[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 4, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S575-S577]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Trump Executive Orders
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, last week, I came to the floor to talk
about the chaos that has been created by the announced proposed freeze
on Federal funding and loans. I want to share a few stories about what
I have seen and heard since I spoke on the floor last week.
Sharpsburg is near my home town of Springfield, IL. It has a water
system in Christian County. It is in phase 3 of construction of a rural
water project. It contains 18 miles of pipeline providing water to 50
new rural customers. The work is underway. The project is nearly
complete, and it will be in jeopardy if there is a freeze permitted to
take effect.
What does it mean? It means that these 50 homes and families will be
without clean, safe, and affordable water. That is unacceptable.
The freeze also means that scientists at universities across the
State are worried about their jobs and research. Parents of children
with disabilities are worried about losing resources for their kids.
Adults are worried about losing access to healthcare and social
services.
Since then, not one but two judges have issued temporary restraining
orders blocking President Trump's measure. As of yesterday evening,
that pause has been extended.
But let me remind you: This freeze is unconstitutional. The
Constitution gives the power to Congress, not to the President--the
power of the purse--and the President has no legal authority to
withhold funding that was signed into law for Americans on a bipartisan
basis.
In the 1970s, former President Nixon tried to impound or withhold
funding appropriated by Congress, and, in response, Congress passed the
Impoundment Control Act of 1974, or the ICA. The ICA is still the law
of the land, and it prohibits Presidents from withholding funds unless
Congress approves the decision through outlined procedures.
But consider this: The current administration, apparently, does not
care. The President and his people are ignoring the law, creating chaos
in hopes that amidst the confusion, some part of his power grab will
stick. He is testing the limits of how much he can chip away at our
system of checks and balances.
There are reports that unelected Elon Musk and his ``government
efficiency team'' now have access to the payment systems of the U.S.
Treasury, which is essentially the checkbook of the entire Federal
Government. Elon Musk tweeted to say he is planning to cut $4 billion
in Federal spending every single day from now to September 30--$4
billion a day.
I am appalled to see so many of my Senate Republican colleagues
falling in line as President Trump and Mr. Musk attempt to strip
Congress of our constitutional authorities and cause this kind of pain
to our constituents. I am disappointed to see so many of my Republican
colleagues vote to advance the nomination of President Trump's pick to
run the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought. If this
funding stunt is any indication, he is not fit to run that office.
The damage from the freeze extends beyond our shores. Bipartisan,
congressionally appropriated funds to provide lifesaving humanitarian
aid and freedom in places like Venezuela, Iran, and North Korea have
been ground to a halt. For example, programs like PEPFAR, started by
President George W. Bush--and I give him credit for that--with the
support of the evangelical community and its partner, the Global Fund,
have dramatically curtailed the AIDS epidemic ravaging parts of the
world. The program has saved more than 25 million lives. It has been so
effective that some have forgotten just how devastating AIDS happened
to be in that part of the world, killing more than 2 million a year
globally and leaving 14 million--14 million--orphans in sub-Saharan
Africa.
Further, USAID clean water and sanitation programs have provided more
than 70 million people with first-time sustainable access to clean
water in the last decade--programs that have a 6-to-1 return in dollars
saved in health, economic, and educational returns.
Low-cost vaccination programs eradicated smallpox and almost
eradicated polio from the face of the Earth--something that was
unimaginable just a generation ago. Food grown by American farmers
helps save millions of lives when war and natural disasters strike.
Gutting such programs puts innocent lives and American influence across
the globe at risk. It is senseless, counterproductive, ill-informed,
and increases the likelihood of costlier interventions that don't
respect borders, including pandemics, war, and failed states.
The United States cannot and should not stand alone in the world. We
are a global leader, and we have an obligation to continue to act like
it.
