Xi visit drives Senate's biggest day of China pressure in months

With Xi's arrival set for Thursday, senators from at least six offices filed China-related communications Wednesday — a volume that stands out even against the backdrop of a light-release day.

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., spoke ahead of the summit, framing the meeting in terms of great-power competition. "The American people want safety, prosperity, and freedom," Barrasso said. "America cannot be free if we are dependent on China for our medicine, our materials, and our minerals. America cannot continue to lead the free world if we allow China to steal our best ideas and newest technology. America must stand firm."

Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer urging the administration to hold Beijing to its agricultural purchasing commitments. "Nebraska is the nation's fifth-largest agricultural exporter, with nearly $8 billion in agricultural exports last year," Ricketts wrote. "We lead the nation in beef and veal exports and are a top exporter of corn, feed grains, and soybeans. Nebraska farmers and ranchers sell these commodities to customers across the globe, including in Communist China. However, unfair trading practices and unreliable market access have particularly impacted Nebraska's soybean and beef producers."

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, introduced a bipartisan resolution on the 105th anniversary of the CCP's founding, documenting the party's history of mass persecution. "For 105 years, the Chinese Communist Party has oppressed its own people, persecuted people of faith, and denied basic freedoms," Lankford said. "As the United States engages with Beijing, we cannot forget the millions who have suffered under the CCP or those who continue to live under its repression today."

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., announced a co-sponsorship of the Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026, which would prohibit the importation and sale of Chinese-made connected vehicles and component parts. "Communist China subsidizes Chinese automakers with the explicit goal of undermining the auto industry in America and other Democratic countries," Cortez Masto said. "Many of these cars also come equipped with surveillance technology that would jeopardize Americans' privacy."

Three separate AI legislative or regulatory proposals dropped Wednesday afternoon — a concentration that has no recent parallel in this archive.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Greg Casar introduced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act. "When you are racing towards a cliff, you don't just ease up on the gas pedal. You hit the brakes. When the future of humanity is at stake, we cannot let a handful of Big Tech CEOs write their own rules," Sanders said. "Scientists have been clear: AI is an existential threat to humanity. It must be treated as such." The bill would permanently ban AI that "exceeds human cognitive performance and capabilities across most domains, or has sufficient capabilities to destroy or disempower humanity" and would create a cabinet-level Department of Artificial Intelligence.

Sen. Michael F. Bennet, D-Colo., and Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., released the AI Regulator Act, building on their earlier Federal Digital Commission proposal. "In the past, we created new expert agencies to regulate aviation, pharmaceuticals, and telecommunications. But today, no such agency exists for AI or social media platforms," Bennet said. "Oversight is fragmented between states and federal agencies, while Congress tries to address each new problem one bill at a time. The Federal Digital Commission would keep pace with innovation, act before serious harm occurs, and have the authority to hold companies accountable when they break the rules." The proposal would allow civil penalties of up to 15 percent of a firm's prior-year global revenue.

Separately, 17 Senate Democrats — led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., with Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., and Sen. Cortez Masto among the signatories — sent a letter urging Trump to negotiate a formal AI guardrails agreement with Xi at Thursday's summit. The letter calls for discussion of "standards needed for development and testing processes, oversight and monitoring of models, enforcing human control over the use of autonomous systems, and technological verification of any agreed upon terms."

The three proposals differ significantly in scope and mechanism — a congressional ban, an independent regulatory agency, and an executive-branch diplomatic push — but all converge on the same underlying concern about frontier AI development outpacing oversight.

In an op-ed published in the Washington Post — his office's only release Wednesday — Sen. David McCormick, R-Pa., argued for increased NIH funding and reform, a position that sits in tension with Republican budget proposals circulating this session.

In the op-ed, McCormick wrote that "conservatives should recognize that basic research, like national security, is a public good that private capital rarely funds." He cited NIH's economic footprint in Pennsylvania: "NIH research sustains over 21,000 jobs and generates an impact of more than $5 billion annually."

McCormick also flagged China as a competitive pressure point. "China is closing the gap, having increased research and development spending from 36 percent of the U.S. level in 2008 to parity in 2024," he wrote. "Federal R&D fell from 1.86 percent of gross domestic product in 1964 to 0.63 percent in 2024. Since 2003, the NIH budget has shrunk by more than 10 percent, adjusted for inflation."

