John Fetterman legislative activity: August 23, 2025 – October 3, 2025

S.2295 - Child Care for Working Families Act. To increase the quality and supply of child care and lower child care costs for families.
Introduced July 15, 2025 by Patty Murray (D-WA). Cosponsored by forty-one Democrats and two Independents (Angus King-ME and Bernie Sanders-VT). JOHN FETTERMAN cosponsored on September 2, 2025.
Comment: This bill is thorough and well-thought-out. Its goal is to guarantee that every child up to six years of age qualifies for child care. It’s not “free”—there’s a sliding scale for cost. But it would be free for low-income families. Murray and others involved in the writing of this bill covered all their bases, such as licensing, in-home care, faith-based child care. There’s no reason that any Republican should find fault with this bill.

S.2398 - Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act. To reauthorize the Kay Hagan Tick Act.
Introduced July 23, 2025 by Susan Collins (R-ME). Cosponsored by fourteen Democrats, seven Republicans, and one Independent (Angus King, ME). JOHN FETTERMAN cosponsored on September 2, 2025.
Comment: This bill first passed in 2019 and expired in 2025. This would renew through 2030.

S.2681 - Lowering Electric Bills Act. To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the availability of certain clean energy credits.
Introduced August 2, 2025 by Chuck Schumer (D-NY). Cosponsored by thirty-eight Democrats, one Independent (Angus King, ME), and not one single Republican. JOHN FETTERMAN cosponsored on September 3, 2025.
Comment: Trump’s Big Bad Bill, officially Public Law 119-21, causes tax credits for individual’s purchase of solar electric property, solar water heaters, fuel cells, small wind energy property, geothermal heat pumps, and battery storage expenditures to EXPIRE on December 31, 2025. Schumer’s proposed legislation would extend that section of the tax code—Section 25D(h)—to December 31, 2034.

S.Amdt.3750 - Amends S.2296 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026.
Submitted September 3, 2025 by John Cornyn (R-TX). Cosponsored by JOHN FETTERMAN. Promoting resilient buildings.

S.2729 - Nationwide Right To Unionize Act. To repeal the authority under the National Labor Relations Act for States to enact laws prohibiting agreements requiring membership in a labor organization as a condition of employment.
Introduced September 4, 2025 by Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). Cosponsored by fourteen Democrats and one Independent (Bernie Sanders, VT). JOHN FETTERTMAN was an original cosponsor of this bill.
From the bill: “Subsection (b) of section 14 of the National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 164) is repealed.”

S.556 - Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025. To impose sanctions with respect to persons engaged in logistical transactions and sanctions evasion relating to oil, gas, liquefied natural gas, and related petrochemical products from the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Introduced February 12, 2025 by Dan Sullivan (R-AK). Cosponsored by thirty-three Republicans and fourteen Democrats. JOHN FETTERMAN cosponsored on September 10, 2025.

S.1021 - Dairy Nutrition Incentive Program Act of 2025. To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to establish a dairy nutrition incentive program.
Introduced March 13, 2025 by Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). Cosponsored by four Democrats and three Republicans. JOHN FETTERMAN cosponsored on September 11, 2025.
From Congress.gov: This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a dairy nutrition incentive program to develop and test methods to increase the purchase and consumption of dairy under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Specifically, the program must provide an incentive to SNAP benefit recipients for the purchase of naturally nutrient-rich dairy, which the bill defines to include fluid milk, yogurt, and cheese made from cow's milk. To carry out the program, USDA must enter into cooperative agreements with, or provide competitive grants to, state or local governments and nonprofit organizations for projects. The bill provides funding for the program for each fiscal year.

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. Cosponsored by Dave McCormick (R-PA).
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.2779 - Tax Cut for Striking Workers Act of 2025. To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exclude strike benefits from gross income.
Introduced September 11, 2025 by Ruben Gallego (D-AZ). Cosponsored by ten Democratic Senators. JOHN FETTERMAN is an original cosponsor.
Comment: This bill reverses an anti-worker provision of Trump’s Big Bad Bill.

