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House Unanimously Votes to Repeal Senate Phone-Records Payout Clause

The measure now faces an uncertain Senate, with John Thune defending it as a check on DOJ overreach.

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A view of the dome of the U.S. Capitol building, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. U.S., September 19, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura/File Photo
Senate Majority Leader John Thune prepares to speak to reporters at the US Capitol on November 19, 2025, in Washington, DC.
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Overview

  • House members voted 426-0 to scrap the new law, sending the repeal to the Senate under a fast-track process.
  • The disputed provision, added to the shutdown-ending bill, lets senators sue the federal government for at least $500,000 per violation if their phone records are obtained without notice, with limited exceptions and a notification requirement.
  • Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who inserted the language, has not committed to taking up the repeal as Republicans debate keeping it, removing its retroactivity, or expanding eligibility beyond senators.
  • The clause followed disclosures that FBI and special counsel investigators obtained call metadata for multiple GOP senators in the Arctic Frost probe, which involved 2020 election-related inquiries.
  • Several targeted senators say they will not sue, while Lindsey Graham vows to seek more than $500,000 and supports broadening the right to sue; critics in both parties condemn the measure as self-serving and costly to taxpayers.