Congressional Testimony
Congressional Testimony
Here's a look at documents involving congressional testimony and member statements
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Assistant Secretary of War for Readiness Nominee Todd Testifies Before Senate Armed Services Committee
WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 -- The Senate Armed Services Committee released the following testimony by Maurice Todd, President Trump's nominee to be assistant secretary of War for readiness, from a Nov. 6, 2025, confirmation hearing:* * *
Chairman Wicker, Ranking Member Reed, and distinguished members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, it is an honor and privilege to appear before you as the President's nominee for the Assistant Secretary of War for Readiness.
I want to thank the President for this opportunity. I am honored by the President's nomination and his trust. I am grateful for the time ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 -- The Senate Armed Services Committee released the following testimony by Maurice Todd, President Trump's nominee to be assistant secretary of War for readiness, from a Nov. 6, 2025, confirmation hearing: * * * Chairman Wicker, Ranking Member Reed, and distinguished members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, it is an honor and privilege to appear before you as the President's nominee for the Assistant Secretary of War for Readiness. I want to thank the President for this opportunity. I am honored by the President's nomination and his trust. I am grateful for the timemany of you have spent with me in recent weeks and thankful for the Committee's attention to my nomination. I also thank Secretary Hegseth and Under Secretary Tata for their support.
In contemplating the duties that the Assistant Secretary of War for Readiness would entail, should I be confirmed, I recalled President George Washington's words in his First Annual Address to Congress in 1790: "To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace."
Now, more than 200 years later, these words continue to ring true, capturing President Trump's directive to achieve peace through strength. Further, as Secretary Hegseth and the Department work to restore the warrior ethos through a refocus on lethality, meritocracy, and accountability, if confirmed for this position, I will be laser-focused on ensuring that the Total Force is ready to deter, and if called upon, to prevail against the most dangerous threats to American interests.
To that end, if confirmed, I will dedicate my full attention to the following responsibilities:
* I will assess the readiness of the Total Force to execute the Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance, inform Department strategic planning and resourcing, and support congressional reporting requirements;
* I will help enhance readiness data analytics capabilities to provide the President and the Secretary with decision advantage critical to global operations;
* I will align military training and exercise investments with our national priorities to effectively build greater lethality and execute all domain warfare;
* I will protect our warfighters and readiness by promoting the highest safety and occupational health standards.
Working collaboratively across the Department, a focus on these efforts will reinvigorate our warfighting capabilities and competitive advantages to ensure we can achieve strategic objectives across threats and time horizons.
If confirmed, I look forward to bringing over 40 years of experience in international security affairs focused on the defense of our country and the safety of the American people. As a former Army Field Artillery Officer, Army Aviator, Foreign Area Officer, Planner, Intelligence Officer, Strategist, and veteran of the First Gulf War; to a wide range of senior civilian positions, spanning all Geographic Combatant Commands; I intimately understand the many dimensions of our nation's readiness, the importance of deterring our enemies, and the preparation required to prevail in conflict. I plan to bring this extensive experience, commitment, and passion to the role of Assistant Secretary of War for Readiness. Inspired by the honorable service of our Service Members and civilians, I will apply my full devotion as a public servant of the American people. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to your questions.
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Original text here: https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/todd_opening_statement1.pdf
Assistant Secretary of War for Strategy, Plans & Forces Nominee Dahmer Testifies Before Senate Armed Services Committee
WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 -- The Senate Armed Services Committee released the following testimony by Austin J. Dahmer, President Trump's nominee to be assistant secretary of War for strategy, plans and forces, from a Nov. 4, 2025, confirmation hearing:* * *
Chairman Wicker, Ranking Member Reed, distinguished members of the Committee on Armed Services, good morning.
It is an exceptional honor to appear before you today as President Trump's nominee for Assistant Secretary of War for Strategy, Plans, and Forces. I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to continue to serve our nation.
I want to ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 -- The Senate Armed Services Committee released the following testimony by Austin J. Dahmer, President Trump's nominee to be assistant secretary of War for strategy, plans and forces, from a Nov. 4, 2025, confirmation hearing: * * * Chairman Wicker, Ranking Member Reed, distinguished members of the Committee on Armed Services, good morning. It is an exceptional honor to appear before you today as President Trump's nominee for Assistant Secretary of War for Strategy, Plans, and Forces. I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to continue to serve our nation. I want toexpress my deep and abiding gratitude to President Trump for nominating me for this critical role, and to Secretary Hegseth, Deputy Secretary Feinberg, and Under Secretary Colby for their trust and leadership. I am fully committed to implementing the President's agenda for American defense strategy, focused on putting Americans' interests first and realizing the President's vision of Peace Through Strength.
To my family, who are here today and those watching from afar - your unwavering love and support have been my constant foundation throughout my career. Especially to my remarkable wife Ellie, herself a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, and to my darling daughter Sutton, thank you for your endless understanding, encouragement, and love. I could not do this without you, and I thank God for you every day.
Members of the Committee, the role of Assistant Secretary of War for Strategy, Plans, and Forces to which President Trump nominated me comes with genuinely profound responsibilities, especially at such a critical time for our national security. Peace and the protection of American interests cannot be assumed. We must ensure our military coheres under a sound defense strategy; that it has the forces, plans, and posture to execute the strategy; that our efforts to arm allies and partners strengthen and do not detract from our ability to execute our strategy; and that, ultimately, the Joint Force is able to deter our rivals, and if deterrence fails, give the President the best possible military options to prevail in conflict.
My career has been dedicated to grappling with these precise challenges. President Trump appointed me to the Department on January 20th and for the last nine months, I have had the opportunity to lead various parts of the Policy organization ensuring that the Department's strategic approach is aligned with the President's Peace Through Strength agenda.
My tenure in Congress as a Senate National Security Advisor provided me invaluable experience. My work here for the Article I branch of government has given me a deep appreciation for the vital role this body plays in our national defense. During this time, I traveled extensively across the United States and the Indo-Pacific, gaining firsthand insights into the strategic and operational challenges facing our warfighters, especially in the face of China's extraordinary military buildup.
My other work prior to my time on Capitol Hill has also provided me with extensive experience relevant to the role to which President Trump has nominated me. My academic and research background underscores my commitment to rigorous, fact-based thinking on defense strategy and force planning issues of the type that is required in this role. My work in the defense industry on a broad array of strategic and military-technical issues provides a range of insights on which to draw. I also continue to leverage my experience as a ground intelligence officer in the United States Marine Corps, for what it taught me as a leader and for the direct experience it affords me of operational planning, military forces and capabilities, readiness, and related issues. This blend of strategic thinking and practical experience is what I assess is needed to meet the moment in this role, and if confirmed, I pledge to leverage every ounce of my experience to ensure our strategy is sound and our forces are optimized to execute it.
I pledge to be a faithful partner to this Committee, actively supporting your critical oversight responsibility, and seeking your input, as we work together toward the common goal of securing our nation and protecting our freedoms.
Thank you again for this tremendous honor. I look forward to your questions.
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Original text here: https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/dahmer_opening_statement.pdf
Assistant Secretary of War for Manpower & Reserve Affairs Nominee Dill Testifies Before Senate Armed Services Committee
WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 -- The Senate Armed Services Committee released the following testimony by Timothy Dill, President Trump's nominee to be assistant secretary of War for manpower and reserve affairs, from a Nov. 6, 2025, confirmation hearing:* * *
Chairman Wicker, Ranking Member Reed, and distinguished members of this Committee, I am honored to appear before you today as President Trump's nominee to be the Assistant Secretary of War for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
I'd like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for guiding my steps throughout my life, President Trump for nominating ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 -- The Senate Armed Services Committee released the following testimony by Timothy Dill, President Trump's nominee to be assistant secretary of War for manpower and reserve affairs, from a Nov. 6, 2025, confirmation hearing: * * * Chairman Wicker, Ranking Member Reed, and distinguished members of this Committee, I am honored to appear before you today as President Trump's nominee to be the Assistant Secretary of War for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. I'd like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for guiding my steps throughout my life, President Trump for nominatingme for this role, and Secretary Hegseth and Under Secretary Tata for their confidence and support.
