[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 129 (Thursday, August 6, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4495-S4498]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DEONDRA DIXON INCLUDE PROJECT ACT OF 2026
Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent for the
Senate to pass S. 1838, the DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act.
Thousands of Americans live with Down syndrome, and yet research has
been underfunded for decades.
In 2017, Congress encouraged the National Institutes of Health, the
NIH, to launch the INCLUDE Project--an effort to make groundbreaking
discoveries about conditions that disproportionately affect people with
Down syndrome, like Alzheimer's disease.
The INCLUDE Project brings together multiple NIH institutes under a
coordinated approach that is already delivering significant scientific
discoveries as well as new treatments.
The bipartisan, bicameral DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act will
officially authorize the INCLUDE Project into law.
The bill will ensure that Congress and the American people have
visibility into the scientific breakthroughs that are so needed for
this community. The INCLUDE Project is already yielding significant
scientific results, and Colorado is at the core of these scientific
advances.
Today, Colorado is proudly home to the world's leading Down syndrome
advocacy, research, and medical care partners at the Global Down
Syndrome Foundation, the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome, the
Alzheimer's and Cognition Center, and the Sie Center at Children's
Hospital Colorado.
We need to make sure that improving health outcomes for individuals
with Down syndrome remains a priority and do so in honor of DeOndra
Dixon, an extraordinary person who was an advocate leaving a legacy
that will help improve lives for generations.
This bill has support on both sides of the aisle, including Senators
Jerry Moran and Cory Booker and Representatives Diana DeGette and
Richard Hudson. We also thank Senators Bennet, Padilla, Capito, Coons,
Van Hollen, and Ossoff for their support.
We are determined to get this bill across the finish line for DeOndra
and for the thousands of Americans who will see their lives improve for
the better by this critical research.
Mr. President, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule
XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions be discharged and the Senate proceed to the
immediate consideration of S. 1838.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 1838) to amend the Public Health Service Act to
authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry
out a program of research, training, and investigation
related to Down syndrome, and for other purposes.
There being no objection, the committee was discharged, and the
Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
Hickenlooper substitute amendment at the desk be agreed to and that the
bill, as amended, be considered read a third time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment (No. 6751), in the nature of a substitute, was agreed
to as follows:
(Purpose: In the nature of a substitute)
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE
Project Act of 2026''.
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SEC. 2. DEONDRA DIXON INCLUDE PROJECT.
Part B of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 284 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``SEC. 409K. DOWN SYNDROME RESEARCH.
``(a) In General.--The Director of NIH shall carry out a
program of research, training, and investigation related to
Down syndrome to be known as the `INvestigation of Co-
occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down
syndromE Project' or the `INCLUDE Project'.
``(b) Program Elements.--The program under subsection (a)
shall include--
``(1) high-risk, high-reward research on the effects of
trisomy 21 on human development and health;
``(2) promoting research for participants with Down
syndrome across the lifespan, including cohort studies to
facilitate improved understanding of Down syndrome and co-
occurring conditions and development of new interventions;
``(3) expanding the number of clinical trials that are
inclusive of, or expressly for, participants with Down
syndrome, including novel biomedical and pharmacological
interventions and other therapies designed to promote or
enhance activities of daily living;
``(4) research on the biological mechanisms in individuals
with Down syndrome pertaining to structural, functional, and
behavioral anomalies and dysfunction as well as stunted
growth;
``(5) supporting research to improve diagnosis and
treatment of conditions co-occurring with Down syndrome,
including the identification of biomarkers related to risk
factors, diagnosis, and clinical research and therapeutics;
``(6) research on the causes of increased prevalence, and
concurrent treatment, of co-occurring conditions, such as
Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and autoimmunity,
in individuals with Down syndrome; and
``(7) research, training, and investigation on improving
the quality of life of individuals with Down syndrome and
their families.
``(c) Coordination; Prioritizing Nonduplicative Research.--
The Director of NIH shall ensure that--
``(1) the programs and activities of the institutes and
centers of the National Institutes of Health relating to Down
syndrome and co-occurring conditions are coordinated,
including through the Office of the Director of NIH and
priority-setting reviews conducted pursuant to section
402(b)(3); and
``(2) such institutes and centers, prioritize, as
appropriate, Down syndrome research that does not duplicate
existing research activities of the National Institutes of
Health.
