[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 30 (Thursday, February 12, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S587-S593]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
______
DISAPPROVING THE ACTION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COUNCIL IN
APPROVING THE D.C. INCOME AND FRANCHISE TAX CONFORMITY AND REVISION
TEMPORARY AMENDMENT ACT OF 2025--Resumed
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will
resume consideration of H.J. Res. 142, which the clerk will report.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A joint resolution (H.J. Res. 142) disapproving the action
of the District of Columbia Council in approving the D.C.
Income and Franchise Tax Conformity and Revision Temporary
Amendment Act of 2025.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The President pro tempore.
Iowa Lakes Community College Bus Crash
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, before I remind people that this day is
Abraham Lincoln's birthday and talk about Lincoln, I want to start this
morning by saying that my wife Barbara and this Senator are praying for
those involved in the bus crash from Iowa Lakes Community College. Just
yesterday, in Calhoun County on Highway 4, a bus rolled several times
leaving 1 dead and 32 injured.
These young people were traveling to a baseball tournament when
tragedy struck. We are praying for the family who lost a loved one. To
the passengers and their families, we are praying for you and for full
recovery from your injuries.
I am thankful for the Iowans on hand to help, including emergency
personnel, healthcare providers, and the Iowa Lakes Community College
community for supporting the team through this difficult time.
Abraham Lincoln
Mr. President, as we celebrate the 250th birthday of this great
America and our independence from Great Britain, I want to recognize
the birth of our Nation's 16th President on this very day, February 12,
217 years ago.
Americans know that President Lincoln was instrumental in preserving
the United States and abolishing slavery. He also championed a law to
fight fraud. That is my intention today.
In 1863, President Lincoln signed the False Claims Act. ``Lincoln's
Law,'' as it is referred to, helped expose fraudsters at that time
selling inferior supplies at premium prices to the Union Army during
the Civil War.
So how did this law work? It gave patriots a financial incentive to
blow the whistle on wrongdoing, rewarding them with a share of the
fines collected through litigation.
Now, what happened to Lincoln's Law during World War II, and for
reasons I don't know, but I have a suspicion that maybe Congress, at
that time, felt that reporting this stuff may hurt our defense efforts
to win World War II or for whatever reason, they neutered the
legislation.
Then, four decades ago, I strengthened Lincoln's Law. I wrote the
1986 amendments to Lincoln's Law that restored this commonsense tool to
fight fraud. By empowering patriotic whistleblowers to reveal
wrongdoing, the law continues to deliver for the American people,
returning approximately $85 billion for taxpayers since my amendments
were adopted 40 years ago.
And that is not all. There is a deterrent effect of the legislation.
My amendments to the False Claims Act have saved even more taxpayers'
dollars by deterring untold billions of dollars of fraud in the first
place.
In the last fiscal year, the Federal Government recovered over $6.8
billion dollars in fraudulent payments. This is the largest single-year
recovery in the history of the False Claims Act. As we observe
President Lincoln's birthday on February 12, I also want to remind
Americans to celebrate the patriotic
[[Page S588]]
whistleblowers who have used Lincoln's Law to hold wrongdoers
accountable and recover a lot of taxpayers' money.
You can be sure that I will keep championing the False Claims Act to
protect truth-tellers from retaliation when they stick their necks out
to blow the whistle on waste, fraud, and abuse.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Recognition of the Majority Leader
The majority leader is recognized.
Government Funding
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, Homeland Security appropriations expire
tomorrow, and there are concerning signs the Democrats are prepared to
walk away from the table and allow funding for critical Homeland
Security Agencies to expire--funding for the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, the TSA, the Coast Guard, cyber security, and more.
I want to take just a moment to review how we got here because it was
a mere 3 weeks ago we had a bipartisan agreement on the Department of
Homeland Security appropriations bill--bipartisan. Both House and
Senate Democrats had signed off. That bipartisan agreement included
additional funding for body cameras for Immigration and Customs
Enforcement agents. It included funding for deescalation training for
ICE, and it included additional oversight of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement and Border Patrol spending. We were all set to pass this
bill, and then Democrats reneged on the agreement.
And so here we are. Circumstances changed. I understand that. But
some Democrats were already signaling they were prepared to walk away
from the deal before the most recent events in Minneapolis even
transpired.
So Democrats wanted to reopen negotiations. Despite our bipartisan
agreement, Republicans agreed to their request for additional time to
consider this bill before final passage. Democrats wanted 2 weeks.
Republicans warned--I warned at the time--that more time would be
needed, that it would be almost impossible to come to an agreement and
pass a renegotiated bill in that timeframe. But Democrats insisted. And
to prevent them from shutting down a large portion of the Federal
Government, Republicans agreed to their request.
