[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 56 (Thursday, March 27, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1891-S1892]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                 Unanimous Consent Request--S. Res. 42

  Mr. President, so I would ask the Senator to modify her request to 
add the following: that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged 
from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 42, a 
resolution condemning the pardons for individuals who were found guilty 
of assaulting Capitol Police officers, that the resolution be agreed 
to, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the 
table.
  If we agree to move forward on this unanimous consent, I think we can 
move forward on the Senator's request as well.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Moreno). Is there objection to the 
modification?
  Mrs. BLACKBURN. I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard.
  Is there an objection to the original request?
  Mr. MURPHY. Mr. President, there is.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, to speak on my objection, I think it 
is important to note that the resolution I presented does not mention 
Elon Musk. The ``Resolved'' title in this--and by the way, it is really 
short is that the Senate condemns the horrific acts of violence, arson, 
and domestic terrorism committed against electric vehicles, car 
dealerships, and charging stations across the United States.

  Now, for years, my Democratic colleagues have come to the floor and 
supported EVs. Just last year, my colleague from Connecticut claimed, 
and I quote him, ``if we want to cut emissions and save the planet, we 
need more electric cars on the road.''
  And as domestic terrorists target the largest EV company in the 
world, they refuse to condemn the violent actions. And in the past, he 
has also condemned vandalism and political violence.
  Now, as BLM rioters rampaged through American cities in the summer of 
2020, he posted on X that ``Looting and property damage is bad.''
  He deleted that post, but I will give him credit, his sentiment was 
right. And after an assassin's bullet almost took the life of then-
Candidate Trump, he said:

       There is no room in America for political violence.

  He was right on that quote. And as we see a wave of political 
violence in our country today, Democrats should have no problem 
condemning it.
  Now, to the resolution from my colleague in Washington, I find it 
interesting that they want to talk about lawlessness. For years, they 
pushed policies that weaken law enforcement and promote crime.
  As BLM rioters rampaged through Seattle in 2020, my colleague called 
on the Department of Homeland Security to remove Federal agents from 
the city who were trying to quell the unrest.
  The U.S. Senate should be able to stand up to violence and support 
law and order. And today, they are stopping us from doing that.
  And when it comes to pardons, I think we should talk about pardons. 
In his final weeks in office, President Biden abused his pardon power 
to protect family members, free violent criminals, and make our country 
less safe.
  For years, President Biden claimed he would not pardon his son 
Hunter; yet, in December, Biden gave him an unconditional pardon for 
any Federal crimes he may have committed over the course of a decade.
  Such an abuse of Presidential pardon power has never happened in our 
Nation's history. Just months before, Hunter had been convicted of 
Federal gun crimes and tax offenses totaling $1.4 million. At the same 
time, evidence continued to mount that Hunter sold access to his father 
in foreign countries, including China and Russia. This was a 
multimillion-dollar influence peddling scheme and a Biden family 
affair.
  That is why just minutes before leaving office, the former President 
also pardoned his siblings and their spouses. They joined more than 
8,000 people who received pardons and commutations from Joe Biden, 
including many violent criminals and murderers.
  With one foot out the door, before leaving office, he commuted the 
death sentences of 37 of the 40 men on Federal death row, including--
get this--Thomas Sanders, who kidnapped and then shot a 12-year-old 
girl, and he cut her throat. That is who Joe Biden decided to commute a 
sentence on. Anthony Battle, who murdered an Atlanta prison guard with 
a hammer in 1994 while serving a life sentence for raping and murdering 
his wife. And Kaboni Savage, who was convicted of committing and 
ordering the deaths of not 1 person or 2, 12 people--12 people, 
including 4 little children.
  If we should be condemning any pardons, we should start with violent 
criminals. To be clear, Senate Republicans strongly oppose any 
violence, especially toward our Nation's brave law enforcement. Our 
resolution states that all acts of violence are entirely unacceptable 
in the United States. I would encourage my colleagues to join me in 
passing this resolution. Instead, they have decided to play games with 
a sham counter resolution.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I have been unequivocal in saying: In 
this country, we use our voices and our votes--not violence--to 
advocate for change. I have said it many times. I will say it many 
times more. And I say it today.
  But you are sorely mistaken if you think I am going to sit here feet 
away from our Capitol Police officers and let the Senate say we stand 
by the richest men on the planet before saying we stand by the men and 
women who keep us safe every single day.
  Where is the solidarity for our officers here? And where, by the way, 
is the plaque that Congress passed into law honoring their sacrifice on 
January 6?
  Do I have to march down to Speaker Johnson's office, put it up on my 
own? You can hang it on my door. You just bring up the plaque; I will 
go get the nails and do it myself because I am not going to let anyone 
ever erase this history, and I am not going to let them paper it over 
with outrage on behalf of the richest man in the world.
  I have no problem condemning violence. I will do that any day of the 
week. I condemn attacks on our car owners and salespeople. I condemn 
destroying other people's personal property. This is not a new position 
for me. But you will have to excuse me if I don't take some Republicans 
seriously when they make this big show about law and order at the same 
time they are letting this President stab law enforcement in the back. 
I am not going to let Republicans get by selling a charade not weeks 
after they voted to freeze funding levels for law enforcement in a 
bill--
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Your time is expired.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask for 3 additional minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mrs. MURRAY. I am not going to let some Republicans get by selling a 
charade not weeks after they voted to freeze funding levels for law 
enforcement in a bill where House Republicans slashed DC's budget for 
police officers; not months after Trump tried to halt COPS grants and 
many Republicans

[[Page S1892]]

didn't breathe a word about it; not when Trump is still in the middle 
of firing just about as many Federal law enforcement workers as he can 
get away with; and certainly not when some of my Republican colleagues 
are still ignoring how our lawless President continues to champion the 
very people who attacked our Capitol Police.
  Just this week, mere days ago, President Trump speculated about 
compensating people who committed crimes on January 6, about rewarding 
their violence with taxpayer dollars. Where is that outrage? Where is 
the condemnation? What are some of you waiting for?
  Don't you try for a single second to say: Oh, he is not talking about 
the violent ones. You all know better. We know better. Remember when 
you tried to say that about pardons? Remember how that worked out? 
Trump pardoned people who violently attacked police. They are back on 
the streets--except for the ones who already committed new crimes.
  I don't know how my colleagues keep forgetting what happened on 
January 6. I don't know how on Earth it is not burned into their 
memories. But President Trump is talking about people who attacked this 
building, our offices, our staff, our democracy. He is talking about 
people who smashed windows in that we walk by every day, people who 
brought bats and weapons to the halls where we meet our constituents, 
people who beat the Capitol Police who keep us safe every day, the 
Capitol Police who are standing guard even now, who sit right outside 
this Chamber.
  These are violent criminals, and President Trump is talking about 
them like heroes. He wants us to write them a check. Over my dead body, 
Mr. President. And I am going to say it again and again.
  Unlike some of my Republican colleagues, I will say the same for the 
people who burn Teslas and for the people who smash windows here at the 
Capitol.
  I am tired of watching this. I know our constituents are. We need to 
demand that Speaker Johnson hang that plaque that he--
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time is expired.
  Mrs. MURRAY. It is not too much to ask, and I hope this body 
recognizes that violence is violence, and we should condemn the attacks 
on January 6.
  I yield the floor.