[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 179 (Tuesday, October 28, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7757-S7764]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
______
CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS AND EXTENSIONS ACT, 2026--Motion to Proceed
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 168, H.R.
5371.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the motion.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
Motion to proceed to Calendar No. 168, H.R. 5371, a bill
making continuing appropriations and extensions for fiscal
year 2026, and for other purposes.
Government Funding
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, this is a quote:
The path forward for Congress is clear: Reopen the
government immediately under a clean continuing resolution
that allows continued debate on larger issues.
That is from the president of the American Federation of Government
Employees--a labor union, I would add, most often aligned with
Democrats. But this is what AFGE's president says:
It's time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end
this shutdown today.
I couldn't have said it better myself, and actually I have been
saying that for about a month now.
[[Page S7758]]
The far-left activists wanted a showdown with President Trump, and so
Democrats have shut down the government and have forced hard-working
Americans to live in uncertainty for 4 weeks--4 weeks and counting.
Even as nutrition programs are running out of money and Federal
workers are lining up at food banks, Democrats continue--continue--to
reject every opportunity to end the shutdown or mitigate its pain. They
now blocked a clean, nonpartisan continuing resolution 12 times--12
times. A clean resolution is sitting right there to open up the
government, get everybody paid, get Federal employees back to work.
That thing sitting at the desk that funds the government doesn't have a
single new Republican policy in it. It doesn't have a single partisan
policy rider. It simply extends current government funding.
But Democrats have said no to that now 12 times. We offered them a
chance to continue the bipartisan appropriations process starting with
the Defense appropriations bill, a bill that passed out of the
committee by a big bipartisan vote of 26 to 3. But Democrats said no to
that too. They didn't want to lose leverage in a shutdown. Then, last
week, we offered up a bill to pay any Federal employee who is working
during the shutdown, including everybody here. Once again, Democrats
said no.
I don't know what Democrats are holding out for. Do Democrats think
that we are suddenly going to vote for their partisan CR, which, by the
way, would spend an additional $1.5 trillion to keep the government
open until the end of this week. That is their alternative--$1.5
trillion to keep the government open until Friday. That is their
alternative. It wouldn't pass here; it can't pass in the House; and it
wouldn't be signed into law by the President.
Our bill, on the other hand, passed the House a month ago. It has
been sitting here for an entire month and would be signed by the
President immediately to reopen the government.
I have to say, this wasn't my plan for the month of October. A
government shutdown may have been what Democrats had in mind to show
the far left that they are fighting President Trump and get some cheers
at the No Kings rally. That wasn't my plan. My plan was to get the
government funded with as little drama as possible. That is why
Republicans put forward a clean continuing resolution, no partisan
policies, nothing new. Who could possibly have a problem with that? It
would give us more time to continue progress on full-year
appropriations bills, the way we are supposed to fund the government.
I realize that would be out of the ordinary, given the past few years
under the Democratic majority and Leader Schumer. But I was clear from
the day I took office, I want to do things differently around here. My
goal was to have an open process conducted through regular order,
something that I think is in the best interest of this institution and
of all Senators, both sides of the aisle. I know I was not alone in
wanting an open process.
Until Democrats derailed everything, we had actually made a lot of
progress on restoring regular order this year. We passed three
bipartisan appropriations bills before the August recess, the first
time the Senate had done that since 2018. Now we are trying to go to
conference on those three bills to reach a final agreement with the
House, and the Democrats are blocking that. That includes the
Agriculture bill that funds farm programs and nutritional assistance,
the Military Construction and VA bill that funds programs that veterans
rely on.
As I said, we tried to bring up the Defense appropriations bill this
month in hopes that if Democrats wouldn't agree to fund the entire
government, we could, at least, make some progress on this critical
aspect of it.
I told my Democrat colleagues at the time, if we got on that bill, we
would work to add other bipartisan bills, the same way we did it just a
few months ago. But once again, Democrats said no--no to funding
programs they claim they support, no to an open process, no to
bipartisanship. Time and again, we heard the Democratic leader lecture
about bipartisanship. So why is his caucus blocking progress on
bipartisan appropriations bills? Why are Democrats blocking bills that
they helped write in the Appropriations Committee where these bills are
passing with overwhelming bipartisan margins, as I said, 26 to 3? Why
are they upending a bipartisan process that benefits all Senators on
both sides of the aisle?
The senior Senator from Hawaii said recently:
We still have hope for the appropriations process. There's
a bipartisan desire to get something done and avoid a full-
year continuing resolution.
All I can say in response is if Democrats still have hope for the
appropriations process, they need to start acting like it. We are
running out of time. Every day Democrats say no to reopening the
government is another day lost.
We have given Democrats a lot of opportunities to work in the best
interest of the American people. But Democrats seem more interested in
getting the upper hand in their partisan games. The No. 2 Democrat in
the House said last week:
I mean, shutdowns are terrible and, of course, there will
be, you know, families that are going to suffer . . . but it
is one of the few leverage times we have.
``Of course there will be families that are going to suffer . . . but
it is one of the few leverage times we have.'' That from the second
ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives. I think it describes
where we are at. Sure, people are suffering, but Democrats need their
leverage.
