January 23, 2025, Washington, D.C. – Senators Dave McCormick (R-PA) and John Fetterman (D-PA) led a bipartisan, bicameral letter today to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging him to use all the tools at his disposal to bring home Pennsylvania school teacher Marc Fogel, who has been wrongfully detained by the Russian government for nearly four years. Both Pennsylvania Senators and the 11 members of the Pennsylvania House Delegation, Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-1), Brendan Boyle (D-PA-2), Madeleine Dean (D-PA-4), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-6), Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA-7), Rob Bresnahan (R-PA-8), Dan Meuser (R-PA-9), Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA-14), Glenn Thompson (R-PA-15), Mike Kelly (R-PA-16), & Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17), signed onto the letter in the strongest display of bipartisanship the delegation has put forth this Congress.
“As I told Marc’s Mom, Mafa, when we spoke in August, we must do everything possible to get Marc home,” Senator McCormick said. “I’m proud to stand with my Pennsylvania colleagues in solidarity of Marc and his family, with the strongest desire to secure his release. The Russian government has used Marc as a political pawn for too long, and we look forward to working with President Trump and Secretary Rubio to finally bring Marc home.”
“Marc Fogel is a good man who made a mistake, and now he’s facing an inhumane sentence in a notoriously brutal Russian prison. Over the past two years, I’ve fought relentlessly to bring Marc home and I’m not stopping until we get it done,” said Senator Fetterman. “This letter is proof that Pennsylvanians, regardless of party, are united in bringing Marc home. I’m proud to stand with my new colleague, Senator McCormick, in calling on Secretary Rubio to take bold, decisive action to make that happen.”
In August 2021, Marc was detained by Russian authorities at Sheremetyevo Airport for carrying about half an ounce of medical marijuana in his luggage, which he was prescribed in the United States to treat chronic back pain. Marc and his wife, Jane, were returning to Moscow to teach at the Anglo-American School-Moscow. They had both worked there since 2012. In June 2022, the Russian court system sentenced Marc to 14 years behind bars. More than three harrowing years later, Marc remains expelled to a high-security penal colony, separated from his family, without a clear path home. Moscow has rejected the U.S. Department of State’s repeated requests for Marc’s release on humanitarian grounds, and his health is deteriorating badly.
Full text of the letter is below:
January 23, 2025
Secretary
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Secretary Rubio,
Congratulations on your confirmation as Secretary of State. We look forward to working with you in this new role to advance America’s foreign policy and national security interests.
As discussed during your confirmation hearing, we are eager to work with you and the State Department to prioritize Marc Fogel’s wrongful detention by the Russian Government.
In August 2021, Marc was detained by Russian authorities at Sheremetyevo Airport for carrying about half an ounce of medical marijuana in his luggage, which he was prescribed in the United States to treat chronic back pain. Marc and his wife, Jane, were returning to Moscow to teach at the Anglo-American School-Moscow. They had both worked there since 2012. In June 2022, the Russian court system sentenced Marc to 14 years behind bars. More than three harrowing years later, Marc remains expelled to a high-security penal colony, separated from his family, without a clear path home. Moscow has rejected the U.S. Department of State’s repeated requests for Marc’s release on humanitarian grounds, and his health is deteriorating badly.
The Russian Government’s outrageous treatment of this American teacher is a clear effort to use Marc as a political pawn to exert leverage on the United States. It must not stand.
We were disheartened that Marc was not included in the August 2024 multi-country prisoner swap that released wrongful detainees, including Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan. In December 2024, Marc was designated as wrongfully detained under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act. This determination was necessary to unlock all of the tools at the U.S. Government’s disposal to advocate for Marc’s release.
A renewed commitment to Marc is needed now more than ever. To that end, we request you do everything in your power to bring Marc home immediately and that you personally ensure that your State Department does the following:
- Resubmit a request every month for representatives from U.S. Embassy Moscow to visit Marc and use your influence to ensure Russian officials approve those requests.
- Arrange frequent medical visits to externally evaluate Marc’s physical and mental condition and to provide the prison’s medical staff with any specialized medications Marc may require.
- Offer regular engagement to the Fogel family between the Deputy Secretary of State, or another relevant senior official with visibility into Marc’s case.
- Provide regular briefings to interested congressional offices on Marc’s case.
President Trump has been clear that returning Americans who have been wrongfully detained is a top priority for his administration. Only the President of the United States and Secretary of State can make the hard choices necessary to bring Marc home, and you have our partnership in doing so.
Thank you again for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
David H. McCormick
United States Senator
Ryan Mackenzie
Member of Congress
Dan Meuser
Member of Congress
Glenn “GT” Thompson
Member of Congress
Guy Reschenthaler
Member of Congress
Brian Fitzpatrick
Member of Congress
Rob Bresnahan, Jr. Member of Congress
CC: Adam Boehler
Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs
John Fetterman
United States Senator
Chris Deluzio
Member of Congress
Chrissy Houlahan
Member of Congress
Brendan F. Boyle
Member of Congress
Madeleine Dean
Member of Congress
Mike Kelly
Member of Congress