Dave McCormick legislative activity: August 23, 2025 – October 3, 2025

If McCormick would separate himself from Trump et al a little more, he would be the sort of Republican we need once the MAGA fever has broken. We need people with different ideas, different agendas. We need Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney (you know that once MAGA is bye-bye, Kinzinger and Cheney will return to arguing conservative policies—as well they should).
McCormick has not yet found all of his backbone. There’s glimpses of it, for which I am grateful. He reminds me of Adam Kinzinger pre-J6.
From having done this project for the last four months, my observation is that McCormick will focus on military issues, especially regarding China (and really regarding China!), North Korea, Iran, and the Russian Federation. Whether the topic is terrorism, military expenditures, or trade, for now he seems to be laser-focused on restrictions with respect to those four countries, defined in one of his spending amendments as “foreign adversaries.”
I’m continuing to watch McCormick to see how he evolves. He has potential as a genuine legislator. If only he would become a McCain Republican. Mitt Romney frustrated me no end!
Additional note: See S.1884 - Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2025 (below) for a clear-cut example of the frustration the Senate has with the House. This bill was passed on December 10, 2025. Mike Johnson has not even referred it to a House committee as of December 31, 2025.

S.706 - American Victims of Terrorism Compensation Act. To amend the Justice for United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Act to clarify and supplement the funding sources for United States victims of state-sponsored terrorism to ensure consistent and meaningful distributions from the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund.
Introduced February 25, 2025 by John Cornyn (R-TX). Cosponsored by three Democrats and three Republicans. Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary the same day. DAVE McCORMICK cosponsored on September 2, 2025.
Comment: This bill essentially increases the pool of funds that may be forfeited or otherwise swept into an “existing victims of terrorism” fund. It does not expand the pool of those receiving the funds.

S.Amdt.3698 - Amends S. 2296 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026.
Submitted September 2, 2025 by DAVE McCORMICK. Cosponsored by Christopher Coons (D-DE).
Comment: The amendment would add a section to the Act, entitled “International Nuclear Energy Financing Act of 2025.” This would impose greater regulations on nuclear energy facilities, especially those built by China and Russia.

S.Amdt.3699 - Amends S. 2296 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026.
Submitted September 2, 2025 by DAVE McCORMICK. Cosponsored by Tim Kaine (D-VA).
Comment: This is another of McCormick’s proposed amendments that would strengthen US support for Taiwan, especially with regards to the Inter-American Development Bank.

S.Amdt.3710 - Amends S. 2296 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026.
Submitted September 2, 2025 by DAVE McCORMICK. No cosponsors.
Comment: This amendment would require the SEC to conduct and issue a study on (military) brokers and dealers doing business with China.

S.Amdt.3728 - Amends S. 2296 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026.
Submitted September 2, 2025 by Christopher Coons (D-DE). Cosponsored by DAVE McCORMICK and Michael Bennet (D-CO).
Comment: Another amendment that clearly designates People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as foreign adversaries, limiting business (especially military purchases and sales) with those countries.

S.Amdt.3886 - Amends S. 2296 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026.
Submitted September 2, 2025 by DAVE McCORMICK. No cosponsors.
Comment: This amendment would prohibit purchase of ships and related vessels from China.

S.2734 - 9/11 Memorial and Museum Act. To provide a one-time grant for the operation, security, and maintenance of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center to commemorate the events, and honor the victims, of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Introduced September 8, 2025 by Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). Cosponsored by Charles Schumer (D-NY) and DAVE McCORMICK (R-PA). Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs the same day. Stuck in committee.
Comment: The grant would only be $5-10 million, relatively small. Surprised there were not more people sponsoring, especially senators on the East Coast.

September 10, 2025 - Issue: Vol. 171, No. 148. DAVE McCORMICK made a fairly long speech in tribute to a Pennsylvanian named Thomas Hagen. At the beginning of the speech, he said he was speaking on behalf of himself and John Fetterman, although Fetterman added no comments to McCormick’s words.
The tribute was on the occasion of Hagen’s ninetieth birthday. Hagen is one of Pennsylvania’s few billionaires…

S.2776 - To amend the Justice for United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Act to provide rules for payments to Havlish Settling Judgment Creditors. (No short title.)
Introduced September 11, 2025 by John Fetterman (D-PA). Cosponsored by DAVE McCORMICK. Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary the same day.
Comment: I knew absolutely nothing about this 9/11 issue before reading this bill. Apparently, and please correct me if I am wrong, a large part of this revolves around 650 Fifth Avenue in New York City, a building with a high percentage of Iranian ownership. When 9/11 lawsuits were prosecuted, Iranian assets were evidently swept into funds used to pay 9/11 victims.
The Iranian owners of 650 Fifth Avenue hid their ownership in this property with certain legal maneuvers. For the past several years, there’s been attempts in Congress – both in the House and in the Senate – to remedy this.

S.Res.391 - A resolution condemning the assassination of Charlie Kirk and honoring his life and legacy.
Introduced September 16, 2025 by Mike Lee (R-UT). Cosponsored by fifty-two Republicans (including Dave McCormick) and two Democrats (Ruben Gallego-AZ and Mark Kelly-AZ). Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent the same day.

