Analysis · Floor speech · beta

Jeff Merkley

Democrat on Taxpayer Assistance and Service Act 2026-09-30

1076 words · 82 sentences · 104 clauses

Statement grade

A–

Average 89 / 100

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Positioning 6%Claims 75%Procedure 6%Reasoning 6%The ask 5%Aside 0%Promise 1%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Madam President, Positioning · 37 wordsI wish my colleague had actually got a bunch of things right, but he got a bunch of things wrong. I don’t know what propaganda he was reading, from what source that wants to continue the corruption.Positioning Claims · 31 wordsBut he said that the bill that came earlier today said you could not hold stocks. It actually allows you to hold those individual stocks.¹ It allows the corruption to continue. Procedure · 5 wordsAnd yet, he is saying: ProcedureClaims · 13 wordsOh, I voted for this great bill because it bans holding of stocks. Reasoning · 4 wordsBut he is wrong. Procedure · 7 wordsThere is a reason this was done.Procedure Reasoning · 25 wordsIt was to allow a vote in the House, a vote in the House that pretended to address the issue, rather than addressing the issue.No reason given Claims · 27 wordsAnd we have had a bill virtually parallel to this bill come through committee. It has been worked on in committee. Many of these elements and nuances--great. Procedure · 1 wordsFine.Procedure The ask · 31 wordsLet’s continue that conversation.Vague promise But don’t come to this floor and misrepresent the bill that you voted on earlier tonight as having banned the holding of stocks because it allows it. Procedure · 4 wordsAnd second, blind trusts.Procedure Claims · 6 wordsThey are called bogus blind trusts. Procedure · 9 wordsAs one Member of this body said to me: ProcedureClaims · 12 wordsI meet every quarter with the guy who runs my blind trust.²Logical leap Procedure · 4 wordsYou want another example?Procedure Claims · 25 wordsWho runs a blind trust for the President of the United States? His family runs it. His son is involved in running his blind trust.³ Aside · 4 wordsAre you kidding me?Aside Claims · 7 wordsEveryone understands blind trusts are not blind. The ask · 10 wordsSo bring a bill that doesn’t have bogus blind trusts. Claims · 19 wordsIt has an extensive exemption for small businesses, and yet we heard a lot of conversation about small businesses. Procedure · 4 wordsAnd then voter ID.Procedure Positioning · 9 wordsCan’t we be honest about the voter ID strategy?Positioning Claims · 123 wordsIt was written to disenfranchise--fancy word for block citizens from voting that Republicans don’t want to vote. The President put forward an Executive order that said: ⁴You have to submit your voter roll to the President’s team, they will decide who votes, and send the list back to you. And then they went and got an ethics act--not an ethics act--SAVE Act--the SAVE Act. What did the SAVE Act say? The same thing. The President gets to decide who votes. That didn’t pass here. And it didn’t even have a majority support here, let alone supermajority support.⁵ So, the President did another Executive order. And under this order, the President would strike down--his team would strike down people that look suspect to them. Procedure · 5 wordsWhat are we talking about?Procedure Claims · 65 wordsWe are talking about 64 million American women whose last names do not match their birth certificate.⁶ Your name doesn’t match your birth certificate, you can’t vote. And the President could strike this down right before the election, making it impossible for people to proceed to get reauthorized to vote. And they couldn’t even get reauthorized to vote, reregistered to vote, using their birth certificate. Aside · 1 wordsWow.Aside Claims · 26 wordsAnd they didn’t want Native Americans to vote, so they put in a provision that said any ID that doesn’t have an expiration date is excluded.⁷ Reasoning · 25 wordsWell, you know, you are not a Tribal member year by year or month by month, my friends. You are a Tribal member for life. Claims · 19 wordsThey don’t have expiration dates. They knew that, and they put it in to stop Native Americans from voting. Procedure · 1 wordsWhy?Procedure Positioning · 9 wordsWhy do you want to stop women from voting?Positioning Claims · 11 wordsBecause they vote more on the blue side of the aisle. Positioning · 13 wordsWhy do they write those ID requirements to stop Tribal members from voting?Positioning Claims · 18 wordsBecause they vote more on the ``D’’ side of the aisle. People have called this Jim Crow 2.0. Procedure · 5 wordsWhat are they talking about?Procedure Claims · 143 wordsAfter the Civil War, we had a national consensus, we were going to protect people’s right to vote. And in the South, you had a lot of States that had a majority of Black citizens. To this very Chamber, 2 U.S. Senators were elected from Mississippi; ⁸14 Members of the House were elected from the South that were Black Americans.⁹ And then reconstruction ended in a horrific deal that was struck and the result was almost a century of blocking Black Americans from voting.¹⁰ And that is what the President wants to do.Motive imputed Not specifically Black Americans, not the same way, but any group that votes predominantly on the blue side of the aisle. Now, we actually had a bill, and it was called the Freedom to Vote Act. It had ID in it, ¹¹but it wasn’t ID designed in a partisan fashion. Procedure · 7 wordsSo I say to my good colleagues: ProcedureThe ask · 17 wordsHow about you actually come forward with a version of ID that isn’t designed for partisan advantage? Reasoning · 8 wordsThat would honor the vision of the Constitution. Claims · 17 wordsThat was what was in the Freedom to Vote Act. And the President wants to attack vote-by-mail. Procedure · 4 wordsAnd why is that?Procedure Claims · 11 wordsVote-by-mail is the highest integrity system in the land, bar none.Logical leap Procedure · 3 wordsWhy is that?Procedure Claims · 11 wordsBecause on election day, it is easy to manipulate the election. Procedure · 5 wordsHere is what you do: ProcedureClaims · 219 wordsYou change the location of the precinct voting from the previous year so people go to the wrong place; you proceed to put out false information about the location; you put out the wrong date for voting; you put out text messages--and this has been done-- saying ``sorry you missed the election last week, hope you will vote next year’’ when the election is actually coming up the next Tuesday; you put in machines that don’t work; you put in staff members that don’t work; you perceive to create 8-hour lines like they created in the urban areas of Georgia--recent history.¹² That manipulation can’t be done in vote-by-mail. That is why the President hates vote-by-mail, Motive imputedbecause it stops the rigging of American elections on election day. And it has this very powerful form of voter ID called a signature. The same thing we use to verify checks and so many other transactions in life. Same signature we use on our marriage certificates. Same signature we use on financial transactions. And if the signature doesn’t match, it gets challenged, and a voter has a chance to cure it. My point here is that the bill that came before this Chamber earlier today was designed to rig the November election--my colleagues know that--and it allowed the corruption in stockholding to continue. Promise · 16 wordsThat is why we are creating and putting forward a real bill with real ethics tonight.

