[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 8 (Monday, January 12, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S121-S128]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE; ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT; AND INTERIOR
AND ENVIRONMENT APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2026--Motion to Proceed--Resumed
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will
resume consideration of the motion to proceed to H.R. 6938, which the
clerk will report.
The senior assistant executive clerk read as follows:
Motion to proceed to Calendar No. 299, H.R. 6938, a bill
making consolidated appropriations for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2026, and for other purposes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa.
ObamaCare
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, one of the issues that Congress must
deal with--and do it very shortly--is the cost of health insurance.
President Obama famously said that ObamaCare would let Americans keep
their health insurance if they liked it and that it would also lower
their premiums. We know, more than a decade later, that those promises
were never true.
We need to lower healthcare costs. It starts with expanding access
and competition to high-quality, affordable health insurance through
health savings accounts, association health plans, and other consumer-
driven health plans. It also requires action to reduce prescription
drug prices through pharmacy benefit manager reform. That reform should
not be a tough thing to do because we have three separate approaches in
the U.S. Senate, with a total of about 60 to 65 Members, in a
bipartisan way, supporting the passage of PBM reform.
The evidence for fixing ObamaCare can be found in America's
pocketbook today. I recently received a letter from an Iowan,
documenting the increases this person has seen in his monthly health
insurance premiums, just since ObamaCare became law. Before ObamaCare
was signed into law, this Iowan saw zero-percent increases in his
health insurance premiums and even saw premium reductions. In the 8
years prior to ObamaCare, this Iowan had a cumulative premium increase
of 4 percent. In the 8 years since ObamaCare, this Iowan saw a
cumulative premium increase of 87 percent.
Health insurance has gotten more costly under ObamaCare--case in
point with this Iowan's story. His monthly health insurance premium,
which was once around $800 before ObamaCare, is now over $2,000 a
month.
Extending temporary COVID bonuses for wealthy households, where the
money is shoved to insurance companies, is not the answer. We need to
enact commonsense solutions to bring down healthcare costs.
I yield the floor.
Recognition of the Majority Leader
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader is recognized.
Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior
and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, before I begin, I just want to mention
Thursday's appropriations vote in the House.
Thanks to Speaker Johnson, House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom
Cole, and others, the House passed a three-bill appropriations
package--Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and
Interior and Environment--by an overwhelming bipartisan margin.
Now it is our turn, and I hope that we will be able to get these
bills passed here in the Senate in the next couple of days. We have a
lot of appropriations work left to do before the January 30 deadline,
and we should not waste any time in getting this bipartisan package
over the finish line.
Southern Border
Mr. President, it is difficult to overstate just how dramatically the
situation at the southern border has changed over the past year.
[[Page S122]]
In November, the latest month for which we have border numbers, there
were just 11,000 total encounters at the southern border--11,000. Now,
to put that number into perspective, the previous November, under
President Biden, saw 94,000 encounters. The November before that saw a
staggering 242,000 encounters, and the November before that, 235,000.
This November, there were 11,000, and not one individual who tried to
cross the border illegally was released into our country--not a single
one. In fact, it has been months since an illegal immigrant was
released into the interior of our country. Contrast this with the Biden
years, which saw literally millions of illegal immigrants released into
the interior.
I was down at the border recently, and the situation could not be
more different from my 2021 and 2023 visits. Back then, I was meeting
with overwhelmed border agents and was visiting overwhelmed border
facilities. I remember, during my 2021 trip, we visited a facility that
was at 16 times its allotted capacity--16 times. During one of my
trips, I remember actually seeing with my own eyes individuals
attempting to cross the border illegally, and I remember talking to
Border Patrol agents--Border Patrol, who, by the time of my 2023 trip,
had spent 2 years dealing with recordbreaking numbers of illegal
immigrants; Border Patrol agents who were in desperate need of
resources and support from the Biden administration--resources and
support that never came.
I talked to Border Patrol agents on my most recent trip, and what I
heard cannot be more different. Border Patrol agents are telling me
that the flood that they once dealt with has shrunk now to a trickle;
that they are being supported in their work and are allowed to do the
job that they were hired to do, which is to protect our southern
border.
I still can't get over the difference. In 2021 and 2023, I visited
the southern border, and I saw chaos. In 2026, I visited, and I saw
calm and order, and our country is so much safer because of it.
I am grateful for all that President Trump and his administration
have done to make and keep our southern border secure. I am proud of
the work that we have done here in Congress to help ensure that border
security is here to stay.
Our Working Families Tax Cuts legislation made a generational
investment in the resources that law enforcement needs to secure the
border and deter illegal immigration. We funded the completion of the
border wall, new technology and border surveillance equipment, and
additional Border Patrol agents. We expanded detention capacity and
expanded partnerships with local law enforcement to enforce immigration
law.
And these resources are already having an effect. On my recent trip
to the border, agents repeatedly emphasized how they are seeing effects
from our Working Families Tax Cuts legislation and in particular with
the addition of needed new personnel and counterdrone technology.
Thanks to that counterdrone technology, Border Patrol personnel can
take over or destroy cartel drones at the border, limiting cartels'
surveillance abilities and ability to transport dangerous items.
I am proud that after 4 long years of strain thanks to President
Biden's border crisis, Border Patrol agents are finally receiving the
resources they need to do their jobs, prevent illegal immigration, and
keep us safe.
Mr. President, January 9 was National Law Enforcement Appreciation
Day, and my conversations with Border Patrol agents on my recent trip
reminded me of just how blessed we are to have men and women who step
up and answer the call to serve as law enforcement officers. From the
Border Patrol to the Capitol Police and other Federal agents, to our
local sheriff and police departments, our safety is secured for us by
men and women who willingly choose to place themselves between us and
danger. Too often, the sacrifices these men and women make are not
appreciated. In fact, we have seen a reprehensible amount of hostility
toward law enforcement in recent months and years.