I'd also like to thank Senator Cruz for the opportunity to serve on his staff and for his kind introduction today. It was an honor to work on behalf of the people of Texas, and my time as a Senate staffer deepened my appreciation for the role that the Senate, and specifically this Committee, plays in overseeing our military.
Behind me is my beautiful wife Andrea, a constitutional law attorney who has so graciously supported my career, our daughter Naomi, and our son Claymore. I'm also joined by my father Doug and my mother Annie, my sister Bethany, my brother David, and his wife Aleta. My sister Emily and her husband Robb, a long-serving Department of the Army civilian are currently stationed in Germany and could not join today. I'm also joined by my wife's parents, Scott and Christi Beathard, my aunts and uncles, Liz and Jerry August and Herb and Patty McCracken, and fellow Soldiers from various points of my career. Thank you to each of you, and a special thanks to my mother for so patiently homeschooling me for 11 years, and to my father for modeling a lifetime of servant leadership.
I grew up in Akron, OH, across the street from Sam McNeill, a WWII veteran who earned the Silver Star while serving in the 82nd Airborne Division. Both my grandfathers also served in WWII: William Knapp in the Army, and Leslie Dill in the Navy.
I was 16 when the World Trade Center towers fell. Like many of my generation, that defining event in our nation's history called me to military service, and I commissioned as a U.S. Army officer in 2007 through Army ROTC.
I served ten years on active duty, first in the footsteps of my neighbor Sam in the 82nd Airborne Division, then as a Green Beret in 3rd Special Forces Group. I was honored to lead Soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
My military service was transformational, giving me more than I could ever give back and deepening my love for our country. Serving alongside our nation's finest Paratroopers and Green Berets challenged me to give my all and shaped my future steps.
When I took off my uniform for the last time, the GI Bill covered my graduate degree at my dream school, which is where I met my wife, giving me the best transition to civilian life for which I could have asked.
I am grateful to have a new opportunity to serve. If confirmed, I will strive for excellence in my role as a senior civilian leader in the Department on behalf of three groups:
The first is my comrades in arms who gave their lives to preserve our freedom. I hope for my service to honor their memory and further the cause for which they fought.
The second is the three million Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Guardians and civilian personnel who now have the watch, including many of the outstanding men and women with whom I was honored to serve.
The third is the generation who will next carry the torch. That generation may include my own children, and I hope to ensure their opportunity to, like me, serve their country in a merit-based military that molds the next generation of leaders.
The U.S. military has long fielded an all-volunteer force, and the Department must continue to inspire our finest young men and women to volunteer to serve, both in uniform and as members of our critical civilian workforce. We must also persuade the best among them to stay and become senior leaders. To do those things the Department must continue to communicate the high calling of military service, the same call that led me to an Army ROTC recruiter 19 years ago. It must also provide them with desirable opportunities, relevant training, and a good quality of life, including for their families. The Assistant Secretary of War for Manpower & Reserve Affairs shoulders each of those responsibilities and more, and if confirmed I will welcome that challenge.
Thank you for considering my nomination, and I look forward to answering your questions.
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Original text here: https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/dill_opening_statement.pdf
Assistant Secretary of War Nominee Kadlec Testifies Before Senate Armed Services Committee
WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 -- The Senate Armed Services Committee released the following testimony by Robert P. Kadlec, President Trump's nominee to be assistant secretary of War for nuclear deterrence, chemical and biological defense policy and programs, from a Nov. 4, 2025, confirmation hearing:* * *
Chairman Wicker, Ranking Member Reed, and members of the Committee. I am honored to be President Trump's nominee for the Assistant Secretary of War for Nuclear Deterrence & Chemical & Biological Defense Policy and Programs. I want to thank the President and Secretary Hegseth for their trust and confidence. ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 -- The Senate Armed Services Committee released the following testimony by Robert P. Kadlec, President Trump's nominee to be assistant secretary of War for nuclear deterrence, chemical and biological defense policy and programs, from a Nov. 4, 2025, confirmation hearing: * * * Chairman Wicker, Ranking Member Reed, and members of the Committee. I am honored to be President Trump's nominee for the Assistant Secretary of War for Nuclear Deterrence & Chemical & Biological Defense Policy and Programs. I want to thank the President and Secretary Hegseth for their trust and confidence.I strongly support their commitment to preserve peace through strength, by increasing the lethality of our armed forces and reestablishing deterrence.
If confirmed, I intend to pursue 4 priorities to achieve their objectives:
1. Maintain and sustain the current nuclear Triad,
2. Modernize our nuclear command and control.
3. Accelerate the development and deployment of the Sentinel ICBM, B-21 bomber, Columbia class submarine, and other critical nuclear deterrent capabilities, as well as supporting modernization of NNSA's nuclear enterprise.
4. Deploy credible capabilities to deter adversary biological weapons use.
I want to acknowledge my family, Dr. Ann Vrtis, an accomplished anesthesiologist, veteran and retired Air Force colonel and my two daughters, one who is currently serving in the US Army. My daughters are here today in spirit.
I also want to acknowledge the memory of my parents who survived World War II's devastation. My mother, an American teenager was held in a Nazi detention camp. She met my father, a Czech national in a forced labor factory. After the war, my mother returned to America. My father escaped in 1949 and worked in refugee camps until my mom could raise the money for his trip over. He became an American citizen in 1952.
In 1975, at the end of the Vietnam War and height of the Cold War, I entered the Air Force Academy intent on becoming a flight surgeon.
I earned the opportunity to attend medical school because of an act by Congress, I attended the War Department's medical school the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
My flight surgeon career began with the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field. In 1984, the Wing was still grappling with the failed Desert One mission and the implications of the Holloway Commission Report. The Cold War was still "hot", and the Wing's focus was how to fly, fight and win in a CBRN environment. That experience influenced my pursuit of training in tropical diseases, military preventive medicine and a career supporting special operations, counterterrorism and counterproliferation.
In 1990, I was assigned to an Air Force Special Tactics Squadron at Fort Bragg. My first day was memorable as Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. I was part of a small team ordered to the Pentagon to support planning efforts to deter and defeat any use of WMD by Iraq. From Bragg, I was assigned to OSD's first counterproliferation policy office, serving both as a United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq and the OSD representative to the Biological Weapons Convention in Geneva. From the Pentagon, I served in the CIA's counterproliferation division. Then taught future military leaders WMD and homeland security policy at the National War College until the 911 attacks. While serving on the White House Homeland Security Council, I co-authored President Bush's Biodefense Policy and deployed 4 times to Iraq in support of the counter WMD mission.
After retiring from military service in 2005, Senator Burr hired me as his staff director of the Senate HELP bioterrorism subcommittee and later the deputy staff director of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
During President Trump's first term, I had the privilege of being confirmed as HHS' Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response. In that role, I led the medical responses to hurricanes HARVEY, IRMA and MARIA, planned for the possible use of nuclear weapons by North Korea, led the HHS COVID-19 pandemic response that resulted in accelerated vaccine development and deployment in OPERATION WARP SPEED.
I accepted this nomination because I believe we are at another critical time in our nation's history. The Congressionally mandated Strategic Posture Commission noted that for the first time, we confront two peer nuclear adversaries who are intent on replacing the US-led international order.