``(d) Consultation With Stakeholders.--In carrying out
activities under this section, the Director of NIH shall, as
appropriate and to the maximum extent feasible, consult with
relevant stakeholders, including patient advocates, to ensure
that such activities take into consideration the needs of
individuals with Down syndrome.
``(e) Biennial Reports to Congress.--
``(1) In general.--The Director of NIH shall submit, on a
biennial basis, to the Committee on Energy and Commerce and
the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,
Education, and Related Agencies of the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education,
and Related Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations of
the Senate, a report that catalogs the research conducted or
supported under this section.
``(2) Contents.--Each report under paragraph (1) shall
include--
``(A) identification of the institute or center involved;
``(B) a statement of whether the research is or was being
carried out directly by such institute or center or by
multiple institutes and centers; and
``(C) identification of any resulting real-world evidence
that is or may be used for clinical research and medical care
for patients with Down syndrome.''.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading and was read
the third time.
Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Mr. President, I know of no further debate on the
bill, as amended.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further debate?
Hearing none, the bill having been read the third time, the question
is, Shall the bill pass, as amended?
The bill (S. 1838), as amended, was passed.
Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maine.
Recognizing the University of Maine
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I am very pleased that we could pass
these two very important bills this afternoon.
I would be remiss if I did not mention that the University of Maine
has an excellent lab that specializes in testing ticks for pathogens,
and it has worked very closely with our game wardens, with foresters,
with the others who are routinely in the woods of Maine and are exposed
to tick bites. It actually has developed a little tick kit where you
can send the tick into the lab, and it will be tested for pathogens.
So I would be remiss if I did not salute the University of Maine for
its excellent work on tick-borne illnesses. This legislation is going
to make a big difference in helping to advance their work, as well as
the research at the MaineHealth research institute.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Moreno). The Senator from Colorado.
Down Syndrome Advocacy
Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Mr. President, I also would be remiss if I didn't
recognize, once again, the incredible partners that have been behind
these Down syndrome advocacy, research, and medical care--primarily the
Global Down Syndrome Foundation, but also the Linda Crnic Institute for
Down Syndrome, the Alzheimer's and Cognition Center, and the Sie Center
at Children's Hospital Colorado.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic whip.
For-profit Colleges and Universities
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, a few years ago, I met a young woman who
lives in the Chicago suburbs. She told me a story of her college career
and what it led to. It was something I had never heard before.
Her experience in trying to pursue a degree leading to law
enforcement took her not to the normal, predictable academic sources,
but to a new industry, which was opening up in our country--for-profit
colleges and universities.
Hers was a sad story. She had been enrolled in one of these for-
profit colleges and paid the tuition, took the courses--some of them in
person, some of them online--and ultimately went to a counselor and
asked if she was headed for a bachelor's degree because of her
coursework, and he assured her that she was. She went on to say that
she hoped to be able to get into law enforcement--that was her ultimate
goal. He gave her assurances that that would happen.
She finished her degree at this for-profit college and university in
Chicago and then took her certificate showing her graduation to would-
be employers--police departments in the area. They laughed at her, and
they said: That is not a real school. That is a for-profit school, and
the courses you took don't count. If you want a degree in law
enforcement that leads to a real job, you can't get it from a for-
profit college and university.
Well, that was a heartbreak to her because she spent years working on
it. But what was even worse was, she was so deeply in debt for student
loans that she borrowed from this phony university.
She, when I met her, was living in her parents' basement, had no
future ahead of her for doing what she thought was the right thing--
getting a college degree.
What she didn't know, and what we know now, is that there are two
numbers that tell the story of for-profit colleges and universities.
You hear their names like University of Phoenix--that is probably the
most prominent one people hear over and over--and you see their
advertisements and brochures that are mailed to high school seniors
enticing them to sign up for these for-profit schools.
What you don't know is that although only 8 percent of high school
graduates go to for-profit colleges and universities--8 percent--30
percent of all student loan defaults are the students from these same
schools.
What is going on here? Such a low number--8 percent--going on to
these schools and such a high number of loan defaults. That is because
they issue worthless degrees and entice these students into deep debt.
Many times, a parent or even a grandparent will cosign on the loans
for these for-profit schools; and when everything falls apart, as it is
likely to, everybody is held liable and responsible. That is why we
have had an ongoing battle here in Washington for years against the
for-profit college and university industry.
There was a legal battle in a case called Sweet v. McMahon, which has
gone on for years. It finally, this week, came to an end, and it is an
important
[[Page S4497]]
case on the subject of for-profit colleges and universities.
