All is not lost

O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight
O’er the ramparts we watch’d were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bomb bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Francis, it still does. All is not lost.

Introduction: August 25, 2025.

After five weeks of struggling with so much data from congress.gov, I think I’ve finally found my stride. Instead of cramming both Senators and both Representatives into a single post, with comments also in the same post, my new approach is as follows:

Post individual updates by person: John Fetterman, Dave McCormick, John Joyce, and Lloyd Smucker.

2026 update: I thought this was my "solution" in August 2025. It was still far too much for one person to handle. I am not deleting this post. But there won't be many more like this.

This post – All is not lost – covers the following topics.

My observations

There’s more bipartisanship than we are aware of.
Long before Trump makes his outrageous statements, his core MAGA group (Freedom Caucus in the House) introduces legislation. Often simultaneous with the more outrageous statements, they start investigations and reports. Again, most often in the House.
Contrary to what we read, there are two types of Republicans: Sycophants and Mitt Romneys. The sycophants hog the spotlight. The Mitts are harder to peg.
Why isn’t the news media – not just MSM, but Rachel Maddow, Laurence O’Donnell, Jim Acosta – reporting more on legislation and concrete matters? I am tired of rage-baiting.
S.363.

Legislative summary

There is little bipartisanship in the House. But Democrats are trying.
In the Senate, there’s surprising bipartisanship on critical issues. We should encourage these men and women, especially Republicans who take principled stances.

Summary: Legislation is a slog. Like justice, its wheels turn slowly. I am not a Pollyanna when I say, “All is not lost.” We have approximately 175* Democratic representatives in the House and 45* Senators who are working hard to lay a foundation, a legal foundation, for codifying principles we hold dear. They may not stand a chance in the current 119th Congress, but they are not sitting idle.

It is up to us – that “We the People” we put on t-shirts – to give them the majority. To support Marc Elias and his colleagues who are fighting voter suppression tooth and nail. To back the ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center, Fulbright Association, Peace Corps, NAACP, and others who are organized and working behind the scenes.

All. Is. Not. Lost. Neither is it a given. Please support our Democrats who are doing what we elected them to do, even if you do not agree with them on every issue. If you’re pro-Israel, still support Ilhan Omar. If you’re pro-Palestinian, still support John Fetterman.

Trump will continue to win if our circular firing squad destroys our allies.

*175 of 215 Democratic representatives and 45 of 45 Senators: That seems to be the usual number on these critical bills. I am not sure where the the other 40 Democratic representatives and delegates are hiding.

OBSERVATIONS

Bipartisanship

Several issues seem to attract the most bipartisan work. These are: Kids and social media; childrens’ access to healthcare; threats posed by Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran; most rural healthcare bills; and, money-laundering.

I hope you’re sitting down. On January 28, Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced S.278 - Kids Off Social Media Act. This bill would “prohibit users who are under age 13 from accessing social media platforms, prohibit the use of personalized recommendation systems on individuals under age 17, and limit the use of social media in schools.” Keep in mind, Elon and his doge teenagers were controlling the executive branch at that time.

This bill gained significant bipartisan support, including (the “sit down” part) from Ted Cruz. Dave McCormick is a cosponsor. Cruz pushed the bill through the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation without amendment. On June 30, it was placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar.

If you want to read the report generated by the discussion, it’s here: Written report No. 119-33. The committee even cited Biden-era research in its findings!

Another surprising bit of legislation that has strong bipartisan support: S.752 - Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act. Introduced by none other than Chuck Grassley (R-IA), it’s now cosponsored by eighteen Democrats and eighteen Republicans. The bill would simplify enrolment under the Medicaid programs across state lines. It’s stuck in committee, but I would expect to see Finance address it soon.

The Senate also seems to recognize something that their House colleagues do not, namely that the four countries posing a real threat to US security are People’s Republic of China, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and the Russian Federation (emphasis mine) as adversaries who should be excluded from intelligence, trade, IMF, and other global relationships. Examples: S.2626 - Strengthening United States Leadership at the IDB Act; S.Amdt. 2925; S.Amdt. 3567. S.2626 was introduced by Dave McCormick (R-PA) and cosponsored by Tim Kaine (D-VA). It focuses on China. The two amendments to the defense budget target all four adversarial countries. Worth reading.