The risk of simultaneous wars with multiple adversaries each possessing advanced conventional, space, cyber, nuclear and chem-bio capabilities challenge our current deterrent posture requiring adjustments in our nuclear forces, including potentially new or different capabilities. The priorities of sustaining our current nuclear triad, accelerating deployment of future capabilities, ensuring effective command and control, modernizing the nuclear enterprise and creating a credible deterrent against biological attacks are all urgent and vital for America's future security.
As the Commission noted addressing gaps and identifying opportunities may require additional deterrent capabilities.
My parents' life story continues to inspire me. If confirmed, I shall work tirelessly modernizing our nuclear deterrent and improving our chem-bio defenses to protect our homeland and the Joint Force from WMD, preserve peace and freedom for our children and America's posterity. I look forward to your questions.
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Original text here: https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/kadlec_opening_statement.pdf
Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Aviation & International Affairs Nominee Edwards Testifies Before Senate Transportation Committee
WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 -- The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee released the following testimony by Daniel Edwards, President Trump's nominee to be under secretary of Transportation for aviation and international affairs, from a Nov. 5, 2025, confirmation hearing:* * *
Chairman Cruz, Ranking Member Cantwell, and members of the committee, good afternoon.
My name is Dan Edwards, and it is truly my honor to be nominated as the Assistant Secretary of Aviation & International Affairs for the United States Department of Transportation.
I want to start by thanking President Trump ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 -- The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee released the following testimony by Daniel Edwards, President Trump's nominee to be under secretary of Transportation for aviation and international affairs, from a Nov. 5, 2025, confirmation hearing: * * * Chairman Cruz, Ranking Member Cantwell, and members of the committee, good afternoon. My name is Dan Edwards, and it is truly my honor to be nominated as the Assistant Secretary of Aviation & International Affairs for the United States Department of Transportation. I want to start by thanking President Trumpfor the honor of nomination and Secretary Sean Duffy for the confidence and steadfast support during my time at DOT. Senator Budd, I greatly appreciate the kind introduction and your service to the great state of North Carolina.
Joining me today is my wife of 30 years and anchor to the Edwards family--Kimberly. I owe the Air Force a huge debt for stationing me near her hometown of Utica, NY where we met and began a life where she thought she signed on to a turbulence-free full-motion simulator ride, but instead got strapped into a high-G journey with an uncertain destination.
Also here are my identical twin 27-year-old daughters--Jillian and Kaelyn. They were born on July 4th in Camden, NJ into a level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit--the highest level of critical care--and to this day follow the light. When they were 16, they enlisted the help of their grandfather, Earl, who was an accountant, to start a non-profit called Jillian's Jitterbug. The organization continues to provide financial assistance for families to purchase equipment that allows their disabled children to become independent. Lastly, I am joined by my brother, Colonel Doug Edwards, and his wife and son, Joy and Ethan--without whom my service in Washington would not be possible.
I began my public service in 1987 when I attended the United States Air Force Academy and served in the Air Force and Air Force Reserves for 23 years. In that time, I was an airfield engineer, and a KC-10 pilot, flying over 100 combat missions. During my time in the reserves, I flew as a commercial pilot and accumulated over 4,000 flight hours as both a military and commercial pilot.
Following my time as an Air Force and airline pilot, I dedicated the next 25 years of my career to the aerospace and defense industry. This experience allowed me to gain a broad understanding spanning product development, safety, airfield engineering and construction, C4ISR, supply chain and distribution, and aircraft maintenance. I am eager to apply those skills to public service and contribute to the next big leap in aviation.
I have found my time at DOT over the last 6 months professionally rewarding given the broad and profound impact of our work. If confirmed, serving as the Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs would represent the apex of my career, and it is my intent to demonstrate my fitness to do so today in this hearing. I humbly thank you for your time and consideration.
I believe we find ourselves at a pivotal time in Aviation. 60 years passed between the Wright Brothers' first flight in Kitty Hawk, NC and John Glenn's orbit around Earth. We are 63 years removed from that first orbit and, with the advent of Advanced Air Mobility, we are sitting on the next inflection point in aviation history.
Safety is paramount. Takeoffs and landings must remain in balance. If confirmed, I would continue to work, under Secretary Duffy's leadership, to continue the department's core mission of ensuring transportation safety--especially in America's skies.
While maintaining safety, as the most important goal, I will pursue three additional key goals: (1) ensuring the economic viability of US carriers through thoughtful economic licensing, development and enforcement of international agreements and access to a competition-friendly market; (2) supporting the development of infrastructure that will meet the dynamic needs of the American economy and commercializing new technologies to ensure U.S. aviation leadership; and, perhaps most importantly, (3) sustaining and enhancing access to commercial air service for all Americans.
I have been blessed with the opportunity to lead large organizations in the military and private sectors, gaining extensive experience leading multi-site global businesses. I am hopeful that you will find that the path I've taken to this chamber, on this day, worthy of confirmation to serve in the DOT.
Thank you and I look forward to your questions.
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Original text here: https://www.commerce.senate.gov/services/files/7238C11D-29A6-4B6F-985B-E35918CF30E4
Assistant Secretary of Air Force for Energy, Installations & Environment Nominee Borders Testifies Before Senate Armed Services Committee
WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 -- The Senate Armed Services Committee released the following testimony by Michael J. Borders Jr., President Trump's nominee to be assistant secretary of the Air Force for energy, installations and environment, from a Nov. 4, 2025, confirmation hearing:* * *
Chairman Wicker, Ranking Member Reed, and distinguished members of the Committee. It is the honor of a lifetime to appear before you today as the President's nominee for Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy, Installations, and Environment. The confirmation process reflects one of the great strengths of our ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 -- The Senate Armed Services Committee released the following testimony by Michael J. Borders Jr., President Trump's nominee to be assistant secretary of the Air Force for energy, installations and environment, from a Nov. 4, 2025, confirmation hearing: * * * Chairman Wicker, Ranking Member Reed, and distinguished members of the Committee. It is the honor of a lifetime to appear before you today as the President's nominee for Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy, Installations, and Environment. The confirmation process reflects one of the great strengths of ourdemocracy and I thank you for your role in it and you and your staff's time. I am deeply grateful to President Trump for this opportunity and humbled by the trust he has placed in me. I would also like to thank Secretary of War Hegseth and Secretary of the Air Force Meink.
With profound gratitude, I give thanks to God who calls us to righteousness and justice. I thank him for the blessings of family the gift of service, and the opportunity to be before you today. I want to thank those who shaped this journey: My parents, Master Sgt Mike Borders Sr. US Army Reserves (Ret) and Karen Borders, they refused to let me quit anything, ever. My brother Rodney and his family. My resilient wife Monira and my son Zayne for their support. This is the foundation that allowed me to serve our nation and hopefully continue serving.
Last month, I concluded a 28-year active duty career in the United States Air Force. A career where I defended nuclear weapons, conducted detainee operations in Afghanistan and led counterinsurgency operations in Iraq, spending over 36 months in the Middle East. I teamed with the interagency to develop US government policy for Thailand and Burma. I've commanded six times with over eight years in command. It taught me that changing paradigms requires more than ideas--it demands execution at the speed of relevance. I have worked to move beyond traditional approaches, ensuring every project and policy produced measurable results for the mission and for the Airmen and Guardians who rely on these platforms.
The office I have been nominated to lead sits at the heart of operational readiness. Our installations are not simply bases or infrastructure; they are power projection platforms essential to defeating China or any adversary who would test our resolve.
