U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, joined his Senate colleagues in sending a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin urging the Department to halt its efforts to assert federal control over and undermine public trust in the 2026 midterm elections.

The senators demanded:

• Information substantiating Mullin’s public claims about non-citizens who registered to vote.

• Called on DHS to rescind new election-related conditions on Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) homeland security grants.

• Release the full grant funding to states.

• End the alleged “Unlawful Voter Initiative” disclosed by a recent whistleblower.

“We write to warn you against continued activities at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that seek to undermine the Constitutional authority of both Congress and states to administer elections and defy the directions of federal courts,” the Senators wrote. “As Secretary of Homeland Security, you have promoted the President’s conspiracy theories about our elections, pressured states to participate in illegal activities, and explicitly threatened to reduce grant funding and initiate criminal investigations for those states that do not comply with the Administration’s demands.”

In their letter, the senators raised concerns about Mullin’s unsupported claim that 250,000 non-citizens were registered to vote in four states — including Pennsylvania — and criticized DHS efforts to pressure states to provide sensitive voter roll information to be run through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program, despite the administration’s acknowledgment of problems with the underlying data.

The senators also objected to new election-related conditions on FEMA’s Homeland Security Grant Program, which have been retroactively applied to previously awarded Fiscal Year 2025 funding and are threatening Fiscal Year 2026 funding. By threatening to withhold funding that communities rely on to prevent acts of terrorism and other threats, the senators said Mullin is putting Americans’ safety at risk as political leverage.

The senators also highlighted allegations from a federal whistleblower about an effort referred to as the “Unlawful Voter Initiative.” According to the whistleblower, USCIS personnel were allegedly directed to use sensitive, personally identifiable information and improperly access state voter registration websites to find non-citizen voters. The whistleblower also alleged that personnel were directed to create law enforcement records using incomplete and unverifiable data for potential referral to law enforcement.

“According to the whistleblower, USCIS staff were given a list of names and told to use sensitive personally identifiable information to impersonate voters and access state voter registration websites to verify individuals’ immigration and voter registration statuses,” the senators wrote. “Equipped with incomplete and unverifiable data compiled with ‘supplemental magic,’ USCIS staff are allegedly being directed to create law enforcement records on individuals, including U.S. citizens, for possible referral to HSI for further investigation. If true, this is just another alarming effort by the Department to use data that USCIS materials admit may be inaccurate, coupled with questionable means to disenfranchise voters potentially.”

The senators called on Mullin to immediately provide all information substantiating his July 17, 2026, allegations regarding non-citizens who registered to vote, rescind FEMA Information Bulletin Nos. 569 and 569(a) and release all withheld funds to states without further delay; and provide information about the “Unlawful Voter Initiative” and immediately cease its activities.

“The 2026 midterm elections are already underway,” the senators wrote. “Your unsubstantiated allegations of non-citizen voter fraud, public recitation of unreliable data, and unwarranted conditioning of continued grant funding for state election security measures on compliance with politically motivated requests for voter data appear to be calculated efforts to undermine confidence in our elections and risk wrongly disenfranchising voters.”

Fetterman said he has been unequivocally clear that our elections are absolutely secure, fair, and accurate.

$1.4M reunited with Pennsylvanians

Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity this week announced that more than $1.4 million in unclaimed property has been reunited with Pennsylvanians as part of a statewide “Claim Your Unclaimed Property” initiative that included 35 events across the Commonwealth this summer.

“Every day our outreach team is connecting with Pennsylvanians and reuniting them with unclaimed property, and this summer’s targeted campaign was a huge success across the state,” Garrity said. “It’s one of my top priorities to return unclaimed property, and meeting folks in their own backyards has proven time and time again to be a fantastic way to reunite them with money that is rightfully theirs.”

This summer’s tour kicked off in June at the state capitol in Harrisburg and wrapped up with its final event in DuBois, Clearfield County, in late August.

Of the more than $1.4 million discovered for individuals, organizations, and businesses, the largest property found for an individual was more than $105,000 in Columbia County. The most successful event was held at the Robinson Township Library near Pittsburgh, where $185,000 was discovered for participants.

Totals for properties returned by region include:

• $520,177.22 — Southwest PA

• $379,065.91 — Southeast PA

• $214,903.42 – Southcentral PA

• $161,101.49 – Northwest PA

• $160,759.58 – Northeast PA

Treasury’s outreach team is located across Pennsylvania and participates in about 1,000 events annually to help residents, organizations, and business owners search for unclaimed property.

Since taking office in 2021, Treasurer Garrity has returned more than $1.2 billion in unclaimed property, including a record of over $334 million last year.

Treasury is working to return more than $5 billion more to its rightful owners. More than1 in 100 Pennsylvanians have unclaimed property, and the average claim is worth over $1,000.

Unclaimed property includes things like dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, forgotten stocks, and more. It can also include physical assets, such as collectible coins, jewelry, and savings bonds, that most often come to Treasury as the contents of safe deposit boxes.

Anyone can search Treasury’s online database at any time by visiting searchandclaim.gov.

$7.3M awarded to schools

The Pennsylvania Department of Education this week announced that more than $7.3 million in grant funding has been awarded to 249 schools in 29 counties through the federal Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP).

The program provides students with fresh fruit or vegetables during the school day to increase fruit and vegetable consumption and improve children’s diets for their present and future health.

“Providing access to fresh fruits and vegetables impacts growth, development, and achievement not just for individuals, but for entire communities,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Carrie Rowe. “By locally sourcing nutritious food, schools improve the health of learners, our education system, and economy.”

Federal guidelines allow schools to use the funding to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables through “wholesalers, brokers, local grocery stores, or other retailers. Schools can also support local agricultural producers by buying fresh produce at farmers’ markets and orchards, or by purchasing directly from growers in their community.”

“When schools serve fresh, local fruit and vegetables, the ripple effects go far beyond what’s on the lunch menu,” said Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding.

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Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on X @TLBillOBoyle.