I hope that today and every day, we will take a moment to remember
what our law enforcement officers do for us and how very lucky we are
to have them.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant executive 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.
Jerome Powell
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, last night, the New York Times reported
that a criminal investigation has been opened into Jerome Powell, the
chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. Anyone with two eyes and half a
brain knows exactly what this criminal probe represents: a brazen
attempt by Donald Trump to cannibalize the Fed's independence.
The allegations behind this probe are clearly bogus. This has nothing
to do with building renovations, of all things; it has everything to do
with Donald Trump weaponizing the DOJ into his attack dog and bullying
America's central bank into submission on something unrelated to what
they do.
This is another ominous, troubling step toward the MAGA-fication of
America's monetary policy, which is the bedrock of the global economy
and essential for stability in the markets.
So the American people should beware: If you are worried about making
sure mortgage rates come down, making it easier to buy a home, Donald
Trump's attack on the Fed should trouble you deeply. If you are worried
about what the economy is going to look like in the next 6 months, 12
months, and beyond, Donald Trump's attack on the Fed should alarm you.
If you are a Senate Republican in this Chamber who has at any point
spoken out about the Fed's independence, about the need to bring
inflation down, about the importance of law and order, now is the time
to find your voice and to take a stand.
The bogus criminal probe conducted by the DOJ screams for
congressional oversight. We need to bring DOJ officials to testify
before the Senate and explain this outrageous criminal probe, and the
Senate must reject any future Trump nominee to the Fed so long as this
dark cloud continues to hang over the central bank--because if Donald
Trump can use the threat of criminal investigation to influence
monetary policy, then we will have no independent Fed to speak of, and,
again, interest rates will go up, mortgage rates will go up, car loan
rates will go up, credit card rates will go up, and the American
consumer will pay more.
The American consumer is already worried, troubled, and devastated by
the lack of affordability, and what Trump is doing will make things
even more unaffordable. You would say: What the heck does one have to
do with the other? But when the markets feel there is no steadiness, no
stability in the Fed, they charge more, they get worried, they clamp
down.
And, look, Donald Trump is clearly angry that his own Presidency has
been a disaster for our economy so is looking for a scapegoat, and he
thinks Jerome Powell can be one. He has made a big mistake. No one is
going to fall for that bull.
Everyone knows Jay Powell and the Fed aren't the reason Donald
Trump's poll numbers and our economy are in the garbage. If he wants
someone to blame, Donald Trump should simply look in the mirror, not at
Jerome Powell.
Venezuela
Mr. President, on Venezuela, last night, Donald Trump posted on Truth
Social a ridiculous screen shot of a fake Wikipedia page that called
him the acting President of Venezuela. Donald Trump calling himself the
acting President of Venezuela is stupid, but it is a very useful
illustration of where his head is at right now. He is totally focused
on military adventures and completely ignoring the affordability crisis
here at home.
To those Republicans who hemmed and hawed last week saying the U.S.
involvement in Venezuela was a one-and-done, those views have now aged
like spoiled milk. Last week, Donald Trump was asked if we are staying
in Venezuela for a month, 6 months, a year, or longer. He answered:
I would say much longer.
[[Page S123]]
And he says this with a smile on his face.
What does he think the American people are thinking--that we want
another endless war, this time in Venezuela; that we want to stay for
years and waste treasure and possibly lives on this adventure in
Venezuela? The American people don't want that.
Then he says:
We are going to [give the] money to Venezuela.
Do you think the American people want that--a foreign adventure so we
can give money to Venezuela?
Just yesterday, Energy Secretary Wright said the United States will
be in Venezuela for maybe a year, maybe 2 years, and maybe more. The
American people didn't vote for Donald Trump to be acting President of
Venezuela for a year, 2 years, 3 years--even for a day; they voted for
him to put America first and bring down the cost of living.
The more people learn about what is going on in Venezuela, the more
people hear that U.S. involvement could last years, the more they will
demand that Congress act.
Now, the good news is that this week, the Senate has a chance to halt
Trump's military follies, to halt his focus on foreign adventurism
rather than bringing down their prices.
Last week, a strong bipartisan group of Senators moved forward with a
War Powers Resolution I championed with Senators Kaine, Schiff, and
Paul. The Senate will vote this week to pass this resolution and affirm
the Congress's constitutional authority on matters of war and peace.
I say to my Republican colleagues who don't yet support this
resolution: Join us to prevent another forever war.
The pressure will be on Senate Republicans this week to make a
choice: Stand with the majority of Americans who don't want us in
Venezuela or enable Donald Trump and risk entangling us in another
forever war.
The American people will be watching what we do this week. Americans
don't want another round of endless wars. They don't support propping
up foreign nations and regimes.
The vote this week will tell all, and the American people will be
watching.
Tariffs
Mr. President, finally, on tariffs, as soon as this week, the U.S.
Supreme Court may rule on whether or not Donald Trump's chaotic tariff
policies are constitutional.
I have long been very clear that the Supreme Court should strike
Donald Trump's tariffs down. The President's tariffs are an unlawful
usurping of Congress's authority over trade, and I have seen firsthand
in New York how they have raised prices for families and shut down so
many small businesses.
Congress may not have a say on whether or how the Supreme Court will
rule, but we absolutely have a say on future legislation on the
President's tariff authority. The Senate has already voted four times
on a bipartisan basis to reject Trump's illegal trade war.
If the Supreme Court strikes down all or some of Donald Trump's
tariffs, we know he will come to Congress and demand another blank
check. Republicans must be ready to buck up and tell him no.
Senate Democrats will not support any legislation that hands the
President a free pass to slap tariffs on whoever he likes, the
consequences for our economy be damned, in his eyes.
