Particle.news
Download on the App Store
83 ARTICLES
·
last mo.

Senate Committee Advances Honest Act Exempting Trump’s Administration

Republican infighting over a carve-out for the current administration underscores widening rifts ahead of the full Senate vote on the Honest Act.

Sen. Josh Hawley speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, July 30, 2025.
Image
Image
Image

Overview

  • The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved the Honest Act in an 8–7 vote, with Sen. Josh Hawley as the sole Republican joining all Democrats in support.
  • Committee negotiators carved out an exemption so that the president and vice president would not be covered during their current term to address Article II concerns, a change that has drawn sharp criticism.
  • President Trump publicly denounced Hawley on Truth Social, branding him a “second-tier senator” and accusing him of enabling Democratic efforts to target his administration.
  • Sen. Rand Paul, Sen. Ron Johnson and other Republicans have voiced objections to the executive-branch exemption and broader scope of the bill, exposing fractures in the GOP majority.
  • The legislation now moves to the Senate floor for a 53–47 majority vote, with unresolved disputes over the carve-out and Trump’s stance set to shape its final outcome.