Judiciary Democrats press Blanche on Jan. 6 payouts; Iran war casualty bill drops

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and nine Democratic Judiciary colleagues sent a letter to Attorney General Todd Blanche demanding the department explain whether individuals previously eligible for Anti-Weaponization Fund payments are now being routed to the DOJ Judgment Fund instead. The senators also demanded copies of communications between Blanche, DOJ, and individuals seeking payments through alternative mechanisms.

"The strong public and political backlash to the illegal Anti-Weaponization Fund was animated by a repulsion to the concept that the President's political allies — including January 6 insurrectionists who beat U.S. Capitol and D.C. police officers — would benefit financially from their crimes. Yet, the Department is quietly creating that reality," the senators wrote.

The letter was co-led by Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and signed by Ranking Member Dick Durbin, D-Ill., along with Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Chris Coons, D-Del., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I. Two offices — Schiff's and Padilla's — each issued separate releases on the same letter within roughly four hours of each other.

Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., joined colleagues in introducing the Honoring the Sacrifices of Our Troops in War Act, legislation that would restore Pentagon casualty records and bar Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from reclassifying servicemember deaths and injuries out of the official count for Operation Epic Fury.

"The Trump Administration's decision to reclassify and dishonor the deaths of our servicemembers who made the ultimate sacrifice in the war in Iran is disgraceful and beyond the pale," Rosen said.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., took a parallel line in a cable television interview flagged in his office's release, pressing Hegseth on the mental health crisis aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, where sailors have attempted to jump overboard. Kelly said he spoke with an Arizona grandmother whose grandson is deployed on the ship. "I'd like to see from this administration just once, just one time, someone taking some responsibility for something that isn't going right," Kelly said. Kelly also pointed servicemembers to the Brandon Act — legislation he passed guaranteeing the right to seek mental health treatment without fear of retaliation — named for Navy Petty Officer Third Class Brandon Caserta of Peoria, Arizona.

Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, led eleven Democratic colleagues in pressing the Trump administration's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services over a proposed rule that would raise naturalization fees by as much as 80 percent and eliminate existing fee waivers.

"USCIS's actions have repeatedly increased the burden of and difficulty in obtaining U.S. citizenship," the senators wrote to USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow. "Naturalization is a critical pathway to immigrant integration, civic engagement, and democratic participation, yet your agency's actions represent a significant departure from these values."

The senators also flagged that USCIS has separately increased the difficulty of the civics test and eliminated the Citizenship Integration and Grant Program. They demanded the agency explain its methodology for the fee increases, the anticipated deterrent effect on lawful permanent residents, and what changes in the naturalization process necessitated the higher costs.

Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., sent a letter Friday to Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Christopher Phelan urging the Trump administration to develop incentives for U.S. companies to produce open-weight AI models and to crack down on Chinese firms exploiting stolen technology, acquiring chips illegally, and conducting large-scale model distillation.

"America cannot afford to see Chinese open models proliferate and burrow into the global economy only to be weaponized, like rare earths, at a time and place of China's choosing," Banks wrote.

Banks framed China's push into open-weight AI as a replay of the Huawei strategy: flooding global markets with cheap, often illicitly acquired technology to create dependencies and spread influence. He requested a staff-level briefing within 60 days on the economic and national security benefits of American open models and semiconductor export controls. Banks's office issued two releases on the same letter — one summarizing the letter and one amplifying a Reuters exclusive — within roughly 70 minutes.

Sen. John R. Curtis, R-Utah, and Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., introduced the Critical Mineral and Extraction Tax Parity Act, which would expand the Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit under Section 45X of the Internal Revenue Code to cover additional strategically important minerals and recognize qualifying extraction costs.

"The United States should not have to depend on foreign adversaries for the minerals that power our economy, support our national defense, and underpin modern technology," Curtis said. "Our bill makes sure the tax code recognizes the full cost of American mineral production and gives domestic producers a fair opportunity to compete with heavily subsidized, artificially propped-up foreign supply chains."

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, announced two separate DOJ grant awards Friday under his Bridging Immigration-related Deficits Experienced Nationwide — the BIDEN Program — authorizing $915,961 to Kendall County and $711,415 to Kaufman County for prosecutors targeting crimes he attributed to illegal immigrants.

"Texas taxpayers deserve to be made whole for the costs incurred while protecting and defending the southern border when Joe Biden abdicated his federal responsibility and failed to do so," Cornyn said in both releases. The grants flow from the DOJ's Office of Justice Programs FY 2026 Special Attorneys Program and were authorized through the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, which set aside $13.5 billion total for border-related state reimbursements.