No blank checks for an endless trade war. No blank checks for Donald
Trump to issue tariffs whenever he likes against whomever he likes,
regardless of the consequences--particularly the American people, as he
raises and raises and raises their cost of living.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic Whip.
Affordable Care Act
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, last week, against the direction and
wishes of the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, 17 House Republicans
joined every Democrat in the House to vote for an extension of the
Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits.
Last year, 22 million Americans relied on these tax credits to be
able to afford their health insurance, but on January 1, those credits
expired because the Republican-controlled Congress refused to extend
them. Because these tax credits have lapsed, millions--millions--of
Americans are being forced to drop their health insurance or to pay
double or triple for their healthcare plans. Families are already
struggling with the expenses they face every single day--grocery
prices, electric bills, mortgage payments. We shouldn't add health
insurance to that list.
The House has done its part. The only barrier to putting a bill on
the President's desk is this body, the U.S. Senate.
Last month, Senate Democrats voted to extend these tax credits. Four
Republicans joined us, but we fell short of the 13 we needed to get the
job done. Now we have another chance. There is no excuse for further
delay. We can act this week, before we take a break, to avoid this
healthcare catastrophe.
I have spoken to colleagues on both sides of the aisle who have said
that they want to make healthcare more affordable. They have spoken to
these families. They know the hardship they face with these premiums.
Extending the premium tax credits is the only way to do that
immediately. Let's do it on a bipartisan basis and surprise everybody.
We can help provide Americans with the peace of mind that their
families need, give them coverage so that if there is a bad diagnosis,
an accident, a tough hospitalization, they are covered.
Crypto
Mr. President, on a separate topic, later this week, the Senate
Banking and Agriculture Committees plan to mark up and vote on landmark
crypto market structure legislation.
While we await the release of the specific bill text, let me be
clear. A strong crypto market structure bill must include the following
provisions: ensure protection for investors, especially retail
consumers; protect victims from fraud, like crypto ATM scams;
strengthen our financial stability; provide strong guardrails against
money laundering; and prevent the President and his family from further
enriching themselves.
In the year 2008, the American people faced the worst financial
crisis since the Great Depression. This was spurred in large part by
risky, subprime mortgages that went belly-up.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has stated that ``financial
innovation and deregulation contributed to an environment in which the
[United States] and global financial systems became far . . . less
stable than in previous decades.''
In the wake of this, we did something to prevent a future crisis: We
passed the Dodd-Frank bill, providing much needed reforms to the
financial system that protected consumers and increased accountability
on Wall Street.
But it has been 16 years since Dodd-Frank was signed into law, and
the financial system in America has changed dramatically. Today, it is
the rise of cryptocurrency--a risky, volatile, unpredictable investment
that requires meaningful--meaningful--regulation.
The crypto industry has wide reach. It was valued in excess of $4
trillion in 2025, and estimates show that the industry has 40 to 70
million active users each month.
Naturally, the crypto industry is calling for rubberstamp regulation
of this asset in the name of innovation. Sound familiar? It is the same
reason the FDIC gave us as the cause for the great recession. What does
this mean? The next crypto crash could wipe out not just the fat cats
but a lot of working families--just like in 2008.
President Trump has failed to put in place commonsense guardrails to
fend off another market collapse.
Since returning to office, financial regulators like the SEC have
dropped lawsuits against some of the largest and most dubious crypto
companies, creating an environment of unaccountability.
President Trump has pushed for deregulation of financial markets,
including by taking his chain saw to the Consumer Financial Protection
Bureau in the name of ``government efficiency.'' He has pardoned crypto
executives that have allowed funds to flow to terrorists, drug cartels,
and cybercriminals--the worst of the worst.
Trump has personally enriched himself--to the tune of nearly $1
billion in the first half of 2025--through crypto scams like meme
coins.
The industry has proven repeatedly that it plays a key role in
facilitating
[[Page S124]]
fraud. Crypto ATM scams illustrate this perfectly. These scams swindle
unsuspecting Americans--usually senior citizens--out of their life
savings when they receive phony phone calls telling them that they owe
taxes to the Internal Revenue Service or a penalty for missing jury
duty. The scammer who calls tells the victim that they can pay what
they owe at a crypto ATM machine. They are popping up all over the
United States. Little does the victim know that the money they deposit
into the crypto ATM is transferred to the criminal's digital wallet.
The person putting it in the machine will never see it again.
The FBI estimates that in 2025, last year, victims lost more than
$333 million to scams facilitated by crypto ATMs. Congress must
meaningfully regulate this industry and address these scams. We cannot
make the same mistakes we made leading up to 2008, and we cannot expect
taxpayers to support a multibillion-dollar bailout for the crypto
industry if there is a crypto crash.
Capitulating to the crypto industry and the self-imposed rush to mark
up these forthcoming crypto market structure bills comes at the
direction of a President who is trying to enrich himself and his
family. I wish I didn't have to say that, but it is true.
As the Senate Banking and Agriculture Committees consider
cryptocurrency legislation, I advise Chairmen Scott and Boozman to work
across the aisle to explore proper protections and regulations in the
crypto market. Rushing this process is unwise and poses a serious
danger to the U.S. financial system.
We have been warned. We have been through this in recent memory.
Let's not do it again to unsuspecting victims.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Britt). The Senator from Arizona.
Trump Administration
Mr. KELLY. Madam President, I didn't expect that I would ever find
myself here, as a U.S. Senator, having filed a lawsuit against a
Secretary of Defense.
When I graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in 1986 and
was commissioned into the U.S. Navy as an ensign, I swore an oath to
support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and
domestic. I have upheld that oath every single day since.
