Fourteen senators issued commemorations on the silver anniversary of the attacks; two releases broke from remembrance to press RFK Jr. and ICE on unpaid bills.
Fourteen senators — spanning both parties and every region — issued statements Friday marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, flooding a chamber otherwise on recess with a rare moment of cross-partisan convergence. The volume was otherwise striking for its absence: at 20 releases, today ran nearly 58 percent below the Friday baseline.
The commemorations shared cadence and phrase — "we will never forget" appeared verbatim in at least eight releases — but several senators threaded in personal details that set their statements apart. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., described piloting Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-108, the first shuttle mission after the attacks, and carrying flags recovered from Ground Zero, the Pennsylvania State Capitol, and the Pentagon. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., recalled standing in Washington's Judiciary Square as a federal prosecutor when she heard "a loud blast — what I later learned was the sound of the Pentagon crumbling after being hit by Flight 77."
Today is also the last day of the August state work period recess. No floor votes are scheduled.
25th anniversary of September 11 commemorations
Fourteen senators issued formal commemorations, making the anniversary the dominant story of the day by volume. Statements ranged from brief to extended personal testimony, with first responders, military service members, and the families of victims named across nearly every release.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., framed remembrance as inseparable from ongoing obligation: "But on top of remembrance and sympathy rests another national responsibility every bit as important: to give weight to the words Never Again. From the smoke and rubble of 9/11 came lessons about the fragility of our nation's security and what it takes to preserve it. We paid for these lessons with thousands of precious American lives."
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., named four Minnesotans killed in the attacks: "Tom Burnett Jr. from Bloomington, Gordon Aamoth Jr. from Wayzata, Gary Koecheler from St. Paul, and Max Beilke from Alexandria." Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., extended the remembrance to communities targeted in the aftermath: "We honor the Muslim and Sikh communities who faced bigotry and violence in the aftermath of the attacks because of their faith."
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., issued his statement from Shanksville, following the wreath ceremony at the Flight 93 National Memorial: "This sacred land honors the Americans who fought back to prevent another, larger attack. The precise timing of the wreath layings marked the times of each attack in New York City, Arlington, Virginia, and Shanksville."
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., closed with a forward-looking charge: "May we continue striving to build a country worthy of the sacrifice of those we lost, guided by the enduring values of freedom, equality, justice, and care for our fellow Americans." Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., offered a personal note: "Every year when this day comes around, my heart breaks all over again for the families who lost someone they loved — mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, and friends whose chairs at the dinner table have stayed empty far too long."
Senate Democrats press RFK Jr. on HHS resource use
Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., joined Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and four other Democratic senators in sending a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., demanding records on the use of taxpayer-funded resources for what the senators characterized as self-promotion projects.
"On a bipartisan basis, Congress has provided your Department with targeted resources to fight outbreaks of disease... However, it appears that you are not using this Office or comparable Department resources to address ongoing public health crises," the senators wrote. "Instead, you appear to be directing taxpayer dollars and official federal resources to produce vanity projects. These self-promotion projects include a new podcast and a new show that are each centered around your personal brand instead of the responsibility of your Department to protect the health of all Americans."
The letter named two specific productions: "On 'The Secretary Kennedy Podcast,' you appear to be using official HHS resources to discuss topics such as 'biohacking' while ignoring the pressing outbreaks that Americans are facing every day. You also appear to be spending official HHS resources to personally host a cooking show called 'The Real Food Show.' A recent episode of this show, paid for with taxpayer dollars, featured you discussing 'The Secret to the PERFECT Omelet.'" The senators also pressed for a breakdown of how much of Kennedy's own time is dedicated to addressing active public health emergencies, including the current measles outbreak.
ICE unpaid medical bills pressure from Fetterman
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., sent a letter to ICE Acting Director David J. Venturella demanding payment of outstanding invoices owed to medical service providers at immigration detention facilities — a separate release from his Shanksville 9/11 statement earlier in the day.
Fetterman's letter detailed how a longstanding VA-ICE reimbursement arrangement was terminated: "On October 3, 2025, the Veterans Affairs Administration (VA) and ICE abruptly terminated this decades-long contract. This action left ICE with no mechanism to process invoices and pay medical providers serving ICE facilities and detainees." The Pennsylvania-specific impact: Moshannon Valley Emergency Medical Services, which serves nearly 2,000 detainees at ICE's Moshannon Valley Processing Center, is now owed more than $230,000.
"As MVEMS and medical service providers from across the Commonwealth continue to show up for their communities, ICE must also be a good neighbor. ICE should not and cannot rely on medical service providers like MVEMS to shoulder the financial and operational burden of federal immigration detention operations," Fetterman wrote.
Disaster tax relief bill signed into law
President Trump signed the Doug LaMalfa Federal Disaster Tax Relief Certainty Act into law Friday, the culmination of a bipartisan Senate effort led by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and co-led by Sen. Adam B. Schiff, D-Calif. The law extends tax relief for victims of hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural disasters and allows tax-deductible payments from wildfire settlements through January 1, 2027.
Scott said: "After disaster strikes, impacted Americans should be focused on rebuilding their lives and their communities — not surprise changes to their tax bills. After speaking with so many Americans in Florida and across the country impacted by natural disasters, including meeting Spencer Pratt at his burned-down home and touring the aftermath of the Palisades Fire, I knew we had to do something."
Schiff, in a statement included in Scott's release, said: "Surviving a natural disaster can place an enormous financial burden on families. It is critical that we support victims of devastating disasters like the wildfires in California and across the country. That's why I was proud to team up with Senator Rick Scott and Representatives Greg Steube, Mike Thompson and Jimmy Panetta to provide tax relief to the victims of natural disasters." The bill was renamed to honor the late Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., who died in January 2026.
Minnesota senators push USPS to reopen Glenville post office
Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, both D-Minn., sent a letter to the USPS Minnesota-North Dakota District Manager demanding action on the closure of the Glenville Post Office, which has been shuttered since a vehicle struck the building on June 28, 2026 — more than ten weeks without a reopening date announced.
"Minnesotans depend on the Postal Service every day," the senators wrote. "We urge you and the local postmaster to restore retail postal services to the Glenville community as quickly as possible and communicate clearly with the City of Glenville and postal customers about your timeline and progress in reopening the post office."
The letter cited reliance on PO boxes for prescriptions, Social Security benefits, paychecks, and bills, and noted the particular burden on seniors and residents without transportation who must now travel to neighboring communities.
Signals
- volumeToday's 20 releases ran 57.9 percent below the Friday average of 47.5, consistent with the final day of the August state work period recess.
- recessToday is the last day of the August state work period recess; no floor votes are scheduled.
- coordinatedSix Democratic senators — Warner, Schumer, Hassan, Alsobrooks, Wyden, and Luján — issued a joint letter to HHS Secretary Kennedy on the same day, with Warner's office taking the lead release.
- silent breaksSen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, has not issued a release in 59 days, the longest current silence in the chamber; nine other Republicans have been quiet for 24 days or more.
Quiet desks
Senators with no release in two weeks or more.
- Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC59d
- Sen. Alan Armstrong, R-OK57d
- Sen. Roger F. Wicker, R-MS51d
- Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-MT37d
- Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY35d
- Sen. John Barrasso, R-WY29d
- Sen. Ron Johnson, R-WI26d
- Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC25d
- Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-AK25d
- Sen. Mike Rounds, R-SD24d