{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "is_view": false, "human_description_en": "where party = \"Republican\", state = \"MS\" and year = 2023 sorted by date descending", "rows": [["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/12/senator-wicker-statement-on-creation-of-operation-prosperity-guardian", "Senator Wicker Statement on Creation of \u201cOperation Prosperity Guardian\u201d", "2023-12-18", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement in response to the Biden administration\u2019s decision to launch \u201cOperation Prosperity Guardian\u201d in an effort to counter continued Houthi aggression on international commerce and the United States Navy in the Red Sea:\n\n\u201cHow much longer can we tolerate these attacks without a proper response? What exactly would a task force accomplish? Until the Biden administration takes clear steps toward restoring deterrence, nothing will change in the Red Sea,\u201d Senator Wicker said. \u201cThe continuing threat posed to American sailors and freedom of navigation could soon lead to a catastrophe unless the Biden administration acts with the resolve that it has so far sorely lacked. We cannot let terrorists dictate the flow of global trade in the world\u2019s largest shipping lane.\u201d\n\n\u201cI call on the Biden administration to give our regional commanders the freedom of action they require to ensure that continued Houthi aggression stops once and for all.\u201d\n\nKEY FACTS:\n\nSeveral international shipping firms, including British Petroleum, Maersk, MSC, CMA, CGM Group, and Hapag-Lloyd, have halted all routes through the Red Sea because of recent attacks on commercial vessels.\n\nOver the weekend, USS Carney shot down another 14 projectiles launched by the Houthis, bringing the total intercepted by the one guided-missile destroyer to 36.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"], ["https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=376", "ICYMI: Ezell Testifies on Poplarville Post Office", "2023-12-15", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Mike Ezell", "E000235", "ezell.house.gov", "ezell", "https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "On Monday, Congressman Mike Ezell testified in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability about ongoing issues with the Poplarville Post Office.\n\nThe full hearing is available here, and an abridged version can be viewed here. Congressman Ezell's prepared testimony is below:\n\n\"I want to express my gratitude to the chair and ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability for giving me the opportunity to address critical issues in Mississippi's Fourth Congressional District. \"Mr. Chairman, to say the least, I'm frustrated. For 708 days, the residents of Poplarville Mississippi have been without a permanent post office. This started when the Poplarville post office's roof collapsed on January 2, 2022, due to termite damage. Almost a year later, the original post office was deemed unable to save.\n\n\"In the meantime, the United States Post Office has set up two temporary mobile vans similar to ice cream trucks at the bottom of the hill. Unfortunately, these vans are essentially inaccessible to most of the population. Additionally, postal workers are working in substandard conditions, including no restroom and a broken air conditioner amid Mississippi summer heat.\n\n\"My constituents were told not to worry and that this would be just a short-term situation while a permanent building is located. I must have a different definition of short-term, because temporary trucks are still in use.\n\n\"Just today, I received information that the heater in the truck died, forcing postal workers to work without heat. It was 31 degrees this morning in Poplarville, Mississippi, and several of the senior citizens fell walking up the hill trying to get to the mail. This is not the first time elderly citizens have fallen since this temporary deal has been set up.\n\n\"As you can see over these 708 days, my constituents have faced nearly unimaginable challenges. Yet the post office still claims they're providing \"convenient access\" to postal services.\n\n\"I recently visited the city and I witnessed the horrible conditions firsthand. That particular day, rain made the situation worse, creating a somehow even more dangerous environment.\n\n\"As you can imagine, I've attempted numerous times to get updates from the post office. I have requested a briefing on the situation, sought a meeting with the Vice President of Facilities and consistently asked for updates. Yet I sit here today with still no information as to when a permanent adequate building will be ready, and have not been granted a single meeting request.\n\n\"This process is taking forever and I'm committed to ensuring it has to come to an end. The post office apparently is ignoring the severity of the situation or simply does not care.\n\n\"I urge the committee to seriously consider implementing guidelines for situations like Poplarville. Such guidelines could include mandating the United States Postal Service to communicate with local leaders and requiring that a solution must be a break agreed upon within 180 days of determining that an old post office is no longer usable. The residents of Poplarville deserve better than this.\n\n\"Thank you again, Chairman Comer and Ranking Member Raskin. I stand ready to assist.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/12/wicker-secures-key-military-investments-and-conservative-victories-for-the-united-states-and-mississippi-in-congressional-defense-bill", "Wicker Secures Key Military Investments and Conservative Victories for the United States and Mississippi in Congressional Defense Bill", "2023-12-14", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., secured major military investments and conservative priorities in the annual congressional defense bill that passed both chambers of Congress. The legislation, the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (FY 24 NDAA), which passed 310\u2014118 in the House and 87-13 in the Senate, will now head to the President\u2019s desk to become law.\n\nSenator Wicker, as the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, fought to secure a wide a range of projects that support Mississippi\u2019s role in our national defense and promote conservative values.\n\n\u201cIt has been a great honor to oversee the NDAA as the senior Republican on the Armed Services Committee and work to enact policies that help Mississippi and protect our military,\u201d Senator Wicker said. \u201cEnemies of freedom are growing more dangerous and capable by the day.\n\n\u201cOur bill should signal to China, Russia, and others that we will not accept a world where America does not have the best fighting force. While I would have preferred to send the President a substantially larger proposed investment in our industrial base, he now should approve the monumental investments Congress intends to make in our service members, warships, submarines, aircraft, and technology.\u201d\n\nSenator Wicker also highlighted several major conservative victories in the legislation. The NDAA includes elements of his MERIT Act, which is designed to target the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) agenda at the Department of Defense, and his FINISH IT Act, which would force the Department of Defense to allow millions of dollars\u2019 worth of unused border panels already owned by the U.S. government to be used to extend the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.\n\nThe legislation contains several of Senator Wicker\u2019s top national defense priorities, such as:\n\nAuthorizing significant resources to ensure the United States military can prevail against adversaries in multiple theaters, including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.\n\nEnacting Senator Wicker\u2019s proposal to take on unaccountable Biden bureaucrats at the Pentagon by slashing pay for DEI personnel.\n\nTaking care of our troops and help the DOD stay competitive with the private sector by providing for a 5.2 percent pay raise.\n\nSupporting Senator Wicker\u2019s proposal to expand JROTC programming by requiring the operation of 3,400-4,000 units nationwide, reforming oversight authorities, and revising instructor pay scales.\n\nPrioritizing stability and consistent demand signals for the defense workforce by authorizing block buys and multiyear contracting authority as a tool to improve industrial base stability for a range of critical programs, including munitions.\n\nDirecting a review of the North American Aerospace Defense Command\u2019s (NORAD) procedures following a significant failure in tracking and destroying the Chinese spy balloon that traversed the continental United States.\n\nHelping secure the homeland in the strongest NDAA on the border ever, including Senator Wicker\u2019s FINISH IT Act.\n\nEnabling the DoD to confront the cartels in cyberspace.\n\nRequiring a Department of Defense strategy to counter fentanyl trafficking after another record year in drug trafficking at the southern border.\n\nUnleashing American support for Israel through the provisioning of resources for aircraft and joint training with the Israeli military.\n\nStanding up a Special Inspector General for Ukraine to identify any waste, fraud or abuse of U.S. assistance.\n\nThe legislation also included many provisions beneficial to Mississippi:\n\nGulf Coast\n\nAuthorizes more than $1 billion in funding to procure the San Antonio-class Amphibious warship, LPD-33, which would be constructed by Huntington Ingalls in Pascagoula.\n\nAdds $72 million for the procurement of another APL-67 class of berthing barge, which would be constructed at Bollinger Shipyards in Pascagoula.\n\nBoosts Columbia-class submarine full-scale shaft procurement at Seemann Composites in Gulfport.\n\nSecures $6 million for continued operation of the Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School (NAVSCIATTS) in Hancock County.\n\nAuthorizes $2 million for planning and design to build a new air traffic control tower at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi.\n\nAuthorizes $5 million for aluminum-lithium alloy solid rocket motors, supporting work in McHenry.\n\nUrges the Office of Naval Research to partner with public universities on optoelectronic technology related to solar cells. Research on this matter is already being conducted at the University of Southern Mississippi and would secure microelectronic manufacturing jobs in the state.\n\nAuthorizes $2.2 million for rail loading capacity and railcar storage improvements at Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg.\n\nAuthorizes another $5.4 million to complete a Maneuver Area Training Equipment site at Camp Shelby.\n\nAuthorizes $8 million for various autonomous surface and underwater vessels, supporting work for multiple companies in Gulfport.\n\nCentral Mississippi\n\nAdds $8 million to construct a fire and crash rescue site for the 172nd Air Wing at the Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers airport in Jackson.\n\nAdds $3 million in funding to support research on pavement repair materials for military missions, affecting the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg.\n\nIncludes language to accelerate Pentagon efforts to partner with industry on bioprocessing for rare earths and critical minerals, supporting existing work at ERDC in Vicksburg.\n\nAuthorizes nearly $2.2 million for an Army Aviation Support Facility in Meridian.\n\nNorth Mississippi\n\nAuthorizes $33 million for the construction of a combat readiness center for the MS Army National Guard in Southaven.\n\nAuthorizes $30 million to begin work on a ground-based training system facility for T-7A aircraft at Columbus Air Force Base.\n\nAdds $9.5 million for a T-7A Unit Maintenance Training Facility at Columbus Air Force Base.\n\nAuthorizes $5 million in funding to support artificial intelligence and machine learning applications to tactical warfare, supporting work being done in Starkville, in consultation with Mississippi State University.\n\nProhibits retirement of T-1A training aircraft until the new undergraduate pilot training program is certified to be as effective as the previous program at Columbus Air Force Base, protecting jobs on site.\n\nMandates a Pentagon report evaluating the long-term sustainment, research and development, and procurement plan for (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected) MRAP vehicles, which are built by Navistar Defense in West Point.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"], ["https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=377", "Ezell Statement on Biden Impeachment Inquiry", "2023-12-13", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Mike Ezell", "E000235", "ezell.house.gov", "ezell", "https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Congressman Mike Ezell released the following statement after this afternoon's vote to continue the impeachment inquiry into President Biden:\n\n\"Investigations into the president and his associates continue to uncover concerning evidence of corruption and impropriety. I supported the opening of an impeachment inquiry in September, and I voted to continue it today.\n\n\"Investigators need access to every tool possible in order to overcome the repeated attempts by President Biden, his family members, and his associates to delay proceedings and dodge accountability.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"], ["https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/legislative-session-border-security", "LEGISLATIVE SESSION--Border Security", "2023-12-13", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Cindy Hyde-Smith", "H001079", "www.hydesmith.senate.gov", "hydesmith", "https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/newsroom", "scraper", "Congressional Record Vol. 169, No. 205\n\n(Senate - December 13, 2023) PDF\n\nMrs. HYDE-SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to once again call\n\nattention to the crisis at our southern border--the very crisis the\n\nBiden administration refuses to acknowledge and in not doing so, fails\n\nthe American people.\n\nIt is a simple fact: There is no national security without border\n\nsecurity; and everyone knows our border is anything but secure. We have\n\nthe numbers to back it up.\n\nFor starters, more than 8.2 million illegal immigrants have crossed\n\nthe border since Biden took office. To kick off fiscal year 2024, there\n\nwere over 240,000 illegal immigrant encounters in October, the highest\n\nmonthly total ever recorded. This comes after a record-setting fiscal\n\nyear 2023, which saw more than 2.4 million encounters. Of the 2.4\n\nmillion, at least 169 individuals are on the Terror Watchlist. But what\n\nis really frightening is that these numbers only reflect the known\n\nencounters and doesn't even include all of those who evaded law\n\nenforcement--the \"got-aways.\" Border officials estimate that there\n\nwere 1.7 million \"got-aways,\" any number of which could be on the\n\nTerror Watchlist living in our country with who knows what intentions.\n\nEven with all of this information available, the administration\n\ncontinues to break all the wrong records. In the last several weeks,\n\ndaily records have been smashed time and again with known daily\n\nencounters ranging from 10,000 to 12,000. For context, President\n\nObama's DHS Secretary said that 1,000 a day ``overwhelms the system.''\n\nWe have heard from officials such as FBI Director Wray expressing his\n\nconcern regarding the ability of terrorist organizations to exploit any\n\nport of entry, including our southwestern border. Warnings such as\n\nthese should not be ignored, and yet it appears this administration\n\nwill continue to do exactly that.\n\nBut encounters are only part of the ongoing crisis. In October, over\n\n1,300 pounds of fentanyl and over 9,500 pounds of meth were seized--and\n\nthat is only what was seized. Estimates show that this is only 5 to 10\n\npercent of the illicit drugs coming across the border. These drugs\n\ncontinue to run rampant in our communities at a devastating cost,\n\nincluding in my rural State of Mississippi.\n\nThe CDC says overdose deaths are up from last year, meaning more and\n\nmore families and communities are being broken apart by the circulation\n\nof dangerous drug smugglers across the border. And even worse than the\n\ndrugs being smuggled across the border are the humans the cartels are\n\nsmuggling.\n\nI have spoken before about my trip to the border--the one earlier\n\nthis year--and the horrific stories of girls, 12- to 16-years old,\n\nbeing smuggled against their will, has stayed with me. The human\n\ntrafficking industry has grown in the last several years to a $13\n\nbillion industry. And this will only continue to grow if the border\n\ncontinues to be an access point for traffickers.\n\nI do not blame the brave men and women working to do their best to\n\nhelp patrol the border. I blame solely--all of this--on the Biden\n\nadministration and Democrats for their unwillingness to work in a\n\nserious manner to help secure the border and keep criminals and drugs\n\nout of our communities. Border Patrol agents are not given the\n\nresources they need to stop the never-ending onslaught of migrants,\n\ndrugs, and traffickers. Even the border security's provision in the\n\nPresident's emergency supplemental request amount is just more money to\n\nprocess illegal immigrants with no real policy or enforcement reforms.\n\nI am hearing from law enforcement back home in Mississippi and how\n\nthe crisis is affecting my State. As many have said, today, every State\n\nis a border State because of this crisis.\n\nOn January 18, 2023, a Mississippi Highway Patrol trooper made a\n\nroutine traffic stop. In the vehicle was an illegal immigrant driving\n\nwithout a license and an additional three illegal adult males and one\n\n7-year-old migrant child. After Homeland Security Investigations was\n\ncontacted, the driver attempted to flee on foot and was captured. The\n\nHSI determined the child was not related to anyone in the vehicle.\n\nCharges are pending on the driver and HSI is attempting to identify the\n\nchild and reunite him with family.\n\nIn another incident on October 9, 2023, a Mississippi Highway Patrol\n\ntrooper identified another illegal immigrant driving on I-10 in Jackson\n\nCounty with no ID. A passenger, also an illegal immigrant, revealed\n\nthat they were on their way to Houston, TX, to pick up another man, a\n\nwoman, and three or four children. After a legal search of the vehicle,\n\nitems consistent with human trafficking were discovered. A Border\n\nPatrol agent was notified, and, turns out, the driver was a repeat\n\noffender, illegally reentering the United States after deportation.\n\nIf I am hearing from law enforcement in my State, I know that my\n\ncolleagues are too.\n\nI applaud the efforts of the Mississippi Highway Patrol and the U.S.\n\nBorder Patrol for taking action, but the fact remains that if the\n\nresources were already at the border, this would have never happened.\n\nSenate Republicans have shown Americans time and time again that we\n\nare ready to take steps to stop the growing threat at the southern\n\nborder. Unfortunately, our Democratic colleagues will not take action\n\nwith us, appearing afraid to anger their radical base.\n\nGiving our Border Patrol agents the means to do their job is not\n\nradical. Fortifying our border by ending catch-and-release, closing\n\nasylum loopholes, finishing the wall, and supporting law enforcement\n\nofficers is key to our national security. And we owe our citizens no\n\nless.\n\nI, along with my Republican colleagues, will continue to work toward\n\nsolutions; and I invite Senate Democrats and the administration to join\n\nus so we can finally secure our borders and keep the American people\n\nsafe and alleviate the Biden-caused humanitarian crisis at the border.\n\nI yield the floor.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/12/wicker-blasts-department-of-defense-abortion-policy-in-floor-speech", "Wicker Blasts Department of Defense Abortion Policy in Floor Speech", "2023-12-12", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, took to the Senate floor to slam the Department of Defense\u2019s abortion travel policies and urged the Biden administration to reverse course.\n\nIn his remarks, Senator Wicker disputed claims from the Biden administration and Department of Defense that there is any linkage between overall military readiness and changes in abortion policy.\n\n\u201cOur precarious situation makes it irresponsible for anyone to fear monger about readiness in order to advance a political agenda. Yet that is what we must conclude the president\u2019s appointees at the Department of Defense have done,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cThey contend that the Dobbs decision hurts readiness. So, in response, Republicans have repeatedly asked for proof that Dobbs harms readiness\u2026 And the administration has refused to provide that evidence. In truth, that is because the evidence does not exist.\u201d\n\nAs further evidence undermining claims from the Biden administration that there is a connection between readiness and abortion policy, Senator Wicker also noted that he has obtained information suggesting only 12 women have used the authorities available from the abortion policy change.\n\n\u201cDespite the administration\u2019s stonewalling, I obtained information indicating that just twelve women during this entire time have taken advantage of the reimbursement. Just twelve,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cOver a million Americans serve in our armed forces, but twelve \u2013 not twelve thousand or even twelve hundred, but twelve \u2013 have so far used this abortion travel reimbursement program.\n\nSo, the Biden administration cannot provide proof that Dobbs precipitated a crisis for our national defense.\u201d\n\nThe Mississippi senator additionally raised the illegal and wrongheaded abortion policy in the context of growing politicization of the armed forces and noted Republican efforts to reverse that trend in this year\u2019s National Defense Authorization Act.\n\n\u201cWe do, Mr. President, have evidence that other administration priorities are harming our armed forces. The United States military faces a recruiting challenge. But the Biden administration is making it worse. The president has instituted a woke diversity, equity, and inclusion bureaucracy at the DOD that is souring service members\u2019 views of the military\u2026In this year\u2019s national defense legislation, Republicans successfully included provisions curbing that woke agenda.\u201d\n\nRead Senator Wicker\u2019s remarks as delivered below. Watch them here.\n\nMr. President, a major item in the news last week was that the senior senator from Alabama, Senator Tuberville, released holds on over four hundred military promotions.\n\nAs usual, media reports framed the situation in the same way that the Biden administration had. Both the president and the press focused on the holds instead of the policy the holds protested.\n\nThey claimed my colleague manufactured a crisis. The truth is that it has been the President\u2019s political appointees that have been manufacturing a crisis from the start.\n\nLet\u2019s go back. In the summer of 2022, the Supreme Court handed down its landmark Dobbs ruling. Almost immediately, the then-Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel claimed the decision would have, and I quote, \u201csignificant implications...for the readiness of the force.\u201d\n\nAgain, he claimed that the Supreme Court\u2019s decision, which essential returned abortion decisions to the states, would have, \u201csignificant implications\u2026for the readiness of the force.\u201d\n\nLet\u2019s all agree that readiness is vital to our success. Military readiness is our number one job. The United States faces the most dangerous national security situation in decades. China\u2019s military strength is growing at an alarming rate. Russia has brought war to Europe. Iran is actively attacking our troops, and North Korea continues to develop dangerous weapons.\n\nIn the face of such a complicated web of threats, we must take military preparations seriously. Our precarious situation makes it irresponsible for anyone to fear monger about readiness in order to advance a political agenda.\n\nYet that is what we must conclude the president\u2019s appointees at the Department of Defense have done. They contend that the Dobbs decision hurts readiness. So, in response, Republicans have repeatedly asked for proof that Dobbs harms readiness. I, as ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, have personally asked for proof that Dobbs harms readiness. And the administration has refused to provide that evidence.\n\nIn truth, that is because the evidence does not exist.\n\nAt this point, it is pretty clear that Biden officials are avoiding the question because they do not like the answer. It is difficult not to see that the president, not my colleague from Alabama, is the one trying to manufacture a crisis.\n\nTo solve this imaginary emergency, the administration released what they called a \u201creproductive health policy.\u201d The creative title failed to disguise what is a clear attempt to illegally use taxpayer dollars for abortion, contrary to the Hyde Amendment.\n\nUnder the rule, service members are granted compensated time off, as well as reimbursement for travel costs incurred, to receive an abortion.\n\nThis policy violates popular opinion just like it violates the law. Most Americans oppose late-term abortion. But a DOD official begrudgingly admitted to me in testimony that the policy would facilitate abortion at the very latest stages of pregnancy, in the eighth or ninth month. The provision applies to abortions conducted mere days before a child\u2019s due date. That\u2019s just a fact.\n\nAgain, the administration claims this policy is necessary to solve a readiness problem created by Dobbs. But if Dobbs is such a threat, we could reasonably expect wide usage of the travel policy.\n\nDespite the administration\u2019s stonewalling, I obtained information indicating that just twelve women during this entire time have taken advantage of the reimbursement. Just twelve. Over a million Americans serve in our armed forces, but twelve \u2013 not twelve thousand or even twelve hundred, but twelve \u2013 have so far used this abortion travel reimbursement program.\n\nSo, the Biden administration cannot provide proof that Dobbs precipitated a crisis for our national defense. We do, Mr. President, have evidence that other administration priorities are harming our armed forces. The United States military faces a recruiting challenge. But the Biden administration is making it worse.\n\nThe president has instituted a woke diversity, equity, and inclusion bureaucracy at the DOD that is souring service members\u2019 views of the military. A survey of active duty troops found that seven in ten are concerned about politization of the military. The same percent said that politicization would affect whether or not they encourage their children to enlist.\n\nWe know family ties are the number one way we recruit new service members. When the Biden administration injects politics into the armed forces, it weakens that recruiting channel. And we see the results of that weakening.\n\nIn this year\u2019s national defense legislation, Republicans successfully included provisions curbing that woke agenda. But regrettably, Democrats blocked our efforts to end the DOD\u2019s illegal abortion travel policy. We will continue in future Congresses to resist that travel policy.\n\nLast year\u2019s Dobbs decision was a monumental victory for the Constitution, our country, and the unborn. It was the culmination of decades of dedicated work by pro-life groups, and I salute them.\n\nThese groups understood how the framers built our political process, and they patiently used their voices to advocate for their unborn in our democratic system. They were rewarded for their faithfulness that they exhibited nearly fifty years after Roe.\n\nDuring this time, the Biden administration refused to play by those rules. And they it grasped for ways to circumvent the Supreme Court\u2019s ruling. We intend, in the next phase of our effort, to promote a culture of life and refocus the Pentagon on its national defense mission.\n\nThe pro-life movement has always been a coalition of energetic volunteers, resilient advocates, and elected officials. We will continue to work together to fight for the unborn.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/12/wicker-casey-garamendi-wittman-introduce-legislation-that-prioritizes-u-s-ship-production-and-energy-exports", "Wicker, Casey, Garamendi, Wittman Introduce Legislation that Prioritizes U.S. Ship Production and Energy Exports", "2023-12-12", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Bob Casey, D-Penn., introduced the Energizing American Shipbuilding Act. This legislation would increase the United States\u2019 exports of liquified natural gas (LNG) and crude oil on American built, flagged, and crewed vessels, and, subsequently, it would expand our domestic shipbuilding industrial base.\n\nU.S. Congressmen John Garamendi, D-Calif., and Rob Wittman, R-Va., introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.\n\n\"Energy security is national security. There is a global energy demand and if the United States does not step up to the plate, our adversaries will fill the void. The United States \u2014 and Mississippi \u2014 can lead the way,\" Wicker said. \"South Mississippi is home to a significant portion of our country\u2019s shipbuilding industry. This bill would support American shipbuilding and pay dividends for the Magnolia State. It's a win-win for our economy and jobs.\"\n\n\u201cFrom Philadelphia to Erie, Pennsylvania shipyards have produced many of the vessels that have made our maritime industry and our Navy strong,\u201d Casey said. \u201cRequiring an increasing share of natural gas and oil exports to be transported aboard American-built, American-crewed ships is an investment in our national defense, the economic competitiveness of American shipbuilders and mariners, and the communities they call home.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am pleased to again partner with Senators Wicker and Casey and my House colleagues on this critical bill. While I support the long-term transition to a global economy powered by clean energy, I believe strongly that any continued U.S. exports of petroleum and natural gas should be on American-built vessels. American shipyards and mariners are ready for the job, and our bipartisan bill ensures they are no longer expected to compete against heavily subsidized foreign shipyards in Korea, China, and elsewhere,\u201d Garamendi said. \"In 1995, Congress required that all crude oil exported from Alaska\u2019s North Slope be transported on U.S.-flagged vessels to preserve the tanker fleet essential to our national defense. It was good policy then, and it is good policy now.\"\n\n\"The Energizing American Shipbuilding Act is a decisive step toward securing America's future,\u201d Wittman said. \u201cBy prioritizing U.S. shipbuilding and manufacturing in exporting liquefied natural gas and crude oil, we break free from foreign subsidy competition and revitalize our merchant fleet. This bipartisan, bicameral effort is a beacon for job creation, national defense, and sustained American economic strength.\"\n\nThe bill would require that vessels built in the U.S. transport 15 percent of total seaborne LNG exports by 2043 and 10 percent of total seaborne crude oil exports by 2035. If enacted, the bill is expected to spur the construction of dozens of ships, supporting thousands of good-paying jobs in American shipyards, while also boosting domestic vessel component manufacturing and maritime industries.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/12/wicker-announces-35-million-in-federal-funding-for-critical-freight-corridor", "Wicker Announces $35 Million in Federal Funding for Critical Freight Corridor", "2023-12-11", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., announced a grant for a 10-mile critical freight corridor between Bentonia and Yazoo City made possible by a $35 million federal investment. The funding stems from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Senator Wicker helped negotiate as a top Republican in the U.S. Senate.\n\nSenator Wicker sent a letter of support to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for this project. The effort will rehabilitate a portion of the existing 4-lane rural freight corridor on US 49, which will improve regional transportation and promote commercial activity.\n\n\u201cInfrastructure investments for rural areas are a top priority. Mississippians need access to safe, reliable transportation and an equal opportunity to draw more economic development. This grant funding is an investment in Yazoo County\u2019s future,\u201d Wicker said.\n\nAbout the federal funding and Senator Wicker\u2019s involvement:\n\nThe grant, which will be administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation, is part of the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program, also known as the \u201cRural\u201d grant program.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/12/wicker-fischer-colleagues-introduce-legislation-to-protect-rural-seniors", "Wicker, Fischer, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Protect Rural Seniors", "2023-12-07", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., joined Senator Deb Fischer, R-Neb., and his colleagues in introducing the Protecting Rural Seniors\u2019 Access to Care Act. The legislation would prohibit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary from finalizing a proposed nursing home staffing rule that would hurt rural facilities and could force many to close. On September 1, 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a rule that would mandate new minimum staffing standards for long-term care (LTC) facilities. According to CMS, 75 percent of nursing homes would have to increase staffing to comply with the proposed standards. This standard will be even harder to meet in rural areas, which already face historic staffing shortages.\n\n\u201cThe Biden administration recently proposed a national plan to address healthcare provider shortages, a challenge which especially hurts rural areas. But what works in one state may not work in Mississippi,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cClosing our rural-urban healthcare gap will require tailored solutions designed by those who know their communities best \u2013 local leaders. This legislation empowers them to make decisions they believe are best for their towns while rejecting the Biden administration\u2019s one-size-fits-all approach.\u201d\n\n\u201cNursing homes across the country face historic staffing shortages, and nowhere are those challenges more real than in rural states like Nebraska. This mandate from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would force many facilities to reduce their number of patients or even close their doors for good. My legislation will stop this staffing rule and allow time to find a fairer solution that protects rural facilities across our state,\u201d Fischer said.\n\nThe legislation would also establish an advisory panel on nursing home staffing that includes voices from both urban and rural communities. The panel would submit a report to Congress that analyzes workforce shortages and makes practical recommendations to strengthen the workforce.\n\nWhile CMS estimates the cost for this rule is $4 billion, LeadingAge, the association for nonprofit providers of aging services, believes that the CMS proposed budget is significantly underestimated. LeadingAge estimates that the rule\u2019s staffing requirements will cost providers nearly $7 billion in the first year alone.\n\nIn addition to Wicker and Fischer, co-sponsors include U.S. Senators Roger Marshall, R-Kan., James Lankford, R-Okla., Jon Tester, D-Mont., Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Angus King, I-Maine.\n\nThe House-version was introduced by U.S. Representative Michelle Fischbach, R-Minn., in September. The bill is endorsed by over 90 organizations.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/12/wicker-cassidy-colleagues-sound-alarm-on-resurgence-of-bds-movement-threatening-israel-s-right-to-exist", "Wicker, Cassidy, Colleagues Sound Alarm on Resurgence of BDS Movement Threatening Israel\u2019s Right to Exist", "2023-12-06", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., joined 14 of his Republican colleagues in a letter to the Biden administration expressing concern over the resurgence of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement on college campuses. The stated goal of the BDS campaign is to economically weaken Israel and threaten the nation\u2019s right to exist. Led by U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, R-La., the senators also argued that President Biden\u2019s 2022 environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) rule could empower left-wing activists to insert BDS policies into retirement plans, politicizing Americans\u2019 retirement savings with the intention of hurting Israel.\n\n\u201cWe are deeply concerned that, in this environment of unrest, there is likely to be a resurgence in the international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which will be used to economically harm and delegitimize the state of Israel,\u201d wrote the senators. \u201cAlthough student government resolutions are not binding, support for these initiatives can lead to a divisive atmosphere on campus.\u201d\n\n\u201cFurthermore, if the sentiments expressed in these resolutions are shared by a college or university system\u2019s trustees, the institution\u2019s affirmation of a pro-BDS position would have very real consequences for Israel, a military and cultural ally,\u201d continued the senators. \u201cThe American people must be confident that pension investors will not override the economic goals, or personal views, of beneficiaries to pursue their own political agenda.\u201d\n\nWicker and Cassidy were joined by U.S. Senators Susan Collins, R-Maine, Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, James Risch, R-Idaho, Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Mike Rounds, R-S.D., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Mike Braun, R-Ind., Rick Scott, R-Fla., Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., and Katie Britt, R-Ala.\n\nRead the full letter here and below.\n\nDear Acting Secretary Su:\n\nOn October 8, the day after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, killed 1,400 Israelis, and kidnapped at least 203 people, most of whom were civilians, anti-Israel activists flocked to rallies at college campuses across the United States where speakers and attendees openly celebrated these brutal attacks. We are deeply concerned that, in this environment of unrest, there is likely to be a resurgence in the international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which will be used to economically harm and delegitimize the state of Israel.\n\nOver the last decade, supporters of the BDS movement have focused their U.S. campaign on college campuses. While reaching a high of 44 BDS votes during the 2014-2015 school year, the popularity of such petitions had steadily declined. However, since the October 7 attack on Israel, there have been at least three instances where student protestors have urged their college to adopt a pro-BDS stance: Arizona State University (ASU), Vassar College, and Grinnell College.\n\nThe ASU chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) intends to deliver a petition to the ASU Dean of Students Office and Undergraduate Student Government calling on ASU to boycott Israel and divest from companies supporting the country. Similarly, Vassar College\u2019s SJP chapter staged a walkout on October 25, demanding that the college divest from weapons manufacturers arming Israel while publicizing its independent contractors\u2019 investments, boycott two study abroad programs in Israel, and call for an end to the blockade and U.S. funds to Israel. The protestors also asked the Vassar Student Association to reintroduce pro-BDS legislation. On October 27, Grinnell College\u2019s SJP leaders similarly demanded the college immediately divest from any and all investments that financially support Israel or its military and release a statement calling for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel.\n\nAlthough student government resolutions are not binding, support for these initiatives can lead to a divisive atmosphere on campus. Furthermore, if the sentiments expressed in these resolutions are shared by a college or university system\u2019s trustees, the institution\u2019s affirmation of a pro-BDS position would have very real consequences for Israel, a military and cultural ally. While there are valid and varied views about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and some who want their investment portfolio to reflect their political views, BDS campaigns tend to be heavy-handed, one-sided, and will place the onus for changed policies and behaviors only on Israel.\n\nThe Department of Labor\u2019s (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) administers and enforces the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Among other things, ERISA requires plans to provide participants with information regarding plan features and funding and to provide fiduciary duties of care and loyalty for those who manage and control plan assets (e.g., trustees and members of a plan\u2019s investment committee). Under ERISA, the primary responsibility of fiduciaries is to run the plan solely in the interest of participants and beneficiaries and for the exclusive purpose of providing benefits and paying plan expenses. ESG factors can only be considered if they are appropriate for retirement savings and are in the best interest of plan participants, and cannot be considered solely for ancillary political or social reasons.\n\nComplicating matters, a 2022 Biden DOL rule, entitled Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Analyzing Shareholder Rights, empowered fiduciaries to consider ESG factors in their risk-return analysis of potential investments and use impact issues as a \u201ctie breaker\u201d when choosing between equally competitive funds. This rule may allow activist university trustees to target Israel and companies doing business with Israel, thereby politicizing the retirement savings of our nation\u2019s educators.\n\nThe American people must be confident that pension investors will not override the economic goals, or personal views, of beneficiaries to pursue their own political agenda. Therefore, in order to understand DOL\u2019s approach to this potential problem, we request you answer the following questions, on a question-by-question basis, by January 2, 2024:\n\nWhat effect does the Biden rule have on retirement plan trustees/fiduciaries considering BDS (a factor unlikely to relate to benefitting plan beneficiaries) when evaluating potential investments?\n\nWhat steps, if any, would DOL\u2019s EBSA take to investigate complaints regarding BDS-informed investment strategies using teachers\u2019 pensions?\n\nHas DOL\u2019s EBSA received any complaints regarding BDS-informed investment strategies using teachers\u2019 pensions? If so, how many? And, from which university?\n\nDoes DOL plan to publish any proactive guidance or technical assistance to discourage trustees/fiduciaries from capitulating to the BDS movement and improperly imposing their own political viewpoints on plan beneficiaries? If so, when do you anticipate releasing such guidance or technical assistance?", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"], ["https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=367", "Hyde-Smith, Guest, and Ezell seek changes to new USDA emergency relief program", "2023-12-05", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Mike Ezell", "E000235", "ezell.house.gov", "ezell", "https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) and U.S. Representatives Michael Guest (R-Miss.) and Mike Ezell (R-Miss.) are part of a bicameral effort calling on the Biden administration to abandon a long-delayed and deeply-flawed agricultural emergency relief program.\n\nThe Mississippi lawmakers signed a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack that asks the U.S. Department of Agriculture to drop new requirements for the Emergency Relief Program (ERP), which is supposed to provide disaster relief funding for farmers harmed by natural disasters in 2022.\n\nSigned by eight Senators and 58 House members, the letter said the misguided ERP 2022 requirements run afoul of congressional intent by setting excessive conditions that could force farmers to wait longer for assistance or completely jeopardize their ability to access the program.\n\n\u201cAmerican producers have experienced significant losses, and the Administration has taken an approach that does not reflect congressional intent. The current program does not provide needed assistance to full-time farm families that suffered the deepest losses, and in short, it misallocates limited but badly needed assistance,\u201d the lawmakers wrote. \u201cAdditionally, the methodology used for the 2022 ERP will negatively impact many farmers\u2019 ability to receive financing from lenders and plan for the next crop year.\u201d\n\n\u201cUSDA needs to follow the law and congressional intent to address the crop losses of our farm families without the pay limits and without preferences that are not authorized by the statute,\u201d the lawmakers continued. \u201dWe strongly request the USDA abandon this current program and implement the framework of 2021 ERP Phase 1 as quickly as possible.\u201d\n\nThe lawmakers\u2019 request originated following growing concerns regarding ERP 2022 expressed by numerous national agriculture organizations, as well as the Mississippi Farm Bureau and Delta Council.\n\nThe USDA departed from congressional intent by developing an ERP 2022 program that provides special treatment to underserved and part-time farmers, while allowing the smallest relative payments for larger-scale farmers with the biggest disaster-related losses.\n\nThe lawmakers explained that under ERP 2022, farmers suffering losses, who received assistance covering more than 75 percent of their calculated losses in 2020 or 2021, will now be capped at closer to 10 percent.\n\n\u201cFor a mid-sized farm of 1,000 acres with calculated losses of $200 per acre ($200,000 in total losses), the vast difference between upward of $150,000 assistance in 2020 vs. $18,750 in 2022 could be the difference between survival and bankruptcy,\u201d the lawmakers warned.\n\nU.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kan.) and U.S. Representative Jodey Arrington (R-TX-19) led the bicameral letter, which is available here.