I upheld it on the second night of Operation Desert Storm, when a
Russian-made SA-6 surface-to-air missile locked onto my airplane when I
was on a mission to bomb an airfield in southern Iraq. I made a last-
ditch maneuver. The missile exploded above us, and I delivered the
bombs on target.
I upheld my oath as a test pilot, logging hundreds of flight hours,
pushing aircraft to the limits, to make sure that our pilots had the
best aircraft and systems to use in combat.
And I upheld my oath when my service took me to NASA, where I went
into space four times, where I was honored to command two space shuttle
missions, and where I was also the first astronaut on the scene in East
Texas after Space Shuttle Columbia exploded during reentry, and I had
to recover the bodies of my friends and astronaut classmates.
And I have upheld my oath here in the U.S. Senate, a place I never
expected to find myself in because my wife Gabby was always the elected
official in our family. If she had never been shot in the head, she
would be here in this Chamber and not me. But I love this country, and
I felt that I had an obligation to continue my public service in a way
that I never expected. And so I have upheld my oath in this job too
because I take seriously my duty to protect the Constitution for all
Americans.
I just never expected that I would have to protect the rule of law
against a Secretary of Defense. Pete Hegseth is now coming after what I
earned through my 25 years of military service, in violation of my
rights as an American and as a retired veteran and as a U.S. Senator,
whose job it is to hold this and any administration accountable. He
doesn't like what I said, and so he is trying to censure and demote me.
And let's talk for just a second about what it is that I said that he
decided to censure me over, according to his letter: first, that I
simply restated the law--that servicemembers must refuse illegal
orders. Somehow, restating the law is now against the law, according to
Pete Hegseth.
This isn't new. It is something every recruit is taught. It is
something that Pete Hegseth himself has said repeatedly, including,
specifically, about this President and Commander in Chief, Donald
Trump.
Second, that I criticized him for firing admirals and generals and
that this administration is surrounding themselves with a bunch of yes-
men.
Let me repeat it here right now: It is bad for our national security
that Pete Hegseth fired admirals and generals because of who they are.
And a bunch of yes-men--well, that is bad for any organization.
Lastly, he is censuring me because I have raised concerns about his
actions and military operations. Well, that is my job. I have every
right to say these things--as an American, as a retired servicemember,
and as a U.S. Senator, and especially as a member of the Armed Services
Committee whose duty it is to provide oversight over the Department of
Defense.
Pete Hegseth's unconstitutional crusade against me sends a chilling
message to every retired member of the military. If you speak out and
say something that the President and Secretary of Defense don't like,
you will be censured, threatened with demotion, or even prosecuted.
Every servicemember knows that military rank is earned; it is not
given. It is earned through the risks you take, the sacrifices you and
your family make, the leadership you display, and the respect you earn
from the superiors who recommend you for promotion. After my 25 years
of service, I earned my rank as a captain in the U.S. Navy.
Now, Pete Hegseth wants even our longest serving military veterans to
live with the constant threat that they could be deprived of their rank
and retirement pay, years or even decades after they leave the
military, just because he or another Secretary of Defense or a
President doesn't like what they have said.
If Pete Hegseth succeeds in silencing me, then he and every other
Secretary of Defense who comes after him will have license to punish
any retired veteran of any political persuasion for the things that
they say. And by that logic, a 100-year-old World War II veteran could
be hauled in and censured or court-martialed because he says something
that Pete Hegseth disagrees with.
That is wrong. It is not the way things work in the United States of
America, and I will not stand for it because our freedom of speech, the
separation of powers, and due process are not just words on a page.
They are core principles of our democracy. When we say we have an
obligation to protect and defend the Constitution, this is exactly what
we are all talking about. It is this--because that oath that I spoke
about earlier, it should sound very familiar to other folks in this
room because it is the same one that every Member of the U.S. Senate
has taken.
For 250 years, we have been the greatest democracy the world has ever
seen because patriotic Americans have been willing to stand up for not
just their own rights but for the rights of all of our fellow citizens.
That continued resolve is what will decide if our democracy lasts
another 250 years.
That is why, today, I filed a lawsuit against the Secretary of
Defense to protect my rights, the rights of retired veterans, and the
rights of all Americans. I have never backed down from a fight for our
country, and I am not going to back down from this one.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia.
Religious Discrimination
Mr. WARNER. Madam President, I come to the floor today to condemn the
heartbreaking and anti-American rise in religious discrimination and
hate-fueled extremism and to call particular attention to the ways this
administration has fueled the flames of Islamophobia and anti-Arab hate
that has hurt countless members of our Muslim American and Arab
American communities.
Now, unfortunately, neither religious discrimination nor acts of
hate-fueled violence are new or are uniquely American.
[[Page S125]]
Last month, I joined Senator Schumer and all of my Democratic
colleagues in speaking out against the horrible anti-Semitism targeting
our Jewish communities and calling out disgusting vitriol from the
likes of Nick Fuentes and his ilk, and I joined people of conscience
everywhere in mourning and standing with the Jewish community in
Australia after that monstrous attack took 15 lives during a Hanukkah
celebration.
Now, in America, in years back, Dr. Martin Luther King warned us that
injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, and the same is
true about religious intolerance, bigotry, and violence. Any prejudice
or discrimination or violence rooted in how people believe, express,
and experience their faith is a threat to all people of faith
everywhere.
I rise today to specifically condemn the discrimination our Muslim
and Arab American communities are facing because, unfortunately, this
President and his administration have openly stoked and
institutionalized Islamophobic discrimination.
We all recall, on November 26, we saw a horrific attack on two
members of the West Virginia National Guard deployed here in our
Nation's Capital. That type of violence has no place in a just society.
But the Trump administration did not meet this attack with targeted,
measured attempts to minimize violence or curb extremism. Instead,
their actions and rhetoric stoked further divisions by using this awful
attack as grounds to justify targeting Afghan-American communities in
the United States.