Pennsylvania’s two senators, John Fetterman and Dave McCormick, have jointly sponsored S.2552 - PRC Broker-Dealers and Investment Advisers Moratorium Act, which would prohibit China-related entities from registering with the SEC.

MAGA legislation (not Republican, MAGA)

You will see this more in the committee posts that follow over the next two weeks. Examples: Laws that would permit federal and state prisons to jam cellphones. National Right-to-Work bill. Laws granting the executive branch more control over Washington, DC. Attempts to make the national debt a “security” issue (to justify Trump’s ongoing insistence on emergency measures). Attempts to codify some of Trump’s more egregious executive orders.

So far, it does not appear that these have much traction outside the so-called Freedom Caucus. But we should be vigilant and ensure these bills don’t get snuck in while we’re sleeping.

Note: Although some of this legislation is in the Senate, the overwhelming majority of it is in the House.

Two types of Republicans

Yes, I greatly respect and admire Republicans who have switched parties out of disgust at Trump’s “leadership” (using that term loosely) of the GOP.

But there are still Mitt Romney types in both the House and Senate – more in the Senate than the House. When I read Dave McCormick’s alerts, for example, 1/3 of the time I want to throttle him for his sycophancy. 1/3 of the time I shrug and say, “Typical politician.” And 1/3 of the time I am astonished by his principled stands. A great many of those amendments to the military budget, shutting out North Korea, Iran, China, and the Russian Federation are either sponsored or cosponsored by him. In today’s GOP, that takes a little backbone.

The rage-baiting has got to stop, from our side as well. The rule of law is BORING. It’s slow. It requires a ton of negotiation. It means that sometimes our Democrats are going to cosponsor bills we expect them to avoid, so they can get Republican cosponsorship for progressive bills they want to introduce.

We need a bit more civil discourse on all sides.

News media

After plowing through this information, as well as the committee reports that are waiting in the wings, I am angry at the news media. Not just Fox, Newsmax, OAN, Breitbart, and The Daily Wire. I am also angry at Rachel Maddow, Laurence O’Donnell, Jim Acosta, CNN, MSNBC, and others we deem MSM.

Like Fox et al, “our” side consists primarily of shitstirrers. They no longer report the news. They are opinion people, talking heads, news personalities, every bit as much as Sean Hannity, Jesse Watters, and that cohort.

I am sending them this post for reply. If I hear back, I will let you know.

S.Res. 363

Instead of writing a dissertation here, I decided simply to post the full text of the resolution in a separate short post. The link in the heading takes you to congress.gov’s archiving of the resolution. I will link to a post about the resolution soon.

LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY

Bipartisanship: House of Representatives

It was disheartening to work through the activity of our two south central Pennsylvania representatives, John Joyce and Lloyd Smucker. They seem to be off in their own little world that doesn’t involve much in the way of governing. Especially Smucker.

Committee activities illustrate more clearly how dysfunctional the House is. Democrats are working their butts off. They are visibly doing all they can to build coalitions. Doesn’t seem to do them much good.

At least on big issues like abortion rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and others listed below, they present a unified face. On a few issues, especially amendments to the tax code that would grant LGBTQ+ married couples the same rights as heterosexual married couples, they are almost close enough to pass bills without any Republicans joining them. Incentive to work harder to flip the House.

There’s a massive effort underway to codify Executive Orders issued by Presidents Obama and Biden. In the House, no Republicans are joining this effort at present. But Democrats generally speak with one voice. If the balance of power shifts in the House in 2026, we should see real progress on racism, LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, voting rights, abortion rights, human rights, anti-money laundering, immigration, and anti-deregulation. If only a few Republicans would wake up now, it could even happen in this Congress!

My only ‘complaint’ with some Democrats – mostly the fresh faces: They are tackling issues that are indeed important but absolutely hopeless. Wait until we have a majority to even think about things like additional subsidies for Black farmers, please. Yes, a million times, yes. But those windmills can wait.

And Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), really, were you just trying to goad Republicans by naming S.2507 DAIRY PRIDE Act? It may mean “Defending Against Imitations and Replacements of Yogurt, milk, and cheese to Promote Regular Intake of Dairy Everyday Act,” but do you really think you’ll get a single Republican to vote for it with “PRIDE” in the title? They are still Republicans who are afraid of their evangelical base. Sheesh.

Republicans in the House don’t seem to be at all engaged. There’s plenty of Republican legislation, but representatives introducing bills often don’t bother with cosponsors, even among their Republican colleagues. It’s bizarre.

They vote as a bloc. But they are not governing.

Bipartisanship: Senate

We often hear that there’s a “collegiality” in the Senate that does not exist in the House. After a little over two months of this tedious detail work with congress.gov alerts, I can testify that that truly seems to be the case.

There are indeed certain topics you won’t catch Republican Senators associating themselves with. “Abortion rights” tops the list.

But student loan forgiveness for rural doctors, nurses, and veterinarians? Bipartisan. Expanding benefits for veterans? Mostly bipartisan, although Democrats lead the way. Money-laundering, prohibiting the sale of our technology to China, Russia, North Korea, Iran? Strong bipartisan support, even with Russia in the mix. Non-billionaire tax code reform (e.g., additional tax benefits for small employers who provide ERISA or S-corporations that offer employee stock ownership plans)? Republicans stand shoulder to shoulder with their Democratic colleagues.

Republicans shy away from bills that would benefit disabled Americans (S.2476), that strengthen the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (S.2429), that automatically grant a pathway to citizenship to foreign nationals serving in the military (S.2526), that prohibit dissemination of personal information contained in DACA/Dreamer files (S.2350), that prohibit and penalize price gouging (S.2321, with zero Republican cosponsors), that mandate fair pay for teachers (S.2481), that make it easier for students to qualify for SNAP (S.2512), that prohibit the inclusion of medical debt on consumer reports (S.2519), that attempt to reinstate the Voting Rights Act (S.2523), that repeal Medicaid and healthcare cuts in Trump’s budget bill (S.2524 and S.2556)), that request funds for the CDC to study gun violence prevention (S.2514).

All of these are 100% Democrats, occasionally with either Bernie Sanders or Angus King cosponsoring. (Note that Sanders and King often do not cosponsor Democratic bills.)

Republicans, on the other hand, seem fixated on topics like LNG. If you’re expert in the fossil fuels industry, I’d recommend a Google alert for LNG. Something is bound to drop soon, because of the GOP’s obsession with the topic. Trump overturned a longstanding prohibition for fueling ships and other seagoing vessels with LNG. Now there’s an effort to have that fuel reclassified as “export.” Tim Scott (R-SC) is also pushing a bill (S.883) that would expand LNG production.

The other distinction: Republicans in the Senate are advocating for greater deregulation. Does not matter the industry. They want deregulation.

One word: Enron.

ACTIVITY FOR OUR PENNSYLVANIANS

SENATE

John Fetterman (details here)

[August 2025] I’m honestly baffled by the hostility towards John Fetterman. Please do not take this as a personal recommendation. I do not know the man. Never met him, never talked to him. One of his assistants did provide me with invaluable help in 2024 as I was trying to get a FOIA request unblocked. During my eight years in Nevada, neither Jacky Rosen nor Catherine Cortez Masto ever – ever – responded to requests for help. Oh, I take that back. One of them sent me a three-page questionnaire that I had to complete before she would help. Nope. Lots of personal, confidential data. Not going there.

Kaitlyn of Fetterman’s office sent me a one-paragraph Power of Attorney so she could advocate on my behalf. Done. But other than that, I have no connection to Fetterman.

When you actually look at his record, he is a Democrat’s Democrat. Maybe not if you’re Ilhan Omar, but on topics that allegedly matter to us as Democrats, Fetterman is there. You know that paragraph above?

