Social Security COLA, education cuts drive Democratic pushback on recess day

The Social Security Administration announced the 2027 cost-of-living adjustment at 3.6% Wednesday morning, and two senators responded within the hour.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., framed the increase as insufficient. "Our seniors have spent a lifetime of hard work paying into Social Security, but their checks simply aren't keeping up with rising costs," Gillibrand said. "This year's cost-of-living adjustment is not enough to make up for skyrocketing costs for groceries, gas, heating, and healthcare in President Trump's America." Gillibrand cited a survey finding that 80 percent of current Social Security recipients say a similar increase would not adequately compensate for the rising cost of living. Her Boosting Benefits and COLAs for Seniors Act, introduced last year, would direct SSA to calculate adjustments using the Consumer Price Index for Americans aged 62 or older rather than the current urban wage earners index.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., issued a single-paragraph statement. "Let's be clear: $75 barely covers a tank of gas, let alone a cart of groceries. This year's inflation adjustment for Social Security falls way short of making up for the high costs of Trump's war with Iran and chaotic tariffs. It is past time for Congress to scrap the cap and expand benefits for our seniors."

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., used the pre-election recess period for constituent-facing events in Northern and Southern Nevada, joining small business owners to discuss rising costs. Her office released an ICYMI roundup of local television coverage from the tour.

"Unfortunately, we've got nothing but chaos and uncertainty and then policies that are actually contributing to the challenges, the high costs, and if people don't realize when we're talking about blanket tariffs against other countries, the people that are actually paying for those tariffs are Americans, our businesses," Cortez Masto said, as quoted in KTVN coverage included in the release. Her office noted that after the first year of President Trump's second term, Nevadans paid an average of over $1,500 more for goods and services than the prior year, and that gas prices are now nearly $1.50 higher per gallon than a year ago.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., sent a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon Wednesday demanding the department reverse its expanded use of "frontloading" — a practice of paying out multi-year grants in a single lump sum, sharply reducing the number of grants awarded in a given year.

In the letter, Murray and Baldwin wrote: "Instead of deploying funds immediately to hundreds of additional communities for essential education and related services, the Department is withholding approximately $630 million in appropriated resources across approximately 35 grant programs, preventing those funds from reaching students and families now."

The senators argued the tactic runs counter to congressional intent. "This policy defies congressional intent and effectively cuts investment in communities across the country," they wrote, adding that the Department could have awarded "well over 1,000 additional grants this year" under the historical annual funding approach. They closed with a direct demand: "This policy is indefensible. The Department must immediately abandon this approach and administer appropriated funds in full alignment with both the law and the needs of the communities that rely on these programs."

President Trump signed the American Music Tourism Act into law Wednesday, capping a bipartisan push led by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo.

"The Volunteer State is home to so many iconic landmarks for tourists to experience — from Graceland in Memphis to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge," Blackburn said. "Music tourism has such a positive impact on Tennessee's economy, and we need to ensure that fans from all over the world continue to celebrate our state's rich history of music for generations to come. The American Music Tourism Act will promote and support the fast-growing tourism industry, and I am pleased it has been signed into law by President Trump."

Hickenlooper kept it brief: "We're glad to see our American Music Tourism Act become law. Our new law will drive even more visitors to our outstanding venues across Colorado." The law directs the Department of Commerce to implement a plan to support and increase music tourism and requires a report to Congress on progress. Music tourism is forecasted to reach $11.3 billion in revenue by 2032, according to the release. Co-sponsors include Sens. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., Gary Peters, D-Mich., Andy Kim, D-N.J., and Ted Budd, R-N.C.

A four-senator, bipartisan group — Sens. Jim Risch and Mike Crapo, both R-Idaho, and Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both D-Ore. — introduced a three-year reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act program Wednesday.

"Secure Rural Schools funding is a commitment the federal government made to Idaho's rural counties, helping them maintain roads, schools and other essential services," said Risch. "As we work to restore the timber revenues that have long sustained these communities, Congress must honor that commitment and reauthorize SRS."

Wyden flagged the recurring nature of the problem. "Secure Rural Schools is a lifeline for rural Oregon," he said. "I'll be working as hard as I can to get this bill across the finish line, but the well-being of rural America shouldn't be dependent on Congress getting its act together to renew this funding every few years. It's past time to get rural communities off the financial rollercoaster and deliver a permanent funding solution." The National Association of Counties estimates more than 700 counties nationwide depend on the program.

Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., marked the signing of a memorandum of understanding Wednesday between the University of North Dakota and the Department of War's Joint Inter-Agency Task Force 401, giving UND a formal clearinghouse role in evaluating counter-drone technologies for military use.

"Small drones have changed warfare, a fact we've seen clearly in Ukraine, the Middle East and even over our own military bases. JIATF 401 was founded specifically to address this new threat and leads the effort to develop and deploy counter-drone technology across the entire Department of War," Hoeven said. "Now, UND will serve as the clearinghouse for this task force, leveraging the expertise of its researchers and the capabilities of the Northern Plains UAS Test Site to assess technologies that can be used to detect, protect against and neutralize threats from unmanned aircraft."