After that attack, the Trump administration announced a halt to the
processing of all immigration requests from Afghan nationals,
coinciding with an announcement from the State Department that they
would immediately be halting visa issuance for individuals traveling on
Afghan passports. The President and his administration are taking the
actions of a single person and distorting this horrific, isolated
incident to justify suppression and cruelty against many more who have
done nothing wrong, many who have risked their lives, families, and
communities to support U.S. servicemembers during the long war in
Afghanistan.
Another example: Look at the President's commentary related to
members of the Somali community. During a Cabinet meeting last month,
the President called the Somali community ``garbage,'' saying:
We don't want them in our country.
I have to tell you, I believe these comments are disgusting, they are
dehumanizing, and they are un-American, and they should roundly and
loudly be condemned by all public officials. The intolerance and
ignorance that motivates these statements and these actions didn't just
begin in the past few weeks or even with this administration.
I say to my colleagues: Ask any of your Muslim or Arab constituents
when they got the so-called talk from their parents or heard the first
attack on their faith or their culture.
This rot--this un-American activity--has been in this country a long,
long time.
Just the other week, I was sitting with a group of Virginians who
happened to be Muslim Americans. One of the individuals I have known a
long time, has been a community member and well-known business guy,
and happens to also be Muslim. This individual had been doing a lot of
work all across Northern Virginia, working with local governments and
others, trying to develop affordable housing projects.
He was working specifically with a county in outer Northern Virginia.
He had been assured everything was set. He was going out to the meeting
where it was going to be ``project approved.'' He got to, again, the
county offices. And it was at a time during the day, as somebody who
practices his faith, that he got out and prayed, as Muslims do on a
regular basis during the day. And after doing that prayer privately
next to his car, he then went into the county meeting. And, suddenly,
everything that had been totally pro forma--someone had seen him
praying, and he suddenly found out the contract wasn't going to be
signed.
The fact is, this individual has got an extraordinary record of, as I
said, producing affordable housing all across the region. But the fact
that simply displaying his faith caused him to lose a piece of business
that was there just for a pro forma approval ought to shock us all.
I think we all have to talk to our Muslim and Arab neighbors, our
constituents. These kinds of stories are, unfortunately, not the
exception. There are too many examples of fear or discrimination or
being somehow made to feel, if you happen to be Arab American or Muslim
American, that you are somehow a lesser American. And rather than being
a leader who elevates our morality, who confronts these views,
President Trump and his administration seem deliberately intent on
preying on these kinds of fears and deepening divisions based on
religion or immigration status.
Just last month, the administration announced it would stop
adjudicating all immigration benefit requests for nationals of 19
countries. That means law-abiding residents who have lived in this
country--many, for years--are seeing their naturalization interviews
paused and their citizenship ceremonies canceled. Now, these decisions
build on a travel ban that was put in place by the administration
earlier in the year--or last year.
Let me be crystal clear. At least in my mind, these bans are not
about your safety or mine. These bans are about limiting access to the
American dream to a select few that the administration thinks look the
right way or worship the right god.
But it is not just the President--not just President Trump. On the
floor of this body, a Senator called Islam a ``poisonous religion''
that ``is fundamentally incompatible with our Western values.'' In
recent weeks, a Member of the House posted on his official Twitter
page:
How to Deal with Mainstream Muslims: I don't know how you
make peace with those who seek your destruction, I think you
destroy them first.
This is an official Twitter page of a Member of the House of
Representatives.
All too often, this vitriol is met with silence--a dangerous,
weaponized apathy that says Islamophobia is somehow acceptable at the
highest levels of government. All of us, but especially those of us who
serve in this body, in public office, have a duty to end that silence
and loudly and resolutely condemn Islamophobia and anti-Arab hate.
And while others seek to divide and distort circumstances to advance
their narratives, there are so many stories actually worth telling. So
I want to take a moment to recognize and celebrate the contributions of
Muslim Americans to Virginia's history. Muslim Virginians are integral
to what makes our Commonwealth thrive. They are lawyers, doctors,
educators, homemakers, and entrepreneurs. They are engineers designing
infrastructure, researchers advancing technology, small-business owners
fueling our local economies, and transportation workers getting folks
to where they need to go. Muslim Virginians live out the democratic
values that this country was built on. They are serving in elected
office, shaping policy, and making this country a better place to live.
As a matter of fact, last November--just a few months ago--Virginia
voters proudly made history by electing the first Muslim woman to
statewide office in any State in our country. Ghazala Hashmi will be
sworn in as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia this coming Saturday. She
joins the growing number of Muslim Virginians that already serve across
all three levels of Virginia government--in the State House, in our
judiciary, and in so many levels of local government. And they
represent their neighbors with dedication and integrity.
Muslim Virginians are also patriotic and want to keep this country
safe, many of them bravely choosing to serve as police officers,
intelligence officers, and servicemembers in our Armed Forces. One of
those patriots was CPT Humayun Khan, who died in service to our country
during Operation Iraqi Freedom. His efforts alone saved the lives of
more than 100 soldiers, and I still remember his mother and father
speaking at a political convention and holding up our American
Constitution and talking about their son's sacrifice to keep America
safe.
Contrary to the rhetoric of our President and his administration, our
country is safer because of Muslim Americans like Captain Khan and the
thousands of Muslim American police and
[[Page S126]]
Muslim American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, and guardians. I am
grateful for their service every day.
The contributions of Muslims to Virginia should not just be measured
by titles or economic impact; they are seen in generosity, compassion,
and community. Islamic centers and mosques across the Commonwealth step
up to serve their communities with food assistance, refugee
resettlement, youth mentorship, and much more. They open their doors
not only to worship but to serve as an example of compassion and mercy
that is inseparable from their Muslim faith.
