The Senate’s Pre-Recess Pileup: Thune Calls It a Train Wreck

The Senate was scheduled to begin a five-week recess on Thursday, August 6, returning September 14. As of Wednesday evening it had not adjourned, and Majority Leader John Thune described the accumulated workload to Politico as a train wreck. The chamber worked through several items Wednesday. It agreed by voice vote to proceed to H.R. … Read more

Senate Confirms Erica Schwartz as CDC Director, Ending a Year Without One

A brightly lit laboratory corridor with closed doors and a stainless steel cart.

The Senate voted 51 to 44 on Wednesday, August 5 to confirm Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vote was largely along party lines. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia was the only Democrat to vote in favor. Schwartz is the CDC’s first Senate-confirmed director in nearly a … Read more

Abbott Pauses New Texas Data Center Grid Connections Pending an Audit

High-voltage transmission towers crossing open grassland under a clear blue sky.

Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas on Monday, August 3 to pause new data centers’ ability to connect to the state power grid until the agencies complete a comprehensive audit of those facilities. The letter directs regulators to collect information from each proposed project … Read more

Blanche Advances to a Senate Vote After Rescinding the Anti-Weaponization Fund

A signed document with illegible text and a fountain pen resting on a sunlit wooden desk.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12 to 10 on Tuesday, August 4 to advance Todd Blanche’s nomination to be attorney general, sending it to the full Senate. The vote fell along party lines. Republican leaders hope to hold a final confirmation vote before the Senate leaves for its August recess. The vote followed a weekslong … Read more

A Third Democrat Exits a Senate Race, Leaving an Independent to Face the Incumbent

Empty cardboard voting booths and a folding table in a brightly lit community hall.

Julian Beaudion, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in South Dakota, withdrew from the race on Tuesday, August 4, the deadline day for withdrawal. His exit leaves incumbent Republican Sen. Mike Rounds facing independent Brian Bengs in a one-on-one contest in November. Beaudion had told Politico only days earlier that he would not leave the … Read more

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