[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 213 (Wednesday, December 17, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8795-S8803]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NOMINATIONS
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, either today or tomorrow, we will confirm
another nominations package, bringing the total number of the
President's nominees confirmed this year to more than 400. That far
exceeds the total confirmations of both President Trump's previous term
and President Biden's.
It is an impressive number on its own, but it is particularly
impressive when you consider the obstacles the Democrats have put up. I
am not exaggerating when I say that President Trump's nominees have
faced a historic level of obstruction from Senate Democrats.
When you look at this term, President Trump remains the only
President on record not to have had a single civilian nomination
confirmed by unanimous consent or voice vote.
Let me repeat that. President Trump remains the only President on
record not to have had a single civilian nomination confirmed by
unanimous consent or voice vote.
Democrats have required a rollcall vote on every single one of the
President's nominations, an unprecedented level of obstruction in
modern times.
Now, of course, Democrats would like you to believe that they have
engaged in this historic level of obstruction because the President has
put up, in the words of the Democrat leader, ``historically bad
nominees.'' The only problem is a lot of these nominees have gotten
Democrat votes on final passage. So either Democrats are voting for
``historically bad nominees'' or something else has been going on here.
That something else looks a lot like petty partisanship.
It became abundantly clear, a while ago, that the real reason
Democrats have been dragging out nominations for Assistant
Administrator of the Office of Solid Waste and Director of the Office
of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement is nothing more than
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petty politics. Democrats cannot deal with the fact that the American
people elected President Trump, and so they have engaged in this
pointless political obstruction and revenge.
Republicans, however, have not been daunted. We have just kept
plowing through confirmations, racking up an impressive number of hours
in session and a historic number of votes in the process.
In September, we took steps to restore Senate precedent on largely
noncontroversial Presidential nominees to ensure that no other
President has to face the kind of petty partisanship President Trump
has encountered.
When the American people elect a President, they expect that
President to be able to get his or her team in place. That doesn't mean
that Senators should never oppose nominations, but it does mean the
nominations should not be held up for purely partisan reasons. Or, in
the words of the Democrat leader, just a few short years ago:
That doesn't mean we don't disagree. But it does mean, when
nominees are held up, opposed, or blocked--it's for a
legitimate purpose, not for leverage in partisan games, to
score political points at the expense of public safety.
Democrats have engaged in a lot of partisan games this year, but
Republicans have just kept doing our jobs. I am proud of just how much
we accomplished on nominations, and I look forward to continuing to get
the President's team in place in the new year.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. 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 ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Trump Administration
Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, the Republican Party has delivered for
the American people. We promised and delivered a country that is safer,
stronger, and more prosperous. That is what we have seen in the last
year.
Americans are now seeing more money in their pockets. Inflation is
now under 3 percent. During the Biden years, it was at a 40-year high
of 9 percent inflation.
This Christmas, gas prices are going to be the lowest that they have
been, basically, in the last 5 years. In 38 States, including mine,
Wyoming, we now have gasoline prices lower than $3 a gallon. That is
because Americans are seeing the impact of Republicans who have
unleashed American energy.
Our borders are now secured. Not a single illegal immigrant has been
released into this country under this administration. Compare that with
10,000 illegal immigrants, every day, flooding across our southern
border and bringing with them the drugs and the crime, as so many of
them were released into the country and others were never captured.
What we see happening globally is the world's most successful
companies are investing in America, and $10 trillion is coming to our
shores. Record investment is driving job growth. It drives innovation
and drives opportunity.
We passed a comprehensive economic plan called the working families
tax cut law. It is the central part of our economic plan. I really want
to thank Senator Mike Crapo, chairman of the Finance Committee, for his
hard work on seeing this through.
Republicans cut taxes. Every single Democrat voted to raise taxes to
the tune of $4 trillion. That would have impacted every working family
in America. It would also have been the largest tax increase in
American history.
So why is it that we want to cut taxes for American families? It is
because you want more money in their pockets. You want waiters and
barbers and bartenders to be able to keep up to $1,300 more in money
that they wouldn't have in their pockets now but by what we passed,
which is no tax on tips.
In my home State and in yours, nurses and firefighters and police
officers and coal miners are going to see about a $1,400 increase in
their take-home pay in their paychecks next year because of the no tax
on overtime.
Seniors are going to see more money in their bank accounts, as well.
There is a new $6,000 deduction on Social Security income. Senator
Marsha Blackburn fought hard to make sure that deduction stayed in the
bill.
Thanks to Senator Katie Britt of Alabama, Republicans modernized tax
credits for childcare. That helps parents pay for childcare.
Thanks to Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, new parents now get a $1,000
Trump account for every newborn child. Parents can use that to invest
in their child's future. Also, parents get a bigger tax credit--$2,200
for every child.
America is now energy dominant once again. The working families' tax
cuts unleashed American energy. It reopened Federal lands and waters
for energy production.
This is a historic victory for Wyoming. Wyoming is America's energy
breadbasket. We have world-class coal and world-class oil and natural
gas, and this Republican bill helps American energy workers compete
globally.
Republicans also rolled back punishing Biden regulations. Those
regulations were burdensome, expensive, and time-consuming. By reining
in Biden's heavy-handed bureaucrats, we have saved the American public
$180 billion. That pencils out to over $2,000 in savings for each and
every working family.
Republicans repealed 23 bad Biden regulations, and we used the
Congressional Review Act to do it. That is a record as well.
We stopped California's electric vehicle mandate madness. Thanks to
the leadership of Senators Shelley Moore Capito, Deb Fischer, Markwayne
Mullin, and Bernie Moreno, Americans are now back in the driver's seat.
My colleague and friend Senator Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming led the
repeal of the harmful Buffalo Resource Management Plan. That is really
good news for Wyoming's energy producers. The Powder River Basin in
Wyoming supplies about 45 percent of all the coal in the country.
Senate Republicans also cut wasteful Washington spending. We cut over
$1 trillion in waste, fraud, and abuse as part of the working families
tax cuts law.
We also passed the first standalone rescissions bill in over 30
years--a special thanks to Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri.
Taxpayers saved over $9 billion because we cut liberal projects.
Let's look at some of them. One of those pet projects included net-zero
cities in Mexico. Another cut out electric buses in Africa and
taxpayer-funded classes on ``environmental racism.''
Additionally, Republicans created a $50 billion rural hospital fund.
It is the single largest Federal investment in rural healthcare in
American history.
Do you want to help patients with rare diseases find treatments? We
were able to do that. We passed a bill that I introduced called the
ORPHAN Cures Act. As a doctor in Wyoming, I saw the challenges that
patients faced when they had few or no treatment options. That is why I
fought to bring hope for millions of Americans living with rare
diseases.
