers have access to affordable, reliable rail service instead of handicapping competition.\n\nFinally, you must consider the impact of the proposed merger on the safety of communities around the country. In recent years, ambulances and emergency service vehicles have been delayed for extended periods of time as long trains roll through highway-rail grade crossings in towns.[5] Similarly, to get to and from school, kids have been forced to climb under trains stopped at such crossings.[6] In addition, residents of East Palestine, Ohio, remain concerned about long-term health impacts of the hazardous materials they were exposed to in the 2023 derailment of Norfolk Southern train cars in East Palestine, Ohio.[7] Historically, cost-cutting efforts implemented by railroads only exacerbate these issues, and you must evaluate the forthcoming Safety Integration Plan and information on addressing blocked highway-rail grade crossings to determine whether this merger would do the same.[8]\n\nTo protect workers\u2019 jobs, prevent price increases for shippers and consumers, and promote safety for communities surrounding rail lines, I urge you to oppose the proposed merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. Thank you for your close attention to this matter.\n\nSincerely,\n\n-30-\n\n[1] Stuart Chirls, \u201cRail merger: Lifetime job is great \u201cuntil you are stuck in it,\u201d FreightWaves, September 24, 2025, https://www.freightwaves.com/news/rail-merger-lifetime-job-is-great-until-youre-stuck-in-it.\n\n[2] \u201cCreating America\u2019s First Transcontinental Railroad: Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern\u2019s STB Merger Application Details Enhancements to Competition and Public Benefits,\u201d Union Pacific, December 29, 2025, https://www.up.com/press-releases/growth/stb-merger-application-enhances-competition-251219; Erik Peinert and Ashley Nowicki, \u201cThe New Railroad Barons: Why the Union Pacific/Norfolk Southern Railroad Merger Must Be Blocked,\u201d American Economic Liberties Project, https://www.economicliberties.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2025-09-30-AELP-Railroad-Brief.pdf, 11.\n\n[3] Peinert and Nowicki, 11.\n\n[4] \u201cUMAX Domestic Container Program,\u201d Union Pacific, https://www.up.com/shipping/intermodal/umax (last accessed December 15, 2025); \u201cCSX, CPKC Create Faster Freight Solutions with Southeast Mexico Express,\u201d CSX, July 21, 2025, https://www.csx.com/index.cfm/about-us/media/press-releases/csx-cpkc-create-faster-freight-solutions-with-southeast-mexico-express/.\n\n[5] Mike Hendricks, \u201c\u2018They just don\u2019t care\u2019: Trains blocking roads can be deadly. It\u2019s only getting worse,\u201d The Kansas City Star, December 13, 2022, https://www.kansascity.com/news/business/article268879922.html.\n\n[6] Topher Sanders, Dan Schwartz, and Jove Sterman, \u201cAs Rail Profits Soar, Blocked Crossing Force Kids to Crawl Under Trains to Get to School,\u201d ProPublica and Gray Television/Investigate TV, April 26, 2023, https://www.propublica.org/article/trains-crossing-blocked-kids-norfolk-southern.\n\n[7] \u201cA year after a train derailment in Ohio spilled hazardous chemicals, health fears persist for East Palestine,\u201d PBS, February 2, 2024, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/a-year-after-a-train-derailment-in-ohio-spilled-hazardous-chemicals-health-fears-persist-for-east-palestine; Julie Grant, \u201cTwo years after train derailment and chemical disaster in East Palestine, some residents worry about liver cancer,\u201d WHYY, January 30, 2025, http://whyy.org/segments/two-years-after-east-palestine-train-derailment-health-risks/.\n\n[8] Peinert and Nowicki, 9.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-markey-and-warren-demand-amazon-remove-listings-for-used-cars-with-unrepaired-safety-recalls-clearly-display-vehicles-recall-status", "Blumenthal, Markey, & Warren Demand Amazon Remove Listings for Used Cars with Unrepaired Safety Recalls, Clearly Display Vehicle's Recall Status", "2025-12-23", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CT", "Richard Blumenthal", "B001277", "www.blumenthal.senate.gov", "blumenthal", "https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press", "scraper", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) called on Amazon to remove listings for pre-owned vehicles with unrepaired safety recalls. In a letter to Andrew R. Jassy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Amazon, the Senators raised safety concerns about the company\u2019s new Amazon Autos partnership with Hyundai and Ford dealers, which lists pre-owned vehicles that may have unrepaired safety recalls for sale without adequately warning consumers about a vehicle\u2019s recall status.\n\n\u201cWe are extremely troubled by the fact that Amazon is listing vehicles for sale with unrepaired safety recalls. Selling cars with unrepaired safety recalls is extremely dangerous and poses a potentially fatal threat to vehicle drivers, passengers, and others on the road. Amazon\u2019s suggestion to consumers to check a vehicle\u2019s recall status themselves on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration\u2019s (NHTSA) website is simply insufficient. We call on Amazon to remove all vehicle listings with unrepaired safety recalls and to directly display to prospective vehicle buyers a vehicle\u2019s recall status,\u201d the Senators wrote.\n\nThe Senators continued, \u201cAmazon does not need to wait for the law to change to prioritize vehicle safety. We call on Amazon to immediately stop listing for sale on Amazon Autos any vehicle with an unrepaired safety recall. In addition, Amazon should make it as easy as possible for people to confirm that the vehicle they are looking at does not have unrepaired recalls. Instead of linking to NHTSA\u2019s website and encouraging people to check the recall status themselves, we urge Amazon to prominently display the status of recalls under the key features it lists for vehicles it is selling.\u201d\n\nThe full text of the Senators\u2019 letter is available here and copied below.\n\nDear Mr. Jassy,\n\nWe are extremely troubled by the fact that Amazon is listing vehicles for sale with unrepaired safety recalls. Selling cars with unrepaired safety recalls is extremely dangerous and poses a potentially fatal threat to vehicle drivers, passengers, and others on the road. Amazon\u2019s suggestion to consumers to check a vehicle\u2019s recall status themselves on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration\u2019s (NHTSA) website is simply insufficient. We call on Amazon to remove all vehicle listings with unrepaired safety recalls and to directly display to prospective vehicle buyers a vehicle\u2019s recall status.\n\nOn August 4, 2025, Amazon announced that dealers would be able to sell used and certified pre-owned vehicles through Amazon Autos, which was at the time limited to Hyundai vehicles. On November 17, 2025, Amazon announced that certified pre-owned vehicles sold by Ford dealers, which are not exclusively Ford vehicles, would also be for sale on Amazon Autos. In its announcement with Ford, Amazon touted its transparency in the vehicle selling process by highlighting it provides viewers with the service history and condition reports for vehicles. However, Amazon fails to disclose to prospective vehicle buyers that a vehicle may have unrepaired recalls. In fact, Amazon lists for sale\u2014and appears to have facilitated the sale of\u2014vehicles with unrepaired recalls, including urgent fire risks and a potential engine stall while driving.\n\nWe have long raised concerns about the dangers of allowing used vehicles with unrepaired safety recalls to be sold. Our legislation, S.2956, the Used Car Safety Recall Repair Act, would prevent dealers from selling used cars with unrepaired safety recalls, a prohibition that already applies to new vehicles.\n\nAmazon does not need to wait for the law to change to prioritize vehicle safety. We call on Amazon to immediately stop listing for sale on Amazon Autos any vehicle with an unrepaired safety recall. In addition, Amazon should make it as easy as possible for people to confirm that the vehicle they are looking at does not have unrepaired recalls. Instead of linking to NHTSA\u2019s website and encouraging people to check the recall status themselves, we urge Amazon to prominently display the status of recalls under the key features it lists for vehicles it is selling.\n\nWe look forward to working with Amazon to ensure that the vehicles it lists for sale are safe.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-seeks-data-on-security-grant-program", "Blumenthal Seeks Data on Security Grant Program", "2025-12-23", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CT", "Richard Blumenthal", "B001277", "www.blumenthal.senate.gov", "blumenthal", "https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press", "scraper", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) wrote Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem seeking data about previous applications to the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) to help inform Congress about how the program should be funded for the upcoming fiscal year.\n\n\u201cAs I travel around Connecticut and hear from community leaders here and around the country, I am struck by the severely heightened anxiety and apprehension about physical threats to places of worship and community centers involving hate-based violence,\u201d Blumenthal wrote.\n\n\u201cRecently, I have called for dramatically increasing funding for NSGP to $1 billion and for increasing funding and resources for other programs to keep pace with the violence we are seeing in our communities. I am disappointed that the proposal released Friday night by Senate Republicans for Fiscal Year 2026 includes only $330 million for NSGP, far short of my request and the program\u2019s clear need, with reports indicating recipients requested approximately $1 billion from FEMA in 2024 alone.\u201d\n\nLast week, Blumenthal wrote the Chair and Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Chairs and Ranking Members of its Subcommittees on Homeland Security and Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies calling for a dramatic increase in resources for programs that combat hate-based violence through security and prevention, including by appropriating no less than $1 billion to the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), making significant investments to the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act (NO HATE Act), and reestablishing and fully funding the Department of Justice\u2019s (DOJ) Community Relations Service (CRS).\n\nOn Friday, he joined leaders from the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford and the Anti-Defamation League of Connecticut at an event in West Hartford, Connecticut, calling on Congress to robustly fund NSGP and the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act grant program.\n\nThe full text of today\u2019s letter is available here and copied below.\n\nDear Secretary Noem,\n\nIn recent years we have, unfortunately, seen a rise in antisemitism, extremist ideology, and hate-based violence. As I travel around Connecticut and hear from community leaders here and around the country, I am struck by the severely heightened anxiety and apprehension about physical threats to places of worship and community centers involving hate-based violence. One of the most important tools at our disposal to combat such hate and protect religious institutions and minority communities is the Federal Emergency Management Agency\u2019s (FEMA) Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP).\n\nRecently, I have called for dramatically increasing funding for NSGP to $1 billion and for increasing funding and resources for other programs to keep pace with the violence we are seeing in our communities. I am disappointed that the proposal released Friday night by Senate Republicans for Fiscal Year 2026 includes only $330 million for NSGP, far short of my request and the program\u2019s clear need, with reports indicating recipients requested approximately $1 billion from FEMA in 2024 alone.\n\nIt is critical for Congress to have fulsome data about past NSGP applications and awards as we work towards completion of Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bills. Please provide me with the following information for Fiscal Years 2023, 2024, and 2025, disaggregated by fiscal year and FEMA region, by no later than January 6, 2026:\n\nThe number of grant applications submitted to the NSGP;\n\nThe number of awards made under the NSGP;\n\nFor each award where the recipient received less money than requested in their application, the requested funding, received funding, and reason for the difference; and\n\nAny resources or assistance FEMA provides to unsuccessful applicants to improve their application in future years and to ensure safety and security in the meantime.\n\nThank you for your attention to this letter. I look forward to receiving your response.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-slams-secret-trump-administration-memo-ending-life-saving-abortion-care-for-veterans", "Blumenthal Slams Secret Trump Administration Memo Ending Life-Saving Abortion Care for Veterans", "2025-12-23", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CT", "Richard Blumenthal", "B001277", "www.blumenthal.senate.gov", "blumenthal", "https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press", "scraper", "[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today released a statement slamming the Trump Administration\u2019s Department of Veterans Affairs\u2019 (VA) secret implementation of a new policy to stop providing abortion care and counseling to veterans who have been raped or whose pregnancy is threatening their health.\n\n\u201cSecretively and sickeningly, Trump\u2019s VA is depriving women veterans of essential health care. A policy just issued by Secretary Collins stops this reproductive care even for women who are victims of rape or incest, or whose health is at risk. He\u2019s done it by internal memo, not by open rule making, avoiding public attention and scrutiny. My Republican colleagues should be as outraged as I am. The result will be chaos and confusion among health care providers, and anxiety and pain for women veterans. This cruel, misguided action is reckless and reprehensible.\u201d\n\nIn September 2022, VA began to offer abortion counseling to all pregnant veterans and CHAMPVA beneficiaries, and abortion in cases of rape, incest, or life or health endangerment of the veteran or CHAMPVA beneficiary. This was in response to the Dobbs v. Jackson Women\u2019s Health Organization ruling, which created urgent risks to the lives and health of pregnant veterans and CHAMPVA beneficiaries in states that banned or otherwise severely restricted access to abortion.\n\nThe Trump Department of Justice issued a memo banning this abortion care and counseling at VA a few days ago, and the Trump VA just issued its own internal memo yesterday implementing this new policy immediately. This follows the Trump VA\u2019s announcement in August of its intent to issue this change in a proposed rule. However, rather than complete the regular rulemaking process, VA Secretary Doug Collins is implementing this policy without issuing a final rule without notifying veterans or the public.\n\nMore than 462,000 women veterans of reproductive age are enrolled in VA health care. More than half of these women live in states that have enacted abortion bans or restrictions.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases/duckworth-durbin-statement-on-supreme-court-ruling-blocking-deployment-of-national-guard-troops-to-chicago", "Duckworth, Durbin Statement on Supreme Court Ruling Blocking Deployment of National Guard Troops to Chicago", "2025-12-23", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "IL", "Tammy Duckworth", "D000622", "www.duckworth.senate.gov", "duckworth", "https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "[CHICAGO, IL] \u2013 U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after the Supreme Court declined to stay a federal judge\u2019s temporary restraining order that blocked President Trump\u2019s plans to deploy the National Guard to Chicago:\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s long past time for the Trump Administration to back off Chicago. The majority of Americans believe they\u2019ve gone too far, and even the Supreme Court\u2019s conservative supermajority refused to greenlight this blatantly unlawful overreach. Our government is supposed to help our communities\u2014not go to war with them.\n\n\u201cImmigrants make our country better, and we will keep fighting like hell to protect the promise of America.\u201d\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-duckworth-statement-on-supreme-court-ruling-blocking-deployment-of-national-guard-troops-to-chicago", "Durbin, Duckworth Statement On Supreme Court Ruling Blocking Deployment Of National Guard Troops To Chicago", "2025-12-23", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "IL", "Richard J. Durbin", "D000563", "www.durbin.senate.gov", "durbin", "https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "CHICAGO \u2013 U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after the Supreme Court declined to stay a federal judge\u2019s temporary restraining order that blocked President Trump\u2019s plans to deploy the National Guard to Chicago:\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s long past time for the Trump Administration to back off Chicago. The majority of Americans believe they\u2019ve gone too far, and even the Supreme Court\u2019s conservative supermajority refused to greenlight this blatantly unlawful overreach. Our government is supposed to help our communities\u2014not go to war with them.\n\n\u201cImmigrants make our country better, and we will keep fighting like hell to protect the promise of America.\u201d\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.hassan.senate.gov/news/press-releases/12/23/2025/senator-hassan-nominates-new-hampshire-students-for-united-states-service-academies", "Senator Hassan Nominates New Hampshire Students for United States Service Academies", "2025-12-23", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NH", "Margaret Wood Hassan", "H001076", "www.hassan.senate.gov", "hassan", "https://www.hassan.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan announced that she has nominated students from New Hampshire to attend United States Service Academies \u2013 the U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.\n\n\u201cIt is a privilege to nominate these outstanding New Hampshire students to our United States Service Academies,\u201d said Senator Hassan. \u201cThe choice to serve our country in uniform reflects the highest form of public service, and I am grateful for these young Granite Staters who are answering that call. I have no doubt that they will make New Hampshire and our country proud.\u201d\n\nFor more information on the nomination process for interested applicants, click here.\n\nSee below for a list of Senator Hassan\u2019s nominees:\n\nUnited States Military Academy\n\nJustin Baldridge \u2013 Salem\n\nRyleigh Bannister \u2013 Derry\n\nWilliam Bellerose \u2013 Chichester\n\nCaidyn Carter \u2013 Northfield\n\nLiam Conway \u2013 Alton\n\nRyan Cowher \u2013 Keene\n\nTroy Hayes \u2013 Windham\n\nJacob Levesque \u2013 Jaffrey\n\nCharlotte Lund \u2013 New London\n\nLeah Lynskey \u2013 Durham\n\nLiam Mahoney \u2013 Hampton\n\nKyle Paolino \u2013 Rindge\n\nWade Plaskiewicz \u2013 Surry\n\nJames Sisco \u2013 Goffstown\n\nJack Williams \u2013 Stratham\n\nUnited States Naval Academy\n\nTalia Batherwich \u2013 Londonderry\n\nAnna Boyer \u2013 Ashland\n\nHayden Brunell \u2013 Meredith\n\nLiam Canty \u2013 Exeter\n\nEamon Griffin \u2013 Amherst\n\nSamuel Kellner \u2013 Hollis\n\nCiara Kerley \u2013 Wilmot\n\nAddison Knoetig \u2013 Goffstown\n\nColin Magnuszewski \u2013 Brookline\n\nSophia Malloy \u2013 Portsmouth\n\nKelly Moriarty \u2013 Rye\n\nRuby Neutra \u2013 Marlborough\n\nReilly O'Brien \u2013 Salem\n\nAnita Parmelee \u2013 Exeter\n\nChristian Salaun \u2013 Greenland\n\nUnited States Air Force Academy\n\nBrandon Adamson \u2013 Londonderry\n\nAndrew Allen \u2013 East Kingston\n\nKevin Benard \u2013 Pembroke\n\nJack Calderwood \u2013 Intervale\n\nJacob Daley \u2013 Nashua\n\nDominic Fazzio \u2013 East Hampstead\n\nNathan Ferreira \u2013 Pembroke\n\nKipling Hedquist \u2013 Hopkinton\n\nAshlie Klawes \u2013 Allenstown\n\nGiana Leonardi \u2013 Dover\n\nCooper Mack \u2013 Holderness\n\nGavin Niemela \u2013 Dublin\n\nVictor Pham \u2013 Tilton\n\nSamuel Sanders \u2013 Hillsborough\n\nMaximilian Williams \u2013 Concord\n\nUnited States Merchant Marine Academy\n\nSamuel Kellner \u2013 Hollis\n\nAddison Knoetig \u2013 Goffstown\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/press_releases/2025-in-review-hickenlooper-defends-colorado-against-trump-chaos/", "2025 in Review: Hickenlooper Defends Colorado Against Trump Chaos", "2025-12-23", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CO", "John W. Hickenlooper", "H000273", "www.hickenlooper.senate.gov", "hickenlooper", "https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/press/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 It\u2019s been a hell of a year, Colorado. Here are just a few of the ways Senator Hickenlooper fought this administration\u2019s chaos and stood up for Coloradans in 2025.\n\nDEFENDING SCIENCE\n\nLast week, Senator Hickenlooper blocked a federal appropriations package in the Senate after President Trump announced his plan to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder and cancel millions intransportation grants designated for Colorado. Hickenlooper demanded Republicans add an amendment to the package guaranteeing that all funding for NCAR be fully spent.\n\nAfter blocking the bill on the Senate floor, Hickenlooper joined protesters outside of NCAR in Boulder on Saturday to raise public pressure against cuts to critical environmental research.\n\nPROTECTING PUBLIC LANDS\n\nHickenlooper also led the fight against Senator Mike Lee\u2019s proposal to force the BLM to sell up to 1.2 million acres of public lands in Colorado and 10 other Western states. Hickenlooper first sounded the alarm in April, when he voted against the Republican budget resolution and introduced an amendment to protect public lands from being sold to pay for Republicans\u2019 tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy.\n\nIn May, Hickenlooper held a press conference in Estes Park with Congressman Neguse, public lands advocates, and local elected officials to call out the Trump administration\u2019s threats to Colorado\u2019s national parks and public lands, including Rocky Mountain National Park.\n\nThe public pressure campaign worked. Following mounting opposition from Western senators and their constituents, Senator Lee stripped the public lands sale provision from the bill in June.\n\nPROTECTING HEALTH CARE\n\nSince the beginning of the year, Hickenlooper has railed against Republicans\u2019 manufactured health care crisis and worked closely with state leaders to protect Coloradans\u2019 care.\n\nIn July, congressional Republicans passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, cutting more than $1 trillion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act to pay for huge tax cuts for the richest Americans and largest corporations. 15 million Americans \u2013 including 241,000 Coloradans \u2013 are expected to lose their health care because of Republicans\u2019 cuts.\n\nHickenlooper helped mount a political pressure campaign to fight for Americans\u2019 health care. He was one of the first senators to announce he\u2019d oppose the Republican government funding bill unless Republicans worked with Democrats to lower health care costs. Hickenlooper voted against Republicans\u2019 funding bill every time it came to the Senate floor.\n\nDuring the 43-day government shutdown, Hickenlooper organized a press conference with Coloradans facing steep premium increases and cuts to their Medicaid in 2026 to pressure Colorado Republicans and the administration to fix skyrocketing health care costs.\n\nRecently, in a last-ditch effort to save Americans\u2019 health care, Hickenlooper and Senate Democrats proposed a simple extension of the Affordable Care Act\u2019s enhanced premium tax credits for three years, without any changes, to save more than 24 million Americans from paying double for their health costs or losing their insurance entirely. Republicans rejected the proposal.\n\nFIGHTING ICE OBSTRUCTION\n\nThroughout the year, Senator Hickenlooper and his office have worked to help families desperately searching for loved ones arrested by ICE, and to advocate for those in detention.\n\nIn August, Hickenlooper visited the ICE detention center in Aurora after ICE repeatedly stonewalled his office\u2019s calls and emails. During the visit, he raised concerns with ICE officials regarding delayed communication with congressional offices, irregular process changes, reports of ICE pressuring detainees to voluntarily depart instead of proceeding through a judicial process, and facility conditions. ICE failed to give satisfactory answers.\n\nIn August, Senator Hickenlooper\u2019s office led the effort to get a mother and her 7-year-old son from Chaffee County released from the family detention center in Dilley, Texas. The mother had no criminal record and an active asylum claim \u2013 she and her son were held for two months before their release.\n\nIn November, Hickenlooper called for the immediate release of a Durango father and his two young children after ICE arrested them while they were on their way to school. Following ICE\u2019s failure to release the family, Senator Hickenlooper spoke directly with DHS Secretary Noem, demanding ICE release them from custody after they reported being physically abused while in ICE detention. Despite having active asylum claims and no criminal record, DHS refused.\n\nIn response, Hickenlooper and Senator Jon Ossoff opened an inquiry into ICE\u2019s unlawful obstruction of congressional oversight. Just last week, a federal judge blocked a Trump administration policy requiring members of Congress to give prior notice before visiting ICE facilities. On Saturday, Hickenlooper performed a congressional oversight visit to ensure ICE was following the law and to push for two young detainees to be released.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases/hirono-markey-press-sba-administrator-on-audit-targeting-underserved-businesses", "Hirono, Markey Press SBA Administrator on Audit Targeting Underserved Businesses", "2025-12-23", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Mazie K. Hirono", "H001042", "www.hirono.senate.gov", "hirono", "https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "Lawmakers: \u201cRather than using this audit as a pretense to unfairly attack a program with which you have an ideological disagreement, it is our hope that you will refocus on the goals of the 8(a) Program to make sure it continues to support socially and economically disadvantaged businesses\u2014as intended.\u201d\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Ed Markey (D-MA), Ranking Member for the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, sent a letter to U.S. Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler, expressing their deep concerns regarding the U.S. Small Business Administration\u2019s (SBA) December 5th announcement of a sweeping, program-wide audit of the 8(a) Business Development Program. SBA\u2019s announcement has left many businesses scrambling to meet the agency\u2019s extensive document request under a short deadline with unclear guidance, while raising concerns about how businesses\u2019 information will be used and secured.\n\nThe 8(a) Business Development Program was created by Congress to provide training, assistance, and federal contracting opportunities for socially and economically disadvantaged businesses in the U.S. and plays an important role in helping to ensure these businesses have the opportunity to work with federal agencies. Recently, however, the 8(a) program has come under attack as Republicans have unfairly targeted many of these small, socially and economically disadvantaged businesses, which often rely on government contracts to stay in business and keep their staff employed.\n\n\u201cWhile we wholeheartedly support meaningful oversight of all programs that fall under the jurisdiction of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, we disagree with your characterization of the program,\u201d the senators wrote. \u201cWe also emphasize that formal audits should be conducted by the appropriate authorities, such as Inspectors General, who are a part of a comprehensive system that has decades of proven success in preventing and detecting fraud, waste, and abuse.\u201d\n\nThe ambiguous language in the SBA\u2019s audit has led to mass confusion among 8(a) businesses, who have been seeking clarity and guidance regarding the documentation they must provide to remain eligible to participate in the 8(a) program.\n\n\u201cFurthermore, we are concerned about the nature in which you requested the information from businesses in the program\u2014an indiscriminate data call asking 4,300 businesses to complete additional paperwork, with limited guidance to clarify the manner in which they should comply\u2014which raises questions,\u201d the senators continued. \u201cSo too does the short turnaround, initially giving businesses only 31 days to comply with a deadline of January 5, 2026\u2014shortly after the holiday season\u2014before extending the deadline to January 19, 2026.\u201d\n\nTo that end, the lawmakers demand answers to a number of specific questions about the audit by January 2, 2025, including:\n\nHow should a business doing classified and/or sensitive work for the federal government provide the agency with the requested information in a timely and appropriate manner before the requested deadline?\n\nWill extensions be granted for businesses that make a good faith effort to comply with the deadline, especially if there is no feasible way to provide the information before the deadline?\n\nWhat assurances do businesses have that proprietary information shared with the agency will be protected?\n\nWho within the agency will conduct the audit of the program?\n\nWill the agency follow government-approved standards to conduct investigations or audits, such as the Government Accountability Office\u2019s \u201cGenerally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS)?\u201d\n\n\u201cSBA\u2019s fundamental mission is to support small businesses and entrepreneurs in the United States,\u201d the lawmakers concluded. \u201cRather than using this audit as a pretense to unfairly attack a program with which you have an ideological disagreement, it is our hope that you will refocus on the goals of the 8(a) Program to make sure it continues to support socially and economically disadvantaged businesses\u2014as intended.\u201d\n\nIn addition to Senators Hirono and Markey, the letter was also signed by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA).\n\nThe full text of the letter is available here and below.\n\nDear Administrator Loeffler:\n\nWe write today to express our strong concerns about your recent decision to request detailed information from every participant in the 8(a) Business Development Program by January 19, 2026. Specifically, we are concerned about whether and how small businesses will be able to fully comply with the request given the limited guidance and short timeline that was provided. We are also concerned about your agency\u2019s ability to meaningfully review these materials in a timely manner given the deep staff reductions you have directed at the SBA.\n\nCongress created the 8(a) Business Development Program to provide training, technical assistance, and federal contracting opportunities for socially and economically disadvantaged businesses in the United States. Today, the program plays an important role in making sure these companies have the opportunity to do business with federal agencies, which not only supports those businesses and the communities in which they are located\u2014creating jobs, for example\u2014 but also pays dividends for the agencies. Within the Department of Defense, for example, there is evidence to show that these businesses play a role in strengthening the industrial base by diversifying the supply chain. The same can be said for other agencies.\n\nOn December 5, 2025, you announced that every participant in the 8(a) Business Development Program would be receiving a letter asking for detailed information about their companies, citing \u201cwidespread misconduct\u201d in the program and referring to the program as a \u201cvehicle for institutionalized abuse at taxpayer expense.\u201d While we wholeheartedly support meaningful oversight of all programs that fall under the jurisdiction of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, we disagree with your characterization of the program. We also emphasize that formal audits should be conducted by the appropriate authorities, such as Inspectors General, who are a part of a comprehensive system that has decades of proven success in preventing and detecting fraud, waste, and abuse. Furthermore, we are concerned about the nature in which you requested the information from businesses in the program\u2014an indiscriminate data call asking 4,300 businesses to complete additional paperwork, with limited guidance to clarify the manner in which they should comply\u2014which raises questions. So too does the short turnaround, initially giving businesses only 31 days to comply with a deadline of January 5, 2026\u2014shortly after the holiday season\u2014before extending the deadline to January 19, 2026.\n\nThere are several outstanding questions that are left unanswered by your notices to companies. We respectfully request answers to the following questions by January 2, 2026.\n\nHow should a business doing classified and/or sensitive work for the federal government provide the agency with the requested information in a timely and appropriate manner before the requested deadline?\n\nWill extensions be granted for businesses that make a good faith effort to comply with the deadline, especially if there is no feasible way to provide the information before the deadline?\n\nWhat assurances do businesses have that proprietary information shared with the agency will be protected?\n\nWho within the agency will conduct the audit of the program?\n\nWill the agency follow government-approved standards to conduct investigations or audits, such as the Government Accountability Office\u2019s \u201cGenerally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS)?\u201d\n\nSBA\u2019s fundamental mission is to support small businesses and entrepreneurs in the United States. Rather than using this audit as a pretense to unfairly attack a program with which you have an ideological disagreement, it is our hope that you will refocus on the goals of the 8(a) Program to make sure it continues to support socially and economically disadvantaged businesses\u2014as intended.\n\nWe look forward to your timely response.\n\nSincerely,\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.kelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/kelly-cornyn-bill-to-enhance-u-s-mexico-counternarcotics-efforts-signed-into-law/", "Kelly, Cornyn Bill to Enhance U.S.-Mexico Counternarcotics Efforts Signed into Law", "2025-12-23", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "AZ", "Mark Kelly", "K000377", "www.kelly.senate.gov", "markkelly", "https://www.kelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "U.S. Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and John Cornyn (R-TX) released the following statements after their Counternarcotics Enhancement Act, which will require elements of the Intelligence Community to review any direct relationships with elements of the Government of Mexico, develop a strategy to enhance counternarcotics efforts, and make recommendations or request resources required to implement the strategy in furtherance of the national interest of the United States, was signed into law as part of the Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026:\n\n\u201cTo win the fight against drug trafficking, the U.S. and Mexico have to work together against the cartels,\u201d said Sen. Kelly. \u201cThis effort will make our country safer by keeping drugs off our streets through Intelligence Community engagement with the government of Mexico.\u201d\n\n\u201cOne innocent life lost because of illicit narcotics smuggled into the U.S. by way of Mexico is one too many,\u201d said Sen. Cornyn. \u201cThis law will ensure our Intelligence Community leverages the U.S.-Mexico relationship to most effectively root out these silent killers and keep Americans safe.\u201d\n\nBackground:\n\nThe Counternarcotics Enhancement Act will require elements of the Intelligence Community to submit to the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) the following information:\n\nA description and assessment of their relationship, if any, with any element of the government of Mexico;\n\nA strategy to enhance counternarcotics cooperation and appropriate coordination with each element of the government of Mexico they have a direct relationship with;\n\nAnd recommendations and a description of the resources required to efficiently and effectively implement this strategy to further the national interest of the U.S.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=2CE5D131-E44C-43C6-9E0D-612C6495AFBC", "Klobuchar Announces Federal Funding for Minnesota Broadband Infrastructure", "2025-12-23", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), a senior member of the Senate Commerce Committee and co-chair of the Senate Broadband Caucus, announced that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has approved Minnesota\u2019s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Final Proposal. Minnesota received $652 million in funding to implement its BEAD proposal.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m thrilled to announce that Minnesota\u2019s broadband funding proposal has been approved, which will bring fast, affordable, reliable internet to families in every corner of our state,\u201d said Senator Klobuchar. \u201cThis funding is available thanks to my bipartisan legislation that I fought to pass so that Minnesota families\u2014regardless of their ZIP code\u2014have access to high-speed internet.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis BEAD milestone represents a major step forward in our commitment to ensuring every Minnesotan \u2014 regardless of geography \u2014 has access to reliable, high quality broadband,\u201d said Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Matt Varilek. \u201cMinnesota extends its sincere appreciation to the many Internet service providers and partners across the state who worked alongside us to shape this proposal. Their dedication, expertise and willingness to engage deeply in this effort have been essential to reaching this point. With this BEAD approval, Minnesota is one step closer to closing the digital divide and building a more connected future for all.\u201d\n\nThis development advances Minnesota\u2019s affordable broadband rollout to unserved and underserved areas of the state.\n\nKlobuchar has long led efforts to expand broadband access, support rural broadband, and bridge the digital divide.\n\nKlobuchar\u2019s Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act was incorporated into the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and has delivered significant federal funding to Minnesota for expanding high-speed internet access statewide.\n\nIn June 2023, Klobuchar announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce had awarded major federal funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to bring reliable, affordable, high-speed internet access to every household in Minnesota. The Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act, Klobuchar\u2019s legislation with then-House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) to expand high-speed internet nationwide, served as the basis for the program created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.\n\nIn March 2023, Klobuchar and Senators John Thune (R-SD), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), and Jerry Moran (R-KS) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to expand broadband access to rural communities. The Reforming Broadband Connectivity Act would strengthen funding mechanisms for the Federal Communications Commission\u2019s (FCC) Universal Service Fund (USF), which promotes universal access to broadband and other telecommunications services. Currently, the USF is primarily funded through landline fees, disproportionately impacting seniors, who are more likely to use landlines than other Americans.\n\nIn February 2023, Klobuchar introduced bipartisan legislation with Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) to strengthen broadband access for rural communities. The Rural Broadband Protection Act would ensure that providers applying for federal funding can reliably deliver broadband to underserved, rural communities.\n\nIn July 2021, Klobuchar introduced bipartisan legislation with Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to expand rural broadband access by streamlining the funding process and removing barriers for broadband connectivity in hard-to-serve rural areas.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.murray.senate.gov/senator-murray-statement-on-trump-administration-quietly-banning-abortion-care-for-veterans-families/", "Senator Murray Statement on Trump Administration Quietly Banning Abortion Care for Veterans & Families", "2025-12-23", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "WA", "Patty Murray", "M001111", "www.murray.senate.gov", "murray", "https://www.murray.senate.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "Approximately 300,000 women veterans of reproductive age are enrolled in VA health care, 155,000 live in states that have enacted abortion bans or restrictions\n\nSenator Murray, longtime leader on reproductive rights and veterans issues, grilled Secretary Collins on preserving access to abortion care at VA during his nomination hearing in January\n\nICYMI FROM AUGUST: Senator Murray Statement on Trump Ripping Away Access to Abortion Care for Women Veterans Who Were Raped or Whose Health is in Danger\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and a senior member and former chair of the Senate Committee on Veterans\u2019 Affairs, released the following statement on the news that the Trump administration has quietly implemented a near-total abortion ban at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), banning abortion care for veterans and their dependents\u2014even when a woman\u2019s health is in danger, or the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.\n\nA Department of Justice (DOJ) memo issued last week, which regional VA leaders were told to comply with in an internal directive Monday, (screenshots here and here) shows the Trump administration is making this shift before VA even finished finalizing a proposed rule regarding this policy change and without allowing any public comment or consultation. Senator Murray forcefully condemned the Trump administration\u2019s initial move to ban abortion at VA facilities in August\u2014the new DOJ memo is a workaround by the Trump administration to implement their VA abortion ban even sooner, and as of this week, the policy is now fully in effect at VA facilities across the country.\n\nThe policy is a near-total ban on abortion care at VA, with only an exception for care when \u201ca physician certifies that the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term\u201d\u2014and no exceptions for the health of the veteran or for rape or incest. The policy also bans VA providers from even discussing abortion with their veteran patients\u2014even in life-threatening situations. There are approximately 300,000 women veterans of reproductive age who are enrolled in VA health care, and VA estimates that over 155,000 of them live in states that have enacted abortion bans or restrictions. Senator Murray pressed VA Secretary Doug Collins at his nomination hearing in January on whether he would eliminate access to abortion care at VA for veterans who are victims of rape, and he refused to give a straight answer.\n\n\u201cThis backdoor move by the Trump administration to impose a near-total abortion ban at VA is an outrageous assault on veterans\u2019 health care and a profound betrayal of veterans who have put their lives on the line for our country,\u201d Senator Murray said. \u201cVA already prohibits abortion care except in incredibly limited circumstances\u2014this change goes even further, blocking women veterans whose health is in danger, or who are survivors of rape or incest, from getting the basic care they need. It\u2019s shameful and indefensible.\u201d\n\n\u201cOver the past year, Trump and Republicans have shown they will do everything in their power to restrict abortion access so they can ultimately ban abortion nationwide. President Trump can pretend all he wants that he supports exceptions for rape and incest, but the reality is that his administration is right now banning abortion care in exactly those circumstances,\u201d Murray continued.\n\n\u201cThe Trump administration may think they can quietly rip away women veterans\u2019 health care and avoid accountability\u2014they are wrong. I will never stop speaking out against Republican attacks on reproductive freedom or fighting back to protect veterans\u2019 health care.\u201d\n\nSenator Murray was the first woman to join the Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee and the first woman to chair the Committee\u2014and advocating for women veterans and their access to reproductive health care has been a longtime focus for Senator Murray. Senator Murray called on VA to provide abortion care to veterans early in the Biden administration, and she applauded the Biden administration\u2019s announcement later in the year that would begin to provide abortion care for veterans and their eligible dependents to protect the health and life of the individual and in cases of rape or incest. Murray has helped lead the charge in calling out Republicans for their attacks on, and attempts to undo, this limited and commonsense policy. Senator Murray also leads the Veteran Families Health Services Act, comprehensive legislation that would expand fertility treatments\u2014including IVF\u2014and family-building services for servicemembers and veterans who are unable to conceive without assistance, and she has sought unanimous consent to pass the legislation on multiple occasions. She introduced new legislation this summer with Senator Duckworth to help cover IVF costs for servicemembers and military families\u2014and slammed Speaker Johnson from working behind the scenes to strip an amendment mirroring that legislation from the final National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026. Senator Murray voted against the NDAA earlier this month, citing\u2014among other things\u2014the failure to include her provision to expand IVF care for servicemembers and veterans.\n\nSenator Murray is also a longtime leader in the fight to protect and expand access to reproductive health care and abortion rights, and she has led Congressional efforts to fight back after the Supreme Court\u2019s disastrous decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Murray has introduced more than a dozen pieces of legislation to protect reproductive rights from further attacks, protect providers, and help ensure women get the care they need; Murray has led efforts to push for passage of these bills on the floor multiple times. Last January, on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Murray led her colleagues in hosting a \u201cState of Abortion Rights\u201d briefing with women who have suffered firsthand from Republican abortion bans, and last June, she chaired a HELP Committee hearing titled \u201cThe Assault on Women\u2019s Freedoms: How Abortion Bans Have Created a Health Care Nightmare Across America.\u201d Murray helped lead efforts to force Republicans on the record on votes to protect access to contraception and access to IVF (twice), and she led her colleagues in raising the alarm about the threat a second Trump administration would pose to reproductive rights and abortion access in every state, as outlined in Project 2025. At a forum Senator Murray held at the beginning of this year on the anniversary of the Dobbs decision, Senator Murray spoke about Republicans\u2019 plan to institute a backdoor nationwide abortion ban, including by defunding Planned Parenthood.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/padilla-126-lawmakers-urge-dhs-to-withdraw-public-charge-proposal-that-would-harm-immigrants-citizen-children-and-public-health/", "Padilla, 126 Lawmakers Urge DHS to Withdraw Public Charge Proposal That Would Harm Immigrants, Citizen Children, and Public Health", "2025-12-23", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CA", "Alex Padilla", "P000145", "www.padilla.senate.gov", "padilla", "https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, co-led 126 lawmakers, including 16 other Senators and 110 Representatives, in urging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to withdraw its proposed public charge rule, warning it would harm U.S. citizen children, immigrant communities, and public health systems nationwide. The letter was co-led by Senators Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), as well as Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chair Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.-13), Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair Grace Meng (D-N.Y.-06), Democratic Women\u2019s Caucus Chair Teresa Leger Fern\u00e1ndez (D-N.M.-03), Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.-09), and CHC Vice Chair of Policy Robert Menendez (D-N.J.-08) in the House.\n\n\u201cPublic charge\u201d is a ground of inadmissibility to the United States, under which an immigration officer determines whether an immigrant is likely to become primarily dependent on the government for future assistance. The Trump Administration\u2019s proposal would rescind the clear 2022 public charge regulations and replace them with vague, undefined standards, leading to arbitrary decision-making, fear, and widespread confusion. Past public charge expansions have driven families, including those with U.S. citizen children, away from lawful access to health care, nutrition, and early childhood programs.\n\n\u201cThe proposed public charge rule will lead to mass uncertainty, disparate and arbitrary outcomes for individuals applying for permanent status or admission into our country, and undue harm to U.S. citizens,\u201d wrote the lawmakers.\n\n\u201cThe chilling effects triggered by expansions of public charge interpretation are well-documented and severe. Research following [past public charge restrictions] showed that confusion about eligibility led large numbers of eligible immigrant families \u2014 including U.S. citizen children \u2014 to forego health insurance, nutrition supports, and early childhood programs vital to healthy development,\u201d continued the lawmakers.\n\nThe lawmakers argued that the proposal contradicts Congressional intent, undermines the rule of law, and risks triggering a massive chilling effect that would worsen child health outcomes, increase food insecurity, and shift costs to states and local governments. The members urged DHS to withdraw the proposal in full and maintain the 2022 regulations, which provide clarity, fairness, and consistency for families and adjudicators alike.\n\nPadilla also joined Senate and House immigration leaders in a separate formal regulatory comment to DHS opposing the public charge rule, warning that the proposal unlawfully rewrites longstanding immigration law and would deter immigrant families from accessing basic health, nutrition, and housing assistance they are legally entitled to receive.\n\nFull text of the letter is available here and below:\n\nDear Secretary Noem and Director Edlow,\n\nAs Members of the United States Congress, we write in strong opposition to the Department of Homeland Security\u2019s (DHS) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding \u201cpublic charge,\u201d published in the Federal Register on November 19, 2025.