{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "is_view": false, "human_description_en": "where chamber = \"Senate\" and year = 2021 sorted by date descending", "rows": [["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/senator-scott-statement-on-fdic-chairman-mcwilliams-resignation/", "Senator Scott Statement on FDIC Chairman McWilliams\u2019 Resignation", "2021-12-31", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Tim Scott", "S001184", "www.scott.senate.gov", "timscott", "https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/jsf/jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) released the following statement on Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Chairman Jelena McWilliams\u2019 resignation after a politically-motivated attempt to undermine the independence of the agency.\n\n\u201cI am thankful for Chairman McWilliams\u2019 service as FDIC chairman,\u201d said Senator Scott. \u201cShe played an instrumental role in the implementation of rules to alleviate regulatory burdens on community banks and helped guide the industry through pandemic-related economic uncertainty. Her strong and fair leadership will be greatly missed.\n\n\u201cOver the course of her career, Chairman McWilliams has established an impressive reputation as a good faith negotiator and dealmaker, all while staying true to her core principles. Moreover, throughout her FDIC tenure, she has been a consummate consensus builder. The fact that Biden administration regulators have seemingly failed to conduct board business through the standard procedural channels in an open and honest manner with a regulator as well known for her integrity as Chairman McWilliams speaks volumes. I remain deeply concerned that the flagrant, politically-motivated efforts to appropriate the authorities granted by FDIC bylaws to the agency\u2019s Senate-confirmed chairman represent a dangerous attempt to politicize the independent and historically apolitical practice of federal bank regulation.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/senator-scott-colleagues-call-on-president-biden-to-withdraw-nomination-of-dr-david-weil-for-wage-and-hour-administrator/", "Senator Scott, Colleagues Call on President Biden to Withdraw Nomination of Dr. David Weil for Wage & Hour Administrator", "2021-12-29", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Tim Scott", "S001184", "www.scott.senate.gov", "timscott", "https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/jsf/jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) joined Senators Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) in urging President Biden to formally withdraw the nomination of Dr. David Weil to be Administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor\u2019s Wage & Hour Division. In a letter, the senators cited that the Senate\u2019s HELP Committee was unable to report Dr. Weil\u2019s nomination favorably when it was considered this year and listed concerns with actions Dr. Weil took while serving as Wage & Hour Administrator during the Obama administration, including implementing job-killing rules, arbitrarily constricting the standard for who is considered an independent contractor, and presiding over a 93% increase in litigation due to an expansion of the \u201cjoint employer\u201d definition.\n\n\u201cSmall business entrepreneurs in this country deserve a Wage and Hour Division Administrator that will work constructively alongside them,\u201d the senators wrote. \u201cThe Senate has spoken this year that Dr. Weil is not the right fit for this position. We appreciate your responsiveness to this request, and ask for prompt confirmation that the nomination of Dr. David Weil is formally withdrawn.\u201d\n\nClick here to download or read the full text of the letter below:\n\nDear Mr. President,\n\nWe write to urge you to formally withdraw the nomination of Dr. David Weil, of Massachusetts, to be Administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor\u2019s Wage and Hour Division, Department of Labor, vice Cheryl Marie Stanton. Dr. Weil\u2019s track record is hostile to employers, unproductive to the employees served by such employers, and the actions he took at the federal level were mired in costly litigation.\n\nThe United States Constitution divides the responsibility for populating top positions in the federal government between the President and the United States Senate. The appointments clause (Article II, Section 2) empowers the President to nominate \u201cby and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate\u201d. The role of the Senate to give advice and consent is an integral part of the process for populating top officials in our government.\n\nThe Senate received Dr. Weil\u2019s nomination on June 8, 2021. The Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) carefully considered the merits of his nomination, actions that included a full committee hearing. The HELP Committee was unable to favorably report Dr. Weil\u2019s nomination to the full Senate during an August 3, 2021 business meeting, lacking the necessary votes to do so. In the nearly five months that followed this failed business meeting, no action was taken by the full Senate to discharge or otherwise consider his nomination. On December 21, 2021, this nomination was formally returned to the White House, as the Senate did not give consent to hold over Dr. Weil\u2019s nomination.\n\nThe lack of sufficient support for Dr. Weil\u2019s nomination is not surprising considering the actions he took during the Obama administration as Wage & Hour Administrator. Chief among the concerns with his record: promulgation of a job-killing overtime rule in 2016 that overstepped and was therefore struck down by the U.S. District Court; an arbitrarily strict standard for classification of independent contractors in 2015; and a destructive expansion of \u201cjoint employer\u201d definition in 2016 that led to a 93 percent increase in litigation. Additionally, both Dr. Weil and the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts have refused to provide all the documents regarding Weil\u2019s actions with the Labor Advisory Board in Massachusetts. Requests to both by the Ranking Member\u2019s staff have been stonewalled and public records requests have been unnecessarily delayed. These are not the actions of an individual committed to transparency and accountability in government service. His nomination has raised sincere concerns on behalf of many of the constituencies we represent.\n\nSmall business entrepreneurs in this country deserve a Wage and Hour Division Administrator that will work constructively alongside them. The Senate has spoken this year that Dr. Weil is not the right fit for this position. We appreciate your responsiveness to this request, and ask for prompt confirmation that the nomination of Dr. David Weil is formally withdrawn.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/-murkowski-wishes-alaskans-a-merry-christmas-and-happy-holidays", "Murkowski Wishes Alaskans a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays", "2021-12-25", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "AK", "Lisa Murkowski", "M001153", "www.murkowski.senate.gov", "murkowski", "https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=39", "scraper", "U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) shared the following message with Alaskans:\n\nClick here for video of Senator Murkowski.\n\n\u201cThe holidays are a special opportunity to share traditions and enjoy time with those we hold close. As I take pause to think about the many blessings I have in my own life \u2013 my family, friends, and the opportunity to represent the great state of Alaska \u2013 I am reminded of all we have collectively to be thankful for. As Alaskans, we get live in a beautiful state, with incredible outdoor opportunities in our back yard. We have a unique home, rich with history and culture. We are surrounded by Alaska\u2019s natural bounty. And we have each other \u2013 Alaskan neighbors, showing up for one another during the best and worst of times. That is the true spirit of our great state.\n\n\u201cRegardless of how you choose to celebrate the season, I encourage us all to take time to reflect on the good things in our lives. And, as we transition into to the New Year, I hope each of us will commit to being the best neighbors to one another that we possibly can. 2022 will be better and brighter for us all if we do.\n\n\u201cFrom my family to yours \u2013 Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/king-cove-murkowski-mark-eight-years-and-157-medevacs_since-rejection-of-life-saving-road", "King Cove, Murkowski Mark Eight Years and 157 Medevacs  Since Rejection of Life-Saving Road", "2021-12-23", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "AK", "Lisa Murkowski", "M001153", "www.murkowski.senate.gov", "murkowski", "https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=39", "scraper", "U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today issued the following statement on the eight-year anniversary of the Department of the Interior\u2019s rejection of a short, one-lane, gravel, life-saving road needed to connect King Cove, Alaska to the all-weather airport in nearby Cold Bay. The single-lane road is crucial to providing reliable emergency medical access for all who live in King Cove.\n\nTwo days before Christmas in 2013, former Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced she would not allow the simple road \u2013 approved by Congress on a bipartisan basis, but conditioned on a public interest determination \u2013 to be built to connect two existing roads on either side of the 315,000-acre Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. Since then, King Cove has been forced to endure an additional 157 medevacs. Most occurred in dangerous weather conditions and many had to be carried out by the U.S. Coast Guard, risking the lives of crews and patients alike.\n\n\u201cSally Jewell made a horrible decision eight years ago, and it is the good people of King Cove who have paid the price ever since. A single medevac is too many, let alone 157. It is simply unconscionable that the federal government has failed to protect these Alaskans\u2019 health and safety, especially in the midst of a global pandemic that has made emergency medical access all the more critical,\u201d Murkowski said.\n\nMurkowski reiterated her request to current Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland \u2013 who has prioritized tribal consultation \u2013 to visit King Cove and finally address this decades-long environmental injustice.\n\n\u201cI am calling on Secretary Haaland to visit King Cove to see the need to protect local residents\u2019 health and safety as soon as possible. The federal government has a trust responsibility to the Tribes of King Cove, but it has been broken for decades. I also urge her to consider alternatives that could help us construct this road in an environmentally sound manner sooner than litigation will allow. As governments, Tribes must deliver a wide range of critical services, including healthcare, to their citizens. The Secretary must recognize this and act now, because King Cove needs this life-saving road more than ever,\u201d Murkowski said.\n\nNumerous King Cove officials today expressed hope that Secretary Haaland would uphold the federal government\u2019s trust responsibility and help them. The officials held a teleconference with Haaland in August and have asked her to visit their community to better understand the need for a life-saving road.\n\n\u201cSecretary Haaland understands our deep-rooted connection to our ancestral land where we and our Aleut families have lived for thousands of years,\u201d said King Cove (Native) Corporation Spokeswoman Della Trumble. \u201cShe recognizes the trust responsibility the federal government has to Native people.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re hopeful U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland will visit King Cove soon to talk with residents and see first-hand the daily challenges we face,\u201d said King Cove Mayor Warren Wilson. \u201cMany people in King Cove have either been medevaced themselves or have family members who experienced dangerous medevacs during harsh weather.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe know that Secretary Haaland understands we love our families, and we want them to be out of harm\u2019s way,\u201d said Agdaagux Tribal President Etta Kuzakin Kuzakin. \u201cWe also love King Cove, which is our home.\u201d\n\nKuzakin was medevaced from King Cove by the Coast Guard in 2013 in stormy weather while in premature labor with her youngest daughter, Sunnie Rae. The mother and daughter would not have survived without the Coast Guard rescue, which only occurred because the Guard was nearby on another mission.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re hopeful the Secretary will support us,\u201d said Aleutians East Borough Mayor Alvin Osterback. \u201cThis issue is an injustice the federal government needs to correct so King Cove residents can feel safe when they require access to a higher level of care.\u201d\n\nBackground:\n\nKing Cove is located between two volcanic mountains near the end of the Alaska Peninsula, about 625 miles southwest of Anchorage. The small gravel airstrip in King Cove is typically closed by bad weather for more than 100 days each year. Nearly 40 percent of the flights not canceled are impacted or delayed by wind, turbulence, fog, rain, or snow squalls. By comparison, the all-weather airport in Cold Bay, which is less than 30 miles away from King Cove, is home to the fifth-longest runway in the state and closed an average of 10 days per year.\n\nNotable:\n\nIn 2018, former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke signed a land exchange agreement to facilitate the construction of the life-saving road. It continues to be held up by litigation from environmental groups.\n\nIn 2016, Murkowski chaired a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to press for the life-saving road, receiving compelling testimony from local residents and a retired Coast Guard commander who located a plane crash near King Cove that had resulted in multiple fatalities.\n\nIn 2015, National Review published a longform article about King Cove entitled \u201cDeadly Environmentalism,\u201d which provides a comprehensive history of the issue and is well worth reading.\n\nIn 2009, Murkowski secured passage of legislation facilitating a land exchange to provide for the life-saving road, but former Secretary Jewell stunningly determined that it was not in the public interest. Eight years later, 157 medevacs continue to show just how awful that decision was.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/murkowski-announces-disbursement-of-cares-act-funding-to-alaskas-fisheries", "Murkowski Announces Disbursement of CARES Act Funding to Alaska\u2019s Fisheries", "2021-12-23", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "AK", "Lisa Murkowski", "M001153", "www.murkowski.senate.gov", "murkowski", "https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=39", "scraper", "Alaska set to receive the highest possible allocation in fishery relief\n\nU.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today announced that $50 million in fishery assistance, secured through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and. Economic Security (CARES) Act, will be disbursed this week to Alaska\u2019s commercial harvesters, sport fishing charters, and seafood processors. This funding comes as a result of the efforts of Senator Murkowski to make direct assistance available to subsistence, commercial, and charter fishery participants, processors, fishery-related businesses and fishery-dependent communities that have been negatively affected by the economic and other impacts of COVID-19.\n\n\u201cAlaska\u2019s fisheries and seafood sector are a critical driver of our State\u2019s economy, employing more than 58,000 people and producing billions of dollars in economic output in our state each year. Unfortunately, I continue to hear from Alaska\u2019s seafood industry about the numerous ongoing challenges they are facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As I worked to help craft the CARES Act, I was adamant that robust funding was included for those who bring Alaskan halibut, salmon, and countless other seafood products to market. I recognize that the time between allocation and distribution has been frustrating and long, but I\u2019m encouraged to know that those checks are officially hitting the mailboxes of hardworking Alaskans. The positive impacts this funding will have will be felt not only here at home, but across the nation as it boosts our economy and allows Alaska\u2019s world class seafood to continue to be enjoyed around the globe,\u201d said Senator Murkowski.\n\n\u201cThis CARES Act funding is serving as a vital source of support for fishermen. We appreciate that Congress recognized the need to support those in our seafood supply chain that are experiencing losses, through this and other support programs,\u201d said Chris Barrows, President of Pacific Seafood Processors Association.\n\n\u201cAlaskans from all fishing sectors owe a debt of gratitude to Lisa and Dan for directing so much relief to businesses based in our state. Many charter operators and guides were devastated by the loss of business due to COVID, and these funds are a welcome relief,\u201d said Ben Mohr, executive director of the Kenai River Sportfishing Association.\n\n\u201cUFA is glad to hear that the initial $50 million of AK CARES Act Fisheries Relief funding is finally being distributed to Alaskans. We thank the Alaska Congressional Delegation for all the work that they did to secure this funding and applaud the delegation\u2019s quick response to the economic harm caused by the pandemic, beginning back in 2020. The lengthy wait for the distribution of these funds, at a time when fishermen needed assistance the most, highlights the need for improvement of the distribution process for disaster relief funds for the fishing industry,\u201d said Tracy Welch, Executive Director of United Fishermen of Alaska.\n\nBackground:\n\nIn May of 2020, as the pandemic was shutting down the U.S. economy, Senator Murkowski was able to help secure $300 million for fisheries assistance in the CARES Act, of which Alaska received $50 million. Congress approved a new authority through the CARES Act for the Secretary of Commerce to provide direct assistance to fishermen to address losses related to COVID. The State of Alaska worked with the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PAC States) and National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to create a spend plan for the first and second rounds of funding.\n\nThe Commission is currently drafting applications for round two, which are anticipated to be available in mid to late January of 2022. In order to apply for Round 2 funds, applicants will need to know their Round 1 relief amounts. Additional guidance will become available once applications have been finalized and approved by ADF&G staff.\n\nFor more information, please contact the ADF&G. or monitor the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission\u2019s website.\n\nRelated Issues: Alaska's Fisheries", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/schumer-announces-major-25-million-fed-investment-in-south-brooklyn-marine-terminal-for-development-of-wind-turbine-assembly-center-35th-st-pier-improvements-bring-nyc-one-step-closer-to-being-offshore-wind-supply-chain-hub-and-are-win-for-community-local-jobs-environment_nys-manufacturing", "SCHUMER ANNOUNCES MAJOR $25 MILLION FED INVESTMENT IN SOUTH BROOKLYN MARINE TERMINAL FOR DEVELOPMENT OF WIND TURBINE ASSEMBLY CENTER; 35TH ST. PIER IMPROVEMENTS BRING NYC ONE STEP CLOSER TO BEING...", "2021-12-23", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Charles E. Schumer", "S000148", "www.schumer.senate.gov", "schumer", "https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Schumer, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams & Enviro Justice Orgs Previously Pushed Investment In New Hub At South Brooklyn Marine Terminal\n\nCommunity Protection Act (CLCPA), Which Schumer Backed, Requires 70% of NY\u2019s Electricity Come From Renewable Resources By 2030, Driving Demand For Offshore Wind\n\nSchumer: The Dawn Of Robust Renewable Energy Production In NYC Will Happen At Sunset Park Terminal In A Frontline Community\n\nU.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced that \u2013 following his direct advocacy multiple times to USDOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg \u2013 South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT) 35th Street Pier Expansion Project was awarded nearly $25 million through the U.S. Department of Transportation\u2019s Maritime Administration (MARAD) Port Infrastructure Development Grant program.\n\nSchumer previously stood with Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and environmental justice leaders in Sunset Park, Brooklyn to push for a multi-million dollar investment to upgrade SBMT\u2019s port infrastructure and to include SBMT as a key port for New York\u2019s strategy to support offshore wind development. Schumer also made direct calls to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to urge approval of this federal funding for the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal. Schumer said infrastructure improvements to the 35th Street Pier are needed to make South Brooklyn Marine Terminal a regional hub in offshore wind construction. Upgrades to the port will result in 344 jobs and the offshore wind activity is estimated to create 3,274 full-time jobs.\n\n\u201cI am proud we secured this massive $25 million federal investment to help the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal reach new heights, boost the local economy, and blow a gust of new life into our fight against climate change,\u201d said Senator Schumer. \u201cThis project is a true win-win-win that will create hundreds of good-paying union jobs, including for residents of this frontline Brooklyn community, boost New York\u2019s clean-energy manufacturing sector, all while combatting climate change in big, bold ways. Brooklyn has the wind at its back with this announcement, and the future looks very bright.\u201d\n\n\u201cWith this fed investment, Sunset Park Terminal can positon New York State to manufacture offshore wind technology while leading the way in clean energy deployment. This site is primed to be up and running quickly with investments like this one, providing New York a critical foothold in the offshore wind supply chain and its tremendous opportunities for new jobs. This also helps the state, too, because seventy-percent of New York\u2019s electricity has to come from renewable resources by 2030 as part of the CLCPA I helped push,\u201d Schumer said.\n\nThe local wind turbine assembly center would generate more than 1,500 megawatts of clean energy here in the city, positioning New York to play a significant role in the offshore wind supply chain, which will create thousands of jobs across the state.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/schumer-gillibrand-announce-over-75-million-in-federal-funding-to-support-watertowns-samaritan-medical-center-and-loretto-health-in-syracuse-covid-response", "SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE OVER $7.5 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING TO SUPPORT WATERTOWN\u2019S SAMARITAN MEDICAL CENTER & LORETTO HEALTH IN SYRACUSE COVID RESPONSE", "2021-12-23", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Charles E. Schumer", "S000148", "www.schumer.senate.gov", "schumer", "https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Hospitals, Long-Term Care Facilities & Health Centers Heroically Responded To COVID Outbreak, Ripping Holes In Their Budgets To Obtain PPE, Cleaning/Disinfecting Facilities, Testing, Tracing, And More\n\nSenators Say FEMA Funding \u2013 At A 100% Federal Cost Share \u2013 Will Reimburse Samaritan Medical Center & Loretto For Costs Related to Pandemic Response\n\nSchumer, Gillibrand: Federal Funding Will Help Keep Up The Fight Against COVID-19\n\nU.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $4,512,600 for the Loretto Health & Rehabilitation and $3,035,960 for the Samaritan Medical Center from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security\u2019s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to cover costs associated with emergency protective measures taken for their COVID responses. The funds reimburse each for expenses related to providing COVID-19 laboratory testing and testing supplies, used to test their employees ensuring that individuals did not spread the virus to staff, patients, or the local community as they provided direct care and response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding is provided at a 100% federal cost share, which Schumer fought hard to include for NY since the pandemic began.\n\n\u201cSamaritan Medical Center in Watertown, Loretto in Syracuse, and so many other entities throughout New York heroically stepped up by increasing spending, while experiencing significant revenue loss, and working ceaselessly to help New York beat back the virus. I am proud to deliver this vital federal support to help these essential medical facilities recover and continue to keep our communities safe,\u201d said Senator Schumer. \u201cUpstate New York and its hospitals have been amongst the hardest hit in the nation, and with this funding, the continuing frontline fight being waged by our health care system and its incredible workforce will receive the dollars they need, and so very much deserve, to keep saving lives.\u201d\n\n\u201cHealth care providers have lost billions of dollars during the pandemic due to spiking costs and slashed revenues,\u201d said Senator Gillibrand. \u201cThis federal support will help ensure that Samaritan Medical Center and Loretto can maintain staffing levels, provide PPE, and continue to keep our Watertown and Syracuse communities safe as we encounter and fight new variants of COVID-19. I\u2019ll keep working to help New York medical facilities offset operating costs so that they can continue to provide quality care to every New Yorker.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/schumer-with-holiday-travel-in-full-swing-and-covid-19-cases-surging-in-upstate-ny-senator-calls-fema-top-brass-directly-to-urge-them-to-immediately-deploy-200-new-mobile-covid-testing-sites-in-new-york-to-stop-the-spread-and-keep-our-communities-safe", "SCHUMER: WITH HOLIDAY TRAVEL IN FULL SWING AND COVID-19 CASES SURGING IN UPSTATE NY, SENATOR CALLS FEMA TOP BRASS DIRECTLY TO URGE THEM TO IMMEDIATELY DEPLOY 200 NEW MOBILE COVID TESTING SITES IN NEW...", "2021-12-23", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Charles E. Schumer", "S000148", "www.schumer.senate.gov", "schumer", "https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "With Omicron Now On-The-Move Across Upstate, Schumer Says Expanding Access To Testing ASAP Is Critical Key To Keeping Variant Under Control\n\nSenator Wants FEMA Mobile Testing Sites To Launch In Struggling Upstate Communities That Can\u2019t Keep Up With Rising Cases\n\nSchumer: Winter + Variants = Perfect Storm For Surging Cases; Feds Must Get Upstate NY The Support It Needs On The Frontlines Of Latest COVID Wave\n\nWith COVID\u2019s Omicron variant spreading and Upstate New York overwhelmed by the latest surge, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer launched a major push to get the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to expand testing capacity and support for Upstate communities. Schumer made a personal call to FEMA Assistant Administrator Keith Turi and Acting FEMA Region 2 Administrator Chad Gorman to urge them to deploy 200 mobile testing sites in New York, 100 across New York State and an additional 100 in New York City. Schumer said that expanding access to testing is key to stopping the spread of COVID-19, especially as we enter the peak of holiday travel and the heart of the harsh winter months.\n\n\u201cUpstate New York is seeing record high COVID cases, and with variants like Omicron already here, we must stop the spread in its tracks and that means testing testing testing. That is why I am calling on FEMA to immediately deploy mobile testing sites across Upstate New York, to give struggling communities the support they need to keep their residents safe,\u201d said Senator Schumer. \u201cEspecially as people travel over the winter holidays, easy access to testing is critical to ensure the safety of themselves and loved ones. FEMA must provide Upstate communities the support they need to protect public health and to stay ahead of this variant into the winter.\u201d\n\nNew York State yesterday saw a record over 28,000 new coronavirus infections over a 24-hour period, signifying a significant increase in case counts from just a week ago.\n\nSchumer\u2019s request comes on the heels of his successful push for the federal government to provide free at-home tests to New York community health centers & mobile sites. President Biden announced earlier this week that the federal government would deliver 500 million free at-home rapid testing starting in January. Schumer said that these at home testing kits in tandem with 200 mobile testing sites in the communities that need them most is vital to protecting the health of New Yorkers.\n\n\u201cWe now have the testing infrastructure and tools we didn\u2019t have early on in the pandemic,\u201d said Schumer. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the keys to stop this surge and keep recovery going.\u201d\n\nAccording to the World Health Organization, the most effective steps individuals can take to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus is to keep a physical distance of at least 6-feet; wear a well-fitting mask; open windows to improve ventilation; avoid poorly ventilated or crowded spaces; keep hands clean; cough or sneeze into a bent elbow or tissue; and get vaccinated.\n\nA copy of Senator Schumer\u2019s original letter to FEMA appears below:\n\nDear Administrator Criswell:\n\nI write today to ask for the Federal Emergency Management Agency\u2019s (FEMA) assistance as we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent increase in cases due to the Omicron variant. The spike in cases has brought upon an increased demand for testing that is sure to strain the already robust testing infrastructure in New York City. In addition to supporting the City of New York\u2019s request for an increased supply of at-home test kits, I ask that FEMA authorize the opening of 100 mobile test sites in New York City, and 100 additional mobile test sites across the rest of the state, including in Long Island.\n\nSince the beginning of the pandemic, FEMA has played a central role in New York City\u2019s fight against COVID-19. While I am grateful for these efforts and for the work of FEMA staffers, I ask that FEMA continue this partnership and build on its efforts as cases increase due to the Omicron variant. On December 21, 2021 New York City recorded its highest 7-day daily average of cases at nearly 9,500 cases. As reports of daily cases and hospitalizations continue to trend upward, it is vital that FEMA provide the City with the necessary resources to help slow this spread. With more testing capabilities in the form of at-home kits and testing sites, the City can better gauge the trends of this variant and provide more accurate guidance and information to residents.\n\nThank you again for your leadership and assistance over the past year as New York and the nation continue battling COVID-19. FEMA has been an invaluable partner in combatting this pandemic and I ask that as the Omicron variant spreads rapidly you continue this partnership and swiftly provide New York City the increased at-home testing kits requested in their letter to the Administration and authorize the opening of 100 testing sites across the City and 100 additional sites across the State.\n\nI appreciate your attention to this important matter and look forward to your response. Please do not hesitate to reach out to my office with any questions\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/as-inflation-soars-scott-stands-up-for-farmers-and-ranchers/", "As Inflation Soars, Scott Stands Up For Farmers and Ranchers", "2021-12-23", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Tim Scott", "S001184", "www.scott.senate.gov", "timscott", "https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/jsf/jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) joined Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member John Boozman (R-Ark.), Senator John Thune (R-S.D.), and several of their colleagues in urging federal financial regulators to provide community banks, credit unions, and Farm Credit institutions with the regulatory flexibility they need to responsibly work with their agriculture clients as the profit margins of farmers and ranchers shrink from higher input costs. The senators are also requesting that federal financial regulators monitor how inflation and inflationary-related pressures are affecting the agriculture industry and, in turn, the community financial institutions that serve it.\n\n\u201cThe destructive impact of inflation has already affected individuals, families, and businesses across the nation, and no one is immune from these price increases,\u201d the senators wrote. \u201cCaused in large part by an unprecedented increase in federal government spending, in addition to supply chain bottlenecks, these higher prices are not just increasing grocery bills and home heating costs, but they are also raising costs on businesses, including on our nation\u2019s farmers and ranchers.\u201d\n\nThe letter was also signed by Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), James Inhofe (R-Okla.), John Kennedy (R-La.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).\n\nSenator Scott is committed to investigating and pushing back against any actions taken by the administration that contribute to inflation, which takes its greatest toll on low-income Americans.\n\nRead the full letter here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/icymi-scott-talks-dem-spending-2021-highlights-and-2022-agenda/", "ICYMI: Scott Talks Dem Spending, 2021 Highlights and 2022 Agenda", "2021-12-23", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Tim Scott", "S001184", "www.scott.senate.gov", "timscott", "https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/jsf/jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 This week, U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) joined Leyla Gulen on Fox24 Charleston. Sen. Scott slammed Democrats\u2019 spending, talked legislative highlights of 2021, and laid out his agenda for 2022.\n\nClick to watch part one of the interview\n\nOn Dem Spending \u2026 \u201cWell, if you think about their plan, the Build Back Broker (BBB) as I prefer to call it, frankly that\u2019s three trillion dollars of unpaid spending if those programs continue for all 10 years and the likelihood of that is good if they can get it passed. \u2026I hope [what] we\u2019ll see over the next several weeks is no passage of the BBB. That is good news for the American people.\u201d\n\n\u201cLeyla throughout South Carolina whether you\u2019re in Charleston, Union, [or] McCormick South Carolina, the one thing you know is that gas prices have exploded \u2014 a 70 percent increase throughout our state. Utilities are up 25 percent if not even more. That is caused by reckless spending from Washington having a negative impact on every single household in the great Palmetto State. We can stop that from exploding again by not spending money we do not have, buying things we simply cannot afford.\u201d\n\nClick to watch part two of the interview\n\nOn 2021 Highlights \u2026 \u201cAnother really impressive issue this year frankly \u2014 is our bill that stopped the IRS from being able to peer into our financial accounts. That has been great news frankly \u2014 having all 50 Republicans get on that bill in less than 24 hours and then having Joe Manchin and a couple of other Democrats come out and say we can\u2019t do that that\u2019s just ridiculous.\u201d\n\nOn His Areas of Focus for 2022 \u2026 \u201cI\u2019m sticking with the less is better agenda. So, we\u2019re going to continue to fight against certain provisions in the BBB \u2014 things like that childcare component that I talked about earlier. The average family cannot afford an 80 percent increase in the childcare cost. If we can defeat that provision specifically, we will have empowered parents to keep making the choice for their kids. Education opportunity \u2014 this is the closest thing to a civil rights issue we\u2019ll see in our lifetime. Creating parity for poor parents and poor zip codes is job one for us as a nation on the domestic agenda and something that I\u2019ll continue to fight for. Then, continuing to eliminate inflation as well as [preventing] the IRS [from having] more purview into your accounts. Then, if I had to put icing on the cake, I would simply say to take away the disadvantages in the Build Back Broker plan against states like South Carolina.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-wins-stand-off-with-white-house-over-ninth-circuit-nominees", "Sullivan Wins Stand-off with White House Over Ninth Circuit Nominees", "2021-12-23", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "AK", "Dan Sullivan", "S001198", "www.sullivan.senate.gov", "sullivan", "https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=36", "scraper", "Biden White House had been preventing Senator\u2019s meetings with circuit court nominees\n\nANCHORAGE, ALASKA\u2014U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) announced on Sunday that he had met via phone with several nominees to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, with jurisdiction over Alaska, ending a blockade by the Biden White House, which had been denying the senator the opportunity to meet with the judges prior to voting on their confirmation in the Senate. In his remarks on the Senate floor on December 13th, Sen. Sullivan argued that by withholding these meetings, the White House was subverting the \u201cadvice and consent\u201d duties senators have under the Constitution. He also noted that this policy was a marked shift from the previous administration, which had facilitated meetings between senators and judicial nominees upon request.\n\nSen. Sullivan delivered the news on Sunday Night in America on Fox News Channel, hosted by former Congressman Trey Gowdy.\n\nTranscript of the senator\u2019s interview:\n\nGOWDY: Senator Sullivan joins us now. Thank you for joining us, Senator. I actually watched your conversation with Senator Whitehouse from Rhode Island on the Senate floor. It was cordial, as most Senate conversations are, but I do not understand the explanation for why you cannot meet with judicial nominees whose decisions impact your very state.\n\nSULLIVAN: Well, Trey, listen. I'm really glad you're raising this topic and, by the way, Merry Christmas. It\u2019s great to be on the show. But here's the thing. This administration with some Democratic allies in the House and the Senate has been smashing key constitutional norms. As you know, they're trying to pack the Supreme Court. Look at what Elizabeth Warren just announced. They're trying to kill the filibuster. And then this one comes up\u2014trying to undermine the advice and consent role that the U.S. Senate has with regard to nominees, especially, as you mentioned, judges who have life tenure. I've been fighting this and I'm actually glad to report right now that we finally have a victory on this one. We have stopped in its tracks this latest attack on the Constitution and constitutional norms. But I'll tell you, this was a breathtaking overreach\u2014another one by the Biden White House.\n\nGOWDY: Well, good for you, Senator. How in the world\u2014because I watched you and Senator Whitehouse. I think you had put a hold on something until they just simply let you meet. So how did you pull this off?\n\nSULLIVAN: I called the Biden White House and said, \u201cWhat the heck is going on?\u201d I meet with every Ninth Circuit judge, no matter what. As you mentioned in your piece already, the Ninth Circuit has enormous power over my constituents. They often get legal cases wrong. So I said, \u201cAre you the one White House counsel that\u2019s not letting me do my advice and consent role as a U.S. Senator?\u201d It's hard to tell who's in charge over there in the White House. She actually said, \u201cWell, we want to protect our judges.\u201d I said, \u201cProtect our judges? What the heck are you talking about? Protect them from what? Us doing our constitutional duty?\u201d So I put holds on these judges and I got all of my [Republican] Senate colleagues to commit to voting against every Biden judicial nominee. And then I started talking to Democratic senators too. And, to be honest, I think I convinced some of them to say we're not going to do this. We're not going to undermine the Senate's advice and consent power. So we played hardball and finally I started getting some meetings with these judges who are up for life tenure appointments and will have enormous power over my state and the whole Ninth Circuit. Trey, you know, that's one out of five Americans. But this again is just another power grab and undermining of constitutional norms. We have to keep fighting. We had a victory on this one. But there's a lot more of the Constitution we have to protect.\n\nGOWDY: You know, senator, they do serve for life. They make incredibly challenging, difficult decisions. I've been lucky. Every federal judge I've appeared in front of you would have been proud of, whether you voted for them or nominated them, or not. They were wonderful. But the issue of temperament\u2014will that road get heavy, will you change? How do you make that call if you've never met or talked to the person.\n\nSULLIVAN: You're exactly right, and here's what I did in these meetings when I finally was able to have them.Again, I've met with every Ninth Circuit judge, by the way, every D.C. Circuit judge, and every Supreme Court justice. Of course, it's a huge part of our job. It's Article 2, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution. The notion that the White House would say you can't do that under the Constitution because we want to \u201cprotect\u201d judges is just crazy. But when it comes to the issues of temperament or their knowledge, what I do in the cases of Ninth Circuit judges, Trey, is I send them several U.S. Supreme Court cases that have an impact on Alaska. I ask them to read them so that they're up-to-speed on big issues in my state. And then I talk about issues, like the Second Amendment. Let me give an example. Nearly 70% of the households in Alaska are gun owners. The Second Amendment is hugely important to my constituents. So I raised the issues that matter to Alaska and, to be honest, these judges usually don't know anything about these issues, and it's a way to educate them. So when they're on the bench for life, they are doing things that represent everybody in the entire circuit, not just where they're from. And, unfortunately, in my case, California produces the vast majority of the Ninth Circuit judges. Alaska gets one judge out of 29. So you better believe I'm going to interview every single one of them. We finally fought back and won against this latest Biden attack on the Constitution.\n\nGOWDY: Well, senator, just to show you how much of a nerd I am, I was actually watching C-SPAN. So I listened to it and that's what piqued my interest. Congratulations to you for getting this resolved. You know, life is a long time. You have a job for six years minus sort of day to day or night-to-night, but life is a long time. So kudos to you for staying on it and getting it resolved. Merry Christmas to the entire Sullivan family and thank you for being with us tonight.\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/young-wishes-hoosiers-a-merry-christmas/", "Young Wishes Hoosiers a Merry Christmas", "2021-12-23", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "IN", "Todd Young", "Y000064", "www.young.senate.gov", "toddyoung", "https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) released a video message today to wish Hoosiers a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year this holiday season.\n\nClick here to watch Senator Young\u2019s full remarks.\n\nFull transcript of the video:\n\nAs we enter the Christmas season and 2021 draws to an end, it\u2019s easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of the season and forget how lucky we are to be here.\n\nWe live in a beautiful country, where we have the freedom to choose how we celebrate this season and the opportunity to spend time with the people we love.\n\nI\u2019m also thinking about those who cannot be in-person with their loved ones today.\n\nTo the brave Hoosiers serving our country, thank you for your sacrifice this holiday season.\n\nI am sending my thoughts to you and your families during this time.\n\nI wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=9C81807A-19D9-439F-9708-50C1DC32AABA", "McConnell and Comer Help Secure Over $3.3 Million for Paducah-McCracken County Riverport Improvements", "2021-12-22", "2021", "2021-12", "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. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Representative James Comer (KY-01) announced today the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will distribute $3,320,000 to the Paducah-McCracken County Riverport Authority (PMCRA) to fund infrastructure improvements at the Paducah-McCracken County Riverport. DOT distributed these funds through their Port Infrastructure Development Program\u2019s competitive grant process. Senator McConnell and Representative Comer wrote letters to the U.S. Secretary of Transportation in support of PMCRA\u2019s grant application.\n\nPMCRA will use the funds allocated through this grant to modernize the Paducah-McCracken County Riverport\u2019s material handling equipment, repair damaged facilities, and upgrade site conditions at their bulk yard. These upgrades will ensure reliable throughput for agriculture and construction supply chains, bolstering economic development in the quad-state area.\n\n\u201cThe Paducah-McCracken County Riverport is one of the most important transportation hubs in all of Kentucky. Situated at the heart of America\u2019s inland waterway system, the port forms a vital link in the supply chains that serve consumers and businesses across the Commonwealth. It is more important than ever to be able to move much-needed materials in and out of our state efficiently,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cToday\u2019s grant announcement is a major step forward in the modernization and improvement of Kentucky\u2019s river infrastructure. I was proud to stand alongside Congressman Comer and the Paducah-McCracken County Riverport Authority in advocating for this grant\u2019s approval.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Paducah-McCracken County riverport is vital to safely transporting the commodities America\u2019s economy relies on. Given its strategic location and key role in the shipment of goods, Paducah is the perfect recipient of this competitive grant to improve economic development and inland waterway transportation in the United States,\u201d said Congressman James Comer. \u201cI\u2019m eager to see this quality investment in Kentucky\u2019s waterways get off the ground, and was happy to join Senator McConnell in successfully pushing for this funding.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=F00C6AD6-8591-47DD-B6E3-C53B74363344", "McConnell: Democrats Have Little to Show for 11 Months Running Pandemic Response", "2021-12-22", "2021", "2021-12", "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. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released the following statement today regarding the Biden Administration and COVID-19:\n\n\u201cEvery American is rooting for our country in the continued fight against COVID-19. But 11 months into the Biden Administration, we need an honest accounting.\n\n\u201cIn 2020, then-candidate Biden promised he would \u2018shut down the virus.\u2019 Now new cases in our major cities are breaking records. When the virus had killed 220,000 Americans, then-candidate Biden said \u2018anyone who\u2019s responsible for that many deaths should not remain as President of the United States.\u2019 Now we have lost 800,000 and counting.\n\n\u201cLast week, Vice President Harris said their Administration was surprised and caught off guard by new variants such as delta and omicron. But new variants were public knowledge before this Administration took office.\n\n\u201cDemocrats\u2019 springtime \u2018rescue plan\u2019 spent just 9% on the health fight and 91% on other issues. The Biden Administration has also taken hundreds of millions of dollars from COVID testing and the Strategic National Stockpile and diverted it to their border crisis.\n\n\u201cAs a result, eleven months into this Administration, we are still woefully short on rapid and affordable testing. Americans seeking tests before the holidays are facing massive lines and empty shelves.\n\n\u201cEleven months in, we are still short on important treatments such as monoclonal antibodies.\n\n\u201cEleven months in, a promising new antiviral pill was only belatedly approved today by the FDA and the Biden Administration preordered too little, too late.\n\n\u201cEleven months in, with a predictable seasonal surge threatening hospitals, the Administration has inexplicably only just begun releasing funding that Congress set aside for health providers.\n\n\u201cMonths ago, Senate Republicans wrote the Biden Administration asking why they were limiting important treatments and if they had any plans to guard against future variants. They never responded.\n\n\u201cWashington Democrats spent 2021 chasing unrelated far-left ambitions and largely sleepwalking through the pandemic.\n\n\u201cA million Americans per day were getting vaccinated before President Biden took office. What new tools have Democrats added to the fantastic vaccines they inherited? Where is their sequel to Operation Warp Speed? What do they have to show for 11 months?\n\n\u201cI continue to urge everyone to take advantage of the safe and effective vaccines which the Biden Administration inherited. They offer fantastic protection against hospitalization and death.\n\n\u201cAt the same time, it is clear that vaccines will not completely halt transmission or new variants.\n\n\u201cThis makes it even more unacceptable that the Biden Administration is only producing illegal mandates and angry, confrontational speeches about vaccines. This Administration\u2019s careless and confusing rhetoric has stoked an avoidable culture war around these lifesaving tools which they inherited.\n\n\u201cThe coronavirus will not simply disappear. Angry speeches about vaccines are not a strategy.\n\n\u201cDemocrats must quit the distractions, get focused, and move toward a future where the coronavirus is not a perpetual crisis, but a fact of life that we manage and mitigate. More and cheaper tests. More and better treatments. More vaccinations, but with unity, not bitter rhetoric. No more lockdowns. And no more Big Labor veto over children\u2019s in-person educations.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.paul.senate.gov/news-dr-rand-paul-releases-2021-festivusreport-government-waste/", "Dr. Rand Paul Releases 2021 \u2018Festivus\u2019Reporton Government Waste", "2021-12-22", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Rand Paul", "P000603", "www.paul.senate.gov", "paul", "https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:\n\nDecember 22, 2021\n\nContact: Press@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), chairman of the Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight (ETSO) Subcommittee for the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), released his 2021 \u201cFestivus\u201d Report, totaling over $52,598,515,585 billion in government waste.\n\nThis marks Dr. Paul\u2019s and the subcommittee\u2019s seventh edition of the Festivus Report as he continues working to alert the American people to how their federal government uses their hard-earned money.\n\nSections are broken down into COVID-19 spending, Afghanistan, and Miscellaneous.\n\nYou can find Dr. Paul\u2019s 2021 Festivus Report HERE.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/scott-finance-republicans-demand-treasury-analysis-of-oecd-agreement/", "Scott, Finance Republicans Demand Treasury Analysis of OECD Agreement", "2021-12-22", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Tim Scott", "S001184", "www.scott.senate.gov", "timscott", "https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/jsf/jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.), along with Finance Committee Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and all other Senate Finance Committee Republicans, wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen renewing requests for information regarding international tax negotiations. To date, the Department of the Treasury (USDT) has been unwilling or unable to fully engage with Congress to provide details on the negotiations, which will have a significant impact on American workers, businesses and revenue.\n\nThe senators raise concerns with how the negotiations may negatively impact U.S. competitiveness; the commitment from the United States to increase its global minimum tax before any other country; and suggestions that USDT could implement the agreement without the advice and consent of the Senate, bypassing the treaty process.\n\n\u201cThe Administration\u2019s rush to reach a political agreement, tied to its domestic spending plans and pursuit of revenue, has come at the expense of thorough analysis and meaningful engagement with Congress and the business community, and may ultimately put U.S. businesses at risk. . . . Given this agreement\u2019s potential to jeopardize U.S. competitiveness, we continue to have concerns with the lack of detail underlying the approach being proposed under Pillar One and its lack of foundation in any discernible tax principles,\u201d the senators wrote.\n\n\u201cFurther troubling is Treasury\u2019s continued insistence that the United States once again move first by significantly increasing the U.S. global minimum tax. . . . As Pillar Two does not require other countries to adopt a global minimum tax, we are not confident that our biggest foreign competitors, like China, will enact and implement a global minimum tax on the same terms or on the timeline agreed to at the OECD. \u2026\n\n\u201cFinally, suggestions that the United States could fully implement Pillar One without the advice and consent of two-thirds of the Senate through the treaty process are highly problematic. . . . [A]ny suggestion that Pillar One can be implemented absent treaty ratification is a dramatic shift from past precedent and calls into question the binding nature of any such agreement, thereby threatening the very tax certainty that many of our companies, and this Administration, claim to seek under Pillar One.\u201d\n\nThe senators end the letter with a detailed list of questions regarding the proposals, reiterating that any opportunity for a bipartisan outcome will require greater transparency and engagement from USDT.\n\nSigning the letter along with Senator Scott and Ranking Member Crapo were all other Republican members of the Senate Finance Committee: Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), John Cornyn (R-Texas), John Thune (R-S.D.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Pat Toomey (R-Penn.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.).\n\nFull text of the letter can be found here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/young-joins-finance-republicans-to-demand-treasury-analysis-of-oecd-agreement/", "Young Joins Finance Republicans to Demand Treasury Analysis of OECD Agreement", "2021-12-22", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "IN", "Todd Young", "Y000064", "www.young.senate.gov", "toddyoung", "https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) joined Senate Finance Committee Republicans in a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to renew requests for information regarding international tax negotiations. To date, Treasury has been unwilling or unable to fully engage with Congress to provide details on the negotiations, which will have a significant impact on American workers, businesses and revenue.\n\nThe senators raise concerns with how the negotiations may negatively impact U.S. competitiveness; the commitment from the United States to increase its global minimum tax before any other country; and suggestions that Treasury could implement the agreement without the advice and consent of the Senate, bypassing the treaty process.\n\nFrom the letter:\n\n\u201cThe Administration\u2019s rush to reach a political agreement, tied to its domestic spending plans and pursuit of revenue, has come at the expense of thorough analysis and meaningful engagement with Congress and the business community, and may ultimately put U.S. businesses at risk\u2026 Given this agreement\u2019s potential to jeopardize U.S. competitiveness, we continue to have concerns with the lack of detail underlying the approach being proposed under Pillar One and its lack of foundation in any discernible tax principles.\n\n\u2026\n\nFurther troubling is Treasury\u2019s continued insistence that the United States once again move first by significantly increasing the U.S. global minimum tax\u2026 As Pillar Two does not require other countries to adopt a global minimum tax, we are not confident that our biggest foreign competitors, like China, will enact and implement a global minimum tax on the same terms or on the timeline agreed to at the OECD.