Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States Senator for Vermont Patrick Leahy

06.11.21

WASHINGTON (FRIDAY, June 11, 2021) – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), President Pro Tempore of the Senate, yesterday led Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Majority Whip, Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), ranking member of the subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Todd Young (R-Ind.), and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) in sending a letter to President Biden encouraging the administration to hold the Ortega-Murillo regime accountable for undermining democracy, denying the right to free and fair elections, and committing gross human rights abuses in Nicaragua.

“We write in support of immediate actions in response to the Ortega-Murillo regime’s systematic dismantling of independent civil institutions, which is undermining the rule of law in Nicaragua,” the senators wrote. “The United States should act swiftly and decisively to send a clear message urging the Ortega-Murillo regime to reverse course.”

“Since December 2020, the Ortega-Murillo regime has severely restricted independent civil society and media, forced unlawful financial regulations on local banks, seized control of the Supreme Electoral Council in violation of Nicaraguan law, and put in place a fraudulent electoral process that denies the Nicaraguan people’s right to freely and fairly choose their leaders in elections in November,” the senators continued. “The regime has begun to arrest and detain prominent opposition candidates for president, eliminating any possibility of a free and fair election.”

“We recommend considering [taking action] as part of a coordinated strategy with other members of the international community who share U.S. concerns, to support efforts of the Nicaraguan people to end corruption and restore democratic governance in their country, including through free and fair elections in November 2021,” the senators concluded.

The senators recommended the administration take the following actions:

• Review Nicaragua’s continued participation in the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement;
• Investigate the assets and holdings of the Nicaraguan Armed Forces in the United States and hold it accountable for gross violations of human rights; and
• Use tools available under Section 5 of the Nicaragua Human Rights and Anticorruption Act of 2018 and Executive Order 13851 to hold accountable Nicaraguan nationals, including members of the Nicaraguan National Assembly, where there is sufficient evidence of involvement in acts of corruption and other abuses. 

A copy of the letter can be found here and below:

Dear President Biden:

We write in support of immediate actions in response to the Ortega-Murillo regime’s systematic dismantling of independent civil institutions, which is undermining the rule of law in Nicaragua. The United States should act swiftly and decisively to send a clear message urging the Ortega-Murillo regime to reverse course.

More than three years after the regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo brutally repressed peaceful demonstrations, Nicaraguans have not found justice for the more than 320 people killed and the nearly 800 arbitrarily arrested. Since December 2020, the Ortega-Murillo regime has severely restricted independent civil society and media, forced unlawful financial regulations on local banks, seized control of the Supreme Electoral Council in violation of Nicaraguan law, and put in place a fraudulent electoral process that denies the Nicaraguan people’s right to freely and fairly choose their leaders in elections in November. The regime has begun to arrest and detain prominent opposition candidates for president, eliminating any possibility of a free and fair election.

The Ortega-Murillo regime’s concentration of power over all branches of the Nicaraguan Government and resulting corruption threaten the future of democracy in that country, damage the interests of the United States, and erode confidence in the ability of the Nicaraguan Government to uphold its international obligations, including those under the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR).

Therefore, we urge your administration to take additional measures in response to the repression in Nicaragua. First, the administration should consider Nicaragua’s continued participation in CAFTA-DR if the Ortega-Murillo regime continues to tighten its authoritarian rule in an attempt to subvert the November elections, specifically, and undermine democracy and human rights in Nicaragua generally. The CAFTA was envisioned as a preferential trading arrangement among the free nations of Central America and the United States. The Ortega-Murillo regime’s attempts to crush democracy in Nicaragua are inconsistent with the spirit and principles of CAFTA-DR.

Second, the administration should thoroughly investigate the assets and holdings of the Nicaraguan Armed Forces in the United States and consider appropriate actions to hold it accountable for gross violations of human rights.

Lastly, we recommend using the tools available to you under Section 5 of the Nicaragua Human Rights and Anticorruption Act of 2018 (NHRAA) and Executive Order 13851 to hold accountable Nicaraguan nationals, including members of the Nicaraguan National Assembly, where there is sufficient evidence of involvement in acts of corruption and other abuses to further the efforts by the Ortega-Murillo regime and their accomplices to undermine democracy.

We recommend considering these actions as part of a coordinated strategy with other members of the international community who share U.S. concerns, to support efforts of the Nicaraguan people to end corruption and restore democratic governance in their country, including through free and fair elections in November 2021.

