[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 120 (Wednesday, July 24, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S5328]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Trump Rally Shooting

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, the attempted assassination of President 
Trump 11 days ago at a peaceful rally in Pennsylvania shook the Nation. 
I am very thankful that he was not seriously harmed. I am grateful also 
for the law enforcement personnel who rushed in to cover the President 
when the shooting started. But, as every American knows by now, the 
events of July 13 should never have happened.
  There was not just one but a number of apparent security breakdowns--
notably, a failure to secure the roof before the rally. While we are 
grateful for the fact that President Trump was not killed, the security 
failures resulted in the death of one innocent American and serious 
injury to two others.
  It is appropriate that the Secret Service Director resigned yesterday 
in the wake of this tragedy, but there is more work to be done. 
Multiple investigations are currently being conducted--several of them 
here in Congress--to identify everything that went wrong that Saturday 
and to explore ways to ensure that it never happens again.
  Among other things, we obviously need to take a hard look at what 
needs to be done at the Secret Service. I have no doubt that there are 
many dedicated agents serving there, including those who heroically 
dived to cover President Trump when the shooting started, but the fact 
is that the Secret Service has been beset by problems for a number of 
years now, including staffing issues and a number of previous security 
failures. It is time to fix these problems once and for all and ensure 
that the Secret Service is fully prepared to fulfill its mission. We 
also need a new Secret Service Director committed to making reform of 
the Agency a priority.
  Events like the ones of July 13 always horrify because they 
demonstrate the worst of which human beings are capable, but they also 
often give us a glimpse of the very best, and that was certainly true 
in Pennsylvania. There was Corey Comperatore, the volunteer firefighter 
who died protecting his family; the emergency room physician and others 
who attempted to render medical assistance; the everyday Americans who 
stepped in to help their fellow rally-goers.
  If there is one thing we can take from the events of July 13 other 
than the immediate practical need of addressing security failures, it 
is a renewed determination to live our lives in such a way that we, 
too, at the time of our testing, would be among those whose responses 
were to help and protect their fellow man.
  Soon after surviving the attempt on his life, President Trump said:

       In this moment, it is more important than ever that we 
     stand United and show our True Character as Americans.

  That is a call that we should all heed. That doesn't mean, of course, 
that our disagreements suddenly disappear, but it does mean that we 
recognize and remember that most Americans, regardless of where they 
land politically, want what is best for the country's future, and I 
hope that out of this tragedy can come a renewed sense of what unites 
us.
  Amid the outpouring of shock and concern after the attempted 
assassination, there were those who actually made remarks lamenting 
that President Trump wasn't killed, and it is disturbing that our 
discourse and our regard for the value of human life have deteriorated 
to such an extent that there would actually be people wishing bodily 
harm on a political candidate simply because they don't like his 
politics. In the midst of our real and valid disagreements, I hope we 
can remember the people beneath the politics and emerge with a greater 
respect for our fellow Americans.
  My thoughts and prayers continue to be with those injured on July 13 
and with the families of the injured and deceased, and I pray--I pray--
that the events in Butler, PA, will never be repeated.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.