June was an exciting month in America. Our country became one of the hosts of the FIFA Soccer world cup. Armies of loyal fans descended into Dallas, Boston, and Atlanta to root for countrymen on the pitch, and social media was flooded with foreigners discovering all that America has to offer. Meanwhile in Washington, Trump hosted the first-ever UFC fight on the South Lawn in honor of America’s 250th and his birthday. It was quite the spectacle with fireworks, an impressive flyover, and a great card. The scene in Congress, however, was tense. A civil war broke out among Republicans in the process of trying to pass an appropriations bill. The conflict with Iran added fuel to the fire, as some members sent a rebellious message to President Trump. In good news, a housing bill was passed that will hopefully ease the cost of living and a long-standing dispute about immigration funding was solved.
War at Home and War Abroad: The war in Iran continues to cause whiplash among the American public. One moment we have a deal, the next moment Tehran and Washington are volleying rockets and rhetoric. However, this month, Congress stuck its head above the parapet and joined in the fray. The Republican ranks have broken slightly. On June 3rd, the House passed a resolution limiting war powers, with a vote of 215-208. Four Republicans (Massie, Barret, Davidson, and Fitzpatrick) joined the Democrats in the hopes of curbing Trump’s ambitions.
On June 23rd, the Senate voted to approve the House’s stance in a concurrent resolution, with a vote of 50-48. Republicans Paul, Collins, Murkowski, and Cassidy joined Democrats in opposing the war. Of course, this resolution is mostly symbolic. Unlike a joint resolution, concurrent resolutions do not take on the force of law nor are they presented to the president for approval. They serve as an expression of bicameral intent or sentiment. That being said, it is the first official bipartisan expression by both chambers of opposition to the Iran war, which has been sporadically continuing for four months now. Trump expressed his disgust on Truth Social saying, “U.S. Senate decides to have a poorly timed and meaningless War Powers Act Vote, telling the Number One Sponsor of Terror in the World that the United States doesn’t like what I am doing to them, and I must stop, and by so doing has provided aid and comfort to the Enemy.”
It appears that Trump’s rebuke hit home. After a tense meeting between GOP leaders and the president, two Senate Republicans who had joined the Democrats reversed course. A follow-up war powers resolution on June 24th was defeated in a vote of 47-50-1.
Although Democrats may seek to force joint resolutions through both chambers in the coming weeks, it will likely have very little effect. The president can simply override any legislation with a veto, and it will be nearly impossible to gain the needed two-thirds majority to defeat Trump’s choice.
Home Sweet Home: Most Americans are more concerned about the cost of living than the conflict with Iran. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing bill–crafted to help tackle housing costs–has been slowly making its way through the chambers. This month an agreement was reached between the House and the Senate. The measure was passed on June 23rd and was sent to the president’s desk.
In a surprise move, Trump abruptly canceled the signing ceremony, declaring that he would not enact the law until Congress moved the election security bill, SAVE America Act, through the legislature. This puts Republicans into an awkward position. If Trump refuses to sign the bill, Republicans could be pushed to override the president’s choice. Speaker Mike Johnson reassured the public that the bill will become law, and even expressed confidence that Trump would give his signature before the ten days is out: “There won’t be a veto … He’s just trying to decide whether he’s signing it or not.”
Save America At All Costs: SAVE America Act has caused quite a bit of drama on the Hill since its introduction. This month, several House Republicans have refused to cooperate with Speaker Johnson and have locked the House down during the attempts to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which sets out the budget for the Department of Defense. Fourteen Republicans, led by Representatives Chip Roy and Anna Paulina Luna, stonewalled the procedural vote, insisting that the voter ID amendment be added into the NDAA legislation. The optics for the Republican party are not good, as even Donald Trump called on the rebellious members to stand down. Speaker Johnson offered to package SAVE America with the NDAA. Rep. Luna expressed dissatisfaction at the compromise: “The only way to ensure the Senate passes this is to make sure it’s in the bill text of the NDAA, meaning that my amendment(s) must be made an order.” This puts the House Republicans in a tight spot, as the hope of passing the NDAA before July 4th recess becomes increasingly dim.
Border on Lockdown: After six months of squabbling about immigration enforcement, the Secure America Act passed the Senate and the House in early June. Donald Trump signed it into law on June 10th. This $70 billion package ensures funding for ICE and Border patrol through fiscal year 2029, protecting immigration enforcement from Democrat interference. In order to pass this bill at all, Republicans used a budget reconciliation process, which allows them to rely on a simple majority rather than the previously required supermajority in the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Thune declared the act a victory saying, “If it were up to Democrats, we would have completely open borders. Fortunately, President Trump and Republicans are standing in their way.”
Kids These Days: The House passed a sweeping kids online safety bill, the first of many online safety bill iterations to make it out of the lower chamber. This bill seeks to “hold Big Tech accountable” by enforcing new regulations on addictive formatting, AI chatbots, age verification requirements, requirements for data brokers, and parental oversight of children’s activities on the internet, among other measures.
The bill has not been without its controversies. A previous rendition imposed a “duty of care provision.” While in theory, the provision would protect children from harmful content–such as eating disorder glorification, sexual and/or violent content, etc.–some Republicans have expressed concern that it could be used as a shield to enact censorship.
The Senate is expected to propose additions to the bill, including protections against AI impersonation. Several lawmakers claim that the bill passed by the House is too weak and could favor corporate interests over everyday Americans. As Senator Blumenthal (D-CT), a co-sponsor of one of the original online safety acts, said, “We need to prevent the White House from forming an alliance with Big Tech on this issue.” American parents are increasingly aware of the dangers that the internet poses to children. This bill is likely one of many that will be proposed to address those concerns.
Applying Phyllis’s Philosophy Today
This week, conservatives were sorely disappointed by the Supreme Court’s ruling on birthright citizenship. It should come as no surprise that Phyllis saw the absurdity of a law that essentially implies that every person on the face of the planet is a latent American: “The peculiar notion that foreigners residing illegally in the United States should enjoy the same rights as American citizens is found nowhere in the U.S. Constitution or federal law. This anomaly was created by supremacist judges who encouraged and protected the large-scale entry of illegal aliens into the United States.” It appears that we are still fighting the same fight now.
Veronica Lademan is the congressional policy analyst for Eagle Forum Education & Legal.