At a glance

Lost points for
Personal attackThis statement targeted a person rather than their actions or views: “that is what the President wants to do”.

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 80

22 of 28 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “I wish my colleague had actually got a bunch of things right,”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “but he got a bunch of things wrong.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “I don’t know what propaganda he was reading, from what source that wants to continue the corruption.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “And yet, he is saying:”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “There is a reason this was done.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Fine.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “And second, blind trusts.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “As one Member of this body said to me:”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “You want another example?”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
A remark off to the side of the point.What the tags mean “Are you kidding me?”An aside: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “And then voter ID.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “Can’t we be honest about the voter ID strategy?”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “What are we talking about?”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
A remark off to the side of the point.What the tags mean “Wow.”An aside: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Why?”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “Why do you want to stop women from voting?”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “Why do they write those ID requirements to stop Tribal members from voting?”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “What are they talking about?”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “So I say to my good colleagues:”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “And why is that?”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Why is that?”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Here is what you do:”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · no score

Not applicable: nothing to answer. Excluded from the average.

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue.

Reasoning · 80

3 of 28 deductions are Reasoning

Reasoning checks for sound logic and solid support for any conclusion. A low score means the speaker made unsupported leaps or used weak arguments.

A conclusion stated with no reason given for it.What the tags mean “It was to allow a vote in the House, a vote in the House that pretended to address the issue, rather than addressing the issue.”c11 promises a reason and c12 merely asserts the drafting purpose itself, with no separate fact offered to show it.
A conclusion that does not follow from the reasons given for it.What the tags mean “I meet every quarter with the guy who runs my blind trust.”One member’s quarterly meetings with his trustee and the President’s family running his trust are anecdotes offered for a general claim about all blind trusts.
A conclusion that does not follow from the reasons given for it.What the tags mean “Vote-by-mail is the highest integrity system in the land, bar none.”Even if c84 and c95 show vote-by-mail prevents rigging, nothing links the President’s opposition to that fact rather than any other reason.