Ending Iranian nuclear aspirations began in the local communities around Whiteman Air Force Base, where our Airmen and their families live and work in. I understand this and so does China. Our bases, energy grids, and military housing represent exactly the kinds of infrastructure they aim to hold at risk. I believe protecting our installations and energy systems is not an abstract policy discussion; it is directly tied to our ability to deter and defeat China or any future adversary. We are at a critical moment. China is investing heavily in capabilities designed to hold our bases at risk and local communities at risk, disrupt our logistics, and deny our access. The question is not whether our installations will be tested; it is will they be ready.
If confirmed, my priorities will remain tightly aligned with that mission: - Resilient Installations: Building and sustaining bases and local communities that can operate under attack and continue to generate combat power. - Energy Assurance: Developing secure, adaptive energy systems that reduce vulnerabilities and ensure mission continuity in contested environments. - Environmental Stewardship: Meeting our obligations to the land, water, and communities we serve while sustaining operational readiness. - Quality of Life: Given that that that our Nation's most valued resource is its military servicemembers and their families, recognizing that safe, quality and well-maintained homes and strong community integration are essential to mission readiness.
These priorities are inseparable and every decision in this portfolio must strengthen those priorities.
I also recognize that success in this role depends on partnership. The Department of the Air Force's strength lies in its dedicated military and civilian professionals, the local communities that support them, and the oversight and support of this Committee. If confirmed, I am committed to transparency and will work with you, listen to the concerns of Airmen, Guardians and their families, and build alliances across government and industry to ensure rapid, measurable progress.
This nomination is more than an honor; it is a solemn responsibility, and I feel the weight of it. It is the participation in our sacred principle of civilian control over the military. It is a charge to ensure every dollar strengthens mission capability, honors the taxpayer, and sustains the force for the future fight.
As I close, I return to gratitude: to God for strength, to my parents for teaching me the value of service; to my wife and Zayne for their support and motivation; to President Trump, Secretary of War Hegseth, and Secretary of the Air Force Meink for their trust; and to this Committee for your partnership and oversight.
If confirmed, I will bring to this office a record of delivering results, a focus on operational outcomes, and an unwavering commitment to the Airmen, Guardians, and families who defend our nation. Together, we can ensure our installations remain power projection platforms capable of deterring and defeating any foe, that our energy systems make us more agile and secure, and that our environmental stewardship reflects the trust of the American people.
Thank you for considering my nomination. I look forward to your questions and to the opportunity to serve.
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Original text here: https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/borders_opening_statement.pdf
Huntsman CEO Testifies Before Senate Environment & Public Works Subcommittee
WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 -- The Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice and Regulatory Oversight released the following written testimony by Peter R. Huntsman, chairman, president and CEO of Huntsman Corp., from an Oct. 23, 2025, hearing entitled "Examining the Beneficial Use and Regulation of Chemicals":* * *
Why I Am Here Today
Chairman Curtis, Ranking Member Merkley, and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify on appropriate regulation of the American chemical industry to support innovation and ensure ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 -- The Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice and Regulatory Oversight released the following written testimony by Peter R. Huntsman, chairman, president and CEO of Huntsman Corp., from an Oct. 23, 2025, hearing entitled "Examining the Beneficial Use and Regulation of Chemicals": * * * Why I Am Here Today Chairman Curtis, Ranking Member Merkley, and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify on appropriate regulation of the American chemical industry to support innovation and ensureAmerican prosperity. It is an honor. I take very seriously the First Amendment right to engage directly with elected officials and policymakers of both parties to educate and inform them about how Huntsman Corporation and American chemical manufacturers manage risk, make capital investment decisions, support our employees, and deliver the products that make modern life possible.
The primary reason I am here today is to share my observations on policy, political, business, and cultural forces that will shape the future of the American chemical sector - and with it America's entire economy. If there is one conclusion I want Members of the Committee to come away with from my testimony, it is this:
American prosperity, security and power are entirely dependent on a strong, thriving and properly regulated chemical sector. Without it, modern life is not possible. That is not hyperbole. It is physical, immutable reality.
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The Huntsman Story
Through the vision and tenacity of my father, Jon Huntsman, Sr. and with the support of tens of thousands of employees over a half century, Huntsman Corporation today is a New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) traded company headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, with 2024 revenues of $6 billion, 6,000 employees and operations in nearly 25 countries. My father's life began in 1937 in a Blackfoot, Idaho home with no running water. By the end of his life in 2018, he had donated nearly $1 billion dollars to endow the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Today, HCI is the leading cancer hospital in the Mountain West Region and has saved tens of thousands of lives through world leading cancer treatment.
It was a story that can only happen in America.
After dropping out of college, I started my career in 1983 as a truck driver delivering oil across the Intermountain West. In 2000, I became President and CEO and Chairman in 2017. As our company grew from a small California packaging company into a multinational chemical company, I have witnessed boom and bust business cycles, mergers and acquisitions, multiple iterations of "peak oil," the collapse of the Soviet Union, unification of Europe, 2
the rise of China, the creation of the Internet and the transformational impact of hydraulic fracturing, among others. I have also observed the policy and regulatory environment around the chemical sector ebb and flow across Democrat and Republican Administrations and Congresses. Our company and the chemical industry have played a role in all of it.
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Chemical Manufacturing, and Innovation
I want to provide a basic primer on what chemical companies do because chemicals are the building blocks for all American manufacturing. In the most basic form, we take atoms and molecules, break them apart and then put them back together to make the building blocks of virtually everything you see and touch in modern life. Automobiles, airplanes, solar panels, wind blades, smartphones, computers, televisions, residential and commercial buildings, pharmaceuticals, missiles, fighter planes, clothing, soap, shampoo, shoes, clean drinking water and crop fertilizer are all "modern miracles" made possible by chemical manufacturing.
The most utilized starting atoms, or "feedstocks," for chemical manufacturing are hydrocarbons derived from petroleum, natural gas, natural gas liquids and coal, otherwise known as fossil fuels. Without abundant access to these feedstocks, nobody can manufacture chemicals. Without chemicals, virtually all U.S. manufacturing would cease.
The scientists and engineers in the American chemical sector go to work in laboratories across the country and aim to improve existing molecules and develop new ones. When commercially viable, laboratory innovation moves to manufacturing plants and into the marketplace. While abstract to the average person, that molecular innovation ultimately manifests itself in lighter airplanes and cars, longer lasting clothes, stronger building materials, clean drinking water, new medicines and cancer treatments and larger crop yields. Human lives are enriched and lengthened through chemical sector innovation.
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How Things Are Made
I am increasingly concerned that many government and business leaders lack an understanding of how "things" are made. In the post-Cold War era of globalization, the United States underwent a low-level form of deindustrialization as the appeal of cheap labor and growth markets in Asia pushed supply chains out of North America. Two examples of this can be seen in the fate of the Pennsylvania steel industry and textiles in North Carolina in the 1990s and 2000s, and there have been countless others. Wall Street became the highest paying sector. It was then followed by Silicon Valley and the tech boom. Quite simply, "making things" went out of vogue because it was done "out of sight and out of mind." Looking back with the benefit of hindsight, I believe the post-Cold War manufacturing exodus led many policymakers and business leaders to simply forget how things are manufactured at the most basic molecular level or, as we say in the chemical industry, "upstream." This trend is best encapsulated by Apple's famous "Designed in California Assembled in China" label on their products. To most people, the iPhone is a supercomputer we use every few seconds connecting us to the entire world. As a chemical industry leader, I see a device consisting of minerals and elements extracted from the Earth and refined thousands of times over into chemicals, plastic, glass, and materials brought to market via one of the most sophisticated supply chains ever developed. The same is true of millions of other products we use in our daily lives.