\n\n\u2026\n\nFinally, suggestions that the United States could fully implement Pillar One without the advice and consent of two-thirds of the Senate through the treaty process are highly problematic\u2026 [A]ny suggestion that Pillar One can be implemented absent treaty ratification is a dramatic shift from past precedent and calls into question the binding nature of any such agreement, thereby threatening the very tax certainty that many of our companies, and this Administration, claim to seek under Pillar One.\u201d\n\nThe senators end the letter with a detailed list of questions regarding the proposals, reiterating that any opportunity for a bipartisan outcome will require greater transparency and engagement from Treasury.\n\nIn addition to Senator Young, the following Republican members of the Finance Committee signed the letter:\n\nMike Crapo (R-Idaho, Ranking Member)\n\nChuck Grassley (R-Iowa)\n\nJohn Cornyn (R-Texas)\n\nJohn Thune (R-South Dakota)\n\nRichard Burr (R-North Carolina)\n\nRob Portman (R-Ohio)\n\nPat Toomey (R-Pennsylvania)\n\nTim Scott (R-South Carolina)\n\nBill Cassidy (R-Louisiana)\n\nJames Lankford (R-Oklahoma)\n\nSteve Daines (R-Montana)\n\nBen Sasse (R-Nebraska)\n\nJohn Barrasso (R-Wyoming)\n\nFull text of the letter can be read here or below.\n\nDecember 22, 2021\n\nThe Honorable Janet Yellen Secretary\n\nDepartment of the Treasury\n\n1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20220\n\nDear Secretary Yellen,\n\nWe remain focused on ensuring the agreement reached at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)/G20 regarding international taxation allows U.S. businesses and workers to remain globally competitive. Because this Administration has failed to provide us with the detail necessary to evaluate the agreement, we renew our request for this information.\n\nU.S. engagement in the OECD negotiations has historically received broad, bipartisan support given the key objective of eliminating discriminatory digital services taxes (DSTs). Rather than prioritizing this shared goal, this Administration\u2019s focus shifted to its domestic agenda of increasing taxes on American businesses, including through a higher global minimum tax. The Administration\u2019s rush to reach a political agreement, tied to its domestic spending plans and pursuit of revenue, has come at the expense of thorough analysis and meaningful engagement with Congress and the business community, and may ultimately put U.S. businesses at risk.\n\nGiven this agreement\u2019s potential to jeopardize U.S. competitiveness, we continue to have concerns with the lack of detail underlying the approach being proposed under Pillar One and its lack of foundation in any discernible tax principles. Although you have stated that Pillar One will be \u201clargely revenue neutral\u201d to the United States, you have refused to provide us with an analysis substantiating your claim. You have also undercut this assertion by acknowledging that open design features may \u201cmaterially impact American companies and the fiscal position of the United States relative to other countries.\u201d\n\nWe are also concerned the Pillar One implementation timeline agreed to by this Administration is not realistic. The Administration\u2019s recent agreements allow existing DSTs to remain in place, pause all U.S. retaliatory options, and require implementation by December 31, 2023 in order for DSTs to be removed. Given the number of open issues remaining and the need for all countries to achieve consensus, implementation by 2023 is likely unachievable. These agreements appear to eliminate any U.S. leverage, while attempting to manipulate Congress to act\u2014potentially to the detriment of U.S. businesses and revenue\u2014in order for DST relief to be achieved.\n\nFurther troubling is Treasury\u2019s continued insistence that the United States once again move first by significantly increasing the U.S. global minimum tax. The United States already acted first when the global intangible low-tax income (GILTI) minimum tax was enacted \u2013 four years ago. Yet the United States remains the only country that imposes a global minimum tax on its companies. As Pillar Two does not require other countries to adopt a global minimum tax, we are not confident that our biggest foreign competitors, like China, will enact and implement a global minimum tax on the same terms or on the timeline agreed to at the OECD.\n\nFinally, suggestions that the United States could fully implement Pillar One without the advice and consent of two-thirds of the Senate through the treaty process are highly problematic. Beyond constitutional concerns, any suggestion of implementation through a congressional-executive agreement at this stage is entirely inappropriate: this Administration chose not to engage with Congress to establish a legislative procedure defining OECD negotiating objectives or providing a detailed oversight and consultation process. The Administration cannot now assert it has the authority to enter into such an agreement. Overall, any suggestion that Pillar One can be implemented absent treaty ratification is a dramatic shift from past precedent and calls into question the binding nature of any such agreement, thereby threatening the very tax certainty that many of our companies, and this Administration, claim to seek under Pillar One.\n\nAny opportunity for a bipartisan outcome will require greater transparency and engagement. We ask that you provide prompt answers to the following questions surrounding these proposals:\n\nPlease provide your estimate of the number of U.S. companies that would be in scope under Pillar One.\n\nWhile we understand there are open design issues, Treasury has clearly performed an analysis and identified a range of possible outcomes. Please provide point estimates of the following, and describe the key design issues on which these estimates depend:\n\na. The amount of profit that would be reallocated between the United States and foreign countries, including a breakdown of estimated amounts by country.\n\nb. The net revenue impact of Pillar One to the United States.\n\nThe Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) has long been engaged with the OECD negotiations at the request of both Congressional tax-writing committees. If you are unwilling to share this information directly with our members, will you commit to provide JCT with this information so they may provide an independent and confidential analysis?\n\nPlease provide a proposed plan for Pillar One implementation, including:\n\na. Treasury\u2019s proposed approach for implementation, including the expected treaty actions, domestic legislation, and changes to our competent authority agreements.\n\nb. Treasury\u2019s proposed timeline for the United States to implement Pillar One.\n\nc. If it is Treasury\u2019s position that treaty action will not be necessary to implement Pillar One, by what means and under what authority will the U.S. enter into a multilateral convention? Please provide a detailed analysis regarding how each of the United States\u2019 bilateral tax treaties\u2019 permanent establishment provisions will be modified through means other than the formal treaty approval process.\n\nd. If Pillar One is not implemented by December 31, 2023, will U.S. companies have any recourse for DSTs collected between now and that date? Will other countries be free to enact DSTs at that time?\n\ne. What are the OECD\u2019s plans for public consultation with stakeholders, including Congress and the U.S. business community, before design and implementation plans are finalized? What efforts are the Treasury Department taking to ensure meaningful public consultation takes place?\n\nWhat, if any, commitments has China made regarding its timing for implementation of a 15 percent global minimum tax? Have any of the other 134 countries joining the agreement provided you with a commitment regarding implementation?\n\nWe will continue to engage in good faith to evaluate the effects of this agreement on American workers, businesses, and revenue. However, this Administration\u2019s current posture of stonewalling our requests for relevant, material information has made it impossible to make this determination.\n\nWe appreciate your attention to these issues and look forward to your timely response to our questions.\n\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-and-barragn-urge-epa-to-strengthen-standards-for-freight-pollution-sources", "Booker and Barrag\u00e1n Urge EPA to Strengthen Standards for Freight Pollution Sources", "2021-12-21", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NJ", "Cory A. Booker", "B001288", "www.booker.senate.gov", "booker", "https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Senator Cory Booker and Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barrag\u00e1n led 48 of their colleagues in encouraging the Environmental Protection Agency to update technology standards for freight-related sources of pollution to address the high levels of air pollution in communities surrounding our nation\u2019s freight shipping facilities and freight transportation corridors.\n\nIn a letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan, Booker, Barrag\u00e1n and their colleagues also requested information regarding EPA\u2019s regulatory schedule for updating freight-related emissions standards, technology assessments for mobile and non-mobile freight sources, and opportunities available to streamline rulemaking to update several emissions standards by 2025.\n\n\u201cWe appreciate the EPA\u2019s demonstrated commitment to combatting environmental racism and advancing equal access to clean air, land and water. We specifically applaud the steps the EPA has taken to set criteria pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks. We encourage you to expand these efforts to include other freight sources, including locomotives, ocean-going vessels, and aircraft,\u201d the members of Congress wrote.\n\nIn the 10-20 years since the EPA has updated emissions standards for mobile and non-mobile freight-related emissions sources, new control technologies have become available, including zero-emissions and electric options. There are significant opportunities for reducing toxic air pollution in environmental justice communities while addressing the climate crisis.\n\nSenator Booker and Congresswoman Barrag\u00e1n were joined on the letter by Senators Richard Durbin (Ill.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Edward J. Markey (Mass.), Christopher Murphy (Conn.), Alex Padilla (Calif.), Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Bernard Sanders (Vt.), and Congressmembers Alan Lowenthal (Calif.), Adriano Espaillat (N.Y.), Emmanuel Cleaver (Mo.), Yvette Clarke (N.Y.), Bobby Rush (Ill.), Suzanne Bonamici (Ore.), Grace Napolitano (Calif.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.), Earl Blumenauer (Ore.), Doris Matsui (Calif.), Barbara Lee (Calif.), Karen Bass (Calif.), Rashida Tlaib (Mich.), Jimmy Gomez (Calif.), Sean Casten (Ill.), Jared Huffman (Calif.), Frederica Wilson (Fla.), Jes\u00fas \u201cChuy\u201d Garc\u00eda (Ill.), Linda S\u00e1nchez (Calif.), Adam Smith (Wash.), Ra\u00fal Grijalva (Ariz.), Donald Payne (N.J.), Mike Quigley (Ill.), Henry C. \u201cHank\u201d Johnson (Ga.), Ro Khanna (Calif.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (Del.), Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) Ted Lieu (Calif.), Brenda Lawrence (Mich.), Veronica Escobar (Texas), Mark DeSaulnier (Calif.), Betty McCollum (Minn.), Janice Schakowsky (Ill.), Judy Chu (Calif.), A. Donald McEachin (Va.), Madeleine Dean (Pa.), Jerry McNerney (Calif.), Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D. (N.Y.), and Marie Newman (Ill.).\n\nThe letter was also supported by the following environmental and health organizations: Earthjustice, GreenLatinos, Pacific Environment, Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, American Lung Association, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-leads-colleagues-in-calling-on-us-department-of-education-to-suspend-wage-garnishment-of-student-loan-borrowers", "Booker Leads Colleagues in Calling on U.S. Department of Education to Suspend Wage Garnishment of Student Loan Borrowers", "2021-12-21", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NJ", "Cory A. Booker", "B001288", "www.booker.senate.gov", "booker", "https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. -- Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) led colleagues in urging the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) to suspend administrative wage garnishment of student loan borrowers. The letter comes nearly a month before student loan and interest payments are set to resume on January 31, 2022.\n\n\u201cCurrently, over 9 million borrowers are in default on more than $180 billion in federal student loan debt,\u201d wrote the lawmakers to USDOE Secretary Miguel Cardona. \u201cA disproportionate number of these borrowers are people of color, first-generation college students, veterans, parents, people with disabilities, and students who will not complete college. Even before the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, these borrowers in default were subject to aggressive collection measures, some of which only the federal government can utilize to collect on student loans. In addition to having to pay exorbitant fees, borrowers in default could expect to see their wages, tax refunds, and even Social Security checks confiscated. Low-income families that had their Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) refund checks seized by the federal government were often left in worse situations with limited access to jobs and housing, and fewer resources to cover basic necessities.\u201d\n\nThe lawmakers continued by highlighting that the USDOE\u2019s \u201ccurrent intention to resume these collection efforts in a couple of months, as cash-strapped borrowers struggle to recover from a still-ongoing pandemic, will likely result in significant financial harm.\u201d As such, they asked the Department \u201cto automatically remove eligible borrowers from default status\u201d and \u201cto suspend administrative wage garnishment and other forced collections until of the end of the COVID-19 national public health emergency.\u201d\n\nFurthermore, the lawmakers urged the USDOE \u201cto conduct an analysis of the disparate effects of these practices on Black, Latino and Indigenous people with student debt as part of any comprehensive review of the student loan debt collection system.\u201d\n\nThe lawmakers concluded that reforming the harmful wage garnishment process \u201cwould play a critical role in our nation\u2019s recovery efforts and would protect the most financially vulnerable student loan borrowers. We appreciate your prompt attention to our urgent request.\u201d\n\nThe letter follows Senators Booker and Elizabeth Warren\u2019s Ending Administrative Wage Garnishment Act of 2020, legislation introduced nearly a year ago that will suspend wage garnishments for those who have defaulted on their student loans and revise income-drive repayment plans.\n\nThe letter was co-signed by Senators Warren (D-MA), Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Bob Casey (D-PA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH).", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/alaska-delegation-welcomes-additional-h-2b-visas", "Alaska Delegation Welcomes Additional H-2B Visas", "2021-12-21", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "AK", "Lisa Murkowski", "M001153", "www.murkowski.senate.gov", "murkowski", "https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=39", "scraper", "DHS, DOL Announcement Paves Way for Robust Seasonal Workforce\n\nU.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, welcomed an announcement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) that a joint temporary final rule will soon be implemented to ensure an additional 20,000 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas will be made available nationwide for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022.\n\n\u201cThis announcement recognizes the significance of H-2B visas for Alaska and is vitally important for our state\u2019s seafood industry. Despite their dogged efforts to find local seasonal workers \u2013 which must always be the preference \u2013 Alaska employers, particularly in seafood processing, often struggle to find enough workers to keep their operations running. These additional visas, which will be issued in the first half of the Fiscal Year for the first time ever, will help our seafood industry ensure a robust labor pool as we head into the 2022 season,\u201d said Senator Murkowski. \u201cI made it a priority early on with this administration to elevate this issue\u2014not only for a need to raise the cap, but for a long-term solution. I thank the administration for making this a priority and will push the Departments of Labor and Homeland Security to issue needed visas in a timely manner.\u201d\n\n\"A perpetually challenging issue for our seafood industry is ensuring sufficient seafood workers so that when our great Alaska fishermen harvest their world-class product they can get it to market. I appreciate the focus on this issue, and the commitment to solutions for Alaskan fishermen who are going out to sea early in the new year and rely on this program,\u201d said Senator Sullivan.\n\n\u201cIt is vital that our state\u2019s ongoing economic recovery is not further threatened by labor shortages. Access to sufficient nonimmigrant seasonal H-2B visas is essential for Alaska\u2019s seafood processing industry. Filling these jobs with Alaskans continues to be my goal, but a lack of workers would have catastrophic impacts for fishermen, processors, and the fishing communities that rely on this sector being strong. The Alaskan seafood industry is a critical piece of our nation\u2019s food supply and security. Over the last few months, I have been working on a solution to the seafood processing labor shortage, including working closely with Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas to find a fix for this critical sector,\u201d said Congressman Young. \u201cToday, I am very pleased to share that DHS is making thousands more H-2B visas available, which will greatly benefit Alaska\u2019s economy and employers in the coming year. This is a tremendous victory for our state, and our Delegation\u2019s united front has once again produced an important win for Alaska. Our work will continue as we look to find a long-term solution for labor needs in the seafood processing sector. I want to sincerely thank Secretary Mayorkas for working with me and our Senators on behalf of our state\u2019s businesses. As always, I will continue working with anyone, regardless of party, on policies that put Alaska first.\u201d\n\nH-2B visas allow domestic employers to temporarily hire nonimmigrants to perform nonagricultural labor or services if American workers are not available, after completing a rigorous application and certification process. These visas are critical to the survival of seafood businesses, many of which are family-owned operations that go back multiple generations. The Alaska Delegation has been active on the H-2B issue, working hard each year to ensure that an adequate number of H-2B visas are made available, and that they are issued to Alaskan employers with sufficient advance for them to prepare for the season ahead. Senator Murkowski and Congressman Young have maintained direct contact with DHS Secretary Mayorkas, working collaboratively to find a solution.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-call-on-vaccine-manufacturers-to-immediately-step-up-vaccination-efforts-in-other-countries-fight-global-covid-19-pandemic", "Senators Call On Vaccine Manufacturers To Immediately Step Up Vaccination Efforts In Other Countries, Fight Global COVID-19 Pandemic", "2021-12-21", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Brian Schatz", "S001194", "www.schatz.senate.gov", "schatz", "https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "HONOLULU \u2013 U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai\u2018i) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and nine other senators called on Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Moderna to increase COVID-19 vaccines to low- and middle-income countries to help tackle the global disparities in accessing the vaccine. This follows a bipartisan letter that Schatz and Brown led in October calling on President Biden to provide more U.S. leadership and step up efforts to increase global vaccine access to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.\n\n\u201cVaccines represent the world\u2019s best hope at containing the COVID-19 pandemic, but our goals for effectively responding to the pandemic will remain out of reach unless we successfully ramp up our global vaccination effort and get more shots in arms as quickly as possible,\u201d the senators wrote.\n\nU.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) also joined the letter.\n\nThe full text of the letters is available here: Letter to Johnson & Johnson | Letter to Pfizer | Letter to Moderna\n\nA copy of the letter to Pfizer can be found below:\n\nDear Dr. Bourla,\n\nWe write with grave concerns about Pfizer\u2019s commitment to providing vaccines for low-income and middle-income countries. We commend the company on its ground-breaking work in developing and manufacturing one of the most effective mRNA vaccines currently on the market, and we urge you to take immediate action to work with the Biden Administration, our international allies, and global public health experts to make the Pfizer vaccine immediately more widely available to communities around the globe and to tackle the ongoing significant disparities in global COVID-19 vaccine supply and access. Without a stronger commitment from you and your company, millions of preventable deaths will occur.\n\nVaccines represent the world\u2019s best hope at containing the COVID-19 pandemic, but our goals for effectively responding to the pandemic will remain out of reach unless we successfully ramp up our global vaccination effort and get more shots in arms as quickly as possible. While more than 6.5 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered around the world, they have been concentrated in high-income countries. Less than 10 percent of people living in low-income countries have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and efforts to expand low-income and middle-income countries\u2019 access to vaccines have stalled. Despite a significant contribution from the United States, the COVAX international vaccine aid program has fallen hundreds of millions doses short of its vaccine distribution goals. All vaccine manufacturers outside China missed their 2020 production targets by 96 percent, and are projected to miss their initial 2021 targets by about 50 percent.\n\nIf global vaccination rates do not improve, the virus will continue to threaten lives and our global economy. This situation prolongs the need for booster shots to maintain the vaccines\u2019 protection and creates dangerous conditions for the emergence of new variants that are potentially resistant to vaccines. In our global society, there is no question that these variants will spread to the United States; when that happens, our current vaccines may not be sufficient to protect the population. This is not just a hypothetical problem: the latest variant of concern\u2014Omicron\u2014clearly points to the need for swift and urgent action around the world.\n\nIf the pandemic is not controlled, there will be dire consequences in human and public health terms. Already, over five million people around the world have died of COVID-19. If current trends in vaccination rates and preventative measures such as mask wearing continue, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington projects that by March 1st 2022 there will be approximately 6.26 million reported deaths \u2013 and nearly 13.63 million reported and unreported deaths \u2013 due to COVID-19. Among the remaining 230 million people who contract COVID-19 and survive, almost 25 percent are likely to continue to experience chronic symptoms known as long covid, which will impact their long-term physical and psychological health as well as the health of our global economy.\n\nContinuing to allow the global pandemic to run rampant will also hurt the United States\u2019 economy. High rates of infection in low-income and middle-income countries have reduced their capacity to meet factory production targets and maintain global shipping networks, thus creating supply chain delays that contribute to inflation and damage American companies\u2019 ability to deliver goods and services. Furthermore, American cities and states continue to lose tourism revenue due to the pandemic. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Americas saw a 68 percent drop in international tourist arrivals in 2020 and a 65 percent shortfall in 2021, with improvements not expected until 2023 or 2024 if current trends continue. Lastly, the pandemic has curtailed the entry of international university students and workers into the United States, with travel restrictions likely to remain in place for those who cannot access vaccinations. These limits mean that the American economy will miss out on substantial financial, intellectual, and social contributions from these groups.\n\nAs a pioneer in developing a highly effective mRNA vaccine, Pfizer is in a unique position to bring a swift end to the COVID-19 pandemic around the world. We appreciate Pfizer\u2019s commitment to provide 1 billion vaccine doses to the U.S. government at not-for-profit prices for donation to low-income and middle-income countries, and the company\u2019s efforts to ensure expanded and equitable access to its COVID-19 treatment pill.\n\nHowever, more work is urgently needed in the short-term. Experts have estimated that another 4.5 billion doses are needed to fully vaccinate 80 percent of the world\u2019s seven billion people over the age of five years, and up to 6 billion additional doses may be needed in 2022 for booster shots to reinforce the efficacy of vaccines given to individuals in 2021.\n\nPfizer is in a strong financial position to significantly increase its contribution to global vaccination efforts and has a responsibility to do so. Although the company did not accept any American federal funding while developing the vaccine, the German government provided a $445 million grant to Pfizer\u2019s partner firm, BioNTech, to expand vaccine trials and production capacity. Furthermore, the United States government coordinated scientific expertise and research infrastructure, provided Emergency Use Authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expedite the market launch of the vaccine, and pre-ordered doses early in the development process to ensure healthy sales.\n\nGiven all this public support, and the fact that Pfizer is expected to earn about $36 billion in 2021\u2014and up to $54.5 billion in 2022 according to some projections\u2014from sales of its COVID-19 vaccine, it is reasonable to expect the company to make a sizeable contribution to global vaccination efforts. By all accounts, Pfizer is able to do so without undercutting investment in the development of future mRNA technology or payouts to shareholders, as individual stock returns have increased by 52 percent since the end of 2019.\n\nWorking to increase global access to the COVID-19 vaccine is consistent with Pfizer\u2019s Statement of Purpose, which includes a commitment to health equity in obtaining access to the vaccine. It is time to move beyond statements of principle and take more substantial concrete steps to get shots in arms around the world.\n\nWe are dismayed at Pfizer\u2019s continued prioritization of vaccine orders for high-income countries, lack of transparency about where COVAX and other low and middle-income countries are in the queue for vaccine deliveries, and resistance to sharing its technology and immediately ramping up global vaccine production. There are many important ways in which Pfizer can make a more substantial contribution to global vaccination efforts and save countless lives. We call on the company to:\n\nProvide more vaccine doses at not-for-profit prices to COVAX and low-income and middle-income countries as quickly as possible;\n\nIncrease the transparency of its processes and records, especially regarding the status of vaccine deliveries and the priority placed on fulfilling orders from COVAX compared to other countries;\n\nWaive indemnification so that doses can be delivered to refugees and internally displaced persons to address urgent humanitarian needs;\n\nWork with international partners such as COVAX to address financial and logistical challenges to equitable vaccine delivery;\n\nImmediately increase manufacturing capacity and facilitate technology transfers with fair royalties, by engaging with international partners such as the World Health Organization to develop and resource additional mRNA facilities around the world; and\n\nEngage with the Biden Administration to identify other barriers to global vaccination efforts beyond supply, and implement additional strategies to expand access to mRNA vaccines.\n\nThank you for your urgent attention to the matter of global disparities in vaccine supply and access. We stand ready to work with you to bring a swift end to the global pandemic.\n\nSincerely,\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/following-schumers-visit-and-direct-advocacy-wyoming-county-community-hospital-awarded-over-18-million-to-combat-recent-surge-of-covid-19-cover-rising-costs-and-keep-the-western-ny-community-safe-", "FOLLOWING SCHUMER\u2019S VISIT AND DIRECT ADVOCACY, WYOMING COUNTY COMMUNITY HOSPITAL AWARDED OVER $1.8 MILLION TO COMBAT RECENT SURGE OF COVID-19, COVER RISING COSTS, AND KEEP THE WESTERN NY COMMUNITY...", "2021-12-21", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Charles E. Schumer", "S000148", "www.schumer.senate.gov", "schumer", "https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Schumer Visited Wyoming County To Call On Feds To Reevaluate WNY Growing COVID Crisis & Get $$ Out Quickly To Where It\u2019s Most Needed\n\nNow, After Schumer\u2019s Push, Wyoming County Community Hospital Has Received Over $1.8M In Pandemic Relief To Help Just In Time For The Harsh Winter Months\n\nSchumer To Wyoming County: Help Is On The Way!\n\nFollowing his visit to push for struggling Western New York hospitals to get the help they need, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced the federal government has heeded his call and that Wyoming County Community Hospital has received $1,836,381 from the next round of the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) created by the CARES Act. Earlier this month Wyoming County declared a state of emergency in an effort to fight back against a rise in COVID-19 cases and variants like Omicron. Schumer said that this new funding will help Wyoming County Community Hospital combat the spread of COVID-19, cover rising costs, and ensure they have the resources to keep the community safe.\n\n\u201cWestern New York hospitals are on the frontlines battling the many variants of COVID, I saw firsthand the tremendous need for assistance in my visit to Wyoming County last week and promised I would fight to get this money out quickly. Now, I am proud to deliver over $1.8 million in federal assistance for the Wyoming County Community Hospital to help them continue their essential work to keep our community safe,\u201d said Senator Schumer. \u201cAs majority leader, I am proud to have championed multiple COVID-19 relief bills including the American Rescue Plan which provided these pandemic relief funds and I will continue to fight to ensure our hospitals and communities have all the help they need to stop the spread and meet the rising demand as we enter the winter months.\u201d\n\nJoseph McTernan, CEO of the Wyoming County Community Health System said, \u201cWe are extremely grateful to Senator Schumer for his advocacy in helping secure this funding for WCCH. With COVID infection rates again spiking in our community, we need all hands on deck to both care for the increasing number of patients being admitted for care while addressing the burden of increased costs required to provide this care. We appreciate Senator Schumer\u2019s support for significantly impacted hospitals like WCCH to access this critical relief funding as we continue to navigate the pandemic and serve the community.\u201d\n\nSenator Schumer has delivered over $13.5 billion in grant funding to NY hospitals and providers through the Provider Relief Fund alone with billions more still awaiting to be disbursed. In addition, the Senator has secured tens of billions of dollars in much-needed relief including through various legislation and programs that delivered low-cost loans to providers, staved off potentially disastrous federal cuts to Medicare payments and increased payments to the New York Medicaid program that have helped NYS from instituting drastic cuts in provider reimbursements and consumer benefits.\n\nIn the April 2020 CARES Act, Schumer led the charge in Congress to create the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) - managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) - with to provide funding to healthcare providers and hospitals caring for patients with COVID-19 and who suffered high expenses and lost revenues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although initially funded at $100 billion, Schumer led the charge in Congress further to successfully add an additional $86.5 billion to the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) throughout the last year through the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enactment Act, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 and the American Rescue Plan.\n\nA copy of Schumer\u2019s original letter to HHS appears below:\n\nDear Secretary Becerra,\n\nI write to request that the Department of Health and Humans Services (HHS) take into consideration the uptick in COVID-19 cases in certain areas of the country such as Western New York and the Finger Lakes Region when calculating the payments to providers that will be made in the upcoming General Distribution from the Provider Relief Fund (PRF). Hospitals and providers in this area, such as Wyoming County Community Hospital, are working day and night to care for patients amid intense financial pressures and need this funding in order to deal with the increase in COVID-19 cases that are crowding their hospital beds. I also ask that these funds be made swiftly; New York providers \u2013 especially those in Upstate New York \u2013 cannot be made to wait for this direly needed relief.\n\nAs you well know, New York has suffered huge losses during the course of this pandemic. While a robust vaccination and testing program has kept the state from reliving the worst of the pandemic\u2019s early days, parts of the state continue to experience high levels of coronavirus caseloads. As of December 10th, 2021, the three counties in New York with the highest daily average number COVID-19 cases per 100,000 are all found in Western New York: Orleans (103), Wyoming (103), Genesee (100). The caseloads in these counties and other areas of New York have increased to such a high level, that 32 hospitals across the state report having 10% or less of available bed capacity open to admit new patients. Due to these critical conditions, New York State has mandated that these hospitals suspend elective procedures until bed capacity improves. The combination of high costs associated with treating COVID-19 patients and the loss of high-revenue-producing elective procedures is damaging the financial health of hospitals such as Wyoming County Community Hospital and highlighted the need for more federal support through programs like the Provider Relief Fund.\n\nIn the April 2020 CARES Act, Congress created the PRF with an initial $100 billion in support for providers caring for patients with COVID-19 and who suffered high expenses and lost revenues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Congress further supplemented the fund with an additional $86.5 billion over the next year through the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enactment Act, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 and the American Rescue Plan.\n\nAs of December 10th, 2021, your Department has sent out over $130 billion in funding from the PRF across three phases of General Distributions and eight targeted allocations, the most recent being the $8.5 billion in American Rescue Plan\u2019s Rural payments. These General Distributions were made using various formulas based on revenues and losses reported in past years\u2019 Medicare and Medicaid cost reporting, tax filings and other financial information. The targeted allocations were based on a wider variety of factors including in some cases the level of COVID-19 admissions at a hospital provider.\n\nIn September 2021, HHS announced that up to $17 billion would be made available in a new PRF General Distribution and solicited applications from providers across the country for this funding. The information collected in these applications to develop the formula that will calculate these General Distribution payments once again only considered past tax filings, cost reporting data and other financial information. It does not consider the rising levels of COVID-19 in hard-hit areas such as Upstate New York.\n\nIn light of the ongoing increase in COVID-19 cases, I ask that your Department refer to its past practices at the height of the pandemic and incorporate data into the General Distribution formula that captures the enormous burdens placed on providers who are treating patients and saving lives in areas with high rates of COVID-19 cases. I also call on the Department to make these determinations swiftly and distribute the funds as soon as possible. Providers like Wyoming County Community Hospital need these funds now, and communities like those in Western New York cannot afford to wait any longer.\n\nI thank you and your Department for your excellent service during this crisis.\n\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=2374FC54-6733-4A44-9EBD-E9E2EB0294F1", "McConnell Helps Secure Over $115 Million in Pandemic Relief Funding for Kentucky Healthcare Providers", "2021-12-20", "2021", "2021-12", "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. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced today the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will distribute more than $115 million in pandemic relief funding to 897 Kentucky healthcare providers through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). These funds will be distributed as Phase 4 of the Provider Relief Fund, which was established through the bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.\n\nSenator McConnell secured a total of $178 billion for the Provider Relief Fund through several bipartisan COVID-19 relief packages he led to Senate passage last year. This September, the Senator also wrote a letter to the HHS Secretary advocating for Kentucky\u2019s healthcare providers to receive these funds. Previously, this Administration had not released any of the allocated Provider Relief Fund despite its availability throughout 2021.\n\nKentucky\u2019s relief funding comes as part of a nationwide, $9 billion payment to more than 69,000 healthcare providers who have experienced revenue loss or expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The nationwide average payment is $58,000 for small providers, $289,000 for medium providers, and $1.7 million for large providers.\n\n\u201cNobody has felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as acutely as our healthcare providers, who have been on the front lines of this crisis since day one. Now, as many of these same heroes mobilize to assist with Kentucky\u2019s tornado recovery efforts, they are also dealing with extensive pandemic-related expenses and revenue loss. Today\u2019s relief funding announcement will go a long way toward easing that financial distress,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cI was proud to lead several bipartisan COVID-19 relief bills to passage last year and help our healthcare providers receive the relief funding they need to survive. Kentucky and America simply cannot allow our healthcare providers to flounder while we still work to defeat the pandemic.\u201d\n\n\u201cThese funds will help cover the heavy losses that Baptist Health has faced in treating more than 21,000 COVID-19 patients due to the significant costs of the additional medical supplies, drugs and manpower needed for effective treatment. We thank Sen. McConnell for his role in facilitating these much-needed funds,\u201d said Dr. Gerard Colman, CEO of Baptist Health.\n\n\u201cOwensboro Health is extremely appreciative of Senator McConnell\u2019s ongoing efforts to empower health systems like ours as we meet the challenges of COVID-19,\u201d Mark Marsh, Owensboro Health President and CEO, said. \u201cThis relief comes as we see an uptick in hospitalizations and prepare for another wave of the virus and new variants in our predominately rural service area.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe are extremely grateful for the additional Provider Relief Funds that have been released to providers to help cover the additional costs incurred from caring for patients with COVID. Patients with COVID require longer stays and more intense resources, many needing additional therapies, ICU care, or a ventilator. Extra supplies and Personal Protective Equipment are also required to prevent spread to associates and other patients. Meanwhile, supply costs and staffing costs have increased significantly during the pandemic due to shortages nationwide and capacity is being strained at St. Elizabeth and all hospitals requiring many to cancel elective surgeries and procedures at various points during the pandemic. The Provider Relief Fund established through Senator McConnell\u2019s CARES Act have been critical in helping St. Elizabeth sustain high quality operations throughout the pandemic. Since we are experiencing another surge and cases are not declining, the newly released funds will help us to continue providing excellent care to our community,\u201d said Garren Colvin, President and CEO St. Elizabeth Healthcare.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/hawaii-to-receive-nearly-5-million-for-school-meal-programs-to-help-feed-children-keep-kids-healthy", "Hawai\u2018i To Receive Nearly $5 Million For School Meal Programs To Help Feed Children, Keep Kids Healthy", "2021-12-20", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Brian Schatz", "S001194", "www.schatz.senate.gov", "schatz", "https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai\u2018i) today announced that Hawai\u2018i will receive $4,933,437 in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to fund school food programs. This new federal funding will provide meals for children, assisting families facing food insecurity and helping to address food shortages due to supply chain issues.\n\n\u201cKids throughout Hawai\u2018i get a nutritious meal at school every day,\u201d said Senator Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. \u201cWhile we work to address supply chain issues, this new federal funding will support Hawai\u2018i families by making sure their children continue getting these high-quality meals.\u201d\n\nThis new funding is part of $1.5 billion in USDA grants for states and school districts to address supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic and make sure increased food costs don\u2019t harm school meal programs. It includes grants from USDA\u2019s Food and Nutrition Service program for school districts to improve the quality and consistency of school meals; from USDA Foods to purchase food products and offset supply chain disruptions; and from USDA\u2019s Local Food for Schools program to purchase domestic foods and strengthen local food systems.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/schatz-congratulates-newly-named-commissioners-on-presidents-advisory-commission-on-asian-americans-native-hawaiians-and-pacific-islanders", "Schatz Congratulates Newly Named Commissioners On President\u2019s Advisory Commission On Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, And Pacific Islanders", "2021-12-20", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Brian Schatz", "S001194", "www.schatz.senate.gov", "schatz", "https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai\u2018i) released the following statement congratulating newly named commissioners to President Biden\u2019s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI). Commissioners with Hawai\u2018i ties include Amy Agbayani, Kimberly Chang, Kerry Doi, Michelle Kauhane, and Daniel Dae Kim.\n\n\u201cAmy, Kimberly, Michelle, Daniel, and Kerry are all well respected community leaders and will make excellent commissioners. They will bring strong, diverse voices to the commission and continue the important work of advocating for the AANHPI communities in Hawai\u2018i and across the country. I congratulate them and look forward to working with commission to support Hawai\u2018i\u2019s AANHPI communities,\u201d said Senator Schatz.\n\nAccording to the White House, the commission will advise the president on ways to advance equity and opportunity for AANHPI communities. The commission will also advise the president on policies to address anti-Asian xenophobia, ways to build capacity in AANHPI communities through federal funding and policies to address the intersectional barriers that AANHPI women, LGBTQ+ people, and people with disabilities face.\n\nThe full list of commissioners follows:\n\nAmy Agbayani\n\nDr. Amefil (Amy) Agbayani is an Emeritus Assistant Vice Chancellor for student diversity and equity, University of Hawai\u2018i at Manoa. Agbayani was born in the Philippines and received her education from the University of the Philippines, East West Center and the University of Hawai\u2018i. She is a former chair of the Hawai\u2018i Civil Rights Commission, conducts research on AANHPI in higher education, member of the Patsy T. Mink PAC and The Legal Clinic for immigrant justice Hawai\u2018i.\n\nTeresita Batayola\n\nTeresita Batayola is the President and Chief Executive Officer of International Community Health Services, Washington state\u2019s largest Asian and Pacific Islander non-profit health center providing comprehensive health care to all those who need affordable care, especially immigrants and refugees. Batayola is an advocate for health care access, equity, and addressing social determinants of health. ICHS has received awards for its high quality of care and Batayola has been recognized in the Puget Sound Business Journal\u2019s Award for Outstanding Business & Philanthropic Contributions, Woman of Courage Undaunted from the University of Washington Women\u2019s Center, and the Filipino Women\u2019s Network\u2019s Most Influential Filipino Woman in the World.\n\nAjay Bhutoria\n\nAjay Bhutoria is a Silicon Valley technology executive, community leader, speaker, and author that has been recognized for his work. He is a passionate advocate for the South Asian and AAPI communities in the areas of small businesses, educational opportunities, immigration issues, and technological advancement. His expertise in the areas of organizational transformations and change management has supported critical advancements within the AAPI community, and he is committed to the creation of a compassionate and empowering environment for all.\n\nLuisa Blue\n\nLuisa Blue retired from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in August 2020 after serving as an Executive Vice President for four years, one of the highest ranking AAPI officials in the labor movement. During her term was responsible for the SEIU Asian Pacific Islanders Civic Engagement and Leadership program, a member of the Racial Justice Task Force, chair of the Environmental and Climate Justice Committee, and chair of the Ethical Culture Committee. She served on the SEIU Executive Board prior to her election as Executive Vice President. Luisa continues to be active in the community and serves on the Asian Health Services Community Board, a Trustee on Alameda County Health Systems Board of Trustees, and Vice President of the AAPI Victory Alliance Board. Luisa is the proud grandmother of seven grandchildren.\n\nKimberly Chang\n\nKimberly Seu Gin Chang, MD, MPH, born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai\u2018i in a six generation kama\u2018\u0101ina family, is a board-certified family physician in Oakland, California, at Asian Health Services, a federally qualified community health center. Dr. Chang has dedicated her 20+ year career to focusing on the health of the underserved AANHPI community, including people vulnerable to and affected by human trafficking and exploitation, developing national clinical and health policy recommendations for this issue. Dr. Chang has received numerous awards, most recently the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health 2020 Emerging Public Health Professional Award and the 2021 UCSF Alumni Humanitarian Service Award. She received her undergraduate degree from Columbia College of Columbia University, her medical degree from the University of Hawai\u2018i, her MPH from Harvard with the Commonwealth Fund Minority Health Policy Fellowship, and her residency training at UCSF. Dr. Chang currently serves as the Vice Speaker of the House for the National Association of Community Health Centers, and as expert faculty for Health Partners on Intimate Partner Violence + Exploitation at Futures Without Violence.\n\nEmily Chen\n\nEmily Chen is Chief of Research at Olshan Realty and manages the Private Wealth Real Estate Services, providing brokerage expertise along with research and consulting capabilities. She co-founded the Olshan Luxury Market Report, a weekly real-time snapshot of the Manhattan residential real estate market, which became the industry standard and revolutionized how the market is analyzed and evaluated. A former National Big Sister of the Year, Chen serves on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and is on the Executive Committee. Chen is a graduate of Georgetown University and Co-Founder and Executive Producer of Stand Up for Georgetown.\n\nKerry Doi\n\nA 4th generation Japanese-American born on a Hawai\u2018i plantation, Mr. Kerry Doi has spent his life combatting hate and solidifying his commitment to social and economic justice. For over 46 years, Mr. Doi has dedicated his work to the cause and the community development space through his leadership at Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment (PACE) \u2013 one of the nation\u2019s largest Asian-led community development organizations serving 40,000 minority, low income individuals annually through workforce, small business, environmental justice, affordable housing, and early childhood education. He has served on numerous local, state, and national boards including his current appointments as Chair of the CA Community Economic Development Association, Vice Chair and Treasurer of the LA Housing Partnership, and member of the LA County Small Business Commission.\n\nGrace Huang\n\nGrace Huang, J.D., is a Taiwanese-American attorney who has advocated on behalf of the rights of survivors of domestic and sexual violence for almost 30 years as a legal services lawyer, attorney in private practice, and policy advocate. She currently is the Director of Policy at the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence, where she focuses on federal policy to address the needs of survivors in Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Ms. Huang serves on the American Bar Association Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence, on the Washington State Women\u2019s Commission. Ms. Huang also co-chairs the Alliance for Immigrant Survivors, working to address the needs of survivors of gender-based violence in the immigration system.\n\nVictoria Huynh\n\nVictoria Huynh is currently the Senior Vice President of the Center for Pan Asian Community Services, Inc. (CPACS), the largest nonprofit in the Southeast to focus on issues and concerns of AANHPI communities, especially women, children, and families. For more than a decade, Huynh has advocated for equitable language access, promoted local civic engagement, protected immigrant rights, championed cultural competency, and developed vital social service programs within the immigrant and refugee communities in Atlanta, Georgia. Mrs. Huynh\u2019s experiences in her limited English proficient (LEP) Vietnamese Refugee household, fuels her passion for community building, strategic planning, and policy work within immigrant and refugee spaces. She is an MBA candidate and currently serves as consultant, board member, and panelist on various boards influencing state and local funding, nominations, and programs that impact communities of color.\n\nMia Ives-Rublee\n\nMia Ives-Rublee, MSW, is currently the Director of the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress. She obtained her Master\u2019s in Social Work at University of North Carolina (UNC) Chapel Hill. She was also recognized as one of Glamour Women of the Year in 2017, She the People\u2019s 20 Women of Color in Politics to Watch in 2020, and received the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award from the UNC School of Social Work. Ives-Rublee works at the intersection of disability, race, and gender, helping promote equity and opportunity for marginalized communities through policy and organizing.\n\nKamal Kalsi\n\nDr. Kamal Singh Kalsi, LTC, USAR is an emergency medicine physician from New Jersey that has served in the Army for 20 years and was awarded a Bronze Star medal for his work taking care of hundreds of combat casualties on the front lines in Afghanistan. He has transitioned into the Army reserves, and now serves as a senior advisor for Policy Vets and a Fellow of the Truman National Security Project\u2019s Defense Council. He founded the Sikh American Veterans Alliance (SAVA) in order to promote diversity, religious freedom, and service.\n\nMichelle Kauhane\n\nMichelle Kauhane is the Senior Vice President of Community Grants & Initiatives at Hawai\u2018i Community Foundation. Previously, she served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement where she engaged in lending and investment services deploying capital in underserved native Hawaiian communities statewide. Michelle has a background in non-profit management, organizational leadership, community based economic development and public policy advocacy. She has served on numerous local and national boards and currently sits on the Community Advisory Council at the Federal Reserve of San Francisco to offer perspectives on the economic and financial service needs of low- and moderate- income populations in Hawai\u2018i. She is a graduate of Gonzaga University.\n\nDaniel Dae Kim\n\nDaniel Dae Kim is an award-winning actor, director and producer. In addition to his series regular roles on TV\u2019s LOST and THE HOT ZONE: ANTHRAX, Kim starred as the King of Siam in Lincoln Center\u2019s Broadway production of the KING AND I. In addition to his numerous credits as an actor, he is developing both film and television projects as a producer with his company, 3AD. His current projects include THE GOOD DOCTOR currently airing on ABC. Recently, he also turned to advocacy, joining the Asian American Foundation, where he serves a Co-Chair of the Advisory Council. Mr. Kim can next be seen as an actor in the live action adaptation of AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER. He currently lives in Hawai\u2018i with his family.\n\nKevin Kim\n\nKevin D. Kim is a seasoned attorney, entrepreneur, and public servant. He is a co-founder of Abakidz, a mental math program. In public service, Mr. Kim was the first Korean American to win a NYC primary election as a 2009 Democratic nominee for a NYC Council seat, then served as the first Asian American commissioner of the New York State Liquor Authority (SLA), and now serves as the first Korean American Member of the Board of Trustees of the City University of New York (CUNY) where he chairs the Audit Committee. He has served on the boards of the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY), Korean American Association of Greater New York (KAAGNY), American Red Cross \u2013 Queens Chapter, Friends of THIRTEEN, International Student Conferences, Inc. (ISC), Korean American Community Foundation (KACF), and the Fordham Law School Voting Rights and Democracy Project (Advisory Board). Mr. Kim received his B.A. and M.A. from Stanford University and his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and a member of the Columbia Law Review.\n\nSarah Min\n\nSarah Min is an advocate and former media executive. Min promotes the advancement of mission-driven organizations who are transforming how to use technology, media and person-to-person outreach to mobilize people and change perceptions about women and people of color. From 2013-2019, Min was an independent consultant, working with clients such as HBO, Penguin Random House and other nonprofits, Previously, she served as Executive Vice President for, Marketing & Corporate Development for ScrollMotion, an enterprise software company. Min also was the Managing Editor of Vibe and Domino magazines, a director at media company Bertelsmann, as well as President of literary publishing company McSweeney\u2019s. She serves as a director on nonprofit boards, including Color of Change and EMILY\u2019s List, and has been engaged in grassroots organizations, including the Korean American Community Foundation and the Asian American Power Network. Sarah holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BS in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.