{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "is_view": false, "human_description_en": "where party = \"Republican\", state = \"MO\" and year = 2023 sorted by date descending", "rows": [["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wagner-applauds-congressional-app-challenge-winner", "Wagner Applauds Congressional App Challenge Winner", "2023-12-20", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Ballwin, MO \u2013 Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO) released the following statement on this year\u2019s winner of the MO-02 Congressional App Challenge:\n\n\u201cCongratulations to Serena Huang of Parkway Central for winning this year\u2019s Congressional App Challenge in Missouri\u2019s 2nd District! Serena\u2019s \u201cAnchor App\u201d was chosen for its beautiful user interface and robust technical design. Her app helps teens easily track their finances and build responsible spending and saving habits, incredibly important tools for young students.\n\n\u201cI would also like to congratulation our 2nd place winners from Parkway South Rohan Potta, Mazinkhan Nadaf and Allen Zheng, as well as our 3rd Place winners Rachit Patek and Navin Narayanan who attend Lafayette High School. Thank you to our host, The Coder School, and our Head Judge Everett Johnson for helping us make this year\u2019s competition an incredible success.\u201d\n\nFor more information on the Congressional App Challenge and Serena\u2019s winning app, click here.\n\nSerena will be invited to participate in the 2024 #HouseofCode this spring. Her app will also be featured on the U.S. House of Representatives' website and as part of a U.S. Capitol exhibit.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/army-delivers-funding-family-housing-fort-leonard-wood-following-commitment-senator-hawley/", "Army Delivers Funding for Family Housing at Fort Leonard Wood Following Commitment to Senator Hawley", "2023-12-20", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced that the Army has now delivered $41.49 million for new family housing at Fort Leonard Wood. This follows Senator Hawley\u2019s repeated demands that overdue investment in families\u2019 homes be made and a commitment by the Army to deliver these funds.\n\n\u201cFort Leonard Wood\u2019s military families lead a life of service and deserve homes that meet their basic needs. I\u2019m glad to see the Army finally delivering on their promise to replace all aging homes on the base. I urge the Army to ensure that the additional $50 million in promised funding for FY2024 is delivered on time,\u201d said Senator Hawley.\n\nSenator Hawley has long advocated for improved family housing at Fort Leonard Wood and has pressed the Army to deliver on its pledge to replace all military housing on the base.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:56:20Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-holds-nominees-calls-further-evaluation-mcconnell-nominees/", "Hawley Holds Nominees, Calls for Further Evaluation of McConnell Nominees", "2023-12-20", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), citing concerns about two of his recommended nominees. Senator Hawley appended questions to his letter for the nominees to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to answer regarding their policy views on several issues, including Big Tech and rail safety. Senator Hawley is currently holding both nominees.\n\nSenator Hawley\u2019s letter comes as the Senate looks to pass a negotiated nominations package, likely to include dozens of Democrat-recommended nominees and only a few Republican appointees.\n\n\u201cIf Republicans are planning to install dozens of Biden nominees for positions across the federal government\u2014without a vote\u2014in exchange for just a handful of our own selections, I want to be sure that we get our nominees right,\u201d wrote Senator Hawley.\n\nHe continued, \u201cFor example, Andrew Ferguson, nominated to be a Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), should answer additional questions on his philosophy concerning Big Tech, given the importance of that issue to our Conference. I also believe that Todd Inman, who is under consideration for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), should be asked to further articulate his views on various transportation policies, including rail safety and autonomous vehicles.\u201d\n\nRead the full letter here or below.\n\nDecember 20, 2023\n\nThe Honorable Mitch McConnell\n\nMinority Leader\n\nU.S. Senate\n\nWashington, D.C. 20510\n\nDear Leader McConnell:\n\nI write today regarding the expected year-end nominations package and my specific concerns with two of your own recommended nominees.\n\nThe expected nominations package will likely include dozens of nominees that have been recommended by Senate Democrats. Many of these Biden nominees will no doubt advance policies and values antithetical to those held by members of the Republican Conference. By agreeing to such a negotiated package in exchange for just a few Republican appointees you have personally deemed a priority, I believe we risk giving away too much.\n\nIn particular, two of the nominees you have sought to include in this package need more time for careful evaluation by our own Conference, especially by non-Committee members. If Republicans are planning to install dozens of Biden nominees for positions across the federal government\u2014without a vote\u2014in exchange for just a handful of our own selections, I want to be sure that we get our nominees right. For example, Andrew Ferguson, nominated to be a Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), should answer additional questions on his philosophy concerning Big Tech, given the importance of that issue to our Conference. I also believe that Todd Inman, who is under consideration for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), should be asked to further articulate his views on various transportation policies, including rail safety and autonomous vehicles.\n\nI have appended written questions below that I have for each of these two nominees. As you are aware, I am currently withholding my consent for these nominees to be confirmed without a floor vote\u2014as is any senator\u2019s right to do\u2014until I and others can evaluate satisfactory responses to these important policy questions.\n\nI would like to meet with the nominees to discuss these questions.\n\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:56:20Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/senators-hawley-vance-rubio-urge-cfius-block-sale-us-steel-protect-americas-industrial-base/", "Senators Hawley, Vance, Rubio Urge CFIUS to Block Sale of\u00a0U.S. Steel & Protect America\u2019s Industrial Base", "2023-12-20", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) sent a letter to Janet Yellen, Secretary of the Treasury and Chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), urging her to block the sale of U.S. Steel to Japan-based Nippon Steel Corporation (NSC). NSC announced plans to acquire U.S. Steel on Monday, a deal that raises national security concerns and threatens to weaken America\u2019s industrial base.\n\n\u201cThe transaction was not entered into with U.S. national security in mind. When U.S. Steel announced its \u201creview of strategic alternatives\u201d in August, it pledged to adopt a \u201cmeasured approach.\u201d But the board\u2019s fiduciary duty was to its shareholders, and U.S. Steel has admitted that the very reason for the sale was its desire to \u201cmaximiz[e] value for [. . .] stockholders.\u201d The transaction was not the product of careful deliberation over stakeholder interests, but rather the result of an auction to maximize shareholder returns,\u201d wrote the Senators.\n\nThey continued, \u201cTrade protections can and should induce foreign investment that expands domestic production and creates American jobs. This corporate takeover is out of step with those goals. Allowing foreign companies to buy out American companies and enjoy our trade protections subverts the very purpose for which those protections were put in place.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Committee cannot rebalance American trade or reshape its corporate governance, but it can mitigate some of the worst consequences of both. It can and should block the acquisition of U.S. Steel by NSC, a company whose allegiances clearly lie with a foreign state and whose record in the United States is deeply flawed,\u201d the Senators concluded.\n\nRead the full letter here or below.\n\nDecember 19, 2023\n\nThe Hon. Janet Yellen\n\nSecretary\n\nU.S. Treasury Department\n\n1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW\n\nWashington, D.C. 20220\n\nDear Secretary Yellen:\n\nWe write to you in your capacity as Chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to express my concern about the acquisition of the United States Steel Corporation (\u201cU.S. Steel\u201d) by Japan\u2019s Nippon Steel Corporation (\u201cNSC\u201d). The transaction marks a turning point for an icon of American industry and has dire implications for the industrial base of the United States.\n\nThe transaction was not entered into with U.S. national security in mind. When U.S. Steel announced its \u201creview of strategic alternatives\u201d in August, it pledged to adopt a \u201cmeasured approach.\u201d But the board\u2019s fiduciary duty was to its shareholders, and U.S. Steel has admitted that the very reason for the sale was its desire to \u201cmaximiz[e] value for . . . stockholders.\u201d The transaction was not the product of careful deliberation over stakeholder interests, but rather the result of an auction to maximize shareholder returns. The joint press release announcing the all-cash transaction led off with a declaration about the transaction\u2019s \u201ccertain and immediate value to U.S. Steel shareholders.\u201d\n\nDespite the absence of any security-focused deliberation on U.S. Steel\u2019s part, domestic steel production is vital to U.S. national security. Democratic and Republican administrations have both acted decisively over the last forty years to bolster the industry. The endurance of President Trump\u2019s Section 232 tariffs on steel imports demonstrates that the preservation of the domestic steel industry remains vital to our national security. Trade protections can and should induce foreign investment that expands domestic production and creates American jobs. This corporate takeover is out of step with those goals. Allowing foreign companies to buy out American companies and enjoy our trade protections subverts the very purpose for which those protections were put in place.\n\nThe problems with this transaction run even deeper than that, however. NSC does not share U.S. Steel\u2019s storied connection to the United States, and its financial interests are tied into those of Japan. Earlier this year, NSC received more than $3 billion in subsidies from Japan\u2019s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry. And NSC has even flouted American trade law. As recently as August 2021, NSC was found guilty of unlawfully dumping flat-rolled steel products into the U.S. market.\n\nThis acquisition is not occurring in a vacuum. The United States has run a trade deficit for nearly half a century. Our cumulative trade debt now stands at more than $14 trillion. Over the last five years, we have run an average annual trade deficit of more than $65 billion with Japan alone. One of the promised benefits of such unbalanced trade is that we run a capital account surplus: we import the world\u2019s goods, and they consume our financial assets in return. In theory that may sound fine. But issues become apparent when those financial assets include critical pieces of the American industrial base.\n\nThe Committee cannot rebalance American trade or reshape its corporate governance, but it can mitigate some of the worst consequences of both. It can and should block the acquisition of U.S. Steel by NSC, a company whose allegiances clearly lie with a foreign state and whose record in the United States is deeply flawed. We urge the Committee to initiate a review of the transaction unilaterally, particularly in light of the fact that U.S. Steel received competitive bids from American companies who would not pose the same risks.\n\nThank you for your efforts to safeguard American national security.\n\nSincerely,\n\nJosh Hawley\n\nUnited States Senator\n\nJ.D. Vance\n\nUnited States Senator", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:56:20Z"], ["https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases/house-transportation-committee-hears-missouri-river-stakeholder-during-water", "House Transportation Committee Hears from Missouri River Stakeholder during Water Resources Hearing", "2023-12-15", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Sam Graves", "G000546", "graves.house.gov", "graves", "https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Earlier this week, the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee of the House Transportation Committee heard from a variety of stakeholders on the challenges they face. Entitled, \u201cProposals for a Water Resources Development Act of 2024: Stakeholder Priorities,\u201d Transportation Committee Chairman Sam Graves (MO-06) invited Shane Kinne, Executive Director of the Coalition to Protect Missouri River to testify on issues facing Missouri River stakeholders specifically.\n\n\"I greatly appreciate Shane\u2019s willingness to shed light on Missouri River issues and speak to the importance of our inland waterways,\u201d said Graves, \u201cAs we work to pass another water resources bill, it\u2019s critical that voices along our rivers are represented so we can ensure that we continue to place a focus on flood control and navigation issues.\u201d\n\nImage\n\nIn his testimony, Kinne focused on the important work that has taken place on the Missouri River post-2019 flooding, as a result of WRDA 2020 and 2022. He also emphasized the importance of passing another Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) in 2024.\n\n\u201cWe are in a very important time period for the Missouri River. While there are challenges, there is much momentum, both for flood control as well as navigation on the Missouri River. Much of this is due to recently passed WRDA bills that authorized important, generational projects and studies that, if properly executed, will improve the lives of those that live and work in the lower Missouri River basin. In order for us to continue to capture and capitalize on that momentum, it is critical that Congress continues to pass WRDA bills consistently and on time,\u201d Kinne said in his opening statement.\n\nWatch Mr. Kinne\u2019s testimony here.\n\nRead Mr. Kinne\u2019s testimony here.\n\nWatch Chairman Graves\u2019 opening statement here.\n\nRead Chairman Graves\u2019 opening statement here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"], ["https://burlison.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-burlison-introduces-achieving-choice-education-act", "Rep. Burlison Introduces the Achieving Choice in Education Act", "2023-12-14", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Eric Burlison", "B001316", "burlison.house.gov", "burlison", "https://burlison.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON- Today, Congressman Eric Burlison (MO-07) introduced the Achieving Choice in Education Act which would increase options for parents and encourage states to implement school choice policies. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) is introducing the Senate companion to the bill.\n\n\u201cAcross the country, and especially in Southwest Missouri, school choice is already benefitting many of our nation\u2019s young children.\u201d said Rep. Burlison.\n\n\u201cThrough 529 education saving accounts, families are freed from the arbitrary link between where they live and which school their child can attend.\u201d\n\n\u201cSchool choice makes institutions of education more accountable and responsive to families. This leads to higher graduation rates and increases parental satisfaction and involvement while saving taxpayer dollars.\u201d\n\nThe Achieving Choice in Education Act modifies the definition of \u201cqualified higher education expense\u201d to allow 529 savings accounts to be used for tuition, books, curriculum materials, online education resources, tutoring fees, standardized tests, dual enrollment in higher education, and private and home school expenses.\n\nThe bill doubles the contribution limit on K-12 expenses with 529 accounts from $10,000 to $20,000 a year and excludes those contributions from \u201cgift tax\u201d calculations up to $20,000 to meet the new withdrawal limit.\n\nAdditionally, the Achieving Choice in Education Act gives states strong incentives to pass school choice policies through a 2-tier system impacting the tax-exemption status of municipal bonds.\n\nClick here to read the bill text.\n\nA one-pager with additional details can be found here.\n\nCosponsors (5): Reps. John Carter (TX-31)*, Doug LaMalfa (CA-1), Ralph Norman (SC-5), Andy Webber (TX-14), Tracey Mann (KS-01)\n\nSenate Cosponsors (Led by Sen. Mike Lee): Senators Tim Scott (SC)*, Cindy Hyde-Smith (MS), Mike Braun (IN), Eric Schmitt (MO), Ted Budd (NC)", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"], ["https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases/graves-votes-give-troops-pay-raise-protect-lake-city-army-ammunition-plant", "Graves Votes to Give Troops Pay Raise,  Protect Lake City Army Ammunition Plant Jobs", "2023-12-14", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Sam Graves", "G000546", "graves.house.gov", "graves", "https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Congressman Sam Graves (MO-06) released the following statement after voting to pass the final National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024.\n\n\u201cThis year\u2019s annual defense bill gives our troops the largest pay raise in 20 years\u2014a pay raise that\u2019s well-deserved, hard-earned, and sorely needed given the skyrocketing cost of living our military families face.\u201d said Graves, \u201cEvery day, our men and women in uniform put their lives on the line to keep us safe. This bill also boosts funding to the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant, which is critical for supplying our troops with the ammunition necessary for training and defending our nation.\u201d\n\nHighlights from this year\u2019s NDAA include:\n\n5.2 percent increase in servicemember basic pay, the largest pay raise in over 20 years\n\nAuthorizes monthly bonuses for junior enlisted members to counteract the effects of Biden\u2019s record-high inflation\n\nMakes critical investments in improving military housing, education and childcare facilities\n\nRejects the Biden Administration\u2019s request to divest C-130 aircraft, ensuring continued air superiority across the globe.\n\nProvides an additional $37.8 million for Lake City Army Ammunition Plant", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wagner-votes-strengthen-national-security-support-our-military", "Wagner Votes To Strengthen National Security, Support Our Military", "2023-12-14", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO) released the following statement on the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act:\n\n\u201cOne of the most important roles of Congress is to support our military and provide for the nation\u2019s defense, and this year\u2019s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is one of the best I have seen during my time in Congress. I voted for the NDAA because it is a $3.6 billion win for our region, includes the largest pay raise for our troops in more than 20 years, and makes historic investments in deterring and countering our enemies like Russia, China, and Iran. Also included is my MARITIME Act, a bipartisan bill that builds on the successes of the Abraham Accords in the Middle East and helps our partners in the region counter sea-based threats from bad actors like Iran, transnational criminals, and terrorists. The final bill also includes my House-passed amendment to require DOD\u2019s Anti-Trafficking Office to incorporate efforts to combat child sexual abuse and exploitation, including by educating members of the U.S. Armed Forces on how to properly identify and report this horrific crime to law enforcement whether at home or abroad.\n\n\u201cUnfortunately, Senator Hawley\u2019s RECA amendment did not make it into the final version of the NDAA. I will continue advocating for this issue so our constituents can get the help and support they deserve.\u201d\n\nSt. Louis-Based Programs ($3.62 billion investment in St. Louis-made defense products)", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"], ["https://burlison.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-burlison-introduces-workers-choice-act-2023", "Rep. Burlison Introduces the Worker\u2019s Choice Act of 2023", "2023-12-13", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Eric Burlison", "B001316", "burlison.house.gov", "burlison", "https://burlison.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON- Today, Congressman Eric Burlison (MO-07) introduced the Worker's Choice Act which would allow workers who opt out of a union in a right-to-work state to represent themselves before employers.\n\n\"The Worker's Choice Act allows employees the ability to negotiate for themselves the working conditions they will accept and will free them from being subjected to the terms of a union negotiated contract\" said Rep. Burlison.\n\n\"Workers in right-to-work states are not truly allowed to negotiate their own working conditions when they are still forced to accept union-negotiated terms. By freeing workers from union contracts, we are allowing American workers to have control over their own destiny. Self-determination made our country great, and this legislation supports the spirit of independence for the American worker.\"\n\nThe Worker's Choice Act would give workers the option to either be a union member and accept working conditions negotiated by the union or negotiate for compensation and working conditions independently and provide for their own representation in grievances and other dealings.\n\nThis legislation also addresses the forced rider issue, wherein workers in right-to-work states, despite not belonging to a union, are still forced to accept the conditions a union has negotiated.\n\nThe Worker's Choice Act does not impose new restrictions on employers, workers, or unions and does not make any changes to collective bargaining.\n\nClick here to read the bill text\n\nClick here to read an op-ed on the bill\n\nOriginal co-sponsors for this legislation include Representatives Bob Good (VA-05), Troy Nehls (TX-22),\n\nCoalition signers for this legislation include F. Vincent Vernuccio, President, Institute for the American Worker; Akash Chougule, Vice President, Americans for Prosperity; Steve Delie, Director of Labor Policy, Mackinac Center; Tom Hebert, Executive Director, Open Competition Center; Elisabeth Kines Messenger, CEO, Americans for Fair Treatment; Max Nelson, Director of Research and Government Affairs, Freedom Foundation; Grover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform, Center for the American Worker America First Policy Institute, Heritage Action for America.\n\n\"Rep. Eric Burlison's Worker's Choice bill empowers both workers and unions. It allows workers to say \"no thanks\" to unwanted representation and unions to say \"goodbye\" to workers who are not interested in accepting or paying for their services. We applaud this commonsense legislation made possible by the Congressman's leadership,\" - F. Vincent Vernuccio, President of Institute for the American Worker.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawleys-bipartisan-ai-bill-empower-parents-hold-big-tech-accountable-blocked-senate-floor/", "Hawley\u2019s Bipartisan AI Bill to Empower Parents to Hold Big Tech Accountable Blocked on Senate Floor", "2023-12-13", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) delivered remarks on the Senate Floor and called for unanimous consent to pass his bill, the No Section 230 Immunity for AI Act. This legislation would clarify that Section 230 immunity does not apply to claims related to generative AI, ensuring consumers have the tools they need to protect themselves from harmful content produced by the latest advancements in AI technology.\n\n\u201cWe have seen what [Big Tech companies] do with their subsidy from government when it comes to social media [\u2026] [Big Tech companies] censor the living daylights out of anybody they don\u2019t like [\u2026] This government protects [Big Tech],\u201d said Senator Hawley.\n\nHe continued, \u201c[This bill] just says that these huge companies can be liable like any other company\u2014no special protections from government [\u2026] It just breaks up the Big Government, Big Tech cartel. That\u2019s all it does, and it says parents can go into court, same terms as anybody else, and make their case.\u201d\n\nClick here or above to watch his full remarks.\n\nSenators Hawley and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) \u2013 the Ranking Member and the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, respectively \u2013 introduced the No Section 230 Immunity for AI Act in June to put power in the hands of consumers and give Americans impacted by nascent AI technology their day in court to hold Big Tech companies accountable.\n\nSenator Hawley also previously announced five guiding principles for the future of AI legislation.\n\nSenator Hawley\u2019s call to unanimously pass the bill was objected to by Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas).", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:56:20Z"], ["https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases/graves-announces-nominations-us-military-academies-4", "Graves Announces Nominations to U.S. Military Academies", "2023-12-12", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Sam Graves", "G000546", "graves.house.gov", "graves", "https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "KANSAS CITY, MO \u2013 U.S. Representative Sam Graves (MO-06) has announced United States Military Service Academy nominations for students in Missouri\u2019s Sixth Congressional District. Each year, members of Congress are tasked with selecting qualified students from their respective districts to attend one of America\u2019s prestigious military academies.\n\n\"It is my honor to nominate these incredible young men and women to attend our nation\u2019s military academies,\u201d said Rep. Graves, who notified each student by phone of their nomination. \u201cAll have gone above and beyond to demonstrate their leadership abilities in their schools and communities. I know each and every one will go on to make North Missouri proud.\u201d\n\nThe following students from across North Missouri received nominations from Congressman Graves:\n\nBreanna Coonfare \u2013 U.S. Military Academy (Liberty North High School)\n\nEthan Holtman \u2013 U.S. Military Academy (Jefferson C-123 High School in Conception Junction)\n\nRyan Morrow\u2013 U.S. Military Academy (Park Hill South High School)\n\nIris Alvarez \u2013 U.S. Military Academy; U.S. Air Force Academy (Savannah High School)\n\nTade Wynn\u2013 U.S. Military Academy (Culver Military Academy, Hometown - Liberty)\n\nLance Meekins \u2013 U.S. Military Academy (Kearney High School)\n\nGeorge Freeman \u2013 U.S. Merchant Marine Academy; U.S. Naval Academy (Moberly High School)\n\nOctavious Soriano \u2013 U.S. Merchant Marine Academy; U.S. Naval Academy (St. Pius X Catholic High School, Hometown \u2013 Kansas City)\n\nZacary Wheeler \u2013 U.S. Merchant Marine Academy; U.S. Naval Academy; U.S. Air Force Academy (Smithville High School)\n\nNikos Guerrero \u2013 U.S. Merchant Marine Academy; U.S. Air Force Academy (Park Hill High School)\n\nGabriel Watkins \u2013 U.S. Merchant Marine Academy; U.S. Air Force Academy (Lathrop High School)\n\nEmma Bruhl \u2013 U.S. Air Force Academy (Vicenza High School)\n\nMargaret Howard \u2013 U.S. Air Force Academy (West Platte High School)\n\nJacob Duckworth \u2013 U.S. Air Force Academy (Park Hill South High School)\n\nMaxwell Casey \u2013 U.S. Naval Academy (Pembroke Hill School, Hometown - Parkville)\n\nEvan Janiak \u2013 U.S. Naval Academy (Kearney High School)\n\nThe nomination system is a very competitive process. Various military academies hold extremely selective admission standards. To help in the nomination process, Rep. Graves created an Academy Nominations Review Board. The board, made up of service academy graduates, veterans and citizens of the Sixth District, interviewed and reviewed all applicants before making final recommendations to Rep. Graves.\n\nStudents interested in being appointed to a service academy in the future are encouraged to learn more, particularly early in their high school career, by contacting Graves\u2019 district office in Kansas City or by visiting graves.house.gov.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/senator-hawley-forces-procedural-vote-delay-ndaa-shares-stories-nuclear-radiation-victims-betrayed/", "Senator Hawley Forces Procedural Vote to Delay NDAA & Shares Stories of Nuclear Radiation Victims Betrayed by Congressional Leadership", "2023-12-12", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) shared stories from victims of government-caused radiation poisoning, after Congressional leadership stripped reauthorization of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) from the FY \u201924 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Senator Hawley called for a motion that would have extended debate on the NDAA and delayed its final passage in the Senate.\n\nThe RECA program\u2014which is set to expire in the coming months\u2014compensates victims poisoned by the federal government through nuclear waste. A reauthorized and updated program would include numerous residents of the greater St. Louis area. Despite passing the Senate with strong bipartisan support and receiving an endorsement from President Biden, dealmakers scrubbed RECA reauthorization from the defense bill behind closed doors.\n\n\u201cWhen the government causes injury, the government should make it right. [\u2026] That\u2019s what the radiation compensation program does\u2014and it\u2019s wrong to let it expire,\u201d said Senator Hawley. [\u2026] It is a scar on the conscience of this body and of this nation. And I will come to the floor as long as it takes until we do right by these Americans who have done right by their country because they deserve better than this.\u201d\n\n\u201cI realize my colleagues are all too eager to move on, but I think it is important we take as much time as is necessary to understand the stakes of what we are doing and to understand the stakes of turning our backs on these people,\u201d he concluded.\n\nClick here or above to watch his full remarks.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:56:20Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/grave-injustice-hawley-slams-congressional-leadership-betraying-nuclear-radiation-victims-stripping/", "\u201cGrave Injustice:\u201d Hawley Slams Congressional Leadership for Betraying Nuclear Radiation Victims & Stripping Compensation from NDAA", "2023-12-07", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) delivered remarks on the Senate floor after Congressional leadership betrayed American nuclear program victims through backroom negotiations. Dealmakers stripped Senator Hawley\u2019s bill to reauthorize the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) from the FY \u201924 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).\n\nSenator Hawley vowed to oppose the final bill and slow down its passage. The Senate voted on an extra procedural motion today after Senator Hawley threw up a roadblock.