{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "is_view": false, "human_description_en": "where chamber = \"Senate\" and state = \"KY\" sorted by date descending", "rows": [["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=7EEDC69D-D739-45F5-B87A-4E0466799BD4", "McConnell, Colleagues Press Administration on Stalled Taiwan Aid, Arms", "2026-09-23", "2026", "2026-09", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC- U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), along with Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Thom Tillis (R-NC), sent a letter today to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth regarding the status of Taiwan security cooperation funds appropriated in FY26 but not yet obligated, and of $14 billion in arms sales to Taiwan awaiting Administration approval.\n\nFull text of the letter is below (original letter HERE):\n\n**\n\nDear Secretary Rubio and Secretary Hegseth:\n\nWe write to express concern regarding the Department of State\u2019s intention not to obligate $300 million in foreign military financing (FMF) appropriated by the Congress for Taiwan during fiscal year 2026, the failure of the Department of Defense to obligate $1 billion in fiscal year 2026 funding for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative (TSCI), and the Administration\u2019s decision to withhold approval of a $14 billion package of foreign military sales (FMS) to Taiwan.\n\nSecretary Rubio, your former Senate colleagues remember well the prominent and vocal role you played in marshaling Congressional support for deeper and more unflinching security cooperation with Taiwan. Upon introducing legislation in 2023 designed in part to expedite U.S. military sales to Taiwan, you went as far as to observe that, \u201cdeterring an invasion of Taiwan must be our top priority.\u201d Secretary Hegseth, you have likewise made clear that the United States, \u201cwill not let our allies and partners be subordinated and intimidated\u201d and warned that \u201cthe threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent.\u201d\n\nOver the last two years, the Senate has continued to affirm the U.S.-Taiwan security relationship as central to the security of our interests in the Indo-Pacific, approving record military sales, appropriating hundreds of millions of dollars in FMF, and appropriating $1 billion to Defense Department security assistance efforts intended for Taiwan. These investments, along with Taiwan\u2019s own historic defense budget increase intended to facilitate American weapons, are critical to the kind of deterrence by denial that will prevent conflict. It is especially confusing that the Administration would withhold approval of the very arms purchases it aggressively pushed Taiwan to make.\n\nWe are concerned by President Trump\u2019s description of Taiwan as \u201ca very good negotiating chip\u201d in engagements with Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party. It is difficult to imagine how the United States might credibly project influence deterrence in the Indo-Pacific if the price of keeping up diplomatic appearances is denying our partners key deterrent capabilities. The President would do well to consider what followed when his predecessor decided to freeze a planned package of assistance to Ukraine ahead of a summit with President Putin in 2021.\n\nIndividually, instances of delayed or denied assistance test the strength of a security relationship you have described as essential. Together, despite your personal assurances earlier this year that Taiwan is not on the table in talks between President Trump and President Xi, they leave us with serious concerns about the strength of U.S. commitments to key partners and allies in Asia and across the globe.\n\nTherefore, we request timely answers to the following questions:\n\nWhy has the Department of State not obligated $300 million of FY26 FMF for Taiwan as appropriated by the Congress?\n\nGiven that the 2026 National Defense Strategy states the Administration\u2019s intention to \u201cerect a strong denial defense along the First Island Chain\u201d and \u201cenable key regional allies and partners to do more for our collective defense,\u201d why has the Department of Defense not obligated $1 billion in FY26 funding for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative? Does it intend to obligate these funds? If so, when, and toward what specific capabilities and purposes?\n\nThank you for your prompt attention to these requests.\n\n**", 1, "2026-09-26T09:43:57Z", "2026-09-26T09:44:55Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=0124FAAC-63EC-4E8E-AFE4-62807554DB44", "McConnell on the Passing of John Kalmey", "2026-09-19", "2026", "2026-09", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement today regarding the passing of John Kalmey of Shelby County, Kentucky:\n\n\u201cI am deeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend, John Kalmey. John was someone who lived his life with a genuine love for his family, his farm, and his community. He believed in working hard, serving others, and always doing what was right. I feel incredibly fortunate to have known John and to have called him a friend. His kindness, integrity, and willingness to help others made a difference in so many lives, and his legacy will continue to be felt throughout Shelby County. I\u2019m thinking of his family and all of us who were blessed to know John and call him a friend.\u201d", 1, "2026-09-20T09:37:28Z", "2026-09-20T09:38:59Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=363B0EEE-4E57-4985-A317-CA1E0A908686", "McConnell on the Passing of Senator Jon Kyl", "2026-09-17", "2026", "2026-09", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement today regarding the passing of Senator Jon Kyl:\n\n\u201cI was so sorry to learn of the passing of my good friend and former colleague, Jon Kyl.\n\n\u201cIt is not often that the Senate is blessed by the talents of such a devoted and capable public servant twice over. Jon lent a capacious mind and bottomless energy to efforts as diverse as missile defense and western water rights. His well-deserved reputation for straight shooting made him a highly effective vote counter as Republican Whip. And his humble work ethic made everyone around him look better.\n\n\u201cSo, grateful for his friendship and service, Elaine and I join Jon\u2019s beloved Caryll, their children, Kristine and John, and the entire Kyl family in their grief. Arizona and our nation have lost a giant.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-18T09:27:43Z", "2026-09-18T09:29:09Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=C2CE41D4-2C5F-4536-9844-72327679F4D7", "Update From Senator Mitch McConnell", "2026-09-14", "2026", "2026-09", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) issued the following statement:\n\n\u201cToday, I\u2019ll cast my first Senate vote since I took a bad fall back in June. I\u2019m really looking forward to being back on the Senate floor and seeing my colleagues.\n\n\u201cMy recovery has been a long and often frustrating process, and the lingering effects of childhood polio haven\u2019t made it any easier. I\u2019m still not quite back to 100%, but I\u2019ve assured Leader Thune that, as I continue with physical therapy on the advice of my doctors, I will do my best to be present for tough votes when our Conference needs me.", 1, "2026-09-15T09:50:21Z", "2026-09-15T09:52:05Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=0714785B-DF9F-477C-BE73-9092D0EB8DEA", "McConnell on 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks", "2026-09-11", "2026", "2026-09", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement today on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States:\n\n\u201cToday, I remember the clouds of dust that filled clear blue skies twenty-five years ago, stealing away fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, friends and colleagues. And I remember the faraway battlefields that claimed thousands more in the years that followed.\n\n\u201cMy deepest sympathies today are with those Americans for whom the grief of September 11th is not abstract but personal and unrelenting. Time will continue to ease our nation\u2019s shared pain, but it will never fill empty seats at family tables. And so those who continue to carry the heaviest burdens of that day and its aftermath must remain in our prayers.\n\n\u201cBut on top of remembrance and sympathy rests another national responsibility every bit as important: to give weight to the words Never Again. From the smoke and rubble of 9/11 came lessons about the fragility of our nation\u2019s security and what it takes to preserve it. We paid for these lessons with thousands of precious American lives. If we are still resolved never again to pay such a price, we must look with clear eyes at a dangerous world and redouble our efforts to outcompete those who would do us harm.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-12T09:02:30Z", "2026-09-12T09:03:27Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=4E3BC616-ADF6-4D80-B15A-CF46D0163333", "McConnell Announces Final Federal Funding for University of Kentucky Ag Research Building", "2026-08-26", "2026", "2026-08", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement today applauding the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s decision to provide the additional $26.7 million in federal funding for the construction of the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Forage-Animal Production Unit at the University of Kentucky:\n\n\u201cI\u2019m honored to have helped secure funding for the establishment and construction of this project over the years, and it\u2019s great to see this final piece go into place for Kentucky\u2019s leading agricultural research lab,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cThere is no doubt this funding will help the University of Kentucky continue to solidify itself as the center for agricultural research in the Commonwealth, and I\u2019m grateful for its work in this field. Our shared belief in improving the lives of Kentucky farmers and enhancing our agriculture industry through research has made for a productive working relationship that has delivered results for Kentuckians.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe University of Kentucky is deeply grateful to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for this significant investment in agricultural research and to Senator Mitch McConnell for his steadfast leadership in helping make this project a reality. This funding represents a transformative step forward for the Agricultural Research Service Forage-Animal Production Unit and reinforces Kentucky\u2019s position as a national leader in agricultural innovation,\u201d said UK President Eli Capilouto. \"The collaboration among USDA, the Agricultural Research Service and the University of Kentucky will expand our ability to conduct groundbreaking research that supports farmers and strengthens rural communities, advancing the future of agriculture. We are proud to continue this partnership in service to the Commonwealth.\u201d", 1, "2026-08-27T16:10:01Z", "2026-08-27T16:10:50Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=25E43CBF-8898-4D4C-AFFE-B31F85872009", "Update From Senator Mitch McConnell", "2026-08-06", "2026", "2026-08", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) issued the following statement today:\n\n\u201cEarlier today, I was discharged from the rehabilitation center to continue my recovery at home. Elaine and I are grateful for the many well wishes and support from friends, colleagues, and Kentuckians, and for the attentive care I\u2019ve received from excellent doctors, nurses, therapists, and hospital staff.\n\n\u201cOn the advice of my doctors, I\u2019ll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period, and I\u2019ll continue to engage with my staff and colleagues on important Senate business.\u201d", 1, "2026-08-07T06:11:19Z", "2026-08-07T06:12:42Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=A0CF95F1-502A-4204-B90F-CAB7500028A3", "Kentucky Congressional Delegation Urges President Trump to Approve Kentucky\u2019s Major Disaster Declaration", "2026-07-28", "2026", "2026-07", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Congressman Andy Barr (R-KY-06) led the Kentucky Congressional Delegation in urging President Donald J. Trump to swiftly approve the Commonwealth of Kentucky\u2019s request for a Major Disaster Declaration following the devastating storms, flooding, tornadoes, and severe weather that struck communities across the Commonwealth between June 17 and June 30.\n\nThe delegation\u2019s letter expresses strong support for the Commonwealth\u2019s request and asks for immediate federal assistance to help Kentucky families and communities recover.\n\nThe prolonged weather event caused widespread damage across Kentucky, claiming the lives of six Kentuckians, including three residents of Madison County, while destroying homes, damaging businesses, washing out roads and bridges, and leaving thousands without power. Nineteen counties and thirteen cities declared states of emergency as multiple rounds of severe weather compounded the damage over nearly two weeks. The Commonwealth formally requested a Major Disaster Declaration on July 23.\n\n\u201cKentucky families have endured an extraordinary stretch of severe weather, and many communities are facing a long road to recovery,\u201d said Congressman Barr. \u201cThe damage across Central Kentucky, especially in Madison County where lives were tragically lost and neighborhoods were devastated, underscores the urgent need for federal assistance. I\u2019m joining together with the Kentucky Congressional Delegation to urge a swift approval of Kentucky\u2019s disaster declaration request so that our communities have the resources they need to rebuild.\u201d\n\nThe delegation wrote to the President in part, \u201cA total of 42 homes were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable, and over 100 businesses have been affected. Many roads, bridges, and electric infrastructure are severely damaged, causing a considerable economic impact across the state. Volunteers along with state and local emergency response organizations have been working tirelessly to clear debris and muck out flooded homes. However, with the recent string of disasters that Kentucky has faced, many disaster response teams in the state are fatigued and overwhelmed. Given the substantial damage and the challenges faced by state and local resources, we believe Federal assistance is necessary.\u201d\n\nThe Commonwealth\u2019s request seeks federal Public Assistance, Individual Assistance, and Hazard Mitigation funding for affected Kentucky communities.", 1, "2026-07-29T07:41:48Z", "2026-07-29T07:42:57Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=DC6BF158-0E6A-4BAC-AF63-43E7DB393869", "Update from Senator Mitch McConnell and the Office of the Attending Physician", "2026-07-27", "2026", "2026-07", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and the Office of the Attending Physician released the following today:\n\n\u201cI\u2019m still working hard to get back to my full schedule of work in the Senate and in Kentucky, keeping up with intense physical therapy per my doctors\u2019 orders. Unfortunately, that means I won\u2019t be able to make it to Fancy Farm, Kentucky this Saturday.\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s no place I\u2019d rather be on the first Saturday in August than with the good people of western Kentucky, feasting on pork and mutton. When I first attended forty-two years ago, Fancy Farm was a pretty lonely place to be a Republican. But, my, how times have changed. Today, western Kentucky is a conservative Republican sea of red. So I hate that I\u2019ll miss the fun this year, but I\u2019m sending my best wishes to the St. Jerome community for a successful picnic.\n\n\u201cAs always, I appreciate all of your continued well wishes, and I\u2019m looking forward to getting back to the Senate and to Kentucky soon.\u201d\n\nFrom the Office of the Attending Physician (OAP):\n\n\u201cSenator McConnell continues his recovery from a fall at home in June. OAP physicians visit with the Senator every day, discussing all aspects of his rehabilitation care. Since his discharge from hospital care, he has maintained a strenuous course of physical therapy and rehabilitation, including multiple sessions a day designed to rebuild strength and reduce the risk of future falls. His bout with childhood polio continues to be a significant factor in his mobility. He is not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office.\u201d\n\nSenator Mitch McConnell and Secretary Elaine Chao on Sunday, July 26, 2026.", 1, "2026-07-28T07:37:32Z", "2026-07-28T07:38:50Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=FB5BFF8F-1317-4BFE-BF0B-71D387B80515", "More Than 60+ Senators Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Hold Purchasers Of Russian Oil Accountable", "2026-07-16", "2026", "2026-07", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "[WASHINGTON, DC] \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Darline Graham (R-SC) led more than 60 members of the Senate in introducing the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026, legislation to hold major purchasers of Russian oil and gas accountable for supporting Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine.\n\nU.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the effort last week and secured an agreement with the White House on Friday, before his death. Blumenthal and Lindsey Graham first introduced legislation to bring primary and secondary sanctions against Russia and actors supporting Russia\u2019s aggression in Ukraine in April 2025, and have spent the last year building support for the effort in Congress and the Administration.\n\n\u201cUkraine is at a critical crossroads \u2014 and we must meet this pivotal moment with a powerful sanctions bill. As Ukraine turns the tide on the battlefield, our Russia sanctions bill would be historically impactful in stopping Russia\u2019s murderous slaughter,\u201d Blumenthal said. \u201cWhen Senator Graham and I last spoke, he was absolutely exultant, calling from Kyiv with news that President Trump would support this bill to impose scorching tariffs and sanctions on purchasers of Russian oil and stop them from fueling Putin\u2019s war machine. Now is the time to push Russia toward peace. Ukraine is gaining net territory and reaching deep into Russia with its drones and missiles. Sanctions provide a path toward peace. Our bill is the product of lengthy, detailed, difficult bipartisan work, and now has broad bipartisan support. Passing this legislation right now would be a fitting tribute to Senator Graham\u2019s fierce support for Ukraine\u2019s freedom.\u201d\n\n\u201cUntil the very day he passed, Lindsey remained focused on passing the Russia sanctions bill. Passing this legislation would honor my brother\u2019s steadfast commitment to our national security and it would provide President Trump with additional leverage to bring this war to an end. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this legislation and send it to President Trump\u2019s desk,\u201d said Senator Darline Graham.\n\n\u201cLindsey was a firm believer that the United States is a force for good around the world, and he worked tirelessly on this important effort,\u201d said Thune. \u201cI\u2019m proud to support this legislation that not only honors our friend and colleague, but will also promote peace by cutting off the funding fueling Russia\u2019s war machine. I can\u2019t think of a better way to honor his legacy.\u201d\n\nThe legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD); U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-AL); U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Ukraine Caucus; U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee; U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI); U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-ID), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE); U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee; U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO); U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence; U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee; U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), Chair of the Senate Banking Committee; U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME); U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), Majority Whip; U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA); U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee; U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY); U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ); U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC); U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY); U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA); U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV); U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE); U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI); U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX); U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA); U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT); U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN); U.S. Senator John Curtis (R-UT); U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA); U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK); U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL); U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI); U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-OK); U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO); U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS); U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM); U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN); U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD); U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR); U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD); U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND); U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV); U.S. Senator Jon Husted (R-OH); U.S. Senator John Hoeven (R-ND); U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE); U.S. Senator Jim Justice (R-WV); U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD); U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX); U.S. Senator John Kennedy (R-LA); U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY); U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK); U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL); U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-NC); U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS); U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL); U.S. Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA); U.S. Senator Alan Armstrong (R-OK); and U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT).\n\n\u201cRussia is losing ground, it is suffering tens of thousands of casualties each month and Ukraine continues to bring the consequences of the war to the Kremlin\u2019s doorstep through its deep strike campaign. Putin is in an incredibly precarious position both at home and on the battlefield. This legislation would level tough new sanctions on Russia and choke off key export markets for the energy it sells to fund its war machine. We must seize on the opportunity before us to finally exert economic pressure on the Kremlin and bring this war to a close,\u201d said Shaheen.\n\n\u201cOne of the many pillars of Senator Graham\u2019s exemplary career of public service was his dedication to putting America\u2019s national security first and promoting liberty around the world. It is an honor to help champion one of his highest priorities: imposing crushing sanctions to cripple Russia\u2019s war machine and hold those fueling it accountable. Putin\u2019s war against Ukraine has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, and it must end. Lindsey believed that getting this legislation passed and signed into law would be the most consequential thing he achieved in his career. I am sincerely grateful to Senators Blumenthal, Shaheen, and Wicker for their continued leadership on this issue and, very importantly, for the support of President Trump and the White House\u2014these sanctions will provide President Trump with a critical tool to hold Russia accountable and secure a lasting peace,\u201d said Britt.\n\n\u201cThis bipartisan bill that Senator Graham worked so tirelessly to advance couldn\u2019t be better timed. Momentum in the war has shifted toward Ukraine and tightening sanctions on Russia and those key purchasers of Russian oil should help add pressure for the Kremlin to finally negotiate. Having just returned from the NATO Summit, I can share that we and our NATO allies are united in wanting to see Ukraine prevail in this bloody war started by Vladimir Putin. I am pleased to help co-lead this timely legislation,\u201d said Durbin.\n\n\u201cWe should enact this bipartisan measure to exert maximum economic pressure on Putin\u2019s war machine and help bring this unjust war to an end,\u201d said Wicker.\n\n\u201cToday\u2019s bill continues the work of the late Senator Graham, my dear friend and one of Ukraine\u2019s most relentless advocates in the Senate,\u201d said Whitehouse. \u201cThis forceful, bipartisan measure will disrupt the Kremlin\u2019s massive oil and gas economy, up the financial stakes, and help achieve victory for Ukraine.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am proud to support the imposition of new, hard-hitting sanctions on key sectors of Russia\u2019s war economy, including the shadow fleet, and penalties on bad actors like China who help fund the war. Russia is not winning this war against Ukraine, and applying additional pressure now will force Putin to shift his calculus and bring us closer to ending the war. In honor of our friend Lindsey Graham, I strongly encourage my colleagues to pass this legislation and send it to the President\u2019s desk as soon as possible,\u201d said Risch.\n\n\u201cUkraine is winning on the battlefield against Russian invaders, and there\u2019s much more the United States can do to strangle Russia\u2019s war machine without putting ourselves at risk. Curbing Russian revenue by sanctioning the foreign buyers of their oil that are keeping Russia\u2019s economy and military afloat will strengthen Ukraine, weaken Moscow, and hasten a just and lasting end to this war,\u201d said Coons.\n\n\u201cPutin\u2019s invasion of Ukraine unleashed destruction, chaos and bloodshed in the largest land war in Europe since World War II. Our legislation sends a clear message to Putin: your unprovoked, violent invasion comes at an enormous cost. The late-Senator Graham was a champion of this bipartisan legislation, and I\u2019m proud to help move it forward as an original cosponsor,\u201d Grassley said.\n\n\u201cFor over four years, the Ukrainian people have shown us what it looks like to fight and die for democracy, for their country, and for the West. Their courage in the face of Vladimir Putin\u2019s war offers the greatest example of how to fight back against authoritarian aggression. Amid Putin\u2019s intransigence at the negotiating table and daily attacks on civilians across Ukraine, Congress must make Russia pay a further price,\u201d said Bennet. \u201cThis bill will impose greater pressure on Putin to end his unprovoked war, especially as Ukraine makes progress on the battlefield and as the Russian economy struggles under the weight of U.S. and allied measures. Only by demonstrating our firm resolve can the United States and our allies support Ukraine's pursuit of a just and durable end to this war and successfully defend the principle of a Europe whole, free, and at peace. Backing Ukraine today will be our best deterrence against authoritarian ambitions tomorrow.\u201d\n\n\u201cVladimir Putin\u2019s unprovoked war has dragged on for more than four years. As Senator Graham knew well, raising the costs on Russia is the only solution. Our bill will further restrict their energy sales to strangle Putin\u2019s war machine and bring him to the negotiating table. Congress should pass this bill immediately and help finish a war Lindsey fought so hard to end,\u201d said Cotton.\n\n\u201cThis measure is a tribute to Senator Graham\u2019s tenacious, bipartisan work in support of Ukraine, and a necessary step to deprive Putin\u2019s war machine of financial resources for its illegal invasion,\u201d said Reed.\n\n\u201cSouth Carolina lost a statesman, and I lost a friend. Lindsey Graham spent his time in the Senate reminding us that peace is protected by strength, and that America has a responsibility to stand up to dictators who threaten our allies, our interests, and the values we hold dear,\u201d said Tim Scott. \u201cThis legislation is a fitting way to honor Lindsey\u2019s legacy: tough, principled, and focused on keeping America safe. Lindsey would be proud to see Republicans and Democrats come together in support of his and the President\u2019s goal to end Moscow\u2019s senseless war in Ukraine.\u201d\n\n\u201cPutin\u2019s war of aggression against Ukraine has gone on long enough, and I believe this legislation is an important step on bringing this bloody, unprovoked conflict to an end,\u201d said King. \u201cThis war has already cost hundreds of thousands of lives on both sides unnecessarily, and we believe that this step will finally bring Putin face to face with the reality that he is not going to be successful in subjugating the Ukrainian people.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis is a pivotal moment in the Ukrainian people\u2019s fight to protect their freedom. While Ukraine continues to demonstrate impressive resilience and patriotism and real expertise on the battlefield, Russians are becoming increasingly exhausted by Putin\u2019s war, which his own finance officials are telling him he can\u2019t afford,\u201d said Kaine. \u201cThis is the perfect time for the United States to bring down the full force of comprehensive sanctions on Russia, and I\u2019m proud to join a bipartisan group of colleagues in putting forward a plan that would do that.\u201d\n\n\u201cVladimir Putin\u2019s brutal, unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine must end. As Ukraine makes important gains on the battlefield, now is the time to increase the economic pressure on Russia and those who continue to finance Putin\u2019s war machine,\u201d said Collins. \u201cSenator Lindsey Graham understood the consequences of allowing Putin\u2019s aggression to go unchecked and worked tirelessly to build bipartisan support for this consequential legislation. I am proud to join my colleagues in supporting this bill, which would both honor Lindsey\u2019s legacy and help pressure Putin to bring an end to this horrific war.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe fastest way to end this illegal war is to cut off the money that Putin is using to fuel it,\u201d said Kelly. \u201cStronger sanctions will put pressure on Putin and those helping him. This is a crucial step toward achieving lasting peace that protects Ukraine's sovereignty and strengthens U.S. national security.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs Russia continues its needless bloodshed of innocent people and drags out peace talks, I am proud to join my colleagues in enacting crippling sanctions against them,\u201d said Ernst. \u201cThis legislation carries forward the tireless work Senator Graham was doing until his final days and strengthens the fight I\u2019ve led for years against Putin\u2019s shadow fleet, shutting down the network of tankers and shell insurers keeping his oil money flowing and fueling this war.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor more than four years, Vladimir Putin has conducted a brutal, unprovoked war against Ukraine in an attempt to take over a sovereign nation. The time is now for the U.S. to increase pressure and do all we can to end this war and send a clear message to Putin that he cannot act with impunity. This is why I\u2019m joining my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to bring forward this critical bipartisan bill to make those who enable Russia\u2019s energy and defense sectors pay a heavy price,\u201d said Rosen.\n\n\u201cLindsey Graham was clear eyed on Putin and fought for years to build peace through strength,\u201d said Ricketts. \u201cThis bill is a small part of his legacy combatting a foreign adversary threatening peace and prosperity for Americans. Sanctioning Putin and his cronies is necessary for undermining their aggression around the world.\u201d\n\n\u201cSenator Graham was unyielding in his support for the Ukrainian people as they fight to defend their sovereignty, and I can think of few ways more fitting to honor him than by finishing what he started and imposing strict sanctions on the bad actors who have supported Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine,\u201d said Cornyn. \u201cI\u2019m proud to join with my colleagues on this bipartisan legislation, which will honor Lindsey\u2019s legacy, help dismantle Putin\u2019s war machine, and strengthen U.S. national security.\u201d\n\n\u201cStanding with the Ukrainian people has been a bipartisan goal of our Congress for more than four years. This bill reaffirms that commitment by enacting the sanctions needed to curtail Russia\u2019s primary source of income and cripple its war effort \u2014 the single most important thing the U.S. government can do to end Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine,\u201d said Schiff.\n\n\u201cThe surest way to bring about peace through strength and get Putin to the negotiating table is to cut off the money funding his war machine. This bipartisan legislation delivers real consequences for those keeping Russia\u2019s economy afloat. Senator Lindsey Graham spent years leading this fight, and passing this bill will be a fitting tribute to his commitment to American strength and the cause of freedom,\u201d said Sheehy.\n\n\u201cSince I visited Ukraine with Lindsey Graham and John McCain in 2016, Lindsey and I worked together in support of Ukraine\u2019s democracy, meeting with President Zelenskyy multiple times and advocating for the return of Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia. This legislation will add significant economic pressure on Russia, helping to move us closer to ending this war,\u201d said Klobuchar.\n\n\u201cAs long as Vladimir Putin\u2019s war machine is funded by countries willing to buy Russian oil and gas, the war in Ukraine will continue,\u201d said Curtis. \u201cThis bipartisan legislation gives a powerful tool to increase pressure on Russia, hold its enablers accountable, and ensure Russia does not win this war.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe must hold Russia and its enablers accountable, and stand with Ukraine,\u201d said Fetterman. \u201cThis is just and important legislation. I know it will honor our late colleague Senator Lindsey Graham.\u201d\n\n\u201cThese strong sanctions, a top priority I shared with my friend and our late colleague Senator Graham, are critically important to weakening Putin\u2019s grip in Ukraine, imposing severe costs on those supporting Russia\u2019s unprovoked war of aggression, and undermining the energy-fueled Russian war machine that threatens our allies,\u201d said Sullivan.\n\n\u201cUkraine is in the fight of their lives, and this bipartisan announcement is the boost they need to inflict maximum pain on Russia,\u201d said Duckworth. \u201cOur bipartisan bill will rightfully hit foreign buyers of Russian oil with heavy sanctions, cutting Putin off from the money machine funding his unprovoked war of aggression against our ally. Senator Graham knew it and we do too: The United States must remain united with Ukraine, now and always.\u201d\n\n\u201cUkraine is standing strong against Russian aggression, but the United States must use every tool possible to help secure a lasting peace for the Ukrainian people and the entire region,\u201d said Peters. \u201cImposing strong sanctions on Russia would send a clear message that the American people will always stand alongside Ukraine against Putin\u2019s invasion.\u201d\n\n\u201cPutin is a murderous KGB thug, and the countries still buying Russian oil and natural gas know they are funding his war against Ukraine. If we cut off Russia\u2019s oil money, we cut off the weapons murdering Ukrainians. Lindsey Graham was an outspoken advocate for the freedom-loving people of Ukraine. Let\u2019s finish what he started and put the pressure on Russia and everyone who bankrolls them,\u201d said Lankford.\n\n\u201cThis bill honors Senator Lindsey Graham\u2019s legacy by strengthening pressure on Russia and those who continue to finance Vladimir Putin\u2019s illegal and brutal war against Ukraine, which threatens our own national security and economic interests. I am proud to cosponsor this bipartisan legislation to continue the work that our late friend and colleague fought so hard to advance,\u201d said Hyde-Smith.\n\n\u201cBy securing this agreement with the White House to impose sanctions on major purchasers of Russian oil and gas, Senator Graham delivered a powerful tool to hold those who are enabling Putin\u2019s war accountable,\u201d said Blackburn. \u201cThis bill will help bring this war to an end.\u201d\n\n\u201cVladimir Putin\u2019s illegal war in Ukraine has raged on for too long and cost countless innocent lives. This critical legislation will hold the enablers of Putin\u2019s war machine accountable and represents one of the most consequential Congressional efforts to promote peace in Europe. Let\u2019s get this done,\u201d said Alsobrooks.\n\n\u201cSenator Graham tirelessly worked to impose real consequences on Putin and end Russia\u2019s war of aggression against Ukraine. This bipartisan and thoughtfully crafted legislation is a testament to his tremendous leadership,\u201d said Boozman. \u201cI am proud to join my colleagues and send a clear message that Senator Graham\u2019s work will not go unfinished and that Moscow must finally end its unprovoked attack on Ukrainian sovereignty.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe United States and our allies must stand up to Putin\u2019s unprovoked war against Ukraine by choking off funds for his war machine and his political cronies. Putin\u2019s invasion is a gross violation of Ukraine\u2019s sovereignty and it is critical that the United States support the people of Ukraine in repelling Russian aggression. This legislation will strengthen our efforts to hold Moscow accountable for the War in Ukraine,\u201d said Van Hollen.\n\n\u201cThe Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026 will issue decisive consequences aimed at deterring Russian aggression. This bill sends a clear message: bullies have a price to pay for their actions. Vladimir Putin and Russia must face serious consequences for their destructive and unprovoked war on Ukraine,\u201d said Cramer.\n\n\u201cRussia\u2019s war against Ukraine, which has killed far too many and upended global stability, must come to an end,\u201d said Capito. \u201cThis legislation empowers President Trump to cut off the financial flows that enable Putin\u2019s deadly invasion and to impose serious consequences on the countries that are helping finance Russia\u2019s war machine. I\u2019m proud to join my colleagues in honoring Senator Graham\u2019s life by advancing this effort to strengthen America\u2019s national security and give President Trump the economic leverage to secure a lasting peace.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor years, Senator Lindsey Graham led the effort to hold Russia accountable for its aggression and support Ukraine\u2019s fight for freedom. This bill honors his legacy by tightening sanctions on the energy exports and financial tools that sustain the Russian war machine. With support from the White House and a bipartisan group of senators, we are sending a clear message to Putin: America stands with Ukraine, and we will continue working to bring this unjust war to a durable end,\u201d said Husted.\n\n\u201cRussia relies on oil and gas revenue to fund its war against Ukraine, and those enabling this aggression should be held accountable,\u201d said Hoeven. \u201cThis bipartisan legislation strengthens sanctions to increase pressure on Russia, reduce the resources fueling Putin\u2019s aggression, and help advance a lasting peace. Senator Lindsey Graham dedicated tremendous effort to moving this legislation forward, and Congress should act to pass it.\u201d\n\n\u201cSenator Lindsey Graham was relentless in his quest to hold Vladimir Putin accountable for his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Because of his extensive work over the years, we have an opportunity to help bleed Putin\u2019s war machine dry. I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for taking this necessary action,\u201d said Fischer.\n\n\u201cSenator Graham was one of the most formidable foes America\u2019s enemies ever faced in the United States Senate. He was unapologetic and uncompromising in countering the threat the Russian regime poses to American national security and the safety and security of the American people. I worked alongside my friend for years to counter those malign activities, including through sanctions legislation aimed at depriving Putin\u2019s war machine of the resources it needs to threaten America and our allies. This bipartisan legislation honors Senator Graham\u2019s legacy while advancing the badly needed policies for which he tirelessly advocated. I urge my colleagues to pass it without delay,\u201d said Cruz.\n\n\u201cLindsey Graham spent his final months fighting to make sure Putin knew America\u2019s fuse hadn't burned out. Wyoming understands what it means to power the world responsibly, and it\u2019s long past time Russia stopped profiting from war while claiming to seek peace. This bill puts real teeth behind that demand by telling every nation still buying Russian oil that they're choosing a side, and it puts Putin on notice that the road to any lasting peace runs through economic ruin if he refuses to take it,\u201d said Lummis.\n\n\u201cRussia\u2019s unprovoked and illegal war against the people of Ukraine has left the nation scarred and battered over the last four years, but no less determined to defend its sovereignty,\u201d said Murkowski. \u201cThe bipartisan Sanctioning Russia Act honors Senator Graham\u2019s longstanding leadership in foreign affairs by supporting Ukraine while reaffirming America\u2019s commitment to stand with peaceful democracies against the authoritarian regimes that seek to destroy them.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe time to increase pressure on Moscow is now. Our overwhelmingly bipartisan sanctions package has the power to cripple Putin\u2019s revenue streams by targeting the energy exports that bankroll Russia's unjust war machine. Our colleague and friend, Senator Lindsey Graham, worked tirelessly to stand up to Russian aggression, and now we have the opportunity to honor his leadership and cement his legacy,\u201d said Budd.\n\n\u201cThis bipartisan legislation would make a difference against Russia\u2019s unjust war in Ukraine and serves as a fitting tribute to the legacy of Senator Lindsey Graham,\u201d said Moran. \u201cAmerica\u2019s continued involvement and leadership throughout the world are critical to deterring Vladimir Putin. This legislation sends a clear message to friends and foes alike: you can do business with Russia, or you can do business with the United States, but you can\u2019t do both. I look forward to voting for the Sanctioning Russia Act and sending it to the President to be signed into law.\u201d\n\n\u201cImposing stronger sanctions on Russia will ensure America remains strong on the world stage and will help bring an end to Putin\u2019s unjust war against Ukraine. I can think of no better way to cement the legacy of Lindsey Graham, who spent years of his life devoted to this cause and to fighting for freedom across the globe,\u201d said Daines.\n\nThe Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026 would impose primary and secondary sanctions against Russia and actors supporting Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine.\n\nThe sanctions target Russian officials, oligarchs, their family members, foreign persons, and Russian banks and financial institutions, as well as the Russian Shadow Fleet.\n\nThe legislation also directs the President to impose up to 100 percent tariffs on imported goods from countries that buy the majority of Russian oil, gas, and enable Russian sanctions evasion. The new text limits these tariffs to the five largest importers of Russian crude oil and gas.", 1, "2026-07-29T07:41:48Z", "2026-07-29T07:42:57Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=EB724698-4D2F-4E6E-9D3A-163943986C85", "Statement From Senator Mitch McConnell", "2026-07-12", "2026", "2026-07", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following note to constituents regarding his hospitalization and recovery:\n\n\u201cTo my fellow Kentuckians \u2013\n\n\u201cWhen you elected me to a seventh term and made me our Commonwealth\u2019s longest serving Senator, you did so trusting that I\u2019d keep showing up to fight for you every day. And over the past several weeks, Elaine and I have appreciated both your well wishes and your honest questions about what was keeping me away from the Senate.\n\n\u201cYou all know how folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older. Even in the public eye, I feel that same instinct \u2013 I can\u2019t help it.\n\n\u201cBut at the same time, I\u2019ve had more than my share of experience with physical vulnerabilities. Surviving childhood polio meant spending my entire life with mobility challenges. They haven\u2019t exactly gotten easier to manage with age. And last month, I took a fall which landed me in the hospital.\n\n\u201cMy doctors have confirmed that I didn\u2019t break any bones or suffer a concussion. I didn\u2019t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don\u2019t have any tumors or hemorrhages. But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital. While receiving excellent care over the past several weeks, I\u2019ve also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia.\n\n\u201cI can assure you that I\u2019ve been a good patient. At my age, I tend to do what my doctors tell me to do. I\u2019ve submitted to every test they can think of to help figure out what caused this incident. And I\u2019m continuing to do everything they ask to speed my recovery. In fact, with signs of continued progress, I\u2019ve been able to move from hospital care to a rehabilitation center where I\u2019ll keep regaining my strength.\n\n\u201cAs much as it frustrates me, this process takes time. And on the advice of my doctors, I won\u2019t be able to return to the Senate floor to vote quite yet. But rest assured that, in the meantime, I\u2019m not taking a break from the Senate business that matters to you. I\u2019ve been working closely with my legislative staff on current issues, and with my Kentucky team who help me provide timely constituent services across our Commonwealth. I\u2019ve also been keeping in touch with my Senate colleagues on the appropriations process, midterm politics, and everything in between.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re right to expect your representatives to work hard for you. And part of my decision to retire at the end of my term this coming January was being honest about the demands of Senate work. But I still have unfinished business to complete on your behalf, and I have every intention of finishing the job you elected me to do.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll keep working hard to get back on the Senate floor as soon as possible. And I\u2019ll keep you posted on the progress of my recovery. Until then, I\u2019m so grateful for your prayers and well wishes.\u201d\n\n###\n\nFrom the Office of the Attending Physician:\n\n\u201cSenator McConnell has experienced several falls throughout the year that have been attributed to his post-polio condition. He was admitted to the hospital four weeks ago after falling at home and sustaining minor injuries.\n\n\u201cA comprehensive evaluation by a multidisciplinary team determined that he had no fractures, cardiac abnormalities, stroke, tumor, or hemorrhage. Early in his hospitalization, he developed pneumonia, which responded rapidly to antibiotic treatment.\n\n\u201cThe remainder of his hospital stay focused on physical therapy and strategies to reduce his risk of future falls. He has been medically cleared to continue fully participating in his intensive physical therapy program.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-13T08:14:37Z", "2026-07-13T08:15:42Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=F4655151-3E19-41CE-9067-6C87B256BD5C", "McConnell Remarks at SAC-D FY27 Air Force Budget Hearing", "2026-06-09", "2026", "2026-06", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, delivered the following opening statement at today\u2019s hearing, \u201cA Review of the President\u2019s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request for the Air Force\u201d:\n\nSecretary Meink, General Wilsbach, General Saltzman \u2013 welcome.\n\nI need to begin by pointing out that this will be our last hearing with General Saltzman, who will be retiring later this summer. I\u2019m pleased to hear you\u2019ll be returning to the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Salty, I want to thank you for your decades of service to our nation. I know we\u2019ll both have more time for UK \u2013 and UofL \u2013 basketball this coming season.\n\nGentlemen, I also need to acknowledge at the outset the devotion and sacrifice of American servicemembers.\n\nU.S. airmen have been at the absolute razor\u2019s edge of recent operations in the Gulf, degrading Iran\u2019s offensive capabilities, evading the enemy on the ground, bringing downed comrades home, sustaining the joint force, and, in the case of a KC-135 crew over Iraq, making the ultimate sacrifice. I know I speak for the entire subcommittee in recognizing these fallen airmen, their comrades, and their families.\n\nWe\u2019re here today to review the Administration\u2019s FY27 budget request for the Department of the Air Force.\n\nAs I\u2019ve observed in discussions with the other services, major increases to topline defense spending represent a tremendous opportunity to improve readiness and lethality across the force, and industrial capacity across the nation.\n\nAt the same time, the structure of the request for the Department of Defense would put consistent funding for key priorities at unnecessary risk.\n\nCore pieces of the President\u2019s defense agenda, like multi-year procurement contracts for critical munitions, half of the F-35 program, Golden Dome, and drone dominance initiatives, are requested as one-off reconciliation spending, not full-year base appropriations.\n\nThis is especially mystifying for multiyear procurement contracts. I mean, the need to budget for them annually is right there in the name.\n\nBut it\u2019s more than just a contradiction in terms. It\u2019s also a recipe for major disruptions in the very possible event that party-line reconciliation fails. The Administration\u2019s choice to structure an ambitious $1.5 trillion dollar request in this way is yet another missed opportunity to put key aspects of our common defense on a stronger and more enduring fiscal footing.\n\nSpecific to the Air Force and the Space Force, a few observations:\n\nFirst, I\u2019m encouraged to see the Department acknowledge the need for the E-7 wedgetail airborne battle management aircraft. This platform meets a current-day need with a current-day capability. And the Department\u2019s alignment with this priority is a welcome investment in resiliency as we continue to build out space-based capabilities that will serve our joint force in the future.