Miami
US Senate returns with a short pre-election agenda
The upper chamber is back in Washington after a five-week recess and wants to move several bills before lawmakers leave town next month. Crypto rules, college sports legislation and surveillance powers are among the main issues.
The US Senate returns to Washington on Monday after a five-week recess, facing a limited but politically sensitive agenda before lawmakers head out next month for the midterm campaign, CBS News Miami reported.
After delaying a government funding clash until after November and avoiding, for now, a federal shutdown, senators are expected to turn to other items. One of them is the Clarity Act, a cryptocurrency measure that is scheduled for a procedural vote on Tuesday. The bill would create a regulatory framework for digital assets, but it is still unclear whether it can reach the 60 votes needed to move forward. CBS News Miami said Senate Republicans released new text on Sunday after more than a year of bipartisan talks and dozens of revisions aimed at winning Democratic support.
Senate Republicans are also trying to advance the Protect College Sports Act, a bipartisan proposal dealing with college athletics, including name, image and likeness rights as well as transfer eligibility. CBS News Miami reported that the bill won support in July from the Big Ten and the SEC and also has backing from the White House. Its path remains uncertain, however, because some lawmakers and advocacy groups oppose it. Last month, the Congressional Black Caucus said it could not support the measure in its current form.
The chamber could also revisit Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which expired in June. According to CBS News Miami, lawmakers had reached a bipartisan agreement to renew the surveillance authority for three years, but those plans were disrupted after Donald Trump selected Bill Pulte to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, a move that unsettled lawmakers.
The Senate also wants progress on the farm bill. That measure did not clear the Agriculture Committee before the recess, amid the absence of Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell, who has not returned to Capitol Hill since he was hospitalized in June. Senate Republicans are likewise expected to work through a series of nominees.
At the same time, a third reconciliation effort aimed at securing funds for the war with Iran, aid for farmers and parts of the president’s voting rules proposal known as the SAVE America Act does not appear likely to get Senate action, CBS News Miami said.
The House is also returning on Monday, though it is expected to leave Washington again at the end of the week and stay away until after the midterms. Both chambers are also under pressure to act on artificial intelligence. In recent days, industry leaders have warned about the need for safeguards, while some lawmakers have called for congressional action.
CBS News Miami reported that Hakeem Jeffries said on ABC that Congress should act decisively and that artificial intelligence would be a high priority for his caucus. Chuck Schumer, meanwhile, called on Monday for an all-senators briefing from administration officials on the government’s AI actions. Mike Johnson, by contrast, said on CNN that Congress should avoid rushing into a moratorium, while arguing for a White House meeting bringing together the main players in the sector.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
