elected officials

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Graham's principal Democratic partner in crafting the legislation over the past year and a half, called the vote "a profoundly solid vote for Ukraine."

"Ukraine's fight is our fight," Blumenthal said, arguing that the legislation would stop "the flow of blood money" financing Russia's invasion.

Responding to a question about the message being sent to Putin, Blumenthal delivered perhaps the night's strongest political statement.

“This bill says to Vladimir Putin: your days of war are numbered. You are on the losing side. Better to come to the table now than sacrifice more lives, waste more money, crater your economy, destroy your standing in the world. America stands with Ukraine,” he said.

Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi described the vote as "more than a tribute" to Graham, calling it an overwhelming bipartisan demonstration that lawmakers across the political spectrum support increasing economic pressure on Russia.

The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a resolution put forward by Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen against a presidential pardon for Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

Ahead of a scheduled confirmation hearing for Todd Blanche to be U.S. attorney general, Rosen took to the Senate floor Wednesday, July 29, to talk about her resolution.

She said she was inspired by Blanche’s “complete and total mishandling of the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell case,” as well as President Donald Trump’s saying he won't rule out a pardon for Maxwell.

A vote on Blanche’s nomination hearing Thursday was put on hold after two Republican senators expressed concern over his role in handling the settlement of an IRS lawsuit that would've given Trump, his sons and the Trump Organization immunity from future tax audits.

Rosen asked that her resolution be passed by unanimous consent. No one objected, which means the overall Senate officially agrees with it.

As New York City faces an unprecedented housing crisis, the Mamdani administration is using every tool at its disposal to drive down the cost of housing. The skyrocketing cost of insurance has hit affordable and rent-stabilized housing particularly hard, and every $100 increase in insurance costs requires $1,200 more in City capital in new transactions—meaning the new proposal will also drive down City spending per home in its affordable housing programs. To address these rising costs, broaden the reach of the City’s affordable housing subsidy, and help building operators make repairs, the City will hire independent actuarial experts to design and launch a new insurance program that will begin offering coverage in 2027.

“We cannot take on the housing crisis without confronting one of the fastest-growing costs facing New Yorkers: insurance. That’s why we’re creating the first city-backed insurance program—to help New Yorkers stay in their homes, give building owners the support they need to make repairs, and build a city that New Yorkers can actually afford,” said Mayor Mamdani.

The first measure, House Bill 5295, is an initiative from the governor’s office and would create the Reproductive Health Privacy Act. It would require the separation of information about abortion services or diagnoses of gender dysphoria from a patient’s digital medical records if a patient chooses.

Access to those records would be restricted for out-of-state entities and could only be shared in certain circumstances and with a patient’s consent. The information would not be deleted, only shielded.

Senate lawmakers on Saturday passed the bill with a vote of 38-19. The House passed the bill Sunday with a vote of 73-39.

Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement that he looks forward to signing the bill “to fortify the protections around choice and consent, and that anyone receiving safe, legal abortion care here will not be criminalized.”

More than 97,000 Connecticut residents will receive letters this week informing them that some or all of their medical debt has been erased, according to a Tuesday press release from the governor’s office. 

This marks the fourth round of a state program that aims to cancel a total of roughly $650 million in medical debt for state residents by the end of this year. The initiative has erased a total of $513 million in medical debt for more than 250,000 residents since its launch in 2024. 

“Medical debt is a burden carried by families in every Connecticut community, but it disproportionately affects working-class families,” Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement in the press release. He also thanked the Connecticut hospitals and providers that have participated in the program.

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) launched the End Corruption Caucus alongside Representatives Jason Crow (CO-06) and Mike Levin (CA-49).

This new caucus will work to advance legislation, bring together like-minded partners, and aim to root out corruption in government, to restore the American people’s trust in their leaders.

“The influence of big money in politics is a major reason why everyday Americans struggle to trust our institutions and our work in Congress,” said Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez. “That is why I am proud to co-chair the End Corruption Caucus, alongside Congressmen Jason Crow and Mike Levin, to remove dark money and special interests from our government, shut the lobbying revolving door, and enforce accountability in all branches of government. It is time that we put Americans first and earnestly work to restore the faith and integrity of our lawmaking.”

The amendment, offered by U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), failed in a 48-50 vote. The vote showed Republicans didn’t even have a simple majority for the proposal, even before reaching the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome procedural objections.

Four Senate Republicans — Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Thom Tillis of North Carolina — joined every Democrat to block the amendment.

On Thursday night the New York State Legislature passed a one-year moratorium on data centers that would pause permits for the facilities. The law would also require new data center rules on utilities, energy efficiency goals, community benefits and labor standards.

To go into effect the law still needs to be signed by Governor Kathy Hochul.

Legislators who support the measure said a pause is needed to consider reasonable regulations to protect water and energy resources. Those opposed say individual municipalities should be able to choose on their own, and that halting data center development could make New York lose a competitive edge.

Senator Patricia Fahy said she’s heard residents concerns about the proposed site.

“The community has felt a bit caught off guard, to put it as mildly as possible,” said Fahy. “The residents are rightfully asking difficult questions. Who benefits? Who bears the cost? How do we protect the ratepayers? How do we protect our resources, natural resources and our water?”

The 226-195 vote is a sign of impatience with President Donald Trump's approach to the war and represents the House's second major foreign policy break with Trump this week. The day before, the House, for the first time, approved a war powers resolution aimed at halting U.S. military action against Iran.

“Vote by vote, Democrats are breaking through Republicans’ wall of silence on Trump’s illegal war,” the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, said in a statement. “For more than 80 days, Trump has dragged America into a costly, chaotic conflict with no plan, no objective, and no legal authority. Today proved our pressure is working: Republicans are starting to crack, and momentum is building to check him. We are not letting up.”

Tuesday’s vote marks just the first step toward full passage of the resolution, which Trump will almost certainly veto even if it does pass in both the Senate and the House.

Still, Democrats see the resolution’s advancement as a way to force Republicans to take a stance on Trump’s unpopular war.

“The Senate should use this moment to do what we should have done before the war started – discuss the rationale, strategy, end state, and costs to American taxpayers and our economy,” said the bill’s sponsor, Virginia senator Tim Kaine, in a statement before the vote.