\n\nI\u2019m also glad to see the FY27 request begin to address the issue of operational readiness rates by investing more in F-35 spares. But the Department will continue to step on its own tail if it insists in housing procurement of new airframes primarily in one-off reconciliation spending.\n\nIf fielding the F-35 remains an operational necessity both for the United States and for key allies, there\u2019s really no excuse for not placing it squarely in full-year appropriations.\n\nGeneral Saltzman, I\u2019m glad that this request represents a massive opportunity for Space Force procurement of key systems. But I worry whether industrial capacity will be able to meet a sudden surge in spending, pending a clearer picture of how the Department plans to sustain steadily increasing investment over the out-years. So I\u2019ll want to hear from you on how the Space Force is thinking about longer-term scaling.\n\nFinally, at a fundamental level, I\u2019m curious to hear from each of you about how the Department of the Air Force is applying the lessons of the modern battlefield. I\u2019m concerned that the Pentagon as a whole is not learning quickly enough from the battlefields in Ukraine and the Gulf. And failure to learn and adapt, particularly when it comes to force protection and counter-drone technology, has real and measurable costs.\n\nSpeaking of which, there\u2019s clearly a need for supplemental funds to cover critical operational costs incurred in the Gulf, to recapture readiness, and to make serious down payments against the munitions shortfalls that long predate operations against Iran.\n\nI would encourage the Administration to create such an opportunity, and would hope each of our colleagues would seize it.", 1, "2026-06-10T06:36:00Z", "2026-06-10T06:37:32Z"], ["https://www.paul.senate.gov/the-senate-page-program/", "The Senate Page Program", "2026-06-03", "2026", "2026-06", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Rand Paul", "P000603", "www.paul.senate.gov", "paul", "https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "U.S. Senate Page Program\n\nIntroduction\n\nWelcome! Thank you for your interest in the U.S. Senate Page Program. It is my privilege to occasionally sponsor a Page, and I welcome your interest in this exciting and educational program.\n\nPage Program\n\nLiving away from home and attending school with students from across the country allows Pages to experience a myriad of new ideas, perspectives, and issues. Pages meet some of the Nation\u2019s most prominent leaders and witness firsthand the political debates of the United States Senate, often referred to as the \u201cgreatest deliberative body in the world.\u201d\n\nPage duties consist primarily of delivery of correspondence and legislative material within the Congressional Complex. Other duties include taking messages for Senators, calling them to the phone, preparing the Chamber for Senate sessions, and carrying bills and amendments to the desk. Pages are paid on the basis of an annual salary of $ 38,547.\n\nThere are four established page sessions. The academic year consists of two semesters which run from early September through mid-January and from mid-January through mid-June. The summer program consists of two sessions which are three or four weeks in duration depending on the legislative calendar.\n\nFollowing classes at the Senate Page School, which begin at 6:15 am and extend until 9:45 a.m. or one hour prior to the commencement of the Senate, Pages report for duty to their respective cloakrooms and work until 4:00 p.m. or until the Senate adjourns for the day, whichever is later. The Senate regularly is in session well past traditional business hours.\n\nDaniel Webster Senate Page Residence\n\nPages are required to live in the Daniel Webster Senate Page Residence during the school year. The cost of living in the residence hall is $1,380 per month and includes breakfast and dinner each day. Payment is made through payroll deduction.\n\nWebster Hall is located on Capitol Hill, a quick walk from the Senate Chamber. Staff includes the Page Program Director, Administrative Specialist and proctors. Proctors reside full-time in Webster Hall. The living quarters are divided by sex and Pages must share rooms with each other. Each room is furnished, has closet space, a bathroom, and a telephone. Communal laundry and kitchen facilities are also located in Webster Hall.\n\nUnited States Capitol Police maintain a 24-hour security desk and a provision that requires all individuals to present identification and all visitors and guests to sign in. Capitol Police patrol the area by car and foot regularly throughout the day and night. Webster Hall is monitored by a security alarm system and all emergency and safety measures required by the District of Columbia for community life structures are present and enforced.\n\nPages selected for the Summer Page Program may live with their parents or a relative in the area; alternate housing arrangements must be submitted in writing by a parent or legal guardian for approval by the Page Program Director.\n\nRequirements for Selection\n\nSenate Pages must be sponsored by a Senator\n\nPages must be citizens of the United States or subject to agreements of the Department of State, and must have a social security number\n\nPage eligibility is limited to juniors in high school who will be 16 or 17 years old on or before the date of appointment.\n\nSummer Page eligibility is limited to students who have completed the sophomore year and who will be 16 or 17 years old on or before the date of appointment\n\nPages must verify a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a home school transcript and a certification of immunization to qualify for attendance at the school\n\nA general health assessment completed by a licensed physician is required, in addition to a certification of immunization\n\nPages are required to be covered by health insurance; if not covered, they will be required to enroll in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program\n\nDeadlines\n\nApplication deadlines for the page program are the same each year.\n\nSummer Session \u2013 February 15\n\nFall Session \u2013 June 15\n\nSpring Session \u2013 November 15\n\nApplication", 1, "2026-06-04T06:38:12Z", "2026-06-04T06:39:44Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=71AE4C76-00F0-4471-9454-FBE6B44C58C6", "McConnell Remarks at SAC-D FY27 Navy Budget Hearing", "2026-05-21", "2026", "2026-05", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, delivered the following opening statement at today\u2019s hearing, \u201cA Review of the President\u2019s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request for the Navy\u201d:\n\nI want to start by acknowledging the men and women of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. They continue to meet lengthy deployments, a high operational tempo, and evolving threats with professionalism, determination, and bravery that are a credit to the entire joint force.\n\nYou know as well as anyone how the operational capacity of the fleet, the production capacity of the industrial base, and the depth of our magazines are being tested today. You know how little room for mistakes there is in the training, readiness, and deployment of the world\u2019s greatest fighting force.\n\nSo I must tell you: the way PB27 is structured \u2013 particularly in accounts that matter a great deal to the Department of the Navy \u2013 is a mistake\u2026 And unfortunately, it\u2019s not a new one:\n\nLast year, the ink was barely dry on the one-time reconciliation investment in shipbuilding when this Subcommittee began to hear from uniformed leaders about budget discrepancies, shortfalls, and broken glass in major accounts.\n\nThis didn\u2019t come as a surprise \u2013 it was the avoidable consequence of treating one-time infusions of cash like a substitute for full-year base budget spending.\n\nThis is not a mistake worth repeating. But the way OMB has structured your budget suggests the Administration is willing to run even more significant risks in FY27.\n\nTake munitions: Last year, the Subcommittee fully funded one of the Navy\u2019s top unfunded priorities: accelerated development of the MACE cruise missile.\n\nThis year, the budget request would put funds for procuring these new munitions not in sustainable, annual discretionary appropriations but in a one-time reconciliation slug.\n\nLikewise, the budget request strangely splits funding of multiyear procurement contracts for key Navy munitions between annual appropriations and one-time reconciliation.\n\nGentlemen, the entire premise of multiyear procurement is consistent yearly appropriations.\n\nIt\u2019s right there in the name.\n\nHow the Department expects to send a consistent and reliable demand signal to industry with one-off reconciliation cash is beyond me.\n\nPerhaps you can explain.\n\nTo be clear, I\u2019m glad to see basic things like ship operations appropriately built into the FY27 base. And the same goes for sustainment of the F-35 \u2013 even belatedly, it\u2019s good to see this critical platform\u2019s operational readiness prioritized.\n\nBut requesting new procurement for this aircraft in one-time reconciliation spending is an unnecessary risk.\n\nAlso on the topic of aviation, I hope you have good news on F/A-XX. We\u2019ve seen more than a year\u2019s worth of delays and $250 million wasted on contract extensions for F/A-XX.\n\nOur adversaries have American air superiority in their crosshairs, and the longer we delay these investments, the more our edge is blunted.\n\nAdmiral Caudle, I know you\u2019ve been outspoken on the important \u201cworkhorse\u201d role that destroyers play in today\u2019s surface fleet.\n\nSo I\u2019ll also need to hear you square this request\u2019s failure to include a second DDG with the continued high demand for their capabilities.\n\nGentlemen, another topic we\u2019ll need to hear from you on is the lessons you\u2019re taking from current conflicts and how they inform your thinking about Navy and Marine Corps modernization.\n\nIn recent months, Iran has extracted a price, effectively striking U.S. and partner military targets across the region. We\u2019ve also continued to use exquisite interceptors to take down cheap, attritable drones. Why haven\u2019t we adapted more quickly to the modern battlefield?\n\nTwo weeks ago, Iran used small boats and drones against U.S. destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz, threatening these billion-dollar warships and the sailors who operate them.\n\nWhat are we doing to increase protection while reducing the cost of defending these ships? Should we be using drone boats to add layers of protection for sailors? Why aren\u2019t we more prepared to use drones for counter-mine operations?\n\nMeanwhile, Ukraine continues to use drone vessels effectively against Russian assets in the Black Sea. What happens if Iran learns these lessons before we do? Or when China adopts them at scale?\n\nAt the most basic level, what is the Department of the Navy doing to ensure that U.S. sailors and Marines benefit from every possible advantage of modern military technology?\n\nIf you ask me, one of the obvious ways to do is to continue to invest in the alliances and partnerships that extend our reach and amplify our deterrent power.\n\nThere is nothing to be gained from opting out of close engagement with battlefield experts like the Ukrainians\u2026 and with capable and committed partners from the first island chain to NATO\u2019s eastern front.\n\nMr. Secretary, Admiral Caudle, General Smith \u2013 I\u2019ll look forward to hearing your views on these and other topics.", 1, "2026-05-22T06:27:39Z", "2026-05-22T06:29:18Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=A9915675-617D-4D8B-83D2-FB2CE4E93EBA", "McConnell Helps Secure $10 Million in Federal Funding for Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport", "2026-05-21", "2026", "2026-05", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced today that the U.S. Department of Transportation will provide $10 million in federal funding for the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) in Hebron, Kentucky. Senator McConnell helped secure this funding that will be used by CVG to modernize outdated equipment in Concourses A & B, as well as procure and install new passenger conveyance systems to improve passenger mobility and accessibility at the airport.\n\nSenator McConnell wrote a letter of support to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy advocating for the airport\u2019s competitive grant application. The federal grant is funded through the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration\u2019s Airport Terminal Program, established in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).\n\nSenator McConnell led the IIJA to Senate passage in 2021 as Senate Republican Leader, and President Biden signed the bill into law. Since its passage, the IIJA, which is set to expire in September of this year, has given Kentucky over $6 billion of federal funding that has been used to improve roads, bridges, internet access, water infrastructure, airports, and more.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m proud to have helped secure this federal funding for the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cMore than 8 million people traveled through CVG last year, and all of those travelers provide dollars that go back into the economy here in Kentucky. Its economic impact on Northern Kentucky and the entire region cannot be overstated, so I\u2019m glad to work with DOT to support the airport in its efforts to modernize infrastructure and facilities.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe express our sincere gratitude to Senator McConnell for his support of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and leadership to help secure critical investments to strengthen our nation\u2019s aviation infrastructure,\u201d said Larry Krauter, Chief Executive Officer, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. \u201cAt CVG, these critical funds will be used to modernize our facilities and improve the passenger experience through the purchase of passenger conveyance equipment including elevators, escalators, and moving walkways to replace aging infrastructure and improve system reliability, ADA accessibility, and energy efficiency.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-05-22T06:27:39Z", "2026-05-22T06:29:18Z"], ["https://www.paul.senate.gov/dr-rand-paul-introduces-the-legalizing-premium-health-care-act/", "Dr. Rand Paul Introduces the Legalizing Premium Health Care Act", "2026-05-20", "2026", "2026-05", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Rand Paul", "P000603", "www.paul.senate.gov", "paul", "https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced the Legalizing Premium Health Care Act, legislation that will give Medicare beneficiaries the freedom to see the doctor of their choice.\n\nIn recent years, burdensome paperwork requirements and declining reimbursement rates have driven thousands of health care providers, particularly those in private practice, to leave Medicare. As of March 2026, more than 50,000 physicians nationwide had opted out of the program.\n\n\u201cAt 65, seniors are pushed into Medicare, only to discover they can no longer afford to see the doctor they\u2019ve trusted for years,\u201d said Dr. Paul. \u201cThese patients shouldn\u2019t have to abandon their longtime physician or drain their savings just to receive care they\u2019ve already paid for through Medicare taxes. The Legalizing Premium Health Care Act reduces government interference, respects the doctor-patient relationship, and restores patients\u2019 choice in their health care decisions.\u201d\n\nUnder current rules, when a Medicare-eligible provider opts out, patients must pay the entire bill themselves and receive no reimbursement. The Legalizing Premium Health Care Act creates a third option: Medicare will directly reimburse beneficiaries (or the provider filing on their behalf) for covered services at the standard Medicare rate. Seniors would only pay any difference between the provider\u2019s charge and Medicare\u2019s approved amount\u2014dramatically lowering costs compared to paying the full bill.\n\nThe reform applies to a wide range of health professionals, including physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified registered nurse anesthetists, certified nurse-midwives, clinical social workers, clinical psychologists, registered dietitians or nutrition professionals, physical or occupational therapists, qualified speech-language pathologists, and qualified audiologists.\n\nRead the bill HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-05-21T06:28:16Z", "2026-05-21T06:29:43Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=2C202415-BEBF-4E5B-BFDB-9C86FBE59BFB", "McConnell Remarks at SAC-D FY27 Army Budget Hearing", "2026-05-19", "2026", "2026-05", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, delivered the following opening statement at today\u2019s hearing, \u201cA Review of the President\u2019s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request for the Army\u201d:\n\nI want to start by acknowledging the men and women of the U.S. Army working every day to defend America and confront our adversaries. Their jobs are dangerous but essential. And the sacrifices of the 272 soldiers wounded and the seven who gave their lives in Operation Epic Fury will not be forgotten.\n\nThey are, of course, only the latest servicemembers to be killed by Iran in its decades-long war against America. But, God willing, they will be the last.\n\nThis subcommittee\u2019s job is to make sure that the soldiers under your command are equipped to deter and, if necessary, defeat threats to our global interests, wherever they arise. And the substantial increase to topline spending in the FY27 request gives us an opportunity to make overdue progress.\n\nBut, as I\u2019ve said before, what happens under that topline matters a great deal. The amount we\u2019re willing to invest in stable, robust, year-on-year appropriations is what will determine the Army\u2019s readiness for strategic competition with peer adversaries, its ability to adapt to modern warfare, and even its magazine depth for conflict of any scale.\n\nThis is where I need to offer a few words of caution, and where I know a number of my colleagues will have questions.\n\nThe reliance of this budget request on one-time reconciliation spending is a risky approach to funding the joint force.\n\nAnd the Army\u2019s budget illustrates the risks pretty clearly:\n\nA majority of the funds the Army requires for critical munitions have been requested by OMB as mandatory spending instead of base discretionary spending.\n\n$24 billion of the $36 billion the Army spends on replenishing stocks of precision fires and interceptors would come as a one-time slug of cash, if reconciliation passes at all.\n\nThese funds would have no protection against the short-term continuing resolutions that have become the norm at the beginning of each fiscal year.\n\nMunitions are now ostensibly a top priority of this Administration. And the Deputy Secretary has rightly devoted enormous attention and resources to the problem \u2013 one we should all know took many years to create and will take years of consistent funding to solve\u2026\n\n\u2026And yet, barely a third of total munitions investments required by the Army are built into the full-year base budget.\n\nFor all the talk about sending a clear demand signal to industry, this strikes me as an unnecessary risk.\n\nAnd I\u2019ll need to hear more from you about how this approach can possibly align with the long-term task ahead of us on restoring the munitions industrial base in America.\n\nThe nature of modern warfare is changing, and recent events in the Middle East suggest the U.S. military may not be adapting as quickly as necessary. That said, I appreciate the Army\u2019s efforts to identify and apply lessons learned from Ukraine and the Middle East.\n\nMr. Secretary, I appreciate your willingness to call it like you see it. And I think you were absolutely right to identify the battlefield innovation taking place in Ukraine as \u201cthe Silicon Valley of warfare\u201d.\n\nLikewise, Members of this subcommittee were recently briefed by General Chris Donahue and Lieutenant General Curtis Buzzard.\n\nIt was clear that they, too, understand the path to drone dominance runs through partnership with the world\u2019s foremost experts in drone warfare, the Ukrainians.\n\nThis fact is so clear that it\u2019s difficult to understand why more senior officials at the Pentagon, particularly those directly responsible for Ukraine policy or military modernization, haven\u2019t followed the example you and General George set back in November by actually seeing this battle lab of tactical, technical, and industrial innovation firsthand in Ukraine.\n\nRegrettably, General George was recently fired and I understand both of these innovating, reform-minded combat veterans are set to retire.\n\nIt\u2019s pretty clear to me that America doesn\u2019t stand to gain from opting out of the latest battlefield lessons\u2026 or the sort of cooperation with Ukraine on drone technology that our allies in the Gulf are urgently embracing.\n\nAnd making modest investments in this cooperation to ensure that U.S. soldiers have access to the latest battle-proven lessons and technology as they forge new doctrine seems like money well-spent.\n\nThat\u2019s why I\u2019m concerned that the vast majority of the funds the Department requested for drone and counter-drone capabilities would come in the form of one-off reconciliation.\n\nIf adapting to this reality of modern warfare is a priority \u2013 as Department leaders say it is \u2013 then we ought to prove it by making room in the full-year base budget.\n\nI\u2019ll want to hear from you about how the Army values ties with capable partners in Ukraine\u2026 and about what our troops get out of engagement with frontline NATO allies, as well.\n\nThese relationships repay U.S. investments and then some. But they\u2019re under unnecessary strain. Threats to allies like Denmark and surprise force posture changes that affect model host allies like Poland are self-defeating.\n\nMr. Secretary, General LaNeve \u2013 I\u2019ll look forward to hearing your views on these and other topics.", 1, "2026-05-20T06:27:31Z", "2026-05-20T06:28:54Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=AB413AA7-CECA-4A3F-84C3-93EEDE578CE4", "McConnell Remarks at SAC-D FY27 Defense Budget Hearing", "2026-05-12", "2026", "2026-05", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, delivered the following opening statement at today\u2019s hearing, \u201cA Review of the President\u2019s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request for the Department of Defense\u201d:\n\nSecretary Hegseth, General Caine \u2013 welcome. I\u2019m looking forward to discussing the President\u2019s budget request and I\u2019m encouraged by this opportunity to work together for the common defense.\n\nToday, the need for significant defense investments is as urgent and obvious as it is overdue. Quantity has a quality all its own. And the sheer scale of our defense commitments sends a powerful signal.\n\nBut what goes on under that topline matters. The way this budget request is structured matters. This is not a $1.5 trillion dollar defense appropriations request. It\u2019s a request for $1.1 trillion in base appropriations and another $350 billion in reconciliation.\n\nThe good news? The base request reflects real growth, unlike the net cut in the FY26 request\u2026 and unlike the Biden-level CR for FY25.\n\nBut some of the most pressing items on the FY27 to-do list are downstream of missed opportunities in FY26\u2026 Like the failure to fully fund $28 billion in multiyear contracts for critical munitions. This subcommittee did what we could to increase munitions purchases above the FY26 requested levels. But we couldn\u2019t do it all without sufficient topline.\n\nThis year, the FY27 request sets a higher topline\u2026High enough, one would think, to build the Department\u2019s highest priorities into the base budget request, instead of shunting them off into a one-time reconciliation request.\n\nWhich brings me to the bad news: The FY27 request fails to make room in the base budget for some of the military\u2019s top priorities.\n\nThis distinction between base and reconciliation matters. Base funding is what creates budget stability for the services and sends consistent demand signals to industry. And base funding is what gets extended by short-term continuing resolutions when work on full-year appropriations is unfinished.\n\nAs I said last year, reconciliation should be a supplement to, not a substitute for, sustained annual funding.\n\nPolitical realities will not always allow for party-line budget reconciliation, and if the Department\u2019s top priorities aren\u2019t built into annual appropriations, we\u2019re taking a big risk.\n\nThe Department is right to make Golden Dome, munitions, the F-35 program, and drone dominance top priorities.\n\nBut these key lines of effort only work if we put them on solid fiscal footing.\n\nSo why is the Department requesting funding for multi-year munitions contracts \u2013 which, by definition, require steady year-on-year funding \u2013 via one-time reconciliation?\n\nAnd why risk some of the President\u2019s top priorities like Golden Dome by not firmly building them into the Department\u2019s base budget?\n\nNational missile defense will require sustained funding over many years, not a one-off expenditure.\n\nOther key platforms, like a second destroyer and the E-7 battle management aircraft aren\u2019t requested in base or reconciliation.\n\nMr. Secretary, you\u2019ve been outspoken about the place of America\u2019s armed forces as the \u201cmost powerful, most lethal, and most prepared military on the planet\u201d.\n\nI\u2019m as committed as you are to sustaining that role\u2026 But that\u2019s precisely why I\u2019m confused by the Administration\u2019s failure to prioritize key systems in year-on-year base-budget spending.\n\nMr. Secretary, I hope you\u2019ll also explain the Department\u2019s current approach to allies and partners. The stunning success of Operation Midnight Hammer and Operation Epic Fury illustrates the importance of the access, basing, and overflight granted by allies in Europe and the Gulf.\n\nI\u2019m as frustrated as anyone about Spain, but they are the exception to the rule when it comes to European allies carrying more of the burden.\n\nLikewise, it\u2019s impossible to conceive of U.S. power projection in INDOPACOM without the reach that comes from decades-old alliance relationships.\n\nSo I\u2019ll want to hear the Department\u2019s view on the role of longtime allies in support of U.S. interests across the globe\u2026 Because it\u2019s quite clear now that our expectation for European allies is no longer the \u201cfocus on your own continent\u201d message they received from your subordinates for most of last year.\n\nOur adversaries are working together to undermine America and the West.\n\nStrained relations with our partners \u2013 who are making generational commitments to collective defense and driving investment into American-made weapons and systems \u2013 serves our adversaries\u2019 interests and limits our capacity and deterrent power globally.\n\nSo I\u2019ll want to hear about the future of capacity-building with committed allies and partners, from the Baltic States to Taiwan and the Philippines. And I expect that European capacity-building investments intended specifically for Ukraine reach their destination without further delay.\n\nWars in Ukraine and the Middle East clearly show that we have things to learn from our friends. If we want Drone Dominance, it makes perfect sense to deepen cooperation with the world\u2019s foremost drone warfare experts.\n\nThis isn\u2019t charity. When our partners are capable, deterrence is stronger and the risk to US servicemembers is lower. This is as true in the Middle East today as it is in Europe and in the Indo-Pacific.\n\nOur allies and partners share many of our global interests, and if fail to take advantage of this alignment, we\u2019re only hurting ourselves.\n\nI\u2019ll end with one final observation on the prospect of supplemental appropriations: The deficiencies of our critical munitions stocks and industrial capacity existed long before conflict with Iran and Russia\u2019s escalation in Ukraine.\n\nIf the Administration sends Congress a supplemental appropriations request, it\u2019ll be an important step toward fixing a longstanding problem and investing in future deterrence. It shouldn\u2019t be a referendum on war in Iran.\n\nI supported a national security supplemental in 2024 even though I thought President Biden\u2019s approach to Russia and Iran was too weak.\n\nI did it not only because supporting Ukraine is in our strategic interests, but because these funds helped replenish American stockpiles and restore our own defense industrial base.\n\nToday, the need to expand munitions production and replace battlefield losses is even more urgent.\n\nAnd if we get the chance to consider an emergency supplemental, I would urge each of our colleagues \u2013 even those who object to the president\u2019s use of force against Iran \u2013 to leave politics at the door and help restore readiness.", 1, "2026-05-13T06:12:22Z", "2026-05-13T06:13:52Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=E8C83CDB-AF33-4E16-8E35-E19534265E16", "McConnell Praises POTUS Announcement on Bourbon Tariffs", "2026-04-30", "2026", "2026-04", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) issued the following statement today regarding President Trump\u2019s decision to remove tariffs on bourbon and whiskey:\n\n\u201cWith the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby this Saturday, the President\u2019s decision to roll back tariffs on bourbon and whiskey is timely and welcome news. 95% of the world\u2019s bourbon is produced in the Commonwealth and the industry employs more than 23,000 hardworking Kentuckians. This move will give businesses the certainty they need to increase investment in Kentucky\u2019s economy. After more than a year of looming high prices and increased costs, Kentucky\u2019s bourbon industry and the consumers that support it can be hopeful for the future.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-05-01T06:06:26Z", "2026-05-01T06:08:22Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=DC75DAA9-75B0-4569-92CD-B059F10CF443", "McConnell in The Washington Post: Why is the Pentagon holding up Ukraine funds?", "2026-04-28", "2026", "2026-04", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, submitted the following op-ed published in The Washington Post regarding Ukraine:\n\nHeadlines often say that Americans don\u2019t support U.S. aid to Ukraine, but real Americans say otherwise. They have consistently affirmed that Washington should aid Kyiv in resisting Russian aggression. Congress last year acted on that wish: Republican majorities on both armed services committees authorized $400 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative for each of the next two years. Appropriators fully funded that authorization for fiscal 2026 with overwhelming support.\n\nYet the Ukraine aid we passed months ago is now collecting dust at the Pentagon. When Senate appropriators have sought an explanation from the department\u2019s policy shop, led by Undersecretary Elbridge Colby, they\u2019ve been stonewalled. Our colleagues on armed services have also expressed growing frustration with the Defense Department\u2019s inability to communicate.\n\nThis doesn\u2019t seem to be a first for Colby. Last year, he was reportedly behind the decision to suspend arms shipments to Kyiv \u2014 a decision that one source said caught Trump \u201cflat-footed.\u201d Colby also determined that security assistance to Ukraine and America\u2019s NATO allies in the Baltics was \u201cwasteful\u201d and removed these long-standing efforts from the fiscal 2026 budget request. Republican majorities disagreed and restored the funds. We did so not out of charity but because aiding Ukraine is an investment in America\u2019s security.\n\nIn the first two years of the full-scale war, support for Ukraine drove billions of dollars in investments in the U.S. defense industrial base. Even amid the Biden administration\u2019s anemic response, Senate appropriators used supplemental funding bills to expand production capacity for critical munitions and components like solid rocket motors. Congress also exceeded the Trump administration\u2019s request in the fiscal 2026 defense appropriations bill to build on that progress and address long-standing munitions shortfalls. Pentagon officials who embraced a continuing resolution last year \u2014 and a fiscal 2026 budget request that wouldn\u2019t have come close to maximizing U.S. production capacity \u2014 therefore needn\u2019t lecture us about limited supplies.\n\nPresident Donald Trump\u2019s focus on ending the war is noble. But the price and stability of peace matter. The Pentagon\u2019s approach of withholding or slow-rolling support to Ukraine is in effect the same strategy President Joe Biden deployed. Never mind that hesitating to give Ukraine what it needs weakens its capacity to defend against aggression and hampers the prospects of diplomacy.\n\nPentagon officials seem to have retained other self-defeating policies too. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and then-Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George visited Ukraine last year to see firsthand the rapid evolution of battlefield tactics and technologies. Driscoll described it as the \u201cSilicon Valley of warfare\u201d and recently said the country has \u201cdone an amazing job innovating.\u201d But he and Gen. George are among the few senior officials to have made the journey.\n\nI know other officers who are eager to apply Ukrainians\u2019 counter-drone and electronic warfare lessons to the U.S. Army\u2019s preparations for future conflicts. They can\u2019t learn from a war, however, if they can\u2019t properly observe it. The Pentagon nevertheless continues a Biden administration policy of significantly capping the number of military trainers authorized to assist Ukraine and witness the conflict up close.\n\nWhether by policy or by choice, top Pentagon officials responsible for Ukraine policy, including the head of the U.S. European Command, haven\u2019t made the trip. The president\u2019s special envoy in charge of negotiations evidently hasn\u2019t either, even though he\u2019s been to Moscow multiple times.\n\nAmerica\u2019s adversaries aren\u2019t so willfully ignorant about the modern battlefield. They are learning and adapting. Iran has made that painfully clear in its attacks on U.S. personnel and facilities in the Persian Gulf, which applied drone capabilities honed by Russia with deadly effect. North Korea has likewise gotten involved, sending troops to Russia not out of charity but for tactical experience and closer alignment with Moscow. China is doubtless watching events in Ukraine and the Middle East closely as it refines its military investments and plans.\n\nWe\u2019re already paying a price for inaction. The Biden and Trump administrations have both failed to take advantage of Ukraine\u2019s advances in drone and counter-drone technology. Militaries, including our own, are now scrambling to get those proven systems to the Mideast to better defend against Iranian strikes.\n\nMeantime, the Pentagon still won\u2019t tell us why it hasn\u2019t obligated and executed modest Ukraine investments. If we\u2019re serious about \u201cdrone dominance,\u201d we shouldn\u2019t sandbag a relationship with the world\u2019s foremost drone experts. And if we\u2019re keen on remaining the world\u2019s preeminent superpower, we shouldn\u2019t let unelected defense officials undermine U.S. leadership and obstruct deepening ties with Ukraine\u2019s innovative military and industrial base. What gives?", 1, "2026-04-29T06:03:53Z", "2026-04-29T06:05:09Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=40F01F2F-4556-43D6-AB5F-1397F35417B4", "McConnell at SAC-D Hearing on FY27 Budget Request for National Guard, Reserve Forces", "2026-04-21", "2026", "2026-04", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, delivered the following opening statement at today\u2019s hearing, \u201cA Review of the President\u2019s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request for the National Guard and Reserves Forces\u201d:\n\nWith the FY27 appropriations process now underway, we\u2019re here today to receive testimony on the posture of the National Guard Bureau and Reserve Components.\n\nI\u2019d like to thank our witnesses:\n\nGeneral Steven Nordhaus, Chief of the National Guard Bureau; Lieutenant General Robert Harter, Chief of the Army Reserve; Rear Admiral Richard Lofgren, Acting Chief of Navy Reserve; Lieutenant General Loni Anderson, Commander of Marine Forces Reserve; And Lieutenant General John P. Healy, Chief of Air Force Reserve.\n\nThis will be General Healy\u2019s final posture hearing with the Subcommittee. So I want to thank him and his wife, Cathy, for decades of dedicated service to our nation and the lasting impact he\u2019ll leave on the force.\n\nGentlemen, welcome. We look forward to a candid discussion about the President\u2019s Budget Request for FY 2027.\n\nThe President\u2019s intention to significantly increase overall investment in our national defense is welcome news. But details beneath that topline will determine whether the U.S. military can train, equip, deploy, and sustain a force capable of deterring serious threats.\n\nThe Guard and Reserve are critical to homeland defense, security cooperation with allies and partners, and readiness to meet aggression with an overwhelming response.\n\nOngoing operations in the Middle East offer a tragic reminder: a majority of the servicemembers killed in action since March 1st have been members of the Guard and Reserve. And I know the Subcommittee\u2019s deepest sympathies are with their comrades and families.\n\nOf course, current conflicts also offer urgent lessons about the future of warfare. This is not just a responsibility of the active component.\n\nSecretary Driscoll observed last week that Ukraine has, quote, \u201cfundamentally altered how humans engage in conflict\u201d and that \u201cwe are learning a lot from them\u201d. I think the Secretary\u2019s observation is spot-on. But the value of these lessons will hinge on our ability to apply them.\n\nOur adversaries, for their part, are applying them. Iran has used lessons from Russia\u2019s war and applied them against us in the Middle East. The U.S., on the other hand, has been slow to adapt.\n\nWhy? In part because two Administrations in a row have limited the number of military advisors who could visit Ukraine. It is hard to learn if you do not observe.\n\nIt\u2019s also hard to deepen cooperation with Ukraine while cutting assistance. That\u2019s why Republican majorities in Congress voted both to authorize and appropriate $400 million in assistance for FY26. And we expect that the Department will obligate and expend those funds in accordance with Congressional intent.\n\nThe current strategic landscape suggests that the demand for highly-trained, well-equipped citizens in uniform like the ones currently operating in CENTCOM isn\u2019t likely to decrease anytime soon.\n\nBut the Guard and Reserve\u2019s ability to perform these critical missions \u2013 to answer the call \u2013 depends on your access to modern capabilities and stable funding. So I\u2019ll be curious to hear what lessons you\u2019re deriving from current conflicts and what you\u2019re doing to implement them across your commands.\n\nI was encouraged that the President\u2019s budget request includes increased funding for Military Personnel, Operation and Maintenance, and most notably the National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account.\n\nCongress has historically carried the water for this account, which helps to modernize the equipment available to the Guard and Reserve. But it is included in the base budget request for the first time.\n\nThese are important signals of commitment. But you know better than anyone that it\u2019ll be hard to meet multi-year modernization targets without stable funding. And on that front, I\u2019ve repeatedly warned the Department and OMB that one-time shots of reconciliation dollars cannot stand in for consistent annual appropriations.\n\nWe owe it to the men and women of our armed forces to reliably provide ample funding for the common defense year after year by strong, bipartisan margins.", 1, "2026-04-22T05:46:42Z", "2026-04-22T05:48:06Z"], ["https://www.paul.senate.gov/266421-2/", "Dr. Rand Paul Introduces the Bipartisan Hemp Safety Enforcement Act", "2026-04-20", "2026", "2026-04", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Rand Paul", "P000603", "www.paul.senate.gov", "paul", "https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Dr. Rand Paul (R-KY) today introduced the bipartisan Hemp Safety Enforcement Act, a bipartisan bill that empowers states and Tribal governments to regulate and ensure the safety of hemp and hemp-derived products, preventing a looming federal crackdown from shutting down a thriving, multi-billion-dollar American industry.\n\nThe Hemp Safety Enforcement Act is cosponsored by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Joni Ernst (R-IA).\n\nThe hemp sector faces extinction because of a provision buried in the 2026 agricultural appropriations bill that effectively bans most hemp products nationwide.\n\n\u201cHalf the states have already set up their own smart rules, THC limits, age restrictions, and safety standards that let hemp farmers grow, manufacturers innovate, and consumers stay safe,\u201d said Dr. Paul. \u201cWashington shouldn\u2019t wipe out those efforts or destroy jobs and access to products that help our veterans, our elderly, and families across the country. This bill gives states the freedom to regulate hemp responsibly while keeping dangerous synthetics off the market and ensuring products can move freely between states.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve heard loud and clear from brewers, farmers, and small businesses in Minnesota \u2013 a federal ban on hemp products will be devastating. Minnesota is a national leader in hemp products, and Congress should recognize that leadership and commitment to consumer safety. I appreciate Senator Paul for his continued partnership on this issue, and I will continue to push in the Senate for a solution that protects Minnesota\u2019s small businesses and farmers,\u201d said Sen. Klobuchar (D-MN).\n\nThe Hemp Safety Enforcement Act is endorsed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of Kentucky, U.S. Hemp Roundtable, Hemp Beverage Alliance, Hemp Industry and Farmers of America, and Cornbread Hemp.\n\nCommander Nicole Horseman of the VFW Kentucky says, \u201cFrom our perspective, a balance matters. A full ban risks cutting off access and slowing down research at a time when we should be learning more about what actually helps veterans, not less. The Veterans of Foreign Wars has been clear at the national level that we support continued research and access to alternative treatments, and we see your legislation as being consistent with that goal.\n\nJonathan Miller, General Counsel for U.S. Hemp Roundtable, says, \u201cThe U.S. Hemp Roundtable, indeed the entire domestic hemp industry, is deeply grateful to Senators Rand Paul and Amy Klobuchar for their introduction of legislation that would provide for the continued sale of valued hemp products in states with regulatory programs, despite the impending federal ban. This legislation would provide invaluable protection for farmers, small businesses, and consumers who rely on these products for their health and wellness. Senators Paul and Klobuchar continue to demonstrate their steadfast support for this promising agricultural industry.\u201d \u2013\n\nChristopher Lackner, Founder and President of Hemp Beverage Alliance, says, \u201cThe Hemp Beverage Alliance applauds Senator Paul and Senator Klobuchar for standing up for the hemp industry. A majority of the states in the country already have a hemp regulatory framework in place to protect public health, with several other states currently working on creating their own regulations. This commonsense bill will allow those states to continue building a flourishing hemp market that creates jobs and generates much-needed tax revenue.\u201d\n\nJim Higdon, Co-Founder and Chief Communications Officer of Cornbread Hemp, says, \u201cAs a Kentucky hemp company, we\u2019re deeply grateful to Senators Rand Paul and Amy Klobuchar for legislation that protects the continued sale of hemp products in states with regulatory programs. Kentucky farmers and businesses like ours have built real value to the American economy \u2014 full spectrum CBD products that consumers depend on for their health and hemp beverages that many enjoy for wellness. This legislation will allow states to work together to get this right.\u201d \u2013\n\nWhat the Hemp Safety Enforcement Act does:\n\nGives states and Tribes an opt-out: Any state or Tribal government can simply notify the federal government and take full control of hemp regulation.\n\nBuilds in real safety protections: States choosing self-regulation must enforce a minimum age for buying hemp-derived cannabinoid products and keep the ban on synthetic cannabinoids that do not naturally occur in the hemp plant. While protecting kids from intoxicating synthetics is important, a blanket federal prohibition threatens legitimate farmers, small businesses, veterans, seniors, and millions of everyday Americans who rely on safe, non-intoxicating hemp-derived products for health and wellness.\n\nProtects interstate commerce: No state can block legal hemp or hemp-derived products from moving to or from other states that have also opted out.\n\nAligns with pro-research policy: Consistent with President Trump\u2019s Executive Order on expanding medical marijuana and CBD research, the bill preserves access to beneficial products while cracking down on real dangers.\n\nThe Hemp Safety Enforcement Act will protect kids while allowing Kentucky farmers, American manufacturers, and consumers nationwide to benefit from hemp-derived products.\n\nRead the bill here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-21T05:46:59Z", "2026-04-21T05:48:34Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=2A99D3B6-222A-4300-886F-F48608B6DFF8", "McConnell in FOX News: Hungary\u2019s voters offer a lesson for those on the right drawn to Orban", "2026-04-13", "2026", "2026-04", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), submitted the following op-ed published by FOXNews.com regarding Hungary\u2019s parliamentary elections:\n\nOn Sunday, voters in Hungary\u2019s parliamentary elections ousted Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party, as polls had consistently predicted they would. Orban\u2019s prompt concession suggests a peaceful, democratic transfer of power in the days to come. Most notably, Hungarians appear to have been unswayed by foreign attempts \u2014 both real and imagined \u2014 to subvert or manipulate their judgment.\n\nThis should not come as a surprise to Americans. We, too, bristle at suggestions that anyone but our own lawful citizens ought to have a say in our democratic process. And beyond the extreme margins of our politics, there is little evidence that foreign influence campaigns are very successful in shaping the views of American voters.\n\nAmerica\u2019s own political leaders have traditionally abided by the idea that politics stopped at the water\u2019s edge. They\u2019ve sought to avoid even the appearance of telling other sovereign democracies how to run their internal affairs and resisted the urge to treat foreign policy as an extension of our domestic politics.\n\nI haven\u2019t hesitated to call out departures from these prudent customs, like the increasingly flagrant ways that elected Democrats have sought to insert themselves into the lively democratic politics of Israel. Yet, for the better part of a decade, Hungarian politics has persisted as an object of intense fascination in certain corners of the American right.\n\nThis phenomenon is endlessly puzzling. America\u2019s self-proclaimed national conservatives spoke of Orban\u2019s Hungary as an oasis of traditionalism amid the wasteland of an ailing, liberal and decadent postmodern Europe. And some American politicians appear to have bought into the myth.\n\nTo be clear, it is a myth. Orban\u2019s champions on this side of the Atlantic may well consider his illiberal court-packing, crony capitalism or restriction of free speech an acceptable price for their desired social utopia. Yet for all the talk of reviving faith and family through statist intervention, Hungary\u2019s religious participation and birth rates under his rule have declined right alongside the rest of the West.\n\nOf course, had any of the breathless pronouncements of Hungary\u2019s unique virtue been true, they\u2019d be a reasonable basis for personal affinity ... but not for U.S. foreign policy. Shared values can be a useful entr\u00e9e into deeper cooperation with allies and partners. But to the extent that values have played a central role in successful U.S. foreign policy, it has been in service to, and aligned with, our strategic interests.\n\nClearly, Orban\u2019s fawning servitude to authoritarians doesn\u2019t reflect American values. But far more importantly, his government\u2019s fealty to Moscow, its willingness to be a gateway into Europe for China\u2019s predatory machinations, and its deepening ties with Iran run counter to America\u2019s interests.\n\nThese allegiances ought to matter a great deal to American conservatives who, quite rightly, expect European allies to carry a greater share of the burden of deterring threats to our shared Western interests.\n\nThe Trump administration\u2019s 2025 National Security Strategy observes that America \"will need a strong Europe to help us successfully compete\" with strategic adversaries. But Europe\u2019s tremendous progress toward greater burden-sharing on defense has come despite Hungary\u2019s defense budget shrinking by 6% last year and Orban\u2019s active opposition to European Union support for Ukraine. While other allies have decreased their reliance on Russian energy, Orban has doubled down on Hungary\u2019s dependence on Russian gas. And in 2024, he struck an \"all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership\" with America\u2019s foremost strategic adversary, the PRC.\n\nOrban\u2019s Hungary offered America little in the way of strategic alignment, let alone \"moral cooperation.\" Today, the highest shared value between Americans and the people of Hungary is the right to choose our own leaders, freely and fairly, without foreign or domestic interference.\n\nOf course, American conservatives who still worry in particular about the social fabric and moral values of Europe\u2019s 19th-largest economy should take heart: The next Hungarian prime minister is unlikely to turn Budapest into a den of iniquity or impose Sharia law. And I have yet to hear him propose opening the country\u2019s borders or sacrificing its sovereignty on the altar of the European Union.\n\nInstead, what seems to have motivated Hungarian voters is a distaste for the crony capitalism and corruption that have weakened Hungary\u2019s economy and the image of its ruling party. Their next prime minister is, after all, a product of that ruling party who campaigned on addressing Hungary\u2019s economic woes rather than just scapegoating them. I suspect Hungary\u2019s voters will, in turn, judge his government on whether he succeeds in doing so.