2026年9月28日 美国东部时间12:24 / 福克斯新闻网
约翰·图恩通过安排周三的程序性投票，阻止参议员们前往竞选造势，迫使参议院继续留会
作者：查德·珀格拉姆 福克斯新闻
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这是共和党人的一项策略，目的是让参议院本周继续留会。
没错，参议院原本就计划在接下来几天召开会议。但上周早些时候的普遍共识是，参议院届时就会休会，那些面临激烈选战的参议员就会回到国内开展竞选活动。
但周三情况发生了变化。
共和党人希望留在华盛顿，原因非常明确。他们中的许多人在每周的共和党党团午餐会上都向参议院多数党领袖、南达科他州共和党人约翰·图恩表达了这一想法。
“我们很可能计划下周继续留在这里，”图恩说道。
记者手记：国会在中期选举前难以找到能引发选民共鸣的信息
参议院多数党领袖、南达科他州共和党人约翰·图恩于2026年4月2日星期四在华盛顿国会大厦参议院会议厅外对记者发表讲话。（J·斯科特·阿普怀特/美联社照片）
一名参议院助手将参议院的日程安排比作一只追逐激光笔光束的猫。
但参议院确实正在开会。原因有很多，其中大部分都是政治层面的。
参议院上周还未完成针对大学间体育赛事资金监管的法案。由于负担能力问题让共和党人头疼不已，他们真的不想通过这项大学体育法案就立刻离开华盛顿。在中期选举前就草草结束立法进程，这会显得非常尴尬。共和党人希望拿出更有分量的成果。而民主党人可能已经主动为共和党人送上了这样的机会。
就在众议院在上上周前往参加中期选举前，他们以417票对3票通过了《纳税人保护法案》，为会议画上了浓墨重彩的一笔。跟您说，能拿到417票支持的法案可不多见。和参议院同僚一样，众议院共和党人也担心选民会质疑他们没有在解决负担能力问题上采取行动。因此这项法案正中他们下怀。
该法案规定，如果数据中心导致电费上涨，纳税人需要承担的部分费用将得到报销。这将迫使运营数据中心的科技公司承担这笔费用。
俄亥俄州共和党参议员乔恩·赫斯特德是今年秋季连任面临最大挑战的共和党议员之一。赫斯特德长期以来对数据中心的支持也让部分选民对他产生了不满。赫斯特德试图扭转这一局面。他在参议院议场上提出，希望参议院当场通过众议院提交的这项法案。但新墨西哥州民主党参议员马丁·海因里希提出了反对，阻止了这一行动。
福克斯新闻民调：经济焦虑和对候选人的担忧主导俄亥俄州参议院竞选
参议院少数党领袖、纽约州民主党人查克·舒默曾是帮助参议员吉姆·贾斯特斯的赫谢尔·伍迪·威廉姆斯法案在参议院全票通过的左翼关键议员之一。（伊丽莎白·弗朗茨）
共和党人将此视为一个突破口。民主党人阻止了这项得到众议院417名两党议员一致支持的负担能力法案通过。参议院共和党人立刻抓住这个机会，将其作为攻击对手的楔子。他们认为这是帮助俄亥俄州同僚的好机会。
“我们想对数据中心说，我们欢迎你们来，但你们必须自己承担电费。民众不会替你们买单，”路易斯安那州共和党参议员约翰·肯尼迪说道。
共和党人原本就对人工智能相关的政治站位不平衡感到担忧，数据中心问题更是加剧了这种担忧。选民们对去年夏天通过的那份“宏伟法案”的成果并不买账。但针对数据中心的问题更为紧迫，可能会让那些对共和党品牌感到失望的选民重新产生共鸣。
“在密苏里州，民众简直吓得要死，他们担心这些数据中心会占用该州所有优质农田，然后还会把电价抬得高到没人用得起，”密苏里州共和党参议员乔希·霍利说道。
参议院原本计划在本周召开会议。但随着9月的到来，政府关门的威胁也不复存在，两党议员——尤其是那些面临艰难选举的议员——都想跳过华盛顿，回到国内开展竞选活动。本报记者曾询问参议院少数党领袖、纽约州民主党人查克·舒默，为什么他所在的政党阻止参议院与众议院就数据中心/公用事业法案保持一致。
“上周这项法案在参议院被民主党人阻止，是不是为了阻止赫斯特德参议员在这场竞争激烈的选举中取得胜利？”我问道。
“赫斯特德的法案是个骗局。它是自愿性质的，没有哪家公司必须遵守。我们提出的法案是强制性的，力度要大得多，也是我们所需要的，”舒默回应道。
舒默关于法案力度的说法有一定道理。他提出的法案规定，公共事业监管机构只需考虑纳税人的标准，并没有强制要求任何事。因此，科技公司仍有操作空间。
霍利抨击“企业福利”，此前共和党支持的减税举措引发争议行业
参议院少数党领袖、纽约州民主党人查克·舒默于2026年6月23日星期二在华盛顿特区美国国会大厦参议院民主党政策午餐会后的新闻发布会上发表讲话。（丹尼尔·赫尔/彭博社 via 盖蒂图片社）
“我们要说的是，我们可以做得更好，”马里兰州民主党参议员克里斯·范·霍伦说道，“这算是向前迈出了一小步吗？是的。但它没有跟上时代的要求。因此我们认为，应该扩大法案范围，确保纳税人不必为地球上最富有的公司提供补贴。”
但许多共和党人并不认同舒默和范·霍伦的说法。民主党人的反对无非出于三个原因：政治。针对美国最贵参议院席位竞选中岌岌可危的共和党议员。民主党希望借此将该席位收入囊中。
“舒默参议员关心的只是中期选举和政治。我认为他根本不在乎这项法案的实质内容，”德克萨斯州共和党参议员约翰·科宁说道，“显然俄亥俄州正在进行一场激烈的参议院竞选，他不想让赫斯特德参议员带着一项可以回国宣传的成果。”
共和党人认为，他们可以利用舒默的言论，将负担能力问题作为攻击民主党人的武器，迫使民主党表明立场。要么支持负担能力（尤其是在数据中心这个敏感问题上），要么反对。此外，这还能帮助赫斯特德在与前参议员、俄亥俄州民主党人谢罗德·布朗的激烈竞选中提升支持率。事实上，参议院共和党竞选团队在夏季就特别指出了共和党议员普遍面临的软肋，尤其是赫斯特德。