Republicans are also making our communities safer. We began this year
by passing a bill from Senator Britt and from Senator Ted Budd of North
Carolina. It is called the Laken Riley Act. It was the first bill that
we passed this year and the first bill that President Trump signed into
law. It mandates the detention of illegal immigrant criminals.
Amendments from Senator Joni Ernst and Senator John Cornyn made it even
stronger.
We also passed the HALT Fentanyl Act. It cracks down on deadly
fentanyl trafficking. This is thanks to Senator Bill Cassidy of
Louisiana and Chuck Grassley of Iowa. They have done incredibly hard
work and important work.
On top of that, the working families tax cuts made a historic $170
billion investment in border security. It finishes the wall. It hires
more ICE and Border Patrol agents.
As we finish this year, Senate Republicans have confirmed a record
number of President Trump's nominees. We began the year by confirming
President Trump's Cabinet faster than any Senate in modern history. By
week's end, President Trump will have 417 nominees confirmed by the
Senate this year. That is far more than the 365 that Joe Biden had in
his first year in office.
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This historic record comes despite unprecedented obstruction from the
Democrat minority. What have they done?
Well, basically, they have just tried to obstruct. They have spent
the entire year on the side of higher taxes, on the side of illegal
immigrant criminals, on the side of wasteful spending, and on the side
of burdensome regulations. If Democrats had their way, Americans would
face the largest tax increase in history. If Democrats had their way,
illegal immigrants would get free healthcare. If Democrats had their
way, the government would still be shut down.
Republicans are putting more money in people's pockets; we are
delivering safer neighborhoods; and we are providing more
opportunities. Republicans are going to continue to deliver the safety
and the prosperity that the American people want and deserve.
Waiving Quorum Call
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum
call with respect to the Isaacman nomination.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant 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 ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Senate Accomplishments
Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, after Mayor Mamdani was elected in New
York City, the word ``affordability'' became all the buzz among the
political classes and among the media as if this were something new.
Obviously, affordability is not something new. It has, actually, always
been the most important issue that voters and my constituents in Texas
and Americans, generally, have felt was important because, of course,
it deals with their quality of life and their standard of living. It
has always been an important issue.
But, a year ago in November, the American people delivered a clear
message that the Biden administration, which presided over 40-year high
inflation, was taking the country in the wrong direction. President
Trump received the electoral vote and the popular vote, and he won
every swing State. Republicans secured majorities in both the House and
the Senate.
This year, it has been up to the Republicans to course-correct. One
of the most significant factors that has guided us is the need to
address the burden of rising costs on everything: inputs into farming
and ranching and the cost of commodities--food on the kitchen table.
All of these are very real and important and urgent issues that we have
tried to address, and there is more we can and should do.
But, under President Biden, the country experienced, as I said,
historic levels of inflation not seen since Jimmy Carter was President
of the United States. The cumulative inflation from the time President
Biden took office until he left was 20.6 percent. Stated another way,
everything cost more than 20 percent more from the time President Biden
took office to the time he left. That is a huge cut in the standard of
living and a huge increase in the cost of living for all Americans.
By the time he left the White House, a typical family in Texas, for
example, would have to pay an additional $12,427 every year just to
maintain the same standard of living that they had enjoyed when
President Biden first took office. So that is like getting a $12,427
pay cut each year for the average Texas family.
Last November, when President Trump was reelected, 58 percent of
Americans said they thought the country was on the wrong track. So it
is no surprise that they voted for a new direction. Actually, I think
two things helped President Trump the most. One was his pledge to
secure the border, which he has done. Secondly, it was his pledge to
deal with this issue of rising inflation and the increasing cost of
living.
President Biden's policy, no doubt, contributed to the pain that
families were and still are feeling in their paychecks.
Of course, it is one thing to identify a problem, but it is harder
still to do something about it. There is, obviously, no silver bullet
that can magically make inflation disappear. The Federal Reserve
continues to struggle with this issue when they deal with the monetary
policy, with what the interest rates are. The good news is the rate of
inflation has gone down, but we still have the higher baseline sticking
around from the Biden era. In other words, prices are rising more
slowly, but they are still high.
The good news is that Republicans have taken important steps that
will help ease the affordability crunch for all Americans, particularly
when it comes time to file their taxes next year. The Working Families
Tax Cuts Act was signed into law by President Trump on July 4. This is
one of the most significant pieces of legislation that we have seen in
a long, long time, and one of the challenges we have had in trying to
explain it is there is so much in there that it is really hard to break
it down into digestible pieces that folks can understand.
The truth is, this legislation will help Americans keep more of what
they earn by lowering taxes across the board, and not a single Senate
Democrat voted for it. Essentially, by voting against it, they voted
for a $3,000 tax increase on most families back in Texas.
The Working Families Tax Cuts Act permanently increased the standard
deduction to $15,750, including an annual adjustment for inflation.
Without our legislation, the standard deduction would have dropped to
$8,300 next year. This means that the 12 million Texas families who
claim the standard deduction each year would have had to pay an
additional $7,450 in taxes next spring without that legislation having
passed. The lower rates from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act from 2017 were
set to expire at the end of this year, but the Working Families Tax
Cuts bill made these lower rates permanent.
In addition to the increased standard deduction and lower rates
across all income brackets, our legislation delivered targeted relief
to those who were feeling squeezed the most. One of these groups is
families with children. Those with small kids often have to choose
between living on one income or incurring the increasingly high cost of
childcare. If we hadn't passed the Working Families Tax Cuts bill,
these families would have been slapped with a tax increase, with the
child tax credit scheduled to decrease from $2,000 to $1,000. Our
legislation prevented this from happening. We raised the child tax
credit up to $2,200 and indexed it to inflation so that it will
continue to go up year after year.
We also permanently strengthened the employer-provided childcare
credit. This tax credit will incentivize businesses to provide
childcare for their employees.
Of course, for some families, these credits seem like a drop in the
bucket compared to the cost of raising a family, but I hope these small
steps are a step in the right direction toward making family life more
affordable, which we must do.
Another area my colleagues and I have been discussing on both sides
of the aisle, which is a real issue for most Texans, is the rising cost
of healthcare.
Now, if you have only been listening to our Democratic colleagues,
you would be forgiven for thinking Republicans have done nothing to
address the cost of healthcare in this country. But that is not true.
In the working families tax cuts, we expanded access to health
savings accounts, also known as HSAs. These savings accounts allow
individuals to save pretax dollars and then use those funds to cover
eligible medical expenses. These accounts are particularly useful in
the case of a medical emergency when an unexpected bill arrives.