Unfortunately, once they got their 2-week agreement, Democrats showed
little urgency when it came to negotiations. It took them more than a
week to come up with a list of demands. They didn't provide legislative
text until this past weekend. But now, they have the gall to suggest
that it is Republicans who are slow-walking things.
The White House responded to Democrats' list of demands within 2 days
and sent proposed legislative text over yesterday, and it is an
extremely serious offer.
On top of that, the White House has continued to show it is committed
to taking actions on its own, with Tom Homan, this morning, announcing
the withdrawal of almost all agents from Minnesota.
It is clear that the White House is serious, but it is increasingly
looking like Democrats are not.
Now, I am not sure if Democrats thought the White House would just
accede to every one of their demands or what, but they cannot
reasonably expect to reach an agreement without actual negotiation with
give and take from both sides. We warned Democrats they were not
allowing enough time for this process, but they insisted on their 2-
week timeframe CR anyway.
And now that we have been proven right, the onus is on Democrats to
agree to an additional CR to allow time to complete the negotiations--
unless, of course, Democrats are more interested in a political issue
than they are an actual outcome because it is starting to look like
Democrats might not have been interested in actual reforms. As I
mentioned, they left an agreement on the table that would have provided
for body cameras, deescalation training, and increased spending
oversight. And now, instead of allowing adequate time to negotiate on
additional measures, they are threatening to shut down the Department
of Homeland Security, which will get them exactly zero changes to the
status quo.
So what is it? What is it that the Democrats want? Policy changes? Or
is it a political issue?
Democrats are never going to get their full wish list. That is not
the way this works. Republicans, for example, will not agree to
measures that make it impossible for law enforcement officers to do
their jobs. But Democrats can build on the measures the Republicans
have already agreed to if they actually engage in serious negotiations
with the White House.
So the ball is in the Democrats' court. Are they going to shut down
the Department of Homeland Security, which will be their second
shutdown this fiscal year, or are they going to allow for the time to
negotiate with the White House and get an agreement on a final bill?
That is the question before the House. We had a bill negotiated
carefully that Democrats had signed off on which, as I said, they
reneged on, wanted to revisit it, more time to negotiate, which we
agreed to. We suggested at the time probably 4 to 6 weeks would be an
adequate amount of time in which to negotiate the changes--or some of
the changes, the reforms, other things on top of the ones that have
already been the bill that they want.
And they said: 2 weeks. They used over a week of that, about 10 days,
to actually come up with their list of demands, to which the White
House responded quickly. And, again, right now, sitting in front of
them, a counterproposal from the White House, a reasonable good faith
offer, as I said.
So the question, again, before the House is: Are they serious, or
aren't they? Is this about politics, or is it about solutions?
I would like to believe that we are actually here to try to solve
this problem and to fund the government, not just the Department of
Homeland Security, but all the Agencies of government that are covered
in that bill, to include the Federal Emergency Management Agency, TSA,
Coast Guard, cyber security. Those are all parts of this. It is pretty
important stuff, I would argue.
Democrats are going to have an opportunity later today to vote not
only on the bill as passed by the House, which they negotiated and then
walked away from, which funds all these things I just mentioned. We
will have that vote.
And they will also have an opportunity to allow for an extension for
additional time, time which we all knew was going to be necessary to
actually reach a final deal. So it really is in their court. And it is
not something that they can point fingers at the Republicans or the
White House. These are all things we have accommodated them literally
in every way in an attempt to try and reach an agreement that would--
having been in good faith offered by the White House to work with them
to reach a deal that would satisfy some, if not all, but certainly
address some of their concerns and demands and do it in a way that
keeps the government funded and keeps these important Agencies
operating. That is the question, and it is really up to them. So we
will find out, I guess, later today the answer to that question.
But I would simply say that we will be voting to keep the Federal
Government funded, to keep it open, to keep these important Agencies--
so critical to the functioning of our Federal Government and the
employees who work there who shouldn't be held hostage in a government
shutdown--we will be voting today to keep all of those open, with
reforms--with reforms--to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the very
thing the Democrats have said they wanted, then walked away from and
now are insisting that all the concessions that have been made by the
White House to date aren't adequate, and yet they aren't willing to
extend the time to continue the negotiations.
It is really kind of an ironic position to be in, but they seem to
have embraced it. So we will have the votes.
I yield the floor.
Recognition of the Minority Leader
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic leader is recognized.
[[Page S589]]
Department of Homeland Security
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, Americans are crystal clear about how
they feel about ICE. The status quo cannot continue. We hear it from
people back home and all over the country. People are angry. They are
afraid. They want accountability and an end to the chaos. The White
House and congressional Republicans must listen and deliver.
