Category: US Senate

Charleston, WV – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) released the following statement regarding U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan’s visit to McDowell County and the efforts to improve local drinking water and wastewater systems in the region.

“For over a century, the people of McDowell County have made the hard sacrifices to power our nation to greatness. I appreciate Administrator Regan for visiting this community to see first-hand the challenges we face. Today, I am proud to announce some long-overdue investments in essential water infrastructure and other resources that will help the people of McDowell County access more resources in the future. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue fighting to ensure the people of West Virginia get the long past due federal support that they need and deserve.”

May 25, 2023

(North Conway, NH) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) concluded her week-long series underscoring the potential impact of a GOP-forced default in a meeting with the Mount Washington Valley Chamber and local officials. Throughout the week, Shaheen has hosted statewide events and briefings to discuss the financial fallout in New Hampshire if Republicans in Congress force a default. During the Trump administration, Democrats and Republicans came together three times to avoid national default, which is a matter of paying existing financial obligations and does not relate to new spending.

“The United States has never defaulted in our history, and we cannot start now. In New Hampshire, the stakes are high, and federal programs that keep people afloat are on the line,” said Senator Shaheen. “Millions of Americans and families here in New Hampshire will suffer if we cannot find a bipartisan solution to avert default and a resulting economic crisis. As we discussed today, small businesses would be heavily impacted by such a default. New Hampshire is a small business state, and especially as our local shops are still recovering from the financial toll of the pandemic, this is the last thing they can afford. I will keep pushing lawmakers in Washington to find a bipartisan solution that would avoid a default and protect working families, small businesses and our local economies.”

At her first event today, Senator Shaheen focused on the severe economic impact that a default would have on New Hampshire’s small business community, especially in more rural parts of the state. Shaheen’s meeting this morning followed her virtual meetings Tuesday with the New Hampshire Municipal Association, local leaders from across the state and members of the New Hampshire Commerce Corridor  Chambers. Yesterday, Shaheen met with nonprofit leaders and advocates to discuss the impact of a default on Granite State families, particularly those accessing federal assistance programs and with housing stakeholders to discuss how a default would affect New Hampshire’s housing market.

Later this afternoon, Shaheen visited the Pine Hill Community Forest and met with Kennett High School representatives to discuss outdoor recreation and tourism in the area, highlighting the school’s Career Technical Education (CTE) program. Shaheen took a guided hike of the Ravine Trail near the high school, highlighting the important roles that the tourism and outdoor recreation industries play in New Hampshire’s economy.

“I always love an opportunity to get outside and go for a hike, but it’s even better when I get to do that to make an important point: New Hampshire’s outdoor recreation and tourism industries are crucial to our state’s economy,” said Shaheen. “Trails like those we took today are fundamental infrastructure and the specialized high school workforce program at Kennett helps prepare students who may want to enter the outdoor recreation industry. I’m a steadfast supporter of specialized training programs just like this and will always advocate for continued investments that will educate, train and empower our workforce.”

May 25, 2023

(Washington, DC)— U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) announced that they introduced a resolution to designate November 12, 2023, as National Warrior Call Day. As Americans observe Memorial Day by honoring service members who sacrificed their lives in defense of our country, the lawmakers want to emphasize building meaningful relationships with both those currently serving and veterans. These relationships can help fight mental illness and combat the epidemic of suicide among military members.

“Those who have taken the oath to defend our country deserve our support long after their service ends,” said Senator Shaheen. “This bipartisan resolution to designate a National Warrior Call Day will help to strengthen the relationship between veterans and civilians, providing them the support they earned during their years of service.”

“Americans can never fully pay back those who serve in defense of America. We can, however, make sure that active military members and veterans have access to the support they need after serving to lead active and healthy lives. This bipartisan resolution will raise awareness on the importance of building relationships with those who defend our freedom,” said Senator Cotton.

Co-sponsoring the resolution are Sens. John Boozman (R-AR), Bob Casey (D-PA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), John Thune (R-SD), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), John Fetterman (D-PA), John Tester (D-MT), Jackie Rosen (D-NV), James Risch (R-ID), John Hoeven (R-ND), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Rick Scott (R-FL), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Marco Rubio (R-FL).

