FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 30, 2023
Press@orrinhatchfoundation.org
(202) 350-0515
WASHINGTON — The third installment of The Senate Project series will feature Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) in a forum moderated by FOX News Channel’s (FNC) chief political anchor Bret Baier on Monday, June 12 at 11 a.m. EDT/8 a.m. PDT from the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate in Boston. The event will run live, commercial free on FOX News Media’s streaming platform, FOX Nation, that day and will later air on FNC on Sunday, June 18 at 10 p.m./EDT.
Utilizing the Institute’s full-scale replica of the United States Senate chambers at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., the hour-long event will focus on a variety of topics, including foreign policy and homeland security.
In 2022, Baier moderated The Senate Project’s inaugural debate between Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), which was live streamed on FOX Nation. As FNC’s chief political anchor and executive editor of Special Report, Baier has played a pivotal role in coverage of every major political event since joining the network in 1998. His nightly news program is routinely among the top five programs in all of cable news, averaging 2.2 million viewers year to date. Following the forum, he will anchor Special Report live from the Kennedy Institute at 6 p.m./EDT that evening.
The Senate Project seeks to bring together senators from different ends of the political spectrum for civil, substantive discussion and debate aimed at finding potential areas of bipartisan compromise and common ground, a hallmark of the Senate for more than two centuries. The project and its founding partners take inspiration from the model of political bridge-building established by the late Senator Ted Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, and late Senator Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, in working past party and political differences to forge consensus on landmark healthcare reform legislation and other bipartisan bills.
Previous editions of The Senate Project debates featured Senators Lindsey O. Graham (R-SC) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) at the Kennedy Institute in June 2022 hosted by FOX News Media and Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Rob Portman (R-OH), hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) in August 2022. A fourth Senate Project debate is being planned for September in Washington, D.C.
In commenting on the announcement, FOX News Media President & Executive Editor Jay Wallace said, “Following the success of last year’s debate, we are once again pleased to partner with the Bipartisan Policy Center, the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute. The Senate Project series is a great example of how political leaders from opposing sides can find common ground in their efforts to address the critical issues facing the nation.”
"The Senate Project series embodies the principles and values our late Chairman Emeritus sought to exemplify when establishing the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation,” added Matt Sandgren, Executive Director of the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation. “Senator Hatch’s commitment to engaging in thought-provoking public discussions helped create the consensus necessary to pass significant bipartisan legislation. With two successful events in the books, we’re demonstrating that bipartisan discourse can cut through the noise and hyperbolic soundbites.”
“Senators Hatch and Kennedy showed that while political divides can be deep, our differences as Americans are narrow. They proved that seeking solutions doesn’t mean compromising our values. Providing a platform for differing perspectives enables our nation’s leaders to navigate complex issues and find common ground. As we prepare to host our third installment of the Senate Project series, we’re passing the torch of civil discourse and bipartisan problem-solving to the next generation of Americans,” said A. Scott Anderson, Board Chairman of the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation.
“Throughout history, groundbreaking legislation has emerged from open and passionate discussions. Our collaboration with the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate and the Bipartisan Policy Center offers a platform for Senators to engage in thoughtful and substantive exchanges, cultivating a spirit of bipartisanship and fostering effective governance. The Senate Project series continues the tradition of robust deliberation, ensuring that our nation’s most critical issues receive the attention they deserve,” said Senator Gordon Smith, Board Member of the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation.
“The Kennedy Institute is thrilled to host the third installment of The Senate Project in our replica Senate chamber,” said Adam Hinds, CEO of the Kennedy Institute. “Now more than ever, our country needs to recognize civil debate and dialogue is central to the American government process. Senators Kennedy and Hatch worked across differences to achieve monumental legislation together that changed the lives of millions of Americans. That is the example that inspired this project, and that is what this moment calls for.”
“BPC is the place where democracy gets to work, and The Senate Project series embodies the ‘work’ that BPC does every day to build bridges and connect lawmakers from across the political spectrum to rebuild trust across and create lasting policy solution that will improve the lives of everyday Americans,” said Kelly Darnell, interim CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center.
Among their other committee assignments, Senator Ernst is a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; ranking member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship; and is the ranking member on the Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities. Senator Shaheen is a member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, chair of the Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, and chair of the Committee on Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation.
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About the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation
Civility and solutions—these are the twin pillars of the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation. They are the ideals that underpinned the senator’s service and that guide the organization’s mission today. The foundation seeks to engender greater civic participation and understanding, to facilitate bipartisan dialogue, and to foster commonsense solutions to our nation’s most pressing problems by convening the greatest minds in American public life for high-level discussions on the public
policy challenges of the day.
Learn more at www.orrinhatchfoundation.org.
About the Bipartisan Policy Center
The Bipartisan Policy Center is a Washington, D.C.-based think tank that actively fosters bipartisanship by combining the best ideas from both parties to promote health, security, and opportunity for all Americans. Our policy solutions are the product of informed deliberations by former elected and appointed officials, business and labor leaders, and academics and advocates who represent both sides of the political spectrum. BPC prioritizes one thing above all else: getting things done.
Learn more at www.bipartisanpolicy.org.
About the Edward M. Kennedy Institute
The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate is dedicated to educating the public about the important role of the Senate in our government, encouraging participatory democracy, invigorating civil discourse, and inspiring the next generation of citizens and leaders to engage in the civic life of their communities.
Learn more at www.emkinstitute.org.
About FOX News Media
FOX News Media operates the FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network (FBN), FOX News Digital, FOX News Audio, FOX News Books, the direct-to-consumer streaming services FOX Nation and FOX News International and the free ad-supported television service FOX Weather. Currently the number one network in all of cable, FNC has also been the most watched television news channel for more than 21 consecutive years, while FBN is the number one business channel on cable. Owned by Fox Corporation, FOX News Media reaches nearly 200 million people each month.
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