Democrats have been very clear: We will not support an extension of
the status quo, a status quo that permits masked secret police to barge
into people's homes without warrants, with no guardrails, with zero
oversight from independent authorities, a rogue police force that
doesn't obey the rules that every local police force and sheriff's
office must obey. It is out of control. No American, regardless of
party, supports having their taxpayer dollars fund a secret police
force that operates without transparency or accountability. Democrats
agree: We demand commonsense solutions, practical solutions--solutions
that every police department in America abides by--to rein in ICE and
stop the violence.
Now, today, Tom Homan held another press conference in Minneapolis,
claiming that the surge in that city is going to soon conclude. He says
a significant drawdown has been underway. But let me be very clear:
Regardless of what Tom Homan says, ICE's abuses cannot be solved merely
through Executive fiat alone. We, first and foremost, need legislation,
and that is what Democrats have said from the start. We need
legislation to rein in ICE and to end the violence. Without
legislation, what Tom Homan says today could be reversed tomorrow on a
whim from Donald Trump.
He could say: Go into that city. Put your masks back on.
``You don't need a warrant,'' Trump could tell them. Without
legislation, Donald Trump could choose to put a rogue force in any city
they want and have them operate without any guardrails.
So, again, Democrats have been clear. We need legislation to truly
halt ICE's abuses. We need legislation to rein in ICE and stop the
violence. Otherwise, this administration could go right back to what
they were doing.
After weeks and weeks of the American people watching the horrors in
Minneapolis, the administration felt the heat. So now they are claiming
they are pulling ICE out of that city, but the administration doesn't
actually want to reform ICE. They will never do it on their own. That
is why we are fighting for legislation to rein in ICE and stop the
violence.
And, look, there is no reason why Republicans should reject what
Democrats in the Senate and the House are proposing. We simply want ICE
to be required to follow the same standards that law enforcement
agencies across the country already follow and, effectively, obey. We
need legislation on warrants. We need legislation on codes of conduct.
We need legislation to stop secret, unidentified police. Masks off,
cameras on, and basic identification is a must. All of this happens in
every other police department--just about every police department in
the whole country.
So why do the Republicans resist? Because ICE was created as a rogue
force to terrorize people, and the American people really don't like
that.
Republicans should ask people back home: Do they think it is OK for
Federal agents to wear masks and run around our neighborhoods without
any identity as to who they are? Do they think it is OK for ICE to tail
schoolbuses and use kids as bait to arrest their parents?
Of course, Americans don't think this is OK. It is simply not law
enforcement.
And I want to make something else very clear: A lot of attention has
been focused on Minneapolis--rightfully so--but ICE's abuses are
happening all over the country, including in my city of New York.
A few months back, there was an outrageous, violent raid on Canal
Street, where ICE swept vendors and residents, indiscriminately, asking
random people on the street to show their papers and detaining people
in droves, including U.S. citizens. ICE agents in New York are
patrolling around subway stations. A video recently circulated of ICE
agents seemingly barging into someone's home in Queens--without
warrants. They are lurking around courthouses, waiting to arrest people
who show up for legally mandated hearings.
I heard a heart-wrenching story of a young man in Port Chester who
was on his way to church when he got pulled over. At the station, he
was about to be released when two Federal agents showed up, asked to
see his papers, lied to his wife. What started out as a Sunday drive to
church ended up as a trip to a detention center in Louisiana--
sickening. That doesn't make America any safer. That only destroys the
trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.
So enough is enough. Enough is enough. Democrats will keep pushing
the administration and our Republican colleagues to rein in ICE and
stop the violence through a smart, commonsense, practical legislative
proposal. We must get it done, and we are waiting for Republicans to
join us.
Indictments
Mr. President, now, on what happened in the last 2 days on
indictments, we gaveled into session 2 days after learning Donald
Trump's Justice Department tried and failed to push criminal charges--
meritless criminal charges--against two Members of this body and four
Members of the House of Representatives. The President of the United
States tried to throw two U.S. Senators in jail--Senators of the
opposite party--simply because Trump didn't like what they said.
It is good these indictments failed. The grand jury--average
citizens--in a rare moment, saw through these attacks on free speech
and rejected what the prosecutors asked them to do, but the mere fact
that these indictments were attempted should terrify every one of us.
That is what happens in a dictatorship. The Chief Executive arrests
people who speak out against him--legislators who speak out against
him. It should not, cannot, must not happen here in America.
Unfortunately, we all know Donald Trump will keep trying.
A lot of Members on this side of the aisle came to the floor
yesterday as angry as I have ever seen them, and they were right to be
angry, but both sides of the aisle should be angry. This is an attack
on America. This is an attack on democracy. This is an attack on the
legislative branch. This is an attack on free speech. If this happened
to one of our Republican colleagues, they would want us to speak out,
and they would be right because when a President tries to jail Senators
for speaking their minds just because he disagrees with them, that is
not a Democrat or a Republican problem; it is a constitutional crisis
of the highest order. It is an assault on everyone who cares about free
speech, who cares about basic freedoms, who cares about how our
democracy has functioned for close to 250 years.
