Secure America Act

Mr. President, I rise today to talk about Minnesota because the fight that is about to happen here on the Senate floor started far away from this place on the streets of my home State.

Tomorrow, Republicans in the Senate are going to force through a partisan bill to give ICE and Customs and Border Protection almost $70 billion, all because they have refused to do anything to rein in the abuses of ICE--abuses that destroyed trust, killed American citizens, and ripped Minnesota families apart. So I want to take a moment to remind my colleagues of how we got to this moment.

What happened was that a masked and lawless Federal police force occupied my State, kidnapping people in the street, tearing families apart, and committing terrible acts of violence. The entire country watched in horror. Your constituents watched. We watched Renee Good killed in her car after dropping her child off at school. We watched Alex Pretti swarmed by masked agents and then shot in the back and killed. We watched 5-year-old Liam Ramos, in his bunny hat and his Spiderman backpack, separated from his father. We bore witness to countless acts of violence captured on camera and many, many more that were hidden from public view. Across the country, it was impossible to look away as we watched our government terrorize people.

But we also saw something exceptional, of course. We saw Minnesotans showing what resistance and what courage look like. In subzero temperatures, Minnesotans met guns with whistles and came out to protect people they didn't even know. Churches and neighbors organized mutual aid and delivered prescriptions to folks who couldn't leave their own homes. They drove kids to school and back again, and they coordinated food deliveries for people who were afraid to go to the grocery store.

We marched--thousands and thousands strong--to demand that ICE get out of our State. And it worked, colleagues. History will remember that Minnesota won the battle of Operation Metro Surge, just as we got through the long, long, cold Minnesota winters, by showing up for our neighbors no matter what our differences might be, by helping people we don't even know, and by peacefully demanding justice and accountability.

But that victory was not without a cost. The great damage done by this rogue, dangerous, secret police force is still felt in Minneapolis and in St. Paul. It is felt in Chicago, in Los Angeles, in Portland, and in countless communities across the country. It is felt in Newark. Lives lost. Injuries sustained. Parents separated from their children. Kids traumatized by these tactics and still not back in school. Businesses that are shuttered.

Colleagues, we still have not had a fair and unbiased investigation with State investigators into the killings of Renee and Alex. People who have done nothing wrong are still waiting for accountability in crowded courtrooms. Legal residents of this country are still being held illegally in detention camps hundreds of miles away from their families. Rent payments missed. Businesses closed. Cities and counties spent their entire annual police overtime budgets to protect their communities.

So I know that it is uncomfortable for my colleagues to hear all of this and that everybody wants to turn the page on this, but on behalf of Minnesota, I need to say out loud and to be clear that it is unacceptable that this legislative battle is happening tomorrow because of the complete failure to agree to even the most basic guardrails on ICE, the same kind of guardrails that your local police department agrees to live by every single day.

I have to say I was hopeful because in the days and the weeks that Operation Metro Surge was unfolding, so many of my colleagues came up to me to offer their support. Many of you both publicly and privately said that what we are seeing in these videos is unacceptable and that we need to do something.

When the former Secretary of Homeland Security declared that the Minnesotans shot and killed by Federal agents were ``domestic terrorists,'' many of you came out and said that we need a full and fair investigation of what happened.

We must have a transparent, independent investigation into

the Minnesota shooting, and those responsible--no matter

their title--must be held accountable.

Who said that? Not me but Senator Curtis.

Here is another one:

I support a full and impartial investigation into the

events leading up to the death of

Alex Pretti. His family, law-abiding citizens exercising

their Second Amendment right and the trust of the American

people deserve a fair process.

Who said that? Senator Crapo said that.

We need a full investigation into the tragedy in

Minneapolis. We need all the facts. We must enforce our laws

in a way that protects the public while maintaining its

trust.

My colleague Senator McCormick said that.

So what happened?

Today, we have a partisan bill to send another $70 billion to ICE and Customs and Border Protection. There has not been a full and impartial investigation. There have been no reforms to stop ICE from kicking down the doors of your home without a warrant. There is nothing to stop masked, secret agents from pulling people out of their cars, following people home, grabbing parents away from their kids--nothing to stop that from happening. There is nothing to help small businesses that were forced to close or school districts trying to help traumatized students. There is nothing to help teachers or parents or police departments that have the millions of dollars in overtime costs.

Now, I will be filing an amendment to make sure that an investigation into Alex and Renee's death is done by the books, that it is fair and that it is unbiased and that it is conducted jointly with State and Federal investigators so that it has credibility in order to restore the public trust. And this is how these investigations have always been done in the past. But there won't be votes for that. My colleagues won't vote for that.

So I want to be clear. I want to thank all of my colleagues who worked with determination and heart to negotiate commonsense reforms to stop the worst of these abuses from happening ever again. Our asks weren't complicated. They weren't radical. We just wanted clarity that Federal agents should follow the same standards as local police departments: No random arrests or breaking down doors without a warrant or probable cause. Wear proper identification and body cameras. No masks.

ICE needs oversight and accountability when they violate the rights of individuals, as guaranteed in our Constitution. Basically, we were just looking for reforms that say ICE has to abide by the laws equally, as they apply to every person in this country.

It is a shame that all of that hard work came to nothing because Donald Trump and Stephen Miller don't want accountability under the law; they want impunity.

