Senate GOP pulls reconciliation bill before recess; Democrats blast 'slush fund'

Warner's letter to administration officials called the fund "outright corruption, cheating, and illegal," warning that "political organizations loyal to him will seek and obtain payments from the Fund for the express purpose of funding political activity." Warner and Kaine also accused Republicans of advancing a bill that would "pour billions more into President Trump's extreme immigration agenda and green-light nearly $1.8 billion in taxpayer money for a slush fund to reward Trump's political allies — including those who violently attacked law enforcement on January 6."

Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, D-N.Y., amplified the cost-of-living dimension ahead of a Trump rally in Rockland County: "New Yorkers don't need a rally; they need relief. Trump has spent his time in office cutting healthcare, driving up prices, and enriching himself at the expense of working families."

Three Democratic senators — Warner, Kaine, and Gillibrand — issued statements converging on the same core narrative: the reconciliation bill benefits Trump's political orbit at the expense of working families. The bill's delay sets up a post-Memorial Day return as the dominant near-term floor question.

Senate Democrats converged on a second theme: that the administration's conflict with Iran is driving up consumer costs while proposed defense spending increases crowd out domestic programs. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., introduced the Taxing Buybacks from Big Oil Windfalls Act, which would raise the excise tax on stock buybacks by large oil and gas companies from one percent to 25 percent. Bennet framed it directly: "President Trump's reckless war with Iran has pushed gas prices to record highs in Colorado and across the country, and consumers are paying the price."

Wyden added: "Trump does the bidding of oil and gas companies, but the American people want us to stand up to war profiteers. That's what our bill is about."

At an NIH appropriations hearing, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., pressed NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya on a proposed $6 billion cut to NIH's budget to accommodate defense spending growth: "We are being asked to cut NIH by $6 billion, why? In order to provide a huge increase on the defense side. And according to one estimate, it would take not even 2 percent of Trump's war budget to prepare candidate vaccines against active viral diseases."

Three senators — Bennet, Schumer, and Wyden on the oil tax bill; Murray separately on NIH — each tied domestic program cuts or consumer price increases explicitly to the Iran conflict, a coordinated framing across at least two distinct legislative vehicles.

Senators Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Adam Schiff, D-Calif., introduced a War Powers Resolution to block use of U.S. Armed Forces in hostilities against Cuba, citing an ongoing U.S. military blockade and reporting that U.S. Southern Command has been ordered to draw up plans for potential military action.

"I was sent abroad with other working-class kids to fight a war that the elites manufactured to line their own pockets — and now I'm watching the same playbook being run on Cuba in plain sight," said Gallego.

Kaine, framing congressional authority: "The U.S. military is the best in the world, but our servicemembers shouldn't be sent into harm's way when there's no clear benefit to the United States." Schiff tied the Cuba resolution to a broader pattern: "My colleagues and I, under Sen. Kaine's leadership, will keep pushing war power resolutions and to garner bipartisan support to make clear our opposition to the use of military force against Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, or any other nation that poses no imminent threat to the United States."

Six Democratic senators sent a letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr warning that Paramount's financing scheme for its $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery could allow sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar to own up to 100 percent of Paramount's equity — despite a congressional 25 percent cap on foreign ownership of U.S. broadcast stations.

"Foreign governments hostile to a free and independent press could exert unprecedented influence over a media conglomerate vital to American journalism and culture," wrote Sens. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Edward Markey, D-Mass., John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., Andy Kim, D-N.J., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

The senators also flagged that Tencent, a Chinese company on the Defense Department's list of companies connected to the Chinese military, would take an equity stake in the combined company: "Allowing our most significant global adversary to partly own Paramount or a combined new entity that will own CNN and CBS News would risk our national security." The FCC has never previously allowed a sovereign wealth fund to hold a significant ownership stake of an American broadcaster.

Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., reintroduced the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act of 2026, which would impose an automatic continuing resolution on rolling 14-day periods during any funding lapse, restrict congressional travel, and bar recesses of more than 23 hours until appropriations are complete.

