Graham blocks vote over DOJ suability provision
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Washington — Senator Lindsey Graham blocked a Senate vote Friday on a bipartisan spending package as he demanded restoration of a provision allowing senators to sue the Justice Department and notification before investigators access their phone records. Leadership had attached a House-approved repeal of that provision to the funding bill ahead of a midnight deadline. Graham sought separate commitments for votes on related measures, including criminalizing sanctuary-city leaders. Senate leaders negotiated to advance funding for most agencies while resolving the dispute. Lawmakers continued talks into Friday evening to avoid a lapse in appropriations. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.
Prepared by Lauren Mitchell and reviewed by editorial team.
Timeline of Events
- Jan. 6, 2021: DOJ sought phone metadata in investigation of the Capitol attack.
- 2025 (reported as 'last year'): Law enacted providing certain senators a damages remedy for accessed records.
- Earlier this month: House voted unanimously to repeal that remedy and attached the repeal to a funding bill.
- Thursday (this week): Senate leaders attempted unanimous consent to fast-track appropriations; Sen. Graham objected and blocked the vote.
- Friday (this week): Negotiations continued as leaders sought to pass most funding while resolving Graham's demands to avoid a partial shutdown.
- Articles Published:
- 6
- Right Leaning:
- 0
- Left Leaning:
- 0
- Neutral:
- 6
- Distribution:
- Left 0%, Center 100%, Right 0%
Senators whose phone records were sought, and particularly those named in the provision, would have benefited by retaining a statutory right to sue the Justice Department for damages, potentially allowing awards up to $500,000 per record if the provision remained in force.
Federal agencies and the public risked service disruptions and uncertainty as the legislative stalemate tied to the repeal provision threatened a partial government shutdown and delayed funding for agencies such as the Pentagon and Department of Labor.
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