\n\nThe RECA program\u2014which is set to expire in the coming months\u2014compensates victims poisoned by the federal government through nuclear waste. This includes numerous residents of the greater St. Louis area and across the country. Despite passing the Senate with strong bipartisan support and receiving an endorsement from President Biden, RECA reauthorization was scrubbed from the bill behind closed doors.\n\n\u201cThis is a grave injustice. [\u2026] This [NDAA] turns its back on the people of the United States in defense of the lobbyists, and the suits, and the corporate entities who are going to get paid,\u201d said Senator Hawley.\n\n\u201cTo the people of this nation\u2014tens of thousands who have depended on this compensation, life-saving help, who are now at risk of losing all of it\u2014this fight is not over. [\u2026] I will come to this floor as long as it takes [\u2026] until we compensate the people of this nation, who have sacrificed for this nation, and do not leave them behind,\u201d he concluded.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:56:20Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-introduces-new-legislation-justly-compensate-landowners-stop-federal-confiscation-farmland/", "Hawley Introduces New Legislation to Justly Compensate Landowners & Stop Federal Confiscation of Farmland", "2023-12-06", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced the Just Compensation Act of 2023 to prevent the federal government and private companies from confiscating Missourians\u2019 property without just compensation.\n\n\u201cMissouri farmers work tirelessly to keep our state, and country, fed. The last thing they should have to deal with is big corporations and the federal government coming to try and take their land,\u201d said Senator Hawley. \u201cCongress must make it a priority to protect Missouri landowners and their property rights.\u201d\n\nThis legislation follows Senator Hawley\u2019s defense of farmers affected by the Grain Belt Express construction campaign. Last month, Senator Hawley sent a letter to Invenergy CEO Michael Polsky, demanding the company make commitments to operate in good faith and adequately compensate landowners impacted by the proposed transmission line.\n\nSenator Hawley\u2019s Just Compensation Act of 2023 would:\n\nProhibit the federal government from delegating the power to exercise eminent domain to any private entity;\n\nRequire the federal government to provide just compensation of 150 percent fair market value when exercising eminent domain; and\n\nImpose annual reporting requirements on the Attorney General.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:56:20Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/major-betrayal-hawley-statement-after-compensation-victims-government-poisoning-stripped-defense/", "\u201cMajor Betrayal:\u201d Hawley Statement After Compensation for Victims of Government Poisoning Stripped from Defense Bill", "2023-12-06", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) released the following statement after his legislation to reauthorize the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) was stripped from the FY \u201924 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The proposal would have compensated victims who have been poisoned by their government through nuclear waste, including those in the greater St. Louis area.\n\nWithout Congressional action, the entire RECA program will expire in the coming months and leave victims without support. The provision was removed despite passing the Senate with strong bipartisan support and receiving an endorsement from President Biden.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:56:20Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-slams-director-wray-fbis-targeting-catholic-americans-violent-extremists/", "Hawley Slams Director Wray on FBI\u2019s Targeting of Catholic Americans as \u2018Violent Extremists\u2019", "2023-12-05", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today in the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) questioned FBI Director Christopher Wray on the FBI\u2019s targeting of traditionalist Catholics. Senator Hawley discussed a report issued by the House Judiciary Committee revealing a memo outlining the weaponization of the FBI against Catholics, and repeatedly demanded that Director Wray hold accountable the individuals involved.\n\n\u201cNow we know that in fact, FBI agents did approach a priest and a choir director to ask them to inform on parishioners [\u2026] Good heavens, Director, this is one of the most outrageous targetings \u2013 you have mobilized your division, the most powerful law enforcement division in the world, against traditionalist Catholics,\u201d said Senator Hawley.\n\nHe continued, \u201cyour memo labels traditional Catholics as racially, and ethnically, motivated violent extremists in need of investigation [\u2026] You have repeatedly said \u2018we don\u2019t target churches, we don\u2019t list churches,\u2019 [but] they\u2019re listed in the memo.\u201d\n\nSenator Hawley has previously called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) for answers on the FBI\u2019s targeting and subsequent arrests of people of faith, particularly Catholics.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:56:20Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-op-ed-dont-let-government-get-away-poisoning-americans/", "Hawley Op-Ed: Don\u2019t Let Government Get Away With Poisoning Americans", "2023-12-04", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "By U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) | Dec. 4, 2023 | Real Clear Politics\n\nThis year, Americans had the opportunity to revisit the origins of our nation\u2019s nuclear program with the blockbuster film \u201cOppenheimer.\u201d But there\u2019s one story line that didn\u2019t make the big screen: those Americans who are still paying the price.\n\nFor decades, the federal government poisoned an untold number of its citizens through our atomic program. It happened everywhere, impacting uranium mine workers in Texas, Native Americans living downwind from nuclear tests in the Mountain West, and communities exposed to Manhattan Project waste in Missouri. And that\u2019s just a small sample.\n\n[\u2026]\n\nNow, the law that delivers some justice and compensation to these victims is about to expire. Congress must include a reauthorization of this life-changing program as part of the annual defense bill. It\u2019s our chance to give justice to victims who have been silenced and forgotten for years.\n\n[\u2026]\n\nTens of thousands of American workers across the country helped to mine and process uranium and worked in facilities that built our atomic weapons, and they breathed in the toxic substances every day.\n\n[\u2026]\n\nIn 1990, Congress finally acknowledged the government\u2019s egregious neglect and passed the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to compensate victims who were sickened with cancer from nuclear tests.\n\n[\u2026]\n\nBut in just a few months, funding for the program will be cut off. This cannot be allowed to happen. Since its creation, RECA has helped tens of thousands of Americans and assisted those exposed to radiation rebuild and renew their lives. How can we turn our back on them?\n\nMany more communities still need access to this program before it runs out. In my home state of Missouri, mismanaged nuclear waste from the Manhattan Project era sat exposed for years and contaminated communities in the St. Louis region \u2013 and now these areas have elevated cancer rates. In multiple other states, \u201cdownwinders\u201d still need compensation.\n\n[\u2026]\n\nBack in July, Congress took the first step to getting this done when the Senate adopted, as part of the defense bill, my amendment with Sen. Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n of New Mexico to extend and strengthen the RECA program. I was proud to see that amendment pass with a bipartisan supermajority, reflecting the broad support among both parties for obtaining justice for victims. President Biden has since supported it as well.\n\nHouse and Senate leadership must not strip this life-changing program from the final defense bill. It would amount to a slap in the face to victims everywhere if our leaders in Congress decide to kneecap the Americans who suffered from these nuclear programs and instead ship billions and billions to defense contractors or foreign wars. There\u2019s no excuse for forgetting about the people we serve.\n\nWhen the government poisons its own people, it must make it right. We have no other choice.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:56:20Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-urges-congress-reauthorize-compensation-nuclear-radiation-victims-expiration/", "Hawley Urges Congress to Reauthorize Compensation for Nuclear Radiation Victims Before Expiration", "2023-12-01", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) released the following statement calling on Congress to reauthorize the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) in the FY \u201924 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to compensate victims of government-caused radiation in the greater St. Louis area. If Congress does not act, the entire existing RECA program that provides support for victims of radiation around the country will expire in a few months. Senator Hawley has pledged to oppose the NDAA if it does not include compensation for Missouri victims.\n\nThis past Tuesday, Senator Hawley welcomed Missouri grassroots advocates impacted by federal government-caused nuclear waste to the U.S. Capitol, so Washington leadership could hear their stories.\n\nBackground:\n\nSenator Hawley has consistently advocated on behalf of the Coldwater Creek community and all Missourians impacted by government-caused nuclear contamination.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:56:20Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-introduces-new-legislation-protect-livestock-producers-tackle-rising-costs/", "Hawley Introduces New Legislation to Protect Livestock Producers & Tackle Rising Costs", "2023-11-30", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced the Protecting Interstate Commerce for Livestock Producers Act to protect farmers from costly regulations \u2013 made in other states \u2013 that will hurt their business and drive-up costs for consumers.\n\nIn 2018, California voters passed Proposition 12 which would ban the sale of pork, eggs, and calves for veal that were not produced with certain space requirements. It is estimated that California accounts for 13 percent of all pork consumption in the United States. When this law goes into full effect early next year, farmers across the country \u2013 including in Missouri \u2013 will have to comply with California\u2019s preferred requirements to access the California market.\n\n\u201cMissouri\u2019s livestock producers keep food on the table across America and they shouldn\u2019t be burdened by costly laws \u2013 made by other states \u2013 that disrupt interstate commerce, drive-up costs, and impose crippling regulations,\u201d said Senator Hawley. \u201cThis law is a commonsense solution to protect family farms from going bankrupt and consumers from shouldering higher costs at the grocery store.\u201d\n\nTo ensure that no state can mandate animal welfare standards in another state, Senator Hawley\u2019s Protecting Interstate Commerce for Livestock Producers Act:\n\nPreempts states and local governments from regulating the raising, production, and importation of livestock or livestock-derived goods from another state or local government;\n\nAllows states to regulate the importation of livestock in the event of animal disease; and\n\nProtects farmers from states implementing laws that are preempted by this bill.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:49:58Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-brings-missourians-impacted-radioactive-waste-us-capitol-threatens-hold-ndaa/", "Hawley Brings Missourians Impacted by Radioactive Waste to U.S. Capitol, Threatens to Hold Up NDAA", "2023-11-28", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) welcomed Missouri grassroots advocates impacted by federal government-caused nuclear waste to the U.S. Capitol. He repeated his pledge to oppose and hold up the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) if it does not include compensation for the victims of decades-old radiation in the greater St. Louis area.\n\n\u201cIf this emerges from a back room, and this provision is out, the defense bill is going to face tough sledding on the floor of the Senate. [\u2026] I am not going to vote to pay defense contractors hand over fist while the people of my state\u2014and, frankly, across the country\u2014are denied the compensation that they\u2019re due,\u201d said Senator Hawley.\n\nHe continued, \u201cI don\u2019t quite understand how it is that we may not have money available to compensate radiation victims in the state of Missouri\u2014who have the highest rates of cancer in the nation\u2014but we have unlimited funding for Ukraine.\u201d\n\nBackground:\n\nSenator Hawley has consistently advocated on behalf of the Coldwater Creek community and all Missourians impacted by government-caused nuclear contamination.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:49:58Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-pledges-oppose-ndaa-without-justice-victims-nuclear-contamination/", "Hawley Pledges to Oppose NDAA without Justice for Victims of Nuclear Contamination", "2023-11-22", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) released the following statements demanding justice for victims of nuclear contamination in the greater St. Louis area. He also pledged to oppose the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) if it does not include compensation for the victims.\n\nBackground:\n\nSenator Hawley has consistently advocated on behalf of the Coldwater Creek community and all Missourians impacted by government-caused nuclear contamination. Most recently, Senator Hawley secured President Biden\u2019s endorsement of his legislation to compensate victims of nuclear radiation exposure.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:49:58Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-demands-invenergy-compensate-missouri-landowners-affected-grain-belt-express-and-tiger/", "Hawley Demands Invenergy Compensate Missouri Landowners Affected by Grain Belt Express and Tiger Connector Construction Project", "2023-11-15", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Invenergy CEO Michael Polsky, standing up for Missouri farmers and demanding the company make commitments to operate in good faith, as well as adequately compensate landowners affected by the Grain Belt Express construction campaign. Senator Hawley\u2019s letter follows the Missouri Public Service Commission\u2019s decision last month to approve the Tiger Connector amendment to the Grain Belt Express Line Project.\n\n\u201cYour company\u2019s Grain Belt Express construction campaign has hurt Missouri\u2019s farmers,\u201d wrote Senator Hawley. \u201cThey have lost the use of arable land, seen their property values decline, and been forced to operate under a cloud of uncertainty as your company vacillates over the full scope of the project.\u201d\n\nHe continued, \u201cThere is a clear remedy for these harms: as a gesture of goodwill, your company should commit to following all of the requirements passed in House Bill 2005 for the construction of the Tiger Connector Line. Additionally, your company should retroactively compensate landowners whose land was originally taken for the Grain Belt Express project at the new 150% rate. Your company should also commit to compensating farmers for any ongoing losses sustained as a result of your company\u2019s construction and maintenance of both the Grain Belt Express and Tiger Connector.\u201d\n\nRead the full letter here or below.\n\nNovember 15, 2023\n\nMr. Michael Polsky\n\nChief Executive Officer\n\nInvenergy\n\nOne South Wacker Drive, Suite 1800\n\nChicago, Illinois 60646\n\nDear Mr. Polsky:\n\nYour company\u2019s Grain Belt Express construction campaign has hurt Missouri\u2019s farmers. They have lost the use of arable land, seen their property values decline, and been forced to operate under a cloud of uncertainty as your company vacillates over the full scope of the project. To name just a few examples, since the Grain Belt Express was originally proposed, the completion timetable, the total capacity of the line, the ultimate corporate parent, the amount of power to be delivered, the location of the Missouri converter station, and the full range of connections required have all changed.\n\nThis is not an acceptable status quo. In fact, public backlash against your company\u2019s actions was so severe that last year Missouri passed a new law to fix this. House Bill 2005 guarantees that landowners whose property is seized for future projects must be compensated at 150% of market value and requires that a proportional amount of power from the line is given to the State. Unfortunately, those new protections come too late for the farmers whose land has already been taken. And to add insult to injury, your company has now gained approval from the Missouri Public Service Commission to add the Tiger Connector line to the approved Grain Belt Express project, bypassing the requirements in House Bill 2005.\n\nGiven this track record, it is far from clear why any Missouri farmers should assume that your company is operating in good faith. There is a clear remedy for these harms: as a gesture of goodwill, your company should commit to following all of the requirements passed in House Bill 2005 for the construction of the Tiger Connector Line. Additionally, your company should retroactively compensate landowners whose land was originally taken for the Grain Belt Express project at the new 150% rate. Your company should also commit to compensating farmers for any ongoing losses sustained as a result of your company\u2019s construction and maintenance of both the Grain Belt Express and Tiger Connector.\n\nNo doubt such commitments will prove costly to your company. But at this point, only concrete commitments will make up for the frustration and grief Missouri farmers have already suffered. You owe them that.\n\nI await your response.\n\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:49:58Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-resolution-honors-us-marine-corps-captain-samuel-farmer-marines-and-sailors-his-platoon/", "Hawley Resolution Honors U.S. Marine Corps Captain Samuel Farmer, Marines and Sailors of His Platoon", "2023-11-15", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Yesterday U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) delivered remarks on the Senate floor recognizing the passage of his resolution honoring the heroism and sacrifice of United States Marine Corps Captain Samuel Farmer of Missouri and the Marines and Sailors he commanded as part of First Platoon, Company G, Second Battalion, First Marine Regiment.\n\nDuring the height of America\u2019s withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, then-First Lieutenant Farmer and his platoon were stationed at Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) in Kabul, facilitating the evacuation of American citizens, permanent residents, embassy workers, and special immigrant visa holders as the region rapidly fell to the Taliban. On August 26, 2021, an Islamic State terrorist detonated a suicide bomb at Abbey Gate, killing 13 American service members \u2013 including nine from Captain Farmer\u2019s platoon \u2013 and injuring many more, including Farmer.\n\n\u201cWhatever you think of our withdrawal from Afghanistan, we should be able to honor the men and women who served so bravely \u2013 including Sam Farmer and the members of his platoon,\u201d said Senator Hawley. \u201cThis young man from Missouri, who represents, frankly, the best of who we are and who we can be. And so, Mr. President, it\u2019s a privilege to get to honor Sam, to congratulate him on his service to our country.\u201d\n\nClick here or above to watch his full remarks.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:49:58Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-urges-relief-missionaries-harmed-state-department-rule/", "Hawley Urges Relief for Missionaries Harmed by State Department Rule", "2023-11-15", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Assistant Secretary Rena Bitter of the Bureau of Consular Affairs at the State Department. Senator Hawley urged Assistant Secretary Bitter to provide relief to religious workers, including a Christian missionary employed in Missouri, who are being harmed by a recent State Department rule that effectively prioritizes illegal immigrants over religious workers in the visa queue.\n\n\u201cIt has come to my attention that a recent State Department rule created a massive backlog of employment-based, fourth preference category (EB-4) visas, which is adversely affecting faith-based employers in Missouri,\u201d said Senator Hawley.\u201d Concerningly, the Biden Administration seems to have pushed Christian missionaries to the back of the visa line\u2014and allowed illegal aliens to cut ahead of them. It is incumbent upon your agency to provide relief to my constituents and religious organizations across the country who stand to be greatly harmed by this abrupt change in policy.\u201d\n\nHe continued, \u201cThe present obstacles that religious organizations face are unacceptable. Sadly, it appears that religious workers are collateral damage in the Biden Administration\u2019s push to expand \u2018lawful pathways\u2019 for individuals who crossed the southern border illegally. [\u2026] Therefore, I urge you to redress the harms to religious workers generated by your agency\u2019s rule, including by advancing the priority date for religious workers.\u201d\n\nRead the full letter here or below.\n\nNovember 15, 2023\n\nAssistant Secretary Rena Bitter\n\nBureau of Consular Affairs\n\nU.S. Department of State\n\n2201 C Street NW\n\nWashington, D.C. 20520\n\nDear Assistant Secretary Bitter,\n\nIt has come to my attention that a recent State Department rule created a massive backlog of employment-based, fourth preference category (EB-4) visas, which is adversely affecting faith-based employers in Missouri. As a direct result of this rule, a missionary employed in my state will be forced to leave her family and wait abroad\u2014for potentially more than a decade\u2014until her visa is processed. Concerningly, the Biden Administration seems to have pushed Christian missionaries to the back of the visa line\u2014and allowed illegal aliens to cut ahead of them. It is incumbent upon your agency to provide relief to my constituents and religious organizations across the country who stand to be greatly harmed by this abrupt change in policy.\n\nIn March 2023, the State Department determined that it would no longer prorate EB-4 visa allocation to El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, reversing the agency\u2019s interpretation which had stood for nearly seven years. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data, there were 105,267 approved petitions awaiting EB-4 visa availability as of March 2023, including 84,168 petitions from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala\u2014most of which are for unaccompanied youth. By contrast, only 866 such petitions were outstanding for religious workers. Almost instantly, the Department\u2019s rule added tens of thousands of petitions to the waiting list for EB-4 visas and thus created a lengthy backlog for such visas.\n\nMy office has been contacted by a religious non-profit in Missouri that is directly harmed by this action. The non-profit employs a missionary who is currently working on a temporary R-1 visa, which expires in January 2024. Though USCIS has approved her I-360 petition, she will be forced to leave the country when her R-1 visa expires and could wait more than a decade for her visa eligibility in the now-enormous queue of EB-4 visas. But for the State Department\u2019s action, she may not have had to wait at all.\n\nThe present obstacles that religious organizations face are unacceptable. Sadly, it appears that religious workers are collateral damage in the Biden Administration\u2019s push to expand \u201clawful pathways\u201d for individuals who crossed the southern border illegally. Indeed, the State Department\u2019s own announcement states that religious workers and other EB-4 applicants \u201cshould expect to wait longer for a visa to become available\u2026while applicants from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras\u2026should expect a shorter wait time.\u201d In any case, this is a problem of your agency\u2019s own making, and you bear responsibility for religious workers, like the missionary in my state, who are harmed by it.\n\nTherefore, I urge you to redress the harms to religious workers generated by your agency\u2019s rule, including by advancing the priority date for religious workers. Please respond to this letter by providing the specific actions your agency will take to expeditiously fix this situation.\n\nThank you for your attention to this urgent matter.\n\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:49:58Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wagner-applauds-house-passage-her-debbie-smith-act", "Wagner Applauds House Passage of Her Debbie Smith Act", "2023-11-13", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO) released the following statement after the House passed her Debbie Smith Act, legislation that provides funding to law enforcement to analyze untested rape kits:\n\n\u201cSurvivors of sexual violence must have confidence that law enforcement will help them get the justice they need and deserve. That means identifying, apprehending, and prosecuting the attackers to the fullest extent of the law.\n\n\u201cOne of the most important methods of investigating these crimes is through DNA analysis. The Debbie Smith Act will reauthorize a vital program that provides support in all fifty states to help police collect and test that evidence in a timely manner, and improve the capacity of state and local prosecutors to bring these cases to court. Funding from the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Elimination Program has directly resulted in nearly 1.8 million DNA cases analyzed and processed, including over 600,000 crime scenes and rape kits. We must continue supporting this incredibly important program. I appreciate my colleagues for overwhelmingly voting for this bipartisan legislation and helping victims in their time of need.\u201d\n\nWatch Congresswoman Wagner\u2019s speech in support of this bill here.\n\nBackground\n\nH.R. 1105, the Debbie Smith Act of 2023, would reauthorize the DNA Backlog Elimination Program from FY2024 through FY2029. This program provides support to law enforcement and crime labs in all 50 states to analyze untested rape and sexual assault kits, improve law enforcement\u2019s timely collection of DNA evidence, and enhance prosecutors' capacity to bring this evidence to trial.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-calls-yellen-protect-missouri-union-jobs-modify-terms-yellow-corporations-loans/", "Hawley Calls on Yellen to Protect Missouri Union Jobs, Modify Terms of Yellow Corporation\u2019s Loans", "2023-11-09", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, urging her to seek authority to extend the repayment terms of Yellow Corporation\u2019s outstanding CARES Act loans, in an effort to allow the company to obtain a buyer and preserve union jobs for hundreds of Missouri workers.\n\n\u201cAfter years of mismanagement, this once-venerable trucking company filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, jeopardizing tens of thousands of positions\u2014including about 750 union jobs in my home state of Missouri,\u201d wrote Senator Hawley. \u201cI urge you to seek the authority to modify the maturity date of Yellow\u2019s outstanding CARES Act loans, pushing this date back to 2026.\u201d\n\nHe continued, \u201cA modification of the repayment terms will allow Yellow to obtain a buyer who will keep its assets together as a going concern\u2014that is, keep it in business as a player in the trucking sector. Reports indicate that such a potential buyer has already emerged. Facilitating such a sale, by making Yellow\u2019s loan repayment terms more flexible, is a commonsense step to keep Yellow\u2019s trucks on the road, and keep its workforce gainfully employed. American workers deserve that support.\n\nRead the full letter here or below.\n\nNovember 8, 2023\n\nThe Hon. Janet Yellen\n\nSecretary of the Treasury\n\nU.S. Department of the Treasury\n\n1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW\n\nWashington, D.C. 20220\n\nDear Secretary Yellen:\n\nExecutives, not employees, are responsible for corporate failures. American working people shouldn\u2019t, as far as possible, suffer the brunt of bad strategic decisions. But unfortunately, that\u2019s exactly what\u2019s happening at Yellow Corporation. After years of mismanagement, this once-venerable trucking company filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, jeopardizing tens of thousands of positions\u2014including about 750 union jobs in my home state of Missouri.\n\nNow, the company is at risk of being effectively sold for parts, with its facilities being sold to one buyer and its fleet of movable assets being sold to another. If that happens, Yellow\u2019s employees won\u2019t only lose their jobs\u2014which would be bad enough. These workers will also lose a significant portion of their earned benefits, such as accrued vacation time, sick pay, insurance contributions, pensions, and so on. Despite years of faithful service, they will be given the short straw.\n\nBut it doesn\u2019t need to be this way. The most significant financial pressure facing Yellow\u2014and what is catalyzing this fire sale\u2014is Yellow\u2019s outstanding loan under the CARES Act, which comes due in 2024. You have the power to change that. I urge you to seek the authority to modify the maturity date of Yellow\u2019s outstanding CARES Act loans, pushing this date back to 2026. As you know, the Treasury Department has done so on prior occasions, such as during the 2008 financial crisis, where circumstances proved appropriate.\n\nA modification of the repayment terms will allow Yellow to obtain a buyer who will keep its assets together as a going concern\u2014that is, keep it in business as a player in the trucking sector. Reports indicate that such a potential buyer has already emerged. Facilitating such a sale, by making Yellow\u2019s loan repayment terms more flexible, is a commonsense step to keep Yellow\u2019s trucks on the road, and keep its workforce gainfully employed. American workers deserve that support.\n\nThank you for your consideration.\n\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:49:58Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-demands-investigation-biden-dhs-agents-pulled-child-exploitation-cases-after-additional/", "Hawley Demands Investigation into Biden DHS Agents Pulled from Child Exploitation Cases After Additional Whistleblower Claims", "2023-11-09", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General Joseph Cuffari, demanding an investigation into whistleblower allegations that the Biden DHS has reassigned hundreds of special agents charged with important investigations to menial tasks at the southern border \u2013 including handing out sandwiches to illegal immigrants.\n\nThe letter follows Senator Hawley\u2019s questioning of DHS Secretary Mayorkas\u2019 testimony in last week\u2019s Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing about whistleblower allegations. Following the hearing, several additional whistleblowers contacted Senator Hawley and provided additional details about special agents being reassigned.