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., introduced the Quantum Grid Utility Assurance and Resilient Defense Act of 2026 — the Quantum-GUARD Act — directing federal agencies to evaluate quantum-related cybersecurity vulnerabilities and assist electric utilities in transitioning to post-quantum cryptography standards finalized by NIST in 2024.

"Quantum computing has the potential to create new economic opportunities, but it also presents tremendous cybersecurity risks. We need to make sure essential infrastructure like our electrical grid is secured against this coming wave of quantum cyber threats," Coons said. Rounds framed the bill as codifying parts of a Trump executive order on advanced cryptographic attacks.

Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., held a series of events across Albuquerque this week to highlight opposition to Republican cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, affordable housing gaps, and threats to hospital services.

"From putting food on the table to finding an affordable place to call home and accessing quality health care, New Mexicans deserve the support and resources they need to thrive," Luján said. "I will continue fighting to protect SNAP, expand access to affordable housing, and defend quality, affordable health care for all New Mexicans." Luján noted he leads Senate legislation to reverse SNAP cuts and highlighted the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which he said President Trump refused to sign into law.

Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., and Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., announced a $2.4 million NIST grant to rehabilitate approximately 14,000 square feet of research space at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, advancing the institution's bid for National Cancer Institute designation. "Upgrading this space at UMMC is just one more step toward creating a facility that will draw more cancer researchers to our state," Hyde-Smith said. No NCI-designated cancer center currently exists in Mississippi, Louisiana, or Arkansas.

Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, both D-Va., announced $18,761,701 in FAA Airport Improvement Program grants to eight Virginia airports, including $8 million for Lynchburg Regional Airport's terminal expansion. "Virginia's airports play a critical role in connecting communities and supporting local economies," the senators said.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, marked the 14th anniversary of journalist Austin Tice's detention in Syria with a statement urging the Trump administration to redouble efforts to secure his release.

"Fourteen years ago, Austin Tice, a Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was detained at a checkpoint in Syria while working as a freelance journalist," Cornyn said. "Austin and other Americans in captivity around the world deserve the full and active support of our government to secure their release, and as we mark the grim anniversary of Austin's captivity today, I urge the Trump administration to redouble their efforts to bring him home."

In an op-ed, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., catalogued what he described as Republican accomplishments since taking control of Washington in 2025, citing the Working Families Tax Cuts law, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, border wall funding, and military readiness investments. Thune wrote that "97 percent of American taxpayers saw a tax cut" this April and that Republicans "ended the Biden border crisis." The piece did not address any pending legislation or upcoming Senate calendar items.

Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., joined NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman at Kennedy Space Center to announce Max Power, a tech expo and air show scheduled for November on the Shuttle runway. The Space Coast Office of Tourism anticipates more than 50,000 out-of-county attendees.

"Florida truly is the launchpad of American space innovation — and hosting the upcoming Max Power Expo is a great opportunity to show off the hard work of our engineers and scientists who are developing systems to get American boots back on the Moon and beyond," Moody said.

Sen. Jon Ossoff's, D-Ga., office circulated a media clip from MS NOW detailing his record of congressional investigations, including probes into the federal prison system, defense contractor treatment of military families, and foster care trafficking in Georgia. The release quoted Ossoff directly: "As I conduct oversight, I am trying to faithfully execute my solemn obligations under the Constitution as a United States senator to conduct vigorous oversight of the most out-of-control presidential administration in American history."

Signals

• volumeFriday's release count of 19 runs 57.3% below the Friday average of 44.5, consistent with August recess suppression.
• recessThe Senate is in August state work period recess; the low volume and district-event framing of several releases reflects that calendar context.
• coordinatedAll ten Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee issued or co-signed the Blanche/Judgment Fund letter; two California offices — Schiff and Padilla — each issued separate releases on the same document within four hours, a dual-release pattern worth tracking.
• coordinatedSen. Banks issued two releases — a primary letter release and a Reuters clip amplifier — on the same open-source AI letter within 72 minutes, a coordinated media rollout pattern.
• coordinatedSen. Cornyn issued three releases Friday — two BIDEN Program grant announcements and the Austin Tice statement — the highest single-senator output of the day.
• silent breaksSen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has issued no releases in 31 days — the longest silence in today's flagged list.

Quiet desks

Senators with no release in two weeks or more.

• Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC31d
• Sen. Alan Armstrong, R-OK29d
• Sen. Roger F. Wicker, R-MS23d