筋疲力尽的共和党参议员们在华盛顿逗留的时间超出了预期，现在正准备空手或几近空手地飞回老家。
Exhausted GOP senators are preparing to fly home mostly empty-handed after staying in D.C. longer than expected. Why it matters:
为什么重要：中期选举的前景一天比一天黯淡，而共和党人在跛脚鸭国会会议期间有一大堆棘手的工作要做，这可能是他们利用三权在握优势的最后机会。
midterm outlook is getting bleaker by the day, and Republicans have a monster to-do list for the lame-duck session that could be a last chance to capitalize on their trifecta. Between the lines:
字里行间：共和党人上周决定不提前休会。
Republicans decided against breaking for an early recess last week.
- 他们此行的最大成果：一项历史性的、两党支持的大学体育法案，这对那些在11月谋求连任的议员并没有多大帮助。该法案在众议院通过的前景渺茫。
• The biggest thing to show for it: A historic — and bipartisan — college sports package that doesn't do much for those defending their seats in November. It faces long odds in the House.
😖 除此之外，这是痛苦的一周：
😖 Otherwise it was a week of pain:
- 投票接连失败：一项旨在解决美国人对数据中心推高能源成本担忧的投票于今天宣告失败，另一项旨在限制国会成员股票交易并强制实行选民身份证的投票也未能通过。
• Failed votes: A vote addressing Americans' concerns about data centers driving up energy costs failed today, as did another to curb congressional stock trades and enforce voter IDs.
- 事与愿违的攻击路线：参议员埃里克·施密特（共和党人，来自密苏里州）试图将特别检察官与亚特兰大检察官法妮·威利斯联系起来，这一企图以失败告终，并抢尽了一场针对杰克·史密斯的重要听证会的风头。
• A line of attack that backfired: A major hearing with Jack Smith was overshadowed by a failed attempt by Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) to link the special counsel and Atlanta prosecutor Fani Willis.
- 特朗普问题：共和党人一直在小心翼翼地回避特朗普的不受欢迎是否会伤害党内11月选情的问题，结果德克萨斯州候选人肯·帕克斯顿却被抓包，指责特朗普的中期选举大会损害了他的民调支持率。
• The Trump issue: Republicans have been tiptoeing around whether Trump's unpopularity will hurt the party in November, only for Texas nominee Ken Paxton to be caught blaming Trump's midterm convention for hurting his polling.
- 全国共和党参议员委员会（NRSC）主席蒂姆·斯科特（共和党人，来自南卡罗来纳州）称帕克斯顿的分析“大错特错”，并称这次大会是“朝着正确方向迈出的助力”。
• NRSC Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) said Paxton's analysis was "just wrong" and called the convention "a boost in the right direction." 🤕 Zoom out:
🤕 更广阔的视角：一些共和党参议员正带着新的竞选烦恼返回家乡。
Some of the GOP senators are returning to fresh campaign headaches.
- 参议员苏珊·柯林斯（共和党人，来自缅因州）失去了一周在本地竞选的时间，甚至连她的一项核心关切——一项旨在降低胰岛素成本的两党法案——都没能进入投票环节。
• Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) lost a week of in-state campaigning and didn't even get a vote on one of her key priorities: a bipartisan bill to lower insulin costs.
- 参议员皮特·里基茨（共和党人，来自内布拉斯加州）成为了一场新广告攻势的目标，该广告因他赦免了一名对一级性侵犯认罪的男子而对其实施猛烈抨击。
• Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) is the target of a new ad campaign hitting him over his pardon of a man who pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual assault.
- 罗杰·马歇尔参议员（共和党，堪萨斯州）一直在否认那些针对他的指控，这些指控称他因新生儿父母未支付医疗费用而对他们进行骚扰。他的律师已于周一向他的对手——亚当·汉密尔顿牧师——发出了停止侵权行为的函件。
• Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) has been batting down accusations that he went after mothers of new babies over unpaid medical bills. His lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter to his opponent — Rev. Adam Hamilton — on Monday.
共和党在资金方面具有优势，但他们的竞选团队现在必须在特朗普在2024年轻松获胜的几个州（俄亥俄州、爱荷华州、阿拉斯加州、德克萨斯州、堪萨斯州、内布拉斯加州和佛罗里达州）投入大量资金进行竞选活动。
The GOP has a cash advantage but the campaign apparatus now has to spend heavily in states Trump handily won in 2024 — Ohio, Iowa, Alaska, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska and Florida.
另一边的情况：前众议员玛丽·佩尔托拉（民主党，阿拉斯加州）也遭遇了《纽约时报》对她个人行为及办公室管理方式的负面报道（她对其中一些指控予以否认）。她正在挑战共和党参议员丹·沙利文。
‼️ The other side: Former Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) was also hit with a damaging report from the New York Times about her personal behavior and office culture (some of which she denied). She is challenging GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan.
参议院将于11月恢复工作，面临一系列必须通过的议题：
What to The Senate will return in November staring down a list of must-pass items.
- 恢复《FISA法案》第702条的规定（该条款允许政府在无需搜查令的情况下进行电话窃听）。
• Reinstate FISA Section 702, the warrantless wiretap authority 💰 The bottom line: That's just what they get done.
财务状况：这些就是他们目前需要处理的事情。此外，还有一系列待处理的议题，例如：
There's also a growing list of maybe-to-dos, like: • Take a whack at a bipartisan permitting reform bill that finally came together hours before the Senate took off for home. • Pass some form of AI guardrails.
- 提高债务上限（可能需要通过协商程序来完成）。
• Raise the debt ceiling, potentially through reconciliation.