\n\nSimon Pang\n\nEmigrated from Singapore in late 1989, Pang has been in banking industry since 1981. Pang is currently an Executive Vice President and Co-Founder of Royal Business Bank. He is active in community service and was appointed to positions in statewide nonprofit organizations, including California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs, California Highway Patrol Citizens Advisory Board member, Los Angeles County Sheriff Youth Foundation Board member, US-Sino Friendship Association President, US-Sino Aviation Heritage Foundation Honorable Chairman. He has also served as a National Governing Board Member and National Diversity Coalition Advisor with the national nonprofit Asian Pacific Islander American Affairs.\n\nAi-jen Poo\n\nAi-jen Poo is an award-winning organizer, author, and a leading voice in the women\u2019s movement. She is the Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Director of Caring Across Generations, Co-Founder of SuperMajority, Co-Host of Sunstorm podcast and a Trustee of the Ford Foundation. Ai-jen is a nationally recognized expert on elder and family care, the future of work, and what\u2019s at stake for women of color. She is the author of the celebrated book, The Age of Dignity: Preparing for the Elder Boom in a Changing America.\n\nNaheed Qureshi\n\nNaheed Qureshi is Head of Policy Partnerships at Instacart. Ms. Qureshi has had an extensive 20-year career in civil rights, including serving as a founding board member and later deputy director of Muslim Advocates and as co-chair of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Hate Crimes and Bigotry Task Force. Ms. Qureshi started her career in the U.S. Department of Justice Attorney General\u2019s Honors Program and has also worked at the Civil Rights Division in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the City of Los Angeles, and the national legislative office of the ACLU. Ms. Qureshi received a B.A. in political science from the University of Wisconsin and J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. The daughter of immigrants from Pakistan, she was raised in Wisconsin and is an avid Packers fan.\n\nRaynald Samoa\n\nDr. Raynald Samoa is an endocrinologist at the City of Hope and his current research projects include a faith-based community-centered diabetes prevention program in the San Gabriel Valley investigating a social-connectedness modified approach. Dr. Samoa served as the Lead for the National Pacific Islander COVID-19 Response Team and has authored several manuscripts describing the impact of COVID-19 on Pacific Islander communities. He has testified to the House of Representative Ways and Means Committee during a session entitled The Disproportionate Impact Of Covid-19 On Communities Of Color. He currently is the technical assistance lead for the Healing Association of Pacific Islander Physicians, a professional organization associated with the National Association of Organization of Pacific Islander Organizations.\n\nSonal Shah\n\nSonal Shah is a social impact and innovation leader that has launched and led social impact efforts in academia, government, and the private and philanthropic sectors for over 25 years. She is the Founding President of The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), starting the largest philanthropic effort to serve the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. Prior to TAAF, Shah founded and led Georgetown University\u2019s Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation, providing students a first-hand opportunity to work on social impact projects in the public, private, and social sectors. She served as Deputy Assistant to President Obama and created the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation, worked on international development at the Department of Treasury, and led social impact efforts at Google and Goldman Sachs. She serves on the boards of TAAF, Oxfam America, the Century Foundation, and the National Democratic Institute.\n\nSmita Shah\n\nSmita N. Shah is an engineer, entrepreneur, and civic leader serving as President and CEO of Chicago-based SPAAN Tech, Inc, a multi-disciplinary firm with expertise in public and private infrastructure projects including transportation, aviation, and facilities. Shah serves in various roles with the Chicago Plan Commission, M.I.T., the Museum of Science and Industry, After School Matters, Delhi Chicago Sister Cities Program, YPO, the Lincoln Academy of Illinois, and the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. She is a member of the board of MacLean Fogg Company and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and the Economic Club of Chicago. Shah earned her Bachelor of Science from Northwestern University, her Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from M.I.T., and a Post Graduate Certificate in Management Studies from Oxford University.\n\nRobert Underwood\n\nRobert A. Underwood is a former Member of Congress representing Guam for 10 years. He is also President Emeritus of the University of Guam and has the distinction of being the longest serving President of the university. He has served the nation as Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and the founding Chair of the Asian Pacific Islander Scholarship Fund. As a scholar and activist, he has served his region and his people as a passionate advocate for the respect and maintenance of the Chamoru language and the empowerment of the peoples of Micronesia.\n\nKaYing Yang\n\nFor more than three decades, KaYing has been a social justice advocate who has built and led community organizing, public policy engagement, and development efforts locally, nationally, and globally. She began her career as a community organizer and executive manager providing social services and advocacy for the protection of refugees and immigrants in Minnesota at the Women\u2019s Association of Hmong and Lao. She then went on to defend and promote immigrant and human rights by serving in a number of organizations including the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, the International Organization for Migration, the International Finance Corporation, and the Coalition of Asian American Leaders in Minnesota. All of her work comes from a deep experience having come to the United States as a Hmong refugee at the age of seven in 1976 where she experienced firsthand the struggles faced by communities experiencing generational trauma and poverty.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/schatz-to-hawaii-k-12-schools-adopt-cdc-testing-guidance-keep-students-safely-in-school-stop-interruptions-in-learning", "Schatz To Hawai\u2018i K-12 Schools: Adopt CDC Testing Guidance, Keep Students Safely In School, Stop Interruptions In Learning", "2021-12-20", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Brian Schatz", "S001194", "www.schatz.senate.gov", "schatz", "https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "HONOLULU \u2013 U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai\u2018i) called on the Hawai\u2018i Department of Education and the Hawai\u2018i Association of Independent Schools (HAIS) to adopt, as feasible, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u2019s \u201ctest-to-stay\u201d (TTS) guidance which allows students to stay in school if they are exposed to COVID-19, reducing time away from school and stopping learning loss.\n\n\u201cWith this new protocol, we can recoup thousands of days of learning. We have to be as aggressive as possible in preventing learning loss and giving every student an opportunity to learn as much as they can,\u201d said Senator Schatz.\n\n\u201cTTS policies will allow students to stay in school even if they are exposed to COVID-19 thereby minimizing the number of days students would otherwise miss and helping to reduce the learning loss that can occur during traditional quarantine at home,\u201d Schatz wrote in his letters to Hawai\u2018i Interim Superintendent Keith Hayashi and HAIS Executive Director Philip Bossert. \u201cInitial data from case studies show that schools with TTS policies have similar transmission rates as non-TTS schools.\u201d\n\nThe full text of the letters can be found below and is available here.\n\nDear Interim Superintendent Hayashi/Dr. Bossert:\n\nI write to make you aware of new \u201ctest-to-stay\u201d (TTS) guidance released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for K-12 schools. I encourage the Hawai\u2018i Department of Education/ Hawaii Association of Independent Schools to adopt TTS policies as appropriate and feasible, and to work with the Hawai\u2018i Department of Health in providing TTS guidance to complex areas and schools.\n\nTTS policies will allow students to stay in school even if they are exposed to COVID-19, thereby minimizing the number of days students would otherwise miss and helping to reduce the learning loss that can occur during traditional quarantine at home. As the CDC notes, specific TTS policies may vary, but they follow the same principles: a combination of vaccination of eligible students and staff, frequent testing, contact tracing, masking inside schools, distancing between students, ventilation, handwashing, and staying home when sick. Taken together, exposed students can remain in school in lieu of quarantining at home. Initial data from case studies show that schools with TTS policies have similar transmission rates as non-TTS schools.\n\nThe CDC\u2019s science brief with the recent TTS updates can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/transmission_k_12_schools.html\n\nThe CDC\u2019s guidance on COVID-19 testing in schools can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/what-you-should-know.html\n\nI appreciate your attention to this matter, and your collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic.\n\nSincerely,\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/schumer-gillibrand-announce-over-16-million-in-federal-funding-to-support-economic-growth-in-low-income-and-distressed-communities-across-new-york", "SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE OVER $16 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING TO SUPPORT ECONOMIC GROWTH IN LOW-INCOME & DISTRESSED COMMUNITIES ACROSS NEW YORK", "2021-12-20", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Charles E. Schumer", "S000148", "www.schumer.senate.gov", "schumer", "https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Senators Say Awards Build Capacity of CDFIs, Helping Meet the Unique Needs Of Economically Underserved Communities And Disadvantaged Small Businesses\n\nSchumer, Gillibrand: Investment Into Vulnerable Communities Is Critical To Recovery Of Entire NY Economy\n\nU.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $16,006,830 in federal funding for 28 Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) across New York. The funding was allocated by the Department of the Treasury through the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) and includes both financial assistance and technical assistance awards to support the services offered by CDFIs. The senators said the funding will be used to invest in the capacity and capital programs offered by CDFIs, empowering them to grow, achieve organizational sustainability, and support low-income and distressed communities by contributing to their revitalization and expanding access to capital and other critical assistance for disadvantaged small businesses.\n\n\u201cThe CDFI Fund is a vital stream of federal investment that supports financial services to New York\u2019s most vulnerable communities and expands access to capital and support for disadvantaged small businesses,\u201d said Senator Schumer. \u201cI have made it a high priority to fund the CDFI program and deliver this critical assistance to New York to help to uplift our most vulnerable neighborhoods, businesses, and families who are still struggling from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and boost recovery efforts across the state. I will continue to fight to protect critical investments like these for our communities and make sure New York gets the federal investment it needs to fully recover and come back stronger.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis critical CDFI funding will support New York\u2019s underserved communities, low-income neighborhoods, and small businesses,\u201d said Senator Gillibrand. \u201cThis significant federal investment is great news for New York State and will put over $16 million back into the businesses and communities that need it most. I will keep fighting in the Senate for the resources needed to stimulate local businesses, bolster support for our communities, and create sustainable jobs.\u201d\n\nThe Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI) provides small businesses and community development projects with capital investment unavailable in their local economies. The program funds projects that work to revitalize low-income and underserved communities. Some CDFIs focus their programs on an immediate region of service while others are national in the scope of their work, including projects and investments in New York.\n\nA breakdown of the funding appears below:\n\nOrganization\n\nCity/State\n\nAward\n\nAccompany Capital, Inc.\n\nNew York, NY\n\n$676,530\n\nAlternatives Venture Fund Inc. Ithaca, NY\n\n$125,000\n\nBOC Capital Corp\n\nBrooklyn, NY\n\n$701,530\n\nBrooklyn Alliance Capital Inc\n\nBrooklyn, NY\n\n$125,000\n\nBrooklyn Cooperative Federal Credit Union\n\nBrooklyn, NY\n\n$476,530\n\nCheckSpring Community Corporation\n\nBronx, NY\n\n$676,530\n\nCommunity Development Venture Capital Alliance\n\nNew York, NY\n\n$701,530\n\nDisability Fund, Inc.\n\nRockville Centre, NY\n\n$1,090,000\n\nEquitable Facilities Fund\n\nNew York, NY\n\n$125,000\n\nFinest Federal Credit Union\n\nNew York, NY\n\n$125,000\n\nGrameen America, Inc.\n\nNew York, NY\n\n$1,046,530\n\nHabitat for Humanity NYC Fund, Inc.\n\nNew York, NY\n\n$125,000\n\nHarlem Business Alliance, Inc.\n\nNew York, NY\n\n$125,000\n\nLaunch New York, Inc.\n\nBuffalo, NY\n\n$225,000\n\nLocal Initiatives Support Corporation\n\nNew York, NY\n\n$3,440,000\n\nLower East Side Peoples Federal Credit Union\n\nNew York, NY\n\n$476,530\n\nNational Federation of Community Development Credit Unions\n\nNew York, NY\n\n$625,000\n\nNeighborhood Trust Federal Credit Union\n\nNew York, NY\n\n$676,530\n\nNew York University FCU\n\nNew York, NY\n\n$701,530\n\nNonprofit Finance Fund\n\nNew York, NY\n\n$1,201,530\n\nOswego County FCU\n\nOswego, NY\n\n$590,000\n\nRenaissance Economic Development Corporation\n\nNew York, NY\n\n$701,530\n\nSyracuse Cooperative Federal Credit Union\n\nSyracuse, NY\n\n$125,000\n\nThe Urban Empowerment Fund\n\nNew York, NY\n\n$125,000\n\nThe Working World, Inc. dba Seed Commons\n\nNew York, NY\n\n$525,000\n\nUSAlliance Federal Credit Union\n\nRye, NY\n\n$125,000\n\nUtica Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc\n\nUtica, NY\n\n$200,000\n\nSeneca Nation of Indians Federal Credit Union\n\nIrving, NY\n\n$150,000\n\nTOTAL:\n\n$16,006,830\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/schumer-secures-historic-295-million-to-make-the-port-of-albany-one-of-the-nations-first-large-scale-offshore-wind-tower-manufacturing-facilities-after-direct-advocacy-to-the-transportation-secretary-schumer-delivers-29m-to-create-550-permanent-new-jobs-bolstering-the-us-domestic-clean-energy-supply-chain-and-capital-region-economy-and-strengthening-the-fight-against-climate-change", "SCHUMER SECURES HISTORIC $29.5 MILLION TO MAKE THE PORT OF ALBANY ONE OF THE NATION\u2019S FIRST LARGE-SCALE, OFFSHORE WIND TOWER MANUFACTURING FACILITIES; AFTER DIRECT ADVOCACY TO THE TRANSPORTATION...", "2021-12-20", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Charles E. Schumer", "S000148", "www.schumer.senate.gov", "schumer", "https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Schumer, A Long-Time Advocate For The Port of Albany, Called Transportation Secretary Buttigieg Directly To Advocate For The Funding Multiple Times\n\nSenator Says Port of Albany Project Will Be One Of The Most Significant Job-Creating And Green-Energy Economic Development Projects in Capital Region\u2019s History\n\nSchumer: $29.5M Will Be The Wind In The Port Of Albany\u2019s Sails & Blow New Life Into Albany Economy & Our Fight Against Climate Change\n\nU.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced that \u2013 following his direct advocacy to the USDOT \u2013 the Port of Albany Offshore Wind Tower Manufacturing Project was awarded $29.5 million through the U.S. Department of Transportation\u2019s Maritime Administration (MARAD) Port Infrastructure Development Grant program.\n\nSchumer a longtime advocate for the Port of Albany\u2019s revitalization, made direct calls to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg multiple times to urge approval of this transformative funding for the Capital Region. Schumer said the project will be one of the first large-scale offshore wind tower manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and is expected to create an estimated 500 construction jobs and 550 direct and full-time new manufacturing and support jobs.\n\n\u201cThe Port of Albany Offshore Wind Manufacturing Project will be one of the most significant job-creating, renewable-energy economic development projects in the Capital Region\u2019s history. I made it clear to Secretary Buttigieg that Albany has all of the right ingredients to be one of the nation\u2019s first large-scale offshore wind tower manufacturing facility. I am proud to have secured this massive $29.5 million federal investment to help the Port of Albany reach new heights, boost the region\u2019s local economy, and blow a gust of new life into our fight against climate change,\u201d said Senator Schumer. \u201cThis project is a true win-win-win that will create hundreds of good-paying union jobs, boost New York\u2019s clean-energy manufacturing sector, all while combatting climate change in big, bold ways. Albany has the wind at its back with this announcement, and the future looks very bright.\u201d\n\nRich Hendrick, CEO of the Port of Albany, said, \u201cThis funding comes at a pivotal time for the Port of Albany\u2019s offshore wind project and would not be possible without the strong support from Senator Schumer. This funding will support building the infrastructure necessary to support the type of heavy cargo that will be manufactured by our offshore wind partners. The project will bring hundreds of jobs to the Capital Region and add to the Port\u2019s significant contributions to the Capital Region economy. Offshore wind will play an important role in managing climate change, transforming energy production and reducing harmful emissions. The Port of Albany is excited to play a part in this critical industry and looks forward to working with our surrounding community on this important project. We thank Senator Schumer and Secretary Buttigieg for their support and commitment to getting this done.\u201d\n\nAlbany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said, \u201cI am so thankful to Senator Schumer for securing this $29.5 million grant - funding that is vital to ensuring the nation\u2019s first offshore wind manufacturing facility opens at the Port of Albany as soon as possible. I will continue to work closely with Senator Schumer to create a workforce training center in the South End because we both agree our residents who live near the Port of Albany should have every opportunity to secure the good-paying careers that will be created through this transformative investment.\u201d\n\nAlbany County Executive Dan McCoy said, \"This 29 1/2 million dollar commitment to offshore wind power at the Port of Albany is another investment that will benefit not only the county and our state but help reduce our carbon footprint and continue to make New York a leader in the production of renewable energy across the country. This project will also be responsible for 150 wind towers built each year and will bring with it 500 construction jobs and 300 long-term, high skilled jobs.\"\n\nSchumer said the Port of Albany manufacturing facility will have the fabrication and assembly capabilities to support the projects being developed in and off the coast of New York State as well as many future national offshore wind projects. Schumer explained that currently many of the offshore wind tower components are only available outside of the U.S. making this project critical in strengthening the U.S. domestic clean energy supply chain. The senator said that this recently secured funding would ensure Upstate New York becomes the national hub for new wind technology manufacturing.\n\nSchumer also said that this increased investment for the Port of Albany would significantly boost its competitiveness in expanding and attracting major employers like General Electric (GE) to manufacture wind turbines in Upstate New York. Earlier this year, Senator Schumer reached out directly to GE CEO, H. Lawrence Culp Jr. to express his support for GE expanding in the region to manufacture their new Haliade-X wind turbines in New York, specifically mentioning the Port of Albany as a key asset for building up the Capital region as a national hub for wind turbine manufacturing.\n\nSenator Schumer has a long history fighting to help revitalize the Port of Albany. In 2016, Schumer secured $17.6 million for the Port of Albany through the USDOT Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant. This funding supported a complete overhaul of the Port of Albany including reconstructing the entire outdoor maritime terminal, building a new warehouse, expanding the wharf, and significantly improving the port roadways. Schumer then personally visited the Port of Albany in 2019 to see the progress and continue his commitment to the Port of Albany\u2019s economic expansion.\n\nIn addition to the recently announced funding, Schumer said the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) that was recently signed into law, provides more than $17 billion for port and waterway infrastructure, including $2.25 billion over five years for the DOT\u2019s Port Infrastructure Development Program. Schumer also secured $7.5 billion over five years for the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants and $3.2 billion over five years for the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) Grant Program, both of which can support port infrastructure development, and IIJA added port infrastructure as an eligible use of the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) program.\n\nA copy of Schumer\u2019s original letter of support to Secretary Buttigieg appears below:\n\nDear Secretary Buttigieg,\n\nI am pleased to write in support of the application submitted by the Port of Albany to the U.S. Department of Transportation\u2019s 2021 Port Infrastructure Development Program grant (PIDP) to support the development of the United States\u2019 first offshore wind tower manufacturing facility at the Port of Albany that is a partnership with Equinor and Marmen/Welcon. The Offshore Wind Tower Manufacturing Port Project grant application outlines the planned investment, substantial positive renewable energy and community benefits, as well as new job creation and major local investment.\n\nThe Port of Albany manufacturing facility will have the fabrication and assembly capabilities to support the projects being developed in New York State as well as many future national and regional offshore wind projects. Currently, the offshore wind tower components are only available outside of the U.S. The entire construction project is planned for more than $350 million investment including investment from Port, private and state of New York sources.\n\nThis project will create 550 jobs and likely to generate important additional economic benefits in New York State. It is expected that hundreds of construction jobs will be created to develop the site and an additional level of indirect jobs that are spurred by the planned manufacturing and maritime activities. Further, it is expected that this facility will generate substantial annual regional investments in direct payroll and procurement expenditures. This is precisely how we move the economy ahead with projects that invest in the green economy and have local benefits.\n\nThe PIDP funds are vital to reducing project risk and maximizing optionality during this unusually fluctuating international economic market. Energizing a green economy is key to our future. I applaud the Port of Albany for its foresight, and sincerely hope the application meets with your approval.\n\nThank you for your consideration.\n\nSincerely,\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/scott-joins-colleagues-in-filing-amicus-brief-in-pending-clean-air-act-supreme-court-case/", "Scott Joins Colleagues in Filing Amicus Brief in Pending Clean Air Act Supreme Court Case", "2021-12-20", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Tim Scott", "S001184", "www.scott.senate.gov", "timscott", "https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/jsf/jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) today joined 47 senators and 45 House members\u2014including Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.)\u2014in filing an amicus curiae brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the petitioners in the pending case West Virginia, et al. v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).\n\nThe members agree that the EPA acted outside its congressionally-authorized authority by issuing significantly overreaching rules\u2014namely the Clean Power Plan\u2014to attempt to transform the nation\u2019s power sector through emissions regulations under Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act.\n\n\u201cIf Congress had intended to give the EPA such sweeping authority to transform an entire sector of our economy, Congress would have done so explicitly. An administrative agency like the EPA may decide issues of such vast economic and political significance only when the agency can point to \u2018clear congressional authorization.\u2019\n\n\u201cDecisions regarding greenhouse gas emissions and the power sector are major policy questions with vast economic and political significance. Only elected members of Congress, representing the will of the people, may decide these questions. The EPA\u2019s attempt to issue expansive regulations cannot stand in the absence of clear congressional authorization.\n\n\u201cCongress knows how to address greenhouse gas emissions. In recent years, Congress has decided to pass transformative laws that incentivize reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from a wide range of industries, including the electric power sector,\u201d the brief states.\n\nSenate cosigners of the brief include Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Mitch McConnell (Ky.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Rick Scott (R-Fla.).\n\nHouse cosigners of the brief include Representatives Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Steve Scalise (R-La.), Fred Upton (R-Mich.), Michael C. Burgess (R-Texas), Robert E. Latta (R-Ohio), Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), David B. McKinley (R-W.Va.), Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), Gus M. Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), Billy Long (R-Mo.), Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), Earl L. \u201cBuddy\u201d Carter (R-Ga.), Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), Gary J. Palmer (R-Ala.), Neal P. Dunn (R-Fla.), John R. Curtis (R-Utah), Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.), Greg Pence (R-Ind.), Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), John Joyce (R-Pa.), Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.), Troy Balderson (R-Ohio), Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho), Garret Graves (R-La.), Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.), Dan Meuser (R-Pa.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Carol Miller (R-W.Va.), Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.), Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.), August Pfluger (R-Texas), Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.), and Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.).\n\nRead the full text of the amicus brief here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/schatz-statement-on-build-back-better-act", "Schatz Statement On Build Back Better Act", "2021-12-19", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Brian Schatz", "S001194", "www.schatz.senate.gov", "schatz", "https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "HONOLULU \u2013 U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai\u2018i) released the following statement on the Build Back Better Act.\n\n\u201cThe planet doesn\u2019t have the flexibility for anyone to give up. The planet is heating up, and reacting in real time to increases in greenhouse gases by giving us more frequent and severe storms, drought, hurricanes in December, and 100 degree weather in the Arctic. The planet is not going to pause its warming process while we sort our politics out. We owe it to future generations to figure out what can pass, and pass it. And to keep doing that, every year, at every level of government, for the foreseeable future. Despair is not an option. Righteous indignation turned into action absolutely is. We keep fighting.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/schatz-to-noaa-proposed-bay-closures-on-hawaii-island-and-maui-will-needlessly-restrict-locals-from-ocean-recreation", "Schatz To NOAA: Proposed Bay Closures On Hawai\u2018i Island And Maui Will Needlessly Restrict Locals From Ocean Recreation", "2021-12-18", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Brian Schatz", "S001194", "www.schatz.senate.gov", "schatz", "https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai\u2018i) today called on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to hold off on a new proposed rule for \"time-area closures\" that would close several bays on Hawai\u2018i Island and Maui from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. every day, and restrict local ocean access to residents during those hours.\n\n\u201cThe proposed rule will foreseeably deny Hawai\u2018i residents and visitors access to the ocean, to protect dolphins that are already strongly protected under another, separate rule that went into effect on October 28, 2021. I believe NOAA owes it to the people of Hawai\u2018i to halt further action on time-area closures, and focus instead on how to implement its October 28th rule,\u201d Senator Schatz wrote in his letter to NOAA Administrator and Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere Rick Spinrad.\n\nThe full letter can be found below and is available here.\n\nDear Undersecretary Spinrad:\n\nI am concerned that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has proposed a new rule to impose time-area closures for five well-used bays on the islands of Hawai\u2018i and Maui (Kealakekua Bay, H\u014dnaunau Bay, Kauhak\u014d Bay, and Makako Bay) to everyone between 6am and 3pm every day. This heavy-handed proposal will limit local access to the ocean, and I question whether it is necessary.\n\nThe time-area closures have been justified as protection for spinner dolphins, but the dolphins that use these bays are already protected by a recent NOAA rule that clearly and unambiguously prohibits swimming with, approaching, or remaining within 50 yards of a spinner dolphin within 2 nautical miles of the Hawaiian Islands. With this strong protection for the dolphins already in place, it is easy to understand criticism that the time-area closures needlessly duplicate existing rules.\n\nWorse, the indiscriminate scope of the closures apply to residents and visitors alike, regardless of whether their actions will impact the dolphins or not. This means that a range of activities that do not harm spinner dolphins will effectively be forbidden during the hours of the closure, including: shore casting, spear fishing, free diving, exercise swimming, and surfing. In addition, I note that these restrictions will apply regardless of whether dolphins are present or not, which only substantiates concerns that the proposed rule is not necessary.\n\nIn conclusion, the proposed rule will foreseeably deny Hawai\u2018i residents and visitors access to the ocean to protect dolphins that are already strongly protected under another, separate rule that went into effect on October 28, 2021. I believe NOAA owes it to the people of Hawai\u2018i to halt further action on time-area closures, and focus instead on how to implement its October 28th rule. In addition to requesting your personal attention to this matter, I ask that my letter be included with the public comments on the proposed rule.\n\nSincerely,\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/senators-booker-and-scott-introduce-comprehensive-legislation-addressing-sickle-cell-disease", "Senators Booker and Scott Introduce Comprehensive Legislation Addressing Sickle Cell Disease", "2021-12-17", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NJ", "Cory A. Booker", "B001288", "www.booker.senate.gov", "booker", "https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Tim Scott(R-SC) introduced the Sickle Cell Disease Comprehensive Care Act. This legislation would direct the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to create a Medicaid demonstration program to improve access to comprehensive, high-quality, outpatient care - including clinical and support services - for individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD). Congressman Danny K. Davis (D-IL 07) and Congressman Michael C. Burgess (R-TX 26) introduced the Sickle Cell Disease Comprehensive Care Act in the House last week.\n\nSickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that disproportionately impacts people of African descent. Among the most notable symptoms of SCD is severe, debilitating pain, but people with SCD also experience complications like stroke, acute chest syndrome, and organ damage. Sadly, individuals with SCD have a significantly lower life expectancy than the overall population.\n\nWhile some advancements in the field have been made recently, many with SCD are not receiving the level of care needed to adequately manage the disease. A Medicaid demonstration program, such as the one outlined in the Sickle Cell Disease Comprehensive Care Act, could significantly improve the quality of care SCD patients receive. Additionally, any improvements made as a result of this demonstration program would have the potential to meaningfully improve care for all SCD patients as approximately half of SCD patients in the U.S. are enrolled in Medicaid according to CMS data. Further, this demonstration program shows a lot of promise in saving money, as it aims to reduce patients\u2019 reliance on costly emergency room care.\n\n\u201cPeople with sickle cell disease have for too long suffered from an underinvestment in federal funding and attention,\u201d said Senator Booker. \u201cThe Sickle Cell Disease Comprehensive Care Act would improve access to high-quality, comprehensive care for SCD patients and would be the greatest investment in SCD patients and care since our Sickle Cell Disease and Other Heritable Blood Disorders Research, Surveillance, Prevention, and Treatment Act that passed into law in 2018. I am proud to introduce this legislation with Senator Scott.\u201d\n\n\u201cSickle cell disease is the most common inherited blood disorder in the U.S., affecting one in every 365 Black Americans,\u201d said Senator Scott. \u201cYet despite the prevalence of SCD, research and treatments remain far too limited. I\u2019m proud to support today\u2019s legislation that will help our medical community better treat individuals with this painful disease.\u201d\n\n\u201cSickle Cell Disease Association of America welcomes the Sickle Cell Disease Comprehensive Care Act and hopes that this will improve access to quality medical care for more individuals with sickle cell disease,\u201d said Lewis Hsu, MD, PhDChief Medical Officer, Sickle Cell Disease Association of America.\n\n\u201cWe applaud Senators Booker and Scott for acknowledging and addressing the problem of lack of comprehensive care for individuals living with SCD,\u201d said American Society of Hematology President Martin S. Tallman, MD. \u201cAs hematologists, we know that individuals living with SCD lack access to comprehensive care to manage their condition to avoid serious complications. Unfortunately, this means that these individuals \u2013 who are already burdened by a devastating disease \u2013 do not receive care that is holistic and tailored to their unique needs. The introduction of the new bill, which would provide an organized approach to primary and preventative care for individuals with SCD, is a crucial first step toward improving outcomes for the SCD community. We look forward to continuing to work closely with Senators Booker and Scott and other members of Congress to ensure that all people living with sickle cell disease get the care they need.\u201d\n\n\u201cRepresenting African-American physicians across the nation, the National Medical Association (NMA) continues to advocate for and find solutions to eliminate health disparities faced by individuals with Sickle Cell Disease. We proudly support the Sickle Cell Comprehensive Care Act, which authorizes the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to create a program for Medicaid beneficiaries living with Sickle Cell Disease, particularly young adults and pregnant persons. This innovative policy improves access to comprehensive outpatient care, specialists and resources in an effort to combat this disease and address critical gaps in care. The NMA understands that passage of this legislation is a crucial step in improving health outcomes and quality of life for this underserved population, as we strive to achieve equitable health care for all,\u201d said Rachel Villanueva, MD FACOG, National President of National Medical Association.\n\nThroughout his time in the Senate, Booker has raised awareness for sickle cell disease and advocated for equitable funding, increased attention, and better access to treatments and care for people with SCD. The Sickle Cell Disease Comprehensive Care Act builds upon this work, including his bipartisan Sickle Cell Disease and Other Heritable Blood Disorders Research, Surveillance, Prevention, and Treatment Act that he introduced with Senator Scott and which passed and was signed into lawin 2018. Additionally, earlier this week, Senators Booker and Scott\u2019s resolution designating September as Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Awareness Month unanimously passed in the Senate.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/murkowski-commits-to-vawa-reauthorization-", "Murkowski Commits to VAWA Reauthorization", "2021-12-17", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "AK", "Lisa Murkowski", "M001153", "www.murkowski.senate.gov", "murkowski", "https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=39", "scraper", "U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) yesterday spoke on the Senate floor about the need for a bipartisan reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. This speech dovetails an announcement made by Senator Murkowski and her colleagues, Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Dick Durbin (D-IL), that they have developed a bipartisan framework to modernize and reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act.\n\nThe framework agreement includes provisions that strengthen rape prevention and education efforts and services and protections for young survivors, closes the dating partner loophole, and includes an Alaska pilot program which will empower a limited number of Tribes to exercise special criminal jurisdiction over certain crimes that occur in Alaska Native villages.\n\nClick here for video of Senator Murkowski\n\nSpeech Excerpts:\n\nMurkowski speaks on a path forward to a bipartisan reauthorization of VAWA:\n\n\u201cIt has been years in the making. The last time we had a VAWA reauthorization was VAWA 2013, and so we are high past time to be addressing this very significant matter.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo compromise is perfect, but what has been developed through this framework is a proposal that will really help to prevent violence, to support our survivors, to hold perpetrators accountable.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe all want to get to that next step which is filing the legislation so that we can get it moving through this process. I look forward to doing that in the new year.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere is an ongoing public safety crisis in rural Alaska and across Indian Country, but we have an opportunity in this Congress to work together, across the aisle, to find solutions and restore justice.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe must let our women, children, and families who have been affected by devastating violence know \u2013 you are heard and we stand with you.\u201d\n\nMurkowski speaks to the disproportionate victimization of Native people:\n\n\u201cAs a Senator for Alaska, this is an extraordinarily pressing issue in my home state. As the Vice Chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee, I can affirm that this is a very real issue in Native lands.\u201d\n\n\u201cBy now, I would hope that every Senator understands the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, we refer to this as MMIW. That\u2019s why we passed Savanna\u2019s Act and the Not Invisible Act, and I want to acknowledge my colleague who has been working this issue with us for so long\u2014Senator Cortez Masto. I think we recognize we\u2019ve made progress there, but to fully address the root causes of this crisis \u2013 the high rates of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking, the violent crime in many Native communities we have\u2013 we have an awful lot more to do.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe rates of violence experienced by Alaska Natives are particularly horrific and statistics should shock us all. I repeat them a lot and they still shock me. According to a report prepared by the Indian Law and Order Commission, Alaska Native women are overrepresented \u2013 by nearly 250 percent \u2013 among female domestic violence victims.\u201d\n\n\u201cJust to put it into context here, a couple of years ago, an investigation that was conducted by the Anchorage Daily News determined that one in three Native communities in rural Alaska have no local law enforcement physically present, leaving Native women and children at greater risk of violence. Think about that for just a minute, to live in a community where there\u2019s no one to turn to, no law enforcement presence to turn to. Maybe you\u2019re able to share your story with a local health aide there, but that\u2019s as far as you can go. Beyond that, hardly any Alaska Tribes, have the tools they need to address violence in their communities.\u201d\n\nMurkowski speaks to provisions included in the framework agreement:\n\n\u201cI am proud to have authored text that will address the ongoing epidemic Alaska faces with violence, which has left long-lasting trauma for too many of our women, children, and families. We will not allow survivors and the needs of the most vulnerable to go unmet.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur tribal title closes loopholes, builds upon the success of the 2013 reauthorization, and includes specific solutions to protect Alaska Native people. The tribal title will further restore, and improve, the implementation of the special tribal criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians who commit violent crimes in Native communities. And it would do so by allowing Tribes who exercise this special jurisdiction to charge defendants with crimes that co-occur with domestic violence, such as violence against children or assault on law enforcement.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe tribal title includes an Alaska pilot program which builds on previous legislation I have introduced and will empower a limited number of Alaska Tribes to exercise special criminal jurisdiction over certain crimes that occur in villages in Alaska.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis legislation will include a provision named in memory of an Alaskan, Breanna Moore. Bree\u2019s Law drives education initiatives to enable youth, parents, and advocates, to recognize, prevent, and mitigate teen dating violence.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnother provision addresses support services for victims. We know that it is difficult for victims to access the necessary medical forensic services in Alaska, so this provision will allow for evidence-collection and aid in a survivor\u2019s journey to seeking justice. Although we have deeply, troubling, statistics on sexual assault and domestic violence \u2013 Alaskans have also been at the frontlines of innovation, offering solutions.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/sullivan-and-murkowski-introduce-alaska-salmon-research-task-force-act", "SULLIVAN AND MURKOWSKI INTRODUCE ALASKA SALMON RESEARCH TASK FORCE ACT", "2021-12-17", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "AK", "Lisa Murkowski", "M001153", "www.murkowski.senate.gov", "murkowski", "https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=39", "scraper", "U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski (both R-Alaska) introduced the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force Act, legislation that would form a panel of Alaska\u2019s salmon stakeholders and research experts to study Pacific salmon trends and create a coordinated research strategy for Pacific salmon in Alaska to support salmon management. The Research Task Force would be directed to conduct a comprehensive review of Pacific salmon science relevant to understanding and managing salmon returns in Alaska, and publish a report, within one year of convening, to provide recommendations identifying knowledge and research gaps and further research priorities for salmon in Alaska.\n\n\u201cIt is difficult to overstate the importance of salmon to Alaska, our communities, our economy and our traditional way of life. Over the past several years, Alaskans in some parts of the state have witnessed strong, historic runs of salmon, while Alaskans in other regions have seen shocking and unprecedented declines,\u201d said Sen. Sullivan. \u201cOur existing management system, with the state\u2019s authority to manage Alaska\u2019s salmon harvest and the federal government managing federal fishery salmon harvest and much of the at-sea research, has created a clear gap in research and research prioritization that urgently needs to be addressed. This crisis warrants the combined attention of our state and federal governments, and the expertise of our greatest scientific minds, as well as the indigenous communities that have harvested salmon for millennia. With this legislation, we would establish a body to expand our understanding, identify knowledge gaps, and ultimately drive us toward concrete policies and management decisions that we hope will bring increased abundance and stability to our salmon stocks for the benefit of all Alaskans.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt has been said that the summer season doesn\u2019t arrive in Alaskan coastal and in-river communities until the salmon do. In some regions we are seeing not just a decline in salmon runs, but a crash that is damaging to not only the local economies but to the culture and spirit of the people in the region. It is clear we must further our understanding of salmon and their ecosystems in these times of rapid change. I am proud to join Senator Sullivan on the Alaska Salmon Research Taskforce Act as we seek to identify and bolster the necessary science to chart a path forward to ensure these critical species thrive,\u201d said Sen. Murkowski. \u201cI also continue to welcome feedback from affected community members and groups on how best to target research funding and craft policy to identify and mitigate the drivers of these declines and ensure the vitality of Alaska\u2019s salmon fisheries for future generations.\u201d\n\nThe Research Task Force would be composed of between 13 and 19 members, with the secretary of commerce appointing a representative from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, and the U.S. section of the Pacific Salmon Commission. The secretary would also appoint between two and five representatives from Alaska covering the wide array of state fisheries stakeholders, including subsistence, and commercial or recreational users. Lastly, the secretary would appoint five academic experts in salmon biology, management, and ecology, or marine research. The governor of Alaska would appoint one representative of the state.\n\nThe bill also directs the Research Task Force to establish a working group specifically focused on salmon returns in the AYK region of Western and Interior Alaska, where salmon return failures have had devastating impacts, and provides flexibility for the Research Task Force to establish other geographically-focused working groups.\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/new-law-brings-more-than-224-million-in-new-funding-to-strengthen-hawaiis-roads-and-bridges-improve-safety-for-hawaii-families", "New Law Brings More Than $224 Million In New Funding To Strengthen Hawai\u2018i\u2019s Roads And Bridges, Improve Safety For Hawai\u2018i Families", "2021-12-17", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Brian Schatz", "S001194", "www.schatz.senate.gov", "schatz", "https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai\u2018i) today announced that Hawai\u2018i will receive $224,069,212 in federal funding to improve the state\u2019s roads, bridges, and highways and implement strategies to reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries. The federal funding from the Department of Transportation\u2019s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will also fund programs to cut traffic congestion, in turn reducing emissions and improving air quality.\n\n\u201cThese crucial investments will rebuild our roads, bridges, and highways to make them safer and more resilient for everyone,\u201d said Senator Schatz, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing. \u201cThe bipartisan infrastructure bill is already helping our state, and I\u2019m proud to have supported it.\u201d\n\nThis new funding is part of $52.5 billion in funding for Federal-aid Highway Program apportionments, an increase of more than 20 percent from last year. Federal-aid Highway Program funds are authorized by Congress to assist states in construction, reconstruction, and improvement of highways and bridges on eligible Federal-aid routes and for other special purpose programs and projects. This annual funding is based on a statutory formula contained in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which was signed into law in November. Hawai\u2018i is expected to receive at least $2.8 billion in funding from the new law.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/schumer-gillibrand-announce-newly-passed-infrastructure-dollars-will-be-used-to-clean-up-superfund-sites-in-elmira-town-of-vestal-and-niagara-county", "SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE NEWLY-PASSED INFRASTRUCTURE DOLLARS WILL BE USED TO CLEAN UP SUPERFUND SITES IN ELMIRA, TOWN OF VESTAL, AND NIAGARA COUNTY", "2021-12-17", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Charles E. Schumer", "S000148", "www.schumer.senate.gov", "schumer", "https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Of the 49 Backlogged Sites on the National Priorities List Receiving Funding, 3 New York Locations Prioritized For Hazardous Waste Cleanup\n\nProjects in Elmira, Town of Vestal, and Niagara County Funded Following Schumer, Gillibrand Securing Record-Breaking Funding in the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law\n\nU.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that due to funding secured through the bipartisan infrastructure and jobs package, the Environmental Protection Agency will accelerate hazardous waste cleanup in Elmira, the Town of Vestal, and Niagara County. Some of these projects have been listed on the EPA National Priorities List (NPL) for decades waiting for federal funding. Senators Schumer and Gillibrand fought to bring this critical funding back to New York to finalize hazardous waste cleanup at these sites. Because of this funding, the EPA will now facilitate the long-term cleanup of hazardous waste at the Vestal Water Supply Well 1-1 in Vestal, Facet Enterprises, Inc. in Elmira, and Eighteen Mile Creek in Niagara County.\n\n\u201cThe recently-passed Bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Law includes a surge of new funding for the federal Superfund program that we fought hard to deliver, and those dollars are now being put to use to jumpstart long-delayed clean-ups at toxic sites in Elmira, the town of Vestal, and Niagara County,\u201d said Senator Schumer. \u201cCleaning up these toxic sites in Elmira, Vestal, and Niagara County is critical to protect the public health, clean up our environment and pave the way for economic regeneration at these locations. I applaud the EPA and President Biden for focusing on improving the Superfund program and moving quickly to put these infrastructure dollars to use to benefit the public and create new jobs.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m thrilled to announce that key Superfund sites located in Elmira, the town of Vestal, and Niagara County are receiving the funds needed to clean up hazardous waste in these communities. This critical funding is a direct result of the bipartisan infrastructure package and will help clean up these sites in order to keep the surrounding communities safe from exposure to harmful, toxic waste,\u201d said Senator Gillibrand. \u201cThe health of New Yorkers should not be put at risk due to toxic waste dumps \u2013 period. I fought alongside Senator Schumer to secure and deliver this funding, and I am grateful to the Biden administration for quickly disbursing this money.\u201d\n\nThe Vestal Water Supply Well 1-1 Superfund site located in Vestal, New York was one of three production wells in the Vestal Town Water District 1 intended to provide drinking water to several water districts in the area. Well 1-1 is moderately contaminated with several volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and will receive thermal soil treatment. Other soil in the area contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) will be excavated and removed from the site.\n\nThe Facet Enterprises, Inc. facility is a 31-acre parcel of land in the Village of Elmira Heights. The facility was previously used to make products such as bicycle parts, automobile engine components and small arms for the military. Vapors from chemical contamination, primarily trichloroethylene (TCE), have seeped into more than 65 properties in the vicinity of this site. TCE can produce emissions that rise through the soil and potentially affect indoor air quality, a condition known as vapor intrusion. The EPA will use these federal funds to install vapor mitigation system to remove harmful chemicals from soil where there is potential for vapor intrusion, specifically trichloroethylene (TCE).\n\nThe Eighteen Mile Creek Superfund site located in Niagara County flows north for approximately 15 miles, discharging to Lake Ontario in Olcott. The Eighteen Mile Creek Corridor extends from the Creek's headwaters at the Barge Canal to Harwood Road in Lockport and contains most of the site's sediment, soil, and groundwater contamination. The federal funding will be used to excavate and dispose of lead and PCB contaminated sediment within the Creek Corridor. Additionally, soil at adjacent upland commercial properties will be excavated and disposed.\n\nThe Superfund program was established by Congress in 1980 to investigate and facilitate cleanup of the nation\u2019s most complex, uncontrolled, and abandoned hazardous waste sites. Only sites added to the NPL are eligible to receive federal funding for long-term permanent cleanup. The EPA\u2019s Superfund program operates under the \u201cpolluter pays\u201d principle, giving the EPA the authority to require polluters to take responsibility for cleanup of the environmental contamination they caused. EPA adds sites to the NPL when mismanagement of contamination threatens human health and the environment.\n\nThe Senators outlined the sections of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act related to cleaning up pollution below:\n\n$3.5 billion available for 5 years for the Remedial account within the Hazardous Substance Superfund. This section of the bill would allow the Environmental Protection Agency to invest in clean-ups and continue moving forward on remedial actions for Superfund sites.\n\n$1.2 billion for the Brownfields competitive grants while raising grant caps for half of the competitive grant funding under this section ($600 million).\n\n$1.5 billion equally distributed over 5 years for State and Tribal Assistance Grants: Brownfields This section of the bill would provide significant investment into the Brownfields program to help communities, States, Tribes and others to assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse contaminated properties.\n\n$300 million for Brownfields categorical grants to support the development and progress being made under state-led Brownfields efforts. All state cost share requirements for this section have been waived.\n\n$14.45 billion from reinstating certain Superfund fees that will be collected over the next 10 years and provide a steady stream of funding to clean up Superfund sites.