SENATE UPDATE: Cruz Winning, Johnson Working, Rescissions Vote Coming
The first six months of President Trump's second term have been very productive, but there is still much work to be done
Last Week
After a marathon Fourth of July week passing the One Big Beautiful Bill, last week the Senate turned back to President Trump’s executive branch nominations, confirming five:
Preston Griffith as Under Secretary of Energy (54-43);
Bryan Bedford as Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (53-43);
Scott Kupor as Director of the Office of Personnel Management (49-46);
William Briggs as Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration (49-45); and,
Jonathan Gould as Comptroller of the Currency (50-45).
Conservative Spotlight
TED CRUZ — Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) may have secured more conservative wins in the One Big Beautiful Bill than anyone other than President Trump himself. Three of his proposals made it into the final bill: No Tax on Tips, Trump Accounts for children, and the Educational Choice for Children Act — the biggest federal school choice win ever. Cruz was the Senate MVP on the OBBB.
RESCISSIONS — It’s Rescissions Week! Senators have until Friday to pass President Trump’s package of $9.4 billion in cuts to foreign aid and Public Broadcasting with a simple majority vote. No filibuster allowed. No Democrat votes needed. Establishment Republicans have always talked a big game on fiscal discipline — this week, they have to put up or shut up.
RON JOHNSON — Just days after the One Big Beautiful Bill was signed into law, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) is already working on the sequel. The conservative stalwart and close Trump ally’s top priority today is bringing federal spending back down to pre-pandemic levels. The OBBB began that work with a $1.6 trillion cut. Johnson wants to cut trillions more to roll back Joe Biden’s inflationary spending spree. And both the White House and Republican leaders agree. There will be more reconciliation bills, and conservatives must be ready. Ron Johnson understands that in Washington, the most important fight is always the next one.
This Week
The Senate has two votes scheduled for this coming week — so far! Both are big wins for conservatives.
First up is the nomination of conservative lawyer Whitney Hermandorfer to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Hermandorfer — a former law clerk for Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Sam Alito, and Amy Coney Barrett — would be the first Appeals Court appointment of President Trump’s second term.
Next, the Senate will consider the nomination of Luke Pettit to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. Pettit is currently a senior staffer to conservative Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and would be another great addition to the Trump Administration.
As noted above, the most critical Senate votes this week will be on President Trump’s Rescissions Package.
