Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) will introduce legislation on Monday to require Facebook, Google, Amazon and other major platforms to disclose the value of their users’ data, as first reported Sunday evening on “Axios on HBO.”
Why it matters: Our personal data is arguably our most valuable asset in the digital age, but internet users don’t have any way of knowing how much their data is actually worth.
View the complete June 23 article by Kim Hart on the Axios website here.
The Senate voted 53-45 on Thursday to pass 22 resolutions seeking to block the Trump administration’s sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia, despite the White House threatening to veto the packagemoments before the vote.
Why it matters: This marks yet another bipartisan rebuke of the administration’s close relationship with Saudi Arabia, which has come under increasing scrutiny in the months since the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of the Saudi government. In March, the Senate voted to end U.S. supportfor the Saudi-led war in Yemen, a resolution that forced Trump to issue the second vetoof his presidency. Continue reading “Senate votes to block Saudi arm sales despite veto threat”
Senators have locked in the votes needed for an initial move to block President Trump’s Saudi arms sales, paving the way for a high-stakes veto showdown.
The Senate is expected to take up the 22 resolutions of disapproval as soon as next week, to block each of the sales, after Trump invoked an emergency provision under the Arms Export Control Act to push through the sales without a congressional review period.
Because lawmakers are challenging the sales under the same law, they need only a simple majority to send the resolutions to the president.
View the complete June 12 article by Jordain Carney and Rebecca Kheel on The Hill website here.
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03) joined fellow freshman Democrats who helped lead the charge to prioritize and pass the For The People Act to call on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to allow debate and an up or down on the floor of the Senate.
“Leader McConnell stands in the way of ending the era of bought and sold politicians,”said Rep. Phillips. “Refusing to even hold a vote on the For The People Act keeps our government in the pocket of special interests and keeps our elections open to foreign attacks. It’s wrong, it’s dangerous, and it should concern every single American. It’s time for McConnell to put country over party and bring H.R.1 to the floor.”
You can video of the full press conference HERE. Continue reading “Phillips, Freshman Dems Call on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to Hold a Vote on Historic Government Reform Bill”
‘Trade policy and border security are separate issues,’ Senate Finance chairAfter abruptly announcing tariffs on imports coming from Mexico over a migrant dispute, the White House is brushing aside the concerns of powerful Republican lawmakers – including Senate Finance Chairman Charles E. Grassley.
President Donald Trump green-lighted the import fees in an attempt to push the Mexican government to clamp down on the flow of Central and South American migrants moving through its territory toward the U.S.-Mexico border.
But Grassley, whose committee handles trade issues, issued a scathing statement Thursday night, calling the move a “misuse of presidential tariff authority and counter to congressional intent.” An Iowa Republican, Grassley has voiced concerns in the past about the trade battles hurting on farmers in his state who sell to foreign markets.
View the complete May 31 article by John T. Bennett on The Roll Call website here.
Senate Republicans have vowed that Trump will face no punishment if the House draws up articles of impeachment — no matter what the evidence shows,
The House has yet to begin impeachment proceedings, but if it were to file articles of impeachment, the Senate would then have to hold a trial to determine whether Trump is guilty of the charges and decide whether to remove him from office.
According to a report from The Hill newspaper published Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — who runs the Senate with a 53-47 Republican majority in the chamber — would hold a sham trial that would acquit Trump of the charges, no matter what the charges are or how strong the evidence against Trump is.
View the complete May 28 article by Emily Singer on the National Memo website here.
Senators are growing increasingly frustrated as legislative activity has slowed to a crawl during the first half of the year.
The Senate voted on two bills Thursday, breaking a nearly two-month drought during which Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has focused instead on judicial nominations, his top priority.
The lack of floor action has left lawmakers publicly complaining, even though the high-profile feuding between President Trump and congressional Democrats makes it highly unlikely that large-scale bipartisan legislation will succeed heading into the 2020 elections.
View the complete May 24 article by Jordain Carney on The Hill website here.
The House has passed 248 things since January. And many of them are a big deal.The Oregon Democrat wants to lift the issue out of the “traditional Washington bicker fest.”Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) is tired of Republicans ignoring election security.
“[W]hat happened in 2016 could be really small potatoes compared to 2020,” said Wyden, an Oregon Democrat who sits on the Intelligence Committee.
Wyden is especially concerned that, as he said, “all of the political muscle is on the other side trying to protect the status quo.” Now he’s hoping to take his message straight to voters.
View the complete May 22 article by Joshua Eaton on the ThinkProgress website here.
Senate Republicans are scrambling to distance themselves from a harsh new Alabama law that bans nearly all abortions, even in cases of rape and incest, and carries a penalty of up to 99 years in prison for anyone performing the procedure.
Most GOP senators are trying their best to steer clear of the firestorm, arguing it’s a state-level issue that doesn’t involve Congress.
But the controversial law will undoubtedly stoke the abortion debate heading into the 2020 elections.
View the complete May 16 article by Alexander Bolton on The Hill website here.
