Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), a member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, joined his Democratic colleagues on the Committee in pressing the U.S. Treasury and Justice Departments to investigate reports that Binance is facilitating illicit finance activities, including transactions linked to Iran and its proxies. Doing so would fail to comply with the settlement agreement that Binance reached in 2023 following its guilty plea of serious federal charges that included money laundering and violations of U.S. sanctions laws. In their letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Attorney General Pam Bondi, the senators stressed that our national security is at risk if Binance is supporting the financial activities of terrorist groups or other adversaries of the United States that seek to do our nation harm. Highlighting the added concern that Binance has deepened its ties to President Donald Trump and his family in recent months, they called on Bondi and Bessent to carry out a thorough, impartial investigation for the safety and security of the American people.

In addition to Sen. Warner, this letter was sent by Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Jack Reed (D-RI), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tina Smith (D-MN), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), and Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD).

“We write to express our concern with illicit finance risks presented by the digital asset firm Binance Holdings Ltd. (Binance). Recent reports raise serious concerns about the strength of illicit finance guardrails at Binance’s digital asset exchange, as well as its adherence to 2023 settlements for apparent violations of sanctions rules and breaches of anti-money laundering laws. We urge you to conduct a prompt, comprehensive review of sanctions compliance on the platform to ensure that it is not once again violating the law and threatening U.S. national security,” the senators began.

“According to reporting, last year, Binance compliance personnel obtained evidence that $1.7 billion in digital assets had been funneled through Binance to Iranian entities tied to terrorism, including both the Iran-backed Houthis and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. In one instance, evidence suggested that one of Binance’s own vendors routed $1.2 billion in funds to Iran-linked entities,” they continued. “In addition, the reports describe a broader deterioration in Binance’s compliance functions. Compliance officials at Binance have departed or been dismissed beyond those who uncovered the links to Iranian entities. According to law enforcement, Binance has grown markedly less cooperative with requests for information about customers as well.

“These allegations raise grave concerns that poor illicit finance controls at Binance remain a significant threat to national security. Our illicit finance controls are dangerously compromised if enormous sums can flow through Binance to terrorist groups or sanctions evaders,” the senators stressed. “We accordingly urge Treasury and the Justice Department to conduct a timely, thorough inquiry into Binance’s sanctions compliance functions, including into possible retaliation against Binance compliance personnel and the company’s observance of its 2023 settlement agreements. Binance’s long-established role in illicit finance around the world means it is critical to remain vigilant about risks at the exchange. We believe that a review of the allegations above is necessary and appropriate at this time.”

Highlighting concerns with the President and his family’s business ties to Binance, the senators wrote, “We recognize, of course, that Binance has made numerous business decisions that have helped President Trump and his family profit from their crypto ventures. The exchange has repeatedly pushed users to purchase USD1, the stablecoin issued by the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial, including through interest payments on USD1 holdings on the exchange. It also assisted with technology for USD1 and accepted a $2 billion investment made in the token. Last fall, despite claiming he had “no idea who he is,” President Trump pardoned Changpeng Zhao, Binance’s billionaire founder and former chief executive who had pleaded guilty to failing to establish an effective anti-money laundering program for the platform and was sentenced to four months in prison.

“If Binance has begun to ignore its illicit finance obligations, the risks are grave and nonpartisan, and we hope that the Trump Administration will faithfully carry out its obligations to administer our nation’s illicit finance laws. Please respond to this letter by March 13, 2026, and describe any steps you have taken to review Binance’s conduct and the allegations we have described,” the senators concluded.

Text of the letter can be viewed here and below.

Dear Secretary Bessent and Attorney General Bondi:

We write to express our concern with illicit finance risks presented by the digital asset firm Binance Holdings Ltd. (Binance). Recent reports raise serious concerns about the strength of illicit finance guardrails at Binance’s digital asset exchange, as well as its adherence to 2023 settlements for apparent violations of sanctions rules and breaches of anti-money laundering laws. We urge you to conduct a prompt, comprehensive review of sanctions compliance on the platform to ensure that it is not once again violating the law and threatening U.S. national security.

According to reporting, last year, Binance compliance personnel obtained evidence that $1.7 billion in digital assets had been funneled through Binance to Iranian entities tied to terrorism, including both the Iran-backed Houthis and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. In one instance, evidence suggested that one of Binance’s own vendors routed $1.2 billion in funds to Iran-linked entities. Investigators also learned that Iranians were able to access more than 1,500 Binance accounts, and that the platform may have been used in connection with Russian attempts to evade sanctions. Binance subsequently fired several of these staff.

In addition, the reports describe a broader deterioration in Binance’s compliance functions. Compliance officials at Binance have departed or been dismissed beyond those who uncovered the links to Iranian entities. According to law enforcement, Binance has grown markedly less cooperative with requests for information about customers as well.

These allegations raise grave concerns that poor illicit finance controls at Binance remain a significant threat to national security. Our illicit finance controls are dangerously compromised if enormous sums can flow through Binance to terrorist groups or sanctions evaders. The firm controls the world’s largest digital asset exchange; it is essential that bad actors cannot benefit from its platform. Moreover, the reports suggest the alarming possibility that Binance may be pushing out compliance staff who uncover illicit transactions on the exchange. Were it to do so, Binance would be reopening the door to widespread illicit activity on the platform.

In 2023, Binance committed to sweeping reforms to its illicit finance program under a plea agreement with the Department of Justice and related settlement agreements with the Department of the Treasury and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. But the recent reports call into question Binance’s adherence to these promises.

For example, in Binance’s agreement with the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the company committed to implementing controls that “enable [it] to clearly and effectively identify [and] interdict . . . transactions and activity that may be prohibited by OFAC.” The exchange cannot “clearly and effectively” block transactions with sanctioned persons if it permits $1.7 billion in digital assets to flow through its platform to Iranian entities.

Likewise, Binance’s plea agreement with the Justice Department requires its senior leadership to “provide strong, explicit, and visible support and commitment to its Compliance Programs” amidst a “culture of ethics and compliance with the law.” It is plainly inconsistent with such requirements to retaliate against sanctions compliance personnel or to resist law enforcement requests.

These reports arise against the backdrop of increasingly risky activities at Binance. Earlier this month, for instance, the company launched cards in parts of the former Soviet Union that permit users to pay for transactions with digital assets, functioning much like a debit card. Similar cards have become increasingly used as a tool to allow Russians to bypass U.S. sanctions on the Russian financial system. And last fall, Binance partnered with Kyrgyzstan to launch a stablecoin and digital currency, despite the country’s ties to Russian sanctions evasion.

In light of these issues, we are deeply troubled by the prospect that Binance may once again be prioritizing profits over its compliance obligations. Not long ago, Binance’s own employees joked that the company should post the “banner ‘is washing drug money too hard these days – come to [B]inance.’” We cannot permit the exchange to return to open disregard for the guardrails that protect our national security.

We accordingly urge Treasury and the Justice Department to conduct a timely, thorough inquiry into Binance’s sanctions compliance functions, including into possible retaliation against Binance compliance personnel and the company’s observance of its 2023 settlement agreements. Binance’s long-established role in illicit finance around the world means it is critical to remain vigilant about risks at the exchange. We believe that a review of the allegations above is necessary and appropriate at this time.

We recognize, of course, that Binance has made numerous business decisions that have helped President Trump and his family profit from their crypto ventures. The exchange has repeatedly pushed users to purchase USD1, the stablecoin issued by the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial, including through interest payments on USD1 holdings on the exchange. It also assisted with technology for USD1 and accepted a $2 billion investment made in the token. Last fall, despite claiming he had “no idea who he is,” President Trump pardoned Changpeng Zhao, Binance’s billionaire founder and former chief executive who had pleaded guilty to failing to establish an effective anti-money laundering program for the platform and was sentenced to four months in prison.

If Binance has begun to ignore its illicit finance obligations, the risks are grave and nonpartisan, and we hope that the Trump Administration will faithfully carry out its obligations to administer our nation’s illicit finance laws. Please respond to this letter by March 13, 2026, and describe any steps you have taken to review Binance’s conduct and the allegations we have described.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement regarding recent actions and statements by the administration targeting a leading AI company:

“As one of Congress’ most vocal proponents for the modernization of IC and DoD missions with transformative technology, I have been actively working for years to ensure that the U.S has the compute, models, and talent to seize opportunities provided by AI. At the same time, the intelligence committees have consistently sought – on a bipartisan basis, and across administrations – to ensure that AI usage in the national security context meets rigorous, consistent, and transparent standards for AI governance, particularly in contexts in which AI usage has a significant potential impact on Americans’ core rights or results in the loss of human life.

“The president’s directive to halt the use of a leading American AI company across the federal government, combined with inflammatory rhetoric attacking that company, raises serious concerns about whether national security decisions are being driven by careful analysis or political considerations. President Trump and Secretary Hegseth’s efforts to intimidate and disparage a leading American company – potentially as the pretext to steer contracts to a preferred vendor whose model a number of federal agencies have already identified as a reliability, safety, and security threat – pose an enormous risk to U.S. defense readiness and the willingness of the U.S. private sector and academia to work with the IC and DoD, consistent with their own values and legal ethics. Indeed, Secretary Hegseth’s loud insistence on the sufficiency of an ‘all lawful purposes’ standard provides cold comfort against the backdrop of Pentagon leadership that has routinely sidelined career military attorneys and challenged longstanding norms and rules regarding lethal force.”

