Rocky Mountain Voice

Menu

Tag: U.S. Senate

Stop Illegal Entry Act reaches Senate with 10–20 year sentences for criminal reentrants
No Comments
Rocky Mountain Voice, National, Top Stories

Stop Illegal Entry Act reaches Senate with 10–20 year sentences for criminal reentrants

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice The House voted 226–197 to pass the Stop Illegal Entry Act of 2025 (H.R. 3486). The bill updates 8 U.S.C. § 1325 and § 1326, the federal laws on illegal entry and reentry, and was received in the Senate on September 15, where it now awaits committee consideration. For first-time offenders, the penalty doesn’t change — up to six months in jail. But, anyone caught crossing again could face up to five years in prison and a fine. The bill also sets penalties for people who try to help others cross illegally. The biggest changes involve reentry after deportation. The baseline remains up to two years. But if someone has three or more misdemeanors involving drugs or crimes against others, or any felony, the maximum rises to 10...
Read More
Senate backs Trump’s ‘DOGE cuts’ as conservatives target foreign aid, woke grants
No Comments
Washington Examiner, Approved, National

Senate backs Trump’s ‘DOGE cuts’ as conservatives target foreign aid, woke grants

By David Sivak | Washington Examiner Congress is poised to claw back billions in foreign aid after the Senate narrowly passed $9 billion in DOGE-inspired cuts on Thursday. In a 51-48 vote, the Senate approved the White House request, known as a rescission bill, all but clearing the way for it to become law. Just two Republicans – Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) – joined Democrats in voting “no.” The request now heads back to the House, which narrowly passed a similar version in June. Thursday’s vote, which came after a marathon voting session that stretched late into the night, is a major victory for President Donald Trump and a 180–degree turn from an unsuccessful rescission request Trump made in his first term. Centri...
Read More
Senate prepares to approve Trump’s $9B spending cuts as GOP unites on fiscal restraint
No Comments
THE HILL, Approved, National

Senate prepares to approve Trump’s $9B spending cuts as GOP unites on fiscal restraint

By Alexander Bolton | The Hill Senate Republicans say they have the votes to pass a package of $9 billion in spending cuts, which would give President Trump another big legislative victory in less than a month, after GOP leaders quelled a revolt from members of the powerful Appropriations Committee. Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), told reporters Tuesday that the “rescissions package” now has enough votes to pass the Senate after he and the Senate GOP leaders agreed to an amendment to remove cuts to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the global initiative former President George W. Bush launched in 2003 to combat AIDS. Vought, the administration’s chief budget watchdog, also worked out a side deal with ...
Read More
Senate unanimously passes ‘no tax on tips act’
No Comments
Approved, Daily Wire, National

Senate unanimously passes ‘no tax on tips act’

By Daniel Chaitin | Daily Wire On Tuesday, the GOP-led Senate unanimously passed bipartisan legislation from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) that seeks to make good on President Donald Trump’s campaign promise for getting rid of taxes on tips. Axios reported earlier in the day that Senate Republicans were likely to block a request for unanimous consent for Cruz’s measure by Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) because the GOP-controlled House is working on Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill,” which has its own “No Tax On Tips” component. However, that opposition did not materialize and Cruz’s “No Tax on Tips Act” passed by unanimous consent, which is an agreement that allows the upper chamber to bypass standard rules to speed up proceedings. READ TH FULL STORY AT THE DAILY WIRE...
Read More
Thune squeezes Democrats with transgender athlete Senate vote
No Comments
Approved, National, Washington Examiner

Thune squeezes Democrats with transgender athlete Senate vote

By David Sivak | Washington Examiner Senate Democrats will take a politically difficult vote on Monday when Republicans bring to the floor a bill preventing transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports. The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which withholds federal funding to schools that permit transgender participation, is not likely to become law due to the Senate filibuster. But the vote, teed up Thursday by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), suggests the continued potency Republicans see in transgender politics after putting it front and center in the 2024 election. It is one of the first bills Senate GOP leadership is prioritizing since retaking the majority in January. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Read More
Trump undercuts Lindsey Graham budget plan ahead of key Senate vote
No Comments
Approved, National, Washington Examiner