Look, this isn't just about six Members of Congress being indicted
for one video; this is about Donald Trump destroying our democracy--
destroying our democracy--from top to bottom. His goons are arresting
journalists and peaceful protesters. Masked agents are patrolling the
streets of Minneapolis, launching raids in New York, shooting citizens
in the streets. He is raiding election offices in Georgia and demanding
the States turn over the voter rolls. He says there is fraud but has no
evidence of it. It is a political heavy hand crushing our democracy.
Enough is enough. The American people are tired of this chaos. They
are tired of corruption. They are tired of being lied to by this
President.
When he asks himself why he is so unpopular, it is not Democrats
attacking him, and it is not the press going after him. It is what he
does.
The American people, Donald Trump, do not like what you are doing.
They do not like what you are doing on costs. They do not like what you
are doing on chaos. They do not like what you are doing on corruption.
If Republicans and Democrats don't take a stand in this Chamber, the
lawlessness--the chaotic lawlessness--we have seen so far is not going
to end. It is going to get worse and swallow all of us up.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority whip.
Department of Homeland Security
Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I come to the floor having heard the
minority leader come to the floor, and
[[Page S590]]
what he said was that the Democrats are going to vote against funding
the Department of Homeland Security.
Yesterday, the Democrats received the legislative text that they
demanded. Just this morning, border czar Tom Homan announced that the
immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota was over. There has been
significant progress in the last 2 weeks, enough progress that
Democrats should join Republicans today to keep the Department of
Homeland Security fully funded. Democrats don't seem to be determined,
in any way, to fund the Department of Homeland Security. They seem
determined, however, to protect illegal immigrant criminals.
The goal of the Democrat Party, as stated, is to abolish ICE--
Immigration and Customs Enforcement--and to defund American security.
Remember, the Democrats are the party of ``defund the police.'' They
are not for the safety and the security of the American people, and a
``no'' vote today will confirm that.
Who pays the price? Well, the American people because FEMA will not
be funded, TSA will not be funded, the Coast Guard, the Secret Service,
America's cyber security defense--all defunded because Democrats are
prioritizing illegal immigrant criminals ahead of the safety of the
American people.
The White House and Republicans are acting in good faith. Democrats
should vote today to keep the Department of Homeland Security open.
The first duty of our government is to keep Americans safe. Today,
the U.S. Senate faces a test. Republicans are going to answer that test
by upholding our duty to the American people. The question is, Are the
Democrats going to join us? It sounds, from listening to the minority
leader, that they have no intention of voting to keep America safe and
secure. Democrats seem to be determined, as announced by the minority
leader, to block the funding for the Department of Homeland Security.
Mr. President, we Republicans have acted repeatedly to secure the
border, to strengthen law enforcement, to remove illegal immigrant
criminals from our midst and from our neighborhoods and from our
communities. From the Laken Riley Act to the current funding bill, we
have worked in good faith with the Democrats to make America safer. Now
what we see are Democrats flip-flopping on funding the government.
This was a bipartisan bill. Democrats helped negotiate it. The
Democrat ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, who is
on the floor right now, supported it. Democrats in the House voted for
it.
Republicans have offered Senate Democrats fair terms for reasonable
reforms. Senate Democrats are now rejecting them.
Over the course of the past 2 weeks, the Democrats' list of
unreasonable demands continues to balloon. Democrats are now demanding
an end to Supreme Court-approved administrative warrants. The Supreme
Court says they are good; the Democrats say: No, not good enough.
Democrats are now demanding harsh restrictions on cooperation between
Federal immigration officers and State and local officials.
Democrats are now demanding a ban on immigration enforcement at so-
called sensitive locations. You know, they have been hospitals in the
past, schools, places of worship. Not enough--not for the Democrats.
No, their demands are so extreme they are now defining ``sensitive
locations''--expanding it to include, of all places, polling places.
Illegal immigrants should not be at polling places and certainly not
illegal immigrant criminals. Now the Democrats want to add this to
their list of sensitive locations. Even Joe Biden's Homeland Security
Secretary said that was a step too far.
Taken together, these conditions would materially slow immigration
enforcement in this Nation. Polling locations would become a sanctuary
location for illegal immigrant criminals--people allowed to roam free
in our communities.
Democrats want to turn America into a sanctuary country. They have
been for abolishing borders.
Republicans believe many of the Democrat demands would undermine
public safety and the rule of law. And you know what. So do the
American people. They agree with us.
We are not going to make and accept proposals from the Democrats that
are going to make our communities less safe.