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement regarding reports of demands by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed at a leading AI company:

“I’m deeply disturbed by reports that the Department of Defense is working to bully a leading U.S. company, which has already provided enormous utility to the intelligence community and warfighter. Most Americans oppose unsupervised autonomous weapon systems and AI-facilitated surveillance.

“Unfortunately, this is further indication that the Department of Defense seeks to completely ignore AI governance – something the Administration’s own Office of Management and Budget and Office of Science and Technology Policy have described as fundamental enablers of effective AI usage – and further underscores the need for Congress to enact strong, binding AI governance mechanisms for national security contexts.”

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and U.S. Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, sent a letter to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard raising serious concerns about the handling of an urgent whistleblower complaint and the unprecedented withholding of an underlying intelligence report from congressional oversight committees.

In their letter, Warner and Himes noted that the Intelligence Community Inspector General transmitted the whistleblower complaint to Congress more than nine months after it was filed, citing delays within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The lawmakers also highlighted that, despite clear statutory requirements, the whistleblower has still not received required guidance on how to securely communicate with Congress.

The lawmakers further raised concerns about access to the underlying intelligence report, writing: “Furthermore, upon reviewing the complaint, members of the Gang of Eight requested to view the underlying intelligence report referenced in the complaint itself. We were subsequently informed by your office that the IC is unable to provide the unredacted underlying intelligence report ‘due to the assertion of executive privilege.’ This response and assertion of privilege over this type of intelligence report is unprecedented. The request and provision of intelligence reports have been longstanding practice between the IC and its congressional oversight committees.”

Warner and Himes added, “Moreover, it is not clear how this intelligence report could implicate executive privilege, which typically protects the deliberation and communications of the President and his senior advisors. We are aware of recent press reporting that alleges the underlying intelligence involves discussions about the President’s son-in-law, Mr. Jared Kushner, but since the underlying intelligence report has not been made available to Congress and because the complaint itself was heavily redacted, we cannot confirm the accuracy of such allegations. However, we would note that if these reports were true, Mr. Kushner is not serving as a senior administration official and so there is no colorable argument that executive privilege could apply in this instance. Moreover, as you are well aware, the names of U.S. persons are routinely masked in disseminated intelligence reporting.”

They also questioned the basis for the privilege claim, asking whether “the President assert[ed] executive privilege over the underlying intelligence report,” and, “if so, when did he assert such privilege and on what basis.” If the President did not assert privilege, they requested clarity on “who asserted the privilege, when was it asserted, and what was the basis for that assertion.”

The letter concludes with a request that, if no valid claim of privilege exists, the relevant agency “provide the requested report to the Gang of 8 immediately,” and that the complainant be given “security guidance… so that the complainant is able to meet with the appropriate committees as afforded by the law.”

The full text of the letter is available here and below.

February 24, 2026

The Honorable Tulsi Gabbard

Director of National Intelligence

1500 Tysons McLean Drive

Mclean, VA 22102

Dear Director Gabbard:

As you are aware, on February 2, 2026, the Intelligence Community (IC) Inspector General (IG) made available to the “Gang of Eight” an urgent concern whistleblower complaint that had been filed over nine months earlier in May 2025. According to the accompanying letter from the IC IG, the transmission of this complaint to Congress was delayed because, among a variety of other reasons, you claimed the then-Acting General Counsel, Mr. Charles Newman, “had never informed [you] of the outstanding requirement” for providing security guidance. Concerningly, we understand that you still have not provided the complainant with security guidance as required under 50 U.S.C. § 3033(k)(5)(D)(ii). This provision clearly states that even if the IC IG does not find a complaint to be credible, the Director must still provide the complainant, through the IC IG, “direction on how to contact the congressional intelligence committees in accordance with appropriate security practices.”

Furthermore, upon reviewing the complaint, members of the Gang of Eight requested to view the underlying intelligence report referenced in the complaint itself. We were subsequently informed by your office that the IC is unable to provide the unredacted underlying intelligence report “due to the assertion of executive privilege.” This response and assertion of privilege over this type of intelligence report is unprecedented. The request and provision of intelligence reports have been longstanding practice between the IC and its congressional oversight committees.

Moreover, it is not clear how this intelligence report could implicate executive privilege, which typically protects the deliberation and communications of the President and his senior advisors. We are aware of recent press reporting that alleges the underlying intelligence involves discussions about the President’s son-in-law, Mr. Jared Kushner, but since the underlying intelligence report has not been made available to Congress and because the complaint itself was heavily redacted, we cannot confirm the accuracy of such allegations. However, we would note that if these reports were true, Mr. Kushner is not serving as a senior administration official and so there is no colorable argument that executive privilege could apply in this instance. Moreover, as you are well aware, the names of U.S. persons are routinely masked in disseminated intelligence reporting.

In light of these facts, we request your response to the following questions:

Did the President assert executive privilege over the underlying intelligence report?
If so, when did he assert such privilege and on what basis?
If not, who asserted the privilege, when was it asserted, and what was the basis for that assertion?

If there was no assertion of privilege, we request that you instruct the relevant agency to provide the requested report to the Gang of 8 immediately. Additionally, we wish to request that pursuant to 50 U.S.C. § 3033(k)(5)(D), you provide security guidance to the complainant through the IC IG so that the complainant is able to meet with the appropriate committees as afforded by the law.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

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‘* High-quality photographs of Sen. Mark R. Warner are available for download here *

Photos may be used online and in print, and can be attributed to ‘The Office of Sen. Mark R. Warner’

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement:

“Four years ago, Vladimir Putin launched his brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, expecting a swift victory. Instead, he has been met with the extraordinary courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people, who continue to defend their country, and the cause of democracy, against overwhelming odds. And, as allies and partners united in support of the Ukrainian people, Putin has been met with what he fears most: a NATO that is stronger than ever.

“We must be clear about what’s happening on the battlefield. According to a recent unclassified analysis, Russia is suffering staggering losses in this conflict – on the order of roughly 1.2 million troops killed, wounded, or missing, including hundreds of thousands killed, since February 2022. To put that in perspective, these are among the highest casualty rates that any major power has faced since World War II. The Russian military is being dealt a devastating blow, and it is happening without sending a single American service member into combat.

“That reality should shape how we think about this conflict. Supporting Ukraine is not just the right thing to do morally. It is also squarely in America’s national security interest. The Ukrainians are fighting on the front lines of freedom, and in the process, they are delivering a significant strategic setback to Russia’s military for years to come.

“But the Trump administration is failing to meet the moment. From the widespread use of drones, to the pervasive use of electronic warfare, to the integration of commercial systems on the battlefield, the war in Ukraine has demonstrated that modern combat has dramatically changed. There are lessons unfolding every day that should be informing how we equip and train our own forces to prepare for the threats of tomorrow. By not moving more aggressively to provide additional weapons systems and expand training efforts, we are not only shortchanging Ukraine – we are shortchanging our own security. By scaling back U.S. support to Ukraine, President Trump is ceding these lessons to Russia and China and making Americans less safe.

“On this solemn anniversary, we honor the extraordinary sacrifices of the Ukrainian people. And we must recommit ourselves to ensuring they have the tools they need to prevail, because their fight is not just about Ukraine’s sovereignty. It is about defending the democratic values and principles that protect our very own freedoms.”

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WASHINGTON—Tomorrow, President Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, days after the Israeli Security Cabinet advanced a policy to dramatically expand Israeli control and settlements in the West Bank.

Ahead of the White House meeting, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Democratic Leader, Chris Coons (D-DE), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, and Brian Schatz (D-HI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, issued the following statement:

“We are deeply troubled by the Israeli government’s decision to blatantly consolidate administrative control over and set the conditions to expand settlements into the West Bank. The Israeli government's actions contravene decades of bipartisan United States policy, including that expressed by President Trump, which asserts the United States supports a two-state solution and that it is not in the U.S. national security interest to support annexation of the West Bank.

“We have long expressed our concern that these reckless moves make the possibility of a two-state solution, where Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace and security, further out of reach. We urge Prime Minister Netanyahu to reverse course. When President Trump meets with Prime Minister Netanyahu this week, we also urge the President to clearly reinforce the opposition of the U.S. government to Israeli government actions that set the conditions for irreversible annexation.”

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) applaud the congressional passage of legislation to fund our country’s defense, security, health, education, transportation, and housing programs. This package supports a number of Warner and Kaine priorities, including affordable housing, safer airways, improved infrastructure, medical research, servicemember pay, and shipbuilding. These five bipartisan bills fund Defense; Financial Services and General Government; Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and related agencies; National Security, Department of State, and related programs; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and related agencies for Fiscal Year 2026.