Sincerely, 

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Source: United States Senator for Alaska Dan Sullivan

06.11.21

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) spoke with Maria Bartiromo this week on Fox Business Network about stalled infrastructure negotiations between President Joe Biden and congressional Republicans, and the senator and two of his Senate colleagues’ recent visit to South Korea and Taiwan in which the delegation announced the allocation of 750,000 American vaccines for the people of Taiwan.

TRANSCRIPT

BARTIROMO: Joining me right now is Alaska senator, a member of the Senate Armed Services, and Commerce, Science, Transportation Committees–Dan Sullivan. Sir, it’s great to have you this morning. Thank you so much for joining us. I guess I want to start – 

SULLIVAN: Good morning, Maria. Great to be on the show. Thanks. 

BARTIROMO: I want to hear all about your trip — I’m so happy you’re here. We’ve been talking about your trip to Taiwan now for two weeks. I want to hear all about the trip.

But first, walk us through this spending plan. Is the president going to be able to get these pie-in-the-sky dreams through, much higher taxes, massive spending? Will he be able to get it through reconciliation? We know that Joe Manchin is not on board for H.R. 1 and not on board for removing the filibuster. Will he be on board to get this through reconciliation here?

SULLIVAN: Look, I think that’s the huge question. I have my doubts. And it’s because of the way you described the infrastructure bill. You know, there was a development a couple weeks ago. I also sit on the Environment and Public Works Committee.

Two weeks ago we passed out of that committee a five-year highway bill, very significant infrastructure. And there’s a lesson there, Maria, which is if you focus on infrastructure, traditional infrastructure — roads, bridges, ports — which is what our bill did, we had 21 senators agree to that bill.

It also had permitting reform which I’m a huge passionate advocate for because, as you know, you could do $10 trillion in infrastructure. If you don’t have efficient, timely permitting, you’re not going to get anything done in this country.

So I think that’s a lesson. We need to stay focused on those areas in terms of infrastructure, not big pie-in-the-sky Green New Deal ideas that the Democrats are trying to shove in there. I have my doubts that even Democratic senators will support that.

BARTIROMO: Yes, I mean, is he bluffing to say, look, I’m walking away at this point? And I’m glad you mentioned the permitting. Everybody knows that’s the big issue here. Nobody’s going to invest in transportation and infrastructure if they think they’re not going to see a return for 20 years, right?

I mean, Jamie Dimon had a story at one point that it took him 13 years to see the bridge that he was investing in actually get built. He walked away. 

SULLIVAN: And that’s another big issue. If you bring the permitting timelines down to two to three years — you know this — you will bring huge private sector capital off the sidelines to increase infrastructure spending that’s not even the federal government spending.

I think the permitting issues are critical. When you talk to governors, when you talk to mayors, whether they’re Democrats or Republicans, they’re all in on efficient, timely permitting. We’ve been pressing — I’ve been pressing president and his team on this. I think that’s one of the keys to unlocking this infrastructure challenge.

BARTIROMO: Yes. I don’t know how you walk away from a $1 trillion deal on hard infrastructure. I mean, come on, man. You got $1 trillion to put to roads, bridges and — you know, do it. 

All right. Real quick, I’ve got to get to your trip. You were one of three senators who traveled to Taiwan over the weekend to underscore American support for Taiwan. The U.S. is also sending Taiwan 750,000 vaccine dosages. 

Senator, what can you tell us about the trip? What struck you most?

SULLIVAN: The Chinese Communist Party obviously didn’t like it. They did two editorials in The Global Times. They called it a vile provocation. So form my perspective, that meant it was probably a really important and successful trip.

But I think one thing that’s important to underscore, Maria, we went right after Memorial Day. And it is not an exaggeration to say countries like Taiwan, South Korea where we also visited — they literally wouldn’t exist, these prosperous, dynamic democracies, without the service and sacrifice of tens of thousands of Americans. 

Every American citizen when you go to these kind of countries, you can take pride in that. So that’s number one.

But the other thing is, we were focused in a lot of ways on vaccine diplomacy and it’s a huge contrast that we are underscoring with regard to what happened last year. The Chinese Communist Party essentially sickened the world with the pandemic and it was characterized by a lack of transparency, a lack of cooperation with any other countries. 

And by contrast, America right now is leading through our innovation. We came up with — in the Operation Warp Speed initiative that congress and the Trump administration put together — we came up with a vaccine in record time and now we are working with our partners in an open way to help heal the world.

The contrast couldn’t be more dramatic and I think it was an important trip in that regard. Also to just show our bedrock support for Taiwan’s democracy and security.

