Lawmakers overwhelmingly approve removal of 10-year ban on state AI regulations in firm bipartisan move
Many senators failed to get their amendments across the finish line during the chamber's vote-a-rama on Monday, leaving the future of President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" uncertain.
Two key failures came from Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, with the former proposing a plan that would have boosted funding for rural hospitals and the latter calling for further cuts to Medicaid.
Collins and Cornyn were far from the only lawmakers who had amendments fail, however. Here are some details on some of the unsuccessful efforts, plus one that succeeded with nearly unanimous support.
RURAL HOSPITAL FUNDING
Collins' amendment would have doubled funding for rural hospitals from $25 billion to $50 billion over the next 10 years, and it would have allowed a larger number of medical providers to access the funds.
"Rural providers, especially our rural hospitals and nursing homes, are under great financial strain right now, with many having recently closed and others being at risk of closing," Collins said prior to the vote. "This amendment would help keep them open and caring for those who live in rural communities."
Collins said the bill was something of an olive branch to Democrats, who had criticized the cuts to Medicaid involved in the megabill. Her amendment would also have raised tax rates for individuals who make more than $25 million per year and couples who make more than $50 million.
"They’ve complained repeatedly about the distribution in this bill, of Medicaid cuts hurting individuals, rural hospitals, and tax cuts being extended for people who are wealthy, and yet when I tried to fix both those problems, they took a very hypocritical approach," Collins said.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., argued Collins' amendment was merely putting a "Band-Aid on an amputation."
EXPANDED MEDICAID CUTS
Cornyn was joined by Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and John Barrasso, R-Wyo., in pushing an amendment cutting an additional $313 billion in Medicaid funding on Monday.
The trio said they were pushing to limit the growth of Medicaid, and they had been confident the adjustment would pass. All three were seen entering Senate Majority Leader John Thune's office on Monday as it became clear the amendment lacked support.
The base bill already cuts some $930 billion in funding for Medicaid, leading many of the trio's colleagues to balk at further cuts.
"It just seems like we’ve taken it as far as I’m comfortable taking it," said Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.V., regarding trims to Medicaid.
BOOSTING DEDUCTIBLES FOR TEACHERS
Kennedy had proposed an amendment that would have allowed teachers to deduct $600 in school supplies that they pay for out of pocket each year.
The proposal ultimately failed in a 46-54 vote.
CHILD TAX CREDIT ENHANCEMENT
Bennet proposed an amendment that would have increased both the amount and availability of the child tax credit included in the megabill, but it failed to garner enough support.
The Senate rejected Bennet's proposal in a 22-78 vote.
CLEARING THE WAY FOR STATE AI LAWS
One amendment that did succeed was a measure that killed a provision in the bill that would have placed a 10-year moratorium on state AI regulations.
The original version of the bill would have forced states to choose between enforcing AI regulations or accepting federal funding to expand broadband internet access. Sens. Edward Markey, D-Ma., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., joined Sen. Maria Cantwell in sponsoring the amendment.
"The Senate came together tonight to say that we can't just run over good state consumer protection laws," Cantwell said Monday. "States can fight robocalls, deepfakes and provide safe autonomous vehicle laws. This also allows us to work together nationally to provide a new federal framework on Artificial Intelligence that accelerates U.S. leadership in AI while still protecting consumers."
The Senate passed the amendment in an overwhelming 99-1 vote.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., was the sole vote opposing the measure.
| Senator Tillis recently announced he will not be running for reelection, having no taste for the current partisan atmosphere. |
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| US Senate panel amends bill to state that criticism of Israeli gov’t is not antisemitism |
| 2025-05-02 |
[IsraelTimes] Republican chair of committee charges that amendment led by Bernie Sanders, which passes 12-11 with help of GOP’s Rand Paul, ‘is an effort to kill’ Antisemitism Awareness Act
An amendment saying that criticism of the Israeli government is not antisemitic was added to the Antisemitism Awareness Act on Wednesday in a US Senate committee hearing.
The amendment was proposed by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders
...The only first openly Socialist member of the U.S. Senate. Sanders was Representative-for-Life from Vermont until moving to the Senate for the rest of his life in 2006, assuming the seat vacated by Jim Jeffords. He ran for the 2016 nomination for president, to be cheated out of it by Hillary Clinton, then went back to being an Independent socialist, waiting for 2020 to roll around...
, the Jewish progressive leader, and approved in a 12-11 vote in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
The committee adjourned before voting on the bill itself and another piece of legislation, the Protecting Students on Campus Act, which would require schools to share information about how students can file civil rights complaints through the Department of Education.