Republicans shy away from bills that would benefit disabled Americans (S.2476), that strengthen the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (S.2429), that automatically grant a pathway to citizenship to foreign nationals serving in the military (S.2526), that prohibit dissemination of personal information contained in DACA/Dreamer files (S.2350), that prohibit and penalize price gouging (S.2321, with zero Republican cosponsors), that mandate fair pay for teachers (S.2481), that make it easier for students to qualify for SNAP (S.2512), that prohibit the inclusion of medical debt on consumer reports (S.2519), that attempt to reinstate the Voting Rights Act (S.2523), that repeals Medicaid and healthcare cuts in Trump’s budget bill (S.2524 and S.2556)), that request funds for the CDC to study gun violence prevention (S.2514).

Those are all bills that were either sponsored or cosponsored by Fetterman. As was the abortion rights bill (S.2377). And the disability rights bill (S.2476). And the money-laundering bills.

If you are a veteran or currently serving in the military or reserves, or any other form of civil service, you may want to contact your Senator and ask them to support Fetterman’s S.Amdt. 3463. It would amend the National Defense Authorization Act for 2026 to increase the death gratuity and provide for $8,800 (instead of the current $800) for funeral expenses for civil servants killed in the line of duty.

Our circular firing squad is taking direct aim at a Senator who is doing what we want him to do. He’s representing Pennsylvania, and he is representing the USA. If Democratic voters are so single-issue that he’s vilified and run out of the party, it’s our loss.

Again, I repeat, I am not providing a character witness for him, because I don’t know him. I dare say most of his haters don’t know him either. [2026 note: Scratching head.]

Dave McCormick (details here)

And this is the reason Fetterman is so important to Pennsylvania and to the United States. Although McCormick has taken a few stands from July 18 to August 22, 2025 that raised my opinion of him (in June, he was all Trump all the time), his record versus Fetterman’s exemplifies the difference between even a Mitt Romney Republican and Democrats.

Because McCormick is a quintessential Romney Republican.

He also must listen to his legislative director. Although McCormick is the junior senator from Pennsylvania, he makes very few missteps. Laura Atcheson is that Legislative Director. She’s not a newbie. She has a degree in psychology from University of North Texas, and her JD from Florida State. Laura cut her teeth in DC working for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Her expertise shows.

McCormick is not easy to shoehorn. He swings from Trump minion to middle-of-the-road bipartisan legislator. Much of his sponsored or cosponsored legislation is firmly bipartisan.

On the Trump minion side: A resolution that demands that member countries of NATO commit at least 2% of their national GNP to national defense. (Subsequent legislation would peg it at 5%.) He’s also one of the few cosponsors to a Tim Scott bill regarding LNG, which seems to be a Trump (or Stephen Miller) obsession. Only MAGA Republicans are supporting that bill.

He’s also siding with ICE detention centers in a bill that would allow state and federal correctional facilities to use cellphone jamming equipment inside their prisons. That’s a Tom Cotton special.

Interestingly, that represents only a fraction of McCormick’s sponsored and cosponsored legislation. He’s on board with giving three Congressional Gold Medals to the 1980 US Olympic Hockey team – which has massive bipartisan support, especially from Yankee Senators. He’s firmly in support of a Democratic, bipartisan bill that prohibits access to social media to preteens and younger, that limits the use of social media in schools, and proscribes targeted marketing to teens under 17. That bill may happen.

He's also in favor of a bipartisan bill to make it easier for children to get Medicaid. And another that extends the Kay Hagan Tick Act to 2030 (it expires this year). Who knows why that bill doesn’t have 100 cosponsors?

Additionally, McCormick has sponsored and cosponsored many bills that require transparency on all dealings with China (PRC), and simultaneously promotes Taiwanese business. Those too tend to be bipartisan in nature.

Most surprising to me: Dave McCormick sponsored or cosponsored nine amendments to S.2296, the National Defense Authorization Act of 2026. He continued his penchant for adding terminology that made it clear that authorized expenditures did not include purchase of military or other defense-related products from the PRC.