\n\nWe urge the Department to completely withdraw the proposed rule, which would rescind the 2022 public charge regulations without establishing a clear or lawful replacement. The proposed public charge rule will lead to mass uncertainty, disparate and arbitrary outcomes for individuals applying for permanent status or admission into our country, and undue harm to U.S. citizens. The NPRM also defies Congressional intent, seeks to rely on illegal data-sharing from other government agencies, and erodes trust in our legal immigration system. Our immigration laws function only when families, adjudicators, and service providers can rely on transparent standards grounded in statute.\n\nBy discarding the existing regulations and signaling that future, undefined \u201cpolicy and interpretive tools\u201d will guide public charge decisions, DHS creates immediate and widespread uncertainty for immigrants who have followed every requirement of the law. Families seeking adjustment of status \u2014 including refugees, survivors of domestic violence or trafficking, children who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned, and others whom Congress has long exempted from punitive public charge treatment \u2014 cannot navigate a system where the rules shift without warning and where past, lawful conduct that the federal government had stated was permissible could be reinterpreted as a negative factor. To be very clear, the proposed rule will trigger a massive chilling effect, driving eligible families away from essential assistance in health care, nutrition, childcare, and education, with the heaviest harm falling on U.S. citizen children.\n\nCongress has repeatedly affirmed that public charge must be administered with clarity, fairness, and fidelity to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) not through shifting sub-regulatory tools that create fear and confusion. If DHS believes further policy changes are necessary, those changes must be forward-looking, transparent, and subject to full public notice and comment. Families should never be penalized for accessing programs that the federal government has long stated would carry no immigration consequences.\n\nFor these reasons, we urge DHS to withdraw this NPRM and maintain the 2022 public charge regulations, which reflect longstanding law, congressional intent, and the stable framework that immigrant families and communities need in order to thrive.\n\nI. By withdrawing the 2022 regulations and leaving no clear replacement, the proposed rule seeks to circumvent public and congressional input, creates mass uncertainty, and will lead to discriminatory and uneven application of our laws.\n\nThe proposed rule would rescind the 2022 public charge regulations currently codified in 8 CFR 212.20\u2013212.23 and related provisions in 8 CFR Parts 103, 213, and 245, without replacing them with a binding regulatory standard. Instead, DHS indicates that it will rely on the future issuance of \u201cpolicy and interpretive tools\u201d to guide public charge determinations. Deferring critical substantive policymaking to later sub-regulatory guidance \u2014 outside of notice-and-comment procedures \u2014 violates the Administrative Procedure Act\u2019s (APA) requirement that agencies provide the public with meaningful opportunity to evaluate and comment on the agency\u2019s actual policy. Regulations of this significance cannot lawfully be implemented through internal guidance that bypasses both public scrutiny and congressional oversight.\n\nThe INA, 8 U.S.C. \u00a7 1182(a)(4), requires public charge assessments to be made based on a totality of the circumstances, considering specific statutory factors including age, health, family status, assets, resources, financial status, education, and skills. The 2022 rule provided a clear and administrable framework consistent with congressional intent and more than a century of agency practice, including the codification of definitions for \u201clikely to become a public charge\u201d and \u201creceipt of public benefits.\u201d Removing these definitions invites arbitrary decision-making and creates significant risk that adjudicators will rely on factors that Congress has not authorized, contrary to both INA \u00a7 212(a)(4) and long-established precedent. DHS\u2019s stated interest in removing \u201climitations\u201d on the types of public resources considered underscores the agency\u2019s intent to expand adjudicator discretion well beyond statutory bounds.\n\nRecent reporting on new guidance issued by the Department of State (DOS) demonstrates the harms already resulting from unbounded discretion in public charge adjudications. Without transparent regulations, DOS has reportedly issued internal guidance directing consular officers to speculate about future health care costs, employability, English proficiency, financial sufficiency, and even the health and perceived economic burden of family members without making this guidance public or seeking input from Congress. Officers are instructed to assess access to employer-sponsored insurance decades into the future and may disregard otherwise valid affidavits of support. These instructions contradict statutory requirements and introduce subjective and inconsistent decision-making into visa adjudications. The NPRM implies DHS will replicate this discretionary approach across USCIS adjudications, creating a patchwork of unpredictable outcomes for similarly situated applicants based solely on assigned adjudicator or processing location.\n\nFinally, the proposed rule\u2019s lack of clear standards will create profound uncertainty for immigrants, state and local governments, legal service providers, and Members of Congress constituent services. Families will be confused about how DHS intends to apply public charge law, community organizations will lack reliable information to provide lawful advice, and congressional offices will face new barriers in assisting vulnerable constituents with federal agencies. Because the proposed rule eliminates all certainty and predictability for those who anticipate applying for a green card and are not exempt from a public charge determination, it damages the ability of Members of Congress to provide actionable information when approached by constituents. Instead, the proposed rule would lead to a chaotic and inconsistent immigration system that congressional offices and their constituents will be unable to predictably navigate. This is particularly concerning because Congress\u2014not the Executive Branch\u2014retains the authority to make key decisions about the conditions under which noncitizens may access federal safety-net programs. Without clear regulatory direction, DHS and DOS would effectively assume policymaking authority that resides with Congress.\n\nFor these reasons, rescinding the 2022 rule without simultaneously proposing a fully developed and transparent replacement is unreasonable, violates core APA requirements, and guarantees discriminatory and uneven application of immigration law across agencies and jurisdictions.\n\nII. The proposed rule contradicts long-standing practice and law, congressional intent, and seeks to rely on illegal data-sharing from other government agencies.\n\nFor more than a century, the meaning of \u201cpublic charge\u201d under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) has been consistently interpreted to refer to a person likely to become primarily dependent on the government for subsistence, demonstrated through reliance on cash assistance for income maintenance or long-term institutionalization at government expense. This understanding is reflected in longstanding agency practice, judicial precedent, and the 1999 Interim Field Guidance, which Congress has repeatedly left undisturbed. See 64 Fed. Reg. 28689 (May 26, 1999). The 2022 DHS regulations formally adopted this longstanding interpretation in 8 CFR 212.21\u2013212.23, creating clear and consistent rules that aligned with congressional intent under INA \u00a7 212(a)(4).\n\nThe NPRM departs sharply from this settled framework and disregards Congress\u2019s deliberate decisions in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA). When Congress amended the public charge inadmissibility ground in IIRIRA, it enumerated the five statutory factors\u2014age, health, family status, assets/resources/financial status, and education/skills\u2014yet significantly chose not to list or incorporate any specific public benefit programs into the statute. At the same time, in the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), Congress imposed detailed restrictions on eligibility for federal benefits but did not tie eligibility for or use of those benefits to public charge. Congress clearly understood how to specify benefit programs when it wished to do so. The omission in INA \u00a7 212(a)(4) reflects a deliberate legislative choice not to equate temporary use of safety-net programs with future dependency. Courts addressing the 2019 final rule implemented by the first Trump administration recognized this; as the Second Circuit explained, \u201cHad Congress thought that any benefits use was incompatible with self-sufficiency, it could have said so\u2026 but it did not.\u201d New York v. DHS, 969 F.3d 42, 77 (2d Cir. 2020).\n\nThe proposal\u2019s removal of the definitions in 8 CFR 212.21\u2014including what constitutes \u201cpublic charge,\u201d \u201cpublic cash assistance for income maintenance,\u201d and \u201creceipt of public benefits\u201d\u2014signals DHS\u2019s intent to authorize officers to consider benefits well beyond those Congress has ever permitted. This contradicts 140 years of consistent interpretation and decades of administrative practice aimed at providing clarity, limiting confusion, and preventing unnecessary public health harms. In 1999, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) explained that confusion about public charge and benefits eligibility was producing \u201csignificant, negative public health consequences,\u201d and issued systemwide guidance precisely to prevent the chilling effects that DHS now proposes to recreate. Eliminating the 2022 rule\u2019s clear standards revives those same risks without any statutory basis.\n\nThe proposed rule contains no assurance that adjudicators will refrain from considering benefits received during periods when the federal government expressly stated that such benefits had no immigration consequences. This omission breaks sharply from the approach taken even in the 2019 rulemaking, where DHS stated explicitly that benefits used before the effective date \u201cwould not be considered\u2026 because SNAP was not considered in public charge inadmissibility determinations under the 1999 Interim Field Guidance.\u201d 84 Fed. Reg. 41292, 41573 (Aug. 14, 2019). Removing decades-old expectations without transition guidance or prospective limitations is an arbitrary and capricious decision, given that families have built their health, nutrition, and economic decisions around clear federal assurances that these programs are safe to use while they work toward self-sufficiency. In fact, DHS acknowledges in the NPRM that \u201cthe regulated public may be relying on aspects of the regulatory scheme in the 2022 Final Rule,\u201d which substantively aligns with the 1999 guidance.\n\nFinally, the proposed rule also raises serious concerns that DHS may rely on inter-agency data-sharing, including with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), to obtain information about public benefit use or household financial circumstances. Congress has been unequivocal: IRS data is protected by strict confidentiality rules under 26 U.S.C. \u00a7 6103, and executive agencies cannot repurpose tax information for immigration enforcement or adjudications. Many of the undersigned Members of the Congress have a documented history of challenging such illegal data-sharing schemes.\n\nIf DHS intends to base public charge determinations on tax data, state benefit records, or other protected sources, such a system would directly violate federal privacy law, exceed statutory authority, and contradict repeated congressional directives. The NPRM\u2019s ambiguity on this issue is unacceptable. Agencies cannot expand their statutory reach through backdoor data-sharing arrangements that Congress has expressly forbidden. Any implication that DHS will access IRS or other sensitive data to determine eligibility for immigration benefits must be explicitly rejected, and the Department must clearly affirm that it will not use protected data sources\u2014directly or indirectly\u2014in any public charge determination.\n\nIII. The proposed rule will create a massive chilling effect with undue harm to American communities, U.S. citizens, and especially children; and it will erode faith in our legal immigration system.\n\nThe chilling effects triggered by expansions of public charge interpretation are well-documented and severe. Research following the 1996 PRWORA and IIRIRA laws showed that confusion about eligibility led large numbers of eligible immigrant families \u2014 including U.S. citizen children \u2014 to forego health insurance, nutrition supports, and early childhood programs vital to healthy development. Federal and academic studies following welfare reform found that confusion and fear led to significant declines in Medicaid participation among otherwise eligible immigrant families and their U.S.-citizen children, with researchers warning that rising uninsurance among these children would worsen health outcomes and increase uncompensated care burdens on safety-net providers.\n\nUnder the 2019 Trump public charge rule, similar harm reemerged rapidly. Even though many programs were not included in the rule, nearly half (46%) of immigrants in low-income families reported that they or a family member avoided applying for or disenrolled from public benefits due to immigration concerns.\n\nThat chilling effect extended far beyond the rule\u2019s legal scope, including participation in Medicaid, SNAP, WIC, Head Start, and school meal programs. The consequences were borne disproportionately by U.S. citizen children, who lost access to preventive medical care, early childhood education, and essential nutrition \u2014 evidence that fear-driven policy harms American families and public health systems.\n\nThe proposed rule will predictably magnify these harms. DHS itself acknowledges that the rule would reduce government spending on benefits by more than $9 billion per year \u2014 a drastic impact that cannot be explained by changes in eligibility since very few immigrants who lack permanent status qualify for the programs implicated. As experts have pointed out, those cost reductions will instead come from reduced use by eligible U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, including children. The rule\u2019s elimination of key standards \u2014 such as the express exclusion of family members\u2019 benefit use and clear definitions of \u201creceipt of public benefits\u201d \u2014 will create widespread fear that parents\u2019 lawful use of critical support for their children will threaten their ability to obtain permanent residence.\n\nThat chilling effect will be the most acute among children. Nearly one in four children in the United States lives in a family with an immigrant parent. Many of these children are U.S. citizens who rely on Medicaid or CHIP for healthcare, WIC and school meals for nutrition, and Head Start and childcare subsidies for early learning and economic stability. When parents are forced to choose between enrolling their child in life-saving healthcare or preserving their own chance to stay with their family, the result is poorer child health, delayed development, reduced educational attainment, and heightened food insecurity \u2014 all harms Congress has repeatedly acted to prevent.\n\nUncertainty about how DHS will treat past or current benefit use will also impair state and local governments\u2019 ability to meet public health and safety goals. Officials have relied on the clarity provided by the 2022 rule to design outreach campaigns, create eligibility worker training, and expand coverage initiatives for low-income families. If immigrants become afraid to use medical care or food assistance, the resulting rise in communicable disease risk, emergency care usage, and poverty will burden local budgets and undermine federal investments in preventive services.\n\nFinally, the chilling effect of this rule must be understood in the context of the broader campaign of threats against legal immigration being carried out by the current Administration. Immigrants already face pervasive uncertainty regarding visa issuance, humanitarian pathways, family reunification, and agency backlogs. The proposed rule would dramatically expand that uncertainty to include basic life decisions about children\u2019s health, nutrition, and early education. When federal agencies send the message \u2014 explicitly or implicitly \u2014 that families must avoid lawful programs or face immigration penalties, the result is a collapse in trust in the legal immigration system itself.\n\nFor these reasons, DHS\u2019s proposal would deter eligible families from accessing essential services, directly harm U.S. citizen children, shift costs to state and local governments, and erode confidence in lawful immigration pathways. Congress cannot tolerate a regulatory change that so clearly and predictably undermines public health, child well-being, and the credibility of federal law.\n\nIV. Conclusion\n\nFor the reasons detailed above, we urge the Department to withdraw this proposed rule in its entirety and maintain the 2022 public charge regulations currently in effect. The existing framework reflects longstanding congressional intent, ensures consistent and lawful adjudications, and provides immigrant families with the clarity required to make informed decisions about their health, stability, and future in the United States.\n\nIf DHS determines that further regulatory changes are necessary, those changes must be prospective only, must undergo full public notice-and-comment review, and must include explicit instructions that adjudicators may not penalize individuals for the lawful use of benefits during a period when federal policy assured them it was safe to do so. The Department must also ensure that any sub-regulatory guidance with practical adjudicatory effect is made public and subject to meaningful oversight.\n\nCongress will continue to uphold its responsibility to ensure that our immigration system operates with fairness, transparency, and fidelity to the rule of law. We stand ready to work with the Department to protect immigrant families, strengthen pathways to lawful status, and maintain the integrity of the public charge ground as Congress intended.\n\nSincerely,\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/padilla-colleagues-demand-trump-administration-pause-discriminatory-national-park-entry-fees/", "Padilla, Colleagues Demand Trump Administration Pause Discriminatory National Park Entry Fees", "2025-12-23", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CA", "Alex Padilla", "P000145", "www.padilla.senate.gov", "padilla", "https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "Senators express concerns over January 1 implementation \u2014 without proper notice \u2014 of $250 America the Beautiful non-resident annual passes and $100 non-resident fee for highly visited national parks, including Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) led four Senators in calling on Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum to pause the implementation of the Administration\u2019s expensive new national park entry fees and annual passes for non-residents, which are slated to take effect on January 1, 2026. The Senators emphasized that these new passes and fees were not properly noticed in accordance with the law, will slow park entry, and will further limit international visitation.\n\nIn late November, Interior announced a new fee structure for access to public lands. Beginning next year, the annual pass will cost $80 for U.S. citizens and residents and $250 for non-residents, the first time the United States has required proof of residency to access public lands. Non-residents age 16 and up who don\u2019t have an annual pass will be forced to pay a $100 per person fee to enter 11 of the country\u2019s most visited national parks \u2014 including Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks \u2014 in addition to the standard entrance fee.\n\n\u201cAmerica\u2019s national parks serve as destinations for visitors both domestically and internationally to experience our country\u2019s natural beauty, cultural heritage, and history,\u201d wrote the Senators. \u201cWhile we understand that entrance and recreation fees are vital to enhancing the visitor experience, we want to ensure all feel welcome to enjoy all national treasures. Since these new fees are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026, we strongly believe these fees are being implemented too quickly, without public input, and will be a barrier for both residents and non-residents alike.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe request that you stop implementation of the new non-resident passes and fees until the public has an opportunity to weigh in, impacts to visitation are studied, and clarity on implementation is provided to Congress, NPS employees, and impacted stakeholders,\u201d continued the Senators.\n\nThe National Park Service (NPS) is permitted to collect and retain entrance and recreation fees under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act. These fees play an important role in making sure these parks can provide a positive visitor experience for citizens and non-residents alike. However, the law requires the Secretary of the Interior to allow the public the chance weigh in on the development of or changes to recreation fees, and it mandates advanced notice to impacted communities in local publications. The Senators criticized the Administration for failing to provide this legally required opportunity for public input.\n\nIn addition to Padilla, the letter was also signed by Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).\n\nPadilla and his colleagues also warned that this plan would further strain the understaffed NPS workforce, as the Trump Administration has cut 24% of permanent NPS employees since January, including positions like fee collectors and information technology specialists. These staffing shortages will likely further compound entry delays, especially at the highly visited parks charging an extra $100 for non-residents.\n\nWith overseas visitation to national parks already down over 3% (and down 25% for visitors from Canada), the Senators expressed concerns that these numbers could fall even further with the steep price of non-resident passes, hurting the American economy.\n\nThe Senators also pushed for answers regarding how Park Service staff would implement this fee structure \u2014 including how the Park Service would identify who is subject to these new fees and how non-resident information would be collected or potentially stored \u2014 why public notice was not provided, and what analyses were done to understand impacts to visitation, to gateway communities, and to the recreation industry.\n\nEarlier this year, Senator Padilla and his colleagues urged Secretary Burgum to immediately resolve looming staffing shortages at the NPS following President Trump\u2019s hiring freeze, cancellation of thousands of job offers for seasonal NPS employees, and buyout offers made without clear legal authority. He also pushed Secretary Burgum to allow Yosemite to implement its preferred reservation system, while underscoring the threat that the Trump Administration\u2019s reckless NPS staff cuts posed to a successful summer season. In May, Padilla introduced the RESERVE Federal Land Act to expand access to public lands, improve the visitor reservation process, and enhance transparency in how fees are collected for federal lands and national parks.\n\nFull text of the letter is available here and below:\n\nDear Secretary Burgum,\n\nWe write to express our concern about the new $250 America the Beautiful Non-Resident Annual Passes and the additional $100 non-resident fee for 11 highly visited parks. America\u2019s national parks serve as destinations for visitors both domestically and internationally to experience our country\u2019s natural beauty, cultural heritage, and history. While we understand that entrance and recreation fees are vital to enhancing the visitor experience, we want to ensure all feel welcome to enjoy all national treasures. Since these new fees are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026, we strongly believe these fees are being implemented too quickly, without public input, and will be a barrier for both residents and non-residents alike.\n\nThe Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act allows most of the federal land management agencies, including the National Park Service (NPS), to collect and retain entrance and recreation fees. The law states the \u201cSecretary shall provide the public with opportunities to participate in the development of or changing of a recreation fee.\u201d It also requires advanced notice to impacted communities, specifically requiring the Secretary to \u201cpublish notice of a new recreation fee or a change to an existing recreation fee established under this chapter in local newspapers and publications located near the site at which the recreation fee would be established or changed.\u201d To our knowledge, there was no opportunity for the public to participate in the development of these new fees.\n\nWe are also concerned about the impact this plan would have on the already understaffed NPS workforce. The NPS permanent workforce has been reduced by 24% since January, with lost positions that would be important in helping implement these new fees, including fee collectors and IT specialists. Further, the additional requirements to check each visitors\u2019 residency will very likely slow entry into the parks, particularly the highly visited parks identified to charge $100 per person in addition to regular entry fees.\n\nFinally, we are concerned about what these fees will mean for international visitation. According to the International Inbound Travel Association, overseas visitation is down more than 3% and Canadian visitation is down 25%. International visitors spent $254 billion in the United States in 2024 and national parks are often part of their itinerary.\n\nTherefore, we request that you stop implementation of the new non-resident passes and fees until the public has an opportunity to weigh in, impacts to visitation are studied, and clarity on implementation is provided to Congress, NPS employees, and impacted stakeholders.\n\nWe also request answers to the following questions:\n\nThe Federal Land Recreation Enhancement Act requires public participation in the development of new national park fees. Can you explain why the public was not involved?\n\nDid the Department publish notice of the new recreation fees in local newspapers or publications located near the 11 highly visited parks, as is required by the Federal Land Recreation Enhancement Act? If no, why not?\n\nHow does the Department plan to implement the new fees, particularly the additional $100 in 11 highly visited parks, with severely reduced permanent staff levels? What guidance has been provided to NPS staff required to collect these fees? Please provide any guidance or training materials associated with this fee change.\n\nHow is NPS defining the terms \u201cresident,\u201d \u201cresidency,\u201d and \u201cnon-resident\u201d? How do individuals prove citizenship or residency when purchasing a pass online, and will any personal information be stored in any way for the Department or any other agencies to access?\n\nHow do individuals prove residency when purchasing a pass in-person, and which documents will be accepted? Will any personal information be stored through this process?\n\nWhat is the process for checking a carload of visitors to a national park for their residency? Will the driver be the only one required to show proof of residency, or will every visitor be required to provide identification?\n\nWhat if an individual fails to bring an acceptable form of identification?\n\nSeveral popular national park sites already have issues with long entrance lines. What measures are being put in place by the Department to ensure the process is seamless and efficient for both residents and non-residents?\n\nWhat analyses were conducted by the Department to understand the impacts to visitation at our parks, as well as the economic impacts to gateway communities and the recreation industry, by implementing these new fees?\n\nThank you in advance for addressing these important questions and stopping the implementation of these new fees until we get clarity on these issues.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2025-year-in-review-senator-peters-continues-working-across-the-aisle-to-deliver-for-michigan", "2025 YEAR IN REVIEW: Senator Peters Continues Working Across the Aisle to Deliver for Michigan", "2025-12-23", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MI", "Gary C. Peters", "P000595", "www.peters.senate.gov", "garypeters", "https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 In 2025, U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) continued fighting to deliver bipartisan, commonsense solutions to strengthen communities across Michigan. Despite being in the minority party, Peters successfully advanced and passed numerous bipartisan bills, and secured wins that will have a positive impact for Michiganders for years to come. This includes the major announcement that Selfridge Air National Guard Base will receive an F-15EX fighter jet mission, as well as the enactment of numerous Peters-led bills to expand opioid addiction treatment for young adults, protect burial benefits for military families, and continue to invest in safeguarding the Great Lakes ecosystem. In addition to these legislative accomplishments, Peters remained committed to holding the Administration accountable and fighting back against Republican efforts to cut health care benefits that Michigan families depend on.\n\n\u201cFighting for Michiganders will always be my top priority in Congress, and I\u2019m proud of the progress we made on issues important to our state,\u201d said Senator Peters. \u201cThroughout my entire career, I\u2019ve always found the best way to get things done is by reaching across the aisle and finding common ground. As we look to next year, I\u2019m going to continue honoring that commitment by partnering with anyone willing to roll up their sleeves and help improve the lives of Michiganders, whether that\u2019s protecting health care benefits, supporting American manufacturing, or lowering prices for working families.\u201d\n\nPeters has been repeatedly named one of the most effective and bipartisan senators. In the 118th Congress, Peters earned the highest effectiveness score for a U.S. Senator ever recorded in the fifty years the Center for Effective Lawmaking has tracked this data. He also becomes the first Senator in more than four decades to be named most effective three times in a row. Peters also authored more bills signed into law during the 117th Congress (2021-2022) than any Senator in more than 40 years, according to the Congressional Research Service and the Senate Historical Office.\n\nBelow is a recap of Senator Peters\u2019 key accomplishments and efforts in 2025:\n\nSECURING MAJOR INVESTMENTS IN MICHIGAN\u2019S MILITARY FACILITIES & DEFENSE SECTOR\n\nAfter Years of Advocacy, Peters Secured 21 F-15EX Fighters at Selfridge Air National Guard Base: In April, Peters welcomed the announcement that Selfridge Air National Guard Base would receive a squadron of 21 F-15EXs \u2013 a next-generation fighter aircraft. This announcement followed years of advocacy and efforts by Peters to secure a new fighter mission for Selfridge and protect the future of the base. This announcement came after Peters announced last year that Selfridge will receive a squadron of KC-46A aircraft tankers. Following the announcement of the new fighter mission, Peters advocated for continued investment at Selfridge Air National Guard Base to support basing of the F-15EX fighters, as well as the KC-46A tankers.\n\nHelped Craft and Pass Annual National Defense Bill: In December, Peters secured several provisions and major funding wins in the annual national defense bill. This bill includes numerous provisions secured and authored by Peters to strengthen our national security and support Michigan\u2019s military assets, including:\n\nFunding to support Selfridge as it prepares for its new missions. This includes $9 million for runway improvements, $5.2 million for two new taxiways, and a provision prohibiting the early retirement of the Selfridge A-10 mission. To further support long-term success at Selfridge, Peters fought for and secured language protecting the 107th Fighter Squadron at Selfridge and their A-10 Warthog fighters from potential early retirement before Selfridge accepts a new squadron of F-15EX fighters.\n\nThe bill also includes provisions to support the Camp Grayling All-Domain Warfighting Training Complex (ADWTC) and the annual Northern Strike Exercise, which is the country\u2019s largest all-domain reserve forces exercise.\n\nPeters also worked to secure language directing the Air Force to move forward with initial full-scale production of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).\n\nThroughout his time in the Senate, Peters has led the charge to address PFAS contamination across Michigan, including at military bases. Peters helped include a provision in this bill that requires DOD to develop a PFAS remediation acceleration strategy and submit a report to Congress that details the criteria that the Department uses to prioritize response actions, timelines for completing each phase of the cleanup process, a plan for deploying additional resources to reduce delays in remediation efforts, and standards for evaluating performance. The provision also requires DOD to publish \u2013 on a public online dashboard \u2013 up-to-date PFAS cleanup data, funding, timelines, and community points of contact for each and every military installation and National Guard facility where efforts are planned or underway.\n\nFIGHTING TO PROTECT QUALITY, AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE FOR MICHIGANDERS\n\nFighting Back Against Republican Efforts to Cut Medicaid: Peters has consistently led the charge to fight back against Republican efforts to cut funding to Medicaid. In February, Peters led 46 of his colleagues in urging Republican leadership not to make cuts to Medicaid in order to pay for tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy. Despite push back from voters and Congressional Democrats, Republicans pushed through with a bill that cuts funding Medicaid and adds more than $3 trillion to the deficit, in order to cut taxes for billionaires. Peters fought back against this and also helped introduce and advocate for the Protecting Healthcare and Lowering Costs Act, which would repeal Republicans\u2019 devastating health care cuts.\n\nFighting to Protect the Affordable Care Act and Keeping Health Care Affordable: In January, Peters again cosponsored and helped reintroduce the Healthcare Affordability Act, legislation that would make permanent the Premium Tax Credits (PTCs) that were created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Throughout the year, Peters has been one of the most outspoken advocates in the Senate fighting to extend these tax cuts and keep health care affordable for all Americans. During the government shutdown, Peters introduced a commonsense proposal to end the shutdown and pass a one-year extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits in any deal to reopen the government. In December, Peters also fiercely advocated for a proposal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits before Republicans voted down this proposal.\n\nLegislation to Improve Opioid Addition Treatment for Adolescents Signed into Law: In December, Peters\u2019 Youth Prevention and Recovery Reauthorization Act was signed into law as a provision of the bipartisan Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act. Specifically, Peters\u2019 provision reauthorizes funding to make existing substance use treatment programs available for young adults, ensuring this critical resource remains available to adolescents, families, care providers, and communities. This bill builds off previous legislation that Peters authored into law in 2018.\n\nSTRENGTHENING HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY\n\nThrough his role as Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Peters:\n\nExpanded Protections Against Unmanned Aircraft Threats: Peters secured a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act that enables state and local law enforcement to disable drones that threaten public safety and extends these authorities at the federal level. The bill would extend these authorities through 2031, ensuring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) can respond to drone threats near airports, stadiums, and other sensitive locations. The legislation also for the first time enables state and local law enforcement to counter dangerous drones at a number of critical events. These authorities are especially important as the U.S. prepares to host major events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.\n\nInvestigating DOGE\u2019s Unchecked Access to American\u2019s Personal Data: Peters released the first in-depth congressional oversight report of DOGE activities at federal agencies. The report included observations from oversight visits to the Social Security Administration (SSA), General Services Administration (GSA), and Office of Personnel Management (OPM), as well as deeply concerning whistleblower disclosures about DOGE personnel uploading the personal information \u2013 including Social Security numbers \u2013 of all Americans to a cloud environment without required security controls. The report showed that an internal SSA risk assessment found that there is up to a 65% risk of a catastrophic data breach as a result of this DOGE project. Peters continues to demand answers from the Trump Administration on the security of Americans\u2019 data.\n\nSimplifying Access to Federal Disaster Aid for Survivors: Peters authored a bipartisan bill passed by the Senate that would make it easier for disaster survivors to access federal help. The Disaster Assistance Simplification Act would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to develop a universal application across federal agencies for disaster survivors seeking federal assistance from hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and other natural disasters. This legislation would significantly help streamline this process and reduce the burden placed on disaster survivors in need of immediate assistance.\n\nDelivering Fair Retirement Benefits for Customs and Border Protection Officers: The Senate passed Peters\u2019 bipartisan legislation that seeks to ensure Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers receive the retirement benefits they were promised. The CBPO Retirement Corrections Act addresses a longstanding error in which Customs and Border Protection (CBP) incorrectly informed newly hired officers that they would qualify for proportional annuity benefit \u2013 meaning they would not be required to retire at a certain age or complete 20 years of service to access enhanced retirement coverage. More than a decade later, CBP rescinded those benefits, leaving at least 1,352 officers \u2013 including 67 in Michigan \u2013 facing additional requirements to secure the retirement protections they were originally promised. Peters\u2019 bill delivered long-overdue financial security to CBP officers who have dedicated their careers to protecting our borders.\n\nImproving Federal Emergency Response Capabilities: The Senate passed Peters\u2019 bipartisan Helping Eliminate Limitations for Prompt (HELP) Response and Recovery Act, which would help strengthen DHS\u2019s ability to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies. The bill repeals outdated DHS-specific contracting rules and helps align the department with government-wide standards under government-wide . By ensuring greater consistency and timeliness in emergency contracting, Peters\u2019 bill boosts the federal government\u2019s capacity to deliver needed products and services during crises.\n\nProtecting Mail Processing Operations in the Upper Peninsula: In February, following consistent advocacy from Peters, the U.S. Postal Service announced the Iron Mountain Processing and Distribution Center would continue its local mail processing operations. Peters repeatedly pushed back on proposed consolidation of the USPS delivery network, including for the Iron Mountain facility, that would have significantly impacted mail service for Upper Peninsula residents. Prior to the announcement, Peters secured a pause on proposed changes at the Iron Mountain Mail Processing and Distribution Center until USPS leadership could ensure the changes would not impact local mail service. Peters has long led oversight efforts to protect mail delivery for the Upper Peninsula, including convening a hearing with USPS officials to examine proposed changes to its delivery network and sending a letter to Postmaster General DeJoy in February 2024 requesting further details into changes at the Iron Mountain Processing Center.\n\nAdvancing Efforts to Ban Member Stock Trading: Peters advanced bipartisan legislation through the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for the second Congress in a row to bar stock trading by elected officials. . The legislation would immediately ban Members of Congress, the President, and the Vice President from buying stocks and other covered investments, and prohibit them from selling stocks 90 days after enactment. The bill would also require elected officials, their spouses, and any dependent children to divest covered assets at the start of the elected official\u2019s next term.\n\nEnding Improper Payments to Deceased People: The Senate unanimously passed Peters\u2019 bipartisan legislation that would prevent taxpayer dollars from being spent in error on payments to deceased Americans. Specifically, the bill provides the Department of Treasury with permanent access to Social Security Administration databases of individuals who have died, which has proven successful for identifying erroneous payments.\n\nPreventing Foreign Influence in U.S. Policy: The Senate passed two bipartisan Peters bills to help prevent foreign governments from attempting to influence U.S. policy. The Lobbying Disclosure Improvement would require registered lobbyists working for foreign persons or organizations to disclose when they utilize an exemption under the Foreign Agent Registration Act that allows them to avoid more stringent transparency requirements. The Disclosing Foreign Influence in Lobbying Act would close a commonly used loophole that allows foreign adversaries \u2013 including the Chinese government \u2013 to conceal their roles in efforts to lobby the U.S. government by using closely connected organizations and businesses. The bill makes clear that lobbying organizations must disclose when foreign governments and political parties participate in their lobbying efforts, regardless of any financial contribution to the lobbying effort. The bill makes clear that lobbying organizations must disclose when foreign governments and political parties participate in their lobbying efforts, regardless of any financial contribution to the lobbying effort.\n\nProtecting Americans\u2019 Genetic Data from Foreign Adversaries: Peters secured a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act that helps prevent foreign adversaries from stealing Americans\u2019 sensitive genetic data and personal health information. This provision, which is based on Peters\u2019 bipartisan Prohibiting Foreign Access to American Genetic Information Act, bans all biotechnology companies that are owned or controlled by a foreign adversary such as the Chinese Communist Party, and whose business practices threaten national security, from receiving U.S. taxpayer dollars through federal contracts, grants, and loans.\n\nPROTECTING THE GREAT LAKES\n\nBipartisan Legislation to Strengthen Great Lakes Fisheries Headed to President\u2019s Desk: The Senate and House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation introduced by Peters to bolster support for Great Lakes Fishery research and management efforts. The Great Lakes Fisheries Research Reauthorization Act would reauthorize funding for the U.S. Geological Survey\u2019s (USGS) Great Lakes Science Center for another five years, helping to ensure that they are able to continue conducting critical research that supports Great Lakes fisheries.\n\nLed Effort to Extend the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: Peters again led the effort to extend federal funding and protections for the Great Lakes. Peters introduced the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2025 to reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) through 2031 and increase the program\u2019s annual funding levels from $475 million $500 million. Peters also helped secure funding for the GLRI through the Fiscal Year 2026 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The GLRI is the most significant investment ever made to restore and protect our Great Lakes.\n\nSUPPORTING OUR NATION\u2019S VETERANS & THEIR FAMILIES\n\nLegislation Protecting Burial Benefits for Military Families Signed into Law: In January, bipartisan legislation Peters introduced was signed into law to ensure our military families can continue to be laid to rest together in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) national cemeteries. This law grants the VA the authority to bury the spouse or child of a servicemember in a VA cemetery in the tragic case that their death precedes that of the servicemember.\n\nBill Inspired by Late Michigan Veteran Signed into Law: Bipartisan legislation led by Peters was signed into law to expand the eligibility of VA burial benefits to terminally ill veterans who pass away at a non-VA facility while receiving hospice care. The legislation, called Gerald\u2019s Law Act, was named after late Michigan veteran Gerald \u201cJerry\u201d Elliott of Kingsford who did not receive full VA burial benefits after he made the decision to spend his final days at home instead of a VA facility.\n\nSUPPORTING MICHIGAN MANUFACTURING & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT\n\nStrengthening U.S. Manufacturing Strategy: In July, the Senate unanimously passed Peters\u2019 bipartisan National Manufacturing Advisory Council Act to establish the National Manufacturing Advisory Council at the Department of Commerce. This council would play a key role in developing federal manufacturing policy to help strengthen U.S. leadership in global manufacturing.\n\nSupporting American Workers and Bolstering American Manufacturing: Peters\u2019 Strengthening Support for American Manufacturing Act was passed by the Senate this year. The bill would strengthen federal efforts to boost domestic manufacturing by authorizing a study by the independent National Academy of Public Administration on how to maximize effectiveness across the U.S. Department of Commerce\u2019s various manufacturing programs.\n\nBolstering American Semiconductor Manufacturing: In May, the Senate passed Peters\u2019 bipartisan Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act, legislation that would strengthen federal efforts to attract investment in U.S. semiconductor manufacturers and supply chains. The legislation aims to build on the CHIPS and Science Act, which Peters helped craft and pass into law to expand U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, bring home good-paying jobs, and strengthen U.S. national security.\n\nLeading Fight to Prevent Illegal Trump Administration Cuts to Manufacturing Programs: In July, Senator Peters authored language in a Senate spending bill to prevent the Department of Commerce from unilaterally defunding or withdrawing contracts from Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Programs \u2013 like the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center. For every dollar of federal investment, MEP generates $24.60 in new sales growth for manufacturers and $27.50 in new investment. In 2024, the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center estimated they helped 584 businesses produce over $150 million in sales growth and over $100 million in investments.\n\nASSISTING MICHIGAN COMMUNITIES DURING NATURAL DISASTERS, IMPROVING FEDERAL EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & RESPONSE\n\nHelping Michigan Recover from Historic Ice Storm: In March, an historic ice storm hit communities across Northern Michigan and the eastern Upper Peninsula. The National Weather Service ranked it one of the most significant ice storms ever recorded in Northern Michigan, causing an estimated $137 million in immediate response costs. In the immediate aftermath, Peters led the effort in coordination with the state and federal government to get aid to the region. The lawmakers worked in a bipartisan way to get President Trump and Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler to approve a Major Disaster Declaration and SBA assistance for the region and bring much needed aid into the region. Although the President approved some disaster aid in July, the lawmakers again came together in August to further push the Administration to provide aid for public utilities, individual residents, and hazard mitigation.\n\nStrengthening Michigan\u2019s Power Grid: In response to widespread power outages caused by the ice storm, Peters introduced the bipartisan Preventing Power Outages Act, which would strengthen the resiliency of power grids in Michigan and across the country. The bill would reauthorize two U.S. Department of Energy grant programs that help states and utilities invest in modernizing their grid infrastructure to help ensure that the power stays on even during extreme weather and natural disasters. The bill would ensure that sufficient funding goes to states whose grids are least reliable and require the most investment, like Michigan.\n\nSUPPORTING TRIBAL COMMUNITIES IN MICHIGAN\n\nResolving Longstanding Land Claims for Upper Peninsula Tribe: In December, the Senate passed Peters\u2019 bipartisan, bicameral Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Land Claim Settlement Act of 2025 to settle the longstanding land claims of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC). The bill would provide compensation to the KBIC through the U.S. Department of Interior and clear the title of current landowners in the community who have acquired the land at issue in good faith over the past 150 years.\n\nHONORING TRAILBLAZING MICHIGANDERS\n\nPeters led several efforts to honor Michiganders, including:\n\nAttending a ceremony to rededicate the Mt. Clemens Post Office as the \u201cLieutenant Colonel Alexander Jefferson Post Office.\u201d In 2024, Peters led legislation signed into law dedicating the post office in Lt. Col. Jefferson\u2019s name to recognize his service as a member of the famous Tuskegee Airmen of the U.S. Army Air Forces with the 332ndFighter Group during World War II, a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier, and an educator with Detroit Public Schools.\n\nLeading a bipartisan resolution honoring the 108th anniversary of Selfridge Air National Guard Base and commending the thousands of men and women who have worked and trained at Selfridge since its inception. The resolution recognizes the base\u2019s significant contributions to U.S. national security, such as leading security operations to protect the Northern Border after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The resolution also reinforces the commitment of our Armed Forces to ensure Selfridge remains a key component to U.S. national defense.\n\nLeading a bipartisan resolution to recognize the 50th anniversary of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, an iron ore freighter that sank in Lake Superior approximately 17 miles off the coast of Whitefish Point, Michigan. The resolution honors the 29 crewmembers who died during the shipwreck, which occurred during one of the worst storms ever recorded on the Great Lakes.