S.2784 - Congressional Tribute to Constance Baker Motley Act of 2025. To award posthumously the Congressional Gold Medal to Constance Baker Motley, in recognition of her enduring contributions and service to the United States.
Introduced September 11, 2025 by Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). Cosponsored by twenty-seven Democrats, one Independent (Angus King, ME), and one Republican (Susan Collins, ME). JOHN FETTERMAN was an original cosponsor.
From the bill (I took it out of outline form for readability):
Constance Baker Motley was born in 1921, in New Haven, Connecticut, the daughter of immigrants from the Caribbean island of Nevis. In 1943, she graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics.
Upon receiving a law degree from Columbia University in 1946, Constance Baker Motley became a staff attorney at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (referred to in this Act as the “LDF”), and fought tirelessly for 2 decades alongside Thurgood Marshall and other leading civil rights lawyers to dismantle segregation throughout the United States. She was the only female attorney on the LDF legal team that won the landmark desegregation case, Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).
Constance Baker Motley argued 10 major civil rights cases before the Supreme Court of the United States, winning all but 1, including the case brought on behalf of James Meredith challenging the refusal of the University of Mississippi to admit him.
Constance Baker Motley’s only loss before the Supreme Court of the United States in Swain v. Alabama, 380 U.S. 202 (1965), a case in which the Supreme Court refused to proscribe race-based peremptory challenges in cases involving African-American defendants, and which was later reversed in Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79 (1986), on grounds that were largely asserted by Constance Baker Motley in the Swain case.
In 1964, Constance Baker Motley became the first African-American woman elected to the New York State Senate. In 1965, she became the first African-American woman, and the first woman, to serve as president of the Borough of Manhattan.
Constance Baker Motley, in her capacity as an elected public official in New York, continued to fight for civil rights, dedicating herself to the revitalization of the inner city and improvement of urban public schools and housing.
In 1966, Constance Baker Motley was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson as a judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The appointment of Constance Baker Motley made her the first African-American woman, and only the fifth woman, appointed and confirmed for a Federal judgeship.
In 1982, Constance Baker Motley was elevated to Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, the largest Federal trial court in the United States.
Constance Baker Motley assumed senior status in 1986, and continued serving on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York with distinction for nearly 2 decades. She passed away on September 28, 2005, and is survived by her son, Joel W. Motley III, 3 grandchildren, and nieces and nephews in Connecticut and in other States.
September 14, 2021, was the 100th anniversary of the birth of Constance Baker Motley.

S.2792 - Closing the Meal Gap Act of 2025. To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to require that supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits be calculated using the value of the low-cost food plan.
Introduced September 11, 2025 by Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). Cosponsored by Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA).

S.Amdt.3873 - Amends S. 2296 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026.
Submitted September 11, 2025 by Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). Cosponsored by eighteen Democrats and no Republicans. JOHN FETTERMAN is an original cosponsor.
Comment: This amendment would strike Section 706, Restriction on performance of sex change surgeries, in its entirety.

S.2798 - Equal Employment for All Act of 2025. To amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prohibit the use of consumer credit checks against prospective and current employees for the purposes of making adverse employment decisions.
Introduced September 15, 2025 by Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). Cosponsored by ten Democrats and one Independent (Bernie Sanders, VT). JOHN FETTERMAN is original cosponsor.
Comment: The bill proposes exactly what its title implies. If you apply for a job, your prospective employer may not run a credit check on you to determine if you are creditworthy. The only exception: A job that requires national security clearance.

S.2807 - RESPECT Act of 2025 (Restoring the Sanctity of Public Entombments, Cemeteries, and Tributes Act of 2025). To amend title 38, United States Code, to modify the applicability of the authority to reconsider decisions of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs or the Secretary of the Army to inter remains or honor the memory of a person in a national cemetery.
Introduced September 16, 2025 by John Cornyn (R-TX). Cosponsored by three Democrats and two Republicans. JOHN FETTERMAN is an original cosponsor.
Comment: This is specifically related to sex crimes.

S.2819 - Head Start for America’s Children Act. To amend the Head Start Act to improve the Act.
Introduced September 16, 2025 by Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Cosponsored by sixteen Democrats and no Republicans. JOHN FETTERMAN is an original cosponsor.
Comment: This is one of those bills that consists of a great many “strike section X” and “after ‘the,’ add…” Sanders is trying to undo effects of Trump’s Big Bad Bill that apparently excludes from Head Start benefits non-English speaking children and some Native American recipients, as well as re-extending Head Start benefits to toddlers, not just school age children.
If the Head Start program is your expertise, please contact me with your input and I will publish it on Substack.