\n\nWatching this from Kentucky, it is hard to understand how some on the American right thought that staking U.S. influence on the outcome of a parliamentary election in a small, central European country was putting America\u2019s interests first. To the extent that what happens in Hungary matters to America, it is a question of whether its actions on the world stage \u2014 not its social policies \u2014 align with America\u2019s strategic interests.\n\nThe future course of U.S.-Hungary strategic alignment under the new government remains to be seen. But to the extent that Hungary\u2019s next leaders behave with less obeisance toward our adversaries and a more serious focus on our shared interests, Washington may be wise to welcome this change.", 1, "2026-04-15T05:46:42Z", "2026-04-15T05:48:27Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=5357AEF9-C48B-4E80-BE89-D1C14ED94F48", "McConnell Statement on Rutte, Trump Meeting", "2026-04-07", "2026", "2026-04", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "LOUISVILLE, KY \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, released the following statement prior to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte\u2019s meeting with President Trump:\n\n\u201cThe President\u2019s meeting with NATO Secretary General Rutte comes at a consequential moment in America\u2019s alliance relationships. Close consultation with allies doesn\u2019t constrain our action to secure our interests; it enhances it.\n\n\u201cBy every relevant measure, the trans-Atlantic alliance is the most successful military alliance in world history. Through decades of Cold War, despite numerous disputes among allies, NATO consistently deterred Soviet aggression and served America\u2019s national interests. Following the September 11th attacks, NATO allies sent their young servicemembers to fight and die alongside America\u2019s own in Afghanistan and Iraq. And for decades, access, basing, and overflight across the continent have helped America maintain forward presence and secure global interests from the High North to the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific.\n\n\u201cOur adversaries\u2019 close coordination to undermine these interests is on display in war with Iran. Quite simply, America will not succeed in strategic competition with the PRC and its axis partners in Moscow, Tehran, and Pyongyang if we spend more time nursing grudges with allies who share our interests than deterring adversaries who threaten us.\n\n\u201cThe Administration has secured remarkable progress toward greater burden sharing across NATO. Today, many European allies spend more on defense as a percentage of GDP than does the United States. And together, they provide vastly more assistance to Ukraine than does Washington. But with respect to the President\u2019s frustration that NATO allies are not more engaged in the Middle East, he has been badly served by senior officials\u2019 open hostility to European allies and year-long admonishments to Europe to focus exclusively on its affairs at home.\n\n\u201cThe President\u2019s engagement with the Secretary General, and our signals to allied leaders, must be clear and consistent. NATO allies do have a stake in the future stability of the Middle East, just as they have a stake in a free and open Indo-Pacific. I am hopeful Secretary General Rutte\u2019s visit will help to advance our collective interests globally.\n\n\u201cJust as the threats we face today are linked across regions and combatant commands, the value of America\u2019s alliance commitments is a global resource. How we talk about our NATO allies in public, and how we consult them in private, affects the strength of our other alliances and partnerships across the world. European allies are carrying more of the burden of collective defense. If we remain with them, they will be with us. But clarity and consistency must be the order of the day on both sides of the Atlantic.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-09T05:39:42Z", "2026-04-09T05:40:59Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=B78055C4-806A-4970-B5AD-2F52A4D4F3FC", "McConnell Statement on FY27 Budget Request Defense Topline", "2026-04-03", "2026", "2026-04", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "LOUISVILLE, KY \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, released the following statement on the outlined President\u2019s budget request:\n\n\u201cUndoing the damage of chronic underinvestment in the national defense is a multi-year proposition and I welcome the president\u2019s request for significant growth in annual appropriations for the U.S. armed forces.\n\n\u201cAs I have cautioned for years, meeting the most pressing challenges to U.S. national security will require reliable, sustained, and significant annual investment in our military strength. Budget reconciliation, for its part, can only supplement \u2014 not replace \u2014 the consistent demand signals necessary to secure the private sector investments necessary to adequately expand and modernize our defense industrial base. Regular order appropriations are the right way to meet the scale and scope of the requirements of our military as it confronts growing threats from increasingly aligned adversaries. Senate defense appropriators will remain focused on the FY27 annual funding process, Congress\u2019 primary opportunity to meet its constitutional obligation to provide for the common defense.\n\n\u201cAs we wait for full details of the FY27 budget request, Congress also stands ready for a request for supplemental appropriations, for which there is an urgent need to make credible down payments on critical munitions and multiyear contracts authorized by congress last year that were unnecessarily hamstrung by an insufficient defense topline. Ongoing conflicts have exacerbated these and other urgent military requirements, and the need to make these investments and recapitalize battlefield losses is urgent. There is spare capacity within industry to begin producing needed capabilities in the current fiscal year, and given the long timelines associated with producing modern weapon systems we should not wait as dangers gather.\n\n\u201cIn the coming weeks, the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee will welcome candid testimony from leaders from the Department of Defense, the military services, and the intelligence community. The success of our efforts will depend on close cooperation and timely information sharing from department counterparts.\u201d", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=A7867E0A-D204-4DA0-A82D-AEC0A9F0CBEC", "McConnell, Coons Statement on NATO", "2026-04-01", "2026", "2026-04", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "LOUISVILLE, KY \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, issued the following statement on NATO:\n\n\u201cNATO is the most successful military alliance in history. It has underpinned the security of the United States for more than 70 years.\n\n\u201cThe only time NATO has gone to war has been in response to an attack on America. NATO troops fought and died in Afghanistan and Iraq alongside American forces. The United States must not take this sacrifice \u2013 nor our allies\u2019 commitment to make it again \u2013 lightly.\n\n\u201cAlliance disputes are as old as the alliance itself. Americans are safer when NATO is strong and united. It is in our interest for all allies to tend this unity with care. The United States joined NATO in 1949 when the Senate voted to ratify the NATO treaty, and the United States will remain in it. The Senate will continue to support the alliance for the peace and protection it provides America, Europe, and the World.\u201d", 1, "2026-04-02T05:33:17Z", "2026-04-02T05:34:59Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=7400EA39-0795-42F8-B95D-D2DB8CAC9634", "McConnell Proud to Confirm Mullin as Secretary of Homeland Security", "2026-03-23", "2026", "2026-03", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) issued the following statement today regarding the confirmation of Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security:\n\n\u201cMarkwayne Mullin has been a fierce advocate for the people of Oklahoma in Congress, and I\u2019ve been proud to serve with him in the U.S. Senate for the last three years. His next job will entail even bigger responsibilities, from protecting America\u2019s critical infrastructure to keeping the southern border secure. As Secretary Mullin gets to work, I look forward to working with him to defend our country from domestic and foreign threats. And I urge Senate Democrats to join Republicans in restoring the funding he\u2019ll need to carry out DHS\u2019s important mission.\u201d", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=E5A23C1F-62B2-41CA-A967-6BF6B2EACA19", "McConnell, Coons Meet with Representatives of Denmark, Greenland", "2026-03-18", "2026", "2026-03", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "R-L: U.S. Senator Coons, Head of Representation Isbosethsen, Ambassador M\u00f8ller S\u00f8rensen, U.S. Senator McConnell.\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Ranking Member, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), released the following statement today on their meeting with Ambassador of Denmark to the United States Jesper M\u00f8ller S\u00f8rensen and Head of Representation for Greenland to the United States and Canada Jacob Isbosethsen:\n\n\u201cAlliances make America safer and more secure. And as the Arctic becomes a center of strategic competition with Russia and the PRC, capable northern allies like Denmark and friends like Greenland will be invaluable. Two hundred twenty-five years after the United States and Denmark established diplomatic relations, we were glad to discuss the future of trans-Atlantic cooperation in the Arctic with Ambassador M\u00f8ller S\u00f8rensen and Head of Representation Isbosethsen and reiterate strong Senate support for the friendship on which our alliance is built.\u201d", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=C56A0C38-8C59-4D2D-861B-43D0A7B5E287", "McConnell On War With Iran, Aligned Adversaries, and Fallen Kentuckian", "2026-03-12", "2026", "2026-03", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor honoring the life of Staff Sergeant Benjamin N. Pennington and aligned allies and adversaries in the war with Iran:\n\nThis week, we learned that a seventh American had died in war with Iran. Staff Sergeant Benjamin N. Pennington, U.S. Army, was a native of Glendale, Kentucky, not far from Fort Knox. He was deployed with the 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. And an Iranian strike mortally wounded him in the line of duty.\n\nI\u2019m confident that, today, Glendale and the rest of Hardin County are surrounding Sergeant Pennington\u2019s parents, Timothy and Carrie, with support.\n\nTheir son was, by all accounts, deeply admired by the neighbors, pastors, and coaches who helped him become the man he was. At his alma mater, Central Hardin High School, Benjamin Pennington was remembered as \u201cthe quintessential all-American\u201d.\n\nOf course, there is no amount of praise for Sergeant Pennington\u2019s character, commitment, or bravery that can fill the hole left by his loss. The knowledge that he fell pursuing a noble calling is a small comfort. But it cannot obscure an empty seat at the dinner table.\n\nAnd so my deepest sympathies are with the Pennington family \u2013 today, and in the difficult days to come.\n\n***\n\nMr. President, the sacrifices of Sergeant Pennington and six other fallen comrades in war with Iran have not been in vain.\n\nFor nearly half a century, Iran has waged war on the United States. In fewer than two weeks, U.S. and partner operations have degraded Iran\u2019s military, its missile threat, and its capacity to spread violence and terror. And in doing so, they\u2019ve delivered a small measure of justice for the hundreds of U.S. personnel killed by the Iranian regime.\n\nThere\u2019s been plenty of discussion about where this war fits among U.S. strategic priorities, and I hope the Administration will be more forthcoming on this front soon.\n\nBut some critics want to evaluate war with Iran without even acknowledging that wider context\u2026 As if combatting the rampant terror and violence from China\u2019s leading source of oil and Russia\u2019s leading source of attack drones has nothing to do with peace in Europe or deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.\n\nI\u2019ve called out this fiction before. I\u2019ve urged colleagues and decisionmakers in successive administrations not to overlook the ways our adversaries\u2019 threats to America\u2019s interests are increasingly aligned.\n\nThe PRC is not a neutral observer in the Middle East. Beijing has an interest in the steady flow of cheap Iranian oil \u2013 to the tune of 1.4 million barrels last year. And as Iran\u2019s proxy wars, missile program, and nuclear ambitions taxed our attention and resources, the PRC benefited strategically and financially from the distraction.\n\nRussia isn\u2019t a disinterested party, either. Moscow and Tehran, together, propped up the brutal Assad regime in Syria, allowing them to project power deeper into the Middle East and the Mediterranean. A shadow fleet has continued to help both regimes evade western sanctions. And needless to say, Russia\u2019s war of conquest in Ukraine would look quite different without a steady supply of Iranian attack drones.\n\nIranian drones in Ukrainian skies have already made the connections between America\u2019s adversaries crystal clear. But now, public reporting also indicates Russia may be providing intelligence for Iran\u2019s attacks across the Gulf.\n\nThe President\u2019s all-purpose emissary, Steve Witkoff, has downplayed these reports and relayed Russia\u2019s strenuous denial of any such intelligence sharing. And for the sake of U.S. servicemembers, I certainly hope that\u2019s true. But unlike Mr. Witkoff, I am not at all inclined to, quote, \u201ctake the Russians at their word\u201d.\n\nInstead, I\u2019ve warned successive presidents to take the Russian-Iranian axis more seriously. I urged President Biden to hold Iran to account for underwriting terror and killing Americans. But a disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan emboldened Tehran and Moscow, both.\n\nI supported a national security supplemental even though I thought President Biden\u2019s approach to Russia and Iran was too weak. I did it not only because supporting Ukraine was in our strategic interests, but because these funds helped replenish American stockpiles and start restoring our own defense industrial base.\n\nIf the Senate receives a request for supplemental appropriations today, I hope our colleagues who oppose the president\u2019s use of force against Iran will still see an overdue opportunity to invest in urgent and strategic defense priorities.\n\nWeakness invites challenge. But our adversaries have sought to weaken and undermine America regardless of who our Commander-in-Chief is.\n\n***\n\nMr. President, I\u2019ve underscored America\u2019s interest in a just and lasting end to Russia\u2019s war many times before. But let\u2019s say for the sake of argument that you\u2019re still inclined to treat the outcome of the largest land war in Europe since 1945 as someone else\u2019s concern\u2026\n\nWell, Russian support to Iran is not someone else\u2019s concern. If Russia is aiding Iranian attacks against Americans, that is very much our concern.\n\nIf you believe that the United States\u2019 role in the war in Ukraine is as a neutral mediator between equally culpable belligerents\u2026 this development might be tough to square. Likewise with the fact that Ukraine was the first foreign government to voice unequivocal support of U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran.\n\nAnd unlike Moscow, Kyiv is not asking that we just take its word. Look at its actions:\n\nRight now, teams of Ukraine\u2019s top experts in drone warfare are on the ground in the Gulf, helping America\u2019s allies in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE defend against Iranian drone attacks.\n\nMany of the Ukrainian systems that Gulf allies are eager to procure were first offered to the United States many months ago. Unfortunately, until death began to rain from the skies over U.S. facilities in the Gulf twelve days ago, it\u2019s my understanding that these discussions had gone nowhere fast.\n\nMr. President, administration officials were right to identify Ukraine as \u201cthe Silicon Valley of warfare\u201d. But other officials have slowed or paused assistance to these same brave innovators and have missed opportunities to apply Ukraine\u2019s technology and tactics to our own planning. The previous administration, too, failed to adapt and harvest Ukraine\u2019s lessons.\n\nBut the past is behind us. To learn from the world\u2019s foremost experts in drone warfare, we have to go beyond words. Our security assistance to Ukraine is a critical tool to help end Russia\u2019s war on terms favorable to the West. It\u2019s an investment in tapping cutting-edge technological and industrial capacity. And the return on investment is worth it.\n\nAmerica is stronger and more secure when we stand with our friends and stand up to our enemies. This is not murky or ambiguous. It\u2019s an opportunity for moral clarity and strategic wisdom.\n\nNo better friend\u2026 No worse enemy.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=A55A075D-837B-444E-A931-2E82A9080979", "McConnell on the Death of Army Sergeant Benjamin N. Pennington", "2026-03-09", "2026", "2026-03", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), released the following statement today on the death of Glendale, Kentucky native and Army Sergeant Benjamin N. Pennington who died of injuries sustained in a recent Iranian attack on U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia:\n\n\u201cToday, Kentucky mourns the loss of one of our own: Sergeant Benjamin N. Pennington, U.S. Army., a native of Glendale. Sgt. Pennington was killed by Iran in an attack on U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia. Sgt. Pennington\u2019s death is an awful reminder of the costs of Tehran\u2019s decades-long war against American servicemembers. A grateful nation honors his life and his service to our country as he paid the ultimate sacrifice in defending American freedom. Elaine and I are thinking of his family during this difficult time, and we pray for our troops still in harm\u2019s way in the Middle East.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=CDA63101-D441-4A6C-B840-C9B5F2CE0BD5", "McConnell Comments on War Powers, Next Steps in Iran", "2026-03-04", "2026", "2026-03", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor ahead of the roll call vote related to S.J.Res.104, Kaine War Powers Resolution (Iran):\n\nLater today, the Senate will consider a resolution from Senator Kaine. The purpose, as our colleague puts it, is to prevent the nation from sending our young people to die in war without legitimate justification.\n\nI do not doubt the sincerity of our colleague\u2019s intentions. Like Kentucky, Virginia is a state with a large military footprint. And the magnitude of the risks undertaken by brave people we represent is inescapable.\n\nBut I would submit to each of our colleagues a few reminders as this debate unfolds:\n\nFirst, this weekend's events are not the beginning of a war, but an attempt to end one that has spanned nearly half a century. The Islamic Republic of Iran was, quite literally, founded on the premise of existential war against America and Israel. And over and over again, it has escalated this war. Exported more terror. Spilled more blood. And destabilized an entire region.\n\nThis war belongs to the mullahs in Tehran. And, as I\u2019ve explained so many times over the years, the powers of the President for the use of military force \u2013 with or without prior Congressional approval \u2013 are well-established.\n\nEvery single President during my time in the Senate has invoked these inherent authorities, from President Reagan\u2019s strikes on Libya to President Biden\u2019s strikes on the Houthis. President Trump\u2019s use of force to end Iran\u2019s war of terror is squarely within his inherent authorities as Commander-in-Chief. So I will oppose the Kaine resolution, and would recommend that our colleagues do the same.\n\nNow, with that said: A President\u2019s clear authority to use military force does not absolve him from a responsibility to place his national security decisions on the broadest possible political foundation. In fact, precisely because Presidents hold such expansive constitutional authority, it is incumbent on them to ensure such use is judicious, rooted in core national interests, and broadly supported by the American people.\n\nFor decades following World War II, Presidents of both parties tended to take this responsibility seriously. They understood that wild swings in foreign policy between Administrations could confuse our allies and embolden our adversaries. And so, throughout the Cold War, they spent considerable time and political capital explaining to the American people the stakes, objectives, and strategies they intended to pursue in service of our national security.\n\nWhen it came to Iran policy, President Obama did not take this responsibly to heart, and it is little surprise that his unilateral deal did not survive for long after his Presidency. Likewise, despite my urging, President Biden failed to speak clearly to the American people about our national interest in helping Ukraine resist aggression.\n\nPresident Trump has made a bold and tough decision \u2013 one that could transform the region for the better for generations to come. But there are risks involved. And I hope his Administration will work to explain the connection between the Commander-in-Chief\u2019s worthy objectives and the military and diplomatic means to achieve them. Connecting ends and means is the essence of strategy, and it\u2019s important for the Administration to explain to the American people how they intend to do so.\n\nIn turn, our colleagues in the minority have a responsibility to listen, and not to reflexively oppose foreign policy decisions of Presidents they don\u2019t like. After all, we don\u2019t have to look far into the past to find Senate Democrats voicing support for keeping the military option on the table in America\u2019s dealings with Iran\u2026 Or supporting President Biden\u2019s unilateral military force against Iran\u2019s proxies in the absence of explicit Congressional authorization.\n\nMore immediately, I hope our colleagues will consider the consequences of terminating ongoing operations before they have succeeded. What would the Chinese or the Russians conclude if America abruptly lost its stomach for decisive action? What cold comfort would our allies take from an increasingly erratic and partisan application of U.S. foreign policy commitments?\n\nMr. President, the consequences of successfully ending Iran\u2019s decades-long war against America and our allies and partners would reach far beyond the Middle East. This is evident in the way Russian and Chinese officials quickly condemned U.S. and Israeli operations\u2026 and in their unwillingness \u2013 or inability \u2013 to come to Tehran\u2019s aid in a meaningful way.\n\nTwo observations on this point:\n\nFirst, one of the reasons U.S. operations have enjoyed such freedom of maneuver in the Western Hemisphere and the Middle East is that Russia is bogged down in its war in Ukraine\u2026 a war whose battlefield innovations are already shaping operations in the Gulf. If Russia was more unencumbered, it could have provided more material assistance to its partners in Venezuela and Iran. The price of peace in Ukraine matters, and we should be careful not to compel an outcome that allows Russia to reassert itself in regions of critical importance to the United States.\n\nAt the same time, there is tremendous value \u2013 globally \u2013 to destroying Iran\u2019s ability to produce the drones that rain down death in Europe and the Middle East, alike. There is likewise value in disrupting its illicit oil trade with the PRC.\n\nFinally, Mr. President, a word about munitions, military readiness, and defense industrial capacity. Regardless of disagreements on the pending question, every one of us should want the United States to have the best-possible military. Every one of us should want our armed forces to be prepared for even more challenging threats.\n\nToday, the U.S. military is not prepared to confront aligned adversaries and deter or defeat aggression simultaneously on multiple fronts. The reasons are numerous, and there\u2019s plenty of blame to go around. Administrations have failed to submit budget requests that meet the basic requirements of the military. Congress has failed to pass timely, full-year appropriations. Industry has failed to anticipate inevitable demand. And now, America faces Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine and China\u2019s determined military modernization with shallower magazines of critical munitions.\n\nBut the good news? With more funding, there\u2019s spare production capacity to be tapped this year, in FY26. We can build more munitions, produce more spare parts for airplanes, repair ships, invest in dilapidated military infrastructure, and deepen our cooperation and co-production with allies. We shouldn\u2019t wait another year to seize these opportunities. The way to realize the well-resourced military our nation requires for future conflicts is to build it today.\n\nMy colleagues have heard me invoke the wartime words of the late Admiral Harold Stark. But his warning bears repeating: \u201cDollars cannot buy yesterday.\u201d", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=E990E05E-3A7A-426D-9A30-C6237D757738", "Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen U.S. Response to Situation in Burma, Hold Burmese Military Junta Accountable for Rampant Abuses", "2026-03-04", "2026", "2026-03", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.), joined by U.S. Senators Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen the U.S. response to the current situation in Burma, including by cracking down on the repressive Burmese military junta as its ongoing violence and gross violations of human rights worsen the humanitarian disaster in Burma and the region. Building on the 2022 BURMA Act, the Bringing Real Accountability Via Enforcement in (BRAVE) Burma Act blocks funding to the junta by authorizing stronger sanctions on the entities that finance its operations and strengthens mechanisms to implement these sanctions while countering the growing influence of China and Russia in the region.\n\n\u201cThe Burmese military junta has devastated the country through a relentless campaign of bloodshed, repression, and persecution of vulnerable communities. This bipartisan legislation will strengthen our ability to starve the junta of the resources that finance its reign of terror and, in turn, support future peace and democracy for the people of Burma,\u201d said Senator Van Hollen, who urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio in December to use the United States\u2019 leverage to help end the junta\u2019s violence and support a path toward democratic governance in Burma.\n\n\u201cThe United States should do more to protect the Burmese people from the oppression being committed by the military junta,\u201d said Senator Young. \u201cThis legislation will help cut off the primary source of funding that is making it possible for airstrikes to be conducted against Burmese civilians. Indiana is home to one of the largest Burmese communities in America, and I stand with the people of Burma as they seek the restoration of a legitimate government.\u201d\n\n\u201cThroughout my career, I have been proud to champion the democratic aspirations of the people of Burma. The BRAVE Burma Act comes at a particularly critical moment, as the military junta\u2019s sham elections threaten to deepen the PRC\u2019s influence in a critical region. It\u2019s as important as ever that the United States continue to lead the West in turning the screws on this oppressive regime and standing firmly with the long-suffering people of Burma,\u201d said Senator McConnell.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll never forget the painful stories I heard during my travels to Burma and Bangladesh in 2017\u2014stories of brutal crimes against humanity against Rohingya and other vulnerable communities that are part of decades of violence, discrimination, and marginalization. I remain steadfast in my belief that American action is needed to achieve lasting peace,\u201d said Senator Merkley. \u201cOur bipartisan BRAVE Burma Act makes clear: the Burmese military\u2019s brutality will not be forgotten.\u201d\n\nU.S. Representative Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) leads the BRAVE Burma Act in the House of Representatives.\n\nThe BRAVE Burma Act:\n\nRequires the President to make an annual determination on whether to impose stronger sanctions on Burmese state-owned enterprises such as Myanma Economic Bank and foreign entities supporting the country\u2019s jet fuel sector, which are known to finance the junta\u2019s operations\n\nDirects the U.S. Treasury Secretary to use its leverage at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to restrict Burma\u2019s ability to borrow money from the IMF\n\nEstablishes a Special Envoy for Burma at the State Department, at ambassador rank, responsible for coordinating all aspects of U.S. policy toward Burma \u2013 increasing focus on implementing America\u2019s diplomatic tools to help end the violence, protect human rights, and facilitate democratic governance in Burma\n\nThis legislation is supported by the Burma Research Institute and Campaign for a New Myanmar.\n\n\u201cI welcome and support this bill, which reflects the bipartisan congressional support for Burma. I am grateful to Senators Chris Van Hollen and Todd Young for their leadership. This legislation will help reduce the Burmese military's aerial attacks on civilians and religious sites, including Christian churches, and advance the efforts to counter the influence of China and Russia in Burma,\u201d said Zo Tum Hmung, President & CEO of the Burma Research Institute.", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=8684CBBF-CCE1-45A9-AFBF-0189FAA8CF81", "McConnell on Four-Year Anniversary of Russian Escalation in Ukraine", "2026-02-24", "2026", "2026-02", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) issued the following statement on the four-year anniversary of Russian escalation in Ukraine:\n\nFour years ago today, Vladimir Putin escalated Russia\u2019s unprovoked war against Ukraine with a violent blitzkrieg designed to quickly subdue and subjugate a free and sovereign Ukraine. This plan failed, and his addled dream of swift neo-Soviet conquest has become instead a brutal and inconclusive war that has succeeded in tanking Russia\u2019s economy, expanding NATO, prompting America\u2019s allies to invest more urgently in defense, and trading more than a million casualties for a small fraction of Ukrainian territory.\n\nIn four years, Ukraine has forged defenses of hardened veterans, determined to defend their homes and families, and placed itself at the cutting edge of military technology and tactics. But while Ukraine\u2019s heroes hold the line, her civilians spend a fourth straight winter in darkness and cold, and thousands of her abducted children sit in Russian captivity.\n\nEnding this war is a noble and urgent goal. But the price and nature of peace matters a great deal to Ukraine, America, and the West. Securing a just, stable, and enduring peace will require two things: that we accurately assign blame where it belongs (Russia) and that we speak the only language Putin seems to understand (strength).\n\nToday, America\u2019s European allies continue to shoulder the greatest share of material assistance to Ukraine. But there remains no substitute for the American-made systems capable of forcibly changing Putin\u2019s calculus. Sustained support to Ukraine\u2019s defense is the best way to achieve and secure a peaceful outcome to this terrible war. If America is to lead the way to peace, then we ought to settle an open question while we\u2019re at it and clearly demonstrate the credibility of our commitments and our threats.", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.paul.senate.gov/dr-rand-paul-introduces-the-end-the-vaccine-carveout-act/", "Dr. Rand Paul Introduces the End the Vaccine\u00a0Carveout\u00a0Act", "2026-02-24", "2026", "2026-02", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Rand Paul", "P000603", "www.paul.senate.gov", "paul", "https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\n\nFebruary 17th, 2026\n\nContact: Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343\n\nDr. Rand Paul Introduces the End the Vaccine Carveout Act\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced the End the VaccineCarveoutAct, legislation to remove special liability protections that shield manufacturers and administrators from civil claims when Americans are harmed. This bill was introduced in the House by Congressman Paul Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-09), and is cosponsored by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT).\n\nFederal law grants vaccine manufacturers, including COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, special legal protections not afforded to producers of other medical products from liability, even if their products cause injury or death. The End the Vaccine Carveout Act reforms the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) by allowing individuals who suffer vaccine-related injury or death to pursue direct civil action in state or federal court without first being forced into a federal no-fault system that limits recovery and restricts legal options. Under current law, injured individuals are generally required to file a petition through VICP before seeking judicial relief. Dr. Paul\u2019s legislation removes those barriers, as well as the current immunity shield for COVID-19 vaccines pursuant to the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act.\n\nThe End the Vaccine Carveout Act also amends the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act by excluding COVID-19 vaccines from the definition of \u201ccovered countermeasures.\u201d This change ends the broad immunity currently shielding manufacturers, distributors, and administrators from most COVID-19 vaccine injury claims, even years after the public health emergency has ended.\n\n\u201cIf a drug hurts someone, you can sue the company in court. You can hold them responsible through the normal legal process. But when it comes to vaccines, and in many cases the COVID vaccine, the rules are rigged: you\u2019re funneled into a federal no-fault program that limits damages, restricts your options, and \u2014 in many cases \u2014 leaves people without real justice. That\u2019s cronyism,\u201d said Dr. Rand Paul.\n\n\u201cI strongly support the Senate companion legislation introduced by Senator Paul to my bill, the End the Vaccine Carveout Act. No product should be shielded from accountability simply because it is labeled a vaccine. Americans deserve equal protection under the law, full transparency, and the right to seek justice when harmed. This legislation restores fairness, strengthens trust, and puts patients\u2014not special interests\u2014first,\u201d stated Congressman Paul Gosar.\n\n\u201cPharma giants are hiding behind legal protections to avoid being sued by Americans experiencing serious vaccine side effects,\u201d said Senator Mike Lee. \u201cAmericans have a constitutional right to a trial by jury, but current laws allow Big Pharma players to dodge accountability and bar victims from pursuing their cases. Many of these patients were forced to get vaccinated or lose their jobs during the pandemic and are now dealing with permanent and very serious complications. Our bill will end these unconstitutional vaccine carveouts so that all Americans can receive the justice they deserve and hold Big Pharma accountable.\u201d\n\nRead the bill HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=188A3009-4D9F-444F-A82F-F835CF6C3589", "McConnell Statement on Supreme Court Tariff Ruling", "2026-02-20", "2026", "2026-02", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) issued the following statement following the Supreme Court\u2019s 6-3 decision invalidating the executive\u2019s use of International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs unilaterally:\n\n\u201cToday, the Supreme Court reaffirmed authority that has rested with Congress for centuries.\n\n\u201cAs a matter of policy, the empty merits of sweeping trade wars with America\u2019s friends were evident long before today\u2019s decision. The American people already know that when Washington throws up artificial barriers, building and buying here at home become more expensive. Kentuckians whose livelihoods depend on auto manufacturing, agricultural commodity markets, or demand for bourbon whiskey understand this painful reality better than most.\n\n\u201cBut as a matter of Constitutional authority, there is now no room for doubt: the use of IEEPA to circumvent Congress in the imposition of tariffs \u2013 already without precedent \u2013 is also illegal.\n\n\u201cCongress\u2019 role in trade policy, as I have warned repeatedly, is not an inconvenience to avoid. If the executive would like to enact trade policies that impact American producers and consumers, its path forward is crystal clear: convince their representatives under Article 1.\u201d\n\n***", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=D6A0F2E4-695F-4A42-B8A3-A44515D824F7", "McConnell Statement on FEC Nominees", "2026-02-18", "2026", "2026-02", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, issued the following statement on the Trump Administration nominees for the Federal Election Commission, Ashley Stow and Andrew Woodson:\n\n\u201cI applaud the president for putting forward strong, qualified choices to serve as commissioners at the Federal Election Commission. A functioning FEC is essential to maintaining the integrity and transparency of our federal elections, and restoring a quorum is an important step toward that goal. I look forward to the committee\u2019s consideration of these nominees and to a timely hearing and confirmation process.\u201d", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.paul.senate.gov/dr-rand-paul-announces-2026-service-academy-nominations/", "Dr. Rand Paul Announces 2026 Service Academy Nominations", "2026-02-18", "2026", "2026-02", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Rand Paul", "P000603", "www.paul.senate.gov", "paul", "https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\n\nFebruary 18th, 2026\n\nContact: Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343\n\nBOWLING GREEN, KY \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Rand Paul issued the following statement after announcing his nominations to the U.S. service academies, consisting of 55 nominations to individuals from across the Commonwealth of Kentucky:\n\n\u201cA very rewarding aspect of being a United States Senator is the opportunity to nominate young men and women from across the state to attend our nation\u2019s prestigious service academies. I commend each of these students for their dedication and desire to serve in the United States military, and I wish them the best through the remainder of the selection process. I have no doubt the students chosen will proudly represent the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the service academies,\u201d said Dr. Paul.\n\nYou can learn more about the service academy process here, and hear a special message from Dr. Paul here.\n\nDr. Paul\u2019s 2026 Virtual Spring Service Academy Information Fair will be held on April 22nd at 10 am CT. RSVP to the Office of Senator Rand Paul: 270-782-8303\n\nDr. Paul nominated the following individuals to the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, the U.S. Military Academy, and the U.S. Naval Academy:\n\nUnited States Air Force Academy\n\nAiden Richard Arndts \u2013 Walton, KY\n\nBrodie William Benefield \u2013 Goshen, KY\n\nJoshua Dylan Collins \u2013 Winchester, KY\n\nAidan Preston Danneels \u2013 Florence, KY\n\nBenson Michael Green \u2013 Louisville, KY\n\nStephen Maximus LePrell \u2013 Louisville, KY\n\nZander Spence Lipsett \u2013 Lexington, KY\n\nBrayden Anthony Roberts \u2013 Rineyville, KY\n\nMatthew Charles Robinson \u2013 Louisville, KY\n\nJacob Timothy Sanford \u2013 Louisville, KY\n\nRiley Carl Selvage \u2013 Prospect, KY\n\nChase Edward Turner \u2013 Goshen, KY\n\nLuke William Turner \u2013 Benton, KY\n\nPierce Andrew Watson \u2013 Louisville, KY\n\nKylee Lane White \u2013 Princeton, KY\n\nUnited States Merchant Marine Academy\n\nChance Avery Barlog \u2013 Sonora, KY\n\nThomas James Getsy \u2013 DeMossville, KY\n\nNathan Allen Hext \u2013 Louisville, KY\n\nLucia Sophie Isenhart \u2013 Goshen, KY\n\nRobert Romeo Magalong \u2013 Fort Knox, KY\n\nJohn William Murphy \u2013 Rineyville, KY\n\nAndrew James Scott \u2013 Radcliff, KY\n\nTrace Allan Scott \u2013 Lancaster, KY\n\nJude Michael Timmons \u2013 Lexington, KY\n\nConlee Arden Zonio \u2013 Nicholasville, KY\n\nUnited States Military Academy\n\nChance Avery Barlog \u2013 Sonora, KY\n\nIsiah Elieh Byrd \u2013 Fisherville, KY\n\nBenjamin Keith Cauley \u2013 Taylorsville, KY\n\nOwen Ashford Dale \u2013 Louisville, KY\n\nAlison Rafael Estrella \u2013 Richmond, KY\n\nJohn Wyatt Gale \u2013 Harrodsburg, KY\n\nGeorge Green \u2013 Louisville, KY\n\nRanier Hall \u2013 Lexington, KY\n\nMike Dwayne Magill \u2013 Paducah, KY\n\nSamuel Joseph Nelson \u2013 Sharon Grove, KY\n\nWilliam Michael Norris \u2013 Paducah, KY\n\nJett Alexander Rios \u2013 Bardstown, KY\n\nTalon Antonio Sanchez \u2013 Ledbetter, KY\n\nAivan John Evans Tourinho \u2013 Louisville, KY\n\nNoah Jackson Ray West \u2013 Somerset, KY\n\nUnited States Naval Academy\n\nRoy Trevor Bray \u2013 Bowling Green, KY\n\nLeo Thomas Crawford \u2013 Independence, KY\n\nAidan Preston Danneels \u2013 Florence, KY\n\nAva Marie Ellis \u2013 Radcliff, KY\n\nAlison Rafael Estrella \u2013 Richmond, KY\n\nIsaiah Remiel Foster \u2013 Louisville, KY\n\nThomas James Getsy \u2013 DeMossville, KY\n\nAubrey Jaxon Gregory \u2013 Louisville,\n\nJackson William Lee Hatfield \u2013 Lexington, KY\n\nNathan Allen Hext \u2013 Louisville, KY\n\nCarter Johnson \u2013 Hebron, KY\n\nMike Dwayne Magill \u2013 Paducah, KY\n\nMaxwell Louis McFarland \u2013 Louisville, KY\n\nNolan Thomas Reagan \u2013 Union, KY\n\nJett Alexander Rios \u2013 Bardstown, KY\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=478FF6F9-5262-46FA-9CAD-E3847F6592A4", "Full List of FY 2026 Federal Funding for Kentucky Secured by Senator McConnell", "2026-02-17", "2026", "2026-02", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "SENATOR MITCH McCONNELL\n\nFISCAL YEAR 2026 APPROPRIATIONS ACCOMPLISHMENTS\n\nNEARLY $2.6 BILLION FOR KENTUCKY\n\nAGRICULTURE ($11.350 MILLION FOR KENTUCKY)\n\n$10 million for the University of Kentucky\u2019s new Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Building\n\n$1.35 million for hospital infrastructure improvements at Ohio County Hospital\n\nCOMMERCE-JUSTICE-SCIENCE ($107.852 MILLION FOR KENTUCKY)\n\n$70 million for the University of Louisville\u2019s Center for Bioscience\n\n$35 million for the University of Kentucky\u2019s Healthy Research Building #2\n\n$2.5 million to equip a new cybercrime training facility being developed in Madisonville\n\n$352,000 for the procurement of law enforcement equipment and technology at a new emergency operations center in Bowling Green\n\nDEFENSE $1,673,465,000 (NEARLY $1.7 BILLION FOR KENTUCKY)\n\n$20 million to support the Army\u2019s continued development of advanced materials and additive manufacturing techniques in partnership with the University of Kentucky\n\n$9 million to support submarine stealth technology research at the University of Kentucky\n\n$16 million to support the establishment of new Defense Innovation Unit OnRamp defense-technology gateways, including at the University of Louisville\n\n$2.5 million to fund research into warfighter molecular and cellular health at UofL\n\n$12 million to support the National Security Agency\u2019s cyber workforce training partnership in cooperation with UofL and other universities\n\n$903 million to fund the expansion of manufacturing capacity for energetics materials at the Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD)\n\n$59.96 million to invest in energetics manufacturing capability resiliency at BGAD\n\n$3.2 million to fund the construction of a new raw water line at BGAD\n\n$1 million to support ground-breaking research efforts at BGAD to develop new remote sensing techniques for surveillance at defense facilities\n\n$8 million to construct a new gas line to serve Ft. Knox\u2019s energy needs\n\n$2.5 million to upgrade Ft. Knox\u2019s railhead facilities that support the installation\u2019s role as a Mobilization Force Generation Installation\n\n$1.875 million to furnish a Kentucky National Guard Vehicle Maintenance Shop in Northern Kentucky\n\n$130 million to improve facilities, reinforce manufacturing capabilities, and strengthen the workforce that supports Columbia and Virginia-class submarine shipbuilding in the Louisville region\n\n$15 million to replace aging machinery with modern tools and control systems to ensure reliable production of critical Mk45 5-inch guns used by the Navy to defend ships and sailors. Mk45 guns are produced in the Louisville region\n\n$70.14 million to fund the procurement of six additional Land-based Phalanx Weapon Systems, which are produced in the Louisville region\n\n$71.47 million to fund the procurement of additional SeaRAM Ship Defense Systems, which are produced in the Louisville region\n\n$11.2 million to fund the lease of a subterranean training facility in the Louisville region\n\n$7.5 million to continue the Army\u2019s development of next-generation vehicle armor, part of which will take place in the Louisville region\n\n$9.5 million to fund further development of a cooperative spacecraft payload developed in partnership with Morehead State University in Eastern Kentucky to increase the responsiveness, effectiveness, and resilience of Integrated Air and Missile Defense platforms\n\n$50 million the procurement of additional Ultra-Lightweight Camouflage Net System (ULCANS) multi-spectral camouflage nets critical to the survival of U.S. forces on the modern battlefield, which are produced in Southeastern Kentucky\n\n$8.5 million for Army Mobile ULCANS Research, which will fund further research into advanced camouflage nets for Army combat vehicles. This research will support future manufacturing work in Southeastern Kentucky\n\n$10 million to support Field Containerized Kitchen service life extension work in Southeastern Kentucky\n\n$10 million for the Army to procure modernized drone technology under Phase II of the Soldier Borne Sensor program. Drones of the Soldier Borne Sensor program are repaired and maintained in Southeastern Kentucky\n\n$6.12 million to support the testing of carbon fiber utility tanks in South Central Kentucky for use in Forward Aerial Refueling Points by the Army\n\n$175 million to support Improved Turbine Engine Program test and integration efforts. Parts used in the Improved Turbine Engine Program are manufactured in Western Kentucky\n\n$50 million to support research efforts to enhance the F-15EX fighter\u2019s engines. This research will support future engine part manufacturing work in Western Kentucky\n\n$10 million to support the Air Force\u2019s expansion of the Generating Rural Innovation for National Defense program to additional states, including Kentucky\n\nENERGY & WATER ($402.881 MILLION FOR KENTUCKY)\n\n$340 million to fund decommissioning, decontamination, and environmental remediation at the U.S. Department of Energy\u2019s Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP)\n\n$41 million for construction of a new program support facility at PGDP to replace aging administrative buildings. The facility will also support next-generation manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and advanced technologies expected to arrive at PGDP in the coming years\n\n$21.281 million to fully fund the remaining work on the Rough River Dam Safety Modification Project, ensuring the integrity of Rough River Lake for decades to come\n\n$600,000 to continue an erosion study along the Mississippi River at Columbus-Belmont State Park\n\nINTERIOR-ENVIRONMENT ($29.84 MILLION FOR KENTUCKY)\n\n$9.256 million for water treatment plant improvements in Edmonson County\n\n$7.45 million for capital improvements at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area\n\n$7.334 million for water treatment plant construction in Albany\n\n$4.8 million for wastewater treatment plant improvements in Martin County\n\n$1 million for visitor center improvements at Green River National Wildlife Refuge\n\nLABOR-HHS-ED ($70.026 MILLION FOR KENTUCKY)\n\n$30 million for construction and equipment procurement at the University of Kentucky\u2019s Healthy Kentucky Research Building #2\n\n$29.826 million for construction and equipment procurement at the University of Louisville\u2019s Kentucky Center for Precision Medicine\n\n$3 million for Campbellsville University to establish graduate degree programs through a new College of Mental Health\n\n$2.7 million for Life Learning Center to address the substance abuse and opioid epidemic\n\n$2 million for Madisonville Community College to acquire propeller planes and helicopters for a growing student aviation program\n\n$1.5 million to develop a treatment facility for children with autism spectrum disorders in Whitesburg\n\n$1 million for Home of the Innocents in Louisville to support expansion of the Kids Complex Care Center\n\nMILITARY CONSTRUCTION ($147 MILLION FOR KENTUCKY)\n\n$50 million to demolish legacy aircraft hangars at Ft. Knox\n\n$8 million to construct a vehicle access road with larger clearances that can accommodate emergency vehicles and heavy equipment at Ft. Knox\n\n$4.5 million to fund planning and design for two new dining facilities at Ft. Knox\n\n$45 million to replace the air traffic control tower at Ft. Campbell Army Airfield\n\n$11 million to fund planning and design for a new modernized hangar at Ft. Campbell Army Airfield\n\n$27 million to fund planning and design for a new military container production facility at Blue Grass Army Depot that would complement existing operations at the site and meet a national need for domestically produced shipping containers\n\n$1.5 million to fund planning and design for a new Kentucky Army National Guard readiness center and vehicle maintenance shop\n\nTRANSPORTATION-HUD ($117.4 MILLION FOR KENTUCKY)\n\n$20 million to construct a new agriculture exposition center in Barren County\n\n$20 million to conduct preliminary engineering and design for the widening of 55 miles of Hal Rogers Parkway\n\n$11 million for economic revitalization in McCreary County\n\n$10 million for supporting activities to construct I-69 ORX, the new interstate crossing over the Ohio River in Henderson\n\n$9.6 million for construction of a new Federal Inspection Service (FIS) facility to support international passenger flights at Louisville International Airport\n\n$7.5 million for reconstruction of Taxiway M, the access point for Runway 9/27, the primary and preferred night-use runway at the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)\n\n$2 million to rehabilitate and reconstruct apron that serves all 21 gates at Concourse A at CVG\n\n$9 million for land acquisition and design work for a new runway at Elizabethtown Regional Airport\n\n$250,000 for a study to reorient the runway at Elizabethtown Regional Airport\n\n$7 million for Louisville Metro Government to redevelop crumbling infrastructure at the Belvedere\n\n$6.6 million to build a state-of-the-art childcare center in Owensboro\n\n$5.4 million for enabling projects to support construction of a new air traffic control tower at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington\n\n$4.5 million for Covington to construct a pedestrian-friendly connector for the new mixed-use business district at the site of the former IRS facility\n\n$3.1 million for Barkley Regional Airport in Paducah to rehabilitate lighting on Runway 14/32\n\n$1.45 million for construction of an access road at an emerging business park in Somerset", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=64A26B26-0D36-45F6-9B9B-E3C37426F30B", "Kentucky Leaders Weigh in on FY 2026 Federal Funding Secured by Senator McConnell", "2026-02-17", "2026", "2026-02", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "KENTUCKY LEADERS WEIGH IN\n\n\u201cI have the deepest respect for Senator Mitch McConnell\u2019s leadership and his unmatched service to Kentucky and our nation over the past four decades,\u201d said Kentucky State Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester. \u201cHe was the catalyst who brought Democrats and Republicans together to secure funding for the Brent Spence Bridge. Leader McConnell was also instrumental in Kentucky recently receiving $1.7 billion for critical defense assets and is sure to be one of his most significant and lasting achievements. Because of his tireless work, Kentucky will continue to play a vital role in our nation\u2019s defense. I know of no one who has been more influential for Kentucky or for our country in this century or the last.