Are they serious?
Mr. President, I end as I began, quoting the president of a major
labor union and a Democrat ally:
The path forward for Congress is clear: Reopen the
government immediately under a clean continuing resolution
that allows continued debate on larger issues.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Recognition of the Minority Leader
The Democratic leader is recognized.
Government Funding
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, open enrollment is now 4 days away, and
Republicans do not even want to talk about fixing healthcare.
Americans are on the brink of a healthcare crisis unlike we have seen
in our lifetimes. Never before have we been in a situation where more
than 20 million Americans can see their insurance premiums more than
double, on average, in the blink of an eye. That is just the average
because for many people it is worse.
Yesterday, the State of New Jersey also announced the average New
Jersey family would see premium hikes of 175 percent--175 percent. In
Upstate New York, the average family with a plan costing $280 a month
today is about to pay $1,700 a month for the same plan next year, a
500-percent hike, and that starts this Saturday with open enrollment.
This crisis will be felt in every community and by nearly every
single household, red, blue, purple, and everything in between. So
tonight, Senate Democrats will come to the floor and warn our
Republican colleagues and the Nation of the devastation Republicans are
causing by doing nothing--nothing--on healthcare. We will highlight the
impacts of surging premiums on families. We will share the stories we
are hearing right now from people scared of premium hikes. I thank my
colleagues for coming to the floor and speaking on this urgent--
urgent--issue.
We are in a healthcare crisis, and Republicans don't even want to
talk about how to fix it. The President isn't even in town as Americans
are about to be devastated by the bills they will receive on
healthcare. The President is on the other side of the world instead of
being here in Washington working with Congress to lower healthcare
premiums. When the President is in town, what is he focused on? Instead
of being focused on fixing healthcare, Donald Trump is sending $40
billion to Argentina, spending $300 million on his ballroom, and giving
Kristi Noem $170 million for two big private luxury jets.
Meanwhile, millions of hungry kids and working families are about to
lose SNAP benefits to buy food because Donald Trump has ordered the
Department of Agriculture to rip up its own
[[Page S7759]]
contingency plan. Isn't that a disgrace, using hungry kids, hungry
parents, hungry veterans as hostages? It is cruel.
Let's be clear about the facts. There is somewhere around $5 billion
in emergency funds that could be used right now to ensure parents and
kids don't go hungry when SNAP runs out this Saturday. The USDA said
weeks ago that contingency funds were ``available to fund participant
benefits.'' That is the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Trump's own
Cabinet position. But now, they reversed course and literally wiped
their plan from their own website because Donald Trump has ordered them
not to use this funding. Donald Trump should reverse course immediately
and allow these emergency funds to go through to spare working families
from hunger and needless suffering.
What the administration is doing in ordering the U.S. Department of
Agriculture not to use emergency funds to keep SNAP afloat is an act of
cruelty--cruelty. The same administration that gifted Argentina a $40
billion bailout and cut taxes for billionaires by $1 trillion is now
telling hungry kids: You are on your own.
And what about Republicans in Congress? Today, Leader Thune will
force yet another vote on a Republican CR that has zero bipartisan
input. It is a partisan bill, and most importantly, it does nothing to
solve the ACA crisis.
Just now, here on the floor, the Republican leader seemed perplexed
about what precisely it is that Democrats are pushing for. He knows
damned well what Democrats want. It is the very same thing that a vast
majority of Americans want, including nearly 60 percent of MAGA voters.
We want lower healthcare costs now. We want to solve the ACA premium
crisis now. Open enrollment is just days away. We want lower costs,
better healthcare, and to reopen the government.
Let me repeat again what Democrats want so that the Republican leader
can hear it. We want lower healthcare costs, to fix the ACA premium
crisis, and to reopen the government.
We Democrats have been calling on Republican leaders to sit down with
us and negotiate and address this crisis since the summer, but even
now, Leader Thune insists we should fix ACA premiums later, not right
away. This is not good enough for the American people because Americans
know that when it comes to healthcare, when Republicans say ``later,''
they mean ``never.''
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has become a ghost town. It
has been 39 days since Members of Congress have shown up for work. We
all know what is going on here: Speaker Johnson is simply afraid to
bring the House back because the minute he does, a good number of House
Republicans will start saying exactly what many of us are calling for--
that we need to address the ACA premium crisis as soon as we can. The
Speaker is so afraid of exposing divisions within his own conference
that he has unilaterally shut down one half of the legislative branch
of government.
To sum it all up, we are just days away from a healthcare crisis
unlike any we have ever seen, and Republicans from the Senate, to the
House, to the White House are dithering about. Republicans are the
party in charge. They hold the White House and both Chambers in
Congress. Americans know that. They know the onus is on the majority
party to govern and to work with the other side to get things done. But
today, Americans look at this Republican Party and see a majority
refusing to do its job. It is no surprise that Americans primarily hold
the Republicans responsible for this disastrous shutdown.