\n\nSenators Schumer and Gillibrand have long fought to address water contamination, expedite Superfund designations, and remove PFAS to protect public health in New York State. In 2017, following a multi-year push, the senators announced the EPA\u2019s designation of Hoosick Falls as a Superfund site to facilitate cleanup of PFOA at Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/senator-scott-banking-republicans-call-on-president-biden-to-rebuke-fdic-coup-attempt/", "Senator Scott, Banking Republicans Call on President Biden to Rebuke FDIC Coup Attempt", "2021-12-17", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Tim Scott", "S001184", "www.scott.senate.gov", "timscott", "https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/jsf/jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and fellow Senate Banking Committee Republicans are calling on President Joe Biden to rebuke Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Rohit Chopra and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Director Marty Gruenberg for their illegitimate attempt to violate the FDIC\u2019s 88-year tradition of working independent from partisan political influence. In a letter, the senators also urged President Biden to immediately replace Director Gruenberg\u2014whose term expired three years ago and is serving in a temporary capacity\u2014and nominate an individual to fill the vacant Republican seat on the FDIC board.\n\n\u201cAs a public servant who spent nearly four decades serving in the U.S. Senate, we believe you understand and hold deep respect for historical precedent, institutional norms, and courteous treatment of your colleagues\u2014even in the face of political disagreement,\u201dthe senators wrote. \u201cAmerica\u2019s independent financial regulators are respected the world over for their professionalism and integrity, and we fear the actions of Director Chopra and Director Gruenberg, if left unchecked have the potential to weaken faith in our financial institutions and markets.\u201d\n\nOn December 9, CFPB Director Chopra and FDIC Director Gruenberg published a joint statement to the CFPB\u2019s website claiming the FDIC approved a request for information (RFI) on bank mergers. Shortly thereafter, the FDICclarifiedthat no such document had been approved by the FDIC and that there was no valid vote by the FDIC board.\n\n\u201cDirector Chopra and Director Gruenberg\u2019s statement and actions make clear that they violated FDIC procedures with the apparent goal of usurping the powers of the chairman and inhibiting her ability to carry out her official duties and responsibilities,\u201dthe senators continued. \u201cIn addition to violating the FDIC bylaws and processes, their actions upended an 88-year tradition of the FDIC board working on a collegial basis with its chairman as well as working independent from partisan political influence.\u201d\n\nAs the senators point out, Director Gruenberg is going on nearly two decades as an FDIC board member, but is currently serving in a temporary role because his term expired three years ago. Despite the fact that his position requires Senate confirmation, he has continued to serve on the FDIC board long after the expiration of his term in order to undermine its Senate-confirmed leader.\n\n\u201cWe urge you to nominate promptly a candidate to replace Director Gruenberg, as well as a candidate to fill the vacant Vice-Chairman position on the FDIC board. These candidates should be well-qualified, mainstream individuals who will respect the institutional norms and practices that Director Chopra and Director Gruenberg have willfully chosen to ignore.\u201d\n\nTo read the senators\u2019 full letter to President Biden, click here.\n\nBACKGROUND\n\nOn Monday, Senator Scott separately urged Director Chopra and Director Gruenberg to cease and desist their efforts to supersede Chairman McWilliams\u2019 powers and responsibilities as the Senate-confirmed leader of the FDIC.\n\nIn his letter, Senator Scott emphasized that Director Chopra and Director Gruenberg\u2019s unprecedented and illegitimate actions to politicize the independent and historically apolitical practice of federal bank regulation are in direct conflict with their job as Board members to uphold the FDIC\u2019s mission of maintaining \u201cstability and public confidence in the nation\u2019s financial system.\u201d\n\nTo read Senator Scott\u2019s full letter to CFPB Director Chopra and FDIC Director Gruenberg,click here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/senators-scott-and-hassan-introduce-bill-to-expand-educator-tax-deduction/", "Senators Scott and Hassan Introduce Bill to Expand Educator Tax Deduction", "2021-12-17", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Tim Scott", "S001184", "www.scott.senate.gov", "timscott", "https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/jsf/jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) introduced a bill to extend the educator Expense Tax Deduction to K-12 athletic coaches and administrators. This bill will amend the tax code to allow K-12 coaches to be classified as \u201celigible educators\u201d in order to be eligible for tax deductions for out-of-pocket expenses relating to instructional expenses.\n\n\u201cCoaches and athletic administrators are often integral to the success of students both in and out of the classroom,\u201d said Senator Tim Scott. \u201cIt is only right that we expand the tax code to ensure that they receive the same benefits as they continue to personally invest in the future of students across America.\u201d\n\n\u201cAthletic directors and coaches across New Hampshire play an important role in setting students up for success, including by fostering health and wellness and helping student-athletes get on the road to college,\u201d Senator Hassan said. \u201cIt is nonsensical that coaches are left out of getting tax cuts to help cover out-of-pocket costs for supplies when all other teachers have that option. I am glad to introduce this bill with Senator Scott that would include athletic directors and coaches in the group of educators who can get certain out-of-pocket expenses covered, and I urge my colleagues to join us in supporting this legislation.\u201c\n\nSeveral organizations have expressed support for this bill including Nike, Inc, adidas America, Inc, Sports and Fitness Industry Association, and the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA).\n\n\u201cWe thank Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) and Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) for this bill that directly offers a positive benefit to interscholastic athletic administrators,\u201d said NIAAA Executive Director Dr. Mike Blackburn. \u201cJust as the original 1986 IRS code allows deductions for out-of-pocket educator costs, this bill offers the same financial option to those in the profession of high school and middle school athletic administration and coaching. We appreciate our supportive members of the U. S. Congress, as well as our advocates, and NIAAA Board of Directors.\u201d\n\n\u201cInterscholastic athletics is an integral component of the education system. First and foremost, we are thankful for the actions of Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) and Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) for recognizing interscholastic athletic administrators and interscholastic athletic coaches as educators. The financial options of the tax bill is a welcomed addition and is very much appreciated,\u201dsaid NIAAA President Dr. Lisa L. Langston.\n\nBACKGROUND\n\nUnder current law, only \u201celigible educators\u201d are able to utilize the $250 tax credit for out-of-pocket related instructional expenses.\n\n\u201cEligible educator\u201d means, with respect to any taxable year, an individual who is a kindergarten through grade 12 teacher, instructor, counselor, principal, or aide in a school for at least 900 hours during a school year.\n\nAthletic administrators and coaches can be considered eligible educators and receive these tax deductions as they also provide critical instruction to students and often pay for their expenses out of their own pockets.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-and-murkowski-introduce-alaska-salmon-research-task-force-act", "Sullivan and Murkowski Introduce Alaska Salmon Research Task Force Act", "2021-12-17", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "AK", "Dan Sullivan", "S001198", "www.sullivan.senate.gov", "sullivan", "https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=36", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2014U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski (both R-Alaska) introduced the Alaska Salmon Research Task Force Act, legislation that would form a panel of Alaska\u2019s salmon stakeholders and research experts to study Pacific salmon trends and create a coordinated research strategy for Pacific salmon in Alaska to support salmon management. The Research Task Force would be directed to conduct a comprehensive review of Pacific salmon science relevant to understanding and managing salmon returns in Alaska, and publish a report, within one year of convening, to provide recommendations identifying knowledge and research gaps and further research priorities for salmon in Alaska.\n\n\u201cIt is difficult to overstate the importance of salmon to Alaska, our communities, our economy and our traditional way of life. Over the past several years, Alaskans in some parts of the state have witnessed strong, historic runs of salmon, while Alaskans in other regions have seen shocking and unprecedented declines,\u201d said Sen. Sullivan. \u201cOur existing management system, with the state\u2019s authority to manage Alaska\u2019s salmon harvest and the federal government managing federal fishery salmon harvest and much of the at-sea research, has created a clear gap in research and research prioritization that urgently needs to be addressed. This crisis warrants the combined attention of our state and federal governments, and the expertise of our greatest scientific minds, as well as the indigenous communities that have harvested salmon for millennia. With this legislation, we would establish a body to expand our understanding, identify knowledge gaps, and ultimately drive us toward concrete policies and management decisions that we hope will bring increased abundance and stability to our salmon stocks for the benefit of all Alaskans.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt has been said that the summer season doesn\u2019t arrive in Alaskan coastal and in-river communities until the salmon do. In some regions we are seeing not just a decline in salmon runs, but a crash that is damaging to not only the local economies but to the culture and spirit of the people in the region. It is clear we must further our understanding of salmon and their ecosystems in these times of rapid change. I am proud to join Senator Sullivan on the Alaska Salmon Research Taskforce Act as we seek to identify and bolster the necessary science to chart a path forward to ensure these critical species thrive,\u201d said Sen. Murkowski. \u201cI also continue to welcome feedback from affected community members and groups on how best to target research funding and craft policy to identify and mitigate the drivers of these declines and ensure the vitality of Alaska\u2019s salmon fisheries for future generations.\u201d\n\nThe Research Task Force would be composed of between 13 and 19 members, with the secretary of commerce appointing a representative from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, and the U.S. section of the Pacific Salmon Commission. The secretary would also appoint between two and five representatives from Alaska covering the wide array of state fisheries stakeholders, including subsistence, and commercial or recreational users. Lastly, the secretary would appoint five academic experts in salmon biology, management, and ecology, or marine research. The governor of Alaska would appoint one representative of the state.\n\nThe bill also directs the Research Task Force to establish a working group specifically focused on salmon returns in the AYK region of Western and Interior Alaska, where salmon return failures have had devastating impacts, and provides flexibility for the Research Task Force to establish other geographically-focused working groups.\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-honors-shari-daugherty-as-alaskan-of-the-week", "Sullivan Honors Shari Daugherty as \u201cAlaskan of the Week\u201d", "2021-12-17", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "AK", "Dan Sullivan", "S001198", "www.sullivan.senate.gov", "sullivan", "https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=36", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2014On the floor of the U.S. Senate yesterday, Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) recognized Shari Daugherty, of Homer, who founded \u201cShare the Spirit\u201d back in 1992, a community-driven nonprofit that provides all of the ingredients of a proper Christmas celebration\u2014including a full meal and presents\u2014for less-fortunate families and children. Daugherty is retiring from the program and from her job as a medical biller at South Peninsula Hospital this year, but will be handing on the reins for \u201cShare the Spirit\u201d to a new generation of leaders. Daugherty was recognized as part of Sen. Sullivan\u2019s series, \u201cAlaskan of the Week.\u201d\n\nTribute to Shari Daugherty\n\nMr. President, it is Thursday. The Senate is still very busy here. We have a lot of work to do, as we are all trying to get home for the holidays. And I thought it was still the appropriate time to come down and talk about somebody who is making our State such a great State, somebody who is contributing to the community, somebody who I refer to as our Alaskan of the Week.\n\nNow, we have been doing this for, gosh, going on almost 6 years, maybe 5 years. But it is always one of my favorite times of week, even when the speech is late. So I appreciate the majority leader and the Presiding Officer letting us stay open here for one more speech. And I know the pages--I mean, they love the Alaskan of the Week. So this is a little bit of a treat.\n\nBut I always start this speech with a little bit of an update on what is going on in Alaska. So right now, Utqiagvik, formerly known as Barrow--that is Point Barrow. That is the northern most community in North America. They haven't seen the sun in nearly a month. The sun went down, and it is not rising again until January 23. So they get a lot of darkness. There are 66 days of darkness. Great people up there. Wonderful people up there. I love it up there.\n\nWe have had some pretty significant cold spells already. That, for now, doesn't seem to be lifting. It was 40 below 0 in Fairbanks yesterday. In Anchorage, the high was 4 degrees above 0. Forty below is chilly. Tough people throughout the State. Four degrees above is pretty cold for Anchorage.\n\nBut everybody is excited because Christmas is right around the corner, and it is, of course, a great time to be in Alaska. We do have a place--I was just talking with the Presiding Officer and the majority leader. We have a great community in Interior Alaska called North Pole, AK. Santa actually lives there. We have a city council member in North Pole named Santa Claus, and a reindeer there.\n\nAnd, of course, I am like everybody else here, looking forward to getting home, going to Midnight Mass, eating my special Alaska seafood Newburg, having friends over, and family, of course. And I think we all know we are very fortunate. I, certainly, believe I am a very blessed man.\n\nAnd we are blessed in Alaska because of people like Shari Daugherty, who is our Alaskan of the Week. And so I want to talk a little bit about Shari because what she has done is literally the definition of the Christmas spirit.\n\nFor the last month, as she has done for the last 30 years, she has been working pretty much around the clock, volunteering her time for the nonprofit Share the Spirit. Share the Spirit--that is the nonprofit that Shari helped found in 1992--30 years.\n\nShare the Spirit's mission is to make sure that hundreds of less fortunate families in Homer, AK, her hometown, get all of the ingredients for a proper Christmas dinner and presents for the kids.\n\nShare the Spirit--it sounds pretty simple, but, as you can imagine, this is no easy task. And Shari would tell you that it involves so many others in Homer to make sure that the children in the community, who might not otherwise have anything under the tree, can experience the magic of Christmas that every child deserves.\n\nSo who is Shari, this great volunteer who has been doing incredible work in Homer? Originally from Chico, CA, Shari and her parents moved to Homer when she was in the 10th grade. Her father was a fisherman.\n\nAnd for those of you who have been to Homer or want to come to Homer, I will tell you, it is one of the most stunningly beautiful places in all of America--really, in all of the world. It is known as the ``Halibut Fishing Capital of the World.'' But anyone who goes there falls in love with Homer. It is surrounded by the glistening waters of Kachemak Bay, jagged mountains, glaciers, snowcapped volcanoes, and a great tight-knit community.\n\nAfter college at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, Shari moved around a little. But in 1991, she came back home with her daughter. She did so because she had family there in Homer. And even if she didn't, as she put it, she had a whole town full of family in Homer.\n\nNow, volunteering was in her blood. She said her mom stressed the importance of giving back to the community since she was a young girl. So she almost immediately joined the Emblem Club. That is the unofficial auxiliary of the Elks. And during one of their first meetings, it was announced that a Christian minister's group that every year provided food and presents for people in the community was actually going to disband.\n\nA meeting was called. The talking lasted for a very long time--at such volunteer meetings, that can happen, of course--until Shari finally cut in and said: Hey, guys, we are really burning daylight here. Here is what needs to happen: We need to form a committee, form a plan, form a nonprofit, and get busy--get busy.\n\nAnd as such things go, she and another woman, Norma Foust, were put in charge. And boy, did they make a difference. That year, with Christmas only weeks away, a nonprofit was formed and a fundraiser to organize with the help of a strong community. They put together 57 baskets of food: turkey, stuffing, potato, sugar, salt, eggs, celery, pie crusts, cards with recipes on them--all the fixings for a nice Christmas dinner. And then there were the presents for more than 100 children. There were 220 gifts that first year, 30 years ago.\n\nAnd the program has grown ever since. Hundreds of families each year are referred to Shari's program by social agencies, including food banks and anywhere people go for help. The information is passed on to Shari and the whole Share the Spirit team. Each family is identified by their needs: a family of three, say, with a 4-year-old girl who needs boots and would like a princess costume. They are then assigned a number that goes onto a Christmas decoration and put on one of the numerous trees posted by local businesses in Homer. Homer residents pick up a decoration and buy the presents. It is pretty well organized.\n\nAnd Shari and the volunteers then get busy organizing a huge spaghetti feed to raise the funds, and then they go shopping for the food.\n\nA few days before Christmas, the group stages the location, normally at the high school. The presents and the food baskets are then disbursed.\n\nAs I mentioned, Shari has done this for 30 years--30 years--and throughout the years, many stories and people stand out.\n\nThis is Alaska. So, of course, this was the year of the huge blizzard. Nobody could drive. So they enlisted a club of snow machine riders to deliver the presents and the food throughout the area.\n\nThere is the woman who now lives in Pennsylvania, who lived in Homer for a while, with a young child. That child, because of the group, was able to experience Christmas. And now, like clockwork, this woman sends a quarterly donation to Share the Spirit.\n\nYou see how the spirit is literally being shared all over the country: Alaska, Homer, Pennsylvania.\n\nThere are many people now adults, some with children of their own, who got help, who got presents because of Share the Spirit and are now regular volunteers. Shari knows of many people who got presents as children because of her group's efforts and decided to stay in Homer, have families of their own, and now help out at Share the Spirit. She said: They decided that this is where they were going to live. This is the town they are going to live in and to contribute to, because this is the place that took care of them when they were young and needed it.\n\nShari is retiring this year from both the program and from her job as a medical biller at South Peninsula Hospital. She will be leaving Share the Spirit in good hands, though: Kelly Glidden, who began volunteering as a sixth grader in 1993; John Adams, who started when he was 8 years old volunteering; and Emmy Olsem Drye, who has been involved in Share the Spirit since she was 3, and who is also Shari's daughter. They will take on the mantle of this great volunteer effort, focused on the Christmas spirit, that Shari started.\n\nAnd there are those who have been there since the beginning: DeeDee Shoultz and Fran Van Sandt.\n\nAnd then there is the great community of Homer--a community that takes care of its own.\n\nSo thank you, Shari, for all you have done throughout the years--three decades to keep the Christmas spirit alive. Thank you for making our State a much better place, a more generous place, a caring place for all, and touching the lives of so many, and especially for making sure that children in Homer and across Alaska--and really across America--experience the joy and the magic of Christmas. Congratulations, Shari, on being our Alaskan of the Week, and Merry Christmas.\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-recognizes-50th-anniversary-of-alaska-native-claims-settlement-act", "Sullivan Recognizes 50th Anniversary of Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act", "2021-12-17", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "AK", "Dan Sullivan", "S001198", "www.sullivan.senate.gov", "sullivan", "https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=36", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2014U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski (both R-Alaska) yesterday introduced S. Res. 482, a resolution recognizing the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) and the lasting impact of this landmark law on Alaska and Alaska Native people. ANCSA, the largest land claims settlement in U.S. history, transferred 44 million acres of federal land to 12 newly formed Regional Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) and more than 200 Village and Urban ANCs, fostering economic development through managing and developing the land for the benefit of their Alaska Native shareholders.\n\n\u201cIt is a story of self-determination and, in many ways, heroism, and it is a story for the ages,\u201d said Sen. Sullivan. \u201cI am honored to represent these wonderful people\u2014many of the leaders who are still alive who made this happen fifty years ago\u2014and their children and grandchildren. We have more work to do, but fifty years ago, on December 18, 1971, it was the start of a new, positive, innovative chapter in the history of Alaska.\u201d\n\nTranscript of remarks\n\nMr. President, today I introduced a resolution with Senator Murkowski celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act--ANCSA, as we call it back home in Alaska--which was an enormously consequential piece of legislation that, after years and years of debate right in this body, passed the House, then passed the U.S. Senate, and then was signed into law by President Nixon on December 18, 1971, almost exactly 50 years ago to this day. It was a great day for Alaska.\n\nI know Senator Murkowski was on the floor earlier talking about ANCSA and why it is so important and why in Alaska, right now, we have been celebrating 50 years of this important piece of legislation.\n\nI want to go back in time a little bit to help explain, because part of what Senator Murkowski and I do here is we are constantly talking about and educating our colleagues about this very unique legislation, which happened right here in the U.S. Senate.\n\nIf you go back in time to 1867, that is when the United States purchased Alaska from Russia. Within the agreement, there was acknowledgement of the Alaska Native people and their lands, but, still, almost 100 years after the purchase from Russia, even following statehood for Alaska, the claims settlement that the Native people had to their own lands was still in limbo.\n\nIt got a kick and a turbo charge when oil was discovered on Alaska's North Slope during a worldwide shortage, which created new urgency to develop Alaska for our resources but to do so by settling these land claims.\n\nThere were allies in the Federal Government who were helpful, but it was truly the Alaska Native people and their determination to themselves and to future generations and their resiliency and brilliance which led to the passage of ANCSA 50 years ago, which became the largest and, certainly, most innovative indigenous land settlement, certainly, in U.S. history, and it is no exaggeration to say probably in the world--44 million acres of land going to the Native people of my State.\n\nIt brought tremendous educational, social, political, economic, and cultural achievements for the Alaska Native people. It certainly wasn't perfect, but this body played a very important role.\n\nNow, there were obstacles, challenges. In fact, when you look back on the history over 50 years ago, it was kind of a classic David-and-Goliath story.\n\nLet me spend a few minutes going back in time to set the stage for what was happening in Alaska.\n\nIn 1954, the U.S. Department of the Interior did a health survey on the Native people of Alaska. Here is a quote from that survey: ``The indigenous people of Native Alaska are the victims of sickness, crippling conditions and premature death to a degree exceeded in very few parts of the world. . . . health problems are nearly out of hand. If . . . Americans could see for themselves the large numbers of the tuberculosis, the cripple, the blind . . . the malnourished, the desperately ill among [this] relatively small [Native] population,'' it would have a profound impact on them. And it did.\n\nEven in the face of these crippling conditions, the Alaska Native people joined hands, joined hearts and said: This is our land. We need rights to it.\n\nThey did this by coming together. In the mid-1960s, they formed the Alaska Federation of Natives--AFN, as we call it back home--an entity that is very important to our communities.\n\nOf course, the Native people in our State looked for potential allies. In the lower 48, they gave speeches. They wrote columns. They formed their own newspaper, The Tundra Times, edited by legendary Howard Rock, which was highly read throughout the State, celebrated throughout the globe, and had an enormous impact on bringing people together.\n\nA few years ago, my team and I combed through some of the hearings that led to ANCSA. It was many years in development. There were field hearings that took place in Alaska in 1968, 1969--3 years before the passage of ANCSA.\n\nIncredibly proud and determined first peoples from all over the State--Tlingit, Haida, Athabascan, Inupiat, Yupik, Aleut--travel to Anchorage, to Fairbanks to give their testimony in field hearings to U.S. Senators. Some of them had never even left their villages. Some of them didn't even speak English.\n\nMany were veterans--and I am going to talk briefly about that. Dozens and dozens of young men and women, old men and women, all of them testifying before U.S. Senators and Congressmen, telling their stories of how they lived off the land and the rights that they needed for thousands of years on the land.\n\nThey told stories of strong and resilient people who had been able to thrive in some of the harshest conditions in the planet. But as I mentioned earlier, they also told stories of health challenges.\n\nThe first AFN president, Emil Notti, who is still a great leader in Alaska, then only 36 years old, spoke with passion at these hearings and heartbreak about the conditions in rural Alaska.\n\nHe said to a group of Senators in a hearing:\n\nThe indigenous people of Native Alaska are the victims of sickness, crippling conditions and premature death to a degree exceeded in very few parts of the world.\n\nHe told the committee then that life expectancy for the average Native Alaskan was 34 years old. This is in the late 1960s. The average life expectancy in the United States at that time was 69--34 years old to 69.\n\nMany spoke of how much they had sacrificed for their country. And this is an issue I never tire of talking about. Alaska Natives serve at higher rates in the U.S. military than any other ethnic group in the country. So they are fighting for their country in World War II and Korea and Vietnam, and they are coming home and they are being denied fundamental rights themselves.\n\nHere is what Jerome Trigg, a leader and a marine from Nome, had to tell U.S. Senators who were in Alaska. His testimony was said to have brought tears to the eyes of many. He looked at the U.S. Senators and said this: We have showed our patriotism as proudly as any Americans on Earth. We have answered the call of duty with pride in serving in our military. In World War II, we answered the call 100 percent. Every man--old and young--in every village volunteered with the Alaska National Guard.\n\nOn Vietnam, which was raging at the time, he said: I have never heard of an Alaska Native burning their draft card or our Nation's flag. We love our land, and we will sacrifice and fight to protect it.\n\nHe concluded with this thought, which I love: ``Sometimes I think the wrong people are running this hearing and taking our testimony,'' he said to the Senators. ``It seems that [maybe] we should be on the bench and you people should be . . . giving [us] the testimony.''\n\nI love that--strong words from Marine Jerome Trigg, who had a very important point to make.\n\nSo many in our communities testified in front of Congress. One happened to be a beautiful, young Alaska Native woman in her thirties from the village of Rampart named Mary Jane Fate, who not only worked on this but came to Washington, DC, to lobby U.S. Senators to pass ANCSA. I had the very great privilege of being the son-in-law of that great Native woman who, unfortunately, passed away recently. That was my mother-in-law, Mary Jane Fate, who came to this body and made sure Senators understood what was happening in Alaska and got them to vote for ANCSA 50 years ago.\n\nSo here is what it did in a nutshell. As I mentioned, it was the largest indigenous land settlement in the history of the country: 44 million acres of land, almost a billion dollars from the State and Federal Government to transfer land in fee simple--not the reservation system like you have in the lower 48, which was a huge innovation at the time. They own this land. It is theirs. It is not held in trust by the United States like it is in the lower 48 on Indian reservations.\n\nCongress mandated the creation of for-profit Alaska Native corporations solely owned by Alaska Native shareholders. Twelve of these regional corporations and 200 village ANCs were created by the Congress. Sometimes people talk about ANCs as if they were some foreign entity. They were actually created right here 50 years ago.\n\nWhat did all of this do? It provided economic opportunity. These were not typical entities, but they were more than just corporations. They were kind of a combination: social, cultural, economic. They passed on the values to the different shareholders.\n\nOne of the great things about ANCSA was that it required, actually, the sharing of revenues. Some of these regional corporations did very well; others didn't. There were provisions early on that said, if these corporations are doing great and these aren't, there is going to be some sharing. It was called the 7(i) provision. These provisions have been critical to the survival of ANCs, which regional ANCs at times, as I mentioned, were receiving more revenue than others.\n\nSo that day 50 years ago--December 18, 1971--was really an important day for our State. How has it worked out? It has worked out well, but, of course, we always have more work to do.\n\nOver the last 50 years, the Alaska Native people have managed their lands to foster sustainable businesses, created employment opportunities for all people--Native and non-Native--in Alaska, across the country, and across the globe. They have become the heart and soul of our economy in Alaska, employing thousands of both Alaska Native and non-Native people.\n\nAnd they have prospered with their own initiative and with innovative approaches to fostering economic development through self-determination. And beyond the economic benefits, these ANCs, these groupings, these shareholders in these Alaska Native entities created right here on this floor, provided benefits in terms of culture, language revitalization, scholarships, burials, funeral assistance, and an enormous focus on education. Over 54,000 individual scholarships were given to younger Alaska Native people.\n\nAnd, importantly, this law, passed by this body, gave the Native people the opportunity to thrive; to continue to live on their land, practice their culture, create leaders throughout the State. In what was once one of the most impoverished places in the country are now, in many areas, strong, dynamic--health, education, housing, food security, and sanitation have all improved immensely.\n\nWe have a long way to go. There is still a lot of misunderstanding. In Alaska, you have Tribes, Tribal members, you have ANCs, and shareholders. These are the Native people. You have crossover. And sometimes there is a misunderstanding.\n\nFor example, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act specifically excluded tens of thousands of Alaska Natives because they were members of an organization that Congress created. My own view was that was outrageous.\n\nSo that is why we need to keep educating our colleagues here. But overall, this was a story of success, of resilience, of what can happen when you allow people to take charge of their own destiny. It is a story of self-determination and, in many ways, heroism, and it is a story for the ages.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=EC68FBA6-2836-4DFB-92F8-FA79B970F99C", "Graham Pushes For Senate Hearing On Rising Crime Rates", "2021-12-16", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Lindsey Graham", "G000359", "www.lgraham.senate.gov", "graham", "https://www.lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) wrote to the Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman to call for a hearing on the drastic rise in violent crime in the United States. The letter was signed by all Republican members of the committee.\n\n\u201cAs you know, reducing violent crime is a topic about which many members of the committee are deeply passionate,\u201d wrote the senators. \u201cBeginning in the summer of 2020, the country has experienced a sustained and unprecedented 30% increase in murders. This spike has correlated with a move toward depolicing, after the eruption of over 500 riots nationally.\u201d\n\nWhile the Trump Administration took steps to combat violent crime, the senators noted that the Biden Administration\u2019s plan is more focused on targeting lawful firearm owners.\n\n\u201cIn June of 2021, the Biden Administration unveiled its own strategy to reduce violent crime,\u201d wrote the senators. \u201cWe were troubled to see how much of the President\u2019s strategy focuses on lawful gun acquisition and lawful gun owners. For example, one of the tenets of the President\u2019s plan is finding ways to sue legal gun manufacturers, an initiative that would do much to interfere with Americans\u2019 access to guns but nothing to target murders or reduce crime\u2026Legally owned firearms play an important role in allowing Americans to protect themselves during a violent crime surge. A 2013 CDC-commissioned study found that as many as millions of people a year defend themselves with a firearm.\u201d\n\nThe senators wrote to Chairman Durbin following a field hearing on reducing violent crime in Durbin\u2019s hometown of Chicago that Judiciary Committee Republicans were blocked from participating in virtually. The senators noted that a spike in violent crime has impacted cities across the nation and a national focus on the issue is of great importance.\n\n\u201cWe therefore request that you hold a full committee hearing in Washington, D.C. on the spike in murders and the challenges that law enforcement is facing. Ineffective bail policies, cumbersome restraints on police officers, and the impact of the \u201cprogressive prosecutor\u201d movement are exacerbating this surge,\u201d wrote the senators.\n\nThe full text of the letter is below.\n\nDear Chairman Durbin:\n\nYesterday you held a hearing entitled, \u201cCombating Gun Trafficking and Reducing Violence in Chicago\u201d at the Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse in Chicago, Illinois.\n\nAs you know, reducing violent crime is a topic about which many members of the committee are deeply passionate. Beginning in the summer of 2020, the country has experienced a sustained and unprecedented 30% increase in murders.[1] This spike has correlated with a move toward depolicing,[2] after the eruption of over 500 riots nationally.[3] Former Attorney General Bill Barr responded with Operation Legend, an initiative in which federal law enforcement agencies worked in conjunction with state and local law enforcement officials to fight violent crime. By the end of 2020, the initiative had yielded 467 homicide arrests and seized thousands of firearms and kilos of drugs.[4]\n\nIn June of 2021, the Biden Administration unveiled its own strategy to reduce violent crime.[5] We were troubled to see how much of the President\u2019s strategy focuses on lawful gun acquisition and lawful gun owners. For example, one of the tenets of the President\u2019s plan is finding ways to sue legal gun manufacturers, an initiative that would do much to interfere with Americans\u2019 access to guns but nothing to target murders or reduce crime. A 2019 study by DOJ found that few firearms used in crime are acquired from firearm dealers, about 7%, compared to 56% who stole a firearm or bought it in a black market.[6] Legally owned firearms play an important role in allowing Americans to protect themselves during a violent crime surge. A 2013 CDC-commissioned study found that as many as millions of people a year defend themselves with a firearm.[7]\n\nWe understand that the hearing included witnesses who could answer questions about the President\u2019s plan and the challenges of countering this increase in crime. Although the hearing occurred in Chicago, the Chairman\u2019s hometown, travel to Chicago would have been difficult for the other members of the committee during the last few weeks of the work period. Accordingly, we previously requested that you make virtual or telephone questioning available. That request was denied.\n\nWe therefore request that you hold a full committee hearing in Washington, D.C. on the spike in murders and the challenges that law enforcement is facing. Ineffective bail policies, cumbersome restraints on police officers, and the impact of the \u201cprogressive prosecutor\u201d movement are exacerbating this surge. While it would have been helpful to explore the effects of these factors on crime in Chicago, given the many other cities that are impacted by the crime surge, we believe it would be even more useful if we could explore these problems on a national scale with the full committee.\n\nThank you for your attention to this request.\n\n#####", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=4297A267-3E1E-4C68-BEC7-D2FFC98CE74A", "McConnell Helps Secure $40 Million in Annual Funding for Kentucky Airports Over Five Years", "2021-12-16", "2021", "2021-12", "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. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced today the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will distribute $40 million annually to fifty-one Kentucky airports over the next five years. These funds are made available through the Airport Infrastructure Grants program, which was established in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act earlier this year.\n\nSenator McConnell supported the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and helped it pass the Senate this year. In total, the bipartisan bill allocated $25 billion to our nation\u2019s airports, more of which will be distributed to Kentucky in the coming months. The funding announced today was allocated through a formula described in the legislation.\n\n\u201cKentucky\u2019s airports don\u2019t just connect our citizens to the rest of the country and the world; they also form a critical part of America\u2019s supply chain. It is more important than ever that our airports have the funds needed to operate effectively,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cI supported the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act earlier this year because of programs like this, which will help overhaul Kentucky\u2019s transportation systems and revive our decaying roads, bridges, tunnels, railways, and river ports. This is just the kind of program Kentucky needs to compete in the 21st-century global economy.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe appreciate the support of Senator McConnell for the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport,\u201d said Dan Mann, Executive Director of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority. \u201cThis funding will go a long way in supporting the continued improvements at SDF including our $400 million terminal modernization program and on-going sustainability initiatives such as our geothermal project to reduce our carbon footprint. These improvements allow us to provide a better, more accessible experience for the traveling public and support the needs of our airline partners while maintaining SDF as a crucial link in the nation\u2019s aerospace system.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am grateful for the hard work of Leader McConnell and many in Washington over these last several months to get the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act across the finish line. CVG will put more than $13 million per year to good use to lead the Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati region\u2019s economy out of the pandemic, focusing on capital investments that will support good-paying jobs and improved passenger services,\u201d said Candace McGraw, CEO of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG).", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=515E8CB4-DE74-4F36-ACFB-2235A323E76F", "Americans\u2019 Christmas Wish: Stop the Reckless, Inflationary Far-Left Spending", "2021-12-16", "2021", "2021-12", "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. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding Democrats\u2019 reckless tax and spending spree:\n\n\u201cTwo in three Americans want the federal government to \u2018cut back on spending and printing money.\u2019\n\n\u201cBut our Democratic colleagues spent the last several months trying as hard as possible to do the opposite.\n\n\u201cWashington Democrats have spent months trying to borrow, print, and spend trillions more dollars, right into the teeth of the worst inflation in almost 40 years.\n\n\u201cThey\u2019ve sought to turn their monthly welfare entitlement with no work requirements from a temporary COVID measure into a permanent policy. Cash welfare with no work requirements, forever.\n\n\u201c76 percent of Americans say these handouts haven\u2019t helped their families at all, yet Democrats want to dump in many billions more.\n\n\u201cJust step back and look at all the ways their left-wing wish list could hurt a young family in middle America.\n\n\u201cFirst, they\u2019d need to cross their fingers that the private or employer-sponsored insurance they chose to meet their family\u2019s specific needs isn\u2019t shoved off a cliff in Democrats\u2019 latest lurch toward more socialized medicine.\n\n\u201cAnd they\u2019ll have to hope their war on the medical innovation sector doesn\u2019t prevent the development of lifesaving cures their family might have relied on some years down the road.\n\n\u201cSay the family\u2019s got one or two young kids. Maybe their ideal arrangement is church-based daycare. They\u2019d need to say a prayer their faith-based center isn\u2019t sued and chased out of business thanks to Washington Democrats\u2019 toddler takeover.\n\n\u201cTheir plan would give nothing to full-time parents, grandparent caregivers, nanny-shares, or neighborhood co-ops. It would push faith-based providers out of the public square by design. And it could inflate daycare costs by about $12,000 or $13,000 per child per year.\n\n\u201cIf Democrats get their way, let\u2019s hope neither parent is one of the many Americans who work in our domestic energy sector. Our colleagues\u2019 bill has a huge pile of new red tape aimed at putting their industry out of business. But no matter where they work, they\u2019ll face inflated prices to heat their homes and fill up at the gas pump.\n\n\u201cFor all these bad ideas and many more, our colleagues wanted to spend trillions upon trillions more dollars right into the teeth of runaway inflation they have already caused.\n\n\u201cYesterday, we got indications the far left\u2019s slapdash sprint may be hitting the pause button.\n\n\u201cThat would be great news for the American people.\n\n\u201cThe best Christmas gift Washington could give working families would be putting this bad bill on ice.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=E2180E9A-3CEC-442A-A810-1089BBD7D963", "Denied $4.9T Spending Spree, Democrats Call for Breaking the Senate and Packing the Court", "2021-12-16", "2021", "2021-12", "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. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding governing institutions:\n\n\u201cAs cracks keep forming in the Democrats\u2019 reckless taxing and spending spree, some of our colleagues seemed to channel their frustration into even more radical attempts to attack our governing institutions.\n\n\u201cIn the span of a few hours, one Senate Democrat had renewed calls to \u2018nuke\u2019 the Senate and break the rules, and another published a national op-ed arguing that Democrats should attack the rule of law and pack the Supreme Court.\n\n\u201cTwo frontal assaults on two branches of government, proposed in the space of about two hours!\n\n\u201cEntire generations of statesmen would have seen either one of those unhinged proposals as Armageddon for our institutions. Apparently, today\u2019s Democrats try both at once and just call it Wednesday!\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve heard false claims that the Senate obeying our rules to address the debt limit somehow paves the way for radicals to break the rules.\n\n\u201cAnd Madam President, I\u2019d ask consent that an additional statement on that subject appear at a different place in the record.\n\n\u201cSo, look \u2014 we have discussed over and over again why Democrats will not be allowed to federalize our elections and lord over all 50 states like a self-appointed board of elections on steroids.\n\n\u201cMy colleagues across the aisle have pushed absurd bills that would do things like neuter Voter I.D. laws\u2026 make every state legalize ballot harvesting\u2026 turn the Federal Election Commission into a biased, partisan body\u2026 and even send taxpayer money to political campaigns.\n\n\u201cIt isn\u2019t about quote-unquote \u2018voting rights.\u2019 It\u2019s a naked power grab.\n\n\u201cDemocrats have been pushing the same kinds of bills for years, even as their stated justifications have changed wildly. When Republicans win elections or start polling well, Democrats and the media say our democracy badly broken, on death\u2019s door and needs a radical overhaul. The answers presented are these policies.\n\n\u201cWhen Democrats win elections, Democrats and the media say our democracy is sterling, beyond reproach, and just needs some modest safeguards to protect the status quo. But again, the answers presented are these policies.\n\n\u201cLately, their pretext has been demagogic attacks on reasonable state voting laws and proposals. If any state scraps any of the temporary pandemic procedures that Democrat operatives favor, the radical left says the sky is falling.\n\n\u201cBut outside the liberal bubble, nobody buys this nonsense. The country is not buying the hysteria. On Election Day last month, even in deep blue New York, voters rejected liberal ballot measures that would have liberalized no-excuse absentee voting and loosened up the rules on voter registration.\n\n\u201cNot even blue New York wants these policies to weaken their elections. But some Democrats want to break the Senate and trash its rules to force these sorts of things on all 50 states?\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s beyond absurd.\n\n\u201cI understand my colleagues are frustrated they may not get to spend $4.9 trillion on their way out the door for Christmas. But believe me, lashing out at our democracy, at the Supreme Court, and at the Senate itself is not going to solve anything.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=F1A27B4D-CE25-4F0D-AA23-05BECBA22B13", "McConnell Updates Senate on Kentucky Tornado Recovery", "2021-12-16", "2021", "2021-12", "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. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the tornadoes in Western Kentucky:\n\n\u201cWestern Kentucky is still reeling from last weekend\u2019s devastating storm. But support is rolling in from around the Commonwealth, our region, and the country.\n\n\u201cYesterday I spoke with the CEO of LifePoint Health. They operate ten hospitals in Kentucky including one in hard-hit Mayfield.\n\n\u201cMiraculously, their Jackson Purchase Medical Center survived the tornado mostly intact. Now, it is offering much-needed medical services.\n\n\u201cNurses and doctors have worked day and night.\n\n\u201cLifePoint Health shipped water tankers to their facility to bolster local supply. And the company has pledged $1 million to help Kentucky rebuild.\n\n\u201cAcross our region, individuals and companies are opening their hearts, homes, and wallets to help.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve received important assistance from here in Washington as well.\n\n\u201cYesterday, the President announced the federal government will fund the entire cost of debris removal and emergency protective measures in the eight counties hardest hit by this storm for the next month. Local officials won\u2019t need to worry about overstretched budgets. They can just focus on rebuilding.\n\n\u201cMy team and I are working hard to continue connecting Kentuckians with the resources they need.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve set up a portal on my Senate office website to help my constituents access government assistance. It has a full list of services provided by our disaster response agencies.\n\n\u201cBecause of the federal government\u2019s swift action in the past week, victims of these tornadoes can access housing assistance, legal aid, crisis counseling, and more. I recommend every impacted Kentuckian take advantage of these resources. My office is here to help you navigate.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll travel back to Kentucky tomorrow to visit several of the communities that were hit hardest and meet with local leaders who are spearheading recovery efforts.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll listen to their concerns and bring their stories back to Washington to ensure they get the help they need.\n\n\u201cThe scene on the ground in Western Kentucky is still devastating and discouraging. For far too many families, this Christmas will be tragically abnormal.\n\n\u201cBut we will continue to work together to provide Kentucky with the resources it needs to recover, bigger and better than before.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/act-for-als-act-unanimously-passes-senate-heads-to-president-biden-for-his-signature", "ACT for ALS Act Unanimously Passes Senate, Heads to President Biden for His Signature", "2021-12-16", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "AK", "Lisa Murkowski", "M001153", "www.murkowski.senate.gov", "murkowski", "https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=39", "scraper", "Following passage in the House, the Senate unanimously passes landmark investigational therapy bill for ALS patients\n\nToday, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies (ACT) for ALS Act, legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and U.S. Representatives Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.). The bipartisan, bicameral bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week. The ACT for ALS Act would fund essential research into fast-progressing rare neurodegenerative and terminal diseases, like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and early access to promising investigational therapies for patients suffering from them and would authorize $100 million annually to implement these priorities.\n\nALS affects 1 in 300 people, often leaving patients with no more than three years to live following their diagnosis, and disproportionately impacts U.S. military service members. ACT for ALS authorizes new grants to support expanded access and research programs. This expansion will bring investigational treatments for rapidly progressing diseases beyond their ongoing clinical trials to patients with diseases for which effective therapies don\u2019t already exist and allow for additional research into the effectiveness of those interventions. It also creates a new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Rare Neurodegenerative Disease Grant Program to support other research and development on ALS and other life-threatening or severely debilitating neurodegenerative diseases.\n\n\u201cTonight, because of the tireless work of so many ALS advocates, the Senate unanimously passed the ACT for ALS Act and sent it to President Biden\u2019s desk,\u201d said Senator Coons. \u201cThanks to this legislation and the crucial research into ALS it will fund, countless Americans and their families who face down this cruel disease every day can go to sleep tonight with a renewed sense of hope. I am grateful to Senator Murkowski and Representatives Quigley and Fortenberry for their partnership on this landmark bill.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis is all about hope. The ACT for ALS Act will make a meaningful difference for individuals and families across the country. Passage of this bill today is a hard-earned win for the ALS community and provides much-deserved hope to all who are affected by this disease,\u201d said Senator Murkowski. \u201cAs someone whose family has been impacted by ALS, I know how terrible this disease is and how tirelessly the ALS community continues to fight for legislation to improve treatments and quality of life and search for a cure. This bill now heading to the President\u2019s desk is huge step forward. It will offer new hope for those who are most in need, those who today\u2014tragically\u2014have very few options for treatment.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am thrilled that the Senate has passed ACT for ALS and officially cleared the way for this life-saving, transformative legislation to be signed into law. For too long, the diagnosis of a neurodegenerative disease like ALS has been a death sentence that included the devastating hopelessness of no effective treatment options. ACT for ALS will finally help people living with this cruel disease access promising treatments and create the research infrastructure that could put a cure within reach,\u201d said Representative Quigley. \u201cI am deeply grateful for the hard work and dedication of the Senate co-leads Senators Chris Coons and Lisa Murkowski and of my House co-lead Congressman Fortenberry. But, above all, I am grateful for the tireless advocacy of an entire community who has made the dream of this accomplishment a reality.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn a true Christmas miracle, tonight the U.S. Senate gave real hope to those suffering from the cruel, merciless disease of ALS. For over 50 years and over 50 clinical trials, ALS patients have submitted themselves to tests and trials, therapies and placebos, in accordance with the rules of the current health care policy framework. But progress has been uneven, even debatable, with serious impediments to promising new treatments. Many ALS patients have sacrificed their lives to science, as they gradually weakened and died. Tonight, this Congress advanced a new way,\u201d said Representative Fortenberry. \u201cACT for ALS represents a monumental shift for those suffering from ALS and other neurodegenerative conditions. The bill does two main things: it transforms the paradigm of disease research and regulation and creates a new pathway to promising new treatments. It drives the hope. With this transformative piece of public policy, we can break through faster for those who have suffered so much. I am deeply grateful to Representative Quigley and Senators Coons and Murkowski for their partnership on this groundbreaking legislation.