So what comes next if the Democrats reject the offer that is before
them today or reject a continuing resolution to discuss and continue to
work together? It is entirely up to the Democrats. If the Department of
Homeland Security is defunded, the pain will extend throughout the
country. And Democrats know what the Department of Homeland Security
does. It funds disaster relief through the Federal Emergency Management
Agency. It keeps America safe when we fly by going through TSA. It
protects our Nation from cyber attacks through the Cybersecurity &
Infrastructure Security Agency. It oversees the Coast Guard.
The Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard testified to Congress this
week. They asked about this, about the devastating impact of the loss
of funding. He had some things to say about that. He said 56,000 Active
members of the Coast Guard would work without pay. He said morale would
plunge, and the Coast Guard recruitment efforts would suffer.
The record is clear: Republicans have acted to protect the American
people. Ninety-six percent of the government is already funded today
because of our work passing 11 of the 12 appropriations bills, and we
are down to the final 1--the last 4 percent of funding. We are ready to
do it again.
Democrats have two options: One, vote today to fund the Department of
Homeland Security, or two, stand side by side with illegal immigrant
criminals. That is the choice. What is it going to be?
If they refuse to fund our Nation's security, they will be making a
deliberate choice and a deliberate statement that they are wanting to
practice the politics of pain, and the American people will regrettably
be the ones paying the price for the destructive demands of the radical
left that is running their party today.
Mr. President, on a separate matter, yesterday, I was at the White
House with the President of the United States. President Trump and his
all-star energy team have done historic work to unleash American
energy, and that most certainly includes Wyoming coal.
Recently, the east coast experienced something that Wyoming
experiences every year, as does your home State of Montana, Mr.
President, and that is sustained temperatures below freezing.
The power grid was tested, and through it all, coal delivered. Coal
generation jumped 31 percent during the recent winter storm. Meanwhile,
wind and solar energy declined. Coal literally saved American lives.
Coal is also saving American families money. According to a recent
report, families saved more than $100 on their energy bills last year
thanks to coal generation.
Coal is one of the most affordable, available, reliable, secure
sources of energy in the world. We have it right here. We have more
coal in the United States than any other country, and my home State of
Wyoming produces nearly half of it. For America to be energy dominant,
we need Wyoming coal.
For years, the Biden administration tried to shut down coal mines,
coal-fired powerplants, and attack American coal miners. That was the
Biden administration.
I will never forget when I heard Joe Biden tell his EPA Administrator
to prioritize climate over energy that was affordable, available, and
reliable. That is what they did. The American people paid a heavy
price.
What a difference a new administration has made because today,
America is no longer apologizing to others for using our God-given
energy resources.
President Trump's announcement this week builds on the work that
Republicans have done over the past year. Our shared agenda is
unleashing American energy, it is growing the economy, and it is
putting money back in people's pockets.
Our Working Families Tax Cut law opened up more Federal land for new
coal leasing. The Department of the Interior has already acted on this.
It has opened 11 million new acres to leasing.
Additionally, the Working Families Tax Cut law reduced royalty rates
for
[[Page S591]]
coal produced on Federal lands. That is good news for Wyoming coal
producers. They now have more certainty in terms of reinvesting in
production. It also means good-paying Wyoming jobs are going to
continue there for decades.
At the same time, Republicans delivered no taxes on overtime for
American workers. Well, that includes a lot of Wyoming coal miners and
coal miners in your home State of Montana as well, Mr. President. They
have earned every dollar they make; and when they file their taxes this
year, they will be able to keep more of it.
Wyoming families are thrilled with these changes. They know that coal
funds our schools and services in our communities. And thanks to
President Trump and Republicans, Wyoming coal miners are powering the
Nation with affordable, available, reliable coal.
Mr. President, there is a book that I speak about when I talk to
students and others in Wyoming, and it is called ``Hidden America: From
Coal Miners to Cowboys, an Extraordinary Exploration of the Unseen
People Who Make This Country Work.'' These are the men and women who
put food on the table and keep our country with the energy that we
need. It is a privilege for me, Mr. President--and I am sure for you in
your home State--to represent these fine American workers.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington.
Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to complete my
remarks before the vote is called.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
S. Res. 610
Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I rise today to read my resolution
congratulating the Seattle Seahawks for winning Super Bowl LX.
