Several members of the House Republican caucus are lobbying to remove a provision in the government funding bill that allows senators to sue the government if their electronic records are obtained without their knowledge, two people told Politico.
The language in the bill, which will end the government shutdown, was at the instruction of Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., after several Republican senators complained their phone records were subpoenaed during the special counsel’s investigation into President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, according to Politico.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and other House Republicans want the provision reversed. While they won’t demand the language be removed from the bill, further prolonging the government shutdown, they are calling for a separate vote to invalidate it, Politico reported.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he would grant their request for an expedited floor vote next week.
The provision has earned a bipartisan rebuke in Congress. Republicans on the House Rules Committee like Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., and Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., have expressed outrage, while House Appropriations Chair Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., said he was surprised to see it put into the bill.
Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., also criticized the provision, with Raskin saying it violates chamber rules against senators enriching themselves and DeLauro warning it sets a dangerous precedent.
“Instead of working to lower costs and put more money in Americans’ pockets, Senate Republicans are racing to hand out tax breaks to billionaires — and pay themselves for their work with President Trump to overturn the 2020 election,” DeLauro said to Politico.
“By inserting this poison pill payout into the Legislative Branch bill, the Senate majority has set a dangerous precedent and created additional obstacles for conversations between the four corners moving forward on the remaining 2026 funding bills,” DeLauro added.
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