\n\n\u201cMost concerningly, all the whistleblowers allege that important criminal investigations stalled and suspects were not arrested or indicted as a result of these reassignments,\u201d wrote Senator Hawley. \u201cAgents were pulled from investigations ranging from child exploitation to drug trafficking to counterterrorism. One whistleblower was pulled from child exploitation cases \u2018that haunt your soul when you aren\u2019t available and able to ensure the children involved aren\u2019t being abused.'\u201d\n\nHe continued, \u201cThe Department\u2019s decision to relegate its highly-trained criminal investigators to processing and feeding illegal immigrants, rather than investigating child exploitation cases, is bad policy. But it also may be illegal and in violation of existing regulations.\u201d\n\nRead the full letter here or below.\n\nNovember 8, 2023\n\nThe Honorable Joseph V. Cuffari\n\nOffice of Inspector General\n\nU.S. Department of Homeland Security\n\n245 Murray Lane SW\n\nWashington, DC 20528Dear Inspector General Cuffari,\n\nI write to request an immediate investigation into whistleblower allegations that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has shut down or delayed investigations into child exploitation and other crimes in order to transfer hundreds of special agents to process illegal immigrants at the southern border. No fewer than four separate DHS whistleblowers have contacted my office alleging a severe mismanagement of staffing and resources at the direction of senior officials within DHS, allegations which may demonstrate a violation of law. These allegations merit an immediate investigation.\n\nOn October 31, 2023, I questioned Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) regarding whistleblower allegations that he removed 600 Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents from felony investigations to facilitate immigration processing functions at the southern border. According to the whistleblower, agents \u201care being told to shut down investigations to hand out sandwiches and escort migrants to the shower.\u201d This led to child exploitation suspects and fentanyl dealers evading indictment, including child molesters. When asked whether special agents had been pulled away from cases and reassigned to the border, Secretary Mayorkas testified, \u201cCombatting the fight against fentanyl, yes.\u201d\n\nFollowing the hearing, three more whistleblowers from across the country contacted my office, corroborating these claims. One alleged that Secretary Mayorkas was \u201cabsolutely lying\u201d and that agents were not, in fact, being reassigned to investigate fentanyl cases. The whistleblower corroborated the claim that there have been at least 600 agents at a given time reassigned to the border. A third whistleblower claims that he was also reassigned to the border to \u201cbabysit\u201d illegal immigrants; his duties included holding doors for private contractors who prepared the sandwiches for illegal immigrants, who were \u201cfed better than my kids.\u201d A fourth whistleblower confirmed that special agents had been pulled off child exploitation investigations. According to some of the whistleblowers, much of their time was spent on \u201cstand-by,\u201d as offices at the border were not expecting their arrival.\n\nMost concerningly, all the whistleblowers allege that important criminal investigations stalled and suspects were not arrested or indicted as a result of these reassignments. Agents were pulled from investigations ranging from child exploitation to drug trafficking to counterterrorism. One whistleblower was pulled from child exploitation cases \u201cthat haunt your soul when you aren\u2019t available and able to ensure the children involved aren\u2019t being abused.\u201d Another whistleblower alleges that hands-on child molesters were not arrested and further provides specific examples of child exploitation indictments that were delayed or adversely affected due to these reassignments.\n\nThese whistleblowers have also provided documentation supporting their claims. For example, documents provided to my office show that HSI supervisors acknowledged the problem of HSI special agents sitting around without being assigned tasks. Additionally, the whistleblowers provided my office with a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detail HSI special agents to the southern border. The MOA confirms the whistleblowers\u2019 allegations that their duties would include \u201c[p]hysically observing [migrants] in holding areas,\u201d sitting with migrants at the hospital, and escorting migrants from place to place. Notably, the MOA was signed by the Acting Commissioner of CBP and a senior ICE official in April 2023, though the reassignments allegedly have been occurring for over a year. My office will transmit relevant documents to inform your investigation in a manner that protects the anonymity of whistleblowers.\n\nThe Department\u2019s decision to relegate its highly-trained criminal investigators to processing and feeding illegal immigrants, rather than investigating child exploitation cases, is bad policy. But it also may be illegal and in violation of existing regulations. For example, whistleblowers allege that these practices violate 13 U.S.C. \u00a7 1301(a) of the Anti-Deficiency Act, Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-76, and internal ICE travel policies. Under the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, you have the authority to conduct investigations into the programs and operations of DHS. I therefore write to request an immediate investigation into these practices.\n\nThe American public deserves transparency and accountability, especially when it concerns the safety and security of our nation and the integrity of our law enforcement agencies. Please include in your investigation answers to the following questions:\n\n1. Since January 2021, how many HSI special agents have been reassigned to the southern border to perform migrant processing functions?\n\na. How many of these special agents were required to pause or abandon investigations into criminal activity due to their reassignments?\n\nb. How many of the investigations delayed or abandoned because of reassignments involved child exploitation, fentanyl trafficking, or counterterrorism?\n\nc. How is DHS measuring the effectiveness of these reassignments in reducing the number of migrants at the southern border?\n\n2. How many complaints identifying potential waste, fraud, and abuse have DHS officials received as a result of HSI reassignments?\n\na. Have any whistleblowers been subject to retaliatory action as a result of their complaints?\n\n3. Are HSI special agents able to defer their reassignments in order to continue critical investigations?\n\n4. Did the Department violate any provisions of law or internal policies by reassigning special agents to the border, including but not limited to violations of the Anti-Deficiency Act, OMB Circular A-76, or ICE travel policies?\n\n5. Secretary Mayorkas testified to Congress that special agents had been reassigned to the border to combat the fight against fentanyl. Was this statement true?\n\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:49:58Z"], ["https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases/graves-demands-answers-dot-sheltering-illegal-immigrants-us-airports", "Graves Demands Answers from DOT on Sheltering Illegal Immigrants at U.S. Airports", "2023-11-08", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Sam Graves", "G000546", "graves.house.gov", "graves", "https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO), House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Garret Graves (R-LA), and Representative Anthony D\u2019Esposito (R-NY) led 66 additional House Republican colleagues in a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg opposing the Biden Administration\u2019s allowance and encouragement of the use of airports throughout the nation as temporary shelters for illegal immigrants.\n\nThe Members of Congress cited reports that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has proposed housing 60,000 migrants at four public airports and other facilities in New York and New Jersey, as has been done at Chicago O\u2019Hare International Airport.\n\n\u201cWe adamantly oppose these ill-conceived plans that blatantly ignore the true crisis at hand and would inappropriately utilize America\u2019s infrastructure. Our Nation\u2019s airport infrastructure was built to facilitate commerce and transportation, not to serve as housing for unvetted and undocumented migrants. We request that you enforce public airport grant assurances and reject such plans,\u201d the coalition of Members wrote. \u201cThe Biden-Harris Administration\u2019s abject failure to protect our border or support policies that will keep America secure is an unconscionable dereliction of the most fundamental duty the Federal Government has to the citizens of this country.\u201d\n\nThe Members noted that airports are generally required to request permission from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) before using aeronautical land and facilities for nonaeronautical purposes, like the housing of migrants, on an interim basis.\n\n\u201cThese provisions prevent governments, including the Federal Government, from abusing taxpayer investment in aeronautical facilities and commandeering them at below-market rates for nonaeronautical and incompatible purposes. It is your responsibility to direct the FAA to reject any attempt by a Federal, state, or local agency to use airport facilities for such a nonaeronautical and incompatible purpose as housing migrants.\u201d\n\nThe Members requested answers from Secretary Buttigieg by no later than November 20, 2023, detailing how many and which FAA-regulated airports are being used as shelters for migrants, whether the FAA has received or granted any request from an airport or government agency to use aeronautical facilities to house migrants, and any communications between the FAA and the DHS about the appropriateness of sheltering migrants at airports.\n\nRead the full letter here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawleys-renewed-push-tiktok-ban-blocked-senate-floor-despite-spike-pro-hamas-content/", "Hawley\u2019s Renewed Push for TikTok Ban Blocked on Senate Floor Despite Spike in Pro-Hamas Content", "2023-11-08", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) delivered remarks on the Senate floor and again called for unanimous consent on his bill, the No TikTok on United States Devices Act, which would prohibit TikTok from operating in the United States and ban commercial activity with TikTok\u2019s parent company, ByteDance. The renewed push to ban the app comes amid the increase in anti-Israel, pro-Hamas content on the platform.\n\n\u201cTikTok has become a haven for antisemitic content, a haven for propaganda, for genocide. [\u2026] As virulent and offensive as this content is, that is not a reason to ban them. The real reason to ban TikTok is that it is a spy app for the Chinese Communist Government,\u201d said Senator Hawley.\n\nClick here or above to watch his full remarks.\n\nSenator Hawley\u2019s call to unanimously pass the bill was objected to by Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.).\n\nBackground:\n\nYesterday, Senator Hawley sent a letter to to Secretary of the Treasury and Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) Chairwoman Janet Yellen, urging her to conclude CFIUS\u2019 review of TikTok and to ban all ByteDance-controlled apps currently available to U.S. users.\n\nIn March, Senator Hawley\u2019s call to unanimously pass the bill, and his call to schedule a vote on the bill, were both objected to by Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.).\n\nIn January, Senator Hawley introduced the No TikTok on United States Devices Act to prohibit TikTok from operating in the United States and ban commercial activity with TikTok\u2019s parent company, ByteDance.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:49:58Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-questions-facebook-whistleblower-big-techs-rampant-child-exploitation-problems/", "Hawley Questions Facebook Whistleblower on Big Tech\u2019s Rampant Child Exploitation Problems", "2023-11-07", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) heard testimony from Meta Whistleblower Arturo B\u00e9jar, the former Director of Engineering for Protect and Care at Facebook. The hearing took place in the Senate Judiciary Committee\u2019s Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, where Senator Hawley serves as Ranking Member.\n\nDuring his opening remarks, Senator Hawley called out Big Tech for their extensive lobbying efforts to kill any legislation attempting to regulate the industry.\n\n\u201cBig tech is the biggest, most powerful lobbying in the United States Congress,\u201dsaid Senator Hawley. \u201cThey spend millions upon millions upon millions of dollars every year to lobby this body, and the the truth is\u2014as every reporter in this room knows, and I hope you\u2019ll report it after this hearing\u2014they do it successfully. They successfully shut down every meaningful piece of legislation every year.\u201d\n\nHe continued, \u201cIt is time for it to be broken, and the only way I know to break it is to bring the truth forward. And that\u2019s why we are so glad Mr. B\u00e9jar that you are here today to do it.\u201d\n\nClick here or above to watch the full exchange.\n\nSenator Hawley also questioned B\u00e9jar about a 2021 memo that B\u00e9jar had written to Facebook executives highlighting the platform\u2019s rampant child protection failures.\n\n\u201cIn that memo, you disclosed to them that according to your own research, one in eight children, children now, had experienced unwanted sexual advances within the last seven days,\u201d said Senator Hawley. \u201cAnd about one in three\u2014I think it was 27%\u2014had experienced unwanted sexual advances outside of the seven day window.\u201d\n\nWhen Senator Hawley asked B\u00e9jar about the executives\u2019 responses to his email, B\u00e9jar revealed that executives at Facebook, including Mark Zuckerberg himself, ignored his findings. Senator Hawley stressed that change would only come through legal accountability:", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:49:58Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-renews-effort-ban-tiktok-following-rise-pro-hamas-content/", "Hawley Renews Effort to Ban TikTok Following Rise in Pro-Hamas Content", "2023-11-07", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Secretary of the Treasury and Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) Chairwoman Janet Yellen. He urged her to conclude CFIUS\u2019 review of TikTok and to ban all ByteDance-controlled apps currently available to U.S. users, especially given the increase in anti-Israel, pro-Hamas content on the platform.\n\n\u201cTikTok\u2014and its parent company ByteDance\u2014are threats to American national security,\u201d wrote Senator Hawley. \u201cWhile data security issues are paramount, less often discussed is TikTok\u2019s power to radically distort the world-picture that America\u2019s young people encounter. Israel\u2019s unfolding war with Hamas is a crucial test case. According to one poll, 51% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 believe that Hamas\u2019s murder of civilians was justified\u2014a statistic notably different from other age cohorts. Analysts have attributed this disparity to the ubiquity of anti-Israel content on TikTok, where most young internet users get their information about the world.\u201d\n\nHe continued, \u201cThis simply heightens the stakes of the TikTok question: the longer this app is allowed to operate in the U.S., the longer its Chinese Communist Party overseers will apparently be able to propagandize Americans.\u201d\n\nBackground:\n\nIn March, Senator Hawley delivered remarks on the Senate floor and called for unanimous consent on his bill, the No TikTok on United States Devices Act, to ban TikTok in the United States, but it was objected to by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).\n\nIn January, Senator Hawley introduced the No TikTok on United States Devices Act to prohibit TikTok from operating in the United States and ban commercial activity with TikTok\u2019s parent company, ByteDance.\n\nIn December 2022, Senator Hawley\u2019s No TikTok on Government Devices Act was signed into law effectively banning the Chinese app on all federal devices \u2013 including those belonging to the Department of Defense.\n\nRead the full letter here or below.\n\nNovember 7, 2023\n\nThe Honorable Janet Yellen\n\nSecretary\n\nU.S. Department of the Treasury\n\n1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW\n\nWashington, D.C. 20220\n\nDear Secretary Yellen:\n\nTikTok\u2014and its parent company ByteDance\u2014are threats to American national security. The popular video-sharing app harvests vast amounts of data from Americans\u2019 personal devices, data which then flows overseas to our main geopolitical rival. Whistleblower testimony has revealed that China-based employees have full access to U.S. user data. And under Chinese law, ByteDance is required to make that data available to the Chinese Communist Party upon request.\n\nWe\u2019ve known all this for years. But the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS), which you chair, has not yet concluded its review of the app, or demanded that ByteDance sell off TikTok. Recent developments underscore the need for prompt action.\n\nWhile data security issues are paramount, less often discussed is TikTok\u2019s power to radically distort the world-picture that America\u2019s young people encounter. Israel\u2019s unfolding war with Hamas is a crucial test case. According to one poll, 51% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 believe that Hamas\u2019s murder of civilians was justified\u2014a statistic notably different from other age cohorts. Analysts have attributed this disparity to the ubiquity of anti-Israel content on TikTok, where most young internet users get their information about the world.\n\nCrucially, this disparity aligns with the Chinese government\u2019s foreign policy preferences. Having previously refused to condemn Hamas, the Chinese government is now calling for a \u201cceasefire\u201d that would cripple Israel\u2019s ability to defend itself. And we know from past experience that political manipulation is business as usual for TikTok. To take just one example, in 2019, as ByteDance partnered with the Chinese government to surveil Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang, TikTok censored American user content critical of this repression. It appears that ByteDance is once again up to its old tricks\u2014as innocent Israelis suffer and die.\n\nThis simply heightens the stakes of the TikTok question: the longer this app is allowed to operate in the U.S., the longer its Chinese Communist Party overseers will apparently be able to propagandize Americans. That is unacceptable.\n\nI urge you, and the other members of CFIUS, to swiftly conclude your review and ban all ByteDance-controlled apps currently available to U.S. users. The matter is as simple as that.\n\nI look forward to your response.\n\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:49:58Z"], ["https://burlison.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-burlison-introduces-propane-accessibility-and-regulatory-relief-act", "Rep. Burlison Introduces the Propane Accessibility and Regulatory Relief Act", "2023-11-06", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Eric Burlison", "B001316", "burlison.house.gov", "burlison", "https://burlison.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON- Recently, Congressman Eric Burlison (MO-07) introduced the Propane Accessibility and Regulatory Relief Act which would exempt propane tanks with a capacity of up to 126,000 pounds from burdensome regulations.\n\nIn 2006, Congress authorized the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish the Chemical Facilities Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program to identify and regulate high-risk chemical facilities. Unfortunately, when determining which propane tanks should be regulated, DHS set the threshold too low. That decision has had a negative impact on the ability of businesses to use and sell propane. Currently, propane retailers possessing 60,000 lbs. or more of propane are subject to CFATS. The 60,000 lbs. threshold places forces businesses who use and sell propane to comply with burdensome and costly regulations.\n\nRep. Burlison said: \u201cThis is an issue that impacts the small, independent propane businesses in Southwest Missouri and throughout the country. When this issue was brought to my attention, I wanted to help.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Propane Accessibility and Regulatory Relief Act will provide relief from the onerous and costly regulations. These regulations are wasteful, time consuming, and costly. They create unnecessary burdens on the businesses that use and sell propane, and those burdens are passed on to American families in the form of higher prices.\u201d\n\nSupport for this legislation:\n\n\u201cThe National Propane Gas Association commends Congressman Eric Burlison for introducing The Propane Accessibility and Regulatory Relief Act. A GAO study conducted in 2021 has highlighted the duplicative nature of the Chemical Facilities Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program. Compliance with these regulations escalates operational expenses for the propane industry, thereby leading to higher costs for end users, particularly those residing in rural communities. Moreover, this program discourages the expansion of on-site propane storage, which could mitigate the risk of potential supply disruptions during peak demand months. The Propane Accessibility and Regulatory Relief Act offers a pathway to alleviate CFATS compliance obligations, ease supply chain limitations, and bolster energy security in rural America.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wagner-bipartisan-coalition-reintroduce-legislation-stop-online-child", "Wagner, Bipartisan Coalition Reintroduce Legislation to Stop Online Child Exploitation", "2023-11-06", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, Representatives Ann Wagner (R-MO-02), Lucy McBath (D-GA-07), Barry Moore (R-AL-02), Glenn Ivey (D-MD-04), Jefferson Van Drew (R-NJ-02), and Sylvia Garcia (D-TX-29) reintroduced the Eliminate Network Distribution (END) Child Exploitation Act. This bipartisan legislation addresses the troubling prevalence of online child exploitation in communities across the nation.\n\n\u201cCongress must take action to address the child exploitation crisis happening in the United States. I am proud to support the END Child Exploitation Act, provisions that are included in my Child Online Safety Modernization Act and EARN IT Act. These efforts are vital to ensuring law enforcement has the ability to properly and comprehensively investigate these horrible crimes and rescue children from abuse,\u201d said Wagner.\n\n\u201cOnline risks are a dangerous and evolving threat to our children, and we must do more as lawmakers to protect them,\u201d said McBath. \u201cI am honored to lead this legislation to provide parents and law enforcement the necessary tools to stop child abuse and exploitation. I thank my colleagues for their support as we take an important step to keep kids safe, hold perpetrators accountable, and protect families in Georgia and across the United States.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs technology has advanced, so has the online threat to our children,\u201d said Moore. \u201cI am proud to co-lead legislation to ensure law enforcement, parents, and guardians have the tools they need to catch criminals and keep kids safe online. I am grateful to my colleagues for joining this bipartisan effort to protect children and families.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs a former prosecutor, I know all too well the difficulties of making a case when evidence has been lost. Extending the time frame for tech companies to keep the records and images compiled by online predators will be an important step in helping hold exploiters of children accountable. I commend our bipartisan leaders in the House for pursuing this legislation,\u201d said Ivey.\n\n\u201cProtecting our children in an increasingly online world must be a top priority for lawmakers, which is why I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing the END Child Exploitation Act,\u201d said Van Drew. \u201cThis is a critical first step to ensuring that law enforcement and parents have access to every resource possible to safeguard our children and guarantee perpetrators are held accountable.\u201d\n\n\u201cEnsuring the safety of children is one of my top priorities. I'm proud to reintroduce the bipartisan Eliminate Network Distribution (END) Child Exploitation Act, which aims to implement necessary precautions to prevent and respond to online child exploitation,\u201d said Garcia. \u201cIt is imperative to use the full extent of the law to hold accountable those who exploit children or violate laws related to child sexual abuse.\u201d\n\nThis legislation is endorsed by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), the Fraternal Order of Police, PACT, and the END Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children Coalition.\n\n\u201cLaw enforcement is inundated with CyberTipline reports and is habitually under-resourced when pursuing these cases,\u201d said Samantha Cadet, Director of Federal Affairs, Appropriations, and National Coalitions for RAINN. \u201c90 days is too short of a timeframe for law enforcement to collect the evidence needed from these reports and to investigate dangerous perpetrators who possess and distribute child sexual abuse materials (CSAM). Extending the retention period to 1 year is the first step forward in ensuring that law enforcement is effectively able to investigate these crimes and bring offenders to justice.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wagner-advocates-victims-child-sexual-abuse-judiciary-committee-hearing", "Wagner Advocates for Victims of Child Sexual Abuse at Judiciary Committee Hearing", "2023-11-03", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO), Chair of the House Suburban Caucus, today spoke at the House Judiciary Committee Member Day Hearing in support of her legislation, the Child Online Safety Modernization Act (COSMA). The legislation enhances reporting of online child exploitation and requires online platforms to report child sex trafficking.\n\nChair Wagner said: \u201cOne of my top priorities\u2014and I believe it is a top priority for all of us here\u2014is to protect children in our communities from exploitation. Tragically, our government is failing in this mission. The sexual exploitation of children has skyrocketed across the United States, and it is long past time for Congress to take substantive action to combat these horrific crimes.\n\n\u201cMy bill, H.R. 5182, the Child Online Safety Modernization Act or COSMA, directly addresses this issue. COSMA would modernize and enhance the NCMEC CyberTipline by requiring reports from online platforms to include information that actually helps law enforcement identify and locate the children depicted in CSAM as well as the individuals involved in posting this illegal imagery.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wagner-calls-dol-deputy-secretary-answer-departments-reckless-fiduciary", "Wagner Calls on DOL Deputy Secretary to Answer for the Department\u2019s Reckless Fiduciary Rule", "2023-11-02", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO), Chair of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets, wrote to Department of Labor Deputy Secretary Julie Su questioning her on the proposed Fiduciary Rule that will make life more expensive for everyday investors.\n\nChairman Wagner said: \u201cSince I first came to Congress in 2013, I have fought back the Department of Labor\u2019s attempts to raise costs, limit choices, and restrict access to investments for hardworking Americans.\n\n\u201cThis proposal marks the Department of Labor\u2019s fourth attempt to issue a \u2018fiduciary\u2019 proposal. Each iteration of this decade-long effort has drawn significant investor as well as bipartisan Congressional concern. Most notably, the Obama Administration\u2019s DOL Fiduciary Rule was vacated by the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in 2018 due to DOL exceeding its statutory authority under ERISA in writing rules. This court-rejected proposal threatened the access of affordable and reliable retirement investment advice for millions of low- and middle-income Americans. \u2026The Obama Administration\u2019s DOL fiduciary rule would have left Americans who are just starting to build their retirement savings without access to financial advice or paying more for fewer options and decreased service. The Biden Administration\u2019s fiduciary rule is no different.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wagner-votes-support-israels-right-defend-itself", "Wagner Votes to Support Israel\u2019s Right to Defend Itself", "2023-11-02", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO) released the following statement after she voted for legislation that would support Israel in its war against Hamas:\n\n\u201cIsrael has a right to defend itself against the brutal, unprovoked terrorist attack by Hamas. It is critical we advance funding that will help Israel destroy Hamas and protect its citizens against future attacks. I will continue to support Israel during this time of crisis, and I implore all my colleagues to speak out against the increasing waves of anti-Semitism we have seen across the country.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-urges-epa-clean-west-lake-landfill-immediately/", "Hawley Urges EPA Clean Up West Lake Landfill Immediately", "2023-11-02", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) questioned Bruno Pigott, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Senator Hawley called on the EPA to immediately clean up the radioactive contamination at the West Lake Landfill Superfund Site in Bridgeton, Mo.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s probably no coincidence that the folks who live in this area are not big-time donors to political parties, they\u2019re not big-time party activists, these are working people and they have been taken advantage of for years. And the government, for years, has just expected them to live with it\u2026,\u201d said Senator Hawley. \u201cThis has got to stop, and we need the EPA to clean this site up.\u201d\n\nWatch the full exchange here or below.\n\nBackground\n\nSenator Hawley has consistently advocated on behalf of the Coldwater Creek community and all Missourians impacted by government-caused nuclear contamination. Most recently, Senator Hawley secured President Biden\u2019s endorsement of his legislation to compensate victims of nuclear radiation exposure.\n\nOn July 27, 2023, in a strong bipartisan vote, Senator Hawley secured passage of an amendment to the FY 2024 NDAA that would provide compensation to victims of government-caused nuclear contamination. The legislation extends the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to cover victims of improperly-stored nuclear waste in affected areas in the St. Louis region. The measure\u2014which was cosponsored by U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-N.M.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.)\u2014also reauthorized and strengthened the RECA program to cover more impacted Americans from nuclear tests along with uranium miners.