BARTIROMO: It was a really important trip, senator. A lot of us are grateful that you made the trip. We know that China is making no secret of the fact that it wants reunification with Taiwan and we’re all wondering if it’s going to invade Taiwan. 

We all remember that idiotic apology from actor John Cena. e calls Taiwan a country and then he comes up with this whole speech and apology to the CCP and he says it in Mandarin. I mean, wow. Don’t even get me started about that.

But here’s your colleague, Senator Cotton. He says, “Make China pay for COVID now by revoking Most Favored Nation status.” Are you in on something like that? Because you just said it sickened the world.

SULLIVAN: It did sicken the world and we’re healing the world. Many years ago, you might remember, in 1995 and ‘96, Maria, when the Chinese Communist Party threatened Taiwan with an invasion, they shot missiles over Taiwan during their first presidential election.

I was a young Marine infantry officer deployed out to the Taiwan Strait during that crisis and that was a commitment of American resolve and a commitment to Taiwan’s security. I think we need to continue to do that and as Senator Cotton mentioned, we need to get to the bottom of what happened with regard to the pandemic last year.

It’s increasingly looking like this came out of the lab, but the contrast between what we are doing now, the United States leading the effort in healing the world with our innovation, working with our partners, even as the Chinese still send out their junk vaccine to poor countries with strings attached. It’s an important contrast and I think countries in the region are noticing and it’s good for American diplomacy and leadership.

BARTIROMO: Well, thank you for your leadership and your service to our great country. Once a Marine, always a Marine. 

Bottom line, Senator, if the CCP invaded Taiwan, would the U.S. support Taiwan? 

SULLIVAN: Well, you know, our relationship with Taiwan is ruled by the Taiwan Relations Act. That was the Senate in 1979, taking charge of the relationship and that act commits the United States to making sure [Taiwan] has the capacity to defend itself and we’re going to continue to do that. 

BARTIROMO: All right. Senator, great to see you. We will continue to follow your endeavors. 

SULLIVAN: Thanks, Maria.

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Source: United States Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)

WASHINGTON—As the national deficit approaches $30 trillion, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), known as the Senate’s leading foe of government waste, helped introduce a bill to rein in Washington’s out-of-control spending and provide a concrete path forward to tackle the nation’s debt crisis.

“Despite being almost $30 trillion in debt, President Biden and congressional Democrats are continuing to propose trillions in additional spending of taxpayer dollars. If Iowans are expected to live within their means and balance their budgets, our federal government should too. This bill takes commonsense steps to hold Washington politicians accountable and to provide a pathway forward to tackle our nation’s debt crisis,” said Senator Ernst.

The Federal Debt Emergency Control Act:

Requires the Office of Management and Budget to declare a “Federal Debt Emergency” in any fiscal year where the federal debt exceeds 100% of that year’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
This emergency designation would trigger several provisions to help control and reduce the federal debt to levels below 100% of GDP, including:
Terminating any unobligated funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, and any previous stimulus bills, and sending it back to the Treasury General Fund immediately for deficit reduction.
Requiring all legislation that increases the federal deficit, as determined by the Congressional Budget Office, to carry its own offsets. If it does not, the legislation shall be considered out of order and will require at least two-thirds of all Senators to vote to increase federal debt before even being able to consider the bill.
Fast-tracking any legislation that would reduce the federal deficit by at least 5 percent over ten years.

“Congress needs to get serious about record debt and deficit levels, while also working to avoid back-breaking tax hikes on the middle class and small businesses. Senator Scott’s Federal Debt Emergency Control Act would give Congress the tools it needs to meaningfully address the debt when it outgrows the size of the economy. NTU applauds Senator Scott for leading this fiscally responsible effort,” said Andrew Lautz, Director of Federal Policy, National Taxpayers Union (NTU).

“After the budget deficit has exceeded $3.7 trillion and the national debt stands at more than $28 trillion, it is time to rebuild the nation’s fiscal security. The Federal Debt Emergency Control Act creates a commonsense plan to rein in the federal government’s excessive spending habits; makes payments toward reducing the national debt; and forces members of Congress to be on the record when they vote to increase the deficit. Passage of Senator Scott’s legislation will begin to put an end to reckless, wasteful, out-of-control government spending,” said Tom Schatz, President, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste. 

“Federal spending and the national debt have been completely out of control for years, yet the Biden administration wants to make this problem worse by enacting trillions of dollars in new spending. Lawmakers must get serious about curbing this problem and can do so by supporting Senator Rick Scott’s Federal Debt Emergency Act. This important legislation will implement much needed legislative reforms that will force lawmakers to seriously address federal spending and deficits. Importantly, this legislation contains safeguards to protect against tax increases, ensuring that politicians do not force working families and businesses to pick up the tab for years of Washington mismanagement,” said Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform.

