Rand Paul

Mullin DHS Confirmation Hearing Formally Scheduled for March 18 Amid Rand Paul Friction

| Importance: 6/10

By March 11, 2026, The Hill confirmed that the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee formally scheduled the confirmation hearing for Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) as the next DHS Secretary for March 18, 2026. Bloomberg reported on the shaping confrontation between Mullin and …

Markwayne Mullin Rand Paul Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee U.S. Department of Homeland Security dhs-leadership immigration-enforcement senate-confirmation legislative-capture
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Rand Paul Schedules Mullin DHS Confirmation Hearing for March 18, Signals Tough Questioning

| Importance: 6/10

On March 9, 2026, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Rand Paul (R-KY) announced he was considering the following week — specifically March 18 — for the confirmation hearing of Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) as the next Secretary of Homeland Security. The Hill formally …

Markwayne Mullin Rand Paul U.S. Department of Homeland Security Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee dhs-leadership immigration-enforcement legislative-capture senate-confirmation
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Senate Formally Defeats Iran War Powers Resolution 47-53, Ceding War Authority to Trump

| Importance: 9/10

On March 4, 2026, the U.S. Senate voted 47-53 to reject a War Powers Resolution that would have required President Trump to seek congressional authorization before continuing military strikes on Iran. The resolution was introduced by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and co-sponsored by 26 colleagues …

Tim Kaine Chuck Schumer Adam Schiff Rand Paul John Fetterman +4 more war-powers iran congress executive-overreach separation-of-powers +5 more
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Senate War Powers Resolution on Iran Fails as Republicans Defend Trump's Unauthorized War

| Importance: 9/10

On March 3, 2026, the Senate voted on a bipartisan War Powers Resolution introduced by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and co-led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA). The resolution, which had been introduced on January 29, 2026 - weeks before the strikes began - sought …

Tim Kaine Chuck Schumer Adam Schiff Rand Paul Mike Johnson +3 more war-powers congress iran executive-overreach institutional-capture +4 more
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Rubio Testifies to Senate on Venezuela Policy, Pledges No Further Military Action

| Importance: 8/10

Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies for nearly three hours before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about U.S. policy toward Venezuela, answering questions for the first time since U.S. forces captured President Nicolás Maduro on January 3. Rubio tells senators: “I can tell you right …

Marco Rubio State Department Senate Foreign Relations Committee Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez +2 more foreign-policy venezuela military international-law authoritarianism
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Senate Votes 52-47 to Limit Trump's Military Action in Venezuela, Five Republicans Cross Party Lines

| Importance: 8/10

The Senate voted 52-47 to advance a war powers resolution (S.J.Res.90) blocking further US military action in Venezuela without Congressional authorization, dealing President Trump a rare bipartisan rebuke. Five Republicans joined all Democrats: Senators Rand Paul (co-sponsor), Susan Collins, Lisa …

Tim Kaine Rand Paul Susan Collins Lisa Murkowski Todd Young +2 more war-powers venezuela congress bipartisan constitutional-authority +1 more
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Venezuela Naval Blockade Kills 105 in 29 Strikes as Trump Refuses to Rule Out War

| Importance: 9/10

The Trump administration’s naval blockade of Venezuela has killed at least 105 people in 29 strikes on 30 vessels as of December 22. The US Coast Guard seized the Centuries tanker carrying 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan crude to China. Approximately 15,000 US troops and more than a dozen …

Donald Trump Nicolas Maduro Stephen Miller Pete Hegseth Jeff Merkley +2 more venezuela military-strikes naval-blockade war-powers drug-war +1 more
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Senate Republicans Vote 51-49 to Block Full Epstein Files Disclosure

| Importance: 9/10

Senate Republicans voted 51-49 to block Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s effort to force a vote requiring full release of Jeffrey Epstein’s files, with only Senators Josh Hawley and Rand Paul breaking ranks. The vote prevents Congressional action on releasing Treasury Department …

Senate Republicans Chuck Schumer Josh Hawley Rand Paul Jeffrey Epstein elite-impunity obstruction-of-justice sex-trafficking-cover-up congressional-complicity
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Senate Votes to Block Raytheon Paveway Bomb Sales to Saudi Arabia in Bipartisan Rebuke

| Importance: 8/10

On June 20, 2019, the Senate voted 53-45 to pass resolutions blocking major components of the Trump administration’s $8.1 billion emergency arms sale to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, including specifically prohibiting the transfer of 64,000 Raytheon-manufactured Paveway precision-guided munitions. …

Bob Menendez Lindsey Graham Chris Murphy Rand Paul Donald Trump +2 more raytheon saudi-arabia congress arms-sales yemen-war +1 more
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Obama Signs USA FREEDOM Act, Ending NSA Bulk Metadata Collection

| Importance: 9/10

President Barack Obama signed the USA FREEDOM Act into law on June 2, 2015, representing the most significant reform of U.S. surveillance programs since the 1970s and a direct response to Edward Snowden’s revelations about NSA mass surveillance. The Act prohibited bulk collection of all …

Barack Obama Mitch McConnell Ron Wyden Rand Paul National Security Agency usa-freedom-act nsa-surveillance legislative-reform patriot-act edward-snowden +1 more
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