A push to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act has stalled after President Trump named Bill Pulte acting director of national intelligence. Democrats and some Republicans say Pulte lacks the qualifications for the role and are pressing for a permanent nominee.
Posts tagged as “Tom Cotton”
As lawmakers left Washington for a recess, the Democratic Party faced internal challenges and questions about its leadership, particularly concerning Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's recent decisions. This period of reflection highlighted a broader uncertainty within the party about its strategic direction and effectiveness, as evidenced by evasive responses at Democratic town halls across the country. Meanwhile, political engagement remained high nationwide, with citizens actively participating in events and scrutinizing both Democratic and Republican lawmakers during the recess.
Senate Republicans have proposed a one-page plan to President Biden, calling for stricter immigration laws as part of an emergency funding package. The plan includes raising the “credible fear” standard for asylum-seekers, curtailing officials’ ability to grant humanitarian parole, toughening penalties for illegal border crossings, and creating a new “border security trust fund” to pay for additional personnel and technology at the border. The proposal has been met with criticism from some immigration advocates, and it is expected to be a major point of contention in the negotiations over the emergency funding package.
The U.S. Secret Service is conducting an investigation after a substance confirmed to be cocaine was found on the ground floor of the White House over the weekend. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) has requested answers from the Secret Service in a letter, and the agency is consulting cameras and entrance logs to determine who was responsible for the substance. It is unclear how the substance ended up on the White House grounds or how long it had been there.
A bipartisan group of senators have introduced the RESTRICT Act, which would give the executive branch new powers to take action against tech companies with ties to foreign adversaries. This comes in response to concerns about the data collection and algorithm control of Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok. If passed, the bill would be the first major piece of legislation to address the security risks posed by foreign-owned tech companies.
At a closed-door briefing Wednesday, National Intelligence Director Avril Haines declined to show the Senate Intelligence Committee copies of classified documents discovered at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort and Joe Biden's office and Delaware home. Committee Chairman Mark Warner and Vice Chairman Marco Rubio expressed their disappointment, while Sen. Tom Cotton threatened to block presidential nominees or funding for some federal agencies until the Biden administration shows the documents. The Biden administration has yet to comment on the issue, and it is unclear when the documents will be made available to the committee.