“I’m proud to provide over $93 million to 78 critical community projects across Virginia that support affordable housing, expanded health care access, transportation safety and modernization, and job entry and development programs,” said Sen. Warner. “This bill is far from perfect, but we were able to make headway on important national priorities including supporting Ukraine, lowering health care and prescription drug costs, boosting medical research, and funding public housing.”

“I’m glad that we passed legislation to fund important priorities like pay for military servicemembers, and reauthorize my bipartisan legislation—named in honor of Charlottesville native and physician Dr. Lorna Breen—to support the mental health of the health care workforce,” said Sen. Kaine. “I’m also thrilled that it includes over $93 million in federal funding that Senator Warner and I secured to expand access to health care, make critical infrastructure improvements, and more. I look forward to getting on the road to celebrate these investments in our communities.”

As part of the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations process, members of Congress are able to work with the communities they represent to request funding for local community projects, otherwise known as congressionally directed spending, in a manner that promotes transparency and accountability. This process allows Congress to dedicate federal funding for specific projects in Virginia. This package contains $93.267 million for 78 specific projects in Virginia.

Through strong advocacy, the senators secured funding in the relevant spending bills for the following Virginia projects:

For projects in Central Virginia, click here.
For projects in Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore, click here.
For projects in Northern Virginia, click here.
For projects in the Shenandoah Valley and the Highlands, click here.
For projects in Southwest Virginia and Southside, click here.
For statewide projects, click here.

This funding is in addition to the $112.14 million in federal funding that Sens. Warner and Kaine previously secured for projects in Central Virginia, Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore, Northern Virginia, Shenandoah Valley and the Highlands, Southwest Virginia and Southside, and across Virginia as part of other government funding legislation.

In addition to community-specific projects, this legislation includes funding for the following Warner and Kaine priorities:

Supporting public housing: Provides $48.4 billion to the Office of Public and Indian Housing, including $38.4 billion for tenant based rental assistance; $8.3 billion for the Public Housing Fund; $206.4 million to help families get good paying jobs; and $1.4 billion to support housing in Tribal and Native Hawaiian communities.

Supporting community investment, affordable housing, and homelessness prevention: Provides $13.3 billion for the Office of Community Planning and Development, including $3.3 billion for the Community Development Block program to give Virginia cities and counties reliable funding for housing repairs, neighborhood revitalization, and community development; $4.4 billion for Homeless Assistance Grants to expand permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing, and prevention efforts; $1.25 billion for the HOME Investment Partnerships program to help states and cities build and preserve affordable housing; $65 million for the Self-Help and Assisted-Homeownership Opportunity program to help low-income families build or buy their first home; and $30 million for the SUPPORT for Patients and Community Recovery Housing Program to fund housing for people recovering from substance use disorders.

Improving access to housing: Provides $19.9 billion to the Office of Housing, including $18.5 billion to keep rents affordable in privately owned apartment buildings for low-income tenants; $1 billion for Housing for the Elderly; and $287 million for Housing for Persons with Disabilities.

Improving air safety: Provides $22.2 billion to the Federal Aviation Administration, including funds to support the addition of new air traffic controllers and the prioritization of modernizing outdated systems in the National Airspace. Also provides $2 million for an independent study on the airspace in the National Capital Region and the coordination between the FAA and Department of Defense in response to the tragic Flight 5342 accident in January 2025.

Supporting regional airports: Provides $514 million for the Essential Air Service program, which provides critical support for passenger service for Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport.

Improving roads and highways: Provides $64.3 billion to the Federal Highway Administration, including $350 million for bridge repair and $200 million for the Tribal Transportation program.

Improving rail travel: Provides $2.9 billion for the Federal Railroad Administration, including $137 million for Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Improvements grants; $1.6 billion for Amtrak’s National Network grants for State-Supported routes and Long-Distance routes; and $850 million for Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor.

Boosting capital transit: Provides $16.5 billion to the Federal Transit Administration, including $1.7 billion for the Capital Investment Grants program.

Supporting medical research: Provides $48.7 billion for biomedical research, including $3.9 billion for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia research as well as a $10 million increase for diabetes research.

Investing in child care and early learning: Provides $8.8 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), an $85 million increase, which will help families in Virginia and across the country find and afford child care. Also provides $12.36 billion for Head Start, an $85 million increase, which will support Head Start teachers and staff throughout the country. Sen. Kaine has championed efforts in Congress to increase funding for the CCDBG program.

Boosting education: Provides $70.9 billion for the Department of Education, including $18.4 billion for Title I schools and $15.19 billion for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Both received a $20 million increase.

Improving social security: Provides $15 billion for the Social Security Administration’s administrative expenses, a $554 million increase from the prior year. The legislation includes instructions for SSA to utilize the funding to take steps to avoid field office closures, reduced office hours, and delays for appointments at field offices.

Increasing servicemember pay: Provides a 3.8% across-the-board pay raise for servicemembers. Also funds a 1% pay raise for civilians.

Supporting defense communities: Provides $70 million for Impact Aid programs, which provide federal assistance to local school districts that face financial disadvantages due to federal land ownership or high enrollment of federally connected children. Also provides $30 million for the Defense Community Infrastructure Program, which addresses deficiencies in community infrastructure that can or does support a military installation’s readiness and lethality.

Supporting environmental mitigation: Provides $159 million above the President’s request for PFAS cleanup, which removes “forever chemicals” from water and soil. Also provides $20 million above the President’s request for the Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration program, which preserves military missions by supporting cost-sharing to avoid land use conflicts near military installations, address environmental restrictions that limit military activities, and increase military installation resilience.

Supporting international partnerships: Provides $400 million to support Ukraine; reaffirms Congress’s support for NATO; provides $1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative; makes available $3.3 billion to support the United Nations and other international organizations, rejecting the President’s request to eliminate support; includes $343 million to support regional partners in countering ISIS; and provides $1.1 billion for drug interdiction and counter-drug activities.

Providing humanitarian and global health assistance: Provides $9.4 billion for global health programs to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and polio; $5.5 billion for humanitarian assistance to meet most urgent needs around the globe; and $15 million for rigorous impact evaluations to ensure humanitarian programs are efficient and delivering results for vulnerable communities.

Supporting shipbuilding: Provides $27.15 billion to support shipbuilding, including a $5.9 billion increase for Columbia- and Virginia-class submarine programs; $1.676 billion for the completion of last year’s shipbuilding programs; and an additional $1.75 billion for DDG-51 destroyers advance procurement and industrial base support.

Boosting military capacity: Provides $2.947 billion in additional munitions and industrial capacity across the military services, including $500 million to develop and procure additional solid rocket motors.

Expanding telehealth: Extends Medicare telehealth flexibilities for two years; requires HHS to issue guidance with best practices on providing telehealth services accessibly; continues for four years virtual access to the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program; allows cardiopulmonary rehabilitation services to be provided by telehealth in Medicare in 2026 and 2027; and directs HHS to help health care providers learn how to screen for medication-induced movement disorders over telehealth.

Lowering drug costs by reining in PBM middlemen: Reforms Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) to lower drug costs for Americans and protect access to local pharmacies. Also includes two of Sen. Warner’s bills, the PBM Reporting Transparency Act and the Patients Before Middlemen (PBM) Act.

Protecting rural health labor and delivery services: Includes a provision of Sen. Warner’s Keeping Obstetrics Local Act to require State Medicaid programs to conduct studies on the costs of providing maternity, labor, and delivery services in rural hospitals and hospitals that serve a high proportion of Medicaid beneficiaries, and submit a report detailing the results of this study to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Improving mental health: Includes the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act, legislation sponsored by Sen. Kaine and cosponsored by Sen. Warner, that reauthorizes programs that support efforts to improve the mental health of health care providers.

Addressing pediatric cancer: Provides $12.6 million to fund childhood cancer research through the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act, named after a child from Loudoun County who died from brain cancer in 2013.

Supporting individuals with Long COVID: Provides $10 million to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to continue its work to support multidisciplinary Long COVID clinics to address comprehensive, coordinated, person-centered care for people living with Long COVID.

Modernizing public health infrastructure: Provides $185 million to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to modernize America’s public health data systems.

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* High-quality photographs of Sen. Mark R. Warner are available for download here *

Photos may be used online and in print, and can be attributed to ‘The Office of Sen. Mark R. Warner’

WASHINGTON – Today, Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Chris Coons (D-DE), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Housing, Banking and Urban Affairs Committee Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations Brian Schatz (D-HI) released the following statement after President Trump’s announcement that he plans for the U.S. to “run” Venezuela:

“We strongly condemn President Trump’s announced plans to occupy Venezuela. We have many urgent needs here at home and President Trump’s statement that “we are not afraid of boots on the ground,” begs for clarity on the risks he plans to take with the lives of American service members. Having lied to Congress and misled the American people about his goals while spending months preparing to capture Maduro, the administration has to come clean with Congress and our nation about its real plans in Venezuela. The American people deserve answers about what vital interests are at stake and how this advances their security, neither of which this administration has provided.”