\n\nEarlier in July, Senator Hawley sent a letter to the Department of Energy (DOE), urging additional testing for radioactive contamination at a site in St. Charles County, Mo., after a review of the Weldon Spring site in 2021 offered an extensive critique of the DOE\u2019s cleanup and monitoring efforts there. Senator Hawley also sent a letter to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) urging him to convene a committee hearing to discuss the government-caused nuclear contamination of the St. Louis area. In addition, Senator Hawley penned separate letters to the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), DOE, and EPA, demanding answers from the government about the nuclear contamination.\n\nIn April, Senator Hawley\u2019s legislation mandating the clean up of Jana Elementary School in the Hazelwood School District and radioactive waste testing passed the U.S. Senate and Biden\u2019s Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm also vowed to support it.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:49:58Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wagner-blasts-misguided-irresponsible-fiduciary-rule", "Wagner Blasts Misguided, Irresponsible Fiduciary Rule", "2023-10-31", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO), Chair of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets, today released the following statement after the Department of Labor (DOL) announced a new proposed fiduciary rule:\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s fiduciary rule Groundhog Day at the Department of Labor. Federal courts rejected the 2016 final rule from DOL, and today the Biden Labor Department has shamelessly tried rebranding that prior failure in an effort that will only raise costs for Main Street investors and make it harder for Americans to save for their future. The facts are clear - the current regulatory framework ensures investment professionals are working in the best interests of their clients. States and regulatory bodies have already adopted best practices that protect consumers, and the Securities and Exchange Commission\u2019s rules are working to benefit investors. This new proposal will only disrupt the client-advisor relationship, reducing investment opportunities available to the public, and cause more investor confusion. The bottom line is that today\u2019s announcement will make investing more expensive, taking money out of the pockets of hardworking Missourians who are just trying to responsibly invest for retirement or even their children\u2019s future.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-blasts-mayorkas-pro-hamas-spokeswoman-still-dhs-payroll/", "Hawley Blasts Mayorkas for Pro-Hamas Spokeswoman Still on DHS Payroll", "2023-10-31", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today in a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) questioned Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and slammed the Biden Administration for their employment of a pro-Hamas adjudication officer.\n\n\u201cMr. Secretary what is going on here? Is this typical of people who work at DHS? This is an Asylum and Immigration Officer who is posting these frankly pro-genocidal slogans and images on the day that Israelis are being slaughtered in their beds,\u201d Senator Hawley said. \u201cHas she been fired?\u201d\n\nSecretary Mayorkas declined to answer Senator Hawley\u2019s question, claiming the individual is on administrative leave and that he will not speak on an internal personnel matter.\n\nDHS employee, Newja Ali, has a documented history of making virulently antisemitic, pro-Hamas statements, including in the immediate aftermath of Hamas\u2019 savage attack on innocent American and Israeli civilians.\n\nClick here or above to watch the full exchange.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-exposes-whistleblower-claim-biden-dhs-pulled-agents-child-exploitation-cases-make-sandwiches/", "Hawley Exposes Whistleblower Claim that Biden DHS Pulled Agents from Child Exploitation Cases to Make Sandwiches at Southern Border", "2023-10-31", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "During a second round of questioning at today\u2019s Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) called out Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for taking special investigators off of human trafficking and fentanyl cases and reassigning them to in-person services at the southern border.\n\nSenator Hawley referenced a whistleblower who came to him with these allegations, then questioned the Secretary. \u201cYou\u2019re taking special agents away from investigating child traffickers and child exploitation\u2014when you\u2019ve lost tens of thousands of kids to traffickers\u2014and you\u2019re sending them to make sandwiches at the border,\u201d said Senator Hawley. \u201cWhat is going on?\u201d\n\nSecretary Mayorkas dodged Senator Hawley\u2019s questions about how many migrant children the Biden Administration has recovered out of the 85,000 it has lost. The Secretary also did not deny the DHS whistleblower allegation that at least 600 agents have been pulled from law enforcement work and put on different duties at the southern border.\n\nClick here or above to watch the full exchange.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-introduces-bill-keep-corporate-americas-dollars-out-us-politics/", "Hawley Introduces Bill to Keep Corporate America\u2019s Dollars Out of U.S. Politics", "2023-10-31", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced the Ending Corporate Influence on Elections Act to get corporate money out of American politics and dramatically cut back on publicly traded corporations\u2019 ability to influence elections. Senator Hawley\u2019s bill will begin to undo the Supreme Court\u2019s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. FEC.\n\n\u201cFor decades, Corporate America has funneled billions of dollars into elections in favor of politicians who favor their woke, social agendas\u2014instead of American voters\u2019 interests. This legislation would hold mega-corporations\u2019 feet to the fire and stop their dollars from buying our elections,\u201d said Senator Hawley.\n\nThe Ending Corporate Influence on Elections Act would:\n\nBan publicly traded corporations from making independent expenditures, political ads, or other electioneering communications.\n\nBan publicly traded companies from giving money to Super PACs.\n\nRead the full bill text here.\n\nSenator Hawley\u2019s new legislation is part of his larger agenda to hold Corporate America accountable for drowning out the voices of the American people:\n\nIn September, Senator Hawley introduced legislation to cap credit card interest rates at 18 percent and bring relief to working people across America.\n\nLast month Senator Hawley also visited with workers on strike at the General Motors plant in Wentzville, Mo., to stand with them and support American jobs.\n\nIn May, Senator Hawley introduced legislation to raise tariffs on imports from China until the United States\u2019 unsustainable bilateral trade deficit comes into balance.\n\nIn April, he unveiled two bills to crack down on Big Pharma\u2019s exploitative drug prices and cap the cost of insulin.\n\nIn December 2022, Senator Hawley stood with and voted to support rail workers as they sought a fair deal with sick leave.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/senate-passes-hawley-amendment-budget-bill-blocking-taxpayer-funds-chinese-corporations/", "Senate Passes Hawley Amendment to Budget Bill Blocking Taxpayer Funds to Chinese Corporations", "2023-10-31", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today the U.S. Senate voted on U.S. Senator Josh Hawley\u2019s (R-Mo.) Amendment (No Funding for Chinese Companies), as part of the upper chamber\u2019s minibus appropriations bill. Senator Hawley\u2019s amendment would prohibit Chinese entities or corporations from receiving any funding provided by the legislation. The amendment passed 61-36.\n\n\u201cThe appropriations bills that we are now considering appropriating a total of $280 billion taxpayer dollars. [\u2026] This amendment says that none of the money we are appropriating can go to China. It can\u2019t go to Chinese companies or companies that are owned and controlled by China. That\u2019s it, it\u2019s simple. No American taxpayer dollars to the People\u2019s Republic of China,\u201d said Senator Hawley.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"], ["https://burlison.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-burlison-introduces-state-border-defense-act", "Rep. Burlison Introduces the State Border Defense Act", "2023-10-27", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Eric Burlison", "B001316", "burlison.house.gov", "burlison", "https://burlison.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON- Yesterday, Congressman Eric Burlison (MO-07) introduced the State Border Defense Act which would allow states to enforce the provisions of federal immigration law and fight back against President Joe Biden\u2019s failed immigration policies. This bill is the House companion to legislation introduced by Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) earlier this year.\n\n\u201cThe Biden Administration has facilitated an intentional invasion at our southern border, and President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas refuse to even acknowledge the problem, much less do anything to stop it,\u201d said Rep. Burlison.\n\nInstead of enforcing the law and securing our border, they have implemented catch and release policies that are encouraging illegal immigration and putting our national security at risk. When states have stepped up to secure the border, the Biden Administration has sued them to force them to stop. If President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas won\u2019t act, they need to get out of the way so our states can.\n\nThe State Border Defense Act would allow states to enforce federal immigration laws and construct barriers on federal lands or in waters along the southern border to prevent illegal immigration.\n\nCo-sponsors for this legislation include Representatives Andy Biggs (AZ-05), Troy Nehls (TX-22), Randy Weber (TX-14), Matt Rosendale (MT-02), Andy Ogles (TN-05), Josh Brecheen (OK-02), Paul Gosar (AZ-09), and Eli Crane (AZ-02).\n\nBackground:\n\nSince taking office in January 2021, the Biden Administration has rolled back successful Trump Era border policies that were working to secure our border. This has led to an unprecedented 6.2 million illegal border crossings and 7.5. million enforcement encounters nationwide. This includes 169 people whose name appear on the terrorist watchlist were stopped from trying to cross the southern border in fiscal year 2023, an all-time high, and more than the encounters in FY17 through FY22 combined. Instead of continuing policies that were working to secure the border and discourage illegal immigration, President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas have chosen to release millions of illegal aliens into the country.\n\nRead the bill here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-booker-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-crack-down-child-labor-practices-hold-corporations/", "Hawley, Booker Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Crack Down on Child Labor Practices, Hold Corporations Accountable for Violations", "2023-10-26", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) introduced the bipartisan Preventing Child Labor Exploitation Act to prohibit companies that illegally employ children from securing coveted federal government contracts. Senator Hawley\u2019s legislation comes as the Department of Labor recently reported a startling 69 percent increase in illegal child labor since 2018. This dramatic uptick in child-labor exploitation includes a series of high-profile cases involving minors employed in dangerous jobs at sanitation and meatpacking plants.\n\n\u201cChild labor is an abomination and it has no place in our country. Companies that illegally employ children must be held accountable\u2014especially those that contract with the federal government. This bipartisan legislation requires federal contractors to root out child labor in their operations and has the teeth to go after those who don\u2019t comply,\u201d said Senator Hawley.\n\n\u201cExploitation of children by big corporations to drive profit is an abhorrent practice, but is not a new one. Across the country, major corporations are relying on children to clean dangerous machinery, handle toxic chemicals, and work exhausting overnight shifts in their facilities for low wages and no benefits. Often, this work is done in violation of existing federal labor laws, but employers have shielded themselves from any accountability by relying on third-party vendors with long records of labor infractions. Despite efforts by Congress and this Administration to challenge these bad practices, too few companies have taken significant steps to address the ongoing child labor issues in their facilities. That\u2019s why today I am joining Senator Hawley to say that, at a bare minimum, there is no reason that the federal government should contract with companies violating child labor law. We must ensure that federal contracts support good-paying jobs, and do not benefit corporations that continue to rely on children working in dangerous environments,\u201d said Senator Booker.\n\nThe Preventing Child Labor Exploitation Act would:\n\nRequire federal contractors to disclose to the Department of Labor any child labor violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act.\n\nCriminalize a federal contractor\u2019s failure to make required disclosures.\n\nRender repeat offenders ineligible for federal contracts for a period of 4 years.\n\nRead the full bill text here.\n\nAt a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing yesterday, Senator Hawley questioned Robin Dunn Marcos, Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, about the 85,000 children the Biden Administration has lost track of, leaving them vulnerable to human traffickers and dangerous child-labor practices.\n\nSenator Hawley sent a letter last month to Tyson Foods CEO Donnie King, demanding answers after a disturbing report from The New York Times exposed unsafe, illegal child-labor practices within the company.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/senate-passes-hawley-resolution-condemning-antisemitism-college-campuses/", "Senate Passes Hawley Resolution Condemning Antisemitism on College Campuses", "2023-10-26", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today the U.S. Senate passed by voice vote U.S. Senator Josh Hawley\u2019s resolution condemning Hamas and the antisemitic student groups on college campuses that have celebrated the Oct. 7 terrorist attack against Israel. The passage of the resolution came after Democrats blocked the measure one week ago.\n\n\u201cMr. President, one week ago I came to this floor to try and pass this very resolution that condemns the violent, genocidal, antisemitic rhetoric and actions on our college campuses all across this country,\u201d said Senator Hawley. \u201cSadly, I was blocked by one of my Democrat colleagues. And since then the situation at our universities has only worsened.\u201d\n\nHe continued, \u201cThat\u2019s why what we\u2019re doing today matters and that\u2019s why I am pleased today, that we are able now finally, to pass this resolution that explicitly names the rhetoric, explicitly calls out the language of pro-violence, pro-genocide, and says that is wrong. [\u2026] The answer to that kind of hateful, virulent, dangerous speech, is speech with moral purpose. It is language with moral clarity. It is a moral stand that says no, that is wrong. That\u2019s not us. That is not the United States of America. And that, Mr. President, is what we are doing right here, right now, on this floor today.\u201d\n\nWatch his full remarks here or below.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"], ["https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases/graves-statement-election-mike-johnson-house-speaker", "Graves Statement on Election of Mike Johnson as House Speaker", "2023-10-25", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Sam Graves", "G000546", "graves.house.gov", "graves", "https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, the U.S. House of Representatives elected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) to be the Speaker of the House.\n\nRepresentative Sam Graves (MO-06) released the following statement after voting for Johnson:\n\n\u201cCongratulations to Mike Johnson on being elected to serve as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives. Throughout his time in Congress, Speaker Johnson has been a consistent and passionate champion of conservative principles, and I look forward to working alongside him and all House Republicans to secure our border, cut wasteful spending, and deliver on the promises we made to the American people.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wagner-supports-mike-johnson-speaker", "Wagner Supports Mike Johnson for Speaker", "2023-10-25", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO) released the following statement detailing her support for Congressman Mike Johnson (R-LA) to be Speaker of the House.\n\n\u201cMike is a committed conservative who is ready to lead the House as Speaker. He is well-respected by Members from across the Republican Conference and has deep experience building the coalitions necessary to pass conservative policies that help American families.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-op-ed-not-one-taxpayer-dime-gaza-until-hamas-frees-all-hostages/", "Hawley Op-Ed: Not one taxpayer dime for Gaza until Hamas frees all the hostages", "2023-10-25", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "By U.S. Senator Josh Hawley | Oct. 25, 2023 | Fox News\n\nSince October 7, the world has learned with mounting horror exactly what Hamas\u2019s terrorists did in Israel. Women and children slaughtered in their homes. Corpses paraded in the streets of Gaza. Screaming civilians dragged away on motorbikes. Now, the Israeli people fight for their lives, under the shadow of existential threat.\n\n[\u2026]\n\nLast week, Joe Biden unveiled to the American people his latest budget request. Despite what it says, his $106 billion request isn\u2019t really about supporting Israel. Far from it. Rather, this budget request asks Congress to approve billions of dollars in \u201chumanitarian aid\u201d\u2014including some foreign relief funds for Gaza itself.\n\nGaza is ruled by a terrorist regime, currently holding captive dozens of innocent Israelis and numerous Americans. Let\u2019s get one thing clear. Our policy here should be blindingly simple: no aid until Hamas releases its hostages.\n\n[\u2026]\n\nMaking matters worse, this proposal comes on the heels of Biden\u2019s disastrous, $6 billion attempt to buy off Iran. Iran, of course, has been a longtime supporter of Hamas. But last month, the Biden administration agreed to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian assets\u2014handing the regime vast financial resources to fund terrorism. This is exactly the kind of negotiation with terrorists America can\u2019t afford. Now, every other group\u2014Hamas included\u2014knows that this Administration will pay their shakedown demands.\n\nIf Joe Biden and his team won\u2019t keep Americans safe, it\u2019s up to Congress. And here Republicans must take a hard line: no foreign aid for Gaza\u2014none\u2014until every last American hostage is freed and safe.\n\n[\u2026]\n\nBut above all else, no funding for terrorist groups. Every American, regardless of political party, should be able to agree on that.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-slams-biden-official-releasing-migrant-children-human-traffickers/", "Hawley Slams Biden Official for Releasing Migrant Children to Human Traffickers", "2023-10-25", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) questioned Robin Dunn Marcos, Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, about the ongoing child migrant crisis at the southern border and the 85,000 children that the Biden Administration has lost track of.\n\n\u201cDo you really think that you are helping these children by releasing them to labor traffickers and yes, sex traffickers?\u201d asked Senator Hawley. \u201c85,000 children whom you have no contact with and your answer is\u2014we gave them a presentation before we turned them over to these people who are exploiting them on a scale not seen in this country for 100 years.\u201d\n\nWhen Senator Hawley pressed Director Dunn Marcos to say exactly how many migrant children the department had released into the United States and was also currently in contact with, the Director had no response.\n\n\u201cLet me just ask you this,\u201d said Senator Hawley. \u201cHow many kids right now\u2014of the 430,000 approximately unaccompanied children who have crossed the border under this administration, it\u2019s an astounding number\u2014how many are you in regular contact with, right now?\u201d\n\nDirector Dunn Marcos could not answer Senator Hawley\u2019s question.\n\nWatch the full exchange here or below.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-calls-doe-watchdog-investigate-granholm-and-agency-staff-following-ethics-violations/", "Hawley Calls for DOE Watchdog to Investigate Granholm and Agency Staff Following Ethics Violations", "2023-10-24", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Inspector General Teri Donaldson calling on her to investigate DOE Secretary Granholm for misleading the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee about her financial holdings in April of this year, and her multiple violations of federal ethics laws.\n\n\u201cSenior officials have no business trading stocks, especially stocks in the industries they regulate. The repeated ethics violations by Energy Department officials undermine the public\u2019s trust in our government and the rule of law,\u201d wrote Senator Hawley.\n\nDuring a recent Senate Energy Committee hearing, Senator Hawley also called on the Inspector General to investigate the ethical lapses at the DOE, in light of reports that hundreds of DOE officials hold stocks related to the agency\u2019s work.\n\nEarlier this year Senator Hawley demanded DOE Secretary Granholm provide an explanation for misleading testimony during a Senate committee hearing where she claimed she did not own any personal financial stocks, when in fact, she held individual stocks as recently as May of this year.\n\nRead the full letter to DOE Inspector General Donaldson here or below.\n\nOctober 24, 2023\n\nThe Honorable Teri L. Donaldson\n\nOffice of Inspector General\n\nU.S. Department of Energy\n\n1000 Independence Ave., S.W.\n\nWashington, DC 20585\n\nDear Inspector General Donaldson,\n\nThank you for your recent testimony in front of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in which we discussed the Energy Department\u2019s compliance with ethics rules. I write to formally request you open an investigation into Secretary Granholm\u2019s misleading testimony before the Committee about her financial holdings, as well as her repeated violations of federal ethics rules. I also request you conduct an audit of the Department\u2019s compliance with existing ethics laws to determine whether senior officials own shares in companies they regulate.\n\nSecretary Granholm\u2019s most recent violation of federal stock trading laws is just the latest in a series of ethics indiscretions. Prior to her false testimony before the Committee, Secretary Granholm had already violated federal stock disclosure laws nine times. Then, during her testimony before the Committee on April 20, 2023, Secretary Granholm testified three times, in response to my questions, that she no longer held any stocks. This was not true. At the time, she held stocks in six separate companies.\n\nInstead of being forthright about either her continued stock holdings or her misleading testimony, Secretary Granholm waited until May 18, 2023, to sell the remaining stocks she held. Then, she waited several more weeks to inform the Energy Committee that her testimony to us was untrue.\n\nSecretary Granholm is not the only official at the Energy Department who has traded stocks while in office. As we learned in February of this year, federal employees throughout the Energy Department hold energy-related stocks. I likewise request that, in addition to investigating Secretary Granholm, you conduct an audit of Department of Energy employees to determine whether they are in compliance with ethics rules concerning individual stocks ownership.\n\nSenior officials have no business trading stocks, especially stocks in the industries they regulate. The repeated ethics violations by Energy Department officials undermine the public\u2019s trust in our government and the rule of law.\n\nThank you for your attention to this important matter. I look forward to your prompt response.\n\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/biden-energy-official-freezes-when-pressed-pay-play-events/", "Biden Energy Official Freezes Up When Pressed on Pay-to-Play Events", "2023-10-19", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) questioned two officials from the Department of Energy (DOE), Jigar Shah, the Director of Loan Programs, and Teri L. Donaldson, the Inspector General about pay-to-play events and insider stock trading.\n\nWhen Senator Hawley pressed Director Shah about the unethical nature of the pay-to-play events DOE officials attend and often speak at, the Director had no response.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re the Director of the loan programs for the federal government Department of Energy. People who want to get loans from the government are paying to see you and you think that that\u2019s fine?\u201d asked Senator Hawley.\n\nDirector Shah went silent.\n\nSenator Hawley also called on Inspector General Donaldson to investigate the ethical lapses at the DOE, such as illegal stock trading by Department officials, in light of reports that hundreds of DOE officials hold stocks related to the agency\u2019s work.\n\n\u201cI am firmly of the view that we need to change the law here,\u201d said Senator Hawley. \u201cSenior executive branch officials should not be able to own individual stock, nor should members of Congress. We shouldn\u2019t be stock trading.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/democrats-block-hawley-resolution-condemn-antisemitic-activities-college-campuses/", "Democrats Block Hawley Resolution to Condemn Antisemitic Activities on College Campuses", "2023-10-19", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) delivered remarks on the Senate floor and called for unanimous consent on his resolution condemning Hamas and the antisemitic student groups on college campuses that have celebrated the Oct. 7 terrorist attack against Israel. Senator Hawley wrote to all senators this week requesting they support his resolution. When Senator Hawley attempted to pass his resolution, it was blocked by Democrats.\n\n\u201cAlmost as disturbing as the facts of these terrible attacks themselves is the response of some people in this country. On our college campuses in this country who promptly took to the streets, to the courtyards of these campuses, the airwaves, to broadcast their support for this genocide against the people of Israel,\u201dsaid Senator Hawley.\n\nHe continued, \u201cCalling for the death of Jewish people is not just another opinion. Calling for the genocide, celebrating the genocide of Jewish babies is not just another opinion. Celebrating the assaults on Jewish people in this country is not just another opinion, and the Senate should be clear and stand with moral clarity and say \u2018this is wrong.'\u201d\n\nClick image above to watch or go here.\n\nSenator Hawley\u2019s call to unanimously pass the resolution was objected to by Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-demands-answers-biden-dhs-employment-pro-hamas-spokeswoman-urges-firing/", "Hawley Demands Answers from Biden DHS for Employment of Pro-Hamas Spokeswoman, Urges Firing", "2023-10-19", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas calling for the termination of DHS employee, Nejwa Ali, who has a documented history of making blatantly antisemitic, pro-Hamas statements.\n\nRecent reporting reveals that Nejwa Ali has shared pictures glorifying Hamas terrorists and espoused other hateful, antisemitic rhetoric. Her statements clearly express that she harbors intensely negative views against the State of Israel and supports the recent attacks from Hamas terrorists.\n\n\u201cI am alarmed by reports that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) currently employs a former spokeswoman for the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) as an officer charged with adjudicating U.S. immigration cases,\u201d wrote Senator Hawley. \u201cMs. Ali\u2019s reported statements make clear that she harbors intensely negative views against the State of Israel and supports the recent barbarism perpetrated against its citizens by Hamas terrorists.\u201d\n\nSenator Hawley pushed for answers on how many immigration cases involving Palestinians, Israelis, or other Jewish applicants Ms. Ali has reviewed, and what safeguards are in place in the asylum adjudication process to remediate any abuses committed by strongly prejudiced immigration officers.\n\nRead the full letter here or below.\n\nOctober 19, 2023\n\nThe Honorable Alejandro Mayorkas\n\nSecretary\n\nUnited States Department of Homeland Security\n\n2707 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE\n\nWashington, D.C. 20528\n\nSecretary Mayorkas:\n\nI am alarmed by reports that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) currently employs a former spokeswoman for the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) as an officer charged with adjudicating U.S. immigration cases. According to reports and publicly available records, this employee, Nejwa Ali, has a documented history of making virulently antisemitic, pro-Hamas statements, including in the immediate aftermath of Hamas\u2019 savage attack on innocent American and Israeli civilians. These statements appear to cast severe doubt on her ability to impartially evaluate immigration cases. I am glad to see that she has now been placed on administrative leave\u2014but that is not enough. If these reports are accurate, you must terminate her employment immediately.\n\nMs. Ali\u2019s reported statements make clear that she harbors intensely negative views against the State of Israel and supports the recent barbarism perpetrated against its citizens by Hamas terrorists. For example, following Hamas\u2019 October 7 terrorist attack, she reportedly posted on Instagram: \u201cF*** Israel, the government, and its military. Are you ready for your downfall?\u201d She also reportedly posted an image depicting armed terrorists paragliding into Israel with the caption \u201cFree PALESTINE.\u201d Her social media appears to contain numerous examples of anti-Israel and antisemitic statements, including \u201cIsraeli, American privilege is disgusting\u201d and \u201cF*** Israel and any Jew that supports Israel.\u201d\n\nMs. Ali\u2019s troubling personal views apparently carry into her professional life\u2014including her roles at DHS. She previously worked as a public affairs officer at the PLO\u2019s office in Washington, D.C. before that office was shut down by the Trump Administration. In her current role, she reportedly works as an \u201cAdjudication Officer\u201d within U.S. Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) where she is tasked with \u201creview[ing] and mak[ing] determinations on cases for immigration benefits,\u201d among other responsibilities. Prior to this role, she reportedly worked as an \u201cAsylum Officer\u201d responsible for adjudicating asylum applications and conducting credible and reasonable fear screenings. Concerningly, Ms. Ali has explicitly linked her prejudicial views to her job. For instance, in one social media post associated with her name, she included the hashtags \u201c#asylumseekers #palestine #refugeeswelcome\u201d\u2014suggesting that she may preference certain immigration cases over others at DHS. This is unacceptable.