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Essential to The American Way of Life
One of the biggest threats to American power, security and prosperity is the belief that we can choose not to extract our natural resources and convert them into the materials that enable our citizenry to thrive. Since the beginning of recorded history to the modern-day international system, human beings and nation states have used natural resources to survive, prosper, trade and project power. This has been an invariable part of human nature and will always be so.
In the current policy, political and business arenas, opposition to natural resource extraction manifests itself in the idea that American society - and the world - can somehow "transition" away from fossil fuels and their derivative materials, including chemicals, and somehow maintain our way of life. Until the advent of new technology or a massive expansion of nuclear power, this is simply untrue and not physically possible. To believe so is both naive and dangerous. Serious countries and people understand this reality.
Until relatively recently, the notion that we could eliminate fossil fuels while still sustaining modern society was mostly a fringe idea and dismissed by serious leaders in government and industry Over the last two decades, as seemingly well-intentioned policy proposals developed to attempt to manage an ever-changing climate, anti-fossil fuel extraction policy has become normalized in Europe and, more recently, in the United States. Many governments have organized themselves around stopping natural resource extraction in the name of reducing carbon dioxide emissions to "net zero." In the business community, many companies have made "commitments" that may (or may not) come to reality in less than three decades.
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European Deindustrialization
The most notable example of the danger of "net zero" government policy is Germany. Through a series of government decisions over two decades and exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Germany has chosen to embark on a once-in-a-century deindustrialization that will have enormous global impacts, including in the United States.
Just a few years ago, it would have been inconceivable that the birthplace of the chemical industry could be deindustrializing. Yet here we are, waiting to see whether one of the most advanced economies and societies in modern history will be able to provide cheap, reliable, and abundant heat and electricity to power its economy. I encourage all U.S. elected officials to study deeply the policy decisions Germany made as it presents a real-life example of how not to organize electricity, manufacturing, natural resource, energy, and industrial policy.
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The Chemical Sector Improves Lives and Lowers Emissions
If the goal of government and business is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions across society, U.S. government policy and regulation should be calibrated to increase natural resource extraction and chemical manufacturing more efficiently and productively. It is the chemical sector that develops the molecules and the innovations that allow individuals and society collectively to lower their emissions. This is evident in almost every sector across the economy. In the aerospace sector, fossil fuel-derived carbon composite airplanes fly longer distances using less fuel than their aluminum predecessors. Automobiles are constructed using carbon fiber material versus steel in years past. Modern homes include insulation materials that create a building envelope, securing the valuable hot and cold air inside the home. The world population recently reached 8 billion people and, for the most part, everyone has access to food. The mass starvation that we witnessed as recently as the mid-1980's in sub-Saharan Africa is virtually obsolete. This is a new phenomenon in human history and has been made possible only by chemical fertilizer and cold chain storage. Simply stated, a vibrant chemical industry means it is within our ability to lower emissions, grow the economy, and improve lives.
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The Chemical Industry Welcomes Strong, Predictable and Risk Based Regulation
The United States has the strongest most effective environmental laws governing clean air and water in the world. It was not always that way and our industry has made mistakes. However, when you compare the environment in the developed world today to even 1980, the progress is staggering. The water in the Potomac River, the air in Los Angeles and our rivers and streams are all cleaner. This is due to the combination of strong government regulation, corporations being held legally accountable for wrongdoing and because wealthy nations have the financial resources to prioritize the environment. The more prosperous a society becomes, the better it can manage the environment.
Every single day the chemical sector manufactures, handles, stores, transports and sells hazardous materials across the world. To deliver the products that make modern life possible does incur risk. We spend billions of dollars on environmental, health and safety of our employees and in the communities where we operate. Safety is a deeply ingrained value and our license to operate. In my 40 years in the industry, I can state unequivocally that we have greatly improved our safety record. Our safety record demonstrates we constantly strive to learn and improve as a company and industry.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can effectively protect human health and the environment while supporting American innovation and strengthening the American economy. This was the intent of Congress when it passed the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). It is essential that regulations under TSCA be science-based and risk-based. This requires a balance of hazards and real-world exposure scenarios. EPA must use the most relevant current science information, adhere to scientific standards, and consider safety protocols that are already in place.
We have seen what happens when EPA deviates from this approach. EPA's reviews of new chemicals are taking far longer than the 90-day timeframe required in the law, thereby creating uncertainty in the marketplace. Without a clear understanding of how long it will take to bring a new chemical to market, companies will either not innovate or introduce the product outside of America. This is a clear barrier to innovation.
Likewise, TSCA evaluations of existing chemicals have taken an overly conservative approach, not based on real world risks. This has led to unnecessary bans and highly restrictive regulations that are well outside the range of the rest of the world. This approach risks the availability of critical chemistries that are needed to power our economy and keep America safe.
To demonstrate the effect of unpredictable regulation, I would use the example of Huntsman's aerospace adhesives business. We have decades of experience in developing and marketing high performance adhesives which are widely used in aircraft interiors and structures, both civil and military. In recent years, many of these regulatory changes have stemmed from overstated or overly conservative risk assessments, driving repeated reclassifications that force unnecessary reformulation and retesting. Today, we spend as much time reformulating existing products as developing new ones, due to constant changes in chemical classifications. When products are reformulated, they often then need to undergo rigorous, costly testing by our aerospace customers to ensure their performance on aircraft. This process often takes longer to complete than the time window available to implement chemical classification changes. In some cases, where the regulatory burden is too high, products can be withdrawn, leaving a gap in the market and no obvious replacements. The constant need to address regulatory changes reduces the time and investment available for innovation and creates significant uncertainties for aerospace companies whose aircraft production lifecycles last decades.
For example, a UV absorber is an additive that protects aircraft parts from damage caused by UV and sunlight. This product was recently placed on Annex A of the Stockholm Convention. As a result, European regulators have effectively banned its use by 2030. In the U.S., the absorber is not currently regulated because we have not ratified the Convention. However, since both the chemical and aerospace industries operate globally, we must eliminate its use worldwide and undertake costly reformulation and testing to meet aerospace requirements. A downstream impact of this regulation is that the recycling industry no longer accepts end-of-life aircraft parts that may contain this additive, as they cannot verify whether concentrations are below one part per million. As a result, these parts are not being recycled and are instead accumulating in the environment -- adding unnecessary complexity, cost, and creating unintended consequences for the industry's efforts toward circularity.
Congress has the opportunity between now and next year to fix these problems and provide durability through a provision built into the Lautenberg Amendments to review the law after 10 years. There is bipartisan recognition on this Committee that the EPA has done a poor job getting new, safe, environmentally sound chemistries into commerce. Congress can review the Lautenberg Amendments in targeted provisions to ensure EPA is meeting its statutory deadlines by approving new chemistries for their intended purposes or "conditions of use" in the language of the statute. Congress can ensure existing chemical regulations are based on risk and actual exposure rather than theoretical assumptions.
Such a policy solution won't see-saw depending on who is in office. This type of certainty will not only help manufacturers make investment decisions but will benefit the general public by encouraging innovation that will bring safer and more sustainable chemicals to the market.
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Looking Ahead
I am highly optimistic about the future. The United States, with its combination of freedom, capitalism, scientific inquiry, deep capital markets, legal protection, and entrepreneurial spirit, possesses the power to solve humanity's problems. As the geopolitical tides churn and countries reassess their priorities in a more dangerous world, regionalized supply chains will take precedence.
Government policy around natural resources, self-sufficiency and manufacturing have returned to the forefront of policymaking. Industrial policy, regulatory decisions and capital expenditures made today by government and business leaders will impact America and the world for generations to come. We don't need to look far to see the damaging impact of bad public policy around natural resources, energy, electricity, chemicals, and material innovation.