\n\nIntroducing the bipartisan Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act that seeks to honor members of the U.S. Olympic Men\u2019s Hockey Team and their historic victory over the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games. The bill includes honors for two Michiganders: Ken Morrow of Flint and Mark Wells of St. Clair Shores.\n\nHELPING MICHIGANDERS OBTAIN BENEFITS & RESOLVE ISSUES WITH FEDERAL AGENCIES\n\nPeters\u2019 office continued to help constituents navigate complex federal agencies and get the support they need. This includes assisting Michigan families and small businesses in their effort to receive benefits from and resolve issues involving the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Social Security Administration (SSA), Medicare and Medicaid, and others.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/signed-into-law-national-defense-bill-with-provisions-secured-by-peters-to-strengthen-michigans-defense-footprint", "SIGNED INTO LAW: National Defense Bill with Provisions Secured by Peters to Strengthen Michigan\u2019s Defense Footprint", "2025-12-23", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MI", "Gary C. Peters", "P000595", "www.peters.senate.gov", "garypeters", "https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 The annual national defense bill was signed into law with numerous provisions authored and secured by U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), a member of the Armed Services Committee, to strengthen U.S. national security, invest in Michigan\u2019s military facilities and defense sector, clean up PFAS contamination, and give servicemembers a pay raise.\n\n\u201cThis bill makes investments that will ensure Michigan is positioned to continue leading the way in keeping our nation safe and secure,\u201d said Senator Peters. \u201cI\u2019m proud to have secured provisions in this bill that will support transformational upgrades at Selfridge Air National Guard Base to prepare for its new missions, make progress to clean up PFAS contamination at our military bases, and support Michigan\u2019s defense sector, which is working to develop innovative technologies that protect American servicemembers around the globe.\u201d\n\nThe national defense bill sets annual policy for the Department of Defense (DOD) and has become law for more than 60 consecutive years. Below are provisions in the bill successfully led or supported by Peters:\n\nInvesting in Michigan\u2019s Military Facilities\n\n$9 million for Runway Improvement at Selfridge Air National Guard Base: The bill authorizes funding to allow for runway improvements at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County to prepare for basing of future missions, including the KC-46 Tankers and F-15EX fighter jets that were announced for Selfridge following years of persistent work and advocacy by Peters.\n\n$5.2 million to Construct Two New Taxiways at Selfridge: The bill authorizes funding to support the construction of two new taxiways at Selfridge to prepare for basing of future missions including Selfridge\u2019s two new missions. This includes $2.8 million for the construction of Taxiway Alpha and $2.4 million for the construction of Taxiway Bravo.\n\n$4.4 million for Camp Grayling All-Domain Warfighting Training Complex: The bill authorizes funding to kickstart the Camp Grayling All-Domain Warfighting Training Complex (ADWTC). The ADWTC provides a state-of-the-art facility where servicemembers can plan, lead, and execute realistic training. The ADWTC is critical to ensuring Northern Strike remains the premier training exercise in the country.\n\nPermanent Funding for Northern Strike: Peters secured report language urging permanent funding for the annual Northern Strike Exercise, which is the largest all-domain reserve forces exercise. Northern Strike provides a realistic training environment and robust training experiences for units and leaders to strengthen joint all-domain warfighting \u2013 and helps keep Michigan central to our national defense operations.\n\nProhibits Early Retirement of Selfridge\u2019s A-10s: Peters fought for and secured language protecting the 107th Fighter Squadron at Selfridge and their A-10 Warthog fighters from potential early retirement before Selfridge accepts a new squadron of F-15EX fighters. This provision prevents the Air Force from reducing the number of A-10s in their aircraft inventory and requires a briefing to the Senate and House Armed Services Committees on the divestment plans for the A-10 aircraft. The briefing continues strict oversight of the Air Force\u2019s A-10 retirement efforts including by mandating reporting on the Air Force\u2019s proposals to replace the A-10s with new or existing aircraft, efforts to minimize negative impacts on personnel training and retention and a specific divestment timeline for each aircraft in their inventory.\n\nBolstering Collaborative Combat Aircraft Production: Peters secured language in the bill that directs the Air Force to move forward with initial full-scale production of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). Peters has pushed for and secured language to support the development and integration of CCAs, including during a hearing with the former Secretary of Defense and a recent hearing with the current U.S. Air Force Secretary. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Peters has also secured language to help position Selfridge Air National Guard Base as a potential location for CCA fielding. He led a provision included in recent government funding legislation requiring a report regarding basing criteria of CCAs. This report will include an evaluation of whether existing Air National Guard bases with legacy fighter missions, such as Selfridge, may be appropriate locations for the basing of CCAs.\n\nConnected Vehicle Cybersecurity Center at Selfridge: Peters led a provision in the bill underscoring the growing threat of cyberattacks on both manned and unmanned military vehicles and platforms, as well as critical infrastructure that interacts with advanced vehicles. The provision recognizes the work of the Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) in Warren, Michigan to identify cyber vulnerabilities to secure joint ground vehicle platforms and prevent cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. The bill encourages vehicle cybersecurity at places like GVSC who is working to establish its Connected Vehicle Cybersecurity Center, which will also be located in Michigan at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. In addition to supporting our Armed Forces and servicemembers, the Connected Vehicle Cybersecurity Center will support Michigan\u2019s auto industry and help establish Southeast Michigan as a hub for all auto-cyber activity in the country. Peters has continuously used his role on the Armed Services Committee to support the GVSC, and recently warned DOD officials about the consequences of potential cuts at the GVSC.\n\nEmergency Response Authority Act: Peters successfully secured an amendment to give states more flexibility in deploying Army Guard and Reserve (AGR) personnel with specialized skills for emergency response. This will allow AGR forces to respond to state declared emergencies, such as floods, hurricanes and other natural disasters, for a total of 14 days per person. This provision empowers states to respond to major disasters more quickly and effectively.\n\nSupporting Our Servicemembers and Their Families\n\nPay Raise for Servicemembers: This bill includes pay raises of 3.8 percent for military servicemembers.\n\nAddressing PFAS Contamination\n\nImproving the Speed and Transparency of DOD PFAS Cleanup Efforts: Peters successfully included a provision that requires DOD to develop a PFAS remediation acceleration strategy and submit a report to Congress that details the criteria that the Department uses to prioritize response actions, timelines for completing each phase of the cleanup process, a plan for deploying additional resources to reduce delays in remediation efforts, and standards for evaluating performance. The provision also requires DOD to publish \u2013 on a public online dashboard \u2013 up-to-date PFAS cleanup data, funding, timelines, and community points of contact for each and every military installation and National Guard facility where efforts are planned or underway. Peters has worked with communities across Michigan for years on PFAS remediation efforts. Peters convened the first-ever hearing on PFAS contamination in the Senate, and convened a field summit in Grand Rapids in November 2018 to shine a light on how local, state, and federal governments are coordinating responses to address PFAS contamination. He has also passed numerous bills into law to help address PFAS contamination and protect Michiganders. Michigan is home to a number of military installations where PFAS contamination has been detected, including Camp Grayling and the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda.\n\nEnsuring Access to Clean Drinking Water for Households with PFAS-Contaminated Drinking Water Wells: The bill contains a Peters-led initiative that establishes new requirements for DOD to provide alternative drinking water \u2013 such as bottled water \u2013 to households with private drinking water wells that have been contaminated by PFAS as a result of DOD activities.\n\nSupporting Michigan\u2019s Defense Sector\n\nSupporting Munition Production in Grayling: The bill authorizes $31.9 million to support production of the Army\u2019s Individual Assault Munitions (IAM), which will soon be made at a new production facility being constructed in Grayling, Michigan. This new facility is expected to employ 70 people in 2025 and expand to an estimated 100 employees by 2027.\n\nBoosting Made in Michigan Ground Vehicle Production: The bill authorizes robust funding for the Army to produce new, modernized Strykers as well as Abrams tanks. This funding will help ensure that Made in Michigan testing and development of ground vehicles like the Strykers are operating with cutting edge technology designed to keep our servicemembers safe.\n\nBolstering Military Aircraft Engine Industrial Base: Peters secured a provision that requires the Secretary of Defense to provide a roadmap for bolstering our military aircraft engine industrial base to support existing and planned platforms.\n\nStrengthening U.S. Cybersecurity\n\nProtecting Against Phishing Attacks: The bill includes report language Peters secured to require DOD to issue a strategy on implementing the adoption of phishing-resistant authentication across the Department. There has been an increase in phishing attempts targeting officials at DOD to retrieve personal information that allows hackers and foreign adversaries to gain access to sensitive national security information. This provision will ensure that DOD takes steps to protect sensitive national security information and protect American lives.\n\nPreventing Manipulation of DOD-Generated Media: Peters secured report language in the bill which will require DOD to implement digital content provenance across the Department. Digital content creation, editing, and distribution tools are increasingly more accessible, and can be easily weaponized against the U.S. by our foreign adversaries who seek to threaten our national security, spread anti-American propaganda, and weaken our institutions. The amendment will help prevent DOD media content from being manipulated and used maliciously against our country by creating a pilot program to implement authenticity information on DOD-generated media. This builds on Peters\u2019 bipartisan Digital Defense Content Provenance Act, which he secured in a previous national defense bill and requires DOD to create a course at the Defense Information School to teach personnel about the threats posed by synthetic media such as deepfakes, as well as emerging technologies and key concepts of digital content provenance. The bill also created a pilot program at DOD to assess the feasibility of establishing content standard technologies on DOD-produced and owned media content.\n\nStrengthening U.S. Cyber Workforce: Peters secured language that will require a report on the implementation of the DOD Cyber Workforce Strategy. DOD has struggled to attract and retain a skilled cyber workforce despite efforts such as bonus pay for skilled cyber professionals and expedited hiring pathways. The DOD Cyber Workforce Strategy was designed to identify difficulties and provide specific activities to increase the recruitment and retainment of the cyber workforce, both military and civilian. A skilled DOD cyber workforce benefits all Americans.\n\nEnhancing DOD Weapons Systems to Protect Against Real-Time Cybersecurity Threats: The bill includes specific directives for the DOD to enhance its weapons systems with technology to track cybersecurity threats. This will allow for weapons systems at military bases in Michigan and across the country to track cyber threats in real time and constantly update the health and security of their cybersecurity operations.\n\nBolstering Advanced Technology Capabilities & Critical Industries\n\nStrengthening Counter-UAS Authorities for Law Enforcement: This bill includes a provision which allows state, local, Tribal, and territorial (SLTT) law enforcement agencies to protect large mass gatherings, critical infrastructure, and airports from potential unmanned aircraft system (UAS) threats. This provision, which includes core tenants of Peters\u2019 bipartisan Safeguarding the Homeland from the Threats Posed by Unmanned Aircraft Systems Act, will allow SLTT law enforcement officials to protect large mass gatherings, such as college football games, concerts, festivals, and sensitive sites such as critical infrastructure facilities and airports from potential UAS threats. The provision requires the FBI to train state and local law enforcement officers on the proper use of counter-UAS technology before it is deployed, and it makes DOJ grant funding available to allow state and local law enforcement to purchase approved counter-UAS equipment. Additionally, the provision increases the scope DHS and DOJ\u2019s C-UAS authority to allow federal law enforcement officers to protect additional facilities and assets from UAS threats, including major airports, such as Detroit Metro Airport, seeing an influx of UAS incursions. Finally, the provision would impose criminal penalties for certain offenses committed using a UAS. This provision is particularly critical as the U.S. prepares to host major events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.\n\nDeveloping U.S. Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Capabilities: The bill will provide increased funding for the development of new and innovative design and production of low-cost, uncrewed systems. The bill will also require a strategy to develop a secure domestic supply chain of critical components for small UAS systems.\n\nSupporting U.S. Security Interests Around the World\n\nPlanning for Enhanced Operations in Arctic Region: The bill includes a provision authored by Peters that recognizes the current geopolitical challenges and opportunities presented by the Arctic region, and supports efforts to better understand the emerging need to enhance operations in the region. Specifically, the bill encourages the Secretary of Defense to partner with interagency organizations, including the Center for Arctic Security and Resiliency and the Joint All Domain Weather Operations Center, to coordinate federal agency planning for Arctic operations as well as testing of systems to support Arctic operations.\n\nProtecting Americans\u2019 Genetic Data from Foreign Adversaries: The bill includes an amendment secured by Peters that helps prevent foreign adversaries from stealing Americans\u2019 sensitive genetic data and personal health information. This provision, which is based on Peters\u2019 bipartisan Prohibiting Foreign Access to American Genetic Information Act, bans all biotechnology companies that are owned or controlled by a foreign adversary such as the Chinese Communist Party, and whose business practices threaten national security, from receiving U.S. taxpayer dollars through federal contracts, grants, and loans.\n\nSupport Israel\u2019s Defense Against Emerging Threats: Peters authorized funding in the bill to help increase U.S. collaboration with Israel to develop emerging defense technologies to meet the warfare challenges of the future. Peters also secured a provision that will establish a cooperative program between the U.S. and Israel for advancing C-UAS technologies and joint research. Peters introduced bipartisan legislation last Congress to bolster collaboration between the United States and Israel on emerging technologies.\n\nStrengthen Efforts to Combat Anti-Tunneling Activity: The bill authorizes additional funding to strengthen current collaborative efforts between the U.S. and Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to combat Hamas and strengthen anti-tunneling activity in the Gaza Strip. As part of the DOD\u2019s collaboration with the IDF, Israel shares its counter-tunnel technology with the DOD and Department of Homeland Security to combat growing threats at our borders, as well as similar threats faced on the Korean Peninsula and in multiple locations in the Middle East.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/following-his-advocacy-schumer-announces-112-million-in-americorps-funding-for-senior-volunteers-across-new-york", "FOLLOWING HIS ADVOCACY, SCHUMER ANNOUNCES $11.2+ MILLION IN AMERICORPS FUNDING FOR SENIOR VOLUNTEERS ACROSS NEW YORK", "2025-12-23", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Charles E. Schumer", "S000148", "www.schumer.senate.gov", "schumer", "https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Earlier This Year, Trump Fired Thousands Of AmeriCorps Staff And Ripped Away Community Grants For Seniors\n\nSchumer Revealed Impact Of The Cuts And Cancelled Grants And Demanded Trump Restore Funding For AmeriCorps Programs; Senator Now Announces Trump Backed Down And Fed Funding Is Flowing To Support 1,000+ Older NY AmeriCorps Members\n\nSchumer: Despite Trump\u2019s Threats To Dismantle AmeriCorps, Older AmeriCorps Volunteers Continued Their Excellent Work & Now Get The Support They Deserve\n\nU.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today announced $11,274,471 in federal funding has flowed this year to programs across New York through AmeriCorps\u2019 Foster Grandparent Program and Senior Companion Program, supporting more than 1,000 volunteers.\n\nEarlier this year, President Trump took steps to dismantle AmeriCorps, firing staff and freezing federal grants. Schumer demanded that Trump and Republicans protect this vital public service agency, and now, thanks to his advocacy, organizations across New York have continued to receive the funding they needed for volunteers to serve their communities, especially through the popular Foster Grandparent Program and Senior Companion Program.\n\n\u201cAmeriCorps is one of the world\u2019s greatest service programs, and more than one thousand New York seniors rely on AmeriCorps funding to volunteer in their communities every year. That\u2019s why when I heard the Trump administration was threatening to dismantle AmeriCorps, including the popular and effective the popular Foster Grandparent Program and Senior Companion Program, I demanded answers and called on him to reverse these counterproductive and cruel cuts,\u201d said Senator Schumer. \u201cI\u2019m proud to announce that, despite Trump\u2019s threats, New York has received $11.2+ million this year for older AmeriCorps members to continue the excellent work they do to support kids and other seniors in their communities through the AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion Programs. I will continue to fight any cuts to the excellent AmeriCorps program and support organizations that help our seniors stay active in their communities.\u201d\n\nEarlier this year, Trump and \u2018DOGE\u2019 placed a majority of AmeriCorps employees on leave and terminated nearly $400 million in AmeriCorps grants nationally. Schumer revealed the impact that slashing over $26 million in federal funding for local community projects had on over 3,600 community service members across New York State and demanded that Trump and Republicans protect this vital public service and immediately reverse these cuts. Schumer continued to demand answers about the funding freezes and called for the money to be released.\n\nThanks to Schumer pushing to resolve delays with the AmeriCorps Seniors Program grants, AmeriCorps was able to complete two rounds of FY2025 funding, delivering $11.2 million in Foster Grandparent Program (FGP) and Senior Companion Program (SCP) awards to organizations across New York State. A list of Foster Grandparent Program and Senior Companion Program awards for New York in FY2025 can be found below:\n\n\u201cThe Community Place of Greater Rochester is deeply grateful for Senator Schumer\u2019s steadfast support and for this significant AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion Program grant,\u201d said Scott C. Benjamin, President & CEO of Charles Settlement House & The Community Place of Greater Rochester. \u201cThis more than $1 million investment strengthens our ability to connect older adults with meaningful opportunities to serve, mentor, and support children, families, and neighbors across our community. These programs change lives every day \u2014 not only for those receiving support, but for the seniors whose wisdom, compassion, and service make Rochester stronger.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion Program is an impactful program providing opportunity for Broome County Seniors to serve their community and make positive contributions to the lives of others and have meaningful outlets to share their time and talents. The funding Broome County is receiving from this program will support opportunities for over 30 volunteers and we are grateful to Senator Schumer for his tireless efforts on behalf of this program,\u201d said Jason Garnar, Broome County Executive.\n\n\u201cWe are very pleased about the release of 2025 AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Program funds and the continuation of this important mentorship program. The one-to-one social-emotional attention, encouragement, and support provided to the approximately 225 Syracuse City School District and Head Start children is critical in a city like Syracuse, where childhood poverty is the worst in the nation. Likewise, the more than 68 senior volunteers gain renewed purpose, companionship, and a modest stipend for their time and talents. We thank Senator Schumer for his continued support of this program,\u201d said Carolyn D. Brown, Executive Director, People\u2019s Equal Action and Community Effort, Inc.\n\n\"We are so thankful for the efforts of Senator Schumer to secure funding for our foster grandparent program,\u201d said Deacon Steve Schumer, president & CEO, Catholic Charities of Buffalo. \u201cWhen funding for the program was cut earlier this year, it impacted more than 1,000 children with special and exceptional needs, who received added assistance to help them succeed academically, and older adults, who were given a sense of purpose and much needed social interaction in their retirement years. The extra care and attention the foster grandparents provide make a difference not only in the classroom, but in the lives of these children. During this season of giving, Senator Schumer has given Catholic Charities a gift that is so appreciated by the children, teachers and foster grandparents who can now restart this vital program in our community.\u201d\n\nVernex Harding, Executive Director of Head Start of Rockland, Inc., said, \u201cI express heartfelt gratitude for Senator Schumer's unwavering support and advocacy for AmeriCorps to allocate essential funds to programs like Foster Grandparents. This funding restores and empowers our dedicated senior volunteers' ability to continue mentoring and uplifting children, creating meaningful relationships that shape bright futures. We are deeply thankful for this assistance, which strengthens intergenerational bonds and enriches the lives of both children and volunteers in our community.\u201d\n\nAmeriCorps programs have long-standing bipartisan support, having been previously authorized by Congress and funded by the annual appropriations bill passed by Congress and signed into law. The FGP and SCP programs both provide grants to engage Americans 55 and older in volunteer service to their communities. FGP members support children and youth with special or exceptional needs in schools, Head Start centers, youth facilities, and other community-based settings, providing critical support such as tutoring, mentoring, and emotional reassurance. SCP members support older adults who need assistance to remain independent, offering friendship, companionship, and support with daily tasks.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-delauro-renew-bill-to-ban-unpredictable-scheduling-practices", "Warren, DeLauro Renew Bill to Ban Unpredictable Scheduling Practices", "2025-12-23", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, DeLauro Renew Bill to Ban Unpredictable Scheduling Practices\n\nLegislation would require many employers to provide work schedules two weeks in advance and compensate workers when their schedules change last minute\n\nBill Text (PDF) | Bill One-Pager (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) reintroduced the Schedules That Work Act to address unpredictable scheduling practices that may deprive workers of income and require them to work unreasonable hours, like \u201cclopening\u201d shifts that leave little time to commute and rest between shifts.\n\n\u201cUnpredictable scheduling makes it impossible for workers to arrange child care, juggle an education, or even pay the bills. We\u2019re fighting to empower workers and help them regain control over their work schedules and build economic security for themselves and their families,\u201d Senator Warren said.\n\n\u201cWe are in a cost of living crisis that forces too many Americans to live paycheck to paycheck,\u201d said Congresswoman DeLauro. \u201cHardworking Americans deserve economic security and the peace of mind that the hours they work will provide enough to make ends meet so they can provide for themselves or their family. That is why I am proud to join Senator Warren in reintroducing the Schedules that Work Act, so workers are not subject to abusive scheduling practices that can lead to financial insecurity and instability. American workers deserve certainty about their schedules and incomes.\u201d\n\nWorkers experience many unreasonable scheduling practices, like last-minute shift cancellations, being placed \u201con-call\u201d with no guarantee of work hours, scheduled for \u201csplit shifts\u201d of non-consecutive hours, and even being sent home early without pay when demand is low. If they push back or request schedule changes, employers may retaliate.\n\nThis month, Starbucks agreed to pay $38.9 million to settle claims it violated New York law by failing to provide regular schedules to employees, cutting workers' scheduled hours without their consent, and giving shifts to new hires first instead of to existing employees.\n\nA report by the Harvard Kennedy School found that unpredictable schedules lead to higher employee turnover, household economic insecurity, and reductions in workers\u2019 health and wellbeing. It also found that Black and Hispanic women are disproportionately impacted by unpredictable schedules and were more likely to have a shift canceled without appropriate notice than white workers.\n\nThe Schedules That Work Act curbs these harmful practices by giving workers a voice in their schedules and helping people meet their responsibilities at work and at home. The bill protects workers who ask for schedule changes from retaliation, and it requires employers to consider their requests. For workers in retail, food service, and cleaning occupations, it requires employers to provide schedules two weeks in advance. The legislation also provides compensation to these employees when their schedules change abruptly, or they are assigned to particularly difficult shifts, including split shifts and call-in shifts.\n\nThe bill also expands these same protections to hospitality and warehouse workers, and establishes a right to rest between shifts \u2013 protecting workers from being forced to work a closing shift one night and the opening shift the next day \u2013 and compensating them adequately if they voluntarily do so.\n\nIf passed, employers would also be required to compensate employees if schedules are not posted two weeks in advance, or if there are changes to the schedule within the two-week period.\n\nThe bill is cosponsored in the Senate by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jack Reed (D-RI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Alex Padilla (D-CA).\n\nThe bill is cosponsored in the House by Representatives Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY-12), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA-47), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY-16), Danny K. Davis (D-IL-07), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA-11), Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01), Steve Cohen (D-TN-09), Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA-18), Debbie Dingell (D-MI-12), Joyce Beatty (D-OH-03), Barbara Lee (D-CA-13), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX-35), Jes\u00fas G. \u201cChuy\u201d Garc\u00eda (D-IL-04), Richie Torres (D-NY-15), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), Brenda Lawrence (D-MI-14), Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), Mark Pocan (D-WI-02), Kathleen M. Rice (D-NY-04).\n\nThe Schedules That Work Act is supported by: 9to5, A Better Balance, Action for Children, AFL-CIO, African American Health Alliance, All-Options, American Association of University Women, Americans for Democratic Action (ADA), Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, BreastfeedLA, Catch Fire Movement, CDF, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Center for Popular Democracy, CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers, Chicago Foundation for Women, Child Care Aware of America, Citizen Action of New York, Coalition for Social Justice, Coalition of Labor Union Women, Coalition on Human Needs, Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund (CWEALF), Economic Policy Institute, Equal Rights Advocates, Every Texan, Faith in Public Life, Family Values @ Work, Healthy Nourishment, Jobs With Justice, Justice for Migrant Women, Kentucky Equal Justice Center, Legal Aid at Work, Legal Momentum, The Women's Legal Defense and Education Fund, MANA - A National Latina Organization, MomsRising, National Black Worker Center, National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development, National Center for Law and Economic Justice, National Council of Jewish Women, National Employment Law Project, National Employment Lawyers Association, National Organization for Women, National Partnership for Women & Families, National Women's Law Center, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Network of Jewish Human, Service Agencies, North Carolina Justice Center, Oxfam America, Poligon Education Fund, Public Justice Center, ROC United, Service Employees International Union, Shriver Center on Poverty Law, Start Early, Sugar Law Center for Economic & Social Justice, TakeAction Minnesota, The National Domestic Violence Hotline, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, United for Respect, We All Rise, Women and Girls Foundation of Southwest PA, Women Employed, Women's Fund of Rhode Island, Women's Law Project, Women's Media Center, Workplace Fairness, YWCA of the University of Illinois, YWCA USA, ZERO TO THREE.\n\n\u201cUnpredictable and inadequate work hours have long been a problem for part-time and hourly workers in low-paid jobs, which means they have been a problem for women, and especially for women of color,\u201d said NWLC Vice President for Education and Workplace Justice Emily Martin. \u201cBut the harms posed by volatile work hours\u2014and the uncertain paychecks they produce\u2014have intensified during the pandemic, as workers face new risks to their health, inadequate access to paid leave and paid sick days, and additional caregiving challenges posed by school and child care closures and quarantines. Together, the Schedules That Work Act and the Part-Time Worker Bill of Rights will help working people meet their responsibilities both on and off the job, bolster economic security for their families, and help close race and gender wage gaps.\u201d\n\n\u201cThrough A Better Balance\u2019s free and confidential legal helpline, we are constantly hearing from workers in industries like retail, food service, and other shift-based roles who have to miss out on hours and pay because their employers\u2019 unpredictable scheduling practices make it impossible to plan around childcare, medical appointments, and other care-related needs. Many of these workers are also denied essential benefits like paid leave and healthcare due to their part-time status \u2013 even if they\u2019re working full-time hours across multiple jobs,\" said A Better Balance President Inimai Chettiar. \"The Schedules That Work Act and Part Time Workers Bill of Rights will together combat these unfair practices and support the health and financial security of these essential workers, advancing gender and racial equity nationwide. We thank Senator Warren for her leadership on this legislation and continued commitment to this country's working families.\u201d\n\nCongresswoman DeLauro and Senator Warren have introduced the Schedules That Work Act every Congress since 2015.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-schakowsky-renew-fight-to-pass-part-time-worker-bill-of-rights-act", "Warren, Schakowsky, Renew Fight to Pass Part-Time Worker Bill of Rights Act", "2025-12-23", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren, Schakowsky, Renew Fight to Pass Part-Time Worker Bill of Rights Act\n\nBill Text (PDF) | One-Pager (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), have reintroduced the Part-Time Worker Bill of Rights Act to strengthen protections for part-time workers and allow them to better balance their work schedules with personal and family needs. The legislation will address one of the primary issues that hourly workers face - work schedules that do not provide as many hours as they need to support their families - and provide additional protections and benefits for part-time workers.\n\n\u201cEvery worker deserves a chance at providing for themselves and their families, but greedy giant corporations are using loopholes to exploit part-time workers instead,\u201d said Senator Warren. \u201cI\u2019m fighting hard to pass the Part-Time Worker Bill of Rights and ensure companies put their workers over profits.\u201d\n\n\u201cPart-time workers across the country deserve better. More than one in five American workers are part-time and they face volatile work hours, unstable incomes, and low wages. Earlier this week, I reintroduced the Part-Time Worker Bill of Rights Act with my colleagues Representative DeLauro and Senator Warren to ensure equitable workplace treatment and conditions for part-time workers. This legislation requires employers to treat part-time and full-time employees impartially and gives part-time workers access to stable hours and medical leave. We must improve the quality of part-time work for millions of families across the country,\u201d said Congresswoman Schakowsky.\n\nCorporations often attempt to avoid providing workers benefits and higher wages by giving part-time workers fewer hours than they want and spreading work among many part-time employees rather than hiring full-time employees.\n\nThis month, Starbucks agreed to pay $38.9 million to settle claims it violated New York law by failing to provide regular schedules to employees, cutting workers' scheduled hours without their consent, and giving shifts to new hires first instead of to existing employees.\n\nThe Part-Time Worker Bill of Rights Act would:\n\nRequire employers to offer available hours to current, available, qualified part-time employees before hiring new employees or subcontractors. The legislation requires employers with more than 15 workers to compensate existing employees if they hire new employees instead of assigning new work to available, qualified, existing employees. This provision is based on successful access to hours ordinances in cities across the country, including those in Chicago, Emeryville, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle.\n\nMake more part-time employees eligible for family and medical leave. The legislation guarantees any employee who has worked for their employer for at least a year access to federal leave protections under the Family and Medical Leave Act.\n\nAllow part-time workers to participate in their employers\u2019 pension plans. The legislation amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to give part-time workers who have worked at least 500 hours for two consecutive years access to retirement plans if they are offered by their employers to full-time workers.\n\nThe bill is cosponsored by Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.).\n\nThe Part-Time Worker Bill of Rights Act is supported by: 9to5, A Better Balance, Action for Children, AFL-CIO, African American Health Alliance, All-Options, American Association of University Women, Americans for Democratic Action (ADA), Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, BreastfeedLA, Catch Fire Movement, CDF, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Center for Popular Democracy, CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers, Chicago Foundation for Women, Child Care Aware of America, Citizen Action of New York, Coalition for Social Justice, Coalition of Labor Union Women, Coalition on Human Needs, Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund (CWEALF), Economic Policy Institute, Equal Rights Advocates, Every Texan, Faith in Public Life, Family Values @ Work, Healthy Nourishment, Jobs With Justice, Justice for Migrant Women, Kentucky Equal Justice Center, Legal Aid at Work, Legal Momentum, The Women's Legal Defense and Education Fund, MANA - A National Latina Organization, MomsRising, National Black Worker Center, National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development, National Center for Law and Economic Justice, National Council of Jewish Women, National Employment Law Project, National Employment Lawyers Association, National Organization for Women, National Partnership for Women & Families, National Women's Law Center, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Network of Jewish Human, Service Agencies, North Carolina Justice Center, Oxfam America, Poligon Education Fund, Public Justice Center, ROC United, Service Employees International Union, Shriver Center on Poverty Law, Start Early, Sugar Law Center for Economic & Social Justice, TakeAction Minnesota, The National Domestic Violence Hotline, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, United for Respect, We All Rise, Women and Girls Foundation of Southwest PA, Women Employed, Women's Fund of Rhode Island, Women's Law Project, Women's Media Center, Workplace Fairness, YWCA of the University of Illinois, YWCA USA, ZERO TO THREE.\n\nThe legislators also introduced the Schedules That Work Act, complementary legislation to help ensure that low-wage employees have more certainty about their work schedules and income. The Schedules That Work Act protects workers who ask for schedule changes from retaliation and requires employers to consider their requests. For retail, food service, and cleaning occupations, it requires employers to provide schedules two weeks in advance. The legislation also provides compensation to these employees when their schedules change abruptly or they are assigned to particularly difficult shifts, including split shifts and call-in shifts.\n\nA recent Berkely study found that unpredictable schedules - which often mean lack of access to enough working hours - are associated with financial insecurity, housing insecurity, high stress, poor health outcomes, and, for parents, less time spent with children, which, in turn, leads to worse outcomes for children. One study found that 65% of respondents with part-time jobs had dealt with \"at least one serious material hardship\" in the past year. Workers facing these challenges are disproportionately women and workers of color as exposure to schedule instability is 16% higher among workers of color compared to white workers.\n\nLaws to help workers access more work hours have already been passed as part of fair workweek laws across the country, including in Chicago, Emeryville, California; New York City; Philadelphia; San Francisco; San Jose; Seattle; and SeaTac, Washington.\n\nSenator Warren and Congresswoman Schakowsky first unveiled their plans to introduce the bill in December 2019. Senators Warren and Booker reintroduced the bill in the Senate in 2020.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/merkley-wyden-announce-960881-coming-to-wasco-county-for-distance-learning", "Merkley, Wyden Announce $960,881 Coming to Wasco County for Distance Learning", "2025-12-23", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "OR", "Ron Wyden", "W000779", "www.wyden.senate.gov", "wyden", "https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Oregon\u2019s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced a federal investment of $960,881 for the Dufur School District 29 to support distance learning in Wasco County. With this funding, instructors at Portland Community College in Multnomah County, Baker Technical Institute in Baker County, Columbia Gorge Community College in Wasco County, and the Oregon Veterans Home in Wasco County will deliver technical training, STEM coursework, and certified nurse assistant training courses to three locations benefiting 655 Dufur School District 29 students.\n\n\u201cAs I hold a town hall in each of Oregon\u2019s 36 counties every year, I frequently hear from folks about the challenges they are facing, especially in rural communities that have unique hurdles in accessing education and health care services,\u201d said Merkley. \u201cThis critical investment will ensure that working families living in more remote communities will have better access to the tools and services they need to thrive.\u201d\n\n\u201cDistance to a city should not determine whether or not hard-working students are able to access a quality education,\u201d said Wyden. \u201cThis grant closes that gap and ensures students in Wasco County can gain the technical skills required to expand the healthcare workforce. I applaud this federal award to Dufur School District, and I will fight for more programs like this that provide opportunities for students living in Oregon\u2019s rural communities.\u201d\n\nThis federal funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development\u2019s Distance Learning & Telemedicine Grants, which help rural communities access advanced telecommunications technology.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.baldwin.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senator-baldwin-demands-answers-from-trump-admin-on-unauthorized-dismantling-of-manufacturing-program", "Senator Baldwin Demands Answers from Trump Admin on Unauthorized Dismantling of Manufacturing Program", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "WI", "Tammy Baldwin", "B001230", "www.baldwin.senate.gov", "baldwin", "https://www.baldwin.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) joined a group of her colleagues in demanding answers from the Trump Administration on its decision to withhold and delay congressionally-approved funds to the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program\u2019s Centers and why the Administration has repeatedly insisted MEP is inconsistent with their priorities. The MEP program is a public-private partnership that helps small and medium-sized manufacturers grow, make operational improvements, and create jobs. Prior to the Trump Administration\u2019s moves to dismantle the program, the MEP in Wisconsin helped create more than $2.5 billion in economic impact and created or retained nearly 4,000 jobs in just two years.\n\n\u201cOn April 1, 2025, the Administration began withholding and delaying funds Congress already enacted and appropriated for MEP Centers,\u201d wrote Baldwin and the Senators in a letter to Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology Craig Burkhardt. \u201cSince then, NIST and the Administration have put the future of the MEP Program in deep uncertainty with its ever-shifting chronology of statements and actions. This uncertainty has already caused roughly 90% of MEP Centers to conduct layoffs or freeze hiring, with some at risk of entirely shutting down. Our offices are also deeply troubled by reports that the Administration has issued Reduction in Force (RIF) and possible separation notices to every MEP employee. These actions disregard Congress\u2019s explicit statutory direction to fully fund the MEP Program and its Centers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.\u201d\n\nThese actions come despite longstanding broad, bipartisan support from Congress, and the fact that both the House and Senate Fiscal Year 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bills provide $175 million for MEP.\n\nThe Administration has also claimed that the goal of the MEP \u2013 to support American manufacturers \u2013 was not aligned with the Administration\u2019s priorities. President Trump has promised an \u201cAmerican manufacturing boom,\u201d but the latest jobs report indicates 67,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost since April 2025.\n\n\u201cIt is perplexing why the Administration appears to believe a program specifically designed to strengthen domestic manufacturing would be at odds with its priorities,\u201d concluded the Senators. \u201cWe should not be undermining or eliminating a long-standing program that strengthens innovation, enhances global competitiveness, and creates jobs in U.S. manufacturing.\u201d\n\nSince 1988, the MEP has worked to strengthen and empower U.S. manufacturing through a nationwide network of MEP Centers. The MEP National Network is comprised of 51 MEP Centers located in all 50 states and Puerto Rico and over 1,450 trusted advisors and experts at more than 430 MEP service locations that provide any U.S. manufacturer with access to resources they need to succeed.\n\nSenator Baldwin has long championed investing in the manufacturing sector. In addition to helping pass the CHIPS and Science Act, Senator Baldwin worked to secure significant investments to support the Manufacturing Extension Partnership. Baldwin is Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee charged with oversight of MEP at the Department of Commerce.\n\nIn addition to Senator Baldwin, the letter was led by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and co-signed by 26 of their colleagues.\n\nFull text of the letter is available here and below.\n\nDear Acting Under Secretary Burkhardt,\n\nWe write to seek clarity and information on what appears to be the unauthorized dismantling of the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program. If the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) continues its current trajectory of refusing to provide MEP Centers their congressionally mandated funding, 65,000 American manufacturers will lose critical services and resources after December 31, 2025. This is an unacceptable and completely avoidable outcome, and we call on you to rectify this immediately.\n\nOn April 1, 2025, the Administration began withholding and delaying funds Congress already enacted and appropriated for MEP Centers. Since then, NIST and the Administration have put the future of the MEP Program in deep uncertainty with its ever-shifting chronology of statements and actions. This uncertainty has already caused roughly 90% of MEP Centers to conduct layoffs or freeze hiring, with some at risk of entirely shutting down. Our offices are also deeply troubled by reports that the Administration has issued Reduction in Force (RIF) and possible separation notices to every MEP employee. These actions disregard Congress\u2019s explicit statutory direction to fully fund the MEP Program and its Centers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.\n\nThe MEP Program under the Department of Commerce (DOC) and NIST has long enjoyed broad bipartisan, bicameral support for its success as a national network of go-to experts that help small and medium-sized manufacturers enhance productivity and adopt advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence. Congress first authorized MEP in the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act and of 1988 and reauthorized the program in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. Recent legislation demonstrates Congress\u2019s ongoing support for MEP Centers, as both the House and Senate Fiscal Year 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bills provide $175 million for MEP. The House report specifically supports \u201ccontinuation of current State awards that bolster the local manufacturing economy.\u201d Additionally, the Senate report clearly directs that \u201cno funds are provided to execute or plan for a program that reduces the number of active MEP Centers\u201d and that \u201cany revamp, including the one outlined in the June 2025 renewal documents, should not proceed without consultation and approval from the Committee.\u201d\n\nAdditionally, please provide a briefing to our staff on the status of the MEP Program and the Department\u2019s plans for program continuity no later than January 5, 2026.\n\nWe appreciate your prompt attention to this matter and look forward to your response.\n\nSincerely,\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-demands-answers-about-donations-to-trumps-ballroom-presses-new-architect-leading-white-house-project-for-details", "Blumenthal Demands Answers About Donations to Trump's Ballroom, Presses New Architect Leading White House Project for Details", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CT", "Richard Blumenthal", "B001277", "www.blumenthal.senate.gov", "blumenthal", "https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press", "scraper", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), today demanded answers from Roblox CEO David Baszucki about his reported contribution to President Donald Trump\u2019s White House ballroom as well as ten other individuals who attended the October 15, 2025 fundraising dinner for the project. As Ranking Member of PSI, Blumenthal has led an inquiry into the use of private donations to fund President Trump\u2019s increasingly expensive ballroom, most recently estimated to cost $400 million, and has repeatedly raised concerns about donors that have deep financial, business, or other personal interests before the Trump Administration.\n\nIn a letter sent today to Baszucki, Blumenthal requested additional information from the Roblox CEO about his donation, following a recent meeting during which Baszucki confirmed that he had contributed to President Trump\u2019s ballroom, \u201cI appreciated your candor and transparency at our recent meeting, in acknowledging that you were among the guests in attendance at that dinner and that you made a $5 million contribution to the ballroom project in your personal capacity.\u201d\n\nBlumenthal continued, \u201cAs an attendee at the October 15 dinner and donor to the project, you possess critical information about the Administration\u2019s solicitation of donations, its management of this project, why your donation was not publicly disclosed, and what President Trump or his representatives may have agreed to provide in exchange.\u201d\n\nIn letters to ten other individuals who attended the October 15 fundraiser, including Frank J. Fertitta II, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Red Rock Resorts, Blumenthal wrote, \u201cA representative of your company was reportedly among the guests in attendance at the October 15 dinner; however, neither you nor your company were on the donor list which the White House released to the public several days later. My office has recently received information that at least one other attendee at the October 15 dinner, who was not listed by the White House as a donor, did in fact contribute to the Ballroom project.