So I will say it once again: Republicans need to get serious about
ending this shutdown and ending the ACA crisis that has now become a
reality for millions of people. They need to get serious. If Donald
Trump continues to ignore the ticking time bomb that is ACA premiums,
the American people will hold him responsible when disaster strikes.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Waiving Quorum Calls
Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to waive the
mandatory quorum calls with respect to cloture on the Pratt and LaCour,
Jr., nominations.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Government Funding
Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, today marks day 28 of the Schumer
shutdown of the U.S. Government. Democrats continue to block a clean
continuing resolution that would reopen the government. For them, it is
a big game, and for the American people, they continue to suffer.
So listen to his own words. Listen to what Senator Schumer said, what
he gloated to the press. He said:
Every day gets better for us.
I have got to wonder who the ``us'' is because it is not the American
people.
Then, just last week, the Democrat whip in the House of
Representatives said to the press, in an interview that was broadcast
on television--proudly proclaimed, it looked like:
Of course, there will be families that are going to suffer.
. . . But it is one of the few leverage times we have.
Leverage?
The Democrats are playing the politics of pain, and the American
people are the ones who are suffering. It is wrong. It is heartless. It
is mean.
Leverage for what--taxpayer giveaways of healthcare, funded by the
taxpayers, to illegal immigrants who stormed into this country in the
last administration? Is that why they are shutting down the government?
Leverage for that? Leverage for $1.5 trillion in new spending?
Leverage so they can eliminate the one thing that we passed this
summer to help our rural hospitals--$50 billion for rural hospitals,
remote hospitals like those that we have all across the country? They
want to get rid of that? Leverage for that?
Leverage so they can continue to suck up to the far-left, radical
wing of their party they are trying to impress? That is not good for
our country. It is not good for healthcare. It is not good for
anything.
I am a doctor. I have practiced medicine in Wyoming for 24 years. I
want Americans to have high-quality, affordable healthcare. That is
what we want for American citizens, but right now, that is impossible
because American healthcare is broken. The Democrats broke it. They
broke it when they passed ObamaCare. The day they passed ObamaCare,
they broke healthcare in America.
The headline in the Sunday New York Times proves the point in its
first three words: ``ObamaCare is pricey.''
That is what they have done.
They said: Oh, we want to lower the cost of care.
They didn't. They misnamed it and put the word ``affordable'' in it,
but there is nothing affordable about it. ObamaCare has been pricey
from the beginning, and it is getting worse.
The Washington Post's editorial page agrees. They wrote recently:
The real problem is that the Affordable Care Act was never
actually affordable.
That is the Washington Post. They are right.
ObamaCare is a failed program. It has failed financially. The
Democrats created it, and they continue to defend the failure today.
The Democrats tried to prop up ObamaCare with very juicy subsidies to
try to hold down out-of-pocket costs. Then, when Joe Biden became
President, the Democrats added Biden COVID bonus payments on top of all
of the subsidies. These payments are an admission that ObamaCare's
flaws have only gotten worse.
Democrats voted twice to make these Biden COVID bonus payments
temporary. The first was scheduled to end in 2022, but they noted that
ObamaCare was still failing miserably, so they extended the payments
again. They extended them to the end of this year. Democrats set the
expiration date. Democrats created the cliff. Democrats created what
they are now referring to as a ``crisis.''
Remember, Democrats created ObamaCare, and they created these Biden
COVID bonus payments, and they did it without a single Republican
vote--not in the House, not in the Senate--not a single one.
[[Page S7760]]
These payments were always intended to be temporary--or so they
claimed. Democrats' own report that they wrote back then when they
passed it said they were to be applied ``during the public health
emergency.''
Today, Democrats are now demanding $350 billion in permanent, new
spending. Why? Because they need to prop up ObamaCare once again
because it has failed. When the Democrats say ``Fix it now,'' what they
are really saying is ``Prop up ObamaCare forever.'' It is wrong. COVID
is over. Democrats probably didn't see the memo. Maybe they don't
realize it is over. They are still trying to go after money for COVID.
Look, even after the Biden COVID bonus payments expire, the Federal
Government is still going to pay for 80 percent of the average
ObamaCare enrollee's premium because ObamaCare is pricey. That is what
the New York Times tells us. What is expiring now is this added cash
that Democrats paid insurers during the pandemic. Money didn't go to
private individuals. It didn't go to the citizens. It went to the
insurance companies. They won't tell you that either.
These Biden COVID bonus payments are riddled with waste, fraud,
abuse, and actual corruption. Democrats removed every income limit on
the subsidies, with no means testing whatsoever.
You hear Bernie Sanders come out to the floor and say: Oh, we can't
do this for millionaires and billionaires.
They did it for millionaires and billionaires. They removed the upper
limit. It is for anybody. The sky is the limit. No matter how much
money you make, no matter what is going on in your life, you get these
bonus payments for COVID through the Democrats, and they want to make
it permanent. It is absolutely wrong. It is ridiculous.
In 2024, 12 million people whom they enrolled in this program got
insurance that they never used. Since the subsidies flowed directly to
the insurance companies from the government, the insurers pocketed tens
of billions of dollars even though the enrollees did not make a single
claim. How does that happen?