S.2823 - FAMILY Act (Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act). To provide paid family and medical leave benefits to certain individuals.
Introduced September 16, 2025 by Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). Cosponsored by thirty-seven Democrats and one Independent (Bernie Sanders, VT). JOHN FETTERMAN is an original cosponsor.
Comment: Very long bill. I wish this had been in place when I was taking care of my mom. Her illness would not have devastated me financially. I do NOT regret those hard years. I do regret the financial consequences.

S.Res.390 - A resolution designating September 2025 as “National Voting Rights Month.”
Introduced September 16, 2025 by Ron Wyden (D-OR). Cosponsored by twenty-five Democrats and two Independents (Bernie Sanders-VT and Angus King-ME). JOHN FETTERMAN is an original cosponsor.
Comment: If you click on no other links in this post, please read this Senate Resolution. It is the history of voting rights in the United States in a nutshell. If you have teenagers or young adults, please sit down with them and read this resolution in its entirety. Perhaps it will help them understand what is happening in our country.

S.Res.392 - A resolution expressing support for the designation of November 16, 2025, as “National Warrior Call Day” and recognizing the importance of connecting members of the Armed Forces and veterans in the United States to support structures necessary to transition from the battlefield, especially peer-to-peer connection.
Introduced September 16, 2025 by Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). Cosponsored by nineteen Democrats, fourteen Republicans, and one Independent (Angus King, ME). JOHN FETTERMAN is an original cosponsor.
Comment: Another important resolution (I only wish it were a bill).
Expressing support for the designation of November 16, 2025, as “National Warrior Call Day” and recognizing the importance of connecting members of the Armed Forces and veterans in the United States to support structures necessary to transition from the battlefield, especially peer-to-peer connection.
Whereas establishing an annual “National Warrior Call Day” will draw attention to the members of the Armed Forces and veterans in the United States whose connection to one another is key to supporting those members and veterans who may be dangerously disconnected from family, friends, and support systems;
Whereas the number of suicides of members of the Armed Forces was 523 in 2023, 363 of whom were on active duty;
Whereas, in 2023, the overall rate of suicide deaths per 100,000 members of the Armed Forces reached 25.6;
Whereas, in 2022, there were 6,407 suicide deaths among veterans, a slight increase from 6,404 suicide deaths in 2021;
Whereas the rate of suicide among veterans, not adjusted for sex or age, in 2022 was 34.7 per 100,000;
Whereas, after adjusting for sex and age, the rate of veteran suicide in 2022 was nearly 10.5 percent more than the rate of suicide in non-veteran adults;
Whereas the Department of Veterans Affairs found in its 2024 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report that in 2022, “Suicide was the 2nd-leading cause of death for Veterans under age 45-years-old.”;
Whereas many of the veterans who die by suicide have had no known contact with the Department of Veterans Affairs;
Whereas a myriad of factors leads to increased isolation and disconnection, further exacerbating mental and physical ailments such as post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, anxiety, and depression;
Whereas invisible wounds linked to an underlying and undiagnosed traumatic brain injury can present as or exacerbate a mental health condition, a problem that can be addressed through appropriate medical treatment;
Whereas additional research is needed to establish traumatic brain injury as a root cause of invisible wounds and suicide by members of the Armed Forces and veterans; and
Whereas November 16, 2025, would be an appropriate day to designate as “National Warrior Call Day”: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate—
(1) supports the designation of November 16, 2025, as “National Warrior Call Day”;
(2) encourages all individuals in the United States, especially members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty and veterans, to call a warrior, have an honest conversation, and connect them with support, understanding that making a warrior call could reduce isolation and potentially save a life; and
(3) implores all individuals in the United States to recommit themselves to engaging with members of the Armed Forces and veterans through “National Warrior Call Day” and other constructive efforts that result in solutions and treatment for the invisible scars that can afflict veterans and members of the Armed Forces.

