Bipartisan Russia sanctions deal reached; Haiti TPS expires as Senate heads back

Wicker, Blumenthal, Graham, and Shaheen offered no legislative text Friday, but their joint statement confirmed White House buy-in for a bill they described as imminent. The four senators — two from each party — have worked the Russia sanctions portfolio across multiple Congresses.

The statement did not name specific countries or companies that would be targeted, nor did it detail penalty structures. The senators said only that they "expect to roll out the legislation very soon."

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., sent a letter Friday to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and USCIS Director Joseph Edlow urging reinstatement of Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals, whose work authorization expired at the end of the day. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., separately pressed the same two officials on a broader visa processing backlog she said now exceeds 12 million pending applications.

Gillibrand wrote that USCIS has not "credibly shown that these conditions have abated" in Haiti and warned that the lapse "would result in a sudden loss of trusted caregivers for some of New York's most vulnerable citizens." She also flagged a legislative vehicle, S. 4814, which would require the DHS secretary to designate Haiti for TPS.

Rosen's letter addressed a separate but adjacent problem: receipt delays so severe that legally present immigrants lose eligibility for Employment Authorization Documents before USCIS processes their paperwork. "Due to the growing backlog, it is possible that USCIS can receive a visa application on time, but not issue a receipt in a timely manner, leaving the applicant without the necessary proof to obtain a work authorization, at no fault of their own," Rosen wrote. She added that "many of these individuals are working in critical industries, including healthcare, education, and construction, where a gap in employment can have significant impact not only for working families, but also for the communities and local economies that rely on their contributions."

Both letters targeted the same DHS leadership on the same day, though they arrived through separate press shops and addressed distinct legal mechanisms.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., released a video statement Friday demanding ICE release all footage related to the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and calling for an independent investigation into the agency's account of the incident.

Murray's office said ICE claimed the officer fired because Salgado Araujo was "weapizing his vehicle" but that the agency had provided no evidence to support that account. Murray has previously highlighted a string of ICE and CBP shootings — naming Marimar Martinez, Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, Carlos Jimenez, Francisco Longoria, and Carlitos Ricardo Parias in a March video — and has pressed DHS Secretary Mullin at Appropriations subcommittee hearings on agency conduct.

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., and Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., both attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday for Fort Rucker's new PFC Garfield M. Langhorn Training Complex — the base's first new barracks since 1998.

Britt secured $41.2 million for the project in the FY24 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill. In her remarks, she said: "The men and women … that serve here are heroes. They deserve the quality of life and experience that their sacrifice put forth … I know that this is going to modernize the living conditions for aviation soldiers in training, and it's going to provide them with the facilities they have long awaited."

Tuberville's office noted he secured part of the earlier funding through the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, his first defense bill after taking office. Previous living conditions at the complex included failed sewer infrastructure, electrical hazards, gas leaks, HVAC failures, and mold, according to Britt's release. The facility will house more than 300 Army Aviation soldiers in training.

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., sent an inquiry Friday to White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios pressing for clarity on federal biosafety screening requirements for AI-generated nucleic acids — a gap that opened after President Trump rescinded a Biden-era executive order on the subject.

"Without adequate safeguards, including both screening and traceability processes, malicious actors could use advances in AI to develop potentially dangerous pathogens and biological weapons," Ossoff wrote. The inquiry follows an open letter from AI researchers and company executives urging mandatory screening of synthetic nucleic acid orders. Ossoff's office noted the administration directed OSTP to revise or replace the 2024 framework but that no replacement has been publicly confirmed.

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., joined Rep. Zoe Lofgren and 42 members of the California congressional delegation in a letter Friday demanding the Office of Management and Budget rescind a proposed regulation that would allow political appointees to control all aspects of the federal grant review process.

The lawmakers wrote that the rule "is unprecedented, expansive, and applies across the federal government to every agency that reviews grants and other financial assistance proposals. It would allow political appointees to control all aspects of the grant review process, setting the stage for politically motivated decision-making that places the whims of the President over the well-being of the American people." They warned the proposal would slow biomedical research, harm university funding, and weaken U.S. competitiveness against China.

Ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Sen. Gillibrand led a bipartisan, bicameral letter signed by 26 members of Congress urging HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to reappoint Dr. John Howard to another six-year term directing the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and administering the World Trade Center Health Program.

"Honoring our promise to 'never forget' means protecting healthcare for 9/11 first responders and survivors," Gillibrand said. "Dr. Howard has dedicated his career to ensuring that 9/11 heroes get the specialized care they need to cope with the long-term health effects of toxic exposure. Ahead of the 25th anniversary of the attacks, the Trump administration must reappoint Dr. Howard to guarantee that survivors keep the care and stability that they deserve." The program currently serves more than 140,000 responders and survivors across all 50 states.

The full New Mexico congressional delegation sent a letter Friday to DEA Administrator Terrance Cole demanding documentation on every instance since 2017 in which Albuquerque-based agents declined to seize fentanyl shipments. Whistleblower complaints, the delegation said, allege agents allowed at least 1.8 million fentanyl pills to go unseized between 2023 and 2025 while pursuing larger supply chain targets.