Muslim Virginians also add to the cultural richness of our
Commonwealth through art, music, literature, and food. They bring
languages and stories from across the world--from Sudan to Pakistan,
Somalia to Afghanistan, Morocco to Palestine. They also bring the
uniquely American experience of growing up, learning, working, and
building a life in our Commonwealth of Virginia. Their story is
Virginia's story--one of perseverance, community, success, and hope.
So when the President and his administration or my colleagues here or
in the House use xenophobic, fearmongering tactics to attack and
intimidate or diminish members of the Muslim or Arab American
community, I want you to remember that they are individuals who are
being wrongly misrepresented.
Next month marks the start of the holy season of Ramadan for our
Muslim brothers and sisters. Particularly during this time of
reflection and community but frankly throughout the whole year, it
should be incumbent upon all of us to call out all forms of bigotry and
discrimination against any religious community and to stand up for all
of our communities against injustice.
I think all of us should once again commit to never stay silent in
the face of religious intolerance against the Christian faith, against
the Jewish faith, against the Muslim faith, or other great faiths of
the world. Our job as representatives of the American people is to
protect our communities and our people--all of our people. We abandon
each other I think at our own peril and at our Nation's peril.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant executive clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Appropriations
Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, the spending bills that we write are
not just numbers on a page; they affect the daily lives of Americans
across the country in very real ways, like whether or not they can
afford their electric bill or whether families have clean drinking
water at home, whether communities have infrastructure to prevent
flooding and respond to devastating weather events like the ones we saw
in my home State of Washington last month, and whether they have the
resources they need to keep people safe.
These are the issues at stake, the issues that are in my mind each
year as I work to negotiate our appropriations bills. It is a
responsibility I take extremely seriously, and it is why from day one I
have vowed to rip up President Trump's budget and write a new one,
because this President and his budget director, Project 2025 author
Russ Vought, want to slash over $160 billion in essential investments
for American communities and working families. They actually tried to
cut our entire nondefense budget by over one-fifth. But even that
number disguises the much deeper cuts that have been pushed for key
programs. In some cases, House Republicans adopted those in their own
bills alongside hundreds of extreme poison pill provisions.
Democrats said: No way. Absolutely not. And we made clear that our
conferenced bills had to be closer to the bipartisan Senate levels that
ensured our bills cleared our committee with overwhelming support.
Throughout these negotiations, our ranking members and I focused on
protecting funding that our communities rely on, rejecting sweeping,
devastating cuts, and eliminating far-right, poison pill riders.
Now, this week, the Senate is taking up the package that the House
cleared last week in an overwhelming vote, which contains the CJS,
Energy and Water, and Interior funding bills. In each of these bills, I
am very happy that we protected critical funding and fought off poison
pill riders.
In the CJS bill, we rejected Trump's plan to slash funding for
scientific research and the National Science Foundation's budget by 57
percent, cut NASA's science budget in half, and devastate NOAA and
climate research that all of us rely on for accurate weather
forecasting, whether we know it or not.
Trump also wanted to cut funding to prevent violence against women by
$215 million, which was truly heartless. Democrats protected that
funding and increased it by $7 million.
We shot down Trump's proposals to merge and weaken important Federal
Agencies--Agencies like the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Office on
Violence Against Women and COPS Office under the Office of Justice
Programs.
Similarly, the Interior bill protects the Forest Service from over $1
billion in Trump cuts. It protects clean water programs from those
massive cuts. It protects air and pollution grants from outright
elimination. It protects the pay of our Federal wildland firefighters.
It rejects nearly $1 billion in Trump cuts to Tribal programs for
school and safety and self-governance.
As ranking member of Energy and Water, I worked hard to make sure
these bills definitively rejected Trump's damaging proposals and made
major investments that are absolutely critical both to my home State of
Washington and our entire Nation.
President Trump's proposal would have raised Americans' energy bills
by cutting energy and grid programs, including eliminating the
Weatherization Assistance Program, but Democrats saved those and in
fact procured more assistance to help lower families' energy bills.
Not only did we reject Trump's $2 billion cut to the Army Corps of
Engineers, we actually increased funding and spelled out in line item
after line item exactly how that funding is to be spent because last
year, Trump and Russ Vought blatantly defunded Army Corps construction
projects in blue States like Washington and California and steered
hundreds of millions of dollars to red States instead. I called that
out for what it was--a politically motivated abuse of power that was
only possible because we were operating under a slush fund, full-year
CR.
This year, we made sure that Trump and Russ Vought cannot muck around
again and turn crucial flood prevention projects like the Howard Hanson
Dam in Washington State into political hostages. I am very proud that
we were able to write in much needed funding for the Howard Hanson Dam
bill, alongside crucial funding for many of our Nation's ports and
harbors.
The Energy and Water bill protects investments in water
infrastructure, hydroelectric power, and scientific discovery so our
National Labs can keep doing the cutting-edge work that we all rely on.
It rejects Trump's proposal to gut clean energy funding; zero out
solar, wind, and hydrogen research programs; and eliminate several
independent Agencies that support economic development in the country.
Now, throughout these bills, I was very happy to work with Chair
Collins and address indirect costs to ensure that our scientific
research can continue without drastic interference and disruption.
I want to thank everyone--some of my fellow leaders on the
Appropriations Committee who came to the table for very serious, hard
negotiations to put these bills together. This was not easy work, and
it was done under a very challenging timeline, but we are showing what
can still get done when both sides work together.
I want to start by acknowledging and thanking very much Chair Collins
and her staff, who have worked extraordinarily hard with my staff
throughout this process, and we are continuing to work.
I also want to thank House Chairman Tom Cole and Ranking Member
Rosa DeLauro and all their staffs.