\u201d\n\nAs part of his inquiry, Blumenthal has also written to the contractor, engineer, and previous architect leading the construction and design of the ballroom. In addition to demanding answers from Roblox and other potential donors today, Blumenthal is seeking information from Shalom Baranes Associates Architects, which has taken on the project following President Trump\u2019s clash with the previous architect. Blumenthal pressed Founding Principal Shalom Baranes in a letter sent today for information on how his company became involved in the project and the terms of his selection to participate. The full text of Blumenthal\u2019s letter to Baranes can be found here.\n\nThe full text of Blumenthal\u2019s letter to Roblox CEO David Baszucki is available here. A compilation of letters sent today to individuals who attended the October 15 fundraiser can be found here.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-democratic-colleagues-introduce-sweeping-veterans-bill-to-reform-and-improve-va-health-care", "Blumenthal, Democratic Colleagues Introduce Sweeping Veterans Bill to Reform & Improve VA Health Care", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CT", "Richard Blumenthal", "B001277", "www.blumenthal.senate.gov", "blumenthal", "https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press", "scraper", "[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) is leading a group of his Senate colleagues in introducing the Honor Our Promise to Veterans Act (the Honor Act)\u2014sweeping legislation to invest in the Department of Veterans Affairs\u2019 (VA) aging infrastructure, improve VA\u2019s ability to recruit high quality health care employees, and improve the standards of care veterans receive.\n\nHe was joined by fellow Committee members U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), and Patty Murray (D-WA), and U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).\n\n\u201cDemocrats are pushing sweeping reforms to fix a VA system stretched to its limits. The VA system is underfunded, understaffed, and overdue for reform. We are demanding major capital investments in VA facilities, more money for the staff who deliver health care, and increased standards for community care,\u201d said Ranking Member Blumenthal.\n\nBlumenthal continued, \u201cBuilt on years of feedback from veterans and recommendations from watchdogs, our legislation enacts sweeping historic reforms to ensure veterans receive high-quality, timely care\u2014both at VA facilities and in the community. The Honor Act mandates broad, landmark investments to replace VA\u2019s aging infrastructure and make VA clinicians\u2019 compensation more competitive. It aims to guarantee veterans\u2019 access to well-trained, veteran-informed care no matter where they live.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe have an obligation to do more than just thank our veterans for their service. We owe veterans the full, critical benefits they earned through their service,\u201d said Senator Alsobrooks. \u201cThe Honor Act is an important step in fulfilling our obligation by ensuring the VA can easily improve its infrastructure, recruit high quality candidates, and always ensure our veterans are receiving the highest quality health care.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe owe it to veterans in Maine and across the nation to provide them with the highest standard of care and support,\u201d said Senator King. \u201cA critical part of meeting that responsibility is ensuring the VA has a strong workforce and the infrastructure necessary to serve those who have served us. The Honor Our Promises to Veterans Act does exactly what its name suggests: it helps ensure the VA remains accountable to our veterans and fulfills the commitments our nation has made to them.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Honor Act is a critical investment into the VA that truly prioritizes our Veterans,\u201d Senator Duckworth said. \u201cIt will expedite Veterans' access to much-needed care, hold community practitioners to higher standards and increase oversight into VA infrastructure projects. Further, it will help alleviate the staffing shortages largely caused by the Trump Administration\u2019s extreme measures to push out nearly 30,000 employees this year. I\u2019m proud to join Senator Blumenthal in introducing this comprehensive legislation that upholds the integrity of VA as the medical center home and keeps the care of our Veterans as VA\u2019s highest priority.\u201d\n\n\u201cVeterans are important members of our communities who have risked their lives in service to our country, and they deserve the highest possible quality of care, education, and training,\u201d said Senator Hirono. \u201cInstead of supporting our veterans, the Trump Administration has spent the last year repeatedly attacked our veteran community, gutting VA funding and stripping veterans of care they need. By helping to initiate policy reforms including recruiting high-quality employees, improving infrastructure, and supporting education, this comprehensive legislation is another step in the right direction to ensuring that veterans are prioritized.\u201d\n\n\u201cAmerica\u2019s veterans deserve the highest standard of care, and I\u2019m proud to join this commonsense legislation to deliver just that,\u201d said Senator Cortez Masto. \u201cThis bill will make it easier to upgrade old infrastructure and help the VA recruit the highest quality candidates. Together, we can undertake real VA reforms that make a meaningful difference for our veterans.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs part of our commitment to the brave men and women who so bravely served our nation in uniform, this commonsense bill incorporates recommendations directly from experts and veterans across this country to ensure the VA can better serve them and their families,\u201d said Senator Shaheen.\n\nThe Senators\u2019 legislation would implement critical policy reforms based on feedback from veterans, Veterans Service Organizations, labor representatives, VA employees, the Government Accountability Office, and VA\u2019s Office of Inspector General (OIG). It is the most comprehensive legislation to reform VA health care since the MISSION Act.\n\nAmong its many provisions, the Honor Act would:\n\nImprove care at VA and in the community for veterans:\n\nImproves scheduling of appointments for veterans by establishing specific timing requirements;\n\nIncreases transparency around access to care for veterans by requiring publicly accessible information on available providers, wait times, and drive times for both VA and the community;\n\nDesignates community care providers as informed on military sexual trauma (MST) if they complete certain relevant trainings, to ensure MST survivors can make informed choices about their care;\n\nRoots out community care providers who have felony connections or who have been been investigated for or confirmed for providing poor care from VA\u2019s list of authorized providers, to ensure veterans are only receiving care at VA and in the community from high quality providers;\n\nEnsures community care providers are held accountable for meeting the training and quality standards required of VA providers;\n\nCodifies VA OIG\u2019s oversight authority for community care providers and facilities so it can review and audit them with the same thoroughness as VA care;\n\nRequires community care providers give VA specific data to determine the quality, safety, and timeliness of the care they are providing veterans; and\n\nDirects VA OIG to investigate life-saving dialysis care provided at VA and in the community, following investigations of community providers uncovering extremely substandard practices.\n\nReform VA\u2019s hiring process to ensure the Department can recruit & retain talented employees, especially for positions facing urgent shortages:\n\nReforms VA\u2019s hiring process by establishing common sense processes and requirements to speed up the current extremely long hiring timeline to fill critical vacancies at VA;\n\nRequires VA to establish staffing models for each service and program in the Department to provide veterans and Congress more transparency on the staffing and resources needed for facilities;\n\nAllows VA to waive certain pay limitations or increase incentive pay to help recruit and retain high-quality in demand health care positions at the Department;\n\nModernizes VA\u2019s telework policy by making it the default for all positions that do not require employees to be onsite;\n\nMakes it easier for VA to hire psychologists, a position facing severe staffing shortages at the Department, and for them to earn higher pay; and\n\nEstablishes additional education programs to make VA more competitive when it comes to hiring and retaining the workforce critical to VA operations, including creating two new education and career growth incentive programs for facilities staff and schedulers.\n\nStrengthen VA infrastructure to increase the Department\u2019s capacity to serve veterans:\n\nAuthorizes the level of funding estimated by VA - approximately $10 billion a year over ten years - to tackle its infrastructure needs for modern medical facilities, renovations, and cemeteries;\n\nAllows VA to purchase land for medical facilities earlier, which will speed up the delivery of new facilities;\n\nDevelops relevant plans and infrastructure workforce hiring strategies to accomplish new facility projects and provide Congress performance data for enhanced oversight;\n\nExamines infrastructure budgeting strategies and identifies what reforms are required, informed by industry best practices; and\n\nProvides annual budget requirements over a 10-year period allowing Congress and the Department to modernize VA\u2019s infrastructure through a strategic, comprehensive approach.\n\nA link to the bill\u2019s full text and section by section can be found HERE and HERE.\n\nThe Honor Act has received support from critical veteran advocates, including the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), Common Defense, Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute, Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs, VoteVets, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA), Veterans Affairs PA Association (AVAPAA), American Psychological Association (APA), Modern Military Association of America, and Minority Veterans of America.\n\n\u201cAFGE appreciates Ranking Member Blumenthal\u2019s commitment to maintaining the viability of the direct care system and improving compensation for the VA workforce. The \u201cHonor Act of 2025\u201d would help create a more even playing field between direct care and private care by removing the bias against VA telehealth, reinstating telework and requiring private care to meet standards expected of VA. The Honor Act would also ensure that VA police receive law enforcement pensions and expand reimbursement for continuing professional education for clinicians. We look forward to working with Sen. Blumenthal to improve and refine this important legislation,\u201d said MJ Burke, President of AFGE National VA Council.\n\n\u201cThis is the strongest, most veteran-centered VA reform bill we\u2019ve seen in years: it delivers faster appointments, real transparency, tougher standards for private contractors, life changing investments in VA hospitals and clinics, and smarter hiring so we actually have the doctors, nurses, and staff we need. It honors our service by making the care we earned work better, inside the VA and in the community. This is what putting veterans first actually looks like in action,\u201d said Naveed Shah, Army veteran and Political Director of Common Defense.\n\n\u201cThe Honor Act of 2025 fulfills the unmet aspirations of the VA MISSION Act of 2018, which sought to empower veterans with the information needed to make informed healthcare decisions and to guarantee high-quality care regardless of where it's delivered. The Honor Act directly addresses these gaps by providing veterans with transparent, real-time access to wait times at both VA facilities and community providers, as well as publicized information about their providers' specialized training and High Performing designations. It expands telehealth options for veterans who prefer virtual care, assures consistent quality standards across all providers\u2014whether within the VA system or in the community\u2014and broadens the VA Office of Inspector General's authority to investigate care delivery wherever it occurs, ensuring comprehensive oversight that veterans can trust,\u201d said Dr. Russell Lemle, Senior Policy Analyst, Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute.\n\n\u201cThe American Psychological Association applauds the introduction of the Honor Act of 2025 and thanks Senator Blumenthal and his staff for championing veterans and the professionals who care for them. This bill takes meaningful steps to strengthen the VA\u2019s ability to recruit and keep the psychologists it urgently needs \u2014 a pressing issue as more than half of VHA facilities report severe psychologist shortages, the highest among all clinical roles. The Honor Act also creates transparency and parity between VA direct care and community care, helping ensure every veteran receives high-quality care, no matter where they\u2019re served,\u201d said Dr. Arthur C. Evans Jr., Chief Executive Officer, American Psychological Association.\n\n\u201cNOVA strongly supports the \u2018HONOR Act of 2025\u2019 as it mandates training and transparency within the community care network and provides Veterans with the data and information they need to make the best decisions for their unique healthcare. We are happy to see more educational assistance and continuing education funding for nurses, as well as pay increases for nurse leadership along with steps that encourage VA\u2019s \u2018grow your own,\u2019 and mentorship programs. Many of the provisions in the Honor Act directly align with NOVA legislative priority goals and will improve and advance care for Veterans,\u201d said Catherine Giasson, President, Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs.\n\n\u201cThe HONOR Act is a strong, veteran-first investment in the care our nation\u2019s heroes have earned. By modernizing VA infrastructure, strengthening direct-care services, and ensuring the Department can recruit and retain the world-class clinicians veterans rely on, this bill reinforces VA\u2019s ability to keep to keep delivering exceptional care to veterans. Just as importantly, The Honor Act raises the bar for accountability in community care so veterans aren\u2019t left navigating gaps in quality or access. VoteVets is proud to support this legislation that puts veterans\u2019 health and dignity at the center of VA policy. We applaud Senator Blumenthal\u2019s leadership and urge Congress to pass The Honor Act without delay,\u201d said Kayla Williams, Senior Advisor, VoteVets.\n\n\u201cThe Modern Military Association of America supports the Honor Act 2025 as it strengthens the promise our nation makes to every veteran. By holding community care providers to the same training and quality requirements as VA clinicians, and ensuring those who fail to meet them are held accountable and removed, this bill closes dangerous gaps in veteran care. Our veterans deserve consistent, trauma-informed, and respectful treatment wherever they receive services\u2014and the HONOR Act is an essential step toward delivering that standard nationwide,\u201d said Ash Carothers, Executive Director, Modern Military Association of America.\n\n\u201cAAPA appreciates Sen. Blumenthal's work to improve healthcare for veterans and the inclusion of three provisions in his HONOR Act that would be critical steps towards addressing health workforce shortages at the VA and increasing access to care for our nation's veterans. The bill would modernize PA practice by removing collaboration requirements, open job postings to all qualified candidates, and provide support for continuing professional education. VA PAs are trained and qualified to practice in all specialties, including mental health, and we thank Sen. Blumenthal for recognizing the need for improved utilization of PAs at the VA so that veterans are able to better access the high-quality care they deserve,\u201d said Todd Pickard, President, American Academy of Physician Associates.\n\n\u201cVAPAA extends its thanks to Senator Blumenthal for his work and attention to veterans, by ensuring they have access to the high quality healthcare they need and deserve. The HONOR Act of 2025 contains provisions that will modernize PA practice at VA, and improve parity with community healthcare organizations, by removing unnecessary barriers to PA hiring, retention, and education, particularly for PA veterans wishing to serve their fellow veterans .This is especially appreciated as it will improve access to care in rural and remote areas where PAs excel by helping to address workforce shortages of healthcare providers caring for veterans. VA PAs are trained and qualified to practice in all specialties, including Primary Care and Mental Health, so we thank Senator Blumenthal for recognizing the need for increasing utilization of PAs within VA to improve veterans\u2019 access to the high-quality care that they require, demand, and deserve,\u201d said Christopher Lorenc, President, Veterans Affairs PA Association.\n\n\u201cDialysis companies that contract with the VA must provide safe working conditions for dialysis caregivers and the best quality care for our nation's veterans. Senator Blumenthal\u2019s legislation is a critical step toward ensuring worker input and that the private dialysis companies entrusted with veterans\u2019 care are held accountable for meeting minimum standards. We applaud Senator Blumenthal for championing this effort, and we stand ready to work with Senator Blumenthal to make sure dialysis caregivers have the working conditions they need to provide every veteran with the best quality care possible,\u201d said Leslie Frane, Executive Vice President, Service Employees International Union.\n\n\u201cNFFE is pleased to see the HONOR Act come to life and is encouraged by its potential to advance the working conditions and careers of VA healthcare workers and other professional and administrative staff, including VA police officers\u2014all of whom are essential to maintaining a safe, high-quality environment of care for our nation\u2019s veterans. We welcome continued engagement to ensure the bill achieves its full intended impact,\u201d said Randy Erwin, National President, National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM).\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-statement-on-trump-administrations-latest-attack-on-revolution-wind", "Blumenthal Statement on Trump Administration's Latest Attack on Revolution Wind", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CT", "Richard Blumenthal", "B001277", "www.blumenthal.senate.gov", "blumenthal", "https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press", "scraper", "[Hartford, CT] \u2013 U.S. Senator Richard released the following statement today on the Trump Administration\u2019s latest attempt to stop work on the nearly complete Revolution Wind offshore wind project.\n\n\u201cWhile the Trump Administration plays political games with Revolution Wind, here\u2019s what\u2019s at stake for Connecticut: the loss of good paying union jobs, billions of public and private dollars wasted, and higher electricity prices. This latest attack on Revolution Wind is even more absurd than the first one. The President cites national security risks, but has not been able to prove or demonstrate that such risks even exist. I am standing with our state\u2019s delegation to keep fighting for this project, the workers who deserve to keep their jobs, and the Connecticut consumers who can\u2019t afford to pay more for electricity,\u201d Blumenthal said.\n\nAfter the Trump Administration\u2019s first attempt to stop work at Revolution Wind in late August, Blumenthal wrote to Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum demanding answers regarding Trump\u2019s interference in the project.\n\nA copy of that letter is available here.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.gallego.senate.gov/news/press-releases/gallego-continues-to-push-for-answers-on-trumps-pharmaceutical-deals/", "Gallego Continues to Push for Answers on Trump\u2019s Pharmaceutical Deals", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "AZ", "Ruben Gallego", "G000574", "www.gallego.senate.gov", "gallego", "https://www.gallego.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "In letters to the drug companies who recently inked deals with President Trump, Senator Gallego calls for more details and greater transparency\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 In response to President Trump\u2019s recent announcement that nine drugmakers agreed to direct-to-consumer pricing through the TrumpRx drug purchasing platform, and the implementation of \u201cMost Favored Nation\u201d (MFN) pricing in Medicaid, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) called on the drug manufacturers to clarify the agreement and provide the public with details on the arrangement.\n\n\u201cIt raises concern that to date, the public has been provided with only limited details, despite the significance of this arrangement for millions of patients, and that in return for this arrangement [these companies] will get a three-year exemption from Section 232 tariffs,\u201d Senator Gallego wrote in the letters to the drug manufacturers.\n\nIn the letters, Senator Gallego asks the drug manufacturers the following questions:\n\nUnder the proposed model, which countries and pricing metrics will be used in the MFN formula?\n\nWill [the company] commit to transparency in how MFN prices are calculated, and disclose how the final MFN price is calculated, whether discounts, rebates, or pricing agreements are incorporated?\n\nHow frequently will MFN comparator pricing be updated? Will changes be made automatically as international pricing data changes?\n\nWhat is the full scope of [your company\u2019s] drugs subject to MFN pricing in Medicaid?\n\nHow will MFN pricing in Medicaid affect Medicaid Best Price and the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program?\n\nWill [your company] commit to not shifting costs to other markets? Do you commit to not recoup any revenue reductions by raising prices in private insurance markets, employee-sponsored plans, or Medicare?\n\nAre there plans for [the company] to expand MFN or TrumpRx-style pricing to the commercial insurance or Medicare Part D markets?\n\nGiven that Medicaid beneficiary cost-sharing on prescription drugs is generally limited, please explain how beneficiaries will see savings under this arrangement.\n\nAs currently described, this model would require patients to bypass their insurance and pay cash for medications \u2014 often at high out-of-pocket costs. Given that many insured patients already have lower copays or coinsurance than the proposed TrumpRx discounts, it is unclear how this platform would provide meaningful relief. In fact, it may increase costs for patients,\u201d Senator Gallego concludes the letters.\n\nSenator Gallego sent the letters to the nine companies included in President Trump\u2019s most recent announcement. These companies include:\n\nAmgen\n\nBoehringer Ingelheim\n\nBristol Myers Squibb\n\nGenentech\n\nGilead Sciences\n\nGSK\n\nNovartis\n\nMerck\n\nSanofi", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.gallego.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senator-gallego-gives-back-ahead-of-the-holidays-with-toy-donations/", "Senator Gallego Gives Back Ahead of the Holidays with Toy Donations", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "AZ", "Ruben Gallego", "G000574", "www.gallego.senate.gov", "gallego", "https://www.gallego.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "PHOENIX \u2013 Ahead of the holidays, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) visited Phoenix Children\u2019s Hospital to donate toys as part of the hospital\u2019s annual Toyland Toy Drive, helping ensure every child admitted to the hospital over the holidays receives a gift. The hospital plans to provide gifts to over 400 families this year.\n\nDuring the visit, Senator Gallego delivered toys and spent time with hospital staff, thanking them for their dedication to caring for Arizona\u2019s children, especially during a season that can be particularly challenging for families spending the holidays in the hospital.\n\n\u201cDuring the holidays, it\u2019s especially important that we look out for one another, and as a father of three, I know how much joy this time of year can bring,\u201d said Senator Gallego. \u201cFor kids who have to spend this time in the hospital, even a small moment of joy can make a big difference. I\u2019m grateful for the incredible staff at Phoenix Children\u2019s Hospital for the care and compassion they provide to Arizona families every single day.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/news/press/release/gillibrand-statement-on-job-and-energy-killing-empire-wind-1-and-sunrise-wind-pause/", "Gillibrand Statement On Job And Energy Killing Empire Wind 1 And Sunrise Wind Pause", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Kirsten E. Gillibrand", "G000555", "www.gillibrand.senate.gov", "gillibrand", "https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand released the following statement on the brazen attack on New York\u2019s energy economy by Trump\u2019s Department of the Interior:\n\n\u201cThis announcement has nothing to do with national security and everything to do with a political agenda against energy and job creation in New York. There is no justification for a decision that destroys good-paying union jobs and drives up energy costs for hardworking New York families. I urge the Interior Secretary to reverse this reckless pause and allow these projects to power homes, job creation, and New York\u2019s economy.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.hassan.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senator-hassan-recognizes-kevin-semprini-of-portsmouth-as-decembers-granite-stater-of-the-month", "Senator Hassan Recognizes Kevin Semprini of Portsmouth as December\u2019s Granite Stater of the Month", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NH", "Margaret Wood Hassan", "H001076", "www.hassan.senate.gov", "hassan", "https://www.hassan.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan recognized Kevin Semprini of Portsmouth as December\u2019s Granite Stater of the Month. Throughout his decades-long law enforcement service, Kevin has helped protect children across New Hampshire and keep our communities safe.\n\nA lifelong Portsmouth resident, Kevin grew up admiring the police officers in his neighborhood who worked to build a strong community. Kevin knew from an early age that he wanted to be a part of that mission. Inspired by their example, he joined the police force and dedicated himself to serving his community.\n\nEarly in his career, Officer Semprini identified a need to strengthen child safety across New Hampshire. Working closely with the Portsmouth police chief, he helped to create a new school safety program. His work took him to local schools where he helped elementary school students learn about tips on how to stay safe. He quickly earned a nickname from students who struggled to pronounce his last name which reflected his warm and reassuring presence: \u201cOfficer Friendly,\u201d a name that would stay with him throughout his career.\n\nAs the department evolved, Officer Semprini played a key role in expanding youth-focused safety initiatives. He was introduced to the DARE program by a new Chief of Police and worked with state officials to pilot New Hampshire\u2019s first DARE program, which was later expanded statewide.\n\nAfter 46 years of service, Officer Semprini retires with the gratitude of the Portsmouth community and all Granite Staters. His lifelong dedication to protecting children and strengthening public safety exemplifies the Granite State spirit of going the extra mile for one\u2019s community. His lifelong work to support Portsmouth students is why Senator Hassan is proud to name him December\u2019s Granite Stater of the Month.\n\nSenator Hassan launched the \u201cGranite Stater of the Month\u201d initiative in 2017 to recognize outstanding New Hampshire citizens who go above and beyond to help their neighbors and make their communities stronger. To nominate a New Hampshire citizen to be a \u201cGranite Stater of the Month,\u201d constituents can complete the nomination form here.\n\nTo read Senator Hassan\u2019s statement for the Congressional Record, see below.\n\nI am honored to recognize Kevin Semprini of Portsmouth as December\u2019s Granite Stater of the Month for his work to bolster public safety in his community.\n\nGrowing up in Portsmouth, Kevin looked up to the police officers in his neighborhood, admiring the way they worked to foster a strong community. Kevin knew from an early age that he wanted to be a part of that mission and, when he was old enough, he joined the police force.\n\nSoon after joining the force, Officer Semprini saw that there was a need to improve child safety in New Hampshire and worked with the Portsmouth police chief to create a new school safety program. His work took him to local schools where he helped elementary school students learn about safety. Because students had some trouble pronouncing his last name they quickly landed on a nickname for him, a new name that reflected the warmth and comfort he conveyed: Officer Friendly. It\u2019s a nickname that has stayed with him for the rest of his career.\n\nIn the years that followed and as the police department continued to evolve, a new Chief of Police from California introduced Officer Semprini to the DARE program. Officer Semprini worked with the state to pilot the program, which eventually expanded statewide. Officer Semprini also pioneered the school resource officer program at Portsmouth High School and organized local toy drives for the holidays.\n\nAs he retires, Officer Semprini carries with him the thanks of the people of Portsmouth and all Granite Staters for his 46 years of service and his steadfast protection of the children of New Hampshire. Officer Semprini\u2019s commitment to improving children\u2019s safety is a true example of the Granite State spirit of going the extra mile to protect your community. His lifelong work to support Portsmouth students makes me proud to name him December\u2019s Granite Stater of the Month.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.hassan.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-hassan-and-young-secure-lab-test-report-improvement-that-helps-parents-reduce-childrens-exposure-to-toxic-lead", "Senators Hassan and Young Secure Lab Test Report Improvement That Helps Parents Reduce Children\u2019s Exposure to Toxic Lead", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NH", "Margaret Wood Hassan", "H001076", "www.hassan.senate.gov", "hassan", "https://www.hassan.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Following a bipartisan push from U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Todd Young (R-IN), major lab testing companies are taking steps to help parents reduce their children\u2019s exposure to toxic lead. Young children who are exposed to lead can develop long-lasting cognitive impairments.\n\nIn November, Senators Hassan and Young wrote to Quest and Labcorp, the nation's two largest lab testing companies, urging the companies to clearly state when providing children\u2019s lead blood test results that there is no safe level of lead in a child\u2019s blood. Both companies are now implementing this change, helping parents act to reduce their children\u2019s toxic lead exposure when blood tests show elevated lead blood levels.\n\nPrior to this change, elevated lead blood levels below a particular \u201creference value\u201d were frequently categorized as \u201cnormal\u201d when patients received their results. As a result, parents looking at these test results may not have understood that their children\u2019s even slightly elevated lead blood levels could cause long-lasting health problems.\n\n\u201cI commend Quest and Labcorp for working quickly to help parents better protect their children from toxic lead exposure,\u201dsaid Senator Hassan. \u201cClearly stating on blood test results that there is no safe level of lead exposure for children will help ensure that parents can take action when lead exposure is putting their children at risk of life-long impairment.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s important that patients receive accurate and clear information from health care providers \u2013 especially when it comes to kids. I\u2019m pleased that these providers quickly made adjustments to ensure that parents are more aware that any level of lead in their children\u2019s blood can have serious health consequences,\u201d said Senator Young.\n\n\u201cWe welcome the efforts of Senators Hassan and Young to educate the public on the dangers of lead exposure, even at the lowest levels, and the critical role blood lab tests play in illuminating a path to good health,\u201d said Yuri Fesko, MD, senior vice president and chief medical officer, Quest Diagnostics.\n\n\u201cWe applaud Senators Hassan and Young for their leadership in raising awareness about the dangers of lead exposure. Labcorp is committed to providing parents with clear, actionable insights to make the most informed decisions about their children\u2019s health and wellbeing,\u201d said Brian Caveney, M.D., Chief Medical and Scientific Officer, Labcorp\n\nSenator Hassan has led efforts to help protect the health and safety of children and families. Earlier this year, Senator Hassan successfully led a bipartisan push to improve medication safety labeling for pregnant women.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/trumps-assault-on-wind-energy-leaves-permitting-reform-dead-in-the-water", "Trump\u2019s Assault on Wind Energy Leaves Permitting Reform Dead in the Water", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NM", "Martin Heinrich", "H001046", "www.heinrich.senate.gov", "heinrich", "https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), issued the following statement after the Trump Administration stopped five offshore wind farms that were under construction\u2014adding to the growing number of onshore solar and wind energy projects that are still waiting for approval from the Department of Interior\u2014preventing the delivery of affordable, reliable energy to tens of millions of Americans:\n\n\u201cWe want to thank Chairs Capito and Lee for their good-faith efforts to negotiate a permitting reform bill that would have lowered electricity prices for all Americans. There was a deal to be had that would have taken politics out of permitting, made the process faster and more efficient, and streamlined grid infrastructure improvements nationwide.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut any deal would have to be administered by the Trump Administration. Its reckless and vindictive assault on wind energy doesn\u2019t just undermine one of our cheapest, cleanest power sources, it wrecks the trust needed with the executive branch for bipartisan permitting reform. By sabotaging U.S. energy innovation and killing American jobs, the Trump Administration has made clear that it is not interested in permitting reform. It will own the higher electricity prices, increasingly decrepit infrastructure, and loss of competitiveness that result from its reckless policies.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe illegal attacks on fully permitted renewable energy projects must be reversed if there is to be any chance that permitting talks resume. There is no path to permitting reform if this administration refuses to follow the law.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/press_releases/hickenlooper-bennet-neguse-hurd-mobilize-bipartisan-coalition-to-protect-ncar/", "Hickenlooper, Bennet, Neguse, Hurd Mobilize Bipartisan Coalition to Protect NCAR", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CO", "John W. Hickenlooper", "H000273", "www.hickenlooper.senate.gov", "hickenlooper", "https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/press/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet and Representatives Joe Neguse and Jeff Hurd led a bipartisan, bicameral coalition to protect funding for the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder. They mobilized 76 lawmakers to demand top congressional appropriators include language in the government funding package to prevent the dismantling of NCAR and ensure NCAR can maintain its core capabilities and continue delivering vital Earth system science that promotes public safety and improves national security.\n\n\u201cDonald Trump\u2019s vengeful plan to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research is not only illegal, it\u2019s indefensible,\u201d said Hickenlooper. \u201cIt will have devastating consequences not only for Colorado, but across the country. Colorado won\u2019t be intimidated by the bully in the White House. We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to fight back.\u201d\n\n\u201cLast week, I blocked the Senate appropriations process to demand full funding for NCAR in response to President Trump\u2019s threat to dismantle it,\u201d said Bennet. \u201cNCAR\u2019s work is indispensable for communities, decision-makers, and emergency responders. From predicting extreme weather conditions to supporting disaster preparedness to understanding how wildfires spread, the elimination of NCAR would be catastrophic for public safety and national security. I am grateful to Representatives Neguse and Hurd for their partnership on the effort to protect NCAR. We will explore every avenue to ensure we don\u2019t lose this vital institution.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe work being done at NCAR is vital to our state, our country, and our planet. The breathtaking advancements these scientists and researchers are making every day play a critical role in alerting communities to extreme weather conditions and the advanced modeling systems they are creating are vital to our national security. Any attempt to dismantle this institution is dangerous, reckless, and would, ultimately, put the United States at a very deep competitive disadvantage,\u201d said Neguse. \u201cI\u2019m grateful to Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper for taking critical action last week to stand up for NCAR\u2019s continued funding, and I\u2019m proud to work with my Republican colleague from the Western Slope, Jeff Hurd, to carry the baton in the House. As Coloradans, first and foremost, we intend to fight back against attempts to gut this cutting-edge institution\u201d\n\n\u201cNCAR does critical work in Colorado that helps predict severe weather and keeps America competitive in climate science. The research happening there protects communities and supports our national security. Dismantling this institution doesn\u2019t make sense, and I\u2019m glad to work with my colleagues in both chambers to make sure NCAR has the funding it needs to keep operating,\u201d said Hurd. \u201cThe scientists at NCAR are doing work that matters \u2013 work that helps families prepare for storms, helps farmers plan their seasons, and keeps us ahead on the world stage. Supporting NCAR is a smart investment we should continue to make, not walk away from. I\u2019m grateful to my House colleague, Joe Neguse, for his partnership in protecting an institution that matters to Colorado and the country.\u201d\n\nNCAR is one of the world\u2019s premier research centers and was founded in 1960 by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Its mission is to understand global weather systems and support the capabilities of the university community and broader scientific community, nationally and internationally.\n\nFollowing the Trump admin announcement to dismantle NCAR in Boulder, Hickenlooper has led the fight against their effort by blocking a Senate funding package, which did not fully protect NCAR funding, and joining a rally to save NCAR in Boulder.\n\nFull text of the letter available HERE and below.\n\nDear Chair Collins, Ranking Member Murray, Chair Cole, and Ranking Member DeLauro:\n\nWe write to express our bipartisan bicameral support for continued funding for the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) as the FY 2026 appropriations process moves to conference. As the Committees finalize the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies bill, we believe NCAR represents a sound, forward-looking federal investment that delivers tangible benefits to communities, industries, and public agencies across the nation, particularly in weather forecasting, disaster preparedness, agriculture, and water management.\n\nWe agree with the President\u2019s FY 2026 National Science Foundation Budget Request regarding the importance of NCAR as a national research and infrastructure asset. As the Budget request states:\n\n\u201cThe National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is an NSF-sponsored Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) guided by the vision: \u2018a world-class research center leading, promoting and facilitating innovation in the atmospheric and related Earth Systems sciences.\u2019 NCAR addresses this vision with integrated research and facilities organized around\n\nthree overlapping areas of activity: cutting-edge airborne and ground-based observational facilities; community weather and climate models with thousands of users worldwide; and petascale high-performance computing.\u201d\n\nNCAR\u2019s integrated approach ensures that federal investments in weather and Earth-system science translate into practical, usable tools. Its community weather and seasonal forecast models underpin forecasting systems used by federal agencies, the military, state and local governments, universities, and private-sector partners. These models support a wide range of real-world applications, including agricultural planning, drought and water management, wildfire behavior analysis, flood forecasting, aviation safety, and emergency preparedness. Their research in the Earth-sun system is invaluable for understanding and predicting solar weather. Solar weather storms threaten satellites in orbit that provide crucial GPS and communications capabilities,\n\nposing a risk to our military, emergency responders, and banking systems.\n\nIn agriculture, NCAR-supported modeling and data tools help producers anticipate seasonal variability, manage water resources, and mitigate weather-related risk. In wildfire-prone regions, NCAR research improves understanding of fire behavior and smoke transport, supporting more\n\neffective preparedness and response. For emergency managers, improved modeling and data integration contribute to earlier warnings and better coordination during extreme weather events\u2014saving lives and reducing economic losses.\n\nAs the President\u2019s Budget further recognizes, continued operation of the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputer Center is essential for the integration, analysis, and modeling of large and complex data sets. This computing capacity enables more accurate forecasts and supports the growing demand for data-intensive applications across government and industry, including defense, aviation, and critical infrastructure planning, ensuring the United States remains competitive in weather and Earth system science.\n\nAs an NSF-sponsored FFRDC, NCAR serves as a shared national resource that promotes efficiency and collaboration. By providing common infrastructure and open modeling frameworks, NCAR reduces duplication, strengthens partnerships, and ensures that federal research dollars are leveraged across states and sectors.\n\nAs conferees complete the FY 2026 bill, we respectfully request sustained funding for NCAR. Continued investment will ensure that NCAR can maintain its core capabilities and continue delivering practical, high-value outcomes that support economic resilience, public safety, and informed decision-making nationwide. Funding for NCAR is essential to maintaining America\u2019s\n\nleadership in global weather forecasting and to protecting our economy, our communities, and the everyday livelihoods of families across the nation.\n\nThank you for your consideration and for your leadership throughout the appropriations process.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/kaine-colleagues-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-crack-down-on-pharmacy-benefit-managers-price-gouging", "Kaine, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Crack Down on Pharmacy Benefit Managers\u2019 Price Gouging", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", "kaine", "https://www.kaine.senate.gov/news", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and colleagues introduced the bipartisan, bicameral PBM Fiduciary Accountability, Integrity, and Reform (FAIR) Act, legislation that would establish fiduciary responsibilities for pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs)\u2014the middlemen of drug pricing\u2014and require PBMs to act in the best interests of employees relying on employer-sponsored health plans, while keeping plan costs low.\n\n\u201cPharmacy benefit managers should be held accountable for their role in raising costs of prescription drugs,\u201d said Kaine. \u201cThis bipartisan legislation is critical to ensuring that PBMs are doing what\u2019s best for Americans who rely on lifesaving medication.\u201d\n\nCurrently, PBMs that provide drug benefits for employer health plans often get away with price-gouging because they are not legally required to put employees\u2019 interests first. The PBM Fair Act would ensure PBMs are classified as fiduciaries under law\u2014thereby helping to curb hidden fees and end practices that drive up what employees pay for their medications.\n\nTo ensure employer-sponsored health care plans are affordable and accessible to all families, this bill would specifically rein in bad PBM practices, such as:\n\nMarking up generic drugs at prices hundreds of times higher than actual cost;\n\nLimiting patient choice; and\n\nDenying claims with no or misleading explanations.\n\nIn addition to Kaine, this bill is introduced by U.S. Senators Roger Marshall (R-KS), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Chuck Grassley (R-IA). Companion legislation is led in the House by U.S. Representatives Jake Auchincloss (D-MA-04) and Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA-07).\n\nFull text of the bill is available here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/warner-kaine-scott-slam-trump-administrations-sudden-halt-of-virginia-offshore-wind-project", "Warner, Kaine, Scott Slam Trump Administration\u2019s Sudden Halt of Virginia Offshore Wind Project", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", "kaine", "https://www.kaine.senate.gov/news", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine along with U.S. Representative Bobby Scott (all D-VA) issued the following statement:\n\n\u201cDespite our senior roles on the Senate Intelligence and Armed Services Committees, the administration has failed to share any new information that supports this sudden and sweeping move to halt all offshore wind development, including a project off the coast of Virginia that is already almost complete and operational. That silence speaks volumes, especially given the president\u2019s longstanding, well-documented opposition to offshore wind \u2013 and the promises he\u2019s made to his donors to put his thumb on the scale against certain energy projects. This reckless, haphazard approach puts billions of dollars in private investment at risk, threatens thousands of good-paying American jobs coming to a veteran-heavy area, undermines energy security, and damages the credibility of the United States government. Virginia\u2019s offshore wind project has undergone years of rigorous review and represents a critical step toward strengthening our energy independence, lowering energy costs for American families, growing our clean energy economy, and positioning the Commonwealth as a global leader in this industry. When a project that has met every requirement is suddenly stopped without explanation, it is fair to ask whether this decision is being driven by evidence, or by personal and political grievance.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.kelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/kelly-cornyn-bill-to-boost-military-service-recruiting-signed-into-law/", "Kelly, Cornyn Bill to Boost Military Service Recruiting Signed into Law", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "AZ", "Mark Kelly", "K000377", "www.kelly.senate.gov", "markkelly", "https://www.kelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "U.S. Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and John Cornyn (R-TX) released the following statements after their bill to promote U.S. military recruiter access to secondary schools and attract the next generation of service members was signed into law by President Trump as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026:\n\n\u201cWhen I was young, the U.S. Navy gave me purpose, direction, and the chance to be part of something much larger than myself. Our country needs more young people willing to step up, challenge themselves, and take advantage of these opportunities that come from military service,\u201d said Sen. Kelly. \u201cWe\u2019re making sure recruiters have fair access to schools so students who want to serve their country can get accurate information and a real path to do it.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs the global threat landscape evolves and grows more complex, it\u2019s vital that we attract, develop, and retain top talent to boost military readiness,\u201d said Sen. Cornyn. \u201cBy expanding U.S. military recruiters\u2019 access to high schools, we can enlist the next generation of advanced warfighters to serve under the bold leadership of President Trump and defend America\u2019s interests at home and abroad.\u201d\n\nBackground:\n\nThe Senators championed these provisions in the NDAA FY26 to ensure U.S. military service recruiters have the same access to high schools as colleges and prospective employers, so students can fully understand the benefits of military service and pursue it as a viable path after graduation. A recent CRS report analyzed military recruitment and goals for bringing new personnel into the Armed Forces to ensure our nation has a trained, robust, and fully manned military workforce.\n\nThe report revealed the Army and Navy failed to meet their recruitment and personnel goals in previous Fiscal Years. Notably, the Navy recently announced it had more than 20,000 gaps at sea, which can harm retention and increase the risk for accidents and collisions. Similarly, the Department of the Army confirmed a 15,000-soldier shortfall two years ago under the Biden administration, which was the Army\u2019s lowest number of recruits in five decades. The Senator\u2019s legislation seeks to address this by ensuring military recruiters have fair and equal access to secondary schools so our military can achieve their recruiting objectives and retain a fully manned operational force.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.kelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/year-in-review-kelly-secures-millions-in-federal-funding-for-public-safety-and-infrastructure-projects-across-arizona/", "Year in Review: Kelly Secures Millions in Federal Funding for Public Safety and Infrastructure Projects Across Arizona", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "AZ", "Mark Kelly", "K000377", "www.kelly.senate.gov", "markkelly", "https://www.kelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "Secured $22 million for a child development center at Luke Air Force Base and $2.7 million for rural Arizona fire, police, and flood protection projects\n\nThis year, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly championed federal investments for rural Arizona communities, delivering for local projects in every corner of the state. As too many of Arizona\u2019s rural communities rely on decades-old equipment and run-down facilities that no longer meet the demands of today\u2019s first responders, Kelly\u2019s work focused on securing practical upgrades to keep communities safe. These investments will improve public safety, strengthen emergency response capabilities, and support military families.