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement:

“Our Constitution places the gravest decisions about the use of military force in the hands of Congress for a reason. Using military force to enact regime change demands the closest scrutiny, precisely because the consequences do not end with the initial strike.

“If the United States asserts the right to use military force to invade and capture foreign leaders it accuses of criminal conduct, what prevents China from claiming the same authority over Taiwan’s leadership? What stops Vladimir Putin from asserting similar justification to abduct Ukraine’s president? Once this line is crossed, the rules that restrain global chaos begin to collapse, and authoritarian regimes will be the first to exploit it.

“None of this absolves Maduro. He is a corrupt authoritarian who has repressed his people, stolen elections, imprisoned political opponents, and presided over a humanitarian catastrophe that has forced millions of Venezuelans to flee. The Venezuelan people deserve democratic leadership, and the United States and the international community should have done far more, years ago, to press for a peaceful transition after Maduro lost a vote of his own citizens. But recognizing Maduro’s crimes does not give any president the authority to ignore the Constitution.

“The hypocrisy underlying this decision is especially glaring. This same president recently pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted in a U.S. court on serious drug trafficking charges, including conspiring with narcotics traffickers while in office. Yet now, the administration claims that similar allegations justify the use of military force against another sovereign nation. You cannot credibly argue that drug trafficking charges demand invasion in one case, while issuing a pardon in another.

“America’s strength comes from our commitment to the rule of law, democratic norms, and constitutional restraint. When we abandon those principles, even in the name of confronting bad actors, we weaken our credibility, endanger global stability, and invite abuses of power that will long outlast any single presidency.”

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Tom Cotton (R-AR), Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement after the Senate passed the annual Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (IAA) as a part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), following passage last week in the House of Representatives. The IAA represents a bipartisan effort by the Senate and House Intelligence Committees to authorize the funding, provide legal authorities, and ensure vigorous congressional oversight of national security threats and our United States Intelligence Community.

“I thank my colleagues and am glad to see this bill pass once again on a strong bipartisan basis. It provides the Intelligence Community the resources it needs to do its mission while ensuring that we maintain rigorous oversight of the IC’s activities. This year’s IAA responds to important concerns, including by demanding continued support and transparency for AHI victims, ensuring IC facilities can be protected from the growing threat of commercial drones, and requiring cyber protections for our electoral systems. At the same time, it readies the IC for the future by promoting IC energy resiliency, enhancing the IC’s ability to detect and counter threats related to emerging biotechnology, and ensuring the IC adopts artificial intelligence in a secure and responsible manner. While I am disappointed that we were unable to reach agreement on a provision to secure our Nation’s telecom infrastructure, I look forward to continuing to work with my Senate colleagues to address the unprecedented Salt Typhoon breach that exposed the personal data and communications of millions of Americans,” said Sen. Warner.

“I’d like to thank my colleagues for supporting this bill and the many members of both the House and Senate Intelligence Committees for building this bill and getting it across the finish line. Since becoming chairman, I have been clear about the need for real reform across the entire intelligence community, starting with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The FY26 IAA will enact many of these reforms, which will mean a more efficient intelligence community and a safer United States. This law also includes many other important provisions to ensure and enhance our nation’s security. These include prohibiting the intelligence community from contracting with Chinese military companies, improving the security of CIA installations, identifying the threat to America’s food security posed by Communist China, and directing necessary resources towards defending our nation from threats posed by Iran. I’m glad this bill passed both houses of Congress as part of the NDAA and I look forward to it being signed into law by the President,” said Sen. Cotton.

The Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 will:

Significantly reform and improve efficiencies and effectiveness within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the broader Intelligence Community;
Prohibit the Intelligence Community from contracting with Chinese military companies engaged in biotechnology research, development, or manufacturing;
Improve the Intelligence Community’s artificial intelligence capabilities and capacity and establish guidance for the Intelligence Community’s procurement and use of artificial intelligence;
Increase transparency to Congress regarding Iran’s enrichment activities, including decisions to weaponize uranium;
Improve the security of Central Intelligence Agency installations;
Require the Intelligence Community to develop a plan for sharing biotechnological threats with U.S. agencies, allies, and private-sector partners;
Require the Director of National Intelligence to identify sites for deployment of advanced nuclear technologies;
Establish a strategy to support Intelligence Community efforts to acquire and integrate emerging technologies proven to meet mission needs;
Require any Intelligence Community element with information regarding Iranian lethal threats to United States persons to provide the information to the FBI and to any person responsible for protecting the intended victim;
Support the Intelligence Community workforce by requiring the Director of National Intelligence to issue standard guidelines for Intelligence Community personnel to document and report Anomalous Health Incidents;
Expose the People’s Republic of China’s investments that are undermining America’s agricultural security.
Mandate an annual Intelligence Community survey of analytic objectivity among each element’s officers and employees, and ensure that analytic training includes instructions on avoiding political bias;
Mandate Intelligence Community notifications and reporting to ensure greater congressional oversight of the terrorist watchlist or the transnational organized crime watchlist;
Require the Director of National Intelligence to enhance efforts to counter narcotics trafficking with the Government of Mexico; and
Promote transparency by requiring the Director of National Intelligence to conduct a declassification review and publish intelligence relating to the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) today applauded the Senate passage of the final, compromise text of the nation’s annual defense bill, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This bill, which includes key Warner-led priorities, previously passed the House, and now awaits the President’s signature.

“As the world becomes more dangerous and the technology available to our allies and adversaries alike becomes increasingly more complex, I’m pleased to see the Senate pass this bipartisan legislation,” said Sen. Warner. “This legislation will strengthen our military, provide greater support to servicemembers, bolster our technological capabilities, and address challenges across the globe.”

For the Commonwealth, this bill:

Authorizes more than $935 million for 14 military construction projects across the Commonwealth, which Senator Warner advocated for with the Armed Services Committee. This includes:

$380 million for a Public-Private housing project at Naval Station Norfolk
$188 million for dry dock modernization at Norfolk Naval Shipyard
$24 million for the completion of two Child Development Centers (JEB Little Creek-Ft Story and NS Norfolk), and $15.5 million in funding for the VA National Guard to complete the next stage of their Aircraft Maintenance Hangar project.

Provides more than $25 billion for Navy shipbuilding – more than $5 billion over the President’s budget request.
Greenlights the procurement of a third Columbia-class submarine, as well as funding for the Virginia-class submarine and aircraft carrier programs.
Prevents funding from being misused to reduce the workforce at any public shipyard, including Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Senator Warner had successfully pushed conferees for this provision in the final bill.
Authorizes NASA to reimburse the Town of Chincoteague for expenses related to relocated PFAS contaminated water wells to a safe location. From the late 1970s to 1988, PFAS were used at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. In 2017, NASA detected PFAS in wells used to provide drinking water to the Town of Chincoteague and has since needed to provide the town with drinking water – first from an uncontaminated NASA well and then through a groundwater treatment system that filtered out the PFAS. This provision was championed by Sen. Warner and based off legislation he introduced earlier this year.

For a stronger military, this bill:

Authorizes a 3.8 percent pay raise for servicemembers.
Creates a new Personal Property Management Office, and establishes stricter requirements and oversight mechanisms for any future contract related to the servicemember PCS move process. This builds on Sen. Warner’s successful efforts to secure modifications to the military’s broken moving system. Sen. Warner previously raised concerns about ongoing delays and confusion, and sounded the alarm about missed pickups, delivery issues and communication difficulties with the military contractor responsible for moves.
Includes a package of reforms to barracks housing, led by Sen. Warner, which will allow for increased oversight of housing for these servicemembers. These provisions mandate a review of housing quality methodologies, reform those metrics to ensure they accurately reflect the quality of housing, and take steps to standardize methodologies across military services; develop a centralized tracking system for barracks construction needs; and improve a number of reporting requirements aimed at increasing transparency and improving the quality of housing for our servicemembers.
Makes a number of additional improvements to military housing policy, including increased visibility around dispute resolution payments by landlords, as well as greater transparency requirements around the calculation of housing allowance rates.

To strengthen our nation’s technological capabilities, this bill:

Includes Warner provisions to support DoD’s fielding of advanced nuclear technology. The bill includes provisions that would create an Advanced Nuclear Working Group responsible for accelerating the procurement and use of advanced nuclear capabilities, improving coordination across the Department and federal government to support national security missions and emergent needs. The bill also provides greater authority for DoD to attract and scale private investment in these technologies. Sen. Warner worked with bipartisan colleagues to secure inclusion of these provisions in the Senate bill.
Requires a strategy to reestablish a credible deterrence against cyberattacks targeting American critical infrastructure using the full spectrum of military operations.
Requires the establishment of a Biotechnology Management Office, as well as the development of a DoD-wide strategy to enhance the use of biotech products.
Requires the development of guidelines on the ethical and responsible development and deployment of biotech within DoD.
Requires DoD to develop a roadmap for the small, unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) industrial base to support existing sUAS programs.
Requires regular congressional briefings from the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, about Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) intercepts by the North American Aerospace Defense Command or United States Northern Command.