Whereas, on February 8, 2026, the Seattle Seahawks defeated the New
England Patriots by a score of 29 to 13 to win Super Bowl LX in Santa
Clara, CA;
Whereas the game marked the second Super Bowl victory and fourth
Super Bowl appearance for the Seahawks;
Whereas the Seahawks finished 14 to 3 in the regular season, coming
first in the National Football Conference--Western Division on their
way to victories over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional
Round and the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game;
Whereas the Seahawks opened up a lead in the first quarter of Super
Bowl LX, which the Seahawks never relinquished throughout the game;
Whereas running back Kenneth Walker III dominated the defense of the
Patriots, running 94 yards over 14 plays in the first half alone and
becoming the first running back to win the honor of being named the
Super Bowl Most Valuable Player in almost 30 years;
Whereas the unmatched ``Dark Side'' defense by the Seahawks held the
Patriots scoreless through the first half of the game and forced punts
on eight of the first nine possessions of the Patriots;
Whereas kicker Jason Myers scored 5 field goals, setting a new record
for the most field goals in a Super Bowl and becoming the first player
at any position to score more than 200 points over an entire season in
the history of the National Football League--establishing a new record
of 206 points as part of a strong special teams performance;
Whereas quarterback Sam Darnold capped a strong first season with the
Seahawks with a 16-yard pass to AJ Barner to score the first touchdown
of the game;
Whereas quarterback Devon Witherspoon hit the quarterback of the
Patriots, Drake Maye, in the fourth quarter and forced an interception
by linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, who carried the ball 45 yards to a
touchdown;
Whereas the remarkable season of wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba
made him a unanimous All-Pro selection and the second Seahawk ever to
win AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year;
Whereas the second-year head coach of the Seahawks, Mike Macdonald,
led his team to victory, becoming the first head coach to win a Super
Bowl as the primary defensive play caller and the third youngest head
coach to win a Super Bowl;
Whereas the general manager of the Seahawks, John Schneider, who was
named the NFL Executive of the Year for 2025, constructed a second
Super Bowl-winning roster for the Seahawks, with entirely new players
and a new head coach, becoming the first NFL executive to do so with
the same organization;
Whereas the chair of the Seahawks, Jody Allen, played an important
role in maintaining the winning culture established by previous owners
while pushing the organization to develop innovative strategies;
Whereas the Seahawks became the first team in NFL history to win the
Super Bowl and commit zero turnovers over the course of their full
postseason;
Whereas every member of the Seahawks' roster contributed to their
decisive victory in Super Bowl LX; and
Whereas the victory of the Seahawks would not have been possible
without the support of our ``12s''--the greatest fans in the world;
Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Senate congratulates the
Seattle Seahawks, their staff, and ``12s'' everywhere for the victory
of the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX and respectfully directs the Secretary
of the Senate to transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to the
chair of the Seattle Seahawks, Jody Allen; the president of the Seattle
Seahawks, Chuck Arnold; the general manager of the Seattle Seahawks,
John Schneider; and the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, Mike
Macdonald.
DHS Funding
Mr. President, I have another topic I would like to turn to before
the vote, and that is to say, what we have seen over the last many
months is downright un-American: masked Federal agents trampling
people's First, Second, and Fourth Amendment rights and more; breaking
into people's cars; tear-gassing protesters; using children as
bargaining chips; and, of course, killing American citizens in broad
daylight.
It is clear to just about everyone in every part of this country that
ICE and CBP are out of control and must be reined in. It is clear to
everyone--that is, except maybe some Republicans here in Congress.
For years, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have warned
of government overreach and rogue Federal Agencies trampling Americans'
constitutional rights. They have gone to great lengths to speak out
against government tyranny when we ask mega corporations not to
pollute, and you can bet they will scream to the high heaven about
injustice and government thugs when we ask billionaires to pay their
fair share in taxes. Seriously, they will raise a racket for
billionaires. But the truth is, the government tyranny Republicans long
warned about is here, and many of them are just silent. They enabled it
by cutting a $140 billion blank check for Secretary Noem to deploy
masked ICE and CBP agents to terrorize our communities.
ICE was spending beyond their funded level, so last summer,
Republicans handed Kristi Noem enough cash to fund an army, and she is
using that blank check to send masked men door to door asking for
papers, charging into houses without a warrant, breaking car windows
without a reason, staking out school zones, and dragging citizens and
legal residents hundreds of miles away without so much as confirming
their immigration status or charging them with a crime.
If Republicans are serious about their warnings on government
tyranny, they must work with us to put an end to the insane attacks we
have seen, including on Americans' most basic rights, but right now, we
still have some Republicans who are seriously insisting masks have to
stay on Trump's secret police and who are insisting DHS cannot be
required to get judicial warrants before breaking into your home.
We have a few Republicans acknowledging the violence we have seen
from ICE and CBP that must end, but we need to see more real, tangible
progress to rein these Agencies in through legislation--basic
constraints upheld by law.
Democrats are not asking for the Moon. We are not trying to overhaul
immigration laws. We are insisting on basic measures to protect our
constitutional rights and hold these Agencies accountable to some of
the most basic standards as local police. After all, if
[[Page S592]]
ICE and CPB do not want to be called secret police, then they should
not be wearing masks and should be carrying identification 24/7. If
they do not want to be accused of kidnapping people, then they should
not be dragging people out of cars and houses without warrants. If they
do not want to be accused of being lawless, then they need to start
following the law. But they have been ignoring law after law and court
after court. In a recent decision, a Bush-appointed judge--a former
Scalia clerk--in Minnesota appended a list of 96 court orders that ICE
has violated. What else do you call that except a rogue Agency?
