The key focus of this election, like many before it, is the economy, but the Senate has spent its waning weeks in Washington focusing on something else: college sports. And that has proven a sticking point for some Republicans who are eager to maintain power in the upper chamber and worried that they aren’t meeting the moment to address voters’ concerns over the cost-of-living. "I'm just hoping that this will be the best bill ever passed by the United States Senate considering the ungodly amount of time we've spent on it," Sen.
Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital. "So maybe this will be the most perfect and pristine piece of legislation ever," he quipped. FOX NEWS POLL: SQUEEZED BY COSTS, FRUSTRATED VOTERS TURN TO THE DEMOCRATS "There's a lot of things we could be doing and should be doing," the senator added.
"So I hope we'll do those before we leave. We'll see." Hawley rattled off those issues that he hoped lawmakers would tackle that all ended in one word, costs — be it for fuel, prescription drugs, health care or the financial burden of the artificial intelligence boom. The Senate is expected to leave the nation’s capital on Wednesday to hit the campaign trail for the homestretch of the fast-approaching midterm elections.
But from the summer of 2025 to now, with several shutdowns and partisan fights in between, the sting on voters’ wallets, to some concerned Republicans, has become an afterthought. Still, Republicans are quick to tout their accomplishments from last year, notably the "big, beautiful bill," as their signature achievement to tackle the growing issue of affordability in the country — it was a predominant pitch during the midterm convention in Dallas earlier this month, and can be heard increasingly in the halls of the Senate as Nov. 3 nears. SENATE MOVES TO REIN IN COLLEGE SPORTS 'WILD WEST' WITH SWEEPING NEW RULES FOR PLAYERS, SCHOOLS The concern over inaction in the recent weeks and months has intensified as the main business in the Senate has been devoted to passing the Protect College Sports Act from Sen.
Ted Cruz, R-Texas, which cruised through the upper chamber late Monday night. "We've been spending all week on trying to make the football coaches happy," Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said.
"I'm voting for the bill, but I can assure that moms and dads out there across America, when they lie down to sleep at night … they're not worried about the football coaches." Kennedy said that he and others have been pressuring Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to take another shot at reconciliation tailored exclusively toward affordability issues, or at the very least to put a bill that would shield consumers from increasing electricity costs as part of the AI boom. "Because we haven't done a damn thing," Kennedy said. "And it's biting us in the ass right now." ANXIETY GROWS OVER EMERGING ELECTION ISSUE, BUT GOP SAYS WASHINGTON ISN'T THE ANSWER Thune did tee up what will likely be the Senate’s last attempt at dealing with affordability for a vote this week on a bill that would require AI companies to bear the brunt of rising utility costs from data centers.
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