Sen. Tom Cotton

Maddy summaryThis bill exempts the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and its contractors from key environmental review laws - including the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act, and Clean Water Act - for defense activities certified as countering threats from the Chinese Communist Party. It directly affects DoD readiness, training, infrastructure projects, and defense technology development when certified by the President or Secretary of Defense. The exemption eliminates mandatory environmental reviews or evaluations for these activities, prohibits substitute reviews by federal or state authorities, and retroactively cancels ongoing legal challenges related to such projects. The bill requires the DoD to review environmental best practices every five years but bars courts from reviewing or blocking certified defense activities.

Maddy summarySRES 313 is a Senate resolution honoring the Yell County Wildlife Federation for its decades of conservation work in Arkansas. The resolution recognizes the organization's founding in 1946, its role as Arkansas' oldest conservation group, and specific efforts including land purchases in wildlife areas, elk reintroduction, youth education programs, and over 18,000 volunteer hours in the Ozark National Forest. This ceremonial resolution does not create new laws or affect policy; it solely expresses the Senate's appreciation for the Federation's service to Arkansas communities and natural resources.

Maddy summaryThis bill reorganizes the U.S. Intelligence Community by transferring several centers to different agencies, reducing staff size for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and eliminating various positions and units. Key changes include moving the National Counterintelligence Center to the FBI, redesignating the National Counterterrorism Center as the National Counterterrorism and Counternarcotics Center, and terminating the National Intelligence University. The bill also restricts funding for certain entities and prohibits intelligence community diversity, equity, and inclusion programs that could be considered discriminatory. These changes aim to streamline operations, reduce bureaucracy, and refocus intelligence efforts on core national security priorities. The bill directly affects the intelligence community's structure, staffing, and operational focus, with implementation dates ranging from 30 days to 180 days after enactment.

Maddy summaryThe STOP CSAM Act of 2025 strengthens protections for child victims of sexual abuse and exploitation by expanding definitions of abuse to include psychological abuse and kidnapping, and by imposing new reporting requirements on internet service providers. The bill requires providers with over 1 million monthly users to report apparent child sexual abuse material to the CyberTipline within 60 days, with penalties for noncompliance including fines up to $1 million for large providers. It creates new civil remedies allowing victims to sue providers who host or promote child pornography, and establishes protections for "covered persons" (children under 18 who are victims or witnesses) by limiting public disclosure of their personal information. The bill also enhances law enforcement's ability to investigate online child exploitation while maintaining privacy safeguards for victims.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes tax rules to help intelligence community employees who relocate for work. It allows these employees (excluding military members) to deduct moving expenses and exclude relocation reimbursements from taxable income when moving due to a required assignment change. The key change modifies two sections of the tax code to treat intelligence community relocations similarly to other federal employee moves. This directly affects current or new intelligence community staff who must move for mission-critical assignments. The policy aims to reduce tax burdens when these employees relocate for work.

Maddy summaryThe GOLDEN DOME Act of 2025 establishes a comprehensive missile defense architecture to protect the United States homeland from ballistic, hypersonic, cruise, and unmanned system threats. It creates a "Golden Dome Direct Report Program Manager" with significant authority to accelerate development and deployment of integrated air and missile defense systems, including space-based sensors, interceptors, and ground-based radars. The legislation allocates $23 billion for fiscal year 2026 to fund next-generation interceptors, space sensors, radar modernization, and other critical components of the defense system. It requires rapid testing of systems, prioritizes commercial solutions for cost efficiency, and mandates that combatant commands include missile defense requirements in annual budget requests. The Act focuses on creating all-domain awareness from the seafloor to space to provide early warning and effective defense against evolving missile threats.

Maddy summaryThis bill imposes a 50% excise tax on the fair market value of "listed investments" acquired by large private colleges and universities during a taxable year, and a 100% tax on net income from such investments. It defines "listed investments" as any stock, debt, or derivatives held in entities on government security lists (like the Commerce Department's Entity List or FCC Covered List). The tax applies to private institutions with endowments exceeding $1 billion that aren't state universities, targeting investments in entities deemed national security threats. The law requires the Treasury to establish a consolidated list of these entities within 60 days of enactment, with taxes taking effect for acquisitions and income after the first calendar year following enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends U.S. immigration law to add new grounds for deporting non-citizens. It makes non-citizens deportable if convicted of crimes related to protests, including vandalism of federal property or intentional obstruction of highways/bridges. The law requires immediate cancellation of any visa for such individuals and mandates their removal from the U.S. within 60 days of conviction. It directly affects non-citizens convicted under these specific protest-related criminal provisions.

Maddy summaryThe TERMS Act (S 2010) requires online service providers (like social media platforms, apps, and websites requiring user accounts) to clearly disclose their acceptable use policies and provide advance written notice before restricting user accounts. Specifically, providers must explain prohibited actions, enforcement methods, appeal options, and how outside activities (e.g., social media posts) might lead to account restrictions. They must also publish annual reports detailing how many users were restricted, by what policy violation, and how many appeals succeeded. These requirements aim to increase transparency for users and promote informed choices about online services.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends federal law (18 U.S.C. §2101) governing riots by increasing penalties for violent riot-related conduct. It directly affects individuals who participate in riots, particularly those involving violence or assault on federal law enforcement officers. Key provisions establish three penalty tiers: up to 10 years in prison for basic riot violations, 1-10 years for those involving violence, and 1+ years or life for assaulting officers. The changes restructure existing subsections to clarify these enhanced punishments without creating new offenses.