[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 118 (Monday, July 20, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4149-S4150]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                               Corruption

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, well, we have Trump Steaks, Trump 
University, Trump Airlines, Trump Coin, and the Trump Presidency--all 
cons. The product changes; the con stays the same. Donald Trump has 
turned the Presidency of the United States into the most profitable 
scheme of his life, and American families are being forced--forced--to 
pay the price.
  Today, I am launching a new effort to expose the corruption, show 
Americans exactly what it is costing them, and build reforms needed to 
stop any President from using public office for personal profit. Senate 
Democrats will be exposing this self-dealing, showing Americans exactly 
what it is costing them, and developing reforms to make sure no 
President can abuse the Office this way again.
  For the next 3 weeks, Senate Democrats are putting Trump's corruption 
under a microscope. Throughout the month, we will follow the money, 
expose the deals, name the people cashing in, and show how Trump's 
corruption reaches directly into the pockets of working people.
  This week, we are releasing a new report that lays out the staggering 
scale of the grift: how Trump has used the power of the Presidency to 
enrich himself, reward his family, protect his friends, and sell access 
to anyone--anyone--willing to pay.
  The report shows how Americans are struggling to afford groceries, 
healthcare, housing, and energy, while Donald Trump and his family have 
reportedly made more than $4 billion from the Presidency.
  We will also be hosting another tabletop exercise with the Democrats' 
Elections Task Force to prepare to counter Trump's efforts to rig the 
2026 midterms.
  Next week, we will hold a roundtable on how Trump's corruption is 
directly driving up everyday costs for the American people, and average 
folks will testify to what they are going through.
  And the following week, we will release major legislation designed to 
rein in Trump's rampant corruption and to prevent any President from 
ever doing it again.
  You pay; Trump profits. That is the pattern of this administration, 
and we will highlight it everywhere we see it.
  No amount of gold leaf can conceal the rot spreading through this 
White House. Corruption is not a sideshow in the Trump administration; 
it is the whole business model.
  Trump guts protections for workers and consumers. His wealthy friends 
cash in.
  Trump cuts food assistance and healthcare. Billionaires get another 
tax break.
  Trump hands out pardons to the rich and well-connected, accepts 
lavish gifts from foreign governments, and arranges sweetheart deals 
for his family business.
  Trump uses the government. Trump gets richer. Americans foot the 
bill.
  His corruption is not victimless. It has a price, and working 
families are paying it every single day. The average American family is 
already spending more than $3,100 extra because of this 
administration's policies.
  And yet Trump still expects taxpayers to finance a MAGA slush fund 
they never approved, a golden ballroom they never asked for, and 
upgrades to a foreign luxury jet the President does not need.
  Donald Trump has turned the Oval Office into his personal ATM, the 
Federal Government into his family business, and the American taxpayer 
into the mark.
  A few months ago, Trump said:

       I don't think about Americans' financial situation.

  Of course, he doesn't. He is too busy thinking about his own.
  Donald Trump may believe the Presidency is simply another brand to 
monetize, another product to sell, another scam to run. But he is dead 
wrong. The Presidency belongs to the American people. It is not a 
license to steal, it is not a family business, and it is not Donald 
Trump's personal property.
  So throughout this month, Senate Democrats will expose the corruption 
that Trump wants hidden. We will follow the money and expose the deals.

[[Page S4150]]

We will show who profits, who pays, and how Trump has rigged the 
government for himself and the people closest to him.
  And we will make one thing unmistakably clear: The White House is not 
for sale.
  Trump has spent his life betting that the con will always work. This 
time, the American people will see exactly how the scam works and 
exactly who has been handed the keys to the kingdom.


                                  iran

  Mr. President, on the Iran war, Donald Trump needs to reckon with the 
terrible cost of the disastrous war he has dared to call ``a 
skirmish,'' ``a little excursion.'' And once, he called it ``a lovely 
stay.''
  There is nothing ``lovely'' or ``little'' about Trump's blunder in 
Iran--nothing.
  On Thursday, Trump insisted to the Nation that we are ``winning big 
in Iran, and you will see the fruits of that labor very, very 
shortly.''
  But instead and sadly, we saw three more brave American 
servicemembers tragically lose their lives over the weekend because of 
Trump's reckless war in Iran. Dozens of other U.S. troops were wounded 
in Iranian strikes last week, and one servicemember remains missing.
  I am praying for their families in this difficult hour. I speak for 
the entire Senate when I say how much we appreciate their sacrifice.
  This carnage is the bitter fruit of Trump's ``labor'' in Iran. Every 
second Trump prolongs this war is another second that the lives of our 
men and women in uniform are in danger. In the coming days, we are 
going to make Senate Republicans take another vote on our War Powers 
Resolution to end this war and get our troops out of harm's way. Trump 
needs to stop this catastrophe and bring our troops home, and Senate 
Republicans can't let him off the hook until he does.


            100th Anniversary of the Long Island Association

  Mr. President, now I want to briefly take a moment to recognize some 
guests from New York who are in the Capitol today. I guess I am a 
little late, but they were here.
  The Long Island Association, a storied regional business development 
group, is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Some of its members 
traveled here today to celebrate this occasion.
  Their century of work fighting to make Long Island a better place to 
live, work, and do business has accomplished much for the region. From 
affordability to energy, to infrastructure, to innovation, they have 
lit the road forward for Long Island's future.
  It has been my pleasure to work with them for several decades, and I 
know that under the leadership of their acting CEO and president Stacey 
Sikes--who once worked for me--we will continue our great tradition of 
delivering for Long Island together.
  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. MORENO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Husted). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. MORENO. Mr. President, I ask that the previously scheduled 
rollcall vote start immediately.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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