\n\nAs Secretary, you must assure the American people that those charged with determining who enters the United States do so impartially and without prejudice. If the above reports are true and accurate, you must terminate Ms. Ali\u2019s employment at DHS without delay. Additionally, please provide answers to the following questions:\n\nHow many immigration cases involving Palestinians has Ms. Ali reviewed? For each case, please detail Ms. Ali\u2019s involvement and the final determination.\n\nHow many immigration cases involving Israelis or other Jewish applicants has Ms. Ali reviewed? For each case, please detail Ms. Ali\u2019s involvement and the final determination.\n\nWhat safeguards are in place in the asylum adjudication process to remediate any abuses committed by strongly prejudiced immigration officers?\n\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-calls-ncaa-protect-female-athletes-clarify-transgender-locker-room-policy/", "Hawley Calls on NCAA to Protect Female Athletes, Clarify Transgender Locker Room Policy", "2023-10-18", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) President, former Governor Charlie Baker, following his recent testimony before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Senator Hawley called on the NCAA to stand up for the basic safety of their student athletes and asked Governor Baker to explicitly define the NCAA\u2019s policy on transgender athletes\u2019 access to locker rooms.\n\n\u201cYesterday you testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on issues in collegiate athletics. Arguably none is more important than the safety of student athletes,\u201d wrote Senator Hawley. \u201cThat is why I asked you about Riley Gaines, and her Senate testimony earlier this year that the NCAA forced her and other female athletes both to accept a biological man in their locker room and to change alongside this person.\u201d\n\nHe continued, \u201cWhen I asked you whether the forced inclusion of biological men in women\u2019s locker rooms remains NCAA policy, you equivocated. You testified that you \u2018[didn\u2019t] believe that policy would be the policy that we would use today.\u2019 But you declined to state what the NCAA\u2019s policy actually is. This is your chance. The NCAA has a troubled history of using student athletes for financial gain while ignoring their concerns and needs\u2014and in this case, their basic safety. The American public deserves honest answers.\u201d\n\nIn June, Senator Hawley questioned Riley Gaines about her experiences competing against a transgender athlete, and the trauma she and her teammates endured when their privacy was invaded by being forced to undress in front of a biological male. According to Gaines, an NCAA official told her Lia Thomas was allowed in the female locker room due to a rule change that made the facilities \u2018unisex.\u2019\n\nRead the full letter here or below.\n\nOctober 18, 2023\n\nHon. Charlie Baker\n\nPresident\n\nNational Collegiate Athletic Association\n\n700 W. Washington Street\n\nP.O. Box 7110\n\nIndianapolis, IN 46206\n\nDear Governor Baker:\n\nYesterday you testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on issues in collegiate athletics. Arguably none is more important than the safety of student athletes. That is why I asked you about Riley Gaines, and her Senate testimony earlier this year that the NCAA forced her and other female athletes both to accept a biological man in their locker room and to change alongside this person. Ms. Gaines testified the NCAA made this decision without forewarning the female athletes, without asking for consent, and without obtaining consent of any kind. Worse still, Ms. Gaines and her teammates were allegedly warned that if they spoke in opposition to the NCAA\u2019s policy, they would face consequences.\n\nWhen I asked you whether the forced inclusion of biological men in women\u2019s locker rooms remains NCAA policy, you equivocated. You testified that you \u201c[didn\u2019t] believe that policy would be the policy that we would use today.\u201d But you declined to state what the NCAA\u2019s policy actually is.\n\nThis is your chance. The NCAA has a troubled history of using student athletes for financial gain while ignoring their concerns and needs\u2014and in this case, their basic safety. The American public deserves honest answers. Please provide comprehensive responses to the following questions:\n\nAs of today\u2014October 18, 2023\u2014what exactly is the NCAA\u2019s policy on transgender athletes\u2019 access to locker rooms? Please provide a comprehensive explanation.\n\nHas the NCAA or any of its designees or officials ever promulgated a policy, whether through official or unofficial channels, of making locker rooms unisex?\n\nIf not, has the NCAA conducted an investigation into why Ms. Gaines was informed in March 2022 that locker rooms would be treated as unisex spaces?\n\nIn addressing the issue of transgender competitors, the NCAA is apparently shifting toward a policy of deferring to the governing bodies of individual sports. Will the NCAA defer to the policies of individual sport governing bodies regarding locker rooms and other changing facilities?\n\nIf so, please provide a comprehensive explanation of how, from the NCAA\u2019s perspective, allowing biological men to access the locker rooms of female athletes would be consistent with the legal requirements of Title IX that men and women be offered equitable opportunities to participate in sports.\n\nWill the NCAA provide an apology to female student athletes who were required to share locker rooms and other intimate spaces with biological men?\n\nMs. Gaines has testified that female athletes have been threatened with consequences for publicly opposing the NCAA\u2019s approach to transgender athletes. Does the NCAA maintain or enforce a policy prohibiting public opposition to the league\u2019s policies on transgender athletes?\n\nHas the NCAA ever mandated, recommended, or otherwise advised that individuals opposing the league\u2019s policies on transgender athletes receive counseling or other educational interventions?\n\nI await your responses.\n\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-pushes-mayorkas-address-terrorist-linked-aliens-border-following-hamas-attack-israel/", "Hawley Pushes Mayorkas to Address \u2018Terrorist-Linked Aliens\u2019 at Border Following Hamas Attack in Israel", "2023-10-18", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging him to ensure the safety of Americans and, specifically, Jewish Americans amid the uptick in potential terrorist-linked illegal aliens at our southern border. This development follows the barbaric attack perpetrated by Hamas terrorists on innocent American and Israeli civilians.\n\nThe recent reporting of numbers of encounters with people on the terror watchlist for FY2023 from Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) reveals that there were 154 encounters at the northern and southern borders among ports of entry and 505 encountered at the ports of entry.\n\n\u201cIllegal aliens with potential ties to terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah have no place in the United States. In the wake of Hamas\u2019s attack on Israel, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is already alerting Americans about an elevated number of violent threats against civilians, including antisemitic threats,\u201dwrote Senator Hawley. \u201cIt is therefore critical that you abandon your radical open border policies, and instead, take immediate action to secure the border.\u201d\n\nRead the full letter here or below:\n\nOctober 18, 2023\n\nThe Honorable Alejandro Mayorkas\n\nSecretary\n\nU.S. Department of Homeland Security\n\n2707 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE\n\nWashington, D.C. 20528\n\nDear Secretary Mayorkas,\n\nI write with alarm regarding the uptick in potential terrorist-linked illegal aliens encountered at the southern border. This development follows the barbaric attack perpetrated by Hamas terrorists on innocent American and Israeli civilians. It is imperative that you address this issue immediately to ensure the safety of American citizens, especially Jewish Americans, who are facing increased threats to their physical safety following the Hamas attack.\n\nAs you are well aware, the United States has experienced an unprecedented wave of illegal immigration across our southern border during the Biden Administration, totaling 6.2 million illegal alien encounters. This figure includes record numbers of aliens who have been listed on the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB) or traveled from countries known to be state sponsors of terrorism. In fiscal year 2023, Border Patrol encountered 154 TSDB aliens attempting to cross the border between ports of entry\u2014more than the last six years combined. Furthermore, it is virtually certain that terrorist-linked individuals are among the estimated 1.6 million illegal aliens who have successfully evaded Border Patrol in entering the United States since President Biden took office.\n\nYour Department\u2019s recently published threat assessment acknowledges this danger. For example, the assessment notes that \u201cindividuals with terrorism connections are interested in using established travel routes and permissive environments to facilitate access to the United States.\u201d Meanwhile, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents are encountering a growing number of \u201cspecial interest aliens\u201d from countries known to harbor terrorists\u2014including Iran, Syria, and Lebanon. Just this week, four Iranians were apprehended in Texas by Border Patrol.\n\nIllegal aliens with potential ties to terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah have no place in the United States. In the wake of Hamas\u2019s attack on Israel, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is already alerting Americans about an elevated number of violent threats against civilians, including antisemitic threats. It is therefore critical that you abandon your radical open border policies, and instead, take immediate action to secure the border. As Secretary, your number one priority should be protecting American citizens against potential terrorist entering our country.\n\nAs a member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, I request that you immediately respond to the following questions to disclose what you know to the American people:\n\nHow many \u201cspecial interest aliens\u201d have been released into the United States in the past two years? Please disaggregate the figures by country of origin.\n\nWhat steps has DHS taken to heighten security standards at the southern border following Hamas\u2019 attack on Israel?\n\nIs the Department of Homeland Security actively working with the FBI to monitor organizations with links to Hamas\u2019 terrorism activities operating within the United States?\n\nThank you for your attention to this critical matter of homeland security.\n\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-sanders-brown-and-colleagues-introduce-senate-resolution-solidarity-uaw-workers-strike/", "Hawley, Sanders, Brown, and Colleagues Introduce Senate Resolution in Solidarity with UAW Workers on Strike", "2023-10-18", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) joined Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), along with 31 Democrat colleagues in the Senate, to introduce a resolution in solidarity with United Auto Workers (UAW) across America who are bargaining for a fair contract, including 34,000 currently on strike.\n\nSenator Hawley has been a strong supporter of the autoworkers throughout their strike, calling for better hours, higher pay, and job security in America. Senator Hawley also visited the workers on strike at the General Motors plant in Wentzville, Mo., to stand with them and call for the protection American jobs.\n\nSenator Hawley has consistently advocated for American workers, including standing with and voting to support rail workers as they sought a fair deal with sick leave, as well as fighting to keep jobs here in the U.S. and stop the reliance on foreign supply chains for critical goods. More information about his past work in support of the American worker can be found on his website.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/senator-hawley-unveils-resolution-condemning-hamas-and-antisemitic-student-activities-college/", "Senator Hawley Unveils Resolution Condemning Hamas and Antisemitic Student Activities on College Campuses", "2023-10-18", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) will introduce a Senate Resolution condemning Hamas and the antisemitic student groups on college campuses that have celebrated the Oct. 7 terrorist attack against Israel. Senator Hawley will seek consent to pass his resolution on the Senate floor, and wrote to all of his colleagues this week requesting their support. Senators Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Ted Budd (R-N.C.) are original cosponsors.\n\n\u201cWe must stand together with Israel and against hateful, violent rhetoric that threatens the safety and security of Jewish Americans in the United States,\u201d wrote Senator Hawley. \u201cMy resolution unequivocally condemns Hamas and the hateful, antisemitic rhetoric that the recent terrorist attack has inspired on our college campuses. This is particularly urgent given the rise in threats against Jewish Americans across our country. I invite you to join me in standing with Israel and against hate.\u201d\n\nEarlier this week, Senator Hawley urged the Department of Justice to investigate pro-Palestinian student groups\u2019 potential ties to Hamas after they publicly gathered to celebrate the terrorist groups\u2019 genocidal war against Israel.\n\nThe text of the resolution can be found here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wagner-statement-speaker-race", "Wagner Statement on Speaker Race", "2023-10-16", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO) released the following statement on the House Speaker's race:\n\n\"Let me be clear, I am not, and will not, work with Democrats as our Republican Conference comes together to elect a conservative Speaker of the House.\n\n\"Too much is at stake to hand control of the House over to radical liberal Democrats, which is why we must elect a conservative as the next Speaker. Throughout my time in Congress, I have always been a team player and supported our Republican nominees out of Conference.\n\n\"Jim Jordan and I spoke at length again this morning, and he has allayed my concerns about keeping the government open with conservative funding, the need for strong border security, our need for consistent international support in times of war and unrest, as well as the need for stronger protections against the scourge of human trafficking and child exploitation.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-condemns-antisemitic-rhetoric-against-israel-announces-senate-resolution/", "Hawley Condemns Antisemitic Rhetoric Against Israel, Announces Senate Resolution", "2023-10-16", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced that he will introduce a U.S. Senate resolution condemning the antisemitic rhetoric taking place on college campuses across America.\n\nSenator Hawley also sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland earlier today, urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) immediately deploy resources to investigate the third-party funding of far-left student organizations that have called for the effective destruction of Israel.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-urges-doj-investigate-outside-funding-far-left-anti-israel-student-groups/", "Hawley Urges DOJ Investigate Outside Funding of Far-Left, Anti-Israel Student Groups", "2023-10-16", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) immediately deploy resources to investigate the third-party funding of far-left student organizations that have called for the effective destruction of Israel.\n\n\u201cIn the wake of the brutal terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel, we have witnessed an alarming rise in support for violence against the Jewish people,\u201d wrote Senator Hawley. \u201cPublic reports indicate that several far-left student groups have lined up to effectively cheerlead Hamas\u2019s genocidal war against the people of Israel.\u201d\n\nHe continued, \u201cGiven the potential scale of this threat, I urge you to immediately deploy DOJ resources to investigate these organizations\u2019 funding sources. The First Amendment protects the right to protest. But it does not protect the provision of material support to terrorist organizations. Nor does it insulate financial transactions that threaten our national security. Hamas, as you are well aware, is designated a terrorist organization pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. DOJ should deploy all appropriate authorities to investigate any potential links to organizations that operate within the United States.\u201d\n\nRead the full letter here or below.\n\nOctober 16, 2023\n\nThe Honorable Merrick Garland\n\nAttorney General\n\nUnited States Department of Justice\n\n950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.\n\nWashington, D.C. 20530\n\nDear Attorney General Garland:\n\nIn the wake of the brutal terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel, we have witnessed an alarming rise in support for violence against the Jewish people. Public reports indicate that several far-left student groups have lined up to effectively cheerlead Hamas\u2019s genocidal war against the people of Israel:\n\nAt Harvard University alone, 34 student organizations signed a letter declaring that they \u201chold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence,\u201d and that Israel is \u201cthe only one to blame\u201d for the unfolding carnage.\n\nThe University of California, Los Angeles witnessed a massive protest by students screaming \u201cintifada, intifada\u201d\u2014a call for a violent uprising and the murder of Jewish people.\n\nIn New York, Columbia University was forced to close its campus to the public after an Israeli student was violently assaulted by an allegedly pro-Palestine student.\n\nThe University of Virginia chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine announced that the mass murder of civilians was \u201ca step towards a free Palestine . . . reflect[ing] the power and resilience of the Palestinian people.\u201d\n\nOther examples are legion. These student organizations are seemingly lobbying in support of the murder of innocent people, including children and babies. They are menacing Jewish Americans within our cities. And they are doing so in what appears to be a coordinated fashion.\n\nThere is a long and sordid history of supposedly independent \u201chuman rights\u201d groups operating within American borders, that possess longstanding ties to foreign terrorist organizations. To name just one high-profile example, in the early 2000s, the Department of Justice shuttered the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development and jailed its founders, after finding that this supposed charitable organization was funneling money into the pockets of Hamas. It is entirely possible that many of these student organizations, at some level or another, are enmeshed in similar networks\u2014whether as recipients of funding from these malicious actors or as conduits for it.\n\nGiven the potential scale of this threat, I urge you to immediately deploy DOJ resources to investigate these organizations\u2019 funding sources. The First Amendment protects the right to protest. But it does not protect the provision of material support to terrorist organizations. Nor does it insulate financial transactions that threaten our national security. Hamas, as you are well aware, is designated a terrorist organization pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. DOJ should deploy all appropriate authorities to investigate any potential links to organizations that operate within the United States.\n\nIn particular, the Department should prioritize investigating the following questions:\n\nOf those student organizations presently calling for the effective destruction of Israel and justifying the recent massacre of Jewish people, how many receive significant funding from third-party groups?\n\nOf those third-party groups that offer financial support to pro-Hamas student organizations, or for which pro-Hamas student organizations conduct fundraising, how many have financial or ideological ties to Hamas?\n\nThank you for your attention to this matter.\n\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-calls-state-department-provide-additional-travel-assistance-americans-israel/", "Hawley Calls on State Department to Provide Additional Travel Assistance for Americans in Israel", "2023-10-11", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling for additional travel assistance and updated guidance for Americans seeking to return home from Israel.\n\nSenator Hawley\u2019s office is working with constituents in the region who wish to return to the United States, and anyone who needs assistance can call our office at (314) 354-7060.\n\n\u201cFollowing the barbaric terrorist attacks on Israel by Hamas, my office has received multiple reports of Missourians in Israel who are seeking to leave the region but are struggling to find transportation out of the country,\u201d wrote Senator Hawley. \u201cWith the growing number of commercial airlines cancelling flights out of Israel, I urge you to consider additional U.S government-facilitated transport options for Americans attempting to return home.\u201d\n\nRead the full letter here or below.\n\nOctober 11, 2023\n\nThe Honorable Antony Blinken\n\nSecretary of State\n\nUS Department of State\n\n2201 C St. NW\n\nWashington, DC 20520\n\nDear Secretary Blinken:\n\nI write with concern over the security situation in Israel and the safety of American citizens still in the region. Following the barbaric terrorist attacks on Israel by Hamas, my office has received multiple reports of Missourians in Israel who are seeking to leave the region but are struggling to find transportation out of the country. With the growing number of commercial airlines cancelling flights out of Israel, I urge you to consider additional U.S government-facilitated transport options for Americans attempting to return home.\n\nThe Bureau of Consular Affairs informed my office yesterday that the State Department currently \u201cis not involved with airlifts, an evacuation, or assisted departure of U.S. citizens.\u201d Today, your office informed mine that the State Department \u201ccontinue[s] to encourage U.S. citizens to look at the available commercial options to depart Israel.\u201d While I appreciate the initial information provided on Sunday to help my constituents contact the U.S. Embassy, this is no longer sufficient. New clarity about travel assistance is urgently required. I urge you to work with your counterparts across federal agencies to bring to bear all available resources and authorities, including charter flights, to assist Americans that remain in Israel with returning home to their families.\n\nOn behalf of my constituents who remain in the region, I request the answers to the following questions from your office as soon as possible.\n\nIs the State Department actively planning to provide additional travel assistance to Americans in Israel?\n\nIs the Department or any other U.S. agencies planning to conduct airlifts or equivalent government-facilitated transportation to help Americans in the region return home?\n\nIf plans have been made, how will the State Department communicate those travel options?\n\nWhen can Americans expect information on how to return home? When can we expect decisions about transportation options to be made?\n\nI look forward to a timely response from your office. And thank you for your attention to this matter.\n\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/house-knesset-parliamentary-group-joint-statement-hamas-terrorist", "House-Knesset Parliamentary Group Joint Statement on Hamas Terrorist Attack in Israel", "2023-10-10", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO) and members of the bipartisan House-Knesset Parliamentary Group issued the following statement in response to the horrific terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel:\n\n\u201cWe strongly condemn the brutal, barbaric terrorist attack committed by Hamas, an Iranian-backed terrorist organization, on Israel. As of now, these terrorists have reportedly wounded thousands, killed over 1,000 Israelis, and have taken at least 150 people as hostages, including women, children, and the elderly. Through their despicable acts of terror, Hamas has chosen to put innocent lives on all sides in danger and placed its desire for violence over the prospect for peace.\n\n\"As members of the bipartisan House-Knesset Parliamentary Friendship Group, we unequivocally stand united with our ally, Israel, her people, and our friends in the Knesset during this tumultuous time.\n\n\"Let there be no mistake: The United States\u2019 commitment to Israel\u2019s security is ironclad. We must continue to support the State of Israel\u2019s right to defend herself against Hamas and other terrorists\u2019 heinous aggression, including by providing additional assistance as requested. As we mark this time of deep sorrow and sadness, our commitment to the U.S.-Israel relationship is steadfast and unwavering.\u201d\n\nThe Group is made up of Reps. David Kustoff, Chairman (R-TN), Dean Phillips, Ranking Member (D-MN), Ann Wagner (R-MO), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Anthony D\u2019Esposito (R-NY), John James (R-MI), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Max Miller (R-OH), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Kathy Manning (D-NC), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), and Nikema Williams (D-GA).", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/abraham-accords-caucus-co-chairs-condemn-hamas-attack-israel", "Abraham Accords Caucus Co-Chairs Condemn Hamas Attack on Israel", "2023-10-07", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO), along with her fellow Co-Chairs of the Abraham Accords Caucus Congresswoman Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-WA), Congressman Brad Schneider (D-IL), and Congressman David Trone (D-MD), released the following statement on today\u2019s attacks in Israel:\n\n\u201cWe fully condemn this horrific, unprovoked attack against Israel. Thousands of rockets have been launched at Israeli cities by Iranian-backed terrorists. Hamas is targeting innocent civilians, taking hostages, and executing people in a campaign of unrelenting terror. The reports of children and families forced into hiding shock us to our core. Our hearts go out to those who have lost loved ones, and we pray for the recovery of all those who have been injured.\n\n\u201cThese acts of war must be resolutely defeated. Hamas seeks nothing less than the destruction of Israel, a nation that has the fundamental right to defend itself against all forces of evil and violence. We stand together in lockstep with our ally Israel as they take the necessary actions to defend their country, protect their citizens, and restore security to its borders. Hamas must immediately end this invasion.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wagner-supports-steve-scalise-speaker", "Wagner Supports Steve Scalise for Speaker", "2023-10-05", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO) released the following statement detailing her support for Steve Scalise to be Speaker of the House:\n\n\u201cCongress needs a leader who will stand up for American families, grow our economy, and commit to reining in Joe Biden\u2019s reckless spending. That leader is Steve Scalise, and I am honored to support him for Speaker of the House.\n\n\u201cInflation is hitting American families harder than ever, our borders are under attack, and Democrats are refusing to support the commonsense legislation necessary to protect our nation. In times of crisis, we need a principled Speaker who will unite all corners of the Party and be a fighter against the radical Democrat agenda. Time and time again, Steve has solved the toughest problems facing our Party and our nation. He is the leader who can communicate our shared conservative values to all 50 states, and who deeply understands how the federal government impacts the lives of each and every American.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-demands-army-fulfill-fort-leonard-wood-housing-promise-will-hold-nominations/", "Hawley Demands Army Fulfill Fort Leonard Wood Housing Promise, Will Hold Nominations", "2023-10-05", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to the Secretary of the Army, Christine Wormuth, demanding that she fulfill her pledge to replace all military housing at Fort Leonard Wood.\n\n\u201cThe Army\u2019s inability to meet its own deadlines is unacceptable, and I will wait no longer,\u201d wrote Senator Hawley. \u201cI will withhold my consent to any future Army civilian nominations which require Senate confirmation. The soldiers and families at Fort Leonard Wood deserve better, and it is your responsibility to deliver for them.\u201d\n\nBACKGROUND\n\nIn June of 2021, Senator Hawley asked Secretary Wormuth and General McConville for information about the Army\u2019s plans to replace housing at the base.\n\nIn May 2022, Senator Hawley pressed Secretary Wormuth and Chief of Staff of the Army General James C. McConville for answers about housing at Fort Leonard Wood.\n\nA few weeks before his August visit, Senator Hawley sent a letter to Secretary Wormuth requesting an update on the Army\u2019s plans to replace aging homes at Fort Leonard Wood.\n\nIn August 2022, Senator Hawley toured Fort Leonard Wood, delivered remarks about the important work being done there, and visited with residents about base housing in need of replacement.\n\nIn December 2022, Senator Hawley announced that the Army committed to spending $41.4 million in Fiscal Year 2023 and another $50 million in Fiscal Year 2024 for new housing at Fort Leonard Wood following repeated demands that aging homes at the base be replaced.\n\nIn March, Senator Hawley sent a letter to the Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth requesting, for the third time, the Army\u2019s plan for replacing the aging homes at Fort Leonard Wood.\n\nRead the full letter here or below:\n\nOctober 5, 2023\n\nHonorable Christine E. Wormuth\n\nSecretary of the Army\n\n101 Army Pentagon\n\nWashington, DC 20310-0101\n\nDear Secretary Wormuth:\n\nI write with deep concern over the Army\u2019s continual failure to keep its promises to the soldiers and families of Fort Leonard Wood.\n\nIn December 2022, after the Army identified 1,142 family homes on post in need of repair, Under Secretary Camarillo pledged to me that the Army would spend $41.4 million during Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) and $50 million during FY24 on homes for families. You acknowledged this same pledge in a phone call with me over the summer. In the ten months since the commitment was made, the Army has continually dragged its feet. Now we know for sure that you have broken your promise. Your staff informs my office that no funds will be available until December 15, 2023, at the earliest, well past the end of the fiscal year which concluded on September 30, 2023. Once again, the Army has failed to prioritize the soldiers and families at Fort Leonard Wood.\n\nAs I have written previously, the Army only committed to this investment reluctantly. Despite your commitment during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on May 5, 2022, the Army has still failed to produce your plan for replacing all housing at Fort Leonard Wood. Beyond your inability to even produce your plan, what investment you have promised has now failed to materialize. The deadline has now come and gone, and given your record I have real doubts that Fort Leonard Wood will receive this investment before the end of the calendar year.\n\nThe Army\u2019s inability to meet its own deadlines is unacceptable, and I will wait no longer. Until the promised $41.4 million is invested in housing at Fort Leonard Wood, I will withhold my consent to any future Army civilian nominations which require Senate confirmation. The soldiers and families at Fort Leonard Wood deserve better, and it is your responsibility to deliver for them.\n\nI promise you I will continue to work tirelessly to secure adequate housing for Fort Leonard Wood, and I keep my promises.\n\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wagner-statement-healing-action-network-receiving-doj-grant-support", "Wagner Statement on Healing Action Network Receiving DOJ Grant to Support Victims of Trafficking", "2023-10-04", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO) released the following statement after Healing Action Network received a Department of Justice grant to advance their important work as advocates for survivors of sex trafficking and exploitation:\n\nRep. Ann Wagner: \u201cKatie and the entire team at Healing Action Network are incredible advocates for survivors of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation. I have worked with Katie for nearly a decade to pass legislation to help bring an end to sex trafficking, and I have personally seen how her determination and work ethic have truly saved lives. I was so pleased to congratulate her on this Department of Justice grant that will allow Healing Action Network to reach even more victims and provide vital resources to the survivors of this horrific crime. It was an honor to vote for this grant program that supports amazing organizations like hers so they can stay focused on their critical efforts that save lives. I look forward to continuing to work with her and her team for years to come as we fight to get justice for survivors and ensure their traffickers are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law\u201d.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-introduces-bill-empowering-states-fight-back-against-bidens-border-crisis/", "Hawley Introduces Bill Empowering States to Fight Back Against Biden\u2019s Border Crisis", "2023-10-04", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has introduced the State Border Defense Act to empower states to fight back against President Biden\u2019s failed immigration policies that are flooding America\u2019s streets with deadly narcotics and enabling a rise in child trafficking. Senator Hawley\u2019s legislation comes after the Biden Administration\u2019s repeated efforts to undermine states\u2019 ability to secure their own borders\u2014including preventing the installation of a buoy barrier and razor wire along the southern border. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported a record 232,972 southern border encounters in August\u2014the highest monthly total in 2023 thus far.\n\n\u201cOur southern border is overrun. Joe Biden\u2019s dangerous open-border policies are making it worse every single day, leaving states like Missouri to deal with the consequences. Since the federal government refuses to enforce our immigration laws, states must be able to,\u201d said Senator Hawley.\n\nThe State Border Defense Act would allow states to:\n\nRemove illegal immigrants from the country rather than sending them to other states\n\nProsecute people who commit crimes while entering the country illegally\n\nConstruct barriers on federal lands or waters along the southern border to prevent illegal immigration", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wagner-amendments-homeland-security-appropriations-bill-approved-house", "Wagner Amendments to Homeland Security Appropriations Bill Approved by House", "2023-09-28", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO) released the following statement after two of her amendments to the Homeland Security Appropriations bill were adopted by the U.S. House:\n\nThe first amendment would prioritize $24 million for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) investigations.\n\nRep. Wagner said: \u201cLast year, there were over 32 million reports of online child sexual abuse material, previously referred to as \u2018child pornography.\u2019 That\u2019s an 89% increase since 2019 and equals over 87,000 reports per day of images and videos of children being raped and sexually exploited spreading across the internet. HSI is on the front lines fighting to locate and rescue vulnerable children and apprehend their abusers, which is why my amendment takes $24 million from bloated bureaucratic offices and ensures that HSI receives the resources needed to investigate these unconscionable crimes.\u201d\n\nWatch Rep. Wagner\u2019s remarks on this amendment here.\n\nThe second amendment would require Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to resolve the Global Entry application backlog.\n\nRep. Wagner said: \u201cI have heard from so many frustrated constituents who have paid for Global Entry only to wait months, in some cases, for CBP to approve them for an interview. Today, Global Entry processing times average 11 months. This is utterly unacceptable. This amendment will direct CBP to do its job and get this situation and backlog under control.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wagner-bill-reduce-rape-kit-backlog-unanimously-approved-judiciary", "Wagner Bill to Reduce Rape Kit Backlog Unanimously Approved by Judiciary Committee", "2023-09-28", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO) released the following statement after her Debbie Smith Act, legislation that provides funding to law enforcement to analyze untested rape kits, was approved by the House Judiciary Committee:\n\n\u201cThere are far too many victims who have had to go without justice due to the unconscionable rape kit backlog. My bill, the Debbie Smith Act of 2023, will provide critical funding to our state and local law enforcement so rapists and other violent offenders can be identified and held accountable for their horrific crimes. Thank you to the House Judiciary Committee for advancing this important bill, and I look forward to the whole House showing our support for victims by passing this bipartisan legislation.\u201d\n\nBackground\n\nH.R. 1105, the Debbie Smith Act of 2023, would reauthorize the DNA Backlog Elimination Program from FY2024 through FY2029. This program provides support to law enforcement and crime labs in all 50 states to analyze untested rape and sexual assault kits, improve law enforcement\u2019s timely collection of DNA evidence, and enhance prosecutors' capacity to bring this evidence to trial.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-demands-dhs-terminate-new-intelligence-experts-group/", "Hawley Demands DHS Terminate New \u2018Intelligence Experts Group\u2019", "2023-09-28", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas calling for the immediate termination of the Department\u2019s newly announced \u201cIntelligence Experts Group.\u201d\n\n\u201cI write with deep concern regarding the Department of Homeland Security\u2019s (DHS) newly announced \u2018Intelligence Experts Group.\u2019 According to your Department\u2019s press release, this entity will be led by at least three individuals who helped suppress the Hunter Biden laptop story preceding the 2020 U.S. presidential election,\u201d wrote Senator Hawley. \u201cGiven the composition of its members, this Group seems to constitute yet another effort from the Biden Administration to undermine disfavored speech.\u201d\n\nHe continued, \u201cI will continue to oppose this Administration\u2019s apparent efforts to undermine protected speech. Therefore, I urge you to immediately terminate this so-called \u2018Intelligence Experts Group.'\u201d\n\nLast November, Senator Hawley led an investigation into President Biden\u2019s plans to establish the Disinformation Governance Board, similar to the \u201cIntelligence Experts Group.\u201d Senator Hawley revealed documents that exposed the DHS\u2019s plans for the Board to monitor and suppress the speech of American citizens, which were much more extensive than the Biden administration had publicly acknowledged.\n\nRead the full letter here or below.\n\nSeptember 28, 2023\n\nThe Honorable Alejandro Mayorkas\n\nSecretary\n\nU.S. Department of Homeland Security\n\n2707 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE\n\nWashington, D.C. 20528\n\nDear Secretary Mayorkas,\n\nI write with deep concern regarding the Department of Homeland Security\u2019s (DHS) newly announced \u201cIntelligence Experts Group.\u201d According to your Department\u2019s press release, this entity will be led by at least three individuals who helped suppress the Hunter Biden laptop story preceding the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Given the composition of its members, this Group seems to constitute yet another effort from the Biden Administration to undermine disfavored speech.\n\nAs you know, John Brennan, James Clapper, and Paul Kolbe all signed onto the infamous October 2020 letter, which falsely declared the Hunter Biden laptop story to be \u201cRussian misinformation.\u201d This was a clear attempt to aid then-candidate Joe Biden. Recent investigations have revealed text messages and emails that corroborate the corrupt intent behind the letter\u2019s publication. It is therefore baffling that your Department would regard these individuals as having any remaining credibility with respect to intelligence matters.\n\nEnlisting the support of these discredited officials as the nation prepares for the 2024 presidential election appears to signal that DHS will continue its attempts to censor speech that is inconvenient to the current Administration. Of course, your Department tried\u2014and failed\u2014to monitor and censor protected speech through the now-defunct Disinformation Governance Board. But thanks to the Fifth Circuit\u2019s ruling in Missouri v. Biden, we know that the White House and other agencies violated the First Amendment by coercing social media platforms to censor online speech. I will continue to oppose this Administration\u2019s apparent efforts to undermine protected speech. Therefore, I urge you to immediately terminate this so-called \u201cIntelligence Experts Group.\u201d\n\nSo that Congress can consider remedial legislation, please provide the following information by October 15, 2023:\n\nAll records related to the Intelligence Experts Group, including but not limited to:\n\nwritten or recorded communications concerning the formation of the Group;\n\nthe agenda or minutes from any meeting at which the Group\u2019s formation was discussed;\n\nany legal review to determine whether the activities of the Group would be authorized by the Constitution of the United States;\n\nany communications or records about the individuals who would be recruited to serve on the Group;\n\nany communications with the White House about the formation of the Group or appointment of officials to serve on the Group.\n\nFor any documents that are responsive to this request but withheld, please identify the name of each document, the date of its creation, the custodian, a summary of its contents, and the basis for withholding the record.\n\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:35:26Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-requests-update-doe-monitoring-nuclear-contamination-weldon-spring-site/", "Hawley Requests Update on DOE Monitoring of Nuclear Contamination at Weldon Spring Site", "2023-09-28", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Deputy Secretary David Turk, requesting an update on the monitoring and remediation of the Weldon Spring Superfund Site in St. Charles, Mo.\n\n\u201cAs I previously wrote in my July 24, 2023 letter to Secretary Granholm, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) is alarmed by deficiencies in the Department of Energy\u2019s (DOE) monitoring of contaminants at the site, and so am I,\u201d wrote Senator Hawley. \u201cDespite your assurances that the site is \u2018remediated,\u2019 the Missouri Department of Natural Resources reports concern that uranium contamination may be spreading from Weldon Spring into local groundwater. Needless to say, contamination of groundwater is grossly unacceptable.\u201d\n\nHe continued, \u201cI am asking you once again to please provide a clear timeline on when DOE will revise its sampling plans and when Weldon Spring will be fully remediated.\u201d\n\nEarlier this month, Senator Hawley questioned Secretary Turk during an Energy Committee hearing, pressing him about the DOE\u2019s inaction on the remediation efforts at the Weldon Spring Site.\n\nIn July, Senator Hawley sent a letter to DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm, urging the Department conduct additional testing for radioactive contamination at the Weldon Spring Site, after a review of the site in 2021 led the MDNR to offer an extensive critique of the DOE\u2019s cleanup and monitoring efforts at that location.\n\nRead the full letter here or below.\n\nMr. David Turk\n\nDeputy Secretary\n\nDepartment of Energy\n\n1000 Independence Avenue, S.W.\n\nWashington, D.C. 20585\n\nDear Mr. Turk,\n\nI write in response to your September 7, 2023 email regarding the contaminated Weldon Spring Site. As I previously wrote in my July 24, 2023 letter to Secretary Granholm, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) is alarmed by deficiencies in the Department of Energy\u2019s (DOE) monitoring of contaminants at the site, and so am I.\n\nDespite your assurances that the site is \u201cremediated,\u201d the Missouri Department of Natural Resources reports concern that uranium contamination may be spreading from Weldon Spring into local groundwater. Needless to say, contamination of groundwater is grossly unacceptable. I trust that I need not remind you the health consequences of uranium contamination are significant, causing kidney and heart damage. The residents of St. Charles County deserve to know how DOE will ensure they are not exposed to contaminants in their water.\n\nDespite these significant concerns, and despite my previous letter, you did not come prepared to answer questions about the Weldon Spring site during your recent testimony. I was likewise disappointed that your follow-up email failed to answer whether the DOE will revise its sampling plans in light of MDNR\u2019s concerns. The people of St. Charles County deserve to know if DOE is ensuring their groundwater\u2019s safety.\n\nI am asking you once again to please provide a clear timeline on when DOE will revise its sampling plans and when Weldon Spring will be fully remediated. I look forward to your timely response. Thank you for your attention in this matter.\n\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:35:26Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-visits-uaw-picket-line-support-workers/", "Hawley visits UAW Picket Line to Support Workers", "2023-09-25", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) released the following statements after his visit with workers on strike at the General Motors plant in Wentzville, Mo. to stand with them and protect American jobs.\n\nSenator Hawley has continually supported the autoworkers throughout their strike for better hours, higher pay, and job security in America.\n\nIn December 2022, Senator Hawley stood with and voted to support rail workers as they sought a fair deal with sick leave.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:35:26Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wagner-hill-hagerty-rounds-slam-secs-predictive-data-proposal-demand", "Wagner, Hill, Hagerty, Rounds Slam SEC\u2019s Predictive Data Proposal, Demand Answers to Disastrous Rule", "2023-09-22", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO), Chair of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets, along with Congressman French Hill (R-AR), Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), and Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) today sent a letter to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler demanding answers on the SEC\u2019s misguided proposal that will harm broker-dealers, investment advisors, and Main Street investors.\n\nThey said: \u201cWhile it is promoted as an investor protection measure, the Proposal\u2019s true intention seems to be rewriting existing and well-functioning SEC regulations, such as Regulation Best Interest (\u201cReg BI\u201d) and the fiduciary standard. This is likely to result in a burdensome, one-size-fits-all approach being imposed on all broker-dealers and investment advisers, irrespective of the technology they utilize. This new, untested standard would apply indiscriminately, whether or not firms provide personalized investment recommendations or advice to their customers\u2026.If the SEC\u2019s goal is to replace Reg BI and the existing fiduciary standard with the Proposal\u2019s heightened \u201cbest interest\u201d standard, it should be transparent and direct about its actions. It should not rely on the recent attention around predictive data analytics or artificial intelligence as a pretext. Furthermore, if the SEC intends to assume the role of a technology regulator, it should seek explicit authority from Congress.\u201d\n\nRead the full letter here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases/graves-applauds-federal-disaster-declaration", "Graves Applauds Federal Disaster Declaration", "2023-09-21", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Sam Graves", "G000546", "graves.house.gov", "graves", "https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Congressman Sam Graves (MO-06) applauded the granting of a Major Disaster Declaration in response to severe storms and flooding from July 29 to August 14, 2023 in 33 Missouri counties, including Adair, Clark, Gentry, Grundy, Knox, Scotland, Shelby, and Worth Counties in North Missouri. The Declaration will provide Hazard Mitigation (HM) funding for the State of Missouri and Public Assistance (PA) for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster damaged public facilities in the impacted communities.\n\n\u201cThis declaration is an important step toward helping the people of Baring and other communities impacted by these storms recover and rebuild,\u201d said Graves. \u201cThese public assistance dollars are going to help rebuild critical infrastructure damaged by these storms and help these communities come back stronger than ever. Our communities may be small, but we\u2019re strong. Many have already come together to start the rebuilding process and while this assistance is welcome, we still have a long ways left to go. I\u2019m going to continue pushing to make sure the United States Postal Service restores full service to Baring.\u201d\n\nAn EF-2 tornado occurred on August 4th destroying homes, businesses, the fire station and the Post Office in Baring. Graves recently called on the United States Postal Service to develop a plan to fully restore the Post Office in Baring.\n\nThe Declaration comes after Graves pressed Deanne Criswell, the Administrator of FEMA, to approve the declaration request earlier this week during a Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing. He joined the rest of the Missouri delegation in requesting approval of the declaration request.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wagner-colleagues-house-abraham-accords-caucus-commemorate-3-year", "Wagner, Colleagues in House Abraham Accords Caucus Commemorate 3-Year Anniversary of Historic Abraham Accords Signing", "2023-09-21", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Abraham Accords Caucus Co-Chairs Ann Wagner (MO-02), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05), and David Trone (MD-06) introduced a resolution commemorating the third anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords. H.Res. 701 highlights the progress made since the signing of the Accords and encourages further deepening and broadening of the Accords and expansion to new countries.\n\n\u201cIn just three years, the Abraham Accords have had life-changing benefits for Arab and Israeli citizens, unleashing pent-up economic potential and bringing real quality of life improvements. At a time of heightened anti-Semitism across the globe and increased Iranian aggression, it is more important than ever that we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our Abraham Accords partners and identify opportunities to grow and strengthen these agreements to ensure greater stability and peace in the Middle East. Trade and tourism have also grown, and the Accords are enabling signatory countries to break out of the cycle of dysfunction and violence and work together for the advancement of regional priorities,\u201d said Congresswoman Wagner.\n\n\"The Abraham Accords have reshaped relations in the Middle East, forging bonds between Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco. These historic agreements marked a shift towards peace and prosperity,\" said Congressman Schneider. \"I am proud that we marked the third anniversary with so many representatives from Abraham Accords countries, from young leaders to ambassadors, and with leaders from across government and civil society. We remain unwavering in our dedication to deepening and broadening the Accords, building bridges, and creating opportunities for peace that will resonate around the world.\"\n\nOn September 15, 2020, the United States brought together leaders from Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain to sign the historic Abraham Accords. On December 22, 2020, Morocco signed the Abraham Accords, followed by Sudan on January 6, 2021. These normalization agreements transformed the region, enhanced Israel's security, created economic opportunities, and advanced vital U.S. national security interests.\n\n\u201cThree years ago, the United States made historic progress towards achieving peace in the Middle East with the signing of the Abraham Accords Declaration,\" said Congresswoman Rodgers. \u201cThis long sought-after agreement marked the beginning of a new journey together in pursuit of creating a better, safer, and more prosperous world for our children and grandchildren. It is an honor to join my co-chairs of the Abraham Accords Caucus in introducing this resolution to celebrate its anniversary and reaffirm our commitment to go above and beyond to make this world a place where all can enjoy a life of dignity and hope.\u201d\n\n\"Three years ago, the Abraham Accords were signed to strengthen peace in the Middle East and beyond. Since their creation, the Accords have helped enhance security, create more economic opportunity, and improve diplomacy throughout the region,\" said Congressman Trone. \"This historic agreement highlights the importance of global cooperation and the great strides we can make across the world by working together. As a proud co-chair of the Abraham Accords Caucus, I look forward to continue working with our partners in the Middle East to find common ground and promote interfaith cooperation.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-introduces-legislation-requiring-timely-reconstruction-damaged-rural-post-offices/", "Hawley Introduces Legislation Requiring the Timely Reconstruction of Damaged Rural Post Offices", "2023-09-21", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced the Rural Post Office Reconstruction Act of 2023, new legislation that would establish a clear timeframe for reopening rural post offices that experience closure due to natural disaster damage or other unforeseen circumstances.\n\nOn August 4, 2023, in Baring, Mo., an EF-2 tornado almost completely destroyed the town\u2019s Post Office, in addition to damaging nearby homes and businesses. There is still no public timetable for the reconstruction of the Post Office.\n\n\u201cRural post offices are critical to the daily life of Missourians and Americans everywhere who live in small towns\u2014and they must stay open whenever possible,\u201dsaid Senator Hawley. \u201cMy bill guarantees the timely reconstruction of damaged post offices, ensuring rural residents have access to the medical deliveries and other vital services they depend on.\u201d\n\nThe Rural Post Office Reconstruction Act of 2023 would require:\n\nTimely reconstruction of severely damaged post offices;\n\nReopening closed post offices;\n\nReporting to Congress in the event remediation is not completed in the specific timeframe.\n\nEarlier this month, Senator Hawley sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis Dejoy of the United States Postal Service seeking an update on the status of the Post Office in Baring, Mo.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:35:26Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-leads-rally-justice-demands-compensation-victims-stl-area-nationwide-nuclear-contamination/", "Hawley Leads Rally for Justice, Demands Compensation for Victims of STL-Area, Nationwide Nuclear Contamination", "2023-09-21", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Yesterday U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) held a bipartisan rally at the U.S. Capitol with U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-N.M.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), House lawmakers, and victims of nuclear contamination\u2014from the St. Louis area, St. Charles area, and across America\u2014to demand justice and compensation for those who have been harmed by the federal government\u2019s decades of negligence.\n\n\u201cDating all the way back to the Manhattan Project, the government used the city of St. Louis as a uranium-processing facility, as a major site, and then when that was over [\u2026] it allowed it to seep into the groundwater, it allowed it to get into Coldwater Creek, it allowed it get into the soil. Generations of Missourians\u2014children\u2014were poisoned because of the government\u2019s negligence,\u201d said Senator Hawley.\n\nSenators Hawley and Luj\u00e1n secured funding for victims of nuclear contamination by getting an amendment passed in the Senate version of the FY 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) over the summer and, with the help of the victims urging Congress to act, are working with their colleagues to keep this amendment in the final package to be voted on later this year.\n\n\u201cIf the government is going to expose its own citizens to radioactive material [\u2026] for decades,\u201d Senator Hawley continued, \u201cthe government ought to pay the bills of the men and women who have gotten sick because of it. They ought to pay for the survivor benefits of those who have been lost.\u201d\n\nWatch the full video of Wednesday\u2019s press conference below:\n\nClick image or go here\n\nBackground\n\nSenator Hawley has consistently advocated on behalf of the Coldwater Creek community and all Missourians impacted by government-caused nuclear contamination. Most recently, Senator Hawley secured President Biden\u2019s endorsement of his legislation to compensate victims of nuclear radiation exposure.\n\nOn July 27, 2023, in a strong bipartisan vote, Senator Hawley secured passage of an amendment to the FY 2024 NDAA that would provide compensation to victims of government-caused nuclear contamination. The legislation extends the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to cover victims of improperly-stored nuclear waste in affected areas in the St. Louis region. The measure\u2014which was cosponsored by U.S. Senators Luj\u00e1n, Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and Schmitt\u2014also reauthorized and strengthened the RECA program to cover more impacted Americans from nuclear tests along with uranium miners.\n\nEarlier in July, Senator Hawley sent a letter to the Department of Energy (DOE), urging additional testing for radioactive contamination at a site in St. Charles County, Mo., after a review of the Weldon Spring site in 2021 offered an extensive critique of the DOE\u2019s cleanup and monitoring efforts there. Senator Hawley also sent a letter to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman, Senator Joe Manchin, urging him to convene a committee hearing to discuss the government-caused nuclear contamination of the St. Louis area. In addition, Senator Hawley penned separate letters to the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), DOE, and Environmental Protection Agency, demanding answers from the government about the nuclear contamination.\n\nIn April, Senator Hawley\u2019s legislation mandating the clean up of Jana Elementary School in the Hazelwood School District and radioactive waste testing passed the U.S. Senate and Biden\u2019s Energy Secretary Granholm also vowed to support it.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:35:26Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/icymi-hawley-op-ed-cap-credit-card-interest-rates-help-americans-hammered-bidenomics/", "ICYMI Hawley Op-ed: Cap credit-card interest rates to help Americans hammered by Bidenomics", "2023-09-21", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "By U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) | Sept. 20, 2023 | New York Post\n\nExploiting people through high interest rates is wrong.\n\nIn a world of Wall Street excess, that simple idea now sounds foreign.\n\nBut for thousands of years, it was basic fairness.\n\n\u201cThou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother,\u201d declares Deuteronomy 23:19.\n\nThe Western world took that principle to heart.\n\nFrom the Roman Empire on, nations enforced usury laws that severely restricted interest rates on loans.\n\n[\u2026]\n\nTimes have changed. Our leaders forgot why those laws existed in the first place.\n\n[\u2026]\n\nThe total amount of credit-card debt is more than $1 trillion \u2014 the highest in history.\n\nDelinquent payment rates are at their highest level in a decade.\n\nCompounding the problem, President Joe Biden\u2019s inflationary policies have pushed consumer prices to the stratosphere.\n\nThis kicked off a vicious cycle.\n\nAnd as costs rise, Americans are forced to use their credit cards to cover basic necessities like rent and groceries.\n\n[\u2026]\n\nAmerican households get the short straw: Not only are they paying more for basic necessities, they\u2019re now paying to clean up the Biden administration\u2019s financial mess.\n\nThis burden falls heaviest on the nearly 50% of Americans carrying a credit-card balance, many struggling to make ends meet.\n\n[\u2026]\n\nJust this year, Tyson Foods announced chicken-plant closures in small-town Missouri that will force 2,000 people out of work.\n\nThose workers and their families still need to live.\n\nIf they end up carrying a credit-card balance, why are they fair game for corporate plunder?\n\nAs a nation, we can do better than that.\n\n[\u2026]\n\nSupporting America\u2019s workers and families means tackling the everyday problems they face \u2014 not giving handouts to corporations or foreign governments and hoping the benefits will eventually trickle down.\n\n[\u2026]\n\nOld slogans about the magic of the market won\u2019t cut it anymore.\n\nActually passing a law to cap interest rates is a first step toward a better future \u2014 a future rooted in our own tradition.\n\nAmerican workers and families deserve it.\n\nCongress can pass legislation that makes a real difference.\n\nRepublicans should step up to take the lead.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:35:26Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-presses-tyson-foods-ceo-dangerous-child-labor-practices/", "Hawley Presses Tyson Foods CEO on Dangerous Child Labor Practices", "2023-09-19", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Tyson Foods CEO Donnie King, demanding answers after a disturbing new report from The New York Times exposed unsafe, illegal child labor practices within the company.