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor one hundred and sixty years, there has been no hope for those diagnosed with ALS. That changed tonight. Tonight, as a result of tens of thousands of ALS advocates working nonstop to make their voices heard and demanding the chance to live, hope has finally come to people living with ALS,\u201d said Brian Wallach, co-founder of I AM ALS. \u201cThanks to the relentless work of Senators Coons and Murkowski as well as Representatives Quigley and Fortenberry, ACT for ALS has now passed both the House and the Senate and is on its way to President Biden. This moment was supposed to be impossible. The ALS community, however, refused to give up. So today, we celebrate the impossible becoming real and a new chapter for the fight against ALS.\u201d\n\n\u201cACT for ALS will directly impact the lives of people with ALS by providing expanded access to investigational drugs and funding new research at FDA to find treatments and cures that are urgently needed. Thank you to people with ALS and their families, ALS advocates, and to Congress for passing this historic bill,\u201d said Calaneet Balas, President and CEO, The ALS Association.\n\n\u201cThe Muscular Dystrophy Association is incredibly grateful for our champions, Senators Coons and Murkowski as well as Congressmen Quigley and Fortenberry, for every Senator who prioritized the ALS and rare neurodegenerative disease communities by passing the ACT for ALS tonight, and for all patient advocates who spent countless hours pushing for this bill,\u201d said Paul Melmeyer, Vice President of Public Policy and Advocacy at MDA. \u201cWith tonight\u2019s vote, this legislation, which could substantially increase access to promising therapies and advance drug development in rare neurodegenerative diseases, needs only President Biden\u2019s signature to make this a reality.\u201d\n\nRelated Issues: Health", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/feinstein-ernst-durbin-murkowski-agree-on-bipartisan-framework-to-modernize-reauthorize-violence-against-women-act", "Feinstein, Ernst, Durbin, Murkowski Agree on Bipartisan Framework to Modernize, Reauthorize Violence Against Women Act", "2021-12-16", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "AK", "Lisa Murkowski", "M001153", "www.murkowski.senate.gov", "murkowski", "https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=40", "scraper", "Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today released the following joint statement after reaching an agreement on a bipartisan framework to modernize and reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act:\n\n\u201cAfter nearly three years of negotiations, we have reached an agreement on a bipartisan framework to strengthen, modernize and reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. This important legislation will help prevent violence, support survivors and hold perpetrators accountable for their violent actions.\n\n\u201cWe are committed to introducing a bipartisan, modernized VAWA reauthorization next month. Every day that goes by without action puts lives at risk, and we will work tirelessly to ensure that this framework becomes law as soon as possible.\u201d\n\nThe framework includes the following provisions:\n\nStrengthens rape prevention and education efforts and services and protections for young survivors;\n\nExpands access to emergency housing support for survivors;\n\nExpands and authorizes programs to ensure that VAWA provides access to survivors in rural areas, survivors requiring culturally specific services, LGBT survivors and survivors who seek voluntary, community-based restorative practice services;\n\nProvides support for legal services funding and trauma-informed law enforcement responses;\n\nAligns the current law with VAWA\u2019s original intent by ensuring that individuals who are convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence against a dating partner are prohibited from possessing or purchasing firearms or ammunition (the provision would apply only to protective orders and convictions issued after the VAWA reauthorization\u2019s date of enactment);\n\nImproves the response to sexual violence, including through grants to promote the training of sexual assault forensic examiners; and\n\nBuilds on the 2013 reauthorization to expand special criminal jurisdiction by tribal courts to cover non-Native perpetrators of sexual assault, child abuse co-occurring with domestic violence, stalking, sex trafficking and assaults on tribal law enforcement officers on tribal lands. It also includes an Alaska pilot program which will empower a limited number of Tribes to exercise special criminal jurisdiction over certain crimes that occur in Alaska Native villages.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/murkowski-congratulates-conocophillips-on-gmt2-production", "Murkowski Congratulates ConocoPhillips On GMT2 Production", "2021-12-16", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "AK", "Lisa Murkowski", "M001153", "www.murkowski.senate.gov", "murkowski", "https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=39", "scraper", "Supported Permits for Now-Producing NPR-A Project\n\nU.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today applauded ConocoPhillips for achieving first oil production at its Greater Mooses Tooth #2 (GMT2) drill site, located in the northeast part of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A). The project received final approval from federal officials in late 2018.\n\n\u201cCongratulations to ConocoPhillips and their dedicated team for bringing more Alaska oil to market to help refill the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and create hundreds of well-paying jobs in our state. I greatly appreciate their continued commitment to, and investment in, Alaska,\u201d Senator Murkowski said. \u201cGMT2 again shows that Alaska has plenty of resources to responsibly develop, for the good of our nation and the world, even as we adhere to stringent environmental and labor standards. All we need is federal permission, and an administration that prefers Alaska over OPEC+.\u201d\n\nAt peak production GMT2 is estimated to yield approximately 30,000 barrels of oil per day. During the past three winter seasons, ConocoPhillips estimates the project created around 700 jobs, resulting in more than 600,000 direct construction manhours.\n\nMurkowski strongly supported approval of the GMT2 project beginning with ConocoPhillips\u2019 application for permits to drill in 2015. She worked with former Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and former Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Joe Balash to move the project forward. More information about GMT2\u2019s approval in 2018 is available here and here.\n\nThe NPR-A is administered by the federal Bureau of Land Management and covers more than 23 million acres on the western North Slope of Alaska\u2014an area roughly the size of Indiana. The area is specifically designated for oil and gas development and production, which will hopefully soon include ConocoPhillips\u2019 larger Willow project.\n\nRelated Issues: Energy", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/release/murkowski-defense-authorization-bill-will-bolster_alaska-national-security", "Murkowski: Defense Authorization Bill Will Bolster  Alaska, National Security", "2021-12-16", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "AK", "Lisa Murkowski", "M001153", "www.murkowski.senate.gov", "murkowski", "https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/press/press-releases?PageNum_rs=40", "scraper", "U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voted in favor of S. 1605, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22), helping it to pass the Senate by a bipartisan vote of 88-11.\n\nThis year\u2019s NDAA authorizes $768 billion for national defense, including $740 billion for the Department of Defense\u2019s (DOD) annual budget to ensure the Pentagon can compete and thrive amid strategic competition. The bill prioritizes military members and their families, training and readiness, strengthening defense technology, addressing high rates of suicide among the military community, and more. As in previous years, Senator Murkowski was able to prioritize Arctic security provisions.\n\n\u201cThe NDAA is one of the most critical pieces of legislation that Congress passes each year, ensuring our troops have the training, equipment, and resources needed to carry out their missions. This year\u2019s bill includes a well-deserved raise for our troops and prioritizes improving the lives of our servicemembers and their families. It will improve military healthcare, aid spouses\u2019 access to meaningful employment, and provide much-needed reform for military justice.\n\n\u201cWe provide resources to maintain a strong and robust global presence\u2014including for our force posture in the Indo-Pacific\u2014improve and increase readiness, and bolster the capabilities of our allies, such as Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, to counter the growing aggression of Iran, Russia, and China.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m pleased this bill supports my efforts to build out America\u2019s leadership as an Arctic nation. I thank Senator Sullivan and Congressman Young for their efforts to boost the defense budget and to help include provisions to create an Arctic Security Initiative, reduce suicides on rural, remote, and isolated installations, and authorize construction on a new National Guard Readiness Center,\u201d said Senator Murkowski.\n\nMurkowski pointed out the many provisions that she and the Alaska congressional delegation added to the FY22 NDAA.\n\n\u201cThis bill specifically helps troops in Alaska. It directly addresses Alaska\u2019s alarming suicide rate among servicemembers, authorizes funding for a new National Guard Readiness Center, and provides for upgraded cold weather clothing and equipment for our Arctic troops. In light of the recent announcement that Anchorage will be the home of the newly established Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies, we are codifying important technical changes for the center \u2013 including its name, location, and establishment \u2013 into law.\u201d\n\nMurkowski also spoke to the amendments she added to the bill, including several adopted during Senate floor debate.\n\n\u201cI was able to secure amendments to help align America\u2019s combat rescue aircraft acquisition strategy with our national defense strategy, taking into account the Indo-Pacific and Arctic regions; ensure all veterans have access to their rightfully earned burial benefits in National Cemeteries; and create an emissions tracking pilot program at certain military installations.\n\n\u201cThe final NDAA also authorizes long overdue and well-deserved Congressional Gold Medals for all surviving WWII Merchant Marine veterans. And, to continue assisting our Afghan partners, we authorize DOD to transport Special Immigrant Visa holders and other threatened Afghan partners out of Afghanistan.\u201d\n\nSummary of Alaska and Arctic Provisions\n\nArctic Region Assessment: Requires the Department of Defense to conduct an independent assessment of the Arctic Region and permits the Secretary of Defense to create an Arctic Security Initiative\u2014a bill led by Senator Sullivan and cosponsored by Senator Murkowski.\n\nCombat Rescue Aircraft: Includes an amendment authored by Senator Murkowski which requires the Secretary of the Air Force to submit a strategy to Congress for the acquisition of combat rescue aircraft, which meets the requirements laid out in the national defense strategy and the Air Force\u2019s Arctic Strategy.\n\nTed Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies: Codifies the center \u2013 its name, location, and establishment \u2013 into law. Senators Murkowski and Sullivan sponsored the initiative to create the Stevens Center in the FY21 NDAA, and through Murkowski\u2019s role as an appropriator, secured $10 million for the center in the FY21 appropriations package.\n\nPermafrost Research: Authorizes funding for completion of the Army Corps of Engineers Permafrost Tunnel, a facility vital to understanding a changing Arctic environment.\n\nSuicide Prevention: Authorizes funding for continued research on suicide prevention in rural, remote, and isolated areas such as Alaska in partnership with the Center for Alaska Native Health Research.\n\nMissile Defense: Authorizes the Missile Defense Agency to develop a highly reliable missile defense interceptor for the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system.\n\nArctic equipment: Authorizes full funding for unfunded Army ($4.43 billion) and Air Force ($4.2 billion) requirements, which include Army Cold Weather Gear.\n\nPolar RADAR: Authorizes an increase of $25 million for development of the polar Over-the-Horizon radar capability for Far North detection.\n\nNational Guard/Reserve Pay Parity: Requires parity in special and incentive pays for members of the reserve and active components helping the large demographic of National Guard and Reserve forces across Alaska.\n\nNational Guard Facility: Authorizes the Alaska National Guard to plan and design a new Readiness Center on JBER.\n\nSummary of National Provisions\n\nPay Raise: Ensures a 2.7 percent pay raise for both military servicemembers and the DOD civilian workforce.\n\nBasic Needs Allowance: Establishes a Basic Needs Allowance to ensure that all servicemembers can meet the basic needs of their families.\n\nParental Leave: Increases parental leave to 12 weeks for all servicemembers for the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.\n\nBereavement Leave: Creates a new category of bereavement leave for military personnel that would permit servicemembers to take up to two weeks of leave in connection with the death of a spouse of child.\n\nHealthcare: Makes much-needed improvements to military healthcare such as expanding the treatment of eating disorders and improving postpartum care; expands breast cancer research; and takes major steps to address the mental and behavioral health of our troops.\n\nMilitary Spouses: Prioritizes efforts to guarantee military spouses have access to meaningful employment and establishes a pilot program for direct hire authority to hire military spouses.\n\nMilitary Housing: Ensures military families have access to high-quality, affordable housing in all locations including OCONUS locations such as Alaska.\n\nCybersecurity: Protects against persistent cyberattacks by assessing and strengthening both offensive and defensive capabilities.\n\nMilitary Construction: Provides the largest investment in military construction in a decade including for ongoing and future projects in Alaska.\n\nNuclear Security: Enhances deterrence by recapitalizing and modernizing the U.S. nuclear triad and ensuring the safety, security and reliability of our nuclear stockpile, delivery systems, and infrastructure.\n\nAllies: Provides support for our allies and partners such as Israel, Taiwan, Ukraine, and Afghan civilians and translators who have supported U.S. counterterrorism efforts.\n\nChina: Enhances the Pacific Deterrence Initiative and the Indo-Pacific Maritime Security Initiative, hardens our defense industrial base and supply chains against threats posed by China, and requires the President to draft a grand strategy for China.\n\nVietnam War Veterans: Includes an amendment from Senator Murkowski which retroactively authorizes the burial of any American citizen or lawfully admitted alien that served honorably with a special guerilla unit or irregular forces in Laos during the Vietnam War.\n\nVaccines for Servicemembers: Provides for servicemembers who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine to receive an Honorable Discharge or a General Discharge under honorable conditions, thereby preserving more of their veterans\u2019 benefits.\n\nRelated Issues: Defense", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/hawaii-delegation-calls-on-congressional-leaders-for-immediate-and-ongoing-federal-funding-to-respond-to-red-hill-water-contamination-crisis", "Hawai\u2018i Delegation Calls On Congressional Leaders For Immediate And Ongoing Federal Funding To Respond To Red Hill Water Contamination Crisis", "2021-12-16", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Brian Schatz", "S001194", "www.schatz.senate.gov", "schatz", "https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai\u2018i) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai\u2018i) and U.S. Representatives Ed Case (D-Hawai\u2018i) and Kaiali\u2018i Kahele (D-Hawai\u2018i) today called on congressional leaders for their immediate assistance in securing federal funding to respond to the water contamination crisis at the Red Hill bulk fuel storage facility (RHBFSF).\n\n\u201cWe must bring the full power of Congress to bear on the Department of Defense (DoD) to ensure that it is spending every dollar it has available to address this emergency right now,\u201d the delegation wrote in their letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate and House Appropriations Committee Chairs. \u201cWe respectfully request your commitment to work with us to ensure that DoD senior leaders understand the gravity of the situation and commit whatever resources are required to identify, isolate, and remediate the source of the contamination; make impacted military and civilian families whole; and put in place water treatment and filtration to ensure the drinking water is safe for the public.\u201d\n\nThe delegation made clear that resolving the water contamination crisis will take significant resources and federal funding must be robust and ongoing, writing, \u201cWe know that there are long-term questions that we must resolve around the future of RHBFSF. Whatever the final analysis on RHBFSF\u2019s future, the immediate funding that Congress provides in the next available must-pass spending bill will ensure that we can deal with the future of the facility and its pipeline infrastructure in a responsible and safe manner, without any additional risks to public health or the environment.\u201d\n\nThe full text of the delegation letter can be found below and is available here.\n\nDear Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, and Chairs Leahy, DeLauro, Tester, McCollum, Heinrich and Wasserman Schultz:\n\nWe write to inform you of an ongoing emergency on the island of Oahu and request your immediate assistance to secure the federal funding necessary to prevent permanent damage to Oahu\u2019s federally designated sole-source groundwater aquifer. Since November 20, 2021, fuel from the World War II-era Red Hill bulk fuel storage facility (RHBFSF) has contaminated the Navy\u2019s water system that services the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Ford Island, Ewa Beach, and Aliamanu areas. This fuel leak has affected almost 100,000 residents, forcibly displaced more than 3,500 military families into temporary lodging, and sickened many with rashes, sore throats, stomach pain, headaches, diarrhea and vomiting, and oral chemical burns.\n\nIn the last twenty months, RHBFSF has experienced fuel leaks at an increasingly alarming rate. While the Navy has not identified the source of the most recent fuel contamination, two previous leaks provide some explanation. On May 6, 2021, approximately 1,618 gallons of jet fuel leaked from a distribution pipeline inside RHBFSF because of an operator error during the transfer of fuel. At the time, the Navy said that its catchment system collected all but 38 gallons of the fuel. However, the commander of Pacific Fleet has now called these facts into question and reopened the investigation to determine the total fuel that leaked and why the Navy could not accurately account for missing fuel. On November 20, 2021, the Navy reported another leak of approximately 14,000 gallons of a mix of water and fuel in RHBFSF\u2019s lower tunnel. That water-fuel mix released after an operator collided with a fire suppression line and ruptured it. The Navy has not explained how fuel got into the fire suppression line, including if it is fuel associated with the May 2021 release or some other leak. Regardless, the Hawai\u2018i Department of Health tested the water in the Navy\u2019s Red Hill shaft and well adjacent to the fuel facility, detected gasoline- and diesel-range hydrocarbons at levels up to 350 times what the state considers safe, and recommended that users stop using the water.\n\nImportantly, these recent fuel leaks follow a years-long effort by state and federal regulators to improve the safety of RHBFSF following a January 2014 leak when about 27,000 gallons of jet fuel leaked from a fuel tank. The Navy concluded that the cause of that specific leak was poor contractor performance during a routine tank repair. However, it also learned that the Navy ignored the alarm from its own leak monitoring system when it sounded. The 2014 accident and the leaks that followed are indicative of a Navy organizational culture at RHBFSF where safety and accountability are given inadequate attention\u2014a culture that persists today.\n\nWe recognize that this is an ongoing public health emergency, and the Navy will need to continue to work with state and local regulators to address this crisis. It must also communicate its long-term needs to Congress so that we can provide the federal funding to protect the people of Hawai\u2018i and our service members and their families from continued threats to the drinking water. Nevertheless, we request your immediate assistance to make available all appropriate federal resources in the short-term to address this emergency. Specifically, we ask the following:\n\nDemand the Department of Defense spare no expense to address the immediate crisis:\n\nWe must bring the full power of Congress to bear on the Department of Defense (DoD) to ensure that it is spending every dollar it has available to address this emergency right now. We are deeply concerned that despite this being a crisis of its own making, the Navy may be reluctant to spend the money required to meet the moment because of concerns about unknown future emergency needs or simply not wanting to own the long-term costs associated with this crisis.\n\nWe respectfully request your commitment to work with us to ensure that DoD senior leaders understand the gravity of the situation and commit whatever resources are required to identify, isolate, and remediate the source of the contamination; make impacted military and civilian families whole; and put in place water treatment and filtration to ensure the drinking water is safe for the public. Congress should assure the department that it will backfill its expenses in the next available funding bill so that it can continue to commit the serious resources needed to protect the people of Oahu from any continued public health threat, but DoD must act right away.\n\nFund future requirements as part of the next must-pass spending bill: We ask for your commitment that Congress will provide robust funding to support ongoing federal activities to improve safety and operations at RHBFSF. The next must-pass spending bill should provide the Navy, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Health and Human Services, and other federal agencies the resources they need to monitor, detect, and ultimately prevent future fuel leaks. While we will continue to work with federal, state, and local stakeholders to identify their precise needs, we see immediate funding requirements in three key areas:\n\nEnvironmental protection: Congress must provide funding to maintain a local lab that can regularly test water samples at the concentration level that is necessary to ensure the drinking water remains safe. This lab should also have the capability to rapidly test contaminated soil to accurately assess any level of contamination. While the Navy has started the process to establish this lab at the University of Hawai\u2018i, we need to ensure it is well resourced for the long term. We also need to provide funding to strengthen EPA\u2019s oversight of the Navy\u2019s management of RHBFSF. Because it is clear that the Navy has failed to manage RHBFSF to a standard that protects the health and safety of the people of Hawai\u2018i, the EPA should take on a more involved oversight role of the facility. It has the expertise and the public\u2019s trust in terms of safely managing underground fuel storage tanks, but it needs funding for this expanded oversight mission.\n\nInfrastructure improvements: Congress must provide funding to rapidly improve the safety of RHBFSF\u2019s pipeline system and other critical facility infrastructure. While the Navy has provided sustainment dollars to repair and modernize the fuel tanks and fire suppression system, the department has woefully underinvested in the pipelines that move fuel between the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam piers and the fuel farm. Portions of this decades-old pipeline system date back to the Second World War and are not managed in accordance with federal pipeline standards. We need a massive investment of sustainment funds to harden the facility\u2019s infrastructure against accidents that could happen in the short run even as we deal with the future of RHBFSF. We also need to install leak detection systems in the underground tunnel network; make other emergency repair actions to critical facility infrastructure; and bring the pipeline network into compliance with the standards set by other federal agencies to help guard against future fuel leaks.\n\nStudy future risks: Congress must fund an urgent, comprehensive investigation of the RHBFSF fuel system to map out the underground network used to transfer fuel from the refueling pier to the fuel tanks so we can identify other future vulnerable points within the system, even as we make improvements in the short term. The Navy currently uses 1940s schematics of the pipeline system to inform its understanding of the network, and it does not know the extent of the infrastructure or its vulnerabilities.\n\nWe also need an independent hydrology study and ground water flow mapping study that will give state and local regulators, and the Navy, better information about the immediate and long-term risks surrounding RHBFSF. The underground fuel tanks are 100 feet above the island of Oahu\u2019s federally designated sole source aquifer, the southern Oahu basal aquifer, which provides 20 percent of Oahu\u2019s drinking water. The Honolulu Board of Water Supply has warned that a catastrophic fuel leak could cause a long-term contamination of the aquifer and threaten public health. Part of that concern stems from the uncertainty around how any fuel leak, including a catastrophic one, would move within the volcanic rock underneath RHBFSF, including if it would migrate in unpredictable ways toward groundwater aquifers or other drinking water wells.\n\nThese short-term investments are critical to address the ongoing contamination of the Navy\u2019s drinking water system and to shore up RHBFSF to prevent future fuel leaks. We know that there are long-term questions that we must resolve around the future of RHBFSF. Whatever the final analysis on RHBFSF\u2019s future, the immediate funding that Congress provides in the next available must-pass spending bill will ensure that we can deal with the future of the facility and its pipeline infrastructure in a responsible and safe manner, without any additional risks to public health or the environment.\n\nThank you for your support of our request and your effort to ensure that the people of Hawai\u2018i have access to safe drinking water, now and into the future.\n\nSincerely,\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/key-committee-advances-schatz-hirono-bipartisan-legislation-to-protect-coral-reefs", "Key Committee Advances Schatz, Hirono Bipartisan Legislation To Protect Coral Reefs", "2021-12-16", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Brian Schatz", "S001194", "www.schatz.senate.gov", "schatz", "https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai\u2018i), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai\u2018i), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) applauded the Senate Committee on Commerce\u2019s unanimous passage of their Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 2021 (S. 46). First introduced in August 2019, the bill would reauthorize and modernize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, strengthen NOAA\u2019s Coral Reef program, and give new and innovative tools and resources to the non-federal partners who are closest to the crisis in American coral reefs: states, territories, and local communities. The bill unanimously passed the Senate in December 2020, but stalled in the U.S. House of Representatives at the end of the 116th Congress. The senators reintroduced the bill in January of this year.\n\n\u201cOur coral reefs have been pushed to the brink of extinction, and we need to act now to save them,\u201d said Senator Schatz. \u201cOur bill would put federal funding in the hands of states and territories to manage and restore the coral reefs that our communities, oceans, and coasts depend on.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo much of Hawai\u2018i\u2019s economy and culture rely on healthy coral ecosystems. With coral health declining due to outside pressures like pollution and climate change, our partners on the ground urgently need the tools provided by this bill to conserve and restore these important resources,\u201d said Senator Hirono. \u201cNow that the bill has passed out of the Senate Commerce Committee, I look forward to working with Senators Rubio, Schatz, and Scott to get this bill signed into law.\u201d\n\nThe Coral Reef Conservation Act, which expired more than 15 years ago, was designed to promote the conservation of our nation\u2019s reefs. In recent years, the decline in the nation\u2019s coral reefs has only become more severe. The Restoring Resilient Reefs Act directs federal funding and technical assistance to states for the restoration and management of coral reef ecosystems, while incentivizing increased state and local investment in coral reef management capacity. The bill encourages innovative public-private Coral Reef Stewardship Partnerships among agencies, research centers, and community stakeholders; codifies and updates the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force; ensures that our national coral strategy is informed by a robust local stakeholder engagement process; and allows for emergency grants for coral disasters, among other measures.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/after-visiting-rochesters-hickey-freeman-earlier-this-year-schumer-calls-agriculture-secretary-vilsack-directly-to-urge-the-usda-to-release-desperately-needed-pandemic-relief-payments-to-wool-trust-fund-recipients_would-provide-much-needed-boost-to-domestic-textile-manufacturers-like-hickey-freeman-and-support-recently-announced-100-job-expansion", "AFTER VISITING ROCHESTER\u2019S HICKEY FREEMAN EARLIER THIS YEAR, SCHUMER CALLS AGRICULTURE SECRETARY VILSACK DIRECTLY TO URGE THE USDA TO RELEASE DESPERATELY NEEDED PANDEMIC RELIEF PAYMENTS TO WOOL TRUST...", "2021-12-16", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Charles E. Schumer", "S000148", "www.schumer.senate.gov", "schumer", "https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "American Textile Factories, Like Hickey Freeman, Stepped Up During The Pandemic To Manufacture Critical PPE For Their Community While Facing Tremendous Economic Losses\n\nSchumer In Personal Call With Secretary Of Agriculture Says Pandemic Relief Payments To Wool Trust Fund Recipients, Like Hickey Freeman, Should Be Released ASAP To Get These Companies On The Road To Recovery\n\nSchumer: USDA Must Help Patch Up The Significant Losses Faced By Textile Industry, Give Hickey Freeman The Support They Need To Continue To Grow And Support 100 New Jobs\n\nFollowing his visit earlier this year to announce 100 new jobs after fighting for years to keep the Hickey Freeman factory in business, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer made a personal call to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary, Tom Vilsack, to urge the USDA to provide pandemic relief payments to domestic textile manufacturers like Hickey Freeman, which have sustained tremendous pandemic-induced losses. On the call, Schumer said Congress has already allocated funds under the CARES Act so the USDA would have the necessary resources to offer support to an array of business impacted by the pandemic and that the USDA can use this funding to aid the domestic textile industry, including companies like Hickey Freeman, as it recovers from the pandemic.\n\n\u201cCompanies like Hickey Freeman stepped up to help their communities in the pandemic while facing tremendous economic losses. That\u2019s why I called Agriculture Secretary Vilsack to urge him to use the funding in the CARES Act to provide desperately needed relief to domestic textile manufacturers like Hickey Freeman,\u201d said Senator Schumer. \u201cThis funding, in tandem with recent wins like my Make PPE In America Act in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, would provide critical support for the continued growth of this 122-year-old Rochester icon. I will continue to fight tooth and nail so that Hickey Freeman can fully recover and maintain their robust presence in Rochester.\u201d\n\nStephen Granovsky, CEO of Hickey Freeman parent company Rochester Tailored Clothing said, \u201cThe last 20 months have been a tremendously challenging time for our factory and employees. To restore our company to health and compete successfully, we appreciate the support of Senator Schumer, who has so many times before answered our call and worked tirelessly on our behalf. Hickey Freeman is once again leading our industry and we are forever thankful to the Senator.\u201d\n\nSchumer explained that companies like Hickey Freeman are recipients of the USDA\u2019s Wool Trust Fund which compensates the domestic suit industry for the competitive disadvantage that results from an unfair \u201ctariff inversion\u201d where the duty on the imported finished product is lower than the duty on the inputs used to make the product here at home. The program is essential to put companies like Hickey Freeman back on a level playing field with overseas suit competitors who import suits into the U.S. without ever having to pay the same wool duties as U.S. suit producers. Without the Wool Trust Fund, Hickey Freeman\u2019s overseas competitors would have an unfair leg-up while putting our own U.S. manufacturers like Hickey Freeman in the lurch for making suits in the USA.\n\nDuring the pandemic, however, the industry was hit hard by decreased consumer spending, cancelled formal events, and shifts in demand. Thus, Schumer said additional support beyond what the Trust Fund can provide is needed to protect the domestic market, allow companies to recover from the pandemic, and help businesses, like Hickey Freeman, expand and create new jobs.\n\nSchumer said the CARES Act included additional funds to the USDA\u2019s Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), which can be used to assist industries as they continues to recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic and that the USDA should use this funding to support the domestic textile industry, including companies like Hickey Freeman.\n\nSchumer has long fought to keep Hickey Freeman in business in Rochester. In 2009, when Hickey Freeman\u2019s parent company at the time, Hartmarx, declared bankruptcy, threatening a liquidation and closure of the Rochester factory, Schumer led the charge to save this factory. Schumer successfully urged Hartmarx\u2019s creditor, Wells Fargo, to continue providing Hartmarx with the credit they needed to continue manufacturing jobs in Rochester, saving hundreds of jobs. Ultimately, in 2012 Schumer helped save Hickey Freeman from bankruptcy, by shepherding a deal that allowed Grano Retail\u2019s Luxury Men\u2019s Apparel Group (LMAG), in partnership with Hickey Freeman Brand owner Authentic Brands Group (ABG) to take over the Hickey Freeman Rochester factory in 2013. In the time since, Schumer support helped LMAG and Hickey Freeman secure new contracts to manufacture suits for Dillard\u2019s Department Store as well as for Ralph Lauren\u2019s Blue Label line of Polo suits and sports jackets, and even for Hickey Freeman to help produce clothing for the 2016 Team USA Olympic Team.\n\nIn 2014, Schumer was instrumental to first secure legislation in that year\u2019s federal Farm Bill to extend the Wool Trust Fund\u2019s authorization for five years through 2019 and to secondly restore adequate trust fund payment levels to address several years when the Trust was underfunded. In December 2018, Schumer secured the provision in the Federal Farm Bill that fully funded the federal Wool Trust Fund program through 2023 which saves Hickey Freeman as much as $3 million a year in relief from unfair tariffs. The Wool Trust Fund was set to expire in 2019, and while the House of Representatives\u2019 version of the Farm Bill included a provision to extend the trust fund until 2023 it also called for the Fund to be cut by 50% which would have jeopardized the viability of Rochester\u2019s Hickey Freeman factory. Fortunately, Schumer secured a provision in the Senate\u2019s version of the Farm Bill and in the final bill that was signed into law in December 2018 that not only extended the Trust Fund program until 2023, but also fully funded it at 100%. As a result of these efforts, Hickey Freeman\u2019s Rochester factory is one of the few remaining US-based suit and apparel manufacturers.\n\nA copy of Schumer\u2019s letter to Secretary Vilsack sent earlier this year appears below:\n\nDear Secretary Vilsack,\n\nI am writing to ask that the U.S. Department of Agriculture provide additional support for domestic manufacturers of tailored clothing and wool and cotton textile products. These manufacturers and producers have faced incredible challenges over the past year and a half and I urge USDA to use its existing authority and funding through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) to assist this industry as it continues to recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic.\n\nAs you know, the Pima Agriculture Cotton and Agriculture Wool Apparel Manufacturers Trust Fund programs were established to support the domestic textile industry, including companies in New York State like Hickey Freeman Tailored Clothing and Martin Greenfield Clothiers, and level the playing field to ensure domestic manufacturers and their U.S. workforce could compete against foreign manufacturers. Past support from the Trust Funds has been invaluable to the domestic textile industry. However, during the pandemic the industry was hit hard by decreased consumer spending, cancelled formal events, and shifts in demand. Additional support beyond what the Trust Funds can provide is needed to protect the domestic market, allow companies to recover from the pandemic, and help businesses expand into new markets.\n\nI urge you to use a portion of the CCC funding to help fill this gap. The CCC can be used to expand or develop new domestic markets and increase domestic consumption of agricultural commodities. At the offset of the pandemic, Congress allocated additional funds for the CCC under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act so USDA would have the necessary resources to offer support to agricultural producers impacted by the pandemic. Using this funding to support the domestic textile industry as it recovers from the pandemic would be consistent with this goal.\n\nThe U.S. Department of Agriculture has both the authority and the funding to provide essential relief to this hard-hit industry. I ask that you seriously consider disbursing payments through the CCC to ensure domestic manufacturers and producers receive the support they need to recover from the devastating impacts of the pandemic by specifically making a payment in an amount equal to the greater of what the Trust Fund recipient companies received in 2019 or 2020.\n\nThank you for your attention to this important matter and if you have any questions please don\u2019t hesitate to contact my staff.\n\nSincerely,\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/schumer-gillibrand-announce-more-than-130-million-in-federal-funding-for-new-york-airports-", "SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE MORE THAN $130 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR NEW YORK AIRPORTS", "2021-12-16", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Charles E. Schumer", "S000148", "www.schumer.senate.gov", "schumer", "https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced $136,977,897 in federal funding for 59 airports across New York State. The FY22 funding was allocated through the recently enacted Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and can be used for improvements related to runways, taxiways, safety and sustainability projects, as well as terminal, airport-transit connections and roadway projects.\n\n\u201cAir travel was severely impacted during the pandemic, and this tremendous investment from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, which I championed in the Senate, will help New York\u2019s airports and local economies take off,\u201d said Senator Schumer. \u201cUpstate Airports connect businesses and residents and allow economic opportunities to cruise in. As majority leader, I am proud to land this significant funding for New York\u2019s airports and will continue to fight for the resources needed to fully recover and reach new heights.\u201d\n\n\u201cNew York\u2019s airports connect our state with the world, creating economic opportunity, facilitating tourism, and providing a safe and efficient travel experience,\u201d said Senator Gillibrand. \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019m proud to have voted for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to deliver this historic investment to over 50 airports across New York State. These funds will allow our airports to recover from the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic and meet the ever-increasing demand for air travel. I\u2019ll keep fighting for federal resources to bolster and modernize New York\u2019s infrastructure.\u201d\n\nA full list of recipients is below:", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/senator-scott-representative-norman-lead-effort-to-protect-faith-based-child-welfare-providers/", "Senator Scott, Representative Norman Lead Effort to Protect Faith-Based Child Welfare Providers", "2021-12-16", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Tim Scott", "S001184", "www.scott.senate.gov", "timscott", "https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/jsf/jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Representative Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) led a bicameral letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, condemning HHS\u2019s recent reversal of protections for faith-based adoption and foster care agencies.\n\n\u201cFor decades, faith-based child welfare agencies have provided safe and loving homes for our nation\u2019s children,\u201d said Senator Scott. \u201cRather than celebrating that work, Secretary Becerra and President Biden\u2019s recent steps will force many providers to choose between abandoning their religious beliefs or closing their doors. This is not only an attack on religious liberty\u2014it\u2019s also a disservice to the 400,000 children who depend on the work of these providers.\u201d\n\n\u201cFaith-based child welfare agencies are doing incredible work throughout our nation and here in South Carolina, and it is unconscionable that government bureaucrats would seek to roadblock their efforts. By withdrawing non-discrimination waivers and cutting out the Office for Civil Rights\u2019 authority to review religious freedom complaints, this appears to be a deliberate attempt by this Administration to devalue religious liberties, making them a mere footstool to elevate their far-left agenda. On behalf of countless faith-based agencies and the families they serve, I want to know exactly how HHS and Secretary Becerra have reached these alarming decisions, and what the Secretary intends to do to reaffirm and protect religious freedoms,\u201d said Representative Norman.\n\n\u201cWe find it disturbing that one day before it released its 2021 AFCARS report, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)\u2014with your express approval\u2014 announced the rescission of waivers that were previously granted to faith-based adoption and foster care agencies in Michigan, Texas, and South Carolina,\u201d the members of Congress wrote in their letter. \u201cAs you know, rescinding the waivers puts providers in these states in the untenable position of choosing between serving children under the Title IV-E foster care program or operating in accordance with the tenets of their faith \u2013 the same faith that drives them to serve children in the first place. HHS should be welcoming child welfare providers, not excluding them. Children are too important to be pawns in political games.\u201d\n\nBACKGROUND:\n\nOn November 18, HHS announced it was rescinding waivers previously issued to faith-based adoption and foster care agencies in South Carolina, Michigan, and Texas that allowed them to qualify for HHS grants while operating in accordance with their deeply-held religious beliefs. Additionally, the HHS announced it was moving to strip the Office for Civil Rights of its authority to enforce the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act and the religion clauses of the First Amendment.\n\nSenator Scott and Representative Norman\u2019s letter articulates that:\n\nFaith-based child welfare providers perform vital services for hundreds of thousands of children nationwide;\n\nThrough its actions, the Biden administration is placing ideology over the interests of the law, children, and faith-based partners who only want to continue serving their communities; and\n\nHHS must explain how it reached the decision to rescind previously-granted waivers and strip the Office for Civil Rights of its existing authority.\n\nCosigners on the letter are Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), James E. Risch (R-Idaho), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), and Todd Young (R-Ind.).\n\nRead the full letter here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-passes-sullivan-van-hollen-foreign-service-families-act", "Senate Passes Sullivan-Van Hollen \u201cForeign Service Families Act\u201d", "2021-12-16", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "AK", "Dan Sullivan", "S001198", "www.sullivan.senate.gov", "sullivan", "https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=36", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2014U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), co-founders of the bipartisan Senate Foreign Service Caucus, announced the passage of their Foreign Service Families Act yesterday as part of the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The legislation will help ensure that the Foreign Service is able to attract and retain a world-class diplomatic corps by providing expanded career options and services to eligible family members. For many of these family members, the process of finding employment isn\u2019t easy\u2014frequent moves, language barriers, and limited options pose significant challenges. The legislation will address those issues in order for the Foreign Service to continue to serve the best interests of Americans at home and abroad. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) are also original cosponsors of the Foreign Service Families Act.\n\n\u201cOur country relies on Foreign Service officers to engage with governments, businesses and individuals around the world, all with the aim of promoting America\u2019s interests, strengthening our national security, and assisting U.S. citizens,\u201d said Sen.Sullivan. \u201cTwo ways we can better support our Foreign Service officers is to prioritize their access to State Department opportunities at the conclusion of their service, and also expand private sector employment opportunities for the family members of officers where they serve. I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for moving us one step closer to providing that support and for recognizing the exemplary service of this crucial diplomatic corps.\u201d\n\n\u201cAmerica\u2019s Foreign Service is vital to maintaining and advancing American diplomacy around the world. But for Foreign Service families, overseas postings often come with hardships for family members that can take a lasting toll. That's why I\u2019m proud that today \u2013 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act \u2013 the Senate passed our bipartisan Foreign Service Families Act, to help expand employment opportunities for Foreign Service spouses and ensure in-state tuition benefits for students to help these families succeed and strengthen our Foreign Service across the board. We provide these benefits to military families and this same support should be extended to Foreign Service families serving our country,\u201d said Sen. Van Hollen.\n\n\u201cInitiatives like the Foreign Service Families Act help attract and retain our nation\u2019s top talent in the Foreign Service ranks,\u201d said Ambassador Eric Rubin, president of the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), upon introduction. \u201cAFSA strongly supports this effort to ensure that our diplomats and their families are afforded all possible consideration, much like our military counterparts.\u201d\n\n\u201cAAFSW (Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide) whole-heartedly supports this bill,\u201d said AAFSW President Lara Center upon introduction. \u201cAs an organization which has advocated for spouses since our creation in 1960, we believe this bill will contribute greatly to Foreign Service morale and effectiveness.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe American Academy of Diplomacy supports the bill, noting that the legislation will help the State Department attract and retain the best personnel overseas where family well-being is critically important to the employees,\u201d said the American Academy of Diplomacy upon introduction.\n\nThe Foreign Service Families Act would provide authority to the State Department to offer the same services to Foreign Service family members that the Defense Department is permitted to provide to military families. This includes:\n\nExpanded hiring authority for qualified family members;\n\nEnsuring that Foreign Services family members receive notice of State Department vacancies and that those who apply receive consideration; and\n\nMaking space available in State Department facilities for outside entities to provide career services.\n\nAdditionally, the legislation:\n\nProvides in-state tuition rates to members of the Foreign Service, their spouses, and dependent children;\n\nExtends provisions of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to the Foreign Service, allowing members of the Foreign Service who are posted overseas to terminate residential and motor leases and telephone service contracts;\n\nSupports the expansion of telecommuting opportunities for Foreign Service family members, so that family members can continue to work federal civilian jobs while overseas;\n\nEnsures that family members in the Expanded Professional Associates Program, which offers career opportunities for family members with advanced education and professional experience, are not held to unfair hiring standards; and\n\nEnsures that the State Department has fully implemented the Foreign Service Family Reserve Corps, a program intended to speed hiring and improve clearance portability for Foreign Service family members.\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-whitehouse-provision-in-defense-bill-aimed-at-cracking-down-on-pirate-fishing", "Sullivan-Whitehouse Provision in Defense Bill Aimed at Cracking Down on Pirate Fishing", "2021-12-16", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "AK", "Dan Sullivan", "S001198", "www.sullivan.senate.gov", "sullivan", "https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=36", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2014U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) today announced passage of their maritime security proposal as part of the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which has now cleared Congress and is expected to be signed into law by the President. The senators\u2019 amendment requires the Secretary of the Navy to produce a report on maritime security measures related to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.\n\n\u201cAs the largest producer of seafood in the nation\u2014roughly sixty percent of American seafood comes from our waters\u2014Alaska is undoubtedly the super power of seafood for our country,\u201d said Sen. Sullivan, honorary co-chair of the Senate Oceans Caucus. \u201cI intend to do all I can to keep it that way, including ensuring that we have an all-of-government effort to crack down on illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. This provision will help protect America\u2019s fishing fleet, as well as the seafood industry across the globe, against bad actors, particularly as China continues to use its fishing fleet to project power in the Indo-Pacific and, increasingly, around the world. I look forward to continue working with Senator Whitehouse on pirate fishing and on cleaning up our oceans. Our work together is a model for how two senators, from different sides of the aisle, can work together to get big things done for our nation.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe need to protect Rhode Island\u2019s hardworking fishing industry by rooting out unfair competition from illegal pirate fishing,\u201d said Sen. Whitehouse, a co-founder of the Senate Oceans Caucus. \u201cI look forward to continuing to work with Senator Sullivan and colleagues on both sides of the aisle to curb illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.\u201d\n\nThe amendment will require the U.S. Navy to share information about steps taken to support the dissemination of unclassified information and data to regional partners, best practices learned from public-private partnerships, and any new authorities or capabilities needed to support counter-IUU efforts in order to guide future legislative efforts.\n\nThe legislation builds on maritime security provisions Whitehouse secured in last year\u2019s NDAA. Whitehouse championed measures in the previous defense bill that required the Department of Defense to update Congress on previously enacted measured to combat illegal fishing, directed the Navy to work with the Coast Guard to assess solutions for tracking vessels engaged in unlawful activity at sea, and requested that the Office of Naval Intelligence provide an update on foreign governments using distant-water fishing fleets to undermine American interests.\n\nEach year, IUU fishing produces between 11 and 26 million tons of seafood, resulting in global economic losses valued between $10 billion and $23 billion.\n\nThe bipartisan Senate Oceans Caucus works to find common ground in protecting oceans and coasts. Thanks to the caucus\u2019s leadership, Congress has taken steps to guard against IUU fishing, including ratifying a series of key IUU treaties with partner nations and passing implementing legislation to bring those treaties into effect.\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=7B26D4FE-4F29-4B6B-8AD5-199840F776FA", "Thune, McClain Introduce Bicameral Legislation to Protect Toddlers From Federal Mandates", "2021-12-16", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SD", "John Thune", "T000250", "www.thune.senate.gov", "thune", "https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) today introduced the Preventing Mandates on Toddlers Act. This bicameral legislation would nullify an interim final rule (IFR) that was published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that requires universal masking for all individuals in a Head Start facility above the age of two, including all staff, volunteers, and contractors. The IFR also requires toddlers to wear masks while they are outside on the playground, and it mandates staff and volunteers to be vaccinated by January 31, 2022.\n\n\u201cThe long arm of the federal government should not extend to the kickball field at our kids\u2019 and grandkids\u2019 playground,\u201d said Thune. \u201cA toddler mask mandate highlights everything that\u2019s wrong with Washington, which is why I introduced this common-sense bill that would prohibit the Biden administration from enforcing or implementing this intrusive, one-size-fits-all Washington rule. It would ensure these decisions can continue to be made by individual Head Start programs and families who know these kids best \u2013 as they have been doing since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe science shows masking is detrimental to early child development. It\u2019s time we start following the science, not the political science, and put policies into place that are beneficial to our toddlers and children,\u201d said McClain. \u201cThis commonsense legislation ensures not a single dollar of taxpayer money will go to enforcing the HHS rule that is detrimental to our future generations.\u201d\n\n\u201cSouth Dakota Head Start programs have successfully implemented appropriate COVID-19 mitigation strategies, and the majority have been open and safely functioning since June 2020,\u201d said Katie Sieverding, executive director of South Dakota Head Start Association. \u201cWe thank Senator Thune for his work to protect our children and families from blanket masking mandates and keep these important decisions at the local level where they are best made.