"Americans are tired of worthless government shutdown drama and Congress using federal workers and government services as pawns in political standoffs," Lankford said. "The Prevent Government Shutdowns Act ends government shutdowns forever with a simple idea: if Congress doesn't do its job, Congress doesn't get to go home."

Hassan: "Government shutdowns are costly, avoidable, and make people in New Hampshire and across the country pay the price for the failures of Congress." The bill carries 20 Senate cosponsors spanning both parties, including Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., alongside a large bloc of Republicans.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Ranking Member of the EPW Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Innovation and Safety, participated in a hearing on a bipartisan legislative package co-led with Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., to modernize nuclear deployment and strengthen domestic uranium enrichment.

"Nuclear energy needs to be part of the solution. It's a proven technology. We've been building and operating nuclear reactors since the 1960s, and this is not an engineering problem. It's a regulatory problem," said Kelly.

Kelly also highlighted domestic fuel vulnerability: "Nuclear power plants depend on a steady, reliable supply of enriched uranium. Yet today, the United States, we import 80% of our enriched uranium supply. About 20% of that comes from Russia, who's an adversary." The package includes the Build Nuclear with Local Materials Act, the Enrichment Licensing Modernization Act, and the RECHARGE Act targeting advanced reactor deployment on brownfield and retired fossil fuel sites.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released the Record of Decision for the Dakota Access Pipeline — the final approval required under the National Environmental Policy Act — reinstating the easement for DAPL to cross Lake Oahe. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., who had repeatedly engaged Army Corps officials, called it a landmark for the state.

"Our energy producers rely on DAPL to bring more than a half a million barrels per day of North Dakota's light, sweet crude to market," Hoeven said. "I want to thank Assistant Secretary Telle for working with us to secure the Record of Decision and put the regulatory uncertainty surrounding this critical energy infrastructure to rest, giving long-term certainty to our state's oil and gas industry."

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, quoted in the release, called the decision "a major win for American energy security and the rule of law" after what he described as "years of delays and political obstruction from the Biden administration."

Sens. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., led a bipartisan, bicameral letter — signed by 110 members of Congress — urging U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to open a Section 301 investigation into foreign sugar trade practices.

The members wrote that the tier-two tariff protecting domestic sugar production "has not been updated in 26 years" and that out-of-quota sugar imports surged more than 700 percent between fiscal years 2021 and 2025 compared to the prior five-year period. A North Dakota State University study found that tier-2 imports "depressed U.S. domestic raw sugar prices and resulted in an estimated loss of up to $1.8 billion for the domestic U.S. sugar industry last year."

The letter warned: "Absent action to protect the domestic sugar industry from discriminatory foreign trade practices, these continued revenue losses will only mount, threatening the future existence of domestic U.S. sugar production."

Sens. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, and Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., sent a letter to banking regulators — including the Fed, OCC, FDIC, and DOJ — urging scrutiny of Banco Santander's proposed acquisition of Webster Financial Corporation, which would make Santander a top-10 U.S. retail and commercial bank by assets.

"This proposed merger should not proceed unless and until U.S. regulators are fully satisfied that Santander's governance, compliance culture, and technical controls meet the highest possible standard to protect the American financial system," the senators wrote. The letter cited Spain's record on sanctions enforcement and past anti-money laundering failures, arguing the deal "could put the interests of a foreign banking group ahead of the stability and prosperity of American workers."

Two Utah Republicans introduced separate but thematically related supplement bills on the same day. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, introduced the PERFECT Act, which would require the Secretary of War to publish a full list of prohibited supplement ingredients every 90 days and allow commanding officers to forgo discipline for first-time, good-faith violations.

"Firing our upstanding military servicemembers for unknowingly taking the wrong supplement makes no sense, particularly when its ingredients are fully legal for civilians and likely even purchased on base," Lee said.

Separately, Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, and Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., introduced the Dietary Supplements Access Act, which would allow dietary supplements to be purchased with HSAs, FSAs, and HRAs — capped at $250 annually for individuals and $500 for joint filers. "By expanding access to supplements through HSAs and FSAs, our legislation empowers individuals to take greater ownership of their health while helping reduce long-term healthcare costs," Curtis said.

