WASHINGTON, April 16 -- The Congressional Budget Office issued the following cost estimate for the Respecting the First Amendment on Campus Act ( H.R. 7683): * * * H.R. 7683 would require postsecondary education institutions to meet certain requirements to participate in federal student aid programs, including the Federal Pell Grant Program and the federal student loan programs. Under the bill, public institutions generally would have to: * Allow students to freely engage in noncommercial e  more

WASHINGTON, April 19 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12636) on April 18, 2024, by environmental policy analyst Jonathan D. Haskett and energy policy specialist Mark Holt. Here are excerpts: * * * Nuclear Energy in a Climate Change Context: Current Appropriations for Nuclear Energy Development The potential role of nuclear energy in mitigating climate change has been a significant element of recent congressional discussions about energy a  more

WASHINGTON, April 19 -- Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, issued the following news release: Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) announced that Memphis Health Center Inc., Porter-Leath, and the Shelby County Board of Education will be receiving grants totaling $21,309,797 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Porter-Leath will receive $1,385,603 to operate its Head Start programs and the Board of Education will receive $14,553,699 to operate its Head Start programs. Memphis Health Cent  more

WASHINGTON, April 18 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: The Des Moines International Airport (DSM) will receive $2.2 million from the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Airport Terminals Program to fund the construction of new terminal areas. The Airport Terminals Program was established in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) supported in 2021. "The Des Moines International Airport, being the largest a  more

WASHINGTON, April 18 -- Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: During the Month of the Military Child and in response to the child care provider shortages across the country, U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Ranking Member and Chair of the Senate Small Business Committee and members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, are leading a bipartisan push to support servicemembers and improve access to child care in and around military installation  more

WASHINGTON, April 19 -- Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, issued the following news release: Following urging from U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), EPA announced today that it will grant a waiver to permit the summertime sale of E15 fuel. This waiver will expand markets for Ohio farmers and promote American fuel independence while lowering fuel costs for drivers in Ohio and across the country. Brown is a senior member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. "Relying on American farmers for clean, rel  more

WASHINGTON, April 18 -- Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico, issued the following news release: Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Interior heeded his calls and announced that it would finalize a proposal to withdraw 4,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in southern Sandoval County, including the Buffalo Tract and the Crest of Montezuma, from mineral developmen  more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, issued the following news release: As the House prepares to consider the Israel, Ukraine, and Indo-Pacific security supplementals, key groups have commended Congress' effort to provide much needed assistance to our allies and partners. AIPAC "AIPAC strongly supports Speaker Johnson's work to bring important national security bills to the floor, and we urge every House member to vote for crucial   more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Rep. Michael T. McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement on April 19, 2024: * * * House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul issued the below statement following the Biden administration's failure to grant the U.K. and Australia a defense trade exemption by the initial deadline set out by the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act in order to fully implement the Australia-United Kingdom-Un  more

WASHINGTON, April 19 -- Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, issued the following news release: Today, at a hearing of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) questioned Army Secretary Christine Wormuth on the need to increase military housing availability and the damaging impact of non-disclosure agreements between private landlords, service members, and their families on housing safety. In response to Senator Warren's questions, Secretary Wormuth c  more

WASHINGTON, April 19 -- Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, issued the following news release: To watch Senator Capito's questions, click here or the image above. This week, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Related Agencies (CJS), questioned U.S. Attorney General (AG) Merrick Garland on the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) budget request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. During her questions, Senator C  more

WASHINGTON, April 18 -- Sen. Angus S. King Jr., I-Maine, issued the following news release: In a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), U.S. Senator Angus King questioned Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth about the Army's plans to better protect servicemembers' health from shockwave trauma produced by repeated explosive weapons used both in combat and in training. This conversation comes a week after Senator King cosponsored the bipartisan Warren-Ernst Blast Overpressure S  more