\n\nArizona Priorities Requested and Secured by Kelly\n\nLuke Air Force Base\n\nThis year, Senator Kelly secured more than $22 million to construct a much-needed child development center for servicemembers and their families at Luke Air Force Base. The funding builds on planning and design funds Kelly secured in the past two defense bills and will expand childcare capacity to better support military families.\n\nRead more about what this means for families at Luke here.\n\nPinal County \u2013 Smith Wash Watershed Plan\n\nPinal County received $1 million to develop a flood control plan for portions of Smith Wash in Pinal County to protect nearby homes and infrastructure.\n\nWatch more about this project here.\n\nCity of Bisbee\n\nFollowing the devastating Main Street fires in Bisbee, Kelly secured $620,000 to replace a 30-year-old fire truck with a new aerial ladder fire truck, giving the city the resources needed to protect residents and businesses in the historic downtown district.\n\nRead more about what Bisbee Mayor Ken Budge said about this funding here.\n\nTown of Clarkdale\n\nThanks to Kelly\u2019s work, Clarkdale received $150,000 to make essential structural upgrades to the Clarkdale Police Station. The current building dates back to 1918 and needs critical repairs to ensure a safe working environment for law enforcement personnel.\n\nRead more about what Clarkdale Town Manager Susan Guthrie said about this funding here.\n\nTown of Superior\n\nKelly delivered $718,000 for the Town of Superior to replace a 25-year-old, failing fire engine with a new fire truck to support the Superior Fire Department\u2019s public safety response.\n\nTonto Basin Fire District\n\nKelly secured $158,000 for the Tonto Basin Fire District to renovate its fire station. The station was originally constructed in 1970 and now needs significant upgrades to meet the needs of first responders and ensure the safety of the crews and the public.\n\nRead more about Tonto Basin Fire Chief James A. Stoltenberg said about these upgrades here.\n\nAlpine Fire District\n\nAnd finally, Kelly supported the Alpine Fire District with $140,000 to purchase a new emergency response vehicle, increasing its capacity to support fire, EMS, and search-and-rescue operations in rural eastern Arizona.\n\nSen. Kelly meets with Fry Fire District firefighters.\n\nIn 2026, Kelly will continue championing rural Arizona communities by pushing for targeted investments that strengthen public safety, improve critical infrastructure, and support families in small towns across the state.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=5FFA1D8D-0F75-4EC2-B3AF-F28835728882", "Klobuchar Statement on Instacart Ending Dynamic Pricing", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, released the following statement on Instacart announcing it will end its practice of charging some customers more than others for the same products. This follows Klobuchar leading a group of seven other Senators in calling for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate Instacart\u2019s dynamic pricing.\n\n\u201cGrocery prices are already too high\u2014Americans shouldn\u2019t be forced to pay even more because companies use artificial intelligence to inflate prices. I called on the FTC to investigate Instacart\u2019s use of dynamic pricing to charge customers more for the same product because it is wrong and deceptive. Customers deserve fair prices and real competition to lower costs.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=E3DCCC10-4427-49D9-9EC2-9436FD12A89F", "Klobuchar, Firefighters and Advocates Celebrate Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act Being Signed Into Law", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "ST. LOUIS PARK, MN \u2014 U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar was joined by Minnesota Professional Firefighters Association President Scott Vadnais, IAFF Saint Paul Local 21 President Kyle Thornberg, IAFF Minneapolis Local 82 President Mark Lakosky, St. Louis Park Fire Chief Peter Hanline, Julie and Meghan Paidar, St. Louis Park Mayor Nadia Mohamed, and St. Louis Park firefighters to celebrate the passage of Klobuchar\u2019s bipartisan Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act and honor the memory of Captain Michael Paidar, who died in 2020 from an aggressive form of Acute Myeloid Leukemia while serving with the Saint Paul Fire Department.\n\n\u201cPassing this bipartisan legislation was a critical victory for our firefighters who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe, and their loved ones,\u201d said Senator Klobuchar. \u201cWith the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act now signed into law, we are ensuring that the Public Safety Officers\u2019 Benefits Program covers service-related cancers\u2014honoring the memory of Captain Paidar and their families who made the ultimate sacrifice.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m grateful to Senator Klobuchar for leading the bipartisan Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act. Every day, our nation\u2019s first responders selflessly serve and protect their communities. Unfortunately, through exposures on the job, many are also fighting occupational cancer. As our family knows firsthand, the lives of the first responder and their family are forever changed upon the cancer diagnosis. Mike loved being a career firefighter and paramedic. Losing him to Leukemia in 2020 was devastating not only for our family, but also for his fire family and our communities. This important legislation will honor his legacy and recognize the sacrifices of our fallen, allowing first responders and their families to receive the PSOB benefits they rightly deserve,\u201d said Julie Paidar, widow of St. Paul Fire Captain Michael Paidar.\n\n\u201cMinnesota's firefighters and their families are better protected than ever today because of the passage of the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act,\u201d said Scott Vadnais, President of the Minnesota Professional Fire Fighters Association. \u201cThanks to Senator Klobuchar's steadfast leadership of the bipartisan effort to pass this bill, firefighters who perish in the line of duty from job-related cancer will get the benefits they deserve. Cancer is by far the greatest threat to firefighter safety, and the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act recognizes the constant risk for contracting cancer taken by our firefighters every day when they show up for work, in the same way we recognize the other risks of the dangerous nature of firefighting.\u201d\n\nThe Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act expands access to federal support for the families of firefighters and other first responders who pass away or become permanently disabled from service-related cancers. Last week, the President signed the bill into law.\n\nPreviously, firefighters were only eligible for support under the Public Safety Officer Benefits (PSOB) program for physical injuries sustained in the line-of-duty, or for deaths from duty-related heart attacks, strokes, mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, and 9/11 related illnesses.\n\nIn 2021, after strong advocacy from the Paidar family, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety awarded line-of-duty benefits to Captain Paidar\u2019s widow Julie. This was the first time that a firefighter\u2019s family had received benefits for cancer incurred in the line-of-duty through Minnesota\u2019s state Public Safety Officer Benefits program. The Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act extends similar benefits to firefighters and other first responders across the country as a part of the federal PSOB program.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.merkley.senate.gov/merkley-led-bipartisan-resolution-recognizing-30-years-of-u-s-vietnam-relationship-passes-senate/", "Merkley-led Bipartisan Resolution Recognizing 30 Years of U.S.-Vietnam Relationship Passes Senate", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "OR", "Jeff Merkley", "M001176", "www.merkley.senate.gov", "merkley", "https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/press-releases/", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, Oregon\u2019s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley\u2014a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee\u2014announced that his bipartisan resolution marking the 30th anniversary of the normalization of relations between the United States and Vietnam unanimously passed the Senate. Merkley led the resolution alongside U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT).\n\n\u201cVietnam is a critical partner to the United States, and only together will we be able to tackle the most pressing challenges facing our two nations,\u201d said Merkley.\u201cThe unanimous passage of our bipartisan resolution reaffirms the Senate\u2019s commitment to sustaining a productive bilateral relationship, ongoing support of war legacy programs to bring closure to all who suffered in the Vietnam War, and our determination to work together to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.\u201d\n\nAs a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, & International Cybersecurity Policy, Merkley has long advocated for the United States\u2019 strategic partnerships in the region, including with Vietnam. In 2023, he led a bicameral congressional delegation to Vietnam, meeting with senior Vietnamese government officials, examining the painful wartime legacy of the Vietnam conflict, and traveling to a town on the Mekong River experiencing rising sea levels due to climate chaos.\n\nFull text of the bipartisan resolution can be found by clicking here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.merkley.senate.gov/merkley-wyden-announce-960881-coming-to-wasco-county-for-distance-learning/", "Merkley, Wyden Announce $960,881 Coming to Wasco County for Distance Learning", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "OR", "Jeff Merkley", "M001176", "www.merkley.senate.gov", "merkley", "https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/press-releases/", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Oregon\u2019s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced a federal investment of $960,881 for the Dufur School District 29 to support distance learning in Wasco County. With this funding, instructors at Portland Community College in Multnomah County, Baker Technical Institute in Baker County, Columbia Gorge Community College in Wasco County, and the Oregon Veterans Home in Wasco County will deliver technical training, STEM coursework, and certified nurse assistant training courses to three locations benefiting 655 Dufur School District 29 students.\n\n\u201cAs I hold a town hall in each of Oregon\u2019s 36 counties every year, I frequently hear from folks about the challenges they are facing, especially in rural communities that have unique hurdles in accessing education and health care services,\u201d said Merkley. \u201cThis critical investment will ensure that working families living in more remote communities will have better access to the tools and services they need to thrive.\u201d\n\n\u201cDistance to a city should not determine whether or not hard-working students are able to access a quality education,\u201d said Wyden. \u201cThis grant closes that gap and ensures students in Wasco County can gain the technical skills required to expand the healthcare workforce. I applaud this federal award to Dufur School District, and I will fight for more programs like this that provide opportunities for students living in Oregon\u2019s rural communities.\u201d\n\nThis federal funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development\u2019s Distance Learning & Telemedicine Grants, which help rural communities access advanced telecommunications technology.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.merkley.senate.gov/merkley-wyden-colleagues-urge-trump-administration-to-end-staffing-crisis-at-fish-and-wildlife-service-warn-of-devastating-impacts-to-ecosystems-and-public-lands/", "Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues\u00a0Urge Trump Administration to End Staffing Crisis at Fish and Wildlife Service, Warn of Devastating Impacts to Ecosystems and Public Lands", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "OR", "Jeff Merkley", "M001176", "www.merkley.senate.gov", "merkley", "https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/press-releases/", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR)\u2014the top Democrat overseeing funding for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)\u2014and U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR)\u2014former chairman and current senior member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources\u2014joined their colleagues in urging the administration to immediately address and reverse the staffing crisis at the FWS, which has lost the capacity to properly manage most of America\u2019s wildlife refuges, putting in jeopardy the ability to protect endangered wildlife species under the Service\u2019s care.\n\nIn a letter to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and FWS Director Brian Nesvik, the Senators highlight the direct impacts cuts in staffing are having on the 573 national wildlife refuges across the country\u2014with almost 60 percent of them lacking the resources and staff needed to fulfill their missions. According to public reports, Oregon and Washington have lost a combined 50 senior level scientists and staff.\n\n\u201cAmericans of all backgrounds love their public lands, and protecting wildlife refuges is a bipartisan cause that brings together environmentalists, sportsmen, and all who enjoy the outdoor recreation opportunities provided by America\u2019s National Wildlife Refuge System. The Refuge System is the only federal network of public lands that is primarily dedicated to the conservation, management, and restoration of fish, wildlife, and plant species and their habitats,\u201d the Senators wrote.\n\n\u201cThis downward trend did not begin under the Trump administration. Yet the current administration has not only shown an unwillingness to address the problem\u2014it has made the situation far worse. The President\u2019s Fiscal Year 26 budget request slashed funding for FWS\u2019s overall Resource Management account, which included a proposed 22 percent cut to the National Wildlife Refuge System. Moreover, the administration has indicated that it is planning more firings for public land agencies,\u201d the Senators continued.\n\nThe Senators also emphasized that operating with few or no employees has also hurt disaster resilience because FWS employees carry out projects to control flooding and prevent catastrophic wildfires.\n\nThe letter was led by U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife, and was also signed by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai\u2019i), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai\u2019i), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).\n\nThe full text of the letter can be found here and below.\n\nDear Secretary Burgum and Director Nesvik:\n\nWe write to sound the alarm on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service\u2019s (FWS) staffing crisis, which is causing particular harm to the National Wildlife Refuge System. A startling amount of staff and expertise needed to manage the Refuge System and protect America\u2019s wildlife have been lost due to the administration\u2019s firings, early retirement programs, and other efforts to push staff out of FWS. The agency is losing the capacity to manage America\u2019s wildlife refuges and struggling to even keep them open. We ask that you provide Congress with your plan to address FWS\u2019s staffing crisis and immediately act to ensure that FWS and the Refuge System have the staff and resources needed to guarantee a safe, quality experience for visitors to the Refuge System and to protect the invaluable wildlife species under the agency\u2019s care.\n\nAmericans of all backgrounds love their public lands, and protecting wildlife refuges is a bipartisan cause that brings together environmentalists, sportsmen, and all who enjoy the outdoor recreation opportunities provided by America\u2019s National Wildlife Refuge System. The Refuge System is the only federal network of public lands that is primarily dedicated to the conservation, management, and restoration of fish, wildlife, and plant species and their habitats. There are 573 national wildlife refuges across the country, with a footprint in every state. The Refuge System also utilizes a unique conservation approach through community-based initiatives that provide recreational and sporting opportunities and other localized needs. According to FWS, wildlife refuge recreation generates $3.2 billion in local economic activity each year. Every dollar that is invested in the Refuge System generates $3.12 in U.S. economic activity, a tremendous return on investment for the American taxpayer.\n\nHowever, according to recently released internal agency documents, almost 60 percent of the nation\u2019s wildlife refuges lack the resources and staff needed to fulfill their missions. FWS has experienced a staggering 29 percent loss of employees who work for the Refuge System. This downward trend did not begin under the Trump administration. Yet the current administration has not only shown an unwillingness to address the problem\u2014it has made the situation far worse. The President\u2019s Fiscal Year 26 budget request slashed funding for FWS\u2019s overall Resource Management account, which included a proposed 22 percent cut to the National Wildlife Refuge System. Moreover, the administration has indicated that it is planning more firings for public land agencies.\n\nStaffing reductions have negatively impacted national wildlife refuges across the country, forcing multiple wildlife refuges to operate with few or no employees. FWS\u2019s internal estimates indicate that 9 percent of wildlife refuges are now classified as \u201cshuttered.\u201d It appears that FWS has abandoned these refuges, as there may not be a single employee on the ground to manage the refuge.\n\nThe consequences of slashing the FWS workforce are already being felt across the nation. The collapse of staffing capacity within the Refuge System leaves refuges open to damage, vandalism, flooding, fire, and loss of protection and conservation measures for threatened and endangered wildlife species who rely on these refuges for survival. FWS staffing losses also hurt resilience because FWS employees carry out projects to control flooding and prevent catastrophic wildfires.\n\nIt has also become more difficult for the agency to meet deadlines to list species as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, an already challenging but essential obligation. This delay in work pushes endangered species closer to extinction and prevents infrastructure projects from moving forward, as they may encounter difficulties with acquiring needed permits amid such regulatory uncertainty.\n\nConsidering the alarming scale of FWS\u2019s staffing crisis, we request answers to the following by January 2, 2026:\n\nWill you commit to reversing the staffing losses at FWS? What is your plan to address FWS\u2019s debilitating loss in capacity?\n\nHas the Administration considered the impact of decimating the FWS workforce on the economics of gateway communities?\n\nDoes the Administration still plan on moving forward with firing more FWS employees, even as those firings are being stopped by federal courts?\n\nHow is FWS planning to meet deadlines to list species as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act?\n\nProtecting natural resources for Americans has always been a bipartisan effort and it is important that FWS has the workforce required to meet its core mandates. Thank you, and we look forward to your response.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.murray.senate.gov/murray-blumenthal-colleagues-demand-answers-on-trump-vas-plan-to-eliminate-tens-of-thousands-of-health-care-jobs/", "Murray,\u00a0Blumenthal, Colleagues Demand Answers on Trump VA\u2019s Plan to Eliminate Tens of Thousands of Health Care Jobs", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "WA", "Patty Murray", "M001111", "www.murray.senate.gov", "murray", "https://www.murray.senate.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "Senators: \u201cAt a time when veterans are already facing widespread cuts in their access to health care from H.R. 1, skyrocketing health insurance premiums from expiring enhanced premium tax credits, and forced closures of rural hospitals, VA needs to be expanding its capacity and staffing levels, not reducing them.\u201d\n\nICYMI: VIDEO FROM SENATOR MURRAY: \u201cExactly zero veterans think the problem with the VA health care system is that there are *too many* staff providing care. But Trump\u2019s VA has now decided it won\u2019t fill thousands of open positions. We need answers about what this will mean for veterans.\u201d\n\n***LETTER HERE***\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former chair of the Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee, joined Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and 36 of their Senate Democratic colleagues in a letter demanding answers about the Trump administration\u2019s plans to eliminate as many as 35,000 jobs at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This follows recent reporting from The Washington Post detailing the Trump administration\u2019s plans to eliminate tens of thousands of unfilled mission-critical health care positions at VA, including for doctors, nurses, and support staff.\n\n\u201cWe write to express our concern following the December 13, 2025, Washington Post article \u2018VA plans to abruptly eliminate tens of thousands of health care jobs,\u2019 which spotlights the Department\u2019s plan to cut as many as 35,000 vacant positions from its workforce rolls before the end of the calendar year,\u201d the senators wrote in a letter to VA Secretary Collins. \u201cCompounded by the exodus of more than 40,000 Department employees in fiscal year (FY) 2025, any unjustified cuts to existing vacancies would further disrupt a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) workforce that is already stretched dangerously thin and under assault.\u201d\n\nThe senators pushed back on Secretary Collins\u2019 claims that cutting these jobs will have \u201cno impact\u201d on VA health care, pointing to data that even if cuts were focused on non-clinical and administrative vacancies, VA would still have to cut 18,000 vacancies from essential, veteran-facing positions to meet their 35,000 number. They pressed Collins to provide additional information on VA\u2019s plans to eliminate these positions, including asking for the list of positions removed; the names and titles of staff involved in making this decision; what evidence VA used to support this removal of vacancies; and what data was used to inform individual facility staffing baselines.\n\nThe senators concluded, emphasizing the gravity of this plan amid Republicans\u2019 health care-cutting agenda across the government: \u201cUnfilled positions are not reflective of unnecessary positions, and the length of time a position is vacant is not a suitable data point for determining need. At a time when veterans are already facing widespread cuts in their access to health care from H.R. 1, skyrocketing health insurance premiums from expiring enhanced premium tax credits, and forced closures of rural hospitals, VA needs to be expanding its capacity and staffing levels, not reducing them. Veterans deserve a VA staffed according to their needs and a Secretary who works to fill needed positions, not abolish them.\u201d\n\nVA already lost more than 40,000 employees between January and September of this year as a result of President Trump and VA Secretary Collins\u2019 hiring freeze, deferred resignations, early retirements, and the significant number of VA staff who have quit since the Trump administration took office due to draconian workforce policies. In addition, VA had at least 42,000 vacancies across the Department as of March 31, 2025, and that number is estimated to have grown significantly since then. The removal of these positions would put VA at pre-PACT Act staffing levels. More than one million veterans newly enrolled in VA health care as a result of expanded eligibility under the PACT Act, and millions more have increased reliance on VA because of toxic exposure-related illnesses and injuries.\n\nThese continued cuts of VA health care follow widespread health care cuts initiated by Republicans across the government. Senate Republicans have failed to join Democratic efforts to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits, which 267,000 veterans rely on to afford health care. Coupled with Medicare and Medicaid cuts from the \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill\u201d that go into effect next year, Americans, including millions of veterans and veteran family members, are facing skyrocketing premiums and a looming health care crisis.\n\nIn addition to Senators Murray and Blumenthal, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elisa Slotkin (D-MI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).\n\nSenator Murray was the first woman to join the Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee and the first woman to chair the Committee\u2014as the daughter of a World War II veteran, supporting veterans and their families has always been an important priority for her. Senator Murray has been outspoken in standing up for veterans, VA employees, and VA researchers against Trump and Elon Musk\u2019s indiscriminate mass layoffs that will undermine critical services our nation\u2019s veterans rely on every day. In January, Murray called on President Trump to exempt all VA employees from the hiring freeze issued as part of his Day One Executive Orders. Senator Murray, was among the first to raise the alarm about the layoffs of VA researchers and called on President Trump to immediately reverse the firings. She pressed VA Deputy Secretary nominee Dr. Paul Lawrence on the firings of VA researchers at the hearing on his nomination, and held multiple press conferences with VA employees and veterans in Washington state who were abruptly laid off for no reason as part of the Trump administration\u2019s mass firings at VA. Earlier this year, Senator Murray forcefully denounced the Trump administration\u2019s initial plan to fire 80,000 employees at VA.\n\nLast week, Senator Murray released a video slamming the Trump administration\u2019s plan not to fill thousands of open positions at VA, and demanding answers.\n\nThe lawmakers\u2019 full letter is available HERE and below:\n\nDear Secretary Collins:\n\nWe write to express our concern following the December 13, 2025, Washington Post article \u201cVA plans to abruptly eliminate tens of thousands of health care jobs,\u201d which spotlights the Department\u2019s plan to cut as many as 35,000 vacant positions from its workforce rolls before the end of the calendar year. Compounded by the exodus of more than 40,000 Department employees in fiscal year (FY) 2025, any unjustified cuts to existing vacancies would further disrupt a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) workforce that is already stretched dangerously thin and under assault.\n\nBased on data mandated by Section 505 of Public Law 115-182, the VA MISSION Act of 2018, as of quarter two of FY 2025, the Department had a total of 42,518 vacancies. These vacant positions included 7,560 nurses, 4,400 schedulers, 2,800 physicians, 1,900 social workers, 1,650 nursing assistants, 1,630 practical nurses, 1,230 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, 1,080 health technicians, 860 veterans claims examiners, 760 police, and 710 psychologists \u2013 totaling more than 24,500 of the 42,500 vacancies. If the Department cut every other vacancy outside of these roles \u2013 which would still include cuts to various clinical and veteran-facing roles \u2013 VA would still have to cut 18,000 vacancies from essential, veteran-facing positions in order to meet the 35,000 number. These cannot all be \u201cCOVID-era roles,\u201d as VA has claimed, nor can these cuts be downplayed because some have been vacant for longer than one year.\n\nWe request the following information regarding VA\u2019s elimination of these positions:\n\nPlease provide a list of vacant positions removed, disaggregated by facility and job series.\n\nPlease provide a list of positions removed, disaggregated by job series and then by length of time since they were last encumbered or the position was created based on these categories of time: less than 30 days, greater than 30 days, greater than 90 days, greater than 180 days, greater than 365 days, and greater than 730 days.\n\nPlease provide the titles of VA Central Office staff and the offices or departments involved in making this decision.\n\nVA already regularly adds and removes positions based on need as part of its normal recruitment and budgeting processes. What evidence was there to support this significantly larger removal of vacancies?\n\nMemos from the Department planning for this removal of vacancies reference a baseline number of positions used to inform individual facility staffing numbers. What is that baseline, and how was that number decided upon? How were individual facility baselines calculated based on that number?\n\nWhy did the Department choose to use number of positions instead of full-time equivalent (FTE) positions to establish these baselines? How were positions that typically do not occupy one FTE for each individual staff member, such as researchers, accounted for in the baseline and the cuts?\n\nPlease detail the approval process for a facility or hiring manager to request new vacancies, roles, or recruitment processes beyond the new baseline.\n\nBased on what criteria can a facility or hiring manager request a new position or vacancy above the baseline?\n\nIn VA\u2019s FY 2026 budget request, the Department requested funding for 396,000 total FTE. As such, Congress provided $167 billion for the treatment of 7.7 million patients and 162.6 million outpatient visits to VA for FY 2026. Please provide an updated staffing and workload projection for FY 2026 that accounts for these vacancy cuts.\n\nHow did the Department account for minimum staffing ratios when making these cuts, especially those required for nursing, long-term care, spinal cord injury and disorder teams, and mental health care?\n\nUnfilled positions are not reflective of unnecessary positions, and the length of time a position is vacant is not a suitable data point for determining need. At a time when veterans are already facing widespread cuts in their access to health care from H.R. 1, skyrocketing health insurance premiums from expiring enhanced premium tax credits, and forced closures of rural hospitals, VA needs to be expanding its capacity and staffing levels, not reducing them. Veterans deserve a VA staffed according to their needs and a Secretary who works to fill needed positions, not abolish them.\n\nSincerely,\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/padilla-schiff-urge-trump-administration-to-reverse-devastating-cuts-to-federal-weather-forecasting-and-snowpack-monitoring-services/", "Padilla, Schiff Urge Trump Administration to Reverse Devastating Cuts to Federal Weather Forecasting and Snowpack Monitoring Services", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CA", "Alex Padilla", "P000145", "www.padilla.senate.gov", "padilla", "https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) pushed the Trump Administration to reverse its shortsighted staff cuts and harmful reductions to critical weather forecasting services and snowpack surveys at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). With an atmospheric river bearing down on California through Christmas, which has already caused severe flooding in Redding, the Senators raised the alarm that these dangerous cuts will restrict California\u2019s preparation for dangerous storms and floods \u2014 threatening public safety, property, and agriculture \u2014 while damaging the state\u2019s water supply.\n\nDue to the Trump Administration\u2019s mass staff firings and other staff reductions, River Forecasting Centers have been forced to consolidate duties and shift roles away from consistent monitoring in specific local areas to more general ones. These unprecedented staffing cuts have also led to reduced overnight operations, less frequent collection of comprehensive data, and delays in severe weather warnings, while straining California\u2019s state-federal partnerships that are necessary for forecasting, snowpack monitoring, and snow surveys. Padilla and Schiff warned that California National Weather Service (NWS) scientists are now simultaneously monitoring multiple flood-prone regions outside their normal coverage areas due to these cuts, which could limit critical written forecasts.\n\n\u201cWe are gravely concerned that diminished services within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture pose unnecessary risks to California lives and property and harm the state\u2019s ability to prepare for dangerous storms and floods and to provide essential water,\u201d wrote the California Senators. \u201cWe write to ask you to reconsider these reductions for the safety and well-being of Californians, and the many Americans that depend on timely weather and water services and forecasting.\u201d\n\nThe relentless rainfall from the atmospheric river currently hitting California shows how dangerous it is to weaken these warning systems. The staff cuts at the California-Nevada River Forecast Center and other weather forecast offices in California hinder their ability to provide flood risk warnings, impairing timely evacuation orders and emergency resource positioning.\n\nThe Senators stressed that cuts to NWS\u2019 forecasting services could also impact airplanes and ships that depend on storm prediction, as well as farmers\u2019 planting and harvesting decisions, which depend on seasonal forecasts. Additionally, the Senators voiced serious concerns that these cuts will limit California\u2019s ability to accurately conduct snow surveys to properly manage the state\u2019s water supply. They warned that this forecasting gap will further impact the state\u2019s nationally leading agriculture industry, while undermining drought preparation.\n\n\u201cStaff cuts and regional consolidation of duties away from these important actions will severely impact the ability to perform snow surveys in as many as one third of the State\u2019s watersheds, leaving a fundamental gap in the data needed for supply forecasting,\u201d continued the Senators. \u201cLacking this data not only severely undercuts the State\u2019s ability to properly plan and manage the water resources for Southern California, the Bay Area, and the Central Valley\u2019s agricultural industry, it also debilitates our ability to prepare for the critical needs of communities in years of drought.\u201d\n\nDuring an active fire season this summer, Senators Padilla and Schiff demanded that the Trump Administration reverse the staffing cuts at California NWS offices, which jeopardize critical weather services that people rely on during disasters. Padilla also introduced the Improving Atmospheric River Forecasts Act, bipartisan legislation that would reduce flood risks and bolster emergency preparedness by improving atmospheric river forecasting to more precisely predict the timing and location of these storms.\n\nFull text of the letter is available here and below:\n\nDear Secretary Rollins and Secretary Lutnick,\n\nWe are gravely concerned that diminished services within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture pose unnecessary risks to California lives and property and harm the state\u2019s ability to prepare for dangerous storms and floods and to provide essential water. We write to ask you to reconsider these reductions for the safety and well-being of Californians, and the many Americans that depend on timely weather and water services and forecasting.\n\nFor decades, the State of California and the federal government have worked in partnership to produce forecasts and collect water supply data essential to California\u2019s capacity to protect people and property from dangerous flooding. However, in recent months, unprecedented staffing cuts at your agencies have strained this vital partnership and greatly diminished the joint state-federal responsibility to perform essential forecasting functions and conduct snowpack monitoring and a significant amount of snow surveys as planned.\n\nThere have been several reports about the continued impacts and dangers of staffing shortages, including reduced overnight operations, less frequent collection of comprehensive data, and delays in severe weather warnings. An article in the San Francisco Chronicle further highlighted that weather service scientists in California are currently having to simultaneously monitor multiple flood-prone areas beyond their usually assigned regions due to vacancies. This could force staff to cut back on the frequency of written forecasts, which are typically issued every six hours during winter storms.\n\nCuts to National Weather Service operations within NOAA pose considerable risks. Staffing cuts to the Weather Service\u2019s observations and forecasting capabilities could have ramifications for airplanes that can\u2019t fly without accurate weather observations and forecasts, and ships that rely on storm forecasts to avoid dangerous high seas. Farmers also rely on seasonal forecasts to plant and harvest. Additionally, staffing reductions at the California-Nevada River Forecast Center (CNRFC) and weather forecast offices in California could pose serious threats to public safety. River forecast center employees save lives by providing advanced warning of flood risks, which is essential information used by emergency managers to issue timely evacuations and position emergency resources in advance of disaster.\n\nAdditionally, federal agency staffing reductions will impact the State\u2019s ability to conduct all of the snow surveys needed this winter to accurately forecast the State\u2019s water supply. The State has a long history of collaboration with federal, state, and local agencies to collect key snow data that is essential to forecast California\u2019s water supply each year. Historically, the United States Forest Service, National Park Service, and Natural Resources Conservation Service have participated in the data collection. Staff cuts and regional consolidation of duties away from these important actions will severely impact the ability to perform snow surveys in as many as one third of the State\u2019s watersheds, leaving a fundamental gap in the data needed for supply forecasting. Lacking this data not only severely undercuts the State\u2019s ability to properly plan and manage the water resources for Southern California, the Bay Area, and the Central Valley\u2019s agricultural industry, it also debilitates our ability to prepare for the critical needs of communities in years of drought.\n\nSincerely,\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases/reed-statement-on-trump-admins-attack-on-offshore-wind-and-ri-jobs", "Reed Statement on Trump Admin\u2019s Attack on Offshore Wind & RI Jobs", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "RI", "Jack Reed", "R000122", "www.reed.senate.gov", "jackreed", "https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases", "scraper", "CRANSTON, RI \u2013 After the Trump Administration today announced it is once again halting offshore wind projects across the nation \u2013 including Revolution Wind, which is 85 percent complete and located approximately 15 miles off the southern shore of Rhode Island, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) issued the following statement:\n\n\u201cPresident Trump\u2019s outdated energy policies are killing good-paying union jobs and have already increased energy bills for the average American family by thirteen percent since January.\n\n\u201cWhile energy prices are soaring and our competitors across the globe are racing to innovate and find new sources of clean energy, we need to make energy more affordable and our energy grid more resilient. But Trump\u2019s repeated attacks on offshore wind are holding our nation back, increasing energy bills, and hurting our economy.\n\n\u201cThe Ocean State knows the great potential of offshore wind for our economy and environment. I will continue fighting to ensure these projects can move forward to help lower energy bills for Rhode Islanders and create more jobs and more opportunity for all.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/van-hollen-schatz-colleagues-press-for-media-access-to-gaza", "Van Hollen, Schatz, Colleagues Press for Media Access to Gaza", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MD", "Chris Van Hollen", "V000128", "www.vanhollen.senate.gov", "vanhollen", "https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) were joined by over a dozen of their colleagues in pressing the Trump Administration to demand free and independent press access to Gaza immediately. In their letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Senators urge the Administration to do more to secure the lifting of the Netanyahu government\u2019s ban on press access to Gaza, underscoring the need for this access to ensure the international community has unbiased information to understand the conflict, current conditions, and ceasefire implementation.\n\nIn addition to Senators Van Hollen and Schatz, the letter was signed by Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-N.M.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.).\n\nThe Senators began, \u201cWe write to urge the Trump administration to swiftly demand that Israel allow free and independent press access to Gaza. We welcome reports that the Trump administration has been requesting that the Netanyahu government allow foreign journalists into Gaza now that a ceasefire is in place, and we urge the administration to amplify this pressure and prioritize this request as part of the ongoing talks with the Netanyahu government on the path to peace in the region. Free and independent press access to Gaza is crucial to facilitate the public\u2019s right to uncensored and impartial information, to monitor implementation of the current ceasefire, and to ensure that Americans, Israelis, and the rest of the world have a factual accounting of what is occurring on the ground in Gaza.\u201d\n\n\u201cForeign journalists have consistently reported in high-risk, high-casualty, and volatile armed conflicts - including Iraq, Afghanistan, and Ukraine \u2013 without military or government approval or monitoring. In fact, the Foreign Press Association \u2013 which represents journalists working for international news organizations reporting from Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza Strip \u2013 has repeatedly called for immediate access to Gaza and even petitioned the Israeli High Court of Justice demanding such access,\u201d they note.\n\n\u201cThe Netanyahu government\u2019s insistence on barring journalists from Gaza on safety and security grounds counters journalistic precedent and stands in stark contrast to the alarming number of Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza,\u201d they continue.\n\nThe Senators stress, \u201cPress freedom and freedom of expression are protected as fundamental rights even during wartime under Article 19 of the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political rights, guaranteeing the right to opinions without interference and \u2018freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers.\u2019 Israel has ratified this covenant. We encourage this Administration to remind the Netanyahu government of its commitment to protecting free and independent press and the safety of journalists.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza continues and the ceasefire continues to take shape, it is all the more important that the foreign journalists have free and independent access to the Strip to provide a window to the rest of the world. We urge this administration to swiftly demand free and independent press access to Gaza,\u201d the Senators write in closing.\n\nThe full text of the letter is available here and below.\n\nDear Secretary Rubio,\n\nWe write to urge the Trump administration to swiftly demand that Israel allow free and independent press access to Gaza. We welcome reports that the Trump administration has been requesting that the Netanyahu government allow foreign journalists into Gaza now that a ceasefire is in place, and we urge the administration to amplify this pressure and prioritize this request as part of the ongoing talks with the Netanyahu government on the path to peace in the region. Free and independent press access to Gaza is crucial to facilitate the public\u2019s right to uncensored and impartial information, to monitor implementation of the current ceasefire, and to ensure that Americans, Israelis, and the rest of the world have a factual accounting of what is occurring on the ground in Gaza.\n\nAs you know, the Netanyahu government has imposed a foreign press blockade since October 7, 2023. To date, the Israeli Defense Forces has only allowed highly controlled and censored military-escorted trips into Gaza for select international media who are not permitted to freely engage with Palestinians. These trips only last for a few hours and follow the itineraries set by the military. In August 2025, BBC was taken into Gaza by the Israeli military and reported \u201cThe brief visit was highly controlled and offered no access to Palestinians, or other areas of Gaza. Military censorship laws in Israel mean that military personnel were shown our material before publication.\u201d\n\nMeaningful and unimpeded press access in Gaza is necessary for the international community to have unbiased information to understand the rapidly changing environment, especially as the administration plans for Gaza\u2019s post-war governance in accordance with regional partners and a reformed Palestinian Authority. There is high demand for oversight of the distribution of humanitarian aid, in-depth understanding of how Gazans want to see their future shaped without Hamas, and critical verification of how all parties are either adhering to or violating the fragile ceasefire.\n\nForeign journalists have consistently reported in high-risk, high-casualty, and volatile armed conflicts - including Iraq, Afghanistan, and Ukraine \u2013 without military or government approval or monitoring. In fact, the Foreign Press Association \u2013 which represents journalists working for international news organizations reporting from Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza Strip \u2013 has repeatedly called for immediate access to Gaza and even petitioned the Israeli High Court of Justice demanding such access. At a court hearing on October 23, the Israeli government acknowledged that the ceasefire constituted a significant change in circumstances and justified a review of policy towards press access, and yet the state requested and was granted another 30-day delay to update its position. This month, the Israeli High Court of Justice granted the 9th delay since the petition was filed in September 2024. We urge you to use this opportunity to press the Netanyahu government to open Gaza\u2019s borders to foreign journalists.\n\nThe Netanyahu government\u2019s insistence on barring journalists from Gaza on safety and security grounds counters journalistic precedent and stands in stark contrast to the alarming number of Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza. The world has relied on brave Palestinian journalists and media for uncensored reporting from Gaza at great personal risk. At least 206 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza by the Israeli armed forces, the most in any modern conflict. The Netanyahu government has both denied and justified targeting journalists. Following the August 10 killing of six journalists by an airstrike on a hospital complex in Gaza, the IDF released a statement saying the IDF \u201cdoes not target journalists as such.\u201d At the same time, the Netanyahu government repeated its accusation that a prominent Palestinian journalist killed in the attack, Anas Al-Sharif, was a Hamas-linked terrorist without providing any reliable evidence.\n\nPress freedom and freedom of expression are protected as fundamental rights even during wartime under Article 19 of the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political rights, guaranteeing the right to opinions without interference and \"freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers.\u201d Israel has ratified this covenant. We encourage this Administration to remind the Netanyahu government of its commitment to protecting free and independent press and the safety of journalists.\n\nAs the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza continues and the ceasefire continues to take shape, it is all the more important that the foreign journalists have free and independent access to the Strip to provide a window to the rest of the world. We urge this administration to swiftly demand free and independent press access to Gaza.\n\nGiven the urgent concerns outlined in this letter, we request a response within two weeks.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=BFA83056-C5DC-4E10-8A48-96069B461ED1", "Warner, Kaine, Scott Slam Trump Administration's Sudden Halt of Virginia Offshore Wind Project", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VA", "Mark R. Warner", "W000805", "www.warner.senate.gov", "warner", "https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine along with U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott (all D-VA) issued the following statement:\n\n\u201cDespite our senior roles on the Senate Intelligence and Armed Services Committees, the administration has failed to share any new information that supports this sudden and sweeping move to halt all offshore wind development, including a project off the coast of Virginia that is already almost complete and operational. That silence speaks volumes, especially given the president\u2019s longstanding, well-documented opposition to offshore wind \u2013 and the promises he\u2019s made to his donors to put his thumb on the scale against certain energy projects. This reckless, haphazard approach puts billions of dollars in private investment at risk, threatens thousands of good-paying American jobs coming to a veteran-heavy area, undermines energy security, and damages the credibility of the United States government. Virginia\u2019s offshore wind project has undergone years of rigorous review and represents a critical step toward strengthening our energy independence, lowering energy costs for American families, growing our clean energy economy, and positioning the Commonwealth as a global leader in this industry. When a project that has met every requirement is suddenly stopped without explanation, it is fair to ask whether this decision is being driven by evidence, or by personal and political grievance.\u201d\n\n###\n\n* High-quality photographs of Sen. Mark R. Warner are available for downloadhere*", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.warnock.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warnock-blunt-rochester-merkley-introduce-bill-to-repair-infrastructure-bridge-communities/", "Warnock, Blunt Rochester, Merkley, Introduce Bill to Repair Infrastructure, Bridge Communities", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "GA", "Raphael G. Warnock", "W000790", "www.warnock.senate.gov", "warnock", "https://www.warnock.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "Senators Reverend Warnock, Blunt Rochester, and Merkley introduced the Restoring Essential Public Access and Improving Resilient (REPAIR) Infrastructure Program Act to help reunite communities divided by transportation infrastructure\n\nThis legislation would expand on theReconnecting Communities Pilot Program (RCP) to allocate $15 billion over five years for projects that serve to create economic opportunity by reconnecting communities and creating new space for housing, jobs, and economic development\n\nConstruction of the Downtown Connecter in Atlanta and the I-16 Flyover in Savannah displaced historically Black communities and business districts, leaving friends and neighbors on opposite ends of the tracks\n\nSenator Reverend Warnock: \u201cEnsuring Georgians aren\u2019t cut off from accessing jobs and economic opportunity also helps restore the cultural fabric of communities divided by legacy infrastructure\u201d\n\nWashington, DC \u2013 U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced the Restoring Essential Public Access and Improving Resilient (REPAIR) Infrastructure Act. The bill would reauthorize and expand the U.S. Department of Transportation\u2019s (DOT) Reconnecting Communities Program as the REPAIR Infrastructure Program.