\n\nHyde-Smith also signed a letter, led by U.S. Senator John Hoeven (R-N.D.), that asks the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review USDA implementation of ERP 2022. In part, the letter asks GAO to determine whether \u201cthe use of a \u2018progressive\u2019 payment factor, rather than a single uniform factor, maximize program benefits in a manner that is unbiased and based on a producer\u2019s loss.\u201d Read the letter to GAO here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/12/pro-life-lawmakers-oppose-proposed-hhs-rule-targeting-pregnancy-centers", "Pro-Life Lawmakers Oppose Proposed HHS Rule Targeting Pregnancy Centers", "2023-12-04", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., and U.S. Representative Michael Guest, R-Miss., today joined Representative Christopher H. Smith, R-N.J., and their colleagues in bicameral opposition to a proposed rule that targets the use of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding by pregnancy centers and alternatives to abortion programs.\n\nThe comment letter, which was signed by 11 Senators and 19 Members of Congress, denounces the proposed Strengthening TANF as a Safety Net and Work Program rule and asks Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra to withdraw it immediately.\n\n\u201cWomen deserve better than abortion and should receive support when they choose life for their babies. For decades, pregnancy centers have stood in the gap and generously provided free assistance to women, babies, and families in their moments of need\u2014actions aligned with TANF\u2019s purposes,\u201d the lawmakers wrote. \u201cThe Proposed Rule, however, would undermine the TANF program and threaten to strip millions of dollars in support for pregnant women and their unborn babies through pregnancy centers, maternity homes, and alternatives to abortion programs. We urge you to withdraw the Proposed Rule immediately.\u201d\n\nIn the proposed rule, HHS singles out \u201centities sometimes known as crisis pregnancy centers or pregnancy resource centers,\u201d which receive funding through \u201cprograms that only or primarily provide pregnancy counseling to women only after they become pregnant,\u201d an apparent reference to alternatives to abortion programs. HHS states these programs \u201clikely do not meet the reasonable person standard because the connection to preventing and reducing out-of-wedlock pregnancies is tenuous or non-existent.\u201d\n\nIn their letter, the lawmakers point out that HHS is overlooking the full extent of services offered by the more than 2,700 pregnancy centers across the country, which alone helped nearly two million women and families in 2019. Alternatives to abortion programs offer services and material assistance to women and families, such as parenting classes, life skills training, care coordination, housing and support services through maternity homes, job search assistance, and more.\n\n\u201cChillingly, HHS suggests TANF support for pregnancy centers should be steered toward family planning programs more typical of the business models of Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry instead. Specifically, HHS states TANF funds should be directed to \u2018comprehensive sex education, family planning services, pregnancy prevention programs, and community mobilization services for at risk youth that increase access to pregnancy prevention programs for teens,\u2019\u201d the lawmakers wrote. \u201cThis seems to be another attempt by the Biden administration to funnel taxpayer dollars to the abortion industry.\u201d\n\nIn addition to Wicker and Hyde-Smith, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Steve Daines, R-Mont., Mike Lee, R-Utah, J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, Mike Braun, R-Ind., James Lankford, R-Okla., Josh Hawley, R-Mo., John Kennedy, R-La., Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.\n\nIn addition to Guest and Smith, the letter was signed by U.S. Representatives Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., Erin Houchin, R-Ind., Mary Miller, R-Ill., Alex X. Mooney, R-W.Va., Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., John Moolenaar, R-Mich., Larry Bucshon, R-Ind., James R. Baird, R-Ind., Jim Banks, R-Ind., Clay Higgins, R-La., Keith Self, R-Texas, Garret Graves, R-La., Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., and Eric Burlison, R-Mo.\n\nSusan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Family Research Council, Americans United for Life, CatholicVote, Heartbeat International, Care Net, National Right to Life, March for Life Action, Ethics and Public Policy Center HHS Accountability Project, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Family Policy Alliance, Live Action, and the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates support the lawmakers\u2019 effort.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/12/wicker-scott-colleagues-demand-answers-from-biden-administration-on-latest-iran-sanctions-waiver", "Wicker, Scott, Colleagues Demand Answers from Biden Administration on Latest Iran Sanctions Waiver", "2023-12-04", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined Senator Tim Scott, R-S.C., and 23 other senators in calling out the Biden administration\u2019s lack of a cohesive Iran strategy and its decision to extend a sanctions waiver. The November 13 waiver will provide Iran access to approximately $10 billion as Israel continues to battle Iranian-backed Hamas and the regime\u2019s proxies increase their attacks against U.S. personnel in the region.\n\n\"A strong signal of deterrence\u2014utilizing military, economic, and diplomatic tools\u2014is needed if we want to stop the attacks against U.S. personnel and prevent the war in Gaza from expanding into a protracted regional conflict. Unfortunately, the administration\u2019s military and economic responses to Iran and its proxies have not only been disproportionate, they appear to be completely disjointed,\u201d the senators wrote.\n\nWicker and Scott were joined by U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Mike Braun, R-Ind., Ted Budd, R-N.C., J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, Bill Cassidy, R-La., Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., John Cornyn, R-Texas, Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., Marco Rubio, R-Fla., John Hoeven, R-N.D., Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Tom Cotton, R-Ark., John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Katie Britt, R-Ala., Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Deb Fischer, R-Neb.\n\nOn August 18, 2023, Wicker joined Scott and 24 of their Republican colleagues in demanding answers from the administration after it released approximately $6 billion in frozen assets to Iran in exchange for American prisoners.\n\nRead the full letter here and below:\n\nDear Secretaries Blinken, Yellen, and Austin:\n\nOn August 18, 2023, we wrote to express our concern over the administration\u2019s decision to release $6 billion worth of frozen Iranian assets in exchange for the return of American detainees. This decision reinforced an incredibly dangerous precedent of providing ransom payments to the world\u2019s greatest state sponsor of terrorism and put a price on the life of every American overseas. Understanding the grave error of the unfreezing of Iranian assets and the danger this action poses to U.S. lives and interests, it is therefore alarming to hear that the administration is doubling down on its appeasement strategy by actively working to provide Iran with access to billions more in funding.\n\nOn October 7, 2023, Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, brutally killing an estimated 1,200 civilians and taking over 200 hostages. In response, the administration reached an agreement with Qatar on October 12 to temporarily prevent the unfrozen assets\u2014now held at Qatari financial institutions\u2014from being expended. Based on information from your administration, it is our belief that with the current lack of safeguards, Iran will soon access this $6 billion and use the funds to continue to expand its malign proxy activities.\n\nSince October 7, Hamas and fellow Iranian proxy, Hezbollah, have continued to launch attacks against Israel as it fights to defend its sovereignty and protect its people. As we continue to stand with our greatest ally in the Middle East, other Iranian proxies have increased their attacks against U.S. personnel in the region. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria have conducted over seventy attacks against U.S. personnel since October 7. United States forces have responded only three times. However, at the same time, your administration has inadvisably taken steps to unlock tens of billions of dollars for Iran to fund additional terrorist activities that directly threaten American lives.\n\nOn November 13, 2023, the U.S. Department of State extended a sanctions waiver pursuant to Section 1245(d)(5) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 and Section 1244(i) and 1247(f) of the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012, finding that a sanctions waiver to allow Iraq to pay Iran for electricity was in the national security interest of the United States. Public reports have held that there is roughly $10 billion in Iraqi payments for Iranian electricity currently being held in escrow accounts in Iraq.[1] The decision to extend this waiver and allow Iran to convert Iraqi Dinars to Euros was signed the day after U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) carried out its latest strike against facilities used by Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and other Iranian proxy groups in Eastern Syria, in response to their attacks against U.S. personnel. Such timing signals to Iran that despite attacks on U.S. service members and our allies, it is business as normal on the economic front.\n\nAs we said in August, money is fungible. Combined with the $10 billion waiver extension, the administration has provided Iran with access to roughly $16 billion in assets over the past four months; assets that can be used\u2014now or in the future\u2014to offset the cost of the Iranian regime\u2019s increase in destabilizing activities across the region.\n\nA strong signal of deterrence\u2014utilizing military, economic, and diplomatic tools\u2014is needed if we want to stop the attacks against U.S. personnel and prevent the war in Gaza from expanding into a protracted regional conflict. Unfortunately, the administration\u2019s military and economic responses to Iran and its proxies have not only been disproportionate, they appear to be completely disjointed.\n\nWe therefore request that your departments provide us with a classified assessment on the administration\u2019s plan to deter Iranian aggression and prevent the escalation of conflict in the Middle East. This assessment should include an estimation of how Iran has already leveraged\u2014and could in the future leverage\u2014against U.S. persons and interests the tens of billions in assets it now has access to due to your administration\u2019s use of U.S. sanctions waivers and is to be provided in a member or staff-level briefing no later than December 7, 2023.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/12/wicker-delivers-floor-speech-on-slipping-american-deterrence-efforts", "Wicker Delivers Floor Speech on Slipping American Deterrence Efforts", "2023-12-01", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, yesterday took to the floor to discuss the findings of the recent Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States, which studied on a bipartisan basis the state of deterrence efforts across platforms and domains.\n\nIn his remarks, Senator Wicker suggested that the findings of the report are \u201cstunning,\u201d as they measure up the implications of mission requirements for the United States military to deter both China and Russia at the same time. Wicker ensued that every Senator would personally receive a copy of the report given the gravity of its findings.\n\n\u201cThe report comments on an array of military issues, but it distills its findings to a single, alarming fact. China and Russia are increasingly able to match our military might, and if we do not act now, the consequences will be seismic. Not only could we fail to deter a war; we might actually lose the next war,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cThe report finds that we are not prepared for what is coming. And here\u2019s what\u2019s coming: For the first time, we must stand up to the ambitions of two nuclear-armed peer adversaries, in multiple regions of the world, at the same time. That stunning conclusion means this report should be required reading for each of my colleagues.\u201d\n\nSpecifically, the Mississippi senator highlighted efforts by China and Russia to competitively invest in technologies that have previously guaranteed the United States battlefield dominance, such as space-based communications, cyber warfare, and nuclear modernization.\n\n\u201cChina and Russia watched as we shuttered our shipyards and ammunition plants, as we let our ships rust, and as we neglected to replace our aging Cold War nuclear arsenal\u2026They built the kinds of weapons needed to take us on in a conventional fight and keep us at bay in a strategic one,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cThe autocrats who rule China and Russia began paying attention to more than our guns and ships. When our satellites and next-generation communications capabilities gave us an unbeatable edge in the Gulf War they took notice. We could see, communicate, and shoot from farther away than anyone else\u2026Cutting-edge technology, not mere masses of metal, would win the final argument of nations. The leaders of Russia and China soon came to recognize this.\u201d\n\nTo offset gains made by China and Russia, Wicker mentioned the need to expand the defense industrial base for producing B-21 aircraft, Columbia-class submarines, as well as attack submarines to fulfill the AUKUS agreement. To this end, the Mississippi senator recommend the establishment of a third public shipyard for submarine maintenance, investments in missile defenses and theatre nuclear forces, as well as acceleration of the sea-launched cruise missile program. While costly, Wicker noted that these investments could vastly improve American defenses in short time.\n\n\u201cOf course, these actions come with a price tag, but we have always found our defense investments to be both expensive and priceless,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cIt will cost money to deter China and Russia from threatening us, but it will cost much, much more \u2013 in money and in lives \u2013 if we do not. In the words of former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, \u201cAmerica can afford survival.\u201d\n\nWatch the full speech here or read it below. Read more about Senator Wicker\u2019s recent work on national defense here. Access a copy of the Commission\u2019s report here.\n\nMadam President, this is a difficult topic to discuss because it is so serious and because there is so much catching up to do.\n\nTwo years ago, Congress created the bipartisan Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States. We gave the job of: examining the strengths and weaknesses of our national security position. The Commission\u2019s report, was released just last month.\n\nThe report comments on an array of military issues, but its findings can be distilled to a single, alarming fact. China and Russia are increasingly able to match our military might, and if we do not act now, the consequences will be seismic. Not only could we fail to deter a war; we might actually lose the next war. The report finds that we are not prepared for what is coming.\n\nAnd here\u2019s what\u2019s coming: for the first time, we must stand up to the ambitions of two nuclear-armed peer adversaries, in multiple regions of the world, at the same time. That stunning conclusion means this report should be required reading for each of my colleagues.\n\nAnd so, Madam President, I have directed my staff to deliver a copy personally to every Senator, and I hope we take its message to heart.\n\nThe American military \u2013 in particular, our nuclear deterrent \u2013 has been one of the principal guarantors of global security since the late 1940s. Our power crested at the end of the 20th century when the Berlin Wall crumbled and we emerged as the world\u2019s sole superpower.\n\nInstead of maintaining that competitive edge, we allowed it to slip away in both conventional and strategic deterrence. China and Russia watched as we shuttered our shipyards and ammunition plants, as we let our ships rust, and as we neglected to replace our aging Cold War nuclear arsenal.\n\nThen, as successive presidential administrations let defense assets deteriorate, China and Russia poured more funds into their weapons stores. They built the kinds of weapons needed to take us on in a conventional fight and keep us at bay in a strategic one.\n\nThis is not one senator saying this, Madam President. This is the bipartisan commission that we tasked with investigating this thoroughly.\n\nThe autocrats who rule China and Russia began paying attention to more than our guns and ships. When our satellites and next-generation communications capabilities gave us an unbeatable edge in the Gulf War, these adversaries of ours took notice. We could see, communicate, and shoot from farther away than anyone else.\n\nWhen we deployed these tools, we inaugurated new ways to protect ourselves. Cutting-edge technology, not mere masses of metal, would win the final argument of nations. But the leaders of Russia and China soon came to recognize this also. They began to meet our advances and ensure we could never to do them what we had done to Saddam Hussein\u2019s military in 1991.\n\nAmong the Commission\u2019s direst findings is the fact that China and Russia have largely succeeded. China has built strike complexes of their own that make the prospect of war increasingly perilous. Their fleet of anti-satellite weapons and cyber warfare capabilities could render our military blind, deaf, and mute in a potential conflict over Taiwan. United States victory, and therefore deterrence, was once a fait accompli; today, we risk war that would shake the foundations of everyday American life, and the foundations of global peace.\n\nThe consequences of our negligence together with Chinese and Russian investment are most acute when it comes to our nuclear position, which has been the foundation of our deterrence capability. Russian submarines are becoming much more advanced, and China is rapidly bringing missile silos online.\n\nMeanwhile, our Air Force personnel are still using floppy discs to operate missiles that are older than their parents, and they are flying bombers older than their grandparents.\n\nOur nuclear submarines \u2013 the crown jewels of U.S. military power \u2013 are having to remain at sea longer as our fleet shrinks. Workforce problems and maintenance delays hold the fleet back from its potential. The AUKUS agreement is a tremendous diplomatic achievement that can be a game changer, but it must be implemented correctly. And right now, we are short of the attack submarines that are clearly needed.\n\nChina and Russia now clearly realize that joining forces can help each reach their goals. China wants to occupy Taiwan, and their leader has said they need to be ready to do that as soon as 2027. Russia wants to puncture NATO\u2019s iron wall. They want to help each other do both.\n\nTheir sinister intent and increasing capabilities make this the most dangerous national security moment we have faced in 75 years.\n\nPaul Nitze, the Pentagon official whose strategic wisdom helped us win the Cold War, once said, \u201cOur fundamental purpose is more likely to be defeated from lack of the will to maintain it, than from any mistakes we may make.\u201d\n\nIn other words, the future is ours to lose. But the future is still ours. This report recommends several policies that can help us end the damaging defense cuts of the past three decades and begin making investments we need.\n\nThe Commission\u2019s first is that we rebuild and expand the defense industrial base, including the National Nuclear Security Administration\u2019s nuclear weapons production infrastructure. In particular, Congress should partner with the administration and the Navy to establish a third public shipyard to conduct submarine maintenance. Again, this is the recommendation of a completely bipartisan commission of experts.\n\nThe second proposal builds on the first. We need educational institutions and a talent pipeline to bring skilled tradesmen to this industrial base. These high-paying, stable, and long-term jobs do not require master\u2019s or bachelor\u2019s degrees. They can advance both national security and expand economic opportunity.\n\nFinally, the report recommends a series of products we should prioritize. We need more conventional forces, and we should increase procurement of strategic nuclear capabilities like the B-21 and Columbia-class submarine. We need improved missile defenses and rapidly-deployable theater nuclear forces like the sea-launched cruise missile. Delivering these products would put our adversaries on notice and reassure our allies at the same time.\n\nOf course, these actions come with a price tag, but we have always found our defense investments to be both expensive and priceless. It will cost money to deter China and Russia from threatening us, but it will cost much, much more \u2013 in money and in lives \u2013 if we do not. In the words of former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, \u201cAmerica can afford survival.\u201d\n\nThe good news is that we have done this before. In the late 1970s, the Pentagon sowed the seeds of our defense technological revival, even as the Carter administration shrank from the world stage. But then in 1979 the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. That attack was a wake-up call. It taught Washington there is no substitute for superior military might. Paul Nitze, helped form an organization that educated Congress, the Carter administration, and the American people about the Soviet Union\u2019s threat.\n\nThe result was the Reagan defense buildup that won the Cold War.\n\nMadam President, we can do that again. But we must abandon the status quo and start thinking big again. The shocking warnings in this report should spur us to abandon our inertia and take bold actions that will lead us into the next American century.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/12/wicker-hyde-smith-urge-biden-admin-to-address-rising-rates-of-antisemitism", "Wicker, Hyde-Smith Urge Biden Admin. To Address Rising Rates of Antisemitism", "2023-12-01", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., are among 32 Republican senators urging the Biden administration to address antisemitism toward Jewish children in K-12 schools amid rising rates in the aftermath of Hamas\u2019 deadly attacks against Israel.\n\nIn a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, the senators asked that Title VI of the Civil Rights Act be enforced to ensure the protection of Jewish students from growing antisemitic harassment. The lawmakers also requested a briefing on the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights compliance reviews and investigations based on harassment or violence complaints in K-12 schools.\n\n\u201cWe are deeply concerned that the Department of Education is not ensuring American K-12 schools are fostering a safe learning environment for all students following the terrorist organization Hamas\u2019 violent attack on civilians, including Americans and Israeli citizens,\u201d the senators wrote.\n\n\u201cParents should feel confident that their children\u2019s school will be safe and the focus will be on education,\u201d the senators continued. \u201cInstead, parents are beginning to fear that not only is school not safe for their students, but school officials are actively working to undermine the safety of their children.\u201d\n\n\u201cSome schools seem unwilling or unable to uphold their legal obligations under Title VI,\u201d the senators wrote. \u201cTherefore, the Department should use its full resources to enforce the law.\u201d\n\nUnder Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Department of Education has a responsibility to ensure schools that receive federal funds maintain a safe learning environment for students. While the administration has since announced new efforts to address antisemitism in schools, these actions do nothing to ensure schools are responsibly handling these events and working to prevent them in the first place.\n\nThe letter cites several antisemitic incidences at K-12 schools following the Hamas attack on Israel, including:\n\nShortly after the October 7 attacks, an 11-year-old in Manhattan Beach, Calif., told four Jewish girls at his school that \u201call Israelis and Jews should be killed.\u201d\n\nOn October 9, the Revere, Mass., Public Schools superintendent sent an email to school staff promoting resources that claimed, \u201cIsraeli terrorism has been significantly worse than that of the Palestinians.\u201d\n\nOn October 17, a New York City middle school teacher and United Federation of Teachers\u2019 (UFT) school representative sent an email to teachers\u2019 union members deriding the UFT\u2019s official statement denouncing the October 7 attack and calling on the unions\u2019 retirement system to \u201cdivest from weapons and other companies that are complicit in violations of Palestinians\u2019 civil and land rights.\u201d\n\nOn October 18, students in San Francisco marched through the hallways of their high school chanting anti-Semitic slogans.\n\n\u201cExamples are continuing to surface of K-12 teachers using materials that perpetuate antisemitism,\u201d the senators noted. \u201cThere is a trend of school districts establishing courses under the guise of \u2018ethnic studies\u2019 that are aimed to force a political agenda on students and that uniquely target Jews, alleging that all Jews are white or \u2018white adjacent\u2019 and illegally occupy Israel. The Zinn Education Project, whose history curriculum is used by 155,000 teachers, declared that the October 7th attack was \u2018the direct result of decades of Israeli occupation.\u2019\u201d\n\nThe letter was led by U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D., R-La., and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa. In addition to Wicker and Hyde-Smith, it was also signed by Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Mike Braun, R-Ind., Ted Budd, R-N.C., Katie Britt, R-Ala., Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., Susan Collins, R-Maine, John Cornyn, R-Texas, Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., John Hoeven, R-N.D., Ron Johnson, R-Wis., James Lankford, R-Okla., Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Roger Marshall, M.D., R-Kan., Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., Jim Risch, R-Idaho, Rick Scott, R-Fla., Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, John Thune, R-S.D., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/11/u-s-senate-passes-ole-miss-175th-anniversary-resolution", "U.S. Senate Passes Ole Miss 175th Anniversary Resolution", "2023-11-29", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 The U.S. Senate late Tuesday approved a resolution introduced by U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., that commemorates the 175th anniversary of the University of Mississippi.\n\nPassed by unanimous consent, the resolution (S.Res.477) highlights the growth and accomplishments of Mississippi\u2019s flagship university since it opened its doors on Nov. 6, 1848. It celebrates the growth of Ole Miss into a diverse Southeastern Conference powerhouse in academics, research, the arts, and athletics.\n\n\u201cAfter 175 years of service, the University of Mississippi has a lot to celebrate. This institution has grown from a small college in north Mississippi to a premier research institution that attracts students from around the world. I look forward to seeing many more years of excellence from Ole Miss,\u201d Wicker said.\n\n\u201cThe University of Mississippi has been and continues to be a huge part of our state\u2019s history and culture,\u201d Hyde-Smith said. \u201cOur resolution commemorating this notable 175-year milestone recognizes and celebrates the fact that thousands of students of all races, creeds, backgrounds, and beliefs flock to Ole Miss to receive a world-class education.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs we celebrate the University of Mississippi\u2019s 175th anniversary, I\u2019m reflecting on the wonderful memories Billy and I made at Ole Miss as graduate students,\u201d said Shaheen. \u201cI have carried these experiences with me throughout my career, and I\u2019m proud to see Ole Miss continue to prepare its students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.\u201d\n\nRead the text of the resolution here or below.\n\nRESOLUTION\n\nCommending the University of Mississippi for 175 years of service to the State of Mississippi and the United States.\n\nWhereas the University of Mississippi began its first session on November 6, 1848, with a 4-member faculty offering a liberal arts curriculum to 80 students;\n\nWhereas the University of Mississippi established one of the first State-supported law schools in the United States in 1854, and it was the first university in Mississippi to establish a school of engineering in 1900;\n\nWhereas, in 1882, the University of Mississippi became one of the first universities in the South to admit women and, in 1885, was the first university in Mississippi to hire a female faculty member;\n\nWhereas, in 1903, the University of Mississippi began providing medical education on the Oxford campus;\n\nWhereas the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi\u2014\n\n(1) was established by the Mississippi Legislature in 1950;\n\n(2) became the first and only academic medical center in Mississippi when it opened in 1955; and\n\n(3) was the site of the first lung and heart transplants into a human in the world, in 1963 and 1964, respectively;\n\nWhereas, in 1962, the University of Mississippi broke a racial barrier by admitting its first African-American student, James Meredith, who remains a source of inspiration today;\n\nWhereas, from its first class of 80 students, the University of Mississippi has grown to host more than 23,000 students participating in 120 programs of study across 7 campuses, including a medical center;\n\nWhereas thousands of students of all races, creeds, backgrounds, and beliefs receive world-class education at the University of Mississippi;\n\nWhereas the University of Mississippi advances academic excellence through the activity of the faculty and staff in departments and more than 75 academic, research, and community service centers;\n\nWhereas, in 2016, the University of Mississippi received a classification of \u201cR1: Doctoral Universities \u2013 Very High Research Activity\u201d in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, an honor bestowed on the top doctoral research universities in the United States;\n\nWhereas the University of Mississippi has produced 55 Fulbright Scholars, 27 Rhodes Scholars, 44 Boren Scholars, 18 Truman Scholars, 24 Goldwater Scholars, 8 Portz Scholars, and 11 National Science Foundation Graduate Fellows;\n\nWhereas the University of Mississippi has played a significant role in producing future public service leaders;\n\nWhereas, in 2008, the University of Mississippi hosted the first presidential debate between Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, which was the first presidential debate held in Mississippi;\n\nWhereas, for 14 years, the University of Mississippi has been recognized as a \u201cGreat College to Work For\u201d, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, in addition to earning honors in all 10 categories of recognition;\n\nWhereas the University of Mississippi is dedicated to supporting the academic success of student-athletes while striving for on-field success;\n\nWhereas the Ole Miss Rebels are composed of 18 men\u2019s and women\u2019s intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Mississippi;\n\nWhereas the University of Mississippi, a charter member of the Southeastern Conference, claims 5 collegiate team national championships, and Ole Miss Rebel student-athletes have captured 25 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1 individual titles; and\n\nWhereas the University of Mississippi has produced notable alumni in the fields of government, public policy, research, medicine, business, education, literature, the arts, journalism, athletics, and more: Now, therefore, be it\n\nResolved, That the Senate\u2014\n\n(1) commends the University of Mississippi for its 175 years of service to the State of Mississippi and the United States;\n\n(2) recognizes the University of Mississippi for its academic, research, cultural, and athletic excellence; and\n\n(3) respectfully requests that the Secretary of the Senate transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to\u2014\n\n(A) the Chancellor of the University of Mississippi, Dr. Glenn F. Boyce;\n\n(B) the Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics of the University of Mississippi, Mr. Keith Carter; and", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/11/wicker-opens-national-defense-bill-conference", "Wicker Opens National Defense Bill Conference", "2023-11-29", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2013 U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today delivered opening remarks at the \u201cPass the Gavel\u201d ceremony to formally begin conference proceedings on the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).\n\nIn his opening remarks, Wicker highlighted several of his priorities for the annual defense bill, which include procuring new platforms and munitions for service members, deterring adversaries, and refocusing the Department of Defense on its primary mission of warfighting.\n\n\u201cOur weaponry is not where it should be. Our ships and airplanes \u2013 and particularly our submarines \u2013 are not where they ought to be,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cWe are also concerned about the wokeness that seems to pervade the Department of Defense and military at this time, taking effort and attention away from most of what we need to be doing.\u201d\n\nRead Senator Wicker\u2019s remarks as delivered in full below.\n\nThank you, Chairman Rogers, and thank you all. I agree with much of what has been said by my three teammates in this process already.\n\nMy Chairman, Chairman Reed, mentioned China, Russia, Iran \u2013 I would also mention North Korea \u2013 these adversaries of the United States are in it together.\n\nIt\u2019s not just supposition on anyone\u2019s part. The teamwork that they have been engaged in is public and open. And the Ranking Member Mr. Smith is correct: they have in common that they wish us ill.\n\nI join with the distinguished House Chairman in saying that Republican members on this side are not at all satisfied with how this administration has carried out the national defense responsibilities of the federal government.\n\nOur weaponry is not where it should be. Our ships and airplanes \u2013 and particularly our submarines \u2013 are not where they ought to be.\n\nWe are also concerned about the wokeness that seems to pervade the Department of Defense and military at this time, taking effort and attention away from most of what we need to be doing.\n\nClearly, Representative Smith is correct that our main goal should be the personnel in uniform who step forward to protect and swear an oath to the Constitution, who in a time of volunteerism, put themselves in harm\u2019s way.\n\nSo, it\u2019s been a learning experience for me. I would point out that it has been a bipartisan process. Much negotiation took place.\n\nAnd here\u2019s where I would thank the staff on both sides of the aisle and both sides of the Hill for the incredible amount of work and the late nights and long hours after members are able to adjourn and go home. Our hats are off to all the staff members.\n\nThe result is that we the passed the bill in the Senate Armed Services Committee by a vote of 24-1 after amendments were added in the Chairman\u2019s package. After 120 amendments were considered on the floor \u2013 most of them added \u2013 the NDAA passed the Senate by 86-11.\n\nSo, this has been a bipartisan effort, though clearly there have been differences we have had to accommodate. Chairman Rogers is correct: I am not at all satisfied about some of the things we had to agree to, and neither are our Democratic friends.\n\nThat said, I want to say a personal word of thanks to this negotiating team and say I look forward to hearing the discussion of others in the Senate and this House so that this NDAA can move to the full House and Senate and get it done before we leave here.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/11/wicker-hyde-smith-cosponsor-bill-to-protect-faith-based-child-welfare-providers", "Wicker, Hyde-Smith Cosponsor Bill to Protect Faith-Based Child Welfare Providers", "2023-11-28", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., have joined U.S. Senator Tim Scott, R-S.C., in introducing legislation to prohibit the federal government and states from discriminating against faith-based child welfare service providers, including adoption and foster care providers.\n\nThe Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act (S.3344) would prohibit federal, state and local government agencies that receive federal adoption assistance funding from discriminating against child welfare service providers based on the providers\u2019 unwillingness to act contrary to their religious beliefs.\n\n\u201cFaith-based adoption and foster care providers do incredible work finding loving homes for our nation's orphans,\u201d said Wicker. \u201cIt is deeply disturbing that certain states are seeking to drive these providers out of the marketplace because of their religious and moral beliefs, leaving children to pay the price. This legislation would protect federally-funded child welfare providers from discrimination based on their beliefs, allowing them to continue serving children in need.\"\n\n\u201cChild service providers who hold fast to their faith and find loving homes for children are an inspiration, and don\u2019t deserve to be penalized or targeted by the Biden administration,\u201d Hyde-Smith said. \u201cThis is reasonable legislation that protects religious freedoms and supports an all-hands-on-deck approach to ensuring the best welfare for vulnerable children.\u201d\n\n\u201cFaith-based foster care organizations have provided reliable, effective resources to countless families and children with nowhere else to go,\u201d said Scott. \u201cDespite their success, President Biden has caved to the far-left, making it harder for these organizations to provide critical services and leaving the kids who need them most out in the cold. I\u2019m fighting back to protect religious freedom and support the incredible work of these invaluable organizations.\u201d\n\nIn addition to Wicker and Hyde-Smith, additional S.3344 cosponsors include U.S. Senators James Risch, R-Idaho, Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Roger Marshall, M.D., R-Kan., James Lankford, R-Okla., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Mike Braun, R-Ind., Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., John Cornyn, R-Texas, Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and John Barrasso, M.D., R-Wyo.\n\nThe legislation has been endorsed by the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Heritage Action, Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee, and the Family Research Council.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/11/wicker-kaine-introduce-bipartisan-resolution-to-commemorate-90th-anniversary-of-holodomor-reaffirm-support-for-ukraine", "Wicker, Kaine Introduce Bipartisan Resolution to Commemorate 90th Anniversary of Holodomor, Reaffirm Support for Ukraine", "2023-11-28", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Tim Kaine, D-Va.., introduced a resolution commemorating the 90th anniversary of the Ukraine Famine of 1932-1933, known as the Holodomor, and underscoring the threat of Russia\u2019s current war on Ukraine to the existence of the Ukrainian people and global food security. The resolution comes in advance of negotiations over a bipartisan supplemental funding package to support key national security priorities, including aid for Ukraine.\n\n\u201cThe Ukrainian people are no strangers to the cruel will of a Russian dictator. Ninety years ago, a Soviet-imposed famine killed millions. Today, Vladimir Putin\u2019s unprovoked assault has not only brought hunger to millions but also threatened the very existence of Ukraine. As we mark the anniversary of the Holodomor, we also need to recognize Ukraine\u2019s current peril and continue helping them win,\u201d said Wicker.\n\n\u201c90 years ago, millions of Ukrainians lost their lives because of Joseph Stalin\u2019s forced famine,\u201d said Kaine. \u201cToday, Russia\u2019s war on Ukraine is having devastating impacts on the Ukrainian people and global food supply. We must remember the victims and survivors of the Holodomor, condemn Vladimir Putin\u2019s war on Ukraine and his weaponization of hunger, and continue to support Ukraine\u2019s right to defend itself against Russian aggression.\u201d\n\nRussia\u2019s war in Ukraine has strangled Ukraine\u2019s ability to export much-needed wheat. As the producer of roughly a fifth of the world\u2019s high-grade wheat, Ukraine has historically played an outsized role in the global food supply. The ongoing war and Russia\u2019s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Deal, which allowed international shipments of corn, wheat, barley, and other food products from three ports in Ukraine, is causing prices for grains to soar around the world, threatening to put millions of people in countries dependent on Ukraine\u2019s food exports in danger, and devastating Ukraine\u2019s economy.\n\nThe number of people around the world facing acute food insecurity greatly increased from 193 million in 2021 to 258 million in 2022. Last year, approximately 35 million people experienced emergency levels of acute food insecurity, which is just one step away from famine. These figures are expected to worsen for 2023.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/11/wicker-statement-on-gaza-hostage-deal", "Wicker Statement on Gaza Hostage Deal", "2023-11-22", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2013 U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today released the below statement following press reports of a hostage deal struck with Hamas in Gaza:\n\n\u201cI am heartened to learn that at least fifty hostages whom Hamas terrorists seized on October 7, including dozens of children, will soon return to their loved ones. It is imperative that the Biden administration work to achieve the release of the remaining hostages, including women and children, until all are freed.\n\n\u201cAt the same time, I am deeply disappointed that this deal permits Hamas to benefit from its terrorism, including through the pause on Israeli action against the terrorist group and limitations on intelligence collection during the release process,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cIt is further distressing to learn from media reports that Qatar, a major non-NATO ally, effectively served as Hamas\u2019 lawyer during these events, allowing Hamas to set the terms for negotiating the release of young children. This is not behavior becoming of a friend of America.\n\n\u201cIt is now up to the Biden administration to ensure that the hostage releases happen as agreed while also holding Hamas accountable. This agreement cannot be an excuse to abandon Israel nor its mission of dismantling Hamas\u2019 rule and terrorism capabilities in Gaza. This is Israel\u2019s war of self-defense, and we must continue to stand strong beside our Israeli allies to ensure that Hamas can never repeat the horrors of October 7 again.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/11/wicker-hyde-smith-demand-answers-over-biden-s-unprecedented-pause-of-firearms-export-licenses", "Wicker, Hyde-Smith Demand Answers Over Biden\u2019s Unprecedented Pause of Firearms Export Licenses", "2023-11-20", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., are among 46 Republican Senators demanding answers regarding a 90-day pause imposed by the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) on the issuance of export licenses for firearms, ammunition, and certain accessories to most overseas markets.\n\nIn a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, the senators pose a series of questions regarding the immediate pause announced by the DOC Bureau of Industry and Security on October 27, a move seen as the latest chapter in the Biden administration\u2019s hostility toward the U.S. firearms industry. The pause, which includes exceptions for Israel and Ukraine, is expected to have a direct cost of at least $89 million and at least $238 million annually if it is made permanent.\n\n\u201cAs you know, firearms exports to non-government users in countries not covered by the exception constitute a significant percentage of overall U.S. firearm exports. This pause puts at stake U.S. commercial and economic interests, as well as those business interests of firearm exporters whose pending exports are now subject to pause, in addition to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests,\u201d the lawmakers wrote Raimondo.\n\n\u201cFinally, we are concerned the unmet demand created by this action will promote opportunities for less scrupulous, professional, or conscientious sources of supply to fill the void, thereby strengthening illicit arms markets,\u201d the letter continued.\n\nThe senators seek a response to their inquiry by no later than November 30.\n\nU.S. Senator Ted Budd, R-N.C., led the letter, which is available here and below.\n\nDear Secretary Raimondo:\n\nWe write regarding the October 27 announcement from the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the Department of Commerce (the Department) that \u201c[e]ffective immediately\u201d, the Department \u201cis pausing for approximately 90 days the issuance of new export licenses involving certain firearms, related components, and ammunition\u201d as well as \u201cthe provision of new export assistance activities for such products to all non-governmental end users worldwide\u201d with the exception of \u201cthose located in Ukraine, Israel, or a country in Country Group A:1 (Wassenaar Arrangement Participating States).\u201d Further, this announcement stated that the Department will, during this \u201c\u2018pause\u2019 period\u201d, conduct an urgent review of \u201ccurrent firearm export control review policies\u201d in light of \u201cU.S. national security and foreign policy interests\u201d to \u201cenable the Department to more effectively assess and mitigate risk of firearms being diverted to entities or activities that promote regional instability, violate human rights, or fuel criminal activities.