History shows that such policy decisions determine the fate of nations and societies.
I look forward to your questions.
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Original text here: https://www.epw.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/f/5/f53fd4f1-cda6-40f1-962a-0697f719ed67/48C7B24F997C1AF82ADB757BDD5D79C7294661792CC8F1B7E0FD96E11B17D788.10-23-2025-huntsman-testimony.pdf
Boeing Senior Technical Fellow Gross Testifies Before Senate Environment & Public Works Subcommittee
WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 -- The Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice and Regulatory Oversight released the following written testimony by Gwen Gross, senior technical fellow at Boeing, from an Oct. 23, 2025, hearing entitled "Examining the Beneficial Use and Regulation of Chemicals":* * *
Good morning, Chairman Capito, Ranking Member Whitehouse, Chairman Curtis, Ranking Member Merkley, and members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
I am Dr. Gwen Gross, a Senior Technical Fellow at Boeing for Composites ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 -- The Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice and Regulatory Oversight released the following written testimony by Gwen Gross, senior technical fellow at Boeing, from an Oct. 23, 2025, hearing entitled "Examining the Beneficial Use and Regulation of Chemicals": * * * Good morning, Chairman Capito, Ranking Member Whitehouse, Chairman Curtis, Ranking Member Merkley, and members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify. I am Dr. Gwen Gross, a Senior Technical Fellow at Boeing for Compositesand Chemical Technology. Prior to joining Boeing, I completed my doctoral studies at the Center for Process Analytical Chemistry at the University of Washington.
I serve as a chief chemist within Boeing's advanced research and development organization. I am an expert in formulation and production of aerospace critical organic materials. I have worked the complete lifecycle of materials integration from idea to implementation, and as an intermediary between Boeing and our suppliers.
Boeing proudly develops, manufactures, and services commercial airplanes, defense products, and space systems. As the largest manufacturing exporter in America, Boeing supports more than a million American jobs, contributes $97 billion annually to the U.S. economy, and partners with nearly 10,000 businesses across all 50 states. Approximately eighty percent of Boeing's supply chain spending and eighty-five percent of its workforce are based in the United States, while approximately eighty percent of our commercial aircraft production is exported to international customers.
Safety and quality are at the core of everything we do. Boeing is committed to complying with environmental laws and regulations and continually improving our environmental, health, and safety systems, while also creating economic opportunities and driving industry innovation.
Boeing is a downstream user of chemicals. We do not manufacture the chemical formulations that we use. Instead, as we develop new, innovative aerospace products and services, we rely on our chemical suppliers to develop and bring forward new chemical technologies that may meet our stringent performance requirements. Those suppliers are responsible for obtaining Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) approvals for new chemicals or new chemical uses, and any delays they experience in obtaining those approvals, delay the aerospace innovations that Boeing is working every day to advance Once promising candidate chemical products are offered, we thoroughly evaluate them to ensure they will meet our performance requirements, as well as those of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and military specifications, and can be safely incorporated into our manufacturing processes and product design. Boeing uses chemical materials in a variety of ways in its products, including composites, sealants, adhesives, and specialty coatings.
The aerospace industry faces unique challenges when it comes to chemical material use and replacement due to complex FAA certification requirements and military specifications that govern our products and services. The FAA's rigorous and lengthy certification process is integral to aviation safety. This process includes consideration of the performance of the chemicals used in a commercial aircraft's design, including its component parts.
Let me provide an example of what this means for the chemical materials used in commercial airplanes. Appropriately, Boeing must demonstrate that materials are both suitable for the application they are being used in and that they are also durable, including under the environmental conditions where they will be used. In practice, that means polymeric materials, like the carbon fiber composite materials used for wings, that sit in the hot sun on the runway in Phoenix, Arizona in July, must be capable of equal performance at 30,000 feet in sub-freezing temperatures. And it must be able to go through that cycle under such variable conditions multiple times a day for potentially decades.
Finding a replacement for a chemical used in the formulation of such a resilient composite system can be a challenging and lengthy process that includes identification, testing, and qualification of alternative formulations developed by our suppliers. Even when this is complete, Boeing must then comply with necessary FAA regulations for drawing changes, first part qualifications, part certification testing, and performance metrics before that new composite formulation can be incorporated into an airplane that will be delivered to an airline. All of this is incredibly time consuming. For example, I began working on a new candidate for a next generation carbon fiber composite material when my daughter was two years old. Boeing is just now finishing the qualification on that material and my daughter is now eighteen.
As a result, if regulatory changes impacting chemical material use and replacement or changes in the chemical marketplace happen too fast, aerospace companies may not have sufficient time to find viable replacements and to demonstrate that they satisfy all of our regulatory and contractual requirements. It is important that the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) chemical management framework take into account this complex and lengthy process, which includes FAA requirements that are integral to aviation safety.
Aerospace manufacturers are also impacted by delays in new chemical reviews and restrictions on new chemicals. A recent example is the replacement of fire suppression chemicals used onboard aircraft. Fire suppression is critical to safety of flight, and Boeing has devoted considerable time and resources to developing alternatives to the industry standard agent, halon. Halon is an ozone depleting substance that remains in wide use in the industry due to its unique performance attributes that have proven difficult to replicate. In low concentrations, halon is very effective at extinguishing a variety of fire types, including liquids and electronics. In addition, it is acceptable for use in occupied spaces, and safe to use on sensitive aerospace equipment.
Boeing worked closely for over 20 years with our suppliers to develop the halon replacement 2-bromo-3,3,3-trifluoro-1-propene (2-BTP) for use as a fire extinguishing agent for use onboard aircraft. As a new chemical, 2-BTP received EPA approvals under TSCA as well as its Significant New Alternatives Policy Program as a replacement for an ozone depleting substance.
Approximately eight years ago, the FAA certified it for handheld extinguisher use in aircraft cabins and the flight deck where it is deployed globally today. However, the approvals limited its use in other aircraft applications, such as in cargo holds. Notwithstanding the findings that this halon replacement compound was found to be acceptable for use around passengers and crew, it is still not yet approved for cargo.
Boeing has also experienced challenges when evaluating new chemicals under the TSCA exemption for research and development (R&D). Boeing supports that exemption because it allows Boeing to evaluate novel chemical materials early in their development cycle to determine suitability for new aircraft applications needed for our future aircraft. However, reliance on the R&D exemption introduces regulatory uncertainty into Boeing's technology development process, which operates on a multi-year timeline to ensure that once mature, a new chemical technology will meet both performance and certification requirements.
If there is uncertainty whether an R&D chemical will be approved by EPA in time to meet internal milestones for certification of a future aircraft, then our researchers may choose to exclude that candidate chemical early in the development process and choose one that is already approved by EPA. This reduces risk to the certification schedule for our future aircraft, but at the cost of potentially significant improvements to that aircraft model's performance. The impact of these decisions can be far reaching.
For example, not utilizing a new R&D epoxy resin for a composite material could result in an alternative material being selected at the cost of additional weight being added to the aircraft's certified design. Over the decades long lifetime of that airplane, even small weight increases can result in significant increases in fuel consumption, emissions, and operating costs for our customers. As a result, the uncertainty in the timing of EPA authorizing R&D chemicals for full scale production has long-term consequences. Boeing would welcome regulatory changes to give aircraft manufacturers more certainty early in our development process that R&D exempt chemicals will obtain timely EPA decisions for use in aerospace production.
In closing, thank you again for the opportunity to speak with you about how the current regulatory environment for chemicals impacts the aerospace industry. I look forward to your questions.