I want to thank Senator Kennedy, who is my counterpart on the Energy
[[Page S127]]
and Water Subcommittee; Senator Moran and Senator Van Hollen, our
leaders on the CJS Subcommittee; and Senator Murkowski and Senator
Merkley, our Interior Subcommittee leads; and, of course, their
counterparts in the House: Representatives Fleischmann and Kaptur on
Energy and Water, Rogers and Meng on CJS, and Simpson and Pingree on
Interior.
Our ranking members, along with the chairs in both the House and
Senate, did a tremendous job working together to get these bills done.
These bills reassert Congress's power over key spending decisions, and
that cannot be more important.
These bills will put an end to some of the truly unacceptable and
partisan retaliation we have seen from the Office of Management and
Budget by telling this administration exactly how Congress has decided
funding must get spent. That is a huge improvement from the status quo
we have with Republicans' yearlong slush fund CR that gave Trump and
Vought way more power to decide how to spend our taxpayer dollars and
which projects and priorities to fund.
Over the last year, we have seen them abuse the power that terrible
slush fund CR gave them to rob our communities and completely remake
Federal spending priorities without so much as talking to Congress.
That is why right now it is so important that we end that slush fund
authority and reassert our power as lawmakers by passing these full-
year spending bills that specify exactly how funds are to be spent,
just as we had always done until last year.
So with the next funding deadline coming up, it is crucial that we
pass these bills, protect the funding that our families count on,
reject Trump's heartless cuts, and put power back in the hands of the
American people and their elected representatives where it belongs.
That is what this package does and what I am intent on doing with the
rest of our bills as well.
My North Star is always, what can I do that does the most for folks
back home in Washington State, how can I protect the programs that
hard-working people count on, and how can I deliver real wins that make
families' lives better?
So to all of my colleagues who share my outrage over how Trump has
trampled over our spending laws and my grave concerns over his damaging
cuts and harmful budget proposals, I will continue to join you in
pushing back against his agenda on the Senate floor. These are not the
bills we would have written on our own. I know that. These are not the
bills I would write on my own. But they do mark significant improvement
over the status quo where Trump and his Agency heads can rewrite parts
of the budget without Congress, and they are vastly better than the
Trump budget plan, which was full of cuts and extreme policies.
So I will continue to work with my colleagues to make sure that the
programs that protect our communities and save families money don't get
axed.
Passing funding bills that we shape and write is one of the most
important ways that we wield our power and make the voice of our
constituents heard. It is one of the most fundamental jobs of Congress
to write these bills, to decide how our taxpayer funds get spent.
So I urge all of our colleagues to join me this week in voting to
pass this next package of bills and reassert our power so that we can
put forward and pass into law bills that aren't only bipartisan but
that make sure all of our constituents come first.
In fact, just yesterday, we put out a bipartisan package for S-FOPS
and FSGG funding bills, and it is a package that once again saves
crucial investments in our communities, in our small businesses, and in
America's global leadership.
I will have more to say on that soon, but I see that our chairman
Senator Collins has joined me on the floor, and I do again want to
thank her personally for all of her hard work to get this done.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Tuberville). The Senator from Maine.
Waiving Quorum Call
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to waive the
mandatory quorum call with respect to cloture on the motion to proceed
to Calendar No. 299, H.R. 6938.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I also ask unanimous consent to be able
to complete my remarks before the vote is called.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Appropriations
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I anticipate that this evening, the
Senate will take advantage of the opportunity to begin consideration of
a carefully negotiated, fiscally responsible, bipartisan and bicameral
package of fiscal year 2026 appropriations bills that are vital to the
safety, security, and economic well-being of all Americans.
This fiscally responsible package includes funding for the following
three bills: the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
legislation; the Energy and Water Development bill; and the Interior,
Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations. Among other things,
it provides full-year appropriations for the Department of Justice, the
Department of Commerce, the Department of Energy, and the Department of
the Interior. It also funds the National Science Foundation--a priority
of mine--and the EPA.
Let me explain to our colleagues, who I think are well aware of this
fact, that this package did not come together overnight. It is the
result of months of work, of bipartisan and bicameral negotiations, and
last week passed the House by an overwhelming vote of 397 to 28.
I want to thank the House Chairman Tom Cole and Ranking Member Rosa
DeLauro of the Appropriations Committee, as well as the vice chair of
the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Patty Murray, from whom we
just heard, for their hard work, including over the holidays, to get
these bills done.
We also could not have done it without the extraordinary staff that
we are blessed to have, some of whom stayed up literally all night
working on these bills.
We also worked closely with the administration, which has issued a
statement in support of passage of this package.
The appropriations mini package that is before us would actually
reduce discretionary spending while better focusing funding on key
priorities of the American people. Let me highlight just a few of those
priorities.
The Commerce, Justice, and Science bill invests in America's economic
development and trade relationships. It supports our State and local
law enforcement, including through the Byrne Formula Program that
supports a range of law enforcement activities, from prosecution to
crime prevention.
It funds space exploration and research in critical scientific and
technological fields. The bill invests in the National Science
Foundation, which supports research in all 50 States and helps to spur
new discoveries that will advance health, prosperity, and welfare. The
National Science Foundation is basic to much of the foundational
research that leads to exciting technological and scientific
breakthroughs.
I am a strong supporter of the NSF. I am pleased that we restored
funding that was proposed to be cut, and I am also delighted that we
dealt with an issue that has been a very high priority for me, and that
is how we handle indirect research costs. I think we have come up with
a good solution to hold steady how indirect costs are dealt with now at
universities and colleges; independent, nonprofit laboratories; medical
institutions and hospitals; and other entities that contribute so much
to our way of life.
The bill--the Commerce bill--also supports our oceans and fisheries
and weather programs that are enormously important to our working
waterfronts. As you can image, this is of particular concern to me,
representing the State of Maine, where we are so proud of our fishing
and lobster sectors, which are synonymous with the State of Maine.