图恩安排了周三的程序性投票，迫使民主党要么就该法案开启辩论，要么再次阻挠。这次投票需要60票赞成才能通过。因此，民主党人的合作必不可少。尽管有人怀疑此举不会有任何结果，但部分民主党人可能会投赞成票。这意味着参议院将着手处理这项法案，并开启辩论和修正案的程序。图恩必须促成两党就快速完成该法案的时间安排达成一致。
否则，按照常规流程，这场辩论将拖到周末。没人希望看到这种情况，尤其是面临选战的共和党议员。
12场竞选搅动参议院战场，民主党有望翻盘
参议院多数党领袖、南达科他州共和党人约翰·图恩与参议院共和党准备就特朗普支持的选民身份证法案与参议院少数党领袖、纽约州民主党人查克·舒默及参议院民主党展开 floor 斗争。（内森·波斯纳/阿纳多卢通讯社 via 盖蒂图片社）
图恩和舒默都希望参议员们能回到国内开展竞选活动。如果民主党在周三阻挠法案通过，参议院可能会在周四继续留会，否则就要等到中期选举结束后才能复会。无论如何，共和党人都已经安排了一次投票，他们可以借此将民主党作为攻击目标。或者，至少能帮助赫斯特德，让他带着一场胜利回到俄亥俄州。
尽管反对这项法案对民主党来说不是什么好形象，但他们的抵制可能不会在今年秋季直接伤及自身。原因是：民主党有很多机会拿下共和党席位。但面临连任压力的民主党议员并不在本次选举的席位上。缅因州、佛罗里达州、北卡罗来纳州、俄亥俄州、密歇根州、艾奥瓦州、德克萨斯州、内布拉斯加州、堪萨斯州和阿拉斯加州等竞争席位的民主党参议员候选人目前都没有在任。本次选举周期中唯一面临微弱竞争的在任民主党议员是弗吉尼亚州参议员马克·华纳。
因此，对民主党来说，这是一场防守战。对共和党来说，这是一场进攻战。而共和党人的进攻主要是为了帮助赫斯特德。
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但参议院共和党人愿意多花一周时间留在华盛顿，这足以说明问题。这凸显了他们对负担能力问题的担忧，尤其是对提升赫斯特德工作成效的关切。
查德·珀格拉姆目前担任福克斯新闻频道（FNC）首席国会通讯员。他于2007年9月加入该电视台，总部位于华盛顿特区。
Reporter’s Notebook: Senate Republicans scrap early exit from Washington as midterm stakes soar
September 28, 2026 12:24pm EDT / Fox News
John Thune forces Senate to stay in session by teeing up Wednesday test vote before senators can hit the campaign trail
By Chad Pergram Fox News
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It’s a calculation by Republicans to keep the Senate in session this week.
Yes. The Senate was scheduled to meet anyway over the next few days. But the general consensus early last week was that the Senate would be done then, and those facing competitive races would be back home campaigning.
Then Wednesday hit.
Republicans wanted to stay in Washington. For a very specific reason. And many of them told Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., as much at their weekly luncheon.
“Odds are we plan on being here next week,” said Thune.
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: CONGRESS STRUGGLES TO FIND A MESSAGE THAT RESONATES WITH VOTERS AHEAD OF MIDTERMS
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks to reporters outside the chamber at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, April 2, 2026.(J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)
One Senate aide compared the Senate’s schedule to a cat chasing a beam of light from a laser pointer.
But the Senate is in fact meeting. There are reasons. Most of them are political.
