Warren hits Pentagon conflicts; senators converge on child online safety

Sens. Warren, Blumenthal, Gillibrand, and Kelly opened a formal investigation Monday into Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's handling of troop safety during Operation Epic Fury, the Trump administration's military campaign against Iran.

The senators' letter centers on the March 1 Iranian drone strike on a U.S. post in Kuwait. According to the release, troops "reportedly received no warning to evacuate" and "denied requests for additional protections" before the attack. Warren's statement: "Secretary Hegseth sent our troops to fight in Iran, refused to take basic steps to protect them, and then tried to cover up his failures when service members died. Hegseth's leadership has been one betrayal after another — he must be held accountable."

The investigation adds congressional pressure to a war that also surfaced in the day's ICYMI releases. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., discussing the war's approaching 60-day War Powers Act threshold on NBC's Common Ground Live, said: "I will continue my vote. My vote's not going to change. I know it's perhaps the most toxic thing a Democrat can embrace, I've seen the numbers, the AP poll said that 4% of Democrats support that. [...] When you ask every single member of Congress, should we allow Iran to acquire a nuclear bomb? Not a single Democrat in Congress says yes."

Warren filed a second Pentagon-focused release Monday, questioning Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg over potential conflicts of interest in the $185 billion Golden Dome missile defense program.

Feinberg co-founded Cerberus Capital Management before joining the Trump administration. Warren's release states he "reversed ethics commitment and appears to have retained ongoing Cerberus contract" and transferred key holdings to benefit adult children — moves she argues could be shaping DoD contracting decisions on a program the release describes as "secretive." Warren urged Feinberg to take "immediate action to mitigate the conflicts."

Two bipartisan child online-safety bills landed Monday, with senators from both parties converging on age verification and parental controls as a legislative priority.

Sens. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and Jerry Moran, R-Kan., introduced the Parents Over Platforms Act, which would require app stores to implement age-assurance processes and give parents tools to block apps and limit targeted ads for minors. "Our cellphones and other connected devices play a huge role in all of our lives — with apps helping to foster community and boost our economy. At the same time, certain apps pose real risks to children and teens, and we have a responsibility to keep our children safe when they go online or use social media," Rosen said.

Separately, an ICYMI release from Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., highlighted his joint work with Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., on the Stop the Scroll Act and the Kids Off Social Media Act. On NBC's Common Ground Live, Britt said: "John and I approach this along with a number of our colleagues, not as Democrats and Republicans, but as concerned parents. We see what's happening across our country when it comes to mental health and we know the impact it's having on our youth." Fetterman added that the Stop the Scroll Act "got marked up in the Commerce Committee just last week" — a procedural step both senators called a significant milestone.

A broad bipartisan coalition introduced the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2026 Monday, seeking a seven-year extension of the federal backstop that has underpinned commercial terrorism coverage since the aftermath of September 11.

Sen. David McCormick, R-Pa., led the bill alongside Sens. Tina Smith, D-Minn., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz. The legislation drew 20 listed co-sponsors spanning both parties. "State sponsors of terror pose a persistent threat to the United States, and we must be prepared," McCormick said. "Reauthorizing TRIA ensures businesses and workers in Pennsylvania will be supported in the event of a terror attack."

Smith framed the stakes in economic terms: "Without this bill, a potential terrorism event would mean a financial catastrophe for many businesses and would be extremely costly to taxpayers." The release notes that when TRIA briefly lapsed in December 2014, terrorism exclusions filed with state regulators took effect automatically — making coverage effectively unavailable nationwide without notice. The same release was published twice under different McCormick URLs within two hours, a likely duplicate rollout.

Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., highlighted a $232 million line item in the president's FY2027 budget request Monday — the opening ask for Sentinel ICBM infrastructure upgrades at Minot Air Force Base, the nation's only dual-nuclear mission base.

The budget covers two projects: a $108 million Sentinel Security Forces Operations Complex and a $124 million Sentinel Consolidated Vehicle Maintenance Complex. Hoeven said the projects "replace aging buildings from the 1950s and 1960s" and are the first step in what he described as eight total Sentinel projects at Minot. "The completion of these two projects will pave the way for eight Sentinel projects at Minot, representing hundreds of millions of dollars of additional investment. This budget request is the first step in this process, now we'll work to fund this project through the annual appropriations process to get construction underway," Hoeven said.

Hoeven also separately reported progress from a meeting with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on North Dakota water infrastructure, wild horse management at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and law enforcement staffing in Indian Country — a wide portfolio release the senator's office put out the same afternoon.

Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., said Monday he expects a Senate Banking Committee vote on Federal Reserve chair nominee Kevin Warsh to move as soon as this week — hours after reports that the Justice Department probe into incumbent Chair Jay Powell had been dropped.

In a Fox Business appearance, Hagerty said: "I think this is great news today that US Attorney [Jeanine] Pirro has decided to drop the probe. Michael Horowitz, who's the Fed IG [Inspector General], has stepped up. Horowitz has a strong reputation. I think that's a very good sign." On timing, Hagerty said: "The committee vote can be noticed in three days. So it could be noticed as [soon] as this coming Monday. And we could have the hearing [and] the vote on Friday in the committee before we leave and be ready to vote him back on the floor." The Senate enters an early May state work period in seven days.

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., announced Monday he is co-sponsoring the Social Determinants for Moms Act, legislation first introduced by Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., that would establish a task force and grant program to address maternal health disparities.

Ossoff's release notes Georgia's maternal mortality rate ranks among the worst in the nation, with Black women nearly three times more likely to die during childbirth than white women. "The shockingly high maternal mortality rate for Black women in Georgia is a travesty. It is unacceptable for any mother to suffer or die because she lacks proper care, and that's why I'm urging my colleagues to pass this legislation I've cosponsored to improve maternal care for Black women in Georgia," Ossoff said.

Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., along with Rep. Val Hoyle, announced $11.25 million in federal funding Monday for the Pacific Coast Intermodal Port Terminal Connection Project at the Port of Coos Bay — part of an ongoing push to make it the first fully ship-to-rail port facility on the West Coast.

Merkley tied the grant to a long personal investment in the project: "When I was Speaker of the Oregon House, I helped save the rail line to Coos Bay because I saw how critical the Port of Coos Bay was to all those who call Oregon's rural South Coast home. Now, we are one step closer to the Port of Coos Bay becoming the first fully ship-to-rail port facility on the West Coast — with the potential to transform the region and our state." The latest award comes from the Port Infrastructure Development Program; the senators' offices note more than $55 million in prior federal funds have already been secured for the project.

Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., announced Monday he will introduce legislation providing express congressional approval for construction of a Presidential ballroom — a response, his office said, to an assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents' Dinner the previous evening.

"It is an embarrassment to the strongest nation on Earth that we cannot host gatherings in our nation's capital, including ones attended by our President, without the threat of violence and attempted assassinations," Sheehy said. "A President of any party should be able to host events in a secure area without attendees worrying about their safety. This is common sense. Let's get it done." Sheehy said he will seek unanimous consent for the bill.

In an op-ed published in the McAllen Monitor and flagged in a Monday release, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, outlined education provisions in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, including the Education Freedom Tax Credit and expansions to 529 accounts and the Pell Grant program.

Cornyn wrote that Republicans "established the Education Freedom Tax Credit, which creates a dollar-for-dollar tax incentive for donations to organizations that grant scholarships to low- and middle-income students" and extended Pell Grant eligibility to students pursuing trade school through the Workforce Pell Grant Program. The op-ed focused specifically on South Texas, citing economic development from SpaceX in Starbase and Valeo in McAllen as drivers of regional workforce demand.

Signals

• volumeMonday's 15 releases run 79.9% below the Monday baseline of 74.5 — the lightest Monday volume on record in this dataset.
• coordinatedSen. Elizabeth Warren issued four releases in roughly four hours — Pentagon budget tradeoffs, the Hegseth troop-protection investigation, the Golden Dome conflicts inquiry, and an interest-rate video post — making her the day's dominant single-senator voice.
• coordinatedThe TRIA reauthorization release was published twice under separate McCormick URLs two hours apart with near-identical body text — consistent with a duplicate rollout or a corrected re-issue.
• voteSen. Hagerty indicated a Senate Banking Committee vote on Kevin Warsh's Fed chair nomination could be noticed as early as Monday April 30, with a committee vote possible Friday before the early May state work period begins.
• recessThe Senate is seven days from its early May state work period; no floor votes are currently scheduled for this week.
• silent breaksSen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., silent for 40 days, appears as a lead sponsor on the TRIA reauthorization — his first named appearance in the release set in that window.
• silent breaksSen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., silent for 21 days, appears as a lead sponsor on the TRIA reauthorization — her first named appearance in the release set in that window.

Quiet desks

Senators with no release in two weeks or more.

• Sen. Alan Armstrong, R-OK—
• Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY56d
• Sen. Ron Johnson, R-WI34d
• Sen. Roger F. Wicker, R-MS20d
• Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-KY15d
• Sen. Jim Banks, R-IN15d