We expanded eligibility for these health savings accounts to
individual bronze market and catastrophic plans starting in 2026. We
also ensured that high-deductible health plans cover telehealth and
other remote access or virtual healthcare services before the
deductible kicks in, while remaining HSA-eligible.
I know we are all concerned about access to healthcare, and actually
one of
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the biggest, most important things that came out of the COVID pandemic
and the way we responded, in addition to Operation Warp Speed, was the
broader application of telehealth.
Most places around the country are being served by broadband. Many
people have access to the internet. Now we have provided the incentives
and the reimbursement for more people to get access to healthcare
through the internet using telehealth. Not every medical condition
requires people to show up at a hospital or emergency room or a
doctor's office. Many people can more conveniently, more inexpensively
be served by accessing telehealth, and we made that more available.
Of course, there is a lot more work that needs to be done, and I look
forward to working with all of our colleagues next year to continue to
develop policy solutions that will lower costs for patients and
families. But one of the things we should not and we must not and we
will not do is expand the fraud-riddled ObamaCare enhanced subsidies
that were provided during the Biden administration.
The Biden administration and Democrats at the time took the cap off
of the subsidies for healthcare for people making well in excess of
half a million dollars a year. That is crazy. We ought to be focused on
the vulnerable, the people who need access to care, and not people who
can afford to buy healthcare on their own.
In addition to medical bills, many families struggle to deal with
their car payments. You have to have a way to get around. Not everybody
has access to mass transportation.
Interest rates have remained high because of the historic levels of
inflation during the Biden administration and the efforts by the
Federal Reserve to combat that inflation through keeping interest rates
high. But these interest rates mean that the monthly loan payments for
cars have been higher and that buying a new car for most families is
more expensive.
For those making less than $100,000 a year, the working families tax
cuts introduced a new deduction that will ease this burden when it
comes time to buy a new car. These individuals--those who make less
than $100,000 a year--can now deduct up to $10,000 for interest paid on
a new vehicle if that vehicle was made here in the United States.
This was a much needed course correction from President Biden's so-
called Inflation Reduction Act--which did nothing to reduce inflation,
by the way--which offered tax credits for electric vehicles that are
produced with reliance on Chinese supply chains and, perversely, taxed
low-income and working-class families in order to provide the subsidies
for rich people who could buy electric vehicles. Just bizarre.
Instead of incentivizing the purchase of these exotic vehicles that
undermine American manufacturing, Republicans are rightly delivering
tax relief to the working middle class who are struggling just to make
ends meet and, in this case, to afford a new car.
But that is not all. This legislation also delivered a historic win
for the working class with no tax on tips and no tax on overtime. Many
folks--me included--at some point in their adult lives end up working
waiting tables or in some sort of service industry. So the idea now is
that more folks working their way up the economic ladder can now enjoy
no tax on tips and no tax on overtime, which will actually incentivize
people to work more, which we need, without seeing their tax bill go
up.
Employees and self-employed individuals can now deduct up to $25,000
in qualified tip income through 2028.
Next time you go to a restaurant or a bar, why don't you ask the
waitstaff what they think about President Trump's no tax on tips and no
tax on overtime. I have done that, and it is no surprise that they
welcomed that with open arms.
Single filers can now deduct up to $12,500 on qualified overtime
income. A lot of our law enforcement personnel and first responders
work more than one job. They may work a side job in security or
something like that. Now, if they choose to work overtime, they can now
deduct up to $12,500 in qualified overtime income.
Now seniors can deduct an additional $6,000 on their Social Security
benefits.
All of these enhanced deductions will ensure that those who are
experiencing the brunt of the affordability burden will have a little
more breathing room when tax day comes around next year.
The Biden administration created long-lasting harm with its
profligate spending habits. It is wasteful Washington spending which
drove inflation and prices high and inputs for everybody who makes
anything in America or grows anything, for that matter.
So while we tackle the 40-year high inflation rate--and it is coming
down, thankfully--these steps we have taken in the Working Families Tax
Cut Act I think will help us nudge the economy where it matters most--
which is at the kitchen table--in the right direction and make life
more affordable and the standard of living better for our constituents.
The working families tax cuts may seem abstract right now, but when
it comes to next year, I think folks back home in Texas, Pennsylvania,
California, and all around the country are going to welcome the good
work that we did, together with President Trump, to pass the Working
Families Tax Cuts Act because it will improve their standard of living
and make life more affordable for them.
There is still more work to be done, but I believe Republicans have
delivered an important first step toward making life more affordable
for the people we represent.
I yield the floor.
Recognition of the Minority Leader
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Democratic leader is
recognized.
Trump Administration
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, tonight, President Trump will address the
Nation on what he claims is a speech on his supposed victories this
year.
President Trump can say whatever he wants on camera, but the reality
is for Americans across the country that costs are up, unemployment is
rising, the holidays are more expensive and stressful than ever, and
tariffs are taxing people to no end.
If Donald Trump had any shred of honesty and self-respect and self-
insight, he would look into the camera tonight and say to the American
people: I have failed you.
I mean, just last week, Donald Trump seriously suggested the one way
families can lower costs is for parents to buy their kids fewer toys.
What kind of Christmas is that? Donald Trump is like the Grinch--just
with a lot more bronzer.
Now, today, Senate Democrats will hold a special caucus lunch to roll
out a new initiative to lower costs for the American people and show
precisely how Donald Trump and Republicans have made life far more
expensive for Americans.
This morning, a report came out that Americans will pay 13 percent
more on energy costs than they did last year. In part, why? Because
Donald Trump and his obeisant Republicans cut out the cheapest way to
get new power and new electrons on the grid--solar energy. They cut it
out in obeisance to the oil industry. It was disgraceful.
That is what is wrong with this government--the corruption. The oil
industry promises Donald Trump that Harold Hamm will raise him a ton of
money, so Trump cuts out clean energy, and these guys went right along
with it. The cost of groceries is up. Rent is up. Housing foreclosures
are up. Healthcare is about to soar through the roof while Republicans
refuse to do anything about it. John Thune said he doesn't want to
extend the ACA tax credits at all. And Americans will pay the price.
Donald Trump and his billionaire buddies and the Republican Senators
just don't get it. They don't understand what it is like to struggle to
pay for groceries or struggle to keep a roof over your head. They don't
know what it is like if your car breaks down and you don't have enough
money to fix it and you wonder, how am I going to get to work?
Donald Trump, after all, calls affordability a hoax.
Well, if anything is a hoax, Donald Trump, it has been your promise
to lower costs on day one.