To bolster our ability to address strategic global challenges, this bill:

Prohibits a unilateral reduction in U.S. military force posture in Europe or U.S. relinquishment of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe position until the Secretary of Defense assesses the impact on U.S. and NATO interests and certifies to Congress that such action is in the national interest.
Prohibits a unilateral reduction in U.S. military posture in the Korean Peninsula or a change in wartime operational control over the Combined Forces Command until the Secretary of Defense certifies to Congress that such action is in the national interest.
Authorizes $1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative and expands the authority to cover combat casualty care and medical equipment.
Directs DoD to engage with Taiwan to develop a joint program to co-develop and co-produce drone capabilities. It also directs DoD to assess Taiwan’s critical digital infrastructure and identify actions to help enable the protection of such infrastructure, consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act.
Extends the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) through 2029 and authorizes funding of $400 million.
Requires the Secretary of Defense to continue to provide intelligence support, including information, intelligence, and imagery collection to the Government of Ukraine.
Requires an evaluation of the intelligence capabilities of the People’s Republic of China and Russia in Cuba.
Directs DoD to evaluate and, if necessary, improve communication between the U.S. and Mexican militaries during border-related support.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement today on language in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that could undo key safety measures implemented over the D.C. airspace in the wake of the January 29, 2025 collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA):

“Buried in the NDAA, there is a provision that could make flying into the Capital region significantly less safe. The language in this provision could allow rolling back crucial new safety practices I fought to implement after the January 29 tragedy, and give the Department of Defense more discretion over safety procedures in the region. After what happened in January, it’s clear that we cannot rely on the DoD alone to be the safety authority over its flights in this area and that we need more, not less, oversight to prevent another tragedy from ever occurring again. I will be speaking to the DoD and my colleagues in Congress to highlight the significant safety risk presented by this provision.”

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and author of the bipartisan law to invest in domestic semiconductor manufacturing, released the following statement on the Trump administration’s announcement that it would allow American chipmaker Nvidia to send H200 chips to China:

“American companies must remain the undisputed leader in AI hardware because our strategic competition with China on AI will boil down to whose ecosystem drives adoption and innovation globally, as NVIDIA has acknowledged. Unfortunately, the Trump administration’s haphazard and transactional approach to export policy demonstrates that it does not have any sort of coherent strategy for how we will compete with China, specifically as it relates to whose chips, tools, cloud infrastructure, and ecosystem will influence the most AI developers worldwide. I fear that with no strategic vision for that broader competition across multiple key dimensions of AI innovation, this administration risks squandering U.S. AI leadership and deferring to the People’s Republic of China up and down the AI stack.”

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WASHINGTON – Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued a statement after an investigation by the Department of Defense’s (DoD) independent watchdog found that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth violated DoD policy and endangered the lives of Virginia-based pilots by sharing classified information over an unsecure personal group chat:

“An objective, evidence-based investigation by the Pentagon’s internal watchdog leaves no doubt: Secretary Hegseth endangered the lives of American pilots based aboard the USS Harry S. Truman as they prepared to launch a mission against terrorist targets. By sharing classified operational details on an unsecure group chat on his personal phone, he created unacceptable risks to their safety and to our operational security.

“The report also notes that the IG is aware of several other Signal chats Hegseth used for official business, underscoring that this was not an isolated lapse. It reflects a broader pattern of recklessness and poor judgment from a secretary who has repeatedly shown he is in over his head.

“Our servicemembers, including those stationed in Virginia and around the world, expect and deserve leaders who honor the sacrifices they make every day to protect our nation and never put them at unnecessary risk. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Pete Hegseth should resign, or the president must remove him at once.”

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WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, delivered a speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate warning that the United States faces a deepening threat to our security as the Trump administration continues a sweeping political purge of the FBI, dismantles America’s cyber defenses, and hollow outs the institutions responsible for protecting the homeland. Today’s remarks follow a September address in which Warner outlined concerns with the growing politicization of intelligence under the Trump administration.

In his speech today – “A Deepening Threat: How Politicizing Intelligence Endangers Our National Security” – Warner detailed how thousands of FBI agents and senior leaders have been forced out for political reasons, including the heads of the Bureau’s counterterrorism, intelligence, cyber, and critical incident response units. He warned that these purges, combined with the unprecedented reassignment of 25 to 45 percent of FBI agents working counterterrorism, cyber, espionage, and child exploitation cases to President Trump’s immigration roundups, have sharply reduced the Bureau’s ability to prevent attacks, disrupt foreign plots, and respond to cyber intrusions.

“Firing agents who investigate terrorists, foreign spies, cyber hackers, and child predators does not make America safer, especially when the president’s own intelligence officials warn, publicly and repeatedly, of the many threats facing our nation,” said Warner today.

Warner also highlighted the administration’s dismantling of core cyber infrastructure beyond the FBI. More than one-third of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has been fired and pushed out, even as ransomware and destructive cyberattacks hit state and local governments in at least 44 states. The administration has removed the leadership of the National Security Agency and Defense Intelligence Agency, left U.S. Cyber Command without a permanent commander, and disbanded the Foreign Influence Task Force responsible for safeguarding U.S. elections from foreign interference.

Quoting the intelligence community’s own assessments, Warner underscored the intensifying threat environment: Beijing expanding AI-enabled malign influence operations; Moscow increasing the sophistication and volume of its disinformation and cyber activities; and Iran enhancing its capacity for aggressive cyberattacks on U.S. networks and infrastructure.

Warner warned that the administration’s political interference, including the gutting of the FBI’s operational capabilities and the erosion of federal cyber defenses, is leaving Americans at growing risk.

“The next attack will not wait for Congress to act,” Warner said. “And when it comes, the consequences will not be measured in polling numbers or election results. They will be measured in lives lost, infrastructure damaged, and national security compromised.”

Warner reiterated that he will return to the Senate floor in the coming weeks to continue highlighting instances of political interference across the federal government’s national security apparatus and to press for urgent action to restore integrity and protect the American people.

Senator Warner’s remarks as prepared for delivery appear below:

M. President, two months ago, I came to this floor to warn about the growing politicization of our intelligence community.

I laid out, in detail, how this administration, led by Director of National Intelligence Gabbard, was dismantling the independence, integrity, and credibility of the very institutions we rely on to keep Americans safe.

I had hoped that by sounding that alarm early, the administration might reconsider its actions… or at the very least, slow its march toward turning our intelligence agencies into instruments of political loyalty.

But instead, the situation has grown only more dangerous.

And I want to say at the outset: this will not be the last time I come to this floor on this issue.

I intend to continue making these speeches… for as long as it takes… because the stakes for our national security are too high to let this pattern go unchallenged.

Since my remarks in September, we’ve seen not restraint, but an escalation… an escalation of political retaliation, of the hollowing out of expertise, and of the outright manipulation of intelligence. We are watching, in real time, an administration strip away the guardrails that have protected this country for generations.

I have had the distinct privilege of representing the people of Virginia in this body since 2009. And in nearly 17 years, one of the most consequential responsibilities I’ve held has been serving on the Senate Intelligence Committee… first as a junior member and then, for the last eight years, as Chairman or Vice Chairman.

I always tell our new members that getting a seat on the Committee is a double-edged sword.

On the one hand, you get access to things that no other Senators see… you see capabilities that would astonish even the most seasoned spy-novel reader among us.

But the other edge is harder: you also see the full scope of the threats facing the United States… daily reports about terrorist plots, cyber-attacks, hostile foreign services targeting our citizens and institutions.

And once you’ve seen that picture clearly, you don’t sleep quite so easily at night.

It’s precisely because those threats are real, persistent, and in many cases, growing, that I’m so deeply concerned about the Trump administration’s reckless actions – actions that have left our country more vulnerable than at any point in recent memory.

Just last month, FBI Director Kash Patel testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that the FBI has experienced a 300percent increase in terrorist cases opened this year alone… on top of a 30percent increase in foreign espionage cases.

At the Senate Intelligence Committee’s Annual Threat Assessment hearing, Director Gabbard reiterated that foreign terrorists remain intent on striking the United States and our citizens… that a range of cyber and intelligence actors continue to target our critical infrastructure… and that state adversaries possess weapons capable of hitting U.S. territory and disabling vital U.S. systems. Indeed, in an interview earlier this month, Director Gabbard repeated that “terrorism continues to pose the greatest – both short- and long-term – threat to the American people.”

Whatever one thinks of the individuals delivering them, the assessments themselves leave no ambiguity about the dangers confronting the United States.

And yet, in spite of those clear and present threats, the Trump administration has chosen a course of action that weakens our defenses and leaves Americans more vulnerable to the very risks its own officials have publicly described.

Since Inauguration Day, the president and his hand-picked FBI Director, Kash Patel, have forced out thousands of experienced agents for reasons that appear more political than professional, like refusing to lie about who won the 2020 election, or for prosecuting the violent criminals who attacked Capitol Police officers on January 6, or simply for being friendly with someone critical of the president.

Alarming court filings suggest that even Director Patel has privately acknowledged that many of these actions may be illegal… yet justified them by saying that his position depended on carrying them out.