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Original text here: https://www.epw.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/7/b/7b0613f7-70e6-486f-84a8-f765bf41e676/D5DCA02C13039A0782535D628023C77C9C5CAB13DF8EE629E39C74A3A1D8492E.10-23-2025-gross-testimony.pdf
America First Policy Institute Executive VP Wolf Testifies Before Senate Judiciary Subcommittee
WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 -- The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution released the following testimony by Chad F. Wolf, executive vice president, chief strategy officer and chair of the Homeland Security and Immigration Center at the America First Policy Institute, from an Oct. 28, 2025, hearing entitled "Politically Violent Attacks: A Threat to Our Constitutional Order":* * *
Thank you, Chairman Schmitt and Ranking Member Welch, for the opportunity to testify before the subcommittee today.
On September 4, 2020, violent opportunists and anarchists had done the unthinkable - reaching 100 ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 -- The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution released the following testimony by Chad F. Wolf, executive vice president, chief strategy officer and chair of the Homeland Security and Immigration Center at the America First Policy Institute, from an Oct. 28, 2025, hearing entitled "Politically Violent Attacks: A Threat to Our Constitutional Order": * * * Thank you, Chairman Schmitt and Ranking Member Welch, for the opportunity to testify before the subcommittee today. On September 4, 2020, violent opportunists and anarchists had done the unthinkable - reaching 100consecutive nights of violent protests in Portland, Oregon. These protests were defined by repeated violent attacks on federal law enforcement, civilians, journalists, and federal property. Night after night, hundreds of people would surround the Hatfield Federal Courthouse with the intention of vandalizing and setting fire to it. When law enforcement responded, officers would be assaulted with mortar-style commercial grade fireworks, accelerants, IEDs, sledgehammers, concrete, and slingshots.
At that time, I pleaded with local elected officials - including the Governor and mayor of Portland - to support DHS officers to ensure their safety. Time and again, they refused. They chose politics over public safety, and the results were devastating. Over 280 injuries to law enforcement officers and millions of dollars in damages to the federal courthouse, local private property and businesses.
Back then, nationally elected officials and media personalities smeared law enforcement officers. They called law enforcement professionals "stormtroopers," the "Gestapo" and "thugs." They were comparing our law enforcement to America's historical adversaries.
Unfortunately, I see this pattern and rhetoric repeating itself today - but exacerbated. Similar violence toward law enforcement and similar and irresponsible rhetoric from those on the left describing law enforcement as Nazis. The difference between 2020 and now, however, is that President Trump and his administration know what to expect and are fighting aggressively to hold those who are committing violent attacks accountable.
I strongly support those who lawfully exercise their Constitutional rights, including our First Amendment right to peaceably assemble. But we need to draw a clear line in the sand and protect our communities and our institutions by holding criminals accountable for their actions.
Today, we see radical, violent groups - like Antifa - who are organized and well-funded. They plan, they execute, and they purposefully operate in undetectable corners of the internet.
Those who oppose cracking down on violent anarchists often argue that President Trump was wrong to designate them as domestic terrorists because they lack formal structure, leadership, or governance.
This criticism completely misses the point. Their lack of formal structure is a feature - not a bug. They operate this way precisely to evade law enforcement and accountability, and they are proving to be effective with this strategy. This decentralized model is not novel -- it mirrors tactics used by other modern extremist or criminal networks.
Whether or not an individual self-identifies as "antifa" is not the only data point. Much like ISIS-inspired attacks in America, these activists do largely share a cohesive ideology that expressly advocates violence to achieve political or social ends. That squarely fits the federal statutory definition of domestic terrorism. Jihadists, cybercriminals, and other criminal networks also lack formal leadership structure but nonetheless are targeted by law enforcement.
But don't take my word for it. Let the activists speak for themselves.
Just last weekend, protestors called for ICE agents to be "shot" and "wiped out". Another protestor said he'd kill a high-ranking government official if given the chance. Over the Summer of 2025, there have been numerous antifascist-inspired attacks on law enforcement, journalists, and citizens - most tragically with the sickening and heartbreaking assassination of Charlie Kirk.
The bullet casing left behind by Charlie's killer echoed the violent rhetoric we often hear at these protests and riots - rhetoric that targets law enforcement, in particular immigration enforcement officials.
Additionally, recent polling has revealed a concerning trend of radicalization - especially amongst younger and liberal Americans - to justify political violence. According to a 2025 Rutgers University poll, a majority of left of center Americans stated it would be at least somewhat justified to murder President Trump or Elon Musk. Nearly 60% of those same Americans believed destroying a Tesla dealership in protest would be at least somewhat justified. A 2025 YouGov poll found that - amongst those who consider themselves "very liberal" - 25% (one in four) believe that violence can be justified to achieve a political goal. That represents five times the number of very conservative Americans when asked the same question.
The evidence is clear: young, liberal Americans are increasingly justifying, and partaking in, violence to achieve political goals. And those beliefs are what we're witnessing play out in real time on the streets of Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Portland, and other cities across the country.
Let me state this as clearly as I can: the lawful enforcement of immigration policies passed by the U.S. Congress nearly 60 years ago is no way, shape, or form fascist. If it were, then every single country on earth - no matter the political leadership - would be considered fascist by their definition. Terms like "fascism" are thrown around with reckless abandon, and the number of victims is increasing by the day. The increasingly violent nature of this rhetoric is contributing to the threat environment for journalists, commuters, state, local, and federal law enforcement officers, and it must stop - especially when we're talking about elected officials.
My colleagues and I at the America First Policy Institute have spent years advocating for freedom of speech, and against government-sponsored censorship. But what we are seeing play out day after day is not a form of peaceful protest. Destroying property and violently targeting those who they disagree with is not peaceful protest. Harassing, doxxing, or threatening law enforcement is not peaceful protest. Attacking journalists is not peaceful protest. These actions are the antithesis of freedom of speech. Violence, of any kind and perpetrated by any ideology, can never be equated to lawful protest. Our country's dedication to enshrining freedom of speech into our Constitution is designed to avoid violence - not encourage it.
To address a public safety threat, it's critical to admit that it's a threat in the first place. I implore lawmakers to read the data. Federal immigration and border security law enforcement is facing a 1000% increase in threats, harassment, and doxxing. We owe it to them - and their families - to face these active threats with the seriousness they deserve.
The rise in radical political violence our Nation has experienced in recent years is an undeniable threat to law and order and presents a uniquely challenging issue for law enforcement to face. Thankfully, the Trump Administration, along with members of Congress, are acting swiftly. At the America First Policy Institute, we proudly support many of these policies - but the work has only just begun.
We must continue to give federal law enforcement the resources they need to do their job effectively. We must allow ICE to do their job; as well as enter local jails, courthouses, and other facilities which provide safer environments for the officers and the migrants. We must oppose any legislative attempt to undermine the privacy and safety of federal law enforcement. We must robustly prosecute and increase criminal penalties for assaulting, harassing, or doxxing federal law enforcement. We must leverage joint taskforces and interdepartmental working groups to share intelligence and conduct operations. We must continue investigating and targeting groups that conduct these protests. The DOJ and FBI should use prosecutorial options - such as sentencing enhancements. We must protect courageous journalists who are doing the work that the mainstream media won't do in covering these protests. But perhaps most importantly, elected officials must be honest with the American people about public safety threats.
It is a core responsibility of governmental bodies to protect our sworn officers, journalists, and all Americans from any form of political violence that is showing no signs of slowing down. We owe it to fathers and mothers, we owe it to Erika Kirk, and we owe it to every family who has lost a loved one to political violence, to ensure that their calls for accountability and action are finally answered.
Thank you, and I look forward to your questions.
