All articles tagged with #bipartisan
Bipartisan opposition to hyperscale data centers—driven by concerns about electricity costs, water use, pollution, and landscape changes—has surged from Maine to the Pacific Northwest, turning data-center policy into a potential midterm litmus test as communities weigh local costs against AI growth and campaigns pour money into the issue.
Lawmakers and the White House are pursuing a broad permitting overhaul to speed energy, transmission, and infrastructure projects, with signs of momentum toward a summer deal, but deep divides over environmental rules, state versus federal authority, and the administration’s stance create an uncertain path to enactment in an election year.
Senators from both parties pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to take action on Ukraine aid, signaling bipartisan pressure as Senate hearings and budget discussions on defense funding unfold.
The House passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act in a rare 396-13 vote, signaling bipartisan will to boost housing supply through incentives and local-approval reforms; a Senate provision that would require seven-year resale of certain rental homes is not in the House bill, creating potential path hurdles and a conference process. The Trump administration signaled support, and leaders want to move quickly before July. April housing starts were 1.465 million annualized, down 2.8% from March, underscoring ongoing underproduction; a shared element is relaxing manufactured-housing rules (no chassis) to lower costs and boost productivity.
The House passed the White House–backed 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act by 396-13 to expand housing supply and curb large investors’ purchase of single-family homes; the measure now goes to the Senate, where negotiators will reconcile differences, with investor provisions and divestiture language at issue.
The House passed a bipartisan housing affordability bill 396-13 that would curb major investors owning 350+ single-family homes from acquiring more properties while permitting them to build additional housing; the White House supports changes intended to balance restrictions with build-to-rent provisions, but Senate approval remains uncertain amid concerns over forced sales and potential effects on homeownership.
The Senate advanced a bill aimed at ending the war with Iran after Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana flipped to back the measure, signaling stronger bipartisan momentum to wind down U.S. involvement in the conflict.
Senators James Lankford and Jacky Rosen unveiled a broad bipartisan antisemitism bill to combat discrimination on campuses and online, create a DOE antisemitism coordinator, boost nonprofit security grants to $1 billion plus a places-of-worship grant, and require platform moderation disclosures, with a House companion on the horizon; the live updates also cover DOJ questions over a Jan. 6 payouts fund, GOP moves on an immigration-enforcement bill, and ongoing Trump-related party dynamics in Massie’s Kentucky race.
House Transportation and Infrastructure leaders released the text of the BUILD America 250 Act, a bipartisan five-year surface-transportation bill that would fund major upgrades to roads, bridges, transit, rail, and safety programs. The plan includes the largest-ever investment in bridges (over $50B), expands passenger rail and safety measures, creates an autonomous commercial vehicle framework, and strengthens the Highway Trust Fund with new revenue. The lawmakers say the bill emphasizes efficiency, innovation, and faster project delivery, with hearings held and markup planned before the current authorization expires in September 2026.
In back-to-back budget hearings, Defense Secretary Hegseth faced bipartisan scrutiny over funding for the Iran war and the $1.45 trillion Pentagon spending request, with lawmakers pressing for a concrete supplemental plan (about $29 billion so far), questions on the use of reconciliation for defense funds, and ongoing debates over Ukraine aid and Germany troop withdrawals that could shape support for the budget.
A bipartisan Senate bill, the Workforce Transparency Act, would require the Labor Department to collect and publish anonymized data on AI adoption across public and private sectors, with voluntary reporting, to give Washington real-time insight into AI’s impact on work and guide policy solutions for disruptions and job losses; backed by Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and other industry players.
A broad right-to-repair movement is gaining bipartisan momentum across states and in Congress, arguing that consumers should be able to repair their own devices, cars, and appliances. Building on New York’s 2022 act, multiple states have enacted comprehensive laws and there are 57 right-to-repair bills across 22 states this year; federal efforts like the REPAIR Act and Fair Repair Act would extend access to repair data, while industry players differ—Deere and IBM show nuanced positions and NADA remains opposed to some provisions. Supporters say it lowers costs and expands choice; critics warn of safety, cybersecurity, IP concerns, and potential data collection.
A bipartisan group of senators led by Jeanne Shaheen announced a deal to cap the price of insulin at $35 per month, including a pilot program in 10 states for the uninsured and changes to rebate programs for pharmacy benefit managers; the plan would be attached to other must-pass legislation, and still requires buy-in from Senate leadership and the president to move forward.
Democrats refuse to fund the Department of Homeland Security without ICE reforms, derailing a bipartisan funding proposal; Republicans push a narrower package that funds DHS minus ICE enforcement with plans to address ICE in reconciliation 2.0, but Trump’s lukewarm stance and broad skepticism from conservatives and some GOP senators suggest no deal this week.
Across red and blue states, lawmakers are embracing the Trump-era rule that lets employers offer tax-exempt credits to workers to buy ACA plans through Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (ICHRA), a strategy aimed at tamping down uninsured rates after enhanced ACA subsidies expired. With six states weighing bills and insurers like Oscar Health supporting the approach, ICHRAs have bipartisan appeal, but they’re not a universal cure and may not always outperform traditional subsidies or employer plans depending on income and coverage choices.