\u201d\n\nKentucky State House Speaker David Osborne, R-Oldham, said, \u201cSenator McConnell\u2019s latest achievements build on a career defined by results. Over decades of service, he has secured more than $60 billion in direct funding for Kentucky, transforming infrastructure, education, health care, and medical research across our state. He has strengthened our defense industry, spurred a new chapter for the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, and ensured the safe destruction of weapons at Bluegrass Army Depot. Time and again, he has demonstrated that effective leadership means delivering for every corner of the Commonwealth and ensuring Kentucky\u2019s voice is heard where it matters most.\u201d\n\nCOMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACROSS KENTUCKY\n\n\u201cSenator McConnell has long been a trusted friend and ally to the City of Owensboro, Kentucky, and we are deeply grateful for his continued support over the years,\u201d said Tom Watson, Mayor of Owensboro. \u201cThanks to Senator McConnell\u2019s efforts in securing federal funding, Owensboro can expand its high-quality childcare center through our local YMCA to support our city\u2019s growing workforce and economy. Having access to childcare is a significant challenge facing working families and impacting business across the nation. And while Owensboro is no exception to this issue \u2014 we are exceptional. We have a community that has come together to find solutions and make a real impact; and we have a Senator who understands the importance of supporting communities in addressing issues on a local level. This funding will directly change lives and support business, all at the same time. A homerun for everyone with our Senator going to bat for us.\u201d\n\n\u201cOn behalf of Barren County, I want to sincerely thank Senator McConnell for his support in securing federal funding for this agricultural expo center,\u201d said Jamie Bewley Byrd, Barren County Judge-Executive. \u201cThis project will provide a much needed location for farmers to come together for trade shows and events, and will bring in millions of dollars in economic impact and development. Being ranked among the top counties in the Commonwealth for total number of farms, Barren County is a proud, resilient agriculture community and we\u2019re thrilled to be the site of this new development.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am very grateful for Senator McConnell\u2019s work in helping us receive new federal funding for the water treatment plant in Edmonson County,\u201d said State Representative Michael Meredith. \u201cAfter years of much needed maintenance and several changes to our system, this funding for modernization efforts will enhance our capacity and capability in providing clean drinking water throughout the county.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe appreciate Senator McConnell\u2019s support in securing the funding for the new building at the Paducah DOE site. This facility represents the future for the site, which will remain an important part of our community for decades to come. The Paducah Chamber\u2019s reindustrialization study of the site, through a grant from the Department of Energy, has highlighted what\u2019s ahead. Our Federal Priorities identified this as our top project. As cleanup efforts continue, this new building will significantly reduce the annual maintenance costs associated with aging structures originally constructed in the 1950s. The projected return on investment demonstrates that this is a wise and responsible use of public funds,\u201d said Sandra Wilson, Paducah Chamber President/CEO. \u201cSenator McConnell has been a strong and tireless advocate for our DOE site and its workers and this is another way he has shown that. We are very grateful for this continued investment.\"\n\n\u201cThis funding represents a significant investment in the individuals, families and community we serve,\u201d said Alicia Webb-Edgington, President of Life Learning Center. \u201cWe are deeply grateful to Senator Mitch McConnell for his leadership and support in this endeavor. This will have a meaningful impact on underserved and unrepresented populations of people as they get back on their feet and into the workforce.\n\n\u201cOur rural Rough River Lake community is grateful for the attention and total commitment of Senator McConnell and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for this vital remediation project. This additional $21 million funding will ensure ancillary work necessary for this complex project can be performed as needed. This dam remediation project will ensure the long-term viability of flood control downstream and protect the economic viability of our local recreational businesses,\u201d said Charlie Corbett, founding member and longtime president of the Friends of Rough River.\n\n\u201cWe are thankful for the additional funding Senator McConnell has secured for the erosion study the Corp. of Engineers is doing on the bluffs at picturesque Columbus Belmont State Park. Senator McConnell and his staff\u2019s steadfast work is much appreciated by residents of western Kentucky who enjoy Columbus Belmont so much,\u201d said Kenny Wilson, Hickman County Judge Executive.\n\n\u201cDeep concerns about our aging water system and increased demands from residents and industry in Albany pointed toward the need for a new water treatment plant,\u201d said Albany Mayor James Bray. \u201cThanks to Senator McConnell\u2019s unwavering support in securing federal funding, the city can now take a significant step forward in addressing this need to ensure a clean, safe, and reliable water supply for Clinton County and neighboring communities.\u201d\n\n\u201cOn behalf of Martin County, we are so thankful for Senator McConnell\u2019s work and all the help he has provided in federal funding for the Inez sewage treatment plant,\u201d said Dr. Lon Lafferty, Martin County Judge-Executive. \u201cThe decades old plant is in desperate need of maintenance, and thanks to this funding we can now work toward providing wastewater treatment services to residents throughout the county.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis investment in the Woodlands Nature Station honors the original public commitment made when Land Between the Lakes was established and Senator McConnell\u2019s support at the federal level is appreciated. The federal funding will help drive measurable economic development by increasing visitation, generating tourism spending, and supporting local businesses and rural workforce opportunities across the region. Land Between the Lakes belongs to the public, and this investment reinforces our responsibility to manage it in a way that is relevant, and forward-looking,\u201d said Elaine Jackson, Friends of Land Between the Lakes Executive Director.\n\n\u201cThe Friends of Green River National Wildlife Refuge would like to thank Senator McConnell for his continued support in securing federal funding,\u201d said Chase Fulcher, President, Friends of Green River National Wildlife Refuge. \u201cThis funding is vital to moving the priorities of this long-term Natural Resource Conservation and Public Recreation Project forward, and we appreciate the Senator\u2019s work over the course of his Senate tenure on behalf of the Henderson community.\u201d\n\n\u201cOn behalf of the team members and children and families served by Home of the Innocents, we thank Senator McConnell for his efforts to secure funding for this important expansion,\u201d said Paul Robinson, President and CEO, Home of the Innocents. \u201cWe are grateful for Congress' acknowledgement of the need to care for these most vulnerable of patients, and look forward to meeting that challenge.\u201d\n\n\u201cI would like to take this opportunity to thank Senator McConnell on the behalf of the Mountain Comprehensive Health Corporation for helping us secure this federal funding,\u201d said L. M. (Mike) Caudill, JD, CEO of the Mountain Comprehensive Health Corporation. \u201cThis support will allow MCHC to construct and equip one of the only autism centers in the region for children and create 40 new jobs for the Letcher County community. After much work and external support toward this final product, we believe this funding, thanks to Senator McConnell, will put us over the top and help make this dream become reality.\u201d\n\n\u201cI would like to express my deepest appreciation to Senator McConnell for believing in the potential to revitalize the historic mining community of Stearns, McCreary County Kentucky,\u201d said J.C. Egnew, Founder of the McCreary County Heritage Foundation, and Chief Executive Officer of Outdoor Venture Corporation. \u201cThis revitalization project will make Stearns a world class tourism destination. Through the Senator\u2019s efforts, and belief that tourism is bona fide economic development and his ability to appropriate funds, will make this vision become reality. This project is an integral part of the goal to enhance the development of the Southern entrance to the Kentucky Wildlands and the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.\u201d\n\nThank you, Senator McConnell, for your support of the redevelopment of the Belvedere,\u201d said Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg. \u201cThis investment will help with the massive repairs needed for this important infrastructure in Downtown Louisville. This project will fix Downtown\u2019s largest garage and ensure the safety of the thousands of motorists who drive underneath it every day. The reimagined Belvedere will also be a catalyst for other Downtown redevelopment projects, which is why this support is so important.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe support of Senator McConnell and our other congressional leaders for the Covington Central Riverfront development represents a major investment in public infrastructure for Covington and all of Northern Kentucky,\u201d said Covington Mayor Ron Washington. \u201cBy strengthening our riverfront's infrastructure and laying the foundation for future development, this project will create jobs, attract private investment, and support long-term regional growth. Beyond the economic impact, this investment improves quality of life by creating spaces and infrastructure designed for residents, families, and visitors alike.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis is a significant win for The Capital of Lake Cumberland and a major step forward for economic development in our region. We sincerely thank Senator McConnell for his leadership and continued support of Somerset-Pulaski County,\" said Chris Girdler, President & Chief Executive Officer of the Somerset-Pulaski Economic Development Authority. \u201cFor several years, we have actively pursued federal funding to construct a new bridge crossing Barnesburg Road. This bridge will ensure safe, efficient access throughout SPEDA Commerce Park, allowing employees, customers, and commercial traffic to travel directly from Highway 80 without disrupting traffic flow.\u201d\n\nEDUCATION & HEALTH CARE\n\n\u201cThis investment in the Healthy Kentucky Research Building No. 2 helps build our capacity to answer the hard questions that matter to Kentucky communities and the families that call them home,\u201d said University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto. \u201cThis funding accelerates work already underway and expands the space where researchers, clinicians and students can collaborate to turn discovery into real-world solutions. We remain appreciative of Senator Mitch McConnell\u2019s continued leadership in guaranteeing Kentucky has the research infrastructure needed to ensure a Commonwealth tomorrow that is healthier, wealthier and wiser than it is today.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe sincerely appreciate Senator McConnell\u2019s support for the UofL Center for Precision Medicine. This center will unite new scientific strengths to help develop personalized treatments for some of our nation\u2019s and Kentucky\u2019s most serious and costly diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes,\u201d said University of Louisville President Gerry Bradley.\n\n\"We are so grateful to Senator McConnell for his support,\u201d said Dr. Cynthia S. Kelley, President/CEO of Madisonville Community College. \u201cThis funding reflects the strong partnership between our college and Senator McConnell in advancing workforce education. By strengthening our aviation program and helping keep training affordable, this investment ensures more students can access in-demand aviation careers.\u201d\n\nSTRENGTHENING THE DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL BASE\n\n\u201cThroughout his career, Senator McConnell has recognized the profound economic impact that Blue Grass Army Depot has in Madison County and its important contribution to our national defense,\u201d said Madison County Judge/Executive Reagan Taylor. \u201cThe nearly $1 billion in investment that this legislation sets aside for Blue Grass Army Depot not only represents a powerful endorsement of its potential as a cornerstone of America\u2019s energetics manufacturing base, but also in the talent and value of the Depot\u2019s workforce. I appreciate Senator McConnell\u2019s sustained focus and working alongside us on job replacement at Blue Grass Army Depot and am grateful for this investment in the Depot and Madison County\u2019s shared future.\u201d\n\n\u201cSenator McConnell\u2019s unwavering support for Fort Knox cannot be overstated. From these critical infrastructure investments that elevate the installation\u2019s military readiness and strategic importance to the protection of one of our most treasured and visited tourist attractions, we cannot say enough about his commitment to our installation, our national defense and to our regional economy,\u201d said President and CEO of the Knox Regional Development Alliance Lance O\u2019Bryan.\n\n\u201cThe Military Affairs Committee is proud to stand beside the men and women who dedicate their lives to protecting our freedoms. Our mission has always been to ensure they are supported, equipped, and prepared for success\u2014both in service and at home. We are deeply grateful for Senator McConnell\u2019s enduring leadership and his tireless advocacy for Fort Campbell. His commitment continues to strengthen not only the installation but the entire community that supports it,\u201d said Shannon Lane, Director, Military Affairs Committee, Christian County Chamber of Commerce; Member, Citizens for Fort Campbell.\n\n\u201cThe University of Louisville is extremely appreciative of Senator McConnell\u2019s efforts to secure this historic funding,\u201d said UofL President Gerry Bradley. \u201cMilitary health is one of the fastest-growing areas of our research portfolio, and we believe that the coming Center for Bioscience will dramatically strengthen UofL\u2019s ability to advance science that improves the condition and well-being of our servicemen and women.\u201d\n\nKEEPING COMMUNITIES SAFE\n\n\u201cWe are grateful for this $2.5 million dollar investment made possible through Senator Mitch McConnell\u2019s office. This represents a major step forward for public safety in Madisonville and across the region. A state-of-the-art regional cyber-crime lab will equip our law enforcement partners with the tools, technology, and training needed to combat increasingly sophisticated cyber threats and protect our citizens in the digital age, while also strengthening collaboration across jurisdictions and position our city as a regional leader in cyber-crime prevention and investigation,\u201d said Madisonville Mayor Kevin Cotton.\n\n\u201cCyber-crime is one of the fastest-growing threats facing communities today, and this $2.5 million investment allows Madisonville to stay ahead of the curve. With support from Senator Mitch McConnell\u2019s office, this regional cyber-crime lab will deliver cutting-edge capabilities that enhance safety for residents, businesses, and local governments throughout the region,\u201d said Madisonville Police Chief Steve Bryan.\n\n\u201cOn behalf of the Warren County Drug Task Force and our local, state, and federal partners, I would like to thank Senator McConnell for his leadership and support in helping us secure this funding for new drug enforcement offices,\u201d said Tommy Loving, Executive Director of the Bowling Green\u2013Warren County Drug Task Force. \u201cThis investment is great news, as we have outgrown our current facility, and it will significantly enhance our ability to combat crime and address drug issues throughout our region. We have always been able to count on Senator McConnell as a strong supporter of law enforcement.\u201d\n\nIMPROVING TRANSPORTION INFRASTRUCTURE\n\n\u201cThe Elizabethtown Airport Board is grateful for Senator McConnell\u2019s leadership and foresight to increase the capabilities of the Elizabethtown Regional Airport at Addington Field,\u201d said Carl Swope, Chair of the Elizabethtown Airport Board. \u201cWe are in a time of unprecedented growth in central Kentucky, and this investment will assure our ideally located airport remains a valuable regional asset for the next 50 years.\u201d\n\n\"We are grateful to Senator McConnell for his support to ensure that critical airfield infrastructure projects at CVG are funded and can move forward to provide important safety and capacity benefits for CVG passenger and cargo airlines as well as to create construction jobs and related spending that supports the regional economy,\" said Larry Krauter, CEO of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.\n\n\u201cWe would like to acknowledge and thank Senator McConnell for championing the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF),\u201d said Dan Mann, Executive Director of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority, which owns and operates Louisville\u2019s airport. \u201cAs SDF experienced record-setting growth each of the previous three years, this funding supports the addition of a Federal Inspection Services facility, or FIS, that will allow international passenger flights at our airport. We appreciate the Senator\u2019s on-going support as SDF continues not only its positive momentum, but its transformation into providing a best-in-class experience for the region\u2019s travelers.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe cannot express how grateful we are for Senator McConnell\u2019s support and persistence in securing a federal grant to advance the next phase of relocating the FAA\u2019s air traffic control tower,\u201d said Eric Frankl, Executive Director of Blue Grass Airport. \u201cBuilt in 1970, the existing tower does not meet current design standards and will ultimately limit our ability to expand the passenger terminal to meet the growing travel demands of the central and southeastern Kentucky region we serve. We are hopeful this grant will expedite the construction of a new tower at Blue Grass Airport.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe are extremely thankful to Senator McConnell for his leadership and support in supporting the funding of the Airfield Lighting Project,\u201d said Dennis Rouleau, Executive Director of the Barkley Regional Airport Authority. \u201cThis improvement will replace all of the remaining old and out of date airfield lighting equipment and cabling to enhance airfield worker safety, strengthen operational reliability, and help ensure Barkley Regional Airport remains a strong transportation asset for our region. Upgrading this critical infrastructure allows Barkley to continue serving as the Front Porch of the Purchase Region, a key gateway for business, tourism, and economic development across the Purchase Area. We are grateful for Senator McConnell\u2019s commitment to Western Kentucky and to keeping our communities connected to the world.\u201d", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=C1DBFD05-8D71-47FB-8DBC-F4C15A90AEE4", "Senator McConnell Secures Nearly $2.6 Billion In Federal Funding for Kentucky Priorities In Fiscal Year 2026", "2026-02-17", "2026", "2026-02", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "\u2018Over the course of my career in the United States Senate, I have been proud to help the Commonwealth of Kentucky punch well above its weight in securing federal funding\u2014from Pikeville to Paducah\u2014for hundreds of important projects\u2026 As a long-time member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I have always seen it as my duty to meet with constituent groups, understand their needs, and help deliver on those needs through additional federal funds designated for Kentucky.\u2019\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, announced today that he brought home nearly $2.6 billion in federal funding for Kentucky priorities in the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations process. This number is a single-year record for the Commonwealth and for Senator McConnell through the regular appropriations process. The total number of federal dollars the senior Senator from Kentucky has been able to secure for his home state throughout his 40-plus year career in the Senate amounts to more than $65 billion.\n\n\u201cOver the course of my career in the United States Senate, I have been proud to help the Commonwealth of Kentucky punch well above its weight in securing federal funding\u2014from Pikeville to Paducah\u2014for hundreds of important projects,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cThis year\u2019s federal funding for Kentucky will help stimulate economic growth in many different sectors including defense, law enforcement, medical research, science, national parks, and recreation.\u201d\n\nIn this year\u2019s appropriations process, Senator McConnell worked hard to bring home significant federal funding for many important areas of Kentucky\u2019s economy. More than $230 million will go to post-secondary educational institutions including the University of Louisville, the University of Kentucky, Morehead State University, Campbellsville University, and Madisonville Community College. These schools will see an increase in funding for research spanning sectors of agriculture, defense, medicine, and science and the enhancement of degree programs in mental health and aviation.\n\nAs Chairman of the Defense Subcommittee on Appropriations, Senator McConnell was able to secure over $1.7 billion for Kentucky\u2019s defense and military construction priorities. More than $994 million will go to Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD), helping ensure the site\u2019s future as a center for the manufacture of critical energetic materials for our military.\n\nOver $634 million will go toward strengthening the defense industrial base in Kentucky, acting on Chairman McConnell\u2019s commitment to making Kentucky a cornerstone of America\u2019s national defense as the United States confronts an increasingly coordinated partnership of adversaries. $73 million will go to Fort Knox to help build, replace, and modernize facilities and $56 million will go to Fort Campbell for a new air traffic control tower and new hangars.\n\nIn transportation funding, Senator McConnell secured more than $36 million for Kentucky\u2019s airports that will be used to upgrade terminals and taxiway infrastructure. These investments will go to major Kentucky airports including Louisville International Airport (SDF), Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), Elizabethtown Regional Airport (EKX), Blue Grass Airport (LEX), and Barkley Regional Airport (PAH).\n\n$30 million of federal funding also secured in transportation funding will go to Kentucky\u2019s interstates and highways including the I-69 Ohio River Crossing project in Henderson and the Hal Rogers Parkway in efforts to widen the thoroughfare.\n\nSenator McConnell also secured more than $402 million in the appropriations bill for energy and water related projects. This funding will go to the Department of Energy\u2019s Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP) and Rough River Dam. The bill also includes investments for a continued erosion study at Columbus-Belmont State Park.\n\nIn Fiscal Year 2026 funding for the Department of Interior and environmental related projects, another $29.8 million was secured by Senator McConnell that will go toward improvements at water treatment facilities in Edmonson County, Martin County, and Albany, Kentucky. Federal investments in visitor center improvements at the Green River National Wildlife Refuge are included in this number as well as funding for capital improvements at the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area.\n\n\u201cAs a long-time member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I have always seen it as my duty to meet with constituent groups, understand their needs, and help deliver on those needs through additional federal funds designated for Kentucky,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cI\u2019m deeply grateful to the people of Kentucky who have sent me to Washington for seven consecutive terms in the Senate to represent them, and advocate on their behalf. It has been the honor of my life to make their voices heard in our Nation\u2019s Capital, and I remain committed to championing Kentucky\u2019s interests as the 119th Congress proceeds and the Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations process begins.\u201d\n\nA comprehensive list of the Fiscal Year 2026 projects that Senator McConnell secured funding for in Kentucky can be found HERE and related comments from community leaders and locally elected officials on the details of the projects and Senator McConnell\u2019s leadership can be found HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=92199279-8F0A-46AB-8859-FBF71824A777", "McConnell in POLITICO Magazine: What the West Must Do Now at Munich Security Conference", "2026-02-13", "2026", "2026-02", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense submitted the following op-ed published by POLITICO Magazine ahead of the Munich Security Conference:\n\nThe strategic challenges facing the West are not new and trans-Atlantic leaders must confront them with a healthy sense of pragmatism and urgency.\n\nThat\u2019s what I tried to do a few years ago, with Russia\u2019s escalation in Ukraine a year old, at the Munich Security Conference. I warned about the growing alignment of our adversaries, encouraged the United States and our allies to speed up weapons procurement and defense industrial production, and urged NATO to quickly approve the accession of two highly capable partners in Finland and Sweden. I also questioned whether the West could sustain the will to continue backing Ukraine and deter adversaries like Russia, China and Iran.\n\nThree years further into Russia\u2019s full-scale war in Ukraine, despite real progress in these areas, many of the same underlying questions and challenges remain unresolved. As the West\u2019s top defense officials gather at this year\u2019s conference in Munich, a few pressing items should command their attention:\n\nFirst, at the most basic level, what are we prepared to do to counter the increasing alignment of common adversaries? The convergence of Russian and Chinese interest in the Arctic, after all, was the ostensible pretext for an especially turbulent episode of trans-Atlantic tension over Greenland last month. But how NATO allies meet shared threats has implications far beyond the High North.\n\nSome senior Trump administration officials seem to make sense of the world by dividing it into neat and tidy spheres of influence. And from this assumption flows the familiar suggestion that Europe ought to focus on Europe so America can turn its attention elsewhere.\n\nBut increased hostile coordination suggests that our adversaries see the world less as a board game than as a web of competing interests that spans the globe. Iran, China and North Korea are willing to put their treasure, technology and lives on the line to enable Vladimir Putin\u2019s neo-Soviet adventurism in Europe. And the joint Russian-Chinese patrols that rightly hold the attention of U.S. and fellow Arctic governments indicate a willingness to join forces around the globe.\n\nThe West would be foolish to treat increasingly aligned threats as isolated. The United States, for our part, ought to be less dismissive of our allies\u2019 capabilities and willingness to project power and influence far beyond their shores. And we need to stop the practice by multiple administrations of picking trade fights with our closest and strongest allies. Our friends\u2019 economic markets hold far more promise than Russia could ever. And we\u2019ll need these friends to help America push back as China tries to rewrite the rules of the road.\n\nIn turn, our allies must get serious about shutting the back door to Chinese influence. There is hardly a more cynical bet to be made on the future of the West than chasing closer ties with a regime built on repression and enriched by slave labor and stolen Western technology.\n\nSecond, to the extent we\u2019re serious about collective defense, there\u2019s more work to be done in showing it. I commend allies for making tough choices to meet higher NATO spending targets. But when we look past the thicket of multilateral spending vehicles and special funds, more European nations still need to build increases into their annual base budgets, investing credibly in deterrence and the common defense year after year.\n\nFor the record, so must America. Congress just delivered annual defense appropriations $8 billion above the Trump administration\u2019s fiscal year 2026 request. This was a compromise position: the Senate panel I lead had recommended an increase of nearly $23 billion.\n\nAs a share of GDP, U.S. annual defense spending remains stagnant, barely above 3 percent and well below the 5 percent target we set for NATO allies. Leading from behind has never been a sustainable strategy for a superpower that seeks peace or primacy.\n\nDespite talk of European self-reliance and onshoring of defense supply chains, many of America\u2019s friends still prefer to deter aggression with as many U.S.-made weapons as they can. But in the face of looming threats, the best weapons are the ones that can be deployed on time.\n\nThat\u2019s why I urged America\u2019s defense industry to expand production capacity ahead of inevitable demand, and why I pushed successive U.S. administrations to send stronger demand signals by building higher funding for critical munitions into their base budgets. At long last, Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg\u2019s interest in multiyear procurement for munitions is encouraging. But regardless of the president\u2019s goal of a massive increase in defense spending in fiscal year 2027, the flat funding extension in fiscal year 2025 and insufficient request for fiscal year 2026 will go down as missed opportunities to breathe new life into America\u2019s arsenal of democracy.\n\nToday, across the alliance, are we investing enough in weapons stockpiles and defense production capacity to meet growing military requirements? Are we prepared to deliver necessary capabilities at the speed of relevance?\n\nA third, related, conversation must clarify our commitment to partners on the front lines of aggression. The data is now quite clear: European support to Ukraine has far outpaced that from the United States. Our allies are carrying more of the burden of changing Putin\u2019s calculus.\n\nThis is good news. But NATO\u2019s Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) \u2014 which exists first and foremost to direct best-in-class U.S.-made weapons to the front lines \u2014 was designed for active and robust U.S. participation, if not leadership. U.S. support to Ukraine\u2019s military provides critical leverage for President Donald Trump\u2019s efforts to end the war, and would be a necessary part of any security guarantee to maintain peace. If America no longer has skin in the game, we risk signaling that allies cannot count on us. And in time, we could expect more of our friends to look elsewhere to meet their military requirements.\n\nIf Munich is meant to be more than a platform for speeches, then representatives of allied governments would do well to devote their time together to reaching an understanding on the fundamentals: the nature of growing threats to shared interests, the military capabilities we\u2019ll need to deter them and the investments required to re-fill our stockpiles and expand our industrial capacity.\n\nIt's natural to put one\u2019s own country\u2019s interests first, but it would be foolish for either side of the Atlantic to go it alone.", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=A36839DE-7187-434E-9C37-2DEDCD22597E", "McConnell on Jimmy Lai Sentencing: U.S. Must Employ Moral Authority In Demanding Release", "2026-02-09", "2026", "2026-02", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), issued the following statement on Jimmy Lai:\n\n\u201cJimmy Lai spent a career supporting in Hong Kong the freedoms so many Americans take for granted. I have been proud to call him my friend. The Chinese Communist Party may hope that, in sentencing Jimmy Lai to prison, it has closed the door on resistance in Hong Kong. In reality, it has attracted a harsher light to the totalitarian repression on which Beijing\u2019s power depends.\n\n\u201cStrategic competition with the PRC will test the strength of our economy and the credibility of our deterrence. But it will also demand proof of the values for which we stand. Jimmy Lai is not the first champion of freedom that Beijing has deemed a threat, and he will not be the last to be targeted.\n\n\u201cBefore he was imprisoned six years ago, Jimmy Lai spoke publicly about the strength of America\u2019s moral authority in competition with the PRC. Today, the United States must employ that authority in demanding his release. The United States is stronger when it stands for freedom and justice and against repression \u2013 in Hong Kong as in Iran and Venezuela.\u201d", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=2ECE1DC7-5FB3-4E1E-A376-465F09FC0C75", "Senator McConnell Secures $70 Million for Kentucky Priorities in Education and Health Funding Bill", "2026-02-03", "2026", "2026-02", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced today that he secured $70 million in federal funding for institutions of higher education and health facilities included in Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies, which passed the Senate. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator McConnell played a key role in shaping the legislation. The measure now goes to President Trump for his signature.\n\nThe projects secured by Senator McConnell in the bill include:\n\nUniversity of Louisville ($29.8 million)\n\n$12.5 million to support construction of the Kentucky Center for Precision Medicine.\n\n$8 million to procure computer systems and biobank equipment at the Kentucky Center for Precision Medicine.\n\n$9.326 million to procure data and analytical systems at the Kentucky Center for Precision Medicine.\n\n\u201cThese federal investments will provide significant support to the University of Louisville\u2019s efforts in healthcare and medicine,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cThe University\u2019s continued positioning as a premier health center throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky and our country is an important initiative that I\u2019m proud to support.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe sincerely appreciate Senator McConnell\u2019s support for the UofL Center for Precision Medicine. This center will unite new scientific strengths to help develop personalized treatments for some of our nation\u2019s and Kentucky\u2019s most serious and costly diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes,\u201d said University of Louisville President Gerry Bradley.\n\nUniversity of Kentucky ($30 million)\n\n$15 million for construction of the new Healthy Kentucky Research Building #2.\n\n$15 million for equipment acquisition at Healthy Kentucky Research Building #2.\n\n\u201cThis funding will help support the construction of a new Healthy Kentucky Research building, upgrading the University of Kentucky\u2019s research efforts targeting important health issues facing millions,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cFighting cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and many other health challenges is extremely important and there is no better place to expand this research than our Commonwealth\u2019s flagship university.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis investment in the Healthy Kentucky Research Building No. 2 helps build our capacity to answer the hard questions that matter to Kentucky communities and the families that call them home,\u201d said University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto. \u201cThis funding accelerates work already underway and expands the space where researchers, clinicians and students can collaborate to turn discovery into real-world solutions. We remain appreciative of Senator Mitch McConnell\u2019s continued leadership in guaranteeing Kentucky has the research infrastructure needed to ensure a Commonwealth tomorrow that is healthier, wealthier and wiser than it is today.\u201d\n\n$3 million for Campbellsville University\n\nCampbellsville University will use this funding to support faculty salaries, professional development, and accreditation at a new College of Mental Health that will launch with three new degree programs.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m proud to have helped secure this federal funding for Campbellsville University that will help pay teachers the salary they deserve and expand the university\u2019s College of Mental Health,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cSupporting our institutions of higher learning in Kentucky is essential for retaining the next generation of talented professionals. If our colleges and universities thrive, Kentucky thrives and our young people are granted more opportunities to succeed.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe are deeply grateful to Senator McConnell for his continued partnership and support in gaining access to federal funding,\u201d said Dr. Joseph Hopkins, President of Campbellsville University. \u201cThese investments are especially meaningful as they advance the work of our newly formed College of Mental Health and strengthen a vital program that equips students for high-impact service. Driven by our mission, CU aims to increase enrollment in the College of Mental Health to more than 1,000 students preparing as agents of healing for our nation\u2019s mental health crisis, supported by the launch of three new graduate degrees designed for strong professional preparation.\u201d\n\n$2 million for Madisonville Community College\n\nMadisonville Community College administers a new and rapidly growing aviation program. Funds will be used to procure propeller planes and helicopters that will be used by students.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m proud to announce this federal funding for Madisonville Community college that will provide much needed equipment for its growing aviation program,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cInnovative programs like Madisonville\u2019s aviation program are what make Kentucky\u2019s post-secondary schools so successful.\u201d\n\n\"We are so grateful to Senator McConnell for his support,\u201d said Dr. Cynthia S. Kelley, President/CEO of Madisonville Community College. \u201cThis funding reflects the strong partnership between our college and Senator McConnell in advancing workforce education. By strengthening our aviation program and helping keep training affordable, this investment ensures more students can access in-demand aviation careers.\u201d\n\n$2.7 million for Life Learning Center (Covington, KY)\n\nLife Learning Center will use these funds to provide life skills training, career readiness programming and placement, and care resources for those affected by the substance abuse and opioid epidemic.\n\n\u201cThis federal funding will help the Life Learning Center provide many Kentuckians with the resources they need to continue on their journey of recovery,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cThroughout my time in the U.S. Senate, I have prioritized fighting the opioid and substance abuse epidemic that has so drastically affected Kentucky, and I\u2019m proud to have helped secure funding for this organization that does such important work.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis funding represents a significant investment in the individuals, families and community we serve,\u201d said Alicia Webb-Edgington, President of Life Learning Center. \u201cWe are deeply grateful to Senator Mitch McConnell for his leadership and support in this endeavor. This will have a meaningful impact on underserved and unrepresented populations of people as they get back on their feet and into the workforce.\n\n$1 million for Home of the Innocents (Louisville, KY)\n\nHome of the Innocents will procure medical equipment for an expansion of the Kids Complex Care Center.\n\n\u201cThese federal investments for the Home of the Innocents will go toward important equipment that allows this great organization to continue its work providing medical care for youth in Louisville,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cKentucky youth are the future, and organizations like Home of the Innocents provide critical services for those children most in need. I\u2019m proud to have helped secure support for this project.\u201d\n\n\u201cOn behalf of the team members and children and families served by Home of the Innocents, we thank Senator McConnell for his efforts to secure funding for this important expansion,\u201d said Paul Robinson, President and CEO, Home of the Innocents. \u201cWe are grateful for Congress' acknowledgement of the need to care for these most vulnerable of patients, and look forward to meeting that challenge.\u201d\n\n$1.5 million for Mountain Comprehensive Health Corporation\n\nMCHC aims to develop a new autism center to support children and families.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m proud to announce this funding for the Mountain Comprehensive Health Corporation,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cThese federal dollars will help MCHC work toward developing an autism center, enhancing the important health services they provide to many people throughout Eastern Kentucky.\u201d", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=6870129B-6EA4-4B1D-82F4-397B48DA0952", "Chairman McConnell Secures $1.7 Billion in Federal Funding for Kentucky Defense Priorities", "2026-02-03", "2026", "2026-02", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, announced today that he secured nearly $1.7 billion in federal funding in the FY 2026 Defense Appropriations bill. The federal resources would be used to strengthen the defense industrial base in Kentucky, including projects at the University of Louisville, University of Kentucky, Ft. Knox, and Blue Grass Army Depot.\n\nAs a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator McConnell played a key role in shaping the legislation. The measure now goes to President Trump to be signed into law.\n\n\u201cHard power is the cornerstone of U.S. national security \u2013 securing federal funding for Kentucky\u2019s defense priorities is essential to keeping our nation safe and our commitments credible. And investing accordingly is among the core responsibilities of the Congress,\u201d said Chairman McConnell. \u201cI\u2019m proud that the Senate has upheld that responsibility by passing the defense appropriations bill, ensuring Kentucky continues to contribute to our national defense and deterrence.\u201d\n\nThe projects secured by Senator McConnell in the bill include:\n\nSupporting Defense-Related Research at Kentucky\u2019s Universities\n\n$20 million to support the Army\u2019s continued development of advanced materials and additive manufacturing techniques in partnership with the University of Kentucky.\n\n$9 million to support submarine stealth technology research at the University of Kentucky.\n\n\u201cWe extend our deepest gratitude to Senator Mitch McConnell for his ongoing support of research collaborations that continue to drive innovation and prepare a highly skilled workforce here in Kentucky,\u201d said University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto. \u201cThese investments highlight the value of collaborative research that brings together universities, federal laboratories and industry to solve complex engineering and manufacturing challenges. Through partnerships with the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy, UK researchers are advancing materials science, automation and monitoring technologies that strengthen domestic capabilities and expand hands-on training opportunities for students and researchers.\u201d\n\n$16 million to support the establishment of new Defense Innovation Unit OnRamp defense-technology gateways, including at UofL.\n\n$2.5 million to fund research into warfighter molecular and cellular health at UofL.\n\n$12 million to support the National Security Agency\u2019s cyber workforce training partnership in cooperation with UofL and other universities.\n\nUniversity of Louisville President Gerry Bradley said, \u201cWe are very thankful for Senator McConnell\u2019s support to create the Kentucky Defense Innovation Unit OnRamp Hub at the University of Louisville, as well as the continued support of our Veterans Cyber Initiative. These federal investments will significantly expand the university\u2019s ability to support our nation. As the operator of OnRamp Hub: Kentucky, the University is building a unified defense innovation network across the state and speeding up the development of advanced solutions critical to national security.\u201d\n\nModernizing Infrastructure at Kentucky\u2019s Military Facilities\n\nNearly $1 billion in federal funding for Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD)\n\n$903 million to fund the expansion of manufacturing capacity for energetics materials at BGAD.\n\n$59.96 million to invest in energetics manufacturing capability resiliency at BGAD.\n\n$3.2 million to fund the construction of a new raw water line at BGAD.\n\n$1 million to support ground-breaking research efforts at BGAD to develop new remote sensing techniques for surveillance at defense facilities.\n\n\u201cThroughout his career, Senator McConnell has recognized the profound economic impact that Blue Grass Army Depot has in Madison County and its important contribution to our national defense,\u201d said Madison County Judge/Executive Reagan Taylor. \u201cThe nearly $1 billion in investment that this legislation sets aside for Blue Grass Army Depot not only represents a powerful endorsement of its potential as a cornerstone of America\u2019s energetics manufacturing base, but also in the talent and value of the Depot\u2019s workforce. I appreciate Senator McConnell\u2019s sustained focus and working alongside us on job replacement at Blue Grass Army Depot and am grateful for this investment in the Depot and Madison County\u2019s shared future.\u201d\n\n$8 million to construct a new gas line to serve Ft. Knox\u2019s energy needs.\n\n$2.5 million to upgrade Ft. Knox\u2019s railhead facilities that support the installation\u2019s role as a Mobilization Force Generation Installation.\n\nThis legislation also contains language to prohibit the use of appropriated funds to close the General George Patton Museum of Leadership at Fort Knox.\n\n\u201cSenator McConnell\u2019s unwavering support for Fort Knox cannot be overstated. From these critical infrastructure investments that elevate the installation\u2019s military readiness and strategic importance to the protection of one of our most treasured and visited tourist attractions, we cannot say enough about his commitment to our installation, our national defense and to our regional economy,\u201d said President and CEO of the Knox Regional Development Alliance Lance O\u2019Bryan.\n\n$1.875 million to furnish the Kentucky National Guard\u2019s Vehicle Maintenance Shop in Northern Kentucky.\n\nStrengthening the Defense Industrial Base in Kentucky", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=9AD3AB49-ACAB-4980-9DBA-203ABD3843CE", "Senator McConnell Secures More than $117 Million in Federal Funding for Kentucky Transportation and Economic Development", "2026-02-03", "2026", "2026-02", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced today that he secured $117 million in federal funding for Kentucky airports, highways, and economic development projects included in the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations for Transportation-Housing and Urban Development, which passed the Senate. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator McConnell played a key role in shaping the legislation. The measure now goes to President Trump for his signature.\n\nThe projects secured by Senator McConnell in the bill include:\n\nKentucky Economic Development Projects (Totaling more than $50 million):\n\n$20,000,000 to construct the new Cave City Area Agriculture Exposition Center in Barren County\n\nThis project will see the establishment of a new agricultural center to host a number of different events and foster economic development.\n\n$11,000,000 for the McCreary County Heritage Foundation\n\nFunding will be used to facilitate planning, design, and construction of a number of improvements intended to foster economic development in the community.\n\n$7,000,000 for Louisville Metro Government\n\nThe City of Louisville will use this funding to redevelop crumbling infrastructure at the Belvedere.