“Washington has gone on a spending spree, adding trillions of dollars to our national debt since last year. The Federal Debt Emergency Control Act makes important reforms to stop Congress from its habit of deficit spending on the taxpayer’s dime,” said Brent Gardner, Americans for Prosperity Chief Government Affairs Officer.

“With a national debt surpassing 28 trillion dollars, our country’s fiscal health is in dire straits. Decades of reckless spending have created a true emergency laid at the feet of Americans now and for generations to come. More than ever, we need real conversations and workable solutions to address the national debt. Senator Scott’s Federal Debt Emergency Control Act is an important measure to force politicians who would rather look the other way to instead curb Congress’s spending addiction and preserve the financial health of our country,” said Adam Brandon, President of FreedomWorks.

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Source: United States Senator for Utah Mike Lee

WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) is happy to join Sens. Angus King (I-ME) and Rand Paul (R-KY) in introducing the Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption (PRIME) Act.  In addition to reviving the ability of local custom slaughterhouses to compete with large regional packers, this commonsense legislation moves to revive the ability of individual states to govern the commerce within their own borders.    

“Current federal laws and regulations—designed for large regional packers—create insurmountable economic barriers that keep local outfits from competing in the market,” said Sen. Lee. “By removing some of those barriers, local meat processers can rejoin local markets, processing backlogs can be alleviated, and meat prices at the local grocery store can stabilize.”

The legislation comes days after a ransomware attack forced the world’s largest meat processor to shut down nine U.S. plants and disrupted production at other facilities—reinforcing the importance of local producers in a resilient food supply chain.  

Under current law, farmers and ranchers must have their animals processed at a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) certified facility to sell their product commercially.  However, the limited availability of these facilities—which end up being large corporate entities that can afford to pay for USDA inspectors—can create enormous problems for the food supply chain, with the most burdensome impacts on farmers, ranchers, and grocery store customers.  

The PRIME Act would exempt custom packers from the economic burden of the USDA inspection process, would shift more safety oversight to states—some of which already have equally rigorous inspection practices—and would break down barriers for small farms looking to sell their product in-state.  This rebalance of power will help relieve the significant shortage of processing capacity while allowing small farms, ranchers, and slaughterhouses to thrive.  By restoring the role of state government over intrastate commerce in this way, we will make it easier for farmers to supply their products to markets, restaurants, and grocery stores in their own state, which will give consumers more, and likely cheaper, options to access farm-fresh products. 

Source: United States Senator for Colorado Michael Bennet

Washington, D.C. – Today, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet released the following statement applauding the announcement from the White House that June 21 will be “Child Tax Credit Awareness Day”:

“I am thrilled to see the White House designate June 21 as ‘Child Tax Credit Awareness Day,” said Bennet. “Ahead of the first distribution of payments next month, we should do everything possible to raise awareness and ensure all qualifying families receive their benefits. July 15 will be an amazing moment when Coloradans actually see their families benefit dramatically from something we’ve done in Washington. It’s going to make a huge difference to people, and that’s why I’ll keep fighting to make the improved Child Tax Credit permanent and ensure 2021 becomes ‘Child Tax Credit Year.’”

In March 2021, President Joe Biden signed into law a one-year expansion of the CTC, based on Bennet’s American Family Act, in the American Rescue Plan Act. This expansion will cut child poverty in nearly half nationwide this year and benefit nearly 90% of Colorado children. 

In his American Families Plan announced in April 2021, President Biden proposed permanent full refundability of the CTC, as well as extending the enhanced CTC value and monthly payments through 2025. The president also committed to working with Congress to make the expanded CTC permanent. 

Bennet will continue to work with the administration and his colleagues in Congress to make the entire CTC expansion permanent.

Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) introduced a bipartisan bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to honor the contributions of all of those whose efforts led to the successful development of lifesaving vaccines to combat COVID-19. The bill commends these professionals for their tireless efforts, which beat typical vaccine development timeframes, and for their broader impact on the health and well-being of society and for the benefit of people around the world. The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor that Congress can bestow. It is awarded to those who have performed an achievement that has had an impact on American history and culture that is likely to be recognized in the recipient’s field for years to come.