Recently, in Portland, there was a bad fire on the working
waterfront, and it was extraordinary to see how everyone came together
to work to put out the fire and also to help those who were affected,
including our fishermen and lobstermen who had boats tied up to the
wharf, the wharf owner, the restaurants on the wharf, and the
businesses like Sea Bags, which are located
[[Page S128]]
on the wharf. Everyone came together in a sense of community that
really defines my State.
I want to express my thanks to Subcommittee Chairman Jerry Moran and
Ranking Member Chris Van Hollen for their hard work on the CGS bill.
Next, the Interior bill provides resources for the management and
conservation of public lands, while fostering economic development
through critical energy programs. It supports Tribal programs across
the country; helps ensure that Americans have clean air, water, and
soil; and provides Federal firefighters with the tools that they need
to prepare for and suppress wildfires. It also includes funding to
fight the devastating impact of the spruce budworm, which is being
experienced right now in the State of Maine and other States.
I want to commend the subcommittee chair Lisa Murkowski and the
ranking member Jeff Merkley for their efforts in crafting this
legislation.
Finally, the Energy and Water Development bill will improve water
infrastructure and promote American energy independence. It will also
strengthen our nuclear deterrence posture, ensure our nuclear stockpile
readiness and safety, and prepare for existing and future nuclear
threats.
Subcommittee Chair John Kennedy and Ranking Member Patty Murray
worked tirelessly on this bill, and they have my appreciation.
Members ought to have a voice in the funding decisions that affect
all of our States and constituents back home. The bills in this package
were drafted with input from nearly every Senator. Together, Senators
submitted literally thousands of requests to the committee for
consideration. In some cases, these were programmatic requests,
supporting programs they know well from their own State's experience.
In other cases, they were a community development project request, or
CDS. The legislation before us incorporates many of these requests and
takes into account viewpoints from across the Chamber on both sides of
the aisle. It truly is a Member-driven product.
Enacting this package would bring the total number of full-year
fiscal year 2026 appropriations signed into law to six, as the first
three bills--the Agriculture, Military Construction and Veterans
Affairs, and Legislative Branch bills--were enacted in November.
We are continuing our hard work. Yesterday, the final versions of the
National Security, State Department, and Related Programs and the
Financial Services and General Government appropriations bills were
released and publicly posted. The House of Representatives is slated to
take up those two additional appropriations bills this week.
It is our intention to complete work on all 12 of the annual
appropriation bills this month. That is an ambitious goal, but it is
one that we can achieve with cooperation and collaboration that have
brought us to this second round of three bills today.
I want to thank all of the members of the Appropriations Committee
and, again, our extraordinary staff for their hard work, and I want to
express my appreciation to Majority Leader Thune. He promised that he
would bring appropriations bills to the Senate floor. That did not
happen in the past. And I am delighted, but not surprised, that he has
kept that promise. He has supported our committee's process and worked
to bring these bills to the Senate floor.
Again, I urge my colleagues to support cloture on the motion to
proceed to the package that is before us. And, again, my thanks to all
the Members in both the House and the Senate who worked so hard to
bring us to this point.
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. 299, H.R. 6938, a bill making
consolidated appropriations for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2026, and for other purposes.
John Thune, Susan M. Collins, John Barrasso, Tim Sheehy,
Ashley B. Moody, Lindsey Graham, James Lankford, Joni
Ernst, John Boozman, Jim Justice, Marsha Blackburn,
Pete Ricketts, Jon A. Husted, Tom Cotton, Dan Sullivan,
Mike Rounds, Ted Budd.
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 Calendar No. 299, H.R. 6938, a bill making
consolidated appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30,
2026, and for other purposes, shall be brought to a close?
The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule.
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 Texas (Mr. Cornyn), the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz), the
Senator from Iowa (Ms. Ernst), the Senator from Tennessee (Mr.
Hagerty), the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. Paul), and the Senator from
Idaho (Mr. Risch).
Further, if present and voting: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr.
Hagerty) would have voted ``Yea.''
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Warnock) is
necessarily absent.
The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 80, nays 13, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 7 Leg.]
YEAS--80
Alsobrooks
Baldwin
Banks
Barrasso
Blackburn
Blumenthal
Blunt Rochester
Boozman
Britt
Budd
Cantwell
Capito
Cassidy
Collins
Coons
Cortez Masto
Cotton
Cramer
Crapo
Curtis
Daines
Duckworth
Durbin
Fetterman
Fischer
Gallego
Gillibrand
Graham
Grassley
Hassan
Hawley
Heinrich
Hirono
Hoeven
Husted
Hyde-Smith
Justice
Kaine
Kelly
Kennedy
King
Klobuchar
Lankford
Lujan
Lummis
Marshall
McConnell
McCormick
Merkley
Moody
Moran
Moreno
Mullin
Murkowski
Murray
Ossoff
Peters
Reed
Ricketts
Rosen
Rounds
Schatz
Schmitt
Schumer
Scott (SC)
Shaheen
Sheehy
Slotkin
Smith
Sullivan
Thune
Tillis
Tuberville
Van Hollen
Warner
Welch
Whitehouse
Wicker
Wyden
Young
NAYS--13
Bennet
Booker
Hickenlooper
Johnson
Kim
Lee
Markey
Murphy
Padilla
Sanders
Schiff
Scott (FL)
Warren
NOT VOTING--7
Cornyn
Cruz
Ernst
Hagerty
Paul
Risch
Warnock
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Ricketts). On this vote, the yeas are 80,
the nays are 13, and the motion is agreed to.
Three-fifths of the Senators, duly chosen and sworn, having voted in
the affirmative, the motion is agreed to.
The motion was agreed to.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.
____________________