\n\n$6,600,000 to build a new childcare facility in Owensboro\n\nThe City of Owensboro is facing a shortage in childcare facilities and the Owensboro Family YMCA, in response, aims to redevelop an existing building to increase childcare availability.\n\n$4,500,000 for the City of Covington\n\nThe Covington Central Riverfront Podium and Land Bridge Infrastructure project will see construction of a new pedestrian-friendly connection for the city\u2019s newest mixed-use business district on the site of the former IRS facility.\n\n$1,450,000 for the Southern Pulaski Economic Development Authority (SPEDA)\n\nSPEDA will construct an overpass to connect an emerging business park with Kentucky Highway 80, Hal Rogers Parkway, via Barnesburg Road.\n\n\u201cFrom Barren, Pulaski, and McCreary Counties to Louisville and Owensboro, I\u2019m proud to have helped secure this funding for economic development projects across the Commonwealth,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cThis federal funding will help revitalize important locations and infrastructure throughout our communities and promote development in our cities and towns.\u201d\n\n\u201cOn behalf of Barren County, I want to sincerely thank Senator McConnell for his support in securing federal funding for this agricultural expo center,\u201d said Jamie Bewley Byrd, Barren County Judge-Executive. \u201cThis project will provide a much needed location for farmers to come together for trade shows and events, and will bring in millions of dollars in economic impact and development. Being ranked among the top counties in the Commonwealth for total number of farms, Barren County is a proud, resilient agriculture community and we\u2019re thrilled to be the site of this new development.\u201d\n\n\u201cI would like to express my deepest appreciation to Senator McConnell for believing in the potential to revitalize the historic mining community of Stearns, McCreary County Kentucky,\u201d said J.C. Egnew, Founder of the McCreary County Heritage Foundation, and Chief Executive Officer of Outdoor Venture Corporation. \u201cThis revitalization project will make Stearns a world class tourism destination. Through the Senator\u2019s efforts, and belief that tourism is bona fide economic development and his ability to appropriate funds, will make this vision become reality. This project is an integral part of the goal to enhance the development of the Southern entrance to the Kentucky Wildlands and the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.\u201d\n\nThank you, Senator McConnell, for your support of the redevelopment of the Belvedere,\u201d said Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg. \u201cThis investment will help with the massive repairs needed for this important infrastructure in Downtown Louisville. This project will fix Downtown\u2019s largest garage and ensure the safety of the thousands of motorists who drive underneath it every day. The reimagined Belvedere will also be a catalyst for other Downtown redevelopment projects, which is why this support is so important.\u201d\n\n\u201cSenator McConnell has long been a trusted friend and ally to the City of Owensboro, Kentucky, and we are deeply grateful for his continued support over the years,\u201d said Tom Watson, Mayor of Owensboro. \u201cThanks to Senator McConnell\u2019s efforts in securing federal funding, Owensboro can expand its high-quality childcare center through our local YMCA to support our city\u2019s growing workforce and economy. Having access to childcare is a significant challenge facing working families and impacting business across the nation. And while Owensboro is no exception to this issue \u2014 we are exceptional. We have a community that has come together to find solutions and make a real impact; and we have a Senator who understands the importance of supporting communities in addressing issues on a local level. This funding will directly change lives and support business, all at the same time. A homerun for everyone with our Senator going to bat for us.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe support of Senator McConnell and our other congressional leaders for the Covington Central Riverfront development represents a major investment in public infrastructure for Covington and all of Northern Kentucky,\u201d said Covington Mayor Ron Washington. \u201cBy strengthening our riverfront's infrastructure and laying the foundation for future development, this project will create jobs, attract private investment, and support long-term regional growth. Beyond the economic impact, this investment improves quality of life by creating spaces and infrastructure designed for residents, families, and visitors alike.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis is a significant win for The Capital of Lake Cumberland and a major step forward for economic development in our region. We sincerely thank Senator McConnell for his leadership and continued support of Somerset-Pulaski County,\" said Chris Girdler, President & Chief Executive Officer of the Somerset-Pulaski Economic Development Authority. \u201cFor several years, we have actively pursued federal funding to construct a new bridge crossing Barnesburg Road. This bridge will ensure safe, efficient access throughout SPEDA Commerce Park, allowing employees, customers, and commercial traffic to travel directly from Highway 80 without disrupting traffic flow.\u201d\n\nKentucky Airports (More than $36 million):\n\nElizabethtown Regional Airport (EKX) ($9.25 million)\n\n$9,000,000 for enabling design work and land acquisition for the new runway once the initial study is complete.\n\n$250,000 to reorient their runway at an estimated cost of $100 million. These funds will enable a study that will inform future efforts to facilitate the larger project.\n\nCincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) ($9.5 million)\n\n$7,500,000 to support reconstructing a portion of Taxiway M critical for the operation of cargo flights.\n\n$2,000,000 to support reconstructing an apron that serves all twenty-one gates for Concourse A.\n\n$9,600,000 for Louisville International Airport (SDF)\n\nSDF will develop a Federal Inspection Service (FIS) facility with two gates that will enable international flights for passengers.\n\n$5,400,000 for Blue Grass Airport (LEX)\n\nLEX is undertaking an approximately $400 million expansion of the airport. Part of this work includes the relocation of the air traffic control tower, and these funds, specifically, will enable the tower to be moved at a later date.\n\n$3,100,000 for Barkley Regional Airport (PAH)\n\nPAH will use this funding to improve runway lighting systems critical for night operations.\n\n\u201cThis federal funding will help support Kentucky\u2019s airports that accommodate millions of commercial air passengers every single year and smaller airports that provide important local services,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cEnsuring smooth travel requires updated infrastructure both on the ground for planes and throughout terminals for passengers. I\u2019m proud to continue my work in the Senate securing critical investments for our regional, national, and international airports.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Elizabethtown Airport Board is grateful for Senator McConnell\u2019s leadership and foresight to increase the capabilities of the Elizabethtown Regional Airport at Addington Field,\u201d said Carl Swope, Chair of the Elizabethtown Airport Board. \u201cWe are in a time of unprecedented growth in central Kentucky, and this investment will assure our ideally located airport remains a valuable regional asset for the next 50 years.\u201d\n\n\"We are grateful to Senator McConnell for his support to ensure that critical airfield infrastructure projects at CVG are funded and can move forward to provide important safety and capacity benefits for CVG passenger and cargo airlines as well as to create construction jobs and related spending that supports the regional economy,\" said Larry Krauter, CEO of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.\n\n\u201cWe would like to acknowledge and thank Senator McConnell for championing the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF),\u201d said Dan Mann, Executive Director of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority, which owns and operates Louisville\u2019s airport. \u201cAs SDF experienced record-setting growth each of the previous three years, this funding supports the addition of a Federal Inspection Services facility, or FIS, that will allow international passenger flights at our airport. We appreciate the Senator\u2019s on-going support as SDF continues not only its positive momentum, but its transformation into providing a best-in-class experience for the region\u2019s travelers.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe cannot express how grateful we are for Senator McConnell\u2019s support and persistence in securing a federal grant to advance the next phase of relocating the FAA\u2019s air traffic control tower,\u201d said Eric Frankl, Executive Director of Blue Grass Airport. \u201cBuilt in 1970, the existing tower does not meet current design standards and will ultimately limit our ability to expand the passenger terminal to meet the growing travel demands of the central and southeastern Kentucky region we serve. We are hopeful this grant will expedite the construction of a new tower at Blue Grass Airport.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe are extremely thankful to Senator McConnell for his leadership and support in supporting the funding of the Airfield Lighting Project,\u201d said Dennis Rouleau, Executive Director of the Barkley Regional Airport Authority. \u201cThis improvement will replace all of the remaining old and out of date airfield lighting equipment and cabling to enhance airfield worker safety, strengthen operational reliability, and help ensure Barkley Regional Airport remains a strong transportation asset for our region. Upgrading this critical infrastructure allows Barkley to continue serving as the Front Porch of the Purchase Region, a key gateway for business, tourism, and economic development across the Purchase Area. We are grateful for Senator McConnell\u2019s commitment to Western Kentucky and to keeping our communities connected to the world.\u201d\n\nKentucky Highways ($30 million)\n\n$20,000,000 for the Hal Rogers Parkway Improvement Program for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC)\n\nKYTC aims to widen approximately 59 miles of Hal Rogers Parkway. This funding will support the study that will enable the future construction project.\n\n$10,000,000 to support I-69 Ohio River Crossing (ORX) for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet\n\nI-69 ORX will see construction of a new bridge for I-69 across the Ohio River in Henderson. This project will support right-of-way acquisition and utility placement for the larger project that is expected to cost, in total, $933 million.\n\n\u201cKentuckians rely on state parkways, highways, and interstates to safely commute to work and travel across our Commonwealth,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cI\u2019m proud to have helped secure these federal investments in critical infrastructure that build on Kentucky\u2019s roads and bridges. This funding will help upgrade already existing thoroughfares and work toward securing the future of transportation in Kentucky.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Hal Rogers Parkway is a vital artery that fuels connectivity, commerce, and opportunity across eastern Kentucky,\u201d said Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester. \u201cI appreciate Senator McConnell\u2019s leadership in securing $20 million and the lasting impact this investment will have on communities from London to Hazard and well beyond.\u201d", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=B4439A7E-3E4F-4630-9AA6-49A5F66BAFB9", "McConnell on FY26 Defense Appropriations, Work Ahead", "2026-01-30", "2026", "2026-01", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor prior to the vote on the conferenced Fiscal Year 2026 Defense Appropriations bill:\n\n\u201cHard power is the cornerstone of U.S. national security. It\u2019s the credibility behind our commitments to defend core interests. And investing accordingly is among Congress\u2019 core responsibilities.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m proud that the Senate will uphold that responsibility today by passing full-year defense appropriations for the remainder of fiscal year 2026. Our action today is urgent and important, overdue and yet insufficient. Allow me to briefly remind our colleagues what this vote represents:\n\n\u201cAbout a year ago, I offered the incoming Administration a few recommendations on the nature of American power and what it would take to sustain it in the face of grave and growing threats. I urged them to push for sustained, year-on-year increases to the defense topline, to prioritize investments in the industrial base that equips both America and our allies, and expand the use of multi-year procurement contracts to solve glaring shortages of critical munitions.\n\n\u201cSuffice it to say, the President\u2019s advisors didn\u2019t initially seem to heed this advice. In fact, senior budget and defense officials welcomed the first full-year continuing resolution for the military in history \u2013 a move that effectively left the Pentagon operating on President Biden\u2019s budget and handicapped President Trump\u2019s effort to restore peace through strength. Then, they went about trying to internally cut 10% from the military services, setting arbitrary budget reduction quotas that shortchanged growing military requirements.\n\n\u201cEven the Administration\u2019s first official budget request left much to be desired. Indeed, defense appropriators received an FY26 defense budget request from OMB that would have amounted to a net cut after inflation, a continuation of the Biden approach to discretionary appropriations.\n\n\u201cAs the President\u2019s foremost national defense priorities came into focus \u2013 from homeland missile defense to a shipbuilding renaissance \u2013 the inadequacy of his Administration\u2019s budget request became even more undeniably clear. And what about the budget reconciliation process that could have been optimized to make one-time investments in critical sectors of the defense enterprise?\n\n\u201cAdministration budget officials treated it like a shell game, instead. Much of the Defense Subcommittee\u2019s most arduous work in recent months has been helping the armed services address real, urgent operational shortfalls that were created when much of Washington decided to pretend that one-time infusions of cash could take the place of consistent annual appropriations.\n\n\u201cTo be clear, this was not the intention of my friend, Chairman Wicker, who\u2019s been a far-sighted advocate for sustained increases in annual defense spending. But OMB\u2019s effort to shift major, long-term funding priorities from the base budget to reconciliation did not suddenly obviate the need for steady full-year appropriations.\n\n\u201cIn fact, it created additional challenges. The full-year bill we\u2019re passing today reflects great efforts on the part of Senate appropriators to make up for growing funding shortfalls that are stifling the Department\u2019s ability to deliver the President\u2019s military priorities. These aren\u2019t small shortfalls, either. The Administration has acknowledged FY26 funding gaps of at least $40 billion.\n\n\u201cThe President\u2019s golden dome and golden fleet will not be built on a bronze budget. That\u2019s precisely why Senate Appropriators marked a bill that would have exceeded the President\u2019s budget request by $22 billion. The conferenced bill we\u2019re voting on today comes in at $14 billion below that topline.\n\n\u201cThe final bill is only $8.4 billion above the President\u2019s request. Clearly, that\u2019s not enough to cover an official request for $28 billion in munitions that came in while we were conferencing our bill.\n\n\u201cClearly, it\u2019s not enough to cover the $40 billion in shortfalls identified by the Department. But within our limited topline, this bill makes modest but important downpayments on key priorities for the military: critical munitions, shipbuilding, sixth generation fighter aircraft, missile defense, and more.\n\n\u201cIn any event, it was always clear that glaring challenges \u2013 particularly to industrial capacity and defense innovation \u2013 would not be solved in a single budget cycle. This is the business of years upon years, and it will require at the most basic level a renewed recognition of the centrality of hard power.\n\n\u201cTwelve months into the President\u2019s term, I\u2019m hopeful that appropriators will have more allies in our work to deliver consistent and increasing full-year resources.\n\n\u201cThe President, for his part, indicated an ambitious goal for the coming year: an FY27 defense budget of $1.5 trillion.\n\n\u201cNeedless to say, building toward this target next year would be a bit easier had we been able to make more headway this year. Going forward, every stakeholder is going to have to acknowledge that we can\u2019t nip-and-tuck our way to building the military we need to meet the growing threats.\n\n\u201cWhen Administration officials tell the Department at the eleventh hour to finally make more room for investments in critical munitions, they ought to be ready to join us in advocating for a higher topline\u2026 not expect warfighters to take it out of hide.\n\n\u201cRegardless of whether we are willing to put our money where our mouth is on the national defense, we face adversaries who are. And they\u2019ll continue to pose growing threats to our security and our interests.\n\n\u201cSo again, our work is far from over. But as we take this significant step in the right direction, I would be remiss in not acknowledging the dedicated, collaborative efforts of colleagues who recognize the importance of the task at hand, particularly Chair Susan Collins \u2013 clearly the most outstanding Appropriations Chair in the time that I\u2019ve been here \u2013 and my counterpart, Ranking Member Coons, both have been fabulous supporters.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m also deeply grateful to the talented professional staff who have given so many nights and weekends to pull FY26 defense appropriations across the finish line. On the Majority side, they include Rachel DaPieve, Laura Forrest, Megan Handal, Cole Hodge, Alexa Lorick, Todd Phillips, Kathryn Plunkett, Kim Segura, Tom Shaffer, and Elise Stebick, and of course their fearless leader, Robert Karem. We\u2019ve been friends and collaborators for a long time and there\u2019s nobody better on this subject. And I know my team has appreciated close collaboration with their counterparts on the Minority staff, including Gabriella Armonda, Dylan Byrd, Abigail Grace, Brigid Kolish, and Ryan Pettit, led by Rob Leonard.\n\n\u201cMy sincere thanks are with each of them for their devotion to such a worthy task. But as Henry Kissinger observed, \u2018each success only buys an admission ticket to a more difficult problem.\u2019 So, after taking the weekend to catch their breath, I\u2019ll look forward to welcoming the team back to the appropriations salt mines next week.\n\n\u201cThe President\u2019s $1.5 trillion defense budget for FY27 is a worthy goal, and after Congress finishes its work on FY26, we\u2019ll stand ready to do our part and help him achieve it.\u201d", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=ABF3C12B-026E-4175-9066-687CFA2195D0", "Senator McConnell Secures More than $540 Million for Kentucky Priorities in Federal Funding Bill", "2026-01-15", "2026", "2026-01", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced today that he secured $541 million in federal funding for several Kentucky-focused priorities included through FY 2026 appropriations for Commerce-Justice-Science; Interior\u2013Environment; and Energy-Water, which passed the Senate today. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator McConnell played a key role in shaping the legislation. The measure now goes to President Trump to be signed into law.\n\nThe projects secured by Senator McConnell in the bill include:\n\n$70 million for the University of Louisville\u2019s Center for Bioscience. This is the largest-ever earmark through the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) Construction account. The new facility will house the rapidly growing research conducted through the University of Louisville Military Health and Biology program.\n\n$35 million for the University of Kentucky\u2019s Healthy Kentucky Research Building #2. This new building will expand research opportunities with a focus on addressing the Commonwealth\u2019s largest health disparities, particularly cancer.\n\n\u201cThis federal funding is an important investment in research infrastructure at UofL and UK. By empowering scientists to tackle some of our most pressing health challenges\u2014from cancer to military health and readiness\u2014this funding represents a commitment to innovation, collaboration, and a healthier future for Kentucky,\u201d said Senator McConnell.\n\n\u201cThe University of Louisville is extremely appreciative of Senator McConnell\u2019s efforts to secure this historic funding,\u201d said UofL President Gerry Bradley. \u201cMilitary health is one of the fastest-growing areas of our research portfolio, and we believe that the coming Center for Bioscience will dramatically strengthen UofL\u2019s ability to advance science that improves the condition and well-being of our servicemen and women.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe are deeply grateful for Senator Mitch McConnell\u2019s longstanding leadership and support of the University of Kentucky and our shared mission to ensure a healthier, wealthier and wiser Commonwealth,\u201d said UK President Eli Capilouto. \u201cThis $35 million investment in the Healthy Kentucky Research Building No. 2 will expand research focused on Kentucky\u2019s most pressing health challenges while strengthening our ability to address longstanding health disparities across the state. By advancing discovery, training the next generation of researchers and accelerating the translation of science into care, this facility represents a meaningful step toward a healthier future for all Kentuckians.\u201d\n\n$2.5 million for equipment at a new cybercrime training facility being developed in Madisonville. Established by the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training in collaboration with local officials in Madisonville and Hopkins County, this facility will be the largest police training academy in the Commonwealth and will focus specifically on cybercrime.\n\n$352,000 for law enforcement equipment and technology to support a new emergency operations center in Warren County. The center will also serve as the headquarters for the Bowling Green\u2013Warren County Drug Task Force.\n\n\u201cThese federal investments will equip Kentucky\u2019s law enforcement with the tools and training they need to keep our communities safe,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cFrom the new cybercrime training facility in Madisonville to the upgraded emergency operations center in Warren County, we are supporting officers on the front lines and ensuring they have the technology and resources to fight crime effectively.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe are grateful for this $2.5 million dollar investment made possible through Senator Mitch McConnell\u2019s office. This represents a major step forward for public safety in Madisonville and across the region. A state-of-the-art regional cyber-crime lab will equip our law enforcement partners with the tools, technology, and training needed to combat increasingly sophisticated cyber threats and protect our citizens in the digital age, while also strengthening collaboration across jurisdictions and position our city as a regional leader in cyber-crime prevention and investigation,\u201d said Madisonville Mayor Kevin Cotton.\n\n\u201cCyber-crime is one of the fastest-growing threats facing communities today, and this $2.5 million investment allows Madisonville to stay ahead of the curve. With support from Senator Mitch McConnell\u2019s office, this regional cyber-crime lab will deliver cutting-edge capabilities that enhance safety for residents, businesses, and local governments throughout the region,\u201d said Madisonville Police Chief Steve Bryan.\n\n\u201cOn behalf of the Warren County Drug Task Force and our local, state, and federal partners, I would like to thank Senator McConnell for his leadership and support in helping us secure this funding for new drug enforcement offices,\u201d said Tommy Loving, Executive Director of the Bowling Green\u2013Warren County Drug Task Force. \u201cThis investment is great news, as we have outgrown our current facility, and it will significantly enhance our ability to combat crime and address drug issues throughout our region. We have always been able to count on Senator McConnell as a strong supporter of law enforcement.\u201d\n\n$340 million to fund decommissioning, decontamination, and environmental remediation at the U.S. Department of Energy\u2019s Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP).\n\n$41 million for construction of a new program support facility at PGDP to replace aging administrative buildings. The facility will also support next-generation manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and advanced technologies expected to arrive at PGDP in the coming years.\n\n\u201cThese federal investments deliver long-overdue cleanup at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant while positioning the site for the future,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cBy fully funding environmental remediation and modernizing facilities, we are protecting public health, supporting workers, and laying the groundwork for next-generation manufacturing and advanced technologies in Western Kentucky.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe appreciate Senator McConnell\u2019s support in securing the funding for the new building at the Paducah DOE site. This facility represents the future for the site, which will remain an important part of our community for decades to come. The Paducah Chamber\u2019s reindustrialization study of the site, through a grant from the Department of Energy, has highlighted what\u2019s ahead. Our Federal Priorities identified this as our top project. As cleanup efforts continue, this new building will significantly reduce the annual maintenance costs associated with aging structures originally constructed in the 1950s. The projected return on investment demonstrates that this is a wise and responsible use of public funds,\u201d said Sandra Wilson, Paducah Chamber President/CEO. \u201cSenator McConnell has been a strong and tireless advocate for our DOE site and its workers and this is another way he has shown that. We are very grateful for this continued investment.\"\n\n$21.281 million to fully fund the remaining work on the Rough River Dam Safety Modification Project, ensuring the integrity of Rough River Lake for decades to come.\n\n$600,000 to continue an erosion study along the Mississippi River at Columbus-Belmont State Park.\n\n\u201cThis federal funding makes critical investments in the safety and durability of Kentucky\u2019s water infrastructure,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cFully funding the Rough River Dam Safety Modification Project ensures the long-term integrity of Rough River Lake, while the continued study of erosion at Columbus-Belmont State Park helps protect communities, natural resources, and historic sites along the Mississippi River.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur rural Rough River Lake community is grateful for the attention and total commitment of Senator McConnell and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for this vital remediation project. This additional $21 million funding will ensure ancillary work necessary for this complex project can be performed as needed. This dam remediation project will ensure the long-term viability of flood control downstream and protect the economic viability of our local recreational businesses,\u201d said Charlie Corbett, founding member and longtime president of the Friends of Rough River.\n\n\u201cWe are thankful for the additional funding Senator McConnell has secured for the erosion study the Corp. of Engineers is doing on the bluffs at picturesque Columbus Belmont State Park. Senator McConnell and his staff\u2019s steadfast work is much appreciated by residents of western Kentucky who enjoy Columbus Belmont so much,\u201d said Kenny Wilson, Hickman County Judge Executive.\n\n$9.256 million for modernization of a water treatment plant in Edmonson County, bolstering capacity for the Edmonson County Water District as it continues to update its system after decades of deferred maintenance and changes to the Green River following the removal of Green River Lock and Dam No. 5.\n\n$7.334 million to support construction of a new water treatment plant in Albany, addressing capacity limitations that currently prevent growth for residential and industry in Albany and Clinton County.\n\n$4.8 million for modernization of a wastewater treatment plant in Martin County, where one facility is completely inoperable and in urgent need of resources to restore service.\n\n\u201cThese critical federal investments in water and wastewater infrastructure will protect public health and ensure Kentucky communities can continue to grow,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cFrom Edmonson County to Albany and Martin County, modernizing these systems restores essential services, supports local industry, and strengthens the quality of life for residents across the Commonwealth.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am very grateful for Senator McConnell\u2019s work in helping us receive new federal funding for the water treatment plant in Edmonson County,\u201d said State Representative Michael Meredith. \u201cAfter years of much needed maintenance and several changes to our system, this funding for modernization efforts will enhance our capacity and capability in providing clean drinking water throughout the county.\u201d\n\n\u201cDeep concerns about our aging water system and increased demands from residents and industry in Albany pointed toward the need for a new water treatment plant,\u201d said Albany Mayor James Bray. \u201cThanks to Senator McConnell\u2019s unwavering support in securing federal funding, the city can now take a significant step forward in addressing this need to ensure a clean, safe, and reliable water supply for Clinton County and neighboring communities.\u201d\n\n\u201cOn behalf of Martin County, we are so thankful for Senator McConnell\u2019s work and all the help he has provided in federal funding for the Inez sewage treatment plant,\u201d said Dr. Lon Lafferty, Martin County Judge-Executive. \u201cThe decades old plant is in desperate need of maintenance, and thanks to this funding we can now work toward providing wastewater treatment services to residents throughout the county.\u201d\n\n$7.45 million for Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area to support six capital improvement and maintenance projects at the site, located between Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake.\n\n$1 million for improvements to the visitor center at Green River National Wildlife Refuge in Henderson, Kentucky, bringing the facility into compliance with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards and updating aging infrastructure.\n\n\u201cInvesting in Land Between the Lakes and the Green River National Wildlife Refuge strengthens Kentucky\u2019s outdoor recreation and tourism opportunities,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cThese improvements will modernize facilities, make them more accessible for all visitors, and ensure these treasured public lands continue to provide unforgettable experiences for generations to come.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis investment in the Woodlands Nature Station honors the original public commitment made when Land Between the Lakes was established and Senator McConnell\u2019s support at the federal level is appreciated. The federal funding will help drive measurable economic development by increasing visitation, generating tourism spending, and supporting local businesses and rural workforce opportunities across the region. Land Between the Lakes belongs to the public, and this investment reinforces our responsibility to manage it in a way that is relevant, and forward-looking,\u201d said Elaine Jackson, Friends of Land Between the Lakes Executive Director.\n\n\u201cThe Friends of Green River National Wildlife Refuge would like to thank Senator McConnell for his continued support in securing federal funding,\u201d said Chase Fulcher, President, Friends of Green River National Wildlife Refuge. \u201cThis funding is vital to moving the priorities of this long-term Natural Resource Conservation and Public Recreation Project forward, and we appreciate the Senator\u2019s work over the course of his Senate tenure on behalf of the Henderson community.\u201d\n\nThe federal funding conference report also contains the following priorities that benefit Kentucky:\n\nProvides funding for aquatic invasive species management, including $27 million for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove Asian carp that threaten native ecosystems.\n\nIncreases funding for the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund to $166.975 million, supporting efforts to address hazards from legacy coal mines.\n\nIncreases funding for state economic development grants through the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization (AMLER) program to $134 million, delivering $29.5 million directly to the Commonwealth to support economic development initiatives in formerly mined areas. Originally launched as the AML Pilot Program, AMLER was created by Senator McConnell and Congressman Rogers (KY-05) in 2015 and has provided more than $250 million for economic development in Kentucky since its inception.\n\nMaintains funding at $500,000 for stream gages on the Ohio River through the Next Generation Water Observing System.\n\nIncludes directive language for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to prioritize land acquisition backlogs at the Clarks River and Green River National Wildlife Refuges.\n\nIncludes directive language for the U.S. Forest Service to report on efforts to regenerate White Oak, a critical species supporting the Commonwealth\u2019s signature bourbon industry.\n\n$466 million to support economic development initiatives through the Economic Development Administration.\n\n$964 million for Byrne Justice Assistance Grants, which benefit state and local law enforcement agencies.\n\n$34.5 million for the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Anti-Heroin Task Forces and $13.5 million for COPS Anti-Methamphetamine Task Forces, supporting law enforcement investigations and related activities to combat the production and distribution of illegal drugs.\n\nEnsures continued funding availability for construction of a new federal prison in Letcher County.\n\n$10.5 million for invasive carp removal efforts in the Lower Mississippi River Basin.\n\n$200 million for the Appalachian Regional Commission, including:\n\n$65 million for POWER, a competitive economic development program;\n\n$13 million for INSPIRE, a competitive substance abuse treatment program;\n\n$16 million for critical infrastructure investments in Central Appalachia;\n\n$10 million for high-speed broadband deployment in Central Appalachia.\n\n$32 million in increased funding for the Delta Regional Authority.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.paul.senate.gov/dr-rand-paul-introduces-the-end-welfare-for-non-citizens-act/", "Dr. Rand Paul Introduces the End Welfare for Non-Citizens Act", "2026-01-15", "2026", "2026-01", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Rand Paul", "P000603", "www.paul.senate.gov", "paul", "https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\n\nDecember 4th, 2025\n\nContact: Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343\n\nSenator Paul Introduces the End Welfare for Non Citizens Act\n\nWASHINGTON DC \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is introducing the End Welfare for Non-Citizens Act, legislation intended to end the appropriation of taxpayer-funded benefits, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and any other federal benefit, subsidy, or service, to refugees, asylees, or immigrants present in the United States without legal status.\n\n\u201cWith a national debt exceeding $38 trillion, Washington should not be running a welfare system on autopilot,\u201d said Dr. Paul. \u201cThe End Welfare for Non-Citizens Actputs America First by stopping taxpayer dollars from being siphoned into benefits for non-citizens. If we want a sustainable safety net and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, this bill is a must-pass.\u201d\n\nThe recent massive fraud scheme in Minnesota, which federal prosecutors estimate could reach $9 billion, demonstrates how severely oversight of the welfare system has failed. Protecting the American taxpayer from theft and finally turning off the spigot of out-of-control waste has never been more important.\n\nRead the bill HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=773A8F5D-9FFD-4C52-8DF8-DBD550088A24", "McConnell Delivers Remarks on NATO, Greenland, and the Credibility of U.S. Alliance Commitments", "2026-01-14", "2026", "2026-01", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor:\n\n\u201cFor years, the most pressing concern about the future of NATO was whether and when European allies would take the obligations of collective defense more seriously. But today, the biggest questions about the most successful military alliance in the history of the world have to do with United States:\n\n\u201cWhether America still recognizes our interests as an anchor of trans-Atlantic security, an arsenal of democracy, and a global leader \u2013 not a regional power.\n\n\u201cI need to make a number of points here. And it\u2019ll be useful to begin with some history:\n\n\u201cThe Second World War claimed tens of millions of lives, displaced tens of millions more, and left the old world crippled by food shortages and hyperinflation. And after defeating Hitler\u2019s genocidal bid for world domination, America\u2019s leaders understood that our interests and those of our European allies were linked, whether we liked it or not.\n\n\u201cAs George Marshall put it in 1947, quote, \u201cthe United States should do whatever it is able to do to assist in the return of normal economic health in the world, without which there can be no political stability and no assured peace.\u201d\n\n\u201cAmerican security and stability depended on European security and stability. Not least because conflict with Nazi Germany was succeeded immediately by the threat of conflict with the Soviet Union. Millions in Eastern Europe had gone from living under Nazi tyranny to living under Soviet tyranny.\n\n\u201cAnd the American people understood the stakes:\n\n\u201cIn 1947, more than three quarters of Americans rejected the idea that the Soviet Union was merely building its defenses against future attack. Instead, they reported they thought Russia was bent on conquest.\n\n\u201cIn 1948, two thirds of Americans said America and western European friends should join a mutual defense pact.\n\n\u201cBy 1949, with the North Atlantic Treaty in the works, the question got more specific: Would the American people support, quote, \u201ca promise of mutual aid from all members of the alliance if any single member nation is attacked\u201d?\n\n\u201cThis was a higher bar \u2013 the commitment that would become Article 5 \u2013 and yet, an even bigger majority of respondents again said yes. Of course, there was still controversy and opposition. There were still isolationists ignoring the lessons of the decade.\n\n\u201cBut after years of neglect for the national defense\u2026 After the folly of appeasement and the failure of deterrence\u2026 After pouring the equivalent of 37% of America\u2019s GDP into the Arsenal of Democracy and burying 400,000 American servicemembers in the process\u2026 The American people knew the costs of war. And they knew they\u2019d rather preserve the peace.\n\n\u201cOf course, they didn\u2019t intend to do it alone. Americans told pollsters that their early skepticism toward post-war alliance commitments stemmed from a fear that allies would rely too heavily on American leadership.\n\n\u201cThis would be a recurring theme. But, importantly, for much of NATO\u2019s history, the U.S. leaders most concerned about burden-sharing were also fierce defenders of the alliance. They criticized allies because they wanted NATO to work \u2013 not because they wanted to score political points at home.\n\n\u201cTake our former colleague, Sam Nunn. On multiple occasions, including the 1974 and 1985 NDAAs, he pushed to force allies to carry more of the costs of U.S. forward deployment. And yet, when a majority leader of his own party tried to force a phase-out of U.S. troops from Europe, our former colleague from Georgia fought back\u2026 because he understood the value of American leadership and the importance of European security to our own.\n\n\u201cThe strength of the trans-Atlantic alliance is contingent on its leaders taking collective defense seriously. That\u2019s why I\u2019ve always called out laggards and urged European allies to share more of the burden. But I\u2019ve also given credit where it\u2019s due. And the simple truth is that our allies have undertaken a profound transformation:\n\n\u201cThis year, Poland will spend 4.8% of its GDP on defense. Estonia and Lithuania will spend 5%, and Latvia will hit that goal in 2027. Alongside Nordic neighbors like Norway and Denmark, who have deployed to harm\u2019s way alongside American comrades, NATO\u2019s newest members, Sweden and Finland, are each on track to meet the alliance\u2019s new spending target years ahead of schedule.\n\n\u201cGermany has dramatically increased defense spending and even amended its constitution to allow for deficit spending on defense. Whether Europe\u2019s largest economy is serious about its defense transformation is no longer up for debate.\n\n\u201cNot every ally is making such impressive progress. But no one can claim ignorance of what\u2019s at stake. As Poland\u2019s Prime Minister put it bluntly, the choice facing Europe is, quote, \u201cmoney today or blood tomorrow.\u201d Perhaps that\u2019s why \u2013 in addition to investing heavily in their own defenses \u2013 European allies are continuing to dwarf America\u2019s assistance to Ukraine\u2026 by a factor of 10 to 1.\n\n\u201cOur allies\u2019 long holiday from history is over. That\u2019s good news. And it must continue. But what about America?\n\n\u201cEuropean allies continue to grow their defense budgets, but ours have stayed flat across successive Administrations. We\u2019re the ones leaving capacity unused and political will untapped. We\u2019re talking; not doing.\n\n\u201cThe President was right to call for a major increase in defense spending. But the annual defense budget request from OMB this year doesn\u2019t keep pace with inflation. The FY26 topline won\u2019t come close to covering growing costs and requirements \u2013 like the multi-year munitions contracts the Department of Defense rightly wants to sign.\n\n\u201cWe should keep the cost \u2013 and value \u2013 of America\u2019s own commitment to the trans-Atlantic alliance in perspective. Take the year 1982, right in the thick of the Reagan buildup that won the Cold War. In FY82, sustaining U.S. military operations in Europe accounted for less than 6.5% of defense outlays.\n\n\u201cRemember: Winning World War II meant surging defense spending to 37% of America\u2019s gross domestic product. But at the climax of the Cold War, when we were spending 6% of GDP on defense, sustaining a deterrent military presence in Russia\u2019s backyard took up less than 6.5% of the annual defense budget.\n\n\u201cThat sounds a lot less like an entangling alliance than a smart investment in preventing catastrophic war. But what did the American people say?\n\n\u201cWell, in 1989, with the Soviets on the ropes, 75% said that NATO ought to be maintained beyond victory. Thirty years later, in 2019, an even greater majority gave the same response\u2026 Even before Putin\u2019s escalation in Ukraine.\n\n\u201cWhat about now? With Russia waging a war of conquest \u2013 and China, Iran, and North Korea pitching in \u2013 has NATO outlived its useful life? Is the notion of U.S. interests in Europe just \u201ca Cold War relic\u201d? Or, to paraphrase some of Moscow\u2019s most useful idiots, has NATO\u2019s existence and growth provoked Putin\u2019s aggression?\n\n\u201cLet\u2019s get a few things straight:\n\n\u201cFor decades, America and our allies bent over backward to welcome Russian participation at NATO, including through the Partnership for Peace program, and to integrate Russia into the global economy. America sent billions of dollars in economic assistance and encouraged massive investment of private capital in the hopes that Russia would choose to live in peace with the nations it formerly enslaved and with the West.\n\n\u201cPutin has repeatedly rejected such peaceful coexistence. He\u2019s chosen bloody neo-Soviet empire-building, instead. To the extent that NATO has grown, it\u2019s been in response to Russian aggression.\n\n\u201cIf Putin is looking for someone to blame for Sweden and Finland\u2019s accession to the alliance\u2026 he ought to look in a mirror. His own brutality has validated the decisions of sovereign nations to join NATO and align with the West.\n\n\u201cAs for the utility of the alliance for our interests: America\u2019s adversaries are choosing to work together. Responding by going it alone would be strategic malpractice. Courting Russia and its GDP of 2.5 trillion dollars\u2026 At the expense of longstanding bonds with Europe and its GDP of 27 trillion dollars? That doesn\u2019t even align with U.S. economic interests, let alone our values.\n\n\u201cLast year, Europe invested three-and-a-half trillion dollars directly in the United States. In recent years, two thirds of our European allies\u2019 growing investments in foreign military technologies have been in American-made systems. Together, we make up nearly half of the global economy. If we\u2019re serious about global competition with China, these are relationships worth tending. These are allies we ought to be working with, not against\u2026\n\n\u201c\u2026Which brings me, Mr. President, to the matter of Greenland.\n\n\u201cThe President is right that Arctic security is a central concern in our strategic competition with major adversaries. And he\u2019ll find similar interest in Arctic security among allies like Denmark, which is investing billions of dollars in its own capabilities in the region.\n\n\u201cAmerica\u2019s recognition of Denmark\u2019s political and economic interests in Greenland dates back to World War I. The Danes have been close partners in the Arctic since World War II. And brave Danish soldiers fought and died in America\u2019s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.\n\n\u201cThere is no ambiguity here. Close ties with our northernmost allies are what make America\u2019s extensive reach in the Arctic possible. And I have yet to hear from this Administration a single thing we need from Greenland that this sovereign people is not already willing to grant us.\n\n\u201cUnless and until the President can demonstrate otherwise, then the proposition at hand today is very straightforward: incinerating the hard-won trust of loyal allies in exchange for no meaningful change in U.S. access to the Arctic.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s allies \u2013 plural. Because this is about more than Greenland. It\u2019s about more than America\u2019s relationship with its highly capable Nordic allies. It\u2019s about whether the United States intends to face a constellation of strategic adversaries with capable friends\u2026 or commit an unprecedented act of strategic self-harm and go it alone.\n\n\u201cMake no mistake: All of the good progress the President has made in pushing allies to spend more on defense\u2026 The increased burden-sharing\u2026 The demand for American-made capabilities\u2026 All of it would be for nothing if his Administration\u2019s ill-advised threats about Greenland were to shatter the trust of our allies. Following through on this provocation would be more disastrous for the President\u2019s legacy than withdrawing from Afghanistan was for his predecessor.\n\n\u201cMr. President, the American people know this. Just 17% say they think trying to take control of Greenland is a good idea. Instead, they understand intuitively that strong alliances make America more secure:\n\n\u201cThe Reagan National Defense Survey, conducted late last year, found that 68% of Americans hold a favorable view of the trans-Atlantic alliance\u2026 And 76% support Article 5 and a U.S. military response in the event of an attack on a NATO ally. In just six months, that measure grew by 5%.\n\n\u201cAnd here\u2019s the most interesting finding: Among Americans who initially said they would support a U.S. withdrawal from NATO, nearly one in five changed their minds when they learned how our European allies are stepping up their commitments to collective defense.\n\n\u201cMr. President, I\u2019m happy to provide these findings to anyone in Washington who still bets against the future of the trans-Atlantic alliance. But the American people, who already understand the stakes, may not be so patient.\n\n\u201cThey\u2019re telling anyone who will listen that when they say peace through strength, they mean what President Reagan meant:\n\n\u201cLeading with moral clarity\u2026 and distinguishing clearly between aggressors and victims.\n\n\u201cInvesting in the Arsenal of Democracy\u2026 and equipping friends who fight for themselves.\n\n\u201cPreparing to win wars\u2026 And upholding the alliances that deter them.\u201d", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=F56B1EB2-7716-485B-A88E-5A59A0F20D65", "McConnell Comments on War Powers, Next Steps in Venezuela", "2026-01-08", "2026", "2026-01", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) submitted the following remarks for the record today ahead of the Senate\u2019s roll call vote on the motion to discharge from Foreign Relations Committee, S.J.Res.98, Kaine War Powers Resolution (Venezuela):\n\n\u201cI\u2019d like to make just a few brief observations ahead of the vote on Senator Kaine\u2019s War Powers resolution.\n\n\u201cThe War Powers Act is not the law I would have written, and there are reasonable questions about its constitutionality. But it\u2019s been the law now for over 50 years. And it\u2019s important to remember what it was designed to prevent\u2026 and, even more importantly, what it wasn\u2019t.\n\n\u201cBack in 1973, the goal was preventing another Vietnam. The idea was to impose guardrails against the large-scale, indefinite commitment of U.S. troops abroad. And in shutting that door, the law very intentionally reaffirmed our founders\u2019 decision to leave another door open.\n\n\u201cThe law grants presidents clear authority for the limited use of military force. And of the many occasions over the years when colleagues on both sides of the aisle have invoked the War Powers Act to condemn such limited use of military force \u2013 by Presidents of both parties \u2013 I can\u2019t recall a single one in which Congress managed to change the facts and artificially constrain the Commander-in-Chief\u2019s authority.