A date for the committee vote has not yet been announced. If passed by the HELP committee, the bill will move to the Senate floor for a final vote.
Sanders’ was one of seven amendments to be added to the bill, which would codify a widely adopted and controversial definition of antisemitism into US law. That definition, by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, has been adopted by hundreds of governmental bodies and other entities but has drawn criticism from the left because it defines some criticism of Israel as antisemitic.
"One can criticize the government of Israel for their policies without being antisemitic," said Sanders, the committee’s ranking member, during the hearing. "This amendment makes it clear that it is not antisemitic to oppose the Netanyahu-led war effort that has killed more than 50,000 people and maimed over 116,000, 60% of whom are women, children and the elderly."
All committee Democrats
 ...every time you hear the phrase white people , white supremacy, white anything but paint, you're listening to a Democrat. Ask him/her/it to reimagine something for you; they do that a lot, though not well. They can hear a dog whistle a mile or two away. They invented the spoils system and Tammany Hall, and inspired the addition of the word (Thomas) Nasty to the English language. They want to stop continental drift and repeal the law of unintended side effects...
and Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, voted for Sanders’ amendment. Those opposed said that the amendment and others acted as a poison pill.
"Supporting these amendments is an effort to kill this bill, which protects Jewish students from antisemitic acts," said Senator Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana Republican who chairs the committee, during the meeting. "The bill includes protections for free speech, so let’s not be naive as to what’s taking place here."
In response, Sanders said, "Antisemitism is wrong. Authoritarianism is not the answer. That’s what we’re debating right now."
The Antisemitism Awareness Act was passed by the House last year but stalled in the Senate over concerns that it could punish political speech against Israel. Some Republicans, including Paul, have also criticized the IHRA definition because it identifies the belief that Jews killed Jesus as antisemitic.
"This bill would subject to punishment speech claiming that Jews killed Jesus," Paul said at the hearing.
He called the deicide charge "an absurd and insulting insinuation, if the argument is that all Jews are responsible for killing Jesus," but added, "and yet, the Gospel of John describes the trial and crucifixion of Jesus. It reports Jews present at the trial, including the high priest and crowd called for his crucifixion."
He continued, "Nobody thinks that’s all Jews, but you’re no longer allowed to read John 18 and 19. This is sort of insane."
Paul also said he opposed the bill over a litany of other concerns, including fears that it would target comedians. He invoked Jerry Seinfeld as an example.
"Have you guys ever listened to comedy? Do you know why Jerry Seinfeld won’t go to colleges because he can’t make any Jew jokes anymore, or Indian jokes, or whatever jokes. Jokes are about silly categorizations of people," said Rand.
He entered into the record a list of the names of 400 Jewish American comedians who he said have referred to Jews in stereotypical language, and who he says may be targeted by the bill.
Two other Sanders amendments were also approved by the committee, including one that states the federal government cannot compel schools to violate the First Amendment rights of a student or professor. The measure could impact the Trump administration’s crackdown on pro-Paleostinian student activists.
"We have already seen attack after attack on freedom of speech and right to dissent. This amendment defends the Constitution of the United States and our First Amendment," said Sanders. It passed in a vote of 13-10, with all Democrats as well as Paul and Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, voting in favor.
Another Sanders amendment provided protection to students distributing written materials on campus, carrying out school-sanctioned protests, and engaging in "any speech that does not include true threats or incitement of violence," according to Jewish Insider. It was approved by all committee democrats, along with Paul and Collins.
A fourth amendment to the bill was proposed by Senator Ed Markey
...U.S. Representative-for-Life from Massachusetts, serving since 1976. He is a member of the Democratic Party, naturally....
, a Massachusetts Democrat, which opposed the Trump administration’s recent student visa revocations, as well as detainments and deportations of students and faculty at universities for activities protected under the First Amendment. It was approved by affirmative votes from all Democrats and Paul.
Progressive US Jewish organizations oppose controversial antisemitism bill
[IsraelTimes] As the US’s Antisemitism Awareness Act heads to a Senate committee for a crucial vote, 10 progressive Jewish organizations have signed a letter opposing the legislation for representing an endorsement of the Trump administration’s "efforts to weaponize antisemitism."
"Voting in favor of this legislation in this current political climate would represent an endorsement of the Trump administration’s escalating efforts to weaponize antisemitism as a pretext for undermining civil rights, deporting political dissidents, and attacking the fundamental pillars of our democracy, making the Jewish community and others less safe," Tuesday’s letter read.
Republicans, meanwhile, added language meant to tamp down concerns by some politicians that the act would criminalize some expressions of Christian doctrine.
