Small businesses need workers, and asylum seekers want to work. Current federal law, however, forces asylum seekers to wait months for work permits. We can create a win-win situation by shortening this waiting period. I appreciated DHS Secretary Mayorkas’ support for this effort.

PFAS has caused significant financial harm for farmers and disrupted their livelihoods on land that has been in their families for generations in some cases. I asked Secretary Vilsack how the USDA plans to use increased funding for PFAS to help alleviate this growing problem.

Out of the Navy’s 50 fast attack submarines, 18 are not deployable because of maintenance delays or other issues. One submarine has been waiting for an overhaul for longer than it took to build it. I asked Admiral Gilday to share his plan to fix this readiness problem.

The US Navy fleet is projected to shrink to 291 ships in five years, while China’s will grow to 440 by 2030. I asked Admiral Gilday about this gap, which undermines deterrence and our national security. I strongly agree with his conclusion: “The bigger fleet, the better.”

Chair @PattyMurray and I have a long history of working together to get things done and achieving bipartisan results. I look forward to continuing our partnership in these new roles and producing appropriations bills that benefit the people of Maine and across the country.