🏛️ Legislative Branch |
Congressional Record |
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On July 22, 2025, Congress took several important steps. The Senate passed a bill called the Maintaining American Superiority by Improving Export Control Transparency Act, which helps make export rules clearer. They also agreed to a special day honoring American cowboys on July 26. The Senate started working on a big spending bill for military construction and veterans’ programs for the 2026 budget year and voted 91 to 7 to limit debate so they could move forward. Several judges and government officials were confirmed by close votes, such as Terrance Cole to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration (50-47) and Bradley Hansell as Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (61-35). In the House, two bills passed with strong support: one to give federal land for economic development in Wisconsin ( H.R.3937, 410-1) and another to improve fish marking in the Great Lakes ( H.R.1917, 360-57). These actions matter because they fund important government programs, confirm key leaders, and support economic and environmental efforts. Read full document →
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Random excerpts from the Senate
“There’s no reason for us to be building brand-new nuclear weapons. We already have so many. You could destroy the world 50 times over, 100 times over. And here we are building new nuclear weapons. We’re all spending a lot of money that we could be spending on other things that are actually, hopefully, much more productive.”
— Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-VT)
“One rarely hears a word spoken among us about this existential threat. We have become far too complacent because for 80 years, as Robert Oppenheimer and others hoped after revealing to the world the immense destructive power of an atomic bomb, the inevitability of mutually assured destruction itself has deterred the use of those nuclear weapons. It is different today. With mercurial leaders like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, we cannot rely on deterrence alone. Existing nuclear arms control treaties are either no longer adhered to by Russia or the United States or they are close to expiring, and there are no negotiations currently underway or even envisioned on a new generation of international limits on nuclear weapons.”
— Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-VT)
Analysis:
Sen. Sanders delivered a deeply consequential and emotionally charged floor speech on the looming nuclear arms race and the expiration of the New START treaty. He invoked the legacy of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project to frame the existential threat posed by nuclear weapons today. Sanders criticized complacency in Congress and the administration, warning that the risk of nuclear war is real and immediate given the actions and rhetoric of Russia, China, and North Korea. He called for urgent reinvigoration of arms control negotiations and concrete steps to reduce the risk of accidental or intentional nuclear conflict. His speech stands out for its grave tone, historical context, and urgent call to action on a matter of global survival.
Sen. Sanders’ remarks are among the most substantive and dramatic in this Senate session, highlighting a critical issue that is often overlooked despite its paramount importance. His direct quotes capture the urgency and seriousness of the nuclear threat and the need for bipartisan leadership to address it.
No other floor speeches in this Congressional Record section rise to the level of exceptional emotional charge or grandstanding. The rest of the record focuses largely on appropriations, nominations, and procedural matters.
Therefore, both selected excerpts are from Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-VT), reflecting his extended remarks on nuclear arms control and the New START treaty. Read full document →
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Random excerpts from the House
We are witnessing before our very eyes, Mr. Speaker, genocide in Gaza, and we say nothing. I am amazed at how this country that stands for liberty and justice for all, this country that has a Statue of Liberty, how this country can see what is happening in Gaza and not call it what it is. There is a fear among us. We refuse to speak truth to power. We refuse to speak truth about power. Today, I am going to do it. I am doing it because these are precious babies that are being slaughtered. We see the bodies. We see the homes. We see the infrastructure. We say nothing. Who are we? What is wrong with us? What is going on? Here is what is going on.
— Rep. Al Green (D-TX-9)
I rise today to shed continued light to the damage this institution has caused seniors by the recent passage of this big, beautiful bill, which was anything but. It is the most significant betrayal of our senior citizens yet, a betrayal of our values and our Nation’s promise. Let’s not be fooled by the branding. This bill wasn’t beautiful. It was brutal. It slashed Medicare funding under the guise of reform. It wrapped its cruelty in buzz words like “efficiency,” “modernization,” and “fiscal responsibility.” However, beneath the surface, it is a cold and calculated attempt to strip millions of Americans of the dignity they have earned over a lifetime of work.
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