But over the weekend, in what sounded like a dystopian story from an
otherworldly dictatorship, the Trump administration and Elon Musk tried
to shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development without
congressional approval. Try to imagine that disgraceful scene, as one
of the world's richest men gleefully guts programs for some of the
world's poorest people.
And don't be fooled--this isn't about reform, and the U.S. budget
deficit won't be solved by gutting USAID. The foreign assistance budget
is only 1 percent of our Federal spending--a small, powerful investment
that is not only the right thing to do but the smart thing to do to
prevent conflict and famine and failed states as well as to build
alliances and friends around the world. Gutting such programs is a
betrayal of American values.
Already, nations like China sense a strategic opportunity under
President Trump. When these programs go away, the Chinese will step in.
Are Republicans going to roll over and cede congressional power on
these bipartisan programs? I sincerely hope not.
There is a lot at stake in the first few weeks of this new
administration. I want to give the President a chance to show his
values, but so far, I have to tell you, there is a lot of
disappointment. This temporary freeze hurt a lot of innocent people,
and this notion now of shutting down USAID--I can't imagine Elon Musk
would have it on his conscience that so many helpless people would lose
the basics of life for his budget plan. He wasn't elected to anything,
and I think we should return to the Constitution, which still guides us
today and should.
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. SANDERS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, today, we find ourselves in a pivotal
moment in American history, and millions of Americans, by their actions
or lack of action, will determine the future of our country for
decades.
In my view, the Trump administration is moving this country very
aggressively into an oligarchic form of society where extraordinary
power rests in the hands of a small number of unelected
multibillionaires. The Trump administration is moving this country very
aggressively into an authoritarian society, where the rule of law and
our Constitution are being ignored and undermined in order to give more
power to the White House and the billionaires who now control our
government. The Trump administration is moving this country very
rapidly toward a kleptocracy, where the function of government is not
to serve the needs of ordinary people but to enrich those who are in
power.
Mr. President, I think that today is a very good day to recall what
one of our great Presidents said at Gettysburg in November of 1863.
Looking out at a battlefield where thousands of Union soldiers had just
sacrificed their lives in the defense of freedom and the ending of
slavery, Abraham Lincoln famously stated:
The world will little note, nor long remember what we say
here, but it can never forget what they did--
The soldiers did--
here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here
to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus
far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here
dedicated to the great task remaining before us--
[[Page S576]]
The great task remaining before us.
--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion
to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of
devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall
not have died in vain--
And this is how he concluded--
That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of
freedom--and that government of the people, by the people,
for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
``Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not
perish from the earth''--I fear very much that under President Trump we
are not seeing a ``government of the people, by the people, for the
people,'' but rather a government of the billionaire class, by the
billionaire class, and for the billionaire class.
And what is really interesting is that none of this is happening
behind closed doors. It is not being done in secret. It is right out
there for everybody to see.
Several weeks ago, Donald Trump was inaugurated for a second term as
President. Standing right behind him were the three richest men in
America: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg.
Combined, these three men are worth $920 billion. These three men own
more wealth than the bottom half of American society, 170 million
people--three guys, 170 million people. And I should point out--and
this should tell you exactly where we are going as a nation--these
three men, the wealthiest three in America, have become some $232
billion richer since Trump was elected, a few weeks ago--three guys,
$232 billion richer since Trump was elected.
This is how an oligarchic system works. Elon Musk, the wealthiest
person in the world and now a key part of the Trump administration,
spent over $277 million to get Trump elected. In other words, within a
corrupt campaign finance system, which allows billionaires to spend as
much as they want, he helped buy the election for Mr. Trump.
Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg, the second and third wealthiest
people in our country, both kicked a million dollars each into Trump's
inauguration fund. And let us remember that Mr. Bezos who, among other
things, owns the Washington Post, rescinded the endorsement of that
paper for Kamala Harris just before the election.
Mr. Bezos was showing early on that he was willing to bend the knee
for Donald Trump. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Meta, which
owns Facebook and Instagram, agreed to settle a lawsuit with Trump for
$25 million.