\u201d\n\nWe recognize the crucial need for firearms for civilian self-defense in Ukraine and Israel, which are exempted from this pause, and note the actions by the Ukrainian and Israeli governments to fulfill those needs. For example, in response to the Hamas attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that part of the war against Hamas involves \u201cencouraging civilians and helping civilians to arm themselves for their self-defence.\u201d The Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, promised to distribute 10,000 free weapons, including 4,000 rifles to settlers in the West Bank, and has relaxed rules for permits to allow 400,000 new people to qualify to carry a firearm. Similarly, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on February 24, 2022, that the Ukrainian government \u201cwill give weapons to anyone who wants to defend the country.\u201d By June 2022, Ukraine had distributed \u201ctens of thousands\u201d of firearms to civilians \u201cfor national defense\u201d, according to Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky.\n\nHowever, we also recognize the significance of exports that are now put on pause by the Department\u2019s announcement. As you know, firearms exports to non-government users in countries not covered by the exception constitute a significant percentage of overall U.S. firearm exports. This pause puts at stake U.S. commercial and economic interests, as well as those business interests of firearm exporters whose pending exports are now subject to pause, in addition to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests. According to a survey conducted by NSSF, the firearm and ammunition industry trade association, this decision would have a severe negative economic impact. As of today, the industry estimates a direct cost of at least $89 million associated with the 90 day pause and at least $238 million annually should the pause become permanent. Furthermore, it is our understanding that the Department has never before imposed such a 90 day pause on such a wide range of firearms exports. We have significant concerns about the justifications for and ramifications of this pause. Finally, we are concerned the unmet demand created by this action will promote opportunities for less scrupulous, professional, or conscientious sources of supply to fill the void, thereby strengthening illicit arms markets.\n\nThus, for the purpose of congressional oversight regarding the Department\u2019s announcement we ask that you respond to the following questions and requests by November 30, 2023:", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/11/wicker-statement-on-china-s-continuing-aggression", "Wicker Statement on China\u2019s Continuing Aggression", "2023-11-18", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today released the following statement in regard to recent reports of Chinese People\u2019s Liberation Army Navy action using sonar against Australian divers:\n\n\u201cThe Chinese military\u2019s decision to injure Australian divers by using hull-mounted sonars on its destroyers is unacceptable. Only days after President Biden met with Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping, Beijing is once again harassing U.S. allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific. While the Biden Administration celebrates hollow U.S.-China \u201cworking groups\u201d as meaningful progress and Xi Jinping receives a standing ovation from American CEOs, the United States and our allies need to continue the hard work of bolstering deterrence in the Indo-Pacific,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cThe Chinese Communist Party respects only strength, and only through strength will they refrain from such unacceptable behavior.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://guest.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-michael-guest-statement-rep-george-santos", "Congressman Michael Guest Statement on Rep. George Santos", "2023-11-17", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Michael Guest", "G000591", "guest.house.gov", "guest", "https://guest.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C.\u2013 Congressman Michael Guest (MS-03) released the following statement regarding Representative George Santos:\n\n\u201cGiven the intense public scrutiny surrounding Representative Santos and the ongoing activity at the DOJ, including indictments, the Ethics Committee decided to finish its work without going through a lengthier process that provides for the Committee to make a recommendation of punishment to the House. The evidence uncovered in the Ethics Committee\u2019s Investigative Subcommittee investigation is more than sufficient to warrant punishment and the most appropriate punishment, is expulsion. So, separate from the Committee process and my role as Chairman, I have filed an expulsion resolution.\u201d", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/11/wicker-hyde-smith-call-on-biden-to-enforce-congressionally-mandated-sanctions-on-iran", "Wicker, Hyde-Smith Call on Biden to Enforce Congressionally-Mandated Sanctions on Iran", "2023-11-17", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss. have joined Republican colleagues in calling on President Biden to immediately enforce oil sanctions on Iran as mandated by Congress.\n\nWicker and Hyde-Smith are among 18 Senators who signed a letter to Biden that also urges the administration to permanently freeze the $6 billion funding mechanism established in September\u2019s hostage agreement with Iran. The letter was spearheaded by U.S. Senators Jerry Moran, R-Kan., and Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn.\n\n\u201cFor far too long, Iran has evaded consequence for its complacency in funding radical terror,\u201d the senators wrote. \u201cTo prevent further atrocities and to fulfill our promise of providing unwavering support to our most important ally in the Middle East, we urge your administration to take the necessary means in severing financial avenues available to Iran, specifically cracking down on oil exports.\u201d\n\nThe letter cites a September 2023 Bloomberg Report that indicates U.S. officials \u201chave privately acknowledged a gradual relaxation of enforcement on Iranian oil sales.\u201d\n\n\u201cAny relaxation of Congressionally-mandated sanctions against Iran while funding flows to terror organizations is wholly unacceptable,\u201d the senators wrote. \u201cThe world is now seeing the direct result of allowing Iran\u2019s oil revenues to grow and unfreezing billions of dollars in its extraterritorial bank accounts. Congress has a responsibility to ensure sanctions are not only on the books but enforced to their fullest extent. As our trusted ally Israel endures devastation, we must prioritize enforcing all economic sanctions and restricting Iranian oil revenue.\u201d\n\nThe letter was also signed by U.S. Senators John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Mike Braun, R-Ind., Ted Budd, R-N.C., Shelley Moore Capito, R- W.Va., Bill Cassidy, R-La., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Steve Daines, R-Mont., Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, John Hoeven, R-N.D., James Lankford, R-Okla., Roger Marshall, R-Kan., John Kennedy, R-La., Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C.\n\nThe full letter here and below:\n\nDear President Biden:\n\nWe write to you during a time of global outrage and sorrow following Hamas\u2019s unprecedented massacre in Israel which has left 1,400 dead, including at least 33 Americans. Iran\u2019s fingerprints are all over the events of October 7th and ensuing escalations across the Middle East. Its leaders have provided Hamas and Hezbollah hundreds of millions of dollars in funding, weapons, and training, bolstering terrorists on Israel\u2019s borders.\n\nFor far too long, Iran has evaded consequence for its complacency in funding radical terror. To prevent further atrocities and to fulfill our promise of providing unwavering support to our most important ally in the Middle East, we urge your administration to take the necessary means in severing financial avenues available to Iran, specifically cracking down on oil exports.\n\nWe ask that you take immediate action to permanently freeze the funding mechanism established in September\u2019s hostage deal with Iran. This $6 billion would free up money for Iran to use not for the well-being of its own people but for nefarious purposes in the region and beyond. Blocking the world\u2019s largest state sponsor of terrorism from accessing this $6 billion \u2013 rescinding or revising all waivers and licensed involved \u2013 will hinder the regime\u2019s ability to support the death and destruction of our allies.\n\nWe also demand that you take immediate action to fully enforce U.S. oil sanctions and interdict Iranian oil exports. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimated that exports of crude oil and condensate from Iran fell from 2.5 million barrels per day in 2017 to a mere 400,000 in 2020 amidst the \u201cmaximum pressure\u201d campaign. But that pressure campaign evaporated in 2021 and today is practically non-existent. Iran\u2019s crude exports alone surged to more than 2 million barrels per day in August reportedly as part of the administration\u2019s nuclear deal with Iran. That\u2019s an estimated $26 to $30 billion in additional annual revenue for Tehran.\n\nA September 2023 report from Bloomberg indicates that U.S. officials \u201chave privately acknowledged a gradual relaxation of enforcement on Iranian oil sales.\u201d Any relaxation of Congressionally-mandated sanctions against Iran while funding flows to terror organizations is wholly unacceptable.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/11/wicker-peters-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-strengthen-commercial-space-industry-policy-and-competitiveness", "Wicker, Peters Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen Commercial Space Industry Policy and Competitiveness", "2023-11-17", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Gary Peters, D-Mich., introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen commercial space policy and promote industry competitiveness by establishing a Commercial Space Activity Advisory Committee within the Office of Space Commerce. This legislation enables the advisory committee to share important insights into non-governmental space activity and empowers its members to inform and shape federal policy and programs.\n\n\u201cThe commercial space industry is growing rapidly, and it is important for government to help it continue,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cEstablishing a new advisory committee staffed by subject matter experts across industry, academia, and policy will help us guide this industry into the next era.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs connected technologies continue to evolve, space-based assets will only become more critical to our safety and national security,\u201d Peters said. \u201cThis bipartisan legislation would give our space industry leaders a seat at the table to help shape federal space policy and ensure the United States is at the forefront of commercial space development.\u201d\n\nThe Commercial Space Activity Advisory Committee would be comprised of 15 members who make recommendations on various priorities, including:\n\nIdentifying challenges relating to international obligations and export controls that affect the commercial space sector.\n\nAddressing the need to access adequate, predictable and reliable radio frequency spectrum.\n\nReviewing best practices for U.S. entities to avoid harmful environmental impacts to both earth and space.\n\nProviding recommendations on matters related to space sector development and other activities the advisory committee considers necessary.\n\nThe Commercial Space Activity Advisory Committee Act is supported by Commercial Spaceflight Federation and ATLAS Space Operations.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/11/wicker-statement-on-national-defense-authorization-act-conference-proceedings", "Wicker Statement on National Defense Authorization Act Conference Proceedings", "2023-11-16", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today released the below statement following the official proceeding of conference action on the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA):\n\n\u201cI appreciate my colleagues for recognizing the need to ensure that this year\u2019s national defense legislation receives a strong conference in accordance with precedent and the good working order of Congress,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cSenate Republicans worked hard to include several key provisions in this year\u2019s bill related to improving military readiness, eliminating toxic social policies, and accelerating procurement of the ships, aircraft, and munitions we need to deter China and other adversaries in the years ahead. It would be a disservice to these efforts to dispense with the traditional conference process.\n\n\u201cI look forward to working with Chairman Reed, Chairman Rogers, Ranking Member Smith and the rest of our conferees to deliver a strong final product to the President\u2019s desk. During the most dangerous national security moment since World War II, we cannot afford anything less.\n\nDuring the floor debate of the Senate\u2019s defense legislation, more than 900 amendments were considered and 120 amendments were adopted \u2013 the most amendments adopted to the Senate NDAA in years. The bill passed the full Senate 86-11. Prior to floor debate, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted 24-1 to advance the bill from markup, with 445 amendments considered and 286 adopted.\n\nThe 63rd annual NDAA supports a total of $886 billion in fiscal year 2024 funding for national defense. Within this topline, the legislation authorizes $845 billion for the Department of Defense (DOD) and $32 billion for national security programs within the Department of Energy (DOE).\n\nNDAA highlights include:\n\nProvides for a 5.2 percent pay raise for both military servicemembers and the DOD civilian workforce, and helps lower housing, healthcare, and childcare costs for military families.\n\nSupports requested funding for the procurement of naval vessels, combat aircraft, armored vehicles, weapon systems, and munitions.\n\nAuthorizes the full budget request for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI) and the European Deterrence Initiative (EDI).\n\nEstablishes the Indo-Pacific Campaigning Initiative to facilitate increased U.S. military exercises, freedom of navigation operations, and partner engagements in the region.\n\nEstablishes a comprehensive training, advising, and institutional capacity-building program for the military forces of Taiwan.\n\nSupports the development of the security partnership among Australia, United Kingdom, and the United States, known as AUKUS.\n\nFully funds and extends the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) through fiscal year 2027.\n\nStreamlines the acquisition of defense stocks related to Ukraine and authorizes additional munitions for multiyear procurement contracts.\n\nAuthorizes improvements to the quality and oversight of military enlisted barracks, including the replacement of substandard barracks.\n\nAuthorizes increased funding for the military services' recruiting and advertising activities.\n\nAuthorizes significant funding for game-changing technologies like microelectronics, hypersonic weapons, and unmanned aircraft systems.\n\nEnhances deterrence by recapitalizing and modernizing the U.S. nuclear triad; ensuring the safety, security, and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, delivery systems, and infrastructure; increasing capacity in theater and homeland missile defense; and strengthening nonproliferation programs.\n\nProvides predictability and stability for the nation\u2019s supply chain and industrial base workforce to move forward with critical programs and acquisitions.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/11/senators-introduce-ole-miss-175th-anniversary-resolution", "Senators Introduce Ole Miss 175th Anniversary Resolution", "2023-11-15", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., joined Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., today introduced a resolution commemorating the 175th anniversary of the University of Mississippi.\n\nThe resolution highlights the growth and accomplishments of Mississippi\u2019s flagship university since it opened its doors on Nov. 6, 1848. The measure celebrates the growth of Ole Miss into a diverse Southeastern Conference powerhouse in academics, research, the arts, and athletics.\n\n\u201cAfter 175 years of service, the University of Mississippi has a lot to celebrate. This institution has grown from a small college in north Mississippi to a premier research institution that attracts students from around the world. I look forward to seeing many more years of excellence from Ole Miss,\u201d Wicker said.\n\n\u201cThe University of Mississippi has been and continues to be a huge part of our state\u2019s history and culture,\u201d Hyde-Smith said. \u201cOur resolution commemorating this notable 175-year milestone recognizes and celebrates the fact that thousands of students of all races, creeds, backgrounds, and beliefs flock to Ole Miss to receive a world-class education.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs we celebrate the University of Mississippi\u2019s 175th anniversary, I\u2019m reflecting on the wonderful memories Billy and I made at Ole Miss as graduate students,\u201d said Shaheen. \u201cI have carried these experiences with me throughout my career, and I\u2019m proud to see Ole Miss continue to prepare its students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.\u201d\n\nRead the text of the resolution here or below.\n\nWhereas the University of Mississippi began its first session on November 6, 1848, with a 4-member faculty offering a liberal arts curriculum to 80 students;\n\nWhereas the University of Mississippi established one of the first State-supported law schools in the United States in 1854, and it was the first university in Mississippi to establish a school of engineering in 1900;\n\nWhereas, in 1882, the University of Mississippi became one of the first universities in the South to admit women and, in 1885, was the first university in Mississippi to hire a female faculty member;\n\nWhereas, in 1903, the University of Mississippi began providing medical education on the Oxford campus;\n\nWhereas the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi\u2014\n\n(1) was established by the Mississippi Legislature in 1950;\n\n(2) became the first and only academic medical center in Mississippi when it opened in 1955; and\n\n(3) was the site of the first lung and heart transplants into a human in the world, in 1963 and 1964, respectively;\n\nWhereas, in 1962, the University of Mississippi broke a racial barrier by admitting its first African-American student, James Meredith, who remains a source of inspiration today;\n\nWhereas, from its first class of 80 students, the University of Mississippi has grown to host more than 23,000 students participating in 120 programs of study across 7 campuses, including a medical center;\n\nWhereas thousands of students of all races, creeds, backgrounds, and beliefs receive world-class education at the University of Mississippi;\n\nWhereas the University of Mississippi advances academic excellence through the activity of the faculty and staff in departments and more than 75 academic, research, and community service centers;\n\nWhereas, in 2016, the University of Mississippi received a classification of \u201cR1: Doctoral Universities \u2013 Very High Research Activity\u201d in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, an honor bestowed on the top doctoral research universities in the United States;\n\nWhereas the University of Mississippi has produced 55 Fulbright Scholars, 27 Rhodes Scholars, 44 Boren Scholars, 18 Truman Scholars, 24 Goldwater Scholars, 8 Portz Scholars, and 11 National Science Foundation Graduate Fellows;\n\nWhereas the University of Mississippi has played a significant role in producing future public service leaders;\n\nWhereas, in 2008, the University of Mississippi hosted the first presidential debate between Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, which was the first presidential debate held in Mississippi;\n\nWhereas, for 14 years, the University of Mississippi has been recognized as a \u201cGreat College to Work For\u201d, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, in addition to earning honors in all 10 categories of recognition;\n\nWhereas the University of Mississippi is dedicated to supporting the academic success of student-athletes while striving for on-field success;\n\nWhereas the Ole Miss Rebels are composed of 18 men\u2019s and women\u2019s intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Mississippi;\n\nWhereas the University of Mississippi, a charter member of the Southeastern Conference, claims 5 collegiate team national championships, and Ole Miss Rebel student-athletes have captured 25 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1 individual titles; and\n\nWhereas the University of Mississippi has produced notable alumni in the fields of government, public policy, research, medicine, business, education, literature, the arts, journalism, athletics, and more: Now, therefore, be it\n\nResolved, That the Senate\u2014\n\n(1) commends the University of Mississippi for its 175 years of service to the State of Mississippi and the United States;\n\n(2) recognizes the University of Mississippi for its academic, research, cultural, and athletic excellence; and\n\n(3) respectfully requests that the Secretary of the Senate transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to\u2014\n\n(A) the Chancellor of the University of Mississippi, Dr. Glenn F. Boyce;\n\n(B) the Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics of the University of Mississippi, Mr. Keith Carter; and", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/11/wicker-hyde-smith-pfluger-colleagues-file-supreme-court-brief-in-ongoing-challenge-to-fda-chemical-abortion-actions", "Wicker, Hyde-Smith, Pfluger, Colleagues File Supreme Court Brief in Ongoing Challenge to FDA Chemical Abortion Actions", "2023-11-15", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., joined Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., and U.S. Representative August Pfluger, R-Texas, in filing an amicus brief in support of the U.S. Supreme Court considering initial \u201capproval irregularities\u201d by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in its 2000 approval of chemical abortion drugs.\n\nSeventeen U.S. Senators and 92 members of the House of Representatives signed the amicus brief, including U.S. Representatives Trent Kelly, R-Miss., Michael Guest, R-Miss., and Mike Ezell, R-Miss.\n\nAmericans United for Life authored the brief in support of the Conditional Cross Petition filed by Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine. The cross petition asks the Supreme Court to consider the FDA\u2019s 2000 drug approval should the court decide to hear challenges to a Fifth Circuit Court stay of the FDA\u2019s 2016 and 2021 actions to broaden access to chemical abortion drugs.\n\n\u201cAs pro-life elected representatives, Amici are committed to protecting women and girls from the harms of the abortion industry. By approving and then deregulating chemical abortion drugs, the FDA failed to follow Congress\u2019 statutorily prescribed drug approval process and subverted Congress\u2019 critical public policy interests in upholding patient welfare,\u201d the brief stated.\n\n\u201cAmici support the Fifth Circuit\u2019s reinstatement of common-sense patient safeguards, which include in-person dispensing of mifepristone as well as an in-person follow-up examination to ensure a woman has not suffered complications or retained fetal tissue. Accordingly, Amici support Cross-Petitioners\u2019 opposition to the FDA and Danco\u2019s petitions for a writ of certiorari, which have asked this Court to reconsider patient safeguards that protect women and girls seeking chemical abortion drugs,\u201d the brief continued.\n\nThe lawmakers\u2019 brief makes these arguments:\n\nThe FDA exceeded its Subpart H authority by approving mifepristone.\n\nThe FDA misclassified pregnancy as a \u201clife-threatening illness.\u201d\n\nChemical abortions do not provide a \u201cmeaningful therapeutic benefit\u201d over surgical abortions.\n\nThe FDA\u2019s approval of mifepristone subverted patient health and safety safeguards within federal laws.\n\nThe FDA\u2019s failure to adhere to the FDCA\u2019s drug approval process has created grave health and safety risks to women and girls.\n\nThe FDA endangers pregnant adolescents seeking chemical abortion drugs by subverting the pediatric study requirement.\n\nOrganizations supporting the amicus brief include Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, March for Life, Students for Life of America, National Right to Life, Live Action, Catholic Vote.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/11/wicker-hyde-smith-call-on-dod-to-rescind-abortion-travel-policy", "Wicker, Hyde-Smith Call on DoD to Rescind Abortion Travel Policy", "2023-11-14", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., are among 27 senators demanding that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) rescind its policy of paying the travel expenses of those servicemembers and dependents seeking abortions, including late-term abortions.\n\nThe Mississippi lawmakers signed a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that outlines how the policy exceeds any authority granted to DoD by Congress. The letter, initiated by U.S. Senator Ted Budd, R-N.C., called on Austin to, \u201cDo the right thing. Rescind the Policy now.\u201d\n\n\u201cCongress never authorized the Department to expend funds to facilitate abortions and, until the Policy was issued, the military never facilitated abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or where the life of the mother would be endangered if the unborn child were carried to term. Now taxpayers\u2014many of whom have deeply-held religious and moral objections to abortions\u2014are on the hook to facilitate the very abortions they fundamentally oppose,\u201d the senators wrote.\n\n\u201cRather than respect the Supreme Court\u2019s decision, you decided to engage the Department, and our men and women in uniform, in a policy debate properly reserved for the legislature. You did so by claiming that Dobbs had \u2018readiness, recruiting, and retention implications for the Force.\u2019 By your own officials\u2019 admissions, however, the Department has no data to support that claim, and few servicemembers or dependents have utilized the Policy,\u201d the letter continued.\n\nIn addition to Wicker and Hyde-Smith, the Budd letter was signed by U.S. Senators Mike Lee, R-Utah, Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Mike Rounds, R-N.D., John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Rand Paul, R-Ky., Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., Katie Britt, R-Ala., Mike Braun, R-Ind., Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Rick Scott, R-Fla., Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, John Cornyn, R-Texas, John Boozman, R-Ark., John Thune, R-S.D., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska.\n\nRead the signed letter here and below.\n\nSecretary Austin:\n\nYou have broken your promise to the American people not to politicize the military, and your actions have harmed and threaten to further harm institutional norms within our democracy. On June 28, 2022, four days after the Supreme Court\u2019s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women\u2019s Health Organization, you issued a memorandum to senior leaders in the Department of Defense (\u201cDepartment\u201d) stating that the Department is authorized to pay for government funded, official travel for active duty personnel to receive abortions outside of the state in which they are stationed.\n\nOn October 20, 2022, you issued the memorandum Travel for Non-Covered Reproductive Health Care Services, properly referred to as the Department\u2019s abortion travel policy (\u201cPolicy\u201d), which directed the Department to pay travel expenses not only for active duty personnel to receive abortions, but for their dependents to receive abortions as well. Importantly, on July 19, 2023, at a hearing on the Department\u2019s abortion travel policy, the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness confirmed that this policy extends to late term abortions.\n\nAll legislative power is vested in Congress, and the Executive branch is responsible for implementing and enforcing the law. While the Department may issue regulations, it can only do so under the laws authorized and enacted by Congress. But, Congress never authorized the Department to expend funds to facilitate abortions and, until the Policy was issued, the military never facilitated abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or where the life of the mother would be endangered if the unborn child were carried to term. Now taxpayers\u2014many of whom have deeply-held religious and moral objections to abortions\u2014are on the hook to facilitate the very abortions they fundamentally oppose. Indeed, a Marist poll in January 2023 found that 60% of Americans strongly oppose the use of taxpayer dollars to pay for an abortion, consistent with polls taken throughout recent years.\n\nRather than respect the Supreme Court\u2019s decision, you decided to engage the Department, and our men and women in uniform, in a policy debate properly reserved for the legislature. You did so by claiming that Dobbs had \u201creadiness, recruiting, and retention implications for the Force.\u201d By your own officials\u2019 admissions, however, the Department has no data to support that claim, and few servicemembers or dependents have utilized the Policy.\n\nAfter multiple inquiries from Congress on this question, the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness finally confirmed that \u201cThe Department does not have any data on women being deterred from joining the military for fear of being stationed at an installation or base in a state or nation that has restrictive abortion laws.\u201d Finally, a recent letter from the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee revealed that only 12 women have taken advantage of the Policy since its inception, which undercuts your argument that Dobbs has significant recruiting and retention implications.\n\nOur men and women in uniform deserve Senate-confirmed leadership but the current situation began with your original sin of promulgating the Policy. Much has been made in the press about one Senator\u2019s decision to try and stop your egregious wrongs, without acknowledging the Senate Majority Leader\u2019s refusal to bring general and flag officer nominations to the floor until forced to by Republicans. Seeking to circumvent the Senate prerogative of the informal \u201chold\u201d practice without addressing the underlying causes\u2014the novel Policy and the subsequent refusal of the Majority to bring these nominees to the floor\u2014will not ultimately reconcile this matter. It could create a toxic precedent with lasting negative effects on future military nominations.\n\nYour decision to issue the Policy politicized the military and placed the wants of a few over the needs of the entire nation.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/11/wicker-risch-colleagues-biden-xi-meeting-should-bring-concrete-deliverables-not-more-concessions", "Wicker, Risch, Colleagues: Biden-Xi Meeting Should Bring Concrete Deliverables, Not More Concessions", "2023-11-14", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today joined Senator Jim Risch, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and other Republican colleagues in releasing the following statement ahead of the Biden-Xi meeting during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit.\n\n\u201cPresident Biden\u2019s planned meeting with Xi Jinping is a clear message that this administration will pursue an economic reset with China above fortifying the national security of the United States. The administration\u2019s belief that a solid economic relationship will stabilize the entire U.S.-China relationship is dead wrong, and exactly what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) wants us to believe.\n\n\u201cThere is no such thing as \u2018healthy\u2019 economic competition with China. That reality should be obvious to the casual observer after decades of China\u2019s rampant intellectual property theft, massive subsidization of key industries, and coercive treatment of U.S.-based and international firms.\n\n\u201cThe United States should not throw any sort of economic lifeline to Xi Jinping after the mess he has made of the Chinese economy. If we are serious about competing with China, we should focus on hardening our economy against China\u2019s abuses and on pursuing initiatives with willing partners that actually create opportunity. China wants not only to harm U.S. national security, but also to undermine our economic prosperity. For the CCP, there is no distinction. The Biden Administration\u2019s belief otherwise shows it thinks we can still change China \u2013 a belief that is divorced from reality.\n\n\u201cBiden agreeing to another Xi meeting without the release of wrongfully detained Americans and any commitments by China on fentanyl is astounding. Lopsided economic engagement should not be of greater priority than securing the release of Mark Swidan, David Lin, and Kai Li. These men have suffered for far too long and deserve to come home to their families immediately. The parade of Biden Administration officials through China in the nine months since it sent a surveillance balloon across the United States has not yielded the release of these Americans \u2013 and sadly it does not appear that the Biden-Xi meeting will yield their release either.\n\n\u201cFinally, it is paramount that Biden and his administration don\u2019t give an inch on U.S. policy on Taiwan. We have seen this before, and it would be one more grave error in the competition between the United States and China. Few issues are more urgent than ensuring Taiwan has the capabilities and training it needs to deter Chinese aggression. Vital U.S. national and economic security interests, and the future of the entire Indo-Pacific region, are both at stake here.\u201d\n\nJoining Wicker and Risch are U.S. Senators Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Steve Daines, R-Mont., Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, Katie Britt, R-Ala., Rick Scott, R-Fla., John Hoeven, R-N.D., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Ted Budd, R-N.C., Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., John Cornyn, R-Texas, Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Tim Scott, R-S.C.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=378", "Ezell to Miss Votes Following Mother's Passing", "2023-11-13", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Mike Ezell", "E000235", "ezell.house.gov", "ezell", "https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Congressman Ezell will miss votes this week following the passing of his mother, Mrs. Betty Jean Ezell, on Monday afternoon.\n\n\u201cCongressman Ezell will return to Washington soon. In the meantime, our team is continuing to work for the people of South Mississippi as he and his family grieve,\u201d said Jonathan Bailey, Congressman Ezell\u2019s communications director. \u201cWe ask that you keep the Congressman and his family in your prayers.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://guest.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-guest-and-congressman-cuellar-introduce-veterans-day-resolution", "Congressman Guest and Congressman Cuellar Introduce Veterans Day Resolution", "2023-11-09", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Michael Guest", "G000591", "guest.house.gov", "guest", "https://guest.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, Congressman Michael Guest (MS-03), joined by Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28), introduced a resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives to honor the service and sacrifice of America\u2019s veterans on Veterans Day, 2023.\n\nVeterans Day was originally called Armistice Day to celebrate the end of the \u201cwar to end all wars.\u201d The war ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. In 1947, after World War II came to an end, Raymond Weeks organized Veterans Day in Birmingham, Alabama, honoring all Veterans; and the idea caught on prompting a bill to change Armistice Day to Veterans Day and to honor all our American veterans who have served our country throughout all time.\n\nOver 16,200,000 veterans live in our great nation and have served our country since World War II. Since the founding of our nation in 1776, there have been over 41,000,000 men and women who have earned the title of veteran.\n\nVeterans throughout our history have fought to preserve Americans\u2019 freedoms and protect our liberties. Serving around the world from the Arctic to Japan and from the United States to Iraq, veterans have played a key role in the history of our nation.\n\nCongressman Michael Guest stated, \u201cI am humbled by the dedicated service and the sacrifice that our United States veterans have given to this country, and this resolution is a way for the U.S. House of Representatives to demonstrate our unerring appreciation to our nation\u2019s heroes. I want to thank all veterans throughout our country for their service to protect my freedom and the freedom of Americans from sea to shining sea. May God bless our veterans.\u201d", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"], ["https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/recognizing-50th-anniversary-intercessors-america", "RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF INTERCESSORS FOR AMERICA", "2023-11-09", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Cindy Hyde-Smith", "H001079", "www.hydesmith.senate.gov", "hydesmith", "https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/newsroom", "scraper", "Congressional Record Vol. 169, No. 186\n\n(Senate - November 9, 2023) PDF\n\nMrs. HYDE-SMITH. Mr. President, I wish to recognize the 50th\n\nanniversary of Intercessors for America--IFA--a ministry that has\n\nfaithfully served believers by encouraging effective prayer and fasting\n\nfor the Church, our Nation, and our elected leaders, including those of\n\nus elected to Congress. At the time of IFA's founding, the Watergate\n\nscandal, the Vietnam war, pervasive drug use, and the Supreme Court's\n\ntragic decision to legalize abortion on demand in Roe v. Wade had\n\nshaken the moral foundations of our Nation. In the 50 years since,\n\nIFA's ministry has been important in rebuilding a society that once\n\nagain respects the Judeo-Christian principles and moral values that lie\n\nat the heart of America.\n\nThe founding leaders of IFA, including Derek Prince and John Beckett,\n\nbegan their first activities at a large dining table where John Talcott\n\nand his wife Roselyn wrote a prayer letter, which was mailed to a group\n\nof like-minded people who recognized the need for God to intervene to\n\nheal our Nation. Over the past 50 years, IFA has grown from these\n\nbeginnings to inform, connect, and mobilize intercessors across\n\nAmerica, in churches and communities nationwide, to pray for our Nation\n\nand our leaders.\n\nIn its work, IFA follows the teaching of the Apostle Paul in 1\n\nTimothy 2:1-3: ``I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask\n\nGod to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.\n\nPray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can\n\nlive peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is\n\ngood and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to\n\nunderstand the truth.''\n\nNowhere could this impact of the power of prayer, including the\n\nprayers of many IFA intercessors, be better seen than the Supreme\n\nCourt's historic decision in 2022 in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health\n\nOrganization to overturn the moral stain of Roe v. Wade. This moment\n\nwas a testament to God's faithfulness, and underscores the importance\n\nof the work we have ahead of us to rebuild a culture where God's gift\n\nof life is respected and cherished.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/tribute-jack-rutland-jr", "TRIBUTE TO JACK RUTLAND, JR.", "2023-11-08", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Cindy Hyde-Smith", "H001079", "www.hydesmith.senate.gov", "hydesmith", "https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/newsroom", "scraper", "Congressional Record Vol. 169, No. 185\n\n(Senate - November 8, 2023) PDF\n\nMrs. HYDE-SMITH. Mr. President, it is an honor to pay tribute\n\nto Mr. Jack Rutland, Jr., of Lincoln County, MS, who for more than 10\n\nyears has shown an inspiring dedication to sharing the stories and\n\nmemories of armed service veterans in Mississippi. By conducting radio\n\ninterviews with veterans, their experiences can be appreciated by\n\ncitizens all across Mississippi. Mr. Rutland has shown that his\n\nappreciation and respect for the men and women who have served in our\n\narmed forces goes beyond that of an average citizen, and America needs\n\nmore people like Jack.\n\nJack Rutland, Jr., was born on May 20, 1948, in Birmingham, AL, while\n\nhis father was stationed at an Air Force base there. His father, Jack\n\nRutland, Sr., enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps prior to World War\n\nII, and he served during the war for 3 years in countries like England,\n\nNorth Africa, and Italy. During his World War II service, the senior\n\nMr. Rutland earned five battle stars. Upon the completion of the war,\n\nhe remained in the Air Force for over 20 years. Once he retired, the\n\nfamily returned to Lawrence County, MS. From experiencing his father's\n\npatriotic dedication to our Nation, Jack grew up with a sincere\n\nreverence for the veterans who served to defend the United States of\n\nAmerica.\n\nIn 2003, the Military Memorial Museum in Brookhaven, MS, opened to\n\ninform the public of local veterans and the town's service history\n\nthrough artifacts, newspaper clippings, and other memorabilia. The\n\nmuseum is operated completely by volunteers, one of them\n\nbeing Jack Rutland, Jr. On the 10-year anniversary of the Military\n\nMemorial Museum's opening, Jack interviewed four veterans. His\n\ninterviews were captivating and respectfully executed, leading the\n\npublic to want more. Today, Jack has conducted more than 50 interviews\n\nwith veterans, some as recently as a few weeks ago. These interviews\n\ncan be heartbreaking, like the story of World War II veteran Mr. Howard\n\nBritt who had to leave his beloved lieutenant in the field after he had\n\nbeen wounded. While in enemy territory, there was no time to wait. A\n\nstory from Mr. Don Hemphill was similarly moving, detailing his arrival\n\non the beaches of Normandy on the evening of D-day and seeing the\n\nwreckage of equipment left behind, as well as American soldiers who had\n\nnot made it. The scene was so harrowing that Mr. Hemphill still could\n\nnot talk about it when he was interviewed. In addition to these\n\npoignant interviews were inspirational recollections, like Mr. Hoyte\n\nCase who saw the iconic flag raised on Iwo Jima atop Mount Suribachi\n\nfrom his ship as he left the battle. Mr. Herbert Savell recounted his\n\nlong journey home from the Pacific following the end of the war,\n\ntraveling by cattle car to return to his small hometown in the\n\nMississippi Delta. Walking down the aisle of the church and sitting in\n\nthe pew beside his mother was how he returned. Each interview shows\n\nanother side of the tragedies and triumphs faced by veterans.\n\nThe work that Jack has done is necessary to help younger generations\n\nunderstand the commitments and sacrifices made by our Nation's\n\nveterans. Preserving the oral histories of those who served helps us\n\nbetter understand the challenging circumstances they underwent and the\n\nemotional impacts they experienced during that time. These veterans had\n\nimmense influence on our country from their brave and selfless duty of\n\nprotecting our Nation's values and freedoms. Through the diligent work\n\nof Jack Rutland, Jr., we can learn a bit more about the Nation we are\n\ntoday from those who served in the armed forces for us.\n\nMy life has truly been enhanced by knowing Jack and his wife Shirley,\n\nwho reside in my corner of the world. They have an outstanding family\n\nthat includes their daughter Jamie, son-in-law Joshua Grosshans, and\n\nthree grandchildren: Avery Rose, Jack Seton, and Alice Faye.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/11/wicker-rogers-mccaul-on-russia-withdrawing-from-the-conventional-forces-in-europe-treaty", "Wicker, Rogers, McCaul on Russia Withdrawing from the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty", "2023-11-08", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and U.S. Representatives Mike Rogers, R-Ala., Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today released the following statement in response to Russia\u2019s withdrawal from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe and the United States\u2019 subsequent decision to \u201csuspend\u201d its participation in the treaty:\n\n\u201cRussia\u2019s withdrawal from the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) is just another example of Vladimir Putin\u2019s efforts to tear down the European security architecture that has existed since the Cold War ended. Putin clearly has no intention of stopping until Russia dominates its neighbors from the Black Sea to the Baltic.\n\n\u201cWhile we welcome the Biden administration\u2019s decision to stop providing Russia with valuable information on U.S. military forces, this move is too little, too late. The administration\u2019s response has been nothing but a superficial half-measure. As the recent Strategic Posture Commission report suggests, it is time for the U.S. to take bold, decisive action to deter China, Russia, and North Korea. That means restoring economic competitiveness and building up a military capable of meeting modern threats without delay.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/11/wicker-joins-efforts-to-re-designate-houthis-as-foreign-terrorist-organization", "Wicker Joins Efforts to Re-Designate Houthis as Foreign Terrorist Organization", "2023-11-07", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., last week joined his colleagues in legislation to re-designate the Iran-backed military organization called Ansarallah, more commonly known as the Houthis, as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). Led by U.S. Senator Steve Daines, R-Mont., the \u201cStanding Against Houthi Aggression Act,\u201d would impose that designation. Wicker also joined a letter led by U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., to Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging the administration re-designate the Houthis as an FTO.