S.2613 - Warehouse Worker Protection Act. To establish protections for warehouse workers.
Introduced July 31, 2025 by Edward Markey (D-MA). Cosponsored by nine Democrats, two Republicans, and one Independent (Bernie Sanders, VT). JOHN FETTERMAN cosponsored on September 17, 2025.
Comment: If you are a union rep or advocate for worker safety, please read this entire bill. I can guarantee you that Amazon and other big employers are going to fund resistance to this bill.

S.2827 - Fair Housing Improvement Act of 2025. To amend the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination based on source of income, veteran status, or military status.
Introduced September 17, 2025 by Tim Kaine (D-VA). Cosponsored by fourteen Democrats and one Independent (Bernie Sanders, VT). JOHN FETTERMAN is an original cosponsor.
From the bill: “Prevention of intimidation in fair housing cases.—Section 901 of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3631) is amended by inserting ‘source of income (as defined in section 802), veteran status (as defined in section 802), military status (as defined in section 802),’ before ‘or national origin’ each place that term appears.”

S.2837 - Protect America’s Workforce Act. To nullify certain Executive orders relating to exclusions from Federal labor-management relations programs.
Introduced September 17, 2025 by Mark Warner (D-VA). Cosponsored by forty-four Democrats, two Independents (Bernie Sanders-VT and Angus King-ME), and two Republicans (Lisa Murkowski-AK and Susan Collins-ME). JOHN FETTERMAN is an original cosponsor.
Comment: This legislation would nullify EO14251 and EO14343 and restore all collective bargaining agreement in effect as of March 26, 2025.

S.2845 - Billionaires Income Tax Act. To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to eliminate tax loopholes that allow billionaires to defer tax indefinitely through planning strategies such as “buy, borrow, die,” to modify over 30 tax provisions so that billionaires are required to pay taxes annually.
Introduced September 17, 2025 by Ron Wyden (D-OR). Cosponsored by twenty Democrats and one Independent (Bernie Sanders-VT). JOHN FETTERMAN is an original cosponsor.
Comment: To understand more about the “buy, borrow, die” concept, here’s a gift article with paywall removed to an Atlantic article on this topic.

S.Res.398 - A resolution condemning the treatment of Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu by the Government of Azerbaijan and urging his immediate release.
Introduced September 17, 2025 by Thom Tillis (R-NC). Cosponsored by three Democrats (Tim Kaine-VA, Richard Durbin-IL, and JOHN FETTERMAN) and one Republican (Bill Cassidy-LA).
Comment: Here is an article from Amnesty International about Dr. Ibadoghlu’s arrest on fabricated “extremism” charges. These five Senators urge “all responsible officials and agencies of the United States Government, including the Department of State, the Department of the Treasury, and other relevant entities, to make Dr. Ibadoghlu’s well-being and release a priority in all engagements with the Government of Azerbaijan, reinforcing that genuine peace must be accompanied by respect for human rights and academic freedom.”
Amnesty International notes that over 300 people have been arbitrarily detained by the Azerbaijani government.

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.
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.2876 - Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act of 2025. To prevent harassment at institutions of higher education.
Introduced September 18, 2025 by Patty Murray (D-WA). Cosponsored by twenty-two Democrats and one Independent (Bernie Sanders, VT). JOHN FETTERMAN is an original cosponsor.
Comment: Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require a “disclosure of campus security and harassment policy and campus crime statistics.” The disclosure must include a statement of policy regarding harassment on the basis of a student’s actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, a medical condition related to pregnancy or childbirth, and a sex stereotype), disability, or religion.
Tyler Clementi was a freshman at Rutgers in 2010 who suicided after his roommate secretly recorded him having sex. That roommate shared the video on his Twitter feed.

S.Res.408 - A resolution recognizing September 20, 2025, as “National LGBTQ+ Servicemembers and Veterans Day.”
Introduced September 18, 2025 by Jeff Merkley (D-OR). Cosponsored by seventeen Democrats and one Independent (Bernie Sanders, VT). JOHN FETTERMAN is an original cosponsor.
Comment: As with S.Res.390 above regarding voting rights, this resolution is a mini-dissertation of (the lack of) LGBTQ+ rights in the armed forces. Another suggestion for a family night discussion with teenagers and young adults in your home.