These three multibillionaires are working with Trump for one very
simple reason: They understand that Trump's policies are designed to
make the very wealthiest people in this country even richer.
Since Trump's election, Mr. Musk has become $154 billion richer--not
bad in a couple of weeks' time. He earned a great investment. He only
spent a couple of hundred million on the election, and now he is $154
billion richer.
Mr. Bezos has become $35 billion richer, and Mr. Zuckerberg has
become $43 billion richer.
I am concerned not only about the growing movement toward oligarchy
in this country, but I am deeply worried that, under the leadership of
President Trump, we are moving rapidly toward authoritarianism.
All over this country, people are alarmed and shocked by what they
have seen in the last several weeks.
Just a few examples--just a few: Last week, President Trump attempted
to suspend all Federal grants and loans, in direct violation of the
U.S. Constitution and Federal law.
As every third grader in America knows--or I hope knows--the power of
the purse in the United States belongs to Congress, not the President.
Yes, the President can recommend legislation to Congress. The President
can veto legislation Congress has passed. But he does not have the
power to unilaterally terminate funding and legislation that has been
passed by the U.S. Congress. That is a dangerous and blatantly
unconstitutional act.
And I should add that Trump's blocking of Federal funding would have
had a horrific impact on millions of Americans who utilize programs
like Medicaid, Head Start, community health centers, Meals on Wheels,
homeless veterans programs, and many, many other initiatives. Tens of
millions of Americans, including some of the most vulnerable in our
country, were impacted by that decision.
But that is not all.
A few days ago, Trump fired 17 inspectors general, independent
government watchdogs that were created by Congress in the wake of the
Watergate scandal to prevent the abuse of power by the executive
branch.
Last week, President Trump fired a member of the National Labor
Relations Board, and in so doing, effectively neutered the only Federal
Agency in America with the authority to hold corporations accountable
for illegal union busting and to protect the constitutional right of
millions of workers who want to join unions in order to earn better
wages, working conditions, and benefits. Not only is that move
blatantly illegal, it is exactly what Elon Musk, the owner of Tesla,
and Jeff Bezos, the owner of Amazon, have been fighting for months.
They don't like unions, and what Mr. Trump has given them is the
opportunity to make it much, much harder for workers to organize in
their companies.
President Trump also illegally fired members of the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission, the only independent Commission in our country
that protects workers against discrimination in the workforce.
Further, and what should upset every American--no matter whether you
are conservative, moderate, or progressive--is that, in direct
violation of the Constitution and Federal law, Trump is intimidating
the media, with lawsuits against ABC, CBS, Meta, and the Des Moines
Register. His FCC is now threatening to investigate PBS and NPR. What
Trump is essentially saying to every media outlet in America: If you
say or do anything that is critical of me, that displeases me, you may
be subject to a lawsuit or a Federal investigation.
If that is not a direct attack on the First Amendment, on the U.S.
Constitution, and on free speech in our country, I don't know what is.
But that is not all.
Elon Musk and his unelected minions at DOGE have forced out officials
at the Treasury Department and illegally shut down USAID, a program
which, among other things, helps feed and provide medical help to
starving and desperate children all over the world.
Presidents, much less unelected billionaires, do not have the
unilateral right to shut down Federal Agencies established by Congress.
And when we talk about the very dangerous movement toward
authoritarianism that we are seeing in this country now, let us not
forget Trump's pardoning of the January 6 insurrectionists who injured
174 police officers right here, right outside this floor. Even worse,
not only did he pardon those people, but Trump is undermining the FBI
by actually investigating the agents there who helped bring these
violent criminals to justice. Imagine that, pardoning the people who
broke the law and investigating the people who upheld the law. That is
not what America is supposed to be about.
And under Trump we are rapidly moving toward a kleptocracy as well.