\n\n\u201cWe have all seen the brutal devastation of Iran-backed terrorism in Israel. It is time to send a clear signal that we will not tolerate further aggression from the Ayatollah\u2019s proxies,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cIn increasingly hostile conditions, the world must know that the U.S. will not negotiate with terrorists.\u201d\n\nThe Trump administration designated the Houthis as an FTO in January 2021, which the Biden administration reversed only a month after assuming office, citing humanitarian concerns. The Houthis have one of the most sophisticated arsenals of ballistic missiles and drones among Iran\u2019s allies and proxies, which they have used to target U.S. partners and interests. On October 19, 2023, the Navy destroyer U.S.S Carney was forced to intercept both cruise missiles and UAVs launched from Yemen by the Houthis.\n\nIn addition to Wicker and Daines, co-sponsors of the Standing Against Houthi Aggression Act include U.S. Senators John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Katie Britt, R-Ala., Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., Bill Cassidy, R-La., Susan Collins, R-Maine, Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., John Kennedy, R-La., Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla.\n\nThe full text of the legislation can be found here.\n\nIn addition to Wicker and Hagerty, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Mike Braun, R-Ind., Katie Britt, R-Ala., Bill Cassidy, R-La., Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Steve Daines, R-Mont., Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, James Lankford, R-Okla., Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/11/wicker-risch-rogers-mccaul-to-biden-finish-the-job-on-atacms", "Wicker, Risch, Rogers, McCaul to Biden: \u201cFinish the Job on ATACMS\u201d", "2023-11-02", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Jim Risch, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and U.S. Representatives Mike Rogers, R-Ala., Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, yesterday sent a letter to President Biden demanding that he send long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to Ukraine in addition to the full inventory of the shorter range anti-personnel variants of the same munition.\n\nThe legislators noted that ATACMS missiles featuring a unitary warhead have a capability to strike deeper at Russian targets in Crimea, including Black Sea fleet assets. Furthermore, the lawmakers pressed the President to send the remainder of U.S. stocks of the Anti-Personnel/Anti-Materiel (APAM) variant of the missile, which has no current use in the U.S. military and which has already been sent in limited quantities to Ukraine.\n\nThe full provisioning of these capabilities, the legislators argued, would help alter the balance in Ukraine\u2019s counteroffensive.\n\n\u201cThe job on ATACMS is only half-done,\u201d the legislators wrote. \u201cWe urge you to provide the unitary warhead variant of ATACMS which has a substantially longer range than the APAMS\u2026. Ukraine\u2019s requirement for deep-strike capability remains urgent, particularly to range targets throughout Crimea. Recent successful strikes on Russian targets in Crimea, including on Black Sea Fleet assets, demonstrate the strategic significance of long-range strike options and the relevance of the longer range ATACMS.\n\nWicker, Risch, Rogers, and McCaul additionally requested an immediate update on domestic ATACMS inventory and our own military\u2019s requirements.\n\n\u201cThe bottom line is this: Ukraine has requested long-range ATACMS,\u201d the legislators wrote. \u201cThe United States has an arsenal of long-range unitary warhead ATACMS, a hot production line to backfill them, and affordable and executable paths to speed up delivery of the Precision Strike Missile follow-on capability. Clearly, it is time for you to finish the job on ATACMS.\u201d\n\nRead the letter in full below or here.\n\nNovember 1, 2023\n\nPresident Joseph R. Biden\n\nThe White House\n\n1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW\n\nWashington, DC 20500\n\nDear President Biden:\n\nWe welcome reports that your administration has finally provided some limited range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to Ukraine. We remain concerned that the transfers of these shorter-range ATACMS occurred more than a year after Ukraine's public request for this capability, and we believe it demonstrates that your administration's reticence toward arming Ukraine continues.\n\nAlthough this transfer is a positive step, the job on ATACMS is only half-done: the United States has only provided a small number of the Anti-Personnel/Anti-Materiel (APAM) variant of ATACMS and these have a shorter range. We urge you to provide the unitary warhead variant of ATACMS which has a substantially longer range than the APAMS. In addition, we call on you to deliver the balance of U.S. APAMs given the Department of Defense's repeated inability to articulate a clear, current requirement for this weapon.\n\nUkraine's requirement for deep-strike capability remains urgent, particularly to range targets throughout Crimea. Recent successful strikes on Russian targets in Crimea, including on Black Sea Fleet assets, demonstrate the strategic significance of long-range strike options and the relevance of the longer range ATACMS. It is a sad reflection that Ukraine had to rely, in part, on long-range missiles provided by allies to reach these targets in the face of your administration's continued self-deterrence. Ukraine must have the ability to break Russia's logistics network for Ukraine's offensive operations to truly be successful.\n\nWe also regret that the administration has yet to provide Congress with the definitive status of the ATACMS inventory and warfighting requirements. We have received at least three documents from the Pentagon with substantively different numbers. Given the bipartisan congressional support for providing long-range ATACMS, we cannot understand the Department of Defense's inability to articulate ATACMS requirements.\n\nThe bottom line is this: Ukraine has requested long-range ATACMS. Ukraine has demonstrated the ability to employ long-range missiles in a responsible and effective manner. Allies have already provided Ukraine with these capabilities, and Russia has clearly declined to escalate upon usage of deep-strike missiles. The United States has an arsenal of long-range unitary warhead ATACMS, a hot production line to backfill them, and affordable and executable paths to speed up delivery of the Precision Strike Missile follow-on capability. Clearly, it is time for you to finish the job on ATACMS. The costs of failing to do so not only risks stalemate on the battlefield and the further protraction of this war, but also threatens further global instability as our adversaries conduct influence operations around the globe.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=379", "Ezell and Garamendi Introduce Bill to Improve Emergency Supply Chains", "2023-11-01", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Mike Ezell", "E000235", "ezell.house.gov", "ezell", "https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Congressmen Mike Ezell (MS-04) and John Garamendi (CA-08) today introduced the Facilitate Access to Swiftly Transport Goods during a Publicly Announced State of Emergency Situation (FAST PASS) Act, a bipartisan bill designed to expedite the movement of critical cargo during an emergency.\n\nThe FAST PASS Act would require the Department of Transportation (DOT) to conduct a study on strategies to swiftly transport critical cargo such as medical supplies in declared emergencies while mitigating the impact on non-critical cargo.\n\n\"When America faces emergencies like Hurricane Katrina or the COVID-19 pandemic, our supply chains must be ready to respond. That's why we're introducing the FAST PASS Act, which will help get critical supplies across the country quickly and efficiently,\" said Congressman Ezell. \"I'm grateful to have Congressman Garamendi's help leading this bipartisan bill so our transportation system is better prepared for future emergencies.\"\n\n\"As the COVID-19 pandemic revealed, congestion and supply chain crunches at American ports for medical supplies and other critical cargo can be a matter of life and death,\" Congressman Garamendi said. \"I am pleased to co-author this important bill with Congressman Ezell to ensure the U.S. Department of Transportation can expedite delivery of critical cargo at our nation\u2019s ports when American jobs and, even more importantly, lives are on the line.\"\n\n\"The FAST PASS Act will take steps towards expediting medical supplies at ports and marine terminals on to rail and truck transport during emergencies like COVID,\" said Health Industry Distributors Association (HIDA) President and CEO Matthew J. Rowan. \"During public health emergencies, essential medical supply shipments need to be prioritized. HIDA is grateful to Representatives Ezell and Garamendi for introducing this important legislation and for their leadership on transportation issues impacting our healthcare.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/11/wicker-urges-support-for-aukus-agreement-after-australian-visit", "Wicker Urges Support for AUKUS Agreement After Australian Visit", "2023-11-01", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2013 U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today took to the Senate floor to discuss his support for the historic Australia-U.K.-U.S. submarine agreement after a state visit from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.\n\nIn his remarks, Senator Wicker praised the agreement and called upon the Biden administration to do more support investment in the domestic submarine industrial base.\n\n\u201cThe AUKUS agreement is vital. But there is more work to do,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cWe have yet to take the actions necessary to ensure that our industrial base can support both the United States and Australia. The basic fact is this: Our defense industrial base is not where it needs to be...Our first step is clear. We must enact into law the nearly $3.4 billion in submarine funding included in the defense supplemental Congress is considering. We need every bit of this funding increase and more.\u201d\n\nSpecifically, the Mississippi senator pressed Biden to release a Department of Defense-directed study examining the submarine industrial base so that legislators can make the case for further investment to assist Australia and the Navy.\n\n\u201cThe Biden administration commissioned the Submarine Industrial Base 2025 study to examine the best way to execute AUKUS. From what I understand, the study will document what we already know: We need significant additional funding to fulfill Australia's needs alongside those of our fleet...Until the elected members of the United States Senate and the House see this study, Congress cannot make its strongest argument for submarine investment,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cI led a letter signed by a bipartisan group of defense leaders asking the administration to send the study without delay \u2013 and this was a bipartisan letter. Friends from both sides of the aisle joined me on that. We are an equal part of the government, we have authorized this study, and for heaven\u2019s sake, the elected Senators and representatives of the people need to see this.\u201d\n\nWicker concluded by challenging the U.S. to take a lesson from its success during the Cold War and build an unparalleled submarine fleet.\n\n\u201cThe strength of our free enterprise system, the clarity of the mission set by our federal leaders, and our collective appreciation of the Soviet threat gave us a focus, a singular focus. It allowed the American system to unleash our arsenal of democracy, and we prevented war with the Soviet Union by maintaining our naval supremacy. We will need to unleash that arsenal again,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cIn the words of Rickover, \u2018we shall let nothing deter us from building a nuclear Navy in the shortest possible time.\u2019 Once more, we cannot let anything deter our skilled shipbuilders from cutting the steel and constructing the fleet that will safeguard America for a generation to come. We have submarines to build. Let\u2019s get to work.\u201d\n\nWatch the full speech here or read it below. Read more about Senator Wicker\u2019s recent work on national defense here.\n\nI rise today to follow on with the importance of national defense. And in that regard, to speak specifically about the historic Australia-United Kingdom-United States agreement known as AUKUS.\n\nThis pact builds upon a bond forged in the First World War \u2013 between the United States and Australia \u2013 and made unshakable in the Second. That bond remains strong today as we face the greatest challenge of our lifetime, the Chinese Communist Party. And the senator from Alaska just spoke about the importance of building our defenses in the Indo-Pacific, and that is exactly what the AUKUS agreement is designed to address.\n\nOur military leadership has made the stakes clear. Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall recently said that \u201cthe intelligence couldn't be clearer...China is preparing for a war and specifically for a war with the United States.\" Now is the time for free nations across the Pacific to prepare for this sobering possibility. The AUKUS deal will help prevent it from happening.\n\nIndeed, the AUKUS agreement is vital. But there is more work to do beyond that. We have yet to take the actions necessary to ensure that our industrial base can support both the United States and Australia.\n\nThe basic fact is this: Our defense industrial base is not where it needs to be.\n\nWorkforce shortages, a shrinking base of contractors, and insufficient resources have damaged our military readiness. Year after year, we have deferred maintenance on our surface ships \u2013 even as these ships are spending more days deployed and the fleet continues to shrink. Our capabilities are stalling as we hurtle toward a \u2018window of maximum danger\u2019 with the Chinese Communist Party.\n\nThe story for our submarines is no better. We are not prepared to fulfill our own Navy\u2019s submarine construction and maintenance needs, let alone the prospective commitments in the critical AUKUS agreement.\n\nOur Navy\u2019s requirement is to have 66 attack submarines at 80 percent readiness. We currently have 49 attack submarines at 67 percent readiness. Let me say that again, Madam President: we need 66 attack submarines, we only have 49. We need them to be at 80 percent readiness, they are only at 67 percent.\n\nWe should be building 2 attack submarines a year, but we really are building 1.2. The demands of the AUKUS agreement would push this requirement higher \u2013 to above 2.3 attack submarines per year.\n\nWe should do that, but we can\u2019t meet that challenge right now. To meet this challenge, our defense industry will need to handle more demand than ever before.\n\nSince the so-called \u2018peace dividend\u2019 of the 1990s, we have closed two nuclear submarine repair yards and one construction yard. COVID-19 took a sledgehammer to an already-declining workforce. And our government is expecting that same inexperienced workforce to meet deadlines not just on our Virginia-class submarines but also the critically important, nuclear-armed Columbia-class submarines.\n\nOur submarine fleet, just like our surface fleet, is still living off the Reagan-era defense buildup. Many vessels are in a deteriorating state and will soon need to be retired. But replacements are not waiting in the wings. The remaining ships will face longer deployments and fewer opportunities for maintenance. This is not a blueprint for American command of the seas. Nor does it put us in a position to provide our Australian friends the submarines which they need.\n\nThese cascading problems create what some have called a \u2018death spiral\u2019 of submarine construction and readiness. This spiral keeps us from hitting our shipbuilding targets. Moreover, today\u2019s threats mean the current targets are actually too small.\n\nChina\u2019s navy is now the world\u2019s largest navy. Russia is increasing its nuclear submarine activity in the Atlantic. Keeping up with these challenges means raising our shipbuilding goals in the first place, then expanding our industrial capacity to meet them.\n\nAccording to our acting Chief of Naval Operations, Virginia-class construction needs to nearly double. This is the person that we put in charge and will confirm to let us know about the readiness of our Navy. I am grateful for past congressional and executive branch efforts to fund this work. Otherwise, we would construct fewer than one Virginia-class submarine each year.\n\nBut even those funding increases have not matched our need. At the current rate, we will be at least nine submarines short by 2030.\n\nOur defense policy cannot continue to hinge upon a hope and a prayer.\n\nTo make good on AUKUS and to stand by our friends in Australia, the administration and Congress need to make the investments necessary to improve submarine construction.\n\nOur first step is clear. We must enact into law the nearly $3.4 billion in submarine funding included in the defense supplemental Congress is considering. We need every bit of this funding increase and more.\n\nThese funds will be dispersed throughout our industrial base, inside the United States, employing American workers. They will modernize our shipyards, accelerate maintenance on our existing submarine fleet, and put capital investments in place for future submarine components to be built in our country. They will put Americans to work, showing that economic development and national security go hand-in-hand.\n\nThis additional funding is a welcome first step. But we must do more to tell our allies and U.S. industry \u2013 and our adversaries \u2013 that we can meet the obligations of the AUKUS agreement without putting our own submarine fleet in jeopardy. We should sustain investments in our shipbuilders, public shipyards, and the nearly 16,000 suppliers \u2013 many of them, most of them small businesses \u2013 across the nation. This industry network supports American undersea supremacy and prevents conflict on the seas. But it needs more long-term investment to stay afloat.\n\nWe already have some sense of what this investment should look like. And I want to emphasize this, Madam President: the Biden administration commissioned the Submarine Industrial Base 2025 study to examine the best way to execute AUKUS. From what I understand, the study will document what we already know: We need significant additional funding to fulfill Australia's needs alongside those of our fleet.\n\nBut here\u2019s the problem: we commissioned the study. But inexplicably, the Biden administration has yet to let Congress actually see the specifics of this study. Not members of the Democratic leadership, not members of the Republican leadership.\n\nUntil the elected members of the United States Senate and the House see this study, Congress cannot make its strongest argument for submarine investment. I led a letter signed by a bipartisan group of defense leaders asking the administration to send the study without delay \u2013 and this was a bipartisan letter. Friends from both sides of the aisle joined me on that. We are an equal part of the government, we have authorized this study, and for heaven\u2019s sake, the elected Senators and representatives of the people need to see this.\n\nIf the president desires the same success for the AUKUS deal that many of us here in Congress do \u2013 and I believe he does, given the funding request included in the defense supplemental \u2013 then he ought to release the study promptly. They ought to release that study today, Madam President.\n\nThis study is just one element of strengthening AUKUS. Of course, the most crucial element is increasing overall American sea power. For years, I have cast a vision for restoring American maritime supremacy, following President Reagan\u2019s own defense buildup. And again, this is not something that sprung from the brow of Senator Wicker. These are requirements given to us by the top Navy and Marine leadership across the nation, in particular. AUKUS ought to be a part of that buildup. This vision will require historic investment to ensure we have the necessary shipbuilding capacity.\n\nThis is not an easy task, but history suggests it would underwrite and protect American security for decades.\n\nIt will also include strengthening the U.S.-Australian alliance throughout the 21st century. This alliance is symbolized by Australian Prime Minister Albanese\u2019s travel to Washington last week. I was honored to meet with several times during that visit. The bond between our two peoples is deep and abiding. It stood the test of World War II, and it will continue to stand as we confront the challenge of Xi Jinping\u2019s Communist Chinese fleet. I can think of no action more emblematic of our bond than the AUKUS agreement, which, again, I fully support.\n\nI know the Australians do. They told me last week. They show this by committing $3 billion to our industrial base. The best way to honor our special relationship would be to back AUKUS with funds of our own. Australia\u2019s economy is a tenth the size of ours, and the United States should commit a proportional investment. The current plan does not get us there.\n\nWe have never pursued a defense technology partnership at this scale and this level of sophistication. But we have moments in our history to draw upon that inform our path forward.\n\nSince its invention in the American midcentury, our nuclear navy has been second-to-none because we have never accepted anything less.\n\nOur adversaries knew this. When Admiral Rickover \u2013 the founding father of our nuclear navy \u2013 travelled to discuss nuclear submarines with Soviet premier Nikita Khruschev and his aides, Admiral Rickover boasted, \u201calthough the United States is a democracy it can act fast\u2026Can\u2019t Russia act as fast as the United States?\u201d\n\nThe answer was that Russia could not act as fast as we could. The strength of our free enterprise system, the clarity of the mission set by our federal leaders, and our collective appreciation of the Soviet threat gave us a focus, a singular focus.\n\nIt allowed the American system to unleash our arsenal of democracy, and we prevented war with the Soviet Union by maintaining our naval supremacy. We will need to unleash that arsenal again.\n\nIn the words of Rickover, \u201cwe shall let nothing deter us from building a nuclear Navy in the shortest possible time.\u201d Once more, we cannot let anything deter our skilled shipbuilders from cutting the steel and constructing the fleet that will safeguard America for a generation to come.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/10/miss-delegation-medgar-evers-deserves-presidential-medal-of-freedom", "Miss. Delegation: Medgar Evers Deserves Presidential Medal of Freedom", "2023-10-31", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., and U.S. Representatives Bennie Thompson, D-Miss, Trent Kelly, R-Miss., Michael Guest, R-Miss., and Mike Ezell, R-Miss., today sent a letter to President Joseph R. Biden urging him to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously to civil rights leader Medgar Wiley Evers.\n\nEvers was assassinated outside his home in Jackson, Miss., on June 12, 1963, as a result of his work to promote social justice, racial equality, and voting rights.\n\n\u201cMr. Evers dedicated his life to the defense of civil rights in Mississippi and the United States,\u201d the legislators wrote. \u201cHis sacrifice inspires Americans to this day, and he furthered the cause of freedom for all humankind.\u201d\n\nThe Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest U.S. civilian honor awarded to individuals who have made \u201can especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.\u201d Awardees are selected by the President. President Harry S. Truman selected the first Medal of Freedom recipient in 1946.\n\nMississippi natives who have received the Presidential Medal of Freedom include: civil rights activist James Earl Chaney (2014); Representative G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery (2005); Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise (1970); historian Dumas Malone (1983); musical artists Leontyne Price (1964) and B.B. King (2006); writers Eudora Welty (1980) and Tennessee Williams (1980); and media mogul Oprah Winfrey (2013).\n\nSee the full letter text here or below.\n\nDear President Biden,\n\nWe are honored to encourage you to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously to heroic civil rights leader Medgar Wiley Evers.\n\nMedgar Evers first served our nation as a member of the U.S. Army during World War II. Afterward, he took up leadership roles in civil rights groups, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Mr. Evers became the first Field Secretary for the NAACP\u2019s work in Mississippi. He recruited volunteers, led demonstrations, and organized voter-registration drives. In everything, he fought to end racial discrimination and promote equal rights. Mr. Evers paid the ultimate price for his heroic efforts. He was tragically assassinated in the driveway of his Jackson, Mississippi, home on June 12, 1963.\n\nMr. Evers dedicated his life to the defense of civil rights in Mississippi and the United States. In recognition of his role in the Civil Rights Movement, he was posthumously awarded the NAACP Spingarn Medal for outstanding achievement, and he is featured in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. His sacrifice inspires Americans to this day, and he furthered the cause of freedom for all humankind.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/10/wicker-blasts-pentagon-on-abortion-policies", "Wicker Blasts Pentagon on Abortion Policies", "2023-10-31", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2013 U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to the Secretary of Defense again asking for information to support the Pentagon\u2019s abortion travel policy. Wicker\u2019s request follows a new report that indicates the Pentagon has little data to support the claim that a national abortion policy change would have a deleterious impact on readiness.\n\nSpecifically, Wicker wrote in response to a notification from the Department of Defense regarding a study that it intends to conduct related to \u201cservice members\u2019 experiences with family planning,\u201d as the Department currently has insufficient information on abortion policies and their impacts. The Mississippi senator expressed that it is completely contradictory to be searching for data on abortion while also making the assertion that abortion policy changes have impacted readiness.\n\n\u201cThe Biden Administration\u2019s repeated assertion that that there is force-wide readiness challenge due to limited abortion access cannot possibly be true if, simultaneously, the Department of Defense admits that it needs to study \u2018areas related to family planning that may threaten the DOD\u2019s ability to field a ready and lethal force.\u2019 If the Administration were actually committed to maintaining an apolitical military, a study such as this should have been undertaken months before you promulgated this divisive and inflammatory policy,\u201d Wicker wrote. \u201cThe resulting politicization of our armed forces has been shameful and completely self-inflicted. It is incumbent upon this administration to retract these unsubstantiated abortion-related readiness claims.\u201d\n\nThe letter follows other similar letters drafted by Senator Wicker to the Department on abortion policy. In July 2022, Wicker joined his Republican Senate Armed Services Committee colleagues on a letter asking for data to support the claim from the Department that recent policy changes had put negative pressure on military readiness. On September 15, Wicker sent a similar letter to the Department of Defense, adding that he had received information suggesting only 12 women had utilized the authorities granted by the abortion policy implemented by the Biden administration.\n\nRead the full letter here or below.\n\nOctober 27, 2023\n\nThe Honorable Lloyd J. Austin III\n\nSecretary of Defense\n\n1000 Defense Pentagon\n\nWashington, DC 20301-1000\n\nDear Mr. Secretary:\n\nI am once again requesting information related to the abortion policies instituted by your department in February 2023. The Senate Armed Services Committee discovered your department is seeking public comment on proposed focus groups and surveys to be conducted with military personnel to \u201chighlight areas related to family planning that may threaten the DoD's ability to field a ready and lethal force.\u201d In other words, over a year after you stated unequivocally that the Dobbs ruling has \u201creadiness, recruiting, and retention implications for the Force\u201d the Department of Defense is still searching for evidence to support this baseless claim.\n\nThe same notification for the department\u2019s proposed study also states that \u201cthere is little existing research on service members' experiences with family planning.\u201d The intention to study this topic in the fashion described in the public notice\u2013 as well as the concession that little data exists on the issue\u2013completely undermines previous statements made repeatedly by you and other senior Defense officials about the necessity of your abortion travel policy. On June 28, 2022, then-Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Cisneros claimed the Supreme Court\u2019s ruling \u201cwill have significant implications for\u2026the readiness of the Force.\u201d In comments you made on June 25, 2022, you mentioned access to abortion directly in the context of \u201censuring the readiness and resilience of our Force.\u201d In an October 20, 2022 press call, an unnamed senior department official claimed that the \u201cthe Dobbs decision has diminished access to reproductive healthcare with...readiness impacts across the force.\u201d\n\nThe Biden Administration\u2019s repeated assertion that that there is a force-wide readiness challenge due to limited abortion access cannot possibly be true if, simultaneously, the Department of Defense admits that it needs to study \u201careas related to family planning that may threaten the DOD\u2019s ability to field a ready and lethal force.\u201d If the Administration were actually committed to maintaining an apolitical military, a study such as this should have been undertaken months before you promulgated this divisive and inflammatory policy.\n\nThe resulting politicization of our armed forces has been shameful and completely self-inflicted. It is incumbent upon this administration to retract these unsubstantiated abortion-related readiness claims, suspend this divisive policy, and take an unbiased approach to collect the necessary data to determine whether any force readiness challenges may be correlated to the recent change in law due to Dobbs. I earnestly await your prompt reply to this letter as well as those I sent to you on March 1, 2023 and September 15, 2023.\n\nSincerely,\n\nRoger F. Wicker", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/10/wicker-hyde-smith-praise-8-7-million-investment-in-port-of-rosedale", "Wicker, Hyde-Smith Praise $8.7 Million Investment in Port of Rosedale", "2023-10-31", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., today celebrated an $8.7 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant to improve infrastructure at the Port of Rosedale. The grant was issued by the Maritime Administration through the Port Infrastructure Development Program.\n\n\u201cThis is great news for Mississippi and the Port of Rosedale,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cThis funding will support ongoing work to expand capacity and spur economic development. Multimodal improvements like this are the future of transportation along the Mississippi River.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe capacity improvements supported by this grant will help create more certainty for Delta agriculture producers and industries that rely on the Rosedale port to ship and receive supplies efficiently. I look forward to continuing to support these upgrades,\u201d said Hyde-Smith, ranking Republican on the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee.\n\nThe project includes relocation and reconstruction of an inbound loading conveyor and the rehabilitation of an outbound conveyor on a new tower rather than a floating platform. The new components will be used to transload between barges, trucks, and storage, and they will be built with the capability to transload cargo between barges and rail once rail service is restored.\n\nThe conveyors currently face capacity limitations and are unable to effectively handle commodities.\n\nThe grant funding will help complete the first two phases of a three-part multi-modal expansion project at the port.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/10/icymi-george-will-in-the-washington-post-complacency-and-neglect-weaken-the-navy-amid-growing-threats", "ICYMI: George Will in the Washington Post: \u201cComplacency and neglect weaken the Navy amid growing threats\u201d", "2023-10-27", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Conservative columnist George Will today penned a column for the Washington Post discussing U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and his efforts to improve the United States\u2019 naval deterrent against China.\n\nIn his column, Will highlights Wicker\u2019s work on growing and maintaining the United States Navy\u2019s fleet of surface ships and submarines.\n\n\u201cSen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, wants you to be as alarmed as he is about this: If deterrence, which failed regarding Ukraine, fails regarding Taiwan, this might be because adversaries understand that U.S. leaders have allowed the nation\u2019s defense industrial base to become shockingly short of capacities commensurate with the world\u2019s multiplying threats,\u201d Will wrote. \u201cThe U.S. Navy \u2014 the nation\u2019s principal means of power projection; the answer to the \u201ctyranny of distance\u201d in the Indo-Pacific \u2014 is Wicker\u2019s foremost concern. Production of stealthy, lethal attack submarines, which Wicker calls \u201cthe crown jewels of U.S. military power,\u201d should, he says, be doubled. The Navy has only 49, and Wicker says nearly 40 percent cannot be deployed because of maintenance delays.\u201d\n\nWill also cites Wicker\u2019s assessment of the strategic situation. The Mississippi senator has said frequently in speeches, columns, and opening statements this year that \u201cwe are in our most dangerous security moment since World War II.\u201d\n\n\u201cPresident Xi Jinping has reportedly directed China\u2019s military to be able to attack, blockade or otherwise subdue Taiwan by 2027. Unless the defense industrial base is urgently enlarged, America\u2019s military will be, as some policy experts have observed, like a great football team that can play only through the first quarter,\u201d Will wrote. \u201cHence, Wicker\u2019s conclusion: \u2018We are in our most dangerous security moment since World War II.\u2019\u201d\n\nRead George Will\u2019s column on Senator Wicker\u2019s efforts here or below. Read more about Senator Wicker\u2019s recent work on navy issues here, here, and here.\n\nComplacency and neglect weaken the Navy amid growing threats\n\nOctober 27, 2023\n\nBy: George Will\n\n\u201cThis stadium reminds us of the great battles in which those who came before you fought to defend democracy. Belleau Wood. Guadalcanal. Iwo Jima. Inchon. But what you don\u2019t see here is all the battles that never occurred, all the wars that never erupted \u2014 because American Sailors and Marines showed up. They deterred conflict. They kept the watch.\u201d \u2014 Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, U.S. Naval Academy commencement, 2023\n\nSen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, wants you to be as alarmed as he is about this: If deterrence, which failed regarding Ukraine, fails regarding Taiwan, this might be because adversaries understand that U.S. leaders have allowed the nation\u2019s defense industrial base to become shockingly short of capacities commensurate with the world\u2019s multiplying threats.\n\nThe U.S. Navy \u2014 the nation\u2019s principal means of power projection; the answer to the \u201ctyranny of distance\u201d in the Indo-Pacific \u2014 is Wicker\u2019s foremost concern. Production of stealthy, lethal attack submarines, which Wicker calls \u201cthe crown jewels of U.S. military power,\u201d should, he says, be doubled. The Navy has only 49, and Wicker says nearly 40 percent cannot be deployed because of maintenance delays. So, crews endure grueling operation tempos. Retention falls.\n\nJust to fulfill the 2021 AUKUS (Australia, United Kingdom, United States) commitment without reducing the U.S. supply of attack submarines, U.S. production would have to be 2.3 to 2.5 submarines a year. Since before the AUKUS agreement, Congress has been providing funds for two a year, but only 1.2 are being built.\n\nToday\u2019s total U.S. fleet is not quite 300 ships. The fleet has generally been under that number for 20 years. A 355-ship fleet, is the fleet size at the end of the Obama administration, is a statutory aspiration, but would be 100 too few. A just-published study by Jerry Hendrix, a retired Navy captain now with the Sagamore Institute, notes that although a Biden administration document endorses 381 ships, the Navy\u2019s shipbuilding budget is consistently much too low to meet proclaimed goals.\n\nA ship\u2019s life is about 30 years. More than half the Navy\u2019s battle force has been in the water for more than 20 years. This, Hendrix writes, \u201cdrives dramatically increased costs to maintain the fleet in good repair. Thus, despite increased budgets, maintenance has crowded out money for new construction.\u201d\n\nShipbuilding facilities sufficient to fulfill the aspirations do not exist and cannot be quickly created. China, Wicker says, has more productive capacity in one shipyard than exists in all U.S. shipyards combined. Such is the U.S. maintenance backlog, one attack submarine was idled for five years. Another, after a 2021 accident in the South China Sea, probably will not be operational until 2026.\n\nWriting in the Wall Street Journal, Wicker and former senator Phil Gramm (Tex.) note: \u201cLike David\u2019s smooth stone that slew Goliath, two Ukrainian Neptune missiles sank the flagship of the Russian navy in the Black Sea. With 400 U.S. Harpoon missiles, costing only 0.3 percent of its GDP, Taiwan could imperil any Chinese warship in the Taiwan Strait.\u201d But munitions inventories are radically inadequate to sustain high-intensity warfighting.\n\nThe U.S. military is experiencing the worst recruiting shortfall in 50 years. Wicker thinks this is related to \u201cthe injection of hyperpolitical culture into our fighting forces.\u201d Imagine what the Chinese military thinks when a Navy secretary says climate change is as important a challenge as recruiting. (The Navy missed this year\u2019s recruiting goal by 7,000 sailors.) The word \u201cclimate\u201d appeared 63 times in the Biden administration\u2019s 48-page 2022 National Security Strategy. The military\u2019s alarming material deficits are perhaps matched by intellectual ones.\n\nPresident Xi Jinping has reportedly directed China\u2019s military to be able to attack, blockade or otherwise subdue Taiwan by 2027. Unless the defense industrial base is urgently enlarged, America\u2019s military will be, as some policy experts have observed, like a great football team that can play only through the first quarter. Hence, Wicker\u2019s conclusion: \u201cWe are in our most dangerous security moment since World War II.\u201d\n\nWinston Churchill wrote that early in 1942, \u201cthe foundation of all our hopes and schemes was the immense shipbuilding programme of the United States.\u201d \u201cImmense\u201d is no longer applicable. The ubiquity of wars throughout history, and the menacing nature of this moment, strongly suggest that we are living in what historians will describe as yet another span of \u201cinterwar years.\u201d History will not kindly judge national leaders who, while complacently producing $2 trillion annual budget deficits, were parsimonious regarding the preparations for war that are necessary, if not always sufficient, for preventing war.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/10/wicker-rogers-statement-on-b61-13-gravity-bomb", "Wicker, Rogers Statement on B61-13 Gravity Bomb", "2023-10-27", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker, R-Miss., Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and U.S. Representative Mike Rogers, R-Ala., Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, released a statement following an announcement by the Department of Defense on the B61 gravity bomb.\n\n\u201cWhile we welcome the step of creating a variant of the B61, which will better allow the Air Force to reach hardened and deeply-buried targets, it is only a modest step in the right direction. The B61-13 is not a long-term solution, but it will provide our commanders, particularly in INDOPACOM and EUCOM, with more flexibility against these target sets. As the Strategic Posture Commission recently noted, China and Russia are in a full-on arms race, and the U.S. is running in place. Dramatic transformation of our deterrent posture \u2013 not incremental or piecemeal changes \u2013 is required to address this threat.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/10/wicker-risch-rubio-press-biden-for-decisive-response-to-chinese-aggression-in-south-china-sea", "Wicker, Risch, Rubio Press Biden for Decisive Response to Chinese Aggression in South China Sea", "2023-10-26", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2013 U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, yesterday joined Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Jim Risch, R-Idaho, and Senate Select Committee on Intelligence vice chairman Marco Rubio, R-Fla., on a letter to President Biden urging support for the Philippines following repeated aggressive incidents from Chinese maritime assets in the South China Sea.\n\nIn the letter, the Senators recount actions beginning in August from the People\u2019s Republic Coast Guard and maritime militia intended to interrupt Philippine resupply of the BRP Sierra Madre, a ship grounded on a reef in the area and manned by Philippine sailors. China\u2019s Coast Guard and maritime militia have fired water cannons and threatened to ram supply ships in an attempt to stave off replenishment of the vessel.\n\n\u201cChina is on the verge of willfully triggering a humanitarian crisis by blocking the resupply of the BRP Sierra Madre. Its actions will eventually starve Filipino sailors on the vessel. China\u2019s main purpose, of course, is to force the Philippines to abandon Second Thomas Shoal and take de facto control of this territorial feature,\u201d the senators wrote. \u201cDoing so would expand further its unlawful maritime claims \u2013 just as Beijing did with Scarborough Shoal over a decade ago. Each new claim of maritime sovereignty gives China another platform to hold allied territory (and U.S. military assets) at greater risk.\u201d\n\nThe Senators asked President Biden to outline a full list of plans to support the Philippine mission on the Sierra Madre \u2013 including defense and non-defense related options \u2013 while also pressing Biden to signal resolve in the face of Chinese aggression. Failing to do so, the senators argued, would enable even further malign action.\n\n\u201cYour administration has repeatedly stated that an attack on Philippine public vessels, aircraft, and armed forces \u2013 including those of its Coast Guard in the South China Sea \u2013 would invoke the U.S. mutual defense commitments... China\u2019s actions are testing the credibility and value of these commitments, and we must respond with strength,\u201d the senators wrote. \u201cWe request your administration provide us with a full list of plans, branches, and sequels or other diplomatic or non-defense options developed by the Departments of State and Defense to support the Philippines and ensure the resupply of the BRP Sierra Madre.\u201d\n\nRead the full letter here or below.\n\nOctober 25, 2023\n\nPresident Joseph R. Biden\n\nThe White House\n\n1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW\n\nWashington, D.C.\n\nDear President Biden,\n\nWe write to express our grave concern regarding the People\u2019s Republic of China\u2019s (PRC) hostile and unlawful actions in the South China Sea, particularly against the Philippines, and to request your administration move quickly to support the Philippines in countering China\u2019s aggressive behavior.\n\nOn October 22, the Philippines attempted to resupply the BRP Sierra Madre, a Philippine vessel grounded on a reef in the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. The PRC\u2019s Coast Guard and maritime militia\u2014 once again\u2014obstructed this mission by intentionally interfering with the Philippine vessels\u2019 exercise of high seas freedom of navigation. This flagrant conduct jeopardized the lives of Filipino crew members and impeded critically needed supplies from reaching service members stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre.\n\nChina is on the verge of willfully triggering a humanitarian crisis by blocking the resupply of the BRP Sierra Madre. Its actions will eventually starve Filipino sailors on the vessel. China\u2019s main purpose, of course, is to force the Philippines to abandon Second Thomas Shoal and take de facto control of this territorial feature. Doing so would expand further its unlawful maritime claims \u2013 just as Beijing did with Scarborough Shoal over a decade ago. Each new claim of maritime sovereignty gives China another platform to hold allied territory (and U.S. military assets) at greater risk.\n\nYour administration has repeatedly stated that an attack on Philippine public vessels, aircraft, and armed forces \u2013 including those of its Coast Guard in the South China Sea \u2013 would invoke the U.S. mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the 1951 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty. China\u2019s actions are testing the credibility and value of these commitments, and we must respond with strength. We request your administration provide us with a full list of plans, branches, and sequels or other diplomatic or non-defense options developed by the Departments of State and Defense to support the Philippines and ensure the resupply of the BRP Sierra Madre.\n\nWe look forward to your response and working with your administration to ensure that the Philippines can successfully resupply its sailors and fend off PRC encroachment into its sovereign territory.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=381", "Ezell Statement on Speaker Mike Johnson", "2023-10-25", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Mike Ezell", "E000235", "ezell.house.gov", "ezell", "https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Today, Congressman Mike Ezell issued the following statement regarding the election of Speaker Mike Johnson (LA-04):\n\n\"Today, the House elected my friend from Louisiana, Congressman Mike Johnson, to serve as the 56th Speaker of the House of Representatives. Speaker Johnson and I have a lot in common, including our shared faith and our strong conservative values, and I was proud to support him.\n\n\"I'm glad our Conference was able to unify and elect a conservative Speaker. I'm ready to get back to work cutting wasteful spending, securing our southern border, and standing with our allies in Israel.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/10/wicker-hagerty-colleagues-introduce-legislation-to-resupply-israel-s-iron-dome-missile-defense", "Wicker, Hagerty, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Resupply Israel\u2019s Iron Dome Missile Defense", "2023-10-23", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., joined Senator Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., in introducing the Emergency Resupply for Iron Dome Act of 2023. This legislation would require the executive branch to transfer the U.S. foreign assistance that the U.S. Department of State plans to send to Hamas-controlled Gaza and redirect it to resupply Israel\u2019s highly-effective missile defense interceptors.\n\n\u201cThe Iron Dome system has proven time and again to be one of Israel\u2019s most important air defense capabilities,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cThe United States should support replenishing Iron Dome and expanding our domestic industrial base to accelerate production.\u201d\n\nIn addition to Wicker and Hagerty, cosponsors include U.S. Senators Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Marco Rubio, R-Fla., John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Katie Britt, R-Ala., Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., and Rick Scott, R-Fla.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/10/wicker-hyde-smith-back-bill-to-slam-brakes-on-radical-biden-electric-vehicle-mandate", "Wicker, Hyde-Smith Back Bill to Slam Brakes on Radical Biden Electric Vehicle Mandate", "2023-10-23", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., are cosponsoring legislation to slam the brakes on a sweeping tailpipe emissions rule and other Biden administration regulations that seek to limit consumer vehicle choice and push American drivers to buy pricey electric vehicles (EVs).\n\nWicker and Hyde-Smith late last week helped introduce the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act (S.3094), which would prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing its draft emission rule and stop other regulations that limit the availability of new motor vehicles based on that vehicle\u2019s engine type.\n\n\u201cPresident Biden has consistently pursued a radical environmental agenda at the expense of the American people,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cAt a time of unprecedented inflation, taxpayers cannot afford another attack on their pocketbooks. This legislation would stop the administration\u2019s misguided rule in its tracks.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s no secret that Biden\u2019s EPA habitually imposes standards that do more harm than good to industry, and this latest tailpipe emissions scheme is the most aggressive yet. It reeks of central government planning that would be more at home in a nondemocratic country,\u201d Hyde-Smith said. \u201cThis legislation is our effort to check this executive overreach that would only further disrupt markets, add to an already injured supply chain, and limit consumer choices.\u201d\n\nThe EPA in April issued a draft rule titled Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Year 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles, which sets stringent emissions standards for criteria pollutants and greenhouse gasses for certain vehicles. It is the most aggressive tailpipe emissions proposal ever crafted and a de facto mandate for mass production of EVs. The EPA projected that, if finalized, over two-thirds of all new vehicles could be electric by 2032.\n\nThe average price of an EV is over $17,000 more than the average price of a gas-powered vehicle, according to data from Kelley Blue Book. The administration\u2019s continued push for EVs threatens to hurt everyday Americans and costs auto workers their jobs while simultaneously helping China, given that China continues to dominate the EV supply chain.\n\nIntroduced by U.S. Senator Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., the CARS Act would:\n\nProhibit the EPA from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing its proposed emissions rule;\n\nProhibit the use of authority under the Clean Air Act to issue regulations that mandate the use of any specific technology or that limit the availability of new motor vehicles based on that vehicle\u2019s engine type. This includes any regulation prescribed on or after Jan. 1, 2021;\n\nRequire the EPA to update any regulations since January 1, 2021, that result in the limited availability of new vehicles based on that vehicle\u2019s engine within two years; and\n\nEnd the EPA\u2019s radical agenda, which is driving up costs for people and handing the keys of America\u2019s auto industry to China.\n\nAdditional cosponsors include U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Jim Risch, R-Idaho, Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Katie Britt, R-Ala., Roger Marshall, M.D., R-Kan., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Rick Scott, R-Fla., Ted Budd, R-N.C., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Mike Lee, R-Utah, John Barrasso, R-Wyo., John Boozman, R-Ark., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Bill Cassidy, M.D., R-La., John Kennedy, R-La., Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, Tim Scott, R-S.C., John Hoeven, R-N.D., Mike Braun, R-Ind., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas.\n\nThe House Energy and Commerce Committee approved companion legislation (HR.4468) in early September and reported to the full House.\n\nS.3094 has been endorsed by, among others, the American Farm Bureau, National Automobile Dealers Association, American Petroleum Institute, American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, National Propane Gas Association, National Association of Convenience Stores, National Association of Truck Stop Operators, Energy Marketers of America, American Energy Alliance, National Taxpayers Union, National Association of Small Trucking Companies, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, Specialty Equipment Market Association, Heritage Action and Americans for Prosperity.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/10/wicker-statement-on-submarine-industrial-base-provisions-in-defense-supplemental-package", "Wicker Statement on Submarine Industrial Base Provisions in Defense Supplemental Package", "2023-10-20", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "Armed Services Leader: Supplemental Helps Shipyards, Suppliers, Shipbuilders Meet Navy\u2019s Sub Requirements, Fulfill AUKUS\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today released the following statement in response to the Biden administration\u2019s $3.4 billion in funding for AUKUS and the submarine industrial base in the national defense supplemental:\n\n\u201cInclusion of submarine industrial base funds is a welcome start to the process of fortifying our submarine maintenance and production capabilities, but it cannot stop here,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cAs I have repeatedly said, our shipyards are under-resourced to meet the Navy\u2019s urgent submarine requirements as well as meet the prospective demands of the AUKUS agreement. We must work to signal to both our allies and U.S. industry that we can meet the obligations of the AUKUS agreement without putting our own submarine fleet in jeopardy.\u201d\n\n\u201cFundamental investments in our shipbuilders, public shipyards, and nearly 16,000 suppliers across the nation are needed to maintain American undersea supremacy. There is still much work to be done with the administration and Pentagon to expand our industrial base and add the necessary attack submarines to prevent conflict on the seas, but this package signals a positive first step toward that goal.\u201d\n\nRead more about Senator Wicker\u2019s work on national defense here. Read below a detailed timeline about relevant actions from Senator Wicker on AUKUS and the submarine industrial base. Read analysis of that work here and here.\n\nOn March 15, Senator Wicker delivered a Senate floor speech calling for a \u201chealthy submarine industrial base\u201d to deter Chinese aggression.\n\nAlso on March 15, Senator Wicker issued a statement on the FY24 U.S. Navy budget calling out a reduced Naval reactors budget despite \u201cextreme strain on the American submarine industrial base\u201d offered by the AUKUS agreement.\n\nOn March 28, Senator Wicker observed to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that the submarine industrial base\u2019s progress \u201chas been too slow or nonexistent.\u201d\n\nOn April 18, Senator Wicker challenged Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael Gilday to articulate how the Navy can improve its production timelines to two attack submarines per year during a Senate Armed Services hearing.\n\nAlso on April 18, Senator Wicker issued a statement on the FY24 Navy 30-year shipbuilding plan, in which he identified the future shirking force structure for Navy attack submarines.\n\nOn May 3 in a Senate floor speech, Senator Wicker specifically called for the need to \u201cincrease investments in our submarine industrial base if we have any hope of implementing the AUKUS deal.\u201d\n\nOn July 16, Senator Wicker published an opinion column in the Wall Street Journal calling for the doubling of attack submarine production capability in U.S. shipyards to fulfill the promise of the AUKUS agreement.\n\nOn July 21, Politico reported that Senator Wicker blocked submarine transfer proceedings on Pillar 1 of the AUKUS agreement in the FY24 defense bill until the administration articulated a plan that could \u201cboost production enough to supply both the U.S. Navy and Australia, the industry needs more investment from the federal government.\n\nOn July 27, Senator Wicker led 24 of his Senate and House colleagues on a letter to President Biden calling on the President to take immediate action to strengthen the U.S. submarine industrial base to solidify the foundations of the AUKUS agreement.\n\nOn July 28, the Wall Street Journal editorial board issued an editorial praising Senator Wicker for his work on improving domestic submarine production capability.\n\nOn September 14, Senator Wicker pressed nominee to be the next Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti for her plan to get the U.S. domestic production of submarines to the required 2.3-2.5 per year to meet Navy requirements and fulfill the AUKUS agreement in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.\n\nOn October 12, Senator Wicker led a bipartisan letter to the Biden administration requesting an update on Department of Defense-led analysis on the domestic submarine industrial base and what kind of investment might be required to fulfill the AUKUS agreement.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/10/wicker-leads-armed-services-republicans-in-nuclear-posture-hearing", "Wicker Leads Armed Services Republicans in Nuclear Posture Hearing", "2023-10-19", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today led a committee hearing examining the recently released report from the Congressional Commission the Strategic Posture of the United States.\n\nIn his opening remarks, Wicker noted the expansion of Chinese military power and how it exposes a lack of American defense preparedness in response.\n\n\u201cWe are not even close to where we need to be. Over the past two years, this committee has watched China\u2019s military grow,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cBeijing has more than doubled the size of its nuclear arsenal. It has expanded its shipbuilding capacity so that the capacity to build ships is now more than 230 times that of the United States\u2019 \u2013 230 times. And it has increased its space-based military capabilities. All of this shifts the orbital balance of power.\"\n\nWicker also discussed the implications of the report for future congressional action, particularly in modernizing nuclear forces and domestic shipbuilding.\n\n\u201cWe simply cannot accept complacency if we want to prevail in long-term competition with China and Russia. To prevent war and keep the peace, it is incumbent upon legislators to commit \u2013 today \u2013 to a program of sustained innovation and investment. This is the only way we can reclaim lost ground,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cEvents even in the last week suggest that a national policy of \u201cpeace through strength\u201d is still a blueprint for success. It is time to begin making the national defense investments required to deter the conflicts looming ahead.\u201d\n\nRead Senator Wicker\u2019s full opening statement below or watch it here.\n\nThank you very much, Mr. Reed. And thanks very much to our witnesses today and for their longtime service. We owe you our deepest thanks for your lifetime commitment to America\u2019s security.\n\nThis is as serious a topic as we will hear about this year. It has been nearly 15 years since the previous Strategic Posture Commission sat before this committee. They outlined their cautious, but hopeful, recommendations for how the United States should structure its national security policies.\n\nThey shared an optimistic outlook for how U.S. policymakers could work with other nations to reduce global threats and work to rid the world of nuclear weapons.\n\nToday, we see that world events have unfolded much differently than envisioned 15 years ago. The threats we face today are far more complicated and dangerous than they foresaw. Indeed, senior flag and general officers continue to testify before this committee that we are entering the most dangerous national security moment since World War II.\n\nMajor conflicts have erupted in Europe and the Middle East. The U.S. economy is reeling with inflation and instability. We face the unprecedented prospect of two nuclear-armed peer adversaries in Russia and China.\n\nThis Strategic Posture Commission report offers a stark description of the dangers we face today and over the next ten years. It also lays bare just how much work we have to do before we can meet these threats. We are not even close to where we need to be.\n\nOver the past two years, this committee has watched China\u2019s military grow. Beijing has more than doubled the size of its nuclear arsenal. It has expanded its shipbuilding capacity so that the capacity to build ships is now more than 230 times that of the United States\u2019 \u2013 230 times. And it has increased its space-based military capabilities. All of this shifts the orbital balance of power.\n\nMore than 600 days ago, Russia launched the first invasion of a European country since World War II. The Kremlin has tested a variety of new nuclear weapons capabilities and threatened to resume nuclear explosive testing. Meanwhile, it actively provides enriched uranium to China to support Beijing\u2019s nuclear buildup.\n\nThe North Korean nuclear arsenal continues to advance virtually unchecked. It could soon be capable of overwhelming our ballistic missile defenses. Iran may now be as little as a matter of days away from possessing enough material for a nuclear weapon. At the same time, the regime supports Hamas terrorists in a brazen attack against our longtime friend, Israel.\n\nOur government should be addressing these threats more urgently. We need fundamental reassessment of national security assumptions and strategies. From that, we would realign our national resources to meet these historic and troubling developments.\n\nInstead, we see more of the same. We see complacency and an unwillingness to proactively confront the cold reality staring us in the face.\n\nThe Departments of Defense and Energy repeatedly delay the critical programs which would modernize our nuclear deterrent and restore the basic industrial capabilities needed to produce nuclear weapons.\n\nThe administration ignores persistent calls to adequately invest in domestic shipbuilding. They do this despite clear evidence that even the White House\u2019s signature foreign policy initiative, the AUKUS agreement, may struggle to get off the ground without additional resources.\n\nWe simply cannot accept complacency if we want to prevail in long-term competition with China and Russia. To prevent war and keep the peace, it is incumbent upon legislators to commit \u2013 today \u2013 to a program of sustained innovation and investment. This is the only way we can reclaim lost ground. Events even in the last week suggest that a national policy of \u201cpeace through strength\u201d is still a blueprint for success. It is time to begin making the national defense investments required to deter the conflicts looming ahead.\n\nThat is why the work of this commission is so timely. This report, first and foremost, is a bipartisan call to action. We very much appreciate that. It compels us to preserve the global order and the American way of life. It should be required reading for everyone working on national security issues. I wholeheartedly endorse the recommendations the commission makes within its pages.\n\nSo, we would like to hear from you, our witnesses, about how you can help create a sense of national urgency so we can restore America\u2019s ability to compete and to rebuild the strategic forces our country needs to win in the coming decades.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/10/wicker-leads-armed-services-republicans-in-hearing-supporting-veterans", "Wicker Leads Armed Services Republicans in Hearing Supporting Veterans", "2023-10-18", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today participated in a joint committee hearing with the Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee examining military to civilian transitions for service members.\n\nIn his opening remarks, Wicker noted that successful outcomes continue to be significant for veterans after their military careers as they acquire key skills during their service.\n\n\u201cThere are improvements that need to be made in our veterans\u2019 experience and our military experience, but the truth is that the vast majority of our military veterans are highly successful in their post-military careers and personal lives,\u201d Wicker said.\n\nWicker also discussed how Congress can maintain support effective veteran transition programming through legislation.\n\n\u201cCongress has capitalized on that momentum. We have identified the success of these transition programs and expanded these opportunities,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cThe Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act required broad reforms to make the Transition Assistance Program even stronger. Today, we will find out if we can improve on that. Congress must keep faith with our veterans through these initiatives, which I will continue to support.\u201d\n\nRead Senator Wicker\u2019s full opening statement below or watch it here.\n\nThank you, Mr. Chairman. And I\u2019m glad to be here today joining with three of my distinguished colleagues. I\u2019m particularly proud that I share a leadership role on the Armed Services Committee with a fellow veteran, Senator Jack Reed. His career in the military is far more distinguished than mine, but I\u2019m proud to be a veteran, proud to have served, and proud to be here with three very distinguished supporters of our military and our veterans\u2019 community.\n\nThere are improvements that need to be made in our veterans\u2019 experience and our military experience, but the truth is that the vast majority of our military veterans are highly successful in their post-military careers and personal lives. And I do appreciate Chairman Reed making that point and making the very positive point about military service during the active duty time and as a veteran.\n\nAs our economy struggles with inflation and rising interest rates, reporting from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that veterans and their families have consistently achieved higher standards of living than non-veterans. This is over the past 40 years.\n\nThe veteran unemployment rate is lower than the non-veteran unemployment rate. Both can be improved, but that is a significant statistic. This has been true nearly every month since January 2003, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking this information. This impressive fact is no surprise to those of us who understand how valuable veterans are to civilian employers.\n\nBetween 2005 and 2015, a recent study from the University of Akron found that military veterans earned higher average wages than non-veterans.\n\nThese facts demonstrate what those of us in the military community have known for years: Most veterans are doing well. The skills and character we developed during our time in service lead to desirable outcomes. Our witnesses should be congratulated for the superb work that they and their Departments have been doing in this area over the past decades.\n\nOur veterans show that joining the military is a great way to improve future career and life prospects. This is true regardless of sex, race, or national origin. As I have said, and echoing others, the United States military is the greatest civil rights program in history.\n\nThe success of veterans from minority communities proves this. Researchers studied households headed by racial or ethnic minorities with low education experience. In that study, researchers found that households headed by veterans had significantly higher standards of living than those headed by non-veterans. And in 2017, the median annual incomes of black and Hispanic veteran households were more than $20,000 higher than those of minority non-veteran households.\n\nSo as you can see, I am not only proud to be a veteran, I support military service and encourage many young Americans to follow this type of service. We have also learned that effective pre-separation transition programs are helping to prepare service members for life after their military careers.\n\nThe programs set these veterans up for civilian life, and their communities notice their success. In particular, young Americans see that military service can have very positive effects. This helps recruiting efforts. In this way, these transition programs act as a force multiplier.\n\nThe Transition Assistance Program has been operating for just over thirty years. But it has a lot to show from that relatively brief tenure. Today, it supports around 200,000 service members every year.\n\nCongress has capitalized on that momentum. We have identified the success of these transition programs and expanded these opportunities. The Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act required broad reforms to make the Transition Assistance Program even stronger. Today, we will find out if we can improve on that.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/10/wicker-stands-with-israel-calls-for-defense-package-to-help-israel-win", "Wicker Stands with Israel, Calls for Defense Package to Help Israel Win", "2023-10-18", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today delivered a speech on the Senate floor discussing the national security crisis underway in Israel and what Congress should do to support our Israeli allies.\n\nIn his remarks, Wicker delivered a \u201cmessage of unwavering support\u201d for Israel as they undergo the worst terror attacks they have suffered in their national history.\n\n\u201cWe have all seen the devastation from Hamas\u2019 brutal attacks. We need to send this clear signal from both sides of the aisle, and both sides of this building: Israel has a right self-defense, just as we in America have a right to our self-defense. And Israel is entitled to our full support,\u201d Wicker said.\n\nWicker, as lead Republican on the Armed Services Committee, called for renewed attention to American defense industrial capacity, suggesting that the crisis in Israel underscores the need for a strong military. Wicker requested that the Biden administration provide Israel with Tamir missile interceptor systems for the Iron Dome as well as precision-guided munitions.\n\n\u201cThis episode again highlights that our national defense is far behind where it needs to be,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cSome of us have been raising this point for a long time. I have been making this point long before I became the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee. The administration must send Congress a funding request that fully resources the U.S. military for a rapidly worsening threat environment in Israel, in the Middle East, in Ukraine, in Europe, and the Western Pacific.\u201d\n\nWicker also highlighted Biden administration officials\u2019 connections to an Iranian government operation, mentioning a letter he led alongside 30 colleagues to demand accountability.\n\nThe Mississippi senator concluded with a message of overwhelming support for Israel from the people of his home state.\n\n\u201cI can say with confidence that the people of my state are with Israel. My office has received a remarkable outpouring of support for Israel from people across Mississippi,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cThey express that support in word and in deed. The 3 flagship Navy corvettes of the Israeli battle fleet were built by the skilled craftsmen of our Mississippi shipyards. Think about that \u2013 Mississippi-made hulls carrying the flag of the Star of David are being used to protect the Israeli people from further attack. This is just one example of our common cause. With the people of Mississippi \u2013 and the overwhelming majority of senators on both sides of the aisle \u2013 I call upon all of us to stand united in support of Israeli victory.\u201d\n\nRead Senator Wicker\u2019s full remarks below or watch them here.\n\nMadam President, I join with my overwhelming bipartisan majority of Senators and House colleagues in delivering a message of unwavering support for our friends in Israel. And I want to congratulate my friend, the senior senator from Oklahoma, for his very fine speech just now and to associate myself with every single remark that he made. And I congratulate him on making it so eloquently.\n\nWe have all seen the devastation from Hamas\u2019 brutal attacks. We need to send this clear signal from both sides of the aisle, and both sides of this building: Israel has a right self-defense, just as we in America have a right to our self-defense. And Israel is entitled to our full support.\n\nMadam President, the weeks ahead will require decisive action from Congress and the White House. We must ensure our allies are armed to the teeth as they enter what amounts to a Hamas fortress across the border in Gaza. They also must receive the tools they need to keep Hezbollah in the north, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad at bay. Finally, we must stand united against Hamas\u2019 patron, the Islamic Republic of Iran.\n\nIsrael needs more Tamir interceptor missiles for the Iron Dome system. They need them immediately. We have several hundred in inventory, and the administration should use its drawdown authority immediately to send these missiles without delay. We need to pass a supplemental appropriations bill to accelerate Tamir production in Israel, even as the U.S. builds our own Tamir factory \u2013 here in the United States \u2013 by 2025. Congress should also support the delivery and production of more precision-guided munitions and ammunition for Israeli ground forces, as well as expansive intelligence sharing. And there are many questions, Madam President about intelligence failures and shortcomings leading up to this attack.\n\nThis episode again highlights that our national defense is far behind where it needs to be. Some of us have been raising this point for a long time. I have been making this point long before I became the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee. The administration must send Congress a funding request that fully resources the U.S. military for a rapidly worsening threat environment in Israel, in the Middle East, in Ukraine, in Europe, and the Western Pacific.\n\nFor over seven and a half decades, Israel has made every effort simply to be a peaceful democracy in a dangerous area of the world. Hamas wants to end the nation of Israel. That is part of their charter. It\u2019s in writing. That is part of their goal. And our fellow citizens are also victims of this violence. We have lost more than 20 fellow Americans to these terrorists, and of course we know that some are held captive. Millions of Americans pray so that they come home.\n\nThe people of Israel know that there can be no return to the pre-war status quo. The pre-war status quo \u2013 the October 7 status quo \u2013 is over. Israel must destroy Hamas, no matter how long it takes. As it pursues this goal, no nations should give Hamas terrorists safe haven. Iran must not give Hamas terrorists safe haven.\n\nTehran\u2019s support for this war makes one thing clear: We successfully deter bad actors only through unmistakable signals of American strength.\n\nWe need to return to the \u201cmaximum pressure\u201d policies of the previous Trump administration. And we can match that financial pressure with a heightened defense posture in the region. We must also examine why Iran and its proxies believed that they could get away with this heinous massacre.\n\nWe know, for example \u2013 and it brings me no pleasure to say this Madam President \u2013 we know that the Biden administration\u2019s Iran policy was led by individuals who were actually part of an Iranian government information operation. One of those individuals has been relieved. Another of these individuals \u2013Dr. Ariane Tabatabai \u2013 remains in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Thirty senators have joined me in a letter asking for answers on this. We need answers \u2013 now \u2013 on why this is still allowed to happen, and what steps the administration will take to remediate it.\n\nWe should support the continued Arab-Israeli peace efforts, which President Trump initiated through the Abraham Accords. While I disagree with many aspects of the Biden administration\u2019s Middle East policy, I strongly support the recent Saudi-Israeli peace initiative. Hamas clearly hopes their terrorist attacks will grind this progress to a halt. I am grateful that many of our Arab partners \u2013 even in the face of extreme pressure and hardship \u2013 still see the true nature of Hamas today. They understand that it is an Iranian-backed terrorist organization who wants to wipe Israel off the face of the map. Many of our Arab partners have fought and defeated similar organizations in their own borders.\n\nSo, I urge the Biden administration to emphasize this shared Arab-Israeli interest in Hamas\u2019 defeat so that Arab-Israeli peace efforts can continue to progress.\n\nAnd finally, let me this Madam President. I can say with confidence that the people of my state are with Israel. My office has received a remarkable outpouring of support for Israel from people across Mississippi.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/10/wicker-leads-bipartisan-effort-to-receive-aukus-update", "Wicker Leads Bipartisan Effort To Receive AUKUS Update", "2023-10-17", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee recently joined his Armed Services colleagues Senators Tim Kaine, D-Va., Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. on a letter to President Biden requesting an immediate update on the administration\u2019s plans to implement the landmark AUKUS agreement.\n\nSpecifically, the Senators reaffirmed their commitment to AUKUS and expressed their eagerness to receive a vital industrial base study from the administration. The study analyzes what kind of additional investment in the domestic submarine industrial base would be required to advance the agreement in the most effective fashion.\n\nThe study, which was conducted by the Department of Defense\u2019s Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office, would prove pivotal to informing Congress\u2019 future plans for supporting the AUKUS agreement. The Senators asked for an update on the study no later than October 31.\n\n\u201cIt is critical that the administration articulate a detailed plan for instituting necessary enhancements to the submarine industrial base,\u201d the senators wrote. \u201cThis is a crucial first step in posturing the United States to effectively address existing security challenges in the Indo-Pacific, and essential for fully realizing the potential of the AUKUS agreement.\u201d\n\nRead the letter in full here or below.\n\nOctober 12, 2023\n\nPresident Joe Biden\n\nThe White House\n\n1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW\n\nWashington, D.C. 20500\n\nDear President Biden,\n\nWe write to express our strong support for advancing the Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) partnership. The collaboration across the U.S. government over the last several months has enabled significant progress in the development of the legal authorities necessary for AUKUS implementation, and we are eager to see those authorities be signed into law this year.\n\nTo realize the full potential of AUKUS, the American defense industrial base will require significant resources to improve submarine construction and maintenance rates. The volume of submarine tonnage the industrial base must produce to meet the Navy\u2019s own requirements and fully implement the AUKUS agreement will require historic and sustained investments in the submarine workforce and supplier network. To achieve such capacity, Congress must have a comprehensive understanding of the current status of the submarine industrial base as well as the future resource investments necessary to meet our nation\u2019s requirements.\n\nWe understand that a Submarine Industrial Base 2025 (SIB-25) study from the U.S. Navy and the Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation is complete, but that the administration does not plan to share its findings with Congress until the President\u2019s Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2025 is released, sometime early next year. However, understanding the scope of the generational investment required for the SIB\u2019s viability is critical for development of AUKUS-authorizing legislation this year and for robust Congressional oversight as the United States charts the future course of AUKUS. Therefore, we ask the administration to provide the cost estimates contained within the SIB-25 study to Congress no later than October 31, 2023, to inform Congressional consideration of any AUKUS-associated legislation.\n\nIt is critical that the administration articulate a detailed plan for instituting necessary enhancements to the submarine industrial base. This is a crucial first step in posturing the United States to effectively address existing security challenges in the Indo-Pacific, and essential for fully realizing the potential of the AUKUS agreement.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=380", "Ezell Endorses Jordan for Speaker", "2023-10-16", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Mike Ezell", "E000235", "ezell.house.gov", "ezell", "https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Congressman Mike Ezell today endorsed Chairman Jim Jordan (OH-04) in his bid for Speaker of the House:\n\n\"On Friday, my friend, Chairman Jim Jordan, was elected by the Republican Conference to be our nominee for Speaker. I voted in support of him then, and I\u2019ll vote in support of him again tomorrow.\"\n\n\"America desperately needs leadership as we face serious problems at home and abroad. That\u2019s why we must elect a strong, conservative Speaker of the House like Jim Jordan. I hope we\u2019re able to finally end this chaos tomorrow and get back to work for the American people.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/10/miss-lawmakers-call-out-biden-administration-s-extreme-abortion-agenda", "Miss. Lawmakers Call Out Biden Administration\u2019s Extreme Abortion Agenda", "2023-10-13", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Senate Pro-Life Caucus Chair Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., and U.S. Representatives Trent Kelly, R-Miss., and Michael Guest, R-Miss. this week signed a letter to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sounding the alarm on the agency\u2019s attempt to impose an abortion mandate on employers through the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA).\n\nSigned by 20 Senators and 41 House members, the letter asserts that the proposed rule not only goes against the text and purpose of the PWFA, but it also exceeds the EEOC\u2019s authority.\n\n\u201cAs Members of Congress, we support policies to ensure women are provided with access to necessary accommodations in the workplace during pregnancy to support the health of both the woman and her unborn child. This was the goal of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), and we write to share our strong opposition to the illegal imposition of abortion mandates in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission\u2019s (EEOC) proposed regulations, published on August 11, 2023, to implement the PWFA,\u201d the members wrote.\n\nIn the proposed rule, the EEOC inaccurately determined abortion is included in the definition of \u201cpregnancy, childbirth, or related medical condition.\u201d The rule would mandate employers provide a \u201creasonable accommodation\u201d for abortion, including paid leave, unpaid leave, or transfer to a position in another state, to seek an abortion at any stage in pregnancy up until birth, even for employers in states that prohibit most abortions.\n\n\u201cIn these regulations, the EEOC has moved far beyond the power delegated by Congress. The Commission was directed to implement a bipartisan law designed to provide accommodation protections for pregnant women in the workforce. Instead, it has sought to impose an unconstitutional nationwide abortion mandate on employers,\u201d the members continued. \u201cWe urge you to remove abortion mandates from the scope of this rule, protect employers with religious and moral objections, and finalize a rule that accurately reflects the congressional mandate to promote healthy pregnancies and childbirth, not abortion.\u201d\n\nU.S. Senator James Lankford, R-Okla., and U.S. Representative Chris Smith, R-N.J., coordinated the letter to EEOC Executive Officer Raymond Windmiller. It was submitted as a part of the public comment process on the EEOC proposed rule.\n\nRead the full letter here or below.\n\nDear Mr. Windmiller:\n\nAs Members of Congress, we support policies to ensure women are provided with access to necessary accommodations in the workplace during pregnancy to support the health of both the woman and her unborn child. This was the goal of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), and we write to share our strong opposition to the illegal imposition of abortion mandates in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission\u2019s (EEOC) proposed regulations, published on August 11, 2023, to implement the PWFA.\n\nWe urge the Commission to modify the regulations to reflect clear congressional intent by removing the abortion and other anti-life mandates from any final rule. The Commission must also clarify that pro-life and religious employers are exempt from making any accommodations under the PWFA that violate their sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions.\n\nThe Pregnant Workers Fairness Act did not include abortion, and the EEOC has illegally imposed an abortion mandate.\n\nAbortion is not included under the PWFA. The exclusion of abortion is clear in the plain meaning of the Act\u2019s text, and the legislative intent has been reiterated by the sponsoring Members.\n\nThe PWFA was signed into law on December 29, 2022, through H.R. 2617, Consolidated Appropriations Act 2023. It requires employers with 15 or more employees to make \u201creasonable accommodations to the known limitations related to the pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions\u201d of an employee. The accommodations in this bill are intended to help female employees maintain employment while supporting their health and the health of their babies during pregnancy and childbirth, as well as after involuntary loss through miscarriage and stillbirth.\n\nThe PWFA does not include abortion. In fact, abortion is antithetical to the Act\u2019s purpose because it is intentionally anti-pregnancy and anti-childbirth. Abortion is not health care. It ends the lives of unborn children through suction, dismemberment, or chemical poisoning, and it can lead to significant physical complications and mental health risks for women.\n\nThe bill sponsors further clarified that the bill was not intended to address abortion. During floor debate, Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), the lead Democrat cosponsor in the Senate, said, \u201cI want to say for the record, however, that under the act, under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, the EEOC could not \u2014 could not \u2014 issue any regulation that requires abortion leave, nor does the act permit the EEOC to require employers to provide abortion leave in violation of state law.\u201d Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), the lead Republican cosponsor, said, \u201cI reject the characterization that [the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act] would do anything to promote abortion.\u201d\n\nThe EEOC has acted, without congressional authorization and directly contrary to congressional intent, to impose an abortion mandate on employers throughout the United States.\n\nDespite the Act not mentioning abortion once and clear congressional statements to the contrary, the EEOC has inaccurately claimed that abortion is included in the definition of \u201cpregnancy, childbirth, or related medical condition.\u201d If finalized, the EEOC\u2019s Proposed Rule would now mandate that employers provide a \u201creasonable accommodation\u201d for abortion.\n\nSuch accommodations could include the use of paid leave, unpaid leave, or transfer to a position in another state, to seek an abortion at any stage in pregnancy up until birth, even for employers in States that prohibit most abortions. Employers could also be required to provide women seeking abortions with access to employer-provided transportation.\n\nCongress enacted a law to support mothers during pregnancy and childbirth, protecting and benefiting the health of the mother and her unborn child. Issuing regulations to implement this law that mandates employers facilitate abortions flips that pro-pregnancy, pro-childbirth law on its head. It neglects the plain text of the law, and if finalized, it would have the opposite intent of the bipartisan law Congress enacted. An abortion mandate for employers was not present in this legislation and has no place in any implementing regulations.\n\nThe Proposed Rule Exceeds EEOC Authority.\n\nThe PWFA delegated regulatory authority to the EEOC only to develop regulations to implement the goals defined in the PWFA. Promoting abortion is not one of those goals. Agencies may not issue regulations with vast political significance unless clearly directed by Congress, as the Supreme Court has affirmed under the major questions doctrine. The EEOC does not have the legal authority to create an abortion mandate for employers in defiance of statutory text and congressional intent.\n\nThe Proposed Rule Violates Religious Liberty.\n\nDuring consideration of the law, Congress deliberated protections for religious entities extensively. Based on the strong jurisprudence of the religious organizations exemption in Title VII, Congress tied Title VII\u2019s exemption to the entirety of the law through the rule of construction and concluded that such language would ensure the religious organization exemption in Title VII would apply to all accommodations and other claims covered by the law.\n\nFurther, in line with the statutory text, Congress continues to understand Title VII\u2019s religious exemption to \u201cencompass the entire employment relationship, not merely limited to hiring and firing.\u201d As Courts have held, in Title VII, Congress \u201cpainted with a broader brush, exempting religious organizations from the entire subchapter of Title VII with respect to employment of persons of a particular religion.\u201d\n\nTitle VII broadly defines religion to include \u201call aspects of religious observance and practice as well as belief.\u201d It is this broad understanding of religion that Congress had in mind when it included the religious organizations exemption to the PWFA. Congress intended the rule of construction to protect religious entities from making any accommodation that would conflict with any aspect of their religion. As such, the EEOC must make explicit in the final rule that any objection to an accommodation for an activity that conflicts with the entity\u2019s religion is to be respected and protected by the rule of construction.\n\nIn addition to the Title VII protections, the EEOC should also continue to recognize the application of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in its final rule. As the proposed rule acknowledges, RFRA applies to the underlying statute. Congress would have had to expressly exclude RFRA for RFRA\u2019s protections to be waived, which it did not. RFRA is an important shield for people and organizations from being forced to violate their faith, which will happen under the proposed expansive interpretation of this Act.\n\nThe Proposed Rule Ignores Conscience Objections.\n\nUnder the EEOC\u2019s proposal, the regulations would impose an abortion mandate on other employers who are pro-life based on religious or moral conviction but are not formally affiliated with a religious organization. It would force these employers to express views and to act in ways that violate their religious and moral convictions.\n\nIt would also violate the objecting employer\u2019s constitutional rights to freedom of speech and expressive association by requiring them to inaccurately present abortion as health care and as comparable to pregnancy and childbirth.\n\nFurther demonstrating the EEOC\u2019s expansive interpretation exceeds statutory authority, there are no protections for pro-life employers and entities. The proposed rule includes abortion, contraception, and IVF while remaining silent on the implications this creates for individuals with moral, ethical, medical, or other objections.\n\nEven without the PWFA, many pro-life employers and organizations have already implemented employment practices that support pregnant mothers and their unborn children.