Washington, D.C. – It has been three weeks since the start of Democrats’ government shutdown, which has forced federal law enforcement to work without pay, left air traffic control towers understaffed, and jeopardized nutritional programs for millions of low-income families.
This crisis was entirely avoidable. Yet Democrats have voted 13 times to keep the government closed as part of a reckless effort to ram through $1.5 trillion in new spending. Democrats want to make Joe Biden’s COVID credits permanent even though they allow taxpayer funding for abortion, subsidize gender transition procedures, and cost more than some federal agencies.
Meanwhile, the House Democrat Whip is bragging about forcing families to go without paychecks and benefits by using this shutdown as “leverage” to advance the radical left’s agenda. It’s time for Democrats to end the political theatrics and join Republicans in reopening the government.
Read more about this in my weekly column here.
Weekly Rundown
Those helping law enforcement in the fight against child sexual exploitation must be able to securely store evidence of these horrific crimes without risk of civil or criminal charges. That’s why I introduced the bipartisan Safe Cloud Storage Act, which would ensure investigators can securely handle and store child sexual abuse material (CSAM) evidence in the cloud by providing limited liability protections. With this critical bill, we will continue our work to bring predators to justice and protect vulnerable children. Read more here.
It was my great pleasure to introduce Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Board of Directors nominees, Mitch Graves and Jeff Hagood, at the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing. These two Tennesseans exemplify the leadership and entrepreneurial success that the TVA needs to help achieve America’s nuclear renaissance and deliver affordable and abundant energy. Watch my remarks at their nomination hearing here.
Over the summer, the sister city agreement between Beijing and Washington D.C. was removed from the city’s website without any formal announcement. Following this removal, I probed D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on the status of the District’s Sister City relationship with Beijing.
The letter follows my legislation introduced earlier this year that would prohibit Washington, D.C., from maintaining Sister City relationships with jurisdictions in foreign adversary countries such as Communist China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Read more here.
Marsha’s Roundup
ICYMI
Last week, I led my colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi calling for a DOJ investigation into former special counsel Jack Smith after he allegedly engaged in serious prosecutorial misconduct through the politically motivated Arctic Frost investigation. He must be held accountable for spying on Republican Senators. Read more here.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time for us to recognize and honor all of the women who have battled and are currently battling breast cancer. In the Senate, we will continue to work on legislation that ensures accessibility to critical medical services for breast cancer patients, and I encourage every woman to take the time to schedule a mammogram and prioritize their health. Watch my video recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month here.