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Original text here: https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/4a3850cc-9186-4271-fe98-9caebcd5b632/2025-10-28-PM_Testimony_Wolf.pdf
Alaska Federation of Natives President Mallott Testifies Before Senate Indian Affairs Committee
WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 -- The Senate Indian Affairs Committee released the following written testimony by Alaska Federation of Natives President Ben Mallott from an Oct. 29, 2025, hearing entitled "Impacts of Government Shutdowns and Agency Reductions in Force on Native Communities":* * *
I. Introduction
Chairman Murkowski, Vice Chairman Schatz, and members of the Committee:
Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today regarding the impacts of the ongoing federal government shutdown and agency reductions in force on our Alaska Native communities. I would like to offer a special thank you ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 -- The Senate Indian Affairs Committee released the following written testimony by Alaska Federation of Natives President Ben Mallott from an Oct. 29, 2025, hearing entitled "Impacts of Government Shutdowns and Agency Reductions in Force on Native Communities": * * * I. Introduction Chairman Murkowski, Vice Chairman Schatz, and members of the Committee: Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today regarding the impacts of the ongoing federal government shutdown and agency reductions in force on our Alaska Native communities. I would like to offer a special thank youto Senator Murkowski for her leadership in advocating for Alaska and for the Alaska Native people.
My name is Ben Mallott, and I serve as the President of the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN). AFN is the largest statewide Alaska Native organization. Our membership includes over 140,000 Alaska Natives and their institutions set up to serve our people. AFN's membership includes federally recognized tribes, regional tribal consortiums, regional non-profit organizations, and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) village and regional corporations.
Many of our tribal organizations have worked hard to position themselves to weather the impacts of a shutdown. Alaska Native entities receiving federal assistance engage in best practices to prepare for and utilize all available funding prior to a lapse in federal appropriations to keep our programs stable and our operations uninterrupted to the greatest extent possible during a shutdown. But when a shutdown drags on for a prolonged period, there is little we can do to keep the impacts to our organizations and communities at bay. Tomorrow we will hit the critical 30-day mark of the shutdown, and our organizations will be facing difficult realities and decisions about the ability to carry out certain programs and whether tribal staff must be laid off. A prolonged shutdown places many Alaska Native entities and communities in a difficult and potentially life-threatening position. So please keep in mind that the impacts I raise today will continue to grow until the shutdown ends.
II. Impacts of the Federal Government Shutdown and RIFs
a. Disaster Recovery for Western Alaska
I would be remiss if I did not start my remarks by acknowledging that our communities in Western Alaska's Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta are still reeling from the devastating impacts of Typhoon Halong, which struck our state on October 12. Disaster recovery in this region is unlike other regions in our country. These communities are remote with no access to roads and are hundreds of miles from cities to where these residents must evacuate. Both short and long-term recovery efforts are complex, and reliable communication with federal agencies assisting in disaster recovery like FEMA is essential. While the federal government is working on immediate response to Typhoon Halong, the shutdown creates further complications and uncertainties for our communities in the region devasted by the Typhoon. Many of the people forced to evacuate the region now face a lengthy recovery process that will require substantial engagement with the federal government. Any delay or confusion caused by the shutdown adds a tremendous burden to our already hurting people in the region. Relief efforts are being supported by federal employees working without pay. We appreciate these workers' vital contributions, and we want to see them be paid for their work, including back pay for their unpaid work these past few weeks.
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Threats to Food and Heat Availability and Assistance
We are deeply concerned about the impacts of the shutdown and its implications for food availability and assistance in Alaska. From the Federal Subsistence Board to SNAP benefits, the shutdown is threatening the availability of food in our Alaska Native communities. This is compounded by the fact that winter is upon us in Alaska. As temperatures approach 0 degrees up north, a gallon of milk is $13. Our people are about to be in the very real situation of having to pick between food and heat.
Our people rely heavily on subsistence to feed our families and to fill freezers to get through the long, dark winters. Subsistence activities on federal lands are managed through the Interior Department's Federal Subsistence Board, which has canceled its Regional Advisory Committee meetings across the state in October. These meetings are critically important for governance of the subsistence system our rural Alaska Native communities depend on to survive.
SNAP benefits expire on Friday, and it will have a devastating impact in Alaska. SNAP serves approximately 66,000 Alaskans, including thousands of Alaska Native peoples who live in remote or economically disadvantaged regions. The State of Alaska has confirmed that due to the federal shutdown, November benefits will not be issued to SNAP recipients, removing a critical food security lifeline for families and individuals. The loss of SNAP benefits will deepen food insecurity and threaten the well-being of Alaska Native elders, children, and families. Further, the lack of SNAP benefits will overwhelm informal food assistance programs or organizations, such as food banks, in communities where they exist, to say nothing of the impacts for communities where they do not exist.
The shutdown will also pose a threat to vulnerable households across the state that rely on federal assistance for heating their homes, such as the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). New funding for the LIHEAP program will be unavailable during the shutdown, undermining a critical support system for Alaska Native families and elders during harsh winter conditions. At least one Alaska Native housing authority had to tell their community members that while they will take new LIHEAP applications during the shutdown, payments are on hold until the shutdown ends.
A continued shutdown will force too many Alaska Native families, elders, and people to choose between basic human needs such as food or home heating during the winter months.
b. Lack of Consultation
Lack of federal employees carrying out federal agency actions and responsibilities compromises the government's legal requirements to engage in meaningful consultation with Tribes and Alaska Native Corporations. Internal agency training and education is an essential part of building the right agency talent and capacity to engage in meaningful consultation, especially in Alaska, where additional training is required to educate agency professionals about the unique status of Native land and the unique and diverse systems of Native governance in Alaska. It often takes years for the right relationships to be built. Simply put, reductions in workforce at both the regional and headquarters levels compromise the ability of federal agencies to meet their consultation obligations.
And during a shutdown--especially one as long as the current lapse in appropriations--there is essentially no path for our communities to engage in real discussions with agency personnel making key decisions affecting our livelihoods. For example, as mentioned above, the Federal Subsistence Board is canceling or delaying its Regional Advisory Committee meetings across the state in October, which are critically important for governance of the subsistence system our rural Alaska Native communities depend on to survive.
c. Impacts to Health Care
While other witnesses today will speak more on the impacts of the shutdown on Tribal health, I want to share with you concerns raised by Alaska Native health care providers.
We deeply appreciate Congress providing the Indian Health Service (IHS) advance appropriations. This has been very helpful to insulate IHS programs from the government shutdown. However, there are a number of Tribal health programs and services that are not included in the advance appropriations that are being affected. While Tribes have been paid health services and other related funding, they have not been paid contract support costs, 105(l) lease payments, or certain other facility services that are needed to support health operations. Contract support costs help fund the administrative and overhead costs associated with carrying out health services. The 105(l) lease payments help to fund maintenance and improvement activities for health facilities. These types of payments are not being processed during the shutdown under a lapse in appropriations.
The shutdown also impacts other aspects of Tribal health. For example, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Tribal Technical Advisory Group (CMS TTAG) may have to cancel its upcoming meeting if the shutdown is still in effect. The TTAG is an important advisory body to the CMS Administrator providing expertise on CMS policies, guidelines, and programmatic issues affecting IHS and Tribal health programs. Medicaid is one of these extremely important programs, which provides from 40-60 percent of funding for IHS and Tribal programs. This upcoming meeting is very important for the TTAG since they are working with CMS to develop operational guidance and recommendations to implement several Tribal provisions included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
III. Conclusion
Thank you again for inviting me to speak today. I look forward to answering any questions you may have about our Alaska Native communities and the shutdown impacts discussed here today.
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Original text here: https://www.indian.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/1.29.2025-Testimony-Mallott.pdf