\n\nThe proposed rule ignores the presence of the unborn child and instead steamrolls employers into promoting or being complicit with abortion and other items or actions employers may reasonably object to or even find antithetical to the organization\u2019s mission. This is not what Congress intended and not the PWFA Congress passed.\n\nThe EEOC must make it clear in the final rule that the undue hardship defense protects pro-life employers and entities from having to make accommodations that would be contrary to the mission of the organization.\n\nConclusion\n\nIn these regulations, the EEOC has moved far beyond the power delegated by Congress. The Commission was directed to implement a bipartisan law designed to provide accommodation protections for pregnant women in the workforce. Instead, it has sought to impose an unconstitutional nationwide abortion mandate on employers.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/10/wicker-welcomes-final-report-of-u-s-strategic-posture-commission", "Wicker Welcomes Final Report of U.S. Strategic Posture Commission", "2023-10-12", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today issued the following statement after the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States released its final unclassified report:\n\n\u201cEnsuring the United States military is able to protect and defend our country is one of Congress\u2019 most solemn responsibilities. We appreciate the work of the commission to provide a clear-eyed assessment of our strategic posture. It is apparent from the report that there is much more that we should be doing to ensure our military, and particularly our nuclear forces, are capable of deterring two near-peer nuclear adversaries at the same time.\n\n\u201cThe findings of this bipartisan report detail the gravity of the situation we face and emphasize that the current trajectory of the U.S. strategic forces are insufficient to deter the looming Chinese and Russian threat. The report is also a stark reminder of the significant work needed to expand our nuclear submarine industrial base to increase production and reduce repair time. The details of this report should serve as a wakeup call for our armed forces and the national security community as a whole.\n\n\u201cIt is essential that Congress move forward quickly with a plan to provide our military with the resources necessary to restore our nuclear deterrent and rebuild the capacity to fight and win two wars if necessary. Passing a defense supplemental in the near-term and guaranteeing real growth in the annual defense budget will help us meet this moment. Failing to make these investments now will leave the United States weaker and invite costly new threats from our adversaries.\u201d\n\nBACKGROUND:\n\nThe Fiscal Year 2022 (FY 2022) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) established the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States (Commission), and tasked it with examining the long-term strategic posture of the United States.\n\nThe Commission\u2019s report includes a comprehensive review of the current and projected threat environment; an assessment of our current nuclear deterrence, missile defense, space, cyber, and conventional military forces and strategic posture; and recommendations for the most appropriate strategic posture and nuclear deterrence strategy.\n\nThe bipartisan Commission is led by Madelyn Creedon, who most recently served as Principal Deputy Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration from 2014 to 2017, and former U.S. Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona.\n\nKEY EXCERPTS:\n\n\u201cDOD should increase shipbuilding capacity, by working with industry to establish or renovate a third shipyard dedicated to production of nuclear-powered vessels, with particular emphasis on nuclear-powered submarines.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe nuclear force modernization program of record is absolutely essential, although not sufficient to meet the new threats posed by Russia and China.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe current modernization program should be supplemented to ensure U.S. nuclear strategy remains effective in a two-nuclear-peer environment.\u201d\n\n\u201cA number of commissioners believe it is inevitable that the size of the U.S. nuclear stockpile and the number of delivery systems should increase.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe size and composition of the nuclear force must account for the possibility of combined aggression from Russia and China. U.S. strategy should no longer treat China\u2019s nuclear forces as a \u201clesser included\u201d threat. The United States needs a nuclear posture capable of simultaneously deterring both countries.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe U.S. theater nuclear force posture should be urgently modified to: Provide the President a range of militarily effective nuclear response options to deter or counter Russian or Chinese limited nuclear use in theater. Address the need for U.S. theater nuclear forces deployed or based in the Asia-Pacific theater.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Commission recommends Congress fund an overhaul and expansion of the capacity of the U.S. nuclear weapons defense industrial base and the National Nuclear Security Administration\u2019s (NNSA) nuclear security enterprise, including weapons science, design, and production infrastructure. Specifically: Congress should fund the full range of NNSA\u2019s recapitalization efforts, such as [plutonium] pit production and all operations related to critical materials.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe United States develop and field homeland integrated air and missile defenses that can deter and defeat coercive attacks by Russia and China, and determine the capabilities needed to stay ahead of the North Korean threat.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Commission\u2019s assessment is that the United States must consider the possibility that Iran will become a nuclear state during the 2027-2035 timeframe.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=313", "Ezell Cosponsors Bipartisan Resolution Supporting Israel; Condemning Hamas and Iran", "2023-10-10", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Mike Ezell", "E000235", "ezell.house.gov", "ezell", "https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Congressman Mike Ezell today joined House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul (TX-10), Ranking Member Gregory Meeks (NY-05), and a bipartisan coalition of members to introduce a resolution supporting Israel and condemning the war launched on Saturday by Iran-backed Hamas terrorists.\n\nSince the first attacks on October 7, 2023, hundreds of civilians have died at the hands of Hamas, thousands have been injured, and hundreds more have been taken hostage. American citizens in Israel are among those who have been killed, injured, and abducted.\n\n\"The stories and footage we've heard and seen over the last few days are heartbreaking,\" said Congressman Ezell. \"America must stand with Israel in the wake of these despicable attacks.\"\n\nThe resolution also calls for full enforcement of U.S. sanctions on Iran and other terrorist funders. According to the State Department, Iran spends hundreds of millions of dollars each year to support of Hamas and other Foreign Terrorist Organizations.\n\nOn September 11, 2023, the Biden Administration announced its plan to release $6 billion in frozen assets to the Iranian government. While the money is earmarked for humanitarian aid, national security experts have raised concerns that such a large influx of cash would allow Iran to redirect other funds to support its terrorist network.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/10/wicker-statement-on-israel", "Wicker Statement on Israel", "2023-10-07", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today reacted to the wave of attacks on Israel by Iranian-backed Hamas militants:\n\n\"I stand with Israel in the face of this unprovoked attack by Iran-backed Hamas militants. As our best ally and friend in the Middle East, the safety and security of Israel must always be our priority. I strongly condemn these acts of terror and fully support Israel's right to defend itself. I am praying for Israel today.\"\n\n\u201cToday\u2019s attacks underscore the Biden administration\u2019s na\u00efve approach to Iran. President Biden\u2019s lenient policy has sent billions in cash to Iran to continue its funding of terrorists and has jeopardized our closest regional partner, Israel. I will continue holding this administration accountable to support Israel and deter Iran.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/10/wicker-to-biden-build-the-wall-today", "Wicker to Biden: Build the Wall Today", "2023-10-05", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today commented on the Biden administration\u2019s decision to build 20 miles of border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border after spending millions of taxpayer dollars to store and auction off existing border wall materials.\n\n\u201cIf the president is serious about returning to border security like we had during the Trump administration, he should immediately enact what I have put in my FINISH It Act,\u201d Wicker said.\n\nThe Mississippi senator is the author of the FINISH IT Act, which has been included in the Senate\u2019s fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act. The provision would compel the Biden administration to use thousands of existing border panels for wall construction.\n\nWicker has led Senate efforts to hold the Biden administration accountable for the waste of these panels, which the administration was moving quickly to sell at auction before Wicker\u2019s legislation could be implemented.\n\n\u201cI would say to the president, we've got sections of the wall right now that could be installed today, that could be installed tomorrow. Mr. President, quit selling those sections of the wall for scrap metal. Erect them and let's do the wall the way that it was intended to be,\u201d Wicker said.\n\nRead more about the FINISH IT Act and other border legislation Senator Wicker has led here. Watch his recent speech on border security here. Read more about the Biden administration\u2019s misuse of taxpayer dollars at the southern border here and here.\n\nSee the full transcript of Senator Wicker\u2019s comments below.\n\nIf the president is serious about returning to border security like we had during the Trump administration, he should immediately enact what I have put in my FINISH It Act, which is to take those sections of the wall that are already manufactured and ready to be put in place and erect them on the border. Instead, his administration has -- for months now -- been selling these already manufactured parts of the border wall off for pennies on the dollar, having them turned into scrap metal rather than using them for the purposes.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/remembering-jack-h-lucas", "REMEMBERING JACK H. LUCAS", "2023-10-04", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Cindy Hyde-Smith", "H001079", "www.hydesmith.senate.gov", "hydesmith", "https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/newsroom", "scraper", "Congressional Record Vol. 169, No. 163\n\n(Senate - October 4, 2023) PDF\n\nMrs. HYDE-SMITH. Madam President, I am honored to pay tribute to the\n\nmemory of a true American hero, Jacklyn ``Jack'' Harrell Lucas.\n\nJack, a long-time resident of Mississippi, and the youngest marine to\n\never receive the Medal of Honor, left an indelible mark on American\n\nhistory. During the Battle of Iwo Jima, Jack jumped between two live\n\ngrenades to shield three of his fellow marines from the explosion. This\n\nact of heroism caused him significant injuries. Even after his time in\n\nthe military, Jack continued to inspire generations through his\n\ncommitment to veterans' causes and his advocacy for those who suffered\n\nin service to their country. Jack Lucas took his final salute on June\n\n5, 2008, in Hattiesburg, MS, leaving behind his wife, their five\n\nchildren, and a legacy of patriotism and service to this Nation.\n\nOn October 7, 2023, the Navy will commission its first Arleigh Burke\n\nFlight III guided-missile destroyer. DDG-125 will bear the name of this\n\ndistinguished son of Mississippi, Jack. H. Lucas. The USS Jack H. Lucas\n\nwas built at Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, MS, further highlighting\n\nMississippi's commitment to the defense of the United States.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=382", "Ezell Statement on Motion to Vacate the Chair", "2023-10-03", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Mike Ezell", "E000235", "ezell.house.gov", "ezell", "https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Today, Congressman Mike Ezell issued the following statement after voting to table Congressman Matt Gaetz's (FL-01) motion to vacate the chair:\n\n\"When Republicans spend our time arguing about egos instead of fighting for conservative values, Joe Biden wins. That\u2019s why Democrats are unanimously supporting the motion to vacate.\n\n\"For the first time since the Clinton administration, the House is on track to fund the government through regular, constitutional order. We cannot lose sight of that goal. I voted and will continue to vote to move past these distractions and get back to doing our jobs.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/9/wicker-votes-to-avoid-shutdown", "Wicker Votes to Avoid Shutdown", "2023-09-30", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today voted to advance legislation that would fund federal government operations for 45 days. The proposal, known as a \u201ccontinuing resolution (CR),\u201d would maintain the status quo for federal funding to allow Congress more time to negotiate full-year appropriations bills that would lower federal domestic spending and support national security and border security.\n\n\u201cIt is regrettable that Congress has not been able to enact legislation in time to fund the federal government. Passing this short-term bill, though not ideal, will allow both the House and Senate time to move forward with funding negotiations without the effects of a damaging shutdown. Congress should proceed quickly with the remaining appropriations bills so that we can get back to work on other important priorities, such as national defense,\u201d Wicker said.\n\nWicker also commented on the particular impact of a shutdown on military readiness, border security, and the U.S. economy.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=311", "Ezell Speaks on Ongoing Spending Negotiations", "2023-09-29", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Mike Ezell", "E000235", "ezell.house.gov", "ezell", "https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "This afternoon, Congressman Mike Ezell outlined his thoughts on H.R. 5525, the Spending Reduction and Border Security Act, as well as the potential of a government shutdown.\n\nRemarks as delivered are below. You can download the video here.\n\n\"Today, I voted for a bill that would have secured our southern border, cut billions in wasteful spending, and ensure our government is open and our troops are being paid for the next 30 days.\n\n\"Unfortunately, Democrats and a few Republicans chose to block this legislation.\n\n\"Let me be clear: I don\u2019t like the way Washington does business.\n\n\"When I came to Congress in January, I was ready to shake things up and bring back regular, constitutional order. For the first time in years, House Republicans have done just that.\n\n\"We have passed single-subject spending bills to fund more than 70% of federal discretionary spending, including our military, our border patrol, and the VA. Those bills have been sent to Senator Schumer, but he has refused to bring them up for a vote.\n\n\"Pushing forward strong, conservative appropriations bills takes time. That\u2019s why we need to ensure our troops [and] border patrol get paid while Washington negotiates.\n\n\"Today\u2019s bill would have done just that.\n\n\"It also would have forced the Biden Administration to finally secure our southern border.\n\n\"In the last five days, we\u2019ve had more than 50,000 illegal border crossings. That\u2019s more people than live in the entire city of Biloxi. It\u2019s out of control, but President Biden and Senate Democrats refuse to do anything serious.\n\n\"They\u2019ve refused to do anything serious on the looming government shutdown as well.\n\n\"The American people and their representatives in the House have made it clear what we want \u2014 we want to tackle wasteful spending and shut down the border, not the country.\n\n\"It\u2019s very possible our government is gonna shut down this Sunday morning. I don\u2019t know what the future\u2019s gonna hold, but I know a couple of things.\n\n\"First, Members of Congress should live under the same rules as the people they represent. During a government shutdown, the men and women of the United States military, including many at installations across South Mississippi, will be required to go to work without pay.\n\n\"I cannot in good faith accept my salary while servicemembers aren\u2019t receiving theirs, so if a shutdown begins, I\u2019ve instructed the House to withhold my pay.\n\n\"Second, I will not stop fighting for what\u2019s right. I\u2019ll continue working with my colleagues to get good bills passed to fund government, save taxpayer dollars, and put a stop to the Biden policies that are destroying our way of life.\n\n\"It\u2019s my honor to serve South Mississippi here in Congress, and I\u2019ll continue to work for you each and every day.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/9/wicker-colleagues-demand-accountability-on-iran-linked-dod-official", "Wicker, Colleagues Demand Accountability on Iran-Linked DoD Official", "2023-09-29", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today led a letter signed by 30 of his Senate Republican colleagues demanding a full accounting of actions taken by a senior Pentagon official who has close links to the Iranian government.\n\nAriane Tabatabai, the chief of staff to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict, was reportedly engaged in an Iranian government-linked initiative to bolster the Iranian government\u2019s image and reinforce Tehran\u2019s national security views. Leaked emails show Tabatabai asking the Iranian government for input on her speaking engagements and offering to consult with the Iranian government on a congressional briefing that she was invited to give.\n\nIn the letter, the senators suggested that it is \u201cunconscionable\u201d for Tabatabai to continue holding a sensitive national defense-related position and called for the immediate suspension of her security clearance.\n\n\u201cIran continues to threaten U.S. military personnel in the Middle East and remains intent on assassinating American citizens here in the United States. Given these facts, we find it simply unconscionable that a senior Department official would continue to hold a sensitive position despite her alleged participation in an Iranian government information operation,\u201d the senators wrote. \u201cWhile we note that Assistant Secretary of Defense for SOLIC Christopher Maier, who is Ms. Tabatabai's current supervisor, testified before the House on Thursday that the Department is \u201cactively looking into whether all law and policy was properly followed in granting my chief of staff top secret special compartmented information,\u201d we urge you to suspend Ms. Tabatabai's security clearance immediately pending further review, as the State Department did with her former supervisor, Robert Malley.\u201d\n\nThe senators also posed a range of questions related to the nature and extent of Tabatabai\u2019s involvement with the Iran-backed initiative, demanding answers within a week of transmitting the letter.\n\nSenators Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Mike Rounds, R-S.D., Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Rick Scott, R-Fla., Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Ted Budd, R-N.C., Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Katie Britt, R-Ala., John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Jim Risch, R-Idaho, Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., Todd Young, R-Ind., Ted Cruz, R-Texas, John Kennedy, R-La., Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, John Cornyn, R-Texas, Thom Tillis, R-N.C., James Lankford, R-Okla., Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., and John Thune, R-S.D. joined the letter.\n\nThe letter follows a similar oversight effort led by Wicker following reports that a former senior Iranian official participated in a speaking engagement at a Department of Defense-sponsored symposium.\n\nRead more about Senator Wicker\u2019s work on national security here. Read the full letter here or below.\n\nHonorable Lloyd J. Austin II\n\nSecretary of Defense\n\n1000 Defense Pentagon\n\nWashington, DC 20301-1000\n\nDear Mr. Secretary:\n\nWe are concerned that an individual who allegedly served as part of an Iranian Foreign Ministry information operation is currently serving in a senior Department of Defense position. We urge you to take immediate action to ensure that the Department has not been compromised.\n\nOn Tuesday, September 26, Semafor reported that Ariane Tabatabai, who currently serves as chief of staff to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict (SOLIC), was part of a so-called Iran Experts Initiative that \u201csenior Iranian Foreign Ministry officials initiated [in] a quiet effort to bolster Tehran's image and positions on global security issues - particularly its nuclear program.\u201d\n\nAccording to communications that Semafor reviewed, Ms. Tabatabai agreed to join the Iranian government-linked Initiative in early 2014, after meeting a Germany-based Iranian diplomat in Prague. On at least two occasions, Ms. Tabatabai \u201cchecked in with Iran's Foreign Ministry before attending policy events.\u201d The report details one occasion in which an Iranian think tank chief, who acted as an apparent liaison to the Iranian Foreign Minister, dissuaded Ms. Tabatabai from participating in a conference in Israel when she asked for his feedback. The report also indicates that Ms. Tabatabai potentially sought the Iranian government's input on a congressional briefing that she was invited to give in July 2014.\n\nConcerns about Ms. Tabatabai are not new. In March 2021, shortly after Ms. Tabatabai was appointed senior adviser in the Office of the Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, Iranian dissidents noted Ms. Tabatabai's long history of echoing the Iranian regime's talking points. In April 2021, several House members requested a review of Ms. Tabatabai's security clearance. In response, the Biden administration dismissed these allegations as \u201csmears and slander.\u201d\n\nThe latest allegations reported in Semafor, however, indicate that Ms. Tabatabai may have been engaged in a relationship with the Iranian regime well beyond what even her strongest critics alleged. The fact that the Department initially responded to these latest allegations by rushing a full-throated defense of Ms. Tabatabai, rather than taking the time to ensure that our national security has not been compromised, suggests that you are protecting hiring missteps rather than prioritizing national security.\n\nIran continues to threaten U.S. military personnel in the Middle East and remains intent on assassinating American citizens here in the United States. Given these facts, we find it simply unconscionable that a senior Department official would continue to hold a sensitive position despite her alleged participation in an Iranian government information operation. While we note that Assistant Secretary of Defense for SOLIC Christopher Maier, who is Ms. Tabatabai's current supervisor, testified before the House on Thursday that the Department is \u201cactively looking into whether all law and policy was properly followed in granting my chief of staff top secret special compartmented information,\u201d we urge you to suspend Ms. Tabatabai's security clearance immediately pending further review, as the State Department did with her former supervisor, Robert Malley.\n\nIn addition, we ask that you provide answers to the following questions no later than October 6:\n\n1. On what date did the Department of Defense learn that Ms. Tabatabai had served as part of the Iranian government-linked Iran Experts Initiative?\n\n2. On what date was Ms. Tabatabai granted a security clearance, and what was the sponsoring agency that made the determination to grant Ms. Tabatabai a security clearance?\n\n3. Has Ms. Tabatabai\u2019s security clearance been subjected to a periodic reinvestigation and, if so, on what date was Ms. Tabatabai\u2019s most recent periodic reinvestigation completed?\n\n4. Was Ms. Tabatabai subjected to any additional counterintelligence screening, to include a polygraph investigation, as part of her security clearance investigation or any subsequent review of her eligibility to hold a security clearance or access restricted or special access information?\n\n5. On her Standard Form-86, did Ms. Tabatabai list her contacts with:\n\na. Former Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif;\n\nb. Academic Adnan Tabatabai;\n\nc. Mostafa Zahrani, the head of the Iran think tank IPIS; and/or\n\nd. Former Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh?\n\n6. Was Ms. Tabatabai read into any special access programs (SAPs)?\n\na. If so, was she subjected to enhanced security vetting, per SAP security policy, or was she granted a waiver?\n\nb. If she was granted a waiver to be read into SAPs, which DoD official approved the waiver?", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/9/wicker-hyde-smith-honor-jimmy-buffett", "Wicker, Hyde-Smith Honor Jimmy Buffett", "2023-09-29", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., today introduced a resolution in honor of the late singer-songwriter, James \u201cJimmy\u201d William Buffett, who passed away earlier this month.\n\n\u201cOne of the great Mississippi-born musicians, Jimmy Buffett taught a generation of Parrotheads how to pass time in Margaritaville and enjoy paradise,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cJimmy was a generational talent and entrepreneur who made his native state proud. With this resolution, we raise a glass to honor the life and legacy of this musical pioneer.\u201d\n\n\u201cJimmy Buffett was a true Southern storyteller who was generous enough to share his piece of paradise with the world,\u201d Hyde-Smith said. \u201cIn honoring him, we celebrate the man who, through his music, brought us with him on many of his adventures around the sun, from the Pascagoula Run, to the shores of paradise, and we are all the better for it. I have no doubt his legacy will continue to inspire generations to come.\u201d\n\nBuffett was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi on Christmas Day, 1946, and he graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1966. Over his 50-year career, Buffett released over 30 albums, wrote three books, was nominated for two Grammys, and opened over 30 restaurants.\n\nSee the full text of the resolution here or below:\n\nHonoring the life, legacy, and contributions of James William Buffett.\n\nWhereas, James William \u2018\u2018Jimmy\u2019\u2019 Buffett was born on Christmas Day, 1946, in Pascagoula, Mississippi, the first of James Delaney Buffett, Jr., and Mary Lorraine Peets Buffett\u2019s three children;\n\nWhereas, Mr. Buffett grew up in Mobile, Alabama, attending grade school at St. Ignatius Catholic School and the McGill Institute, an all-boys school, where he served as an altar boy;\n\nWhereas, Mr. Buffett acquired a love of music, sailing, and aviation, a child of the sights and sounds of south Mississippi;\n\nWhereas, in 1964, Mr. Buffett attended Auburn University for one year, was initiated into Kappa Sigma Fraternity, Epsilon-Nu Chapter, learned how to play the guitar from a fellow student, and then transferred to Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, Mississippi;\n\nWhereas, in 1966, Mr. Buffett transferred to the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and, in 1969, graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in history and journalism;\n\nWhereas, in 1970, Mr. Buffett moved to Nashville, Tennessee, carrying with him his dream to be a country singer and releasing his first album, \u2018\u2018Down to Earth\u2019\u2019;\n\nWhereas, Mr. Buffett pioneered his own \u2018\u2018Gulf and Western\u2019\u2019 genre of music, blending country, folk, and pop to celebrate life by the sea;\n\nWhereas, in 1975, Mr. Buffett formed his touring group of singers and songwriters, The Coral Reefer Band;\n\nWhereas, in 1977, Mr. Buffett released the hit song, \u2018\u2018Margaritaville,\u201d and his first platinum album, \u2018Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes\u2019\u2019;\n\nWhereas, in 2003, Mr. Buffett received his first Country Music Award for his song, \u2018\u2018It\u2019s 5 O\u2019clock Somewhere\u2019\u2019;\n\nWhereas, Mr. Buffett contributed songs to the films \u2018\u2018Summer Rental,\u201d \u2018\u2018Fast Times at Ridgemont High,\u2019\u2019 \u2018\u2018Urban Cowboy,\u2019\u2019 and \u2018\u2018FernGully: The Last Rainforest\u2019\u2019;\n\nWhereas, Mr. Buffett appeared in films and television shows, including \u2018\u2018Repo Man,\u2019\u2019 \u2018\u2018Hook,\u201d \u2018\u2018Sesame Street,\u2019\u2019 \u2018\u2018Hawaii Five-O,\u2019\u2019 \u2018\u2018Jurassic World,\u2019\u2019 \u2018\u2018NCIS: New Orleans,\u2019\u2019 and \u2018\u2018The Beach Bum\u2019\u2019;\n\nWhereas, Mr. Buffett\u2019s commercial success brought \u2018\u2018Gulf and Western\u2019\u2019 into mainstream country music, shaping the styles of stars like Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, and Zac Brown;\n\nWhereas, along the way, Mr. Buffett opened the first Margaritaville Cafe on Duval Street in Key West, Florida, which was so successful it led to 23 Margaritavilles, one JWB Prime Steak and Seafood, and seven 5 o\u2019clock Somewhere Bar and Grills;\n\nWhereas, Mr. Buffett extended his business activity, investing in beer brands, partnering with casino companies, owning sports teams, releasing a video game, and building retirement communities, among other endeavors;\n\nWhereas, Mr. Buffett had a third career as a writer, authoring best-selling books, including\u2014\n\n(1) \u2018\u2018Tales from Margaritaville\u2019\u2019;\n\n(2) \u2018\u2018Where is Joe Merchant\u2019\u2019; and\n\n(3) \u2018\u2018A Pirate Looks at Fifty\u2019\u2019;\n\nWhereas, over the course of his 50-year recording career, Mr. Buffett gave life to over 30 studio albums that sold over 20,000,000 copies worldwide;\n\nWhereas, Mr. Buffett was nominated twice for Grammy Awards by the Recording Academy of the United States;\n\nWhereas, Mr. Buffett\u2019s entrepreneurial spirit created thousands of jobs and led to levels of financial success rare among musicians;\n\nWhereas, Mr. Buffett\u2019s songs, restaurants, and stories resonated with generations of grateful fans, \u2018\u2018Parrotheads,\u2019\u2019and casual listeners alike;\n\nWhereas, Mr. Buffett offered escapist experiences that helped fans worldwide delight in life\u2019s simple pleasures;\n\nWhereas, Mr. Buffett was philanthropic, giving his time, finances, and music to support the troops of the United States, disaster relief efforts, conservation activities, and more;\n\nWhereas, Mr. Buffett died on September 1, 2023, and is preceded in death by his parents, Mary Lorraine Peets Buffett and James Delaney Buffett, Jr.; and\n\nWhereas, Mr. Buffett is survived by his wife, Jane Slagsvol Buffett, and three children, Cameron Marley Buffett, Sarah Delaney Buffett; and Savannah Jane Buffett:\n\nNow, therefore, be it\n\nResolved, that the Senate\u2014\n\n(1) honors the life and legacy of James William \u2018\u2018Jimmy\u2019\u2019 Buffett for his contributions to music, his State, and his country;\n\n(2) extends its heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Buffett; and", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/9/wicker-hyde-smith-reintroduce-bill-to-boost-economic-growth-in-underserved-low-income-communities", "Wicker, Hyde-Smith Reintroduce Bill to Boost Economic Growth in Underserved & Low-Income Communities", "2023-09-29", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., joined Senators Mark Warner, D-Va., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Jerry Moran, R-Kan., in reintroducing bipartisan legislation to promote lasting economic prosperity in low-income, minority, and rural communities.\n\nThe Community Development Investment Tax Credit Act would help unlock more equity and long-term financial capital for community development financial institutions (CDFIs). CDFIs often serve as a backbone for underserved communities including small and disadvantaged businesses, which tend to have fewer banking relationships and less access to credit.\n\n\u201cOur country was built by small business, but many in low-income areas have trouble accessing the financing they need to launch and grow their businesses,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cCDFI investments play a pivotal role in bridging these gaps. The proposed tax credit in this legislation would help address the challenges faced by small business owners and provide an alternative to predatory loans.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe know access to capital is more challenging in low-income areas unfortunately, which makes it harder for ambitious Mississippians and Americans in these areas to start up or grow their businesses,\u201d Hyde-Smith said. \u201cCDFIs have proven valuable in directing support to these small business owners, and this proposed tax credit would do even more to spur investment in underserved communities.\u201d\n\nThis bill will help direct support to lenders that focus on underserved communities by creating a CDFI Tax Credit for private sector investors that make equity, equity-equivalent investments, or long-term patient capital available to CDFIs. The bill would benefit CDFIs of all types, including banks, credit unions, venture capital CDFIs, and loan funds, while providing institutions with the maximum flexibility and financial support they need to increase wealth in low and moderate-income communities.\n\nThis legislation has the support of a number of organizations, including the American Bankers Association, Opportunity Finance Network, Inclusiv, Community Development Bankers Association, Independent Community Bankers of America, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Community Development Venture Capital Alliance, and the CDFI Coalition.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/9/wicker-promotes-border-security-in-national-defense-legislation", "Wicker Promotes Border Security in National Defense Legislation", "2023-09-29", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, yesterday delivered a speech on the Senate floor discussing the national security crisis at the southern border and provisions he offered in this year\u2019s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would address the challenge.\n\nIn his remarks, Wicker noted that the crisis at the southern border has put the U.S. homeland at risk, as drug traffickers, extremists, and foreign spies take advantage of the lax security.\n\n\u201cBad actors continue to exploit our porous southern border to funnel criminals, fentanyl, and even suspected terrorists into the country\u2026it is clear that the situation is out of control,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cThe Senate Armed Services Committee has received testimony suggesting that even our adversaries see our broken border as a strategic advantage. Russia certainly does. The former Northern Command (NORTHCOM) chief reports that there are more Kremlin agents in Mexico than in any other country. They are there because of the open border policies of this administration. The Chinese Communist Party is also aware of this vulnerability \u2013 constantly looking the other way as Chinese criminal elements sell fentanyl components to cartels, helping fuel our national drug crisis.\u201d\n\nWicker, as lead Republican on the committee, included strong border provisions in the NDAA. In his speech, the senator mentioned his work on the FINISH IT Act, which would force the Biden administration to either restart construction of the border wall or sell unused materials to state governments.\n\n\u201cAs we move through the conference process, we must retain the border provisions we fought so hard to include. One such measure is the FINISH IT Act. The legislation, which I authored, would continue construction of the border wall,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cThe previous administration purchased high-quality steel wall panels. But when President Biden took office, he chose to spend $130,000 per day to store these materials rather than using them to secure the border. That amounts to tens of millions of dollars spent to do absolutely nothing, all while cartels continue to traffic drugs and people across our southwest border.\u201d\n\nWicker also highlighted several measures in this year\u2019s bill that would use Department of Defense resources to confront the cartels, including enhancing cooperation with Mexican security forces and using the military\u2019s cutting-edge cyber capabilities.\n\n\u201cOther measures address the threat posed by cartels. These criminal gangs bribe law enforcement and terrorize the innocent. The cartels have military-grade tools, and they use them,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cOur bill unlocks resources that empower the Department of Defense to take the fight to these dangerous organizations.\u201d\n\nRead Senator Wicker\u2019s speech as delivered below, or watch it here. Wicker recently wrote an op-ed for Fox News discussing the same topic. Read that here.\n\nToday, I rise to address the crisis at our southern border. And to say that we have a good opportunity with the Senate-approved National Defense Authorization Act is a remarkable opportunity for this body to strengthen homeland security by increasing border security.\n\nMr. President, bad actors continue to exploit our porous southern border to funnel criminals, fentanyl, and even suspected terrorists into the country.\n\nJust this week, Customs and Border Patrol released staggering figures. In this fiscal year, Border Patrol has handled nearly three million border encounters. Of urgent concern is the fact that more and more of those crossing are terror threats. In this fiscal year, 160 migrants were found to be on the terror watchlist, up from 100 in 2022.\n\nA smuggler with ties to ISIS shepherded a dozen migrants from Uzbekistan across the border. This alarming incident raises questions about terrorists gaining access to our country. It also highlights the increasing number of asylum seekers from Central Asia.\n\nMr. President, the situation is clearly out of control.\n\nThe Senate Armed Services Committee has received testimony suggesting that even our adversaries see our broken border as a strategic advantage. Russia certainly does. The former Northern Command (NORTHCOM) chief reports that there are more Kremlin agents in Mexico than in any other country. They\u2019re there because of the open border policies of this administration.\n\nThe Chinese Communist Party is also aware of this vulnerability \u2013 constantly looking the other way as Chinese criminal elements sell fentanyl components to cartels, helping fuel our national drug crisis.\n\nPresident Biden refuses to act, but Congress will. The good news is that we have already taken steps to do so.\n\nThis summer, the Senate passed our version of the NDAA. We did so on an overwhelming bipartisan basis, Mr. President.\n\nIn my role as the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I led my colleagues as we crafted a defense bill that aligns with our current national defense needs.\n\nThe bill supports our troops and enhances our warfighting capabilities. The bill also recognizes the border as the national security challenge it is. And I note that more and more people on the mainstream media \u2013 on network news, on television, not just the cable shows \u2013 are calling this what it is: a border crisis.\n\nIn an impressive display of bipartisanship, the Senate passed our legislation with an overwhelming margin \u2013 86 to 11. This sweeping endorsement puts the Senate in a strong negotiating position as the House and Senate reconcile the two defense bills in conference. And I certainly hope we can do that, and get it to the President soon.\n\nAs we move through the conference process, we must retain the border provisions we fought so hard to include.\n\nOne such measure is the FINISH IT Act. When we say \u201cFINISH IT,\u201d I mean the border wall. The legislation, which I authored, would continue construction of the border wall. The previous administration purchased high-quality steel wall panels.\n\nBut when President Biden took office, he chose to spend $130,000 per day to store these materials rather than using them to secure the border. The high-quality steel panels are there. Our President is spending money to store them, rather than use them for their intended purpose. That amounts to tens of millions of dollars spent to do absolutely nothing, all while cartels continue to traffic drugs and people across our southwest border.\n\nThe fact that we are spending taxpayer money to store these sections of the border wall, rather than erect them, is uncontested. It is a fact. And it\u2019s one of the reasons that Senators visit the border \u2013 to find out things like this.\n\nWe on the Armed Services committee inquired about this waste. We found the administration to be hastily auctioning off the panels and doing so for pennies on the dollar \u2013 quite obviously an effort to circumvent congressional intent. The administration sees this administration coming, they see the overwhelming 86-11 vote, and they want to get as many of these sections of the wall auctioned off as government surplus before the legislation takes effect.\n\nIn one instance, the government sold $4.4 million worth of materials for a mere $156,000 \u2013 a 96 percent discount. $4.4 million in border wall segments, sold for only $156,000. Again, this is uncontested fact. The administration is also still unable to account for $255 million worth of materials.\n\nThe FINISH IT Act, which is in the NDAA, passed by the Senate, would compel the Biden administration either to use the existing border panels or sell them to states capable of building the wall themselves. Border states grasp the severity of this crisis in ways that the president dismisses.\n\nSenate Republicans successfully shepherded this provision through the Democrat-led committee and secured wide bipartisan support from the Senate, as evidenced by the 86-11 vote. It is not difficult to discern why \u2013 under this administration, really every state is a border state. Just ask the Mayor of New York City, which used to like to be called a sanctuary city, he suddenly sounds almost as concerned as the Governor of Texas.\n\nThe FINISH IT Act represents just the first of several border security provisions in this year\u2019s defense legislation. Other measures address the threat posed by cartels.\n\nThese criminal gangs bribe law enforcement and terrorize the innocent. The cartels have military-grade tools, and they use them. Our bill unlocks resources that empower the Department of Defense to take the fight to these dangerous organizations.\n\nWe passed a provision which would help strengthen Mexican security forces. It would establish a pilot program designed to provide top-tier U.S. military training to law enforcement in Mexico. This would enhance bilateral cooperation against threats, including cartels.\n\nAnother provision, Mr. President, helps confront cartels in cyberspace, and another improves coordination between defense, intelligence, and homeland security officials. These proposals harness the full array of U.S. technological and logistical capabilities to target work we can do from our side of the border.\n\nThe border crisis shows no sign of abatement. Illegal crossings continue to surge, and fentanyl\u2019s devastating effects reach into more and more American neighborhoods, and into every state. What affects the border affects us all.\n\nI am sure there will be a strong discussion as the House and Senate move to conference. There will, of course, be disagreements. Yet, I remain hopeful that the integrity of our borders can be an area of agreement.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=306", "Ezell\u00a0Cosponsors Legislation to Pay Troops During Potential Shutdown", "2023-09-28", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Mike Ezell", "E000235", "ezell.house.gov", "ezell", "https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "This week, Congressman Mike Ezell joined the bipartisan Pay Our Troops Act (H.R. 5641), a bill that would ensure members of the armed forces continue to receive pay in the event of a government shutdown.\n\n\"We cannot allow Washington politics to get in the way of our national defense,\" said Congressman Ezell. \"Keeping our troops paid during a potential government shutdown should be one of our top priorities.\"\n\nThe Pay Our Troops Act is led by Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02), a Navy veteran. The bill would appropriate funds to ensure all members of the Armed Forces, including reservists, are paid if a shutdown happens during Fiscal Year 2024. More than 50 Republicans and 5 Democrats have signed on to the Pay Our Troops Act since it was introduced on September 21, 2023.\n\nSenators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) are leading companion legislation in the Senate. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) is a cosponsor of the companion legislation.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/9/wicker-kelly-introduce-legislation-to-keep-u-s-merchant-marine-academy-open", "Wicker, Kelly Introduce Legislation to Keep U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Open", "2023-09-28", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., introduced legislation to keep the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) open through any possible future lapse in federal appropriations.\n\n\u201cThere is no reason Congressional brinksmanship should derail our future maritime leaders from joining the workforce. Keeping the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy\u2019s doors open is not only a matter of national security, but also a commitment to keeping our economy strong,\" Wicker said.\n\nThe USMMA is one of the five federal service academies. However, because it is the only academy operated by the Department of Transportation, most of the faculty are subject to furlough in case of a lapse in government funding. Any gap in instruction could be highly disruptive to students because midshipmen must adhere to a strict academic schedule to meet the requirements to graduate with a Coast Guard Merchant Mariner license. If there is a lapse in government funding and USMMA is closed, midshipmen risk potential Coast Guard licensing issues.