Senate confirmation hearings are ongoing today for five Trump Cabinet nominees: DOUG BURGUM (Interior), LEE ZELDIN (EPA), SCOTT TURNER (HUD), PAM BONDI (DOJ) and SCOTT BESSENT (Treasury).
The Senate continues work today on the Laken Riley Act after on Wednesday the chamber adopted the first amendment to the legislation, as Republicans push for a legislative win to open the new Congress. The legislation in its current form would mandate federal detention of immigrants without legal status accused of theft, burglary and other related crimes. Senators on Wednesday voted 70-25 for an amendment proposed by Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) that would require Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain any migrant lacking permanent legal status accused of assault on a law enforcement officer. Twenty Democrats voted with every Republican who was present. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) earlier in the day previewed that an amendment process would take place in short order as Democrats try to fix what they believe is a flawed piece of legislation. The bill has already overcome two procedural hurdles in the upper chamber by overwhelming margins. While a number of Democrats have pledged to support the bill on a final vote, others said they voted to open debate on the measure so they could attempt to amend it.
The House just passed and completed work on its only vote of the day, H.R. 30 – Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act.
