[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 118 (Monday, July 20, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4146-S4147]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Democrat Party Priorities

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, at the beginning of last year, the New York 
Times took a poll of the American voters, and the headline captures 
their results. This is what it said: ``Many Americans Say the 
Democratic Party Does Not Share Their Priorities.''
  Let me repeat that, Mr. President. ``Many Americans Say the 
Democratic Party Does Not Share Their Priorities.''
  That is right. A New York Times poll taken weeks after voters 
rejected Democrats at the ballot box suggested that one of the reasons 
for Democrats' loss was that Americans don't think Democrats share 
their priorities.
  The story went on to say:

       The issues that people cited as most important to them 
     personally were the economy and inflation, health care and 
     immigration . . .

  But when the poll asked Americans to identify Democrats' most 
important priorities, Americans identified issues like abortion and 
climate change, among others.
  Our Democrat colleagues have found themselves out of power for 18 
months now. And we have given them plenty of opportunities to show some 
evolution--perhaps even moderation--to voters.
  But as the record shows, Democrats are still in thrall to the far 
left of their party. They still have the same priorities that turned 
voters off from Democrats in the last election.
  Mr. President, for starters, radical transgender ideology remains an 
article of faith among Democrats.
  Democrats have repeatedly opposed efforts to keep biological men out 
of women's sports. And when the Supreme Court ruled unanimously last 
month that State laws protecting women's sports are allowable under the 
plain language of title IX, one Democrat Senator called the ruling 
unjust.
  ``Unjust,'' Mr. President.
  As if a young woman working hard all season, only to lose to a man 
with an inherent biological advantage, is somehow just.
  The overwhelming majority of Americans believe that biological men 
should not be playing women's sports, but that doesn't seem to matter 
to Senate Democrats. And their commitment to transgender ideology 
doesn't end with supporting the presence of men in women's sports.
  Democrats have also tacitly--or not so tacitly--endorsed radical 
gender transition procedures being performed on minors. Procedures, I 
might add, with no substantial medical evidence to support them and 
plenty of reason to believe they are extremely dangerous for children, 
but apparently Democrats are fine subjecting children to those risks.
  And of course, Mr. President, Democrats are still proudly pro-
abortion. And when I say pro-abortion, I mean pro-abortion.
  How else do you describe a party that wouldn't even support 
legislation to provide medical care to a baby born alive during a 
failed abortion?
  A party that can't bring itself to support a bill to ensure that a 
pregnant college student knows that there are resources available to 
help her finish her degree and have her baby.
  The party that directed small business COVID relief funds to Planned 
Parenthood, even though they were legally ineligible.
  A party that is doing everything it can to eliminate pregnancy 
resource centers simply because they won't recommend abortion.
  As I said, Democrats are in thrall to the far left of their party, 
and it is not just on those issues. Far-left activists seem to be the 
audience for almost everything Democrats do these days. Take, for 
example, Democrats' two--that is right, two--record-long government 
shutdowns.
  Last fall, Democrats shut down the entire Federal Government for a 
record 43 days to show the far left that they were fighting President 
Trump. And while TSA lines snaked outside of airports and Americans 
were visiting food banks because they had to work without pay, the 
Democrat leader was quoted as saying:

       Every day gets better for us.

  Better, that is, for Democrats seeking the approval of the far left.

[[Page S4147]]

  Then earlier this year, Democrats shut down the Department of 
Homeland Security because they didn't want to fund law enforcement. 
That is right.
  Defunding law enforcement--once a fringe position in their party--
became the official position of the Democrat Party as they tried to 
completely--completely--defund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and 
Border Patrol.
  Once again, it didn't matter to Democrats whether Americans would be 
less safe with open borders. Their audience, far-left activists, wanted 
them to defund border security and immigration enforcement officers, so 
they did.
  And Democrats weren't done. Last week, Democrats here in the U.S. 
Senate blocked the National Defense Authorization Act, the bill that 
authorizes funding for our military. That is right. Democrats voted 
against authorizing funding for our military.
  It is a sad day when Democrats are playing politics with everything 
all the way up to our national security, but that is where we are. 
Democrats have had numerous opportunities in the last year and a half 
to work with us on things that matter to the American people. And, 
again and again, they have chosen to follow members of their far-left 
base, in some cases--see New York City's mayor--follow them directly 
into socialism.
  That is right. Self-identified Democrat socialists have been winning 
elections across the country.
  So what is next? Will the Democrat Party adopt the platform of the 
Democratic Socialists of America?
  To quote the New York Times again, ``Many Americans say the 
[Democrat] Party does not share their priorities.''
  A year and a half later, it is obvious that that is still the case: 
men's and women's sports, abortion up until the moment of birth, open 
borders, defunding law enforcement.
  Instead of moving toward the middle, Democrats are just getting more 
extreme.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant executive clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.