\n\nWicker and Kelly are both members of the Board of Visitors for the USMMA.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/9/wicker-leads-republicans-in-senior-pentagon-nominees-confirmation-hearing", "Wicker Leads Republicans in Senior Pentagon Nominees Confirmation Hearing", "2023-09-28", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today participated in a full committee hearing examining the nominations of Derek Chollet to be Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and Cara Abercrombie to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition.\n\nIn his remarks, Wicker noted the strategic environment the United States faces, suggesting that any nominees to senior Pentagon postings must act with urgency to improve deterrence.\n\n\u201cRecently, the Marine Corps Commandant, General Eric Smith, noted that our country is in something of an \u201cinterwar period.\u201d He\u2019s right, and if we continue on our current course, we risk transforming this moment into a \u201cpre-war period.\u201d We need to act \u2013 and act quickly \u2013 to prevent a war,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cAs we face a growing threat from Communist China, we need to pursue a policy of \u2018peace through strength.\u2019 Unfortunately, when it comes to addressing our deterrence gaps, the current administration demonstrates a lack of urgency.\u201d\n\nWicker also observed the need to repair relations with Congress among senior leaders at the Department of Defense following the tenure of Chollet\u2019s predecessor, Dr. Colin Kahl. The senator asked that Chollet commit to a stronger working relationship with legislators.\n\n\u201cMr. Chollet, the recent Under Secretary of Defense for Policy repeatedly deflected House and Senate oversight efforts, made partisan comments unbecoming of his station, and demonstrated low regard for the authorities under the constitution of the legislative branch\u2026Members on my side of the aisle have many questions still unanswered from his tenure,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cMr. Chollet, I would like you to articulate what you understand your relationship with Congress ought to be and how you intend to repair the degraded relations with Congress, particularly on this side of the aisle.\u201d\n\nRead Senator Wicker\u2019s full opening statement below or watch it here. Watch his exchange with the nominees here.\n\nThank you, Mr. Chairman. Today, we are here to consider two positions that are among the most important in the Department of Defense. I want to welcome you, Ms. Abercrombie, as well as your family. I also welcome Mr. Chollet and your wife and children.\n\nFirst, it is worth setting some context. Recently, the Marine Corps Commandant, General Eric Smith, noted that our country is in something of an \u201cinterwar period.\u201d He\u2019s right, and if we continue on our current course, we risk transforming this moment into a \u201cpre-war period.\u201d We need to act \u2013 and act quickly \u2013 to prevent a war. As we face a growing threat from Communist China, we need to pursue a policy of \u201cpeace through strength.\u201d Unfortunately, when it comes to addressing our deterrence gaps, the current administration demonstrates a lack of urgency.\n\nIt was George H.W. Bush who said, \u201cWhen it comes to national defense, finishing second means finishing last.\u201d I agree with our former president. And right now, we are finishing last when it comes to the military balance in the Western Pacific. So, we must act quickly.\n\nMs. Abercrombie, you have been nominated to the post of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition. You have had decades in the Pentagon to prepare yourself for this position. I am hopeful I can receive your commitment to work together to accelerate many of our most important procurement programs. For example, we need to work together on Harpoon anti-ship missiles.\n\nMr. Chollet, you have been nominated to serve as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, the third-ranking position at the Department. You will advise the Secretary on some of our most sensitive national defense matters, and you will apprise Congress of the Department\u2019s work.\n\nMr. Chollet, the recent Under Secretary of Defense for Policy repeatedly deflected House and Senate oversight efforts, made partisan comments unbecoming of his station, and demonstrated low regard for the authorities under the constitution of the legislative branch. Many of his patterns of conduct were foreseeable, given his public record. The Senate Republican Conference subsequently voted against his confirmation.\n\nMembers on my side of the aisle have many questions still unanswered from his tenure. Mr. Chollet, I would like you to articulate what you understand your relationship with Congress ought to be and how you intend to repair the degraded relations with Congress, particularly on this side of the aisle.\n\nThe important post to which you have been nominated requires someone with discretion and sound professional judgment. Mr. Chollet, you exhibit an indisputably impressive record of public service. Yet I need to note that you have also made several comments in the past that cause me some concern, and I hope you can clarify them for me today. You have trivialized the situation at our southern border, you have claimed that the institutional military is infected by systemic racism, and you\u2019ve suggested that our decision to leave Afghanistan was strategically sound, and these are just some of the disturbing comments.\n\nAs this process moves forward, Senators are going to have to consider whether these views are appropriate. Many senior general and flag officers have told this committee we are in the most dangerous moment since World War II. I appreciate the opportunity to discuss these comments with you in more detail and receive a full accounting of your views and qualifications.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/9/wicker-reintroduces-puerto-rico-status-act", "Wicker Reintroduces Puerto Rico Status Act", "2023-09-28", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., recently reintroduced the Puerto Rico Status Act, legislation which would provide Puerto Ricans the full range of options for a future referendum on the island\u2019s status as a commonwealth.\n\nWicker has been a longtime advocate for a fair selection process for Puerto Ricans who wish to remain a commonwealth of the United States. Other pending legislative proposals would force Puerto Ricans to abandon their current status and choose among statehood, independence, or \u201cSovereignty in Free Association.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe people of Puerto Rico deserve a voice in shaping their political destiny without being forced into a false choice between statehood or independence,\" Wicker said. \"Pending legislative proposals from my colleagues do not acknowledge the fact that many Puerto Ricans prefer to maintain their current status and want the freedom to decide on their own terms.\n\n\"After extensive deliberations with Puerto Rican leaders, I have proposed an alternative plan that avoids favoring any particular outcome, is consistent with guidance from the Department of Justice, and empowers Puerto Ricans to determine their future through a fair and democratic vote. \"\n\nAmong other provisions, Wicker\u2019s legislation would authorize a binding plebiscite vote on four options: independence for Puerto Rico, sovereignty in free association with the United States, statehood, or retaining the status of Puerto Rico as a Commonwealth.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/9/wicker-reviews-coast-guard-mission-in-southcom-visit", "Wicker Reviews Coast Guard Mission in SOUTHCOM Visit", "2023-09-28", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, this week returned from a visit to U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) at Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-S) in Florida where he engaged with senior Coast Guard Leadership on their drug interdiction mission.\n\nOn the visit, Wicker met with Commandant of the Coast Guard Admiral Linda Fagan and director of JIATF-S Rear Admiral Mark Fedor, with whom he discussed Coast Guard requirements to fulfill their mission. The Coast Guard interdicted more than 150,000 kg of cocaine and 60,000 kg of marijuana last year and has removed substantial amounts of fentanyl this year.\n\n\u201cThe national security crisis exacerbated by the cartels is not limited to our southern border. The administration\u2019s weak enforcement policies are causing unprecedented drug trafficking by sea,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cOur Coast Guard is on the front lines of the fight. I appreciated the opportunity to visit with our senior Coast Guard leadership and hear how Congress can help the service meet its mission.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=304", "Hyde-Smith & Ezell Announce $365,000 Grant to Help Establish Nonstop Miss. Gulf Coast\u2013Washington, D.C. Flights", "2023-09-27", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Mike Ezell", "E000235", "ezell.house.gov", "ezell", "https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) and U.S. Representative Mike Ezell (R-Miss.) today announced a $365,000 grant to the Gulfport-Biloxi Regional Airport Authority to embark on a process to establish a nonstop flight service to a Washington, D.C.-area airport.\n\nHyde-Smith and Ezell wrote letters of support for the airport authority\u2019s applications for a FY2022 Small Community Air Service Development Program (SCASDP) grants. The FY2022 award will support the airport authority\u2019s goal to attract a nonstop route to the Washington region in order to support primary economic drivers in South Mississippi, including the defense and space industries.\n\n\u201cThere are enough federal interests on the Mississippi Gulf Coast to warrant direct flights to Washington, D.C., which we know is the is the top origination and destination market that is not served by a nonstop passenger service,\u201d said Hyde-Smith, ranking Republican on the Senate appropriations subcommittee that funds SCASDP. \u201cI think this is an exciting proposition that would benefit the overall defense and space presence in South Mississippi, and boost the overall economy.\u201d\n\n\u201cSouth Mississippi\u2019s role in strengthening America\u2019s national defense and innovating in space exploration makes a direct flight to Washington, D.C. a necessity,\u201d said Ezell, a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. \u201cI am grateful for the airport authority\u2019s work to pursue this project, and I look forward to continuing to support this effort and the economic boosts it will bring to our Mississippi Gulf Coast.\u201d\n\nThe grant to the Gulfport-Biloxi Regional Airport Authority provides it with a revenue guarantee to cover recruitment fees and associated marketing plan to recruit, initiate and support new passenger air service between the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport and the nation\u2019s capital.\n\nHyde-Smith and Ezell supported the airport authority\u2019s application preference to establish nonstop flights to Washington Reagan National Airport as the best option to serve Keesler Air Force Base, Naval Construction Battalion, the Air National Guard Combat Readiness Training Center, Huntington Ingalls and other shipbuilders, and NASA\u2019s John C. Stennis Space Center, and other associated federal agencies and contractors.\n\nThe SCASDP grant program is designed to help small communities address air service and airfare issues, including air service deficiencies and propose an appropriate solution.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/9/wicker-sullivan-cruz-introduce-bill-to-guarantee-military-pay-in-event-of-government-shutdown", "Wicker, Sullivan, Cruz Introduce Bill to Guarantee Military Pay in Event of Government Shutdown", "2023-09-26", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON?\u2013 U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined his colleagues Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, along with 11 of their Senate colleagues, in introducing legislation to ensure America\u2019s military service members\u2014Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard, and Space Force\u2014are paid in the event of a government shutdown in Fiscal Year 2024.\n\nTitled the Pay Our Military Act of 2023, the legislation would appropriate funds to pay members of the Armed Forces, including reservists, if a temporary or full-year federal funding bill is not passed and signed by October 1. The measure would also fund the pay of civilian Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel and contractors whom each department\u2019s respective secretary determines are \u201cproviding support to members of the Armed Forces.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur military service members dedicate their lives to their country, and the least we can do is ensure their paychecks arrive on time.\u201d Wicker said. \u201cExtending pay for our service members would demonstrate that legislators mean it when they say \u2018thank you for your service,\u2019 and it would ensure that military readiness does not become a casualty of Congressional negotiation.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe have entered the most dangerous period in American history since the end of World War II\u2014a new era of authoritarian aggression led by the dictators in Beijing and Moscow,\u201d said Sullivan. \u201cAll Americans count on our military members to be ready to respond to threats to the homeland, wherever and whenever they may arise. The last thing our brave men and women in uniform need to be worrying about is whether they will get a paycheck, and whether their families are taken care of back home. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to come together and pass our commonsense legislation to alleviate those concerns as we face a potential government shutdown. Senators and congressmen often like to say how much they support our military members\u2014now they have an opportunity to show it.\u201d\n\n\u201cFollowing the blockage of my bicameral, bipartisan legislation, the Pay Our Coast Guard Act, by some Senate Democrats, it has become apparent that there are politicians in this chamber who intend to leave parts of our military unfunded in the event of a government shutdown,\u201d Cruz said. \u201cDefunding our military dangerously undermines our national security and hinders the men and women who bravely protect Texas and our great nation. I urge all of my colleagues\u2014on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers\u2014to pass this legislation expeditiously and pay our military in the event of a government shutdown.\u201d\n\nOther cosponsors of the bill include Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., Ted Budd, R-N.C., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Mike Rounds, R-S.D., Rick Scott, R-Fla., J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va. has introduced companion legislation in the House.\n\nLast week, Senators Cruz and Sullivan attempted to pass the Pay Our Coast Guard Act, legislation to ensure Coast Guard personnel receive pay and allowances in the event of a government shutdown if the other members of the Armed Forces receive pay and allowances. However, the bill was blocked by Senate Democrats.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/9/wicker-hyde-smith-welcome-enactment-of-organ-donation-reform-bill", "Wicker, Hyde-Smith Welcome Enactment of Organ Donation Reform Bill", "2023-09-25", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., today welcomed the enactment of legislation they backed to break up the monopoly contract that manages the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN).\n\nPresident Biden on Friday signed the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act (HR.2544), which passed the Senate on July 27. Wicker and Hyde-Smith cosponsored S.1668, the Senate companion bill to HR.2544.\n\n\u201cI am glad to see this legislation signed into law,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cThese reforms will expand competition and improve management of the organ donation network. Every Mississippian deserves access to life-saving care.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe demand for transplant organs grows every year. Unfortunately, the system to ensure fairness and efficiency in distributing those organs isn\u2019t working well, often to the detriment of patients in the South. This new law provides the tools to begin fixing those shortcomings,\u201d Hyde-Smith said.\n\nThe new law provides the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with clear authority to expand competition for contracts related to the operation of the OPTN in order to improve management of the organ transplantation system in the United States. It expressly authorizes the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to award multiple grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to support the operation of the network.\n\nEnacting the legislation is urgent and timely in that it will allow HRSA to implement a new contract procurement process before the current OPTN contract expires.\n\nThe Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency supported the legislation, which was prompted by evidence of consistent mismanagement and underperformance by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the sole organization running the transplant system since its inception decades ago.\n\nIn early 2022, Wicker and Hyde-Smith signed a letter asking HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra to reverse the Biden administration\u2019s flawed national liver distribution policy, citing the disproportionate harm the liver distribution policy causes patients in the South and Midwest.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=303", "Ezell Welcomes Grant to Bring Amtrak Back to Mississippi Gulf Coast", "2023-09-22", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Mike Ezell", "E000235", "ezell.house.gov", "ezell", "https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Congressman Mike Ezell welcomed the award of over $178 million from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to restore a passenger rail route along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.\n\n\"Bringing passenger rail service back to the Gulf Coast means more jobs and even more tourism for our coastal communities,\" said Congressman Ezell. \"As a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I'm proud of the work we've done to strengthen rail infrastructure in South Mississippi and our entire state.\"\n\nThe Amtrak line will reconnect New Orleans, LA, and Mobile, AL, with stops in Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula. The project is funded under the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program.\n\n\u201cThis funding is a major step toward the return of passenger rail service to the Gulf Coast and will lead to improved access and economic opportunity for the people of Mississippi and the Coastal South,\u201d said John Robert Smith, Chairman of Transportation for America. \u201cWe look forward to continuing our work with Representative Ezell to advance safe, accessible, well-connected transportation throughout Mississippi.\u201d\n\n\"The Southern Rail Commission is pleased to have played an integral role in the successful CRISI grant award,\" Southern Rail Commissioner Knox Ross said. \"From our first meeting with Congressman Ezell, he has actively supported this project and others, such as the North Rail Connector in Pascagoula, that will add to an already excellent quality of life on our Coast. We look forward to soon being able to say 'Y\u2019all Aboard!'.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/9/wicker-hyde-smith-back-bill-to-stop-use-of-public-health-emergency-to-infringe-on-second-amendment-rights", "Wicker, Hyde-Smith Back Bill to Stop Use of \u2018Public Health Emergency\u2019 to Infringe on Second Amendment Rights", "2023-09-22", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 With threats of federal or state efforts to promote gun control through emergency declarations, U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., again cosponsored legislation to ensure that law abiding Americans do not arbitrarily have their rights stripped in the name of any irresponsible \u201cpublic health emergency\u201d declaration.\n\nWicker and Hyde-Smith are original cosponsors of the Protecting the Right To Keep and Bear Arms Act of 2023, legislation that would prevent the President, Secretary of Health and Human Services, or other government officials from declaring certain emergencies or disasters for the purpose of imposing gun control. It was reintroduced by U.S. Senator Mike Braun, R-Ind.\n\n\u201cAmericans have a constitutional right to keep and bear arms, and no disaster or emergency declared by bureaucrats can circumvent that right,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cI will fight any attempt by this Administration to make an end run around the Constitution.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo emergency declaration will fix the senseless policies that are fueling the violent crime surge in blue cities and states. The use of such a declaration would be an abuse of the power to declare emergencies, violate the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners, and, worse, further erode public confidence in those who govern them,\u201d Hyde-Smith said.\n\n\u201cMany said that public health emergencies would not be abused to impose gun control, but after we saw the vast expansion of executive power during COVID and the New Mexico Governor use a public health emergency to effectively suspend the 2nd Amendment in her state, no one can doubt that this needs to be addressed,\u201d said Braun. \u201cWe need to set into law that no one can remove the right to defend ourselves and our families with the stroke of a pen.\u201d\n\nThe Washington Post this week reported that the Biden administration will create a new Office of Gun Violence Prevention in response to \u201cstalled\u201d progress in Congress. A high-profile activist from the Community Justice Action Fund will serve a key role for the new office: an organization dedicated to declaring a national gun violence public health emergency as one of its three policy planks.\n\nAdditionally, a federal judge last week suspended a \u201cpublic health emergency\u201d declaration issued by the liberal governor of New Mexico to infringe the rights of law-abiding citizens to have open and concealed carrying firearms.\n\nThe Protecting the Right To Keep and Bear Arms Act (S.2911) would:\n\nProhibit the President or designee, from declaring an emergency pursuant to the National Emergencies Act or major disaster pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act in order to impose gun control.\n\nPrevent the Secretary of Health and Human services from declare public health emergency pursuant to the Public Health Service Act for the purpose of imposing gun control.\n\nPrevent any government official from prohibiting the manufacture, sale, or transfer of a firearm or ammunition during a disaster or emergency.\n\nAdditional original cosponsors include U.S. Senators Thom Tillis, R-N.C., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Jim Risch, R-Idaho, Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, John Hoeven, R-N.D., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Ted Budd, R-N.C., Rick Scott, R-Fla., Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Josh Hawley, R-Mo., John Thune, R-S.D., Mike Rounds, R-S.D., Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and J.D. Vance, R-Ohio.\n\nWicker and Hyde-Smith also cosponsored this Braun measure in the 117th Congress.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/9/wicker-blasts-biden-administration-for-more-atacms-delays", "Wicker Blasts Biden Administration for More ATACMS Delays", "2023-09-21", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON?\u2013 U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today released the following statement in response to press reports that the Biden administration has decided to withhold Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) from military aid to Ukraine:\n\n\u201cDoes the Biden administration want Ukraine to win, or not?\u201d Wicker said. \u201cEvery delay in supplying Ukraine with the tools it needs to secure victory has cost unnecessary lives and prolonged the war. Instead of leading from the front, the President held back for months after Britain and France provided deep-strike missiles. This is yet another example of the dangerous drip-drip-drip approach by the Biden administration, which has failed to give Ukraine a bigger advantage.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/9/wicker-hyde-smith-praise-96-million-u-s-army-contract-for-taylor-defense", "Wicker, Hyde-Smith Praise $96 Million U.S. Army Contract for Taylor Defense", "2023-09-21", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., today praised a $96,851,697 U.S. Army contract award to Taylor Defense Products, LLC. of Louisville to support the Rough Terrain Container Handler (RTCH) Modernization program. The award follows a competitive process that selected Taylor Defense to modernize the Army\u2019s existing machines, which are used to transfer heavy shipping containers in the field.\n\n\u201cTaylor Defense is a world-class company that makes some of the best heavy duty-equipment for our U.S. military,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cThis award is a testament to their work and our state\u2019s expanding role in supporting our service members.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis sizeable contract represents a true vote of confidence in the terrific work done by Taylor Defense in support of our armed forces. I\u2019m confident the Army will be well-served as this Mississippi company gives it the equipment it needs to move loads effectively,\u201d Hyde-Smith said.\n\nWicker and Hyde-Smith previously praised Taylor Defense for winning a contract to produce the prototype for the modernized RTCH in 2021. The company will work to incorporate new technology to increase RTCH capabilities and extend the system service life of the vehicles.\n\nThis contract will support the production of field kits and modification kits and transportation, travel, training, and all other ancillary services in support of the program.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/9/wicker-praises-230-4-million-award-to-expand-rail-service-in-mississippi", "Wicker Praises $230.4 Million Award to Expand Rail Service in Mississippi", "2023-09-21", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today praised the award of $178,435,333 from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to provide crucial funding to restore passenger rail service along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. A second award of $52,000,000 will help reestablish freight rail service along a 35-mile segment of the Gloster Southern Railroad. The two awards totaling $230,435,333 were made possible by yearly appropriations and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which Wicker helped negotiate as the lead Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee.\n\n\"I am thrilled to announce this $178.4 million federal grant to restore passenger rail service along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. This is a significant milestone, representing years of dedicated efforts to reconnect our communities after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Restoring passenger rail service will create jobs, improve quality of life, and offer a convenient travel option for tourists, contributing to our region's economic growth and vitality. I appreciate the work of all who have worked tirelessly to bring this project to this point. I look forward to getting this plan across the finish line in the near future with the support of our state and local officials,\u201d Wicker said.\n\n\u201cThe $52 million award for the Gloster Southern Railroad is another major win for the state of Mississippi. This rail line will support business development in the area, and it is exactly the kind of hard infrastructure investment that is necessary for economic growth,\u201d Wicker added.\n\nJohn Robert Smith, chairman of Transportation for America and former mayor of Meridian, also commented on the award, \u201cFor nearly a decade, Senator Wicker has been instrumental in the effort to bring passenger rail to the Gulf Coast. We applaud him for his leadership in creating this source of federal funds to expand and improve our nation\u2019s rail networks. We\u2019re now on the cusp of seeing that dream become reality for the people of the Coastal South.\u201d\n\nSouthern Rail Commissioner Knox Ross said, \u201cThe Southern Rail Commission is excited to see the years of work by all of our partners culminate in the CRISI grant award. This does not happen without the tireless work of Senator Wicker and his staff\u2019s leadership in establishing this grant program, and his leadership on the Commerce Committee. There are so many federal, state, and local leaders that have played indispensable roles in today\u2019s announcement. We look forward to starting this service very soon and doing our part to keep the Mississippi Coast as a premiere vacation and business destination.\u201d\n\nSenator Wicker has been a strong advocate for restoring passenger rail service to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, bringing together federal, state, and local officials to support investments along the southern rail corridor and to address regulatory concerns with restoring passenger service.\n\nIn 2015, he led the effort to create and fund the Gulf Coast Working Group which provided a report with input from the Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak, the Southern Rail Commission, CSX, and local communities along the proposed route.\n\nIn 2016, Wicker joined a group of officials on an inspection trip to examine existing infrastructure and the opportunities that intercity rail service could provide to the area. The trip, which began in New Orleans, made several stops in Mississippi before continuing on to Florida. Those stops included Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula.\n\nIn 2018, Wicker repeatedly pressed federal officials to commit to a series of safety and service improvements that would be necessary for Gulf Coast passenger rail service.\n\nIn 2019, Wicker announced the award of $33 million from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to fund major infrastructure and capacity improvements along the Gulf Coast.\n\nIn 2020, members of the Mississippi congressional delegation, including Wicker, announced a $5.45 million grant to support operating costs for the first three years of passenger rail service along the Gulf Coast.\n\nIn 2021, Wicker shared his strong support for restoration of passenger rail service along the Gulf Coast in a letter sent to the chairman of the Surface Transportation Board (STB). The STB, which is an independent federal agency that oversees railroads, was considering a petition from Amtrak to restore service along the route.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/9/wicker-risch-collins-mcconnell-commend-selection-of-lead-ukraine-inspector-general", "Wicker, Risch, Collins, McConnell Commend Selection of Lead Ukraine Inspector General", "2023-09-20", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Jim Risch, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Susan Collins, R-Maine, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., today offered the following comments in response to the appointment of Hon. Robert P. Storch as the lead Inspector General for the oversight of Ukraine aid:\n\n\"Taxpayers must have confidence that U.S. aid to Ukraine is being used to support the national interest. I appreciate that the Department of Defense has responded to repeated calls from Senate Republicans to match military aid with significant oversight. Appointing a lead Inspector General will help ensure that Congress supports Ukraine's defense in the most responsible and effective way possible,\u201d Wicker said.\n\n\u201cAt our insistence, the inspectors general at the State Department, USAID, and Department of Defense are doing a tremendous job at overseeing our assistance to Ukraine,\u201d said Risch. \u201cThe appointment of a lead inspector general, which I have advocated for, will enhance the important transparency and accountability work they are doing and ensure no resources are wasted.\u201d\n\n\u201cMaintaining strong oversight of U.S. aid to Ukraine is critical to ensuring taxpayer dollars are being well spent while providing Congress with timely, fact-based information,\u201d said Collins. \u201cCongress has appropriated nearly $50 million towards oversight of assistance provided to Ukraine, and hundreds of oversight professionals are working in support of that effort. The appointment of a lead Inspector General will continue such comprehensive and coordinated oversight, helping to increase transparency and provide Ukraine with what it needs to defend and take back its sovereign territory.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/9/wicker-comments-on-gao-barracks-report", "Wicker Comments on GAO Barracks Report", "2023-09-19", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON?\u2013 U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today released the following statement in response to a recently released Government Accountability Office (GAO) report examining the state of American military barracks:\n\n\u201cThis report\u2019s findings are shameful and troubling for the future of our force,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cOur servicemembers deserve a safe place to live and work. Failing to provide this basic necessity harms readiness and discourages recruitment and retention. ?This year's Senate NDAA would add increased oversight, establish basic habitability standards, and add targeted funding to help address some of these challenges. Rest assured that we are committed to ensuring these changes are implemented through conference.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/9/wicker-demands-information-from-pentagon-on-abortion-policy", "Wicker Demands Information from Pentagon on Abortion Policy", "2023-09-19", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has called on the Secretary of Defense to support claims made by the Department of Defense regarding their policy of using taxpayer money to fund travel for service members who want to have abortions.\n\nRecent unconfirmed reports have suggested that only 12 service members have used the authorities provided by the new abortion policy, despite earlier claims from the Department that reversing the rule would have \u201csignificant implications\u201d across the services.\n\n\u201cTo date, we have yet to receive any substantive data to support these assertions,\u201d Wicker wrote. \u201cI now ask again for the specific data considered by the Department of Defense.\u201d\n\nWicker urged the secretary to end the policy and shift his focus back to deterrence within the military.\n\n\u201cThe United States is at a pivotal moment for national defense, and there is no time for distractions. When the Department of Defense becomes sidetracked by divisive political sideshows, the missions of deterrence and readiness are the first to suffer,\u201d Wicker wrote. \u201cThe Department of Defense\u2019s focus should always be our national defense, not on circumventing Federal law to facilitate abortions. I ask you to rescind these policies immediately.\u201d\n\nRead the whole letter here or below. Read more about Wicker\u2019s efforts to keep the military focused on deterrence here. Read previous correspondence with the Department of Defense on their dubious readiness claims related to abortion here and here.\n\nHonorable Lloyd J. Austin III\n\nSecretary of Defense\n\n1000 Defense Pentagon\n\nWashington, DC 20301-1000\n\nDear Secretary Austin:\n\nI request information on the use of the abortion policies concerning reimbursed travel and authorized absence that your department implemented in February 2023. I received information that the total number of women who have been granted administrative absence and reimbursed travel pursuant to this policy is approximately 12. Can you please confirm whether this information is correct? If not, please provide me the number of women who have been granted administrative absence and reimbursed travel pursuant to the policy.\n\nAdditionally, I request information on the potential use of this policy to facilitate late-term abortions. Through a plain reading of the policy, it appears that an eligible woman in the eighth month of her pregnancy could travel at the expense of the Department of Defense from a state such as Mississippi and obtain an abortion in a state such as Oregon where abortion is legal at all stages of pregnancy. Is this interpretation correct? If not, please clarify how I have misinterpreted the policy.\n\nFinally, in our letters dated July 17, 2022, November 21, 2022, and March 1, 2023, my Republican colleagues and I asked you for evidence to support the Department of Defense\u2019s claim in a June 28, 2022, memorandum that the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women\u2019s Health Organization would have \u201csignificant implications\u201d for the \u201creadiness of the Force.\u201d To date, we have yet to receive any substantive data to support these assertions. I now ask again for the specific data considered by the Department of Defense in arriving at the above claim.\n\nAs I have previously stated, the United States is at a pivotal moment for national defense, and there is no time for distractions. When the Department of Defense becomes sidetracked by divisive political sideshows, the missions of deterrence and readiness are the first to suffer.?The Department of Defense\u2019s focus should always be our national defense, not on circumventing Federal law to facilitate abortions. I ask you to rescind these policies immediately.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/9/wicker-comments-on-foreign-military-financing-reprogramming-for-taiwan", "Wicker Comments on Foreign Military Financing Reprogramming for Taiwan", "2023-09-14", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today released the following statement in response to press reports regarding President Biden\u2019s decision to reprogram some $55 million in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) from Egypt to Taiwan:\n\n\u201cThe Biden administration\u2019s decision to provide $55 million in foreign military financing to Taiwan is a pittance compared to Taiwan\u2019s enormous needs for self-defense and the United States\u2019 clear national interest in supporting Taipei,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cIt is doubly disappointing that rather than requesting standalone FMF funding for Taiwan, as I have repeatedly challenged the administration to do, the president chose to source these funds from a different security partner. This is especially counterproductive since Egypt has proven receptive to this administration's human rights concerns.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/9/wicker-urges-navy-nominee-to-keep-focus-on-china-shipbuilding-aukus", "Wicker Urges Navy Nominee to Keep Focus on China, Shipbuilding, AUKUS", "2023-09-14", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today led his colleagues in a full committee hearing examining the nomination of Admiral Lisa M. Franchetti, USN, to become the next Chief of Naval Operations.\n\nIn his remarks, Wicker observed that China\u2019s naval buildup and the United States\u2019 shrinking navy leave our national defense as unprepared as it was in 1941.\n\n\u201cWhile China builds its maritime strength, American command of the sea is increasingly at risk \u2026This crisis is nothing short of historic,\u201d Wicker said.?\u201cWe are as unprepared for a strategic surprise from China as our Pacific fleet was for a Japanese attack on the eve of Pearl Harbor in 1941. We need to act.\u201d\n\nSpecifically, Wicker outlined the need for substantial investment in the defense industrial base. Wicker has been a strong advocate for improving submarine construction and maintenance availabilities, especially in light of the Australia-United Kingdom-U.S. (AUKUS) agreement to share U.S. submarine technology. Wicker also raised ongoing challenges with surface ship repairs and amphibious warship procurement.\n\n\u201cWe should be producing somewhere between 2.3 to 2.5 attack submarines a year to fulfill our own requirements as we implement AUKUS,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cInstead, we are down to building 1.2 attack submarines per year, as compared to the required 2.3 to 2.5. The path back toward 2 per year is based on hopes and wishes.\u201d?\n\nIn his exchange with Admiral Franchetti, Wicker discussed the need to meet the navy\u2019s submarine requirements while also fulfilling prospective AUKUS obligations. The Admiral agreed that the Navy is currently far from meeting minimum submarine requirements. Wicker also pressed the nominee for a commitment to advocate for block-buys of amphibious warships, an acquisition strategy that would save considerable amounts of taxpayer money, which she failed to provide.\n\nClick here to view Senator Wicker\u2019s exchange with Admiral Franchetti. Read Senator Wicker\u2019s remarks as delivered below.\n\nThank you very much, Mr. Chairman. And thank you Admiral, for being here. Certainly, a welcome to your family \u2013 it\u2019s good they were able to be with us today.\n\nYour nomination comes at a pivotal moment for our Navy.?The National Defense Strategy rightly identifies China as our pacing threat, as the Chair just said. But as China grows its fleet to historic levels, our naval forces continue to shrink, and our readiness levels decline.\n\nAs the Chairman just said, when you add the numbers up, it amounts to our fleet going in to the wrong direction. A recent memo from the Office of Naval Intelligence office suggests that China\u2019s shipbuilding capacity is more than 230 times larger than our own \u2013 I can hardly believe I\u2019m speaking these words \u2013 230 times larger in shipbuilding capacity. These are not comforting thoughts when we consider the growing number of general and flag officers who warn that China could be capable of invading Taiwan in the next two to four years.\n\nWhile China builds its maritime strength, American command of the sea is increasingly at risk \u2013 and you and I have discussed this in our private meeting. So far, we have not made progress toward the statutory goal of 355-ships that I proposed and that was signed into law six years ago. Of course, we now know that we are being told by experts at the Department of Defense \u2013 both civilian and flag officers \u2013 that that number is more than 355 ships.\n\nAdditionally, surface ship maintenance delays and cost overruns are so routine that they are factored into our planning timetables. There are even some ships \u2013 like the USS Vicksburg \u2013 that have been in repair and modernization for seven years. It is as if the Navy never really means to get the Vicksburg back in action.?Chairman Reed is exactly right about the competing demands that we face. I am particularly pleased that he mentioned attack submarines and the need for Littoral Combat Ships.\n\nThe story of our attack submarines is this:?a recent press report revealed that over a third of the Navy\u2019s attack submarines are unavailable as they enter repair cycles\u2014that\u2019s a third of our attack submarines. We should be producing somewhere between 2.3 to 2.5 attack submarines a year to fulfill our own requirements as we implement AUKUS. Instead, we are down to building 1.2 attack submarines per year, as compared to the required 2.3 to 2.5. The path back toward 2 per year is based on hopes and wishes.\n\nThis crisis is nothing short of historic.?We are as unprepared for a strategic surprise from China as our Pacific fleet was for a Japanese attack on the eve of Pearl Harbor in 1941. We need to act.\n\nAnd let me say this, Admiral: I cherish our Constitution and our longstanding principle that goes back to George Washington, our uniformed military \u2013 which the Chairman and I were both a part of \u2013 are answerable to civilian elected leadership in this country, and that\u2019s as it should be. It\u2019s one of the shining examples. But also, the Constitution gives the power of the purse to the Congress. And so we sit here, under the Constitution, able to make decisions about purchasing power. The power of the purse does not rest in the Office of Management and Budget in the White House. There\u2019s a competing interest there, and so I take this opportunity of your hearing today, to remind my colleagues also that it is we who have the responsibility to find the money you need to get you the Navy that will protect us and keep us at peace.\n\nAdmiral Franchetti, you served as Vice Chief of Naval Operations and as commander of the Sixth Fleet. These experiences make you deeply qualified and familiar with the problems our Navy faces. You also know just how damaging these delays are. In addition to the questions the Chair mentioned, I would appreciate your thoughts today on a way forward \u2013 especially for our submarines following the AUKUS agreement \u2013 as well as your commitment to work with this committee on the vital issue of ship maintenance.\n\nA second challenge our Navy faces is fielding new technical solutions at what former Secretary of Defense Mattis called the \u201cspeed of relevance,\u201d in other words within a time window speedily enough that keeps us ahead of our adversaries. Industry and naval research have made major breakthroughs in unmanned warfare, additive manufacturing, and maritime mines in only the past few years. If we have any hope of shoring up our eroding deterrence in the Western Pacific, it will take the rapid integration of these capabilities at scale in the next two years or so. Again, Admiral Franchetti, I would like to hear from you how the Navy plans to achieve this integration at the speed of relevance.\n\nThe Navy has always been our first line of defense, keeping the peace by deterring war and protecting the national interest. This goes as far back as our founding.\n\nAdmiral Franchetti, I know that you agree with these sentiments, and I am hopeful you will keep them mind as you stand for this important position. I look forward to your testimony and hearing more about your vision for our Navy\u2019s future.