The American people need us to meet this moment. We need to rein in
ICE and CBP. We need to call out the avalanche of lies. Most
importantly, we need to stand up for our communities because they are
being terrorized by their own government.
It is not targeted law enforcement when Trump sends 8,000 Federal
agents into one city and has them go door to door, especially not when
agents literally tell people they are asking for papers solely because
of how someone looks or speaks. It is not about our immigration laws
when Trump is grabbing people who are following the law, people who
have green cards in the mail, and even people who are U.S. citizens. It
is not about stopping violent criminals when ICE is staking out schools
and grabbing parents during pickup. In fact, just this week, we saw
that the administration's own data shows that only a tiny fraction of
people they have detained are violent criminals.
They have also taken military spouses, taken parents of marines. They
have even taken veterans. In fact, last week, they deported a veteran.
Do my colleagues hear me here? Trump deported a veteran. Think about
that. Sit with that. We cannot look away from what is happening in our
country. Men who fought for our freedom are being denied theirs, being
exiled from the country they risked their lives for.
Meanwhile, children--kids--who have done nothing wrong are having
their parents snatched away from them or are being snatched up
themselves in a cruel ploy to use them as leverage.
Given how outrageous, how lawless, how heartlessly un-American
Trump's crackdown has become, it is clear why people across the country
are demanding action. And I don't just mean in opinion polls, though
the polls do actually overwhelmingly support action to rein in ICE, and
even Republican voters think ICE has gone way too far. But I also mean
people are demanding action in a great American way: protesting, using
their voice, speaking out, putting a spotlight on what ICE and CBP are
doing to their friends and to their neighbors.
The Trump administration's response to that great American tradition,
to the First Amendment in action, has been about as unhinged and un-
American as it gets. The level of wanton violence and lawlessness we
are seeing out of ICE and CBP is without comparison in recent U.S.
history. It is the kind of stuff you expect out of Putin's Russia.
Agents are saying things to protesters like ``I will put a bullet in
your head if you don't shut up'' or ``You raise your voice, I erase
your voice.''
The actions are even worse than the words. How many peaceful
protesters have to be tear-gassed before Republicans think this is a
problem? How many children? Wasn't the video of a driveby gassing bad
enough? What about the photo of the man pinned to the ground getting
sprayed in his face? How many car windows have to be shattered and
people dragged from their cars? No warrant, no nothing. Were you not
outraged to see that woman on the way to a doctor's appointment dragged
out of her vehicle for no reason? Were you not appalled to learn agents
shattered a glass car window, dragged away a mother, and left a 1-
month-old baby in the back of the vehicle, blanket covered in glass
shards? Were you not alarmed to watch an agent point a rifle at a car
window of someone sitting in their own driveway and bust out the window
with a gun?
How many people does ICE have to detain before Republicans stop
sitting on their hands? How many kids do they have to attack like the
young man at the Target that they slammed to the ground, marched off
with, and then dropped him off miles away--no charges--once they
realized he was a U.S. citizen? There is also the time they tackled a
pregnant woman or the time they marched a citizen out of his house in
his underwear in freezing weather.
Agents have recklessly caused car accidents, only to arrest the
person they ran into and then make things up. Agents have even tried to
round up witnesses of their crimes, rush them out of the State and
through deportation before they can testify at a trial.
How many people have to be murdered by Federal agents in cold blood
until Republicans join us to stop this tyranny? How many lies will
Republicans tolerate--because we have witnessed brazen and dangerous
lies from this administration. They lied about Alex Pretti brandishing
a gun when he clearly never touched it. They lied about Renee Good
trying to target agents with her car when she was clearly just trying
to drive away. They lied about a young woman ramming CBP agents before
they shot her, only to drop the case against her. Newly released body
cam footage shows the agent turned his wheel toward her vehicle.
They said that an L.A. man was shot after he weaponized his vehicle
and began ramming law enforcement, but body cam footage shows an
agent's gun go off by accident as he switched hands. They said someone
in detainment died from suicide, when an autopsy found it was a
homicide. They said someone got eight fractures in his skull from
running into a wall on purpose. The man says he was beaten. Greg Bovino
said he deployed tear gas on a crowd after someone threw a rock at him,
only to admit the truth in court when confronted by video evidence. The
list goes on. And that is just lies we know about.
Enough.
Law enforcement cannot be lawless. That is exactly what we are seeing
from ICE and CBP. As Democrats have made abundantly clear, we cannot
continue funding a rogue Department without substantial reform.
Accountability at DHS must be written into law.