One of those nine – S.Amdt. 2925 – is about as anti-MAGA as it gets. Introduced by Christopher Coons (D-DE) and cosponsored by McCormick, that amendment bluntly defines Iran, the PRC, North Korea, and the Russian Federation as enemies, increasing and strengthening sanctions against all four. The amendment further states that those countries pose new challenges and threats to the strength of the United States globally. Dave, I agree! Your boss does not.

But in his maiden speech on the floor of the Senate on July 24, 2025, he reverts to Trump sycophant.

I like the other Dave McCormick much better. That “maiden speech” almost takes him out of the Romney category.

HOUSE

John Joyce (details here)

Note: John Joyce lost his Legislative Director, Parker Bennett, in April 2025. I have to wonder how that impacted Joyce’s ability to get things done. I am certain that Parker and I disagree on 95 out of 100 policy issues. But Parker was smart, shrewd, and personable.

Joyce participated in several pieces of bipartisan legislation, all related to medical matters. He cosponsored Debbie Dingell’s bill to extend a law that encourages use of mental health care and substance abuse disorder services by health care professionals. And cosponsored a bill introduced by Gregory Murphy (R-NC) that would increase penalties for group health plans and health insurance issuers for practices that violate balance billing requirements.

And Joyce himself introduced the SPARC Act that would authorize a loan repayment program to encourage specialty medicine physicians to serve in rural communities experiencing a shortage of specialty medicine physicians.

He successfully added an amendment to the 2026 Department of Defense Appropriations Act. That amendment calls for an increase of $30 million for procurement of heavy dump trucks for the Army, offset by $30 million reduction to future tactical unmanned aircraft system development.

On July 21, 2025, Joyce made three remarks on the record. The first two were banal. #1 – a rah-rah Trump statement go ICE go. Banal, but not harmless. #2 – putting on the record that July 20 was Pennsylvania Day, which he managed to tie into another rah-rah Trump statement. “Now, with the unleashing of Pennsylvania's energy potential, each and every day will be Pennsylvania Day.”

C’mon guy. You were doing good on the bipartisan legislation. Is this necessary?

The third remark is troubling.

ACTION ALERT: Now, my colleagues and I in the House will take up a strong deregulation package this week that will further streamline the permitting process for our energy producers throughout the U.S. It is time that my colleagues and I codify President Trump’s deregulation agenda so that our energy producers can unleash domestic production, lower costs for all American consumers, and further support our allies abroad on our pathway to energy dominance.

No! We’ve been there, done that, and thousands of Enron employees paid for that deregulation. My father among them. Ask me about my Enron story.

Lloyd Smucker (details here)

What little activity Smucker generated is mostly harmful to Pennsylvania. He cosponsored a National Right-to-Work Act, which is a union-busting bill. He cosponsored a bill to exempt “custom” slaughterhouses from the Federal Meat Inspection Act. (The bill does have a single clause that states that state laws remain in effect.) Both of these are nearly exclusively cosponsored by Republicans, with minimal Democratic support.

He did cosponsor one bipartisan bill – the SHARE Plan Act that provides a reduced rate of tax for corporations that maintain a plan for distributing equity to employees.

And Smucker sponsored a bill, that – like another he sponsored last month – simply amends a definition in existing legislation. This time he redefined who the “accountable executive in a safety committee” shall be. It too has minimal support from his colleagues. A single Republican cosponsored.

That’s it. Four bills in five weeks.

Smucker, however, loves-loves-loves making “remarks” on the House floor. Smucker is not one for legislation, but he enjoys congratulating “constituents” on anniversaries and awards.

Really, Lloyd, please run for city council. I know that remarks are used for such things, but when we are in such crisis, I think Reist Popcorn’s 100th anniversary is deserving of a nice card. Not a five-minute dissertation on the floor of the House of Representatives.

My takeaway: Smucker is exactly the sort of representative the GOP is pushing right now. He’s completely ineffective and doesn’t give a damn about governing. But he’s a reliable vote.

In a normal world, the Republican Party would want strong legislators who can push bills through and get stuff done. These days, the GOP does not want strong legislators. They are seeking rubber stamps.

Lloyd Smucker is a perfect rubber stamp. He may be nice as all get-out (I haven’t met the guy), but he is not a legislator.

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