The list of those purged reads like a Who’s Who of the Bureau’s most decorated public servants:

Those agents forced out include the former Acting Director of the FBI, Brian Driscoll, who rose through the FBI ranks in some of its most elite units, including the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team… where in 2015 he supported U.S. Special Operations in rescuing an American humanitarian aid worker, Kayla Mueller, from ISIS. Special Agent Driscoll would later rise to be the Head of FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group, the FBI’s elite team in charge of dealing with terrorists, child abductors, bomb threats, and hostage situations. For his service, Agent Driscoll was awarded the FBI Medal of Valor and the Shield of Bravery… only to have Director Patel fire him because he would not purge agents the president deemed politically disloyal.

They include Bobby Wells, who joined the FBI shortly after 9/11 and spent decades in counterterrorism. He eventually became the Head of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, leading efforts against Al Qa’ida, ISIS, and other global terrorist networks. Notably, he helped bring to justice the mastermind of the Kabul International Airport bombing that killed 13 American service members – an accomplishment publicly touted by the president – only to have the president fire him shortly thereafter.

They include Michael Nordwall, the Head of the FBI’s Criminal Cyber Response Branch, who led efforts to combat ransomware attacks, online fraud, and sophisticated cyber intrusions targeting critical U.S. infrastructure.

They include Ryan Young, the Head of FBI’s Intelligence Division… overseeing the collection and analysis of intelligence on domestic and foreign threats, ensuring that field offices had the situational awareness to prevent attacks.

Other senior agents forced out include dozens of heads of FBI field offices nationwide, from Washington, D.C., to Miami, New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Seattle.

Among them was Special Agent Jacqueline Maguire, the lead investigator into the five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77, whose expertise was critical to understanding 9/11 and preventing further attacks.

And most recently, they include Steven Palmer, a 27-year veteran of the FBI and the third head of the FBI’s elite Critical Incident Response Group to be fired in just three months. As head of the Critical Incident Response Group, he led teams tasked with responding to terrorist attacks, mass shootings, hostage crises, and high-risk national security incidents… work that requires split-second decision-making under extreme pressure. He was fired not for failing in his duties, not for misconduct, and not for political disagreements about law enforcement policy.

He was fired because the American people learned that Director Patel had been using the FBI’s $60 million jet, at $20,000 per flight, to go on dates with his girlfriend. To make matters worse, recent reporting indicates that Patel has now also pulled agents off of an FBI SWAT team to provide a personal security detail for his girlfriend… an unprecedented use of some of one our nation’s most elite units, ordinarily assigned to deal with terrorism, hostage situations, or mass shootings.

Thousands of FBI agents… all forced out, not because they failed to do their jobs, but because they refused to bend the knee to partisan politics.

And as if that weren’t alarming enough, in recent months the FBI has reassigned between 25 and 45 percent of its agents who handle counterterrorism, cyber, espionage, child sexual abuse, and other critical missions… to immigration enforcement.

Data reveals a 33 percent decrease in the hours spent on child exploitation cases, compared to previous years.

Firing agents who investigate terrorists, foreign spies, cyber hackers, and child predators does not make America safer, especially when the president’s own intelligence officials warn, publicly and repeatedly, of the many threats facing our nation.

Just this summer, the ODNI issued a bulletin warning of Al Qa-ida and ISIS plots targeting the homeland. And just last month, the FBI disrupted ISIS terrorist plots in Michigan and New Jersey that may have been aimed at Halloween festivities.

I shudder to think what would have happened had the FBI missed these plots… had semi-automatic rifles been unleashed on young children trick-or-treating.

The FBI Agents Association, which represents over 90percent of all active FBI agents, issued a sobering warning earlier this month that Director Patel, quote, “disregarded the law and launched a campaign of erratic and arbitrary retribution” and that his actions, quote, “make the American public less safe.”

Unfortunately, this political purge of our country’s defenses is not limited to the FBI.

Since April, the National Security Agency – the agency in charge of spying on the communications of our adversaries – has been without a permanent Director or Deputy Director after President Trump fired General Tim Haugh and his Deputy, Wendy Noble, at the behest of conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer.

Same for the Defense Intelligence Agency, whose director, General Jeff Kruse, was fired after DIA provided a fact-based assessment that contradicted the president’s false televised claim that U.S. strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program.

This pattern of reckless firings has extended to nearly every corner of our national security enterprise.

Hundreds of workers who are responsible for maintaining our country’s nuclear weapons… fired.

Staff managing foreign assistance programs ranging from the detention of ISIS terrorists in Syria to air defense support for Ukraine… fired.

Hundreds of analysts monitoring China and Russia… fired… including a 29-year veteran of the CIA who supported President Trump’s Alaska Summit with President Putin… whose undercover identity was publicly and incompetently disclosed by DNI Tulsi Gabbard.

More than one-third of CISA – the agency Congress established for the explicit purpose of protecting our critical infrastructure like water, power, and our elections – fired… even as major cyberattacks hit state and local governments in at least 44 states, including a massive ransomware attack on Nevada’s online government systems in August, a ransomware attack in July on local government networks in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a cyberattack on city systems in Mission, Texas in February.

The irony is stark: despite persistent efforts by China, Russia, Iran, and other adversaries, the 2020 presidential election was one of the most secure in history, thanks in large part to steps taken during the Trump administration’s first term to safeguard our critical infrastructure.

Yet now, much of that hard-won protection has been dismantled, leaving Americans more vulnerable than ever.

Cyber Command, which under General Paul Nakasone disrupted Russian troll farms in 2017, lacks a permanent Commander. The Foreign Influence Task Force – stood up by President Trump in his first term to share information with state and local partners about foreign interference in our elections – has been disbanded entirely.

And all the while, the administration’s own intelligence reporting warns – and I quote:

“Beijing will continue to expand its coercive and subversive malign influence activities to weaken the United States…[and] is likely to feel emboldened to use malign influence more regularly in coming years, particularly as it fields AI to improve its capabilities.”

“Moscow’s malign influence activities will continue for the foreseeable future and will almost certainly increase in sophistication and volume.”

“Iran’s growing expertise and willingness to conduct aggressive cyber operations make it a major threat to the security of U.S. networks and data.”

The pattern is unmistakable: political loyalty is now valued over competence, and the very institutions created to protect Americans are being dismantled before our eyes.

We can no longer pretend that politics and national security are separate. Every day we allow this purge to continue is a day we leave Americans more exposed – in their homes, on their streets, and online.

The next attack will not wait for Congress to act. The next threat will not ask permission. And when it comes, the consequences will not be measured in polling numbers or election results. They will be measured in lives lost, infrastructure damaged, and national security compromised.

This is the moment to stand up. To defend our intelligence agencies, to protect our agents, and to safeguard the American people. If we fail to act now, we will bear the cost later… a cost that could be catastrophic.

Thank you. I yield the floor.

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and co-founder of the Senate Cybersecurity Caucus, released the following statement after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to roll back cybersecurity regulations put in place following Salt Typhoon, the worst telecommunications cyberattack in our nation’s history:

“In the aftermath of the worst telecommunications compromise in our nation’s history, today’s vote by the FCC walks back yet another effort to set meaningful, enforceable cybersecurity standards for America’s communications backbone, after congressional Republicans overturned cybersecurity rules set by the FCC in 2017.

“The Salt Typhoon intrusion made clear that existing voluntary measures alone have not been sufficient to prevent sophisticated, state-sponsored actors from gaining long-term, covert access to critical networks. While collaboration with industry is essential, it must be paired with clear, enforceable expectations that reflect the scale of the threat.

“I am concerned that abandoning an enforceable, standards-based approach in favor of undefined ‘flexible’ solutions leaves us without a credible plan to address the gaps exposed by Salt Typhoon, including basic failures like credential reuse and the absence of multi-factor authentication for highly privileged accounts.

“Congress, the administration, and the FCC should be moving toward greater transparency and stronger protections, not less. I will continue pressing for a comprehensive national strategy to ensure that our telecommunications infrastructure is resilient against the kinds of intrusions we know are not hypothetical, but ongoing.”

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WASHINGTON – Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued the following statement blasting the Trump administration for holding a partisan military briefing and withholding legally requested information from Democratic senators:

“Shutting Democrats out of a briefing on U.S. military strikes and withholding the legal justification for those strikes from half the Senate is indefensible and dangerous. Decisions about the use of American military force are not campaign strategy sessions, and they are not the private property of one political party. For any administration to treat them that way erodes our national security and flies in the face of Congress’ constitutional obligation to oversee matters of war and peace.

“This partisan stunt is a slap in the face to Congress’ war powers responsibilities and to the men and women who serve this country. It also sets a reckless and deeply troubling precedent. The administration must immediately provide to Democrats the same briefing and the OLC opinion justifying these strikes, as Secretary Rubio personally promised me that he would in a face-to-face meeting on Capitol Hill just last week. Americans deserve a government that fulfills its constitutional duties and treats decisions about the use of military force with the seriousness they demand.”

