Vice President Kamala Harris will be taking the lead on trying to fix the growing migrant crisis at the U.S. southern border.  The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency says in February there were 100,000 people who came to the border, and the Biden administration says border crossing could be the highest in 20 years if it keeps at that pace.  The Vice President will be working with Central American countries, which is where a lot of the migrants are coming from, to reduce that number.   But Senator Rob Portman says there could be another way.   He is working on getting support for creating a system that would process asylum cases at the border immediately.  This idea has been tested for a few years but was never made permanent. 

Senator Rob Portman is getting bipartisan support for the FIGHT Fentanyl Act which will help charge criminals who have been trafficking the deadly synthetic drug. He is also gaining support for the TREATS act, which will expand telehealth services for those battling addiction by waiving restrictions that require in-person treatment. Portman says drug overdoses and deaths were on a downward trend before the pandemic. But over this past year, they have spiked.

Tuesday, Alejandra Mayorkas made history as the first Latino and first immigrant to lead the department. He is the first Senate-confirmed DHS secretary since April 2019. The department is central to the Biden administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic, a sweeping Russia-linked cyber hack, and domestic extremist. His nomination had been stalled in the Senate by Republicans who had questions about Biden's plans for immigration policy. Senator Rob Portman, who sits on the senate's homeland security committee, has concerns about Mayorkas from his past service to the Department of Homeland Security.

Earlier this week, the Republican senator indicated he won't seek re-election because the political climate has made it harder to break through the partisan gridlock and make progress. Portman has spent three decades as a Washington lawmaker and has championed legislation to fight drug addiction and human trafficking. But there is still more he would like to get done before he leaves office.

They call the attack on the capitol building an attack on every American. They hope the hearings will allow them to develop the necessary reforms to ensure that something like this doesn't happen again. Around 90 people have been arrested so far, facing a range of charges including unlawful entry, assault on a police officer, and possession of a firearm on capitol grounds.

The U.S. Senate overrides President Trump's veto to pass the National Defense Authorization Act.  In a rare New Year's Day session of the Senate, they overrode the veto by an 81 to 13 vote.  $740 billion dollar defense spending bill includes a 3% pay raise for troops and a boost in hazard duty pay.   It also provides billions in upgrades to military systems and requires the renaming of military bases that honor confederate generals.   President Trump objected to that and a provision that gives broad legal immunity to tech firms.  While some members of the GOP are calling for tech service reforms, many believe that it has nothing to do with national defense and voted for the bill.  Both Ohio Senators voted in support of the bill.   

Ohio could be on pace to have a record year for overdose deaths in 2020. After showing the overdose deaths starting to decline since setting a record of over 4,800 deaths in 2017, this year could top that.  According to the Ohio Department of Health, the state saw monthly highs for overdose deaths in each of the months of May, June, and July.  Ohio Senator Rob Portman has introduced a second part to his Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act or CARA which was signed into law in 2016.  The pandemic has contributed to the rise in overdoses and deaths, but Portman says that the new drug legislation would be able help with the growing problem even during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The emergency COVID relief bill could reach $900 billion and is expected to include funding for vaccine distribution, schools, unemployment assistance at three $300 per week, and another round of stimulus checks to people that fall into a certain income level. Also, as part of the deal, $330 billion will be used for small business loans. Both Ohio senators support getting funding approved soon to get help to those who need it.

A $900 billion COVID emergency relief bill could be included in a budget bill that will keep the U.S. government funded past this Friday. But there are two issues that seem to be holding up finalizing the deal. The Democrats are looking for additional funding for local governments and the Republicans are looking for COVID liability protection for businesses. Sen. Rob Portman has been working with a bipartisan group of senators on the COVID relief bill and says liability protection is important in keeping businesses open in the future.

The Democratic-led U.S. House went ahead and passed a $2.2 trillion package last Thursday, but the Republican-led U.S. Senate hasn't shown any interest in taking up the bill. One topic on the table is the return of $600 dollars a week in unemployment insurance. When that program ended this summer. Ohio was able to provide and extra $300 a week for six weeks through a FEMA grant and now that money has ended. Senator Sherrod Brown and others want to see the $600 to come back in the next coronavirus package.