\u201d\n\nThis legislation is co-sponsored by U.S. Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and U.S. Reps. Rick Allen (R-Ga.) and Lance Gooden (R-Texas).\n\nThe Head Start program is a federal government program that provides qualifying, low-income children with early education services. Program facilities are located throughout the nation and, up until this point, individual locations have been able to set and enforce their own COVID-19 protocols.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=7D725F3A-9221-4ECB-B4C7-DC861CA961BE", "As Inflation Soars, Thune, Boozman Lead Colleagues in Standing up for Farmers and Ranchers", "2021-12-16", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SD", "John Thune", "T000250", "www.thune.senate.gov", "thune", "https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), a longtime member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and John Boozman (R-Ark.), ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, this week led several of their colleagues in urging federal financial regulators to provide community banks, credit unions, and Farm Credit institutions with the regulatory flexibility they need to responsibly work with their agriculture clients as the profit margins of farmers and ranchers shrink from higher input costs. The senators are also requesting that federal financial regulators monitor how inflation and inflationary-related pressures are affecting the agriculture industry and, in turn, the community financial institutions that serve it.\n\n\u201cThe destructive impact of inflation has already affected individuals, families, and businesses across the nation, and no one is immune from these price increases,\u201d the senators wrote. \u201cCaused in large part by an unprecedented increase in federal government spending, in addition to supply chain bottlenecks, these higher prices are not just increasing grocery bills and home heating costs, but they are also raising costs on businesses, including on our nation\u2019s farmers and ranchers.\u201d\n\nThe letter was also signed by U.S. Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), James Inhofe (R-Okla.), John Kennedy (R-La.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).\n\nFull letter below:\n\nThe Honorable Jerome Powell The Honorable Jelena McWilliams\n\nChairman Chairman\n\nBoard of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation\n\n20th Street and Constitution Avenue Northwest 550 17th Street Northwest\n\nWashington, D.C. 20551 Washington, D.C. 20429\n\nThe Honorable Michael Hsu The Honorable Todd Harper\n\nActing Comptroller of the Currency Chairman\n\nOffice of the Comptroller of the Currency National Credit Union Administration\n\n400 7th Street Southwest 1775 Duke Street\n\nWashington, D.C. 20219 Alexandria, VA 22314\n\nThe Honorable Glen Smith\n\nChairman\n\nFarm Credit Administration\n\n1501 Farm Credit Drive\n\nMcLean, VA 22102\n\nDear Chairman Powell, Chairman McWilliams, Acting Comptroller Hsu, Chairman Harper, and Chairman Smith:\n\nWe write to highlight the specific impact that inflation and higher input costs are having, and will continue to have, on our nation\u2019s agriculture economy for the foreseeable future. As the cost of doing business continues to grow at a rate not seen in several years, we believe it is of utmost importance that you continue to provide community financial institutions with the regulatory flexibility they need to responsibly work with their agriculture clients as the profit margins of farmers and ranchers shrink. We also believe it would be helpful for you to specifically monitor how inflation and inflationary-related pressures are affecting the agriculture industry and, in turn, the community financial institutions that serve it. This information would be invaluable as Congress begins considering improvements to the producer safety net in the next farm bill.\n\nThe destructive impact of inflation has already affected individuals, families, and businesses across the nation, and no one is immune from these price increases. Caused in large part by an unprecedented increase in federal government spending, in addition to supply chain bottlenecks, these higher prices are not just increasing grocery bills and home heating costs, but they are also raising costs on businesses, including on our nation\u2019s farmers and ranchers.\n\nAs you are aware, year-over-year inflation is currently at its highest level in nearly four decades. This problem has proven to be more than transitory, and estimates suggest that heightened inflation will remain well into next year. This directly affects the ability of individuals, families, and businesses to purchase goods and pay their bills.\n\nSpecific to agriculture, inflation is hiking the cost of doing business on everything from fertilizer to fuel to machinery, among a number of other things needed to keep farm and ranch operations running. To name just a few examples, fertilizer prices have increased by 265 percent since May 2020, and farm diesel prices and used farm machinery prices are up year-over-year by over 50 percent and 34 percent respectively. And these rising input costs are one of the factors contributing to declining optimism among farmers, according to a recent study by Purdue University.\n\nNet cash farm incomes, a broad measure of U.S. farm profitability, have been boosted in recent years by higher commodity prices and federal government payments, and they are projected to be approximately 23 percent higher in 2021 than they were in 2020 according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s Economic Research Service. As a result, we believe farmers and ranchers are in a healthy financial position as they make strategic plans, in partnership with their lenders, going into the 2022 growing season. It is important to recognize, however, that in order for producers to weather the storm of higher input costs and lower profit margins, new regulatory burdens should not be imposed on financial institutions that service agriculture as farm and ranch customers experience increased credit needs.\n\nTherefore, as producers potentially seek greater amounts of credit, we urge you to not increase regulatory or examination burdens upon community financial institutions, which could interfere with their ability to extend credit to agriculture customers. We believe that community financial institutions have the necessary capital to help their farm and ranch borrowers keep up with rising input costs as profit margins tighten, while maintaining the proper safety and soundness considerations.\n\nAs you and your examiners continue your work to supervise community financial institutions, we look forward to working with you as you monitor the impacts of inflation on the agriculture economy and as you ensure these lenders have the flexibility they need to serve the agriculture sector in this time of heightened inflation. Thank you for your attention to our concerns.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=E36AC76F-CCC9-4A83-9207-1BCB700CF120", "Thune: Reckless Tax-and-Spending Spree Highlights Democrats\u2019 Big-Government Vision for the Future", "2021-12-16", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SD", "John Thune", "T000250", "www.thune.senate.gov", "thune", "https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today discussed how the radical proposals in the Democrats\u2019 reckless tax-and-spending spree highlight the massive difference between the two parties when it comes to their vision for the future of America. Thune noted that preserving liberty is a fundamental purpose of government, and the Democrats\u2019 policies would transfer some of Americans\u2019 decision-making power over to politicians and Washington bureaucrats.\n\nThune\u2019s remarks below (as prepared for delivery):\n\n\u201cMr. President, Democrats\u2019 push to pass their tax-and-spending spree continues to throw into sharp relief the difference between Republicans\u2019 and Democrats\u2019 vision of government.\n\n\u201cAnd it\u2019s about a lot more than just the amount of money we want to spend.\n\n\u201cOf course the amount of money we\u2019re spending matters.\n\n\u201cBut it\u2019s also about what that money represents.\n\n\u201cIn general, more money means more government.\n\n\u201cAnd more government usually means less freedom.\n\n\u201cAnd Republicans don\u2019t oppose Democrats\u2019 tax-and-spending spree just because it would cost a lot of money, or drive up our national debt.\n\n\u201cIt would do both of those things, of course, with negative consequences for our economy and the prosperity of American families.\n\n\u201cAnd the negative economic consequences alone are sufficient reason to oppose Democrats\u2019 Build Back Bankrupt plan.\n\n\u201cBut it\u2019s about a lot more than the excessive spending.\n\n\u201cWith their Build Back Bankrupt plan, Democrats envision a society in which government is intimately involved in nearly every aspect of Americans\u2019 life \u2013 from, to quote a New York Times article, \u2018cradle to grave.\u2019\n\n\u201cAnd that\u2019s not a vision Republicans share.\n\n\u201cPrimarily because a government that is intimately involved in nearly every aspect of your life is a government that is going to exert control over your life.\n\n\u201cMore government inevitably means more government control.\n\n\u201cTake Democrats\u2019 child care plan in their Build Back Better legislation.\n\n\u201cTo hear Democrats talk about it, you might think this plan involves nothing more than cutting checks to American parents to help with their child care bills.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s not the case.\n\n\u201cFirst, of course, Democrats take the opportunity to add a lot of new child care mandates and regulations.\n\n\u201cAccording to one estimate, Democrats\u2019 child care subsidy measure could drive up the cost of day care by somewhere around $13,000 per child.\n\n\u201cGood luck working that into the family budget.\n\n\u201cDemocrats\u2019 government subsidy program is set up to favor certain kinds of child care and child care providers.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s set up to favor institutional child care, rather than home care or other models like neighborhood co-ops.\n\n\u201cAnd it\u2019s set up to place religious providers at a disadvantage.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s right.\n\n\u201cDespite the fact that a majority of working families who use center-based care opt for faith-based centers, Democrats\u2019 program is set up to put these providers at a disadvantage.\n\n\u201cIt denies them facilities funding that is granted to secular providers.\n\n\u201cAnd it could disqualify many providers with traditional religious beliefs \u2013 like those shared by millions upon millions of Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim families around the country.\n\n\u201cIt could even disqualify a provider simply because the provider gave placement preference to families of its own faith!\n\n\u201cSo if you\u2019re a Catholic church with a child care program and you give preference to families who attend your church, you could be accused of discrimination and disqualified from receiving government subsidies.\n\n\u201cAnd if you\u2019re a parent who can\u2019t afford that program without those government subsidies \u2013 thanks to government mandates and regulations that have hiked up the child care bill \u2013 you\u2019re out of luck.\n\n\u201cIf you need those government subsidies, you\u2019ll have to send your child to one of the providers the government prefers.\n\n\u201cMr. President, the child care program in Democrats\u2019 tax-and-spending spree provides a perfect example of what happens when government gets involved.\n\n\u201cAnd it\u2019s about a lot more than how much money the government is spending.\n\n\u201cWith government money comes government control.\n\n\u201cThe decision is no longer just in the individual\u2019s hands.\n\n\u201cAnd the more substantial the government involvement, the larger the government\u2019s role in decision-making is likely to be \u2013 whether the issue is child care, health care, education, or anything else.\n\n\u201cMr. President, in his 1967 inaugural address as governor of California, Ronald Reagan said, and I quote, \u2018Freedom is a fragile thing and it's never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people.\u2019\n\n\u201cFreedom is a fragile thing, Mr. President.\n\n\u201cHere in the United States, we have enjoyed an unprecedented degree of individual liberty \u2013 a liberty that it is very easy for us to take for granted.\n\n\u201cBut that liberty is not guaranteed.\n\n\u201cIt is something that must be fought for and protected.\n\n\u201cAnd that doesn\u2019t involve simply safeguarding our liberty from external threats from foreign powers, it involves making sure that government doesn\u2019t start to exceed its proper role.\n\n\u201cThe loss of freedom can come dramatically.\n\n\u201cOr it can come quietly, through a steady increase of government encroachment.\n\n\u201cAnd it\u2019s important to remember that freedom can be eroded or taken away by the well-meaning \u2013 not just those actively hostile to it.\n\n\u201cI believe that my Democrat colleagues likely do not see their ideas for dramatic government expansion as threatening Americans\u2019 personal freedom.\n\n\u201cThe problem is that when you expand the reach of government, the diminishment of liberty is inevitable.\n\n\u201cExpand the reach of government into Americans\u2019 lives, and it\u2019s inevitable that you\u2019re going to transfer some of Americans\u2019 decision-making power over to politicians and bureaucrats in Washington.\n\n\u201cMr. President, Democrats\u2019 tax-and-spending spree \u2013 and its major expansion of government \u2013 is far from the only threat to Americans\u2019 liberties that we\u2019re seeing from the Democrat Party.\n\n\u201cI am increasingly disturbed by Democrats\u2019 tendency to play fast and loose with religious liberty and the First Amendment \u2013 whether that involves disadvantaging religious child care providers, threatening individuals\u2019 right to live according to their conscience, questioning judges\u2019 fitness for office based on their religious beliefs, or, as we learned recently from a courageous whistleblower FBI agent, even opening the door for the FBI to collect information on parents voicing their opposition to local school policies during school board meetings.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m also disturbed by Democrats\u2019 clear belief that Americans should defer to government and Democrat-approved experts \u2013 as spectacularly evidenced in the Virginia governor\u2019s race, which was unquestionably decided based partly on the Democrat candidate\u2019s repeatedly expressed belief that parents shouldn\u2019t be involved in the content of their children\u2019s education.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m puzzled as to why Democrats are so convinced that Washington elites or Democrat-approved experts are better at making decisions than ordinary Americans.\n\n\u201cAs Ronald Reagan said in that same speech, \u201c[I]t's hard to explain those among us who even today would question the people's capacity for self-government. I've often wondered if they will answer, those who subscribe to that philosophy: if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else?\u201d\n\n\u201cI believe that the American people are capable of governing themselves \u2013 of making their own decisions \u2013 and that they\u2019re actually generally going to be better at it than a bunch of bureaucrats in Washington.\n\n\u201cAnd I strongly oppose efforts to substitute the judgments of Washington bureaucrats \u2013 or Democrat politicians \u2013 for the judgment of individual Americans.\n\n\u201cMr. President, it states in the Declaration of Independence that governments are instituted to preserve our unalienable rights, including the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.\n\n\u201cPreserving liberty is a fundamental purpose of government, but of course before you can enjoy liberty, you have to enjoy the right to life.\n\n\u201cAnd for a long time now the Democrat Party has consistently denied the right to life of a whole segment of the American population \u2013 unborn Americans.\n\n\u201cAnd there\u2019s no better example of their aggressive pro-abortion extremism than the so-called Women\u2019s Health Protection Act that Democrats in the House passed in September.\n\n\u201cThis legislation \u2013 which would more accurately be termed the Abortion on Demand Act \u2013 would eliminate almost every democratically passed state abortion restriction, no matter how mild.\n\n\u201cIt would endanger the religious and conscience rights of doctors and nurses.\n\n\u201cAnd of course it ignores the clear position of the American people, a strong majority of whom support restrictions on abortion.\n\n\u201cApparently Democrats are not content with joining repressive regimes like China and North Korea as one of a tiny handful of nations that allow elective abortion past 20 weeks of pregnancy.\n\n\u201cNo, they want to remove even the mildest and most widely supported restrictions on abortion.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s yet another example of Democrats\u2019 tendency to think they know better than the American people.\n\n\u201cMr. President, the Republican vision \u2013 the conservative vision \u2013 the vision I share \u2013 is a vision that foregrounds liberty, not government.\n\n\u201cThat believes that individuals acting freely generally tend to do a better job of making decisions than a small handful of politicians and bureaucrats in Washington.\n\n\u201cWe believe in government as backstop, not Big Brother.\n\n\u201cA system of permanent government dependence erodes individual liberty \u2013 to say nothing of the ways in which it undermines prosperity and robs individuals of the purpose and pride that come with work and achievement.\n\n\u201cGovernment should create the conditions in which freedom, opportunity, and prosperity can flourish \u2013 not attempt to secure particular outcomes or dictate the paths Americans should take.\n\n\u201cWe are privileged to live in the freest country the world has ever known.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s not a privilege we can or should take for granted.\n\n\u201cAnd it\u2019s a privilege we can all too easily lose.\n\n\u201cOur liberty is, as Ronald Reagan said, ever only one generation away from extinction.\n\nI will continue to make safeguarding that liberty we\u2019ve been given one of my most cherished priorities \u2013 whether that involves fighting for the right to life of unborn Americans, opposing attempts to restrict religious liberty, or fighting against an expansion of government that would push out parents and put the government in the driver\u2019s seat on too many issues.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/letter-young-braun-call-for-action-on-port-congestion-that-harms-hoosier-businesses/", "LETTER: Young, Braun Call for Action on Port Congestion that Harms Hoosier Businesses", "2021-12-16", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "IN", "Todd Young", "Y000064", "www.young.senate.gov", "toddyoung", "https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 This week, U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.)sent a letter to the Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force regarding the port congestion and shipping delays that are jeopardizing Midwest businesses struggling to receive timely access to inputs and inventory.\n\n\u201cThe businesses located in Indiana are particularly impacted by these supply chain barriers, most urgently at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Some have products stuck in container ships on the water, some have containers stacked in inaccessible environments, and some cannot find proper storage space or available methods for transport.\n\n\u201cThe combination of these factors has led to an incredibly strenuous environment for our constituents, one that they cannot withstand much longer. We must identify measures to increase productivity, unkink the chain, and finds ways to be efficient before even more businesses go under,\u201d said Senators Young and Braun in the letter.\n\nThe letter requests written responses from agency heads to ensure the public has full knowledge of current and ongoing efforts to take action at the ports. The Indiana Senators sent the letter after repeated outreach from struggling small and medium sized businesses in Indiana that are dependent on efficient supply chain processing at our nation\u2019s coastal ports.\n\nRead the full letter here or below.\n\nDecember 14, 2021\n\nSupply Chain Disruptions Task Force\n\nWhite House\n\n1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.\n\nWashington, D.C. 20500\n\nDear Members of the Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force:\n\nWe write to you expressing deep urgency regarding the port congestion and shipping delays that are wreaking havoc on our constituents and jeopardizing businesses all across the Midwest. We have heard countless stories and fielded requests from small and medium sized businesses that have led us to inquire about your actions to minimize harm resulting from this crisis and your plans to address it with urgency.\n\nThe businesses located in Indiana are particularly impacted by these supply chain barriers, most urgently at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Some have products stuck in container ships on the water, some have containers stacked in inaccessible environments, and some cannot find proper storage space or available methods for transport. The combination of these factors has led to an incredibly strenuous environment for our constituents, one that they cannot withstand much longer. We must identify measures to increase productivity, unkink the chain, and finds ways to be efficient before even more businesses go under.\n\nWe appreciate the efforts undertaken to address supply chain challenges such as the Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force (Task Force). Unfortunately, the Task Force has failed to deliver meaningful and immediate relief. While the installation of the Port Envoy could achieve beneficial changes, the initiative is too narrow and fails to address the entirety of port congestion, not just the concentration evident at Los Angeles and Long Beach. Further, warehouse space and chassis availability continue to represent a significant hurdle in in alleviating congestion. The recent announcement to open the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports for 24/7 operation addresses working hours, but not the fundamental issue of available chassis and escalating costs passed down to consumers and incurred by importers struggling to manage inventory and secure inputs.\n\nOur constituents are simply asking for action that leads to results, which so far has not occurred in a meaningful way. In that vein, we are requesting written responses to a series of questions below regarding tangible action and improvements to port congestion and supply chain disruptions.\n\nWhat does the Task Force identify as the root cause or causes for this current crisis at our nation\u2019s ports?\n\nWhat actions has the Task Force taken to mitigate or eliminate supply chain issues that prevent transfer of products off container ships and on to trucks or rail cars?\n\nWhat are the Task Force and the Administration doing to encourage greater automation and efficiency at our nation\u2019s major ports, which are noted to be some of the most inefficient in the world?\n\nAre there other parts of our supply chain that could be operating more efficiently, and what are the relevant agencies in the Task Force doing to promote such efficiency?\n\nDoes the Task Force and their related agencies require additional authorities from Congress to address port congestion and shipping delays? If so, please detail these authorities.\n\nAre there any solutions or mitigating relief measures pertaining to the supply chain crisis that the agency members of the Task Force would like to implement but cannot because they are outside of their scope and authority?\n\nHas the Task Force or the Administration consulted with military logistics experts to identify creative solutions to solving port congestion and supply chain issues?\n\nHas the Task Force or the Administration consulted with private entities focused on business solutions to identify ways to solve port congestion and supply chain issues?\n\nWhy does the American public not have access to timely updates on what the federal government is doing to improve the pressing port congestion issues?\n\nWould the American people benefit from increased transparency through systematic reporting on supply chain disruptions?\n\nWhat analysis has been conducted to determine the geographical implications to the Midwest caused by decisions made on coasts where the majority of the port-related disruption has taken place?\n\nIs the Task Force currently equipped to develop and implement a comprehensive set of solutions that will execute immediate results? If not, please identify what barriers exist in the Task Force\u2019s mission.\n\nIs there a single point of authority and accountability within the federal government for dealing with the current supply chain crisis and, if so, who is it?\n\nHas the Task Force or the Administration considered the impact that the federal vaccine mandate policies and requirements on cross-border truck drivers may have on port congestion and shipping delays?\n\nWe look forward to your thorough answers to these questions, which we will share with our constituents in need.\n\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-braun-introduce-bill-to-curb-reliance-on-chinese-pharmaceuticals", "Cotton, Braun Introduce Bill to Curb Reliance on Chinese Pharmaceuticals", "2021-12-15", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", "cotton", "https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: James Arnold or Mary Collins Atkinson (202) 224-2353\n\nDecember 15, 2021\n\nCotton, Braun Introduce Bill to Curb Reliance on Chinese Pharmaceuticals\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2014 Senators Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Mike Braun (R-Indiana) today introduced the Anyone But China Safe Drugs Act, or the ABC Safe Drug Act, legislation to track active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), prohibit pharmaceutical purchases from China, and create transparency within the medical supply chain. Bill text may be found here.\n\n\u201cShortages in the medical supply chain are a matter of life and death, and we cannot rely on China for our citizens\u2019 survival. Our bill will encourage pharmaceutical production in friendly countries and end dependency on the Chinese Communist Party,\u201d said Cotton.\n\n\u201cThe COVID-19 pandemic has clearly demonstrated why we cannot continue to rely so heavily on communist China for lifesaving medications. I am proud to join Senator Cotton on this legislation that will ban the use of federal funds for the purchase of drugs manufactured in China and add more much-needed transparency to our drug supply chain,\u201d said Braun.\n\nThe ABC Safe Drug Act would:\n\nRequire the Food and Drug Administration to create a registry of all drugs and corresponding APIs that are produced outside the United States and are determined to be critical to the health and safety of Americans.\n\nRequire that the Department of Health and Human Services, Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, and all other federally qualified health facilities purchase pharmaceutical products that have no APIs produced in China.\n\nThis requirement will be phased in over two years. The FDA may issue waivers if the APIs are only available in China, however, no waivers may be issued after 2027.\n\nRequire drug companies to list the APIs and their countries of origin on the labels of imported and domestically produced finished drug products.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-statement-on-passage-of-the-ndaa", "Cotton Statement on Passage of the NDAA", "2021-12-15", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", "cotton", "https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: James Arnold or Mary Collins Atkinson (202) 224-2353\n\nDecember 15, 2021\n\nCotton Statement on Passage of the NDAA\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2013 Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) released the following statement on the National Defense Authorization Act:\n\n\u201cDemocrats tried to use this defense bill to draft America\u2019s daughters and force their radical social ideologies onto our troops. Thankfully, they failed, and this year\u2019s defense bill largely does what it should: support and strengthen our troops. By increasing our defense budget, fully funding our nuclear weapons, giving the troops a raise, and investing substantially in our Navy, this bill is an important step to providing our military with the resources it needs to protect the United States. But there\u2019s more work to do, and I\u2019ll stay dedicated to supporting our troops and not letting Democrats use the military for left-wing social engineering.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=521CBC38-BA20-4E47-A64B-0BFB69199433", "Senate Passes McConnell\u2019s NDAA Amendment to Support Democracy in Burma", "2021-12-15", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) led the U.S. Senate to include his bipartisan Burma amendment in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which passed the Senate and will now be sent to the president for his signature.\n\nSenator McConnell secured important provisions in this bipartisan amendment, which requires senior Administration officials to present to Congress within sixty days a strategy to impose costs on the military junta, legitimize representative organizations like the National Unity Government, restore democratic governance, and foster national reconciliation. The amendment was cosponsored by Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Senator Todd Young (R-IN), Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC), Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL).\n\n\u201cEarlier this year, Burma\u2019s illegitimate, unelected military junta launched a coup against the country\u2019s democratically-elected government. I strongly condemn these actions, as well as the indiscriminate violence they continue to commit against civilians and the show trials they have launched against their political opposition. To address this crisis, I led a bipartisan effort to reaffirm American support for democracy in Burma through the NDAA process. I\u2019m proud my amendment was included in the final NDAA bill that passed the Senate earlier today,\u201d said Senator McConnell. \u201cRestoring Burma\u2019s democratic development will require the United States to pursue a comprehensive and coordinated strategy to keep meaningful pressure on the junta and secure international recognition for Burma\u2019s true, democratically-elected government. This amendment will ensure our Administration articulates and then advances a real strategy to hold the regime accountable and support democratic actors like the National Unity Government.\u201d\n\n\u201cSenator McConnell has listened closely to our community and stood alongside us every step of the way as we work to restore democracy in Burma. This amendment is just the latest among a long list of actions Senator McConnell has taken to help Burma\u2019s people,\u201d said Jimmy Nyunt, a pro-democracy advocate from Burma who lives in Bowling Green, Kentucky. \u201cThe people of Burma have no greater advocate in Washington than Senator McConnell.\u201d\n\nThis bipartisan amendment requires senior officials from the State Department, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Treasury Department, and Defense Department to personally appear before Congress to provide a briefing on specific U.S. policy and security objectives in Burma, including:\n\n\u2022 An assessment of the impact of existing U.S. and international sanctions on Burma, as well as possible additional sanctions.\n\n\u2022 Efforts to support Burma\u2019s National Unity Government and other democratic actors such as the Civil Disobedience Movement, while denying legitimacy to the country\u2019s military junta.\n\n\u2022 Key objectives, including the restoration of democracy in Burma, the establishment of an inclusive and representative civilian government, the creation of a reformed military reflecting the diversity of the country and under civilian control, and the enactment of constitutional, political, and economic reforms.\n\n\u2022 Accountability for atrocities and human rights violations in Burma, genuine national reconciliation among the country\u2019s ethnic groups, and the release of political prisoners.\n\n\u2022 A review of China and Russia\u2019s strategic interests in Burma and any actions taken by these countries to support the junta, promote ethnic conflict, or undermine Burma\u2019s sovereignty.\n\nSenator McConnell has a long record of support for Burma\u2019s democracy. Over several decades, he has led multiple efforts to sanction the country\u2019s military junta and worked closely with Burma\u2019s pro-democracy advocates, particularly Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, to support the people of Burma.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=58A130D8-507D-419C-B690-0691648309AD", "Democrats\u2019 Reckless Spree: Steep Costs, and Bad Policy, Too", "2021-12-15", "2021", "2021-12", "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. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding Democrats\u2019 reckless tax and spending spree:\n\n\u201cI described yesterday how inflation is hurting families across the country.\n\n\u201cSince then, yet another key economic indicator has set an unfortunate record: In the last year, wholesale prices grew at their fastest pace on record.\n\n\u201cAnyone with a shred of sense knows this is the absolute wrong time to unleash a multi-trillion-dollar taxing and spending spree. Every single day brings new evidence our Democratic colleagues should give the country a break.\n\n\u201cBut the cost of Washington Democrats\u2019 latest obsession isn\u2019t the only problem. The content of what they want to pass is just as bad.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve known since the start of the COVID pandemic that Democrats saw it as an opportunity to transform American society. They\u2019ve said so in public.\n\n\u201cAnd the reckless taxing and spending spree they\u2019re writing behind closed doors is a Trojan horse to let the radical left dictate intimate details to American families.\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s a long list of policies inspired by the authors of the Green New Deal. A whole slew of new programs and mandates aimed at fitting the entire country\u2019s systems for producing and consuming energy into a California-shaped box.\n\n\u201cSpecial subsidies for expensive lifestyle choices like electric vehicles and electric bicycles.\n\n\u201cNew red tape to strangle the most reliable and affordable sources of American energy.\n\n\u201cSubsidies for supply chains that China dominates, so America borrows in order to Build Back Beijing.\n\n\u201cAnd don\u2019t forget the so-called \u2018Civilian Climate Corps.\u2019 Just what we need at a time of inflation and labor shortages \u2014 a Potemkin make-work program for liberal activists.\n\n\u201cOf course, Washington Democrats intend to grab greater control over the development of America\u2019s young people long before they\u2019re eligible for made-up green jobs.\n\n\u201cTheir spree contains a massive \u2018Toddler Takeover\u2019 that insults the diversity of American families and their aspirations. It only throws money at a subset of secular childcare centers that woke bureaucrats favor.\n\n\u201cForget faith-based options. Forget flexible, part-time arrangements. Forget being remotely fair to families with a parent at home. Democrats want to bring their inflation into childcare and make daycare more expensive, more inflexible, and more unfair.\n\n\u201cAnd then there\u2019s the latest offensive in a long campaign to restrict more of Americans\u2019 healthcare choices. Democrats\u2019 plan would mean more one-size-fits-all programs, more government control, a wet blanket over the world-leading innovation pipeline that creates new cures, and a further gamble with seniors\u2019 Medicare when the trust fund is already in danger of insolvency.\n\n***\n\n\u201cThen there are the massive tax hikes our colleagues want to use to cover the bill.\n\n\u201cAll those radical changes, all those Big Government intrusions into family life, come paired with crushing tax hikes that would hit our country like a ton of bricks.\n\n\u201cThere are new surcharges on individual taxpayers. There are tax hikes for pass-through businesses. There\u2019s a brand-new radical scheme to make American industries less competitive that Senate Democrats scribbled down with no hearings or committee process.\n\n\u201cPresident Biden promised he wouldn\u2019t raise taxes one penny on anybody making less than $400,000. But experts agree that Democrats\u2019 tax hikes would break that promise. People with far less income would be affected.\n\n\u201cFor goodness\u2019 sake, in 2022, their bill would give a bigger percentage tax cut to people making more than $1 million every year than to families that pull in between $75,000 and $100,000.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s according to the Joint Committee on Taxation. The average person who makes upwards of a million dollars gets a bigger tax break from Democrats\u2019 bill than the average household that makes just under six figures.\n\n\u201cIn large part, that\u2019s because of an absurdly expensive tax giveaway that Democrats want to hand out to benefit high income earners in blue states. Their \u2018SALT\u2019 policy would make the federal government subsidize the property tax bills of people with mansions who choose to live in high-tax states.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s an insane proposition, and it\u2019s struggling to even earn support from Democrats\u2019 rank-and-file. But their leaders from New York and California are obsessed with it. Go figure.\n\n***\n\n\u201cBut SALT is only just the beginning of the gravy train this bill steers toward Democrats\u2019 pet projects and causes.\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s also a tax-code tweak that would create a special deduction for union dues while letting one for charitable contributions expire.\n\n\u201cAnother special incentive \u2013 to the tune of $10 billion \u2013 would help liberal colleges and universities indoctrinate students in new \u2018environmental justice\u2019 programs.\n\n\u201cStill others would pour $29 billion into funding a \u2018National Green Bank\u2019\u2026 $2.5 billion into increasing \u2018tree equity\u2019\u2026 $1.67 billion to bail out news outlets\u2026and an extra billion on top for \u2018improving climate resilience\u2019 of Pacific salmon.\n\n\u201cAnd then, of course, there are the extra special ways Democrats want to use this bill to fulfill more personal, hometown priorities.\n\n\u201cSpeaker Pelosi didn\u2019t end up getting to earmark millions of federal dollars for redeveloping a park in her district.\n\n\u201cBut she did secure one Congressman\u2019s vote by upping the funding for a defunct regional commission that largely benefits his district by 13,000%.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s old-school vote buying, Mr. President. A slap in the face to taxpayers.\n\n\u201cOur own colleague, the Democratic Leader, has pledged to \u2018use all of [his] power\u2019 to personally steer tens of billions of dollars toward a hometown New York City housing authority with a long and storied reputation of corruption, mismanagement, and scandal.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s hard to wrap your head around, Mr. President. That is, unless you subscribe to Washington Democrats\u2019 apparent core principle: when the American people are footing the bill, the menu is all-you-can-spend.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=6636AA03-D7B8-40DD-8B7D-709528296721", "Bipartisan Defense Legislation Will Bolster Kentucky and the Country", "2021-12-15", "2021", "2021-12", "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. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the National Defense Authorization Act:\n\n\u201cToday, the Senate will pass this year\u2019s National Defense Authorization Act by a big, bipartisan margin.\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve talked for weeks about the importance of this legislation given the global threats and international challenges that face our nation \u2014 from China to Russia to the fight against terrorists in the Middle East.\n\n\u201cBut I will also be proud to vote for this bill because of the enormous impact it will have on my home state.\n\n\u201cThe proud servicemembers based in Kentucky play an outsized role in our national defense.\n\n\u201cFrom deploying across the world, to fighting COVID-19 here at home, they do amazing work to keep America safe. In the past week, they have stepped up to provide critical support as Kentucky deals with the aftermath of devastating tornadoes.\n\n\u201cOur Commonwealth\u2019s heroes and their families deserve our full support and I am proud that this year\u2019s National Defense Authorization Act delivers for them.\n\n\u201cNearly $1 billion for the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives program that supports the chemical munitions destruction mission at the Blue Grass Army Depot. Robust funding to deter Russia in Europe, the mission of Fort Knox\u2019s Fifth Corps Headquarters.\n\n\u201cContinued investments in research and modernization that will guarantee our soldiers, including those at Fort Campbell, are prepared to counter emerging threats like China.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve also built on our previous efforts to lift up Kentucky\u2019s military families. The bill provides additional funding for modern, high-quality child care facilities, including $27 million for a new child care development center at Fort Knox. It authorizes an across-the-board 2.7% pay raise for our troops.\n\n\u201cThis bill is critically important to the servicemembers who make immense sacrifices to keep our nation safe. I am proud to support it and help cement the Commonwealth\u2019s role as America\u2019s most military-friendly state.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=90E740AC-8DFC-4BDC-B1D8-64D6D4ABA7E9", "Amid Devastation and Grief, Kentuckians Lighting Beacons of Hope", "2021-12-15", "2021", "2021-12", "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. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the tornadoes in Western Kentucky:\n\n\u201cIn the aftermath of Western Kentucky\u2019s devastating tornado outbreak, I\u2019ve maintained close contact with state and local officials. My staff has been on the ground since the outset of this crisis, helping residents access federal resources and keeping me up-to-date with any developments.\n\n\u201cToward the end of the week, I will travel back to Kentucky to meet with my constituents and visit the areas affected.\n\n\u201cThe stories coming out of Kentucky are harrowing. But in recent days, we\u2019ve also heard about the generosity, hard work, and hope that are helping our state recover.\n\n\u201cKentuckians desperately need help to rebuild. So our universities, normally bitter rivals on the court, are rallying together to raise money and gather supplies for relief efforts.\n\n\u201cThis Christmas is shaping up to be exceptionally difficult for children across Western Kentucky. So churches are organizing toy drives to help make the holidays a little bit brighter.\n\n\u201cWestern Kentucky community organizations are stretched to the limit. So businesses based in the Commonwealth, from distilleries, to car manufacturers, to insurance companies, have stepped up to donate millions.\n\n\u201cRemarkable stories of survival and resiliency have trickled out of the disaster zone.\n\n\u201cLast weekend\u2019s storm destroyed much of First Christian Church in Mayfield, Kentucky. But the congregation discovered their communion table and altar cross fully intact while picking through the rubble. A symbol of hope and rebirth survived amid so much pain.\n\n\u201cAcross town, the Mayfield Health and Rehabilitation nursing home was physically devastated when it took a direct hit from the tornado on Friday night. But all seventy-four of the facility\u2019s elderly residents survived with only minor injuries. As one staff member said, it was \u2018truly a miracle.\u2019\n\n\u201cAnd in Bremen, Kentucky, when a man visited the wreckage of his home on Saturday, he discovered his grand piano mostly undamaged despite the storm. Amid the surrounding devastation, he sat down to play and sing hymns. His songs, shared on social media, warmed the hearts of thousands.\n\n\u201cThese stories of hope have ricocheted across the Commonwealth, bringing smiles and strength to the communities that need them most. And they give me faith that Kentucky will recover from this crisis, stronger than ever.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.rounds.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-passes-ndaa-including-rounds-south-dakota-priorities", "Senate Passes NDAA, Including Rounds\u2019 South Dakota Priorities", "2021-12-15", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SD", "Mike Rounds", "R000605", "www.rounds.senate.gov", "rounds", "https://www.rounds.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2013 U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and ranking Republican member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, today issued the following statement on the Senate\u2019s passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022. It now heads to the president\u2019s desk for signature.\n\n\u201cThis year\u2019s NDAA includes many wins for South Dakota \u2013 including victories for Ellsworth Air Force Base, Dakota State University and Raven Aerostar,\u201d said Rounds. \u201cAdditionally, a lot of work has been done to remove radical pieces of legislation \u2013 like red flag laws and selective service requirements for women \u2013 that were included in the House version of this bill. Providing our troops with the tools they need to complete their missions fulfills one of our most fundamental duties: to provide for our national defense.\u201d\n\nEarlier today on the Senate floor, Senate Armed Services Ranking Member Jim Inhofe noted Rounds expertise on cybersecurity. \u201cWe have\u2026not just experts on the outside,\u201d said Inhofe. \u201cSenator Mike Rounds probably knows more about cybersecurity than any of the advisors that are out there.\u201d\n\nSouth Dakota Wins Included:\n\nAuthorizes the following construction at Ellsworth Air Force Base:\n\n- $41M for B-21 2-Bay Low Observable Restoration Facility.\n\n- $24M for B-21 Addition/Alteration to the Existing Flight Simulator.\n\n- $47M for B\u201321 Field Training Detachment Facility.\n\n- $70M for B\u201321 Formal Training Unit/Aircraft Maintenance Unit.\n\n- $36M for B\u201321 Mission Operations Planning Facility.\n\n- $65M for B\u201321 Wash Rack & Maintenance Hangar.\n\n$2.87 billion for continued B-21 development.\n\nStrengthened the university cyber consortium of academic institutions which are designated as Cyber Centers of Academic Excellence, including Dakota State University.\n\nAuthorized $6.5 million for stratospheric balloon research. Directly impacts a successful manufacturer based in Sioux Falls, SD, Raven Aerostar which develops and deploys stratospheric balloon technology.\n\nAuthorizes $9.8 million for Joe Foss Field F-16 Mission Training Center.\n\nAdditional Rounds Provisions Included:\n\nSecured $300 million for National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence recommendations, including accelerating processes to apply artificial intelligence capabilities to military systems, processes and operations (pending coordination with the Appropriations Committee).\n\nCreated an emerging technology education requirement for Department of Defense senior leaders.\n\nDirected creation of Artificial Intelligence performance objectives and metrics for incorporation of artificial intelligence and digital readiness across all DOD platforms, training and operations.\n\nTightened up the Department of Defense\u2019s Principal Cyber Advisor position to prevent dual-hatting with the Chief Information Officer.\n\nModified a pilot program led by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Department of Defense and National Cyber Director to establish voluntary public-private partnerships with internet ecosystem companies\n\nAuthorized full funding for U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) to include items on their unfunded requirements list.\n\nMaintained CYBERCOM\u2019s budgetary controls.\n\nRequires the Department of Defense to assess how the department can protect the United States from ransomware.\n\nRestored the Close Combat Lethality Task Force as a cross-functional team and direct report to the Secretary of Defense after the Secretary moved it out of the Pentagon (to the Army) and several echelons below the Chief of Staff of the Army.\n\nBill Highlights:\n\nIncreases military basic pay for all service members by 2.7%.\n\nBans dishonorable discharges for service members who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine.\n\nCreates a new National Defense Strategy Commission to review the upcoming Biden National Defense Strategy.\n\nRequires the Secretary of Defense to report on U.S. counterterrorism efforts and plans to evacuate U.S. citizens and allies from Afghanistan.\n\nAuthorizes a Guam Integrated Air and Missile Defense System.\n\nExtends the prohibition against using funds to transfer or release GTMO prisoners to the United States and extends the prohibition on closing the base.\n\nRadical House Provisions Removed from Bill:\n\nRemoved a provision that required women to register with the selective service.\n\nSuccessfully stripped red flag law provisions that violated the Second Amendment rights of our nation\u2019s service members by allowing military judges and magistrates to issue military court orders to confiscate privately owned firearms.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/hawaii-airports-set-to-receive-nearly-50-million-to-improve-infrastructure-safety", "Hawai\u2018i Airports Set To Receive Nearly $50 Million To Improve Infrastructure, Safety", "2021-12-15", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Brian Schatz", "S001194", "www.schatz.senate.gov", "schatz", "https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai\u2018i) today announced that Hawai\u2018i airports will receive $49.3 million in new federal funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The new funding will help support airport infrastructure projects that improve safety and operations efficiency, cut congestion, and reduce the airport\u2019s impact on the environment and neighboring communities.\n\n\u201cHawai\u2018i\u2019s airports will soon be getting millions to help make it safer and easier for passengers to fly,\u201d said Senator Schatz, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing. \u201cThe historic infrastructure law we passed last month is already delivering funding to support our airports, roads, and transit systems, and we expect even more in the coming months and years.\u201d\n\nThe nearly $50 million in funding for Hawai\u2018i airports includes:\n\n$5.9 million for airports on Kauai\n\n$21.2 million for airports on Oahu\n\n$1.2 million for airports on Molokai\n\n$1 million for Lanai Airport\n\n$9.5 million for airports on Maui\n\n$10.4 million for airports on Hawai\u2018i Island\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/schatz-statement-on-ftc-announcement-of-rulemaking-consideration-on-algorithmic-decision-making", "Schatz Statement On FTC Announcement Of Rulemaking Consideration On Algorithmic Decision-Making", "2021-12-15", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Brian Schatz", "S001194", "www.schatz.senate.gov", "schatz", "https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D- Hawai\u2018i) today released the following statement after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced it was considering initiating a rulemaking under Section 18 of the FTC Act to ensure algorithmic decision-making does not result in unlawful discrimination. The announcement follows calls from Schatz to take action on this decision-making.\n\n\u201cAlgorithms are used everywhere, and their malicious use causes real harm to Americans every day. I\u2019m glad to see Chair Khan and the agency take this step to crack down on companies using discriminatory algorithms. It\u2019s crucial that we address this. I encourage the FTC not only to pursue its Section 18 authority to ensure accountability for the use of these algorithms, but to consider additional enforcement under other statutes including the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.\u201d\n\nLast week, Senator Schatz led calls in the Senate Commerce Committee encouraging the FTC to use its authority to more closely scrutinize these algorithms. Earlier this year he reintroduced the Data Care Act, legislation which would require websites, apps, and other online providers to take responsible steps to safeguard personal information and stop the misuse of users\u2019 data, and the Platform Accountability and Consumer Transparency (PACT) Act, which would empower the FTC to make platforms\u2019 manual and automated content moderation practices more transparent and prevent companies from using Section 230 as a defense against government, including the FTC and Department of Justice, civil actions to protect consumers.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/schumer-gillibrand-announce-more-than-1-million-in-federal-funding-to-expand-access-to-broadband-in-the-southern-tier-and-finger-lakes", "SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE MORE THAN $1 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING TO EXPAND ACCESS TO BROADBAND IN THE SOUTHERN TIER AND FINGER LAKES", "2021-12-15", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Charles E. Schumer", "S000148", "www.schumer.senate.gov", "schumer", "https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "Today, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced $1,094,614 in federal funding for the towns of Dryden and Caton to expand access to broadband internet. The funding was allocated through the Appalachian Regional Commission and will be used to install fiber optic cables and establish telecommunications towers to provide broadband services to over 4,000 households and roughly 300 businesses in the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes that currently lack reliable internet access.\n\n\u201cLong before COVID-19, rural and urban communities throughout the Southern Tier and Upstate New York have struggled to close the digital divide. Reliable, fast internet access isn\u2019t a luxury, it\u2019s a necessity required to create good-paying jobs, to communicate, to access health care, to shop, and to learn,\u201d said Senator Schumer. \u201cI am proud to deliver this investment which will help the Town of Dryden and the Town of Caton close the digital divide. I\u2019ll continue fighting tooth and nail to bring the Southern Tier\u2019s broadband infrastructure into the 21st century.\u201d\n\n\u201cSince the beginning of the pandemic, millions of New Yorkers have relied on the internet to work, learn, receive health care, and see their loved ones,\u201d said Senator Gillibrand. \u201cYet in too many of our rural communities, internet access is unreliable or nonexistent, meaning that the more than 1 million households in New York State that lack broadband are cut off from critical services and economic opportunity. This funding is an important step to help close the digital divide and spur economic growth in the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes. I\u2019ll keep fighting to ensure that every New Yorker, regardless of zip code, has access to fast, reliable internet.\u201d\n\n\"We are happy ARC is supporting Dryden Fiber, which will provide residents, educators, and businesses in Dryden with fast, reliable and affordable municipal broadband internet service,\u201d said Dryden town supervisor, Jason Leifer. \u201cDryden Fiber will begin construction and serve customers in 2022.\"\n\n\u201cThis is great news for Dryden residents and a major boost for our project,\u201d added Dryden deputy town supervisor, Dan Lamb. \u201cWe are fortunate to have federal leaders, like Senator Schumer and Senator Gillibrand, who recognize the importance of expanding internet access in rural areas.\u201d\n\nThe Town of Caton will receive $470,000 to establish four new broadband telecommunications towers to bring broadband services to the communities of Caton and Lindley. The Town of Dryden will receive $624,614 to install 13.5 miles of fiber optic cabling that will service 50 public school buildings, 4 vocational school campuses, 28 public libraries, and multiple universities.