\n\n\u201cThis time is no different. The President was well within this authority in his decision to bring Nicolas Maduro to justice. How do we know? A number of ways:\n\n\u201cFirst, plain statute: Notification of Congress within 48? Check. Withdrawal within 60 days? Try 60 minutes!\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s more \u2013 recent history provides clear precedent from presidents of both parties. What authority did this operation exceed that President Obama or President Reagan did not exceed in operations in Libya? Or President Clinton in Kosovo? What makes this time different than President Biden\u2019s strikes in Syria or Yemen? Certainly, there\u2019s little daylight between the legality of this operation and the one President H.W. Bush undertook to apprehend Manuel Noriega in Panama.\n\n\u201cYou don\u2019t have to agree with a president\u2019s approach to national security policy to acknowledge his compliance with the law and his constitutional authority for the use of force\u2026 Which makes the invocation of the War Powers Act such a tired and blunt instrument. For my part, I\u2019ve consistently opposed resolutions like these aimed at constraining presidents\u2019 constitutional authority. And I\u2019ve done it on behalf of presidents of both parties.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m old enough to remember when \u2013 during President Obama\u2019s feckless dealings with Iran \u2013 no less than the future Democratic Leader insisted that, \u2018we should never take the military option off the table\u2019.\n\n\u201cBut every one of our colleagues remembers last summer when the frequent fliers of the War Powers Resolution reached yet again for their favorite tool after the President\u2019s decision to degrade Iran\u2019s nuclear program without putting a single American boot on the ground.\n\n***\n\n\u201cOf course, there are serious questions at hand to which the Senate and the American people should expect serious answers from the Commander-in-Chief. The President\u2019s authorities to conduct military operations may be wide and well-established, but they incur a responsibility to situate decisive actions in broader, longer-term strategy.\n\n\u201cMaduro is an authoritarian thug. He reduced a once-prosperous neighbor of America to an impoverished vassal of Cuba, Russia, Iran, and China. He profited from the flow of lethal drugs to America. He spat in the face of Venezuelan voters. And, until very recently, he slept in peace while they starved.\n\n\u201cA Western Hemisphere without him or his ilk in power serves America\u2019s interests. But clearly, Venezuela and the hemisphere have a ways to go.\n\n\u201cTo the extent that our colleagues are concerned about the mechanisms and timeline of a transition to democratically-elected Venezuelan leaders, I share their curiosity. If they want to know more about the President\u2019s longer-term strategy to stabilize Venezuela and the Western Hemisphere, so do I!\n\n\u201cSuffice it to say that whatever the objective, whatever the strategy, America is well-served when its Presidents secure enduring bipartisan support for their foreign policies. President Obama ignored Congress in pursuing a reckless and bad nuclear deal with Iran. Unsurprisingly, that deal did not endure.\n\n\u201cSuccessfully returning Venezuela to its role of stable, prosperous, democratic neighbor is a noble goal\u2026 but an ambitious one. It doesn\u2019t come without risk. And it\u2019s worth making the clear case to the country.\n\n\u201cI appreciate the Administration\u2019s willingness to brief Senators on the sensitive details of a tactical victory. But they owe it to the American people \u2013 and, frankly, the long-suffering people of Venezuela \u2013 to lay out the path to strategic success in much greater detail.\n\n\u201cIf the aim is to reestablish American primacy in its near abroad, great. If the idea is to evict enemies who hate America from a valuable foothold in our region, onward!\n\n\u201cA stable Venezuela, led by duly elected Venezuelans, will leave Americans safer and more secure. The Administration should explain how that end goal will be achieved.\n\n\u201cIn the meantime, I will oppose the Kaine resolution, and would urge my colleagues to do the same.\u201d", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=633EF0BD-5831-4309-A0C0-F1F1CA21AF69", "McConnell Comments on Arctic, Allies", "2026-01-07", "2026", "2026-01", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement today:\n\n\u201cArctic security matters. So does the strength of our alliances. These interests are not in conflict. They are inseparably linked.\n\n\u201cClose security cooperation between Americans, Danes, and Greenlanders is a tradition older than NATO, the most successful military alliance in human history. Through the Cold War and still today, cooperation with Arctic allies from Canada to the Nordics already grants the United States sweeping access to positions of strategic importance.\n\n\u201cThreats and intimidation by U.S. officials over American ownership of Greenland are as unseemly as they are counterproductive. And the use of force to seize the sovereign democratic territory of one of America\u2019s most loyal and capable allies would be an especially catastrophic act of strategic self-harm to America and its global influence.\n\n\u201cThe northernmost reaches of the globe may well shape our strategic competition with major adversaries like Russia and China for decades to come. But if America behaves as though winning that competition requires trampling the sovereignty, respect, and trust of our allies, we will surely lose it.\u201d", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.paul.senate.gov/266276-2/", "Chairman Paul Releases Biden-Era FBI Files: An Unverified Tip Led to Nearly Two Years of Surveillance of an Innocent Catholic School Teacher", "2026-01-07", "2026", "2026-01", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Rand Paul", "P000603", "www.paul.senate.gov", "paul", "https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\n\nJanuary 6, 2026\n\nContact: HSGACPress_Paul@hsgac.senate.gov, (202) 224-4163\n\nChairman Paul Releases Biden-Era FBI Files: An Unverified Tip Led to Nearly Two Years of Surveillance of an Innocent Catholic School Teacher\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, Chairman Rand Paul (R-KY) of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) released new documents detailing Biden-era Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)\u2019s 23-month investigation into Christine Crowder, a Texas Catholic school teacher who was in Washington, D.C. to exercise her First Amendment rights and attend President Trump\u2019s rally on the Ellipse on January 6, 2021. The documents reveal the FBI labeled Crowder, the wife of a Federal Air Marshal, a domestic terrorist solely based on an unverified tip submitted by a former friend despite early investigative results showing negative facial recognition and geolocation search results and no previous criminal or extremist activity.\n\nEven after initially failing to confirm her identity, the Biden-era FBI subjected Mrs. Crowder to physical surveillance, federal watchlisting, continuous airport surveillance while traveling, and referred her case for prosecution. That referral was made before the FBI could positively identify her and ultimately rested on what proved to be a case of mistaken identity.\n\nThese documents were obtained as part of Chairman Paul\u2019s ongoing investigation into the weaponization of federal watchlists and aviation security programs. Last year, the Committee held a hearing on the now-terminated Quiet Skies Program, during which Mrs. Crowder\u2019s husband, Mark Crowder, a Federal Air Marshal whistleblower, testified that his own colleagues were ordered to surveil his wife and family minute-by-minute as they traveled.\n\nKey Findings of the FBI Records Released by Chairman Paul:\n\nThe FBI opened the investigation into Crowder based on a tip from a former friend. Initial findings indicated negative geolocation, negative facial recognition, and no criminal history or extremist activity.\n\nThough the FBI acknowledged a need to interview Crowder, they claimed she illegally entered the U.S. Capitol and recommended her for watchlisting and Expanded Selectee status.\n\nThe FBI physically surveilled Crowder\u2019s house at least four times for the purpose of identifying her and her property.\n\nThe U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office accepted the case for prosecution solely based on the tip without fully verifying her identity and then recommended the FBI conduct a social media analysis.\n\nNearly two years into the investigation and over a month after a photo from a confidential human source confirmed the case of mistaken identity, the FBI investigation was closed.\n\n\u201cA free society cannot tolerate a system in which programs and authorities intended to keep the public safe are instead weaponized against them due to mere suspicion,\u201d said Chairman Paul. \u201cThe records released today show how an unverified tip that the FBI failed to substantiate led to nearly two years of surveillance of an innocent American. I am grateful for FBI Director Kash Patel\u2019s cooperation in producing these records, and I appreciate Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem for ending the Quiet Skies program. The conduct revealed by these documents underscores the need to limit the power of faceless bureaucrats who have too often infringed on the rights of the people.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis case is an example of misplaced priorities and everything that went wrong with federal law enforcement in the aftermath of January 6,\u201d said FBI Director Kash Patel. \u201cWhen a Catholic kindergarten teacher from Texas can be surveilled for more than two years simply for being in Washington, D.C., without entering the Capitol, without committing a crime, we have crossed from legitimate investigation into political overreach. That is not equal justice under the law. Senator Paul is right to demand accountability, transparency, and an end to investigations that target Americans for their beliefs or proximity rather than evidence.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn June, I ended Quiet Skies and called for a Congressional investigation to unearth further corruption at the expense of the American people and the undermining of US national security. It is clear that the Quiet Skies program was used as a political rolodex of the Biden Administration\u2014weaponized against its political foes and exploited to benefit their well-heeled friends. The Trump Administration is returning TSA to its true mission of being laser-focused on the safety and security of the traveling public,\u201d said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.\n\nYou can see a summary and timeline from Chairman Paul, along with original FBI documents here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=23E19F2B-B66D-4C93-BA00-907571B2B5F2", "McConnell Helps Secure More Than $212 Million in Federal Funding for Kentucky Rural Hospitals", "2025-12-29", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced today that the Commonwealth of Kentucky has been awarded $212,905,591 in federal funds for investment in rural healthcare.\n\nThe Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services will receive funding from the Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program which was authorized by the Working Families Tax Cuts Act that Senator McConnell voted in support of. The federal funding distributed this year to Kentucky will be directed toward rural hospitals and will be used in a variety of ways approved by statute.\n\n\u201cThis significant investment in healthcare is a major win for Kentucky\u2019s rural hospitals and providers,\u201d said Senator McConnnell. \u201cI was proud to help secure the Rural Health Transformation fund in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act that Congress passed earlier this year. This legislation helped strengthen safety nets for Kentuckians most in need and works toward a more sustainable and innovative healthcare system in rural areas throughout our country and the Commonwealth.\u201d\n\nThis federal program was established to help implement structural reforms to failing rural healthcare systems in place of prior temporary patches. The main goals of the program include sustainable access to care, workforce development, innovative care, and innovation in technology to promote healthy lifestyles for Americans. The federal funding will be allocated to approved states over five years. All 50 states were eligible to apply for funding from the RHT, and half of the funds will be distributed equally to approved states while the other half will be allocated based on state metrics and applications to maximize impact as well as address needs.", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=182BD663-CD18-4A42-9C95-7B67265B69C7", "McConnell, Shaheen in The Washington Post: Russia Isn\u2019t Winning Its War On Ukraine.", "2025-12-22", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Jean Shaheen (D-NH) submitted the following op-ed published by The Washington Post:\n\nIn the early days of Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Biden administration gave Congress its assessment of Ukraine\u2019s ability to hold back Russian forces. The projection was bleak. Kyiv, they said, would fall in weeks, if not sooner.\n\nYet, the Russian tanks that attempted to topple Ukraine\u2019s democratically elected government were either destroyed or forced to retreat. By April, not only had Putin failed to install a friendly government in Kyiv, his military couldn\u2019t secure a foothold anywhere near Ukraine\u2019s capital. Instead, Ukraine successfully confined Russia\u2019s troops to the far east of their country, where Russia has tried to steal territory since 2015.\n\nAfter almost four years of fighting, Russia has lost about a third of its strategic bombers, and it continues to lose equipment at significantly higher rates than Ukraine. It is Russia that has borne more than 1 million casualties, dead and wounded, in grinding battles of its own making. Pundits who predicted a quick Ukrainian defeat were wrong in 2022, and they are wrong today.\n\nAlong the way, Republicans and Democrats alike criticized the Biden administration\u2019s excessive caution in refusing to provide Ukraine the weapons it needed, when they could have made the biggest difference. It is more than plausible that the Ukrainians could have achieved a decisive victory and lasting peace if they were simply granted the fighter jets, air defenses and long-range weapons when they initially requested them from President Joe Biden. But American assistance was often too little, too late.\n\nIn prolonging Putin\u2019s aggression, this hesitation also gave China, Iran, North Korea and other nations working together to undermine American interests new reasons to doubt our credibility and strength.\n\nFortunately, the opportunity for President Donald Trump to end this conflict on favorable terms for Ukraine, America and the West has not passed. But he must not continue to make the same miscalculation that his predecessor made in 2022.\n\nAdministration officials say that the \u201cfall\u201d of the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk is a bellwether for what\u2019s to come for Ukraine. Yet, Pokrovsk, whose population was only around 60,000 even before the war, has yet to fall. And in the entire year and a half that the Russians have spent trying to take this relatively small city, their minuscule gains have come at staggering material and human costs.\n\nRussians are paying an extraordinary economic price in pursuit of Putin\u2019s lust for glory and blood. Russian oil and gas revenue have fallen more than 30 percent due to attacks on its energy infrastructure. The Kremlin has been selling gold to stabilize its finances and shield elites from the true cost of Putin\u2019s war. And roughly a quarter of Russian companies are now bankrupt or at risk. Russia cannot afford the war it is fighting, but it can prolong it.\n\nPutin may be playing for time, but he is not dragging out this conflict because it is his preferred tactic. He is dragging it out because he cannot achieve a decisive victory. He\u2019s hoping that slow, grinding attrition will divide the West.\n\nInstead, the United States must stand with European allies investing heavily in their own defense and far exceeding American support to Ukraine. If there are economic fruits of peace, they lie in cooperation with an innovative, Western-oriented Ukraine and a resurgent Europe, not in a bankrupt, backward Russia.\n\nEnvoy Steve Witkoff has been to Moscow six times since the administration took office and worked to get Putin an invitation to the U.S. Yet, just as the Russians have barely moved in their ground offensive against Ukraine, they have not moved an inch in negotiations with the U.S.\n\nIt is fair to ask what the U.S.\u2019s endgame should be. Wars end when leverage changes. If the U.S. and its allies want a negotiated end, the only proven, viable path is to strengthen Ukraine\u2019s position, not to weaken it. Abandoning Ukraine or granting Russia what it cannot win on the battlefield will not bring lasting peace. Putin wants more than Donbas \u2014 he denies Ukrainian sovereignty outright. And his ambitions extend to the Baltic states and other nations once held captive by the Soviet empire.\n\nCongress has an array of bipartisan tools to increase pressure on Putin. In October, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee advanced measures to tighten sanctions enforcement, restrict Chinese support for Russia\u2019s war machine and authorize transferring frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. The Trump administration\u2019s recent sanctions against Lukoil and Rosneft have had a profound effect, but much more is required.\n\nAdditional investment in the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative \u2014 which received overwhelming bipartisan support in the National Defense Authorization Act and the Senate\u2019s defense appropriations, and which is spent here at home to reconstitute America\u2019s defense industrial capacity \u2014 would bolster European contributions and help ensure Ukraine has the air defenses, long-range weapons and industrial support needed to sustain a position of strength.\n\nPutin is betting the U.S. will talk itself into believing Ukraine cannot succeed. The past four years show the opposite. Ukraine has defied every expectation, including our own. Kyiv is not losing, and Moscow is not winning. It is up to Washington to match Ukraine\u2019s resolve with the clarity this moment demands.", 1, "2026-04-03T05:34:17Z", "2026-04-03T05:35:48Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=64EC6C99-2F4C-4127-B7D0-8CC6D4F95C60", "McConnell\u2019s Bill to Support Families of Retired Fallen Law Enforcement Officers Heads to President\u2019s Desk", "2025-12-17", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced today the Senate approved his measure to ensure the families of retired law enforcement officers who were killed or disabled as a result of their service are not unjustly denied benefits. The Chief Herbert D. Proffitt Act, introduced earlier this year by Senators McConnell and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), was included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which passed today. The bill now heads to President Trump\u2019s desk for his signature.\n\nThe bill is named after Chief Herbert D. Proffitt, a Korean War veteran and law enforcement officer of 55 years who retired in 2009 as Chief of the Tompkinsville, Kentucky Police Department. On August 28, 2012, Chief Proffitt was tragically shot and killed in his driveway by an individual he had arrested a decade earlier. Although his murder was in direct retaliation for his service in uniform, his family was denied benefits under the Public Safety Officers\u2019 Benefits program because he had retired from his more than half-a-century of service.\n\nThe Chief Herbert D. Proffitt Act would amend the Public Safety Officers\u2019 Benefits Program eligibility criteria for retired law enforcement officers who have died or become permanently disabled due to a targeted attack directly resulting from their service, and retroactively apply the updated eligibility for claims starting on January 1, 2012.\n\n\u201cThe loss of Chief Herbert D. Proffitt is a tragic reminder of the risk that follows our finest every day of their lives. This legislation plugs an important hole, ensuring the Proffitt family\u2014and others like them\u2014are supported and assured that the service and sacrifice of their loved ones are never forgotten,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cI\u2019m grateful for our law enforcement officers and their steadfast dedication to keeping us safe, and I applaud my colleagues in the U.S. Senate for honoring their service by passing this bipartisan legislation.\u201d\n\n\u201cOn behalf of Chief Proffitt\u2019s family and members of the law enforcement community, we appreciate Senator McConnell\u2019s introduction of this important piece of legislation. This bill will include Line of Duty Death (LODD) benefits for retired members of law enforcement that have been murdered because of their prior law enforcement actions. Passage of the Chief Herbert D. Proffitt Act of 2025 will give some comfort to Chief Proffitt\u2019s family while providing security to law enforcement families,\u201d said Scott Hildebrand, President of the Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police.\n\n\u201cThe Tompkinsville Police Department is grateful to Senator McConnell for his work to support and honor our law enforcement families. Thirteen years later, we still mourn the loss of Chief Herbert \u201cSprocket\u201d Proffitt, a devoted father and leader in Tompkinsville who dedicated his life to keeping our community safe. We are proud to see his legacy honored with this important legislation,\u201d said Kerry L. Denton, Deputy Chief of Police, City of Tompkinsville.\n\nThe legislation is endorsed by the Kentucky Fraternal Order of Police, the Kentucky Narcotic Officers Association, the Kentucky Sheriffs\u2019 Association, and the Kentucky Association of Chiefs of Police.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=8C0178E7-1BDE-4EAC-9DBB-218A06A36586", "McConnell Praises Passage of National Defense Legislation with Major Kentucky Wins", "2025-12-17", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) praised Senate passage of the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorizes funding to train and equip America\u2019s 21st-century military to meet evolving security threats. The bill includes authorization of critical investments secured by Senator McConnell for Kentucky\u2019s military installations and other key defense priorities. With this legislation now on its way to President Trump for his signature, the priorities articulated in the NDAA now depend on passage of full-year defense appropriations.\n\n\u201cPassage of this legislation positions our servicemembers stationed in Kentucky to receive the equipment, training, and resources they need to address the threats facing our nation,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cRepresenting the men and women of the Armed Forces serving in Kentucky is one of my greatest privileges. We owe a special obligation to those who volunteer to serve our country in uniform, and I will continue to support them in the United States Senate.\u201d\n\nBlue Grass Army Depot\n\nSenator McConnell, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, secured a key provision that safeguards the future of Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD) in Madison County. This legislation protects BGAD and other military installations from being closed by the Department of Defense without Congressional notification and a full evaluation of local and strategic consequences. It also requires the Secretary of the Army to provide Congress with an annual report on BGAD and other installations \u2013 arsenals, depots and ammunition plants \u2013 referred to as the Army\u2019s Organic Industrial Base (OIB).\n\nSenator McConnell also secured measures that encourage the Department of Defense to bring new missions to BGAD. These measures direct the Secretary of Defense to study the feasibility of expanding domestic propellant production and support the establishment of an additional artillery munition production line within the Army\u2019s OIB.\n\n\u201cFor years, I\u2019ve worked with local leaders to complete the chemical weapons disposal mission at BGAD,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cNow that the mission is complete, we\u2019re focused on building a new future for the Depot\u2014expanding its world-class facilities and unlocking new economic opportunities for Central Kentucky. With the NDAA\u2019s passage, the Army is now positioned to help shape that future mission.\u201d\n\n\u201cSenator Mitch McConnell\u2019s leadership has once again delivered real results for Madison County and for our nation\u2019s defense. Throughout the NDAA process, Senator McConnell championed measures that not only protect Blue Grass Army Depot from closure, but actively encourage the Department of Defense to expand propellant manufacturing and artillery munition production right here at BGAD. This is exactly the kind of forward-looking investment we have been advocating for during my tenure\u2014one that strengthens national security while creating hundreds of good-paying jobs for our community. I am grateful to Senator McConnell and our federal delegation for their continued partnership and commitment to protecting and growing this critical Madison County asset,\u201d said Madison County Judge Executive Reagan Taylor.\n\nAdditional Kentucky Priorities in the NDAA\n\nSenator McConnell also secured several provisions throughout the NDAA process that support the Commonwealth\u2019s role as a cornerstone of America\u2019s national defense:\n\nAuthorization for a new $45 million air traffic control tower at Fort Campbell, replacing the aging existing structure.\n\nSupport for the Army\u2019s procurement of advanced Ultra-Lightweight Camouflage Net Systems.\n\nEncouragement for the potential use of the Land-Based Phalanx Weapon System to defend Air Force bases.\n\nSupport to our Nation\u2019s Servicemembers and U.S. National Security NDAA\n\nIn addition to these Kentucky-specific victories, the NDAA also authorizes the following provisions to support our service members and to deter American adversaries:\n\nAuthorization of a well-deserved 3.8% pay raise for service members.\n\nOverhauls the defense acquisition bureaucracy to speed support defense innovation and accelerate the Defense Department\u2019s procurement of critical weapon systems and munitions.\n\nReauthorizes the Ukraine Security Initiative and formally authorizes the Baltic Security Initiative.\n\nProhibits the drawdown of American forces in Europe and South Korea below certain levels and reinforces U.S. defense partnerships with Taiwan, the Philippines, and Israel.", 1, "2026-04-01T05:41:29Z", "2026-04-01T05:42:36Z"], ["https://www.paul.senate.gov/senator-paul-introduces-the-health-marketplace-and-savings-accounts-for-all-act/", "Senator Paul Introduces the Health Marketplace and Savings Accounts for All Act", "2025-12-04", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Rand Paul", "P000603", "www.paul.senate.gov", "paul", "https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\n\nDecember 4th, 2025\n\nContact: Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343\n\nSenator Paul Introduces the Health Marketplace and Savings Accounts for All Act\n\nWASHINGTON DC \u2013 U.S. Senator Rand Paul, M.D. (R-Ky.) introduced the Health Marketplace and Savings Accounts for All Act, legislation to make all Americans eligible for Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and expand Association Health Plans to provide maximum leverage to negotiate lower premiums with health insurance companies.\n\n\u201cTwo of the most daunting problems facing Americans are the lack of affordable healthcare options and the fear of exorbitant medical bills,\u201d said Dr. Paul. \u201cWith my plan, to provide the leverage needed to reduce the cost of premiums, nearly any conceivable membership entity, such as Costco or Amazon, would be empowered to collectively bargain on behalf of their members with health insurers to lower rates. Additionally, this legislation improves the treatment of health savings accounts so all Americans can obtain them, increases the tax-free maximum contribution by thousands of dollars, and expands what HSAs can be used to pay for, such as health insurance premiums and gym memberships. If we want lower premiums and better care, we need more choice and competition.\u201d\n\nEmployer-sponsored insurance can offer strong coverage for those who have it, but many Americans do not work for large corporations and cannot access the same bargaining power and economies of scale. At the same time, Americans collectively owe over $200 billion in medical debt, and families often struggle to pay for expenses that fall outside their insurance plans.\n\nHSAs already give millions of Americans the freedom and flexibility to save and pay for medical costs insurance does not cover. Contributions are tax-free, balances can grow tax-free, and withdrawals remain tax-free when used for qualified medical expenses. HSAs also stay with an individual for life, regardless of employment status.\n\nDr. Paul\u2019s Health Marketplace and Savings Accounts for All Act would dramatically expand Americans\u2019 access to HSAs and to more affordable coverage by:\n\nOpening HSAs to all Americans, regardless of income level or current insurance coverage, to take advantage of a tax-free HSA.\n\nRaising the maximum annual HSA contribution to $24,500 for 2026. By contrast, for 2026, the HSA contribution limit is only $4,400 for an individual and $8,750 for a family.\n\nExpanding what HSAs can cover to include health insurance premiums, vitamins and dietary supplements, gym memberships, and wearable fitness trackers, so Americans can use their own money to invest in prevention, wellness, and coverage that works for them.\n\nThe bill also reforms Association Health Plans to unlock new bargaining power for everyday Americans:\n\nAllowing any membership organization to sponsor an ERISA health plan across state lines, regardless of an employment relationship. Nearly any membership-based entity could be empowered to collectively negotiate with insurers for better rates.\n\nCreating new coverage options through groups such as rideshare services, online retailers, wholesale clubs, credit unions, churches, and other associations that bring people together.\n\nProtecting coverage during job changes or unemployment, so Americans no longer have to fear losing their health plan when they lose or change a job.\n\nRead the bill here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=6A66402D-901D-4F7E-92AD-0CF9E3DF326C", "McConnell at Hearing on Russian Abduction of Ukrainian Children", "2025-12-03", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, made the following comments today at a State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee hearing on Russian abduction of Ukrainian children:\n\n\u201cThank you, Mr. Chairman, for convening this hearing. And thank you all for being here today.\n\n\u201cI\u2019d like to offer a particular welcome to you, Madam Ambassador. Getting a town that\u2019s often consumed by its own metaphorical political warfare to pay attention to the harsh realities of your country\u2019s real-life war for survival is a challenge \u2013 and I commend you for your work.\n\n\u201cRussia\u2019s systematic abduction of Ukrainian children is horrifying. And it\u2019s just a small glimpse into the tremendous pain and suffering that Russia\u2019s unprovoked war against Ukraine has caused. Putin has stolen children from innocent families, and his war has stolen youth from a generation of Ukrainians.\n\n\u201cAs I\u2019ve said before, we should know enough history by now not to dismiss this as just \u2018a quarrel in a faraway country, between two people of whom we know nothing.\u2019\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s Neville Chamberlain, by the way. And we know how his dismissive attitude to Hitler\u2019s aggression toward Czechoslovakia turned out.\n\n\u201cLike then, there\u2019s a clear aggressor and a clear victim today. Like then, the moral and strategic dimensions are not in conflict for the West. Like then, we have an interest in the outcome of this war.\n\n\u201cBut the price of peace matters. It must be a just peace, especially for the innocent children and families torn apart by Putin\u2019s war. It must be an enduring peace. And I\u2019m concerned that this sort of peace will remain out of reach until we\u2019re willing to put more concerted pressure on Putin and sustain support for Ukraine.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=B4C7BF5E-3380-4229-A58E-F8FE68D59C33", "Chairman McConnell in The Wall Street Journal: Peace Through Strength Is Worth Paying For", "2025-12-03", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, wrote the following op-ed on FY26 Defense Appropriations that appears in today\u2019s print edition of The Wall Street Journal.\n\nWhat time is it in America? \u201cThis is a 1939 moment. Or, hopefully, a 1981 moment. A moment of mounting urgency,\u201d Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently said. He is right about the gathering threats to America\u2019s national security. But the lesson of 1939 is that fighting war is far costlier than deterring it. Defeating the Axis powers saw U.S. defense spending hit 37% of gross domestic product.\n\nThe defense budget request for fiscal 2026 from the Office of Management and Budget shows America risks forgetting this hard-won lesson. If our goal is to make this a \u201c1981 moment\u201d\u2014as in the first year of the Reagan administration, when under-investment in the U.S. military was turned around\u2014we must deliver more consistent support for defense. President Reagan\u2019s peace-through-strength Cold War budgets allocated about twice as much as we spend now as a percentage of GDP. Today, in the face of many significant adversaries, spending more on defense is simply necessary. It must not be controversial.\n\nI urged President Trump at the beginning of his second term to reject calls to narrow the scope of U.S. strategic interests and to invest in the armed forces and defense industrial base. Mr. Trump rightly disregarded the advice of isolationists and conducted decisive strikes against Iran while sustaining the Aukus partnership with Australia and the U.K. The president wants the best possible military for America and has set ambitious priorities such as a comprehensive missile defense, aka Golden Dome, and a shipbuilding renaissance. I have supported him in these endeavors.\n\nBut with 59 days until interim government funding runs out, it remains to be seen whether Mr. Trump\u2019s administration and Congress will seize the opportunity provided by the Senate\u2019s full-year defense appropriations bill for 2026 and invest accordingly.\n\nSenior Pentagon officials have expressed a commitment to rebuilding American hard power. But others in the administration have balked at the resources required for these overdue efforts. In March, the president\u2019s budget advisers pushed the first-ever full-year continuing resolution for defense, effectively extending President Biden\u2019s anemic defense budget.\n\nIn June, OMB submitted a request for 2026 that would hold annual defense spending stagnant against inflation. In the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, administration officials then created budgetary chaos by pressing Congress to squeeze multiyear efforts like shipbuilding into a one-time spending measure using a process known as budget reconciliation. This complicated maneuver left critical programs on the cutting-room floor. Pentagon leaders have since acknowledged that total 2025 shortfalls after reconciliation exceed $25 billion.\n\nPresidential priorities like Golden Dome and restoring shipbuilding are necessary to keep America safe, but they will fail without sustained long-term investment.\n\nIn recent weeks, Pentagon officials have acknowledged a $20 billion to $30 billion shortfall in critical munitions. Despite the complaints of senior administration officials about our limited production capacity, the administration\u2019s 2026 budget request failed even to make use of that capacity to begin addressing the issue. Pentagon leaders now seem eager to support multiyear procurement to address the challenges ahead, but these plans are wishful thinking without additional funding.\n\nBy independent estimates, Golden Dome alone could cost upward of $3.5 trillion over the next 20 years, but the program is likely underfunded even this year. The president announced his selection of a sixth-generation fighter aircraft for the Air Force, the F-47, but this program is underfunded in 2026 by $500 million. Pentagon dithering over the Navy\u2019s sixth-generation fighter, the F/A-XX, has delayed its development and led to hundreds of millions in contract-extension costs. If the department made a decision, Mr. Trump could launch a program that ensures the aircraft carrier remains America\u2019s premier power-projection platform for decades.\n\nThe pace of military operations in the Middle East and Western Hemisphere has also exacerbated a shortfall in operations and maintenance, another consequence of the full-year continuing resolution. Combine that with the shortfall for Navy ship operations and the total operations and maintenance shortfall likely exceeds $2 billion.\n\nThese shortfalls aren\u2019t breaking news. They are why the Senate passed, 77-20, a National Defense Authorization Act delivering $32 billion above the OMB request and on top of the money authorizers included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.\n\nThe Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, which I chair, worked with Pentagon leaders to build in an extra $7 billion to address urgent munitions requirements. It included nearly $8 billion to address shortfalls from reconciliation. And it addressed billions of dollars in unfunded requirements submitted by the armed services and combatant commands. To do so, we set our top line at $21.7 billion above the administration\u2019s 2026 request.\n\nAs we look ahead to conferencing this bill with the House, Congress ought to ensure that this higher allocation is what the president signs into law. Mr. Trump\u2019s advisers should encourage him to help Congress pass a defense appropriations bill that makes the historic investments needed to restore peace through strength.\n\nA full-year bill capped at the OMB-requested level or another full-year continuing resolution would be devastating to the U.S. military. And it would imperil the president\u2019s military legacy.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=7687FE8F-E007-4637-B904-B594D914AAFC", "President Trump Signs into Law McConnell\u2019s Bill to Address Substance Abuse Epidemic and its Impact on Workforce", "2025-12-01", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced today that President Trump has signed into law the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025. This legislation includes the Comprehensive Addiction Recovery through Effective Employment and Reentry (CAREER) Act of 2025, which Senator McConnell introduced earlier this year.\n\nThe CAREER Act assists individuals recovering from substance use disorders by funding stable, transitional housing and offering essential support to help them reenter the workforce and sustain employment. This legislation reauthorizes and strengthens two successful programs established under the original CAREER Act: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Treatment, Recovery, and Workforce Support Grant Program and the Department of Housing and Urban Development\u2019s Recovery Housing Program.\n\nSince the CAREER Act was first signed into law in 2018, Kentucky has received over $12 million in federal funding. These funds have been distributed to organizations throughout the state to tackle workforce participation challenges linked to substance abuse. For the past six years, Senator McConnell has championed the CAREER Act and secured its funding through the annual appropriations process. His legislation has played a vital role in helping countless Kentuckians rebuild their lives, offering the stability of housing and the opportunity for meaningful employment.\n\n\u201cI thank President Trump for recognizing the value of this program and the dedicated organizations helping individuals, affected by the substance abuse epidemic, to reenter the workforce,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cIn Kentucky, this crisis has taken lives at an alarming rate, impacting not only families and communities, but also our workforce. That\u2019s why I\u2019m proud to continue leading efforts to combat the epidemic\u2019s devastating impact on American workers and our economy. This crisis demands our ongoing attention, and we will keep working to provide Kentuckians in recovery with the tools they need to rebuild their lives and stay on the path to sobriety.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=D39228E9-F178-4FDB-AD0A-86B2B59B2903", "McConnell on Taiwan\u2019s Special Budget Request, Defense Investments Across Indo-Pacific", "2025-11-26", "2025", "2025-11", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "LOUISVILLE, KY \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement today regarding President Lai\u2019s $40 billion special budget request for defense:\n\n\u201cFrom historic new investments in Australia to accelerated defense spending timelines in Japan, America\u2019s allies and partners across Asia are demonstrating that they take threats to our shared security seriously. At the epicenter of the PRC\u2019s aggressive ambitions, President Lai\u2019s request for an historic special budget investment to bolster Taiwan\u2019s defenses with cutting-edge American-made capabilities is welcome news.\n\n\u201cAs Western-aligned nations around the world take the increasingly aligned threats posed by China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea more seriously, we must not shirk our own responsibilities. From Taiwan and the Philippines to Israel and Ukraine, standing with friends and partners in the crosshairs of authoritarian aggression remains in America\u2019s national interests. Today, more than ever, we must practice what we preach and make sustained annual investments in our own military to meet growing global threats.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=2BD7F33F-0783-451F-8BAE-77612A1455AB", "McConnell Helps Secure More Than $8.7 Million for Upgrades to Lexington and Louisville Bus Systems", "2025-11-21", "2025", "2025-11", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced today that two Kentucky transit agencies will receive $8,724,000 in federal grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to fund improvements to their bus maintenance facilities.\n\nThe competitive federal grants awarded to the Transit Authority of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (Lextran) and Louisville\u2019s Transit Authority of River City (TARC) come from the U.S. Department of Transportation\u2019s Federal Transit Administration through the Buses and Bus Facilities Program, which was funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that Senator McConnell supported. Senator McConnell also wrote letters to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in support of the transit agencies\u2019 grant applications.\n\n$6,100,000 in federal funding to Lextran to procure new vehicles for their existing fleet. According to Lextran, they would acquire seven new buses and ten paratransit vehicles to replace outdated equipment.\n\n\u201cLextran will use this federal funding to replace several vehicles that are nearing the end of their useful service life,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cThese new buses will improve reliability, increase efficiency, and help Lextran carry out its mission to provide dependable transportation services for families and workers across Lexington.\u201d\n\n\u201cReceiving this grant is a proud achievement for our agency that reinforces our commitment to the community we serve. Adding 10 new paratransit vehicles and 7 fixed-route buses to our fleet strengthens our transportation network. These investments will enhance connectivity for riders, improve the reliability of our daily service, and elevate safety across all operations. We are grateful for the ongoing support from the Federal Transit Administration and Senator McConnell for this investment,\u201d said Fred Combs, AICP, Lextran General Manager.\n\n$2,624,000 in federal funding to TARC to create a new dedicated bus brake maintenance shop to consolidate the entire brake maintenance operation into one service facility.\n\n\u201cThis federal funding will allow TARC to expand its operations, and the new brake-maintenance shop will help keep buses running safely, reliably, and on time,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cReliable public transit connects riders across Louisville and its suburbs to jobs, schools, and local businesses. TARC plays an important role in keeping our community moving, and this investment will strengthen the service that so many families rely on every day.\u201d\n\n\u201cTARC is committed to providing great service to the city of Louisville; this award places us in a better position to do just that as we move toward implementing the New TARC Network next August,\u201d said Ozzy Gibson, TARC Executive Director. \u201cWith the expansion of the 10th street maintenance facility, service reliability and performance across the fleet will improve for the Greater Louisville area; TARC is incredibly grateful to Senator McConnell for his support of this grant.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=9E5260CE-748D-446F-BC51-1FD52A38690C", "McConnell Statement on Ukraine", "2025-11-21", "2025", "2025-11", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, released the following statement today:\n\n\u201cPutin has spent the entire year trying to play President Trump for a fool. If Administration officials are more concerned with appeasing Putin than securing real peace, then the President ought to find new advisors. Rewarding Russian butchery would be disastrous to America\u2019s interests. And a capitulation like Biden\u2019s abandonment of Afghanistan would be catastrophic to a legacy of peace through strength.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=ABACFADF-AB42-4888-A57D-5A2E2CC71867", "Senator McConnell Secures Over $11 Million for Kentucky Agriculture and Rural Communities", "2025-11-13", "2025", "2025-11", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced today that he secured more than $11 million in federal funding for several Kentucky-focused priorities included in the final FY 2026 Agriculture Appropriations Conference Report. Senator McConnell, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, played a key role in shaping the legislation that President Trump signed into law last night.\n\nUniversity of Kentucky College of Agriculture\n\n$10 million for the University of Kentucky and USDA Agricultural Research Services (ARS) Forage-Animal Production Unit. The federal funding will be used to construct a new state-of-the-art agricultural research laboratory at the University. This builds upon federal funding previously secured by Senator McConnell for the project in FY 2020.\n\n\u201cThis federal investment marks a major step forward for agricultural research and innovation at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cI was proud to secure this funding on behalf of UK, which will support agricultural research vital to our farmers and rural communities.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe are deeply grateful to Senator McConnell for his continued leadership and steadfast support of Kentucky agriculture. This investment strengthens a decades-long partnership between the University of Kentucky and the USDA Agricultural Research Service \u2014 one that has yielded innovations vital to our state\u2019s signature industries, from beef and equine production to the emerging hemp economy,\u201d said UK President Eli Capilouto. \u201cWith this funding, we can continue developing science-based solutions that advance the productivity and profitability of Kentucky farms and improve the livelihoods of those who sustain them.\u201d\n\nOhio County Healthcare\n\n$1.35 million for Ohio County Healthcare (OCH) Hospital Infrastructure Improvement Project. This federal funding will support critical infrastructure upgrades at Ohio County Healthcare, including replacing the roof of the main hospital in Hartford, restructuring patient care areas, and other equipment updates.\n\n\u201cOhio County Healthcare is a vital resource for tens of thousands of residents who depend on it for quality medical care, and it provides important jobs and health benefits to many families in our region,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cThese much-needed infrastructure improvements will ensure the hospital remains safe, reliable, and capable of delivering prompt emergency care when it\u2019s needed most.\u201d\n\n\"As a rural Critical Access Hospital, we are deeply committed to providing high-quality care to our neighbors\u2014many of whom face economic hardship and limited access to essential health services,\u201d said Shellie Shouse, CEO of Ohio County Healthcare. \u201cSenator McConnell\u2019s continued support of OCH is not just appreciated; it is vital. Without it, our ability to safeguard the health and well-being of our community would be severely compromised.\"\n\nIn addition to the federal funding wins, the FY 2026 Agriculture Appropriations Conference Report includes additional language and provisions advanced by Senator McConnell to benefit Kentucky and the broader national interest.\n\nCloses the Intoxicating Hemp Loophole\n\nIncludes language to close a loophole that has allowed the sale of unregulated intoxicating THC products to be manufactured and sold nationwide, while preserving non-intoxicating CBD and industrial hemp products. The measure locks in the original intent of the 2018 Farm Bill, which sought to create an agricultural hemp industry, not open the door to the sale of unregulated, intoxicating, hemp-derived substances with no safety framework. More info HERE.\n\nSupports White Oak Forest Conservation\n\nRecognizes the ecological and economic importance of White Oak forests and encourages the Natural Resources Conservation Service to expand conservation efforts. This provision supports Kentucky\u2019s signature bourbon industry and builds on McConnell-backed legislation like the White Oak Resiliency Act.\n\nEnhances Equine Health Research Funding\n\nEstablishes a dedicated line item in the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) budget for equine health. Previously equine health was grouped with programs for deer, sheep, goats, and other similar animals. This new structure provides greater transparency and a stronger focus on equine-specific research.\n\nEnsures Scientific Integrity in Alcohol Guidelines\n\nDirects the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and USDA to rely solely on findings from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) when updating alcohol consumption recommendations in the 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This provision addresses concerns raised during the Biden administration that the DGA Committee might rely on biased sources. It ensures that any guidance is based on sound science and independent expert review.