WASHINGTON, April 18 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announce today the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is sending a total of $11,434,048 to the state through the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) grant program. The investments will support two projects led by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Lane Council of Gov  more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Rep. Bob Good, R-Virginia, issued the following news release: Congressman Bob Good (VA-05) introduced the Defund NPR Act to ensure that no taxpayer dollars fund the biased radical left messaging at National Public Radio (NPR). This legislation prohibits federal funding of NPR and prevents local public radio stations from using federal grant money to purchase content or pay dues to NPR. "It is bad enough that so many media outlets push their slanted views instead of repo  more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, issued the following news release on April 19, 2024: On Wednesday, Speaker Johnson announced the House response to the Senate's national security supplemental legislation. This legislation is comprised of four separate bills and provides resources to Israel, Ukraine, and the Indo-Pacific, as well as measures to counter adversaries in each region. "This legislation also includes enhanced oversight and accountability of U.S. taxpayer resour  more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado, issued the following news release on April 19, 2024: Last week, the House Armed Services Committee's Quality of Life Panel released its report on military quality of life and unveiled its policy recommendations for improving service members' and their families' quality of life. "I wholeheartedly endorse the Quality of Life Panel's recommendations, which are not just suggestions but urgent calls for action. They will form the bedrock of the  more

WASHINGTON, April 19 -- Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, issued the following news release: This week, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution introduced by U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Todd Young (R-IN), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) to commemorate and support the goals of World Quantum Day, which is recognized annually on April 14th. The resolution highlights the importance of quantum mechanics to the technologies used in everyday life, such a  more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, issued the following statement on April 19, 2024: * * * U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) released the statement below after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued an emergency fuel waiver to allow E15 gasoline, gasoline blended with 15% ethanol, to be sold during the summer driving season. "With the peak summer driving season approaching, we need to expand the use of E15 gasoline to improve fuel options at the pump and reduc  more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- The Senate Armed Services Committee issued the following testimony by Adm. John C. Aquilino, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, involving a hearing on March 21, 2024, entitled "The Posture of United States Indo-Pacific Command and United States Forces Korea in Review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2025 and the Future Years Defense Program": * * * (Continued from Part 1 of 2) The U.S.-ROK military-to-military relationship is one of the wor  more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse,D-Rhode Island, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following opening statement at a hearing on March 12, 2024, entitled "The President's Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Proposal": * * * Good morning to our Committee members, and a special welcome to our witness, Shalanda Young, Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Director Young, it's always a pleasure to have you here before our Committee. There is simply no better communica  more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- The Senate Budget Committee issued the following written testimony by Capital Research Center President Scott Walter involving a hearing on March 20, 2024, entitled "Recreation at Risk: The Nature of Climate Costs": * * * Chairman Whitehouse, Ranking Member Grassley, distinguished members of the Committee, thank you for the honor of testifying. I'm especially honored to be testifying for the fourth time before Chairman Whitehouse. Like the rest of the panel & most Comm  more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight issued the following written testimony by Celina B. Realuyo, a professor of practice at the National Defense University, involving a hearing on March 20, 2024, entitled "Strengthening International Cooperation to Stop the Flow of Fentanyl Into the United States": * * * Thank you, Chairwoman Hassan, Ranking Member Romney and members of the Subcommittee on Emergin  more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Sen. John Boozman, R-Arkansas, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Ben Cardin (D-MD), senior members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, applauded passage of bipartisan legislation that will enable the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to support conservation partners along migratory flyways throughout the Western Hemisphere. The Senate approved the bill Wednesday and it now heads to the president's desk to be signed in  more

WASHINGTON, April 20 -- Sen. Laphonza Butler, D-California, issued the following news release on April 19, 2024: Today, U.S. Senators Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced the Specialty Crops Security Act, legislation to increase the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Specialty Crop Block Grant (SCBG) program authorization from $85 to $100 million per year and expand opportunities for specialty crop stakeholders to provide input into how program funding  more

WASHINGTON, April 18 -- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Mike Braun (R-IN) led a group of 18 Senators in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough inquiring about access to non-opioid pain alternatives throughout the VA system to help prevent addiction before it starts. U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), James Lankford (R-OK), Ma  more

WASHINGTON, April 19 -- Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release: Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), alongside Representative Larry Bucshon, M.D. (IN-08) reintroduced the "Sepsis Harm and Cost Reduction Act'' or ''Lulu's Law'' this week. This bipartisan legislation would establish a state grant program to enable healthcare professionals, researchers, innovators, public health officials, and others fighting sepsis on the frontlines to have access to critical infor  more

WASHINGTON, April 18 -- Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, issued the following news release: Today, U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) led Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) in introducing the Banning Toxics in Plastic Bottles Act, legislation to prohibit the sale of plastic beverage containers that contain toxic substances and dyes linked to adverse health and environmental impacts, including Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS). The bill also   more