The biggest hoax on affordability was Donald Trump's promise to lower
costs on day one.
So, today, Democrats are going to come together to do precisely what
Republicans refuse to do, fight on behalf
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of the American people to lower their costs. We are going to focus on
five major issues: healthcare, energy, housing, groceries, and Donald
Trump's tariffs. When Americans think about lowering costs, these are
five things they think about most, and these are the issues that will
be our focus.
Senate Democrats will focus on these five issues like a laser. We
will come back to them again and again and again, in the coming weeks,
just like we came back to healthcare, over and over and over again,
this fall. And the American people know who is on their side when it
comes to healthcare costs.
Americans are tired of feeling like the cost of living is a constant
crisis. Americans are tired of hearing Donald Trump call their
struggles a hoax. Americans didn't sign up for higher grocery costs and
more expensive healthcare, but that is what the Republicans and Donald
Trump have given them in just 1 year in office.
So Democrats will show the American people another way forward, a way
focused on lower costs, more prosperity, and an agenda focused on the
working- and middle-class families of America--not the billionaires,
not the special interests, not the huge lobbyists who seem to dictate
what the Republicans do.
U.S. Coast Guard
Mr. President, on the Coast Guard swastika, earlier this week, the
U.S. Coast Guard enacted a policy downgrading the swastika from its
list of recognized hate symbols.
Can you believe it? Can you believe it? The swastika is no longer a
recognized hate symbol?
They did this just after the horrible shootings in Sydney and so many
other shootings--anti-Semitic shootings--and activities that have been
plaguing America.
The new policy of the Coast Guard is shameful. It is dangerous and
another troubling instance of the Trump administration normalizing the
threat of Nazism and White supremacy.
This policy has all the markings of a dog whistle. It is a ``stand
back and stand by'' in the form of an office memo. Not 4 days ago, 15
Jews were slaughtered in cold blood--a beautiful picture of a little
10-year-old girl celebrating the first night of Hanukkah--and a day
later, the Trump administration chose to soften its stance against
Nazis and swastikas.
Can you believe it? Can it get any lower? Can it get any more
insensitive? Can they be any more in a bubble than they are in?
And for the millions of American men and women who served in the
Coast Guard, this is an insult to them. How about the Coast Guard
members who served during World War II and fought that swastika? Why
was this policy change even necessary at all? Why did the
administration go out of its way to soften its policies against
swastikas of all things?
Today, Republicans will attempt to confirm the Commandant of the
Coast Guard by unanimous consent, before the end of the year. If he is
to be the head of the Coast Guard, this new nominee must reverse this
egregious policy, and I am asking him right now: Change that policy
now.
Let's be very clear. If you are a Jew, if your family gave their
lives to fight the Nazis in World War II, if you are a minority in any
way, there is nothing, nothing potentially divisive about a swastika.
It is just about the most unmistakable hate symbol in existence.
Now, this is part of an emerging pattern on the right. Young
Republicans were texting about gas chambers. Trump officials were
talking about having a Nazi streak. Tucker Carlson interviews Nick
Fuentes, and Donald Trump refuses to condemn Fuentes. Yesterday, JD
Vance took to social media to suggest that anti-Semitism only exists
because of immigrants.
Where has he been? Does he know the history of anti-Semitism? What an
ignorant statement from Vance. Sometimes you think he must know better,
but he doesn't. He just plays along with the rightwing, sucks up to
them.
And now, according to the Trump administration, swastikas no longer
count as hate symbols within the Coast Guard. This is exactly why I
introduced my resolution condemning Nick Fuentes, Tucker Carlson, and
neo-Nazism. Neo-Nazism is no longer a fringe or theoretical threat. It
is real. It is growing. It threatens our democracy, and every elected
official must condemn it forcefully.
Healthcare
Mr. President, now, on healthcare, there is breaking news this
morning--good news--that the discharge petition in the House got the
necessary 218 signatures to move forward.
It shows that the demand by the American people for Congress--the
House and the Senate--to extend the ACA premium tax credits is
undeniable. Yet Republican leaders inside the House and the Senate are
making it clear that they are opposed and will be responsible for
healthcare costs rising through the roof.
Yesterday, Leader Thune admitted:
We're not going to pass anything by the end of this week.
That is a clear admission of failure--a failure to govern, a failure
to lower costs for the American people.
The damage has been done, no matter what happens, because, at this
point, Republicans have made it impossible to prevent many Americans
from paying more on their monthly premiums on January 1. And
Republicans can't even say they tried to stop it.
House Republicans, meanwhile, are on the warpath to vote on a
rightwing healthcare sham bill, one that doesn't extend the ACA credits
a day, doesn't lower premiums, and does absolutely nothing to help
people afford coverage.
So let's be very clear. There is only one reason--one reason--
Americans' premiums are going through the roof starting in just 14
days: It is because Republicans--Trump, the Republican Senate, the
Republican House--chose for it to happen.
Venezuela
Mr. President, on Venezuela, yesterday, President Trump announced ``a
total and complete'' blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering
and leaving Venezuela--another dangerous escalation with no clear plan
whatsoever. Donald Trump has offered precisely zero explanations--
zero--to the American people for what he is trying to accomplish in the
Caribbean.
Most Senate Republicans, meanwhile, appear to have no interest in
doing any congressional oversight in a serious way of the
administration's military buildup. We have had no serious public
congressional hearings on the threat of military conflict off the coast
of Venezuela, no public testimony from Defense officials on this issue.
Where are Senate Republicans? Where is the oversight?
The purpose of hearings is to challenge an administration when it may
well be going off course, and they certainly seem to be going off
course in Venezuela.
Donald Trump talks one way, then another. I have asked some of our
leaders: Where is the limit to how far they will go? No answer. Could
this be getting us into an endless war?
The American people fear that above most other things, maybe all
things. That is why we need oversight, and the Senate Republicans are
nowhere.
Meanwhile, the briefing we had, yesterday, with Secretary Rubio and
Hegseth was utterly disappointing. The administration walked into the
room totally empty-handed. They gave us no real answers about what the
objective is in the Caribbean. Hegseth also refused to give Senators
full access to the video of the September 2 strikes.
The same, same lack of transparency that is affecting the September 2
video is affecting our whole policy in the Caribbean and with
Venezuela--no oversight, no plan, no discussion with either the Senate,
the House, or the American people. That is what leads to trouble--big
trouble.
Let's be very clear. Donald Trump does not have the authority to use
military force to carry out his current plans in the Caribbean, without
authorization from Congress. If Trump acts without congressional
authorization, the Senate stands ready with a bipartisan resolution--
led by Senator Kaine, myself, Senators Paul and Schiff--preventing the
unauthorized use of force.