McCormick did criticize NIH management, citing a Biden-era CHOP grant for "structural racism" training as an example of misused taxpayer money. The op-ed lands the same day McCormick filed a joint release with Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., supporting the DOT's SMART air traffic control initiative — a separate bipartisan pairing that underscores McCormick's cross-aisle positioning.

Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Tina Smith, D-Minn., led a letter signed by 29 senators from both parties — including Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska — asking the Department of Health and Human Services to release roughly $4 billion in Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program funds before the heating season begins.

"In Minnesota, heating your home isn't a luxury, it's a necessity," Klobuchar said. "With colder weather on the horizon, families shouldn't have to choose between staying warm and putting food on the table."

"Mother Nature doesn't play politics, and we shouldn't either," Smith said. "No one in Minnesota or across the country should have to choose between turning on the heat or paying for their medications or groceries."

The letter notes that demand is expected to rise this winter, with the average family projected to spend around $1,030 to heat their homes — an 8.7 percent increase from last year — and heating oil costs projected to rise 31 percent. A statutory deadline requires HHS to distribute no less than 90 percent of its LIHEAP allotment by November 1, 2026. The letter asks for distribution "well before the deadline."

Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., sent a letter to FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton condemning two consecutive denials of New York Governor Hochul's request for a Major Disaster Declaration following the February 2026 blizzard — a storm that brought record snowfall and coastal flooding to downstate New York.

The senators cited public reporting indicating that Trump overruled his own agencies' recommendation. "Reporting reveals that the regional offices at FEMA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) determined that the February blizzard met the threshold and standards for a disaster declaration for a record-breaking snowstorm," the senators wrote. "Disturbingly, the same reporting shows that President Trump chose to overrule the findings of his own agencies, in a move that can only be described as political."

"President Trump and this administration have the wrong priorities," they continued. "Since taking office in his second term, President Trump has disproportionately denied or delayed approval of requests for federal disaster aid from states led by Democrats."

The senators requested that FEMA provide its analysis and reasoning for both denials by October 5, 2026.

Three distinct health policy releases landed Wednesday afternoon, none coordinated with each other.

In a floor statement, Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., asked for unanimous consent on his Patients Deserve Price Tags Act, which would require upfront price disclosure from health care providers. The request was blocked. "We think that patients deserve price tags, just like consumers do in every other form of business," Marshall said. "If patients had price tags that could bring down the cost of healthcare by $1,000 a month."

Sens. Luján and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., introduced the bipartisan Timely Access to Coverage Decisions Act, targeting delays in Medicare's coverage determination process. "Medicare beneficiaries should not have to wait years for cutting edge treatments while medical science and technology advance rapidly," Luján said. "Patients deserve a coverage process that is timely, transparent, and informed by qualified health experts."

Sens. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., urged CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz to reconsider proposed changes to remote patient monitoring reimbursement. "Remote monitoring services are especially important in rural communities, where patients often face long travel distances, transportation barriers, clinician shortages, hospital closures, and limited access to timely follow-up care," the senators wrote.

Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., separately introduced legislation extending the Frontier Community Health Integration Project for five years, targeting Critical Access Hospitals in hyper-rural counties.

In a press release wrapping media appearances during the United Nations General Assembly, Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., sharply criticized both the Trump administration's conduct of what he called "the Iran War" and Republican colleagues who began voicing opposition after Speaker Mike Johnson adjourned the House.

"Courage is found when session is out," Gallego said. "All three of those Republicans literally are saying this as soon as Speaker Johnson has said we're not coming back to vote anyway. There's even no way to actually test them, right? Let's just be honest, they're just a bunch of cowards."

On the administration's military operations in Venezuela, Gallego said: "When we're using our military to basically enrich ourselves and enrich our rich, crony oligarchs who are in charge of this country, then we actually don't have the friends we need when things really go bad."

Gallego also addressed NATO Article 5 concerns, telling a morning program: "The best wars are the ones that you never start, or you never have to get into."

Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., filed two releases on the same legislation — the Pell for Americans Act, which would restrict Pell Grant eligibility to U.S. citizens and nationals. "American taxpayers have no business subsidizing the college tuitions of foreign nationals, and three decades later, I'm proud to reintroduce this commonsense bill to put American students first," Banks said. One release was a standard press release; the second reprinted an exclusive Breitbart story. The CBO currently projects the Pell Grant program will be $5 billion in debt by the end of this fiscal year.

Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, both D-Va., reintroduced the School Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2026, expanding access to the federal historic rehabilitation tax credit for school renovations. "Every student deserves a safe, healthy learning environment where they can succeed, but many schools are in need of urgent and often costly repairs," the senators said.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., introduced the Homeownership Promise Act, which would provide a 5-to-1 federal match for first-time homebuyer down payment savings, up to $50,000 in federal matching funds. "Working families should be able to afford a decent home in a decent community," Merkley said.

Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., introduced the Agricultural Data Privacy Act, which would make farmers and ranchers the sole owners of data generated from their operations and prohibit companies from using or selling that data without written consent. "Farmers and ranchers who work a lifetime to build their knowledge should own it," Ricketts said.

Sen. Michael F. Bennet, D-Colo., joined Sens. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and a bipartisan group of colleagues — including Republican Sens. John Kennedy, R-La., and Rand Paul, R-Ky. — in demanding that the Trump administration declassify two side letters accompanying the proposed U.S.-Saudi civil nuclear cooperation agreement.

"Congress has a statutory responsibility under Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act to review the proposed nuclear deal, which seeks to facilitate nuclear cooperation with significant implications for U.S. national security interests," the senators wrote. "Access to the full text is required for the Senate and the public to have a clear understanding of the commitments being made on the nation's behalf and those being made by Saudi Arabia to the United States."

"Transparency and open debate are cornerstones of our democracy," they added. "Congress and the American public must have a meaningful opportunity to review and debate the key components of the U.S.-Saudi nuclear deal before it potentially enters into force."

The letter goes to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. Seventeen senators signed.

Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., celebrated a DOJ decision not to appeal the Silencer Shop v. ATF ruling, which bars enforcement of key National Firearms Act provisions on suppressors and short-barreled rifles. "This is a massive Second Amendment victory for gun owners nationwide and it's 90 years in the making," Lummis said. She credited a provision she secured in the One Big Beautiful Bill eliminating the $200 NFA transfer tax.

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., chairman of the Senate Anti-Fraud Task Force, introduced legislation to codify the National Fraud Enforcement Division in statute. "Fraud is not a victimless crime," Schmitt said. "So far, the Trump Administration has uncovered over $200 billion in fraud, and it's time for Congress to do its part."

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., released a video pressing for a federal film tax incentive, citing job losses from runaway production. All 11 Senate Banking Committee Democrats, led by Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., sent a letter demanding a public hearing on prediction markets after reports that Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott planned a Republican-only private roundtable with industry executives including Kalshi. "Experts warn that prediction markets are prone to encourage market manipulation and insider trading," the Democrats wrote.

Sen. Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., held a press conference with the Culinary Workers Union calling for Senate passage of the Faster Labor Contracts Act. The House passed it 230-193 in June. Sen. Luján secured unanimous Senate passage of the New Mexico Land Grant-Mercedes Historical or Traditional Use Cooperation and Coordination Act — legislation he has championed since his time in the House. "For too long, these communities have faced unnecessary barriers when working with the federal government," Luján said.

Signals

• volumeWednesday's 38 releases ran 50.1 percent below the Wednesday daily average of 76.1 — the steepest single-day Wednesday deficit recorded in this archive's recent window; the House's early adjournment ahead of midterms likely suppressed joint House-Senate activity.
• coordinatedThree distinct AI governance proposals — the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act, the AI Regulator Act, and a 17-senator letter urging Trump-Xi AI guardrails negotiations — dropped within a five-hour window, with no shared lead sponsor across the three.
• coordinatedSen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., filed two releases on the same Pell for Americans Act legislation within 35 minutes — one a standard press release, the second a reprint of a Breitbart exclusive — a dual-track rollout that amplifies a single bill to separate audiences simultaneously.
• silent breaksSen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., appeared as a co-lead on the Bennet-Welch AI Regulator Act and as a signatory on the LIHEAP letter — his first traceable activity after 29 days of silence in this archive.
• voteSen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., secured unanimous Senate passage of the New Mexico Land Grant-Mercedes Historical or Traditional Use Cooperation and Coordination Act — the only floor action recorded in today's releases.
• recessThe Senate is 12 days from its pre-election state work period; no scheduled votes appear on today's calendar.

Quiet desks

Senators with no release in two weeks or more.

• Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC71d
• Sen. Roger F. Wicker, R-MS63d
• Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC37d