Resolution text is available here.

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK– Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today released the following statement after the Supreme Court issued a ruling inSackett v. Environmental Protection Agency:

“Oklahomans want clean, safe water. But President Biden’s tried to use the Waters of the United States rule to control almost every inch of Oklahoma so farmers, ranchers, and developers will have to play ‘Mother, May I?’ for months or years with Washington, DC, before they can operate on their own land. The Supreme Court today affirmed that a small stream of runoff water is not navigable water, and that we can protect our water without giving near total control of our land to the Washington bureaucracy.”

Background

In 2015, the Obama Administration finalized a rule that expanded the definition of WOTUS, creating confusion and burdensome red tape, especially for Oklahoma’s agriculture, construction, and energy industries.  The Trump Administration released a proposed rule, the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR), to replace the 2015 WOTUS rule with a new one that provided much-needed predictability and certainty for farmers by establishing clear and reasonable definitions of what qualifies as a “Waters of the United States.” The NWPR was finalized in 2020.

On day one of his Administration, President Biden signed an executive order to begin the process of rolling back the previous Administration’s NWPR. In December 2022, the EPA issued a new rule repealing the NWPR and changing the definition of WOTUS in a way that will expand federal regulatory authority.

Lankford and his colleagues immediately responded by sending a letter with the entire Senate Republican Conference to urge the EPA and the US Army Corps of Engineers to suspend the pending rulemaking to redefine the scope of waters protected under the Clean Water Act (CWA), specifically “Waters of the United States,” until the US Supreme Court completes its consideration of Sackett.

Lankford joined Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and all of their Senate Republican colleagues in introducing the formal challenge earlier this year.

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Senator Worked to Secure Funding for Asbestos Mitigation, Ensure Affordable Housing Project Could Move Forward

FARGO, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today announced that he has helped secure a $2 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Brownfields Cleanup Grant program to support the redevelopment of the Lashkowitz High Rise in Fargo. Hoeven made the announcement along with local leaders, including Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney and Fargo Housing & Redevelopment Authority CEO Chris Brungardt, outlining his efforts on the Senate Interior-EPA Appropriations Committee to ensure the city has the funding it needs to address asbestos at the site and move the project forward, which will provide 110 units of affordable housing for the region. The asbestos remediation is expected to take 80 days, with demolition to occur in fall of this year. Specifically, the senator:

• Worked with Barry Breen, EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for the Office of Land and Emergency Management, to:
• Replace the outdated U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) facility.
• Ensure the Brownfields Cleanup Grant program can adequately meet the community’s needs.
• Repeatedly raised the demolition and redevelopment of the Lashkowitz High Rise as a priority with HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge during Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations committee hearings in recent years.
• Hosted a call between the City of Fargo and HUD officials to identify funding opportunities for the project. 

            Today’s award is the latest in Hoeven’s efforts to advance the Lashkowitz Riverfront project, which has now received nearly $24 million in federal funding, including from the Housing Trust Fund, which was awarded in November, as well as the HUD Capital Fund Grant and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.

“The presence of asbestos at the Lashkowitz High Rise presented a real challenge for the City of Fargo, creating a funding shortfall for this critically-needed affordable housing project,” said Hoeven. “That’s why we went to work with city leaders and officials at HUD and EPA to identify funding opportunities and secure this $2 million award. With these funds in place, the existing facility can be safely demolished and new, high-quality, affordable housing can take its place in this prime location, serving the community for years to come.”

“Moving this project forward and being able to focus on the redevelopment of affordable housing on this site has been a top priority for the City of Fargo,” said Mahoney. “Thank you to Senator Hoeven for getting this Brownfields funding to allow for the environmental remediation and demolition of this historic redevelopment project in the City of Fargo.”

“We are very excited for the EPA Brownfields Grant to allow us to abate hazardous materials and pave the way for the new 110-unit Lashkowitz Riverfront,” said Brungardt. “The new Lashkowitz will provide direly needed affordable housing to our downtown neighborhoods. I’m appreciative of the work and cooperation from Senator Hoeven, the City of Fargo, and our EPA partners.”

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