Tribute to German Vazquez
Mr. President, finally, let's say good-bye to German Vazquez--a very
special good-bye to one of the Senate's unsung heroes, German Vazquez,
who will retire soon, after 28 incredible years of service.
The public may not know German, but every single Senator knows him.
You see his face, and you smile. You
[[Page S8800]]
can always find him near the Chamber, working as a doorkeeper, at the
elevators, or up in the Gallery. No matter the role, he is
professional, warm, and a positive presence that makes the Senate come
to life.
He has been wonderful to our staffs, as well--kind, steady, and
generous in the way that matters every day in a place like this.
So, German, on behalf of all of us in the Senate, thank you, thank
you, thank you. Godspeed on your next adventure, and we wish you and
your family all the best.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sheehy). The Senator from California.
S. 1071
Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, at the beginning of every year, the White
House, on behalf of the President of the United States, and the
Department of Defense come to Congress with a request. They come to
Congress as a coequal branch of government to ask that we, Congress,
authorize and appropriate the funding they need to defend our Nation
and to protect our national interests on the world stage. And that
request traditionally includes a justification and a rationale for the
proposed plan.
For over 60 years, Congress has met its responsibilities, not by
rubberstamping the Department of Defense's requests but by, yes,
identifying areas of agreement, identifying and negotiating or saying
no to areas of disagreement, and, ultimately, passing, on a bipartisan
basis, what we refer to as the National Defense Authorization Act, the
final product reflecting the priorities of both Congress and the White
House for protecting our Nation. That is how it normally works.
But make no mistake, this year is anything but normal. What we have
seen just 1 year into this second Trump administration is the
destruction of eight decades of bipartisan foreign policy consensus and
the destruction of postwar alliances that have kept Americans safe for
generations.
And we have seen growing abuses of power meant to enrich Donald Trump
and his allies. And as best as I can tell, the Trump doctrine in his
second term is a transactional national security and foreign policy,
not of values but to the highest bidder.
Under Trump, the United States has pulled away from NATO and grown
closer to authoritarian dictators like Xi, Kim, and Putin, who Trump
idolizes. He has engaged in repeated hostilities against our closest
European democratic allies and cozied up to anyone who will shower him
with gifts or praise or both.
He is enabling Russia's plans to carve up Ukraine, a catastrophic
decision that will only encourage future aggression and pain for
innocent civilians.
He has even threatened to forcibly annex Greenland from our ally
Denmark.
And, earlier this month, the Trump administration released its new
National Security Strategy.
And some folks may wonder: What is the National Security Strategy
document?
It is a blueprint that provides strategic guidance for the
administration. It sets priorities and articulates a vision for
achieving them--or at least it should.
Trump's strategy rejects leading with democratic values in favor of
making short-term, transactional alliances. It is a complete
abandonment of the idea that democracies should stand together against
authoritarian governments.
And while it is foolish and shortsighted, it is also not surprising
to hear Defense Secretary Hegseth recently declare, at the Reagan
Defense Forum, an end to what he calls ``idealistic utopianism,'' while
calling for a renewed focus on the Western Hemisphere.
So what exactly does a renewed focus on the Western Hemisphere look
like for the Trump administration?
So far it has meant bombing alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean
and Pacific, on shaky legal grounds--so shaky they won't release the
legal opinion that they are using to try to justify it.
Now, just this week, we heard the White House Chief of Staff--the
White House Chief of Staff--admit on the record that Donald Trump
``wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle.''
Folks, the fact of the matter is, Congress has not declared war, nor
has Congress authorized the use of military force in Latin America. Do
you want to have that debate? Let's have that debate. Let's put that up
for a vote if you agree, but that has not happened yet. And we know the
American people overwhelmingly oppose a military campaign there as
well.
But every week--it doesn't matter--Donald Trump keeps testing us to
see just how much he can get away with, threatening now a land invasion
of Venezuela and even seizing an oil tanker off its coast. Now, if this
were solely about stopping drug traffickers, I don't think there would
be disagreement or objection here to a law enforcement-based approach
to do exactly that. Of course, we want to stop drug trafficking. But
the Trump administration seemingly can't decide if it wants to be crime
fighters or warmongers, and they have decided to use the U.S. military
to bomb their way through the Caribbean either way.
And that is the larger point here. Donald Trump wants unchallenged
use of the military to achieve his every whim and every grievance--even
when it means violating our international norms, betraying our allies,
and violating the Constitution. How is that going to make us any safer?
If we can't be trusted in Europe and if we are manufacturing
conflicts in Central or South America, who would want to work with us
in the future? And if the United States won't respect international
law, why should we expect other countries to do so?
But somehow, even more shocking, is what is happening domestically.
Donald Trump is politicizing our servicemembers both by word and by
deed. He has diverted military resources away from numerous--numerous--
critical missions for his chaotic and violent mass deportation
campaign. He has federalized and deployed National Guard troops in
American cities against our own citizens in violation of the law.
That is why just last Friday the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
ordered National Guard troops off the streets of Los Angeles, ruling
the deployment was unlawful. But that won't stop Trump from targeting
States and cities led by Democratic Governors and mayors for speaking
out against his power grabs.
Now, just imagine if President Biden would have federalized and
deployed troops into Florida or Texas to combat gun violence.
Republicans would be beside themselves. They would be apoplectic.
Finally, when six of our colleagues published a video reminding
servicemembers of their oath to the Constitution of the United States
and reminding servicemembers about their obligation to refuse unlawful
orders, Trump called that ``seditious behavior, punishable by death.''
And he demanded that the FBI and top Defense officials investigate them
and intimidate them.
This President is trying to corrupt the military for his own personal
gain and to silence all opposition. He is pushing the legal limits of
his authority.
But through all those unprecedented and dangerous decisions, what has
been the response from the Republican majority in Congress--both the
House and the Senate? ``Sir. Yes, sir.'' Maybe not quite, but their
silence has equaled acquiescence. Congress, under this Republican
majority, is nowhere near acting like the ``equal branch of
government'' that it is.
Let's just look at the record from this past year. Congress, not just
once but twice, failed to pass a War Powers Resolution and assert its
constitutional authority in response to the escalating attacks in the
Caribbean. In reaction to the controversial double-tap strike against
survivors in the Caribbean, the Defense Department has refused to
release videos so the American people can see for themselves what
played out. And if it is too sensitive to release to the American
public, then at least show it to all Members of the Senate, even if it
is in a secure classified setting. But the Defense Department refuses
to do even that.