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/legislative-session", "LEGISLATIVE SESSION", "2023-09-13", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Cindy Hyde-Smith", "H001079", "www.hydesmith.senate.gov", "hydesmith", "https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/newsroom", "scraper", "LEGISLATIVE SESSION\n\nCongressional Record Vol. 169, No. 148\n\n(Senate - September 13, 2023) PDF\n\nMrs. HYDE-SMITH. Mr. President, I am pleased the Senate is beginning\n\nconsideration of the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs,\n\nAgriculture, and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development\n\nappropriations bills.\n\nLet me begin my remarks by thanking Chairman Murray and Vice Chairman\n\nCollins for their strong leadership in advancing these bills through\n\ncommittee and now to the Senate floor. This returns to regular order,\n\nwhich is long overdue and is a testament to what we can accomplish\n\nthrough a committed bipartisanship.\n\nI also want to thank Senator Schatz, the chairman of the T-HUD\n\nSubcommittee. He has been a delight to work with and has been very,\n\nvery pleasant to go through this and help me.\n\nThe fiscal year 2024 Transportation, Housing, Urban Development, and\n\nRelated Agencies appropriations bill is a bipartisan and fiscally\n\nresponsible bill that has passed unanimously--a 29-to-0 vote in July--\n\nby the full Appropriations Committee.\n\nThere are a few important aspects of the bill that I would like to\n\nhighlight. First, I want to stress that this bipartisan bill\n\nincorporates input and requests from more than 80 Senators from both\n\nsides of the aisle. The bill provides adequate resources for the\n\nDepartment of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban\n\nDevelopment to administer the many important programs and activities\n\nunder their jurisdictions. These programs protect public health and\n\nsafety, promote economic growth, and improve the overall quality of\n\nlife for all Americans.\n\nThe bill includes $28.5 billion for DOT and $73 billion for HUD, as\n\nwell as funding for small independent Agencies like the Federal\n\nMaritime Commission and the National Transportation Safety Board.\n\nWith this bill, we are continuing to foster and grow the safest and\n\nmost reliable transportation system in the world. The bill makes key\n\ninvestments in our transportation infrastructure, including $800\n\nmillion for the popular RAISE Grant Program, and nearly $1.2 billion\n\nfor the important bridge repair and rehabilitation program.\n\nWe also fully fund critical aviation needs, such as funding for 1,800\n\nnew air traffic controllers and for modernizing our legacy airspace\n\nsystems.\n\nThe popular Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements\n\nGrant Program is funded at $500 million, and Amtrak is funded at $2.5\n\nbillion, which will continue to provide upgrades and service to rural\n\ncommunities, as well as the Northeast corridor.\n\nIn addition to transportation programs, this bill maintains existing\n\nrental assistance for more than 4.6 million households. This includes\n\nworking families, seniors, people with disabilities, and those who are\n\nhomeless or at risk of homelessness. Additional investments are made to\n\nsupport ending veteran and youth homelessness, as well as to develop\n\nmore permanent supportive housing.\n\nEnding cycles of dependency requires promoting self-sufficiency and\n\nfinancial literacy tools, and I am pleased that the bill includes $198\n\nbillion for HUD's self-sufficiency programs.\n\nFinally, the bill continues to fund the CDBG Program at $3.3 billion,\n\nwhich continues to be one of the most requested programs in this bill\n\nby Members from both parties to help State and local governments across\n\nthe country promote economic development and job creation.\n\nIn closing, given the wide array of projects and activities funded by\n\nthis bill, the subcommittee received a substantial amount of Member\n\nrequests and has worked to try to address as many Member priorities as\n\npossible. The fiscal year 2024 Transportation, Housing and Urban\n\nDevelopment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill is worthy of\n\nconsideration and passage by the full Senate.\n\nI urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the investments in this\n\nbill to support families and communities across this country, as well\n\nas the Military Construction, VA, and Agriculture bills that make up\n\nthis minibus.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/9/wicker-hyde-smith-encourage-students-to-apply-for-u-s-senate-youth-program", "Wicker, Hyde-Smith Encourage Students to Apply for U.S. Senate Youth Program", "2023-09-13", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., today encouraged Mississippi juniors and seniors involved in student leadership to apply for the 2024 U.S. Senate Youth Program (USSYP).\n\nThe highly-selective USSYP will provide $10,000 college scholarships to two Magnolia State delegates, who must be juniors or seniors and elected or appointed student officers for the 2023-2024 academic year. The delegates from Mississippi will join 102 other delegates to attend the 62nd Annual Washington Week from March 2-9, 2024.\n\n\u201cFor 62 years, the U.S. Senate Youth Program has provided the incredible opportunity for students to see their government and policymaking firsthand,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cI encourage all eligible Mississippians to apply to represent our state.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere are so many young leaders across our state and I hope many of them will apply to represent Mississippi in the U.S. Senate Youth Program. This well-established and respected program offers chances for students to meet with national leaders and network with peers from across the country,\u201d Hyde-Smith said.\n\nThe U.S. Senate established the USSYP in 1962 to introduce student leaders to the federal government and public policy. It is fully funded and administered by the nonprofit Hearst Foundation. Washington Week activities include meetings with U.S. Senators, cabinet members, State and Defense Department officials, senior members of the national media, and other policymakers.\n\nInterested students can review the USSYP 2024 Washington Week brochure and visit https://www.ussenateyouth.org for more information.\n\nThe Mississippi Department of Education has set a September 29 deadline for applications to the program. The Mississippi USSYP application is available here.\n\nTo apply, students should also contact their high school principal or Mississippi\u2019s state selection administrator:\n\nMrs. Sandra Hilliard\n\nCoordinator of Recognition Programs\n\nOffice of Teaching and Learning, Division of Educator Effectiveness\n\nMississippi Department of Education", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/9/wicker-promotes-competition-in-va-acquisition-process", "Wicker Promotes Competition in VA Acquisition Process", "2023-09-13", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today introduced the Vetting for Equal Treatment of Small (VETS) Business Act, which would require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit a report to Congress about competition among suppliers of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The legislation would encourage the VA to ensure small businesses can compete fairly for federal contracts.\n\n\u201cPromoting competition and access to federal opportunities for small businesses is critical, especially at the Department of Veterans Affairs,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cStrong supply chains depend on a diverse group of suppliers to keep costs low. The VETS Business Act is focused on promoting competition, supporting small businesses, and ensuring cost savings for the American taxpayer.\"\n\nThis legislation is in response to issues regarding the VA\u2019s acquisition process. In May, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) admitted that the VA is struggling to manage that process effectively, placing a burden on U.S. taxpayers. Small business VA suppliers have also expressed concerns about their capability to compete for VA medical supply contracts.\n\nThe VETS Business Act would require a report modeled after the 2022 report of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment entitled \u201cState of Competition within the Defense Industrial Base.\u201d The report would determine problems and provide recommendations for reform.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=299", "Ezell Votes to Sanction and Condemn Iran; Draws Attention to Disastrous Biden Policies", "2023-09-12", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Mike Ezell", "E000235", "ezell.house.gov", "ezell", "https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Congressman Mike Ezell joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers to vote for a package of legislation aimed at Iran's nuclear missile efforts and human rights abuses. The package included the Fight CRIME Act, which Congressman Ezell cosponsored.\n\n\"I'm proud to take these votes tonight to sanction the repressive Iranian regime,\" said Congressman Ezell. \"Their pursuit of a nuclear missile threatens the entire Middle East, and we must continue to use economic sanctions and international pressure to prevent them from ever attaining that goal.\"\n\nThe votes come just one day after President Biden notified Congress of his intentions to release $6 billion in sanctioned funds to Iran as part of a prisoner exchange. The deal also includes the swap of five Iranian prisoners for five American prisoners.\n\nWhile the Biden administration claims the funds will only be used for humanitarian purposes, Iran's president told NBC news his government would allocate the money \"wherever we need it.\"\n\n\"On the twenty-second anniversary of 9/11, this administration decided to give the world's number one state sponsor of terrorism six billion dollars,\" Congressman Ezell said. \"While I'm glad these American prisoners are being freed, President Biden's disastrous deal gives our enemies more incentive to hold Americans hostage. We cannot continue to display this kind of weakness on the world stage.\"", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/remembering-jimmy-buffett-executive-session", "REMEMBERING JIMMY BUFFETT (Executive Session)", "2023-09-12", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Cindy Hyde-Smith", "H001079", "www.hydesmith.senate.gov", "hydesmith", "https://www.hydesmith.senate.gov/newsroom", "scraper", "Congressional Record Vol. 169, No. 147\n\n(Senate - September 12, 2023) PDF\n\nMrs. HYDE-SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to the\n\nremarkable life of a legendary native of Mississippi whose music is\n\nsynonymous with the spirit of summertime and enjoying life: Jimmy\n\nBuffett.\n\nBorn in Pascagoula, MS, Jimmy Buffett's journey began in the heart of\n\nthe South. His music touches the heart of those well beyond Mississippi\n\nor the South, but there is no denying Jimmy's music embodies the very\n\nessence of the South, with its warm hospitality, vibrant culture, and\n\ndistinctive charm.\n\nJimmy's early years were filled with the sights and sounds of\n\nMississippi. The Sun shining over the Gulf of Mexico and many other\n\nbeautiful experiences of the South would later inspire some of his most\n\nbeloved songs.\n\nBut it was Jimmy's great appetite for adventure that ultimately\n\npropelled him to worldwide fame. He embarked on a journey that would\n\ntake him to the Florida Keys, the Caribbean, and beyond those changes\n\nin latitudes. Amid more than 40 musical tours throughout his career, he\n\nchurned his talents into a diverse business empire and charitable\n\nworks.\n\nAs we reflect on the legacy of this son of a son of a sailor, we\n\ncannot help but be inspired by Jimmy Buffett's unyielding commitment to\n\nfollowing his dreams and embracing life. His songs transport us to\n\nsandy beaches, where the stresses of life fade away. He reminds us that\n\nsometimes we all need to kick back, relax, and take a moment to savor\n\nthe simple pleasures of life. As Jimmy would put it, ``it's 5 o'clock\n\nsomewhere.''\n\nIn honoring Jimmy Buffett, we celebrate the man who, through his\n\nmusic, brought us with him on many of his adventures around the Sun,\n\nfrom the Pascagoula Run to the shores of paradise, and we are all\n\nbetter for it.\n\nI have so much gratitude for the joy, laughter, and the inspiration\n\nthat Jimmy Buffett brought into so many Americans' lives. His music is\n\na timeless reminder that no matter where we come from, we can all find\n\na bit of paradise within ourselves, and, come Monday, it will be all\n\nright.\n\nJimmy Buffett is a true southern storyteller who was generous enough\n\nto share his piece of paradise with the world. I have no doubt his\n\nlegacy will continue to inspire generations to come.\n\nI yield the floor.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/9/wicker-hyde-smith-back-bill-to-block-biden-attack-on-school-hunting-archery-programs", "Wicker, Hyde-Smith Back Bill to Block Biden Attack on School Hunting, Archery Programs", "2023-09-08", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., today cosponsored the Allowing for Recreational Resources for Outdoor Wellness (ARROW) Act to stop the Biden administration from withholding funding for elementary and secondary schools with hunting and archery programs.\n\nThe legislation would clarify that the prohibition of the use of federal education funds for certain weapons does not apply to the use of funds for sports clubs, teams, trainings, or related activities provided for students.\n\n\u201cIt is outrageous that the Biden administration would cut hunting and archery programs that help decrease gun-related hunting accidents,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cThe ARROW Act would preserve these important programs, which train students how to practice their Constitutional right responsibly.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Biden Education Department\u2019s kneejerk liberal anti-gun policy demonstrates just how much it does not understand or appreciate the valuable lessons instilled in youth who take part in hunter education and archery programs,\u201d Hyde-Smith said. \u201cI fully support this legislation to protect these programs and to stop these misguided threats to withhold funding to schools that offer them.\u201d\n\nU.S. Senator John Barrasso, R-Wyo., introduced the ARROW Act in response to the Biden administration\u2019s blatant misinterpretation of a gun control law to justify blocking funding for schools with hunter education and archery programs. The bill follows a Barrasso-led letter signed by Wicker and Hyde-Smith that encouraged President Biden and his administration to withdraw any plans to block funding for schools with hunting and archery programs.\n\nThe National Rifle Association, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Safari Club International, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and other organizations support the ARROW Act.\n\nEvery year, more than 500,000 students participate and are certified through hunter education courses. These programs have decreased hunting accidents by over 50 percent.\n\nAccording to the National Archery in Schools Program, 1.3 million students in more than 8,000 schools across the country participate in archery programs annually. Nearly 40 percent of students who participate have reported being more engaged in the classroom.\n\nAdditional ARROW Act cosponsors include U.S. Senators Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., John Thune, R-S.D., Roger Marshall, M.D., R-Kan., Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, Jim Risch, R-Idaho, Steve Daines, R-Mont., Rick Scott, R-Fla., Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, John Kennedy, R-La., Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Mike Braun, R-Ind., Ted Budd, R-N.C., Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., Mike Rounds, R-S.D., Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:35:26Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/9/wicker-rogers-press-stratcom-for-answers-on-iranian-propagandist-speaking-invitation", "Wicker, Rogers Press STRATCOM for Answers on Iranian Propagandist Speaking Invitation", "2023-09-01", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, today issued a letter to United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM), demanding a full accounting of why an Iranian propagandist and former regime official participated as a keynote speaker in a STRATCOM-sponsored event.\n\nPress reports and a STRATCOM official statement indicate that Seyed Hossein Mousavian, a former spokesman for the Iranian nuclear negotiating team and a former senior staffer for the regime\u2019s Supreme National Security Council, was a featured participant in the August 2023 STRATCOM Deterrence Symposium.\n\nIn addition to Mousavian\u2019s former posts supporting the regime, he continues to demonstrate sympathy and support for the adversarial government. In 2020, Mousavian termed Iranian terrorist Qassem Soleimani a \u201chero fighting terrorism\u201d and has repeatedly mocked American officials living under the threat of assassination by Iranian-backed actors because of their role in formulating tough-on-Iran policies.\n\nThe Armed Services leaders criticized the decision to allow Mousavian to engage in the forum, expressing concern that it suggests insufficient focus on the increasingly pressing nuclear threats from American adversaries \u2013 including Iran.\n\n\u201cProviding Mousavian with an officially sanctioned U.S. Government platform for spreading historical falsehoods and Iranian regime propaganda is profoundly ill-advised,\u201d the lawmakers wrote. \u201cThe decision to invite Mousavian to address its Deterrence Symposium calls into question the judgement of any personnel involved in such a decision, and leads us to question whether the command is appropriately focused on meeting the rapidly growing strategic threats to the United States and its allies.\u201d\n\nRead the full letter here or below.\n\nAugust 31, 2023\n\nGeneral Anthony J. Cotton\n\nU.S. Strategic Command\n\n900 SAC BLVD\n\nOffutt Air Force Base, NE 68113-6020\n\nDear General Cotton,\n\nWe write with deep concern regarding the appearance of a notorious Iranian propagandist and former senior regime official, Seyed Hossein Mousavian, as a keynote speaker to the 2023 STRATCOM Deterrence Symposium on August 17, 2023.\n\nA propagandist of the regime since 1980, Mousavian served as the Iranian regime\u2019s Ambassador to Germany in 1992 when the regime\u2019s intelligence operatives assassinated four Iranian dissidents in Berlin. In response, German authorities forced Mousavian to leave the country along with several other Iranian \u201cdiplomats\u201d and intelligence operatives.\n\nIn the subsequent decades, Mousavian served as spokesman for the Iranian nuclear negotiating team and as a senior staffer for the regime\u2019s Supreme National Security Council. Despite Mousavian\u2019s past claims that he is an exile of the Iranian government, former Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif stated in 2016 that Mousavian has remained a loyal friend of the Iranian regime and \u201ccontinued to, and continues to, work hard for the [Islamic Republic of Iran].\u201d\n\nRecent actions and remarks by Mousavian demonstrate his continued support for the Iranian regime. For example, in 2020, Mousavian attended the funeral in Iran of Qassem Soleimani, the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps \u2013 Qods Force that was responsible for the deaths of at least 603 U.S. servicemembers in Iraq. Mousavian claimed that Soleimani was \u201ca hero fighting terrorism\u201d.\n\nMousavian has also repeatedly mocked U.S. officials under assassination threat from the Iranian regime. In a 2022 documentary paying homage to Soleimani, Mousavian smiled while referring to Iranian death threats against former Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook. He gleefully said [in Farsi]: \u201cAn American told me that Brian Hook\u2019s wife can\u2019t sleep, and she cries and trembles as they say they\u2019ll kill Hook\u2026that is how shaken they are!\u201d\n\nWhile we appreciate the importance of improving our understanding of adversary perspectives and motivations in formulating deterrence policies, providing Mousavian with an officially sanctioned U.S. Government platform for spreading historical falsehoods and Iranian regime propaganda is profoundly ill-advised. The decision to invite Mousavian to address its Deterrence Symposium calls into question the judgement of any personnel involved in such a decision, and leads us to question whether the command is appropriately focused on meeting the rapidly growing strategic threats to the United States and its allies.\n\nWe request answers to the following questions by September 29, 2023.\n\n1. Please provide the names and positions of all officials responsible for approving the invitation to Mousavian.\n\n2. Did STRATCOM provide compensation for transportation, lodging or a per diem to Mr. Mousavian? Was Mousavian provided with an honorarium? If so, how much?", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/8/wicker-travels-mississippi-to-meet-with-constituents", "Wicker Travels Mississippi to Meet With Constituents", "2023-08-31", "2023", "2023-08", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "JACKSON, MISS. \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today released a new video highlighting his recent travel throughout Mississippi in the month of August.\n\n\u201cBy the end of the month, we will have been in every corner and region of the state,\u201d Wicker said about his travel.\n\nWicker hit the road in August to meet with Mississippians and highlight his recent work on economic development and national security. The video features footage from a joint meeting with the Forest Rotary and Lions Club, visits to the 172nd Airlift Wing and Tougaloo College, and a groundbreaking in Madison County. Senator Wicker has also highlighted other stops across the state on his social media, including a joint Farm Bill roundtable with U.S. Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., and John Boozman, R-Ark., visits to local businesses like Robert St. John\u2019s Loblolly Bakery, and several celebrations like the 20th Anniversary of Airbus Helicopters in Mississippi.\n\n\u201cThe opportunity to meet Mississippians face to face where they live and work and hear their concerns is one of my most important duties,\u201d Wicker said.\n\nSee below for a full transcript of the video.\n\nTRANSCRIPT:\n\nSENATOR WICKER: By the end of the month, we will have been in every corner of the state. And it\u2019s an opportunity to meet with state leaders, but also a lot of small towns, a lot of county seat courthouses, all over the state. I really appreciate the opportunity to listen to the people and see what they\u2019re thinking.\n\nWe\u2019ve got inflation. Biden came in and he pushed through $2 trillion in stimulus. We wouldn\u2019t have the situation we have now if he hadn\u2019t made those mistakes.\n\nThe fact that I have an opportunity to provide jobs for Mississippians, to have a leadership role in one of the most important committees of our Senate, the Armed Services Committee, the committee where the legislation originates to keep our citizens safe. Also at the same time, send a signal to our adversaries not to try anything.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:30:18Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/8/wicker-celebrates-economic-development-projects", "Wicker Celebrates Economic Development Projects", "2023-08-29", "2023", "2023-08", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "JACKSON, MISS. \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today released a new video highlighting his work on economic development projects in Mississippi. The video features the senator\u2019s recent visits to Hattiesburg and Madison County for the groundbreaking of two infrastructure projects supported by federal funds.\n\nDuring the video, the senator highlighted the benefits of long-term investments for growth in Mississippi. Senator Wicker, along with other members of the Mississippi congressional delegation, has been a champion of both the Hall Avenue West Overpass and Madison County Reunion Interchange projects.\n\nThe senator has been a strong advocate for hard infrastructure projects in the state. Both projects will ease traffic for the communities, increase safety, and support job creation.\n\nSee below for a full transcript of the video. For more information on these projects, see Senator Wicker\u2019s column here.\n\nTRANSCRIPT:\n\nNEWS ANCHOR: Drivers in Madison will soon have an easier way around the city. Reunion Parkway will connect I-55, Highway 51, and Bozeman Road.\n\nSENATOR WICKER: This means jobs for Mississippians. This means safety. And this will save lives.\n\nSENATOR HYDE-SMITH: This is a growing area, and this is so needed for this area. And the people of Madison County have just turned out today to celebrate progress, prosperity. But it\u2019s vision from this county that has brought us here.\n\nSENATOR WICKER: This is the kind of federal program that the taxpayers see a benefit in. This is going to get us back on track.\n\nNEWS ANCHOR: Big day for Hattiesburg. Construction of the western portion of the city\u2019s Hall Avenue overpass project has begun.\n\nMAYOR BARKER: Gone are the days when these neighborhoods are completely cut off from other parts of the city, when a train is across the tracks. And the biggest reason we are here today is because of a statesman named Roger Wicker.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:30:18Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/8/wicker-armed-services-republicans-call-for-halt-to-border-wall-material-auctions", "Wicker, Armed Services Republicans Call for Halt to Border Wall Material Auctions", "2023-08-22", "2023", "2023-08", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today led all Republican members of the Committee in demanding the Department of Defense halt the sale of border wall construction materials after reports that the Department was moving quickly to dispose of the parts before the provisions of Wicker\u2019s FINISH It Act could be implemented.\n\n\u201cWe are deeply disappointed to learn that rather than using construction materials that were purchased to secure the southwest border for that purpose, the Department of Defense has begun auctioning these materials off for other purposes,\u201d the senators wrote. \u201cThese auctions represent a brazen attempt to circumvent the FINISH IT Act, which was included in both the House and Senate FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act.\u201d\n\nWicker, as ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, worked with Republicans to insert the legislation, which would force the administration to allow the materials to be used to complete sections of the southern border wall, in this year\u2019s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA passed the Senate with a broad bipartisan majority, and the provisions of the FINISH It Act were also included the House-passed version of the NDAA.\n\nIn addition to halting all further auctions of border wall materials and requesting detailed information on the current sales, the letter calls for the administration to direct the Department of Defense Inspector General to investigate Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs Melissa Dalton for her failure to provide Congress accurate and timely information about the use of these border wall construction materials.\n\nThe Senate Armed Services Committee Republicans pledge not to consent to a confirmation hearing for the nominee for Under Secretary of Defense for Policy until the senators\u2019 concerns are addressed.\n\nSenators who signed the letter include Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Mike Rounds, R-S.D., Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Rick Scott, R-Fla., Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., Ted Budd, R-N.C., and Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.\n\nSee the full letter text to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin here, or below.\n\nDear Secretary Austin:\n\nWe are deeply disappointed to learn that rather than using construction materials that were purchased to secure the southwest border for that purpose, the Department of Defense has begun auctioning these materials off for other purposes. These auctions represent a brazen attempt to circumvent the FINISH IT Act, which was included in both the House and Senate FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act. The FINISH IT Act requires the Department to use these construction materials to secure the southwest border as originally intended, or to transfer them to border states for that purpose.\n\nWhile we gather more facts about the Department\u2019s disposal, and apparent plans to dispose, of approximately $260 million worth of border wall construction materials, we demand that you take the following steps immediately:\n\n1. Suspend all auctions of border wall construction materials, including those that have been scheduled for August 23 and 30, 2023, according to media reports; and\n\n2. Direct the Department of Defense Inspector General to investigate Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs Melissa Dalton\u2019s failure to provide Congress accurate and timely information about the Department\u2019s plans regarding the use of these border wall construction materials, despite multiple inquiries about the border wall construction materials from both Senate Armed Services Committee members and staff.\n\nFinally, no later than September 5, 2023, we expect you to provide:\n\n1. A full account of the Department\u2019s disposal of border wall construction materials thus far. For each sale of materials, the Department should include: the price that the U.S. Government originally paid to procure the materials, the price for which they were sold by the Department of Defense to a third party, the identity of the third-party purchaser of those materials, and the purchaser\u2019s intended use of those materials.\n\n2. A full account of the Department\u2019s payments thus far to store the border wall materials, including the total amount that the Department has paid for storage, the precise locations where they were stored and/or are still being stored, and a full list of individuals and entities that received payment to store the materials.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:30:18Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/8/wicker-hyde-smith-join-colleagues-in-calling-out-biden-s-attack-on-school-hunting-archery-programs", "Wicker, Hyde-Smith Join Colleagues in Calling Out Biden\u2019s Attack on School Hunting, Archery Programs", "2023-08-16", "2023", "2023-08", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., joined 17 of their Republican Senate colleagues in a letter to President Biden urging his administration to withdraw its plans to block funding for elementary and secondary schools with hunting and archery programs.\n\nLed by U.S. Senator John Barrasso, R-Wyo., the letter condemns the Biden administration\u2019s purposeful misinterpretation of last year\u2019s gun control bill to justify blocking funding for schools with these outdoor recreation programs. More than 500,000 students participate and are certified through hunter education courses each year. These important programs help students learn how to handle firearms safely \u2014 in turn, decreasing firearm-related injuries and accidents.\n\nIn the letter, the senators urge President Biden to withdraw this guidance immediately and support hunter education and archery programs in schools across the country.\n\n\u201cWhile the administration claims to be eliminating dangerous activities, this guidance will, in fact, have the opposite effect. These programs provided thousands of students with the opportunity to learn proper instruction for firearm and archery safety,\u201d the senators wrote. \u201cBy including hunter education in schools, students are given the tools to be safe and responsible hunters. It is now clearer than ever that the Biden Administration will use the bill to attack the constitutional rights of Americans.\u201d\n\nIn addition to Wicker, Hyde-Smith, and Barrasso, co-signers include U.S. Senators Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., John Thune, R-S.D., Roger Marshall, R-Kan., John Kennedy, R-La., Jim Risch, R-Idaho, Rick Scott, R-Fla., Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, Steve Daines, R-Mont., Mike Braun, R-Ind., Deb Fischer, R-Neb., Rand Paul, R-Ky., Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.\n\nThe full text of the letter can be found here or below.\n\nDear President Biden,\n\nWe write to express our deep concern about the Biden Administration\u2019s attempt to use the gun control bill passed last year to block funding for elementary and secondary schools. In April, the U.S. Department of Education provided a guidance prohibiting Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) funds for hunter education and archery programs. Since the guidance was issued, there have been reports of schools canceling plans to include archery or hunting education in their curriculum. We write to urge the administration to immediately reverse this misguided decision and ensure funding for these vital programs is not withheld.\n\nWhile the administration claims to be eliminating dangerous activities, this guidance will, in fact, have the opposite effect. These programs provided thousands of students with the opportunity to learn proper instruction for firearm and archery safety. Over 500,000 students participate and are certified through hunter education courses each year. Learning to safely handle firearms results in a decrease in firearm-related injuries and accidents. In fact, hunter education programs have decreased hunting accidents by over 50% since the program\u2019s development over 50 years ago. By including hunter education in schools, students are given the tools to be safe and responsible hunters.\n\nWe voted against the gun control legislation. It is now clearer than ever that the Biden Administration will use the bill to attack the constitutional rights of Americans. Hunting and archery are strongly connected to the traditions and heritage of America. This outrageous overreach is an attack on hunters and outdoor recreation that must be addressed.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:30:18Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/8/wicker-calls-out-lack-of-aukus-support-in-defense-supplemental-request", "Wicker Calls Out Lack of AUKUS Support in Defense Supplemental Request", "2023-08-11", "2023", "2023-08", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today commented on the omission of submarine industrial base funding from a proposed supplemental funding request submitted to Congress by the White House:\n\n\u201cThis request unwisely neglects the necessary submarine industrial base investments to ensure the success of the AUKUS agreement,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cPresident Biden has missed a near-term opportunity to send a clear signal of deterrence to China and a show of commitment to Australia.\n\n\u201cIf we hope to realize the full potential of the AUKUS deal, it is imperative that the president articulate an achievable plan of action to increase American submarine production that meets both American and Australian needs. The enhanced security of the United States and our partners depends on our mutual collaboration and cooperation.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:30:18Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/8/wicker-celebrates-defense-bill-passage-with-visit-to-mississippi-base", "Wicker Celebrates Defense Bill Passage with Visit to Mississippi Base", "2023-08-10", "2023", "2023-08", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "JACKSON, MISS. \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today released a new video highlighting his work on the annual National Defense Authorization Act, which recently passed the U.S. Senate. The video features the senator\u2019s visit to the Mississippi Air National Guard\u2019s 172nd Airlift Wing, which is based in Jackson.\n\nDuring his visit, the senator highlighted a 5.2% pay raise for service members and funding for the tools and capabilities necessary to support the military.\n\nThe senator has been a strong advocate for increased military funding in his role as ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.\n\nSee below for a full transcript of the video. Soundtrack-free video and B-roll is also available for download here. For more information on this year\u2019s National Defense Authorization Act and its expected impact on Mississippi, click here.\n\nTRANSCRIPT:\n\nNEWS ANCHOR: The National Defense Authorization Act passed in the Senate. The NDAA authorizes ten new Navy ships and provides a 5.2% pay hike for military personnel.\n\nSENATOR WICKER: This is my first meeting with actual servicemen and women since the passage in the Senate the other day of the National Defense Authorization Act.\n\nIt's a great chance for me to be back in Mississippi and to talk to the actual people who step forward to join the military and our all-volunteer force and agree to put themselves in harm's way.\n\nThis is the sort of thing that we need more of and the sort of thing that we try to provide funds for.\n\nIt is part of our peace through strength effort worldwide. We have more support for the Air National Guard in the NDAA bill. Those of us on my side of the aisle are making the case that we're really not where we need to be in terms of aircraft, ships, amphibious ships, submarines.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:30:18Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/8/icymi-wicker-efforts-hold-military-service-academies-accountable-for-woke-instruction-training", "ICYMI: Wicker Efforts Hold Military Service Academies Accountable for \u2018Woke\u2019 Instruction, Training", "2023-08-08", "2023", "2023-08", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2013 In case you missed it, this weekend the Washington Examiner editorial board highlighted recent oversight work by U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, into the use of toxic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies at national military academies.\n\nAfter learning that the United States Air Force Academy had been improperly classifying DEI instruction materials to prevent their disclosure to the public, Wicker pressed the Academy to end the practice so that the American public could have a full accounting of the scope, scale, and content of DEI instruction.\n\nThe effort follows the passage of Wicker\u2019s MERIT Act in the Senate\u2019s National Defense Authorization Act, which also included several other provisions that keep the military focused on its primary mission of warfighting, not wokeness.\n\nThe Washington Examiner applauded Wicker\u2019s oversight efforts in an Aug. 6 editorial, calling it \u201cgood news\u201d for American taxpayers interested in accountability at our service academies. Read the full editorial below or here. Read more about Wicker\u2019s MERIT Act and other important deterrence-focused provisions in the FY24 NDAA here.\n\nThe DEI threat to our military academies\n\nAugust 6, 2023\n\nBy: Washington Examiner Editors\n\nThe U.S. military\u2019s failure to prepare adequately to protect the nation\u2019s security is perhaps most evident in the military academies. Here, young cadets are supposed to be trained for a career of service to the country as officers. These once-venerable institutions, which claim to prioritize \"duty,\" \"honor,\" \"country,\" and \"excellence,\" have become vectors for leftist ideology. Today, they all too often emphasize diversity over honor, equity over excellence, and inclusion over duty.\n\nWe know this because of multiple reports exposing divisive DEI curricula in the academies and firsthand accounts from current cadets. Two Air Force Academy cadets, for example, wrote about their experiences confronting this divisive ideology in op-eds for the Washington Examiner as part of our recent \"Military Unreadiness\" series. The cadets shared how mandatory DEI training has devastated morale among their peers, leading many to question whether the military is still an institution worthy of their service and lives.\n\nThe cadets also revealed that, following media exposure, the Air Force Academy went to great lengths to prevent additional scrutiny over its DEI trainings, marking some of these materials as controlled unclassified information, or CUI, to prevent them from being made public. Cadets who share materials marked as CUI could face reprimand, suspension, and even expulsion from the academy.\n\nThough overclassification is an ongoing problem within the military, this appears to have been a deliberate decision on the part of academy administrators to avoid further criticism for imposing leftism on its students. We reached out to the Air Force Academy to ask which administrators made this classification, but the academy did not respond to a request for comment. This failure to respond is incompatible with the academy's first stated \"core value\" \u2014 namely, \"Integrity First.\"\n\nThe academy did, however, respond to congressional oversight. After reading the Air Force Academy cadets\u2019 accounts in the Washington Examiner, the Senate Armed Services Committee and ranking member Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) asked the academy to explain its justification for marking DEI materials as CUI. Administrators claimed some elements of the training met the Defense Department\u2019s standard for \"privacy\" regarding \"student records,\" which is described as \"personally identifiable information from records directly related to a student.\" But under pressure, they admitted that there were no legitimate student records that would justify classifying the training materials, according to a Senate aide.\n\nAs a result, the academy is now reviewing its DEI training materials to reduce or remove the use of CUI. This is good news for policymakers and citizens who have a right to know what the military\u2019s future ranking officers are being taught, and for current cadets who have been unfairly pressured into staying silent.\n\nUnfortunately, the military\u2019s lack of transparency regarding its DEI policies is a widespread problem that will take much more effort to correct. The academies routinely stonewall and outright ignore Freedom of Information Act requests that target their use of DEI materials. Last year, for example, Judicial Watch was forced to take the Air Force Academy to court after administrators delayed acknowledging an FOIA request regarding its use of critical race theory for nearly two years. Current law requires the government to acknowledge receipt of an FOIA request within 20 days.\n\nThe Pentagon uses a similar strategy to hinder congressional oversight, which is why we applaud Senate Republicans for passing a version of the National Defense Authorization Act that prevents the Defense Department from expanding its DEI offices until a thorough audit of the agency\u2019s DEI workforce can be conducted by the Government Accountability Office. Military resources should not be wasted on an ideology that distracts from the armed services\u2019 primary mission and undermines the readiness of our fighting forces, and the public deserves to know just how extensive the Defense Department\u2019s commitment to this ideology has become.\n\nOf course, the military\u2019s efforts to avoid answering these important questions raise another one: If the DEI agenda is as vital to the military\u2019s success as Pentagon and military academy leadership claims, then why try to hide it? Why prevent cadets from publicly speaking about their DEI trainings or ignore public requests to access the curricula? We\u2019d love an explanation, but again, the Air Force Academy declined a request for comment.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:30:18Z"], ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/8/wicker-statement-on-unprecedented-combined-china-russia-naval-exercise-near-alaska", "Wicker Statement on Unprecedented Combined China-Russia Naval Exercise Near Alaska", "2023-08-07", "2023", "2023-08", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today commented on the ongoing combined China-Russia naval exercises near Alaska:\n\n\u201cThe scale and complexity of this Russian and Chinese naval deployment is unprecedented,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cWhile I am glad the U.S. Navy deployed four destroyers and a P-8 aircraft to monitor the fleet, the exercise serves as a stark signal that generational investments in U.S. shipbuilding and ship maintenance to maintain deterrence are more necessary than ever.\n\n\u201cPresident Biden has a near-term opportunity to send a signal to both Beijing and Moscow by including funding to implement the AUKUS deal fully in his upcoming supplemental request. I look forward to seeing a comprehensive plan to improve America\u2019s ability to manufacture and maintain our most important conventional capability, the Virginia-class submarine.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:30:18Z"]], "truncated": false, "filtered_table_rows_count": 155, "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": "MS", "p2": "2023"}}, "facet_results": {"party": {"name": "party", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=MS&year=2023", "results": [{"value": "Republican", "label": "Republican", "count": 155, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?state=MS&year=2023", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}, "chamber": {"name": "chamber", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=MS&year=2023", "results": [{"value": "Senate", "label": "Senate", "count": 95, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=MS&year=2023&chamber=Senate", "selected": false}, {"value": "House", "label": "House", "count": 60, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=MS&year=2023&chamber=House", "selected": false}], "truncated": false}, "state": {"name": "state", "type": "column", "hideable": false, "toggle_url": "/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=MS&year=2023", "results": [{"value": "MS", "label": "MS", "count": 155, "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=MS&year=2023", "results": [{"value": "2023", "label": "2023", "count": 155, "toggle_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=MS", "selected": true}], "truncated": false}}, "suggested_facets": [], "next": "2023-08-07,https~3A~2F~2Fwww~2Ewicker~2Esenate~2Egov~2F2023~2F8~2Fwicker-statement-on-unprecedented-combined-china-russia-naval-exercise-near-alaska", "next_url": "http://dpwillis-congress-press-search.hf.space/press/releases.json?party=Republican&state=MS&year=2023&_next=2023-08-07%2Chttps~3A~2F~2Fwww~2Ewicker~2Esenate~2Egov~2F2023~2F8~2Fwicker-statement-on-unprecedented-combined-china-russia-naval-exercise-near-alaska&_sort_desc=date", "private": false, "allow_execute_sql": true, "query_ms": 101.62301291711628, "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"}