\n\nSenators Schumer and Gillibrand have been longtime advocates for the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and expanding high-speed internet access in the Southern Tier. In the recently passed Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Schumer and Gillibrand secured $1 billion for the ARC over 5 years, increasing the budget to $200 million per year through 2026, including $20 million per year in dedicated funding to deploy high-speed internet across the region. The legislation also includes nearly $2 billion for USDA\u2019s ReConnect Program for the construction or improvement of facilities that provide broadband services in rural areas and $14.2 billion to create a permanent, sustainable Affordable Connectivity Benefit that will provide a $30 per month voucher for low-income families to use toward any internet service plan of their choosing. Schumer said this investment would provide additional support for broadband, economic development, infrastructure, and workforce development programs to improve the quality of life and create new business growth and job opportunities across the Southern Tier and throughout Upstate NY. Over the last decade, the ARC has helped fund over $32 million in essential projects for Upstate NY, helping create or retain over 4,400 jobs. Projects have included expanded access to high-speed internet, projects to reduce energy costs, support for entrepreneurs and small businesses, and workforce training.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/icymi-scott-talks-inflation-blasts-dems-spending-on-americas-newsroom/", "ICYMI: Scott Talks Inflation, Blasts Dems\u2019 Spending on America\u2019s Newsroom", "2021-12-15", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Tim Scott", "S001184", "www.scott.senate.gov", "timscott", "https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/jsf/jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) joined Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino on Fox News\u2019s \u201cAmerica\u2019s Newsroom.\u201d Sen. Scott slammed the Democrats\u2019 reckless spending, which has driven inflation to a record high, and he discussed how to combat America\u2019s rising prices.\n\nClick to watch the full interview\n\nOn record-level inflation \u2026 \u201cThere\u2019s no doubt that, when you think about inflation\u2014this bone-crushing, life-changing, hope-stealing, job-killing inflation\u2014there\u2019s no doubt in my mind that I\u2019m thankful that it\u2019s no longer considered transitory. Finally, Chairman Powell is speaking the truth, which is [that] this is unprecedented. The last time inflation was this high, I had an afro. That is a long time ago. That\u2019s early 1980s.\n\n\u201cThe truth is that we have to find a way to forge forward by reducing spending from the federal government and allowing raises to increase in the private sector. That means that we have to pull back on this \u2018Build Back Broker\u2019 plan that the Democrats are still trying to weave together.\u201d\n\nOn inflation\u2019s effect on service members \u2026 \u201c[In South Carolina] we actually make marines at Parris Island; we train the army folks at Fort Jackson. So if you think about [a service member] who may even be eligible for public assistance because they get paid so little\u2014[working] paycheck-to-paycheck\u2014they drive up to the gas station and now gas is up almost 75 percent. \u2026 Can you imagine someone who\u2019s serving our nation \u2026 and they simply cannot put gas in their cars while they defend our nation?\n\nOn the path forward \u2026 \u201cMedian income in this country is around $35,000 a year. When you think about what this inflationary impact is on folks living paycheck-to-paycheck, it means that you have to choose between sometimes your health care, sometimes your energy, and sometimes the utilities in your house. \u2026 We can change that by [stopping reckless spending] in Washington and [allowing] the American people to catch up. That means putting more focus on an incentive-based economy where we let the private sector do what they do really well and getting the government out of the way.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/scott-calls-out-democrats-destructive-child-care-proposals-at-press-conference/", "Scott Calls Out Democrats\u2019 Destructive Child Care Proposals at Press Conference", "2021-12-15", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Tim Scott", "S001184", "www.scott.senate.gov", "timscott", "https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/jsf/jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.) led their Republican colleagues at a press conference calling out the destructive child care proposals in the Democrats\u2019 reckless spending bill.\n\nClick to watch the senator\u2019s remarks\n\nSenator Scott\u2019s remarks as delivered:\n\nThank you, Senator Burr, for leading this important press conference on an issue that is not a Republican issue or a Democrat issue. It\u2019s simply an American issue.\n\nImagine, if you will, households across the country and specifically those households in South Carolina\u2014[like the one] I grew up in when I was a kid. Single-parent [households are] waking up to the sense of desperation because your gas prices are up nearly 75 percent, so instead of spending less than $2 a gallon in 2020, you\u2019re now spending over $3.30 a gallon in 2021.\n\nImagine, if you will, turning your heat up or, likely, turning your heat down to conserve money because your utilities are up 25 percent. And then you wake up to the BBB\u2014as I call it, the \u201cBuild Back Broker\u201d plan\u2014and you realize that the bone-crushing, life-changing, hope-stealing, job-killing aspects of the BBB include increasing your child care costs, as Senator Burr said, by $13,000.\n\nTo understand the actual impact of the $13,000, you have to first understand that the current cost is over $15,000. So, said in a way that everybody in our nation can understand, with median income around $34,000, you take taxes out, [and] the cost of child care is now more than your take-home pay. Literally, providing child care for one kid is more than the take-home pay of the average income in our nation.\n\nAnd somehow, we are to celebrate this notion that the government is here to do something for you, when in fact, you know the government is taking something from you. And what are they taking? Your hope, your future, your plans. And so, while we may think of this as an exercise of political philosophy [or] one side versus the other \u2026 this is literally an attempt to fundamentally transform what it means to take care of your child in the place you want to send your child, by eliminating options, increasing the cost, and stealing the hope from far too many families who deserve better from their government.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/senator-scott-statement-on-passage-of-the-national-defense-authorization-act/", "Senator Scott Statement on Passage of the National Defense Authorization Act", "2021-12-15", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Tim Scott", "S001184", "www.scott.senate.gov", "timscott", "https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/jsf/jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) released the following statement on his vote to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).\n\n\u201cAt a time of growing and evolving global threats, it is unthinkable that the Biden administration asked for tens of billions of dollars in cuts to our military,\u201d said Senator Scott. \u201cI am proud to vote for this bipartisan authorization to increase U.S. defense spending by $25 billion more than the Biden plan and give our troops a well-deserved pay raise. I remain committed to ensuring our men and women in uniform are fully equipped to keep our country safe and prosperous.\u201d\n\nBACKGROUND\n\nThe FY22 NDAA authorizes $777.7 billion to support U.S. national defense and includes a pay raise for armed forces for the third year in a row. The bill includes Senator Scott\u2019s amendment to increase funding from the president\u2019s original request of $31 million for the Department of Defense\u2019s Historically Black Colleges and Universities program to $73 million in the final NDAA. The bill also contains multiple wins for South Carolina championed by Senator Scott, including:\n\n$59 million, Joint Base Charleston\n\n$55 million, Fort Jackson\n\n$130.3 million, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort\n\n$6 million, Marine Corps Reserve Depot Parris Island\n\n$18.8 million, McEntire Joint National Guard Base\n\n$1.7 billion, Savannah River Site\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/commerce-committee-advances-sullivans-visit-america-act-in-tourism-omnibus", "Commerce Committee Advances Sullivan\u2019s \u201cVisit America Act\u201d in Tourism Omnibus", "2021-12-15", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "AK", "Dan Sullivan", "S001198", "www.sullivan.senate.gov", "sullivan", "https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=36", "scraper", "Bill would initiate a federal strategy for the struggling U.S. tourism & travel industry\n\nWASHINGTON\u2014U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, today thanked his committee colleagues for advancing his Visit America Act as part of the larger Omnibus Travel and Tourism Act of 2021. The bill would set a visitation goal of 116 million annual international travelers to the United States by 2028, formally authorize the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, and create a high-ranking position within the Department of Commerce focused on bolstering America\u2019s travel and tourism industry and coordinating a strategy across multiple federal agencies. The Visit America Act would also require the development and implementation of a strategy to assist the travel and tourism industry to quickly recover from the COVID\u201319 pandemic. Original cosponsors of the Visit America Act include Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Angus King (I-Maine), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).\n\n\u201cTravel and tourism are critical engines of our national economy, supporting millions of jobs and generating billions of dollars for communities across the country, including in Alaska. Those jobs and revenues were absolutely decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and many have still not returned,\u201d said Sullivan. \u201cIn order to realize a full recovery from the pandemic, the tourism industry\u2014like other major economic sectors\u2014deserves an advocate at the highest levels of the federal government to coordinate a whole-of-government strategy. This is an idea my team and I came up with five years ago, and I appreciate Chairwoman Cantwell, Ranking Member Wicker, and my committee colleagues for incorporating the Visit America Act into the committee\u2019s bipartisan \u2018Tour Bus\u2019 package. I am hopeful we can get this legislation to the President\u2019s desk soon and support the hard-working small business owners in the travel and tourism economy.\u201d\n\nThe United States is the only member of the G20 international economic forum that does not have a high-ranking official focused on the tourism sector. Most G20 nations have a minister or secretary at the cabinet level.\n\nIn addition to the Visit America Act, the Omnibus Travel and Tourism Act includes:\n\nS.115, Protecting Tourism in the United States Act: This bill would require the Department of Commerce to lead a study of the pandemic\u2019s effects on the travel and tourism industry and identification of policy recommendations to assist the hard-hit industry.\n\nS.343, Fly Safe Canine COVID Detection Act of 2021: This legislation requires the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to conduct a feasibility study on the use of canine units to detect the presence of COVID-19.\n\nH.R.4094, One-Stop Pilot Program Act of 2021: This legislation would establish a pilot program to allow international passengers from designated foreign airports to avoid rescreening in the U.S. for connecting flights. In collaboration with Customs and Border Protection, TSA would designate the foreign airports and ensure they have comparable security standards.\n\nS.82, Ensuring Health Safety in the Skies Act of 2021: This legislation would require the Department of Transportation, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Health and Human Services to form a joint task force on air travel during and after the COVID-19 public health emergency.\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-senate-pass-defense-bill-that-takes-care-of-our-troops-and-makes-america-more-secure", "Sullivan, Senate Pass Defense Bill That Takes Care Of Our Troops and Makes America More Secure", "2021-12-15", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "AK", "Dan Sullivan", "S001198", "www.sullivan.senate.gov", "sullivan", "https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=36", "scraper", "Bill includes Sullivan-Authored Arctic Security Initiative, Other Alaska Provisions\n\nWASHINGTON\u2014U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), voted today to pass the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which would raise the Department of Defense\u2019s (DOD) budget by $25 billion beyond President Joe Biden\u2019s defense budget proposal, a level consistent with the recommendations of the National Defense Strategy Commission, and includes numerous Arctic and Alaska priorities championed by Sullivan. The bill now goes to the President\u2019s desk for his signature.\n\n\u201cRepublicans and Democrats in Congress today soundly rejected Joe Biden\u2019s dangerous, dead-last prioritization of the U.S. military, passing an authorization that robustly invests in our nation\u2019s defense and provides our troops with the resources they need to fulfill a wide array of critical missions,\u201d said Sen. Sullivan. \u201cWe were also able to work on a bipartisan basis to remove provisions championed by far-left members of the House and the President that sought to conduct social engineering experiments in our military ranks and detract from the readiness and lethality of our fighting force. This NDAA also invests heavily in defense technologies and weapons that will help us keep pace with our adversaries, like Russia and China, as they continue to threaten democracies and upend the global rules-based order.\n\n\u201cAdditionally, this NDAA includes numerous provisions for Alaska, including approximately $155 million dollars for military construction, and a new Arctic Security Initiative I authored that will, at long last, ensure the Arctic is properly resourced and integrated into our larger defense strategy\u2014where it belongs. The independent assessment this initiative requires will ultimately mean more focus, personnel, vessels, infrastructure, aircraft and investment being directed to America\u2019s Arctic\u2014to Alaska\u2014in defense of our nation\u2019s interests in this critically-important region. With my provision in last year\u2019s NDAA to establish the Ted Stevens Center, which the DOD recently announced will be headquartered in Anchorage, and my Arctic Security Initiative in this year\u2019s NDAA, Alaska has rightfully become the critical focal point for Arctic security endeavors for America and our allies throughout the world.\u201d\n\nCongress has historically only authorized two region-specific security initiatives\u2014the European Deterrence Initiative in 2014, following Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, and the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI) in 2021, following China\u2019s militarization of the South China Sea and other provocative actions in Asia. Sen. Sullivan was able to include a provision authorizing the secretary of defense to establish a third such initiative in the FY 2022 NDAA\u2014the Arctic Security Initiative (ASI), which features a five-year plan to fully resource the DOD\u2019s and individual service-specific strategies for the Arctic that have been released over the past several years.\n\n\u201cFinally, after years of advocacy, this year\u2019s NDAA includes legislation I\u2019ve introduced to maximize interagency collaboration and capacity between the Defense Health and Veterans Health Agencies, authorizing the secretary of defense and the secretary of veterans affairs to enter into agreements for the planning, design, and construction of facilities to be operated as shared federal medical facilities,\u201d said Sen. Sullivan. \u201cThis is critically important in states, like Alaska, where there is no full-service VA hospital and more than forty percent of residents are federal health care beneficiaries.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs the senior Republican on the Subcommittee on Readiness, Sen. Sullivan has fought to make sure our military is prepared for any threat that comes our way\u2014whether in the Indo-Pacific or the Arctic. That includes making sure the Department of Defense has the budget it needs to take care of our troops and defend the country and that those resources are going to the right places,\u201d said SASC Ranking Member Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.). \u201cI\u2019m proud to have worked with him to make this National Defense Authorization Act a strong, bipartisan bill that will make our country more secure.\u201d\n\nIn addition to authorizing the ASI, the FY 2022 NDAA:\n\nIncreases funding for national defense by $25 billion beyond President Biden\u2019s request, matching the National Defense Strategy Commission\u2019s minimum recommendation of 3 percent real growth, bringing the total funding authorized for the DOD and nuclear weapons activities to a total of $777.9 billion;\n\nProvides America\u2019s service members with a 2.7 percent pay raise, makes necessary improvements to military health care, continues efforts to guarantee military spouses have access to meaningful employment, provides service members with dedicated bereavement leave, and ensures military families have access to high-quality housing;\n\nIncreases resources for the new Pacific Deterrence Initiative by $1 billion for the United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) commander\u2019s highest priorities;\n\nHardens America\u2019s defense industrial base and supply chain against threats posed by China;\n\nFocuses attention on U.S.-Taiwan defense cooperation, including asymmetric military capabilities;\n\nRequires an assessment of current and emerging offensive capabilities of China and other adversaries and disclosures of any printed circuit boards sourced from China;\n\nAccelerates research and development of key modernization technologies at the heart of strategic competition with China;\n\nAdds more than $2.5 billion for shipbuilding, with funding for an additional destroyer;\n\nProvides the largest investment in military construction in a decade\u2014$12.735 billion\u2014nearly $2.9 billion more than the president requested;\n\nEmphasizes the importance of the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD);\n\nProvides key support for America\u2019s allies, including Taiwan, Ukraine, Israel, and Afghan civilians and translators who supported U.S. counterterrorism efforts;\n\nContinues to limit military cooperation between the U.S. and Russia, rejects Russian aggression, and authorizes an increase of $50 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative;\n\nInvests in defense technology to put America ahead of its global competitors, including microelectronics, artificial intelligence, 5G, hypersonic weapons, and directed energy;\n\nFully funds the United States Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) and protects against persistent cyberattacks by assessing and strengthening America\u2019s offensive and defensive capabilities;\n\nAuthorizes the DOD to transport Afghan special immigrant visa (SIV) candidates and other at-risk Afghan partners outside of Afghanistan for visa processing;\n\nRequires military contractors to disclose any training related to critical race theory.\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/speeches/speech-fy-2022-national-defense-authorization-act", "SPEECH: FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act", "2021-12-15", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "AK", "Dan Sullivan", "S001198", "www.sullivan.senate.gov", "sullivan", "https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=36", "scraper", "Mr. President, I want to come down to the Senate floor and commend a number of Senators, but I want to particularly commend the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Senator Reed, and the ranking member, Senator Inhofe, and their staff, and all the staff on the Armed Services Committee for the exceptional work they have done over the last several months to produce the strong National Defense Authorization Act that just passed in a very strong bipartisan vote here on the floor of the U.S. Senate.\n\nThat vote was 88 to 11. I think it is a prime example of something that I mention a lot back home; and that is that there is a lot more bipartisan work that gets done here in the Senate that isn't often recognized, and there is nothing more important than having Senators from both sides of the aisle come together with regard to national defense and supporting our troops and their families.\n\nWe have been doing that over 60 years in a row, where we have passed the National Defense Authorization Act--one of the most important bills that comes to the floor of the Senate and the House and the Congress. And, once again, we have passed it. And I think Chairman Reed and Senator Inhofe--Ranking Member Inhofe--deserve a lot of the credit.\n\nSo I just want to touch on a couple of the key provisions here, a lot of what was in it, and then mention a few things. A lot of times it is important to recognize, actually, what is not in a bill because that can be just as important as what is in it.\n\nBut I would start with the No. 1 issue here, and it is the top-line budget increase for the Department of Defense.\n\nI have been outspoken on the disappointment and damage that President Biden's budget, which he proposed, with regard to the Pentagon, supported, unfortunately, by many here--the majority leader, the budget chairman--that that was unacceptable--unacceptable. Why was it unacceptable? Because our Nation is facing many threats right now. Just read the paper every day--China, Russia, Iran. Yet that budget that was actually provided by the White House was a cut--a pretty dramatic cut--if you look at it as adjusted for inflation.\n\nThe Armed Services Committees in the Senate and in the House thoroughly rejected the Biden budget to cut defense spending.\n\nWe have in this bill a 3-percent real increase. That is a little over $25 billion. This amendment, which I cosponsored with Senator Inhofe and others, to increase our defense spending, when it came to a vote in the committee, every Senator on the Armed Services Committee voted for it, with the exception of one. That is about as bipartisan as it gets.\n\nThere are many important things in this bill in terms of the significant increase to the top-line budget, but readiness, in my view, of our military is one of the most important things we do here as U.S. Senators, and now is certainly not the time to cut defense spending. I think today's vote was a strong bipartisan showing that this body does not agree with the Biden budget, and that was one really important aspect of today's NDAA.\n\nSecond, I want to talk a little bit about the great State of Alaska and its role in our military and some of the provisions in this bill that relate to Arctic security.\n\nI like to say that Alaska constitutes three pillars of America's military might. We are the cornerstone of missile defense. Almost all the radar systems and all the ground-based missile interceptors protecting the whole country are located in Alaska.\n\nWe are the hub of air combat power for the Arctic and Asia Pacific. By the end of this year, we will have over 100 fifth-generation fighters--combat-coded, fifth-gen fighters. That is F-35s, F-22s, stationed in Alaska--over 100. There is no place on the planet Earth that has over 100 fifth-generation fighters. Supersonic stealth can get anywhere--anywhere--very quickly: Russia, China, Taiwan. That is another area of Alaska's pillars of military might.\n\nAnd, finally, we are a platform for expeditionary forces, the 4-25, the only airborne brigade combat team in the entire Asia Pacific; the First Striker Brigade; and many others that can get to places all over the world, because of our strategic location, very quickly, and also because of our strategic airlift in Alaska.\n\nBut this NDAA is going to add another element of Alaska's military might to our Nation, and that is the center of gravity for America's Arctic security operations.\n\nLast year in the NDAA, we were able to get the first and only and much needed Department of Defense Center for Arctic Security. The Department of Defense named it the Ted Stevens, after the great, late Senator. The Center for Arctic Security is going to be in Anchorage, AK.\n\nAnd now, in this year's NDAA, we have what is called the Arctic Security Initiative. I was honored to cosponsor that with my good friend Senator King from Maine. And this gets the Pentagon to focus on a 5-year strengthening of our national security in the Arctic region.\n\nAs you know, that is becoming an area of great power competition, and America has very strong, strategic national security and economic security interests in the Arctic. And this NDAA will cement not just the Arctic as an important national security imperative of our country but Alaska as the focal point for Arctic security endeavors for the United States and our allies.\n\nThe other element here in the NDAA which is so important, of course, is taking care of our troops and their families. This bill authorizes a pay raise of almost 3 percent for both military members and Department of Defense civilians. It has numerous initiatives relating to military health and housing leave policies. One that I was proud to get into this bill is an important provision that allows the Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration to do facility sharing.\n\nWhat does that mean? It enables both the Pentagon and the VA to work on agreements to plan, design, and construct facilities to operate as VA and DOD shared medical facilities. That is going to help with readiness. That is going to help train our young Active-Duty medical forces. It is going to help with taking care of our veterans. And it is going to save money.\n\nThese are the kinds of provisions that we need. They are win-win-win between the VA and our veterans and the Active-Duty and Reserve forces that also need healthcare. And we are looking forward to taking advantage of that in Alaska and in other places in the country.\n\nAs I said at the outset, oftentimes what is not in a bill is as important as what is in a bill, and some of our Members--some of the far-left Members of the House--tried to plug into the NDAA--and they did so over in the House--a number of bills that really didn't have a lot to do with the military, but they were trying to move forward on a far-left agenda that they tried to attach in the NDAA.\n\nIronically, many of these Members really have no intention of ever voting for a strong NDAA, but they tried to plug things in, in the House bill. They did that in the House bill, but we were able to get rid of pretty much all of those--again, things like red flag laws that would confiscate firearms without due process.\n\nThere is another provision that I am really glad was not in there. There has been this narrative on the far left that somehow the men and women of our military--that our military institutions--are filled with a bunch of extremists. There are news reports that say this. None of it is based on data. None of it is based on data. And I have been pressing officials, saying: Give me data. You make these charges, which I dislike. I happen to know many, many members of the military. They are some of the finest people in the country.\n\nSo we were able to get rid of some of the provisions in the House bill that--one was going to set up an office in the Pentagon on essentially trying to, in my view, do witch hunts on so-called extremists. It is an issue that the Pentagon needs to come up with data on and not make these false charges.\n\nSo, overall, this is a good day for our troops, for their families, for the Senate. It is a very bipartisan bill, with people coming together--Democrats and Republicans--on, in my view, one of the most important issues, if not the most important issue, we deal with here in the Congress: the national security of our Nation; keeping a strong, lethal military.\n\nAnd when we do that, like we did today, that also sends a message to our adversaries: The United States, despite some challenges, still has the best, most lethal military force in the world, the most professional military force in the world. And this bill is going to help enhance that, and our adversaries need to take notice.\n\nI yield the floor.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=80DDCE38-5243-48CF-993D-1660E77CF464", "Thune Applauds Senate Passage of Annual Defense Bill, Ellsworth Funding", "2021-12-15", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SD", "John Thune", "T000250", "www.thune.senate.gov", "thune", "https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "Clickhere to watch the video.\n\nU.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today applauded the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2022. Thune noted that the bill contains numerous priorities that benefit South Dakota and the future B-21 bomber mission at Ellsworth Air Force Base.\n\nNDAA priorities for South Dakota include:\n\n$2.87 billion for B-21 development\n\n$47 million for a B-21 Field Training Detachment Facility\n\n$36 million for a B-21 Mission Operations Planning Facility\n\n$65 million for a B-21 Washrack and Maintenance Hangar\n\n$24 million for a B-21 additions to the flight simulator facility\n\n$70 million for a B-21 Formal Training Unit/Aircraft Maintenance Unit\n\n$41 million for a B-21 two-bay Low-Observable Restoration Facility\n\n$9.8 million for an F-16 Mission Training Center at Joe Foss Field\n\n$15 million for a South Dakota Guard Readiness Center in Sioux Falls\n\nPreservation of B-1 maintenance and operational squadrons through at least fiscal year 2023 or until their replacement by B-21 units\n\nThune\u2019s remarks below (as prepared for delivery):\n\n\u201cMr. President, I am pleased that today we will finally move to a vote on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022.\n\n\u201cThanks to Democrats\u2019 focus on their reckless Build Back Better tax-and-spending spree, consideration of the NDAA \u2013 one of the most important bills we consider every year \u2013 was delayed for months.\n\n\u201cAnd of course once we finally got onto the bill, Democrats rushed the process.\n\n\u201cSenators of both parties filed a total of 1,000 amendments on this bill, but not one of those amendments received a vote on the Senate floor.\n\n\u201cBut at least we\u2019re finally here, set to pass this critical legislation.\n\n\u201cAnd I am pleased that Republicans were able to strengthen this bill in committee and in the so-called pre-conference negotiations.\n\n\u201cThis includes removing troublesome provisions like \u201cred flag\u201d laws that would summarily suspend the Second Amendment rights of our men and women in uniform.\n\n\u201cThanks in large part to Republican efforts, the final bill is $25 billion above President Biden\u2019s inadequate budget request.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve made a lot of progress over the past several years on rebuilding our military, which \u2013 after years of underfunding and budgetary uncertainty, combined with heavy operational demands \u2013 had been left under-equipped, under-manned, and under-prepared to meet the threats of the 21st century.\n\n\u201cThe situation had gotten so bad that in 2018 the bipartisan National Defense Strategy Commission released a report warning that our readiness had eroded to the point where we might struggle to win a war against a major power like Russia or China.\n\n\u201cAn especially chilling warning considering the mounting destabilization from both of these countries today.\n\n\u201cAnd the commission noted that we would be especially vulnerable if we were ever called on to fight a war on two fronts.\n\n\u201cBut, as I said, over the past several years we\u2019ve made a lot of progress on restoring military readiness.\n\n\u201cUnfortunately, President Biden\u2019s inadequate budget request threatened to undo some of that progress.\n\n\u201cSo I\u2019m very pleased that thanks in large part to Republican efforts, Democrats and Republicans have agreed on a final number that will continue our reinvestment in our military so that our men and women in uniform will have the resources they need to address the threats of the 21st century.\n\n\u201cWith both China and Russia flexing their military power \u2013 and the growing danger of a further Russian invasion of Ukraine \u2013 it is critically important that we ensure that our nation is always prepared to defend itself and our vital national interests, whatever the threat.\n\n\u201cAnd on the subject of Ukraine, I am very pleased that the final bill we\u2019ll vote on today includes an additional $50 million in military assistance for Ukraine.\n\n\u201cUkraine has spent years dealing with a Russian invasion that threatens to push further into its sovereign territory, and we should be supporting the efforts of this free nation to defend itself from Russian aggression.\n\n\u201cMr. President, I am particularly proud to announce that this year\u2019s NDAA contains the necessary funding to continue essential preparation for the B-21 mission at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota.\n\n\u201cWe found out in June of this year that Ellsworth had officially been named Main Operating Base 1 for the future B-21 bomber \u2013 \u2018Home of the Raider.\u2019\n\n\u201cThis designation not only means that Ellsworth will be the first base to host the B-21 Raider, but that it will also host the formal training unit and the first operational squadron.\n\n\u201cThe stealth B-21 bomber will eventually replace the Air Force\u2019s B-1s, which have been a proven workhorse within Global Strike Command but must be divested to free up capacity and resources for an even more agile and capable bomber fleet.\n\n\u201cOnce operational, the B-21 Raider will be a critical part of our nation\u2019s long-range strike capabilities and nuclear deterrent well into the future.\n\n\u201cAnd I am incredibly proud that South Dakota and Ellsworth were chosen to serve as the first operating base for the B-21s.\n\n\u201cWhen I first came to the Senate, the outlook for Ellsworth wasn\u2019t so rosy.\n\n\u201cI had barely arrived here in the Senate when Ellsworth was placed on the Base Realignment and Closure, or BRAC, list.\n\n\u201cIt was an all-hands effort by the congressional delegation and Ellsworth and state and community leaders to make the case to the Bush administration and the BRAC Commission to remove Ellsworth from the closure list.\n\n\u201cMany thought South Dakota might not have the clout to make this stand \u2013 that we didn\u2019t wield enough influence.\n\n\u201cWe were only given about 12 percent odds of pulling through.\n\n\u201cBut we were determined that we weren\u2019t going to lose Ellsworth.\n\n\u201cAnd we stood our ground and won the day.\n\n\u201cEllsworth was removed from the BRAC list that August.\n\n\u201cAnd we got right to work on building up the base so that we would never again find ourselves in the same position.\n\n\u201cIn 2007, we saw the Air Force Financial Services Center open at Ellsworth.\n\n\u201c2011 saw the arrival of the 89th Attack Squadron, and its command and control stations for MQ-9 Reapers.\n\n\u201cAnd in 2015 a decade-long mission paid off with the quadrupling of the training air space for the base.\n\n\u201cThe Powder River Training Complex is now the largest training air space in the continental United States and can be used for large-force exercises that draw combat aircraft from across the country.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s also well-suited for B-21 training \u2013 which is undoubtedly one of the reasons that Ellsworth was chosen as the first home of the Raider.\n\n\u201cAnd I am committed to ensuring that Ellsworth has everything it needs for its new mission, so that it can continue to serve as one of our nation\u2019s essential military assets for decades to come.\n\n\u201cTo that end, I worked to ensure that this year\u2019s NDAA contained not only full funding for B-21 development, but full funding for the first of many equipment and support facilities that will be needed for the B-21 mission at Ellsworth, including a low-observable coating restoration facility, a wash rack and maintenance hangar, expanding the flight simulator facility, and more.\n\n\u201cIt's imperative that these and the follow-on military construction projects at Ellsworth stay on pace to ensure that the B-21, once fielded, can begin operations alongside the current B-1 mission at Ellsworth to enable a smooth transition from one mission to the next.\n\n\u201cThis NDAA also ensures adequate support for our B-1s in South Dakota, Texas, and deployed on Bomber Task Force missions so that they have the resources they need until they are replaced by the B-21.\n\n\u201cI will continue to do everything I can here in Congress to support our B-1s at Ellsworth and advance the B-21 mission.\n\n\u201cMr. President, providing for our nation\u2019s defense is one of our most serious responsibilities as members of Congress.\n\n\u201cWe have an obligation to ensure that our nation is prepared to meet any threat, whether the danger comes from terrorism, rogue states, or major powers.\n\n\u201cAnd we have an obligation to ensure that our men and women in uniform have the resources they need to confront the threats we ask them to face.\n\n\u201cI am frustrated that it took us so long to move to consideration of this year\u2019s NDAA.\n\n\u201cBut I am happy that we did at least manage to secure a solid piece of legislation.\n\n\u201cAnd I look forward to voting for this bill later today.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/video-young-discusses-rising-cost-of-child-care-under-democrats-build-back-better-plan/", "VIDEO: Young Discusses Rising Cost of Child Care under Democrats\u2019 Build Back Better Plan", "2021-12-15", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "IN", "Todd Young", "Y000064", "www.young.senate.gov", "toddyoung", "https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) joined a press conference with his Senate GOP colleagues to discuss provisions in Democrats\u2019 Build Back Better plan that would reduce child care options for parents, raise child care costs, and hinder child care providers\u2019 ability to operate and retain workers.\n\n\u201cIn the great state of Indiana \u2026 child care costs actually exceed the cost of higher education. This issue has not received enough attention.\n\n\u201cThe worst thing we could do is to put out of business our existing child care providers, which is precisely what the Build Back Better plan would do,\u201d said Senator Young during the press conference.\n\nAccording to a left-leaning think tank, the Build Back Better plan would increase child care costs by $13,000 per year per child. By increasing demand for child care without addressing the already limited supply of providers, Build Back Better will make it more difficult for parents to find and afford child care. Additionally, faith-based providers would have to meet extra requirements, likely putting some out of business.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/young-votes-to-pass-final-defense-authorization-to-prioritize-troops-strengthen-national-security/", "Young Votes to Pass Final Defense Authorization to Prioritize Troops, Strengthen National Security", "2021-12-15", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "IN", "Todd Young", "Y000064", "www.young.senate.gov", "toddyoung", "https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, after months of unnecessary delays, U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) voted to approve the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill passed by a vote of 89-10 and included provisions that will benefit our military and make Americans safer and more secure.\n\n\u201cWhile Democrats haggled over their reckless tax-and-spend proposal, this vital defense bill has been on the back burner receiving little attention. Though it\u2019s later than it should have been, the version we passed today is far better than President Biden\u2019s original plan. It gives our troops a pay raise and puts real resources behind countering the aggressive actions of Putin\u2019s Russia and the Chinese Communist Party.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m proud to have secured several key provisions in this bill, including provisions to strengthen cybersecurity cooperation with Israel, invest in emerging technologies, and create a bipartisan commission to examine our two decades of war in Afghanistan. The bill also includes a plan I worked on with members of the Burmese community in Indiana to support the restoration of democracy in Burma,\u201d said Senator Young.\n\nAs passed, this NDAA gives our troops a 2.7 percent pay raise and provides a 3 percent increase over the previous year\u2019s military budget. This increase is more for our military than President Biden\u2019s proposal, which would have slashed defense spending. This increase is critical to keep pace with the Chinese Communist Party which has averaged ranged between 7.2 percent and 8.1 percent increases in year-over-year growth since 2016.\n\nSenator Young, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and Marine who serves on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, worked to ensure the bill would strengthen our military, while keeping Americans safe amidst threats from coronavirus, Russia, and the Chinese Communist Party.\n\nThe NDAA was also a success for keeping liberal priorities out of the final bill. The compromise legislation rejected distractions that would have impacted the rights of Hoosier gun owners and would have required women to register for the draft.\n\nFour of Senator Young\u2019s national security priorities were included in the legislation.\n\nSenator Young\u2019s provisions in the NDAA:\n\nThe Afghanistan War Commission Act to establish a 16-member nonpartisan commission to examine military, diplomatic and intelligence activities by the U.S. from late 1996 to the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan in August. This is essential as we examine our two decades at war and our failed withdrawal from Afghanistan.\n\nU.S.-Israel Cybersecurity Cooperation Enhancement to establish a Department of Homeland Security grant program to facilitate closer U.S.-Israel cybersecurity cooperation.\n\nPilot program on acquisition practices for emerging technologies to bring the themes of Senator Young\u2019s Endless Frontier Act into the Department of Defense. This requires the Department to identify and award no less than four agreements for new projects to support high priority modernization activities that are consistent with the National Defense Strategy and creates an advisory group to bring private sector expertise into the process.\n\nSupport Democracy in Burma, a bipartisan amendment that was drafted with the input of leaders from across the Burmese community in an effort to restore democracy and hold those responsible accountable following this year\u2019s coup. This amendment requires the U.S. government to examine supporting the National Unity Government, denying legitimacy for the junta, and the role sanctions could play in accountability.\n\nSenator Young also secured the following provisions in support of Indiana projects:\n\nAnti-Submarine Warfare Equipment:\n\nAs the United States engages in strategic competition, our Navy will be at the forefront of securing vital sea lanes, protecting commerce, and reducing threats to the homeland from the navies of China and Russia. Sonobuoys, like those manufactured by Ultra Electronics in Columbia City, Indiana, are a vital tool in detecting and tracking submarine threats from our peer competitors. Senator Young secured a 20% increase in funding to procure additional sonobuoys.\n\nPersistent Maritime Intelligence Gathering:\n\nSenator Young also secured funding support for two additional MQ-4C Triton drones, reversing the Biden Administration\u2019s decision to not procure this aircraft. The Triton provides long-range intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting capabilities over vast oceans spaces. As the United States seeks to deter against China in the Pacific, this airborne capability will be invaluable in monitoring China\u2019s deployments of ships and aircraft. Rolls-Royce produces the engines for the Triton in Indianapolis, Indianapolis.\n\nVital Ground Combat Capabilities:\n\nWith Vladimir Putin and Russia threatening the security of Europe and the NATO alliance, now is not the time to reduce the acquisition of the necessary armor capabilities to deter against Russian aggression. Senator Young secured important increases in the procurement and development of the newest version of the venerable Abrams tank, the transmission for which is produced by Allison Transmission in Indianapolis, Indiana. This funding will ensure that the U.S. Army is fully equipped to win on the battlefields of today and tomorrow.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-cardin-sanders-introduce-legislation-to-create-special-envoy-to-monitor-and-address-islamophobia", "Booker, Cardin, Sanders Introduce Legislation to Create Special Envoy to Monitor and Address Islamophobia", "2021-12-14", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NJ", "Cory A. Booker", "B001288", "www.booker.senate.gov", "booker", "https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C - Today, U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Ben Cardin (D-MD), both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced the Combating International Islamophobia Act, legislation that would require the Department of State to establish a Special Envoy for tracking and combatting Islamophobia globally. The creation of the Special Envoy will also help lawmakers and other government officials better understand anti-Muslim hatred and violence, allowing for the development of a comprehensive strategy that will establish U.S. leadership in addressing Islamophobia worldwide.\n\nThe legislation is the Senate companion to a House bill introduced by Representatives Ilhan Omar (MN-05) and Jan Schakowsky (IL-9). The House is expected to consider Omar and Schakowsky\u2019s bill for passage as early as today.\n\nIn a recent survey conducted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), 69% of American Muslims responded that they have personally experienced anti-Muslim bigotry or discrimination since 9/11. In March, the United Nations Human Rights Council cited discrimination and hatred toward Muslims had risen to \u201cepidemic proportions.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe\u2019ve witnessed in recent years an alarming rise in Islamophobia both in the United States and globally that has threatened the religious freedom, well-being, and lives of Muslims,\u201d said Sen. Booker. \u201cEstablishing a Special Envoy at the State Department is an important step that we should take to develop a comprehensive plan to reverse this trend and position the U.S. as a global leader in combating hate.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor over a decade, we have seen a rise in Islamophobia around the country and around the world. The United States should be a global leader in fighting such intolerance. So I am proud today to be joining my Senate colleagues in introducing the Combating International Islamophobia Act. This bill would elevate our commitment to freedom of religion and further protect the rights of Muslims everywhere, \u201d said Senator Cardin, who serves as the Special Representative on Anti-Semitism, Racism, and Intolerance for the 57-nation Organization Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly.\n\n\"The Council on American-Islamic Relations thanks Senator Cory Booker for introducing a Senate companion to the Combating International Islamophobia Act,\u201d said Nihad Awad, Executive Director of CAIR. \u201cIt is important to American Muslims, and Muslims around the world that Congress supports the creation of a U.S. Special Envoy at the Department of State to Monitor and Combat Islamophobia. Passing this act into law will equip our nation with the necessary tools to ensure the safety and wellbeing of Muslims here in the United States and abroad, given the transnational nature of Islamophobic hate.\"\n\n\"CAIR New Jersey thanks Senator Cory Booker for introducing the Combating International Islamophobia Act,\u201d said Selaedin Maksut, Executive Director of CAIR-New Jersey. \u201cBy monitoring and confronting the rising tide of global Islamophobia, the U.S. can help ensure the religious freedom of Muslims around the world. The New Jersey Muslim community supports the creation of a special envoy position to monitor and combat this rising tide of anti-Muslim hate \u2013 and the Combating International Islamophobia Act would make this special envoy position a reality.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-norcross-celebrate-expansion-of-the-enterprise-center-into-new-jersey", "Booker, Norcross Celebrate Expansion of The Enterprise Center Into New Jersey", "2021-12-14", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NJ", "Cory A. Booker", "B001288", "www.booker.senate.gov", "booker", "https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press", "scraper", "Newark, NJ - Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Representative Donald Norcross (NJ-01) celebrated the New Jersey launch of The Enterprise Center, a nonprofit organization that has secured contracts to create two distinct entities: the New Jersey Minority Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center and the Camden Cares Business Center. Through these contracts, The Enterprise Center will help minority-owned businesses in New Jersey access capital, business development opportunities, and contracts to grow their operations as well as provide technical assistance, training services, and funding application support to COVID-impacted businesses in Camden.\n\nCiting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on minority small business and historical racial inequities within the financial system, Booker urged the U.S. Department of Commerce to establish a Minority Business Center in New Jersey earlier this year. Over the past years, he has also worked to ensure that the MBDA is permanently authorized, an effort that was recently signed into law as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal.\n\n\u201cThe devastating economic effects of this pandemic have disproportionately impacted minority small businesses across America, with nearly half of Black and one-third of Latino small businesses being forced to shut down - some permanently,\u201d said Sen. Booker. \u201cHowever, we know that minority businesses and entrepreneurs were struggling even before the pandemic, and historic inequities and barriers were merely exacerbated by this crisis. That is why I\u2019ve fought to make the MBDA permanent and fought to open the first Minority Business Center here in New Jersey so that our residents don\u2019t have to travel out of state to access these services. As it launches today, I know that The Enterprise Center will offer critical resources and assistance to our state\u2019s underserved small businesses for years to come.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe know that our financial institutions can and need to be better if we\u2019re going to expand equal opportunity to everyone in our community,\u201d said Rep. Norcross. \u201cI know I wouldn\u2019t be where I am today if it weren\u2019t for accessible education and career training, and I know that having The Enterprise Center in Camden will help level the playing field by opening doors to opportunity and increasing access to vital resources for local minority-owned businesses.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/senate-passes-booker-scott-resolution-raising-awareness-of-sickle-cell-disease", "Senate Passes Booker, Scott Resolution Raising Awareness of Sickle Cell Disease", "2021-12-14", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NJ", "Cory A. Booker", "B001288", "www.booker.senate.gov", "booker", "https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 This week, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Tim Scott\u2019s (R-S.C.) resolution designating September as Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Awareness Month.\n\n\u201cSickle cell disease is the most common inherited blood disorder in our country, and yet research, treatment, and awareness efforts for the disease still lag far behind other chronic illnesses,\u201d said Senator Booker. \u201cMore work and research remains to be done, and we must continue to raise awareness of sickle cell disease and ensure that communities that are largely affected by this condition have equitable access to care and treatments that help improve their health. I am proud to lead the Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month resolution with Senator Scott and I will continue to champion federal initiatives to raise awareness, improve access to care, and help find a cure for this disease.\u201d\n\n\u201cSickle cell disease is the most common inherited blood disorder in the U.S., affecting one in every 365 Black Americans,\u201d said Senator Scott. \u201cYet despite the prevalence of SCD, research and treatments remain far too limited. With this resolution, we commit to raising awareness and seeking out legislation that will help our medical community fight\u2014and one day, cure\u2014this painful disease.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=8A2FB8CC-1343-406B-B01B-EC64790E25F5", "Graham, Shaheen Call For Humanitarian Assistance For Afghans", "2021-12-14", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Lindsey Graham", "G000359", "www.lgraham.senate.gov", "graham", "https://www.lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) today issued the following statement following a meeting with Angelina Jolie.\n\n\u201cWe had a very productive meeting with Angelina Jolie regarding the plight of Afghan women and religious minorities.\n\n\u201cOur nation and the international community need to work together to avoid a humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan.\n\n\u201cWe will be working with our colleagues and Administration officials to develop a coordinated U.S. response, hopefully in conjunction with the international community, to help the Afghan people through this winter and beyond.\n\n\u201cWe appreciate all the work Ms. Jolie has done and her dedication to help the long-suffering Afghan people.\u201d\n\n#####", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=91F827D5-BBA9-4FCF-ADC3-9635CABE09E1", "Yuma, Arizona Forced To Declare State Of Emergency", "2021-12-14", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Lindsey Graham", "G000359", "www.lgraham.senate.gov", "graham", "https://www.lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today reacted to news that the mayor of Yuma, Arizona declared a State of Emergency in response to the surge of illegal immigration encountered in the region.\n\nGraham visited Yuma in October. He warned:\n\n\u201cYuma, Arizona is going to be the next Del Rio [Texas]. Word is out. They are sending people away from Del Rio and coming here. Most of the people who come here are not from Mexico or the Northern Triangle countries. Just about everybody we saw was from Venezuela, Brazil, and Cuba.\u201d\n\nSenator Lindsey Graham \u2013 https://bit.ly/3EV3bRH\n\nYuma, Arizona \u2013 October 12, 2021\n\nGraham today made this statement on Yuma, Arizona declaring a State of Emergency:\n\n\u201cI was disappointed to hear that the mayor of Yuma, Arizona was forced to declare a State of Emergency because of the dramatic increase in illegal immigration in the Yuma Sector.\n\n\u201cI traveled to Yuma to meet with the mayor in October. I also met with Border Patrol officials and other community leaders. It was apparent then that the problems we were seeing in Texas would come to Arizona. It appears that time has now arrived. The latest report from the Yuma Sector states that since October 1 of this year, the flow of illegal immigration has already reached fifty percent (50%) of all of fiscal year 2021.\n\n\u201cWhether in Texas or now in Arizona, it seems all too often local officials like the mayor of Yuma have to do the work and are stuck with confronting the problems of illegal immigration in order to protect their local communities. They are forced to sound the alarm and clean up the mess after the Biden Administration drops the ball. This is a nightmare for the people of Arizona.\n\n\u201cI want to help these local communities suffering under the pressure of illegal immigration and help our Border Patrol who are working around the clock to manage the problems created by the Biden Administration.\n\n\u201cSince taking office, the Biden Administration has been AWOL about unprecedented problems along our southern border. They refuse to get ahead of this problem and take corrective action. They have let this humanitarian and public health crisis spiral out of control.\n\n\u201cWhere is Vice President Harris? Where are the other Administration officials in charge? What are they doing to help states like Texas and Arizona who are forced to deal with the Biden Administration\u2019s failures? Where are the international partners to help stem the flow?