[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 103 (Tuesday, June 18, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4123-S4124]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Senate Legislative Agenda

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, with election day approaching in less than 
5 months, Democrats are getting understandably concerned.
  After all, a historic 3-year-plus border crisis and a historic 3-
year-plus inflation crisis are not exactly an ideal record on which to 
run. And so Democrats have been doing what they can

[[Page S4124]]

here in the Senate to brighten their election prospects with a series 
of show votes designed to put Republicans in a difficult position--or 
so the Democratic leader hopes.
  I said ``show votes.'' And I say that because all of these votes were 
clearly designed to fail. The Democratic leader knew that Republicans 
were not going to support a border bill that had previously been 
rejected, a contraception bill that would jeopardize the religious 
freedom of healthcare providers, or an IVF bill that would allow for 
human cloning and genetic engineering of human embryos.
  These were not serious attempts by the Democratic leader to 
legislate. These were future campaign talking points.
  If the Democratic leader really wanted to legislate, he would be 
bringing up something like Senator Ernst's legislation to promote 
access to contraception, which has a number of Republican cosponsors--
or any one of the numerous commonsense border proposals Republicans 
have advanced, like Senator Blackburn's measure to allow State and 
local law enforcement to detain criminal illegal aliens for ICE to 
deport. But that is not the legislation the Democrat leader is bringing 
up, because, as I said, he is not interested in legislating; he is 
interested in boosting Democrats' electoral chances--he hopes--this 
fall.
  I know the Democratic leader is trying his hardest to put Republicans 
in a difficult spot. But as I have said before, if he hopes to have us 
quaking in our boots over taking these votes, he should think again 
because Republicans are happy to have the chance to talk about the 
Democrat agenda, to talk about the disaster President Biden created at 
our southern border--a disaster he allowed to thrive unchecked for 
years, despite the serious danger to our national security; or to talk 
about how, under the guise of protecting access to contraception--
something that is not under threat, I might add--the Democratic leader 
brought up legislation that would not only funnel money to Democrats' 
allies at Planned Parenthood but would wipe out--wipe out--conscience 
protections for healthcare providers.
  Democrats' bill specifically targets the Religious Freedom 
Restoration Act, which is bipartisan legislation passed in 1993, back 
when Democrats actually believed in defending our First Amendment 
freedoms.
  And this is not Democrats' only attempt to target this legislation 
and to dictate how and when Americans can live according to their 
faith. Take, for example, Democrats' so-called Women's Health 
Protection Act--more accurately called the ``Abortion on Demand Act,'' 
which would prevent healthcare providers from claiming protection under 
the Religious Freedom Restoration Act if their faith prevents them from 
performing abortions.
  Apparently the ``personal freedoms'' that the Democratic leader 
mentioned earlier this month don't include religious freedom--at least 
not when your faith conflicts with Democrats' policy positions.
  Speaking of the Abortion on Demand Act, I find it very interesting 
that in a month the Democrat leader intended to be dedicated to 
``reproductive freedoms,'' he chose not to bring up Democrats' 
signature abortion legislation. Is it possible that he thought that in 
a month in which he hoped to paint Republicans as extremists, it might 
not be a great idea to bring up Democrats' radical abortion 
legislation, lest Americans see just how extreme Democrats are on this 
issue? In fact, the Democrats' bill might be the most extreme abortion 
legislation ever considered by Congress.
  The so-called Women's Health Protection Act would not only allow 
abortion through all 40 weeks of pregnancy, it would sweep away almost 
every commonsense restriction that has been upheld under Roe and would 
make abortion on demand at any time, for essentially any reason, the 
law of the land, not to mention wiping out the ban on taxpayer funding 
of abortion--something that has been agreed upon by both sides for 
nearly 50 years.
  Needless to say, this is far out of step with the American people, a 
majority of whom believe abortion should generally be illegal during 
the second 3 months of pregnancy and 70 percent of whom believe 
abortion should generally be illegal during the final 3 months, not to 
mention the fact that it is also out of step with European abortion 
law, with 46 out of 50 European U.N. member countries restricting 
abortion on demand after 15 weeks. But that is certainly not stopping 
Democrats from pursuing one of the most radical abortion regimes in the 
world.
  In the coming weeks, I expect we will see the Democrats' summer of 
show votes continue, but I suspect the American people will not be 
fooled by Democrats' politicking.
  As for Republicans, we are happy to discuss the Democrat agenda 
anytime Democrats would like to bring it up.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.