Let me talk about some of the waste and some of the actual fraud and
manipulation that is going on, because in 29 States of our 50, more
people are claiming full benefits than are eligible for those benefits
in the State.
How did the Democrats allow that for the last 4 years? That is what
we are trying to take a look at and are saying: Mr. President, this is
wrong.
There were 6.4 million people under the Biden administration who were
improperly enrolled that year, and $27 billion was paid by hard-working
taxpayers for all of these people who were improperly enrolled. At
least 1.6 million people were doubly enrolled--enrolled in both
Medicaid and in ObamaCare--which, of course, is not allowed. It is
illegal. You can't do it. Democrats allowed it to happen anyway because
they don't care.
They have never shown they care. It is all a political game for them.
You heard it. You heard the whip in the House say: Oh, no; this gives
us leverage. You heard the minority leader here, Chuck Schumer, say
that every day gets better for them. Well, it doesn't get better for
the American people.
This isn't about making healthcare more affordable; this is a direct
theft of taxpayer money, and it is all to prop up a program that they
named after President Obama--ObamaCare--and it is a program that never
worked. Healthcare costs continue to go up, and ObamaCare has failed to
address that. As even the New York Times said on Sunday, ObamaCare is
pricey.
So what caused those prices to go up? Well, Democrats did, of course.
When the government pays any price, insurers can charge any price. It
is exactly what is happening today, and now it is the American families
who are paying their taxes who are paying the price.
Republicans will not allow Democrats to paper over the inadequacies
of ObamaCare. We want to get to the root cause of the cost of medical
care.
Democrats are protecting waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption. At the
same time, Federal workers are going unpaid. Enough is enough.
Even liberal labor unions are fed up with the Democrats' politics of
pain, and we have seen it. Finally, yesterday, the American Federation
of Government Employees urged Democrats to join Republicans and reopen
the government.
What exactly did they say?
They said:
Both political parties have made their point.
And then they went on to say:
It's time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end
this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship.
That is from the union that has, for years and years and years,
supported Democrat candidates across the board. They are saying: Do
what Republicans have been saying from the beginning. Pass a clean
continuing resolution.
Remember, they did it 13 times when Joe Biden was President, and now
they voted against it 13 times with Donald Trump in the White House.
It is a big political game for the Democrats. It is a dangerous game,
and the American people are suffering.
So are the Democrats going to listen to the union that represented
and worked with the Democrats to get them elected in the first place?
Well, we are going to find out.
Let me echo what Leader Thune said: Republicans are happy to address
ObamaCare's many failures, but, first, we need to reopen the
government.
There are not going to be negotiations while the government is
closed. We are not going to negotiate with hostage takers. We need to
reopen the government and then talk about all the things that people
want to talk about, because, right now, our troops and women, infants,
and children in the Women, Infants, and Children Program--they
shouldn't be used as leverage for Democrats to try to save their failed
programs.
Air traffic controllers, TSA agents, whom I talked to yesterday
coming from Wyoming to come back to Washington--they don't want to be
used as pawns. They don't want to be thought of as chips on the table
in a political game of leverage.
Chuck Schumer saying ``Every day gets better for us''--that is wrong.
The American people deserve better.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. WELCH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Trump Administration
Mr. WELCH. Mr. President, the President of the United States says
that the United States is at war. In the past 7 weeks, President Trump
has ordered U.S. forces to take military action to destroy 10 boats in
international waters. That has resulted in the death of more than 40
possible drug couriers.
President Trump has also told Congress he is determined that the
United States is at war with what he calls ``narcoterrorists.'' He has
also said that he is taking steps to escalate military action against
Venezuela and Colombia. And, of course, he is sending U.S. warships,
fighter planes, and special forces to their coasts. And he is also
openly tossing around threats of airstrikes against targets in the sea
and on land.
The questions before us, as the U.S. Senate, are clear, and they are
urgent: Are the President's actions steering the American people into
yet another undeclared war, and would it be legal for the President to
expand this war to the sovereign territories of countries in South
America, as he is now threatening to do?
The clear answer is no, that this President--no President--has the
legal authority, without congressional authorization, to take America
into military conflict.
There have been no credible legal experts who have defended the
President's actions, with one exception, and, of course, that is the
Attorney General, who has provided an opinion to the President--we are
told, but we have not seen--that what he is doing is legal.
That is without precedent. It is without precedent for the top legal
official in this country to give an opinion that it is legal to go to
war without congressional authorization. But it is
[[Page S7761]]
clearly the legal advice the President wanted and won't even share with
the Members of the U.S. Senate.
The President, of course, seems to be basing the legality of these
actions on the declaration that drug traffickers are terrorists. We all
hate what the drug traffickers do, but it is also based on that legal
opinion, the Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department, that we
are told gives legal cover for the President to do what is clearly
beyond the authority of the Chief Executive. We know nothing about that
opinion in this body, and all who have called for it to be released are
doing the right thing.
We know that under the U.S. Constitution, the President does not have
authority to start a war without congressional authorization. It is an
article I responsibility of the Congress of the United States, and
there is a reason for that, that is so very important.