The bill drew free-speech concerns from both sides of the aisle last year when it sailed through the House but stalled in the Senate. On the left, critics charged that the bill’s enshrining of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism could bar legitimate criticism of Israel. Some on the right, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, said they opposed the bill because IHRA identifies the belief that Jews killed Jesus as antisemitic.
Now, the bill has been reintroduced by a bipartisan coalition of senators, including Jews — and it faces a vote in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Wednesday in a changed political climate. US President Donald Trump
 ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and whatever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th and 47th President of the United States...
’s administration, installed in January, has taken aggressive actions that it says are meant to stop antisemitism, drawing criticism from many of the bill’s Democratic sponsors as a result.
US Senator Chuck Schumer
...Senator-for-life from New York, renowned for his love of standing in front of cameras and microphones. Schumer has been a professional politician since 1975, when disco was in flower, which is NaN years. Senate minority leader as of 2017...
, who was the Senate majority leader until January, is a sponsor and made moving the bill forward a top priority in the last session of Congress. Schumer has since criticized Trump’s crackdown on campus antisemitism, signing a letter last week accusing his administration of using antisemitism as a "guise" to attack universities.
The 10 progressive Jewish organizations signing the letter opposing the Antisemitism Awareness Act are Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, Habonim Dror North America, Hashomer Hatzair USA, J Street, Jewish Community Action, New Israel Fund, New Jewish Narrative, New York Jewish Agenda, The Nexus Project, and T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights.
While progressive groups have been vocal critics of the Trump administration, the letter puts them in the position of also undercutting efforts by Democratic and Jewish politicians to take steps they say would protect Jews.
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| Senate Passes Trump's Agenda Budget Blueprint After Late-Night Voting Session |
| 2025-04-06 |
[THEEPOCHTIMES] The U.S. Senate in the early morning hours of April 5 approved the budget blueprint to advance President Donald Trump
 ...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US...
's agenda after a marathon voting session.
Under the rules of the reconciliation process, which is being used to pass the sweeping package, all amendments must be considered—leading to voting sessions that last well into the night, known as a ''vote-a-rama.''
This time was no different, as the long vote series began in the evening on April 4 and continued into the early hours of Saturday. Lawmakers finally advanced the resolution in a 51-48 vote, which fell mostly party lines, with Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky both voting against.
The all-night session included votes on Democratic amendments that targeted Trump's tariffs, the potential impact of the budget bill on the federal deficit, and seeking to limit tax cuts for the wealthy in the bill. They all failed.
With its passage by the Senate, the budget resolution—which resulted from weeks of bicameral negotiations—heads to the House.
Both chambers will need to pass the measure to move on to the next stage of the reconciliation process.
There are already warning signs in the lower chamber, where House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) oversees a slim and ideologically diverse Republican conference, that the Senate blueprint could face hurdles. |
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| Kash Patel confirmed as FBI director, kicking off pivot for bureau |
| 2025-02-21 |
[NYPOST] Kash Patel was confirmed to be FBI director Thursday — unleashing a transition in which President Trump's longtime adviser is expected to overhaul the bureau.
The Senate voted 51-49 to approve Patel to serve a 10-year term, with Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Daddy, can I be a senator? Murkowski
... representing K Street ...
(R-Alaska) breaking ranks and voting with 47 Democrats
 ...every time you hear the phrase white people , white supremacy, white anything but paint, you're listening to a Democrat. Ask him/her/it to reimagine something for you; they do that a lot, though not well. They can hear a dog whistle a mile or two away. They invented the spoils system and Tammany Hall, and inspired the addition of the word (Thomas) Nasty to the English language. They want to stop continental drift and repeal the law of unintended side effects...
against the nominee.
Trump has said that Patel, 44, will shake up the bureau and attempt to depoliticize decision-making after a series of controversies involving either alleged or proven bias against Republicans.
''I think Kash is going to do great,'' Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity in an interview that aired Tuesday. ''I think they have to do great or we have a problem. But when you look at what they did, the raid of Mar-a-Lago — you look at what they did, their reputation is shot.''
Patel emerged unscathed from his confirmation hearing last month as Democratic senators focused much of their time accusing him of being sympathetic to participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
At that hearing, Patel pledged to reform rather than unravel the bureau — after some close Trump allies called for the FBI to be disbanded after the August 2022 raid on Trump's Florida residence. |
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| Breaking: Kash Konfirmed! |
| 2025-02-20 |
[Epoch Times] The Senate on Feb. 20 confirmed Kash Patel as director of the FBI.
