Nine releases across nine senators on a quiet Labor Day-eve Tuesday, with Gillibrand on 9/11-proximate funding cuts drawing the sharpest edge.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., demanded the Trump administration restore $87 million in counterterrorism funding withheld from New York — less than two weeks before the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The call echoed statements from Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and Gillibrand framed the remaining gap in pointed terms: "New York is the leading terrorist target in the nation."
The calendar explains the light traffic. The Senate remains in its August state work period recess, and today's nine releases — drawn from nine different senators — ran 86 percent below the Tuesday baseline. Most communications reflected home-state work: roundtables, site visits, local investment announcements.
Two Republican senators converged on federal land and beef policy, while consumer-protection legislation surfaced on opposite ends of the country — one targeting ticket fraud in New Mexico, one targeting birth-tourism surrogacy schemes in Florida.
NY counterterrorism funding gap ahead of 9/11 anniversary
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., released a statement Tuesday demanding full restoration of federal counterterrorism funding cut from New York by the Trump administration. The release noted that last year the administration cut $187 million — 86 percent — from New York's federal counterterrorism allocation, the largest such federal defunding of police operations in New York in decades. After pressure from state and federal leaders, FEMA restored $100 million, leaving an $87 million gap.
"President Trump is using New Yorkers as political pawns once again," said Gillibrand. "New York is the leading terrorist target in the nation. As we approach the 25th anniversary of 9/11, defunding our law enforcement and counterterrorism operations is especially egregious and unsafe. I will keep fighting to ensure New Yorkers are protected and our state receives the funding it needs to keep us all safe."
The release specified that the remaining $87 million would fund intelligence operations, mass gathering security, planning, equipment purchases, and training.
Federal grazing access and cattle herd policy
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., led Senate colleagues in a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior calling for expanded grazing access and stronger risk-management tools for cattle producers. The letter cited America's cattle herd sitting at its lowest level in roughly 75 years.
In the letter, the senators wrote: "The United States' beef industry is the greatest in the world and one of the brightest spots of American agriculture, making up nearly a quarter of U.S. agriculture receipts. The Federal government must remain laser-focused on partnering with the industry and state efforts for ranchers, expand grazing on public and private lands, and improve protein processing capacity."
The senators urged agencies to finalize the Bureau of Land Management's grazing rule, reevaluate programs limiting grazing capacity, and improve meat processing capacity. The release also noted Marshall's July introduction of the Emerging Tick-Borne Livestock Disease Research Prioritization Act and his November 2025 introduction of the Beef Labeling Clarity Act.
Consumer protection legislation: ticket fraud and birth tourism
Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., unveiled the Guaranteeing Honest Ownership in Secondary Ticketing (GHOST) Act at a roundtable in Taos, targeting resellers who list tickets they do not actually possess. The bill would ban speculative ticket sales, empower the FTC to seek injunctive and monetary relief, and allow state attorneys general to bring enforcement actions. There is currently no federal law specifically prohibiting speculative ticketing.
"When New Mexicans spend their hard-earned money on a concert or event, they deserve to know the ticket they are buying actually exists," said Luján. "Too often, fans are misled into purchasing tickets from resellers who don't even have them."
Separately, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., called on Congress to pass the SAFE KIDS Act, his bill targeting what the release described as exploitation of U.S. immigration laws through birth tourism surrogacy schemes. Scott tied the call to a custody case in St. Augustine and a concurrent House Oversight Committee hearing on suspected birth tourism abuse in the Miami area. "These poor children, through no fault of their own, are stuck in limbo over where their home will be — all because America's surrogate system is ripe for abuse and exploitation," Scott said. The two bills address unrelated subject matter but both frame the legislation around closing gaps in existing federal consumer or immigration protections.
LA transit funding and 2028 Olympics infrastructure
Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, both D-Calif., announced nearly $150 million in federal funding for the LA Metro Vermont Transit Corridor Bus Rapid Transit project — the maximum permitted under the Capital Investment Grant's Small Starts Program. The 12.4-mile corridor is a key component of LA Metro's transportation plan for the 2028 Olympics.
"As Los Angeles prepares to welcome the world for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we must ensure Angelenos and visitors alike can rely on safe, accessible, and high-quality public transportation," said Padilla. "With the Games now less than two years away, this funding is an important down payment, and we look forward to working with DOT and the Administration to secure the remaining federal transportation investment essential to making the Games a success."
The release noted Padilla and Schiff had earlier this month joined Democratic colleagues in demanding the Trump administration stop delaying advancement of public transportation projects funded under the Capital Investment Grants program, including Metro's Southeast Gateway line.
Economic development: Chobani plant in Pennsylvania
Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., welcomed Chobani's announcement of a $1.2 billion manufacturing facility in Upper Macungie Township in the Lehigh Valley — projected to create 900 full-time jobs and process more than three billion pounds of Pennsylvania milk annually once fully operational, representing roughly 30 percent of all milk currently produced in the state.
"When an innovative company like Chobani chooses to invest in Pennsylvania, it's a vote of confidence in our workers, our farms, and our manufacturing strength," McCormick said. "I've known Hamdi Ulukaya and Chobani President and COO Kevin Burns for decades, and both are exceptional business leaders. I was proud to work alongside Chobani's leadership and the Governor's team to help bring this investment home."
McCormick said the plant would also open new markets for more than 4,000 Pennsylvania dairy farmers and described the investment as expected to create the largest increase in demand for Pennsylvania dairy in the Commonwealth's history.
State work period: town halls, site visits, and local outreach
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., announced a series of "Stop the Corruption Town Hall Meetings" scheduled for September 10 in Portland, Springfield, and Medford. Merkley framed the events around ethics legislation he has pursued in the Senate, including bills on stock trading by lawmakers, cryptocurrency restrictions, and Supreme Court reform.
"Our democratic republic works best when elected officials work for the public good, not the elected official's personal profit," Merkley said. "Trump and his family abuse his office and official connections to rake in billions for themselves at every turn, while making life more expensive for hard-working Americans."
Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., held a roundtable in Mesquite with tourism and small business leaders and visited the newly opened Fire Station 2 alongside Mayor Jesse Whipple. "As one of Nevada's U.S. Senators, I'm working every single day to improve life for hardworking families and make sure communities all across our state have the resources they need," Rosen said. Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., held a ceremony in Jacksonville with law enforcement leaders to spotlight the LEO K9 Protection Act, which would strengthen penalties for intentionally harming law enforcement animals and expand federal protections to state and local police animals assisting federal law enforcement. "Police K9s are not equipment or accessories. They are highly trained members of law enforcement who charge toward dangers that send others running," Moody said.
Signals
- volumeToday's release count of 12 ran 86 percent below the Tuesday baseline of 85.6 — consistent with the ongoing August state work period recess.
- recessThe Senate remains in its August state work period; all nine releases reflect home-state activity, with no floor statements or vote-related communications in the set.
- silent breaksSen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., co-signed the Marshall grazing letter after 19 days without a public release — his first appearance in the archive since mid-August.
- silent breaksSen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC has now been quiet for 49 days, the longest current silence in the tracked cohort; Sen. Alan Armstrong, R-OK follows at 47 days.
Quiet desks
Senators with no release in two weeks or more.
- Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC49d
- Sen. Alan Armstrong, R-OK47d
- Sen. Roger F. Wicker, R-MS41d
- Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-MT27d
- Sen. Cynthia M. Lummis, R-WY26d
- Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY25d
- Sen. John Kennedy, R-LA24d
- Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-CT22d
- Sen. John Barrasso, R-WY19d
- Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-TN19d