Just before the President was inaugurated, he and his wife launched
their own cryptocurrency coins, giving them the potential to earn many
billions of dollars.
If Wall Street CEOs tried to bribe the President with a bag full of
money, that would be illegal; that is against the law. But now they
don't have to do that. Today, if a multibillionaire or the head of a
foreign country wants to curry favor with the President, all they have
to do is buy his cryptocurrency coins; and when they do that, they are
directly enriching Mr. Trump.
So the question that millions of Americans are asking is, given the
move toward oligarchy, given the move toward authoritarianism, given
the movement toward kleptocracy, where do we go from here? What should
we, as Americans, be doing?
Let me tell you what I think and what most Americans think; and that
is, instead of moving toward an economy which is designed to benefit
the very richest people in our country, we have got to create an
economy and a government that works for all of us, not just for Mr.
Musk or Mr. Bezos or Mr. Zuckerberg.
[[Page S577]]
At a time of massive wealth and income inequality, we have never had
more income and wealth inequality than we have had right now. It is
beyond stupidity to provide more tax breaks to the very richest people
in our country and then to pay for those tax breaks by cutting back on
Medicaid and other programs desperately needed by working families all
across this country. That is what we should not be doing.
But let me take a moment to tell you what we should be doing. At a
time when 85 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured in our
broken healthcare system, we have got to do what every other major
country on Earth does, and that is guarantee healthcare to all people
as a human right, not a privilege. That is what we have got to do.
At a time when one out of four Americans cannot afford the
outrageously high prices that the pharmaceutical industry charges, we
have got to end the absurdity of the American people paying by far the
highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. We have got to cut
the cost of medicine in this country in half, making it comparable with
what the rest of the world is paying.
The Federal minimum wage today is $7.25 an hour. That is a starvation
wage. While 60 percent of our people--60 percent of Americans--live
paycheck to paycheck, we must raise that minimum wage to a living wage,
at least $17 an hour. If you work 40 hours a week in the richest
country on Earth, you should not be living in poverty.
Mr. Musk and Mr. Bezos want to make it harder for workers to join
unions. Well, we have got to do exactly the opposite: Make it easier
for workers to join unions by passing the PRO Act.
At a time when we need the best educated workforce in the world, we
need to have the best public schools in the world, and, among other
things, that means we need to substantially raise teachers' salaries.
We need to attract the best and the brightest young people into
education, and we do that, among other things, by making sure that no
teacher in America earns less than $60,000 a year. We also radically
reform our broken childcare system so the little kids in this country
get the quality care they need and the workers there are adequately
compensated.
All over this country, from Vermont to L.A., we have a major housing
crisis, and it is not just the 800,000 Americans who are homeless; it
is millions of working families who are spending 40, 50, or 60 percent
of their limited incomes on housing.
Instead of spending almost $1 trillion a year on a wasteful and
bloated Pentagon budget, we have to build millions of units of low-
income and affordable housing. When we do that, we put large numbers of
American workers to work at good-paying, union jobs.
I have heard time and again from Mr. Trump's supporters that the
President won the election and he has been given this huge mandate--
just an overwhelming mandate--to do whatever he wants. Well, no
President has the right to move us to oligarchy or authoritarianism or
kleptocracy. But more important, let's not forget that while Trump did
win this election, he actually received 4 million fewer votes than
Biden did in 2020 when Biden won the election.
So here we are. Where do we go? What do we do? I think now is the
time for the American people to come together, to not allow those who
want to divide us up by the color of our skin or our sexual orientation
or where we were born--that is what they want to do. They want to
divide us up. Now is the time for us to come together like never before
and make certain we do not move toward oligarchy, make certain we do
not move toward authoritarianism or a kleptocracy.
Most important, in the richest country in the history of the world,
we must understand that we have the capability of providing a decent
life for all of our people. We can do that when we stand together and
we don't let folks divide us.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Moreno). The Senator from Iowa.