Senators voted 51 to 49 to confirm Patel, who gained prominence for exposing alleged FBI and Justice Department malfeasance during the Crossfire Hurricane probe into the Trump campaign. Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) crossed the aisle to join Democrats in voting against Patel’s nomination. |
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| BREAKING NEWS Senate confirms Tulsi Gabbard as Trump's Director of National Intelligence after brutal battle |
| 2025-02-12 |
Senator Mitchell McConnell only dissenting Republican vote.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] The Senate voted to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as the country's top U.S. intelligence official despite some lawmakers sounding the alarm over her past actions.
Gabbard was considered one of President Donald Trump's most controversial nominees when he named her his pick for Director of National Intelligence.
The Senate voted 52 - 48 to confirm Gabbard to become the next DNI. Notably, the longtime former Republican leader Mitch McConnell
| …the old turtle stands shakily athwart The Donald’s world, vainly screeching “STOP!” The poor man chose to stay in office long enough to go from the most powerful man there to the least… |
voted against Gabbard's appointment to the role. He was the lone Republican 'no' vote on her confirmation.
Democrats slammed her judgement leading up to her Senate confirmation and raised doubts over her ability to keep information safe.
'Every single Democrat, I am really proud to say, will oppose this awful nomination, because we simply cannot, in good conscience, trust our most classified secrets to someone who echoes Russian propaganda and falls for conspiracy theories,' Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.,
| …he stands firmly athwart his world, vainly ditto… |
proclaimed on the floor just before Gabbard's confirmation vote.
Schumer went on to note how Gabbard 'has said things like the Ukraine invasion was caused by the United States, not by Putin' and denied former Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad's 'use of chemical weapons despite all of the intelligence.'
Though Gabbard has countered those remarks, saying Putin is to blame for beginning the Ukraine-Russia war and admitting Assad committed heinous acts.
They also questioned whether allies would share intelligence with the U.S. if she were put in charge of the 18 agencies and organizations that make up the intelligence community.
McConnell, who sided with every Democrat to vote against Gabbard, released a scathing statement explaining his vote against her confirmation.
'The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) is a key participant in the process that informs every major national security decision the President makes,' the Kentucky Republican wrote. 'The ODNI wields significant authority over how the intelligence community allocates its resources, conducts its collection and analysis, and manages the classification and declassification of our nation’s most sensitive secrets.'
'In my assessment, Tulsi Gabbard failed to demonstrate that she is prepared to assume this tremendous national trust,' McConnell shared.
| Did his brain pause to reboot in the middle of that sentence? |
The final vote came after Gabbard, a former Democratic lawmaker and lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve,
| …so she knew all their secrets even before her ascension… |
had her nomination moved favorably out of the Senate Intelligence Committee along party lines last week.
Several Republican lawmakers who had expressed concerns with her past comments came around in the end and voted to advance her nomination.
But Gabbard's path to becoming U.S. chief intelligence officer faced a bumpy road before she squeaked through.
| President Trump has made it clear to the Republicans in the Senate how he will respond to those who thwart him on this. He’s playing hardball this round. |
On January 30, she was put under the microscope with a brutal grilling from Republican and Democratic senators in the Senate Intelligence Committee where she clashed with senators on both sides of the aisle.
Lawmakers took issue over whether she still believed Edward Snowden should receive a pardon after leaking highly classified information.
They also raised concerns over her comments blaming NATO when Russia invaded Ukraine and with her 2017 meeting with then-Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
Even heading into last week's committee vote, Gabbard's confirmation was not assured as Senator Todd Young refused to say which way he planned to vote on her nomination up until the final hours.
During her confirmation hearing, he appeared irritated that Gabbard would not call Edward Snowden a traitor.
In the end, Young voted yes on Gabbard after receiving additional assurance from her, coordinating with Vice President JD Vance and even having a brief phone call with President Donald Trump. Young described the call with the president as 'very positive' and said Trump told him to 'vote his conscience.'
Two other senators also indicated they would vote for the nominee after not indicating which way they were leaning ahead of the committee vote along party lines. Senator James Lankford, R-Okla., said he was a yes on Gabbard after speaking with her directly. Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, released a lengthy statement before she moved to advance Gabbard out of committee. Collins said Gabbard addressed her concerns regarding her views of Snowden, and she looked forward to working with her.
On Monday, as the full Senate took a procedural vote to advance her nomination, Senator Bill Cassidy, R-La., announced he would trust Trump's decision to choose Gabbard as his point person on foreign intelligence.
Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, also noted she continues to have concerns about Gabbard's past positions but supported her.