Meanwhile, congressional committees have failed to conduct our
oversight responsibility and to demand it from the administration. With
each
[[Page S8801]]
passing day, Donald Trump continues to use the Department of Defense as
an extension of his administration's border enforcement apparatus.
Republicans have cheered him on the whole way, abdicating their
responsibility to this institution, to their constituents, and to their
oath of office.
And even with a majority party bending to his will, the Trump
administration is still floating proposals to blow up the bipartisan
Defense appropriations process altogether and pursue a party-line
reconciliation bill instead.
Colleagues, this is the President doing everything he can to build
unquestioned power over our military and a Republican Party that
refuses to challenge him.
At a time when the Trump administration is abusing its power,
destroying our standing in the world, deploying troops against our own
people, the annual Defense authorization bill offers an important
opportunity. It is an opportunity to hold this administration
accountable, not just out of responsibility to our constituents but to
the Constitution and to this coequal branch of government.
Mr. President, $900 billion is a lot to rubberstamp, and I refuse to
hand this administration any more tools to enrich themselves and
undermine our national security and our standing in the world. So for
these reasons, I will be voting no on this year's NDAA and encourage
all of you to do the same.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington.
Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
following Senators be permitted to speak prior to the scheduled
rollcall vote: Myself for up to 10 minutes, Senator Wicker for up to 10
minutes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The Senator from Washington.
Washington State Weather
Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I rise today to speak in favor of the
nomination of Jared Isaacman to be the next NASA Administrator, but
first, I want to make a few comments about the unbelievable weather
events that are impacting the Pacific Northwest.
We have had, as many people have seen from national news, atmospheric
rivers and unbelievable rain impacting many of our rivers in the
western part of Washington--reaching record levels and above record
levels and impacting flooding throughout the region.
We, obviously, had another weather event last night, and the last
couple of days have had what some people described as 50 to 60 miles
per hour winds that ultimately, in some places in the State, were
recorded at 90 miles per hour winds. So, this morning, we are facing
350,000 people who are without power and a blizzard on the way.
And, while I think that some people think, well, it is a very
mountainous area and you should probably have severe winter weather,
not really in the history of our State. I think we have only had a few
lowland blizzards in the whole history of our State. So the fact that
now a blizzard is on the way, on top of the record flooding and the
flooding events still predicted to come back to record cresting of many
of our rivers, is making it a very challenging time for the State of
Washington.
So we certainly appreciate all the first responders, all the law
enforcement that are working in the community, all the work that the
Governor's office is doing, all the work that we are--a partnership we
are now getting from FEMA, the Army Corps of Engineers, and Homeland
Security to try to address this as a national emergency and clearly to
try to gather information about the direct economic impacts in hopes
that we will get support for these issues.
We have had a border crossing, that that was closed and certainly is
still closed to commercial traffic. We have one of our major highways,
Highway 2, that the Governor has now announced will be closed for
months, greatly impacting transportation and trade within our region.
We have other routes across the Cascades duly impacted.
So I can say that there are some positive stories out of this, that
coordination, that actually things that mitigated and adapted with a
levee system to prevent some of the record amount of rain from doing
even more damage have been successful. I am sure that we will all share
this with our colleagues in the future, but right now, we need
continued help and focus in the State of Washington, given these severe
weather impacts. And again, I appreciate those Federal Agencies who are
helping: FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers.
Nomination of Jared Isaacman
Mr. President, I support the Isaacman nomination. In fact, I
supported him the first time he was nominated. He was not pushed
through the Senate, not the usual path for somebody to be nominated,
and then their nomination reversed, but then supported again by the
President. But I do believe Mr. Isaacman is capable of successfully
navigating the challenges facing the Agency.
I want to take a minute and thank Secretary Duffy for serving as an
excellent steward of NASA during his tenure where we had an acting
Administrator. I hope the experience is giving the Secretary an
increased appreciation for the expertise and research capabilities that
NASA brings to bear in developing technology to protect aviation safety
and the competitiveness of our aeronautics sector.
That is clearly an important missing aspect of the FAA--having the
best technology and the best understanding of how that technology
impacts aviation safety. So I support more partnerships here. I also
want to highlight a key decision that Secretary Duffy made that I
believe is important to our national leadership in human space
exploration.
In September, witnesses told the Commerce Committee that the SpaceX
lunar lander would not be ready to put Americans back on the Moon,
either in 2027 or 2028. This would almost certainly mean we would lose
the race to the Moon to China, which was unacceptable. In response,
Secretary Duffy directed NASA to reopen the competition for the Artemis
lunar landing mission to ensure that a lander can be ready by the end
of 2028, and I believe this was a correct decision, and I am pleased
that our nominee Mr. Isaacman agrees.
I would also like to note that Secretary Duffy came to NASA in a
particularly perilous time for the Agency, as evidenced in a
whistleblower report that my office released in September. Before
Secretary Duffy arrived, OMB Director Vought had been pushing NASA to
implement dangerous cuts in the President's proposed budget proposal
for fiscal year 2026, disregarding the law and the impacts on NASA's
mission and safety.
As my colleagues know, the President's budget request called for
cutting NASA's budget nearly a quarter, its workforce by nearly a
third, and its science funding by half. Simply put, this is not the way
we are going to win the race to the Moon or accomplish anything else
enduring, for that matter.
Fortunately, I believe Mr. Isaacman recognizes that some of the most
talented people in America work at NASA. I know the Presiding Officer
agrees with this, and that we need to be investing in NASA's mission,
not gutting them. During his nomination process, Mr. Isaacman
emphasized the importance of developing a pipeline of future
scientists, engineers, researchers, and astronauts to support the
science and technology development and align with NASA's objectives. I
strongly agree.
I look forward to working with Administrator Isaacman on the future
STEM talent with both NASA and more broadly with the aerospace and
innovation sector. Fair questions have been raised about Mr. Isaacman's
Project Athena strategic plan, which was drafted in May and leaked to
the press. I have asked Mr. Isaacman about this plan.
In response, he told me the plan was intended to be a proposed
approach to collecting data and information from NASA and the space
community, serving as a starting point in an in-depth conversation with
NASA's management employees on how to ensure NASA remains the world's
preeminent aerospace and technology organization.
Mr. Isaacman assured me that this plan was not part of a misguided
effort to sell off capacities or slash the workforce or have reckless
actions like DOGE had proposed earlier. He promised to share with us
the results of the study and analysis with Congress and to engage in a
dialog with the committee before doing any implementation. I take Mr.
Isaacman at his word,
[[Page S8802]]
and I do look forward to working with him on these particular promises.
