Senate Gives Trump Huge Win To Strengthen Energy Sector
The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly to pass a key piece of legislation aimed at bolstering the country’s nuclear energy sector. The nuclear package was combined with another bill that reauthorized the U.S. Fire Administration and grant programs for firefighters.
The measure aims to accelerate the approval process for new nuclear plants as many of the country’s existing plants reach the end of their serviceable lives. Additionally, it reduces the licensing fees that power companies must pay to initiate projects. It also mandates the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to prepare a report examining ways to simplify and expedite the environmental review process.The bill passed by a vote of 88-2, with Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) opposing the measure.
The Trump administration has placed an extreme focus on “unleashing American energy.”
A separate federal bill that could lower the cost of new homes by repealing energy efficiency programs is headed to the U.S. Senate.
The House bill, which is led by Fort Worth Republican Congressman Craig Goldman, gets rid of energy rules for home appliances that were put in place by the Biden administration.He said that the Biden administration’s expensive rules have made homes more expensive, making it feel like owning one is out of reach for many. This law could let house prices drop by as much as $31,000.
Goldman made it a priority to undo Biden-era rules on the House Energy and Commerce Committee during his first year. He is now in his second year on Capitol Hill, and his main goals are to make things more affordable and lower the cost of health care.
“Affordability is way more than just a buzzword,” Goldman said. “How do we decrease housing costs? How do we decrease oil and gas prices, like I mentioned? How do we decrease healthcare costs? You know, big issues that affect people in my district.”
The Homeowner Energy Freedom Act would make it easier to put gas stoves and water heaters in new homes.
If this bill passes the Senate and is signed by the president, the Department of Energy will no longer have programs that reward low- and middle-income homes for using certain very efficient electricity projects.
It would also end grants for training contractors in home energy efficiency and help state and local governments to adopt building energy codes. Representatives from both parties are sponsoring the bill. Dan Crenshaw is a House Republican from Texas, and Jake Ellzey is a Republican from Dallas.Goldman said he’s hopeful the Senate will “swiftly” pass the legislation.
President Trump has also issued four executive orders directing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to streamline regulations and expedite the issuance of new licenses for nuclear power facilities, to act on applications within 18 months.
The United States was formerly the world leader in nuclear design and construction. Still, delays and exorbitant prices have given China that position, which is building a record number of reactors.
The directives aim to expedite federal permitting for new nuclear projects and technology, as well as implement cost-cutting strategies to reduce the NRC’s footprint.
The sector will benefit from federal subsidies since the House of Representatives’ draft budget legislation retains tax incentives for new and existing nuclear facilities but requires them to begin construction before January 1, 2029.
The plan is to triple domestic nuclear power generation over the next 25 years, boosting capacity from around 100 gigawatts to 400 gigawatts by 2050.
This comes as the U.S. Department of Energy announced on Tuesday that the long-idle nuclear reactor at Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island, which is contracted to provide power to Microsoft data centers, will be restarted with the help of a $1 billion loan.
The action is in line with Trump’s goals of encouraging the development of artificial intelligence and increasing nuclear energy.
Fine Pushes Omar Expulsion Vote As Dual Citizenship Bill Targets Congress
U.S. Rep. Randy Fine is signaling a potential vote to expel Rep. Ilhan Omar from Congress as he simultaneously pushes new legislation aimed at banning dual citizenship for members of Congress. The Florida Republican said the effort to remove Omar could move forward depending on the outcome of ongoing inquiries into allegations tied to her past.
“We’re waiting to get the data on the brother marriage thing, which I think is coming,” Fine said during an interview. “If it turns out that that is actually the reality, will there be a vote on the floor to expel this woman from Congress? Absolutely,” he said.
Fine’s comments come as he introduces the “Disqualifying Dual Loyalty Act,” a proposal that would require members of the House and Senate to hold allegiance only to the United States. He framed the legislation as part of a broader push to ensure that elected officials are fully committed to American interests.
“The bottom line is that you can’t serve two masters,” Fine said. “If you’re going to serve in the United States Congress, you should serve America ONLY,” he said.
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Supporters of the bill argue that dual citizenship presents a potential conflict of interest, particularly for lawmakers with access to classified information. Rep. Andy Harris said the concern extends beyond voting decisions to national security risks tied to sensitive intelligence.