Trump undercuts Lindsey Graham budget plan ahead of key Senate vote

By Rachel Schilke | Washington Examiner President Donald Trump sided with House Republicans in a brewing fight over whether to pass his agenda in one or two parts on Wednesday, undercutting Senate GOP leaders poised to take a key vote advancing their plan later this week. In a post to Truth Social, Trump praised both chambers for doing a “SPECTACULAR job of working together” but said House Republicans’ budget resolution, which tackles tax reform alongside priorities such as the border, is better than Sen. Lindsey Graham‘s (R-SC) because it “implements my FULL America First Agenda, EVERYTHING, not just parts of it!” The measure put forward by Graham, the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, focuses on border security, defense, and energy but l...
Read More
Senate 2026: Who’s in, who’s out, and who’s on the fence for reelection
No Comments
Approved, National, Washington Examiner

Senate 2026: Who’s in, who’s out, and who’s on the fence for reelection

By Samantha-Jo Roth | Washington Examiner The race for control of the Senate in 2026 has kicked off with incumbents up for reelection making decisions about their political futures, shaking up the map for next year’s midterm elections. Political handicappers like the Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball have predicted that Democrats have few opportunities to claw back the majority. But, Sen. Tina Smith’s (D-MN) retirement announcement this week, the second Democratic incumbent to bow out of the 2026 election after Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), is making their efforts even more challenging. In order to take back control of the chamber next year, Democrats would need a net pickup of four seats, but only a handful...
Read More
Fleetwood: Mitch McConnell has worn out his welcome in politics
No Comments
Approved, Commentary, National, The Federalist

Fleetwood: Mitch McConnell has worn out his welcome in politics

By Shawn Fleetwood | The Federalist, Commentary Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., may be nearing the end of his political career, but that doesn’t mean he’s done stabbing Republican voters in the back. During the past few days, the former Senate GOP leader has voted against several of President Donald Trump’s high-profile cabinet picks. On Wednesday, McConnell was the lone Republican to side with Senate Democrats in opposing Tulsi Gabbard’s confirmation as director of National Intelligence. (Gabbard has notably criticized America’s failed foreign interventionism — a starkly different position than McConnell’s unhinged obsession with engulfing the U.S. in overseas forever wars). READ THE FULL STORY AT THE FEDERALIST Editor’s note: Opinions express...
Read More
Chris Wright, the Coloradan who could head up the Energy Department, wants to cut regulations, return to dominance
No Comments
ABC News, Approved, National

Chris Wright, the Coloradan who could head up the Energy Department, wants to cut regulations, return to dominance

By ABC News Chris Wright, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to be secretary of the Department of Energy, laid out his key priorities, including restoring "energy dominance," increasing technological innovation and cutting regulatory red tape, during a nearly three-hour confirmation hearing on Wednesday. "I see three immediate tasks where I will focus my attention if I get the privilege of being confirmed. The first is to unleash American energy at home and abroad to restore our energy dominance," Wright said. "Second, we must lead the world in innovation and technology breakthroughs." "Third, we must build things in America again and remove barriers to progress," he added. "Federal policies today make it too easy to stop projects and very hard, hard to start and complete project...
Read More
Why some Trump nominees might be confirmed with a voice vote, and why some might not
No Comments
Approved, Fox News, National

Why some Trump nominees might be confirmed with a voice vote, and why some might not

By Chad Pergram | Fox News The Senate will likely have a few Cabinet nominees who are relatively non-controversial. In the interest of time, senators could agree to expedite the process and confirm an individual nominee or several nominees by voice vote or unanimous consent. As long as there are no objections among all 100 (currently 99) senators.This speeds things up in the Senate, where floor time is at a premium.However, there’s a good reason why some Democrats may oppose a streamlined process for this. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX NEWS
Read More