If we are going to ask--with the authority of Congress and the
Executive--men and women to go to war on behalf of defending our
country, that profoundly important decision that is being made by
Congress but is putting in harm's way the men and women who serve in
the military, there should be a debate, and there should be a vote;
there should be responsibility, and there should be accountability.
And simply determination by the President that he is attacking a
group of what he calls terrorists--``narco-terrorists''--does not, by
itself, make it legal under the Constitution.
You know, some people may say: What is the big deal? These are bad
folks. Drugs are terrible.
We all agree with that, but it is not up to the President to
determine whether we go to war. It is up to Congress: Should we be
going to war with Venezuela?
All of us are on board, Republicans and Democrats, with the fight
against narcotics, illegal drugs, fentanyl, in particular, which mostly
enter the United States through Mexico and on the Pacific Ocean, and
are wreaking havoc on our communities.
It has happened in Vermont as well as West Virginia, Idaho, Florida,
Montana, and every other State. Our sons and daughters, mothers and
fathers are struggling with addiction and dying from overdose.
So yes, this is a very serious problem, and we should be doing far
more to deal with treating addiction in our own country, bolstering our
local police forces, our mental health resources, and working with
source countries to stop the production and transshipment of these
dangerous drugs.
This has not been a partisan issue. In fact, it was an issue where,
when I served in the House, there was a Republican and Democratic
collective action to provide treatment that is providing real-world
help in realtime to folks in your State and in mine.
But laws matter, and the Constitution matters. If the President does
want to start a war, if he wants to put America's troops in harm's way,
he needs to seek authorization from Congress.
As my colleagues and I know too well, the United States has a very
unfortunate history of wars--forever wars--started by Presidents who
misrepresented the facts; from the USS Maine incident used to justify
the war against Spain to the Gulf of Tonkin resolution incident to
justify the Vietnam war--60,000 young Americans killed--to President
Bush's stretching of the facts about Iraq's alleged weapons of mass
destruction to launch a disastrous forever war.
In each of these cases, majorities of our predecessors on this very
Senate floor abdicated their responsibility to question the President's
intentions and justifications for war.
That is why I hope that each of my colleagues--each of us here--will
join me in questioning the President's legal basis to carry out these
killings and to potentially launch attacks against one or more South
American countries. We should demand that Congress assert its
constitutional obligation to determine where and why the United States
goes to war.
You know, as I mentioned, we all hate the scourge of drugs. But why
are we spending billions of dollars in this effort in Venezuela while
at the same time taking funding away for treatment programs here at
home that actually have been proven effective to help the most
vulnerable Americans that are actually struggling with addiction to
fentanyl and other drugs?
The Department of Justice has also diverted thousands of Drug
Enforcement Administration funds and other law enforcement personnel
from their critical missions to carry out the President's immigration
agenda. Yet the Department has inexplicably shut down the Organized
Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force, which has been effective in
dismantling thousands of criminal organizations, and, unilaterally, the
administration has terminated hundreds of grants that do provide
critical funding to State and local law enforcement, folks on the
ground in the community helping folks who are struggling with addiction
and helping law enforcement get to the sellers of those terrible drugs.
In fact, the administration's fiscal year 2026 budget would slash the
High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program by more than a third from
$298 million to $196 million. And under the direction of Attorney
General Bondi, Federal drug prosecutions--I have no idea how this
happened--but Federal drug prosecutions have dropped to the lowest
level in decades, a fact I find shocking.
So when the President claims his new war is about protecting America
from drugs, it is a fair question: Why are we doing so little? Why are
we taking money away from treatment? Why are we taking money away from
high intensity drug enforcement? Why are we not prosecuting more,
instead prosecuting so much less?
It is up to the Senate to do its job. We have seen from history that
our failure to assert our constitutional responsibility to decide
whether to send our military to war has resulted in grievous suffering
for the American people and a weakening of our national security.
In asserting our responsibility, at the bare minimum, this U.S.
Senate should demand--should demand--to see Attorney General Bondi's
legal analysis that the President has used to justify his use of the
U.S. military to engage in these attacks.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sheehy). The Senator from Alabama.
Sharia Law
Mr. TUBERVILLE. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to talk
about two bills I recently introduced to shut down Sharia law in this
country. I ruffled some feathers a few weeks ago when I came to the
Senate floor to talk about what I believe is the greatest national
security threat facing the United States of America: radical Islam and
Sharia law.
The Democrats and the mainstream media, they have been coming after
me ever since I started talking about this subject. But after spending
40 years coaching, I don't really care what people think about me. I
love this country, and I want to save this country for our kids and our
grandkids.
I was back in Alabama, and I heard from countless Alabamans who told
me they are 100 percent behind what I am talking about. At the end of
the day, I work for the great people of Alabama and the great people of
this country, not the pearl-clutching media that is out there hammering
me every day.
Speaking of Alabama, I am proud that the Yellowhammer State banned
Sharia law a long time ago. For too long, people have been afraid to
call out radical Islam for what it is because if you dare--if you dare
to speak out--the left will come after you, your family, your
reputation, and your job. They will try to ruin your life just because
they disagree with you. That is how they play the game.