It was the largest class-action settlement against the Federal
Government in the history of our Nation. That is life-changing news for
nearly half a million Federal student loan borrowers who will receive
$23 billion in relief after being misled and defrauded by for-profit
colleges.
If you listen to the radio on your morning commute or watch TV after
a long days' work, then you have no doubt been hit with flashy
advertising from institutions like the University of Phoenix looking to
lure in unsuspecting students.
Here is the catch: These institutions often rip off those students,
lying about their prospects for a job, their ability to have credits
that transfer to any other school, or their likely salary after
graduation.
In fact, these schools, as I mentioned, enroll only 8 percent of the
students but account for 30 percent of all Federal student loan
defaults. Too much debt; too little education.
NPR recently highlighted the story of Jessica Feindt of Michigan. She
enrolled at the University of Phoenix to study psychology.
She said she ``paid a lot out of pocket'' and ``through student
loans.''
She realized later that the school's recruitment counselor had
repeatedly misled her, including by telling her that a degree would be
accepted by Michigan graduate programs--that was false.
By the time she had learned her degree was useless, she was already
underwater and deeply in debt. So she joined this class-action lawsuit,
originally filed during President Trump's first term, to get relief.
Mr. President, 4 years later--it took 4 years--she will finally see the
relief, which she is entitled to.
The first Trump administration--go figure--denied nearly all of these
claims by the students, which a Federal court described as
``disturbingly Kafkaesque.''
But in 2022, President Joe Biden and his administration settled the
case and forgave the student loan debts of nearly 300,000 borrowers who
had been defrauded. Under the terms of that settlement, borrowers who
were not part of the original class had 5 months to file claims. If the
Department of Education had not adjudicated the additional claims by
early 2026, borrowers still waiting in limbo would be automatically
entitled to relief.
But while the Trump administration can quickly green-light permanent
tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans, as in their so-called Big
Beautiful Bill, they hesitated when it came to giving relief to these
students who just wanted a fair shot.
In late 2025, the Trump administration asked for an additional 18
months to review the students' claims--students who were defrauded by
these schools.
A Federal district judge said ``enough.'' Last month, a panel of
three judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
unanimously upheld this decision. Good.
Like their tactics with DACA recipients and the slow-walking of
renewal applications with the USCIS, the administration was asking for
more time so that they could bleed out these borrowers and deny relief
to hundreds of thousands of students deep in debt living in their
parents' basement trying to figure out if they had a future.
This is where the priorities lie. I am glad these borrowers, after
years and years of waiting, will finally get the relief they are
entitled to.
For the last 15 years or more, I have sent a letter to every high
school counselor in the State of Illinois. I send it about the first of
the year and warn them: Be careful not to let your students be lured
into these for-profit colleges and universities. They are going to send
them brochures. They are going to tee them up with all sorts of things
on the internet. It will be a dazzling display about the college, which
is not a real college; it is a for-profit college and university.
Be careful. The time that you spend there, the money that you spend
there may be a total waste or worse. It could be a debt that trails you
for years and years, if not decades, in your life.
Thank goodness for these students, the thousands of students who are
benefited by President Biden's decision. The courts finally stood by
them and gave these students a second chance. It has been a situation I
have run into time and again. I have threatened some of these for-
profit schools as a way of getting them to drop the loans that they
were enforcing on these students because I know what happens in the
end.
Students need to be careful. You can't go wrong starting with city
colleges and community colleges in your community. It is affordable.
There are alternatives there. Most of the time, the hours that you earn
there are going to be transferable to real colleges and universities. I
beg my young students in Illinois to start there and the student
counselors to do their job and discourage kids from getting involved
with these for-profit schools.
energy grant funding
Mr. President, last October, the Trump administration cut more than
$7 billion in energy grant funding going to States across America,
including more than $580 million for Illinois. At the time, the
administration promised that these cancellations were meant to cut
``waste, fraud, and abuse.'' But someone once told me that in politics
there is always a good reason, and then there is always a real reason.
Of the 284 cancelled grants, how many do you think went to a State
that voted for President Trump? 100? 50? 10? Of the 284 grants this
administration revoked, only one went to a State that voted for Donald
Trump. The rest went to blue States. At the time, the Trump
administration went through pains to tell us that these cancellations
were not political. We knew that could not be true. And now, we have
proof.
