Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) discuss foreign policy, national security during third installment of The Senate Project

BOSTON, June 12, 2023 — The third installment of The Senate Project series, featuring Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) was hosted today inside the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate’s one-of-a-kind full-scale replica of the Senate chambers.

In a conversation moderated by FOX News Channel’s Bret Baier and streamed live on FOX Nation, the two Senators discussed a wide range of foreign policy topics, including the war in Ukraine, the Middle East and Iran sanctions, and the fentanyl crisis. Ernst and Shaheen both sit on the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

The senators came together under the aegis of The Senate Project™, a partnership among the Bipartisan Policy Center, Orrin G. Hatch Foundation, and the Kennedy Institute. The conversation concluded with both officials agreeing that there needs to be more consensus and bipartisanship to move the country forward, and that often the representatives of political parties agree on what types of outcomes they’d like to see on certain issues but take different paths toward finding the solutions.

“Senator Shaheen and I have worked on so many different issues, and it has been such a great privilege for me. I’ve always appreciated her willingness to find that common ground. It might surprise some of you out there that Republicans and Democrats can actually have productive and civil discussions,” said Senator Ernst during the conversation, later adding: “While the Senate is known as the world’s greatest deliberative body, too often we really do a poor job of living up to that standard. I believe that we can and we should be able to have constructive debates on the issues that are facing all of the citizens of our great country.’’

Senator Shaheen said: “Too often, there is more attention on what divides us than on what unites us. Often, it’s the extreme voices on either end of the political spectrum that get attention, rather than those in the middle who are able to make compromise and work together … I think most Americans want us to work together to address the issues facing this country. And I think what’s important–and what the public needs to hear, what I try and share with my constituents in New Hampshire–is that there’s a lot more bipartisan work going on in the Senate than you often hear on the nightly news.”

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 Senate 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 featured Sens. Lindsey O. Graham (R-SC) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) at the Kennedy Institute in June 2022 and Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Rob Portman (R-OH), hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center at George Washington University’s Jack Morton Auditorium in August 2022. A fourth Senate Project debate is being planned for September in Washington, D.C.

“The Kennedy Institute was thrilled to host the third installment of The Senate Project in our replica Senate chamber, and along with our partners, we thank Senators Ernst and Shaheen for making time to join us today and to engage with each other and with our audience so thoughtfully,” said Adam Hinds, CEO of the Kennedy Institute. “Now more than ever, our country needs to recognize that 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 connect lawmakers from across the political spectrum to rebuild trust and create lasting policy solutions that will improve the lives of everyday Americans,” said Kelly Darnell, Interim CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Matt Sandgren, Executive Director of the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation, said: “The Senate Project series embodies the principles and values our late Chairman Emeritus sought to exemplify when establishing 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.’’

Today’s Senate Project discussion was streamed live on FOX Nation and will be aired on FOX News Channel on Sunday, June 18, at 10 p.m. EDT (9 p.m. CDT/8 p.m. MDT/7 p.m. PDT).

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 Senator 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 Senate Project In a time of deep political polarization in America—and a 50-50 split between Democrats and Republicans in the Senate—the goal of The Senate Project is for the public to hear leading senators from competing ends of the political spectrum. The Oxford-style format of the 60-minute debates will allow senators to engage in extended, thoughtful, wide-ranging debate while exploring areas of constructive disagreement and searching for the bipartisan compromise that has been a hallmark of the Senate for more than two centuries. You can learn more at www.thesenateproject.org.

About the Bipartisan Policy Center The Bipartisan Policy Center is a mission-focused organization helping policymakers work across party lines to craft bipartisan solutions. By connecting Republicans and Democrats, delivering data and context, negotiating public policy, and creating space for bipartisan collaboration, BPC helps turn legislators’ best ideas into durable laws that improve lives. Since 2007, the Bipartisan Policy Center has helped shepherd countless bills across the finish line. Learn more at bipartisanpolicy.org.

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 orrinhatchfoundation.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 via 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 20 consecutive years, while FBN ranks among the top business channels on cable. Owned by Fox Corporation, FOX News Media reaches 200 million people each month.

Media Contacts: Bipartisan Policy Center: Steve Scully, SVP, 202.218.6789, sscully@bipartisanpolicy.org Edward M. Kennedy Institute: Adam G. Hinds, CEO, press@emkinstitute.org FOX News Media: Irena Briganti, Senior EVP, Corporate Communications, 212.301.3608, Irena.Briganti@FOX.com Orrin G. Hatch Foundation: 202.350.0515, press@orrinhatchfoundation.org