Email from Vote Smart From facts to acts.     U.S. Government Shutdown Begins After Senate Fails to Pass Funding Source 1: Fox News, Source 2: CNN   Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Trump’s Effort to Remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook Source 1: PBS News, Source 2: Newsmax   Key Economic Regulators Begin Furloughs Amid Shutdown, Disrupting Market Oversight  Source 1: The Economic Times, Source 2: Yahoo Finance   Share your act of courage this week to be included in next week’s update — you can even backdate your act to September 8th. Add your Act of Courage   Vote Smart provides easy access to congressional and state voting records and maintains a collection of key votes grouped by issue. Vote Smart uses the following criteria to select key votes: The vote should be helpful in portraying how a member stands on a particular issue. The vote should be clear for any person to understand. The vote has received media attention. The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin.   Click Here for the Key Votes Visualization     Congress ongress – Senate Failed HR 5371 – Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026 Congress – Senate Failed S 2882 – Continuing Appropriations and Extensions and Other Matters Act, 2026 Congress – Senate Nomination Confirmed PN 26-10 - Nomination of Hung Cao to be Under Secretary of the Navy State California (CA) – Senate Concurrence Vote Passed SB 243 - Requires the Operator of an Artificial Intelligence Chatbot to Disclose that the Chatbot is Artificial Intelligence to Any User that is a Minor and to Maintain a Protocol for Preventing the Production of Suicidal Ideation, Suicide, or Self-Harm Content North Dakota (ND) – Governor Kelly Armstrong signed HB 1442 – Establishes a State Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Task Force North Carolina (NC) – House Concurrence Vote Passed HB 926 – Limits Local Governments' Authority to Regulate the Display of the U.S. Flag on Private Property For full details on each bill, visit our Vote Smart Issue Summary page.     Republican Ryan Walters resigned this week as Oklahoma’s Superintendent of Public Instruction. Walters, who was elected to this position in 2022, left his post to become CEO of the Teacher Freedom Alliance. Governor Kevin Stitt, also a Republican, is expected to name a replacement for Walters, and this individual will serve out the remainder of the term ending in January 2027. Next week, there is a special primary election for Congress in Tennessee. Click on the link below to view the candidates running:  Tennessee Special Congressional Primary Election, District 7   Thanks to your incredible reviews, we are excited to share that we’ve been recognized as one of the 2025 Best Nonprofits by GreatNonprofits! This honor will be officially promoted by GreatNonprofits after October 31st. This achievement is because of you—our supporters—who took the time to share your stories and experiences with Vote Smart. Your voices made this recognition possible, and we are deeply grateful. Vote Smart is grassroots: no ads, no agendas, just facts. Your support helps keep it that way. Donate Vote Smart | 1153 24TH ST | DES MOINES, IA 50311-4308 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice