What they said. What they meant.

Plain-language translations from Congress.

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Expressing the Sense of the Senate That Ghislaine Maxwell Should Not Be Granted a Presidential Pardon or Any Form of Clemency for Her Crimes with Jeffrey Epstein Relating to the Sexual Exploitation...

Official Congressional Record ↗

Susan M. Collins

Republican
“I am sad that Lindsey Graham died. He was my friend. He did a lot as a Senator. He went to other countries. He met with important people. He made a difference. I went on four trips with him. He was funny. I liked serving with him. Now he is dead. That makes me sad. I think he is in heaven with other people I liked who were Senators.”
Our translation 83% shorter

Jerry Moran

Republican
“I want to pass a bill to help veterans. I am sad that the other side does not agree with how to pay for it. We need to find a way to pay for it that follows the rules. I want to use money that the Department of Veterans Affairs is going to save. That money will help veterans instead of going to the Treasury. I don't want to take money away from any veteran. I want to use money that the VA says they don't need to spend. I want to spend that money on other benefits for veterans. Many groups support this bill. I don't want to wait to help veterans. We need to pass this bill now.”
Our translation 95% shorter

Jerry Moran

Republican
“I object to the other Senator's consent request. I want my own bill passed immediately without objection. I want to change the subject.”
Our translation 86% shorter

Jerry Moran

Republican
“I don't want to answer that. Maybe later.”
Our translation 87% shorter

Jerry Moran

Republican
“I keep repeating the same talking points. I want this bill to pass. I want to claim I support veterans. Our government hasn't passed it yet. I want to blame the other side. Veterans shouldn't have to wait. I don't like the other side's offer because it doesn't satisfy a rule.”
Our translation 76% shorter

Todd Young

Republican
“I want America to build more ships. China has many ships. Some Chinese ships carry weapons. I think that is bad. Chinese ships might bring weapons to America. That could be dangerous for America. I want a new law to build more American ships. The law will give tax breaks and other help to build ships. The law will take away some rules that make ships expensive. The law will train more people to work on ships. We need more American ships and less Chinese ships. The last President had a plan like this. I want Congress to pass this bill now.”
Our translation 86% shorter

Pete Ricketts

Republican
“I want Congress to pass my bill. The bill is called the Stop Insider Trading Act. Many people think Congress does a bad job of keeping their financial interests separate. People don't have confidence in Congress. My bill will help restore confidence. The bill will stop people in Congress from buying individual stocks. If you get elected, you can't buy stock anymore. If you already have stock, you can sell it. But you have to give 7 days notice before you sell. The bill has penalties if you don't follow the rules. The penalty is $2,000 or 10% of the proceeds, whichever is bigger. Plus you have to give up all your profits. Democrats blocked my bill on Monday night. But the House passed it with Democrat support. I want Democrats in the Senate to get on board. We need to restore faith in Congress. My bill will help do that.”
Our translation 81% shorter

Tommy Tuberville

Republican
“Social Security is a scam. It's a big Ponzi scheme. The government takes your money and doesn't give it back. They spend it on other things. The program is going bankrupt. People won't get the money they paid in taxes. Illegals are getting Social Security benefits. It's disgusting. The government should have invested the money in stocks. Then people would have more money. But the government doesn't care. They just want to steal your money. We need to stop the Social Security scam. Let people invest their own money. Give them their money back. The government works for the people. They should tell the truth. We need to fix this before it's too late. People will be angry if they don't get their money.”
Our translation 94% shorter

Jim Banks

Republican
“Some bad things happened. I want to talk about China. China is bad. They want power. We need to spend a lot of money on the military. I don't like that Democrats won't spend what I want. A rich American man moved to China and gave lots of money to groups I don't like. Some of those groups say things I don't like. The government is investigating him. China meddles in our elections. Some people who shouldn't voted in New Jersey. I want my bill to pass. It will save America. I want the other side to admit these problems. If we don't pass my bill, bad things will happen.”
Our translation 92% shorter