In a floor statement at a Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel hearing, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Ranking Member, pressed Defense Department leaders on conflicts of interest in the TRICARE pharmacy contract and secured a commitment from DoD to strengthen whistleblower protections for servicemembers.

Warren's opening remarks called out Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for what she described as mismanaging DoD's budget and endangering troops: "Secretary Hegseth and President Trump have asked our troops to risk their lives in an illegal war with Iran at the same moment that the administration's actions make life harder for service members and their families."

The release flagged TRICARE pharmacy contract conflicts of interest as a separate line of questioning, though the release body text was truncated before the full exchange was available.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., led a public hearing on the Air Force and Space Force FY2027 posture, following a classified session. The Air Force has requested $338.8 billion for the next fiscal year.

"The Department of the Air Force has requested for $338.8 billion dollars for the next fiscal year. That figure reflects the fact that deterrence is not free, and that weakness invites aggression," Wicker said in his opening statement.

Wicker highlighted readiness shortfalls — "aging aircraft, sustainment shortfalls, infrastructure deterioration, and supply chain weaknesses" — and nuclear modernization priorities: "The Air Force also plays a key role in modernizing our nuclear forces. The service is responsible for two legs of the nuclear triad as well as a majority of the U.S. nuclear command, control, and communications systems. These programs must stay on schedule." Witnesses included Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach.

The Senate passed the Rural Community Hospital Demonstration Reauthorization Act (S.4460) by unanimous consent late Wednesday, with Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., among the cosponsors. The bill provides a five-year reauthorization of a program currently supporting six Mississippi hospitals.

"This is an important bill to sustain a program that has a proven track record of helping steady the finances of rural hospitals so they can keep their doors open," Hyde-Smith said. "We now need the House of Representatives to follow suit."

Separately, 17 Senate Democrats — led by Sens. Andy Kim, D-N.J., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore. — announced a long-term care initiative targeting expanded home care, nursing home quality incentives, and direct care workforce development. The group wrote: "America is failing people who are aging and those with disabilities, who should have every opportunity to live at home and thrive in their communities."

Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., Ted Budd, R-N.C., Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Jim Banks, R-Ind., Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., and Mike Rounds, R-S.D., introduced the FARM AI Act to expand AI research and deployment in agriculture through USDA programs.

"New artificial intelligence technology could help the agriculture industry cut costs, boost productivity, and expand U.S. competitiveness," Cortez Masto said. The bill would add AI as a priority research area under USDA's Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, expand workforce training to include precision agriculture, and designate a senior USDA official as AI in Agriculture advisor.

Note: A truncated release from Sen. Ted Budd's office also announced his involvement with the FARM AI Act but did not contain quotable body text beyond a stub.

Sens. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, and Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., introduced the SILVER Act, which would require the selection of two precious metal depositories in each of the Mountain, Pacific, Eastern, and Central U.S. time zones. The vast majority of current U.S. storage facilities are concentrated in the New York City region.

"The concentration of precious metal depositories in a single region has left Idahoans at a disadvantage," Risch said. "My SILVER Act broadens the geographic locations of these facilities, which will reduce costs, strengthen our national security, and allow Idahoans to store precious metals closer to home."

Cortez Masto: "The West was built on mining, an industry whose innovation is still at the forefront of the Silver State's development today. That's why it's critical that we allow mineral and metals depositories to exist outside of just the New York region, including in places like Nevada."

Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., joined President Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in the Oval Office as the White House announced rollback of Biden-era restrictions on commercial refrigerants. Moody's office cited a Congressional Review Act she introduced and passed within her first 100 days. "For years — as both Florida's Attorney General and now as U.S. Senator — I have fought back against these harmful, ultra-progressive policies that drive up costs, hurt businesses, and undermine economic growth," Moody said.