S.2721 - Prevent Government Shutdowns Act of 2025. To provide for a period of continuing appropriations in the event of a lapse in appropriations under the normal appropriations process, to establish procedures and consequences in the event of a failure to enact appropriations.
Introduced September 4, 2025 by James Lankford (R-OK). Cosponsored by fourteen Republicans. Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs the same day. DAVE McCORMICK cosponsored on September 18, 2025.
omment: Interestingly, this bill seems to be similar to the legislation proposed by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) in the House. Including the provision that Senators would not be allowed to draw down on campaign funds. It was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, where it languishes.
If anyone is really, really good at reading and comparing proposed legislation, I’d love to know the difference between DeLauro’s bill and this one.

S.2861 - Protecting the USMCA from Harmful Chinese Investment Act. To direct the United States Trade Representative to prioritize North American alignment on foreign investment review during the next joint review conducted under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Introduced September 18, 2025 by DAVE McCORMICK. Cosponsored by Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV). Referred to the Committee on Finance the same day. Still in committee.
Comment: This bill would prioritize trade with Canada and Mexico.

S.2870 - Fight Illicit Pill Presses Act. To amend the Controlled Substances Act to require regulated persons to identify tableting machines and encapsulating machines by serial number.
Introduced September 18, 2025 by John Cornyn (R-TX). Cosponsored by five Democrats and four Republicans. John Fetterman is an original cosponsor. Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary the same day. DAVE McCORMICK cosponsored on September 30, 2025. Still in committee.
From the bill: Each regulated person who manufactures, distributes, delivers, sells, imports, or exports a tableting machine, an encapsulating machine, a critical part of a tableting machine, or a critical part of an encapsulating machine shall, when and as required by regulations of the Attorney General, identify the tableting machine, encapsulating machine, critical part of a tableting machine, or critical part of an encapsulating machine by means of a serial number that is engraved, cast, or otherwise permanently affixed to a nonremovable part of the tableting machine, encapsulating machine, or critical part of a tableting machine, or critical part of an encapsulating machine.

S.1884 - Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2025. To clarify the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2016, to appropriately limit the application of defenses based on the passage of time and other non-merits defenses to claims under that Act.
Introduced May 22, 2025 by John Cornyn (R-TX). Cosponsored by eleven Democrats and ten Republicans. Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary the same day. DAVE McCORMICK cosponsored on September 19, 2025.
On November 6, 2025, the Judiciary Committee recommended this bill for passage. On November 18, 2025, it was placed on the Senate calendar. December 10, 2025, this passed the Senate unanimously and was sent to the House the next day.
Since December 11, 2025, this bill has been “held at the desk” and not referred to a committee.
From the bill – ellipses simply omit case law: The intent of this Act is to permit claims to recover Nazi-looted art to be brought, notwithstanding the passage of time since World War II. Some courts have frustrated the intent of this Act by dismissing recovery lawsuits in reliance on defenses based on the passage of time, such as laches … or adverse possession, acquisitive prescription, or usucapion … or on other non-merits discretionary defenses, such as the act of state doctrine, forum non-conveniens, international comity, or prudential exhaustion. In order to effectuate the purpose of the Act to permit claims to recover Nazi-looted art to be resolved on the merits, these defenses must be precluded.
This Act also is intended to allow claims in accordance with the procedures under this Act for the recovery of artwork or other property lost during the covered period because, or as a result, of Nazi persecution, including by a covered government … or an agent or associate of a covered government, regardless of the nationality or citizenship of the alleged victim, notwithstanding the ‘domestic takings’ rule under Federal Republic of Germany v. Philipp.
Comment: While much of art and other assets were stolen from Jewish Germans, this topic doesn’t apply solely to that subset of persons whose wealth the Nazis looted. Of course, Jewish Germans were a primary target. But Nazis were not above grabbing the wealth of non-Jewish dissidents and others who left Germany for safety. I did a major translation project in the early 1990s for a family whose property in Hamburg had been stolen—”right of eminent domain”–to build a military base. Their well-documented claim was denied due to “statute of limitations.”

S.2362 - Ending Lending to China Act of 2025. To oppose the provision of assistance to the People’s Republic of China by the multilateral development banks.
Introduced July 21, 2025 by John Barrasso (R-WY). Cosponsored by sixteen Republicans and no Democrats. Referred to Committee on Foreign Relations the same day. DAVE McCORMICK sponsored on September 30, 2025. No movement.

S.Res.409 - A resolution recognizing the 74th anniversary of the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and the Philippines and the strong bilateral security alliance between our two nations in the wake of escalating aggression and political lawfare by the People’s Republic of China in the South China Sea.
Introduced September 18, 2025 by Pete Ricketts (R-NE). Cosponsored by seven Democrats and eight Republicans. Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations the same day. DAVE McCORMICK cosponsored on September 30, 2025.
On October 22, 2025, Foreign Relations ordered this bill to be reported without amendment favorably. On October 30, 2025, reported by Senator Risch without amendment and with a preamble. On October 30, it was placed on the Senate legislative calendar. No movement since.

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