One of the radical left's go-to tactics is to accuse anyone--anyone--
who disagrees with them of being a racist, a bigot, or intolerant. They
tried that with me, calling me an Islamophobe for calling out the evils
of Islam. But there is only one problem with that strategy--one.
Radical Islam isn't a race; it is an ideology. It is a choice, and I
would argue it is a cult.
So, no, I am not an Islamophobe. If you want to peacefully practice
your religion, that is fine with me. That is what our Constitution
gives you the right to do. Our Constitution gives you that right, and
that is why we have millions--millions--of Christians, Jews, Mormons,
Hindus, Buddhists, and peaceful Muslims, who worship freely
[[Page S7762]]
in this great country of ours called the United States of America.
But if you come here, you are expected to assimilate into our country
and our values.
I recently saw a stat that absolutely shocked me. We have 42 million
people in this country that are on food stamps--42 million. You would
think these people are just Americans who have fallen on hard times,
which is whom the program is for. But a disproportionate amount of
these 42 million people are immigrants; 45 percent of Afghanistan
immigrants are on food stamps; 42 of the Somalian immigrants are on
food stamps; and 59 percent of all illegal aliens are collecting food
stamps--59 percent.
So, clearly, these people are not coming here and assimilating into
our American way of life by working hard and taking care of your
family--what an idea. They are coming here to mooch off the American
taxpayer. It is wrong, and we need to call it out.
But beyond the taxpayer concerns, this religion is also fundamentally
incompatible with our Western values, so wake up America.
The Quran instructs Islamists to fight Jews and Christians, along
with anyone else who doesn't believe in Allah. Simply put, radical
Islam teaches that it is righteous to kill Christians. It is righteous.
There is no peaceful coexistence with this type of people, none.
Just look at the Middle East and North Africa, where Christians and
Jews are being slaughtered by the thousands.
Where is our media? Where are they at?
More than 7,000 Christians have been slaughtered by radical Muslims
in Nigeria so far this year--7,000. That is 35 people that have been
killed every day this year.
Where is the mainstream media? How come they are not talking about
that?
Radical Islam demands complete obedience--complete, 100 percent--and
will kill you if you dare to speak out against their beliefs and
ideologies.
This isn't anything new. Muslims have been fighting to wipe out
Christians and Jews for centuries. But now the problem isn't just
confined to the faraway Middle East. It is happening right here in our
backyard, in the 50 States.
We are already seeing cities in Michigan and Minnesota being taken
over by Sharia law. In Dearborn, MI, a Christian pastor recently
protested after a street was named after a radical Islamic terrorist.
The pastor just complained about it. In response, the Muslim mayor of
Dearborn told the pastor that he is no longer welcome in the town and
will celebrate the day he leaves.
Think about that. A Christian pastor is being silenced here in
America for objecting to a taxpayer-funded road being named after a
terrorist.
We are losing.
Or take what has been happening in Minneapolis, MN, which has seen a
massive influx of Somalians moving into their neighborhoods.
I recently saw a story that absolutely shocked me. More than 75
Somalians have been arrested in a massive scheme where they stole $300
million from an American taxpayer-funded child nutrition program--$300
million.
So these Somalian criminals came to Minneapolis, they took advantage
of our free schools and our free healthcare, and then they stole $300
million from American taxpayers, right under our noses. Where is the
media? Where is the outrage?
And where did this money go? Where do you think it went? You guessed
it: It went back to Somalia.
It is disgusting, and these people should be deported, if not jailed
for life.
In case you are still unclear about the dangers we are facing, here
are a few reasons why Sharia law does not work in a Western society
like the United States. In America, we value free speech. The U.S.
Constitution gives us that right. The First Amendment is what makes
this country, America, great. You are allowed to express your opinions
publicly, without fear of the government arresting you or killing you.
But under Sharia law--under Sharia law--any criticism that goes
against what Muhammad or the Quran says can be punishable by death.
Further, under the U.S. Constitution and the First Amendment, equal
rights for people of all faiths are protected. Western culture treats
everyone equal, regardless of their religious beliefs.
Under Sharia Law, if you are not a Muslim, you are treated as the
enemy. Radical Islam says you can discriminate against and even be
violent toward non-Muslims. We see that happening now in Europe, where
non-Muslims are being violently attacked every day, all over Europe. It
is because Sharia law not only accepts but encourages this type of
disgusting behavior.
Another major difference between Islam and our Western culture is the
way we treat women. In the United States, marriage happens when a man
and woman mutually decide that they want to get married and be with
each other. But under Sharia law, older men are allowed to marry 6-
year-old girls, which is unbelievable. Six years old--that is not
marriage. In America, we call that pedophilia.
But that is just scraping the surface.
In Sharia Law, women are sold, raped, trafficked. It is no problem to
them. That is their way of life.
Women are not allowed to get an education or have a job. They aren't
even allowed to leave home without a man escorting them. And women are
forced to wear burqas, which cover basically everything but their eyes.
Meanwhile, men are allowed to have multiple wives, marry children,
and do not have to cover their heads.
