Democrats unite to kill Trump mail-ballot order; Merkley floods zone with 9 Oregon town halls

The Absentee and Mail Voter Protection Act, led by Sens. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., would nullify Trump's March 31 executive order and prohibit USPS, DHS, and other agencies from spending funds to implement it. At its core, the order would give USPS authority to reject delivery of lawful ballots unless states comply with newly established federal eligibility lists — with election officials and mail carriers potentially facing criminal charges for noncompliance, and states risking loss of federal funding.

Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., said the order crosses a clear line: "President Trump's unlawful executive order is an attempt to spread election misinformation and silence American voters. The Absentee MVP Act is essential to protecting Americans' right to vote and ensuring the continued integrity of our elections."

The bill would also block DOJ and DHS from sharing state voter lists, defund DOJ efforts to compel production of those lists, enforce the Privacy Act against improper sharing of voter data, and defund any Commerce Department effort to regulate mail-in ballots on a partisan basis. Merkley and Wyden separately joined a letter to USPS pressing on the order's constitutionality.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., posted nine separate town hall announcements Friday, scheduling back-to-back constituent meetings across rural eastern Oregon from May 1 through May 3 — Malheur, Harney, Grant, Baker, Wallowa, Union, Umatilla, Morrow, and Wheeler counties. The releases note that "Oregonians have been turning out in record-breaking numbers to Senator Merkley's recent town halls" and warn that venues may reach capacity.

The tour runs through the Senate's upcoming early May state work period, which begins in 10 days.

A bipartisan quartet — Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Jim Justice, D-W.V., John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.V. — introduced the Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act, which would amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to allow SNAP participants to purchase hot, ready-to-serve rotisserie chicken. Current law bars SNAP benefits from covering hot prepared foods.

"Congress should be making it easier, not harder, for families to put food on the table. This bill fixes an unnecessary barrier and helps Colorado families get a quick, nutritious meal when they need it," said Bennet. Capito stressed practical need: "For seniors, working families, and those without reliable access to cooking equipment, this is about convenience and dignity. With multiple states — including West Virginia — already requesting flexibility in this area, this bill brings SNAP in line with real-world needs while making smart, efficient use of taxpayer dollars."

The bill has a House companion introduced by Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., with 20 bipartisan co-sponsors. Bennet introduced the broader Hot Foods Act in March 2025, which would extend SNAP eligibility to hot foods generally.

Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., issued two agricultural releases Friday. USDA announced it would double the payment factor under the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program — from 35 percent to 70 percent — for producers with losses from 2023 and 2024 disasters, and extend the program deadline to Aug. 12, 2026. The program draws from $21 billion in disaster assistance Hoeven secured as Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee chairman in December 2024; North Dakota producers have already received $330 million.

"This second round of payments is a welcome relief to producers who faced natural disaster losses," Hoeven said. "At the same time, we will continue working to provide additional assistance to give our producers an important lifeline until the enhancements we made to the farm safety net come into full effect."

Separately, Hoeven addressed the North Dakota Association of County Employees — Farm Service Agency workers — outlining efforts to expand the $12 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance program, increase farm loan limits, and add 45 Agricultural Research Service employees and 10 new research projects totaling roughly $28.5 million annually to North Dakota as part of USDA's reorganization.

Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., appeared on two separate television programs Thursday and Friday — Bloomberg's Balance of Power and Fox Business's Mornings with Maria — covering Iran negotiations, the Federal Reserve chairmanship, budget reconciliation, and the 2026 midterms. Hagerty released ICYMI clips of both appearances.

On Iran, Hagerty said: "He's got all the cards, and what he is doing is negotiating. I think that's what seems to shock people here in Washington sometimes, the fact that President Trump isn't telegraphing every move." On the DHS funding dispute, Hagerty was direct: "The Democrats have shut down this department. The department charged with protecting us, the Counter-Terrorism department at a time when we are dealing with the world's largest state sponsor of terror. It's incredibly irresponsible that the Democrats have put us in this position."

On reconciliation, Hagerty pointed to Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham's work on a third reconciliation package and flagged the National Defense Authorization Act as another legislative vehicle.

Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., addressed students and faculty at the George Washington University Institute for Korean Studies Thursday, laying out three congressional actions he said are needed to strengthen the alliance with South Korea: clarifying that U.S. commitments extend beyond any single administration, protecting immigrant workers and university-based innovation partnerships, and pushing back on what he called erratic trade policies.

On economic security, Kim said: "We should be approaching the economic security of families in America with the same level of vigor that we do when we talk about national security and military security and defense. I see this country trip over themselves to spend trillions of dollars on wars…but I see nothing that resembles that level of urgency when it comes to addressing the economic security of families here at home." On trade, he cited a concrete example: "Over the last twenty years, we've seen Korean companies invest nearly $700 million into New Jersey. They've created thousands of jobs."

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., marked the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide with a statement calling on the administration to maintain formal recognition. Schiff authored the 2019 congressional resolution recognizing the genocide, which he said passed on a "nearly unanimous and bipartisan vote."

"Some in this administration are retreating from that important progress and refusing to recognize the plain truth of the Genocide. While their silence may gratify the Turkish autocrat, it is a profound setback to the cause of justice and human rights," Schiff said. He also called for the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from Armenian territory, the return of displaced persons from Artsakh, and the release of Armenian prisoners of war.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., announced the Port of South Louisiana will receive $43,361,426 from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Port Infrastructure Development Program — funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Cassidy helped pass. The grant supports construction of a dock conveyance system in Donaldsonville to move iron ore pellets to a new ultra-low carbon steel manufacturing facility.

"I worked to secure this funding because I know Louisiana's ports are vital to keep our state and country's economy moving," Cassidy said. "Proud to have made this project possible to keep our state competitive."

Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., addressed the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium Friday, outlining a proposed $250 million Space Operations Center at Grand Forks Air Force Base. Hoeven said he spoke with Chief of Space Operations General Chance Saltzman earlier in the week about the proposal, which would include a 180,000-square-foot facility operating as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility supporting Space Force and National Reconnaissance Office missions.

"The future security of our nation depends on having a new generation of professionals with the skills and knowledge needed to develop the technologies that will give us the edge in space, drones and hypersonic missiles. We are doing that work right here in North Dakota," Hoeven said. He also referenced a new Point Defense Battle Lab at GFAFB for counter-drone testing and hypersonic missile testing under the SkyRange program.

Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., released a video statement urging Floridians to drop off unused or expired prescription medication Saturday at DEA-sponsored locations from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for National Drug Take Back Day. The release notes that Florida disposed of 27,304 pounds of medications at the last Take Back Day in October 2025.

"Substance abuse is tearing apart families, destroying communities and killing Floridians. As Attorney General, I fought the opioid crisis head on — winning historic legal battles, and leading fentanyl interdiction efforts to stop the flow of this deadly poison," Moody said.

Signals

• coordinatedAt least four Democratic senators — Merkley, Wyden, Coons, and Blunt Rochester — issued separate releases on the same Absentee MVP Act within a roughly 90-minute window (2:31–3:42 p.m. ET), a pattern consistent with a coordinated rollout.
• volumeSen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., accounted for 10 of today's 22 input releases — nine town hall announcements plus the Absentee MVP Act — a single-senator volume anomaly that skews the day's Democratic output total.
• recessThe Senate's early May state work period begins in 10 days; Merkley's nine-stop rural Oregon tour is scheduled to run May 1–3, the opening weekend of that window.
• volumeSen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., issued two ICYMI media appearance releases in a single day covering Iran, the Federal Reserve, reconciliation, and the midterms — a concentrated messaging push across two major financial and news networks.
• silent breaksSen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has issued no releases in 53 days; Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., in 37 days; Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., in 31 days — three senior Republicans with extended communication gaps heading into a state work period.

Quiet desks

Senators with no release in two weeks or more.

• Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY53d
• Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC37d
• Sen. Ron Johnson, R-WI31d
• Sen. Tina Smith, D-MN18d
• Sen. Roger F. Wicker, R-MS17d