Conclusions found · 10

Conclusion“It allows the corruption to continue.”

Because“It actually allows you to hold those individual stocks.”

Reason given
Conclusion“But he is wrong.”

Because“It actually allows you to hold those individual stocks.”

Reason given
Conclusion“It was to allow a vote in the House, a vote in the House that pretended to address the issue, rather than addressing the issue.”

BecauseNo reason given

No reason given
Conclusion“But don’t come to this floor and misrepresent the bill that you voted on earlier tonight as having banned the holding of stocks because it allows it.”

Because“It actually allows you to hold those individual stocks.”

Reason given
Conclusion“Everyone understands blind trusts are not blind.”

Because“I meet every quarter with the guy who runs my blind trust.”

“His son is involved in running his blind trust.”

Reason flawedOne member’s quarterly meetings with his trustee and the President’s family running his trust are anecdotes offered for a general claim about all blind trusts.
Conclusion“So bring a bill that doesn’t have bogus blind trusts.”

Because“Everyone understands blind trusts are not blind.”

Reason given
Conclusion“And that is what the President wants to do.”

Because“Your name doesn’t match your birth certificate, you can’t vote.”

“They don’t have expiration dates.”

“And then reconstruction ended in a horrific deal that was struck and the result was almost a century of blocking Black Americans from voting.”

Reason given
Conclusion“That manipulation can’t be done in vote-by-mail.”

Because“You change the location of the precinct voting from the previous year so people go to the wrong place;”

“you perceive to create 8-hour lines like they created in the urban areas of Georgia--recent history.”

Reason given
Conclusion“because it stops the rigging of American elections on election day.”

Because“Vote-by-mail is the highest integrity system in the land, bar none.”

“That manipulation can’t be done in vote-by-mail.”

Reason flawed
Conclusion“My point here is that the bill that came before this Chamber earlier today was designed to rig the November election--my colleagues know that--and it allowed the corruption in stockholding to continue.”

Because“It actually allows you to hold those individual stocks.”

“It was to allow a vote in the House, a vote in the House that pretended to address the issue, rather than addressing the issue.”

Reason given

Respect · 97

2 of 28 deductions are Respect

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Claiming to know a person’s bad motives.What the tags mean “that is what the President wants to do”It attributes to the President, as fact, the aim of blocking citizens from voting, a bad motive rather than a judgment of any policy’s merits.
Claiming to know a person’s bad motives.What the tags mean “the President hates vote-by-mail”It attributes hatred, an emotional state of mind, to the President as fact rather than judging the policy itself.

Clarity · 99

1 of 28 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

A promise with no date, no measure and no one responsible.What the tags mean “Let’s continue that conversation”A commitment with no actor, date, measure, or success condition for what continuing entails.

Claims · 12

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“It actually allows you to hold those individual stocks”The bill passed earlier on 2026-09-30 (the bill Merkley’s colleague voted for) allows the holding of individual stocks.search
2“I meet every quarter with the guy who runs my blind trust”A Member of the Senate told Merkley that he meets every quarter with the person who runs his blind trust.search
3“His son is involved in running his blind trust”The son of the President of the United States is involved in running the President’s blind trust.search
4“The President put forward an Executive order that said: ”The President issued an Executive order requiring voter rolls to be submitted to the President’s team for review before being sent back.search
5“it didn’t even have a majority support here, let alone supermajority support”The SAVE Act did not receive majority support in the Senate.search
6“64 million American women whose last names do not match their birth certificate”Approximately 64 million American women have last names that do not match their birth certificate.search
7“any ID that doesn’t have an expiration date is excluded”The voter ID provision in question excludes any form of identification that does not have an expiration date.search
8“2 U.S. Senators were elected from Mississippi”During Reconstruction, two Black U.S. Senators were elected from Mississippi.search
9“14 Members of the House were elected from the South that were Black Americans”Fourteen Black Americans were elected to the House of Representatives from Southern states during Reconstruction.search
10“almost a century of blocking Black Americans from voting”After Reconstruction ended, Black Americans were blocked from voting in the South for nearly a century.search
11“It had ID in it”The Freedom to Vote Act included voter ID provisions.search
12“8-hour lines like they created in the urban areas of Georgia”Voters in urban areas of Georgia experienced lines as long as eight hours at polling places.search

Analyzed on 2026-10-20