WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator JD Vance (R-OH) issued the following video statement marking his first 100 days as a U.S. Senator, filmed in front of the Ohio Clock outside the U.S. Senate chamber:
Transcription: “Greetings, Ohio, I’m standing here next to the Ohio Clock, and let me first say to Ohio’s Christians, I hope you all had a happy Easter – my family certainly did – and to the Jewish Ohioans, hope you all had a happy Passover.
“We just hit our 100 day mark here in the U.S. Senate. We’ve had a very busy 100 days dealing with some crises, trying to make sure the people of East Palestine get the support that they need, trying to stay on top of Norfolk Southern and the EPA to ensure the cleanup proceeds apace, but also working on some railway safety things so hopefully things like this happen less often in the future.
“It’s been a great honor to serve the people of Ohio, we’ve been working on a number of things, big and small, but the thing that I’m trying to do every day is remember it’s an honor to serve. I’m reminded every day of the people who sent me here to do this job. We’re going to do it as well as we can over the next six years, and we’re grateful for the privilege. Thank you.”
Read more about Senator Vance’s first 100 days below:
Senator Vance’s Response To The Disaster In East Palestine
- On February 16th, Senator Vance made his first visit to East Palestine. While there, Senator Vance met with residents, first responders, and local and state leaders, and used his platform to publicize ecological damage caused by the disaster.
- Senator Vance has since made two additional visits to East Palestine to demand the swift removal of contaminated soil and maintain regular communication with local leaders and residents.
- Senator Vance, along with Republican Senators Josh Hawley (MO) and Marco Rubio (FL), and Democrat Senators Sherrod Brown (OH), Bob Casey (PA), and John Fetterman (PA), introduced the Railway Safety Act of 2023.
- This commonsense, bipartisan legislation aims to prevent future rail disasters by enhancing safety and crew standards, requiring more sensors to detect railcar component failures, increasing fines for rail companies which commit wrongdoing, and investing in railway safety, research, and development projects.
- Read more: Here’s how we avoid another East Palestine train wreck before it’s too late (Fox News)
- Senator Vance has advocated for the residents of East Palestine in multiple Senate hearings.
- In testimony before a hearing of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Senator Vance stated that Congress has reached “a time for choosing” in how it responds to the disaster in East Palestine.
- During a hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee, Senator Vance questioned Alan Shaw, the CEO of Norfolk Southern. Alan Shaw agreed to support increases to the frequency of wayside bearing defect detectors and first responder notification requirements for hazardous train accidents, both provisions in Senator Vance’s Railway Safety Act.
Senator Vance’s First 100 Days Of Legislative Action
- Senator Vance introduced the Railway Safety Act of 2023
- This bipartisan legislation, introduced alongside Republican Senators Josh Hawley (MO) and Marco Rubio (FL), and Democrat Senators Sherrod Brown (OH), Bob Casey (PA), and John Fetterman (PA), aims to prevent future train disasters like the derailment that devastated East Palestine, Ohio.
- Senator Vance introduced the English Language Unity Act
- This legislation, introduced alongside Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), would establish English as the official language of the United States.
- Senator Vance introduced the PART Act
- This bipartisan legislation, introduced alongside Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mike Braun (R-IN), and Ron Wyden (D-OR), aims to combat the theft of catalytic converters.
- Senator Vance co-sponsored 50 pieces of legislation, including:
- Sen. Cotton’s China Trade Relations Act
- Sen. Daines’s Protecting Individuals with Down Syndrome Act
- Sen. Cruz’s Term-Limits Constitutional Amendment
- Sen. Ernst’s Protecting Funding for Women’s Healthcare Act to defund Planned Parenthood
- Sen. Ernst’s Ensuring Complete and Accurate Data Reporting for Abortion Act
- Sen. Kennedy’s resolution to overturn the ATF Pistol Brace rule
- Sen. Wicker’s No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act
- Sen. Cornyn’s Constitutional Carry Reciprocity Act
- Sen. Cotton’s HEALING Mothers and Fathers Act
- Sen. Capito’s Waters of the United States disapproval resolution
- Sen. Cotton’s Disapproval Resolution of D.C.’s illegal alien voting law
- Sen. Cruz’s Disapproval Resolution of D.C.’s illegal alien voting law
- Sen. Cruz’s legislation to defund D.C.’s illegal alien voting law
- Sen. Hagerty’s disapproval resolution of D.C.’s new soft-on-crime law
- Sen. Braun’s resolution disapproving of the Department of Labor’s climate ESG rule
- Sen. Tuberville’s disapproval resolution of the VA’s abortion rule
- Sen. Fischer’s resolution disapproving of the EPA’s heavy-duty vehicle emissions rule
- Sen. Scott’s disapproval resolution of the Commerce Department’s soft-on-China solar panel rule
- Sen. Kennedy’s disapproval resolution of the ATF’s pistol brace rule
- Sen. Cassidy’s disapproval resolution of the Biden Administration’s student loan rule
- Sen. Hoeven’s Focus on the MISSION Act to stop forced emissions disclosures
- Sen. Thune’s Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act
- Sen. Cotton’s STOVE Act to fight the Biden Administration’s war on gas stoves
- Sen. Cramer’s Fair Access to Banking Act
- Sen. Kaine’s bill to repeal the authorizations for use of military force against Iraq
- Sen. Lummis’s POWER Act
- Sen. Tester’s Major Richard Star Act
- Sen. Boozman’s Protect Farmers from the SEC Act
- Sen. Crapo’s Hearing Protection ActSen. Paul’s COVID-19 Vaccine Non-Discrimination Act
- Sen. Risch’s UNRWA Accountability and Transparency Act
- Sen. Brown’s Supply Chain Disruptions Relief Act
- Sen. Johnson’s No WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty Without Senate Approval Act
- Sen. Scott’s Prohibiting IRS Financial Surveillance Act
- Sen. Grassley’s Immigration Parole Reform Act
- Sen. Tuberville’s Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act
- Sen. Hawley’s Special Inspector General for Ukraine Assistance Act
- Sen. Tuberville’s Border Safety and Security Act
- Sen. Ernst’s Modification to Department of Defense Travel Authorities for Abortion-Related Expenses Act
- Sen. Scott’s SAFE Act to address Chinese entities’ issuance of securities
- Sen. Barrasso’s Ending China’s Unfair Advantage Act
- Sen. Lee’s AMERICA Act to promote competition in digital advertising markets
- Sen. Tillis’s bill providing greater transparency in the financial regulatory agencies
- Sen. Whitehouse’s resolution recognizing January 2023 as “National Mentoring Month”
- Sen. Klobuchar’s resolution honoring former Minnesota Senator David Ferdinand Durenberger
- Sen. Kaine’s resolution supporting Career and Technical Education Month
- Sen. Hyde-Smith’s resolution recognizing the expiration of the Equal Rights Amendment
- Sen. Rounds’s resolution honoring the life and legacy of the late James George Abourezk
- Sen. Cruz’s congressional term limits resolution
- Senator Vance led seven congressional letters to the Biden Administration:
- A letter demanding a “crosscutting report” on Ukraine security assistance spending
- A letter demanding justification for expansion of illegal migrant parole programs
- A letter demanding abandonment of a Biden Administration official’s proposal to ban gas stoves
- A letter expressing alarm at the current state of federal rail regulations that contributed to the East Palestine train derailment
- A letter calling for the mobilization of federal resources to investigate health impacts of the East Palestine train derailment
- A letter urging federal officials to make long-term medical testing resources available to East Palestine residents
- A letter requesting that EPA monitor East Palestine and surrounding areas for toxic dioxins
- Senator Vance signed onto 14 congressional letters from his colleagues, including:
- Sen. Brown’s letter on the imprisonment of Kai Li and David Lin
- Sens. Blackburn and Warner’s letter on Chinese DJI Drones
- Sen. Rubio’s letter on precision-scheduling railroading
- Sen. Brown’s letter requesting robust support for NASA Glenn
- Sen. Cruz’s letter on NASA’s global warming reporting rule
- Sen. Hyde-Smith’s letter to FDA on opposition to the elimination of the in-person dispensing requirement for chemical abortion drugs
- Sen. Lankford’s letter to DOJ on the OLC allowing transmission of abortion drugs through the mail
- Sen. Cortez-Masto’s letter in support of Medicare Advantage
- Sen. Capito’s letter to Commerce and the USITC in support of Cleveland-Cliffs and United Steelworkers’ petition on tin mill imports
- Sen. Cotton’s letter on the unsustainable surge of Mexican steel imports
- Sen. Cruz’s letter on the young trucker pilot program
- Sen. Cruz’s letter on Amtrak nominees violating statute based on region and political affiliation
- Sen. Cruz’s letter on funding allocations to Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor
- Sen. Barrasso’s letter condemning attempts to weaponize the tax code against American energy producers
- Senator Vance has attended 16 committee hearings across 3 committees:
- The Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee
- The Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- The Special Committee on Aging
- As Co-Chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, Senator Vance has:
- Co-Led a letter to the Energy & Water Appropriations Subcommittee requesting robust funding for the Soo Locks, Great Lakes Authority, Invasive Carp, Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study, Great Lakes Fishery & Ecosystem Restoration (GLFER) Program, and Great Lakes Tributary Model.
- Co-Led letters to the Interior & Environment Appropriations Subcommittee requesting robust funding for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act, programs to fight invasive species, and the USGS’s Great Lakes Science Center.
- Co-Led a letter to the Commerce, Justice, & Science Appropriations Subcommittee requesting robust funding to fight Harmful Algal Blooms and for the Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab, and the Great Lakes Observing System.
- Co-Led a letter to the State & Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee requesting robust funding for the Great Lakes Fishery Commission.
- Advocated for full and robust funding for the Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Funds.
- Advocated for increased funding for the Army Corps of Engineers, which leads aquatic ecosystem restoration projects, maintains commercial navigation waterways and infrastructure in our inland waterways, and helps with storm and damage reduction.
- Signed a letter to OMB and EPA requesting the full authorized amount for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in the President’s Budget.
- Signed a letter to OMB and United States Army Corps of Engineers requesting funds for the Soo Locks, Invasive Carp Prevention Projects, and the Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study.
Delivering Constituent Services For The People Of Ohio
- Senator Vance’s office in Washington, D.C. has hosted over 500 meetings with constituents and Ohio stakeholders.
- Senator Vance’s offices in Ohio have hosted over 575 meetings with constituents and Ohio stakeholders.
- Senator Vance’s office has worked diligently to meet the needs of Ohioans, having already opened 326 cases of constituent casework.
Senator Vance’s Accessibility To Ohio And National Media
- In his first 100 days, Senator Vance has engaged in 137 interviews with members of the media, including:
- 98 interviews with Ohio TV, radio, and print outlets
- 39 interviews with national TV, radio, and print outlets
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