'I appreciate her commitment to rein in the outsized scope of the agency, while still enabling the ODNI to continue its essential function in upholding national security,' Murkowski wrote.
Gabbard made it through the the procedural hurdle on Monday evening with the vote coming down along party lines.
In the end, the committee voted favorably for her nine to eight clearing the path for what was once considered one of Trump's toughest nominees to be confirmed.
Her confirmation indicates that every one of Trump's Cabinet level nominees will be approved by Republicans in the Senate even if a few GOP members vote against them along the way.
Gabbard served as a Democratic lawmaker from Hawaii from 2013 until 2021. She previously served in the state legislature and deployed to Iraq in 2004 with the Hawaii Army National Guard.
She ran as a Democrat in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary where she had a loyal group of supporters but never broke out as a top candidate.
Gabbard left the Democratic party to become an Independent in 2022 before joining the Republican party last year.
At the time, there was talk of her even serving as Trump’s running mate before he settled on Vance last July. Gabbard endorsed Trump for president the following month.
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| Pete Hegseth Confirmed as Defense Secretary |
| 2025-01-25 |
[PJMedia] Update 9:50 p.m.: JD Vance broke the tie with his yes vote moments ago, making Hegseth's confirmation official.
Original story:
Pete Hegseth will have enough votes to become Secretary of Defense, which is a tremendous victory for Donald Trump
...The tack in the backside of the Democratic Party...
. The vote was 50-50, and Vice President JD Vance is expected to break the tie.
All eyes were on the votes by Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), as Sens. Lisa Daddy, can I be a senator? Murkowski
... representing K Street ...
(R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) had previously indicated they were going to vote against Hegseth. McConnell voted no, but Tillis ultimately decided to vote for Hegseth's confirmation.
Alaskan Snow Blower Murky and Droopy Dog need to be slapped back into line. The Turtle just needs to retire or die
"From the beginning, I have been clear about my position: if President Trump’s nominees were reported favorably out of the relevant committees, I would support their confirmation on the Senate floor absent new material information about their qualifications," Tillis said in a statement posted to X. "Once Pete Hegseth’s nomination was sent to the floor by my colleagues on the Senate Armed Services Committee, I conducted my own due diligence, including asking tough questions of Pete and I appreciated his candor and openness in answering them."
Tillis continued, "Pete has a unique perspective as a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and is unquestionably passionate about modernizing our military and supporting the brave patriots like himself who serve our nation. I will support his confirmation and look forward to working with him to rebuild our military and advance President Trump’s peace through strength agenda."
Back in 2017, then Vice President Mike Pence had to break the tie to confirm Betsy DeVos as Trump’s education secretary. It was the first time a vice president had cast the tie-breaking vote for a cabinet nomination. Vance's vote will be the second in U.S. history.
Hegseth advanced from the Armed Services Committee by the narrowest margin, a 14-13 party-line vote. On the Senate floor, cloture was invoked at 51-49, barely avoiding a situation where Vice President JD Vance would’ve had to cast the deciding vote.
Democrats
...every time you hear the phrase white people , white supremacy, white anything but paint, you're listening to a Democrat. Ask him/her/it to reimagine something for you; they do that a lot, though not well. They can hear a dog whistle a mile or two away. They invented the spoils system and Tammany Hall, and inspired the addition of the word (Thomas) Nasty to the English language. They want to stop continental drift and repeal the law of unintended side effects...
fought aggressively against Hegseth’s nomination, taking issue with his views on women in combat and raising questions about alleged alcohol abuse and misconduct, even resorting to dusting off their playbook from the Kavanaugh hearings when, earlier this week, senators received an affidavit from Hegseth’s former sister-in-law alleging behavior that he purportedly made his second wife fear for her safety. However,
denial ain't just a river in Egypt...
even Hegseth’s ex-wife says these allegations are not true.
Samantha Deering, Hegseth’s ex-wife, told NBC News, which first reported on the accusations, that the allegations were false.
"First and foremost, I have not and will not comment on my marriage to Pete Hegseth. I do not have representatives speaking on my behalf, nor have I ever asked anyone to share or speak about the details of my marriage on my behalf, whether it be a news hound, a committee member, a transition team member, etc.," she wrote.
"I do not believe your information to be accurate, and I have cc’d my lawyer," she added.
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| WTF? Susan Collins? Really? |
| 2024-11-25 |
[X]
| Senator Collins (R) is the senior senator from the great state of Maine. She has served in the US Senate for 27 years. |
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'Bait and switch': Top Democrat warns of 'grave implications' as Senate Republicans consider Trump-backed $9.4B rescissions package