On the same day, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., led seven Senate Democrats in a letter to EPA Administrator Zeldin urging the agency to use existing authorities to address microplastics across the full plastic lifecycle. The senators cited a MAHA Commission report finding that "the concentration of microplastics found in Americans' brain tissue increased by 50% between 2016-2024."

The two actions — Moody's rollback support and Merkley's regulatory push — landed within hours of each other and targeted the same agency on different environmental questions.

Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., introduced the Mandatory E-Verify Act of 2026, which would permanently reauthorize E-Verify and require its use by all U.S. employers, enhance civil and criminal penalties for employing unauthorized workers, and prohibit states from blocking employer use of the program.

"If you come to this country illegally, you shouldn't be here to begin with, and you shouldn't be working in the United States," Britt said. "This legislation builds on Republicans' historic success in securing our border after four years of disastrous, America Last policies under Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, by eliminating the largest magnet for illegal immigration."

The bill carries nine Republican cosponsors, including Sens. Marsha Blackburn, Ted Budd, Tom Cotton, Ted Cruz, and Lindsey Graham. It drew support from FAIR, NumbersUSA, Heritage Action, and the National Immigration Center for Enforcement.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., led a bipartisan Pennsylvania delegation letter — including Republican Sen. Dave McCormick — urging USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to approve a Secretarial Disaster Designation for all Pennsylvania counties after late April freezes caused an estimated $150 to $200 million in crop losses.

"We write in support of Governor Josh Shapiro's request for a Secretarial Disaster Designation for all counties in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in response to significant damage caused by below-freezing temperatures that impacted numerous crops across the state on April 21, 2026," the members wrote. Affected crops included apples, peaches, cherries, apricots, pears, strawberries, and grapes.

In a floor statement, Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., celebrated the House passage of Lulu's Law — legislation authorizing local, state, and tribal officials to use the wireless emergency alert system to notify beachgoers of shark attacks. The Senate had passed the bill unanimously in July 2025.

Britt recounted the story of Lulu Gribbin, a 15-year-old who lost her left arm and right leg in a 2024 Gulf Coast shark attack, and noted that a separate attack had occurred just two miles away 90 minutes earlier: "If she had had any idea about Elizabeth Foley's attack, she and her friends would have never been in the water."

Britt credited Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii as a key partner: "He immediately joined alongside me and said, 'This is a small tweak that can make a big difference.'"

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., secured amendments in the Senate Intelligence Committee's markup of the FY2027 Intelligence Authorization Act, which passed out of committee May 20. Key provisions require the intelligence community to sustain support to Ukraine during hostilities, adapt — but not abandon — support under any peace deal, and resume full support if Russia violates a future agreement.

"I continue to fight for the resources and authorities our intelligence personnel, thousands of whom are Coloradans, need to protect our national security," Bennet said. Additional amendments address AI proliferation risks and U.S. deterrence against China.

Signals

• volumeThursday's 44 releases ran 44.5 percent below the Thursday rolling average of 79.2 — one of the quieter pre-recess days in the tracking window, with no floor votes scheduled.
• recessThe Memorial Day state work period begins in four days; Senate Republicans delayed reconciliation bill action until after the break, making the post-recess return the next hard deadline.
• coordinatedSens. Bennet, Schumer, and Wyden jointly introduced the oil buybacks tax bill on the same day Murray pressed NIH on defense-vs.-research trade-offs, with all four releases explicitly tying domestic budget cuts or consumer gas prices to the Iran conflict — four releases, two legislative vehicles, one shared frame.
• coordinatedSens. Risch and Cortez Masto each issued separate press releases for the same SILVER Act introduction, an unusual dual-office rollout for a bipartisan bill with a narrow geographic constituency.
• silent breaksSen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., co-signed the Moreno letter on the Santander-Webster acquisition — his first appearance in the release set after 20 days of silence.
• silent breaksSen. Alan Armstrong, R-OK, has issued no releases in the tracking window (999 days logged); no releases appeared today.

Quiet desks

Senators with no release in two weeks or more.

• Sen. Alan Armstrong, R-OK—
• Sen. Tina Smith, D-MN22d
• Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC17d