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=F3976C1E-8E32-44C9-B2D3-9D0079005A1F", "Senator McConnell Secures Federal Funding for Kentucky\u2019s Defense Facilities", "2025-11-13", "2025", "2025-11", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced today that he secured $147 million in federal funding for military construction projects at several Kentucky military facilities. The funding is included in the Fiscal Year 2026 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Conference Report. Senator McConnell, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, played a key role in shaping the legislation that President Trump signed into law last night.\n\n\"I'm honored to represent multiple key military installations in Kentucky that play a critical role in our national defense,\" said Senator McConnell. \u201cThe legislation we passed\u2014and that the President signed\u2014will support essential construction projects across the state. This bill makes an important investment in Kentucky\u2019s contribution to the American defense industrial base by funding plans for a U.S.-based military shipping container production facility at Blue Grass Army Depot. It also provides substantial funding to modernize our military infrastructure at Fort Campbell and Fort Knox, both of which are home to some of our military\u2019s most distinguished Army units, as well as the Kentucky National Guard\u2014further reinforcing Kentucky's deep importance to our national defense.\"\n\nSenator McConnell requested federal funding to support the Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD), Fort Campbell, Fort Knox and the Kentucky National Guard.\n\nBlue Grass Army Depot\n\n$27 million in federal funding for the planning and design of a military container production facility at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Madison County, Kentucky. The Department of Defense\u2019s global logistics operations rely heavily on 20-foot metal shipping containers for logistics and deployment, yet most of these containers are currently manufactured in China. While BGAD already operates a small facility focused on maintenance and repair of shipping containers, this federal funding will support plans for the construction of a new container production facility\u2014advancing domestic manufacturing capabilities and reducing American dependence on foreign suppliers. This funding represents a step toward an opportunity identified in the Army\u2019s study on the feasibility of reusing the Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant and the Blue Grass Army Depot infrastructure, which was authorized by the FY 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. As articulated by the feasibility study, BGAD is a promising potential home for new missions that would help bridge critical supply chain gaps.\n\n\u201cSenator McConnell\u2019s steadfast leadership and vision continue to deliver meaningful results for Madison County and the Commonwealth of Kentucky. His success in securing funding for the new military container production project at the Blue Grass Army Depot represents a critical step in sustaining economic growth and preserving the skilled workforce that has long supported the Depot\u2019s mission. As operations at the Chemical Demilitarization Site conclude, Senator McConnell has worked alongside us for a continual focus on job replacement and reinvestment which ensures BGAD remains an anchor of opportunity and innovation for Madison County and for the nation,\u201d said Reagan Taylor, Madison County Judge Executive.\n\nFort Campbell\n\n$45 million in federal funding for the construction of a new air traffic control tower at Campbell Army Airfield. The existing tower, built in 1975, is among the oldest still in use in the U.S. Army. It supports the critical operations of the 101st Airborne Division and 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment at Fort Campbell. This new tower will be more capable of supporting Campbell Army Airfield\u2019s high tempo of operations, enhancing safety and operational efficiency.\n\n$11 million in federal funding for the planning and design of a modernized hangar at Campbell Army Airfield. The 101st Airborne Division currently faces a shortage of hangar space for its CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters. A new hangar would accommodate the significant increase in Chinooks stationed at Fort Campbell and enhance the Campbell Army Airfield\u2019s readiness and operational effectiveness in support of the 101st\u2019s operations.\n\n\u201cThe Military Affairs Committee is proud to stand beside the men and women who dedicate their lives to protecting our freedoms. Our mission has always been to ensure they are supported, equipped, and prepared for success\u2014both in service and at home. We are deeply grateful for Senator McConnell\u2019s enduring leadership and his tireless advocacy for Fort Campbell. His commitment continues to strengthen not only the installation but the entire community that supports it,\u201d said Shannon Lane, Director, Military Affairs Committee, Christian County Chamber of Commerce; Member, Citizens for Fort Campbell.\n\nFort Knox\n\n$50 million in federal funding for the demolition of legacy aircraft hangars at Ft. Knox. According to base officials, the existing hangars at Ft. Knox are not suitable to support current and future operations at Godman Army Airfield.\n\n$8 million in federal funding for the construction of a vehicle access road at Ft. Knox. The funding will support the construction of a new two-way bypass to connect North Knox Street and Bullion Boulevard, allowing military equipment and large vehicles to easily travel between Fort Knox\u2019s main north-south roads.\n\n$4.5 million in federal funding for the planning and design of two dining facilities at Ft. Knox. These new buildings would replace Fort Knox\u2019s dining facilities, which are currently spread across six structures built in the 1960s. The upgraded facilities would better support key missions of Fort Knox, including the Cadet Summer Training, and training support to external units. They would also be equipped to serve significant numbers of troops during a large-scale deployment of forces from Fort Knox in a time of crisis.\n\n\u201cWe are certainly thankful for Senator McConnell\u2019s continued support to Fort Knox. His support directly impacts Fort Knox as a strategic enabler of readiness and lethality and continues to make it a premier installation. Furthermore, the benefits Fort Knox derives from the Senator\u2019s support directly impacts the greater Fort Knox community,\u201d said Lance O\u2019Bryan, President and CEO of the Knox Regional Development Alliance.\n\nKentucky National Guard\n\n$1.5 million in federal funding for the planning and design of the National Guard Readiness Center in Somerset. This federal funding will support the planning of a new Army National Guard Readiness Center and Vehicle Maintenance Shop in Somerset, Kentucky. Currently, elements of the Kentucky National Guard assigned to the existing Somerset Armory, which was built in 1949, and the London Field Maintenance Shop, which was built in 1958, operate out of dated facilities. This new facility in Somerset would provide consolidated, modern infrastructure to better support the Kentucky Army National Guard\u2019s operational needs in southeastern Kentucky.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=9BC0F429-AEAA-4DF4-B5DA-38FFC1E72CA4", "McConnell Hemp Provision Targets Intoxicating THC Products; Protects Industrial Hemp and CBD", "2025-11-10", "2025", "2025-11", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) secured language in the FY 2026 Senate Agriculture Appropriations bill to close a loophole that has allowed the sale of unregulated intoxicating THC products to be manufactured and sold nationwide, while preserving non-intoxicating CBD and industrial hemp products. The measure locks in the original intent of the 2018 Farm Bill, which sought to create an agricultural hemp industry, not open the door to the sale of unregulated, intoxicating, hemp-derived substances with no safety framework.\n\nSenator McConnell, a senior member of the Senate Agriculture and Appropriations Committees, played a key role in crafting the legislation. \u201cThe language I helped secure in the Agriculture Appropriations bill addresses a serious concern regarding the manufacturing and selling of unregulated, intoxicating THC products nationwide,\u201d said Senator McConnell.\n\nOnce the FY 2026 Agriculture Appropriations bill passes in the Senate and the House, it will go to President Trump for his signature.\n\nThe hemp provision would accomplish the following:\n\nIndustrial hemp: Defines \u201cindustrial hemp\u201d to clarify that hemp that is used for industrial applications \u2014 such as seed, stock, fiber, grain oil \u2014 or hemp used in federally authorized research, drug trials, or research at an institution of higher education, including at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.\n\nSynthetic \u201chemp\u201d products: Prohibits synthetic cannabinoids.\n\nTHC Limits in final hemp products: Excludes intoxicating THC products that contain more than 0.4 milligrams of THC per package/container from the definition of hemp.\n\nPreserves Farm Bill definition in hemp plants: Leaves in place the 0.3% limit on total THC for hemp plants growing in the field.\n\nProtects CBD: Does NOT place any limits on the amount of non-intoxicating CBD products that can be in a product or container. Industrial hemp and CBD products that contain traceable or low amounts of THC would continue to be legal.\n\nImplementation and Guidance: To help give our hemp farmers ample time to prepare for their future, the legislation also contains a one-year implementation delay and requires FDA to establish industry guidance within 90 days.\n\n\u201cThe language included in today\u2019s bill preserves the legitimate hemp industry while addressing the rise of intoxicating and synthetic THC products. Industrial hemp and CBD will remain legal for industrial applications \u2014 such as seed, stock, fiber, grain oil \u2014 or used in drug trials, federally authorized research, or research at an institution of higher education, such as the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture\u2019s Industrial Hemp Research Program,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cI am proud to have championed this language that keeps these products out of the hands of children, secures the future of regulated hemp businesses, and keeps our promise to American farmers and law enforcement by clarifying the intention in the 2018 Farm Bill\u201d\n\n\u201cThese psychoactive products are being sold openly in vape shops and convenience stores with little to no regulation, making them readily accessible to middle and high school students. Their intoxicating effects can impair judgment, hinder academic performance, and increase the likelihood of progression to more dangerous substances. The KNOA is far more concerned for the welfare of our youth than for the profits of an industry that converts hemp into such harmful products,\u201d said Tommy Loving, Executive Director of the Kentucky Narcotic Officers\u2019 Association. \u201cThe Kentucky Narcotic Officers\u2019 Association commends Senator Mitch McConnell for his continued leadership in working to close this loophole. Senator McConnell has long been an advocate for protecting children and supporting law enforcement efforts to keep our communities safe.\u201d\n\n\"Our community works together to keep all of our children safe from many threats. Unfortunately, the proliferation of vaping products that contain delta-8, delta-9, and delta-10, are readily available at retail outlets in all areas of our community. These vapes are being purchased and used by students as young as 10 years old. Students, who many times are trying vaping for the first time, are being exposed to intoxicating hemp products and the results are dangerous. We have created a system that does not provide safeguards to protect our K-12 students from these dangerous products. I commend Senator McConnell for working to close these loopholes in order to protect every child in Kentucky,\u201d said Gary Fields, Bowling Green Independent School District Superintendent.\n\n\"Senator McConnell\u2019s steadfast leadership since 2013 has been instrumental in establishing industrial hemp as a critical new commodity, paving the way for growth in American agriculture and manufacturing. The National Hemp Association looks forward to working with him and his colleagues to secure a promising future for our nation\u2019s hemp farmers and the many benefits hemp provides,\u201d said Geoff Whaling, Chair of the National Hemp Association.\n\nAdditional Support for the Legislation\n\n39 Attorneys General wrote to Congress regarding the legislation on intoxicating hemp-derived THC products.\n\nIn the letter, they write, \u201cWe ask that Congress clarify the federal definition of hemp during the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations process or through the reauthorization of the Farm Bill to leave no doubt that these harmful products are illegal and that their sale and manufacture are criminal acts\u2026 Many of these products\u2014created by manufacturers by manipulating hemp to produce synthetic THC\u2014are more intoxicating and psychoactive than marijuana a Schedule I controlled substance and are often marketed to minors. Unless Congress acts, this gross distortion of the 2018 Farm Bill\u2019s hemp provision will continue to fuel the rapid growth of an underregulated industry that threatens public health and safety and undermines law enforcement nationwide.\u201d\n\nHealth and safety groups from across the country wrote to Congress regarding the impact this issue is having \u2013 especially on children --- and the need to address it.\n\nIn the letter, they write, \u201cThe 2018 Farm Bill\u2019s definition of hemp has been interpreted by the hemp industry as \u201clegalizing\u201d hemp-derived THC and all other psychoactive substances derived from hemp\u2026that have similar effects as delta-9 THC The current definition of hemp has created serious challenges for regulators and public-health officials, while fueling widespread, largely unmonitored sales of highly intoxicating products. These substances are now sold nationwide \u2013 in gas stations, convenience stores, head shops and online \u2013 in ways that are purposely made both accessible and attractive to youth.3-7 These substances are often sold in the form of gummies, chocolates, chips, candies, and cookies\u2026 There have been thousands of calls to U.S. poison control centers from use of these products, more than 30% for children 5 years and younger.\u201d\n\nOp-ed by Dr. Matt Rossheim, a professor, substance use prevention researcher, and parent in Fort Worth, Texas, where he writes that \u201cCongress must close this loophole, restore hemp to its intended purpose as stated by the sponsors of the original bill, and protect kids before more families are harmed.\u201d\n\nIn the op-ed, Dr. Rossheim writes: \u201cSince 2021, poison control centers have handled more than 10,000 delta-8 THC cases. In Kentucky, pediatric cannabis poisonings have increased sixfold since 2018, and youth presenting with Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome \u2013 severe pain with uncontrollable vomiting \u2013 have risen tenfold. No parent should have to wonder whether a pack of gummies at the corner store could send their child to the ER\u2026 Some claim that banning intoxicating THC products would destroy the entire hemp market. But hemp has countless legitimate uses: nutritious foods and animal feed, durable textiles, sustainable building materials, eco-friendly plastics, rope, clothing, biofuels, and cosmetics, to name a few. To suggest these markets can\u2019t survive without marijuana look-alikes is like saying corn farmers can\u2019t thrive without moonshine. It\u2019s simply not true.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.paul.senate.gov/dr-rand-pauls-remarks-defending-the-hemp-industry/", "", "2025-11-10", "2025", "2025-11", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Rand Paul", "P000603", "www.paul.senate.gov", "paul", "https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON DC \u2013 Tonight, November 10th, 2025, Dr. Paul delivered remarks on the Senate floor regarding his amendment to remove language in the government funding package that targets the hemp industry. The amendment would protect farmers, processors, and small businesses by striking provisions that impose restrictive regulations on hemp farmers and hemp-derived products.\n\nWatch the full remarks here.", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=5D8EA719-A5C0-4415-AC25-49A2C143B41F", "McConnell Delivers Senate Floor Speech on Louisville UPS Plane Crash", "2025-11-05", "2025", "2025-11", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding yesterday\u2019s UPS cargo plane crash in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky:\n\n\u201cI know that many of our colleagues will have seen the tragic news out of my hometown yesterday. And I\u2019m grateful that their thoughts and prayers this morning are with the people of Louisville. Folks around Jefferson County need those prayers right now, and in the days and weeks to come.\n\n\u201cThe death toll from last evening\u2019s UPS cargo crash has risen throughout the day. For the families of these victims, and for the injured survivors being treated at area hospitals, life will never be the same.\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of grief welling up right now in Kentucky. This would be true even in the case of a single life lost. But as local first responders, state officials, and federal investigators continue their work today, I\u2019d like to help our colleagues understand what makes this tragedy such a gut punch in a place like Louisville.\n\n\u201cDuring the day, Louisville International hums with thousands of passengers from across the country. But around the clock, Louisville is also a hub for global shipping and logistics. Business supplies, consumer goods, Christmas gifts\u2026 if it\u2019s going somewhere in short order, there\u2019s a good chance it\u2019s passing through UPS Worldport in Louisville. None of this is possible without teams of devoted professionals.\n\n\u201cLouisville is home to logistics experts, warehouse workers, aircraft crew and maintainers. They take pride in their work, and their community takes pride in them. That\u2019s why this crash cuts so deep. It\u2019s about all of us. Today, Jefferson County schools and many local businesses are closed. Neighbors are mourning neighbors.\n\n\u201cSo today will be a tough day in the Commonwealth. But the people of Louisville are grateful for the swift, life-saving efforts of our first responders from local police, fire, and EMS. They can trust in the prayers of their fellow Americans. And I want them to know that their representatives here in Washington are making sure that every federal resource they need is on the ground or headed that way soon.\n\n\u201cI spoke with Mayor Craig Greenberg this morning, and my team and I will continue to stay in close contact with local, state, and federal officials, including at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), in the coming days. But first and foremost, I\u2019m keeping my fellow Kentuckians in my prayers, and I\u2019d ask our colleagues to do the same.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=19BCE5B7-33C2-4A63-A5A0-5E55A6E4341B", "Vice President Dick Cheney", "2025-11-04", "2025", "2025-11", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement today regarding the passing of former Vice President Dick Cheney:\n\n\u201cElaine and I join the Senate and the entire nation in mourning the loss of former Vice President Richard B. Cheney.\n\n\u201cAmerica\u2019s 46th Vice President and President of the Senate will be remembered for decades of deeply patriotic and highly capable service to our republic. From the highest reaches of power in Washington, Dick Cheney served with a profound and humble appreciation for the rules, principles, and institutions that sustain America\u2019s experiment in self-governance.\n\n\u201cRarely in our history have immense organizational competence, far-sighted vision, and sheer force of will coincided as they did in the leader who served as White House Chief of Staff, U.S. Representative, Secretary of Defense, and Vice President of the United States. From his stewardship of the Department of Defense from the end of the Cold War through the Gulf War to his steady counsel to President Bush when terrorists launched a war against America on September 11, 2001, his intellect, experience, and resolve made America safer. As grave threats to our security continue to loom, his commitment to American leadership will remain a lesson.\n\n\u201cToday, we join Vice President Cheney\u2019s wife, Lynne, his daughters, Liz and Mary, and the entire Cheney family in mourning a monumental life.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=36624A39-889F-4B36-9F0C-78112B640845", "McConnell on the Passing of Former Governor Martha Layne Collins", "2025-11-01", "2025", "2025-11", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement today regarding the passing of former Kentucky Governor Martha Layne Collins:\n\n\u201cAs Kentucky\u2019s first female governor, Martha Layne Collins was known for breaking barriers. Governor Collins was a tireless advocate for all levels of education in Kentucky, and that passion carried her throughout her life. She also promoted growth in the Commonwealth by bringing the Toyota Plant to Georgetown stimulating the regional economy. It is with deep sadness that Elaine and I learned about Governor Collins\u2019 passing, and we send our sincere condolences to her husband, Bill, and her two children.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=8BF5E4BA-D796-46C7-BB53-ACD9372385F0", "McConnell: Servicemembers Deserve Open Gov\u2019t, Full-Year Defense Funding", "2025-10-30", "2025", "2025-10", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the consequences of Democrats\u2019 shutdown for the U.S. Armed Forces and the need to pass full-year defense appropriations:\n\n\u201cGovernment shutdowns have real consequences. I\u2019ve said so countless times.\n\n\u201cIncredibly, it seems to have taken Democrats a month to remember that the proverbial stove is, in fact, hot. And yet, they\u2019re not ready to turn it off\u2026 Just turn it down a notch\u2026 Just low enough that they can take the political heat.\n\n\u201cMy friend from Delaware is right: Our military deserves a lot better than a government shutdown that jeopardizes their paychecks and the services military families count on.\n\n\u201cDuring Democrats\u2019 shutdown, the President has had to scrape together unobligated balances within the Defense budget in order to uphold the nation\u2019s promise to servicemembers through another pay period.\n\n\u201cI certainly hope he won\u2019t have to divert resources from urgent modernization again to make payroll in another two weeks. But that ball, of course, is in the Democrats\u2019 court. And I hope they\u2019ll realize soon that the surest way to help servicemembers and civilian DoD employees is to simply turn government funding back on\u2026 and pass full-year appropriations.\n\n\u201cI know my counterpart on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, of all people, understands this. He knows what would really help our armed forces \u2013 because he and I worked closely together on a full-year bill for defense that would pay servicemembers and invest more in the capabilities they need to keep America safe.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m grateful for Senator Coons\u2019 collaboration on the bipartisan bill that earned overwhelming support in committee and would add $22 billion above the President\u2019s defense request. This, by the way, is the bill that almost every Democrat voted against considering two weeks ago. I know the Ranking Member cares about the promises we make to the all-volunteer force and the challenges we expect them to face. I know he\u2019s concerned about the erosion of Congress\u2019 authority to set and fund national security priorities. So am I. And if we cannot appropriate, we will render ourselves irrelevant.\n\n\u201cThe way to provide real certainty and deliver serious, full-year appropriations is to open the government and pass our bill. It\u2019s that simple.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=D1763366-63E6-4404-8FDD-B932A4691CB7", "McConnell on Tariff Votes", "2025-10-28", "2025", "2025-10", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), a senior member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, released the following statement today on the Senate\u2019s consideration of resolutions to terminate national emergency tariff authorities:\n\n\u201cI\u2019m approaching this week\u2019s votes on tariffs the same way I did earlier this year, and the same way I have my entire career.\n\n\u201cProtectionists in Washington insist that the past several months have vindicated the policy of indiscriminate trade war against both close allies and strategic adversaries. But Kentuckians are especially well-equipped to sort the bluster from the truth.\n\n\u201cNew trade barriers imposed this year have made it harder to sustain the supply chains that let thousands of Kentuckians build cars and appliances in the Commonwealth. Retaliatory tariffs on American products have turned agricultural income upside down for many of Kentucky\u2019s nearly 70,000 family farms. Bourbon has been caught in the crossfire from Day One. And consumers are paying higher prices across the board as the true costs of trade barriers fall inevitably on them.\n\n\u201cProtectionists eagerly celebrate the revenue from tariff duties. But they don\u2019t talk nearly as much about how much of that revenue they\u2019ll spend protecting American growers and producers from the avoidable harm of their policies.\n\n\u201cTariffs make both building and buying in America more expensive. The economic harms of trade wars are not the exception to history, but the rule. And no cross-eyed reading of Reagan will reveal otherwise. This week, I will vote in favor of resolutions to end emergency tariff authorities.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=D7B7D925-E2B6-4B95-AF84-9DBBB2EF4BD2", "McConnell Statement on the Passing of Former Warren County Sheriff Jerry \u201cPeanuts\u201d Gaines", "2025-10-23", "2025", "2025-10", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement today regarding the passing of former Warren County Sheriff Jerry \u201cPeanuts\u201d Gaines:\n\n\u201cI am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Warren County Sheriff Jerry 'Peanuts' Gaines. Sheriff Gaines devoted nearly four decades to serving the public\u2014making him the longest serving sheriff in Kentucky history. An accomplished leader, Sheriff Gaines served as President of the National Sheriffs\u2019 Association and President of the Kentucky Sheriffs\u2019 Association. His work in founding the Kentucky Sheriffs\u2019 Boys & Girls Ranch leaves an enduring legacy that should be celebrated. The impact Sheriff Gaines made on his community touched the lives of many, and I am grateful for his lifetime of service and dedication. Elaine and I are thinking of his family during this difficult time.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=E140D446-FDCB-45B9-AFCA-2E5C87E7584F", "Senate Confirms Chad Meredith of Kentucky for Federal Judgeship", "2025-10-23", "2025", "2025-10", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement today on the Senate\u2019s confirmation of Chad Meredith of Lexington to serve on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky:\n\n\u201cCongratulations to my friend and fellow Kentuckian Chad Meredith on his confirmation to serve as a district judge for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Chad\u2019s impressive legal background in the private sector and devotion to serving the public make him an excellent addition to the federal bench. His thoughtfulness and commitment to our Constitution will serve him well as he carries out his new duties.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=E8B09FBE-455E-48D6-9558-F97B7B6E6538", "Democrats Block Bipartisan Defense Priorities", "2025-10-16", "2025", "2025-10", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, released the following statement today following Democrats blocking the Department of Defense Appropriations Act:\n\n\u201cTwo weeks ago, when Democrats chose to take the federal government hostage for partisan priorities, I warned that there would be nothing to gain from their shutdown. Today, our colleagues\u2019 refusal even to begin considering the overwhelmingly bipartisan defense appropriations bill is a sobering reminder that there is, however, much to lose.\n\n\u201cProviding for the common defense is a solemn Constitutional obligation. It is gravely important every year \u2014 no less so in the face of the bipartisan consensus about the growing threats from increasingly aligned adversaries.\n\n\u201cLast week, the Senate passed a National Defense Authorization Act that raised the defense topline by more than $30 billion to meet these growing threats. However, without appropriated dollars, such an authorization only grows the gap between our rhetoric and our action.\n\n\u201cOur adversaries are not standing still. They are growing their military capacities and preparing for the changing realities of modern warfare. The longer we wait to make sizable investments in our own defense, the more difficult it will be to restore deterrence and achieve peace through strength.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.paul.senate.gov/icymi-dr-rand-pauls-end-the-feds-big-bank-bailout-act-considered-in-the-senate/", "ICYMI: Dr. Rand Paul\u2019s End the Fed\u2019s Big Bank Bailout Act Considered in the Senate", "2025-10-10", "2025", "2025-10", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Rand Paul", "P000603", "www.paul.senate.gov", "paul", "https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\n\nOctober 10th, 2025\n\nContact: Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343\n\nICYMI: Dr. Rand Paul\u2019s End the Fed\u2019s Big Bank Bailout Act Considered in the Senate\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) delivered remarks on the Senate floor ahead of consideration of his amendment to the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, the End the Fed\u2019s Big Bank Bailout Act.\n\nThis legislation targets the Federal Reserve\u2019s twin types of interest payments that act as subsidies for big banks: Interest on Reserve Balances (IORB) and the Overnight Reverse Repurchase Agreement (ONRRP). Together, these two subsidies have cost taxpayers more than half a trillion dollars in just the last five years.\n\nThe amendment failed (14-82).\n\nRemarks as delivered:\n\n\u201cThe Federal Reserve pays both foreign and domestic banks to simply park their money in Fed accounts. In other words, to not loan money at all. Over the past five years, the Fed\u2019s big bank bailout amounts to over half a trillion dollars.\n\nThis bailout causes the Fed to operate at a loss, which means that the Fed cannot remit profits to the taxpayer as it normally does. According to the economist Judy Shelton, if these payments stopped, banks would buy treasury securities and would bring interest rates down.\n\nSome people say that this program is a floor to interest rates. My amendment ends these subsidies. Let\u2019s end the Fed\u2019s big bank bailout. Let\u2019s lower interest rates. Please vote for my amendment.\u201d\n\nWatch the remarks HERE.\n\nRead the bill HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=A6C99506-7147-4EF3-90AA-67A373F4E563", "McConnell Statement on the Passing of Retired Judge Walt Maguire", "2025-10-09", "2025", "2025-10", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement today regarding the passing of retired judge Walt Maguire:\n\n\u201cI am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of my good friend, Walt Maguire. Walt and I attended law school together at the University of Kentucky, and his impressive judicial career spanning 29 years is a testament to his public service. His devotion to others was evident by his extensive involvement in the community\u2014teaching classes at UK and Somerset Community College, as well as serving on several state judicial councils. Walt\u2019s friendship meant a lot to me, and I always enjoyed seeing him when I was in Somerset. Elaine and I are thinking of his family and friends during this difficult time.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.paul.senate.gov/dr-rand-paul-offers-amendment-to-2026-ndaa-to-end-the-feds-big-bank-bailouts/", "Dr. Rand Paul Offers Amendment to 2026 NDAA to End the Fed\u2019s Big Bank Bailouts", "2025-10-09", "2025", "2025-10", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Rand Paul", "P000603", "www.paul.senate.gov", "paul", "https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\n\nOctober 9th, 2025\n\nContact: Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343\n\nDr. Rand Paul Offers Amendment to 2026 NDAA to End the Fed\u2019s Big Bank Bailouts\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) announced he is offering his bipartisan bill, the End the Fed\u2019s Big Bank Bailout Act (S.2113), as an amendment to the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to end the Federal Reserve\u2019s authority to pay banks interest on reserves. This policy has cost taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars while punishing Main Street and rewarding Wall Street.\n\n\u201cOur country is over $37 trillion in debt, yet the Fed has paid hundreds of billions to banks to keep money idle. While it runs losses and no longer sends profits back to taxpayers, it keeps funneling cash to banks for doing nothing\u201d said Dr. Paul. \u201cWe want to end the Federal Reserve\u2019s twin types of interest payments that act as subsidies for big banks: Interest on Reserve Balances (IORB) and the Overnight Reverse Repurchase Agreement (ONRRP). Together, these two subsidies have cost taxpayers more than half a trillion dollars in just the last five years.\u201d\n\nUntil 2008, the Federal Reserve paid no interest to banks on reserve balances. That changed after the financial crisis, when Congress authorized the payments as a tool to control the money supply.\n\nThe payments averaged $5 billion annually from 2008 to 2016. But with the Fed\u2019s rate now above 4 percent, these payments have ballooned at nearly $200 billion in three years, costing taxpayers tens of billions of dollars each year. Meanwhile, the Fed itself operates at a loss.\n\n\u201cAt a time of persistent and self-imposed worsening losses at the Fed, the manipulators of the American economy continue to pay banks to do nothing but have their funds sit in a safe,\u201d said Dr. Paul.\n\nThis amendment is up for consideration by the Senate later today.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.paul.senate.gov/chairman-rand-paul-introduces-the-safeguarding-personal-information-act-of-2025/", "Chairman Rand Paul Introduces the Safeguarding Personal Information Act of 2025", "2025-10-08", "2025", "2025-10", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Rand Paul", "P000603", "www.paul.senate.gov", "paul", "https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\n\nOctober 8th, 2025\n\nContact: Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343\n\nChairman Rand Paul Introduces the Safeguarding Personal Information Act of 2025\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Chairman Rand Paul (R-Ky.) of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has introduced the Safeguarding Personal Information Act of 2025, legislation to repeal the federal mandate requiring every state to share citizens\u2019 personal data and redesign driver\u2019s licenses to meet federal standards.\n\n\u201cREAL ID is effectively creating a national ID card with no limit on the personal information being shared between all 50 states, the District of Columbia, possessions, and territories,\u201d said Chairman Rand Paul. My bill repeals this dangerous mandate and restores the privacy, due process, and First Amendment rights stripped away in 2005. The government should not have a dossier on every American. You should never have to \u2018show your papers\u2019 to travel freely within your own country or enter a building your tax dollars paid for.\u201d\n\nREAL ID forces the states to adopt uniform federal standards for driver\u2019s licenses and IDs, embedding machine-readable technology that makes it easier for the government to track U.S. citizens\u2019. To obtain one, Americans must surrender layers of personal documentation, including proof of identity, a Social Security number, proof of residency, proof of lawful presence, and in some cases, proof of name change. After gathering these documents, citizens often wait weeks for DMV appointments or stand in hours-long lines, paying additional fees in many states simply to upgrade their licenses.\n\nThese documents are then stored and can be shared across state databases.\n\nOnly IDs that comply with these federal rules are accepted for \u201cofficial purposes,\u201d such as boarding commercial flights, entering federal buildings, or accessing other federally controlled spaces. In practice, the REAL ID Act functions as a domestic passport that conditions basic rights\u2014like travel and petitioning your government\u2014on government approval.\n\nThe Safeguarding Personal Information Act of 2025 repeals the de facto national identification mandate in full, restoring the right of every American to move freely, speak freely, and live without government intrusion.\n\nRead the bill here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.paul.senate.gov/dr-rand-paul-highlights-the-economic-benefits-of-right-to-work-policies-at-help-committee-hearing/", "Dr. Rand Paul Highlights the Economic Benefits of Right-to-Work Policies at HELP Committee Hearing", "2025-10-08", "2025", "2025-10", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Rand Paul", "P000603", "www.paul.senate.gov", "paul", "https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\n\nOctober 8th, 2025\n\nContact: Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343\n\nDr. Rand Paul Highlights the Economic Benefits of Right-to-Work Policies at HELP Committee Hearing\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, participated in a hearing titled \u201cLabor Law Reform Part I: Diagnosing the Issues, Exploring Current Proposals.\u201d As the Committee continues its review of proposed federal labor reforms, Dr. Paul underscored the importance of protecting worker freedoms, limiting bureaucratic interference, and preserving the right to liberty of contract.\n\n\u201cIn February 2025, Dr. Paul reintroduced the National Right to Work Act. The bill does not add to existing federal law but deletes existing forced-unionism provisions and restores worker choice.\u201d\n\nDuring today\u2019s hearing, Dr. Paul entered into the record statements from 29 industry associations opposed to the Faster Labor Contracts Act and 45 business organizations opposed to the Warehouse Worker Protection Act, reflecting broad concern that these proposals would weaken flexibility for both workers and employers.\n\nDr. Paul questioned witness Rachel Greszler, a labor economist, on how right-to-work policies affect states\u2019 economic performance, wages, and job creation. Greszler affirmed that right-to-work states have seen roughly twice the employment growth and triple the population growth compared to non\u2013right-to-work states over the past 50 years, citing their ability to attract businesses seeking fair and predictable labor laws.\n\n\u201cOver the past 50 years, right-to-work states have seen double the job growth and triple the population growth,\u201d Greszlersaid. \u201cThat\u2019s because businesses are confident, they can operate without a union taking control over their operations, and workers can choose how they want to participate.\u201d\n\nDr. Paul also noted that the right to liberty of contract is a fundamental principle of a free economy.\n\n\u201cSome have argued, such as Hayek \u2014 The Road to Serfdom came up earlier \u2014 that the right to liberty of contract really is a basic, fundamental right upon which the economy is based,\u201d Dr. Paul said. \u201cThe right to have certainty and to have honesty, and to have the courts uphold contracts without an arbitrary nature. To look at contracts from a dispassionate point of view. Getting involved in the middle of contracts shouldn\u2019t be done lightly, and we need to consider the ramifications of what that does to the economy at large.\u201d\n\nDr. Paul explained that the National Right to Work law simply removes certain aspects of federal law rather than creating new ones.\n\n\u201cThe way the National Labor Relations Act was written says that you can\u2019t discriminate against workers,\u201d Dr. Paul continued. \u201cAnd then they had to put an exemption in there \u2014 except for you can discriminate against non-union workers, basically. And so that exemption is what is removed by national right to work.\u201d\n\nHe then asked Greszler what would happen economically if national right-to-work were enacted.\n\n\u201cI think that it would improve the economy,\u201d Greszler responded. \u201cWe\u2019d see what\u2019s happened in the states that are right to work. But more importantly, it just preserves that fundamental right of every worker to be able to choose whether or not they are forced to pay a private entity as a condition of their employment. And that\u2019s just a fundamental protection that they should have.\u201d\n\nWatch the full hearing here.\n\nWatch Dr. Paul\u2019s full exchange here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=2D75C1C8-4D34-4119-80B5-E0B5BFD3B260", "McConnell On 10/7 Anniversary: \u201cIsrael has sacrificed greatly in the pursuit of peace\u201d", "2025-10-07", "2025", "2025-10", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "\u201cIn the two years since terrorists invaded Israel to rape, murder, and kidnap innocents, Hamas has chosen every day to compound needless suffering. Israeli hostages and Gazan civilians, alike, have died as a direct result of the cowardly tactics of Iran\u2019s allies and proxies.\u201d\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, released the following statement today on the two-year anniversary of the brutal terrorist attacks on Israel:\n\n\u201cIn the two years since terrorists invaded Israel to rape, murder, and kidnap innocents, Hamas has chosen every day to compound needless suffering. Israeli hostages and Gazan civilians, alike, have died as a direct result of the cowardly tactics of Iran\u2019s allies and proxies.\n\n\u201cBy contrast, Israel\u2019s military and security services have worked tirelessly to stamp out the ring of fire that had long menaced the Jewish state and destabilized the region. They have worked to destroy Hamas\u2019 military capacity, decapitate Hizballah, degrade Iran\u2019s network for exporting terror, and bring home hostages abducted on the deadliest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust.\n\n\u201cIsrael has sacrificed greatly in the pursuit of peace, taking great pains to avoid innocent suffering in a battle against an enemy for whom innocent suffering is the goal. Hamas could have ended this war at any time by simply releasing the hostages.\n\n\u201cIsrael\u2019s resolve and bold tactics created the conditions for a potential resolution to this conflict and for restored deterrence against Iran. President Trump has been right to provide Israel the time, space, and support to achieve its war aims, and his decision to authorize U.S. strikes against Iran made good use of this hard-won opportunity.\n\n\u201cIf, indeed, Hamas is prepared to release its remaining hostages, the return of innocent Israelis and Americans to their homes and families would end a two-year vigil of heartache. I will look forward eagerly to their return, and I commend the bravery of the Israel Defense Forces, the resolve of Israel\u2019s leaders, and President Trump\u2019s persistent efforts to make it possible.\n\n\u201cTwo years on from October 7th, the rest of the framework - brokered with U.S. support - would provide an opportunity for Palestinians to turn a page on a dark chapter of terrorism and tyranny and chart a new course without Hamas.\n\nHowever, even with full implementation of the framework, there is cause for vigilance. After all, ceasefire was the nominal state of affairs when Hamas terrorists carried out their savage attacks two years ago. Success will require that Palestinian leaders answer for the corruption, hatred, and incitement that made October 7th possible and engage in true and enduring political and economic reforms.\n\n\u201cFor our part, America and the West must continue to apply meaningful pressure on Iran to change its behavior and prevent it from reconstituting the web of terror that has threatened Israel and U.S. interests in the region. As the past two years have made painfully clear, America\u2019s support for Israel must not be swayed by the creep of terrorist propaganda and base anti-Semitism into public opinion. The enduring strength and prosperity of the Jewish state is in America\u2019s interest, as is peace in its region.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=A558D402-5DD9-4AD4-A477-6360CA7F66F1", "McConnell: Fort Campbell and Fort Knox Schools Allowed to Resume Extracurricular Activities", "2025-10-07", "2025", "2025-10", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement today following the Department of Defense decision to allow athletics and extracurricular activities to resume at DoDEA schools, including those at Fort Campbell and Fort Knox:\n\n\u201cThis decision provides welcome relief to the Fort Campbell and Fort Knox schools and their students, student-athletes, parents, and everyone who supports their school programs. I want to thank the Secretary of Defense for creating an exception to allow athletics and extracurricular activities at DoDEA schools to continue. Our servicemembers and their children shouldn\u2019t pay the price for Washington\u2019s failure to fund the government. I\u2019m so grateful they\u2019ll now be able to suit up and get back in the game.\n\n\u201cWhile this is good news, it doesn\u2019t address the real issue. Democrats need to end the shutdown. As I have warned every time Congress faced this threat: no one wins in a shutdown. Shutting down the government is harmful to the country, and it never produces positive outcomes \u2013 on policy or politics. And what happened at Fort Campbell and Fort Knox is just one example of the impact it\u2019s having on our constituents.\u201d\n\nNOTE: Senator McConnell sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth last Friday regarding the issue.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=FF873583-A664-4B8A-976A-304A7A7B1A37", "McConnell: Delivering \u201cTrump Buildup\u201d Will Require Serious, Full-Year Defense Appropriations", "2025-10-03", "2025", "2025-10", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, delivered the following floor remarks today regarding the path forward for Pentagon appropriations once Democrats end their gov\u2019t shutdown, the National Defense Strategy, and Republican support for U.S. military aid to Ukraine:\n\n\u201cMr. President, my position on government shutdowns is well-known. There\u2019s absolutely nothing to gain in taking basic government functions hostage for eleventh-hour partisan demands. And I hope our Democratic colleagues will re-learn that lesson in short order\u2026 Because the American people have plenty to lose from freezing important functions of the federal government.\n\n\u201cHere in the Senate, Democrats\u2019 shutdown is taking time we ought to be spending on important outstanding business, beginning with our obligation to provide for the common defense. In particular, our work to deliver full-year defense appropriations is not finished. So I\u2019d like to talk briefly about what must come next after interim government funding is extended. And what\u2019s at stake for our national security.\n\n\u201cThe U.S. military is not immune from the disruptive short-term consequences of a government shutdown. But the long-term consequences of going without robust, full-year defense appropriations are far graver. I offered this warning in the spring, when \u2013 for the first time \u2013 Washington told America\u2019s men and women in uniform to conduct today\u2019s operations and prepare for tomorrow\u2019s threats using yesterday\u2019s dollars. We put the national defense on a full-year continuing resolution and forced the military services to function for another year on the anemic defense budget signed into law by President Biden for FY 2024.\n\n\u201cA full-year CR is the enemy of readiness, modernization, and efficiency. The armed services want to make their budgets simpler, more efficient, and more flexible by consolidating budget lines. But they can\u2019t do it under a full-year CR. Punting new appropriations directly contradicts the Pentagon\u2019s stated goal of building a resilient, surge-ready munitions enterprise. The prohibitions on new program starts under a CR effectively put high-priority Service modernization efforts on ice.\n\n\u201cThe Administration says it wants \u201cflexible and efficient\u201d investments. Well, Mr. President, there is nothing flexible, efficient, resilient, or lethal about running the national defense enterprise on a full-year CR. Nor will a CR send the consistent signal industry and investors need to pour private capital into the long overdue expansion of our defense industrial base. If you want to increase our nation\u2019s capacity to produce munitions more quickly and in larger volumes, full-year CRs might just be the worst way to go about it.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t mean to sound overly alarmed. God willing, the House-passed short-term funding extension will give Congress enough time to deliver full-year appropriations and release our military from the constraints of the Biden FY24 budget. But I want our colleagues to understand what\u2019s at stake this fall. The President has set some ambitious, important, and overdue priorities for America\u2019s national security\u2026 and none of them come cheap:\n\n\u201cGolden Dome for America\u2026 An American shipbuilding renaissance\u2026 Sixth-generation stealth fighter aircraft\u2026 The long-overdue modernization of our nuclear force\u2026 Reconciliation isn\u2019t enough to support these major efforts. And neither is a perpetual freeze at the Biden FY24 level.\n\n\u201cReviving the warrior ethos, rebuilding the military, and re-establishing deterrence \u2013 these are priorities we hear about all the time from the President\u2019s advisors. I certainly have no problem with rowing in that direction. I\u2019m all for high standards of physical fitness. But pushups alone aren\u2019t going to stop Chinese hypersonic missiles. The next major conflict will likely be a test of lethality at very long distances.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019ve spent years urging successive administrations to rebuild our global power projection and long-range fires. It\u2019s why I criticized the Biden Administration for talking about China as \u201cthe pacing threat\u201d but turning in defense budget requests that didn\u2019t even keep pace with inflation.