“It’s not just about the vote,” Harris said. “It’s about access to our national security secrets. They get to learn things that people from their home countries would never get to know,” he said.
Harris also pointed to the number of lawmakers born outside the United States, raising questions about whether all prior allegiances have been formally renounced. He said the issue is part of a broader effort to prioritize American interests within the federal government.
Fine and Harris specifically cited Omar and another state-level lawmaker as examples of officials they believe may prioritize foreign interests. Fine argued that some Democrats have demonstrated that U.S. interests are not their top priority, though he did not provide specific evidence to support that claim.
The proposed legislation would apply to both chambers of Congress and would require lawmakers to relinquish any foreign citizenship to remain in office. However, the measure faces significant obstacles in the Senate, where Democrats hold control and have shown little interest in advancing similar proposals.
“The Senate will never, ever pass it,” Harris said. “But we want to get it done […] it’s about Americans first,” he said.
Despite those challenges, Fine said introducing the bill is part of a longer-term effort to reshape standards for holding federal office. He said the goal is to “weed out” individuals with divided loyalties and reinforce public trust in Congress.
The renewed focus on Omar, combined with the legislative push, signals an escalating political battle over loyalty, eligibility and national security within Congress. Any move toward an expulsion vote would require a two-thirds majority in the House, a threshold that is difficult to achieve and rarely met.
No formal expulsion proceedings have been scheduled, and it remains unclear whether Fine’s effort will gain enough support to move forward. The situation continues to develop as lawmakers weigh both the allegations and the broader implications of the proposed legislation.
Fetterman Says the Quiet Part Out Loud About Democrats
The 2026 midterms are only a few months away, yet the Democratic Party still lacks a clear explanation for why it lost support among working-class voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and across the Rust Belt to Donald Trump in two elections. Instead of addressing this issue, the party’s activist base has intensified its focus on ideological purity, implementing more litmus tests and performative opposition to anything associated with Trump. The most vocal members of the party are now busy policing each other.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) is taking a stand amid the chaos surrounding the Democrat Party, which he says he isn’t leaving, despite the hubbub. In a Thursday op-ed, he made it clear that he recognizes the deep issues facing the party. His comments may represent one of the clearest public criticisms of the political direction the Democrat Party has taken.
The piece titled “I Haven’t Changed. Here’s What Has” reads more like a eulogy for a Democrat Party that no longer exists than a message of party unity. Fetterman’s argument is clear: the positions that define him today—border security, government accountability, and steadfast support for Israel—were once mainstream Democratic views. The party has shifted to the hard, hard left, but he has not. As a result, he has faced public denunciations, demands for his resignation, and protesters showing up at his home in Braddock.
“My party cannot simply be the opposite of whatever President Donald Trump says,” he wrote. “The president could come out for ice cream and lazy Sundays, and my party would suddenly hate them.”
He has the receipts.
On immigration issues, he served as the lead Democrat on the Laken Riley Act, which was named after a Georgia nursing student who was killed by an illegal immigrant. In 2024, he also voted in favor of a bipartisan border reform bill. While his party intended to use government shutdown deadlines as leverage against the Trump administration—resulting in TSA agents and federal workers potentially being unpaid—Fetterman chose to vote in favor of keeping the government funded.
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“The demand to keep the lights on weighed more heavily than partisan games,” he wrote.
In terms of foreign policy, he has consistently supported Israel during its conflict with Hamas terrorists and commended the Trump administration’s approach to Iran. He pointed out that these positions were once considered typical for a Democrat.
The left’s response has proven his point.
Democrat National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta, a Philadelphia state representative, called Fetterman “a mess” on social media after the senator suggested Democrats had Trump Derangement Syndrome for opposing the White House’s ballroom construction.
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The Monroe County (PA) Democrat Party labeled him a “traitor” and demanded he be voted out after he declined to rule out supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for a cabinet position in the Trump administration. Cumberland County’s (PA) Democrat Party chair called for his resignation in 2025 after he backed some of Trump’s cabinet nominees.
But through all of it, Fetterman also says he’d be a terrible Republican since he still votes with his party on some of the most left-wing nonsense. Still, Republicans say they’d take him anyway, which might be a case of ‘be careful what you ask for – you might just get it.’ Personally, we’re shedding two RINOs next year (Tillis and McConnell); we don’t need to replace them with more RINOs.
