{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.slotkin.senate.gov/2026/07/20/icymi-slotkin-gives-remarks-on-senate-floor-about-the-risk-of-weaponization-of-intelligence-community/", "ICYMI: Slotkin Gives Remarks on Senate Floor about the Risk of Weaponization of Intelligence Community", "2026-07-20", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "Senate", "MI", "Elissa Slotkin", "S001208", "www.slotkin.senate.gov", "slotkin", "https://www.slotkin.senate.gov/newsroom/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Yesterday, U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) gave a speech on her newly introduced bill, the Minimum Experience Requirements for Intelligence Transition (MERIT) Act, that would require any individual serving as Director of National Intelligence (DNI), including in an acting or interim capacity, to have extensive national security experience.\n\nWatch the speech here.\n\nDownload the speech here.\n\nThe requirement reiterates the standard already applied to Senate-confirmed DNIs under the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, championed by Senator Susan Collins and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.\n\nHer remarks come as the Administration continues to erode public trust, including in President Trump\u2019s remarks last evening on our election systems, and as Bill Pulte, an unqualified loyalist of the President, serves as a leader in the intelligence community. The broader intelligence community is at risk of becoming weaponized against the American people for the political gain of the President.\n\n###", 1, "2026-07-20T07:56:32Z", "2026-07-20T07:57:48Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.slotkin.senate.gov/2026/07/20/icymi-slotkin-gives-remarks-on-senate-floor-about-the-risk-of-weaponization-of-intelligence-community/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8503859862685204, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}