The Department of Energy admitted in court documents that these
cancellations were ``based solely on the political identity of the
recipient's state,'' or in other words ``whether the recipient's
location was in a Blue State.'' The administration wasn't making policy
based on what's best for America. They were making decisions based on
the President's vendettas. This is petty, it is unlawful, and it is
wrong.
It is especially egregious to cancel these crucial grants when
Americans' energy bills are skyrocketing. In the last year alone,
Illinoisans paid $210 more for their power, and that number is only
expected to go up in light of Trump's war with Iran. You would think
that President Trump, who ran on bringing costs down on ``day one,''
would make addressing these record price hikes his top priority.
Instead, he has deeply undermined our capacity to lower prices, all to
settle petty political scores.
In Illinois, more than $150 million of the cancelled awards were
meant to upgrade the power grid. These upgrades would have made the
grid more reliable in the face of rising energy demand. Now, that work
is in jeopardy. When the government cancels funding for grid upgrades,
those needs do not just go away. Instead, utility companies will pass
along the cost of upgrades to consumers. My constituents are paying
more for their electricity, heating, and cooling because of President
Trump.
That is why I am leading Illinois Democrats in a letter to Secretary
of Energy Chris Wright and OMB Director Russ Vought outlining the harm
these cancellations have done to our State over the past 9 months. I
urge my Republican colleagues to join in urging this administration to
reverse course and reject this administration's blatant defiance of
Congress' authority under the Constitution. If this precedent is set,
your State could be next to see its funding revoked.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. CASSIDY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Tribute to Danielle Janowski
Mr. CASSIDY. Mr. President, as the Presiding Officer knows, one of
the privileges of being a Senator is the opportunity to work alongside
dedicated, talented staff. They take the Senator's ideas and concepts
and turn them into real legislation that improves the lives of our
constituents and improves our
[[Page S4498]]
country. Without them, we are unable to do our job.
As I near the end of my career in Congress, I reflect on the staff
who have come and gone and the work we have done that will have a
lasting impact on the Nation.
Today, I honor an invaluable member of my team, my HELP Committee
deputy staff director, Danielle Janowski. She is leaving Capitol Hill
after nearly 17 years of service.
Danielle joined my HELP Committee leadership team in 2023 when I
became the ranking member. She had previously worked in the House and
for Senators Ernst and Thune. As deputy staff director, she kept the
trains moving. She made sure that staff were all rowing in the same
direction and that every committee product was done on time and was of
the highest quality.
Danielle is an institutionalist at heart, and it was through that
lens that she always fought for the HELP Committee to be strategic,
thorough, and professional. She cares about this institution and what
it represents. She views it as her duty to mentor other young staffers
to carry forward the traditions and collaboration that the Senate
deserves.
It is because of her leadership that the HELP Committee has been
successful in getting bills signed into law that lower the cost of
healthcare, strengthen our education system, empower workers, and
enhance our retirement system.
Importantly, Danielle has been a leader in the fight for life. She
spearheaded my work to protect unborn babies and mothers, an issue so
important to me and to the people of Louisiana. Her passion for this
cause and her deep connection with the pro-life community made her
indispensable and an effective champion. She was instrumental in
leading the first pro-life hearing this Congress, my investigation into
abortion pill manufacturers harming mothers, and our efforts to
eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood in the Working Families Tax
Cuts. None of this would have been possible without her passion,
strategic guidance, and unrelenting determination. Babies' lives have
been saved, and families are better off because of the work that she
led. And what can be more important than that?
What Danielle will be most remembered for on our HELP team is her
exceptional leadership and friendship. She is beloved by everyone who
worked with her--a trusted and calming presence during transitions and
chaotic times. When there was conflict or when staff simply needed
someone to talk to, Danielle was there. She is an advocate, a mentor, a
sounding board, and a friend to everyone.
Her departure is not only a loss for the office but for the entire
Capitol Hill community. But our loss is someone else's gain. I am proud
she will continue her public service at the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services, leading policy to improve families' health and drive
down the cost of care. She will continue to make a positive difference
and be an invaluable partner to those who remain in Congress. I look
forward to working with her in this new capacity.
It has been a pleasure to watch Danielle grow as a leader and as a
person. I thank her for her service to my office, to the Senate, and to
the Nation.
With that, I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. SCHMITT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Budd). Without objection, it is so
ordered.
The Senator from Missouri.
____________________