Now, my Democratic counterparts and I have been at the table the
whole time. We have put forth incredibly reasonable reforms--reforms
that would increase accountability and transparency and compliance with
constitutional rights, reforms that do not impact DHS' ability to
detain convicted violent criminals. We remain committed and ready to
land a funding bill that enshrines those reforms into law and ensures
FEMA and TSA and other important functions get funded. But we cannot
kick the can down the road as Republicans want us to do. The time to
rein in these rogue Agencies is right now. We cannot waste another
moment.
If Republicans refuse to make the changes that the American people
are demanding, they are forcing a Republican shutdown of DHS. The
chaos, the brutality--all of it--have happened at the explicit
direction of this President and a Republican Congress that wrote him a
blank check for ICE and CBP. If Republicans want Democratic votes to
fix that, then they need to understand half measures will not cut it.
What Democrats are demanding is reasonable, and it is necessary. None
of what we are asking for is extreme for local law enforcement, so why
don't those basic standards apply to ICE? There is no good answer.
Sorry, but I don't care if Stephen Miller wants a special force that
is empowered to beat up and detain or shoot whomever he doesn't like.
In America, we believe in due process. We believe in our Constitution.
We believe in law and order, safe streets, law enforcement we can
trust. If you don't like that, go to Russia.
So Democrats are focused on getting a bill, but it has to be a bill
that reins in the abuses we are seeing from ICE and CBP. Until a bill
is negotiated, we cannot kick the can down the road and give license to
Noem to continue the chaos with another CR that continues funding for
ICE and CBP.
Americans are demanding accountability, and we will settle for
nothing less. So given the track record of lawlessness from ICE and
CBP, which seems to be growing longer every single day, I will be
voting no on the procedural vote today and on Republicans' inadequate
proposal.
[[Page S593]]
The alleged withdrawal from Minneapolis is long overdue, but it is
not nearly enough to end the chaos and the violence we are seeing
nationwide. We need real reform. We cannot let the Trump administration
act like things are ``business as usual'' when it is tear-gassing
peaceful protesters, detaining people in complete violation of their
rights, and even murdering citizens in cold blood. We cannot trust the
same people who are lying about what is happening to be truthful about
accountability. We cannot trust the same administration that is
purposefully trampling our rights and causing this chaos to end it.
Late last night, we received more details on the White House's
proposal, and what is clear at this point: It doesn't come close to
addressing Americans' grave concerns about how ICE and Border Patrol
are operating. So we need to see a lot more movement to rein in these
rogue Agencies.
So Congress has to do its job, and I will continue to negotiate in
good faith to deliver that reform and accountability we need to see,
but we have to stop this outrageous tyranny.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Hagerty). The Senator from Arkansas.
Waiving Quorum Call
Mr. COTTON. I ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum in
relation to Calendar No. 311, H.R. 7147.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The clerk will read the joint resolution for the third time.
The joint resolution was ordered to a third reading and was read the
third time.
Vote on H.J. Res. 142
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The joint resolution having been read the
third time, the question is, Shall the joint resolution pass?
Mr. TILLIS. 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 legislative clerk called the roll.
Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the
Senator from Wisconsin (Mr. Johnson), the Senator from West Virginia
(Mr. Justice), the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell), and the
Senator from Kentucky (Mr. Paul).
The result was announced--yeas 49, nays 47, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 37 Leg.]
YEAS--49
Banks
Barrasso
Blackburn
Boozman
Britt
Budd
Capito
Cassidy
Collins
Cornyn
Cotton
Cramer
Crapo
Cruz
Curtis
Daines
Ernst
Fischer
Graham
Grassley
Hagerty
Hawley
Hoeven
Husted
Hyde-Smith
Kennedy
Lankford
Lee
Lummis
Marshall
McCormick
Moody
Moran
Moreno
Mullin
Murkowski
Ricketts
Risch
Rounds
Schmitt
Scott (FL)
Scott (SC)
Sheehy
Sullivan
Thune
Tillis
Tuberville
Wicker
Young
NAYS--47
Alsobrooks
Baldwin
Bennet
Blumenthal
Blunt Rochester
Booker
Cantwell
Coons
Cortez Masto
Duckworth
Durbin
Fetterman
Gallego
Gillibrand
Hassan
Heinrich
Hickenlooper
Hirono
Kaine
Kelly
Kim
King
Klobuchar
Lujan
Markey
Merkley
Murphy
Murray
Ossoff
Padilla
Peters
Reed
Rosen
Sanders
Schatz
Schiff
Schumer
Shaheen
Slotkin
Smith
Van Hollen
Warner
Warnock
Warren
Welch
Whitehouse
Wyden
NOT VOTING--4
Johnson
Justice
McConnell
Paul
The joint resolution (H.J. Res. 142) was passed.
____________________