The Senate wasn’t quite done with the bill to regulate money in intercollegiate athletics last week. And with the affordability question vexing Republicans, they really didn’t want to pass the college sports bill and promptly vacate Washington. That would be an awkward punctuation point at the end of the legislative sentence before the midterms. GOPers wanted something more substantive. Democrats might have presented that opportunity to Republicans on a platter.
Before the House left for the midterms the week before last, it accentuated its session by passing the Ratepayer Protection Act, 417-3. Let me tell you, not much passes around here with 417 votes. Like their Senate colleagues, House Republicans also worry about voters doubting they’re addressing affordability. So this bill hit the mark for them.
The legislation defrays the costs ratepayers fork out for their utility bills if they’re driven up by data centers. This forces the tech companies which run the data centers to foot the bill.
Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, is one of the most vulnerable Republicans on the ballot this fall. Husted’s longtime support for data centers is also dragging him down in the eyes of some voters. Husted tried to fix that. He went to the floor and asked for the Senate to pass on the spot the House bill. However, Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., objected, blocking the effort.
FOX NEWS POLL: ECONOMIC ANXIETY AND CANDIDATE CONCERNS DEFINE OHIO SENATE RACE
Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., was one of the key members of the left to help get Sen. Jim Justice’s Hershel Woody Williams bill passed unanimously in the Senate.(Elizabeth Frantz)
Republicans viewed that as an opening. Democrats stood in the way of passing a bill on affordability which 417 bipartisan House members supported without blinking. Senate GOPers immediately seized this opportunity as a wedge against their adversaries. And, they interpreted this as a chance to assist their Ohio colleague.
“Tell the data centers we’re happy to have you. But you’ve got to pay your own electricity. People are not going to pay for it,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La.
Republicans were already leery about the uneven political footing when it comes to AI. Even more so with data centers. Voters are not enamored with the results of the Big, Beautiful Bill, passed last summer. But dealing with data centers is more immediate and might resonate with those who soured on the Republican brand.