\n\n\u201cThis Administration cannot afford to make the same mistake.\n\n\u201cSo, this week, I was encouraged to hear Secretary Hegseth proclaim a \u201cTrump buildup\u201d in the mold of the Reagan buildup that helped end the Cold War. For the record, my fellow defense appropriators and I have been ready to deliver such a build-up since Day One. And our bipartisan bill speaks for itself, putting money where our mouth is.\n\n\u201cBut here\u2019s the rub: we can only make it happen if the Administration moves from words to action. And an important step in that process is the National Defense Strategy. Historically, the NDS is what Administrations use to define threats, identify objectives, and propose coherent plans for aligning resources to meet them.\n\n\u201cBut this time around, the stakes are higher. A short-sighted NDS that doesn\u2019t align with the President\u2019s vision of American greatness and peace through strength could wind up as the pretext to extend Biden-era constraints on our military indefinitely. Unfortunately, early reports suggest that this risk may be real\u2026 and that the NDS may turn out eerily similar to the rhetoric of Obama-era officials who viewed their remit as managing America\u2019s decline amid a transition to a multipolar world.\n\n\u201cIf the NDS ignores the importance of maintaining American primacy, fails to account for the global nature of competition with China, or discounts the value of supporting and integrating allies and partners, it would risk further sabotaging the President\u2019s efforts to restore peace through strength.\n\n\u201cSo I\u2019ll be interested to read how the Department is applying the lessons and dividends of security cooperation with allies and partners to looming challenges\u2026 How it plans to address critical munitions shortages even as its FY26 request and reconciliation investment fails to maximize existing production capacity\u2026 And how it accounts for the increasing likelihood of simultaneous conflict in multiple theaters.\n\n\u201cIf the Administration means what it says about restoring deterrence, it would recognize how plans to reduce security cooperation with frontline NATO allies invite more brazen Russian incursions into the alliance\u2019s territory and airspace. It would recognize how China is watching closely for signs of weakening American commitments to European allies, to Ukraine, or to AUKUS partners.\n\n\u201cOf course, responsible senior officials who understood the dividends of security cooperation would not have tried an end-run around the President to freeze assistance to Ukraine. They certainly would have appreciated that cutting off intelligence sharing to the world\u2019s foremost experts in drone warfare might make it harder for the U.S. military to achieve \u201cdrone dominance\u201d. On that count, I was encouraged earlier this week that the President himself green-lit an expansion of the intelligence cooperation that members of his Administration had wanted to end.\n\n\u201cMr. President, as our colleagues will recall, the President observed last month that Ukraine can win. And unlike some of his advisors, the American people are indicating in clear majorities that they think we ought to help! By one recent poll, more than six in ten Americans support sending more arms and military supplies to help Ukraine win. That includes a clear majority of Republicans!\n\n\u201cAnd the recent voting history of the House of Representatives indicates that this poll isn\u2019t a fluke: Last month, House Republicans voted overwhelmingly to reject an amendment to the NDAA that would\u2019ve barred further assistance to Ukraine. No less than 72% of House Republicans \u2013 including leadership \u2013 said continuing to arm Ukraine\u2019s defense was a good idea.\n\n\u201cUltimately, the President knows that money talks. He understands that valuable things are also expensive. What\u2019s true in property development is also true in military procurement. There\u2019s no way around it:\n\n\u201cTake Golden Dome for example. Building anything close to a continental missile defense shield will, by reasonable estimates, cost several times more than was allocated this year in one-off reconciliation spending\u2026 every year\u2026 for decades to come. If the Pentagon isn\u2019t even planning to max out its budget request for procuring critical munitions in the short term, why on earth should our adversaries take any talk of long-term missile defense seriously?\n\n\u201cLikewise, why should they take American air power seriously if we\u2019re only willing to develop sixth-generation stealth fighters for the Air Force but not for the Navy? What good are multi-billion-dollar aircraft carriers if we\u2019re not prepared to equip them with aircraft that can survive modern warfare?\n\n\u201cAt home and abroad, I\u2019m concerned that too many of the President\u2019s advisors are unwilling to acknowledge the gap between his stated priorities and what they\u2019re prepared to invest to achieve them. If you ask me, the name on the front door at the Pentagon matters a great deal less than whether the services inside are equipped and prepared to deter and win wars. And we\u2019re facing real, glaring gaps in critical capabilities.\n\n\u201cThe ink was barely dry on the One Big Beautiful Bill when senior Pentagon leaders began to report to my colleagues and I on the Appropriations Committee that they still faced significant funding shortfalls. Given the high pace of operations in the Middle East and the Western Hemisphere, it\u2019s safe to assume these costs are continuing to rise.\n\n\u201cMr. President, there\u2019s a lot going on around this building. But soon, I hope our colleagues will have an opportunity to go on the record in favor of investing in peace through strength. We\u2019ll have a chance to put our money where our mouth is on re-establishing deterrence and rebuilding the force required to back it up. Our investments in the common defense are a signal of our national resolve.\n\n\u201cWhen the American people spoke last November, I don\u2019t think they meant for their leaders to mail in a third year of anemic Biden-era toplines. I don\u2019t think the President assembled his policy and budget advisors with a mind to punt in the face of looming threats.\n\n\u201cWhen he hired civilian Pentagon leaders to restore deterrence, I think he meant more than just threatening adversaries with a catchy line on camera\u2026 I think he meant building the force that threatens them with its very existence!\n\n\u201cSo if the Administration wants a Trump buildup, then let\u2019s build one. And, once Democrats\u2019 shutdown is over, let\u2019s start with serious, increased, full-year investments in the national defense.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"], ["https://www.paul.senate.gov/chairman-paul-brings-to-light-bidens-quiet-skies-weaponization-releases-damning-documents-into-the-record/", "Chairman Paul Brings to Light Biden\u2019s Quiet Skies Weaponization, Releases Damning Documents into the Record", "2025-09-30", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Rand Paul", "P000603", "www.paul.senate.gov", "paul", "https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\n\nSeptember 30, 2025\n\nContact: HSGACPress_Paul@hsgac.senate.gov, (202) 224-4163\n\nChairman Paul Brings to Light Biden\u2019s Quiet Skies Weaponization, Releases Damning Documents into the Record\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Chairman Rand Paul (R-KY) of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, convened a hearing to examine the Biden administration\u2019s abuse of the TSA\u2019s Quiet Skies Program and entered newly obtained documents into the record.\n\nThe hearing followed an investigation Chairman Paul launched in 2024 and a report released yesterday detailing his findings, which revealed how the Quiet Skies Program and related watch lists were weaponized into political surveillance tools used against veterans, sitting lawmakers, political opponents, and even the family of a Federal Air Marshal.\n\nThe Committee heard testimony from Mark Crowder, a Senior Federal Air Marshal with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration and whistleblower whose wife was placed on a watch list in a case of mistaken identity; the Honorable Tristan Leavitt, President of Empower Oversight; Matt Taibbi, Editor of Racket News; Jim Harper, Senior Nonresident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute; and Abed Ayoub, National Executive Director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.\n\n\u201cI commend Secretary Noem for ending Quiet Skies, but our work is not done. We must make sure that this program does not come back under another name. Every official who directed or approved surveillance of Americans for protected speech must be removed from office. Full transparency must become the rule rather than requiring a year of investigation,\u201d said Chairman Paul. \u201cThe result will be a process that respects the Constitution, ends real life shadow bans against Americans and gives all of us the assurance that our government is focused on protecting us, not on chasing political ghosts.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Quiet Skies Program has been used for nearly two decades to target and surveil everyday Americans, violating our constitutional rights and civil liberties, targeting political opponents, and costing taxpayers approximately $200 million per year, all while failing to stop a single terrorist,\u201d said DNI Gabbard. \u201cODNI has worked closely with DHS and Sen. Paul to expose the truth behind this program, putting an end to weaponization against Americans.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is clear that the Quiet Skies program was used as a political rolodex of the Biden Administration\u2014weaponized against its political foes and exploited to benefit their well-heeled friends. I am calling for a Congressional investigation to unearth further corruption at the expense of the American people and the undermining of US national security,\u201d said Secretary Kristi Noem. \u201cTSA\u2019s critical aviation and security vetting functions will be maintained, and the Trump Administration will return TSA to its true mission of being laser-focused on the safety and security of the traveling public. This includes restoring the integrity, privacy, and equal application of the law for all Americans.\u201d\n\nView the Chairman\u2019s opening statement here.\n\nOpening remarks as delivered below:\n\nIn mid-2024, as she grew increasingly critical of the Biden administration and increasingly involved with the Trump campaign, Tulsi Gabbard noticed changes as she went to the airport, she had more screening federal agents with dogs showing up for her flights. Other federal agents followed her on the plane and reported back on her activity.\n\nWhen I learned of this, I launched an investigation into the TSA\u2019s Quiet Skies Program and the Biden administration\u2019s weaponization of watch list against everyday Americans\n\nUnder public scrutiny, the Biden administration removed now Director of National Intelligence Gabbard from the program, but they spent the remainder of their time in office stonewalling any investigation.\n\nThankfully, that era is over. President Trump, himself a victim of government weaponization, set out to reverse the previous administration\u2019s targeting of the very citizens it has sworn to protect.\n\nSecretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has taken decisive action to eliminate bureaucratic obstacles resisting transparency. We are finally getting answers, and now we know exactly why the previous administration fought so hard to keep us in the dark.\n\nDirector Gabbard was surveilled on at least five domestic flights by Federal Air Marshals under Quiet Skies. Internal records for her targeting show her congressional portrait and that she was a former congresswoman from Hawaii.\n\nSo, there was no doubt they knew who they were monitoring.\n\nMultiple concerns were raised internally, and one air marshal asked a colleague, why the heck is she a Quiet Skies suspect? If this can happen to a combat veteran, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, and now Director of National Intelligence, it can happen to anyone. And it did.\n\nToday, for the first time, you will hear directly from a Federal Air Marshal whose wife was labeled a domestic terrorist simply for engaging in protected First Amendment activity. Records show the FBI labeled her as a domestic terrorist for unlawful entry into the Capitol on January 6th.\n\nBut she didn\u2019t enter the Capitol. She came for a public, support of the President, and they knew it. Her phone location data did not put her inside the Capitol. Facial recognition did not identify her inside. She had no criminal record and no history of extremist views.\n\nWhat they did know is that this Catholic schoolteacher from Texas supported President Trump and went to Washington to attend his rally at the Ellipse. That was not enough for the government. That was not enough to label her a suspected domestic terrorist for two years.\n\nHer family was surveilled when they flew. This was not an isolated case. It happened to hundreds of Americans. It happened because the TSA used First Amendment protected activity as a predicate for watch listing Americans. That\u2019s unconstitutional, of course. First Amendment activity cannot be the sole basis for watch listing someone, but sole basis is an important caveat and it\u2019s an opening the TSA exploited.\n\nToday we will release internal TSA records that reveal how the agency authorized First Amendment activity to be used to justify the surveillance of Americans with no evidence and no recourse.\n\nUsing broad and vague authorities, TSA deemed hundreds of Americans as threats to national security simply for holding opposing political views. The federal government used its investigative authorities, anonymous tips and university research institutions to build a flimsy case to put them on the watch list.\n\nThey didn\u2019t just coincidentally watch list hundreds of people who attended the same Trump rally. They did it intentionally and obscured the process to create plausible deniability. For example, documents obtained in my investigation reveal that TSA relied on data collected by the George Washington University Project on Extremism.\n\nConsider this first, DHS funds the Project on Extremism. An external partner not bound by the same laws and regulations as federal agencies. Then, the Project on Extremism identifies supposed domestic threats by meticulously tracking January 6th defendants. DHS then uses the Project on Extremism reporting as evidence, sometimes the only evidence for putting someone on a watch list.\n\nBut the abuses weren\u2019t limited to January 6th. The TSA also viewed skeptics of COVID mandates as threats.\n\nSimply removing a mask on an aircraft got 12 Americans watch listed. Records also show three current members of Congress, all Republicans, were included in the companion Silent Partner Program either as a sitting member or while seeking elected office.\n\nA cursory review would have revealed them to be either a member of Congress or decorated active or former US Military members. And in fact, they were surveilled, likely for activities that were official duties during their time in the military or in Congress.\n\nAll of this was wrong, and I\u2019m glad that these abuses are beginning to be exposed.\n\nI commend Secretary Noem for ending Quiet Skies, but our work is not done. We must make sure that this program does not come back under another name.\n\nEvery official who directed or approved surveillance of Americans for protected speech must be removed from office.\n\nFull transparency must become the rule rather than requiring a year of investigation. The result will be a process that respects the Constitution, ends real life shadow bans against Americans, and gives all of us the assurance that our government is focused on protecting us, not on chasing political ghosts.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.paul.senate.gov/flash-report-bidens-tsa-targeted-veterans-lawmakers-and-air-marshals-wife/", "Flash Report: Biden\u2019s TSA Targeted Veterans, Lawmakers, and Air Marshal\u2019s Wife", "2025-09-29", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Rand Paul", "P000603", "www.paul.senate.gov", "paul", "https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\n\nSeptember 29th, 2025\n\nContact: Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013Chairman Rand Paul (R-KY) of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee opened an investigation into TSA\u2019s Quiet Skies program in 2024 after reports it was weaponized against Americans. Today, Dr. Paul released a flash report of his findings, exposing how TSA\u2019s Quiet Skies program, and related watch lists, were twisted into political surveillance tools under the Biden administration.\n\nThe release comes ahead of tomorrow\u2019s hearing, Examining the Weaponization of the Quiet Skies Program, scheduled for 10:00 AM. A Whistleblower, a Federal Air Marshal first mentioned in Senator Paul\u2019s recent op-ed in The American Conservative, will testify before the Committee.\n\nThe report reveals Tulsi Gabbard, a combat veteran and former congresswoman, now serving as Director of National Intelligence, was surveilled on at least five flights in 2024.This surveillance began only one day after she publicly criticized Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.\n\nThree Republican lawmakers were matched to TSA\u2019s Silent Partner and/or Quiet Skies Rules right after engaging in some kind of political activity, including opposing the Biden administration. At least two dozen Americans were placed on watch lists for protesting mask mandates or removing a mask on an aircraft. Following January 6, 2021, TSA issued a directive authorizing the watch listing of individuals based solely on suspected travel to Washington, D.C., without any specific evidence of unlawful conduct.\n\nThe most shocking revelation is that the wife of a Federal Air Marshal was branded a domestic terrorist and subjected to invasive monitoring, even though no evidence ever linked her to unlawful activity on January 6, 2021. She was placed in the FBI\u2019s Terrorist Screening Database and, for two years, followed on domestic flights by Federal Air Marshals, who reported her movements and interactions, sometimes on a minute-by-minute basis. Her name was finally cleared only after the FBI closed its case due to mistaken identity.\n\n\u201cQuiet Skies was an unconstitutional dystopian nightmare masquerading as a security tool costing the American taxpayers $200 million a year. And what did we get for it? According to DHS, the Quiet Skies program failed to stop a single terrorist attack since it was created. Instead, taxpayers are footing the bill for a surveillance program that turned its watchful eye inward\u2014targeting Americans who had committed no crimes, violated no laws, and in many cases were government officials themselves,\u201d said Dr. Paul.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=58E90BEC-C1C3-450F-B38A-679AB8628764", "McConnell Helps Secure Federal Grant to Support Substance Abuse Recovery and Job Training in Appalachian Kentucky", "2025-09-26", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "LOUISVILLE, KY \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced today that the Fletcher Group will receive more than $9.2 million in federal funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) for its Connect Appalachia project.\n\nThe competitive federal grant is part of the ARC\u2019s Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies (ARISE) program. The Fletcher Group, and partners including the Kentucky Chamber Foundation, will use the funding to implement a comprehensive economic development, workforce development, and substance abuse recovery program across six Appalachian states\u2014including all Kentucky counties served by the ARC.\n\n\u201cI appreciate the Fletcher Group\u2019s hard work in helping Appalachian counties, including those in Kentucky, and I was pleased to contact the Trump Administration on their behalf to help secure this federal funding,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cThe Fletcher Group is doing great work to address the impacts of the substance abuse and opioid epidemic. This federal funding will allow them to build workforce pipelines between employers and treatment and recovery providers, helping individuals in recovery find and maintain meaningful employment.\u201d\n\n\"I want to thank Senator McConnell for his continued support of projects like this that help Kentuckians maintain recovery and obtain meaningful employment, and we look forward to partnering with the Kentucky Chamber Foundation to achieve these goals in communities throughout Appalachia Kentucky. While progress has been made to reduce the number of overdose deaths in Kentucky and across the nation, there is still more work to do to reverse the tragic impact of substance use. That is why this project is so important as we will work to help transform lives,\u201d said Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of the Fletcher Group, Ernie Fletcher.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:10:29Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=99B1AA96-9C0B-46BF-A69B-121F9E1BD644", "McConnell on Support For Ukraine: Administration Must Turn Words Into Action", "2025-09-24", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "LOUISVILLE, KY \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, issued the following statement:\n\n\u201cI welcome President Trump\u2019s acknowledgement that Ukraine can defeat Russia\u2019s brutal aggression. For years, President Biden\u2019s dithering and hesitant efforts to help Ukraine defend itself only prolonged this conflict. This year, senior members of President Trump\u2019s Administration have consistently recommended he take the same disastrous approach to this awful war. Meanwhile, reality has been unmistakable: passivity in the face of aggression will not stop Putin. Self-imposed constraints will only delay the peace the President rightly seeks.\n\n\u201cThe President has identified Russia as the aggressor, and clear majorities of Americans, including Republicans, support continued military assistance to Ukraine; his Administration should act accordingly. If senior Department of Defense officials continue to blame NATO allies for provoking Russia, freeze or limit security assistance to Ukraine, or oppose further investments in security cooperation with Ukraine and vulnerable NATO allies, in defiance of the support expressed overwhelmingly by House Republicans last week, they are undermining President Trump\u2019s efforts to end the war. The Commander-in-Chief should not tolerate such freelance policymaking that weakens his leverage and undercuts investments in peace through strength.\n\n\u201cThe world is watching to see if President Trump\u2019s Administration translates his rhetoric into action.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:10:29Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=FDC6D0C8-40DF-41D5-8E60-F13CE2912057", "McConnell Statement on Jefferson County Sheriff John Aubrey", "2025-09-24", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "LOUISVILLE, KY \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement regarding the passing of Jefferson County Sheriff John Aubrey:\n\n\u201cI am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of my longtime friend and Jefferson County Sheriff John Aubrey. John was a dedicated public servant who made an indelible impact on our community and for 27 years as Sheriff he worked tirelessly to keep our neighborhoods safe. His recognition as the 2025 Sheriff of the Year was a testament to his unwavering commitment to law enforcement and the respect he earned from all who knew him. Elaine and I extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and the entire Jefferson County Sheriff's Department during this time.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:10:29Z"], ["https://www.paul.senate.gov/paul-kaine-schumer-shaheen-wyden-introduce-bipartisan-resolution-to-reassert-congressional-authority-over-tariffs/", "Paul, Kaine, Schumer, Shaheen & Wyden\u00a0Introduce Bipartisan Resolution to Reassert Congressional Authority Over Tariffs", "2025-09-18", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Rand Paul", "P000603", "www.paul.senate.gov", "paul", "https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\n\nSeptember 18th, 2025\n\nContact: Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343\n\nPaul, Kaine, Schumer, Shaheen, & Wyden Introduce Bipartisan Resolution to Reassert Congressional Authority Over Tariffs\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.paul.senate.gov/paul-kaine-klobuchar-warner-and-schumer-introduce-bipartisan-resolution-to-reassert-congressional-authority-over-tariffs/", "Paul, Kaine, Klobuchar, Warner, and Schumer Introduce Bipartisan Resolution to Reassert Congressional Authority Over Tariffs", "2025-09-17", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Rand Paul", "P000603", "www.paul.senate.gov", "paul", "https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\n\nSeptember 17th, 2025\n\nContact: Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343\n\nPaul, Kaine, Klobuchar, Warner, and Schumer Introduce Bipartisan Resolution to Reassert Congressional Authority Over Tariffs\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Rand Paul (R-KY), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Mark R. Warner (D-VA), as well as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), announced that their legislation to undo President Donald Trump\u2019s International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs on Canada has been refiled. Since Trump launched his trade war with Canada, exports of U.S. distilled spirits declined by about 62 percent, and tourism from Canada to the U.S. fell by 33.9 percent. The legislation passed the Senate in a 51-48 vote in April but has not been taken up by the House of Representatives. It is privileged, so the Senate will be required to vote on it.\n\n\u201cNo president should be able to abuse emergency powers to bypass Congress and unilaterally impose import tariffs\u2014taxes\u2014on the American people,\u201d said Paul. \u201cThese tariffs hit families, farmers, and small businesses the hardest, and in Kentucky they devastate cornerstone industries like car manufacturing, bourbon, homebuilding, and shipping. Congress must reclaim its constitutional authority and stop this economic overreach before more jobs and industries are destroyed.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is time to end President Trump\u2019s senseless trade war with Canada, one of our closest allies and top trading partners. The American people overwhelmingly oppose it, and it has already done lasting damage to the bilateral relationship, which can be seen in declines in Canadian tourism to the United States, and declining sales of American products in Canada,\u201d said Kaine. \u201cIt is our responsibility as Congress to step in when the President abuses their authority. If the Senate once again passes a resolution to terminate this misguided trade war, the House should join us and say enough is enough.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe president cannot abuse his power to continue an unjustified trade war with one of our strongest allies. Canada is Minnesota\u2019s top trading partner, but the President\u2019s tariffs are jeopardizing that relationship\u2014and adding costs for Minnesota families,\u201d said Klobuchar. \u201cWe should not raise costs, hurt businesses, and eliminate jobs by attacking our neighbor and ally.\u201d\n\n\u201cCanada is a vital trading partner for Virginia, and the misguided tariffs that President Trump has placed on the country have already led to increased costs for families and businesses across the Commonwealth,\u201d said Warner. \u201cI urge my colleagues to join me in sending a clear message: it\u2019s time to end the reckless trade policies that are hurting American consumers, small businesses, and our allies.\u201d\n\n\u201cUpstate New Yorkers \u2013 and Americans across the country \u2013 are already paying the price for Trump\u2019s reckless and nonsensical trade war,\u201d said Leader Schumer. \u201cHis tariff tax has been felt on everything from groceries to new clothes. The tariffs and threats of economic instability have driven up prices, collapsed tourism, and stunted small businesses. It is beyond time for Senate Republicans to stand with us and stand up to Trump\u2019s economic devastation. Congress must side with American families, small businesses, and the global economy and say no to the false \u201cnational emergency\u201d Trump announced to impose tariffs on Canada.\u201d\n\nSpecifically, the legislation would terminate the February 1 emergency declaration that President Trump used to launch his trade war with Canada, and would eliminate the tariffs on Canadian imports implemented as a result. President Trump\u2019s order cited the IEEPA, an unprecedented use of IEEPA\u2019s emergency provisions in the law\u2019s nearly half-century history. The IEEPA tariffs are the largest tax increase on American families in recent history. Public opinion surveys have overwhelmingly demonstrated that the American people do not support Trump\u2019s trade wars. According to a recentsurvey by Public First, 43 percent of American adults opposed applying tariffs to Canada. An Economist/YouGov surveyfound a majority of U.S. adults, 52 percent, were opposed to Trump\u2019s Canada tariffs.\n\nIn 2024, Canada was Virginia\u2019s largest export market, accounting for 15 percent of Virginia\u2019s exports. In 2022, top goods exports from Virginia to Canada included motor vehicles and transportation equipment, such as medium- and heavy-duty trucks. 56.1 percent of Southwest Virginia\u2019s economic output is dependent on trade.\n\nIn addition to Paul, Kaine, Klobuchar, Warner, and Schumer, the legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Angus King (I-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Peter Welch (D-VT), Chris Coons (D-DE), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).\n\nFull text of the legislation is available here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.paul.senate.gov/dr-rand-paul-introduces-six-penny-plan-to-balance-the-federal-budget-in-five-years-2/", "Dr. Rand Paul Introduces Six Penny Plan to Balance the Federal Budget in Five Years", "2025-09-16", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Rand Paul", "P000603", "www.paul.senate.gov", "paul", "https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\n\nSeptember 16th, 2025\n\nContact: Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343\n\nDr. Rand Paul Introduces Six Penny Plan to Balance the Federal Budget in Five Years\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has introduced the Six Penny Plan, a federal budget resolution that will balance on-budget outlays and revenues within five years by cutting six cents off every dollar projected to be spent over the next five fiscal years.\n\nDuring the current fiscal year, the federal government overspent and added $2.1 trillion to the gross national debt; an increase of $16,117 for every U.S. household. The federal government\u2019s overspending for FY2025 is projected to result in the third-highest deficit in U.S. history.\n\nAccording to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the United States is on track to record the third-largest deficit in American history this year. Interest payments on the debt now surpass the America\u2019s military spending, underscoring how runaway borrowing is crowding out core national priorities. With the national debt exceeding $37 trillion, it now stands at nearly twice the value of all bank deposits in the country. Put another way, even if all American bank accounts were emptied to pay down the debt, the amount would cover only about half of what Washington owes.\n\nWhen Dr. Paul first introduced a penny plan in 2017, a simple spending freeze was enough to balance the budget within five years. Today, because of years of reckless spending, achieving balance requires reducing projected spending by six percent annually. Under the Six Penny Plan, the first year would result in spending at 94 percent of current levels, with annual reductions of six percent continuing until balance is achieved in year five. After the fifth year, spending would be allowed to rise at the same pace as revenues over the next five years.\n\n\u201cI introduced my first Penny Plan in 2018, prior to that, a spending freeze was all it took to balance the budget in five years,\u201d said Dr. Paul. \u201cToday, runaway deficits and skyrocketing interest costs mean it will take a six percent reduction annually just to get us back on track. The math doesn\u2019t lie. Either we take responsibility now, or we condemn our children and grandchildren to economic ruin.\u201d\n\nRead the Six Penny Plan HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.paul.senate.gov/chairman-rand-paul-uncovers-new-evidence-of-fauci-deleting-official-records-calls-him-to-testify-before-hsgac/", "Chairman Rand Paul Uncovers New Evidence of Fauci Deleting Official Records, Calls Him to Testify Before HSGAC", "2025-09-12", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Rand Paul", "P000603", "www.paul.senate.gov", "paul", "https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\n\nSeptember 12th, 2025\n\nContact: Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343\n\nChairman Rand Paul Uncovers New Evidence of Fauci Deleting Official Records, Calls Him to Testify Before HSGAC\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), has formally called for Dr. Anthony Fauci to testify before the Committee. Recently uncovered emails directly contradict Dr. Fauci\u2019s repeated denials before the House Oversight Committee in 2024, when he testified under oath that he had never deleted federal records or sought to obstruct the release of public documents.\n\nThe Committee\u2019s letter to Dr. Fauci, sent September 9, 2025, requests the full production of all emails, messages, and call records from 2018\u20132023 related to the origins of COVID-19, gain-of-function research, EcoHealth Alliance, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and other key actors. The letter also formally requests that Dr. Fauci testify before HSGAC this fall to clarify his previous testimony and address the growing body of evidence suggesting that he sought to conceal records from congressional investigators.\n\nDr. Rand Paul said in the letter, \u201cDuring the course of its investigation, the Committee has obtained records revealing that you directed employees of the National Institutes for Health (NIH) to destroy federal records. These documents suggest your direct involvement in efforts to conceal information related to the Committee\u2019s investigation and appear to contradict your previous testimony before Congress. Accordingly, I request that you provide additional information and formally invite you to appear before the Committee to clarify your previous testimony.\u201d\n\nIn one February 2, 2020, email\u2014just one day after the now-infamous \u201cProximal Origins\u201d call\u2014 a conversation between Jeremy Farrar, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and Francis Collins shows their intent to \u201cget ahead of the science and narrative of\u201d the origins of COVID-19. Later, Dr. Fauci instructed then-NIH Director Francis Collins: \u201cPlease delete this e-mail after you read it.\u201d\n\nIn another email, dated July 20, 2020, Dr. Fauci displayed a blatant disregard for congressional oversight, remarking \u201cAs usual [Rand Paul]\u2019s full of s..t\u201d and wrote to his Chief of Staff: \u201cplease delete this e-mail after you read it.\u201d\n\n\u201cDr. Fauci misled Congress and the American people. The evidence is clear: while publicly posturing as a champion of science, he was privately directing his staff to destroy federal records,\u201d said Dr. Paul. \u201cThis is a blatant violation, a betrayal of the public trust, and further proof that Fauci engaged in a coverup from the very beginning of the pandemic.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=1EB690BA-5B7E-47CD-8345-094E90751992", "McConnell in CJ: We Must Reject The Political Violence That Took Charlie Kirk's Life", "2025-09-11", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) penned an op-ed for The Courier-Journal today regarding political violence threatening the fabric of American society:\n\nCharlie Kirk was a husband, a father of young children and a man of faith. His death yesterday is gut-wrenching on those grounds, above all else. I\u2019m keeping Charlie\u2019s family in my prayers as they try to make sense of the senseless, as are so many Kentuckians who were drawn to his work in the public eye.\n\nOf course, Charlie\u2019s death will be remembered not just as a personal tragedy but an assassination \u2014 an escalation of the political violence that increasingly threatens the fabric of our society. If you\u2019re worried and angry about that trend, you\u2019re absolutely right to be.\n\nIn Congress, it is tempting to declare a particularly tense or emotionally charged debate as unprecedented or corrosive. As something of an elder statesman, I often find myself reminding colleagues that we\u2019ve been through worse than today\u2019s recurring gridlock.\n\nIn fact, our Constitution anticipated and encouraged lively debate. Our system of government was built for it. Passionate disagreement is a sign of the health of our democracy. And guardrails exist to protect it.\n\nThroughout my career in the Senate, I\u2019ve tried to reaffirm these guardrails:\n\nI\u2019ve been a staunch opponent of restrictions on free speech. I\u2019ve fought repeatedly to preserve the right to political speech in elections (even for deep-pocketed Democratic opponents) and in the public square (even for flag-burners).\n\nIn the Senate, I\u2019ve fought just as hard to protect the rights of the minority party to unlimited debate (even when my side wasn\u2019t the one that stood to gain).\n\nGuardrails matter. They keep the American experiment rolling. But if passionate disagreement is a sign of health, political violence like yesterday\u2019s sickening display is a sign of decay. To excuse or encourage it is to place a cynical bet against America.\n\nWhatever an assassin\u2019s deluded justification, there is nothing less American than to override the guardrails of public discourse.\n\nYesterday\u2019s assassination comes with an especially bitter irony. Charlie Kirk\u2019s success as an activist and communicator came from his appetite for passionate disagreement. His willingness to peacefully debate all comers was an example of exactly what the founders had in mind.\n\nBut the founders also knew that combatting the sort of cowardice behind political assassination was too big a job for government, alone. They knew that the responsibility to reject political violence would rest on the shoulders of every American.\n\nEvery one of us must resist the temptation to treat those with different politics as enemies. We must treat the clash of ideas in the public square as a celebration of our democracy, not a pretext for war. If you\u2019re ever tempted to believe in recourse to violence among neighbors, patriots and fellow citizens, think again. Think of Charlie. And keep his family in your prayers.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:10:29Z"], ["https://www.paul.senate.gov/dr-paul-reintroduces-the-duplication-scoring-act/", "Dr. Paul Reintroduces the Duplication Scoring Act", "2025-09-11", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Rand Paul", "P000603", "www.paul.senate.gov", "paul", "https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\n\nSeptember 11th, 2025\n\nContact: Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343\n\nDr. Paul Reintroduces the Duplication Scoring Act\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) reintroduced the Duplication Scoring Act, which seeks to reduce the size of government by eliminating duplicative programs and prevent further duplication within the federal government.\n\n\u201cAs we fight to rein in current wasteful spending, this reform would better enable Congress to make more fully informed decisions by adding a layer of oversight that will help stop waste in government before it ever happens,\u201d said Dr. Paul.\n\nBackground:\n\nFor over 10 years, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has documented more than 1,800 cases of duplicative programs. In its most recent report, GAO found the U.S. government has saved about $600 billion by adopting GAO\u2019s recommendations. However, these savings only account for just over 66 percent of GAO\u2019s identified programs, suggesting billions of taxpayer dollars are still being wasted on duplicative programs. While it will take time to eradicate all of the identified duplicative programs, this bill would work to prevent Congress from standing up these programs in the first place.\n\nThe Duplication Scoring Act seeks to prevent the passage of fragmented, overlapping, and duplicative government programs by:\n\nRequiring GAO to review each committee-reported bill or joint resolution and determine if it at risk of duplicating or overlapping with an existing program, office, or initiative previously identified in a GAO duplication, fragmentation, and overlap report.\n\nRequiring GAO to submit this assessment to the director of CBO and the corresponding Committee.\n\nThe Duplication Scoring Act was last introduced in 2023 in the 118th Congress on a bipartisan basis. The bill was reported favorably out of Committee by voice vote on March 29, 2023.\n\nYou can read the bill in its entirety HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.paul.senate.gov/dr-rand-paul-reintroduces-the-bonuses-for-cost-cutters-act/", "Dr. Rand Paul Reintroduces the Bonuses for Cost-Cutters Act", "2025-09-11", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Rand Paul", "P000603", "www.paul.senate.gov", "paul", "https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\n\nSeptember 11th, 2025\n\nContact: Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343\n\nDr. Rand Paul Reintroduces the Bonuses for Cost-Cutters Act\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), continues his efforts to rein in wasteful spending and reform government by reintroducing the Bonuses for Cost-Cutters Act.\n\nCurrently, federal law allows an agency\u2019s Inspector General to pay bonuses of up to $10,000 of savings realized when a federal employee identifies waste, fraud, or mismanagement of funds. Dr. Paul\u2019s legislation would expand these categories to include identifying surplus or unneeded funds.\n\n\u201cSuccessfully tackling our debt crisis requires vigilance at all levels of government, from lawmakers in Congress to the employees on the front lines that carry out the day-to-day spending. The pressure in Washington to spend all you can before the end of the fiscal year so you can get even more in the future is enormous. Bonuses for Cost-Cutters pushes back against this status quo, providing additional incentive to save taxpayer resources,\u201d said Dr. Paul.\n\nBonuses for Cost-Cutters would also ensure 90 percent of the savings are automatically directed toward deficit reduction, with agencies free to apply any remainder toward other agency priorities, subject to current law.\n\nYou can read the Bonuses for Cost-Cutters Act HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=C307F226-FA6E-4952-B1C3-A86B608466D8", "McConnell Statement on the Passing of Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw", "2025-09-10", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement today regarding the passing of Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw:\n\n\u201cFor nearly 30 years, Bobbie\u2019s effective leadership made local government accessible, reliable, and responsible for all Jefferson County residents. Bobbie\u2019s drive for excellence touched everything she did, and we all greatly benefited from her nationally-recognized service. Time and again, Bobbie earned the trust of her constituents, and she upheld the integrity and dignity of her office each and every day. The qualities that made her an exceptional public servant also made her a remarkable friend. As Elaine and I cherish the warm memories of Bobbie, we extend our condolences to her family and all of her colleagues and friends.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:10:29Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=C5ABCC77-3F51-47F2-8EEC-8C86E31748A4", "McConnell Secures Federal Funding to Fight Opioid Addiction in Kentucky", "2025-09-10", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced today the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will distribute $706,113 in federal funding to the Commonwealth of Kentucky through the State Opioid Response (SOR) Grant Program.\n\nThe funding will be used to expand the Recovery Housing Program, which was created by Senator McConnell\u2019s Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery through Effective Employment and Reentry (CAREER) Act in 2018. The Recovery Housing Program is a transitional housing pilot program to help states increase access to safe transitional housing for individuals in addiction recovery while they rehabilitate and reenter the workforce. Today\u2019s funding will be used to develop and expand the recovering housing program to assist young adults with their recovery and their reentry into the workforce.\n\nIn February, Senator McConnell introduced the CAREER Act of 2025 to enhance the workforce reentry and recovery housing programs created in the 2018 law. Since becoming law, the CAREER Act has directed nearly $12.5 million to the Commonwealth, helping hundreds of Kentuckians recovering from substance use disorder.\n\n\u201cKentucky\u2019s workforce continues to feel the effects of the opioid epidemic that plagues our nation. I\u2019m proud to have championed the CAREER Act in the Senate which helps combat this crisis by providing funding for resources helping those in recovery get back into the workforce,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cThis announcement is yet another step in the right direction giving our communities much needed assistance in transitional housing and continuing to help our youth get their lives back on track.\u201d\n\nToday\u2019s federal funding will be allocated to the Commonwealth of Kentucky which the state then distributes to programs across the Commonwealth that help prevent, reduce, and treat opioid abuse.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:10:29Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=CB882CDB-BEEE-4F67-B74C-B2D033FE7603", "McConnell Statement on State Senator Jimmy Higdon", "2025-09-04", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement regarding the announcement by State Senator Jimmy Higdon to not seek reelection:\n\n\u201cJimmy Higdon is a legislative titan of the Kentucky General Assembly. His devotion to making the Commonwealth a better place through his work on transportation and infrastructure issues leaves behind an enduring legacy for generations to come. I am proud to have worked together with Jimmy on several important transportation projects like the Brent Spence Bridge, the Mountain Parkway in Eastern Kentucky, and the I-69 bridge in Henderson, Kentucky. While I am sad Jimmy is retiring, I\u2019m confident he will continue to have a deep impact for the remainder of his term. I\u2019m grateful for his more than 20 years of service to Kentucky, and for his several decades of friendship. Elaine and I wish him, Jane, and his entire family well in the next chapter of their lives.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:10:29Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=BEDDC952-C14C-41E2-BEC6-5650F7154A21", "McConnell Statement on the Passing of Dr. Robert Meriwether", "2025-08-05", "2025", "2025-08", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement today on the passing of Paducah neurosurgeon, Dr. Robert Meriwether:\n\n\u201cElaine and I were saddened to learn of the passing of our dear friend Dr. Robert Meriwether. A renowned Paducah neurosurgeon with decades of experience in the medical field, Dr. Meriwether contributed to his community in so many ways. He spent his career helping those in dire need while also making a difference through numerous organizations including the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees and the Paducah Rotary Club. His work leaves a rich legacy, especially in the hearts of those closest to him. Our thoughts are with his wife, Gloria, and his entire family during this most difficult time.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:02:47Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=559C8086-3886-47B0-95BB-397680854911", "McConnell Helps Secure Federal Funding for the City of Winchester", "2025-08-01", "2025", "2025-08", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced today the City of Winchester will receive a $2.7 million federal grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to upgrade sewer infrastructure at the Winchester Industrial Park. The improvements will include the installation of a new sewer line that will impact the businesses located at the industrial park.\n\n\u201cThis federal funding is welcome news for the City of Winchester and will provide the resources it needs to improve the infrastructure at the Winchester Industrial Park, which will support existing businesses and accommodate future development,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cI'm pleased to see this ARC grant program deliver more wins for our state, and I'll continue to champion the infrastructure priorities of Kentuckians who need our help.\"\n\n\"We extend our deepest thanks and appreciation to Senator McConnell, his staff, and the Kentucky Grants Program for their vital support in helping Winchester and Clark County address infrastructure capacity challenges in our industrial park. This investment strengthens our ability to attract new businesses, support existing industries, and drive long-term economic growth in our region,\u201d said Brad Sowden, Executive Director of the Winchester-Clark County Industrial Development Authority.\n\n\u201cWhat a win for our community! This funding is a major step forward\u2014not just for our infrastructure, but for our future. With this investment, we\u2019re giving our local businesses room to grow and sending a clear message that Winchester is open for opportunity. I\u2019m incredibly proud of our team for getting us here, and deeply thankful to ARC and to Senator Mitch McConnell for recognizing and believing in the potential we\u2019ve always known our city holds,\u201d said Winchester Mayor Jo Ellen Reed.\n\n\"WMU is committed to providing infrastructure that allows Winchester and Clark County to prosper, and we are very excited to receive funding for the Flanagan and Madison Phase II Project. We are very fortunate and thankful for the ongoing support from Senator McConnell, his staff, and the Kentucky Grants Program,\u201d said Kyle Raney, General Manager, Winchester Municipal Utilities.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:02:47Z"]], "truncated": false, "filtered_table_rows_count": 2375, "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 \"state\" = :p1 order by date desc limit 101", "params": {"p0": "Senate", "p1": "KY"}}, "facet_results": {"party": {"name": "party", "type": "column", 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