\n\n\u201cI am alarmed by new reports that Tyson Foods has actively participated in dangerous and illegal child labor practices,\u201d wrote Senator Hawley. \u201cAny company that employs, facilitates, encourages, or excuses child labor must be held to account. In light of the facts, you owe the American people an explanation as to Tyson\u2019s child-labor practices.\u201d\n\nLast Friday, Senator Hawley spoke with CEO Donnie King and secured his commitment to protect Missouri jobs, following an announcement that Tyson Foods would be closing its southern Missouri locations. He also introduced the Strengthening Antitrust Enforcement for Meatpacking Act, which would empower antitrust enforcers to break up giant meatpacking and poultry monopolies and place power back in the hands of Missouri\u2019s farmers and workers.\n\nIn May, Senator Hawley introduced the Corporate Responsibility for Child Labor Elimination Act, legislation to compel large corporations to eradicate unlawful child labor from their operations in the United States.\n\nRead the full letter here and below.\n\nSeptember 19, 2023\n\nDonnie D. King\n\nChief Executive Officer\n\nTyson Foods\n\n2200 W. Don Tyson Parkway\n\nSpringdale, AR 72762\n\nDear Mr. King:\n\nI am alarmed by new reports that Tyson Foods has actively participated in dangerous and illegal child labor practices. According to a lengthy report published yesterday in the New York Times, the poultry processing industry has regularly contracted with companies that employ child workers and subjected those children to highly unsafe working conditions. I am especially concerned that Tyson is subcontracting illicit child labor to avoid legal liability.\n\nThe Times report recounts a number of horrific instances in which children\u2014many, if not most, of whom crossed the southern border as unaccompanied minors\u2014were severely injured or even killed while illegally employed at chicken processing plants. The report opens with the story of a teenager whose arm was ripped down to the tendons after it got caught in a factory machine. It goes on to quote a federal inspector who had tried to \u201ctrack down a teenager who she heard had fallen from a ladder at Tyson and broken his leg.\u201d Other examples include an eighth grader from Guatemala who was killed two months ago while working the cleaning shift at a Mississippi plant.\n\nTyson has stated that the company has \u201cno tolerance for child labor,\u201d but the Times report suggests otherwise. According to the Times, every child interviewed by its reporter was fired\u2014after \u201c[s]upervisors who oversaw the cleaning shift at the Tyson plant warned their corporate office that a reporter was spending a lot of time in town.\u201d One of the fired child workers said: \u201cThey made plenty of money from our labor and then tossed us out like trash.\u201d\n\nThe Times suggests Tyson evades accountability for illegal child labor by relying on subcontractors. \u201cEven when inspectors do catch child-labor violations,\u201d the Times reported, \u201cthey usually fine only the subcontracted companies, not the brands themselves.\u201d In short, \u201cthe brands that [have] benefitted from the children\u2019s labor [have] faced no consequences.\u201d\n\nAny company that employs, facilitates, encourages, or excuses child labor must be held to account. In light of the facts, you owe the American people an explanation as to Tyson\u2019s child-labor practices. Please provide me with answers to the following questions by the end of this week:\n\nTo your knowledge, how many instances of child labor violations have occurred at Tyson facilities in the past five years?\n\nIs Tyson fully cooperating with the Department of Labor and any other state or federal authorities that may be investigating the company over potential violations of child labor law?\n\nWhat internal controls are in place to ensure that Tyson does not employ underage workers, or subcontract with companies that employ underage workers?\n\nIn light of the Times report, what changes to company policy will Tyson be making?\n\nHow does Tyson currently handle complaints from its employees or employees of its subcontractors regarding child labor?\n\nWill Tyson pledge to protect whistleblowers who raise concerns regarding child labor?\n\nWill you commit to ending any contracts with companies that have been fined for illegally employing children?\n\nWill you commit to an independent audit to ensure that Tyson\u2019s entire production chain is free of illegal child labor?\n\nI look forward to your prompt response.\n\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:35:26Z"], ["https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases/deadline-approaching-soon-submit-service-academy-nomination-applications", "Deadline Approaching Soon to Submit Service Academy Nomination Applications", "2023-09-15", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Sam Graves", "G000546", "graves.house.gov", "graves", "https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Students in Missouri\u2019s 6th Congressional District are reminded that applications for service academy nominations are due soon. Congressman Sam Graves (MO-06) is currently accepting applications from North Missouri students interested in attending the U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, U.S. Military Academy, or U.S. Naval Academy. The application deadline is 5:00 pm on October 6, 2023.\n\n\u201cOur nation\u2019s service academies are some of the most selective and prestigious institutions in the world,\u201d said Graves. \u201cEach year, I have the distinct honor of nominating several outstanding young men and women from North Missouri to attend the service academies. It\u2019s a tough and competitive process, but I encourage every student who is interested in attending one of these incredible service academies to apply.\u201d\n\nIndividuals interested in applying for a service academy nomination can do so by contacting Congressman Graves\u2019 Kansas City District Office at 816-792-3976 after opening an application with their desired service academy. To be eligible to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, U.S. Military Academy, or U.S. Naval Academy, you must:\n\n1. Be at least 17 years old, but not have passed the 23rd birthday. (25 for the Merchant Marine Academy)\n\n2. Be a U.S. Citizen, and a permanent resident of Missouri.\n\n3. Be unmarried, not pregnant, and have no legal obligation to support children or other dependents.\n\n4. Meet the medical, physical, and academic requirements of the Academy.\n\n5. Be of good moral character.\n\n6. Have a valid Social Security Number.\n\nThe U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, U.S. Military Academy, and U.S. Naval Academy all have extremely high admission standards and the nomination process is very competitive. Applicants are evaluated and interviewed by the Academy Nomination Review Board comprised of service academy graduates, veterans and citizens of Missouri\u2019s 6th Congressional District before final recommendations are made to Congressman Graves.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-secures-commitment-tyson-foods-help-local-farmers-protect-missouri-jobs/", "Hawley Secures Commitment from Tyson Foods to Help Local Farmers, Protect Missouri Jobs", "2023-09-15", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) released the following statement after securing a commitment from Tyson Foods CEO Donnie King to help Missouri farmers and protect jobs for hard working Missourians.\n\nYesterday, Senator Hawley introduced the The Strengthening Antitrust Enforcement for Meatpacking Act, new legislation that would empower antitrust enforcers to break up giant meatpacking and poultry monopolies and place power back in the hands of Missouri\u2019s farmers and workers.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:35:26Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-stands-auto-workers-protecting-american-jobs/", "Hawley Stands Up for Auto Workers, Protecting American Jobs", "2023-09-15", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) released the following statements after the United Auto Workers (UAW) began their strike for a better deal. The Wentzville General Motors plant in Wentzville, Mo., joined the strike.\n\nIn December 2022, Senator Hawley stood with and voted to support rail workers as they sought a fair deal with sick leave.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:35:26Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-introduces-new-antitrust-legislation-break-meatpacking-poultry-monopolies-and-empower/", "Hawley Introduces New Antitrust Legislation to Break Up Meatpacking, Poultry Monopolies and Empower American Farmers, Workers", "2023-09-14", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced the Strengthening Antitrust Enforcement for Meatpacking Act to empower antitrust enforcers to break up giant meatpacking and poultry monopolies and place power back in the hands of Missouri\u2019s farmers and workers. The introduction of Senator Hawley\u2019s legislation comes after Tyson Foods announced it will be closing the doors of its poultry plants in southern Missouri, costing the state more than 2,000 jobs.\n\n\u201cToday\u2019s meatpacking monopolists are making massive profits while shutting down competition,\u201d said Senator Hawley. \u201cCongress must give antitrust prosecutors the power to end anti-competitive behavior without lengthy court battles. It\u2019s time to hold monopolies accountable and empower farmers.\u201d\n\nThe Strengthening Antitrust Enforcement for Meatpacking Act would:\n\nAmend the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921 to establish specific thresholds for market concentration, allowing federal antitrust authorities to more effectively prohibit or unwind acquisitions that concentrate the meatpacking sector.\n\nDeter further meatpacking concentration by disincentivizing entrenched meatpacking interests from buying up more competitors.\n\nPut more power back in the hands of farmers and workers.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:35:26Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-klobuchar-coons-collins-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-ban-use-materially-deceptive-ai/", "Hawley, Klobuchar, Coons, Collins Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Ban the Use of Materially Deceptive AI-Generated Content in Elections", "2023-09-13", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) \u2013 Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee\u2019s Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law \u2013 joined Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine) to introduce the Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act, a bipartisan bill to ban the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate materially deceptive content falsely depicting federal candidates in political ads to influence federal elections.\n\n\u201cWe must protect the right of Americans to vote without being controlled or manipulated by artificial intelligence companies. Elections belong to the people, not the tech companies,\u201d said Senator Hawley.\n\nThis bill would amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (FECA) to prohibit the distribution of materially deceptive AI-generated audio, images, or video relating to federal candidates in political ads or certain issue ads to influence a federal election or fundraise. The bill allows federal candidates targeted by this materially deceptive content to have content taken down and enables them to seek damages in federal court. This ban extends to a person, political committee, or other entity that distributes materially deceptive content intended to influence an election or raise money fraudulently. Consistent with the First Amendment, the bill has exceptions for parody, satire, and the use of AI-generated content in news broadcasts.\n\n\u201cRight now, we\u2019re seeing AI used as a tool to influence our democracy. We need rules of the road in place to stop the use of fraudulent AI-generated content in campaign ads. Voters deserve nothing less than full transparency,\u201d said Senator Klobuchar. \u201cThis commonsense, bipartisan legislation would update our laws to prohibit these deceptive ads from being used to mislead voters no matter what party they belong to.\u201d\n\n\u201cAmerican democracy faces novel threats from deceptive content generated by artificial intelligence, and we must take action to defend our system of free and fair elections. That is why I\u2019m proud to have worked across the aisle to introduce legislation to safeguard federal elections by restricting the use of AI-generated content. I urge my Senate colleagues to swiftly pass this bill and to protect our electoral system from the risks posed by unregulated AI,\u201d said Senator Coons.\n\n\u201cThis bipartisan legislation would help to strengthen the integrity of our elections while also protecting First Amendment rights,\u201d said Senator Collins.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:35:26Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-introduces-new-legislation-cap-credit-card-interest-rates-and-provide-relief-working/", "Hawley Introduces New Legislation to Cap Credit Card Interest Rates and Provide Relief to Working Americans", "2023-09-12", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced the Capping Credit Card Interest Rates Act, new legislation that would cap credit card interest rates at common sense levels, bringing relief to working people across America.\n\n\u201cAmericans are being crushed under the weight of record credit card debt\u2014and the biggest banks are just getting richer,\u201d said Senator Hawley. \u201cThe government was quick to bail out the banks just this spring, but has ignored working people struggling to get ahead. Capping the maximum credit card interest rate is fair, common-sense, and gives the working class a chance.\u201d\n\nCumulative consumer credit card debt recently surpassed one trillion dollars, the highest level in history. Last year, many major credit cards soared past the 30 percent interest rate threshold for the first time, and now the average rate of interest is hitting a record level. This means working people face higher financial burdens at the same exact time the biggest banks are booking bumper profits and wielding immense power over the market.\n\nSenator Hawley\u2019s Capping Credit Card Interest Rates Act would:\n\nCap the annual percentage rate (APR) for credit cards at 18 percent.\n\nPrevent credit card companies from imposing new fees to evade the cap.\n\nImpose penalties on credit card companies that violate the cap.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:35:26Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wagner-denounces-bidens-shameful-hostage-deal-puts-americans-risk", "Wagner Denounces Biden\u2019s Shameful Hostage Deal That Puts Americans at Risk", "2023-09-11", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO), Vice Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement on President Joe Biden\u2019s prisoner swap with Iran:\n\n\u201cPresident Biden\u2019s decision today puts American lives at risk, and we will work to hold him and his administration accountable for his monumental and dangerous failure. This \u2018deal\u2019 is a windfall for the violent and intolerant regime in Tehran, funneling it resources that will only be used to wage a war of terror and fund groups that kill Americans and our allies. Getting Iran to release American hostages is important, but not at a financial cost that puts millions of lives at risk from Iran being able to expand their nuclear ambitions and continue to fund their terrorist operations worldwide.\n\n\"The Administration has significantly hurt international efforts to tighten the screws on Iran for nuclear proliferation, support for terrorist proxies, rampant human rights abuses, and complicity in Russia\u2019s full-scale war on Ukraine. We need to be holding accountable countries that seek to destroy peace and security\u2014not rewarding them.\n\n\"On the eve of the third anniversary of the historic Abraham Accords, when we should be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with these nations who face an existential threat from Iran, the Administration is undermining our partners\u2019 confidence in the U.S. commitment to keep each other safe from our common adversary.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:35:26Z"], ["https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases/graves-presses-federal-disaster-declaration", "Graves Presses for Federal Disaster Declaration", "2023-09-08", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Sam Graves", "G000546", "graves.house.gov", "graves", "https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Congressman Sam Graves (MO-06) joined Senators Eric Schmitt and Josh Hawley, along with Representatives Emanuel Cleaver, Ann Wagner, Blaine Luetkemeyer, Jason Smith, Mark Alford, Eric Burlison and Cori Bush, in writing a letter in support of Governor Mike Parson\u2019s recent request for a Disaster Declaration. The Declaration request is in response to severe storms and flooding from July 29 to August 14, 2023 in 33 Missouri counties, including Adair, Clark, Gentry, Grundy,Knox, Scotland, Shelby, andWorth Countiesin North Missouri.\n\n\u201cMany communities in North Missouri have been hit with severe storms over the last month. The town of Baring was devastated by a tornado. The folks there are resilient though and many have come together to get things going again. We need a disaster declaration to help them, and many others, in their recovery efforts,\u201d said Graves.\n\nThe EF-2 tornado, which occurred on August 4th, destroyed homes, businesses, the fire station and the Post Office in Baring. Graves recently called on the United States Postal Service to develop a plan to fully restore the Post Office in Baring.\n\nYou can read the full letter here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:35:26Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/senator-hawley-demands-answers-washington-university-transgender-center-after-further-evidence/", "Senator Hawley Demands Answers from Washington University Transgender Center After Further Evidence of Abuse of Minors", "2023-09-07", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter demanding that Washington University in St. Louis and BJC Healthcare conduct a fresh evaluation of the practices at The Washington University Transgender Center. Recent reporting from the New York Times validated claims made by Jamie Reed, a former case manager at the Center, that the Center commenced experimental treatments on hundreds of minors and lacked appropriate safeguards.\n\n\u201cAs you have no doubt seen, the New York Times recently published a report which corroborates Jamie Reed\u2019s allegations about the practices at The Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children\u2019s Hospital,\u201d wrote Senator Hawley. \u201cIn some cases, the Times contradicts representations your institutions previously made to my office. You have thus far refused to provide my office with documents regarding the Center, claiming that your internal review revealed no issues at the Center.\u201d\n\nHe continued, \u201cThis new report demands a fresh evaluation of the Center\u2019s practices. To date, however, you have refused to provide my office with more than 5,000 documents, which I requested in a letter on April 27, 2023. Please provide such documents to my office immediately. Please also explain any apparent discrepancies between the University\u2019s internal review and the Times report, including anything contained in the Times report that you may consider inaccurate.\u201d\n\nIn February, Senator Hawley launched an investigation into The Washington University Transgender Center, following allegations of potential malpractice. As part of the investigation, Senator Hawley sent a letter to Washington University Chancellor Andrew Martin and BJC HealthCare President and CEO Liekweg, requesting information about the receipt and use of federal funds in connection with the Center. Chancellor Martin confirmed to Senator Hawley that Washington University would comply with the request within four weeks.\n\nSenator Hawley also introduced the Protecting Our Kids from Child Abuse Act, which would allow those who were harmed by gender-transition procedures as minors to bring lawsuits against the participating individuals and entities.\n\nRead the full letter here or below.\n\nSeptember 7, 2023\n\nDr. Andrew D. Martin\n\nChancellor\n\nWashington University in St. Louis\n\n1 Brookings Dr.\n\nSt. Louis, MO 63130\n\nRichard J. Liekweg\n\nPresident and CEO\n\nBJC HealthCare\n\n4901 Forest Park Avenue\n\nSt. Louis, MO 63108\n\nDr. Martin and Mr. Liekweg:\n\nAs you have no doubt seen, the New York Times recently published a report which corroborates Jamie Reed\u2019s allegations about the practices at The Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children\u2019s Hospital. In some cases, the Times contradicts representations your institutions previously made to my office. You have thus far refused to provide my office with documents regarding the Center, claiming that your internal review revealed no issues at the Center. In light of this new report, I request once again that you immediately furnish my office with such documentation.\n\nJamie Reed has been vilified for coming forward with her allegations, and many in the mainstream press and elsewhere rushed to discredit her account. Now, months later, the Times has validated her central claim: that the Center has commenced experimental treatments on hundreds of minors without appropriate safeguards in place. According to the Times:\n\nWith its psychologists overbooked, the clinic relied on external therapists, some with little experience in gender issues, to evaluate the young patients\u2019 readiness for hormonal medications. Doctors prescribed hormones to patients who had obtained such approvals, even adolescents whose medical histories raised red flags. Some of these patients later stopped identifying as transgender, and received little to no support from the clinic after doing so.\n\nThe Times report invites further scrutiny into previous statements contained in the University\u2019s internal review of the Center, which was provided to my office on April 21, 2023. For example, the review states that University physicians and Center staff \u201ctreat patients according to the currently accepted standard of care.\u201d According to text messages obtained by the Times, however, the Center\u2019s lead physician said he had \u201cno idea how to meet what would be the most intensive interpretations\u201d of the latest standard of care\u2014raising questions about the procedures and processes actually employed at the Center.\n\nThe Times report shows that the Center makes little to no effort to follow up with patients or track their outcomes, directly contradicting the results of your own internal review. In one case independently verified by the Times, a patient de-transitioned three years after being prescribed testosterone following just one visit to the Center, but was treated dismissively by Center staff and told there was no need for follow-up. According to the patient, \u201coverall, there was a major lack of care and consideration for me.\u201d As evidenced by its practices, the Center is apparently uninterested in its patients\u2019 outcomes over the long term.\n\nAdditionally, despite the University\u2019s claim in its review that \u201c[m]ental health care and counseling is a priority at the Center,\u201d the Times found that the Center largely outsources this to outside therapists, many of whom do not possess relevant expertise. It appears the Center\u2019s practice only requires a single letter from such a therapist to vet a minor\u2019s mental health before prescribing the minor potentially irreversible medications. The Times also confirmed numerous patients at the Center who had severe psychiatric issues, including one on testosterone who stopped taking schizophrenia medication without consulting a doctor.\n\nThis new report demands a fresh evaluation of the Center\u2019s practices. To date, however, you have refused to provide my office with more than 5,000 documents, which I requested in a letter on April 27, 2023. Please provide such documents to my office immediately. Please also explain any apparent discrepancies between the University\u2019s internal review and the Times report, including anything contained in the Times report that you may consider inaccurate.\n\nFinally, please describe in detail the Center\u2019s plans to comply fully with \u00a7\u00a7191.1720 of the Missouri Revised Statutes, which generally prohibits the prescription or administration of puberty-blocking drugs or cross-sex hormones to minors, among other provisions.\n\nI look forward to your response.\n\nSincerely,\n\nJosh Hawley\n\nUnited States Senator", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:35:26Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-urges-postal-service-prioritize-rebuilding-post-office-destroyed-baring-mo-tornado/", "Hawley Urges Postal Service to Prioritize Rebuilding Post Office Destroyed in Baring, Mo., Tornado", "2023-09-06", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis Dejoy of the United States Postal Service (USPS) seeking an update on the status of the Post Office in Baring, Mo., after it was destroyed by a tornado on August 4, 2023.\n\n\u201cLosing a functioning Post Office is more than an inconvenience for Baring\u2019s citizens. They risk losing access to reliable medical delivery, payment disbursements, and indispensable communications,\u201d wrote Senator Hawley.\n\nHe continued, \u201cUnited States Postal Service (USPS) should prioritize rebuilding this critical infrastructure as soon as possible to ensure the people of Baring promptly regain access to deliveries and other vital services that they depend on.\u201d\n\nRead the full letter here or below.\n\nSeptember 6, 2023\n\nThe Honorable Louis Dejoy\n\nPostmaster General\n\nUnited States Postal Service\n\n475 L\u2019Enfant Plaza SW\n\nWashington, DC 20024\n\nDear Postmaster General Dejoy,\n\nI write to urge you to immediately address the closure of the Post Office in Baring, Missouri, which was recently damaged by a tornado. United States Postal Service (USPS) should prioritize rebuilding this critical infrastructure as soon as possible to ensure the people of Baring promptly regain access to deliveries and other vital services that they depend on.\n\nOn August 4, 2023, Knox County was struck by an EF-2 tornado. According to reports, this natural disaster affected local businesses, damaged 62 homes, and almost completely destroyed Baring\u2019s Post Office building. The tornado removed the building\u2019s roof and several walls; it has now been deemed inoperative. According to a recent USPS press release, mail operations at the facility will be suspended. Encouragingly, it appears that some deliveries will be rerouted to the Edina Post Office for P.O. Box customers. While this is a helpful remedy for some residents, USPS must promptly restore normal operations and services to the area.\n\nLosing a functioning Post Office is more than an inconvenience for Baring\u2019s citizens. They risk losing access to reliable medical delivery, payment disbursements, and indispensable communications. I therefore urge you to rebuild the Post Office, resume normal deliveries, and initiate a public awareness campaign, in coordination with local officials, to make sure Baring residents are informed of the remedial steps your agency is taking.\n\nAs a Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, I know the important work that USPS performs on a daily basis for millions of Americans. I am also committed to making sure that the committee oversees how USPS ensures services for rural residents following natural disasters, like this one. I am therefore also requesting regular updates on the reconstruction of the Baring Post Office building so that, together, we can ensure that Baring residents are served by USPS.\n\nThank you for your prompt attention to this matter.\n\nSincerely,\n\nJosh Hawley\n\nUnited States Senator", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases/graves-rouzer-statement-epas-implementation-supreme-court-wotus-ruling", "Graves, Rouzer Statement on EPA\u2019s Implementation of Supreme Court WOTUS Ruling", "2023-08-29", "2023", "2023-08", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Sam Graves", "G000546", "graves.house.gov", "graves", "https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (MO-06) and Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Chairman David Rouzer (R-NC) issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) releasing its updated Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule following the U.S. Supreme Court\u2019s May ruling in the Sackett v. EPA case:\n\n\u201cThe Supreme Court\u2019s ruling in Sackett was a decisive win for America\u2019s farmers, small businesses, property owners, and those who build our infrastructure. We said from the very beginning that the Biden Administration should have waited on Sackett, knowing how much of an impact the decision could have on their costly, burdensome, and overreaching WOTUS rule. Unfortunately, the Biden Administration\u2019s revised rule barely pays lip service to the Sackett decision. The Court was clear that Clean Water Act overreach is illegal. The Administration is now trying to make Sackett fit with a rule that never should have been issued in the first place. This revised rule ignores fundamental concerns laid out in Sackett and is a missed opportunity to finally end longstanding confusion over what constitutes a WOTUS.\u201d\n\nBackground Information:\n\nOn February 2, 2023, Graves and Rouzer introduced a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) on the Biden Administration\u2019s flawed and burdensome WOTUS rule.\n\nOn March 9, 2023, the House of Representatives approved the Graves-Rouzer resolution with bipartisan support in a vote of 227-198.\n\nOn March 29, 2023, the Senate also passed the resolution of disapproval in bipartisan fashion in a 53-43 vote.\n\nOn April 6, 2023, President Biden vetoed the resolution of disapproval, siding with far-left environmental activists over everyday Americans, as well as majorities in both Houses of Congress.\n\nOn May 25, 2023, the Supreme Court struck down the Biden WOTUS Rule in Sackett v. EPA.\n\nOn June 21, 2023, House and Senate Republican committee leaders asked the Biden Administration for a detailed update on their plans to implement the Supreme Court\u2019s ruling in Sackett.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:30:18Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wagner-statement-leader-scalise", "Wagner Statement on Leader Scalise", "2023-08-29", "2023", "2023-08", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO) released the following statement on House Majority Leader Steve Scalise\u2019s diagnosis:\n\n\"Nobody is as prepared as Steve Scalise is to take on this new trial, and win. With his faith in God, the love of his life Jennifer at his side, and his children and loving family there to support him, I know Steve will fight through this and come out stronger and more purpose driven than before.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:30:18Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wagner-mchenry-urge-pcaob-reconsider-proposed-changes-company", "Wagner, McHenry Urge PCAOB to Reconsider Proposed Changes to Company Noncompliance with Laws and Regulations Standards", "2023-08-24", "2023", "2023-08", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C.