So, Mr. President, I know you are a huge supporter of Mr. Isaacman
and have helped promote his renomination. We are here now with an
important mission between this institution and what our national
objectives are in going back to the Moon. I am optimistic that Mr.
Isaacman will bring a steady hand and clear vision to NASA.
I hope we can partner together, all of us, to achieve this incredible
thing for the American people. I know it is time for us to return to
the Moon, and there is much at stake with international competition.
I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting Mr. Isaacman on the
floor.
S. 1071
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, every year, Congress considers the
National Defense Authorization Act which has critical investments in
our national defense, including in Maryland. In my State, tens of
thousands of military personnel and civilians work at military
installations and in the defense sector, driving innovation and
research to advance our defense. The NDAA governs this work and
provides essential support to our servicemembers and veterans.
But at this moment, we are at an inflection point in the United
States. We are witnessing increasingly authoritarian actions by
President Trump and his administration. The President is using tools of
government to pressure and silence dissenting voices, terrorize
communities, lead our Nation into conflict without congressional
authority, and undermine institutions critical to our democracy.
As I noted during Senate consideration of the NDAA a few months ago,
the President has played politics with our Nation's military and tried
to use them to advance his authoritarian agenda, be it here at home or
abroad. He has deployed the National Guard to the District of Columbia,
Los Angeles, Memphis, and Chicago and has attempted to deploy the
National Guard to Portland. These deployments are a flagrant violation
of U.S. law, including the Posse Comitatus Act, as noted in recent
court decisions. Not only have these deployments created chaos in
American cities and communities, they have also pulled the military
away from its mission and expended funds meant to defend our Nation.
Senator Warren and I, along with several other colleagues, put out a
report that outlines how the Pentagon has diverted at least $2 billion
from its core missions to support the President's mass deportation
agenda.
The President's decision in DC and others cities to activate the
National Guard without the recipient State Governor's or mayor's
consent is why I offered an amendment to the Senate version of the NDAA
to block the President from deploying the National Guard to a State, or
the District of Columbia, if that State's Governor, or the DC Mayor,
objects. Unfortunately, the effort failed, and this bill does not
prevent the President's efforts to militarize American streets.
And abroad, Trump has resurrected a policy of a bygone era: the Trump
version of the Monroe Doctrine, carrying out an illegal airstrike
campaign against boats in international waters, which have been
flagrant violations of both U.S. and international law, and can only be
seen as extrajudicial killings amounting to state-sanctioned murder.
Trump has pursued these actions not to stop ``narco-terrorists,'' as
the administration claims, but as a pretext to start a regime change
war in Venezuela. There is simply no evidence that these vessels posed
an imminent threat, nor is there an active armed conflict between the
United States and Venezuela. The Constitution gives Congress the power
to declare war, making the President's acts flat out illegal. Trump's
warmongering with Venezuela, including the recent declaration of a
blockade on oil tankers from Venezuela is not about stopping drug
traffickers. The real goal is regime change and to grab Venezuelan oil
and gas reserves for the President's billionaire friends.
These escalating abuses demonstrate an administration increasingly
willing to sidestep the law using military force. They also underscore
my broader concern about unchecked increases in defense spending,
despite the Pentagon's repeated audit failures, including in November
2024. From FY 2021 to FY 2025, defense authorizations rose from $740
billion to $895 billion, a 21 percent increase, and this bill would
raise that to $900.6 billion, approximately $8 billion more than the
President's budget request. That excludes the July 2025 reconciliation
bill, which added over $150 billion in mandatory spending. We need to
more carefully examine how our defense spending increases year after
year, seemingly without fail, and demand the same accountability from
the Department of Defense as from every other Agency.
In addition to these concerns, embedded within this legislation is a
provision that walks back a key National Transportation Safety Board
recommendation implemented in the wake of the deadly air collision
between a commercial airplane and a U.S. Army helicopter near Ronald
Reagan Washington National Airport, DCA, specifically that military
aircraft in the area broadcast their location to other aircraft using
the most effective collision avoidance technology available. It also
allows the military to waive their own requirements for usage of any
collision avoidance technology in the DCA area. The inclusion of these
provisions is unconscionable when families are still grieving, and the
airspace congestion has not improved.
I also remain concerned by the Trump administration's actions to
weaken the merit-based civil service across the Federal Government,
including at the Department of Defense. One such action was a recently
issued executive order that misuses national security exemptions,
expanding them to cover two-thirds of the Federal workforce, including
many civilian employees at DOD who have long been protected by
collective bargaining. For decades, collective bargaining agreements at
DOD have enhanced transparency and allowed employees to perform their
work free from political interference. The Trump administration's move
to limit these protections undermines employee trust and could harm the
DOD's ability to maintain a skilled workforce. The bill before us
strips out a House-passed bipartisan amendment to restore collective
bargaining rights of DOD employees.
I appreciate that the NDAA process each year gives us the opportunity
to conduct oversight, update our defense policy, and assert
congressional prerogatives. This bill does include important
provisions, including an increase in pay for servicemembers,
investments in research, and reauthorization of the Ukraine Security
Assistance Initiative. It includes a provision I worked on to ensure
continued public access to Greenbury Point near the Naval Academy and
my efforts with Senator Kennedy to protect investors from foreign
insider trading. And there are provisions that will assist in future
oversight by requiring the Department of Defense to share more
information with Congress.
But these are not ordinary times. We must go farther to stand up to
an administration that is currently diverting the military to conduct
local law enforcement operations. That is conducting unlawful military
operations in service of regime change and threatening further actions,
including troops on the ground.
Our military is meant to protect and defend our homeland and our
citizens, not carry out actions against them. It must be governed by
the rule of law, not undermine it. I am opposing the NDAA because we
must do more to rein in these abuses.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Mississippi.
Mr. WICKER. Our colleagues in the House of Representatives have
passed this year's National Defense Authorization Act, and we are about
to follow suit. This will be the 65th year in a row--the 65th
consecutive year--that Congress has come together across the aisle and
across two Chambers to send the President a bill designed to sustain
and strengthen the national defense.
Everyone in this Senate played a role. I want to thank all 99 of my
colleagues. First among them, I thank Jack Reed, the ranking member of
the Senate Armed Services Committee, who has been a steadfast partner.
I also express my gratitude to the other distinguished members of the
committee from both sides of the aisle who worked hard to shape this
legislation.
In July, the Senate Armed Services Committee approved the committee
[[Page S8803]]
version of the bill on a vote of 26 to 1. The bill at that time
contained 985 items formulated by our fellow Members. Over the next few
months, we continued working across this body to add amendments.