Hoeven's office noted the agreement follows a November 2025 meeting he convened with senior Department of War officials, a two-week Technology Readiness Experimentation event at Camp Grafton earlier this year, and a July follow-up with JIATF 401 Director Brig. Gen. Matthew Ross. The release described it as a "first of its kind agreement."

Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, joined a bipartisan bill Wednesday to increase inspections of southbound traffic crossing from the U.S. into Mexico, framing it as a supply-chain disruption against drug cartels.

"As we continue working to secure our southern border, we also need to cut off the weapons and funding that allow drug cartels to operate. Strengthening southbound inspections will help disrupt cartel operations, keep illegal firearms out of their hands and reduce the flow of fentanyl and other deadly drugs into our communities," Husted said.

The Enhancing Southbound Inspections to Combat Cartels Act, led by Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and James Lankford, R-Okla., would require inspection of at least 10% of southbound vehicles, authorize 100 additional Homeland Security Investigations agents for gun and money smuggling cases, authorize another 100 HSI agents for drug smuggling and human trafficking, and fund 50 additional x-ray inspection systems. Lankford said border crossings are at a record low but argued CBP still lacks resources to stop gun smuggling to cartels.

Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., reintroduced the Children's Act for Responsible Employment in Agriculture — the CARE Act — Wednesday, targeting what he described as an exemption that allows children as young as 12 to work in agriculture with virtually no hour restrictions.

"Across the country, thousands of children work under hazardous conditions in the agriculture sector, putting their health and education at risk. That's why I'm reintroducing the CARE Act to raise the standard and bring our agricultural labor laws in line with other industries to better protect children and improve their working conditions," said Luján.

The bill would align agricultural child labor standards with the Fair Labor Standards Act thresholds applied to other industries, increase maximum civil monetary penalties for violations from $11,000 to $151,380, raise criminal penalties to $750,000 or five years imprisonment, and repeal pesticide waiver provisions. Family farm exemptions and 4-H or vocational training programs would be preserved under the legislation.

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, introduced the Strengthening Civics Education Act Wednesday, pairing the legislation to the United States' approaching 250th anniversary.

"Civic engagement lies at the heart of our democratic process," Coons said. "As we celebrate 250 years as a nation, I am proud to partner with Senator Cornyn on this bipartisan effort to support the preparation of strong civics educators, the promotion of a full understanding of civics among our students, and the training of a new generation of active citizens."

Cornyn cited a resource gap for teachers. "It is our duty to ensure future generations learn and uphold the values that formed the bedrock of our nation more than 250 years ago, but studies have shown that teachers don't have the resources they need to help teach these critical topics," he said. The bill would reauthorize and expand the American History for Freedom program, require grantees to support teacher preparation in civics and history, and mandate National Assessment of Educational Progress testing in civics and history at grades four, eight, and 12 at least once every two years.

Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., called Wednesday on the Department of War to increase the total personnel allocation for the Florida National Guard, citing the state's population growth and the demands exposed by Hurricane Isaias, which made landfall in Florida last week.

"In the aftermath of Hurricane Isaias, we saw once again just how critical the Florida National Guard is to keeping our communities safe — but while Florida's population has grown in recent years, the size of our National Guard has not kept pace. That's why I'm leading an effort to increase the number of Guardsmen allocated to our state. Florida's National Guard is always there when we need them. We need to make sure they have the personnel and resources to continue answering the call," said Moody.

Approximately 5,000 Florida National Guard soldiers and airmen were activated for the Isaias response, according to the release. Guard members conducted route clearance, reconnaissance, humanitarian assistance, flood mitigation, and search-and-rescue operations, including rescuing four family members from a sinking pickup truck near an Interstate 10 off-ramp. Moody is joined in the effort by 13 Florida House members.

Signals

• volumeWednesday's 12 releases ran 84.4% below the Wednesday rolling average of 76.8, consistent with the Senate's pre-election state work period recess.
• recessThe Senate is in its pre-election state work period; no floor votes are scheduled, and several releases reflect constituent-facing field activity.
• coordinatedGillibrand and Warren both issued Social Security COLA responses within 20 minutes of each other (14:51 and 16:11 ET), both citing the $75 monthly increase figure.
• silent breaksSen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has issued no releases in 92 days — the longest silence in the tracked cohort; Sen. Alan Armstrong, R-Okla., follows at 90 days.
• silent breaksRelease id 58e25da2 filed under Slotkin appears to contain truncated body text describing a separate bill (Slotkin-Husted Human Trafficking Act) unrelated to its headline about West Bank sanctions; the release may be malformed and warrants verification before citation.

Quiet desks

Senators with no release in two weeks or more.

• Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC92d
• Sen. Alan Armstrong, R-OK90d
• Sen. Roger F. Wicker, R-MS84d
• Sen. Peter Welch, D-VT50d