\n\n\u201cPhysical mobility and economic mobility are inextricably linked,\u201d said Senator Reverend Warnock. \u201cEnsuring Georgians aren\u2019t cut off from accessing jobs and economic opportunity also helps restore the cultural fabric of communities divided by legacy infrastructure. I\u2019m proud to partner with my colleagues on this important legislation and look forward to better-connected communities across our state.\u201d\n\nThe REPAIR Infrastructure Act will build on the groundwork laid by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to bridge communities separated by transportation and infrastructure barriers, and create new space for economic development. This would ensure more neighborhoods are vibrant and safe, contributing to healthier lives and creating more opportunities for American families. Senator Warnock has long supported reconnecting communities divided by legacy infrastructure projects, and the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was based on legislation led by Senator Reverend Warnock.\n\n\u201cThe City of Savannah is tremendously thankful for Senator Warnock\u2019s leadership and guidance in securing funding for Savannah within the Reconnecting Communities program,\u201d said Savannah Mayor Van Johnson. \u201cThis is a transformative investment in Savannah\u2019s neighborhoods and future which will help repair long-standing physical and social barriers by reconnecting communities and infrastructure to jobs, services, and one another. By prioritizing equity, safety, smart planning, and community input, Savannah is taking an important step toward building a more connected, inclusive, resilient city for all residents.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe are supportive of federal investment in critical infrastructure projects like The Stitch, including the \u201cREPAIR\u201d Act introduced by Senator Warnock,\u201d said Stitch Director Jack Cebe.\u201cBuilding The Stitch promises to generate billions of dollars in economic value, create thousands of jobs, and stimulate follow-on private sector investment including the construction of new housing for thousands of families in Georgia.\u201d\n\nBetween fiscal years 2022 and 2024, there was an average of $4.6 billion in unmet funding requests for the Reconnecting Communities Program. During the same period, there were nearly 1,500 applications from communities in all 50 states for projects eligible under the REPAIR Infrastructure Act, demonstrating a desire for this funding across the nation.\n\nThe interstate highway system sought to connect the country, but it also divided America\u2019s historically Black and white communities on racial lines, especially in Georgia. In Atlanta, the 14-lane highway that now joins I-75 and I-85 was constructed through Black communities that were forced to relocate on opposite ends of this concrete barrier. In Savannah, the I-16 flyover was built over and through black-owned businesses and homes.\n\nUltimately, DOT has funded 257 projects in 47 states to reconnect communities divided by legacy infrastructure. Those projects have helped communities redesign streets, spur economic development, address outdated highways, improve multimodal access, and enhance transit options.\n\nThe REPAIR Infrastructure Act would:\n\nReauthorize the REPAIR Infrastructure program out of the Highway Trust Fund at $3B per fiscal year from 2027 through 2031.\n\nCodify language to ensure REPAIR Infrastructure projects promote economic development, increase access to daily destinations, prioritize community involvement, and prevent displacement.\n\nAdd explicit eligibility for REPAIR Infrastructure projects to existing highway formula programs.\n\nThe REPAIR Infrastructure Act is endorsed by Smart Growth America, the National League of Cities, the American Society of Landscape Architects, America Walks, the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), the Environmental Law & Policy Center, the League of American Bicyclists, the Living Streets Alliance, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Rails to Trails Conservancy, Safe Routes Partnership, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and a national coalition of 74 additional organizations.\n\nFull text is available HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/ahead-of-tax-filing-season-warren-king-15-senators-warn-of-tax-filing-chaos-after-trump-admin-attacks-on-irs", "Ahead of Tax Filing Season, Warren, King, 15 Senators Warn of Tax Filing Chaos After Trump Admin Attacks on IRS", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Ahead of Tax Filing Season, Warren, King, 15 Senators Warn of Tax Filing Chaos After Trump Admin Attacks on IRS\n\nBroad coalition of lawmakers call 2026 tax filing season a \u201chuge test for the IRS\u201d\n\nSeptember Inspector General report warned that IRS is woefully unprepared for upcoming filing season, largely due to Trump admin gutting IRS workforce\n\nText of Letter (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Senator Angus King (I-Maine) led 15 Senators in pressing Treasury Secretary and Acting IRS Commissioner Scott Bessent and IRS Chief of Taxpayer Services Ken Corbin, warning that the IRS may not be prepared for the upcoming tax filing season \u2014 and that failure could saddle American taxpayers with filing problems and refund delays.\n\nThe following Senators also joined the letter: Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).\n\n\u201cTaxpayers deserve to have the information and assistance they need to file their taxes and receive their refunds in a timely manner. The Trump Administration\u2019s relentless attacks on the IRS threaten its ability to serve the public and undercut its mission to provide taxpayers with top quality service and ensure that our tax laws are enforced with integrity and fairness,\u201d wrote the lawmakers.\n\nA recent report from the independent Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) warned that the IRS is woefully unprepared for the 2026 filing season, in large part due to the Trump administration\u2019s widespread and large-scale staffing reductions at the IRS. The report indicated that these staffing cuts will likely prevent the IRS from adequately addressing fraud, managing and processing tax returns, and providing assistance to taxpayers at Taxpayer Assistance Centers, \u201cputting the 2026 filing season at risk.\u201d\n\nOver the past year, the Trump administration has repeatedly attacked the IRS. Since January, the IRS has lost more than 25 percent of its workforce. The agency has also seen unprecedented turnover \u2014 with a whopping seven different individuals acting as Commissioner over the past year. In addition to preparing for the upcoming tax filing season, the IRS is also tasked with updating dozens of federal tax forms to align with changes made to the tax code by Donald Trump and Republicans\u2019 Big Beautiful Bill.\n\n\u201cThe 2026 tax filing season will present a huge test for the IRS,\u201d wrote the lawmakers.\n\nThe senators pressed for answers to a series of questions about the IRS\u2019s preparation for the upcoming tax filing season and sought a briefing from the agency by January 12, 2026.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-slams-pentagons-failure-to-properly-implement-housing-reforms-for-service-members-and-families", "Warren Slams Pentagon\u2019s Failure to Properly Implement Housing Reforms for Service Members and Families", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", "warren", "https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Warren Slams Pentagon\u2019s Failure to Properly Implement Housing Reforms for Service Members and Families\n\nWarren finds shockingly low use of housing dispute process and complaint database, revealing that Pentagon may be failing to \u201cproperly inform service members of their housing rights\u201d\n\n\u201cDoD must do more to fully and effectively implement these reporting and oversight mechanisms to hold private housing companies accountable for substandard living conditions\u201d\n\nText of Letter (PDF)\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth with concerns that the Department of Defense (DoD) is failing to properly implement a housing complaint database and the formal dispute resolution process for service members and families living in privatized housing on military bases around the country.\n\n\u201cMy review has found that few service members are using these tools, which may indicate that DoD is failing to effectuate the tools mandated by Congress to ensure military families are provided with safe and sanitary housing,\u201d said Senator Warren.\n\nFollowing reporting that military families were subjected to unsafe and unsanitary living conditions, Senator Warren conducted her own investigation, finding that housing contractors systematically failed to provide acceptable housing for servicemembers while earning huge profits and facing little DoD oversight or accountability.\n\nIn response to the findings of this investigation, Senator Warren secured bipartisan reforms in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to address concerns that service members and families were subjected to unsafe and unsanitary conditions with no recourse. These included the creation of a formal dispute resolution process for residents facing inadequate housing conditions and the creation of a public complaint database for residents to hold private military housing companies accountable for their failures.\n\nHowever, DoD did not implement the public complaint database until August 2024, nearly 4 years after the reforms passed Congress. New data released by Sen. Warren shows that in the last year, the database received only 40 complaints. Even that limited number of complaints showed residents continue to face unaddressed concerns from pests like mice. An Army tenant satisfaction survey of the dispute resolution process found that 70% of respondents were not aware of, or did not know how to access the dispute resolution process. Both numbers are shockingly low, considering there are about 700,000 service members and their family members living in privatized military housing.\n\n\u201cThere may be a failure by DoD to properly inform service members of their housing rights and the availability of this feedback system. It is impossible to believe that the sparse list of dispute resolution requests and feedback reports encompass an accurate picture of military families\u2019 housing needs and conditions,\u201d said Senator Warren.\n\nAn FY 2025 Army survey found that many tenants had a negative experience living in private military housing. For example, at Fort Carson, 32.4% of residents were dissatisfied with their current home/unit, and 34.1% of residents were dissatisfied with the overall level of and quality of services; at Fort Gordon, 36% of residents were dissatisfied with their home/unit, and 20% of residents were dissatisfied with quality of services received. Data also shows that families in private military housing still face problems with mold and other housing problems that cause nosebleeds, hives, swelling, and rashes, and other health problems.\n\n\u201cFamilies deserve a safe, clean home environment \u2013 free of health risks such as mold and pests\u2026DoD must do more to improve and fully effectuate housing reforms mandated by Congress and promote the DHFS to provide accountability and better quality of life to service members and their families,\u201d concluded Senator Warren.\n\nSenator Warren pressed Secretary Hegseth to explain, by January 5, 2026, why the department took four years to implement the housing database, whether it requires private military housing companies to inform residents of their tenant rights, how the department is holding private military housing companies accountable for housing concerns, and asked for the department\u2019s plan to inform residents of the database and formal dispute resolution process.\n\nSenator Warren has long fought to address unacceptable conditions in military housing:\n\nOn December 17, 2025, Senator Warren announced FY 26 NDAA wins that include improved housing conditions for American troops.\n\nOn September 29, 2025, Senator Warren pressed Secretary Pete Hegseth for answers about the potential privatization of military barracks.\n\nOn April 8, 2025, Senator Warren pressured Trump\u2019s nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment, Dale Marks, to commit to holding private military landlords accountable for housing violations.\n\nOn February 4, 2025, Senators Warren and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) urged the Department of Defense to investigate whether landlords were utilizing RealPage\u2019s software to artificially raise rents for military families.\n\nOn December 12, 2024, Senator Warren and Representative Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) reintroduced the Military Housing Oversight and Service Member Protection Act that would overhaul our privatized military housing system.\n\nOn September 27, 2024, Senators Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) introduced the Restore Military Families\u2019 Voice Act, which would prevent private military housing companies from forcing non-disclosure agreements on military families.\n\nOn April 19, 2024, Senator Warren questioned Army Secretary Christine Wormuth over military housing availability and the impact of non-disclosure agreements between private military housing companies and military families.\n\nOn May 1, 2019, Senator Warren released the findings of a 3-month investigation into the housing conditions of privatized military residences.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/merkley-wyden-colleagues-urge-trump-administration-to-end-staffing-crisis-at-fish-and-wildlife-service-warn-of-devastating-impacts-to-ecosystems-and-public-lands", "Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Urge Trump Administration to End Staffing Crisis at Fish and Wildlife Service, Warn of Devastating Impacts to Ecosystems and Public Lands", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "OR", "Ron Wyden", "W000779", "www.wyden.senate.gov", "wyden", "https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR)\u2014the top Democrat overseeing funding for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)\u2014and U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR)\u2014former chairman and current senior member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources\u2014joined their colleagues in urging the administration to immediately address and reverse the staffing crisis at the FWS, which has lost the capacity to properly manage most of America\u2019s wildlife refuges, putting in jeopardy the ability to protect endangered wildlife species under the Service\u2019s care.\n\nIn a letter to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and FWS Director Brian Nesvik, the Senators highlight the direct impacts cuts in staffing are having on the 573 national wildlife refuges across the country\u2014with almost 60 percent of them lacking the resources and staff needed to fulfill their missions. According to public reports, Oregon and Washington have lost a combined 50 senior level scientists and staff.\n\n\u201cAmericans of all backgrounds love their public lands, and protecting wildlife refuges is a bipartisan cause that brings together environmentalists, sportsmen, and all who enjoy the outdoor recreation opportunities provided by America\u2019s National Wildlife Refuge System. The Refuge System is the only federal network of public lands that is primarily dedicated to the conservation, management, and restoration of fish, wildlife, and plant species and their habitats,\u201d the Senators wrote.\n\n\u201cThis downward trend did not begin under the Trump administration. Yet the current administration has not only shown an unwillingness to address the problem\u2014it has made the situation far worse. The President\u2019s Fiscal Year 26 budget request slashed funding for FWS\u2019s overall Resource Management account, which included a proposed 22 percent cut to the National Wildlife Refuge System. Moreover, the administration has indicated that it is planning more firings for public land agencies,\u201d the Senators continued.\n\nThe Senators also emphasized that operating with few or no employees has also hurt disaster resilience because FWS employees carry out projects to control flooding and prevent catastrophic wildfires.\n\nThe letter was led by U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife, and was also signed by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai'i), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).\n\nThe full text of the letter can be found here and below.\n\nDear Secretary Burgum and Director Nesvik:\n\nWe write to sound the alarm on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service\u2019s (FWS) staffing crisis, which is causing particular harm to the National Wildlife Refuge System. A startling amount of staff and expertise needed to manage the Refuge System and protect America\u2019s wildlife have been lost due to the administration\u2019s firings, early retirement programs, and other efforts to push staff out of FWS. The agency is losing the capacity to manage America\u2019s wildlife refuges and struggling to even keep them open. We ask that you provide Congress with your plan to address FWS\u2019s staffing crisis and immediately act to ensure that FWS and the Refuge System have the staff and resources needed to guarantee a safe, quality experience for visitors to the Refuge System and to protect the invaluable wildlife species under the agency\u2019s care.\n\nAmericans of all backgrounds love their public lands, and protecting wildlife refuges is a bipartisan cause that brings together environmentalists, sportsmen, and all who enjoy the outdoor recreation opportunities provided by America\u2019s National Wildlife Refuge System. The Refuge System is the only federal network of public lands that is primarily dedicated to the conservation, management, and restoration of fish, wildlife, and plant species and their habitats. There are 573 national wildlife refuges across the country, with a footprint in every state. The Refuge System also utilizes a unique conservation approach through community-based initiatives that provide recreational and sporting opportunities and other localized needs. According to FWS, wildlife refuge recreation generates $3.2 billion in local economic activity each year. Every dollar that is invested in the Refuge System generates $3.12 in U.S. economic activity, a tremendous return on investment for the American taxpayer.\n\nHowever, according to recently released internal agency documents, almost 60 percent of the nation\u2019s wildlife refuges lack the resources and staff needed to fulfill their missions. FWS has experienced a staggering 29 percent loss of employees who work for the Refuge System. This downward trend did not begin under the Trump administration. Yet the current administration has not only shown an unwillingness to address the problem\u2014it has made the situation far worse. The President\u2019s Fiscal Year 26 budget request slashed funding for FWS\u2019s overall Resource Management account, which included a proposed 22 percent cut to the National Wildlife Refuge System. Moreover, the administration has indicated that it is planning more firings for public land agencies.\n\nStaffing reductions have negatively impacted national wildlife refuges across the country, forcing multiple wildlife refuges to operate with few or no employees. FWS\u2019s internal estimates indicate that 9 percent of wildlife refuges are now classified as \u201cshuttered.\u201d It appears that FWS has abandoned these refuges, as there may not be a single employee on the ground to manage the refuge.\n\nThe consequences of slashing the FWS workforce are already being felt across the nation. The collapse of staffing capacity within the Refuge System leaves refuges open to damage, vandalism, flooding, fire, and loss of protection and conservation measures for threatened and endangered wildlife species who rely on these refuges for survival. FWS staffing losses also hurt resilience because FWS employees carry out projects to control flooding and prevent catastrophic wildfires.\n\nIt has also become more difficult for the agency to meet deadlines to list species as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, an already challenging but essential obligation. This delay in work pushes endangered species closer to extinction and prevents infrastructure projects from moving forward, as they may encounter difficulties with acquiring needed permits amid such regulatory uncertainty.\n\nConsidering the alarming scale of FWS\u2019s staffing crisis, we request answers to the following by January 2, 2026:\n\nWill you commit to reversing the staffing losses at FWS? What is your plan to address FWS\u2019s debilitating loss in capacity?\n\nHas the Administration considered the impact of decimating the FWS workforce on the economics of gateway communities?\n\nDoes the Administration still plan on moving forward with firing more FWS employees, even as those firings are being stopped by federal courts?\n\nHow is FWS planning to meet deadlines to list species as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act?\n\nProtecting natural resources for Americans has always been a bipartisan effort and it is important that FWS has the workforce required to meet its core mandates. Thank you, and we look forward to your response.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/press_releases/hickenlooper-bennet-polis-call-on-president-to-reverse-denial-of-colorados-disaster-requests/", "Hickenlooper, Bennet, Polis Call on President to Reverse Denial of Colorado\u2019s Disaster Requests", "2025-12-21", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CO", "John W. Hickenlooper", "H000273", "www.hickenlooper.senate.gov", "hickenlooper", "https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/press/page/", "scraper", "This Saturday, President Trump denied Colorado\u2019s requests for FEMA funding to help communities rebuild from devastation fires and floods\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet and Governor Jared Polis called on President Trump to reverse his decision to deny Colorado\u2019s Major Disaster Declaration requests for the Elk and Lee Fires and the flooding in Western Colorado. These federal declarations would have unlocked FEMA funding to support the recovery efforts for each of these disasters, providing critical aid to impacted Western Colorado residents and businesses.\n\n\u201cColoradans are trying to rebuild their lives after fires and floods destroyed homes and communities across our state. Trump\u2019s decision to reject our disaster requests, and therefore withhold resources as our communities continue to recover, is unacceptable. This isn\u2019t a game. These are people\u2019s lives,\u201d said Hickenlooper.\n\n\u201cPresident Trump\u2019s decision to deny Colorado\u2019s request for critical federal assistance is unacceptable,\u201d said Bennet. \u201cCommunities in Western Colorado are in serious need of help after the life-threatening flooding and historic wildfires earlier this year. Trump continues to use Coloradans for political games; it is malicious and obscene. A disaster is a disaster, regardless of what state in the country it took place. Together with Governor Polis and the Colorado delegation, I will take every available step to appeal this decision.\u201d\n\n\u201cColoradans impacted by the Elk and Lee fires and the flooding in Southwestern Colorado deserve better than the political games President Trump is playing. One of the most amazing things to witness as Governor has been the resilience of Coloradans following a natural disaster. Their courage, strength, and willingness to help one another is unmatched \u2013 values that President Trump seems to have forgotten. I call on the President\u2019s better angels, and urge him to reconsider these requests. This is about the Coloradans who need this support, and we won\u2019t stop fighting for them to get what they deserve. Colorado will be appealing this decision,\u201d said Polis.\n\nHickenlooper and the entire Colorado delegation previously wrote to President Trump to support both of Governor Polis\u2019 requests for Presidential Major Disaster Declarations and the activation of Public Assistance to help Colorado communities recover from the fires and the floods.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-statement-on-trump-administration-failure-to-release-the-complete-epstein-files", "Durbin Statement On Trump Administration Failure To Release The Complete Epstein Files", "2025-12-20", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "IL", "Richard J. Durbin", "D000563", "www.durbin.senate.gov", "durbin", "https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "CHICAGO \u2013 U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after the Department of Justice failed to produce the complete Epstein files yesterday in accordance with federal law:\n\n\u201cYesterday could have been a win for survivors, accountability, and transparency to the public. It wasn\u2019t. After mishandling the Epstein files all year, the Trump Administration is now violating federal law to protect the rich and powerful.\n\n\u201cIt took an act of Congress to force Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, and Dan Bongino to even consider providing justice. They had a choice: survivors or Donald Trump. They chose the latter.\n\n\u201cSenate Judiciary Democrats will investigate this violation of law and make sure the American people know about it.\n\n\u201cThe survivors deserve better. It\u2019s clear Donald Trump and his Republican enablers are working for the rich and powerful elites\u2014and not you.\u201d\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/news/press/release/watch-gillibrand-touts-her-law-to-protect-large-public-events-from-drone-attacks-on-cbs-saturday-morning/", "Watch: Gillibrand Touts Her Law To Protect Large Public Events From Drone Attacks On CBS Saturday Morning", "2025-12-20", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Kirsten E. Gillibrand", "G000555", "www.gillibrand.senate.gov", "gillibrand", "https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "***Watch the segment here***\n\nIn case you missed it, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee, appeared on CBS Saturday Morning with Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-AR) to discuss their legislation to protect large public events from drone attacks. Their bill, which passed earlier this week as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, authorizes state and local law enforcement who have been trained by federal authorities to disable drones that pose a credible threat to large gatherings of people. With major events like Buffalo Bills playoff games, the Super Bowl, the FIFA World Cup, and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics rapidly approaching, this legislation is vital to help protect civilians from the growing threat of drone incursions.\n\nCBS News: Police can now take down drones at public gatherings, new defense law says\n\nTRANSCRIPT:\n\nAnchor: This week, ahead of a series of high-profile sporting events like the Super Bowl, FIFA Men\u2019s World Cup, and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, lawmakers passed the National Defense Authorization Act. This new defense bill enables local law enforcement to take down drones at public gatherings. That\u2019s something pro sports teams and police have been pushing for. Our Nicole Sganga has the details of how the new law made it across the finish line.\n\nREPORTER: Drones hovering above. For years, local police could see them but not stop them. In their last two playoff seasons, the NFL\u2019s Baltimore Ravens saw games disrupted by rogue drones flying near M&T Bank Stadium, and in 2023, a swarm of unidentified drones breached skies above Langley Air Force Base, putting the Pentagon on alert.\n\nGillibrand: When we had multiple, day-after-day drone incursions over Langley, it created huge concern, and it\u2019s what got me so focused on this issue, because we didn\u2019t have the policy in place to take them down.\n\nREPORTER: Senators Tom Cotton and Kirsten Gillibrand, leading Republican and Democratic voices on drone threats, say the new defense bill, signed into law by President Trump Thursday night, closes a dangerous security gap, creating a pathway to train local law enforcement to disable threatening drones.\n\nCotton: There aren\u2019t enough FBI agents and Homeland Security officers to protect it. So this legislation will empower state and local authorities with training from the federal government to, say, protect the airspace over Razorback Stadium or protect the airspace for a Buffalo Bills game.\n\nREPORTER: According to the NFL, since 2017, drone incursions over football games have increased by more than 20,000 percent, inspiring companies like D-Fend Solutions.\n\nHalachmi: Right now, these drones are accessible to everyone. In order for you to get a drone, all you need is a credit card and an internet connection.\n\nREPORTER: CEO Zohar Halachmi gave us an inside look at the sophisticated counter-drone technology.\n\nHalachmi: When we see drones, what we actually see is a virus\u2014a virus with wings\u2014and what we actually developed is an antivirus. It\u2019s a cyber technique that enables us to detect those drones and penetrate into them.\n\nREPORTER: That cyber technique enabling operators like [operator name] to take remote control of a rogue drone and reroute it safely.\n\nDrone Operator: As it hits around 2.5 kilometers, we can take over the drone and actually tell the drone where to land in a safe area.\n\nREPORTER: Disabling aircraft without shooting them down, jamming signals, or tipping off the pilot.\n\nDrone Operator: So everything that we\u2019re doing is invisible to the pilot. The only thing the pilot will see is that he got disconnected from his drone.\n\nREPORTER: Lawmakers hope new counter-drone technology also won\u2019t tip off the fans. Do you think the public will notice a difference?\n\nGillibrand: Hopefully not. Hopefully they will be blissfully unaware and delighted to be watching the Bills or watching some other great team.\n\nREPORTER: When it comes to countering drones, are we at the finish line, or are we at the kickoff?\n\nCotton: Maybe the 40-yard line. The administration has six months to get all the training in place and then to help state and local law enforcement start using the technology to protect large gatherings and critical infrastructure. So I\u2019d say we\u2019re at least moving into field goal territory.\n\nREPORTER: Ahead of the World Cup and Olympics, a small win for the home team, or at least the Homeland Security team. For CBS Saturday Morning, I\u2019m Nicole Sganga in Washington.\n\nAnchor: Sounds like a touchdown, right?\n\nAnchor: It\u2019s a touchdown.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.slotkin.senate.gov/2025/12/20/slotkin-demands-answers-from-va-ahead-of-deployment-of-electronic-health-record-modernization-in-michigan-while-serious-issues-remain-unresolved/", "Slotkin Demands Answers from VA Ahead of Deployment of Electronic Health Record Modernization in Michigan While Serious Issues Remain Unresolved", "2025-12-20", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MI", "Elissa Slotkin", "S001208", "www.slotkin.senate.gov", "slotkin", "https://www.slotkin.senate.gov/newsroom/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON D.C. \u2014 Today, U.S. Senators Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sent a new letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins, demanding answers from the VA ahead of the scheduled deployment of the Electronic Health Record modernization (EHR, or EHRM) program at 13 new sites next year, including 4 sites in Michigan, despite serious issues and system defects that remain unaddressed.\n\n\u201cVA embarked on the EHRM program in October 2020 with the goal of improving the quality of care for veterans by updating the outdated VistA system to allow for better communication between the Department of Defense, VA, and community care providers,\u201d the Senators wrote. \u201cWhile we should always strive to innovate and improve the quality of care for veterans, in practice, the rollout of EHRM has been so problematic that it created life-threatening problems and ongoing upheaval for veterans\u2019 ability to get the health care they need.\u201d\n\nAccording to a VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) report from 2024, VA\u2019s new EHR system played a role in the 2022 death of a veteran in Ohio, due to errors in the scheduling function that resulted in staff not following up with patients who missed their appointments. Following a litany of serious implementation problems across hospitals in multiple states after the initial rollout in 2020, the VA announced a \u201creset\u201d period in April 2023 where it paused the expansion of EHR to additional VA hospitals to focus on improving sites where EHRM is currently in use.\n\nIn December 2024, VA announced that it was beginning early-stage planning to deploy the EHR system to four facilities in Michigan. In March, VA announced that it will complete nine additional medical facilities\u2014bringing the total to 13 facilities expected to go live in 2026. According to VA, complete deployment of the system is anticipated at all VA medical facilities anticipated as early as 2031.\n\nA Government Accountability Office (GAO) report in March 2025 found that 58 percent of users of the modernized EHR system believed the new system increased patient safety risks. The GAO report also found that VA had not addressed over half of the configuration changes that administrators had requested, leaving a backlog of 1,800 changes unaddressed as it proceeded with implementation. The report made three new recommendations to VA\u2014only one of which has been implemented this year\u2014and stated that VA still has not responded to or implemented 14 previous EHR recommendations that it called \u201ccritical to reducing EHR risks and delivering a quality system.\u201d\n\nIn their letter, the senators also requested a staff briefing and answers by January 19th to a number of questions about VA\u2019s rollout plan for EHR, staffing levels, whether VA plans will implement outstanding recommendations from the GAO report, and the guardrails VA has in place to ensure patient safety as it expands EHR to new states.\n\nThe full text of the letter to Secretary Collins is available HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.baldwin.senate.gov/as-union-pacific-files-application-to-acquire-norfolk-southern-senator-baldwin-calls-on-trump-administration-to-get-serious-about-bringing-down-costs-for-wisconsinites", "Baldwin Calls for Rejection of Rail Megamerger That Threatens to Raise Costs on Wisconsin Farmers, Manufacturers, and Families", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "WI", "Tammy Baldwin", "B001230", "www.baldwin.senate.gov", "baldwin", "https://www.baldwin.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) called on the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to reject the merger application filed by Union Pacific to acquire Norfolk Southern. If approved, this merger would greatly reduce competition in Class I rail and worsen already poor service and high costs experienced by Wisconsin farmers and manufacturers while jacking up costs on consumers as businesses pay more to get their products to market.\n\n\u201cAs Wisconsin families watch the cost of just about everything skyrocket, the last thing they need is a rail merger that all but promises to raise prices and worsen already inadequate service for Wisconsin farmers, manufacturers, and businesses,\u201d said Senator Baldwin. \u201cApproving this merger would take us in the wrong direction \u2013 stifling competition, worsening service, and raising costs on consumers and businesses who are already facing growing headwinds because of the Trump Administration. While President Trump accepts payouts from Union Pacific to fund his $400 million ballroom, I\u2019m ready to hold his feet to the fire and demand this merger be rejected on behalf of the Wisconsin farmers, manufacturers, and consumers who simply cannot afford it.\u201d\n\nThe merger, in which Union Pacific agreed to acquire Norfolk Southern, would be the most significant consolidation in freight rail in decades and would undoubtedly reshape the U.S. freight rail industry and supply chain. Baldwin has been critical of the rail merger, citing the continued consolidation in the railroad industry and impacts on manufacturers, agriculture, small businesses, and consumers. The Surface Transportation Board received a notice of intent regarding the proposed railway merger in July. Today, the railroads filed their formal application, which will initiate the merger review process.\n\nIn July, Senators Baldwin and Roger Marshall (R-KS) called on the Surface Transportation Board to scrutinize the impact of this merger on the already poor service and high costs experienced by American businesses and consumers that rely on freight rail. That letter came after President Trump illegally fired former STB member Robert Primus in June ahead of the proposed megamerger. As the STB considers this merger, Union Pacific\u2019s CEO recently visited President Trump in the Oval Office and committed to helping fund the President\u2019s $400 million White House ballroom. At a nomination hearing in November in front of the Senate Commerce Committee, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) pushed two of President Trump\u2019s nominees for the Surface Transportation Board (STB) \u2013 Mr. Richard Kloster and Ms. Michelle Schultz \u2013 on whether they will act independently or simply take orders from the President.\n\nSince the 1950s, the rail industry has consolidated from over 100 Class I freight railroads to only six today, leaving U.S. manufacturers, utility companies, agricultural producers, and small businesses paying excessive rates despite poor service and reliability.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.baldwin.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senator-baldwin-releases-statement-on-navy-announcement-of-new-frigate-class", "Senator Baldwin Releases Statement on Navy Announcement of New Frigate Class", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "WI", "Tammy Baldwin", "B001230", "www.baldwin.senate.gov", "baldwin", "https://www.baldwin.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) released the following statement after the U.S. Navy announced its plan to introduce a new frigate class. This announcement comes after the Trump administration announced plans to cut back the production of the U.S. Navy\u2019s Constellation-class frigate warships that are produced in Marinette, Green Bay, and Sturgeon Bay, WI.\n\n\u201cWisconsin workers and businesses have decades of experience and a second-to-none track record of building world-class vessels that defend our nation,\u201d said Senator Baldwin. \u201cThat\u2019s why I fought hard to build the Constellation-class frigates in Wisconsin, but the Trump administration is turning its back on this program and pulling the rug out from under thousands of skilled workers. Instead of following through with work already underway, Donald Trump has decided to throw in the towel and start from scratch \u2013 with no guarantee of better results. If the Trump administration insists on building a new frigate, then I call on the Navy to uphold its promise to Wisconsin\u2019s shipyards, communities, and workers and ensure that some of these ships are built here in Wisconsin. Additionally, using any of the Navy\u2019s money meant to build the Constellation-class in Wisconsin for this new frigate without the approval of Congress is illegal. It is only fair for the Trump administration to use every dollar meant to build the Constellation-class in Wisconsin for other Made in Wisconsin ships.\u201d\n\nBaldwin was an early and strong advocate for Constellation-class frigates being built in Wisconsin. In 2020, Fincantieri Marinette Marine won the contract. In the 2021 NDAA, Baldwin helped secure more than $1 billion for an additional Constellation-class frigate, to be built in Marinette, Wisconsin, as well as $69.1 million in additional advanced procurement funding for critical systems and components for the frigate. Since 2023, Senator Baldwin has also successfully fought to include $200 million in Department of Defense funding bills to support the frigate program and the Wisconsin workforce.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.bennet.senate.gov/2025/12/19/bennet-hickenlooper-hold-appropriations-package-to-demand-ncar-funding/", "Bennet, Hickenlooper Hold Appropriations Package to Demand NCAR Funding", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CO", "Michael F. Bennet", "B001267", "www.bennet.senate.gov", "bennet", "https://www.bennet.senate.gov/news/page/", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2014 Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper issued the following joint statement on their hold to the Senate Appropriations Package to demand funding for the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR):\n\n\u201cPresident Trump is attacking Colorado because we refuse to bend to his corrupt administration. His reckless decision to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research will have lasting, devastating impacts across the country. We are holding the Senate\u2019s appropriations package to demand full funding for NCAR. As Trump\u2019s rampage continues, we will pull every lever available to do what is right for Colorado.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-senators-demand-answers-on-trump-vas-plan-to-eliminate-tens-of-thousands-of-health-care-jobs", "Blumenthal, Senators Demand Answers on Trump VA's Plan to Eliminate Tens of Thousands of Health Care Jobs", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CT", "Richard Blumenthal", "B001277", "www.blumenthal.senate.gov", "blumenthal", "https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press", "scraper", "[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today led a group of 37 of his colleagues demanding answers about the Trump Administration\u2019s plans to eliminate as many as 35,000 jobs at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This follows recent reporting from The Washington Post detailing the Administration\u2019s plans to eliminate tens of thousands of unfilled mission-critical health care positions at VA, including for doctors, nurses, and support staff.\n\n\u201cWe write to express our concern following the December 13, 2025, Washington Post article \u2018VA plans to abruptly eliminate tens of thousands of health care jobs,\u2019 which spotlights the Department\u2019s plan to cut as many as 35,000 vacant positions from its workforce rolls before the end of the calendar year,\u201d the Senators wrote in a letter to VA Secretary Collins. \u201cCompounded by the exodus of more than 40,000 Department employees in fiscal year (FY) 2025, any unjustified cuts to existing vacancies would further disrupt a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) workforce that is already stretched dangerously thin and under assault.\u201d\n\nThe Senators pushed back on Secretary Collins\u2019 claims that cutting these jobs will have \u201cno impact\u201d on VA health care, pointing to data that even if cuts were focused on non-clinical and administrative vacancies, VA would still have to cut 18,000 vacancies from essential, veteran facing positions to meet their 35,000 number. They pressed Collins to provide additional information on VA\u2019s plans to eliminate these positions, including asking for the list of positions removed; the names and titles of staff involved in making this decision; what evidence VA used to support this removal of vacancies; and what data was used to inform individual facility staffing baselines.\n\nThe Senators concluded, emphasizing the gravity of this plan amid Republicans\u2019 health care-cutting agenda across the government: \u201cUnfilled positions are not reflective of unnecessary positions, and the length of time a position is vacant is not a suitable data point for determining need. At a time when veterans are already facing widespread cuts in their access to health care from H.R. 1, skyrocketing health insurance premiums from expiring enhanced premium tax credits, and forced closures of rural hospitals, VA needs to be expanding its capacity and staffing levels, not reducing them. Veterans deserve a VA staffed according to their needs and a Secretary who works to fill needed positions, not abolish them.\u201d\n\nVA already lost more than 40,000 employees between January and September of this year as a result of President Trump and VA Secretary Collins\u2019 hiring freeze, deferred resignations, early retirements, and the significant number of VA staff who have quit since the Trump Administration took office due to draconian workforce policies. In addition, VA had at least 42,000 vacancies across the Department as of March 31, 2025, and that number is estimated to have grown significantly since then. The removal of these positions would put VA at pre-PACT Act staffing levels. More than one million veterans newly enrolled in VA health care as a result of expanded eligibility under the PACT Act, and millions more have increased reliance on VA because of toxic exposure-related illnesses and injuries.\n\nThese continued cuts of VA health care follow widespread health care cuts initiated by Republicans across the government. Senate Republicans have failed to join Democratic efforts to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits, which 267,000 veterans rely on to afford health care. Coupled with Medicare and Medicaid cuts from the \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill\u201d that go into effect next year, Americans, including millions of veterans and veteran family members, are facing skyrocketing premiums and a looming health care crisis.\n\nBlumenthal\u2019s letter was joined by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elisa Slotkin (D-MI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).\n\nThe full text of the lawmakers\u2019 letter is available here and below.\n\nDear Secretary Collins:\n\nWe write to express our concern following the December 13, 2025, Washington Post article \u201cVA plans to abruptly eliminate tens of thousands of health care jobs,\u201d which spotlights the Department\u2019s plan to cut as many as 35,000 vacant positions from its workforce rolls before the end of the calendar year. Compounded by the exodus of more than 40,000 Department employees in fiscal year (FY) 2025, any unjustified cuts to existing vacancies would further disrupt a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) workforce that is already stretched dangerously thin and under assault.\n\nBased on data mandated by Section 505 of Public Law 115-182, the VA MISSION Act of 2018, as of quarter two of FY 2025, the Department had a total of 42,518 vacancies. These vacant positions included 7,560 nurses, 4,400 schedulers, 2,800 physicians, 1,900 social workers, 1,650 nursing assistants, 1,630 practical nurses, 1,230 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, 1,080 health technicians, 860 veterans claims examiners, 760 police, and 710 psychologists \u2013 totaling more than 24,500 of the 42,500 vacancies. If the Department cut every other vacancy outside of these roles \u2013 which would still include cuts to various clinical and veteran-facing roles \u2013 VA would still have to cut 18,000 vacancies from essential, veteran-facing positions in order to meet the 35,000 number. These cannot all be \u201cCOVID-era roles,\u201d as VA has claimed, nor can these cuts be downplayed because some have been vacant for longer than one year.\n\nWe request the following information regarding VA\u2019s elimination of these positions:\n\nPlease provide a list of vacant positions removed, disaggregated by facility and job series.\n\nPlease provide a list of positions removed, disaggregated by job series and then by length of time since they were last encumbered or the position was created based on these categories of time: less than 30 days, greater than 30 days, greater than 90 days, greater than 180 days, greater than 365 days, and greater than 730 days.\n\nPlease provide the titles of VA Central Office staff and the offices or departments involved in making this decision.\n\nVA already regularly adds and removes positions based on need as part of its normal recruitment and budgeting processes. What evidence was there to support this significantly larger removal of vacancies?\n\nMemos from the Department planning for this removal of vacancies reference a baseline number of positions used to inform individual facility staffing numbers. What is that baseline, and how was that number decided upon? How were individual facility baselines calculated based on that number?\n\nWhy did the Department choose to use number of positions instead of full-time equivalent (FTE) positions to establish these baselines? How were positions that typically do not occupy one FTE for each individual staff member, such as researchers, accounted for in the baseline and the cuts?\n\nPlease detail the approval process for a facility or hiring manager to request new vacancies, roles, or recruitment processes beyond the new baseline.\n\nBased on what criteria can a facility or hiring manager request a new position or vacancy above the baseline?\n\nIn VA\u2019s FY 2026 budget request, the Department requested funding for 396,000 total FTE. As such, Congress provided $167 billion for the treatment of 7.7 million patients and 162.6 million outpatient visits to VA for FY 2026. Please provide an updated staffing and workload projection for FY 2026 that accounts for these vacancy cuts.\n\nHow did the Department account for minimum staffing ratios when making these cuts, especially those required for nursing, long-term care, spinal cord injury and disorder teams, and mental health care?\n\nUnfilled positions are not reflective of unnecessary positions, and the length of time a position is vacant is not a suitable data point for determining need. At a time when veterans are already facing widespread cuts in their access to health care from H.R. 1, skyrocketing health insurance premiums from expiring enhanced premium tax credits, and forced closures of rural hospitals, VA needs to be expanding its capacity and staffing levels, not reducing them. Veterans deserve a VA staffed according to their needs and a Secretary who works to fill needed positions, not abolish them.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-statement-on-senate-confirmation-of-trump-loyalist-john-bartrum-to-lead-vas-health-care-system", "Blumenthal statement on Senate Confirmation of Trump Loyalist John Bartrum to Lead VA's Health Care System", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CT", "Richard Blumenthal", "B001277", "www.blumenthal.senate.gov", "blumenthal", "https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press", "scraper", "[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today released a statement on the Senate\u2019s confirmation of John Bartrum to be the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Under Secretary for Health. Bartrum has served as a senior advisor to VA Secretary Doug Collins since January.\n\n\u201cTrump political acolyte John Bartrum is the wrong choice to lead VA\u2019s health care system. As a Senior Advisor to VA Secretary Collins, he has played a key role in stonewalling and slow walking Congress and veterans\u2014 continuously hiding information about VA\u2019s budget, community care wait times, contract cancellations, and staffing plans. He has also refused to implement laws as Congress intended\u2014 playing a central role in withholding critical funding required to be distributed to homeless service providers who support nearly 25,000 of our most vulnerable veterans. His lack of transparency and responsiveness to Congress is wholly unacceptable for someone who will now be tasked with leading the largest health care system in our country at a critical inflection point, and I am disappointed in this body\u2019s decision to confirm him.