Our September substitute amendment had 20 Republican, 20 Democrat,
and 9 bipartisan amendments. The second managers' package was similarly
bipartisan.
In October, we considered the NDAA amid stark partisan divide during
the longest Federal shutdown in the history of our Republic.
Nevertheless, during that shutdown, this body came together to pass
this very important legislation. We debated amendments, and we improved
on the bill, and we approved it. We passed the NDAA after 14 rollcall
votes and 9 voice votes. For once, we did it in prime time, finishing
around 9 p.m. It cleared this Chamber by a vote of 77 to 20. We sent a
strong bill to the House of Representatives, and it had the clear
backing of a huge majority of this body.
Now that negotiations between Chambers have concluded, we have a bill
that provides for the common defense, as the Constitution requires.
This NDAA helps us align the priorities of the U.S. military with the
threats of today, and they are serious--serious threats from the
People's Republic of China and the entire axis of aggressors that it
leads and partners with. It makes warfighting a top priority of the
Department, and it reinforces a culture of merit in the Armed Forces.
Servicemembers will receive a 3.8-percent pay raise. We expanded
initiatives that will reinforce President Trump's recruiting surge, and
we supercharged our efforts to rebuild the American defense industrial
base.
Let me talk about that for a moment. This legislation reforms decades
of bureaucratic inefficiency in the Pentagon's acquisition process. It
contains numerous elements of my bill, the Fostering Reform and
Government Efficiency in Defense Act, more easily known as the FORGED
Act.
We are about to pass and the President will enthusiastically sign the
most sweeping upgrades to DOD's business practices in 60 years. This is
a monumental achievement.
The 21st century poses threats that will require the most creative
and innovative defenses. Americans are already building the technology
to meet those threats, and these reforms will help the Pentagon tap
into that energetic innovation ecosystem.
Secretary Hegseth and his staff have been strong partners in these
efforts as we seek to implement our shared peace through strength
agenda with President Trump. Our reforms, plus our increased defense
investments, will enable us to achieve that vision. Through this bill,
we will continue revitalizing the defense industrial base--an absolute
requirement during these dangerous times.
I am thankful to all of my colleagues for putting in the work to make
this bill good for our servicemembers and for national security. It
succeeds because it is driven by Members across this body.
I am, as I said, especially grateful to the ranking member, Jack
Reed. He is himself a distinguished veteran, a patriot, a statesman,
and a great partner in this work.
I would also be remiss if I did not mention the staunch partnership
we have with our House counterparts: Chairman Mike Rogers and Ranking
Member Adam Smith. That goes, too, for the many other committee chairs
and ranking members who worked so hard all year to include crucial
legislation in this National Defense Authorization Act.
Speaking of great partners, I want to specifically thank my soon-to-
be-retired staff director John Keast. John has been with me for the
better part of three decades now--since I first ran for Congress in
1994. He will be retiring from the Senate in January to return to
Mississippi, where his family lives, and to pursue new opportunities.
This bill, this 65th NDAA in a row, would not have been possible
without John Keast. His work ethic, his sound advice, and his
partnership with his Democrat counterpart Liz King--all were essential.
We could not have achieved this bill without his tireless leadership.
I want to thank him and the rest of my staff who have labored long
days and nights and weekends--Saturdays and Sundays--to get this
legislation done. They include Adam Barker, Kristina Belcourt, Jonathan
Bowen, Leah Brewer, Levi Brunt, Luke Chaney, Glen Diehl, Cody Emerson,
Marty Fromuth, Megan Galindo, Mike Gerhart, Anna Given, Meredith
Gravatte, Madeline Guenther, Isaac Jalkanen, Lauren Johnson, Katie
Karam, Greg Lilly, Eric Lofgren, Katie Magnus, Jonathan Moore, Katie
Stanton, Sophie Schloegel, Mike Tokar, Eric Trager, Adam Trull, Mike
Urena, Dave Vasquez, Christina Sandstedt--who has been give privileges
of the floor this very day--Julia Wood, Terry Miller, Emily Yetter, Dan
Hillenbrand, Beth Spivey, Brendan Gavin, Brad Patout, Rick Berger, and,
as I said before, my adviser and personal friend John Keast.
That is a lot of names and a lot of effort and a lot of talent. That
is just the members on my side of the aisle.
I thank them all, and I thank this Senate and our friends in the
House for coming together in the spirit of patriotism and comity to get
this very important quantum leap in our defense accomplished.
With that said, let's begin the vote and take the next step to
rebuild America's national defense.
Motion Withdrawn
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw the motion to
concur with the Senate amendment No. 3961.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The motion to concur with amendment is withdrawn.
The amendment No. 3962 falls.
Vote on Motion to Concur
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the motion to
concur to House amendment to S. 1071.
Mr. WICKER. I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant executive clerk called the roll.
Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the
Senator from Iowa (Ms. Ernst) and the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley).
Further, if present and voting: the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley)
would have voted ``yea.''
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Delaware (Mr. Coons) is
necessarily absent.
The result was announced--yeas 77, nays 20, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 648 Leg.]
YEAS--77
Alsobrooks
Baldwin
Banks
Barrasso
Blackburn
Blumenthal
Blunt Rochester
Boozman
Britt
Budd
Capito
Cassidy
Collins
Cornyn
Cortez Masto
Cotton
Cramer
Crapo
Cruz
Curtis
Daines
Durbin
Fetterman
Fischer
Gallego
Gillibrand
Graham
Hagerty
Hassan
Hawley
Heinrich
Hickenlooper
Hirono
Hoeven
Husted
Hyde-Smith
Johnson
Justice
Kaine
Kelly
Kennedy
King
Klobuchar
Lankford
Lujan
Lummis
Marshall
McConnell
McCormick
Moody
Moran
Moreno
Mullin
Murkowski
Ossoff
Peters
Reed
Ricketts
Risch
Rosen
Rounds
Schmitt
Schumer
Scott (FL)
Scott (SC)
Shaheen
Sheehy
Slotkin
Sullivan
Thune
Tillis
Tuberville
Warner
Warnock
Whitehouse
Wicker
Young
NAYS--20
Bennet
Booker
Cantwell
Duckworth
Kim
Lee
Markey
Merkley
Murphy
Murray
Padilla
Paul
Sanders
Schatz
Schiff
Smith
Van Hollen
Warren
Welch
Wyden
NOT VOTING--3
Coons
Ernst
Grassley
(Mr. RICKETTS assumed the Chair.)
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Tillis). The yeas are 77, the nays are 20.
The motion to concur in the House amendment to S. 1071 is agreed to.
The motion was agreed to.
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