🏛️ Legislative Branch |
Congressional Record |
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On March 27, 2025, Congress took several important actions. In the Senate, they passed a resolution (S.J. Res. 18) that disapproves a rule about overdraft lending by a vote of 52 to 48. They also confirmed Paul Lawrence as the Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs with a vote of 51 to 45. The House passed two resolutions (H.J. Res. 24 and H.J. Res. 75) that disapprove rules about energy conservation standards, with votes of 203 to 182 and 214 to 193, respectively. Additionally, they passed a bill ( H.R.1048) to require colleges to report foreign gifts and contracts more clearly, with a vote of 241 to 169. These actions are significant because they show Congress’s efforts to change rules that affect consumer finance and energy standards, as well as to increase transparency in higher education regarding foreign funding. Read full document →
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Random excerpts from the Senate
Mr. President, I am going to ask my colleagues, as a reminder, that there are some tricks of the trade to get to your political enemies or for other reasons like covering up embarrassing situations or just to cover up wrongdoing. I am going to use and compliment this administration. As one of its first acts after taking office, the Trump administration and Attorney General Bondi shut down the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force. Despite criticism, this is a positive step, given what the task force had been twisted into by the Biden administration. This task force was created in 2017 by then-Director Wray for very good reasons. We were told it was designed to counteract maligned foreign influence operations. However, this task force became infected with politics. In other words, this task force came to be used as a political weapon.
— Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Mr. President, so first on tariffs, yesterday, President Trump announced a new round of tariffs of 25 percent on all auto imports into the United States, but we have no details, no timeline, no plan, only more chaos. Donald Trump’s trade war has accomplished only one thing to date: chaos. In the 66 days since Donald Trump has become President, he has had 66 different positions on this issue. One day he says yes to tariffs; the next day he says no; then the day after he says yes again. Can’t make up his mind which country should have them, which country shouldn’t, how much, what products. Donald Trump’s tariffs--make no mistake about it, I say to the American people. Make no mistake about it. Donald Trump’s tariffs are a national sales tax on American families. Tariffs without a plan will only raise prices without anything to show for it. It is like he is playing Russian roulette with the economy.
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Random excerpts from the House
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice a concern from my constituents, Jeff and Bev. Last week, Trump’s billionaire Commerce Secretary was speaking with another billionaire about how only fraudsters would complain about missing a Social Security check. Trump’s billionaire Commerce Secretary said that if Social Security didn’t send out checks for a month, his mother-in-law simply would not call to complain. At the very same time, I held a townhall with my constituents where Jeff and Bev, from Bloomington, asked this question: If or when Trump ends Social Security, Bev and I will be unable to pay our mortgage. We will become homeless at age 70. What can we do? What should we do? There are tens of millions of Americans across the country like Jeff and Bev who depend on that check coming every month. On their behalf, I ask my Republican colleagues who have majority rule of this Chamber, what are they going to do to stand up for American families and stop the billionaires who are dismantling Social Security?
— Rep. Kelly Morrison (D-MN-3)
Mr. Speaker, I want to clarify something for some of my colleagues and for leaders across this country because there seems to be some confusion. There is a big difference between taking a knee and bending a knee. Taking a knee shows that you can hold many truths at once, you can love our country and believe that there is still more work to do. It shows that you are willing to do that work and to live up to our country’s ideals. However, bending a knee is something quite different. Bending a knee is capitulation. It is what you do when you have given up, when you have lost your fight, when you have lost your way, when you are not willing to show courage, to show up, or to speak up. Taking a knee, you have got skin in the game. Bending a knee, you have given in, you have lost your self-respect. We were not elected to be obedient, to submit, to cower. We were not sent here to worship one man. We have no kings in America. We were sent here to work on behalf of the people. If you are not risking anything, you are not being brave. Show some grit and stand up for your people.
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