\u201d\n\nAs a senior advisor for Collins, Bartrum has played a key role in the firing of thousands of health care staff, the politicization of the VA research publication process, and the cancellation of thousands of VA contracts. He has also refused to implement laws as Congress intended, including the bipartisan Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare & Benefits Improvement Act. He is continuing to withhold critical funding mandated under this law for organizations housing and providing critical resources for more than 25,000 homeless veterans.\n\nThe Under Secretary for Health is tasked with overseeing the VA health care system\u2014the largest integrated health care system in the country\u2014which provides care to more than nine million enrolled veterans.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/blumenthal-statement-on-the-dojs-failure-to-release-the-full-epstein-files-as-demanded-by-survivors-required-by-law", "Blumenthal Statement on the DOJ's Failure to Release the Full Epstein Files as Demanded by Survivors, Required by Law", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CT", "Richard Blumenthal", "B001277", "www.blumenthal.senate.gov", "blumenthal", "https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press", "scraper", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement in response to response to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche\u2019s statement on Fox News that the Department of Justice will not release the full Epstein files today, as required by law:\n\n\"The reason that we are seeing any of this material is because the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's horrific crimes have been so courageous and steadfast \u2013 and that\u2019s also why releasing an incomplete selection of the files is so offensive and utterly unacceptable. Outrageously, the Administration has now clearly indicated that it will withhold large parts of the file today. Yes, it's a violation of the law; yes, it's an affront to Congress and the American public; but most importantly, it's an insult to the brave women who are asking for one, simple thing: justice. I don't think the Trump Administration can be trusted to follow the law, which is why I'll be calling for an audit by the Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General to backstop the concealment Deputy Attorney General Blanche has already admitted to doing.\"\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/senator-blumenthal-week-in-review-12/12/2025-12/19/2025", "Senator Blumenthal: Week in Review 12/12/2025-12/19/2025", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CT", "Richard Blumenthal", "B001277", "www.blumenthal.senate.gov", "blumenthal", "https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press", "scraper", "Applauding Final Passage of National Defense Authorization Bill\n\n[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) welcomed Senate passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026. As a member of the Armed Services Committee, Blumenthal championed a number of provisions in the NDAA that promote U.S. national security objectives and bolster Connecticut\u2019s defense industrial base and its workforce, all while improving support for servicemembers across the Department of Defense (DOD). The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 77-20 and was signed into law on December 18. An executive summary of the bill can be found here.\n\n\u201cThis defense bill prioritizes our national defense with investments in weapons and pay increases for servicemembers\u2014while recognizing Connecticut\u2019s critical role and workforce. The major, historic investments include producing submarines, joint strike fighters and helicopters, and other high tech platforms. Technological advancements and modernization bolster our state\u2019s world-class manufacturing base. I am proud to advocate for the workers dedicated to defending our nation. With this legislation, we ensure that our military has the resources, technology, and support needed to protect our country,\u201d said Blumenthal.\n\nThe NDAA for Fiscal Year 2026 also includes several provisions Blumenthal, Ranking Member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), championed to support sexual assault survivors within the Coast Guard.\n\n\u201cI am proud of the significant reforms in this bill that will help protect current cadets and Coasties from the kind of harassment, abuse, and retaliation uncovered by my investigation,\u201d Blumenthal said. \u201cThere is still significantly more work that needs to be done to combat the Coast Guard\u2019s culture of coverup, but these provisions are an important first step.\u201d\n\nIn September 2023, as then-Chair of PSI, Blumenthal initiated an inquiry into the Coast Guard\u2019s failure to disclose Operation Fouled Anchor, an internal Coast Guard investigation into the decades-long systemic mishandling of sexual misconduct at the Coast Guard Academy. The NDAA includes numerous provisions requested by Blumenthal to protect sexual assault survivors and hold accountable perpetrators of sexual misconduct and those who enabled them.\n\nCombatting Hate-Based Violence & Trump Administration\u2019s \u201cHeinous Policy\u201d on Hate Symbols\n\nBlumenthal wrote the Chair and Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Chairs and Ranking Members of its Subcommittees on Homeland Security and Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies calling for a dramatic increase in resources for programs that combat hate-based violence through security and prevention.\n\n\u201cOver the weekend, the global Jewish community was devastated by the horrifying terrorist attack at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Australia. This terrible tragedy is sadly not an anomaly and reflects a worldwide rise in antisemitism, extremist ideology, and hate-based violence,\u201d Blumenthal wrote.\n\n\u201cThat is why I urge you to show the Senate\u2019s commitment to protecting our religious institutions and minority communities by dramatically increasing resources for programs that combat hate-based violence through security and prevention, including by appropriating no less than $1 billion to the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), making significant investments to the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act (NO HATE Act), and reestablishing and fully funding the Department of Justice\u2019s (DOJ) Community Relations Service (CRS).\u201d\n\nBlumenthal joined Jewish members of the Senate Democratic Caucus in issuing a statement in reaction to the murder of 15 people in Sydney, Australia at a menorah lighting on the first night of Hanukkah.\n\nThe statement is signed by Blumenthal, Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai\u2019i), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).\n\n\u201cThe Festival of Lights commemorates and celebrates the resilience of the Jewish people, our identity and heritage. As we moved into the first night of Hanukkah, that tenacity was tested once again as we mourn those murdered in Sydney during a menorah lighting. Our prayers go out to the Jewish community in Australia, whom we embrace in their terrible hour of suffering.\n\n\u201cWe are horrified by the brutality of this attack, which comes at a time when Australia has seen a terrible rise in antisemitism. The disturbing wave of antisemitism around the globe has struck anxiety and fear into the hearts of every Jewish community. Some have faced harassment, vandalism, and discrimination. Others, violence as brutal as what we saw yesterday in Sydney.\n\n\u201cThis attack is the latest reminder of the work that remains to end the scourge of hatred towards Jews. To combat this disease of antisemitism, we must summon the strength to take action against this ancient hatred, and the courage to press on in the face of such violence against Jewish people at home and abroad.\n\n\u201cWe must speak out against all discrimination, from heinous acts like today to the normalization of antisemitic rhetoric, and the attempts to blur the line between political disagreement and antisemitic hate. And we give thanks to the bravery of people like Ahmed al Ahmed, a fruit shop owner, who risked his own life on Bondi Beach to stop others from losing theirs.\n\n\u201cMay the memory of those we lost be a blessing, and may courage flow through the hearts of every Jewish family that lit their first candle last night and over the next seven nights.\u201d\n\nFollowing reporting that the U.S. Coast Guard has allowed a new policy to take effect that no longer prohibits nor classifies swastikas and nooses as hate symbols, Blumenthal wrote Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem demanding that she \u201crevoke this policy and make it clear to the brave men and women serving in the Coast Guard that hate has no place in the service.\u201d\n\nIn a letter sent following the Washington Post\u2019s reporting that the Coast Guard has newly defined swastikas and nooses as just \u201cpotentially divisive,\u201d Blumenthal wrote to Noem: \u201cGranting hate symbols like swastikas and nooses even an ounce of respectability is absolutely an anathema. This edict besmirches the Coast Guard\u2019s honor, and DHS should be ashamed. At a time when antisemitic and racist violence are at unconscionable levels, it is absolutely appalling that DHS is doubling down on such a hateful, destructive policy.\u201d\n\nThe text of the letter to Noem is available here.\n\nAfter the Coast Guard agreed to revise this hateful policy, Blumenthal reacted on Twitter/X.\n\n\u201cI will take Secretary Noem\u2019s statement as an answer to my letter that the Coast Guard\u2019s abhorrent policy on hate symbols like nooses & swastikas will not go into effect. I am glad that the Trump Administration has backed down in response to well-deserved & widespread criticism of their reprehensible attempt to weaken protections against obvious hate symbols.I am disappointed that Secretary Noem\u2019s statement fails to acknowledge how offensive this policy is & she owes an apology to the men & women of the Coast Guard,\u201d wrote Blumenthal on Twitter/X.\n\nShining Light on Supreme Court Shadow Docket Decisions\n\nBlumenthal and U.S. Representative Deborah Ross (D-NC) introduced bicameral legislation to establish transparency in decisions on the Supreme Court\u2019s emergency docket, also known as the \u201cshadow docket.\u201d The Shadow Docket Sunlight Act requires the Supreme Court to provide a written explanation for shadow docket decisions and a vote count detailing how each Justice voted on the decision, promoting public understanding and consistency in judicial decision making.\n\nThe Supreme Court has increasingly relied on the shadow docket\u2014making decisions on short notice without oral argument or any legal explanation of the Court\u2019s reasoning from the majority. The Court has utilized the shadow docket to make decisions on a number of wide-ranging, highly consequential cases, including the September 8, 2025 decision in Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo. The decision allows ICE agents to stop and arrest individuals based on their appearance, the language they speak, where they live, and what they do for work.\n\n\u201cThe shadow docket decision in Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo, a highly chilling legal landmark, condones racial profiling in Trump\u2019s immigration enforcement. Shockingly, this very significant ruling was issued without any public argument or majority opinion. The Shadow Docket Sunlight Act shines light on the Supreme Court\u2019s emergency docket rulings, like Vazquez Perdomo, and requires the Supreme Court to be accountable and explain its rulings. Americans deserve clarity from the nation\u2019s highest Court\u2014especially as the Court increasingly uses the shadow docket to issue far-reaching consequential decisions. Recent shadow docket decisions demonstrate the dire need for our legislation\u2019s enforceable guidelines that hold the Court accountable,\u201d said Blumenthal.\n\nThe text of the bill can be found here.\n\nOn the Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee\n\nSenate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee Ranking Member Blumenthal and Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) led a group of 26 of their colleagues in a letter calling on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the impact Republicans\u2019 health care-cutting agenda will have on veterans and their families.\n\nThis follows Senate Republicans\u2019 failure last week to join Democrats in extending Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits, which 267,000 veterans rely on to afford health care. Coupled with Medicare and Medicaid cuts \u2013 which go into effect next year \u2013 Americans, including millions of veterans and veteran family members, are bracing for higher costs and a looming health care crisis.\n\n\u201cThe 2025 budget reconciliation bill, Public Law 119-21, or the \u2018One Big Beautiful Bill Act\u2019 (BBB), will reduce access to essential health care and supportive services for millions of Americans, including veterans and their families. Compounded with expiring enhanced premium tax credits for Affordable Care Act (ACA) health plans established by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and extended by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, veterans are facing a life-threatening reduction in access to health care and other essential benefits. These reductions in access to private health insurance, Medicaid, and funding for community health services will result in more veterans relying more heavily on their Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care and benefits,\u201d the Senators wrote.\n\nThe full text of the lawmakers\u2019 letter is available here.\n\nBlumenthal spoke at a spotlight forum on the Trump Administration\u2019s dangerous effort to dismantle the Department of Education, highlighting how their actions negatively impact our nation\u2019s veterans. At the forum, Blumenthal spoke with Rachel Gittleman, President of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 252, and Amy Loyd, CEO of All4Ed, about how veterans are struggling to access critical resources to help them assimilate to civilian life through education and skills training.\n\n\u201cI want to talk about an area of interest to me as the Ranking Member on the Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee, and I'd like you to tell me how the dismantling of the Department of Education has affected veterans,\u201d asked Blumenthal.\n\n\u201cTwo of the many programs that I helped administer were the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program and the Total and Permanent Disability Discharge Program. Both of those programs disproportionately benefit and help veterans, many of whom are saddled with student debt,\u201d said Gittleman. \u201cAnd my office, like so many other offices in federal student aid, was completely gutted, leaving no one to help answer the phones, no one to help access the incredibly complicated and convoluted system that is these discharge programs.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn our nation, we're moving towards a skills-based economy. This is so important for veterans transitioning into the world of being a civilian. How do they translate their incredible skills that they have earned through their hard work and dedication to our nation into ways that they can prove their skills and practice through economic opportunities so that they can raise their families, have lives of choice,\u201d said Loyd. \u201cBut in this moment of fiscal uncertainty and the bait-and-switch and the instability and chaos that this Administration is engendering in the education world, states are now walking back and being very cautious and investing in innovation. I worry about the implications of how our veterans may not be able to meaningfully translate their skills into practice in ways that they should be able to powerfully, simply because we're in a moment of uncertainty that's leading to a lot of fear in the education system.\u201d\n\nA video of Blumenthal\u2019s interaction with Gittleman and Loyd at the forum can be found here.\n\nBlumenthal Bulletin\n\nBlumenthal released a statement on the Department of Justice\u2019s failure to release the full Epstein files as demanded by survivors and required by law.\n\nBlumenthal spoke on the Senate Floor demanding the designation of Russia as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.\n\nBlumenthal demanded answers regarding the Trump VA\u2019s plan to eliminate tens of thousands of health care jobs.\n\nBlumenthal released a statement on the Senate confirmation of Trump loyalist John Bartrum to lead VA\u2019s health care system.\n\nBlumenthal spoke on the Senate Floor highlighting his ENFORCE Act, legislation to ensure those convicted of creating AI-generated child sexual abuse material face accountability.\n\nBlumenthal introduced legislation to protect the rights of residents in long-term care facilities.\n\nBlumenthal joined striking workers in West Hartford.\n\nBlumenthal introduced new legislation to streamline USPS shipping of nonprofit packages\u2014like Boxes to Boots.\n\nBlumenthal joined the annual Founders Day Award Luncheon of the National Council of Negro Women.\n\nBlumenthal joined the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs and Middletown VSO\u2019s for a Wreaths Across America ceremony at the State Veterans Cemetery.\n\nBlumenthal joined the yearly Chaz an AJ toy drive.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-calls-for-shutdown-of-delaney-hall-ice-facility-and-statement-on-death-of-detainee-at-delaney-hall", "Booker Calls for Shutdown of Delaney Hall ICE Facility and Statement on Death of Detainee at Delaney Hall", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NJ", "Cory A. Booker", "B001288", "www.booker.senate.gov", "booker", "https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press", "scraper", "NEWARK, NJ \u2014 Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement:\n\n\u201cI\u2019m deeply concerned about the reported death of a 41-year-old man who was being detained at Delaney Hall yesterday.\n\n\u201cFor months, I have condemned the inhumane conditions at Delaney Hall and the mismanagement of this facility by its private operator, GEO Group - and now this tragic death has compounded the long and grotesque list of atrocities the GEO Group is committing. The Department of Homeland Security\u2019s continued refusal to comply with appropriate oversight of this facility and the GEO Group\u2019s abuses are totally unacceptable.\n\n\u201cBecause of the inhumane conditions for immigrants at facilities like Delaney Hall, I oppose private detention centers in any form, and have introduced legislation each Congress to end the use of these private prisons for the detention of immigrants and to ensure that our immigration system is aligned with our country\u2019s legal rights and American values. There must be a clear accounting of what happened in this tragedy, and Delaney Hall must be closed so that this stain can be removed from our community of Newark.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-statement-on-trumps-cannabis-executive-order", "Booker Statement on Trump\u2019s Cannabis Executive Order", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NJ", "Cory A. Booker", "B001288", "www.booker.senate.gov", "booker", "https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement in response to Donald Trump\u2019s Executive Order on Cannabis rescheduling:\n\n\u201cAfter decades of ignoring the evidence, the federal government has finally come to terms with what a majority of states have long acknowledged cannabis has medical uses and a lower potential for abuse than drugs like methamphetamine and heroin. For too long, federal law has lagged behind medical and scientific research. Based on this research, the FDA recommended last year that cannabis be rescheduled as a Schedule III substance under the Controlled Substances Act. I am pleased that President Trump has directed the DOJ to complete the rulemaking process and implement this change.\n\n\u201cRescheduling will provide tax relief for businesses operating legally in New Jersey. The change also opens the door for expanded scientific research, allowing medical professionals and institutions to study its potential benefits and risks with far fewer regulatory hurdles.\n\n\u201cHowever, rescheduling cannabis alone will not eliminate the harms of federal prohibition. Millions of Americans, especially Black and Brown communities, will continue to face criminal penalties for recreational use or for using medical marijuana products that lack federal approval. Thousands will remain in prisons around the country for marijuana-related offenses. Nor will this change restore access to public housing or nutrition assistance for people who use marijuana recreationally.\n\n\u201cWhile President Trump has moved to reclassify cannabis in accordance with scientific and medical evidence, his administration\u2019s broader approach to marijuana stands in stark contrast. This administration continues to use marijuana offenses as pretext to detain and deport nonviolent immigrants. The Department of Justice rescinded enforcement guidance that had deprioritized charging low-level cannabis crimes, and President Trump just signed legislation that will recriminalize intoxicating hemp-derived substances. Meaningful cannabis reform must go beyond rescheduling to address systemic harms.\n\n\u201cWith this announcement, we are moving one step closer to a common-sense, evidence-based approach to federal cannabis policy. I urge my colleagues in Congress to support the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, which I will be reintroducing in the coming months. This bill would deschedule cannabis, establish a comprehensive regulatory and taxation system, and provide much-needed resources to communities most harmed by failed federal policies that prioritized criminalization over science, public health, and fairness.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases/duckworth-blumenthal-demand-investigation-into-trumps-misuse-of-va-resources-to-help-execute-his-extreme-deportation-campaign", "Duckworth, Blumenthal Demand Investigation into Trump\u2019s Misuse of VA Resources to Help Execute His Extreme Deportation Campaign", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "IL", "Tammy Duckworth", "D000622", "www.duckworth.senate.gov", "duckworth", "https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 Combat Veteran and U.S. Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee (SVAC) member Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with SVAC Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), today demanded an independent investigation into the Trump Administration\u2019s decision to divert personnel, equipment and financial resources away from serving our nation\u2019s Veterans and toward developing a database to track non-U.S. citizen employees as part of Donald Trump\u2019s inhumane mass deportation campaign. After Donald Trump fired 30,000 VA employees and jeopardized timely VA care for our Veterans earlier this year, Duckworth\u2019s letter underscores that aiding immigration enforcement does not support or advance the VA\u2019s sacred mission of caring for our Veterans and their families and only further demoralizes the dedicated VA workforce.\n\n\u201cBeyond cutting 30,000 Federal employees from the workforce this year, VA leadership is hindering Veterans\u2019 prompt access to exemplary healthcare, and their swift delivery of benefits, by pursuing policy functions and using valuable resources irrelevant to its statutory responsibilities,\u201d wrote Duckworth. \u201cThese actions are indicative of potential fraud, waste and misuse of Congressionally appropriated funds at VA. Furthermore, they also suggest possible gross mismanagement that undermines VA\u2019s mission.\u201d\n\nDemanding an independent investigation into this latest attempt by the Trump Administration to undermine the mission of the VA, Duckworth wrote: \u201c\u2026we request VA OIG conduct an independent investigation to include findings, if warranted, on the database\u2019s adverse impact on delivering and managing healthcare and benefits and whether such activities are consistent with congressional intent for VA\u2019s congressionally appropriated resources.\u201d\n\nDuckworth has been a fierce leader and advocate for improving our Veterans\u2019 and servicemembers\u2019 access to care amid Trump\u2019s ongoing attacks on the VA. In October, she defended disabled Veterans as Senate Republicans shamefully promoted Trump\u2019s dangerous efforts to cut even more of their benefits. In September, she reintroduced legislation that would improve Veterans\u2019 access to contraception and increase efficiency and cost-effectiveness for contraceptive products at the VA. A few weeks prior, Duckworth sent a letter to VA Secretary Collins demanding he block ICE from stealing VA resources at Hines VA Hospital in Chicago.\n\nDuckworth also joined U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) in reintroducing legislation to help make it easier for our Veterans who struggle with infertility to build their families. After the first VA purge laid off workers with the Veterans Crisis Line\u2014including several Veterans\u2014Duckworth successfully pushed the Trump Administration to reinstate these devoted public servants that work to support our Veterans in their darkest moments. In the aftermath, she introduced the Protect Veteran Jobs Act with U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) to reinstate the thousands of Veterans who were fired in Trump\u2019s mass layoffs\u2014an effort Republicans shamefully blocked in March.\n\nFull text of the letter is available below and on the Senator\u2019s website:\n\nDear Inspector General Mason:\n\nWe write to request that you initiate an independent investigation into the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs\u2019 (VA\u2019s) diversion of personnel, equipment and financial resources to develop a database on non-U.S. citizen employees. This non-mission critical activity, regardless of VA\u2019s stated pretext for initiating it, appears to represent VA wasting time, attention and congressionally appropriated funds on activities that support already well-funded Federal agencies\u2019 civil immigration enforcement operations, while doing nothing to improve patient care or benefits administration.\n\nVA\u2019s sacred mission is to care for those who have served our country and their families, caregivers and survivors. Beyond cutting 30,000 Federal employees from the workforce this year, VA leadership is hindering Veterans\u2019 prompt access to exemplary healthcare, and their swift delivery of benefits, by pursuing policy functions and using valuable resources irrelevant to its statutory responsibilities. These actions are indicative of potential fraud, waste and misuse of Congressionally appropriated funds at VA. Furthermore, they also suggest possible gross mismanagement that undermines VA\u2019s mission. Recent reporting and commentary from VA officials validate and escalate our concerns that these immigration enforcement efforts risk the timely delivery of care and benefits to Veterans.\n\nTo better understand these recent actions at VA, we request VA OIG conduct an independent investigation to include findings, if warranted, on the database\u2019s adverse impact on delivering and managing healthcare and benefits and whether such activities are consistent with congressional intent for VA\u2019s congressionally appropriated resources. We also request that your investigation recommends corrective actions, as necessary, including policy reforms, disciplinary matters and referrals to the appropriate law enforcement authorities.\n\nWe respectfully request that your office prioritize this investigation and provide our offices with routine updates, including preliminary findings or recommendations. Thank you for attention to this urgent matter.\n\nSincerely,\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-duckworth-announce-135-million-in-federal-funding-to-support-illinois-students", "Durbin, Duckworth Announce $13.5 Million In Federal Funding To Support Illinois Students", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "IL", "Richard J. Durbin", "D000563", "www.durbin.senate.gov", "durbin", "https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced $13,467,325 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Education for mental health and literacy support for students in Illinois.\n\n\u201cThere is a growing mental health and literacy crisis amongst today\u2019s youth that must be addressed,\u201d said Durbin. \u201cToday\u2019s announced federal funding for programs that build the pipeline of mental health professionals, connect professionals to students, and support literacy research will help Illinois face these concerns head-on. It also demonstrates the importance of the Department of Education as the Trump Administration continues its attempts to dismantle the agency. Senator Duckworth and I will always work to ensure our students have access to resources that help put them on a path toward success.\u201d\n\n\u201cEvery child deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential, which is why I\u2019m proud to see this investment support critical mental health programs that help students across Illinois thrive,\u201d said Senator Duckworth. \u201cWhile this funding will reach our state this time around, it\u2019s cruel that Donald Trump\u2019s cuts to federal services have jeopardized programs that prepare the next generation\u2014hurting the very middle-class families he swore to protect, all while enriching his billionaire buddies. That\u2019s why I will continue doing everything I can at the federal level, alongside Senator Durbin, to safeguard these investments and ensure every student across our state has the chance to succeed, both inside and outside the classroom.\u201d\n\nThe Department of Education\u2019s School-Based Mental Health Grant Program and Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program provide competitive grants to State educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), and consortia of LEAs to train and increase the number of credentialed mental health services providers providing school-based mental health services to students. The Education Innovation and Research grant provides funding to create, develop, implement, replicate, or scale entrepreneurial, evidence-based, and field-initiated innovations to improve student achievement and attainment for high-need students.\n\nThe Department of Education funding recipients include:\n\nCahlhoun, Greene, Jersey, and Macoupin Counties: Mental Health Service Professionals Demonstration Program ($1,246,643)\n\nIllinois State Board of Education: School-Based Mental Health Grant Program ($1,743,772) and Mental Health Service Professionals Development Program ($476,910)\n\nThe Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois: Education Innovation and Research ($10,000,000)\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-duckworth-members-of-illinois-delegation-request-25-million-in-reimbursements-for-mwrds-work-on-the-thornton-reservoir", "Durbin, Duckworth, Members Of Illinois Delegation Request $25 Million In Reimbursements For MWRD\u2019s Work On The Thornton Reservoir", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "IL", "Richard J. Durbin", "D000563", "www.durbin.senate.gov", "durbin", "https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representatives Danny K. Davis (D-IL-07), Jesus G. \u201cChuy\u201d Garcia (D-IL-04), Robin Kelly (D-IL-02), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08), Mike Quigley (D-IL-05), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL-01), Sean Casten (D-IL-06), and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09) today sent a letter to Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle urging the Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) to include $25 million in construction funds in its Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Work Plan to reimburse the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) of Greater Chicago for the work it has completed on the design and construction of the Thornton Composite Reservoir.\n\n\u201cWe are writing to request that you include $25 million in Construction funds in the Army Corps of Engineers\u2019 Fiscal Year 2026 Work Plan to reimburse the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago for design and construction work conducted on the Thornton Composite Reservoir,\u201d the lawmakers wrote.\n\nIn 2009, MWRD executed an amendment to its Project Cooperation Agreement with the Army Corps for the design and construction of the Thornton Composite Reservoir, enabling MWRD to work on the project while being eligible for federal reimbursement. Despite the reservoir being in service since 2015 and providing an estimated $660 million in flood reduction benefits to 14 communities, the Army Corps still owes MWRD approximately $200 million in reimbursements.\n\n\u201cCurrently, the Army Corps of Engineers owes MWRD approximately $200 million in reimbursements for the cost of designing and constructing the Thornton Reservoir, which is needed to support flood-prone communities struggling to build resilient infrastructure. Cook County experienced significant flooding during storm events in 2023, 2024, and 2025, leading to three disaster declarations. These reimbursement funds would be used to advance shovel-ready projects to address flood damages in the Chicagoland area,\u201d the lawmakers wrote.\n\n\u201cNot only will this flood protection work help communities be more resilient, it also will help boost economic development. Including a $25 million reimbursement in the FY 2026 Army Corps of Engineers\u2019 Work Plan will ensure that MWRD can reinvest in these communities to mitigate flooding and create a strong economic base,\u201d the lawmakers wrote.\n\nThe lawmakers concluded their letter by emphasizing the necessity of including the reimbursement funds in the FY26 Work Plan to support flood protection projects across the state.\n\n\u201cThese funds are needed to provide community flood protection for projects currently in design, including projects in Maine Township, Park Ridge, the City of Harvey, Bremen Township, Midlothian, Crestwood, and Oak Lawn. FY 2026 funding would build on the $20 million in the FY 2024 Army Corps of Engineers Work Plan; the $7.2 million reimbursement to MWRD in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act\u2019s Construction Spend Plan, Summer 2023 Addendum; and the $12 million in the FY 2022 Army Corps of Engineers Work Plan, allowing MWRD to focus on completing critical projects, including the Robbins Flood Protection Project,\u201d the lawmakers wrote.\n\n\u201cAs the Army Corps determines how to best address its flood damage reduction obligations and meet its commitments to its partners, we strongly urge you to include $25 million in Construction funds for the reimbursement owed to MWRD in the FY 2026 Work Plan to help create a better future for our constituents,\u201d the lawmakers concluded their letter.\n\nDurbin has previously secured additional reimbursements from the Corps for MWRD\u2019s work on Thornton Reservoir. In Fiscal Year 2022, Durbin secured $12 million in reimbursement funds in the Army Corps\u2019 FY22 Work Plan. The following year, Durbin secured $7.2 million in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Construction Spend Plan for the project. In Fiscal Year 2024, Durbin also secured $20 million in the Army Corps\u2019 work plan for reimbursement.\n\nA copy of the letter is available here and below:\n\nDecember 19, 2025\n\nDear Assistant Secretary Telle:\n\nWe are writing to request that you include $25 million in Construction funds in the Army Corps of Engineers\u2019 (Army Corps) Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Work Plan to reimburse the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) of Greater Chicago for design and construction work conducted on the Thornton Composite Reservoir.\n\nIn 2009, MWRD executed an amendment to its Project Cooperation Agreement with the Army Corps for the design and construction of the Thornton Composite Reservoir. This enabled MWRD to design and construct the Thornton Composite Reservoir project and allowed it to be eligible for federal reimbursement. The reservoir was put into service in 2015 and has provided an estimated $660 million in flood reduction benefits to 14 communities over the last 10 years, protecting more than 35,000 structures from flooding.\n\nCurrently, the Army Corps of Engineers owes MWRD approximately $200 million in reimbursements for the cost of designing and constructing the Thornton Reservoir, which is needed to support flood-prone communities struggling to build resilient infrastructure. Cook County experienced significant flooding during storm events in 2023, 2024, and 2025, leading to three disaster declarations. These reimbursement funds would be used to advance shovel-ready projects to address flood damages in the Chicagoland area. Not only will this flood protection work help communities be more resilient, it also will help boost economic development. Including a $25 million reimbursement in the FY 2026 Army Corps of Engineers\u2019 Work Plan will ensure that MWRD can reinvest in these communities to mitigate flooding and create a strong economic base.\n\nThese funds are needed to provide community flood protection for projects currently in design, including projects in Maine Township, Park Ridge, the City of Harvey, Bremen Township, Midlothian, Crestwood, and Oak Lawn. FY 2026 funding would build on the $20 million in the FY 2024 Army Corps of Engineers Work Plan; the $7.2 million reimbursement to MWRD in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act\u2019s Construction Spend Plan, Summer 2023 Addendum; and the $12 million in the FY 2022 Army Corps of Engineers Work Plan, allowing MWRD to focus on completing critical projects, including the Robbins Flood Protection Project.\n\nAs the Army Corps determines how to best address its flood damage reduction obligations and meet its commitments to its partners, we strongly urge you to include $25 million in Construction funds for the reimbursement owed to MWRD in the FY 2026 Work Plan to help create a better future for our constituents.\n\nThank you for your consideration of our important request.\n\nSincerely,\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-joins-blumenthal-ross-to-introduce-legislation-to-shine-light-on-supreme-court-shadow-docket-decisions", "Durbin Joins Blumenthal, Ross To Introduce Legislation To Shine Light On Supreme Court Shadow Docket Decisions", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "IL", "Richard J. Durbin", "D000563", "www.durbin.senate.gov", "durbin", "https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "The Shadow Docket Sunlight Act requires the Supreme Court to provide a written explanation for shadow docket decisions and a vote count detailing how each justice voted on the decision, promoting transparency and consistency in judicial decision making.\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Representative Deborah Ross (D-NC) to introduce bicameral legislation establishing transparency in decisions on the Supreme Court\u2019s emergency docket, also known as the \u201cshadow docket.\u201d The Shadow Docket Sunlight Act requires the Supreme Court to provide a written explanation for shadow docket decisions and a vote count detailing how each Justice voted on the decision, promoting transparency and consistency in judicial decision making.\n\nThe Supreme Court\u2019s increasing reliance on the shadow docket allows it to make decisions on short notice without oral argument or any legal explanation of the Court\u2019s reasoning. The Court has utilized the shadow docket to decide a number of wide-ranging, highly consequential cases, including the September 8, 2025 decision in Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo. The decision allows ICE agents to stop and arrest individuals based on their appearance, the language they speak, where they live, and what they do for work.\n\nThe Trump Administration has also urged the Supreme Court to decide Trump v. Illinois, a case that will determine the legality of the Trump Administration\u2019s federalization and deployment of the National Guard in Illinois, on the shadow docket. The Trump Administration\u2019s emergency application is still pending.\n\n\u201cThe Supreme Court\u2019s abuse of the shadow docket has allowed justices to hand down major rulings without justification and sets a dangerous precedent under which consequential cases are decided without a clear rationale\u2014even when those cases involve a presidential administration that has shown little regard for the Constitution. This abuse of process must stop,\u201d said Durbin. \u201cThe highest court in the land should not issue decisions in the dark. The Shadow Docket Sunlight Act would require justices to explain their decision making in every case, providing the American people with the transparency and accountability they deserve from their government.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe shadow docket decision in Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo, a highly chilling legal landmark, condones racial profiling in Trump\u2019s immigration enforcement. Shockingly, this very significant ruling was issued without any public argument or majority opinion. The Shadow Docket Sunlight Act shines light on the Supreme Court\u2019s emergency docket rulings, like Vazquez Perdomo, and requires the Supreme Court to be accountable and explain its rulings. Americans deserve clarity from the nation\u2019s highest Court\u2014especially as the Court increasingly uses the shadow docket to issue far-reaching consequential decisions. Recent shadow docket decisions demonstrate the dire need for our legislation\u2019s enforceable guidelines that hold the Court accountable,\u201d said Blumenthal.\n\n\u201cThe conservative majority on the Supreme Court continues to issue harmful, backwards decisions through the shadow docket, often offering no explanation of their reasoning or how the justices voted,\u201d said Ross. \u201cFrom allowing DOGE to access sensitive data to permitting the illegal mass firings of federal employees, the Supreme Court has used the shadow docket to hand down major decisions that impact millions of Americans\u2019 daily lives. This important legislation will require the Court to operate with the transparency that the American people deserve.\u201d\n\nIn addition to Durbin and Blumenthal, the Shadow Docket Sunlight Act is cosponsored in the Senate by U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Tina Smith (D-MN), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR). In addition to Ross, the legislation is cosponsored in the House of Representatives by U.S. Representatives Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Hank Johnson (D-GA).\n\nThe legislation is endorsed by a number of organizations including the National Women\u2019s Law Center, Fix the Court, People for the American Way, Court Accountability Action, and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).\n\nThe text of the bill can be found here.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-statement-on-whistleblower-disclosure-regarding-uscis-circumventing-court-order", "Durbin Statement On Whistleblower Disclosure Regarding USCIS Circumventing Court Order", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "IL", "Richard J. Durbin", "D000563", "www.durbin.senate.gov", "durbin", "https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "CHICAGO \u2013 U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding a whistleblower disclosure alleging that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is feigning compliance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and a court order in a class action lawsuit in order to avoid court oversight.\n\nThe Nightingale court order simply requires USCIS to comply with existing FOIA law to process immigration case files and report its progress to the court. Yet, according to this whistleblower report, USCIS is trying to avoid court reporting requirements and obligations under FOIA by prematurely closing cases, even when a USCIS FOIA officer has found the case file information and could provide it to the FOIA requester. The disclosure comes after USCIS reported to the court that it had a 99 percent timely completion rate for immigration case file FOIA requests.\n\n\u201cToday\u2019s disclosure alleges that the DHS FOIA office wants a district court judge to believe FOIA requests are being processed more efficiently. But in fact, they are being summarily closed to cook the numbers.\n\n\u201cThe agency\u2019s actions directly conflict with the spirit of the Nightingale lawsuit, which was filed to ensure due process for individuals who only can access their records through FOIA. They also appear to conflict with the Freedom of Information Act, which instructs agencies not to withhold information unless the agency reasonably foresees that the disclosure would harm an interest protected by a FOIA exemption.\n\n\u201cNew policies that allow the agency to reject FOIA requests reduce transparency and are just one more way that the Trump-Noem DHS is operating with impunity. The information contained in case files is vital as immigrants increasingly are the targets of violent enforcement actions and must dispute false narratives devised by this Administration. USCIS must respond to FOIA requests fully and in a timely fashion.\u201d\n\nRecords contained in immigration case files only obtainable through FOIA are critical. For example, case files reveal details about immigration enforcement actions against an individual, including a warrant or the absence of a warrant, analysis of U.S. citizenship claims, and details about an arrest. In another example, attorneys representing vulnerable populations, such as unaccompanied minors, must obtain case file information to reconstruct basic facts like entry dates or prior shelter placements to help prepare unaccompanied minor immigrants\u2019 cases.\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.gallego.senate.gov/news/press-releases/gallego-booker-whitehouse-push-administration-to-ensure-tariff-exemptions-actually-result-in-lowering-grocery-costs/", "Gallego, Booker, Whitehouse Push Administration to Ensure Tariff Exemptions Actually Result in Lowering Grocery Costs", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "AZ", "Ruben Gallego", "G000574", "www.gallego.senate.gov", "gallego", "https://www.gallego.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, Senators Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) sent a letter to Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Andrew Ferguson questioning how the Commission is working to ensure grocery companies do not use this Administration\u2019s reckless tariff policies as cover for price gouging and that the recently announced tariff exemptions on coffee, bananas, cocoa, and other tropical products actually result in lower grocery prices.\n\n\u201cIt was a necessary but late step to remove these tariffs. However, while eliminating these tariffs reduces costs for grocery importers, we are concerned that consumers may not see the full corresponding price decreases,\u201d the Senators wrote. \u201cWe are concerned that the highly concentrated grocery industry \u2013 combined with the Trump Administration\u2019s insufficient antitrust and consumer protection enforcement \u2013 creates a perfect storm that could enable giant grocery chains to engage in price gouging or other anti-competitive behavior.\u201d\n\nTo ensure President Trump\u2019s reckless trade policies are not a \u201cgreen light\u201d for price gouging, the Senators push the FTC to:\n\nRequire large grocery stores and food importers report their costs and retail and wholesale prices and the extent to which tariffs reductions have decreased their costs.\n\nInvestigate and prosecute companies engaging in \u201cunfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce.\u201d\n\nAdditionally, the Senators requested answers to the following questions:\n\nHow will you ensure President Trump\u2019s recent tariff removals do not result in sustained elevated prices?\n\nWhat steps will the FTC take to enforce competition and consumer protection laws against individuals and corporations in the grocery and food industry that attempt to price gouge consumers?\n\nIf consumers have paid excessive prices for these goods since the tariff removals due to price gouging, what steps will the FTC take to ensure that consumers are made whole?\n\nYou can read the full letter HERE.\n\nSenator Gallego sent two other letters this year urging the FTC to investigate how corporations could be using President Trump\u2019s reckless tariff fluctuations as cover to raise prices beyond their cost increases.\n\nDecember 18, 2025", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.gallego.senate.gov/news/press-releases/gallego-marks-one-year-in-the-senate-fighting-for-arizonans/", "Gallego Marks One Year in the Senate Fighting for Arizonans", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "AZ", "Ruben Gallego", "G000574", "www.gallego.senate.gov", "gallego", "https://www.gallego.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "In first year, Gallego introduced the most bills of any freshman Democratic Senator\n\nGallego hosted eleven town halls across Arizona\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 Finishing his first year in office, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)released the following statement:\n\n\u201cI know this year hasn\u2019t been easy for working families or for our country. The cost of groceries and energy rose dramatically, Republicans raised health care costs for millions of Americans, Trump took a wrecking ball to the federal services that millions of Americans rely on, and this administration\u2019s cruel immigration practices tore families apart and caused chaos in our communities. But from day one, I\u2019ve made it my mission to show up, listen to, and fight for Arizonans.\n\n\u201cLooking ahead to 2026, I\u2019m focused on building on this progress and continuing to show up for Arizona families every single day. The best part of this job has been, and will always be, working for Arizonans.\u201d\n\nBy the Numbers:\n\nDuring his first year in the Senate, Senator Gallego introduced 29 bills and cosponsored 223 more \u2013 the most bills of any freshman Democratic Senator.\n\nSenator Gallego had one of his sponsored bills sent to the President\u2019s desk, where it is expected to be signed before the end of the year, and three more bills he backed also became law.\n\nTwo of Senator Gallego\u2019s bills passed out of committee, and five Gallego-backed bills passed the Senate.\n\nIn Arizona, Gallego held eleven town halls across the state, including ones focused on veterans\u2019 issues and health care.\n\nHis office also closed nearly 450 constituent service cases and held more than 750 meetings with community leaders and advocates.\n\nHighlights:\n\nEconomic Opportunity: Played a key role in shaping the landmark ROAD to Housing Act, the first housing package to pass out of committee in over a decade. Introduced bills to expand access to affordable housing, crack downon unfair pricing practices, and support workers.\n\nVeterans: Successfully pushed the Administration to dramatically scale back their planned layoffs at the VA by less than half after placing a blanket hold on all nominees to the Senate VA Committee.\n\nHealth Care: Relentlessly held Republicans accountable for kicking millions of Americans off Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, holding town halls across Arizona and doing media appearances.\n\nNutrition: Called out Republicans for gutting food assistance to pay for tax cuts for billionaires and using hunger as leverage. Visited Arizona food banks to highlight the impact these cuts are having on their demand this holiday season.\n\nImmigration: Introduced an ambitious border security and immigration reform plan that received support from national and Arizona leaders.\n\nEnergy & Environment: Tackled America\u2019s energy cost crisis head-on with hisplan for America\u2019s energy future. Fought to help Northern Arizona recover from the devastating Dragon Bravo fire in the Grand Canyon. Restored millions of dollars in Colorado River conservation funding that had been frozen by the administration.