S. 1677 - Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act. To provide health insurance benefits for outpatient and inpatient items and services related to the diagnosis and treatment of a congenital anomaly or birth defect.
Introduced May 8, 2025 by Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). Cosponsored by eighteen Democrats, ten Republicans, and one Independent (Angus King, ME). JOHN FETTERMAN cosponsored on September 29, 2025.
From the bill: A group health plan shall provide coverage for outpatient and inpatient items and services related to the diagnosis and treatment of a congenital anomaly or birth defect that primarily impacts the appearance or function of the eyes, ears, teeth, mouth, or jaw, consistent with paragraphs (2) and (3).
Comment: The bill specifically excludes elective cosmetic surgery unrelated to birth defects.

S. 2929 - Consistent Egg Labels Act of 2025. To require enforcement against misbranded egg alternatives.
Introduced September 29, 2025 by JOHN FETTERMAN. Cosponsored by Joni Ernst (R-IA).
Comment: This bill prohibits labeling a product as a “egg” alternative if it contains ingredients other than eggs. Bob Evans' “Better’n Eggs Liquid Egg Substitute” is a perfect example of this. Its ingredient list: Egg Whites, Food Starch-Modified, Less than 1% of: Corn Oil*, Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum, Beta-Carotene, Calcium Carbonate, Ferric Orthophosphate (Iron), Tocopherols, Alpha-Tocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E), Zinc Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Vitamin A Palmitate, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Vitamin B12, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin D3.
On the other hand, the ingredient list for Target’s “Cage-Free Liquid Egg Whites”? Egg whites.
I bought Bob Evans once, and got sick.

S.775 - SAFE Act of 2025 (Save America’s Forgotten Equines Act of 2025). To amend the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 to prohibit the slaughter of equines for human consumption.
Introduced February 27, 2025 by Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Cosponsored by two Republicans and two Democrats. JOHN FETTERMAN cosponsored on September 30, 2025. The other Democratic cosponsor is Ben Ray Luján (D-NM).
From Congress.gov: This bill permanently prohibits the slaughter of equines (e.g., horses and mules) for human consumption. (Current law prohibits the slaughter of dogs and cats for human consumption. This bill extends the prohibition to equines.) … As background, in recent years, the appropriations acts have prohibited the Department of Agriculture (USDA) from using federal funds to inspect horses before they are slaughtered for human consumption. Therefore, there are currently no USDA-inspected horse slaughter facilities in the United States.

S.2943 - ACE Veterans Act (Access to Contraception Expansion for Veterans Act). To amend chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to allow a veteran to receive a full-year supply of contraceptive pills, transdermal patches, vaginal rings, and other contraceptive products.
Introduced September 30, 2025 by Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). Cosponsored by six Democrats and no Republicans. JOHN FETTERMAN is an original cosponsor.
Comment: This bill does exactly what it says. No hidden agenda.

S.Res.428 - A resolution recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month and celebrating the heritage and culture of Latinos in the United States and the immense contributions of Latinos to the United States.
Introduced September 30, 2025 by Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV). Cosponsored by thirty-two Democrats, three Republicans (Ashley Moody-FL, Susan Collins-ME, and Rick Scott-FL), and two Independents (Angus King-ME and Bernie Sanders-VT). JOHN FETTERMAN is an original cosponsor.
Comment: Senate Democrats were on a roll! This is a great history lesson and current events update re Hispanic and Latino community. Their statistics will blow you away.

S.2963 - Fair Pay for Federal Contractors Act of 2025. To provide back pay to Federal contractors.
Introduced October 1, 2025 by Tina Smith (D-MN). Cosponsored by thirty-three Democrats and two Independents (Bernie Sanders-VT and Angus King-ME). JOHN FETTERMAN is an original cosponsor.
From the bill: There is hereby appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, such sums as may be necessary for each Federal agency subject to the lapse in appropriations that began on or about October 1, 2025, and any subsequent lapse in appropriations occurring during fiscal year 2026 for adjustments in the price of contracts of such agency under section 3: Provided that, such sums shall be available for such purposes until December 31, 2026.
Comment: Of course, it won’t pass. It likely will never get out of committee.

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