\n\n\u201cUltimately, it is up to the Biden Administration to lead on these issues. They need to up their game. Instead of focusing on these problems, they seem more intent on working toward legal settlements that will pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to illegal immigrants who broke our laws.\n\n\u201cIn an Administration marked by multiple critical failures, which have left our nation weaker than before they took office, the Biden Administration\u2019s border policies are among the worst. The citizens of Yuma, Arizona and the surrounding communities are the latest victims of their failures.\u201d\n\n#####", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=4DC9A980-7CE3-4DCB-8E21-077A44AF0314", "McConnell Continues to Work with Local, Federal Agencies to Provide Kentucky Tornado Relief", "2021-12-14", "2021", "2021-12", "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. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the tornadoes in Western Kentucky:\n\n\u201cKentucky is working to recover from the deadly storms and tornadoes. Each day brings new challenges.\n\n\u201cTens of thousands are still dealing with water, gas, or power outages. Families are in shock and grief over the loss of loved ones.\n\n\u201cRebuilding the areas of Kentucky leveled by this storm will take months, if not years, to complete.\n\n\u201cAmid this pain, though, bright lights of hope shine through. In the face of tragedy, Kentuckians are still as strong and as generous as we\u2019ve always been.\n\n\u201cYesterday I spoke with the Taylor County Judge-Executive. He told me that seventy families in his county had lost their homes in the storm. Emergency responders made shelters available \u2014 but folks were quickly taken in by family, friends, or neighbors.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s just the kind of people we have in Kentucky.\n\n\u201cIn Mayfield, residents are already beginning to rebuild, only days after the storm leveled full city blocks.\n\n\u201cChurches hosted Sunday services this past weekend.\n\n\u201cLocals brought their chainsaws and cleared debris from city roads. People from nearby counties and states have flooded in to help.\n\n\u201cOne man, Jimmy Finch, has struck a chord with Americans\u2019 heart across the country. He had no connections to Mayfield. He\u2019s from Clarksville, Tennessee. But after the disaster, he borrowed a big meat smoker, got into his car, made the hour-and-a-half journey in the dead of night, and started serving up food the next morning.\n\n\u201cOn Sunday morning, for hours, he fed chicken, hot links, and burgers to hungry residents who had been without heat or power for days.\n\n\u201cWestern Kentucky\u2019s radio and TV stations have kept operating throughout this crisis delivering vital information even amid roving power outages. State parks opened their doors to residents who lost their homes. Businesses, individuals, and charities have been generous with food, water, and shelter.\n\n\u201cKentucky\u2019s first responders are working hand-in-hand with FEMA to provide coordinated relief. Doctors, nurses, firefighters, and law enforcement officers are working through the night.\n\n\u201cUtility workers are making a herculean effort to restore power and water. Hundreds of Kentucky National Guardsmen have deployed to Western Kentucky to assist.\n\n\u201cAnd at Fort Campbell, the federal government has provided a critical lifeline of support: sixty-one generators, 74,000 meals, 135,000 liters of water, thousands of cots and blankets.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m in close contact with Governor Beshear, our federal agencies, and local leaders. My staff and I have been in frequent touch with the White House.\n\n\u201cKentucky will come back from this bigger and better than ever before. I will make sure the Senate provides all the assistance we can to make that a reality.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=BFC3754C-5797-465F-A4EA-9CFE4E298C9E", "Biden Administration\u2019s Mistakes Raise the Stakes for 2021 Defense Bill", "2021-12-14", "2021", "2021-12", "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. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the National Defense Authorization Act:\n\n\u201cFor months, while our colleagues have been writing their reckless taxing and spending spree behind closed doors, the Democratic majority let the National Defense Authorization Act sit in limbo.\n\n\u201cThis week, four and a half months after it was cleared by the Armed Services Committee, the Senate should finally finish this legislation.\n\n\u201cUnfortunately, those who mean America harm haven\u2019t been waiting around for us to act. Threats to our national security are grave and getting graver.\n\n\u201cSince the Biden Administration\u2019s disastrous retreat from Afghanistan, according to our top commander in the region, the U.S. military has but a small fraction of the actionable intelligence they had before the coalition withdrew.\n\n\u201cBut the predictable, avoidable resurgence of terrorist networks has continued apace.\n\n\u201cWe also know that more Americans citizens and permanent residents remain stranded under Taliban rule than the Biden Administration admitted.\n\n\u201cMeanwhile, the threat of further Russian aggression toward Ukraine is testing whether this White House and our allies in Europe will avoid misguided half-measures to deter and defend against grave and growing threats.\n\n\u201cSo, at the risk of stating the obvious: the United States needs to follow through with promises of urgent, substantive assistance to Ukraine and encourage other NATO allies to do the same. This should not be controversial. Only in the warped world of Kremlin propaganda is giving Ukraine the means to defend itself considered provocative.\n\n\u201cThese real threats to national security, and others too numerous to name, should serve as a reminder of the need for America to lead by example and commit to modernizing our own military capabilities. Which in turn means taking the NDAA seriously.\n\n\u201cSo I\u2019m glad that the Senate is finally set to vote on this crucial legislation. While the process has been imperfect, I\u2019m glad that bipartisan work has produced a bill that authorizes an increase in topline funding for our national defense.\n\n\u201cAfter months of delays, our colleagues have an opportunity to begin showing that America is serious about keeping pace with adversaries like Russia, who have spent decades modernizing their militaries with a singular focus on countering our military advantage.\n\n\u201cWe have an opportunity to pay more than just lip service to competition with China.\n\n\u201cWe have an opportunity to lay a foundation that we ought to follow through with robust and full-year defense appropriations.\n\n\u201cI encourage Senators to advance the legislation today.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=E2AF432A-7D8E-4C60-BAE7-4302DD0B02A1", "The Worst Inflation in Four Decades", "2021-12-14", "2021", "2021-12", "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. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding Democrats\u2019 reckless tax and spending spree:\n\n\u201cWashington Democrats\u2019 printing, borrowing, and spending addiction is directly hurting American families.\n\n\u201cTwo thirds of the American people \u2014 a supermajority \u2014 are worried about inflation.\n\n\u201cAbout half the middle class and 70 percent of low-income families say soaring prices have personally hurt their household.\n\n\u201cAnd it isn\u2019t getting better, like the Biden Administration promised it would. It\u2019s getting worse.\n\n\u201cLast Friday, the Labor Department released a jaw-dropping report: The Consumer Price Index has shot up 6.8% over the past year. Six point eight percent inflation. The worst inflation in almost 40 years.\n\n\u201cNow, it\u2019s true that the average American worker has gotten pay increase since 2020. But rising prices have more than wiped that out.\n\n\u201cWe have a remarkable situation where American workers are earning raises, but their bigger paychecks buy their families even less than what their smaller paychecks bought before the Democrats took power.\n\n\u201cThe net effect is a nearly 2% pay cut for the average American.\n\n\u201cOur citizens know what\u2019s happening. 67% of the country says Washington needs to \u2018cut back on spending and printing money.\u2019\n\n\u201cBut here in Washington, leading Democrats want to plow ahead and double down on the reckless taxing and spending that got us here.\n\n\u201cThey want to respond to this stunning inflation report by printing, borrowing, and spending trillions upon trillions more on new entitlements and far-left programs.\n\n\u201cAnd if that weren\u2019t bad enough, on Friday, a new report showed their socialist shopping spree could cost the country trillions more than Democrats admit.\n\n\u201cYou see, as one of our Democratic colleagues explained last month, his party\u2019s bill is packed full of \u2018shell games\u2019 and \u2018budget gimmicks.\u2019\n\n\u201cFor example, their bill pretends that major new entitlements would simply expire after a few years.\n\n\u201cOf course, that never happens. As a wise man once said, \u2018nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program.\u2019 And Democrats aren\u2019t even pretending they think the spending would stop. They\u2019re boasting about a permanent transformation.\n\n\u201cThe fake expiration dates are just an accounting trick so the price tag looks artificially low.\n\n\u201cAnd last Friday, the Congressional Budget Office announced that if we acknowledge the permanent entitlements would be permanent, their bill would actually cost $4.9 trillion in the first decade alone.\n\n\u201cIt would explode the deficit by $3 trillion in that time.\n\n\u201cDemocrats are trying to reassure their alarmed members that they\u2019d find new ways to offset future extensions.\n\n\u201cBut think about it.\n\n\u201cThey\u2019ve just spent months shoving every possible pay-for into this existing bill. They already burned through huge, permanent tax hikes just to partially offset the bill with the gimmicks!\n\n\u201cExtending these programs further would either explode our national debt\u2026 or it would take even further trillions in even further gigantic tax hikes that Democrats will not specify.\n\n\u201cSo which is it? Historic deficits or trillions more in secret tax hikes? The right answer for the country is neither.\n\n\u201cLater today, every Senate Democrat is going to vote on party lines to raise our nation\u2019s debt limit by trillions of dollars.\n\n\u201cIf they jam through another reckless taxing and spending spree, this massive debt increase will just be the beginning.\n\n\u201cMore printing and borrowing. To set up more reckless spending. To cause more inflation. To hurt working families even more. The American people need a break.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/as-hawaii-sees-rise-in-cyberattacks-schatz-legislation-to-help-fight-cybercrime-passes-senate", "As Hawai\u2018i Sees Rise In Cyberattacks, Schatz Legislation To Help Fight Cybercrime Passes Senate", "2021-12-14", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Brian Schatz", "S001194", "www.schatz.senate.gov", "schatz", "https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 The U.S. Senate last week passed the Better Cybercrime Metrics Act, legislation authored by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai\u2018i) that would help fight cybercrime and help keep people safe from online scams. The bipartisan bill will improve data collection on cybercrimes, giving law enforcement and policy makers more tools to understand the size and scope of cybercrime in the United States.\n\n\u201cTo protect people and fight online crimes, including scams and hacks like those we\u2019ve seen recently in Honolulu against our public transit and water systems, we need to understand how often, when, and where they\u2019re happening. With our bipartisan bill now one step closer to becoming law, we\u2019ll soon be equipped with the data we need to go after criminals and provide more support to victims of cybercrime,\u201d said Senator Schatz.\n\nEach year, hundreds of thousands of Americans are targets of cybercrime incidents that cost billions of dollars. Whether done through online scams and fraud, corporate data breaches, or ransomware attacks, the cost of cybercrime has been increasing annually, from $3.5 billion in 2019 to $4.2 billion in 2020, and impacts an estimated 300,000 to 700,000 victims each year. This month, cyberattacks against Honolulu\u2019s TheBus and Handi-Van\u2019s public transit systems and the Board of Water Supply have left passengers without rides and employees with their personal data exposed.\n\nUnfortunately, these numbers are likely low, as there are no comprehensive metrics on the scale and impact of cybercrime in the United States, or on law enforcement efforts against them. Only 10 to 12 percent of all estimated cybercrime victims report cybercrime incidents in the United States, while other estimates have put that number much higher.\n\nThe Better Cybercrime Metrics Act will give law enforcement a clearer picture of online crimes in the United States by requiring the FBI to integrate cybercrime incidents into its current reporting streams to better understand all the types of crime that Americans face. As cybercriminals continue to target vulnerable populations, this data will help lawmakers make an informed case for policy changes to curtail the cybercrime wave, keep Americans safe, and bring these criminals to justice.\n\nThe Better Cybercrime Metrics Act will:\n\nRequire the FBI to report metrics on cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime categories, just as they do for other types of property crime;\n\nEncourage local and federal law enforcement agencies to report incidents of cybercrime in their jurisdictions to the FBI;\n\nAuthorize a study at the National Academies of Science to create a taxonomy for cybercrime incidents in consultation with federal, state, local, and tribal stakeholders, criminologists, and business leaders that would inform the FBI\u2019s reporting of cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime; and\n\nRequire the Bureau of Justice Statistics at the Department of Justice and the Census Bureau to include questions related to cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime as part of its annual National Crime Victimization Survey.\n\nThe legislation is supported by the National White Collar Crime Center (NWC3), former U.S. Attorney and Los Angeles Police Commissioner Eileen M. Decker, the Cybercrime Support Network (CSN), Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA), National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), and the Major County Sheriffs of America.\n\nThe bill now heads to the House of Representation for consideration. The full text of the bill is available here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/schatz-391-hawaii-health-care-providers-to-receive-nearly-37-million-in-federal-covid-19-relief-funding-to-respond-to-pandemic-help-families-get-health-care", "Schatz: 391 Hawai\u2018i Health Care Providers To Receive Nearly $37 Million In Federal COVID-19 Relief Funding To Respond To Pandemic, Help Families Get Health Care", "2021-12-14", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Brian Schatz", "S001194", "www.schatz.senate.gov", "schatz", "https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai\u2018i) today announced that 391 health care providers in Hawai\u2018i will receive $36,994,939 in federal funding to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and continue providing health care for families across the state. The payments will support health care providers who have experienced revenue losses and expenses related to the pandemic. This funding, from the Department of Health and Human Services, focuses in particular on smaller providers and providers serving the most vulnerable communities.\n\n\u201cAs we continue battling the pandemic, it\u2019s incredibly important that our health care providers have the resources they need to provide high-quality care to families across Hawai\u2018i,\u201d said Senator Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. \u201cThis new federal funding will help these providers keep their doors open and keep people safe and healthy.\u201d\n\nThis new funding is part of the $178 billion Provider Relief Fund authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021. The grants will allow health care providers to recruit and retain staff, purchase masks and other supplies, modernize facilities, or undertake other projects in response to COVID-19. Today\u2019s announcement follows last month\u2019s announcement of $43 million in federal funding under the American Rescue Plan for 240 rural health care providers to provide care for families across the state.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/following-schumers-push-danone-extends-upstate-ny-contracts-to-2023-danone-originally-planned-to-terminate-almost-100-northeast-dairy-farms-but-schumer-intervened-and-secured-contract-extension_-assistance-to-impacted-farms-and-resources-to-help-farmers-stay-in-operation--", "FOLLOWING SCHUMER\u2019S PUSH, DANONE EXTENDS UPSTATE NY CONTRACTS TO 2023; DANONE ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO TERMINATE ALMOST 100 NORTHEAST DAIRY FARMS, BUT SCHUMER INTERVENED AND SECURED CONTRACT EXTENSION,  ...", "2021-12-14", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "NY", "Charles E. Schumer", "S000148", "www.schumer.senate.gov", "schumer", "https://www.schumer.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "When Danone North America Announced Plans To Leave Organic Dairy Farms In Upstate, Schumer Immediately Began Working To Ensure These Struggling Farmers Would Have All Resources Made Available To Help Them Survive\n\nAfter Schumer\u2019s Direct Advocacy, Danone Will Now Extend Dairy Contracts Till 2023, Make Transition Payments To Farmers, & Provide Access To Farm Financial Consultants To Affected Farms\n\nFollowing news that Horizon Organic, a subsidiary of multinational food conglomerate Danone, planned to terminate contracts with organic dairy farmers across the northeast, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced Danone has heeded his call to provide financial support and resources to Upstate New York dairy farms impacted by their decision and importantly also to extend the contracts until 2023, which were previously set to expire in August 2022, to ease the impact on farmers and give them time to transition. Schumer wrote a letter to Danone in October calling for the continued support of affected farms and said the commitment he secured from Danone will help ensure farmers have the resources and time they desperately needed to transition and remain in operation.\n\n\u201cNew York\u2019s dairy farmers are the lifeblood of the Upstate economy and produce some of the best dairy the nation has to offer. I\u2019m pleased that Danone heeded my call, stepped up, and provided the impacted farmers contract extensions and the needed resources to ensure their long-term economic viability,\u201d said Senator Schumer. \u201cThis is a wonderful early Christmas present for the dairy farmers and will allot them critical additional time and the financial payments they deserve as they move forward. I am thankful that Danone responded to my request, and I will continue to closely monitor the situation and fight to make sure these dairy farmers have all the support needed in this difficult period.\u201d\n\nSpecifically, after Schumer\u2019s direct advocacy, Danone has now said that they will:\n\nProvide affected producers the option to extend their current contract an additional six months, for a total of 18-months, ending on February 28, 2023.\n\nProvide a transition payment of an additional amount per hundredweight on the milk Danone purchased from these producers. Danone also is providing this additional financial support to the Northeast farmers who have already exited the network after receiving the non-renewal notification, by providing such transition payment for the milk purchased in the last six months of their relationship.\n\nProvide access, at no cost to the farmer, to farm financial consultants that specialize in providing support for the agriculture community to help plan the future of their farms.\n\nSchumer said that this support will help ease the impact of the contract termination on the organic dairy community and create a greater window of opportunity for the farms to plan for the future.\n\nIn addition to his direct advocacy with Danone, Schumer also recently called on U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to move to close organic loopholes and use whatever funding sources and programs available to support small and mid-sized organic dairy farmers ASAP. Specifically, he called on Secretary Vilsack to act on the Origin of Livestock Rule, which was first initiated in 2015, to close a loophole that has allowed large-scale producers in some states to rotate animals in and out of organic management and sell under an organic label. The senator argued that not only does this practice threaten the livelihoods of small- and mid-size organic dairy farmers, but it also undermines consumer confidence in the organic label, leading to an overall negative view of the entire industry. Therefore, Schumer called on USDA to finalize the Origin of Livestock rule, and close the loophole in organic dairy farming.\n\nSchumer also called on USDA to use any and all tools at the agency\u2019s disposal to support the farmers affected by Danone\u2019s decision to terminate contracts and work with stakeholders to expand market channels for their products. This includes expanded support through the USDA\u2019s Pandemic Assistance for Producers program, targeted investments in processing capacity and transportation efficiencies for businesses that can contract with these farmers, as well as temporary price supports to allow these farmers to transition to new markets.\n\nSenator Schumer\u2019s original letter to Danone appears below:\n\nDear Mr. Grant,\n\nI write to inquire about Danone\u2019s recent decision to terminate a reported eighty-nine contracts with organic dairy farms in the Northeast. According to the Albany Times Union report from September 17, 2021, more than half of the farms impacted \u2014forty-six\u2014are located in Upstate New York, including seventeen in just Washington County \u2013 nearly 20% of the county\u2019s farms. Considering the significant impact to Upstate New York farms, communities, and local economies, most in the North Country region, I ask that you provide some detailed information regarding Danone\u2019s recent decision to terminate the contracts, how this decision was reached, the projected timeline, and what communication and resources have been and will be provided to the impacted farms across the state.\n\nWith Danone North America located in White Plains, New York, I\u2019m confident that Danone is aware that New York\u2019s organic dairies produce some of the best organic dairy products in the nation and our dairy farmers are a vital part of our state\u2019s culture and economy. As of 2019, New York had approximately 600 organic dairy farms which produced more than 386 million pounds of milk and represented about $121 million in sales. Many of the New York organic farms Danone contracted with made the transition to organic farming specifically to work with Danone in order to secure a reliable and sustainable income source and become more environmentally-conscious to combat the ever-growing challenges presented by climate change. Losing contracts with Danone will create additional hardships for our organic dairy farmers, many of whom are still struggling to recover from the supply chain disruptions, shifts in consumer demands, and other economic hardships exacerbated by the global health and economic crises of the past year.\n\nI seek to gain clarity regarding Danone\u2019s recent decision. Your replies to the following question would be deeply appreciated:\n\nCan you please confirm the number of New York farms that have been notified of contract termination and their locations across the state?\n\nWhat is the timeline and process for termination?\n\nCan you explain why the contracts were terminated and what process Danone underwent to come to this decision?\n\nWhat services, opportunities, and/or relief will be provided to the impacted farms and farmers?\n\nWhat aid, if any, will Danone be giving to the impacted farms to gain employment or contracts elsewhere?\n\nOnce these contracts are complete, how many farms in New York State will Danone be working with and what is the average herd size at those farms?\n\nAs you may know, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently reopened their comment period regarding the Origin of Livestock rule. Currently, the statute is somewhat vague and has created an unequal playing field for organic producers in New York. What, if any, role did the USDA\u2019s Origin of Livestock rule play in this decision?\n\nIn New York our organic dairy farms are sewn into the very fabric of Upstate New York. It is critical that these organic dairy farms receive the support they need to remain in operation and the information necessary to map out their futures.\n\nThank you for your attention to this important matter. I look forward to receiving your response.\n\nSincerely,\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/scott-colleagues-introduce-bill-to-prevent-democrats-big-government-lending-scheme/", "Scott, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Prevent Democrats\u2019 Big Government Lending Scheme", "2021-12-14", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Tim Scott", "S001184", "www.scott.senate.gov", "timscott", "https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/jsf/jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, U.S. Senators Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and John Kennedy (R-La.), along with Republican colleagues, introduced the Protecting Access to Credit for Small Businesses Act. The bill is designed to prevent Democrats from turning the Small Business Administration (SBA) into a direct lender, as they are attempting to do in their tax-and-spend reconciliation bill.\n\n\u201cForcing community banks and local credit unions to compete with a massive government agency is inefficient and wrong,\u201d said Senator Tim Scott.\u201cFunneling tax dollars through the federal government in order to loan it back to small business owners with interest makes no sense. This is just another example of Democrats\u2019 misguided plan for a big government takeover of virtually every aspect of American life and private institutions.\u201d\n\n\u201cFraud and inefficiency characterize the Small Business Administration\u2019s history in direct lending,\u201d said Senator Kennedy. \u201cThe government shouldn\u2019t encroach on a space where private lenders are already doing a good job getting funds to the small businesses that need them. I\u2019m proud to partner with Sen. Scott to stop the SBA from replacing community and other private lenders with bureaucrats.\u201d\n\nThe bill is co-sponsored by Senators Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Pat Toomey (R-Penn.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Steve Daines (R- Mont.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), and Rick Scott (R-Fla.).\n\nBACKGROUND\n\nIn October, Senator Scott and several colleaguessent a letter to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and House and Senate Small Business Committee Chairs Ben Cardin and Nydia Vel\u00e1zquez warning against their plan to make the SBA a direct lender through the Democrats\u2019 reckless tax and spending bill.\n\nThe SBA Office of the Inspector General estimates that the federal government Economic Injury Disaster Loan program had 17 times the amount of potentially fraudulent loans than did Paycheck Protection Program loans run through financial institutions.\n\nThe legislation is supported by American Bankers Association, Consumer Bankers Association, Independent Community Bankers of America, Bank Policy Institute, Credit Union National Association, National Association of Federally Insured Credit Unions, and South Carolina Bankers Association.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/senate-passes-scott-booker-resolution-raising-sickle-cell-awareness/", "Senate Passes Scott, Booker Resolution Raising Sickle Cell Awareness", "2021-12-14", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Tim Scott", "S001184", "www.scott.senate.gov", "timscott", "https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/jsf/jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 This week, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed U.S. Senators Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Cory Booker\u2019s (D-N.J.) resolution designating September as Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Awareness Month.\n\n\u201cSickle cell disease is the most common inherited blood disorder in the U.S., affecting one in every 365 Black Americans,\u201d said Senator Scott. \u201cYet despite the prevalence of SCD, research and treatments remain far too limited. With this resolution, we commit to raising awareness and seeking out legislation that will help our medical community fight\u2014and one day, cure\u2014this painful disease.\u201d\n\n\u201cSickle cell disease is the most common inherited blood disorder in our country, and yet research, treatment, and awareness efforts for the disease still lag far behind other chronic illnesses,\u201d said Senator Booker. \u201cMore work and research remains to be done, and we must continue to raise awareness of sickle cell disease and ensure that communities that are largely affected by this condition have equitable access to care and treatments that help improve their health. I am proud to lead the Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month resolution with Senator Scott and I will continue to champion federal initiatives to raise awareness, improve access to care, and help find a cure for this disease.\u201d\n\nSenator Scott\u2019s sickle cell legislation, the Sickle Cell Disease and Other Heritable Blood Disorders Research, Surveillance, Prevention, and Treatment Act, was signed into law in 2018, and the senator continues to advocate for the sickle cell community today.\n\nThe resolution was cosponsored by Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Todd Young (R-Ind.) Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.).\n\nRead the full resolution here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/senator-scott-questions-fda-nominee-on-the-future-of-mrna-and-crispr-technologies/", "Senator Scott Questions FDA Nominee on the Future of mRNA and CRISPR Technologies", "2021-12-14", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Tim Scott", "S001184", "www.scott.senate.gov", "timscott", "https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/jsf/jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) questioned Dr. Robert Califf, President Biden\u2019s nominee for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner, on the future of mRNA and CRISPR technologies and their potential to treat and cure rare diseases like Sickle Cell Anemia.\n\nClick to watch the senator\u2019s questions\n\nA full transcript is below.\n\nSenator Scott: Thank you, Dr. Califf, for spending some time with us today and talking about some really important issues that we could all spend a day talking about. I only have five minutes, [which is] good news for you.\n\nMy first question is: You\u2019re coming into a very important position in the midst of, really, headwinds in the public health space. And I appreciate the enormity of your responsibilities if you are confirmed to lead the FDA. How do you view the FDA\u2019s role in granting Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the new, as well as repurposed, products to address the COVID-19 pandemic? Should the FDA use a wider latitude to ensure multiple avenues\u2014for instance drugs like budesonide, as well as COVID-19 testing kids\u2014making sure that they\u2019re available to combat the pandemic?\n\nDr. Califf: Thanks senator, it\u2019s good to be here with a fellow South Carolinian. \u2026 You\u2019re well aware, and it was during my tenure that the EUA guidance was written that the potential benefits need to be weighed against the potential risks. That\u2019s the authority the FDA is given.\n\nSo there\u2019s a lot of latitude on the types of things that you mentioned, yet I would still point out we need to have enough evidence that we can make a fair assessment of what the potential is, and we need a system in this country, as I\u2019ve emphasized over and over, that produces the evidence more quickly because under that framework, it\u2019s possible you could get it wrong. It\u2019s different if you\u2019ve actually measured the benefits and risks and then you\u2019re confident about it. And so it\u2019s finding that right balance that\u2019s really in play for the FDA.\n\nSenator Scott: No doubt. I would suggest that, based on the severity of the challenge in the public space, that taking the appropriate calculated risk seems to be necessary nowadays more than it has been in the past, and I think we can do that in a way that involves coming to good decisions consistently.\n\nOn the long view of public health, I am excited about the role that the mRNA played in bringing the vaccine to the forefront and saving millions of lives. What\u2019s the future of that technology for future needs in the vaccine arena, number one?\n\nNumber two, I think about the 7,000 rare blood diseases that have very few therapies, [or] treatments of any sort. And I focus a little bit more on CRISPR technologies for things like Sickle Cell Anemia and that path going forward. Do you see: A) more application for CRISPR in the rare blood disease space? And B) on the future forefront of the mRNAs and vaccines, is that future as bright as it appears it could be with the use of these technologies?\n\nDr. Califf: This is one of the things, senator, where the excitement of being part of this is what keeps me going and coming back. I mean, I\u2019m old enough to remember when the Human Genome Project was just being developed, and now we have the code for the genome, and what you\u2019re describing are the downstream consequences of that with reading the code and producing proteins and other substances that determine whether we\u2019re sick or healthy. And there are a whole array of technologies, you know, specifically for mRNA. I think, as a platform for vaccines, this is something that we\u2019ve only dreamed about, but it\u2019s a reality now. And you know, this took a collaboration of FDA scientists and, of course, academia and the private sector all working towards a common goal over decades.\n\nYou also mentioned CRISPR, and the ability to change the fundamental genome is an amazing possibility but also has significant risks. And so, like everything else, we\u2019ve got to come up with the ideas, try them out, and measure things and see what really works, but almost nothing could be more exciting than curing a rare genetic disease with a gene substitution, perhaps for life. And I think, for people with Sickle Cell Disease, I\u2019ve done a lot of work \u2026 I think this is something that\u2019s really needed, and it ties in. You know, chronic treatment for Sickle Cell Disease is not going so well in this country because many of the patients live off the beaten path of the big high-tech centers, and we\u2019ve got to get treatments that are more effective.\n\nSenator Scott: I think we should at least take a second and thank Dr. Francis Collins for his work on the project that really has produced amazing results for our nation and, frankly, for the world. I know he\u2019s retiring or just retired. His work has been amazing for all of mankind, number one. Number two, I would suggest that, as we look into that future, the ethical issues around the new technologies like CRISPR will continue to pop up around the world. I know that China has had some challenges already with the use of CRISPR, and so what becomes a solution also becomes a problem. That\u2019s called reality, and hopefully we will wrestle with those ethical issues in the public forum sometime in the very near future.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=1153CDC3-77C3-4C1F-A718-7843F7FF364C", "Thune: Democrats Double Down on Failed Policies That Have Created Record-High Inflation", "2021-12-14", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SD", "John Thune", "T000250", "www.thune.senate.gov", "thune", "https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today discussed how the Democrats\u2019 plan to double down on their failed policies and pass their reckless tax-and-spending spree would worsen the already record-high inflation and continue to hurt families in South Dakota.\n\nThune\u2019s remarks below (as prepared for delivery):\n\n\u201cMr. President, the latest inflation numbers came out on Friday, and the news was not good.\n\n\u201cInflation is currently at its highest level in nearly 40 years.\n\n\u201c40 years.\n\n\u201cThe last time inflation was this bad, E.T. and Rocky III were in theaters, and the Packers were being coached by Bart Starr.\n\n\u201cMr. President, high inflation is taking a major toll on American families.\n\n\u201cGas prices are at a seven-year high.\n\n\u201cThe price of used cars and trucks is up 31 percent.\n\n\u201c31 percent.\n\n\u201cPropane, kerosene, and firewood are up 34 percent.\n\n\u201cFood prices have increased significantly.\n\n\u201cGround beef is up 14 percent.\n\n\u201cApples are up 7.4 percent.\n\n\u201cPork is up 17 percent.\n\n\u201cEggs are up 8 percent.\n\n\u201cBaby food is up 6.7 percent.\n\n\u201cBacon and related products are up 21 percent.\n\n\u201cAnd the list continues.\n\n\u201cMr. President, rent prices are up.\n\n\u201cUtility prices are up.\n\n\u201cFurniture prices are up.\n\n\u201cAnd on and on.\n\n\u201cInflation is so bad that despite wage growth this year, Americans have seen a de facto pay cut, with real average hourly earnings down 1.9 percent for the year.\n\n\u201cMr. President, inflation is what happens when you have too many dollars chasing too few goods and services.\n\n\u201cAnd a big reason for our current inflation situation is Democrats\u2019 decision to pour a lot of unnecessary government money into the economy earlier this year \u2013 despite being warned that their partisan $1.9 trillion \u2018American Rescue Plan\u2019 spending spree could stoke inflation.\n\n\u201cAnd you don\u2019t have to take my word for it.\n\n\u201cHere\u2019s what former Obama economic adviser Jason Furman had to say recently when discussing our inflation problem: \u2018The original sin was an oversized American Rescue Plan. It contributed to both higher output but also higher prices.\u2019\n\n\u201cThat quote from Mr. Furman appeared in a New York Times article that also noted, and I quote, \u2018But some economists, including veterans of previous Democratic administrations, say much of Mr. Biden\u2019s inflation struggle is self-inflicted. Lawrence H. Summers is one of those who say the stimulus bill the president signed in March gave too much of a boost to consumer spending \u2026 Mr. Summers, who served in the Obama and Clinton administrations, says inflation now risks spiraling out of control and other Democratic economists agree there are risks.\u2019\n\n\u201cMr. President, inflation is spiraling out of control.\n\n\u201cAnd Democrats are preparing to throw more fuel on the fire.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s right.\n\n\u201cDemocrats are preparing to double down on the strategy that helped get us in this mess in the first place and pass ANOTHER massive government spending bill.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m not sure whether Democrats simply don\u2019t care about the inflation situation facing American families, or whether they\u2019re operating under the delusion that they can somehow pass another major government spending bill without serious consequences for our economy.\n\n\u201cRegardless, there\u2019s no question that pouring another $1.75 trillion in government money into the economy would likely make our inflation crisis even worse.\n\n\u201cMr. President, I say $1.75 trillion, because that\u2019s what Democrats have been selling as the price tag for their so-called Build Back Better plan.\n\n\u201cBut as we learned on Friday from the Congressional Budget Office\u2019s latest analysis, Democrats\u2019 spending spree would far exceed $1.75 trillion.\n\n\u201cWhen you take away the shell games and budget gimmicks, Democrats\u2019 spending spree would cost almost $5 trillion.\n\n\u201c$5 TRILLION.\n\n\u201cAnd of course the tax hikes in Democrats\u2019 plan, as large as they are, would not even come close to funding that amount.\n\n\u201cDemocrats\u2019 Build Back Better proposal \u2013 if implemented over 10 years as they plan \u2013 would add an eye-watering $3 trillion to our national debt.\n\n\u201cIt turns out that Build Back Better is more like Build Back Bankrupt.\n\n\u201cMr. President, Democrats have attempted to disguise the true cost of their Build Back Bankrupt plan by strategically sunsetting various provisions before the end of the bill\u2019s 10-year budget window.\n\n\u201cOf course Democrats have never had any intention of actually sunsetting these provisions.\n\n\u201cBut by claiming that they are going to sunset these measures, they have been able to \u2013 sort of \u2013 disguise the fact that their spending spree would actually cost nearly $5 trillion.\n\n\u201cNow Democrats are implicitly admitting that they plan to extend these programs but are saying that people shouldn\u2019t worry \u2013 that the cost of extensions will be offset.\n\n\u201cI\u2019d like to know how exactly they plan to do that.\n\n\u201cWith massive new tax hikes \u2013 on top of the tax hikes they\u2019ve already included in their bill?\n\n\u201cJust how many tax hikes do Democrats think our economy can handle?\n\n\u201cAnd if Democrats had a plan for future offsets, why didn\u2019t they include those offsets in their bill in the first place, along with an honest accounting of the length of their programs?\n\n\u201cIs it because they thought the American people would balk if they knew the true cost of the bill?\n\n\u201cThat they might not be crazy about the idea of a bill that would cost them $5 trillion?\n\n\u201cMr. President, I am hard-pressed to think of anything more irresponsible than for Democrats to pass their Build Back Better \u2013 or Build Back Bankrupt \u2013 measure right now.\n\n\u201cInflation is soaring \u2013 and there\u2019s no clear end in sight.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re emerging from a pandemic that required a lot of government expenditure \u2013 and a corresponding increase in our debt.\n\n\u201cAnd we have no idea what government money might be needed down the road.\n\n\u201cPassing a $5 trillion spending spree \u2013 that would add $3 trillion to our national debt \u2013 is the very last thing we should be doing.\n\n\u201cI hope that at least some of my Democrat colleagues will think better of their spending plans before the American people are forced to discover just what building back bankrupt is like.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=A24CCD99-391D-4F8F-8186-5270884D0593", "Thune, Smith, Rounds, Tester Introduce Legislation to Encourage Homeownership Across Indian Country", "2021-12-14", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SD", "John Thune", "T000250", "www.thune.senate.gov", "thune", "https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) today introduced the Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act. This bipartisan legislation would create statutory timelines in which the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) would be required to process and approve mortgages involving property located on tribal trust land. Additionally, it would enhance the ability of certain federal agencies to operate their tribal housing programs and improve communication between the BIA and tribes, tribal members, and lenders through the establishment of a realty ombudsman within the BIA who can communicate with relevant parties.\n\n\u201cAffordable housing opportunities on tribal trust land can be hard to come by in South Dakota and across the nation, due in part to the BIA\u2019s challenging mortgage approval process, which can complicate lenders\u2019 ability to provide financing and participate in federal tribal housing programs,\u201d said Thune. \u201cMy bipartisan legislation would expedite this mortgage approval process and encourage more lenders to provide mortgages across Indian Country, which would, in turn, expand tribal members\u2019 opportunities for homeownership.\u201d\n\n\u201cWithout a safe, affordable place to live, nothing in your life works,\u201d said Smith. \u201cThe Indian Home Loan Guarantee program is a key federal tool to help Native families buy a home, but for too long, the program has been plagued by bureaucratic delays that have left families waiting months to complete home purchases, especially on Tribal trust lands. Our bipartisan legislation seeks to cut through the red tape and help Native homebuyers acquire homes in a timely manner.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, I strongly support this legislation that benefits home and business ownership opportunities for tribal members,\u201d said Rounds. \u201cThis bill is a product of many discussions with tribal entities, lenders and the South Dakota Native Homeownership Coalition. The Tribal Trust Land Homeownership Act will hold the BIA accountable to timely processing of mortgage packets and title status reports.\u201d\n\n\u201cHousing availability and affordability are serious issues in Indian Country, and the red tape around getting a mortgage on Tribal land is making it even worse,\u201d said Tester. \u201cThis legislation will hold bureaucrats to timelines and help folks in Indian Country access financing quickly and efficiently. Expanding access and availability of housing is critically important for families to thrive and businesses to grow, and I\u2019m going to keep fighting to make sure the federal government isn\u2019t getting in the way.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe South Dakota Native Homeownership Coalition really appreciates Senator Thune\u2019s and Rounds\u2019 leadership in promoting Native homeownership opportunities,\u201d said Juel Burnette, branch manager of 1st Tribal Lending and member of the South Dakota Native Homeownership Coalition\u2019s executive committee. \u201cThis legislation will go a long way with putting sound processes in place so that more Native Americans can enjoy the benefits of homeownership on our reservations in South Dakota and across the nation.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Mortgage Bankers Association commends Senators Thune, Smith, Rounds, and Tester for taking action to improve and encourage access to quality affordable housing on trust land,\u201d said Bill Killmer, senior vice president of legislation and political affairs at MBA. \u201cSpecifically, this legislation will reduce or eliminate BIA processing delays, thereby encouraging more lenders to participate in trust land mortgage lending.\u201d\n\nCurrently, mortgages involving property on tribal trust land must be reviewed and approved by the BIA in order for the mortgage to be finalized. This pertains to residential, commercial, and right-of-way mortgages, to name a few. The BIA Mortgage Handbook establishes timelines for BIA offices to process and approve these mortgages, to which the timelines are not always adhered. Placing these timelines into statute would improve the timeliness of mortgage approvals and ensure lenders are not disincentivized from providing homeownership opportunities on tribal trust land.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=D63BBE7C-0452-4E29-82C3-B2CA9036F979", "Thune, Smith Bill to Provide Financial Stability to Federally Impacted School Districts Unanimously Passes Senate", "2021-12-14", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SD", "John Thune", "T000250", "www.thune.senate.gov", "thune", "https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) today issued the following statements after the Senate unanimously passed their Supplemental Impact Aid Flexibility Act last night. This bipartisan legislation would allow school districts that participate in the Impact Aid Program to use previously reported student headcounts on their Impact Aid applications for the 2022-2023 school year due to ongoing, yet temporary, enrollment fluctuations stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s critical for school districts in South Dakota that participate in the Impact Aid Program to have the funding stability and certainty they need,\u201d said Thune. \u201cI\u2019m glad the Senate unanimously passed this important legislation to help ensure these schools have the necessary resources for next school year.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs the pandemic continues to hit many Minnesota school districts hard, it\u2019s important that districts receiving Impact Aid maintain reliable, stable funding so students can keep learning,\u201d said Smith. \u201cI\u2019m glad we could once again deliver on this and ensure that while the pandemic continues to affect school operations, our Impact Aid districts won\u2019t have to recalculate their student headcounts.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/video-young-highlights-democrats-efforts-to-supersize-the-irs/", "VIDEO: Young Highlights Democrats\u2019 Efforts to Supersize the IRS", "2021-12-14", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "IN", "Todd Young", "Y000064", "www.young.senate.gov", "toddyoung", "https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) joined a press conference with his Senate GOP colleagues to discuss a provision in Democrats\u2019 Build Back Better plan that would supersize the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).\n\n\u201cThe American people deserve to know: The Democrats propose spending eighty billion in their tax, borrow, spend, and regulate Build Back Better Plan. Eighty billion dollars towards the IRS.\n\n\u201c\u2026 Even worse, we have been told by the President of the United States \u2013 he campaigned on a platform of ensuring taxes would not be increased \u2026 We know that most of this eighty billion will be used to enhance the ability of the IRS to target middle Americans. That promise will be broken. Yet another. Nearly six months since ProPublica leaked private, legally protected taxpayer information, at a time when there is a peak level of distrust of the Internal Revenue Service, Democrats want to increase the power of the IRS to insinuate themselves into the private lives of ordinary Americans.\n\n\u201cNow look, this is the wrong idea at the wrong time. We are in the middle of a pandemic. We have supply chain problems. We\u2019re experiencing cost inflation across a range of consumer goods. We\u2019ve got so many challenges, and once again the Biden Administration and Democrats in the United States Senate are out of touch with the real challenges and experiences of everyday Americans,\u201d said Senator Young during the press conference.\n\nTwo weeks ago, Senator Young joined Republican colleagues on the U.S. Senate Finance Committee in sending a letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig to press the agency on its weak responses to the massive apparent leaks of private taxpayer information to ProPublica. To view the full letter, click here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/young-braun-romney-blackburn-hagerty-inhofe-introduce-legislation-to-empower-state-innovation-within-medicaid-program-2/", "Young, Braun, Romney, Blackburn, Hagerty, Inhofe Introduce Legislation to Empower State Innovation Within Medicaid Program", "2021-12-14", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "IN", "Todd Young", "Y000064", "www.young.senate.gov", "toddyoung", "https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2014 Today, U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) introduced the Let States Innovate Under Medicaid Act.\n\nThis legislation authorizes a framework to allow innovation under Section 1115 Medicaid demonstration project waivers. Specifically, it would include \u201cwork or community engagement requirements\u201d as an acceptable practice that furthers the objectives of the Medicaid program, thereby prohibiting the CMS administrator from denying a 1115 waiver on the basis that work or community engagement requirements do not further the objectives of the Medicaid program.\n\n\u201cMedicaid should ideally be available as a temporary option, with a goal of preparing individuals for a life of dignity in the workforce. Work and community engagement activities, such as those that Indiana previously had in place, are designed to improve quality of life over the long term and help individuals transition to full employment. CMS\u2019s decision earlier this year to revoke Indiana\u2019s ability to set these expectations for some Medicaid recipients treats work as a punishment and discourages efforts to transition to self-reliance. That\u2019s why I joined my colleagues to introduce the Let States Innovate Under Medicaid Act to allow states the opportunity to innovate under the Medicaid program, with the objective of preparing individuals for a life of independence in the workforce,\u201d said Senator Young.\n\nIn February 2021, at the direction of the Biden Administration, CMS began efforts to withdraw work requirement waiver authorities in several states that had either been previously approved, or had a pending application, to implement work requirements. CMS is continuing to review some states\u2019 work requirement waivers, but has already withdrawn waiver authorities in nine states\u2014 Indiana, Arizona, Arkansas, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah, and Wisconsin.\n\nAdditionally, other states have voluntarily withdrawn work requirements from their waiver applications or have postponed the implementation of work requirements because of the uncertainty concerning Medicaid work and community engagement programs. CMS based its decision to withdraw waiver authorities in the nine states on the basis that \u201cwork or community engagement requirements\u201d do not further the objectives of the Medicaid program.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"], ["https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/young-braun-romney-blackburn-hagerty-inhofe-introduce-legislation-to-empower-state-innovation-within-medicaid-program/", "Young, Braun, Romney, Blackburn, Hagerty, Inhofe Introduce Legislation to Empower State Innovation Within Medicaid Program", "2021-12-14", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "IN", "Todd Young", "Y000064", "www.young.senate.gov", "toddyoung", "https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2014 Today, U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) introduced the Let States Innovate Under Medicaid Act.\n\nThis legislation authorizes a framework to allow innovation under Section 1115 Medicaid demonstration project waivers. Specifically, it would include \u201cwork or community engagement requirements\u201d as an acceptable practice that furthers the objectives of the Medicaid program, thereby prohibiting the CMS administrator from denying a 1115 waiver on the basis that work or community engagement requirements do not further the objectives of the Medicaid program.\n\n\u201cMedicaid should ideally be available as a temporary option, with a goal of preparing individuals for a life of dignity in the workforce. Work and community engagement activities, such as those that Indiana previously had in place, are designed to improve quality of life over the long term and help individuals transition to full employment. CMS\u2019s decision earlier this year to revoke Indiana\u2019s ability to set these expectations for some Medicaid recipients treats work as a punishment and discourages efforts to transition to self-reliance. That\u2019s why I joined my colleagues to introduce the Let States Innovate Under Medicaid Act to allow states the opportunity to innovate under the Medicaid program, with the objective of preparing individuals for a life of independence in the workforce,\u201d said Senator Young.\n\nIn February 2021, at the direction of the Biden Administration, CMS began efforts to withdraw work requirement waiver authorities in several states that had either been previously approved, or had a pending application, to implement work requirements. CMS is continuing to review some states\u2019 work requirement waivers, but has already withdrawn waiver authorities in nine states\u2014 Indiana, Arizona, Arkansas, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah, and Wisconsin.\n\nAdditionally, other states have voluntarily withdrawn work requirements from their waiver applications or have postponed the implementation of work requirements because of the uncertainty concerning Medicaid work and community engagement programs. CMS based its decision to withdraw waiver authorities in the nine states on the basis that \u201cwork or community engagement requirements\u201d do not further the objectives of the Medicaid program.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"]], "truncated": false, "filtered_table_rows_count": 1721, "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 \"year\" = :p1 order by date desc limit 101", "params": {"p0": "Senate", "p1": "2021"}}, "facet_results": {"party": {"name": "party", "type": "column", 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