Overview
- President Trump signed the stopgap package reopening the government, which included a late insertion letting senators sue for at least $500,000 per violation when required notice was not given on data requests.
- Speaker Mike Johnson said he was blindsided and will fast-track a repeal vote next week under suspension rules, requiring two-thirds support in the House.
- The provision applies only to senators, is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2022, mandates notification to Senate offices and the sergeant-at-arms, and does not apply if a senator is a criminal target or a court delays notice.
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune inserted the language at the request of GOP senators, and it is unclear whether the Senate will take up a House repeal if it passes.
- The measure followed disclosures that investigators obtained limited toll records—numbers, times and durations, not content—for eight GOP senators and one House member as part of the Jan. 6 ‘Arctic Frost’ probe.