I went to the Senate floor to share the story of Jasmine, a 30 year old mother of two from Southern Oregon. Millions of Americans are feeling the impacts of the #TrumpShutdown, but Jasmine is bearing its most unthinkable consequences. #ShutdownStories
For years, Jasmine has been living with an inoperable brain tumor, relying on invaluable care by a home health worker to access nutritional assistance. You would not wish Jasmine’s struggle on your worst enemy, but she is confronting it with remarkable bravery.
Then comes the government shutdown. Just a few weeks ago, Jasmine was informed that her health insurance had lapsed, and only her employer could fix it. But because Jasmine works for the federal government, her employer is shut down. Nobody’s answering the phones.
Without insurance, Jasmine’s home health assistant can’t continue to help her. That means that within days, she won’t be able to get the infusions that are keeping her alive, and she could starve.
This situation cannot continue. The Senate passed a bipartisan government funding bill just weeks ago. The House passed it earlier this month. The pathway out of this shutdown is right in front of us, in plain view. @senatemajldr must bring this legislation to the floor.
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When the Senate votes on final passage next week, I will vote no on KOSA. Here's why:
After months of negotiations and thanks to hard work by Commerce Chair Cantwell and Leader Schumer, the final version of this bill is improved..
The changes that I, LGBTQ+ advocates, parents, student activists, civil rights orgs, and others have fought for over the last two years have made it less likely that the bill can be used as a tool for MAGA extremists to wage war on legal and essential information to teens.
The House Intelligence Committee wants to make it easier for the federal government to spy on you without a warrant. Here's how:
FISA 702 currently allows the government to collect the communications of foreigners. If an Americans' communications get scooped up in the process, the government is able write this off as "incidental."
While the current law doesn't make it impossible to intentionally collect Americans' private communications, it does make it harder. The House Intel Committee's bill will make it easier for the federal government to collect Americans' private communications without a warrant.
This is big: For two years, my staff on @SenateFinance have been investigating Credit Suisse's role in tax evasion schemes by ultra-wealthy U.S citizens.
In 2014, Credit Suisse entered into a plea agreement with DOJ over its role in helping wealthy Americans evade taxes. Our investigation found that since then, Credit Suisse helped conceal an offshore account worth $100 million & 23 more accounts each worth at LEAST $20 million.
Greedy bankers and delinquent government regulators helped enable a massive, ongoing conspiracy to aid ultra-wealthy American tax cheats. In addition to a significant penalty for the bank, the senior bankers involved in these schemes must also face criminal investigation.
Today's riots by insurrectionists in the nation's Capitol caps off four years of Donald Trump fanning the flames of fanaticism. Every Republican lawmaker who supported his efforts to overturn a legitimate election shares responsibility for today's violence.
All Americans must be able to elect House and Senate members safe in the knowledge that their views will be represented in civil debate here in Congress without mob rule ever squelching that discussion.
As a steadfast defender of the First Amendment, I will always support peaceful protest even if I disagree with the views that are expressed. This is far from peaceful protest.
Whoever wins the next presidential election will be in charge during the biggest crisis Medicare has ever faced. I was just on the Senate floor sounding the alarm on our nation’s looming Medicare crisis.
Donald Trump’s ongoing economic crisis has been devastating for Medicare. According to nonpartisan experts, Medicare will be insolvent in just four years, jeopardizing the basic services that millions of seniors rely on every day.
Whether Medicare will continue to function the way it does today for future generations is a big unknown. The only certainty is this: if Donald Trump remains in charge, it’ll be the end of the Medicare guarantee as we know it. Full stop.
I was just on the Senate floor with @SenSchumer to introduce our resolution that would put an end to Russian propaganda laundering by Senate Republicans.
The foreign threats to our democracy are an established matter of fact. Ignoring or overlooking those threats when it’s politically convenient would be harmful enough. Wielding that disinformation as a political weapon is something far worse.
The disinformation being spread by Russian agents has made it into certain media outlets in this country all too willing to spread the products of Russian intelligence. It’s also been circulated by the president’s own legal team.