Apparently some of our Democratic colleagues care more about their $400 B future spending spree on matters completely unrelated to veterans—facilitated by what they snuck into the veterans burn pit legislation—than the programs and funding for veterans exposed to toxic chemicals. The PACT Act could have passed weeks ago if Democrats had dropped the spending boondoggle that is completely unrelated to veterans.

The @FDICgov's restrictive new #crypto reporting requirement is the latest effort to illegitimately discourage banks from offering digital assets.

Fintechs and other non-banks are permitted to enter this field—banks should be able to, too.

https://twitter.com/CoinDesk/status/1513127154497769475

This short-sighted action—taken without a Senate-confirmed chairman or legislation—could have a chilling effect on any bank considering offering crypto services.

While I appreciate that my colleagues and the White House have acknowledged their original crypto tax had flaws, the Warner-Portman amendment picks winners and losers based on the type of technology employed. That’s horrible for innovation. The Warner-Portman plan exempts bitcoin miners, but not other transaction validators or software developers who create these platforms.

What does that mean? Two identical services could receive dramatically different regulatory treatment depending on the technology used.

Yesterday in the @SenateBudget Committee, Dems held a hearing titled "The Income and Wealth Inequality Crisis in America."

By using incomplete/misleading data, Dems sought to paint the picture of a dire crisis.

The complete data tells a different story.

A thread 🔽 Let's start with a chart showing wage/salary data provided by Robert Reich, who was invited by Dems to testify on the matter. His chart sure looks like it's declining. But, he chose not to provide all the available data. He stopped at '18 despite data for '19+'20 being available.

We found MORE problems with the bill. Congress just spent $25B for rental assistance in December.

Most of that money is sitting with the states yet to be spent.

Sec. 3201 puts $21.55B MORE toward “emergency rental assistance.”

The COVID-19 “emergency” for renters apparently lasts until October 2025.

My staff has begun scrubbing the Democrat “COVID-19 relief” bill.
 
What did we find?
 
Tens of billions of dollars in “gifts” from the American taxpayer.
 
THREAD ↓ When Americans buy clothes, groceries, or any goods, they typically don’t like to pay more than 100% of the listed price.
 
But not their government.

President Donald Trump’s defense team made several accurate observations at the impeachment trial. Many elected Democrats did want to impeach President Trump from the moment he won the 2016 election. The mainstream media was unrelentingly biased and hostile to the president. Both often overlooked violent riots when perpetrated in favor of causes they found sympathetic last summer.

A fundamental, defining feature of a democratic republic is the right of the people to elect their own leaders. The effort by Sens. Hawley, Cruz, and others to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in swing states like Pennsylvania directly undermines this right. The senators justify their intent by observing that there have been many allegations of fraud. But allegations of fraud by a losing campaign cannot justify overturning an election.

President Trump and former Vice President Biden have run hard, spirited campaigns that have inspired record civic engagement. I applaud both of them for their desire to serve our nation. Today’s announcement by the media of the election’s outcome is a projection. A final outcome will be reached when the election process concludes, which is after all legal votes have been counted, litigation is resolved, and any recounts are completed.

I am pleased that President Trump has nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. Given Judge Barrett’s intellect, strong legal credentials, and impeccable character, I was proud to support her confirmation to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in 2017. These same attributes will serve her well on the nation’s highest court.

This decision by Governor Wolf and Health Secretary Levine is baffling and disappointing. If it is safe for Pittsburgh to host the #Pirates and visiting clubs for thirty games – and it is – then it is safe for Pittsburgh to host the Pirates, the #BlueJays, and visiting teams for nearly 60 games.

After weeks of telling anyone with a notebook or microphone that the Senate has an obligation to consider policing reforms, Senate Democrats today blocked the opportunity to even consider legislation on this issue. To be clear, this vote wasn’t on final passage of @SenatorTimScott's #JUSTICEAct. Rather, this was a vote to determine whether or not the Senate should even proceed to consideration of any policing reforms.

The COVID-19 virus poses a significant threat to public health. The Senate Sergeant at Arms made the tough, but right, decision to close Senate offices to the public. Out of an abundance of caution, most of my Washington D.C. staff will telework beginning tomorrow. My seven state offices will remain open, for the time being, but will not be accepting walk-in visitors or participating in large, public events.

President Trump’s State of the Union address highlighted the great strides our nation has made over the past three years and set an optimistic and ambitious agenda for the future. The economy is the best it has been in my adult life. President Trump deserves a lot of credit for advancing pro-growth policies that have led to near record low unemployment, bigger paychecks for blue-collar workers, and U.S. companies bringing $1 trillion back from overseas.

One year ago, our commonwealth and country were shaken when a coward brutally murdered eleven people and wounded another six at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. It was a horrendous act of violence, fueled by anti-Semitism, a corrupt and repulsive ideology that betrays our most fundamental values and history. In the aftermath of this shooting, though, we saw Pittsburgh and America at their best.

The 70th anniversary of communist rule in China is not a day for celebration. It’s a day to remind ourselves of the horrors inflicted on the Chinese people over this time. It started with Mao, whose oppressive, autocratic regime murdered tens of millions, seized and redistributed personal property, & mandated economic activities that led to the Great Chinese Famine.

Very encouraged to hear @realDonaldTrump say today: “We're going to be doing background checks. We’re working with Democrats. We’re working with Republicans. We already have very strong background checks, but we're going to be filling in some of the loopholes.” I have spoken w/ the president directly and my staff and I have talked with the White House regularly over the past 2 weeks about extending background checks to cover all commercial firearm sales to keep guns out of the hands of violent criminals and the dangerously mentally ill.

I’ve repeatedly stated that Attorney General Barr should be as transparent as possible about the Special Counsel’s findings while being consistent with the law and longstanding Department of Justice policy. While I have not had the opportunity to review the just-released 448 page report, all Americans should be pleased that the Special Counsel concluded there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Appreciated the opportunity to meet with several small business leaders in Erie yesterday. Great discussion on trade, tax policy, and many other issues. Read more about my visit: bit.ly/2TVXLSf Small businesses are the overwhelming source of net new jobs. It was great to be in Erie hearing directly from the people who are making our economy work, and discussing with them ways to fill the 7 million available jobs in our country. bit.ly/2TXv2MT

Well before the president declared this national emergency, I made clear that such a declaration was ill-advised. Our Constitution explicitly gives Congress the responsibility to determine how taxpayer money is used. The president’s emergency declaration undermines the fundamental constitutional principle of the separation of powers, and it sets a dangerous precedent that future presidents could use to advance controversial policies.

I hope today’s votes represent modest progress toward ending this partial government shutdown. These votes demonstrate that neither the president’s proposal nor the Democrat proposal have enough support to pass Congress. As I have said all along, the obvious, necessary resolution is a compromise. I am willing to compromise. In a compromise, neither side gets everything they want and both sides get something they want. I am willing to compromise.