South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham blocked a Democrat-led effort to repeal a provision that allows senators to sue for $500,000 if their phone records are seized or subpoenaed without their knowledge. The provision, which was included in last week's government funding bill, has been criticized by lawmakers as "a country that is not serving the people."
The law requires service providers to notify senators if their data is accessed, and senators are entitled to $500,000 for each violation, with the amount retroactively applied from 2022. This provision was met with bipartisan opposition in the House of Representatives, which unanimously passed a measure to repeal it.
Senator Martin Heinrich, a Democrat from New Mexico, sought unanimous consent to approve the measure, stating that the provision represents a "country that is not serving the people." He argued that Republicans had voted for the provision as part of their government funding bill, which denies affordable healthcare to millions of Americans and provides tax-funded cash grants to a few Republican senators.
Graham blocked the effort, citing his own experience with having his phone records subpoenaed while he was Senate Judiciary chairman. However, Graham did not argue that the provision was unlawful; instead, he claimed that it was an attempt by the government to seize his personal property without a warrant.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune suggested adjusting the law to forfeit any damages awarded under the provision to the US Treasury, in an effort to address concerns about "personal enrichment." However, Democrats object to this change, arguing that it does not address the underlying issue of protecting senators' rights.
The debate over this provision highlights the growing tension between lawmakers and the government on issues related to transparency and accountability. As one Democrat noted, "This measure is about accountability and not profit."
The law requires service providers to notify senators if their data is accessed, and senators are entitled to $500,000 for each violation, with the amount retroactively applied from 2022. This provision was met with bipartisan opposition in the House of Representatives, which unanimously passed a measure to repeal it.
Senator Martin Heinrich, a Democrat from New Mexico, sought unanimous consent to approve the measure, stating that the provision represents a "country that is not serving the people." He argued that Republicans had voted for the provision as part of their government funding bill, which denies affordable healthcare to millions of Americans and provides tax-funded cash grants to a few Republican senators.
Graham blocked the effort, citing his own experience with having his phone records subpoenaed while he was Senate Judiciary chairman. However, Graham did not argue that the provision was unlawful; instead, he claimed that it was an attempt by the government to seize his personal property without a warrant.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune suggested adjusting the law to forfeit any damages awarded under the provision to the US Treasury, in an effort to address concerns about "personal enrichment." However, Democrats object to this change, arguing that it does not address the underlying issue of protecting senators' rights.
The debate over this provision highlights the growing tension between lawmakers and the government on issues related to transparency and accountability. As one Democrat noted, "This measure is about accountability and not profit."
. Like, what's next? They gonna start takin' our stuff without askin'? It doesn't seem right that just 'cause some senators got in trouble for gettin' their records accessed, we gotta give up our rights too? I mean, isn't the $500k supposed to be like a big ol' incentive to make sure this don't happen again? But instead it's just gonna let the gov't keep on snoopin' and takin'? 
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. And if that means losin' a little bit of control over their own data, then so be it. At least we'll know the gov't's keepin' its hands clean 
, this whole thing just feels so corrupt 
. Like, what's wrong with these guys? They're supposed to be representing us, but instead they're fighting over who gets to keep their sweet $500k 
. It's not even like it's a lot of money, but the principle is what's at stake here 
. I mean, can you imagine if regular people had the right to sue for $500k just because their phone records got accessed? 
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You're basically saying that the government should be able to seize your personal property without a warrant, which is just nuts 
, but that doesn't mean we have to roll over and let them do whatever they want 
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. The whole point of having a government is supposed to be to serve the people, not enrich a select few 
. We need more accountability and transparency, not less 
. This debate might just be the wake-up call we need to demand better from our lawmakers 
. $500k might seem like a lot, but it's just a drop in the bucket when you think about how much we're already spending on healthcare 
The fact that Graham is trying to justify this as a personal issue instead of a gov't overreach is super concerning 
. I wish Thune would take a closer look at the root of the problem instead of just trying to fix the symptoms 
. This whole thing feels like a symptom of a bigger issue - our gov't not listening to us, not being transparent enough 
.
, but at the same time, I'm like, what's up with senators getting paid $500k just 'cause their phone records got accessed? 
It seems pretty excessive to me. I get why they'd want to protect their data and all that, but 500 grand is a lot of scratch 
Maybe just having some basic safeguards in place would be enough? 
. I mean, come on Lindsey Graham blocking a bill that's all about protecting senators' rights? It's like he's saying 'oh no, my phone records can't be accessed without me knowing!' Meanwhile, millions of Americans are struggling to get affordable healthcare and he's too busy worrying about his personal info 
. And what's with the $500k fine if your records are accessed? It sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me 
or some rich people getting paid $500k 
. And I get why the Democrats want to repeal it - it does seem unfair that they're entitled to that kind of cash. But at the same time, I can see Graham's point about his own experience with having his records subpoenaed... 
. The whole thing does feel like a big power struggle between lawmakers and the government... 
The whole thing feels so... convenient for the gov't. I mean, $500k for your phone records? That's some serious power play right there. 
and senators need to know who's snooping on them 
. And yeah, it's a bit weird that Republicans voted for this law and then Democrats are trying to take it away 
. Can't we all just get along? 