"We unequivocally assert that allowing fentanyl to go unseized creates an unconscionable risk to New Mexicans," wrote Sens. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., along with three House members. The delegation called on the DEA to immediately revert to a 2017 protocol requiring agents to "seize or otherwise prevent the distribution" of fentanyl "as soon as practicable," and said a 2024 DOJ Office of Professional Responsibility finding that allowing drugs to pass posed no "specific danger to public health and safety" was one they "adamantly disagree with."

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., led five members of the Senate Anti-Fraud Task Force in a letter Friday to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald commending the administration's National Fraud Enforcement Division and requesting quarterly enforcement metrics.

The senators wrote that "Vice President Vance's leadership as 'Fraud Czar' sends the right signal: this administration will no longer tolerate billions in organized theft from taxpayers through welfare programs, election schemes, contractor abuse, federally funded nonprofits, or elite institutions." The letter credited the NFED with recovering "nearly $1 billion in misused taxpayer dollars" and specifically highlighted enforcement against what they called "Minnesota-style operations" — described as coordinated fraud networks involving daycare centers, nonprofits, and entitlement programs. The senators requested breakdowns by case category, conviction rate, and dollars recovered dating to January 20, 2026.

Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Ashley Moody, R-Fla., reintroduced a resolution Friday honoring the fifth anniversary of Cuba's July 11, 2021, protests and condemning the Castro/Díaz-Canel regime.

"Now more than ever, there is a renewed spirit of hope for a free Cuba," Scott said. "President Trump and Secretary Rubio have put Raul Castro on notice by indicting him for his crimes and showing the world the true nature of the regime's atrocities. This is what the brave Cuban people who took to the streets five years ago hoped for, and we will not forget the courage and sacrifice of those Cuban freedom fighters."

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., announced $38.6 million in FEMA funding Friday for communities recovering from Hurricanes Laura, Ida, and Francine. The largest single allocations went to the Office of Risk Management ($11.6 million, Laura management costs) and Terrebonne Parish ($8.4 million, Ida management costs).

"Louisianians do not quit when a storm passes," Kennedy said. "We roll up our sleeves and help our neighbors rebuild because that is who we are. This $38.6 million will help our communities repair the damage caused by Hurricanes Laura, Ida and Francine and come back stronger."

The Senate passed a bipartisan resolution Friday designating July 10, 2026, as Journeyman Lineworkers Recognition Day, led by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D. The resolution drew 20 co-sponsors from both parties and was endorsed by the IBEW, the National Electrical Contractors Association, and the Edison Electric Institute.

"These men and women not only perform routine maintenance to our power grids, but they also restore electricity when our communities are struck by disasters, from wildfires to hurricanes," Cortez Masto said.

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., praised a Justice Department proposed settlement Friday with South Bow — operator of the Keystone Pipeline — over a 2022 rupture in Washington County, Kansas. Under the proposed deal, South Bow would pay $26.8 million in civil penalties, complete an estimated $40 million in spill-prevention work, and contribute more than $3 million to Kansas for natural resource restoration.

"Kansas farmers and the local community bore the brunt of the Keystone Pipeline rupture," Marshall said. "With over 2,700 animals killed or impacted and Kansas farmland and waterways affected, this settlement is a necessary step toward justice."

Sens. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., and Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., announced nearly $9 million in EPA Brownfields grants Friday for four Georgia sites, including a former Chickamauga textile mill and the Social Circle Cotton Mill. Funding flows through the bipartisan infrastructure law.

"This is about our communities' health. No family in Georgia should live in fear of contaminants in their communities," Ossoff said. Warnock added: "The health of Georgia's communities is tied to the health of our environment. These federal funds will help ensure Georgians can trust that their families are protected from hazardous substances."

Signals

• volumeFriday volume ran 48% below the Friday baseline (19 releases vs. a 38.8 average), consistent with the final day of the Independence Day state work period recess.
• recessToday is the last day of the Independence Day state work period; senators are expected to return to Washington next week with no scheduled floor votes today.
• coordinatedSens. Gillibrand and Rosen sent separate letters to the same two DHS officials — Secretary Mullin and USCIS Director Edlow — on the same day addressing overlapping work-authorization failures, though from distinct offices and on separate legal tracks.
• coordinatedBoth Alabama senators — Britt and Tuberville — issued releases on the same Fort Rucker ribbon-cutting ceremony, each highlighting their separate appropriations contributions to the project.
• volumeSen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., issued two media-clip releases within eight minutes of each other (15:02 and 15:10 ET), both drawn from conservative cable appearances — an unusual same-day double drop for a single senator.
• silent breaksSen. Alan Armstrong, R-Okla., is listed as a co-sponsor of the Journeyman Lineworkers Recognition Day resolution in Cortez Masto's release — his only traceable public activity despite a 999-day silence on his own press operation.

Quiet desks

Senators with no release in two weeks or more.

• Sen. Alan Armstrong, R-OK—
• Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC67d
• Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY37d
• Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-KY31d
• Sen. Andy Kim, D-NJ18d
• Sen. John Barrasso, R-WY16d
• Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-AK16d
• Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-IL16d
• Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-MA16d
• Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-MT16d