\u2014 The Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Patrick McHenry (NC-10), and Chairman of the Capital Markets Subcommittee, Ann Wagner (MO-02), sent a letter to the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) urging the Board to reevaluate the proposed changes in its Exposure Draft regarding Company Noncompliance with Laws and Regulations (NOCLAR) standards. The proposed changes are in direct conflict with existing rules and risk undermining audit quality, auditor independence, and the materiality standard.\n\nRead the full letter here or below:\n\n\u201cWe write to you with serious concern regarding the recent Exposure Draft from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (\u2018PCAOB\u2019 or \u2018Board\u2019) on Company Noncompliance with Laws and Regulations (\u2018NOCLAR\u2019).\n\n\u201cPreventing fraud and maintaining financial reporting integrity are paramount to the effective functioning of U.S. capital markets. However, the proposed changes to NOCLAR standards risk undermining audit quality. The revisions to NOCLAR standards are likely to divert auditors\u2019 attention, dedication, and resources away from their principal responsibility of rigorously evaluating financial statements. This concern comes at a critical time, as the PCAOB is emphasizing the need to enhance audit standards, as underscored by Chair Erica Williams\u2019 recent Op-Ed. The proposed realignment will likely have the opposite effect resulting in a weakening of audit quality and increasing the risk of investor harm.\n\n\u201cAuditors are not legal professionals and should not be expected to function as law enforcement agents. Notably, the Securities and Exchange Commission (\u2018SEC\u2019) has long-established rules for auditor independence. These rules prohibit auditors in the U.S. from offering services to audit clients that fall under the purview of legal experts.\n\n\u201cThe proposed NOCLAR requirements appear to be in direct conflict with these existing rules. They would compel public accounting firms to establish specialized teams responsible for identifying laws and regulations imposing additional scrutiny for noncompliance. Further, the PCAOB\u2019s proposal may entangle auditors in legal and managerial decisions beyond their scope, potentially impinging on their ability to accurately assess financial statement information.\n\n\u201cAdditionally, the proposal risks undermining the materiality standard that is the foundation of U.S. capital markets, and to which the PCAOB must adhere. The vague and complex language in the Proposal, such as \u2018could reasonably\u2019 and \u2018may have occurred,\u2019 introduce uncertainty regarding the PCAOB\u2019s future adherence to the materiality standard as established in TSC v. Northway. Use of such terms creates considerable ambiguity in determining the relevant laws and regulations that necessitate evaluation. This ambiguity, combined with the renewed emphasis on noncompliance, could lead to adverse outcomes for U.S companies, including increased legal and compliance costs. It may also divert the attention of management, employees, and audit committees from financial reporting. Safeguarding investors requires the PCAOB to meticulously assess the repercussions and ramifications of this proposal for the public company model and, by extension, the attractiveness of U.S. capital markets.\n\n\u201cU.S. companies are already burdened with substantial compliance obligations and are overseen by federal and state authorities. The existing oversight and enforcement frameworks competently address instances of noncompliance. While auditors have traditionally been responsible for detecting illicit activities as part of financial audits, broadening their purview to encompass noncompliance with all laws and regulations could blur the lines between legal, managerial, and audit functions. Put succinctly, the responsibilities of auditors must not be confused for the role of law enforcement, and the PCAOB must refrain from conflating its role as the \u201cauditor of the auditors\u201d with the mission of other prudential regulators.\n\n\u201cThe PCAOB should reevaluate the suitability of its proposed NOCLAR standards and revise any final standards to more effectively align with the PCAOB\u2019s mission. Striking a delicate equilibrium between fraud prevention, audit quality, and preserving essential financial reporting duties is imperative. We greatly appreciate your attention to these concerns and anticipate a productive dialogue on this critical matter.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:30:18Z"], ["https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases/graves-requests-plan-reopen-baring-post-office-after-tornado", "Graves Requests Plan to Reopen Baring Post Office after Tornado", "2023-08-22", "2023", "2023-08", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Sam Graves", "G000546", "graves.house.gov", "graves", "https://graves.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C \u2013 Congressman Sam Graves wrote Postmaster General Louis DeJoy today requesting the United States Postal Service (USPS) develop a plan to reopen the Post Office in Baring, Missouri destroyed by the EF2 tornado that devastated the community earlier this month.\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s been a United States Post Office in Baring for more than 130 years,\u201d Graves said. \u201cIn the wake of this tragedy, the people of Baring deserve a plan from USPS to reopen this post office and continue serving the community for generations to come.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe community of Baring might be small, but it is strong. I ask that the United States Postal Service join in this rebuilding effort by finding a suitable location in Baring for the Post Office to reopen in a timely manner,\u201d the letter states.\n\nYou can read the full letter here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:30:18Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wagner-receives-homeland-security-investigations-award-protecting", "Wagner Receives Homeland Security Investigations Award for Protecting Children from Human Trafficking", "2023-08-16", "2023", "2023-08", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO), released the following statement after today\u2019s Homeland Security Investigations Human Trafficking Symposium:\n\n\u201cIt was an honor to speak at the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Human Trafficking Symposium and kick off a day of training to help law enforcement, private and public sector partners, advocates, and so many others in our ongoing fight against human trafficking. There are too many victims being taken advantage of in our communities, and it is critical we all have the tools we need to identify human trafficking wherever it may occur and bring perpetrators to justice.\n\n\"Thank you to Acting Special Agent in Charge Taekuk Cho for presenting me an award recognizing my work to fight for victims of trafficking. It is incumbent upon us to do all we can to prevent the sexual exploitation of some of the most vulnerable in our world, especially the innocent children who cannot protect themselves.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:30:18Z"], ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/biden-backs-hawley-lujan-legislation-provide-aid-victims-nuclear-contamination/", "Biden Backs Hawley-Luj\u00e1n Legislation to Provide Aid to Victims of Nuclear Contamination", "2023-08-10", "2023", "2023-08", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) issued the following statement after President Biden endorsed Senator Hawley\u2019s legislation to compensate victims of government-caused nuclear contamination originating from the Manhattan Project. Senator Hawley\u2019s legislation was adopted by the Senate as part of the National Defense Authorization Act in July. The legislation was introduced with support from Senators Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-N.M.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho).\n\nSenator Hawley said: \u201cCompensating victims of government-caused nuclear contamination and negligence should not be a partisan issue. It\u2019s about justice. I am glad President Biden has announced his support of our amendment, but now we need action. This amendment must be included in the final negotiated defense bill that the President signs into law. And we also must hear from the Biden Administration about their next steps to support victims in the St. Louis area and beyond.\u201d\n\nBackground\n\nSenator Hawley has consistently advocated on behalf of the Coldwater Creek community and all Missourians impacted by government-caused nuclear contamination.\n\nOn July 27, 2023, in a strong bipartisan vote, Senator Hawley secured passage of an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would provide compensation to victims of government-caused nuclear contamination. The legislation extends the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to cover victims of improperly-stored nuclear waste in affected areas in the St. Louis region. The measure\u2014which was cosponsored by Senators Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n and Mike Crapo\u2014also reauthorized and strengthened the RECA program to cover more impacted Americans from nuclear tests along with uranium miners.\n\nEarlier in July, Senator Hawley sent a letter to the Department of Energy (DOE), urging additional testing for radioactive contamination at a site in St. Charles County, Mo., after a review of the Weldon Spring site in 2021 offered an extensive critique of the DOE\u2019s cleanup and monitoring efforts there. Senator Hawley also sent a letter to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman, Senator Joe Manchin, urging him to convene a committee hearing to discuss the government-caused nuclear contamination of the St. Louis area. In addition, Senator Hawley penned separate letters to the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), DOE, and Environmental Protection Agency, demanding answers from the government about the nuclear contamination.\n\nIn April, Senator Hawley\u2019s legislation mandating the clean up of Jana Elementary School in the Hazelwood School District and radioactive waste testing passed the U.S. Senate and Biden\u2019s Energy Secretary Granholm also vowed to support it.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:31:44Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wagner-introduces-bipartisan-legislation-protect-victims-child-sexual", "Wagner Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Victims of Child Sexual Abuse", "2023-08-09", "2023", "2023-08", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO), along with Representatives Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), Don Bacon (R-NE), and Zach Nunn (R-IA), released the following statement after she introduced the Child Online Safety Modernization Act:\n\n\u201cIn 2022, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received more than 32 million reports of online child sexual abuse material, sometimes called \u2018child pornography.\u2019 That\u2019s equal to approximately 87,600 reports per day of images and videos of children being sexually exploited. My legislation, the Child Online Safety Modernization Act, will advance common-sense, bipartisan, and bicameral solutions to help law enforcement investigate these cases, rescue vulnerable children, and apprehend online predators,\u201d said Wagner. \u201cAdditionally, this bill will make it clear that images and videos of children being raped is not \u2018pornography,\u2019 it is sexual abuse of a child. America cannot, and should not, accept a reality where innocent children are sexually exploited for financial gain. Congress must do everything in its power to end this scourge against humanity, and my legislation will help protect innocent victims from some of the most destructive criminals in our society.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn today\u2019s modern society, it has become increasingly important to hold accountable those individuals that would sexually coerce and extort our children. As elected officials, there is no greater responsibility than ensuring we are keeping our children safe,\u2019 said Garcia. \u201cThis is why I\u2019m proud to co-lead the Online Safety Modernization Act of 2023 because it is a step toward preventing online sexual abuse from occurring in our society today.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs a father with six young children, there\u2019s nothing in the world I wouldn\u2019t do to protect them,\u201d said Nunn. \u201cThe appalling number of reports of sexual abuse to the CyberTipline indicate that we have a crisis on our hands. We must take action to stop this horrific abuse and ensure victims get justice.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is troubling and heartbreaking to see the rise of child sexual exploitation on the internet and we must do everything we can to save these children by supporting the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as fully as we can,\u201d said Bacon. \u201cBy requiring reports from online platforms to provide more information to help law enforcement identify and locate the child victim and the individual who posted the image, we can save more children from a life of sexual trauma.\u201d\n\nRead the one-pager on this legislation here.\n\nSupporting Organizations\n\nNational Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)\n\n\u201cNCMEC thanks Representatives Ann Wagner and Sylvia Garcia for their leadership in online child safety and the introduction of the Child Online Safety Modernization Act (COSMA).\n\n\u201cCOSMA addresses the significant impact of child sex trafficking and enticement of children for sexual abuse by requiring online platforms to report these crimes to the CyberTipline. The bill also extends the preservation of CyberTipline data from 90 days to one year and ensures reports will be more actionable, which will help law enforcement safeguard victimized children. Lastly, COSMA provides a much-needed update to the criminal code by replacing the term \"child pornography\" with \"child sexual abuse material\" to more accurately reflect the rape and sexual abuse of children that is depicted in these images.\n\n\u201cNCMEC is proud to support this important legislation and applauds Representatives Wagner and Garcia for their continued dedication to the safety of our children.\u201d - Michelle DeLaune \u2013 President & CEO \u2013 NCMEC\n\nNational Children\u2019s Alliance\n\n\u201cWe cheer the introduction of COSMA by longtime Congressional champion for children, Rep. Ann Wagner of Missouri, to modernize and fix many of the paths by which children exploited online might be saved from their abuse,\u201d said Teresa Huizar, CEO of National Children\u2019s Alliance, the national association of Children\u2019s Advocacy Centers. \u201cChild sexual abuse materials are exploding in volume as our systems for online reporting and holding offenders accountable are stretched past their limits. The important changes to the CyberTipline and enhanced reporting requirements, plus the changes to federal law forever eliminating the inaccurate and victim-blaming term \u2018child pornography\u2019 from our federal laws, make the passage of the act a critical step toward an internet that minimally protects our children. We thank Rep. Wagner for her ongoing bipartisan leadership on behalf of children around the country, online and off.\u201d\n\nRape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN)\n\n\"Technology companies must effectively collaborate with law enforcement to address online sexual exploitation of children\", said Stefan Turkheimer, Interim Vice President of Public Policy for the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network. \"The Child Online Safety Modernization Act is a major step forward to ensure technology companies are doing their part to rescue victims and catch predators seen in child sexual abuse material that they host and show on their platforms.\n\nInternational Justice Mission\n\n\u201cInternational Justice Mission (IJM) is pleased to support the Child Online Safety Modernization Act (COSMA). We are grateful for the leadership of Rep. Ann Wagner (R-TX) and Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX) in introducing this much-needed legislation. This bill will enhance reporting and preservation requirements for technology companies to the CyberTipline, which is operated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). In 2022, 89.3% of all CyberTipline reports were linked to potential offenders outside the U.S. and referred to law enforcement agencies in more than 140 countries. From IJM\u2019s experience in training international law enforcement partners on CyberTipline investigations, it is clear that updates are desperately needed to the existing reporting framework. COSMA will help improve consistency, quality and timeliness in reports of suspected OSEC sent from electronic service providers to the CyberTipline. IJM\u2019s 2020 study of livestreamed child sexual abuse in the Philippines found that victims were abused on average for two years prior to intervention, in part because of failures to detect, report or disrupt these crimes. These updated reporting requirements will help international law enforcement receive and respond to reports faster, helping to identify and remove more children from abuse sooner. IJM also supports COSMA\u2019s increase in the period of time electronic service providers are required to keep content from reports submitted to the CyberTipline \u2013 from 90 days to 1 year. This critical change will give investigators much-needed time to conduct their important work.\u201d \u2013 Nate King, Director of Congressional Affairs at International Justice Mission\n\nRaven\n\n\"Today our children live and interact in an online environment. There are not enough reporting mechanisms, guidelines, and legislation to find victims and protect them. COSMA will do just that and more importantly ensure that the horrific victimization of children is described accurately as - child sexual abuse material.\u201d \u2013 John Pizzuro, CEO of Raven\n\nEnding Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children (OSEAC) Coalition\n\n\"Online sexual exploitation and abuse of children has increased exponentially since the COVID-19 pandemic\", said the Ending Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children (OSEAC) Coalition. \"In 2019, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children\u2019s CyberTipline received over 16.8 million reports of suspected OSEAC. In just 3 years, that number has nearly doubled to over 32 million. The Child Online Safety Modernization Act is essential in ensuring that law enforcement has the necessary information to successfully investigate reports and identify child victims. We applaud Representatives Ann Wagner and Sylvia Garcia for their leadership on this important issue.\"\n\nMissouri KidsFirst\n\n\u201cOnline sexual exploitation is an issue of great concern to providers who serve victims of child abuse, including Missouri\u2019s Child Advocacy Centers (CACs). While we know the presence of Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM) is becoming more frequent in child abuse investigations, reliable data has been a consistent challenge to the field. This can delay the system response by law enforcement and child protective services and limit access to victim services,\u201d said Jessica Seitz, Executive Director of Missouri KidsFirst, the state\u2019s network of CACs. \u201cWe thank Representative Wagner for introducing this legislation which will promote justice and healing to children who have been exploited.\u201d\n\nMissouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (MOCADSV)\n\n\u201cThe Child Online Safety Modernization Act seeks to replace the term \u201cchild pornography\u201d with \u201cchild sexual abuse material\u201d throughout U.S. federal statutes. Child victims depicted in such imagery have no consent and no control over their sexual exploitation, and U.S. federal law should accurately reflect this abuse. MOCADSV supports Representative Wagner\u2019s efforts to increase online safety for children, and update federal statutes to accurately name this abuse.\u201d \u2013 Matthew Huffman, Chief Public Affairs Officer.\n\nProtect All Children from Trafficking (PACT)\n\n\"Our nation's laws have failed to catch up with technology and the internet. By holding online platforms accountable, The Child Online Safety Modernization Act is a step forward to ensuring all children can access the internet free from exploitation and abuse.\" \u2013 Alexander Delgado, Director of Public Policy.\n\nNational Center on Sexual Exploitation", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:30:18Z"], ["https://burlison.house.gov/media/press-releases/burlison-introduces-bill-stop-automatic-union-payroll-deductions", "Burlison Introduces Bill to Stop Automatic Union Payroll Deductions", "2023-07-28", "2023", "2023-07", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Eric Burlison", "B001316", "burlison.house.gov", "burlison", "https://burlison.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Rep. Eric Burlison (MO-07) introduced the Paycheck Protection Act, which will establish transparency and protect the rights of federal employees by prohibiting labor unions from deducting dues directly from their paychecks.\n\nLabor unions, unlike other dues-paying membership groups, are allowed to deduct dues directly from paychecks. The Paycheck Protection Act eliminates this unnecessary and harmful practice by requiring federal labor unions to collect dues payments directly from their members. This will empower workers with vital information about the exact amount of dues they pay, thereby promoting transparency, financial awareness, and informed decision-making.\n\nRep. Eric Burlison said, \u201cThe government should not be in the business of giving preferential treatment to labor unions. Whether or not a worker chooses to join a union and pay dues is up to them. The federal government should not help unions do their job by collecting dues on their behalf. The Paycheck Protection Act is essential to foster transparency and help federal workers make more informed decisions about their hard-earned wages.\u201d\n\nAaron Withe, CEO of the Freedom Foundation said, \u201cThe Freedom Foundation commends Rep. Burlison for his leadership in introducing this important legislation. Taxpayers shouldn\u2019t have to pay for government payroll systems to fundraise for politically partisan labor unions who use their access to federal employees\u2019 paychecks to coerce them into membership and lock them into nearly irrevocable dues payments. Getting government out of the union dues collection business and making unions collect their own dues would make unions more accountable to their members and give federal workers greater control over their financial relationship with unions.\u201d\n\nThe Paycheck Protection Act is cosponsored by Reps. Bob Good, Mary Miller, Glenn Grothman, Andy Ogles, and Tom Tiffany.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:18:03Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wagner-appointed-house-knesset-parliamentary-group-1", "Wagner Appointed to House-Knesset Parliamentary Group", "2023-07-28", "2023", "2023-07", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO), Vice Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Co-Chair of the House Abraham Accords Caucus, released the following statement after Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy appointed her to the House-Knesset Parliamentary Group.\n\n\u201cI am deeply humbled and honored to be a part of this historic, bipartisan delegation that will further strengthen the special bond between the United States and Israel,\u201d said Vice Chair Wagner. \u201cThrough my position on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and as co-chair of the House Abraham Accords Caucus, I look forward to working with members of the Knesset to build upon the recent successes in normalizing relations between Israel and Arab states. I have been proud to pass legislation this Congress honoring the 75th anniversary of U.S.-Israel relations, and through this collaborative body, I will strive to foster new pathways for peace and prosperity in the Middle East.\u201d\n\nBackground\n\nIn May 2023, Speaker McCarthy and Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana signed a joint pledge to establish a collaborative group between the U.S. House of Representatives and the Israeli Knesset to memorialize and strengthen the special relationship between the two countries. Members of these legislative bodies will be able to personally engage with each other through visits to the United States and Israel.\n\nSpeaker McCarthy and House Minority Leader Jeffries appointed the following Members of Congress to this inaugural group:", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:18:03Z"], ["https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/wagner-statement-her-corporate-governance-examination-act", "Wagner Statement on Her Corporate Governance Examination Act", "2023-07-28", "2023", "2023-07", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Ann Wagner", "W000812", "wagner.house.gov", "wagner", "https://wagner.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO), Chair of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets, released the following statement on her Corporate Governance Examination Act, legislation that was marked up and passed by the Financial Services Committee this week:\n\n\u201cThis important legislation will address potential issues from proxy advisors and will ensure the financial interests of retail investors are protected. Too often politically or socially motivated shareholder proposals cause investors to shoulder increased and unnecessary costs. Being a fiduciary means you have a responsibility to protect the best interest of investors, not follow a politicized proxy process. My legislation will examine whether the proposal process has become unnecessarily politicized and help ensure these proposals don\u2019t deter future investors or endanger current investors.\u201d\n\nBackground", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:18:03Z"], ["https://burlison.house.gov/media/press-releases/burlison-and-brecheen-introduce-america-works-welfare-reform-package", "Burlison and Brecheen Introduce \u201cAmerica Works\u201d Welfare Reform Package", "2023-07-27", "2023", "2023-07", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Eric Burlison", "B001316", "burlison.house.gov", "burlison", "https://burlison.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Representatives Josh Brecheen and Eric Burlison (R-MO) introduced two bills aimed at reining in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) spending and getting Americans back to work.\n\nRep. Eric Burlison said, \u201cTemporary government assistance programs are supposed to be just that, temporary. Yet, millions of able-bodied Americans are receiving billions in government assistance at the expense of taxpayers and our national debt. It\u2019s time to end the cycle of dependency. The America Works package makes common-sense changes to welfare for able-bodied working-age Americans and rolls back the largest food stamp expansion in 45 years. It\u2019s time to get America back to work.\u201d\n\nRep. Josh Brecheen said, \u201cUnder President Biden, food stamp spending has increased by more than 27% in just two years\u2014the largest increase in the program\u2019s history. This increase in spending was not done by an act of Congress, but instead by unelected bureaucrats willfully usurping Congress\u2019 power of the purse. In addition to this Administration thumbing its nose at the Constitution, President Biden has encouraged many Americans to become too dependent on government, leading to an explosion of able-bodied individuals taking advantage of programs intended for those who really need it. As a society, we must be encouraging more people to work and lessening the dependency culture.\u201d\n\nTarren Bragdon, President and CEO at the Foundation for Government Accountability, said about the Ending the Cycle of Dependency Act, \u201cWith the Ending the Cycle of Dependency Act, Rep. Burlison addresses some of the biggest barriers to work head on. For years, states and bureaucrats have created and fostered loopholes that keep Americans out of the workforce and trapped in dependency. Work requirements work\u2014if you let them. By eliminating some of the biggest loopholes, more Americans can experience the value and dignity of work.\u201d\n\nTarren Bragdon, said about the Thrifty Food Plan Accountability Act, \u201cEverything about the Biden administration\u2019s spending habits have been unprecedented, so it\u2019s no surprise that USDA blew past decades-old standards, peer-review processes, and expert advice to unilaterally increase benefits. This reckless action did nothing but increase dependency and further erode trust in Washington. Rep. Brecheen\u2019s Thrifty Food Plan Accountability Act restores some fiscal sanity to the Thrifty Food Plan and helps this important program get back on track to serve the truly needy.\u201d\n\nRep. Burlison introduced the Ending the Cycle of Dependency Act, which caps assistance for able-bodied food stamp enrollees at 5 years, eliminates geographic waivers states regularly use to skirt work requirements, expands work requirements to parents on food stamps with children over the age of 6, and raises the current age limit exception for food stamp benefit eligibility to 65.\n\nRep. Brecheen introduced the Thrifty Food Plan Accountability Act, which would eliminate President Biden\u2019s unlawful Thrifty Food Plan increase that has led benefits to soar by 27%\u2014the largest permanent increase since the program\u2019s inception. The bill would also require any re-evaluations to be cost-neutral.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:18:03Z"]], "truncated": false, "filtered_table_rows_count": 230, "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 \"party\" = :p0 and \"state\" = :p1 and \"year\" = :p2 order by date desc limit 101", "params": {"p0": "Republican", "p1": "MO", "p2": "2023"}}, "facet_results": {"party": {"name": "party", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=MO&year=2023", "results": [{"value": "Republican", "label": "Republican", "count": 230, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=MO&year=2023", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "chamber": {"name": "chamber", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=MO&year=2023", "results": [{"value": "Senate", "label": "Senate", "count": 116, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=MO&year=2023&chamber=Senate", "selected": false}, {"value": "House", "label": "House", "count": 114, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=MO&year=2023&chamber=House", "selected": false}], "truncated": false}, "state": {"name": "state", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=MO&year=2023", "results": [{"value": "MO", "label": "MO", "count": 230, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Republican&year=2023", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "year": {"name": "year", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=MO&year=2023", "results": [{"value": "2023", "label": "2023", "count": 230, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=MO", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}}, "suggested_facets": [], "next": "2023-07-27,https~3A~2F~2Fburlison~2Ehouse~2Egov~2Fmedia~2Fpress-releases~2Fburlison-and-brecheen-introduce-america-works-welfare-reform-package", "next_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=MO&year=2023&_next=2023-07-27%2Chttps~3A~2F~2Fburlison~2Ehouse~2Egov~2Fmedia~2Fpress-releases~2Fburlison-and-brecheen-introduce-america-works-welfare-reform-package&_sort_desc=date", "private": false, "allow_execute_sql": true, "query_ms": 185.58819079771638, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}