It makes your blood boil, not to mention the horrible way that
minorities are treated in countries that follow Sharia law. There is no
tolerance in these countries. If you live in a country that practices
Sharia law and are not Muslim, you are lucky if you aren't thrown in
jail or killed. That is because Islam and Sharia law teach that you
must hate non-Muslims and should wage jihad, which literally means holy
war, against people who do not believe.
One thing I find particularly ironic is how the left turns a blind
eye to the horrible ways LGBT people are treated in countries that
follow Sharia law. In countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen, gay
people are often given the death penalty.
Does that sound like a peaceful, tolerant religion to you? Not me.
Unfortunately, this religion, which I think is closer to a cult, is
rapidly growing in this country. Wake up, America.
Look no further than New York, where radical Islamist Zohran Mamdani
is the frontrunner to become the next mayor. Mamdani has tried
everything he can do to hide his radical Islamic beliefs, ever since he
started campaigning. But he was recently seen in a photo with a
coconspirator of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Think about that. And they are getting ready to elect him mayor. The
leading candidate for mayor of New York City is cozying up with an
openly jihadist terrorist sympathizer. Where are we going?
If New Yorkers are stupid enough to elect a radical Islamist as their
mayor, then they deserve what they get next. And it is coming.
I truly believe we are at a crossroads in this country. The time for
political correctness is over, that is why I have introduced two bills
in the Senate to end Sharia law in this country--end it.
The first one is the No Sharia Act, which makes it illegal to
practice Sharia law when it conflicts with our constitution.
As I have repeatedly said, the radical Islam cult is the opposite of
everything--I mean everything--that we stand for in America.
The second bill I introduced, the Preserving a Sharia Free America
Act, prevents all foreign nationals who advocate for Sharia law from
entering this country--no more. If you want to practice that, stay
where you are at or go to one of the other 50 countries that practices
this.
The Trump administration banned people from nearly 50 Muslim
countries during the first administration. And thanks to Joe Biden's 4
years of open borders, we now have thousands--I mean thousands--of
terrorists and their sympathizers who entered our country unchecked--
how stupid was that.
We have to shut off the spigot before it is too late. This is a major
national security threat. Radical Islamists have proven, over and over
again, that they
[[Page S7763]]
are willing to do whatever it takes to kill just one American citizen.
And it isn't just happening overseas. It has been allowed to fester and
is alive and well in our very own country, just waiting for the right
opportunity to attack.
So now is the time to act, because if we don't, we are going to lose
this country as we know it. Open your eyes, America. The values this
country was built on cannot coexist with radical Islam. It doesn't
work.
It is one, our Constitution, or the other. You can't mix it. This
isn't a Republican or Democrat issue. This is an American issue. Just
look at Europe. We are headed down the same dark path as what Europe is
going through now if we don't wake up.
We need to permanently shut down Sharia law in this country before it
is too late. Wake up, America.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.
Unanimous Consent Request--S. Res. 470
Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, Nevadans work hard for their money--really
hard--especially right now, when they are being squeezed by rising
costs as a result of Trump's chaos and his reckless economic policies.
Nevadans pay taxes with the expectation that the Federal Government
is going to work for them and provide critical services when they need
it--services that are shamefully being disrupted by the Republican
government shutdown. Instead, their taxpayer dollars are being wasted
on gold-plated dinners at the White House, two--count them, two--
private jets for Kristi Noem, and, unbelievably, a potentially
multimillion-dollar illegal payment to Donald Trump.
So you heard that right. In the middle of a government shutdown that
he caused because he refuses to take action to prevent a spike in your
healthcare costs, Donald Trump is seeking $230 million in payment from
the Department of Justice. For whom? Well, for himself.
He is going to use your money to pad his own pockets, instead of
working with Democrats to take action to make sure that you and your
family can go to the doctor without breaking the bank.
Trump has even acknowledged that ``it's awfully strange to make a
decision where I'm paying myself.''
And I want to go one step further. It is not just ``strange.'' It is
outrageous.
Mr. President, $230 million--all while families are worried about
paying their bills, putting food on the table, and wondering if they
will be able to afford their health insurance for next year.
Instead of paying himself, why doesn't Trump put that money toward
SNAP benefits, since his administration has decided to renege on its
promise to provide the funding to prevent Americans from going hungry?
The President has the power to do this.
So, today, I am introducing a resolution condemning Donald Trump's
decision to pay and enrich himself with your tax dollars. You got that
right. He is going to pay to enrich himself nearly a quarter of a
million dollars--from Donald Trump to Donald Trump--off the backs of
the American taxpayer.
And if my Republican colleagues--who like to stand up here and talk
all about cutting costs, cutting wasteful spending--if they want to
practice what they preach, they will support my resolution. They will
stand up to Donald Trump and say, finally--finally--with the gold-
plated dinners and the ballrooms, et cetera, that enough is enough, and
it is time to put the American people first.
So let's show the American people that at least this Chamber still
knows the difference between serving the public and serving yourself.
So let's pass my resolution right now, today. We can do it.
So I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the
consideration of S. Res. 470, which is at the desk. Further, I ask
unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be
agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and
laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
The Senator from Florida.
Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, reserving the right to object,
today is day 28 of the Democrat shutdown--a shutdown caused by the
Democrats' complete blind hatred--complete hatred--of Donald Trump.
They are spending more time attacking President Trump than fighting for
the American people, who are harmed by their shutdown.
Democrats have voted for weeks to deprive our men and women in the
military of getting their paychecks. They are stopping Capitol Police,
Federal law enforcement, air traffic controllers, and essential Federal
employees from getting paid.
In just a few days, 42 million people receiving SNAP benefits may not
get the benefits they rely on because the Democrats will not support
the continuing resolution that most of us don't like.
It is the Biden funding.
Further, my Democrat colleagues are willing to do anything they can
to attack President Trump instead of voting to reopen the government
and stop this recklessness.
The American people are sick of the political games at their expense,
and so am I; therefore, I object.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard.
The Senator from Nevada.
Ms. ROSEN. This is extremely disappointing. By blocking my
resolution, Washington Republicans are saying that they approve of
Donald Trump paying himself a multimillion-dollar settlement using
taxpayer dollars.
Millions of Americans are missing their paychecks, worrying about
paying their bills, losing their SNAP benefits, and wondering if they
are going to be able to afford their health insurance next year.
My Republican colleagues have lost their way and should be ashamed of
themselves for standing up and allowing this lawlessness to happen.
Like I said, my Republican colleagues like to stand up here and talk
about cutting wasteful spending. This $230 million, I would argue, is
exactly that. So if they wanted to practice what they preach, they
would actually support my resolution, stand up to this wasteful
spending of the President, again, approving himself to pay himself
nearly a quarter of a million dollars, and we can show the American
people that all of us know the difference between serving the public
and serving just one individual--President Trump.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida.
Mr. SCOTT of Florida. If my Democrat colleagues want to make sure
people are not being harmed by losing SNAP benefits or going without
paychecks while they show up to work day after day, then they would
vote to reopen government. Unfortunately, they have elected to not do
that.
So I hope my Democrat colleagues will come to their senses and vote
this week to reopen the government.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.
Ms. ROSEN. 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. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Motion to Proceed to the Motion to Reconsider Cloture Vote
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I move to proceed to the motion to
reconsider the cloture vote on October 14 to the motion to proceed to
H.R. 5371.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the motion.
The motion was agreed to.
Motion to Reconsider
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the cloture vote on
the motion to proceed to H.R. 5371.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the motion.
The motion was agreed to.
Cloture Motion
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Pursuant to rule XXII, the Chair lays before
the Senate the pending cloture motion, which the clerk will state.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
Cloture Motion
We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the
provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate,
do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the motion to
proceed to Calendar No. 168, H.R. 5371, a bill making
continuing appropriations
[[Page S7764]]
and extensions for fiscal year 2026, and for other purposes.
John Thune, James E. Risch, Tim Sheehy, John Cornyn, Mike
Rounds, John R. Curtis, Jim Justice, Katie Boyd Britt,
Todd Young, David McCormick, Bill Hagerty, Marsha
Blackburn, Rick Scott of Florida, John Barrasso, Kevin
Cramer, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Lindsey Graham.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum
call has been waived.
The question is, Is it the sense of the Senate that debate on the
motion to proceed to H.R. 5371, a bill making continuing appropriations
and extensions for fiscal year 2026, and for other purposes, shall be
brought to a close, upon reconsideration?
The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule.
The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk called the roll.
Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the
Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Justice).
The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 54, nays 45, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 590 Leg.]
YEAS--54
Banks
Barrasso
Blackburn
Boozman
Britt
Budd
Capito
Cassidy
Collins
Cornyn
Cortez Masto
Cotton
Cramer
Crapo
Cruz
Curtis
Daines
Ernst
Fetterman
Fischer
Graham
Grassley
Hagerty
Hawley
Hoeven
Husted
Hyde-Smith
Johnson
Kennedy
King
Lankford
Lee
Lummis
Marshall
McConnell
McCormick
Moody
Moran
Moreno
Mullin
Murkowski
Ricketts
Risch
Rounds
Schmitt
Scott (FL)
Scott (SC)
Sheehy
Sullivan
Thune
Tillis
Tuberville
Wicker
Young
NAYS--45
Alsobrooks
Baldwin
Bennet
Blumenthal
Blunt Rochester
Booker
Cantwell
Coons
Duckworth
Durbin
Gallego
Gillibrand
Hassan
Heinrich
Hickenlooper
Hirono
Kaine
Kelly
Kim
Klobuchar
Lujan
Markey
Merkley
Murphy
Murray
Ossoff
Padilla
Paul
Peters
Reed
Rosen
Sanders
Schatz
Schiff
Schumer
Shaheen
Slotkin
Smith
Van Hollen
Warner
Warnock
Warren
Welch
Whitehouse
Wyden
NOT VOTING--1
Justice
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Curtis). On this vote, the yeas are 54,
the nays are 45.
Three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn not having voted
in the affirmative, the motion, upon reconsideration, is rejected.
The motion was rejected.
____________________