“I am partnering with Senator Blunt to honor the tremendous efforts of the scientific community to respond to COVID-19 with a sense of urgency, tremendous expertise, and a spirit of collaboration. Their successful production of vaccines is saving countless lives in the United States and around the world,” said Senator Coons. “It’s my hope that this bipartisan bill will help to recognize these professionals for their extraordinary accomplishments and their contributions to advancements in medical technologies that will benefit the world for decades to come.” 

“Our nation is incredibly grateful for all of the scientists, researchers, and medical professionals who worked around the clock and under incredible pressure to develop life-saving vaccines,” said Senator Blunt. “Facing significant challenges, they defied all odds and developed vaccines faster than ever before in history. As Ranking Member of the appropriations subcommittee that funds medical research, I will continue making sure they have the tools and resources they need to finish the fight against COVID. I urge all of my colleagues to join Senator Coons and me in this effort to honor these men and women with the Congressional Gold Medal.”

The COVID–19 Vaccine Developers Gold Medal Act will honor:

• Researchers, scientists, doctors, epidemiologists, and others around the world who worked collaboratively to develop vaccines authorized for emergency use in the United States and will be used worldwide; and 
• The global cooperation, strategic partnerships, and collaboration between private innovators and public agencies that led to successful development of vaccines. 

The Congressional Gold Medal is among the country’s two highest civilian honors, along with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. While the latter is granted at the personal discretion of the president, the Congressional Gold Medal requires support from two-thirds of Congress, generally including the support of supermajorities in both chambers, and thus represents the recognition of an individual’s or group’s contributions by the people’s collective representatives. The award predates the founding of the Republic, and the first honoree—then-General George Washington—was recognized by the Continental Congress on March 25, 1776. Fewer than 175 medals have been extended in the country’s history.

The bill text is available here.

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Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

June 11, 2021

Bill Text (PDF) | Fact Sheet (PDF) 

Washington, DC – United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) today reintroduced the Refund Equality Act. This legislation would ensure that legally-married same-sex couples — who until the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2013 U.S. v. Windsor decision were barred from filing federal taxes jointly — are permitted to file amended tax returns back to the date of their marriage.

Before the Supreme Court’s decision in Windsor, a same-sex couple, legally married under state law, could not file federal income taxes as a married couple. After Windsor, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published guidance that clarified the IRS’s recognition of same-sex marriages, and stated that married same-sex couples could amend previously-filed tax returns to claim refunds or credits due as a result of corrected marital status.

Currently, married couples who previously filed taxes separately are permitted to file amended joint returns dating only back to three years, but the IRS lacks the authority to override this limitation. As a result, same-sex couples who were married in jurisdictions recognizing same-sex marriage prior to Windsor are unable to claim refunds for all years they were legally married. The Refund Equality Act would permit these couples to amend their tax returns for these years, allowing them to file jointly and to secure an estimated total of $57 million in refunds to which they are entitled.

“The federal government forced legally married same-sex couples to file as individuals and pay more in taxes for nearly a decade because of who they love,” said Senator Warren. “We need to call out that discrimination and make it right, and that’s why Congress should pass the Refund Equality Act immediately.”

The legislation is cosponsored by 40 senators, including Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Robert Casey (D-Pa.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), and Chris Coons (D-Del.).

Senator Warren and Representative Richard Neal (D-Mass.), along with 71 of their congressional colleagues introduced the legislation in July 2017. Senator Warren also reintroduced this bill in 2019 with Representative Judy Chu (D-Cali). This bill was included in the PRIDE Act of 2019, which passed the House in the 116th Congress.

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Source: United States Senator for Delaware – Tom Carper

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Thomas R. Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today issued the following statement:

“Earlier this year, I worked with Senator Capito on two bipartisan measures––water infrastructure legislation that we reported from our Committee unanimously and passed in the full Senate on a 89-2 vote and the highway portion of a surface transportation reauthorization bill that we also reported from our committee with unanimous support. I’m proud my work with Senator Capito led to these bipartisan accomplishments and believe they form a solid down payment on the President’s American Jobs Plan. Still, I know we can and must do more to fight climate change and we also need to tackle the challenge of finding appropriate pay-fors.

“Over the last 18 hours, I’ve had the chance to discuss the new bipartisan infrastructure proposal with a number of the Senators who developed it and with other colleagues and I look forward to more in-depth conversations in the coming days. As part of achieving our climate and infrastructure goals, we must reauthorize our surface transportation programs, which are set to expire on September 30. I’m grateful that my colleagues are keenly aware of this urgent need. I will continue to talk with Senators on and off of our committee, as well as partnering with the House and the Administration, to finally get the job done and enact this critical legislation.”

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