Broadcasters’ AM Radio Push Shifts To Post-Election Senate.

The lights are off in the U.S. Senate, where a third of its members will be up for re-election next month. The adjournment on Wednesday night came despite a long list of unfinished business, including passage of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (H.R.979/S. 315). Broadcasters had been pushing lawmakers to vote on the bill that would require AM in vehicle dashboards before going on the extended recess. The adjournment means the issue will remain pending until the lame duck session begins when Senators return to Washington the week of Nov. 9.

The bill was overwhelmingly approved in the House with a voice vote last month, and the odds of clearing the Senate have been considered good. The AM legislation passed out of committee in the Senate in February 2025. Similar to the House, it has widespread support with 61 Senators backing the legislation — enough to block any potential filibuster attempt.

When Senators return, the bill’s biggest hurdle will likely be the number of issues that lawmakers have put off until after the election, including some must-pass bills. Things could become even more complicated if Democrats win a majority in either the House and Senate in the election, creating many lame duck members who may not feel as beholden to their earlier positions for or against legislation. Under current expectations, the lame duck session is expected to begin the week after the election and run through the end of December.

The latest twist in the legislative path forward for AM comes as little surprise, and the National Association of Broadcasters has said the robust lobbying efforts for the bill — even after it had secured hundreds of co-sponsors — was a recognition of the realities of Washington.

“We’re on the one-yard line, and the momentum behind the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act remains incredibly strong,” NAB Vice President of Communications Carrie Healey says. She says the trade group is working with the bill’s sponsors and Senate leadership to get the bill to the floor and across the finish line.

“We’ll keep advocating and encouraging AM listeners to make their voices heard,” Healey says. “We’re working every angle and staying closely engaged with Senate leaders to get this done this year.”

President Trump has pledged he will sign the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act when it makes it to his desk. “I like the idea,” said Trump during an appearance on Salem Radio Network’s “Hugh Hewitt Show” in July.

A potential upside to the delay is that local broadcasters will have more face-to-face time with Senators urging them to vote for the bill. The NAB’s AM Radio Toolkit also includes customizable radio spots, social media graphics, scripts and marketing materials. Stations are being asked to place AM advocacy spots into heavy rotation, particularly targeting members of Congress who have not yet signed on as co-sponsors. According to Healey, more than a million emails and social media messages have already been sent to lawmakers from listeners across the country who depend on AM radio.

Rep. Jeff Crank (R-CO), a former radio talk show host on KVOR Colorado Springs, CO (740), says public outreach can have an impact.

“Everybody should pick up the phone, and they should call their United States senator and tell them how important it is to be able to have this,” he said on a recent NAB podcast. “That’s the most important things from a grassroots capability that someone can do is to put pressure on our U.S. senators to get it done.”

Even though he is a former radio host, Crank says his support for ensuring AM is in vehicles is much more personal. “Out in the West, we have many rural areas — and I have grown up often out in places where you might not have cell service, or it’s spotty. AM radio is certainly a safety link in a lot of ways to the outside community,” he says.