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) today applauded the Senate passage of the nation’s annual defense bill, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This bill, which includes key Warner-led priorities, must now be conferenced with the House’s version of the bill, before ultimately being signed into law by the President.

For the Commonwealth, this bill:

Authorizes more than $958 million for 13 military construction projects across the Commonwealth, which Senator Warner advocated for with the Armed Services Committee. This includes:

$380 million for a Public-Private housing project at Naval Station Norfolk
$188 million for dry dock modernization at Norfolk Naval Shipyard
$24 million for the completion of two Child Development Centers (JEB Little Creek-Ft Story and NS Norfolk), and $15.5 million in funding for the VA National Guard to complete the next stage of their Aircraft Maintenance Hangar project.

Provides $30.9 billion for Navy shipbuilding – more than $10 billion over the President’s budget request.
Greenlights the procurement of up to five Columbia-class submarines, as well as funding for the Virginia-class submarine and aircraft carrier programs.
Prevents funding from being misused to reduce the workforce at any public shipyard, including Norfolk Naval Shipyard.
Authorizes NASA to reimburse the Town of Chincoteague for expenses related to relocated PFAS contaminated water wells to a safe location. From the late 1970s to 1988, PFAS were used at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. In 2017, NASA detected PFAS in wells used to provide drinking water to the Town of Chincoteague and has since needed to provide the town with drinking water – first from an uncontaminated NASA well and then through a groundwater treatment system that filtered out the PFAS. This provision was championed by Sen. Warner and based off legislation he introduced earlier this year.
Includes a major housing package championed by Sen. Warner that would boost the nation’s housing supply, improve housing affordability, help reduce homelessness, expand access to homeownership, and increase oversight and efficiency of federal regulators and housing programs.
Includes a CDFI package championed by Sen. Warner that would:

Expand the reach of the CDFI Bond Guarantee Program by reducing the minimum loan size needed to be eligible to utilize the program. This will allow more community development projects and make the program accessible to smaller CDFIs.
Increase transparency within the CDFI Fund by requiring the Treasury Secretary to testify annually before Congress.
Supports additional capacity for CDFIs in both rural and urban communities.
Expands a USDA pilot program that works with Native CDFIs to help Native families achieve homeownership.

For a stronger military, this bill:

Authorizes a 3.8 percent pay raise for servicemembers.
Creates a new Personal Property Management Office, and establishes stricter requirements and oversight mechanisms for any future contract related to the servicemember PCS move process. This builds on Sen. Warner’s successful efforts to secure modifications to the military’s broken moving system. Sen. Warner previously raised concerns about ongoing delays and confusion, and sounded the alarm about missed pickups, delivery issues and communication difficulties with the military contractor responsible for moves.
Includes a package of reforms to barracks housing, led by Sen. Warner, which will allow for increased oversight of housing for these servicemembers. These provisions mandate a review of housing quality methodologies, reform those metrics to ensure they accurately reflect the quality of housing, and take steps to standardize methodologies across military services; develop a centralized tracking system for barracks construction needs; and improve a number of reporting requirements aimed at increasing transparency and improving the quality of housing for our servicemembers.
Makes a number of additional improvements to military housing policy, including increased visibility around dispute resolution payments by landlords, a prohibition on mandatory non-disclosure agreements (NDA) as a condition of securing housing, as well as greater transparency requirements around the calculation of housing allowance rates.
Creates additional safety requirements in the wake of the American Airlines Flight 5342 collision with a military helicopter over the Potomac River. Specifically, this legislation sets a requirement that all DoD aircraft operating near commercial airports be equipped with position broadcast technology. This legislation also directs the development of standard operating procedures that maximize the use of such technology, as well as a review of DoD policies and procedures for data gathering, risk assessment and risk mitigation of U.S. military flights, especially as it relates to differentiating between flights in the U.S. domestic airspace.
Directs DoD to reverse recent name changes to Virginia military installations, specifically directing that these be reverted to the names recommended by the DoD’s Naming Commission. This bill also prohibits the Secretary of Defense from making any further changes to these names.

To strengthen our nation’s technological capabilities, this bill:

Includes Warner provisions to support DoD’s fielding of advanced nuclear technology. The bill includes provisions that would create an Advanced Nuclear Working Group responsible for accelerating the procurement and use of advanced nuclear capabilities, improving coordination across the Department and federal government, and developing advanced nuclear pilot projects to support national security missions and emergent needs. The bill also provides greater authority for DoD to attract and scale private investment in these technologies. Sen. Warner worked with bipartisan colleagues to secure inclusion of these provisions in the Senate bill.
Requires Cyber Command to develop an AI roadmap for industry and academic collaboration to build AI-enabled cyber tools and technologies.
Requires a strategy to reestablish a credible deterrence against cyberattacks targeting American critical infrastructure using the full spectrum of military operations.
Requires the establishment of a Biotechnology Management Office, as well as the development of a DoD-wide strategy to enhance the use of biotech products.
Requires the development of guidelines on the ethical and responsible development and deployment of biotech within DoD.
Requires DoD to develop a roadmap for the small, unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) industrial base to support existing sUAS programs.
Requires regular congressional briefings from the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, about Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) intercepts by the North American Aerospace Defense Command or United States Northern Command.

To bolster our ability to address strategic global challenges, this bill:

Prohibits a unilateral reduction in U.S. military force posture in Europe or U.S. relinquishment of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe position until the Secretary of Defense assesses the impact on U.S. and NATO interests and certifies to Congress that such action is in the national interest.
Prohibits a unilateral reduction in U.S. military posture in the Korean Peninsula or a change in wartime operational control over the Combined Forces Command until the Secretary of Defense certifies to Congress that such action is in the national interest.
Authorizes $1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative and expands the authority to cover combat casualty care and medical equipment.
Directs DoD to engage with Taiwan to develop a joint program to co-develop and co-produce drone capabilities. It also directs DoD to assess Taiwan’s critical digital infrastructure and identify actions to strengthen it.
Extends the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) through 2028 and increases authorized funding to $500 million.
Requires the Secretary of Defense to continue to provide intelligence support, including information, intelligence, and imagery collection to the Government of Ukraine.
Directs DoD to work with Ukraine to develop a depot-level maintenance plan to ensure that western-transferred military equipment can be sustained.
Establishes a pilot program to deepen cybersecurity cooperation with the Government of Panama and the Panama Canal Authority and further protect the Panama Canal from adversarial actors.
Requires an evaluation of the intelligence capabilities of the People’s Republic of China and Russia in Cuba.
Requires a report to assess the advisability, feasibility, and cost of using DoD personnel in support of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to provide translation and interpretation services in connection with border security operations.
Directs DoD to evaluate and, if necessary, improve communication between the U.S. and Mexican militaries during border-related support.

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Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released a statement regarding President Donald Trump’s forcing out of Erik Siebert, interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Alex Padilla (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, wrote Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard regarding concerns that she may have directed the Intelligence Community (IC) to cease disclosing attempted foreign interference in U.S. elections and requested she provide an urgent briefing on foreign election threats. The Senators also demanded Gabbard clarify her comments made about alleged “evidence” of vulnerabilities to electronic voting systems and manipulation of election results, which has not been substantiated.

As the country approaches the 2026 federal midterm elections, the Senators highlighted the importance of protecting the United States from foreign influence, including cyber threats. Warner and Padilla pushed Gabbard and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to coordinate an IC briefing on these threats by October 10th, and requested a plan for defensive cybersecurity measures ahead of the 2025 and 2026 election cycles.

This year, Gabbard has made harmful and unsubstantiated statements about voting system vulnerabilities as the Trump Administration has dismantled election security efforts at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and curtailed the Congressionally authorized Foreign Malign Influence Center at ODNI. At a cabinet meeting in April, Gabbard claimed that she has “evidence” about voting manipulation in electronic voting machines, and on a right-wing podcast in July, she said that her office has evidence of voting machine vulnerabilities that it had not disclosed to the American public or Congress.

“As your testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in March made clear, foreign adversaries continue to conduct influence activities to undermine public confidence in our election system and potentially even shape election outcomes,” wrote the senators. “While you have chosen not to release a declassified version of the Intelligence Community Assessment for the 2024 U.S. Elections, the final Election Security Update ahead of Election Day noted that ‘Foreign actors – particularly Russia, Iran, and China – remain intent on’ pursuing efforts to undermine public confidence in our democratic system, including inciting violence among Americans. We are concerned that you may have directed the Intelligence Community (IC) to cease its intelligence reporting on this vital topic.”

“Given sustained efforts by the current Administration to dismantle CISA’s election security mission, including discontinuing funding to the critically important Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center, over the bipartisan objections of Secretaries of State, your cyber vulnerability claims are puzzling and elicit justified skepticism, as well as concerns of politicization,” continued the senators. “Since taking office, the Administration paused CISA’s election security work, fired election security staff, and staff are reportedly afraid to work with state and local election officials and vendors for fear of retribution.”

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

Director Gabbard:

For the better part of the last decade, the Senate Rules Committee and Senate Select Committee on Intelligence have led efforts to educate the United States Senate, and the American public, about foreign threats to our elections. As your testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in March made clear, foreign adversaries continue to conduct influence activities to undermine public confidence in our election system and potentially even shape election outcomes. While you have chosen not to release a declassified version of the Intelligence Community Assessment for the 2024 U.S. Elections, the final Election Security Update ahead of Election Day noted that “Foreign actors – particularly Russia, Iran, and China – remain intent on” pursuing efforts to undermine public confidence in our democratic system, including inciting violence among Americans. We are concerned that you may have directed the Intelligence Community (IC) to cease its intelligence reporting on this vital topic.

As the election cycle for the 2026 federal mid-term elections gets underway, and multiple state contests have already begun, we write to request that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) coordinate an IC briefing for Senators on foreign election threats, including efforts to influence election outcomes through influence or cyber-enabled means. As part of that briefing, ODNI and the IC should also update the Senate on the status of planned defensive steps to ensure the cybersecurity of several state-wide elections in November 2025 and the mid-term elections in 2026.

In addition to an intelligence briefing on these threats, we invite you to clarify public statements that you have made about voting system security, which have generated significant confusion against the backdrop of efforts to dismantle key election security initiatives and programs at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and at the Foreign Malign Influence Center at ODNI. Specifically, at a cabinet meeting with the President on April 10, 2025, you stated that ODNI was “investigating” the issue of “election integrity”:

“We have evidence of how these electronic voting systems have been vulnerable to hackers for a very long time and vulnerable to exploitation to manipulate the results of the votes being cast […].”

On July 31, 2025, you appeared on a partisan political podcast and repeated these claims, citing alleged information from CISA:

“[A] whistleblower who came forward who was working under CISA at that time which is responsible for critical infrastructure and trying to protect against cyber vulnerability and critical infrastructure, including of course the integrity of our elections. And what was interesting was seeing how this whistleblower brought forward information that CISA at the time – the federal government – was aware of vulnerabilities in our election machines but they chose not to disclose that information to the American people or administration at that time. […] We’re continuing to investigate this […].”

Given sustained efforts by the current Administration to dismantle CISA’s election security mission, including discontinuing funding to the critically important Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center, over the bipartisan objections of Secretaries of State, your cyber vulnerability claims are puzzling and elicit justified skepticism, as well as concerns of politicization. Since taking office, the Administration paused CISA’s election security work, fired election security staff, and staff are reportedly afraid to work with state and local election officials and vendors for fear of retribution. In June, the Administration proposed to cut CISA’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget by $495 million and reduce its workforce by 30%. To date, CISA has failed to disclose its assessment of its election security work or its plans to secure future elections to Congress or the American people. According to public reports, you have also initiated a review of work of the Congressionally-authorized Foreign Malign Influence Center.

With significant elections occurring less than 60 days away, we ask that ODNI coordinate an IC briefing before October 10.

Sincerely,

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WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence; Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Minority Leader; Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee; Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Chris Coons (D-DE), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense; and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking Committee, sent a letter to President Trump urging him to reverse his recent decision to allow AMD and Nvidia to sell advanced AI semiconductor chips to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in exchange for a fee.

The senators emphasized that such sales “run counter to U.S. national security interests” and highlighted concerns that the collection of fees may violate U.S. statutes and possibly the Constitution.

The letter cites the president’s August 11, 2025, statement regarding a “negotiated deal” in which a 15 percent fee would be charged to enable these sales. The senators noted that U.S. export laws explicitly prohibit fees “in connection with the submission, processing, or consideration of any application for a license or other authorization or other request.”

The senators wrote that U.S. national security relies on protecting America’s advantage in AI computing capability and access to leading-edge hardware. They warned that advanced AI chips sold to China could be used to strengthen its military systems, including hypersonics, communications, surveillance, and battlefield decision-making.

“Our national security and military readiness relies upon American innovators inventing and producing the best technology in the world, and in maintaining that qualitative advantage in sensitive domains. The United States has historically been successful in maintaining and building that advantage because of, in part, our ability to deny adversaries access to those technologies,” wrote the senators. “The willingness displayed in this arrangement to ‘negotiate’ away America’s competitive edge that is key to our national security in exchange for what is, in effect, a commission on a sale of AI-enabling technology to our main global competitor, is cause for serious alarm.”

The letter also requests detailed information from the administration by August 22 regarding the negotiation, legality, collection, and intended use of the proposed 15 percent fee, as well as whether similar arrangements are being considered for other companies.

The senators concluded, “We again urge your administration to quickly reverse course and abandon this reckless plan to trade away U.S. technology leadership.”

The letter follows an earlier missive to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on July 28, urging the against the sales.

The full text of today’s letter is available here.

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WASHINGTON – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement:

“Today, President Trump will once again sit down with Vladimir Putin. While we should all hope this meeting produces a genuine step toward a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, given his track record of cozying up to the Kremlin, refusing to confront Russian election interference, and even taking Putin’s word over the assessments of our own intelligence agencies, I fear this meeting could once again end with America ceding ground to an autocrat who has spent his career undermining democratic values.

“Ukraine’s sovereignty is not a bargaining chip and the right of a democratic nation to determine its own future is not something to be bartered away in a closed-door meeting. For generations, the United States has carried the global mantle for freedom, self-determination, and rule of law, even when the cost was high and the outcome uncertain. Today, the world will be watching to see whether America will continue to lead with principle or shrink in the face of aggression.

“According to the U.S. intelligence community, Putin’s long-term objectives in Ukraine remain unchanged: the complete military and political capitulation of Ukraine. These objectives include the full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Donbas region and other territories, the removal of the democratically elected Ukrainian government, and the establishment of a pro-Russian regime. These are not peace terms; they are ultimatums that would erase Ukraine’s sovereignty, threaten freedom worldwide, and make Americans less safe.

“There can be no concessions without full Ukrainian participation, verified Russian withdrawal from occupied territory, and enforceable guarantees for Ukraine’s security. Anything less would be an invitation for further aggression from Moscow and every autocrat watching to see if the United States still has the backbone to defend the principles that have kept Americans safe since the Second World War.”

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WASHINGTON – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) today released the following statement:

“Prime Minister Netanyahu’s plan to take over Gaza is a dangerous and counterproductive move that will not secure the release of the remaining hostages or bring an end to the fighting that has already taken so many lives. This approach will without question worsen the already terrible humanitarian conditions in Gaza, and Israel’s own military leaders have expressed serious concerns about the feasibility and risks of this strategy. The priority must be to end this war immediately through diplomatic efforts and coordinated pressure to ensure the safe return of hostages and protect innocent lives. Pursuing this path will only guarantee prolonged conflict and greater suffering.”

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Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released a statement on press reporting that more experienced Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) leaders – including a former acting FBI director and the acting director of the Washington field office – have been fired without explanation by FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino.

WASHINGTON – Today, Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.), Ranking Senate Defense Appropriator Chris Coons (D-Del.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Appropriations Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Senate Armed Services Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations Ranking Member Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Senate Armed Services Committee member Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Senate Intelligence Committee member Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Senate Armed Services Committee member Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), and Senate Subcommittee on National Security and International Trade and Finance Ranking Member Andy Kim (D-N.J.) released the following statement about public reporting that President Trump is pausing export controls on critical technology sold to China as part of an effort to secure a trade deal with Beijing:

“President Trump has spent the past six months eroding our advantages over China, but recent developments make clear how willing his administration is to sacrifice American economic and technological leadership for symbolic “wins” with China in its self-inflicted trade war.

“In just the last two days, we have seen reporting that the Trump administration has cancelled a long-planned high-level security dialogue with Taiwan and denied the president of Taiwan the ability to transit the United States—a longstanding tradition respected by administrations of both parties. These developments come right on the heels of a decision to pave the way for the sale of advanced AI chips to China and to freeze export controls on additional American technologies enabling them to now flow to China, even as Beijing tightens export controls on the United States. Independent media reports today suggest these moves are an attempt to secure trade concessions, curry favor with President Xi Jinping, and ensure President Trump gets a visit to China. The president is demonstrating to Beijing that he can be cajoled into giving up America’s core interests.

“In the face of lackluster domestic economic forecasts and anemic interest from Beijing in achieving a real breakthrough in talks, President Trump and his economic team have ceded leverage and negotiating power to Beijing in a desperate attempt to lure President Xi to a meeting with President Trump. Even more dangerously, they risk putting American national security, technological advantage, and economic prosperity on the chopping block in order to do so.

“President Trump is handing our primary geopolitical adversary the keys to the castle of 21st century global technological dominance. Doing so will enable Chinese leadership in artificial intelligence, infusing the Chinese military with the technological advantage it needs to continue hostile operations across the globe. He is signaling his ambivalence about standing with Taiwan, our long-term partner in the region and a powerhouse of the global economy. And he is emboldening Beijing to take aggressive actions and seek even more aggressive concessions in whatever trade negotiations may follow.

“President Trump and this administration must reset their dangerously weak approach to China and make clear they will no longer accept symbolic wins in exchange for steep American concessions. An administration convinced it can renegotiate the world order needs to stop negotiating against itself.”

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