“In Missouri, people are absolutely scared to death that these data centers are going to take all the prime farm ground of the state. And then they’re going to raise electricity bills so high, no one will be able to afford them,” said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.
The official schedule intended for the Senate to meet this week. But once September hit and no government shutdown loomed, senators from both sides – especially those facing challenging elections – wanted to skip Washington and campaign back home. Yours truly asked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., why his party stood in the way of the Senate aligning with the House on that data center/utilities measure.
“Was this blocked in the Senate last week by Democrats as an effort to prevent Sen. Husted from having a win in this competitive race?” I asked.
“Sen. Husted’s bill is a fraud. It’s voluntary. No company has to do it. The bill we have is mandatory. It is much stronger and is what is needed,” replied Schumer.
There is something to Schumer’s argument about how muscular the bill is. The legislation says public utility regulators must only consider a standard for ratepayers. Nothing is required. Thus, there’s wiggle room for tech firms.
HAWLEY TAKES AIM AT ‘CORPORATE WELFARE’ AFTER GOP-BACKED TAX BREAK BOOSTED CONTROVERSIAL INDUSTRY
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, speaks during a news conference following Senate Democratic policy luncheons at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.(Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“What we’re saying is that we can do much better,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. “Is it a little step forward? Yes. But it’s not meeting the moment. So our view is we should expand it to make sure that ratepayers aren’t having to subsidize the richest corporations on the planet.”
But a lot of Republicans aren’t buying what Schumer and Van Hollen are saying. The Democratic objections are all about three things: Politics. An endangered GOP senator in the most expensive Senate contest in the country. And, Democrats are hoping to flip the seat in their favor.
“Sen. Schumer, what he cares about is the midterm election and politics. And I don’t think he cares about the substance of this,” said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. “Obviously there’s a hot and heavy Senate race going on in Ohio, and he doesn’t want to let Sen. Husted have something he can talk about when he goes home.”
Republicans view the opportunity to turn the affordability issue against Democrats – capitalizing on Schumer’s remark and forcing Democrats to take a stand. Either you’re for affordability (especially as it pertains to the toxic issue of data centers) or you’re not. Moreover, this could boost Husted in his competitive contest with former Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. In fact, it was the Senate GOP’s campaign arm which specifically flagged vulnerabilities for Republicans generally and Husted in particular over the summer.
Thune tees up a test vote on Wednesday to dare Democrats to either start debate on the bill or block it again. That vote requires 60 yeas. So Democratic cooperation is required. Although there’s skepticism anything happens, some Democrats may vote for it. That means the Senate is on the bill. And it’s open to debate and amendments. Thune would have to forge a bipartisan time agreement to finish the measure quickly.
Otherwise – by the book – this would drag into the weekend. And no one wants that. Especially Republicans with competitive races.
12 RACES SCRAMBLE SENATE BATTLEFIELD AS DEMOCRATS EYE COMEBACK
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and the GOP are gearing up for a floor battle with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats over Trump-backed voter ID legislation.(Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Thune and Schumer want senators back home campaigning. If Democrats impede the legislation Wednesday, the Senate might hang around Thursday or that’s it until after the midterms. Regardless, Republicans will have engineered a vote which they can boomerang against Democrats. Or, at least help Husted and send him back to the Buckeye State with a win.
While it’s not the best optic for Democrats to oppose this bill, their resistance might not directly wound anyone this fall. The reason: Democrats have a lot of chances to pick up seats. But vulnerable Democrats aren’t on the ballot. None of the Democratic Senate nominees in competitive seats like Maine, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, Texas, Nebraska, Kansas and Alaska currently hold office. The only sitting Democrat in the cycle who has a mild race is Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va.
So for the Democrats, this is about playing defense. For Republicans, this is about playing offense. And the GOP is on offense primarily for Husted.
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But the willingness of Senate GOPers to spend an extra week in Washington speaks volumes. It underscores how worried they are about the affordability issue. And in particular, their concern about elevating the work of Husted.
Chad Pergram currently serves as Chief Congressional Correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.