\n\nEducation: Succeeded in releasing funding for Arizona\u2019s Head Start programafter the Trump administration\u2019s chaotic funding freeze.\n\nForeign Policy: Pressed President Gustavo Petro on drug trafficking during a visit to Colombia and called out Russian aggression at the Helsinki Commission in Finland. Introduced a War Powers Resolution to prevent an illegal war in Venezuela.\n\nHere\u2019s what Arizona leaders are saying about Senator Gallego\u2019s first year on the job:\n\n\u201cThroughout his first year in the Senate, Senator Gallego has been a strong and reliable voice for health care in Arizona. He has pushed back against harmful Medicaid cuts and taken clear action to protect ACA tax credits that keep coverage within reach for hundreds of thousands of Arizonans. As rising costs put real pressure on families and providers alike, his leadership has helped safeguard access to care when it matters most. We\u2019re grateful for his partnership and his commitment to putting patients first,\u201d said Jessica Yanow, MPH, President and CEO, Arizona Alliance for Community Health Centers.\n\n\u201cIn his first year as a U.S. Senator, Ruben Gallego has shown that standing up for veterans isn\u2019t symbolic, it\u2019s personal. He listens, he acts, and he leads with the integrity of someone who understands service and sacrifice,\u201d said Paula Pedene, US Navy Veteran, and member of Senator Gallego\u2019s Veterans Advisory Council.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/news/press/release/gillibrand-leads-bipartisan-push-to-increase-accessibility-of-va-technology/", "Gillibrand Leads Bipartisan Push To Increase Accessibility Of VA Technology", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Kirsten E. Gillibrand", "G000555", "www.gillibrand.senate.gov", "gillibrand", "https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), ranking member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and U.S. Representative David Valadao (R-CA-22) urged the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to take swift action to make its technology accessible to people with disabilities.\n\n\u201cEnsuring our veterans have the support, information, and services they need is of the utmost importance\u2014and VA cannot do this unless its technology is accessible to veterans and VA employees with disabilities,\u201d said Senator Gillibrand. \u201cVA must train its employees to procure accessible technology and take steps to ensure that its technology remains accessible. I will continue to provide rigorous oversight on this issue to make sure that our veterans get the support that they deserve.\u201d\n\nAccessible technology is critical to make sure that veterans with disabilities can get the information and services they need and to make sure that VA employees with disabilities can do their jobs. Roughly one-quarter of veterans have a service-connected disability, and post-9/11 veterans, who VA will serve for decades to come, have a higher rate of service-connected disabilities. Additionally, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires federal technology to be accessible for and usable by people with disabilities.\n\nDespite this, congressional and independent oversight efforts have consistently found that VA technology does not meet this requirement. A recent VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) report found that, of the 30 critical information and communication technology systems analyzed, 26 were not accessible for people with disabilities. In its report, VA OIG issued four recommendations to improve VA accessibility and encourage the procurement of accessible technology.\n\nIn her letter to VA, Senator Gillibrand encouraged the agency to carry out VA OIG\u2019s recommendations as fast as possible. She also requested additional information on how VA plans to do so.\n\nThe full text of the letter can be found here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/news/press/release/gillibrand-merkley-baldwin-booker-40-senators-no-new-anti-lgbtq-anti-abortion-provisions-in-must-pass-government-funding-bills/", "Gillibrand, Merkley, Baldwin, Booker 40 Senators: No New Anti-LGBTQ+, Anti-Abortion Provisions In Must-Pass Government Funding Bills", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Kirsten E. Gillibrand", "G000555", "www.gillibrand.senate.gov", "gillibrand", "https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) joined Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tammy Baldwin (D-WA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and 40 other Democratic senators in urging Senate Appropriations Committee leadership to keep any new dangerous, hyper-partisan policy provisions that would curtail the freedoms of women and LGBTQ+ individuals out of must-pass government funding legislation.\n\nHouse Republicans have inserted more than 65 so-called \u201cpoison pill\u201d provisions targeting abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, which would otherwise fail the scrutiny of congressional debate, into critical government funding bills that require broad, bipartisan consensus to pass.\n\n\u201cDangerous poison pill provisions like those included in the FY26 House appropriations bills will severely undermine Congress\u2019 ability to push forward must-pass legislation and keep the government open and working for the American people. As such, we urge you to reject these extremist riders from the remaining final FY26 appropriations bills,\u201d the senators wrote.\n\nIn addition to Gillibrand, Merkley, Baldwin, and Booker, the letter was also signed by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-NM), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).\n\nThe senators\u2019 letter is endorsed by the ACLU, Advocates for Trans Equality, Guttmacher Institute, Human Rights Campaign, National Council of Jewish Women, National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, National Network of Abortion Funds, National Women\u2019s Law Center Action Fund, Physicians for Reproductive Health, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Power to Decide, and Reproductive Freedom for All.\n\nFull text of the letter can be found here and below:\n\nDear Chair Collins and Vice Chair Murray:\n\nWe write to urge you to keep the FY26 appropriations bills free of any new poison pill policy riders. Partisan, discriminatory, and harmful policy riders have no place in must-pass legislation such as appropriations bills. In the recent past, the Senate has had success passing bipartisan bills in committee because these bills did not contain new poison pill riders. Unfortunately, in FY26, the House has included more than 65 new anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ+ riders in its appropriations bills, which we urge you to reject from any remaining final FY26 appropriations bills.\n\nIn the more than three years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women\u2019s Health Organization, our country has experienced a reproductive health care crisis. As of December 1, 2025, 13 states have banned abortion entirely, and 7 states have banned abortion anywhere from 6 to 18 weeks. Republicans have also attempted to ban medication abortion, which accounts for nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the United States. These bans leave 1 in 3 women, as well as transgender and nonbinary people, without access to abortion and disproportionately impact people of color, people with disabilities, young people, people living in rural areas, and people with low incomes.\n\nDespite the dangerous consequences of the bans and the overwhelming support for access to abortion, House Republicans have continued to propose extremist anti-abortion policy riders in their appropriations bills. These new riders include a measure to defund Planned Parenthood, a provision to codify the Trump administration\u2019s global gag rule, a provision that would interfere with essential postgraduate medical training in abortion care, and a provision that would restrict access to abortion and fertility care for servicemembers, veterans, and their families. If adopted, these provisions would dramatically undermine people\u2019s ability to make decisions about their bodies, lives, and futures and providers\u2019 ability to deliver necessary reproductive health care.\n\nHouse Republicans have also used the FY26 appropriations process to push extremist and unpopular anti- LGBTQ+ measures, which threaten the lives and fundamental dignity of LGBTQ+ communities. Anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is being introduced across the country; in 2025 alone, more than 600 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced across 49 state legislatures.\n\nAgainst this backdrop, House Republicans have introduced more than 50 anti-LGBTQ+ provisions across all 12 appropriations bills. This includes provisions in almost every appropriations bill that would allow people and organizations, including those that receive taxpayer funds, to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people. More than half of the House\u2019s appropriations bills also contain dangerous riders that severely restrict access to gender- affirming care, which would deprive transgender people of critical, medically necessary, evidence-based, and often life-saving health care. Among those who would be impacted by these riders are the more than 134,000 transgender veterans who rely on the Veterans\u2019 Affairs Administration for their health care.\n\nDangerous poison pill provisions like those included in the FY26 House appropriations bills will severely undermine Congress\u2019 ability to push forward must-pass legislation and keep the government open and working for the American people. As such, we urge you to reject these extremist riders from the remaining final FY26 appropriations bills.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/news/press/release/gillibrand-reintroduces-two-bills-to-stop-pfas-chemicals-from-entering-our-waterways-and-to-help-significantly-exposed-victims/", "Gillibrand Reintroduces Two Bills To Stop PFAS Chemicals From Entering Our Waterways And To Help Significantly Exposed Victims", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Kirsten E. Gillibrand", "G000555", "www.gillibrand.senate.gov", "gillibrand", "https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Legislation Would Combat Toxic Forever Chemicals At The Source And Provide A Federal Cause of Action For Victims to Seek Relief\n\nThis week, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand reintroduced two bills to combat dangerous per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination and help support communities that have been significantly exposed to these chemicals.\n\nThe bipartisan, bicameral Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act would help address PFAS contamination at the source. The bicameral PFAS Accountability Act would give victims of significant PFAS exposure legal recourse to sue PFAS manufacturers and would allow courts to award medical monitoring for early detection and treatment of diseases connected to PFAS.\n\n\u201c\u2018Forever chemicals\u2019 like PFAS are a dangerous threat to the environment and public health,\u201d said Senator Gillibrand. \u201cFor years, companies have knowingly released toxic chemicals that have devastated families and communities. Those companies must be held accountable for their actions, and New York waterways must be protected from further contamination. These two bills will help address PFAS contamination at the source and deliver real justice for the victims of PFAS pollution in New York and across the country.\u201d\n\nPFAS chemicals are widespread contaminants found in many industrial applications, firefighting foam, and a variety of consumer products. PFAS exposure is linked to an array of health problems, including various cancers, reduced immune function, reproductive challenges, birth defects, thyroid problems, and more. According to the Environmental Working Group, over 1.3 million New Yorkers have concerning levels of PFAS in their drinking water.\n\nThe bipartisan Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act would set deadlines and require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop water quality criteria and establish effluent limitation guidelines and standards (ELGs) for PFAS in industrial discharges from eight priority categories using its existing authority under the Clean Water Act. The legislation is led by Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH-01) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01) in the House, and it is endorsed by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA).\n\nThe PFAS Accountability Act would allow victims of significant PFAS exposure to sue PFAS manufacturers, and it would make it easier for courts to award medical monitoringfor early detection and treatment of adverse health conditions related to the exposure. The legislation would also incentivize funding for PFAS safety research. The PFAS Accountability Act is led by Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA-04), along with Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06), Jerry Nadler (D-NY-12), and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-12) in the House. This legislation is endorsed by Waterkeeper Alliance, American Association for Justice, Buxmont Coalition for Safe Water, Environmental Working Group, Green Science Policy Institute, National PFAS Contamination Coalition, Southern Environmental Law Center, NRDC, and the Union of Concerned Scientists.\n\nA leader in the fight against PFAS, Senator Gillibrand has long advocated for and championed legislation to protect the public from dangerous PFAS chemicals. In July, she introduced the bipartisan DOD PFAS Discharge Prevention Act, which would reduce drinking water pollution and exposure to toxic forever chemicals for firefighters, service members, and communities by facilitating better monitoring and implementing best management practices of PFAS at Department of Defense (DOD) installations. In previous years, she successfully pushed to phase out DOD\u2019s use of firefighting foam containing PFAS, and she passed legislation to expedite the testing, cleanup, and remediation of PFAS at some of the most contaminated U.S. military installations.\n\nThe text of the Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act can be found here.\n\nThe text of the PFAS Accountability Act can be found here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/news/press/release/gillibrand-schumer-meng-lead-effort-to-preserve-new-yorks-ability-to-use-broadband-infrastructure-funds-to-support-broadband-adoption-and-digital-inclusion-projects/", "Gillibrand, Schumer, Meng Lead Effort To Preserve New York\u2019s Ability To Use Broadband Infrastructure Funds To Support Broadband Adoption And Digital Inclusion Projects", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Kirsten E. Gillibrand", "G000555", "www.gillibrand.senate.gov", "gillibrand", "https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today, U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer, along with Congresswoman Grace Meng, raised concerns about the National Telecommunications and Information Administration\u2019s (NTIA) potential reclamation of Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) non-deployment funds. If the NTIA unlawfully withholds these funds, New York stands to lose at least $273.52 million in funding to support broadband adoption and digital inclusion efforts.\n\nThe BEAD program is a $42.45 billion federal grant program that aims to connect every American to high-speed internet by funding partnerships to build broadband infrastructure. BEAD non-deployment funds refer to the funding left over after a state meets BEAD\u2019s infrastructure deployment requirements. In May 2022, the NTIA outlined acceptable uses for these funds, clarifying that states may be able to use BEAD non-deployment funds to support digital inclusion projects, including expanding access to affordable broadband internet services, internet-enabled devices, digital literacy programming, telehealth services, and cybersecurity education initiatives.\n\nHowever, the NTIA\u2019s June 2025 BEAD restructuring policy notice rescinds states\u2019 flexibility to use these funds as Congress intended. As of today, the NTIA has yet to clarify whether states will be able to retain these funds at all, creating uncertainty that could result in the loss of federal support for increasing broadband adoption across New York State.\n\nThe members emphasized that \u201cBEAD non-deployment funds would benefit many more households than the one percent of households eligible for deployment funds and would help close the digital access divide for K-12 students, veterans, aging adults, rural communities, and families across the state. To fully ensure that all New Yorkers can participate in an increasingly digital era, they not only need access to broadband, but also access to affordable broadband, internet-enabled devices, and digital literacy programming to maximize internet connectivity.\u201d\n\n\u201cBEAD non-deployment funds are meant to complement BEAD\u2019s universal connectivity goals, and federal statute explicitly authorizes these funds for a broad range of non-deployment activities, including accessibility, affordability, and digital readiness. If the NTIA restricts or reclaims these funds, broadband infrastructure investments risk creating a two-tiered system where broadband availability exists but remains out of reach for those who need it most,\u201d the lawmakers stressed.\n\nThe members continued to underscore the importance of broadband access in an increasingly digital era, stating that \u201cEvery New Yorker deserves affordable, high-speed internet, regardless of where they live. Broadband adoption projects play a crucial role in ensuring full participation in the digital economy. This is necessary because long-term American economic competitiveness relies on a digitally connected and skilled workforce.\u201d\n\nThe members closed the letter by highlighting that \u201cWorkforce development, employment, digital safety education, support for remote learning, telehealth, and the other non-deployment activities approved under the NTIA\u2019s original 2022 guidance are foundational to delivering high-speed reliable internet to New York\u2019s most underserved communities.\u201d\n\nThe members urged Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and NTIA Administrator Arielle Roth to \u201cpreserve the flexibility states retained prior to the issuance of the NTIA\u2019s June 2025 restructuring notice and allow states to use BEAD non-deployment funds for digital inclusion efforts.\u201d\n\nAlong with Senators Gillibrand and Schumer and Congresswoman Meng, the letter was cosigned by Representatives Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY-08), Dan Goldman (D-NY-10), John Mannion (D-NY-22), Timothy Kennedy (D-NY-26), Josh Riley (D-NY-19), Pat Ryan (D-NY-18), George Latimer (D-NY-16), Nydia Vel\u00e1zquez (D-NY-07), Tom Suozzi (D-NY-03), Gregory Meeks (D-NY-5), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13), Yvette Clarke (D-NY-09), Laura Gillen (D-NY-04), and Paul Tonko (D-NY-20).\n\nThe full text of the letter can be read HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.hassan.senate.gov/news/press-releases/signed-into-law-annual-defense-bill-with-key-hassan-backed-provisions-and-new-hampshire-priorities", "SIGNED INTO LAW: Annual Defense Bill with Key Hassan-Backed Provisions & New Hampshire Priorities", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NH", "Margaret Wood Hassan", "H001076", "www.hassan.senate.gov", "hassan", "https://www.hassan.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 President Trump signed into law the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026, which included key provisions that Senator Maggie Hassan helped secure and supported. Among other measures, the legislation protects Portsmouth Naval Shipyard employees from the Trump Administration\u2019s chaotic firings.\n\n\u201cService members and defense workers sacrifice to keep our country safe, secure, and free, and we must always have their backs,\u201d said Senator Hassan. \u201cI\u2019m glad that President Trump has signed into law this bipartisan defense bill, which will help protect Portsmouth Naval Shipyard employees from the Trump Administration\u2019s disruptive workforce reductions and advance other key priorities for New Hampshire and our service members.\u201d\n\nKey measures that Senator Hassan supported that are included in the Senate-passed NDAA include:\n\nA provision Senators Shaheen and Hassan helped secure to protect Portsmouth Naval Shipyard employees, and other public shipyard employees, from the Trump Administration\u2019s chaotic firings by prohibiting the Department of Defense from carrying out reductions in force, hiring freezes, and unfounded hiring delays at our nation\u2019s public shipyards\n\nA 3.8% pay raise for service members\n\nAuthorizes funding for Virginia-class submarines, which are repaired in Portsmouth Naval Shipyard\n\nAuthorizes funding for construction projects for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Pease Air National Guard Base, and the New Hampshire Army National Guard\n\nExtends support for the Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom against Vladimir Putin\n\nProtects American national security by constraining the ability of the President to unilaterally withdraw troops and equipment standing guard against Russia in Europe\n\nSenator Hassan is focused on keeping our country safe, secure, and free. Last year, she successfully passed into law critical measures in the annual defense bill, including a measure to help National Guard and Reserve members return to school after a mobilization or deployment. Senator Hassan has also been a champion of workers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and has spoken out against the Trump Administration\u2019s cuts and its hiring freeze at the Shipyard, which were later reversed.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/heinrich-issues-statement-on-trump-administration-breaking-the-law-by-refusing-to-release-complete-epstein-files", "Heinrich Issues Statement on Trump Administration Breaking the Law by Refusing to Release Complete Epstein Files", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NM", "Martin Heinrich", "H001046", "www.heinrich.senate.gov", "heinrich", "https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) issued the following statement after Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that President Trump\u2019s Department of Justice would only release a portion of the Epstein files today, in direct violation of federal law:\n\n\u201cThe law could not have been clearer: President Trump\u2019s Department of Justice had 30 days to release ALL the files. Presumably, President Trump signed the bill into law himself, so he should know that...\n\n\u201cBut let\u2019s not forget \u2014 President Trump has always had the power to release these files on his own. Ignoring the law now isn\u2019t confusion or delay. It\u2019s a deliberate attempt to bury the truth and protect the pedophiles who exploited and abused young girls.\n\n\u201cThe American people deserve transparency. Survivors deserve justice. President Trump: Release all the files. Now.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/heinrich-releases-new-fact-sheet-on-rising-electric-bills-on-trumps-watch", "Heinrich Releases New Fact Sheet on Rising Electric Bills on Trump\u2019s Watch", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NM", "Martin Heinrich", "H001046", "www.heinrich.senate.gov", "heinrich", "https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, released a new fact sheet that details how President Trump\u2019s actions are gutting the energy sector and hiking up costs for families across the country.\n\nSince President Trump took office, household electricity bills have gone up 13%, with consumers soon to face a total of $85.8 billion in proposed or approved cost increases. Additionally, the Trump Administration has stalled the permits of more than 500 clean energy projects, rolled back tax credits that are helping families save money, taxed critical metals that are the backbone of the electric grid, and forced rate payers to bear the cost of keeping fossil fuel plants online past their retirement dates, exacerbating the nation\u2019s energy affordability crisis.\n\nData Source: Monthly Form EIA-861M (formerly EIA-826) detailed data - Revenue, sales, customer counts, and retail price by state and sector (https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia861m/xls/sales_revenue.xlsx)\n\n\u201cRight now, Americans are facing an energy affordability crisis \u2013 electric bills are skyrocketing for families, and we\u2019re not getting enough energy on our grid to meet the increasing demand from communities and data centers,\u201d said Heinrich. \u201cDonald Trump\u2019s actions are single-handedly making this crisis worse. If we\u2019re serious about lowering utility costs for working families, Donald Trump and his agencies need to stop sitting on routine approvals that are stalling projects across America and preventing them from bringing additional supply onto the grid.\u201d\n\nRead the factsheet here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/icymi-during-committee-markup-heinrich-spotlights-need-to-pass-his-bipartisan-legislation-to-complete-continental-divide-trail", "ICYMI: During Committee Markup, Heinrich Spotlights Need to Pass His Bipartisan Legislation to Complete Continental Divide Trail", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NM", "Martin Heinrich", "H001046", "www.heinrich.senate.gov", "heinrich", "https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 In his opening statement at a U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee business meeting to examine pending legislation, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), the Committee\u2019s Ranking Member, emphasized the need to pass legislation to improve New Mexicans\u2019 access to their public lands, including his bipartisan Continental Divide Completion Act, which would complete the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail to better maintain the trail\u2019s purpose while ensuring a safer more enjoyable journey for hikers.\n\nIn addition to the Continental Divide Completion Act, Heinrich also highlighted the need to pass U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n's (D-N.M.) New Mexico Land Grant-Mercedes Historical or Traditional Use Cooperation and Coordination Act to improve coordination of New Mexico land grants and public land agencies, U.S. Senator Michael Bennet\u2019s (D-Colo.) Dolores River National Conservation Area and Special Management Area Act, which protects the Dolores River in Colorado by establishing a National Conservation Area and Special Management Area in the public land surrounding the river, and U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis\u2019 (R-Wyo.) Wyoming Education Trust Modernization Act, which allows Wyoming greater flexibility on how to manage revenue from their state land.\n\nVIDEO: Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) delivers opening remarks during a Committee business meeting, December 17th, 2025.\n\n\u201cThe CDT is not just for through-hikers; for many New Mexicans, the CDT is their local trail. The trail where they walk their dog or spend time with their families. And the problem has been that there are still many gaps in the trail, where hikers have to literally hike on roads, even highway shoulders to connect from one segment to the next,\u201d noted Heinrich.\n\n\u201cThe Continental Divide Completion Act, which we will consider today, would direct the land management agencies to work with trail users and local communities to fill in the gaps and complete this trail,\u201d continued Heinrich. \u201cI want to thank Senator Daines for partnering with me on this legislation.\u201d\n\nA video of Heinrich\u2019s opening remarks is here.\n\nA transcript of Heinrich\u2019s remarks as delivered is below:\n\nThank you, Mr. Chairman and I am pleased to see us considering 12 bills today. I hope that we can build on this for the future.\n\nAnd I want to point out that our agenda today includes the Continental Divide Completion Act, a bill I introduced along with Senator Daines.\n\nThe CDT stretches from the Mexican border to the Canadian border, crossing more than 3,000 miles of some of the most rugged terrain in the U.S.\n\nWhile Senator Daines and I disagree on which portions of the trail are more scenic, we agree on getting this across the finish line.\n\nThe trail is part of the Triple Crown of hiking and brings visitors from around the world to climb the spine of the North American continent.\n\nAnd for the mountain towns along the way, the trail really means economic development, it means good jobs, and it means money in their pockets.\n\nThe CDT is not just for through-hikers; for many New Mexicans, the CDT is their local trail. The trail where they walk their dog or spend time with their families.\n\nAnd the problem has been that there are still many gaps in the trail, where hikers have to literally hike on roads, even highway shoulders to connect from one segment to the next.\n\nThe Continental Divide Completion Act, which we will consider today, would direct the land management agencies to work with trail users and local communities to fill in the gaps and complete this trail.\n\nI want to thank Senator Daines for partnering with me on this legislation.\n\n--\n\nAnd while there are too many bills on today\u2019s agenda to mention all of them, but I do want to quickly highlight three others:\n\nS. 1363 would improve coordination between New Mexico land grants and the public land agencies on traditional uses of public land.\n\nS. 1787 would protect the Dolores River in Colorado by establishing a National Conservation Area and Special Management Area on the public land along this river.\n\nAnd lastly, S. 2273 would allow the state of Wyoming greater flexibility in how they manage state revenues derived from state lands.\n\nNew Mexico recently needed Congressional action to change how we use state land revenues, so I know how important it is that this committee address these state trust land issues quickly as they arise.\n\nAnd I\u2019ll hold the rest of my comments on other bills until we reach them on the agenda, and yield back my time.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/press_releases/hickenlooper-colleagues-demand-answers-on-trump-vas-plan-to-eliminate-tens-of-thousands-of-health-care-jobs/", "Hickenlooper, Colleagues Demand Answers on Trump VA\u2019s Plan to Eliminate Tens of Thousands of Health Care Jobs", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CO", "John W. Hickenlooper", "H000273", "www.hickenlooper.senate.gov", "hickenlooper", "https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/press/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Richard Blumenthal, along with 36 of their Senate colleagues, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins demanding answers about the Trump administration\u2019s plans to eliminate as many as 35,000 jobs at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).\n\n\u201cUnfilled positions are not reflective of unnecessary positions, and the length of time a position is vacant is not a suitable data point for determining need. At a time when veterans are already facing widespread cuts in their access to health care from H.R. 1, skyrocketing health insurance premiums from expiring enhanced premium tax credits, and forced closures of rural hospitals, VA needs to be expanding its capacity and staffing levels, not reducing them. Veterans deserve a VA staffed according to their needs and a Secretary who works to fill needed positions, not abolish them,\u201d the senators wrote.\n\nThis follows recent reporting on the Administration\u2019s plans to eliminate tens of thousands of unfilled mission-critical health care positions at the VA, including for doctors, nurses, and support staff.\n\nThe VA already lost more than 40,000 employees between January and September of this year as a result of President Trump\u2019s hiring freeze, deferred resignations, early retirements, and many have quit as a result of this administration\u2019s reckless policies. The VA had at least 42,000 vacancies across the Department as of March 31, 2025, and that number is estimated to have grown significantly since then. The removal of these positions would put VA at pre-PACT Act staffing levels. More than one million veterans newly enrolled in VA health care as a result of expanded eligibility under the PACT Act, and millions more have increased reliance on VA because of toxic exposure-related illnesses and injuries.\n\nThese continued cuts of VA health care follow widespread health care cuts initiated by Republicans across the government. Senate Republicans have failed to join Democratic efforts to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits, which many veterans across the country rely on to afford health care. Coupled with Medicare and Medicaid cuts from the \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill\u201d that go into effect next year, Americans, including millions of veterans and veteran family members, are facing skyrocketing premiums..\n\nThe full text of the letter is available HERE and below.\n\nDear Secretary Collins:\n\nWe write to express our concern following the December 13, 2025, Washington Post article \u201cVA plans to abruptly eliminate tens of thousands of health care jobs,\u201d which spotlights the Department\u2019s plan to cut as many as 35,000 vacant positions from its workforce rolls before the end of the calendar year. Compounded by the exodus of more than 40,000 Department employees in fiscal year (FY) 2025, any unjustified cuts to existing vacancies would further disrupt a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) workforce that is already stretched dangerously thin and under assault.\n\nBased on data mandated by Section 505 of Public Law 115-182, the VA MISSION Act of 2018, as of quarter two of FY 2025, the Department had a total of 42,518 vacancies. These vacant positions included 7,560 nurses, 4,400 schedulers, 2,800 physicians, 1,900 social workers, 1,650 nursing assistants, 1,630 practical nurses, 1,230 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, 1,080 health technicians, 860 veterans claims examiners, 760 police, and 710 psychologists \u2013 totaling more than 24,500 of the 42,500 vacancies. If the Department cut every other vacancy outside of these roles \u2013 which would still include cuts to various clinical and veteran-facing roles \u2013 VA would still have to cut 18,000 vacancies from essential, veteran-facing positions in order to meet the 35,000 number. These cannot all be \u201cCOVID-era roles,\u201d as VA has claimed, nor can these cuts be downplayed because some have been vacant for longer than one year.\n\nWe request the following information regarding VA\u2019s elimination of these positions:\n\nPlease provide a list of vacant positions removed, disaggregated by facility and job series.\n\nPlease provide a list of positions removed, disaggregated by job series and then by length of time since they were last encumbered or the position was created based on these categories of time: less than 30 days, greater than 30 days, greater than 90 days, greater than 180 days, greater than 365 days, and greater than 730 days.\n\nPlease provide the titles of VA Central Office staff and the offices or departments involved in making this decision.\n\nVA already regularly adds and removes positions based on need as part of its normal recruitment and budgeting processes. What evidence was there to support this significantly larger removal of vacancies?\n\nMemos from the Department planning for this removal of vacancies reference a baseline number of positions used to inform individual facility staffing numbers. What is that baseline, and how was that number decided upon? How were individual facility baselines calculated based on that number?\n\nWhy did the Department choose to use number of positions instead of full-time equivalent (FTE) positions to establish these baselines? How were positions that typically do not occupy one FTE for each individual staff member, such as researchers, accounted for in the baseline and the cuts?\n\nPlease detail the approval process for a facility or hiring manager to request new vacancies, roles, or recruitment processes beyond the new baseline.\n\nBased on what criteria can a facility or hiring manager request a new position or vacancy above the baseline?\n\nIn VA\u2019s FY 2026 budget request, the Department requested funding for 396,000 total FTE. As such, Congress provided $167 billion for the treatment of 7.7 million patients and 162.6 million outpatient visits to VA for FY 2026. Please provide an updated staffing and workload projection for FY 2026 that accounts for these vacancy cuts.\n\nHow did the Department account for minimum staffing ratios when making these cuts, especially those required for nursing, long-term care, spinal cord injury and disorder teams, and mental health care?\n\nUnfilled positions are not reflective of unnecessary positions, and the length of time a position is vacant is not a suitable data point for determining need. At a time when veterans are already facing widespread cuts in their access to health care from H.R. 1, skyrocketing health insurance premiums from expiring enhanced premium tax credits, and forced closures of rural hospitals, VA needs to be expanding its capacity and staffing levels, not reducing them. Veterans deserve a VA staffed according to their needs and a Secretary who works to fill needed positions, not abolish them.\n\nSincerely,\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/press_releases/hickenlooper-reintroduces-bill-to-prepare-federal-government-for-cannabis-legalization-2/", "Hickenlooper Reintroduces Bill to Prepare Federal Government for Cannabis\u00a0Legalization", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "CO", "John W. Hickenlooper", "H000273", "www.hickenlooper.senate.gov", "hickenlooper", "https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/press/page/", "scraper", "PREPARE Act would develop framework federal legalization based on Colorado\u2019s Task Force\n\nThe President announced plans to reclassify marijuana to Schedule III\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper reintroduced the Preparing Regulators Effectively for a Post-Prohibition Adult Use Regulated Environment (PREPARE) Act to prepare the federal government for federal legalization of cannabis. Following the President\u2019s announcement to reschedule marijuana to Schedule III, Hickenlooper welcomed the decision and pushed the admin to support his bill:\n\n\u201cAnother example of Colorado blazing the trail,\u201d Hickenlooper posted on Twitter/X. \u201cNow release and expunge records for everyone who was charged with federal marijuana crimes \u2013 and let\u2019s pass our bill to prepare us for federal legalization while we\u2019re at it.\u201d\n\nHickenlooper has consistently advocated for the federal government to change the classification of marijuana. Hickenlooper previously urged the DEA to completely deschedule marijuana. He co-sponsors the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, which would deschedule marijuana.\n\nThough cannabis is currently illegal at the federal level, many states have followed Colorado\u2019s safe and legal model. The PREPARE Act establishes a federal commission, modeled after Colorado\u2019s regulatory commission, to advise the government on proper safeguards for federal cannabis legalization.\n\nOn December 10, 2012, a month after Colorado voted to legalize marijuana, then-Governor Hickenlooper convened the Amendment 64 Task Force to provide recommendations for the development of regulations. Those regulations led to the thriving, safe, marijuana industry in Colorado today. The PREPARE Act would replicate the Amendment 64 Task Force at the federal level.\n\nSpecifically, the PREPARE Act-established federal commission would:\n\nAdvise on the development of a federal regulatory framework modeled after state cannabis regulations.\n\nConsider barriers and suggestions for regulating Cannabis similar to alcohol.\n\nIdentify ways to remedy the disproportionate impact cannabis prohibition has had on minority, low-income, and veteran communities.\n\nInclude representatives from relevant federal agencies and offices, individuals nominated by Senate and House leadership, industry representatives, and representatives of state and local governments.\n\nImportantly, the commission would not have rulemaking authority; its sole role would be to develop proposals and make policy recommendations.\n\nHickenlooper\u2019s bill has broad support from stakeholders, including the National Hispanic Cannabis Council, Partnership to End Addiction, Veterans Cannabis Coalition, NORML, US Cannabis Council, Minorities for Medical Marijuana, National Cannabis Industry Association, Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education and Regulation, Colorado Association of Ski Towns, Colorado Municipal League, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union.\n\nA one-page explainer is available HERE.\n\nFull bill text is available HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases/hawaii-delegation-condemns-trump-administration-attack-on-native-hawaiian_and-other-minority-serving-institutions", "Hawaii Delegation Condemns Trump Administration Attack on Native Hawaiian- and other Minority-Serving Institutions", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Mazie K. Hirono", "H001042", "www.hirono.senate.gov", "hirono", "https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) and U.S. Representatives Ed Case (D-HI) and Jill Tokuda (D-HI) released the following statement on the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel\u2019s recently-released opinion questioning the constitutionality of Native Hawaiian- and other Minority-Serving Institution programs:\n\n\u201cEarlier today, the Trump DOJ released a legal opinion that attacked a wide range of programs of higher learning for minority communities. These programs expand opportunity, strengthen communities, and help students who have too often been left behind succeed in higher education. Targeting them does nothing to improve educational outcomes and instead threatens to undermine institutions that are vital to the people they serve.\n\n\u201cWe also note just how wrong they were with respect to programs impacting the Native Hawaiian community. Let us be clear. The United States has a long-standing trust relationship with the Native Hawaiian community, and we will continue fighting to ensure the U.S. lives up to its end.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/warner-kaine-announce-lease-for-new-hampton-roads-va-facility", "Warner, Kaine Announce Lease for New Hampton Roads VA Facility", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "VA", "Tim Kaine", "K000384", "www.kaine.senate.gov", "kaine", "https://www.kaine.senate.gov/news", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced that a lease has been awarded for a new Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facility in Hampton Roads. The awarding of this lease for a new, state-of-the-art outpatient clinic will improve veterans\u2019 access to care in this region and follows years of congressional action and advocacy by the senators.\n\n\u201cWe are thrilled to announce the awarding of this new clinic lease in Hampton Roads,\u201d said the senators. \u201cThe veteran population in the region continues to grow, and this facility will fill a critical gap by expanding access to high-quality, convenient care for the veterans who have served our country. Virginians need and deserve this facility, and we will do everything we can to ensure that it is properly staffed despite President Trump\u2019s plans to eliminate 35,000 health care positions at VA facilities across America.\u201d\n\nWhile this lease was originally authorized under the PACT Act, which both senators strongly supported, updated cost estimates and rent bids prompted the VA and the General Services Administration (GSA) to seek reauthorization from four congressional committees for this proposed facility and 17 others. In June, Warner and Kaine urged the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works to swiftly take up and reapprove all pending major VA medical facility leases. They subsequently pushed for the final committee, the House Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee, to put forward their approval. In late July, the senators announced that approval for the leases had cleared all committees. From there, the administration needed to award a contract for the lease.\n\nWarner and Kaine have long fought to expand health care access and benefits for Virginia\u2019s nearly 700,000 veterans. The senators have fought to strengthen and expand mental health care and suicide prevention efforts for veterans. Warner has been outspoken on the need to reduce the disability claim backlog at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), ensure the VA is appropriately staffed to improve access to care and benefits, strengthen the VA\u2019s ability to increase capacity and build new medical centers, and improve women veterans\u2019 access to health care. Kaine has called President Trump out for firing more veterans than any other president, and has introduced legislation to reinstate veterans who were fired from their federal jobs as part of the Trump Administration\u2019s indiscriminate and mass layoff of federal employees. Kaine has also been a vocal opponent of the Trump Administration\u2019s decision to eliminate 35,000 health care positions at VA clinics.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=32F88312-3D29-475D-81D7-DB21363C1FF9", "Klobuchar, Booker, Colleagues Press the FTC to Investigate Instacart\u2019s Dynamic Pricing", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MN", "Amy Klobuchar", "K000367", "www.klobuchar.senate.gov", "klobuchar", "https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "Letter urges for investigation to determine if the use of dynamic pricing violates the FTC Act\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, and Cory Booker, Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, led their colleagues in pressing Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Andrew Ferguson to investigate Instacart\u2019s use of dynamic pricing.\n\nCiting a recent study, the letter urges the Commission to investigate whether Instacart\u2019s pricing strategy violates the FTC Act\u2019s prohibitions on unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts and practices; to reopen its market study on surveillance pricing; and to determine whether the FTC needs additional authority to protect consumers from potential harms that stem from these pricing practices.\n\n\u201cWe write to express our deep concern after a recent study found that Instacart was offering substantially different prices to different consumers for the same items, from the same stores, purchased at the same time. If true, such practices may result in higher overall prices, deter competition, and potentially run afoul of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Act\u2019s prohibitions on unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts and practices,\u201d wrote the Senators.\n\n\u201cIn competitive markets, retailers should be incentivized to reduce prices to draw customers from their competitors. But dynamic and surveillance pricing\u2014especially models built on sensitive personal or competitive information\u2014upend this foundational principle of the free market, allowing firms to set prices based on a person\u2019s willingness to pay instead of market factors.\u201d the Senators concluded.\n\nAlong with Klobuchar and Booker, the letter was signed by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Peter Welch (D-VT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR).\n\nThe full text of the letter is below and can be found here.\n\nDear Chair Ferguson:\n\nWe write to express our deep concern after a recent study found that Instacart was offering substantially different prices to different consumers for the same items, from the same stores, purchased at the same time. If true, such practices may result in higher overall prices, deter competition, and potentially run afoul of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Act\u2019s prohibitions on unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts and practices. We urge the Commission to investigate this potential use of dynamic pricing to determine if it violates the FTC Act and whether the FTC needs additional authority to protect consumers from potential harms that stem from dynamic or surveillance pricing practices.\n\nA recent study found that some prices for the same products on Instacart varied by over 20 percent despite being purchased at the same store and under the same circumstances. For example, the study found that prices for everyday staples like sliced turkey, cornflakes, apples, crackers, and peanut butter all varied in price by more than 20 percent. Instacart\u2019s dynamic pricing strategy reportedly affected nearly three-quarters of the products tested and was applied to each person who participated in the study. The study concluded that \u201ccorporate practices like these increase prices for American families.\u201d\n\nIn July 2024, the FTC sought information from eight companies as part of a market study on \u201csurveillance pricing\u201d to better understand how firms use personalized data and algorithmic tools to set individualized prices. In January 2025, the FTC issued a \u201cstaff perspective\u201d on its ongoing study, noting that the practice of personalized pricing is becoming widespread and merits additional study. Unfortunately, the FTC appears to have shuttered further work on that market study, depriving the policymakers\u2014and the public\u2014of information vital to understanding the implications of this practice.\n\nWe are concerned that surveillance pricing, like that described by the FTC\u2019s market study, and dynamic pricing, like that found in the recent study of Instacart, can make pricing information more opaque to consumers and raise barriers for price competition and comparison shopping. These practices also incentivize companies to collect sensitive personal user data to aid in setting personalized prices.\n\nAdditional antitrust concerns are raised if Instacart is setting or recommending prices for multiple companies that should be competing on price. Instacart has said that some of its retail partners use its algorithmic pricing product to optimize online pricing for its clients. Competitors should not be outsourcing pricing decisions to common algorithmic tools, especially those that have access to a competitor\u2019s sensitive data.\n\nIn competitive markets, retailers should be incentivized to reduce prices to draw customers from their competitors. But dynamic and surveillance pricing\u2014especially models built on sensitive personal or competitive information\u2014upend this foundational principle of the free market, allowing firms to set prices based on a person\u2019s willingness to pay instead of market factors.\n\nWe are deeply concerned that Instacart\u2019s pricing tactics may result in higher food prices, less competition, fewer opportunities to comparison shop, more incentive for companies to collect sensitive personal data, and increased customer confusion\u2014potentially in violation of the FTC Act. In light of these concerns, we urge the Commission to re-open its previous market study on surveillance pricing issues and investigate whether Instacart\u2019s dynamic pricing violates the FTC Act.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "truncated": false, "filtered_table_rows_count": 10022, "expanded_columns": [], "expandable_columns": [], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "units": {}, "query": {"sql": "select url, title, date, year, month, party, chamber, state, member_name, bioguide_id, domain, scraper, source, date_source, text, has_text, collected_at, updated_at from releases where \"chamber\" = :p0 and \"party\" = :p1 and \"year\" = :p2 order by date desc limit 101", "params": {"p0": "Senate", "p1": "Democrat", "p2": "2025"}}, "facet_results": {"party": 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