And let's be clear. This is really out of step with where Americans are. After months of this lawless behavior, Americans are strongly opposed. They have seen it. Americans are opposed to this. They are strongly opposed to this administration's domestic interior enforcement policy. Fifty-six percent of Americans disapprove.

Meanwhile--let's be honest about this--these abuses are continuing, though maybe without all of the public attention--not all of the public attention. Raids are happening in California, in Oklahoma, in Ohio, and elsewhere. We have seen what has been happening in Newark this past week. ICE pepper-sprayed a U.S. Senator outside a detention center in New Jersey just this past week--my colleague Senator Andy Kim.

Mr. President, 100,000 children are separated from their parents right now, today. Three-quarters of them are estimated to be U.S. citizens--100,000 kids. At least 33 people died in ICE custody in 2025. Already in 2026, over 18 people have died. This is the best data we have, though it is very difficult to get this information. That is one person who has lost their life every 6 days, and many of these losses of life were under deeply concerning circumstances. We are denying lifesaving care, lifesaving medical treatment for transplant and for cancer patients--people that are detained by this Federal Government. Just today, I was working to try to get a humanitarian release for a woman who is suffering from an extreme health condition, who could lose her life if she does not get the care she needs.

The Federal Government is taking people hundreds of miles away from home and then turning them out on the street with nothing--no ID, no money, no papers, no way to get home.

The truth is, this administration is still doing what it did in Minneapolis; they are just doing a better job of keeping it out of the news.

So here we are today at a partisan impasse that Americans just don't understand because, for them, this isn't about politics; this is about common decency. Democrats stand strong, and we are demanding strong but basic commonsense guardrails and accountability. We want our communities to be safe. We want our children to be able to walk to school without fear of being scooped up by a Federal agent. We want people to be able to go to their jobs without fear that an agent is going to break their car window and drag them out of their car and onto the street. But my Republican colleagues are saying no to this. In the face of a crushing cost-of-living crisis in this country, where millions of Americans are struggling to afford their lives, Republicans' answer to this is to send $70 billion to ICE and Customs and Border Protection for massive, privately owned, for-profit detention centers and a Federal immigration police force with a budget that is several times larger than the FBI's.

You know, I don't know about your home State, but in Minnesota, $70 billion is a lot of money, and people are just not getting this. This is the priority we have in this body today? This is what we are choosing to do?

We could take this money and lower health insurance premiums by extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits for 2 whole years. But no, we can't do that. We are told by our Republican colleagues that that is too expensive. But we can send $70 billion, on top of everything we have already sent, to ICE and Customs and Border Protection.

We could pay for Head Start preschool for 5 years. But no, we don't have money for that; we just have money for this.

Why not update and repair or replace every drinking water or wastewater system in Minnesota, and then we would still have more than $7 billion left over. That is a choice we could make, but today and tomorrow, this body is making a different choice.

No. Republicans are choosing to send billions of your tax dollars to ICE for a Federal police force and for-profit detention centers with no reforms or guardrails.

Not only that, but rather than address any of the challenges facing ordinary, middle-class Americans, Republicans want to load up this bill with extra giveaways for billionaires and convicted felons, sometimes the same category.

They want an extra billion of taxpayer dollars to pay for a ballroom. They wanted almost $2 billion in a slush fund. That has, thankfully, fallen out of this bill so far, but I want to know for sure that that is not going happen.

If you are watching this and you are feeling confused about what is going on in this body, colleagues, I mean you should feel--Americans, my constituents in Minnesota--you should feel confused because this is outrageous. This is not how our democracy is supposed to work.

I mean, here is the thing, I actually believe that a lot of my colleagues on the Republican side are actually kind of embarrassed by this. They know it. They know that this isn't right, and they for sure know that it is bad politics.

But that is not enough. We also need everybody in this body to not just say what they say behind closed doors but to say it out loud in public. That is what our country needs right now.

But here we are. And while Democrats may not be in power in the Senate, we are not powerless. So we will keep fighting, and we will keep preserving the Minnesota way just as we did fighting Operation Metro Surge.

We will double down on our love for our neighbors and unity in the face of this injustice. We will keep fighting for a better country. We will not forget our neighbors Alex and Renee and Liam and all of the others that were so hurt by what happened in my home State, and we will keep up the fight. And we will vote no on this bill.

Colleagues, today is your chance. This is the chance that we have to speak out with the eyes of history upon us. So I urge you to say no to this bill and to stand on the side of justice, justice for Minnesota, justice for this whole country.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, anyone--anyone--who still believes that Trump has any intention of stopping his effort to steal Americans' tax dollars to enrich himself, his family, and MAGA loyalists ought to listen to Trump's comments yesterday.

Yesterday, Trump not only refused to commit ending his $2 billion taxpayer-funded MAGA slush fund permanently, he also said of the slush fund: I love it. I think it's so important. It's a beautiful thing.

I repeat, here is what Trump said about this damn slush fund.

He said: I love it. I think it's so important. It was a beautiful thing.

Do you hear that, America? Do you hear that, Republican Senators? Do you hear it?

Trump loves giving Americans' taxpayer dollars to his billionaire friends.

Trump thinks forcing Americans to fork over their paychecks to line the pockets of his corrupt friends is ``so important.''

Trump says ripping Americans off to give kickbacks to convicted criminals who beat police officers to death on January 6 is a beautiful thing--that is what he said.

Trump's slush fund is anything but beautiful. It is heinous, and it won't die until we permanently ban it by law--not by language, not by verbal promises which can just evaporate, but by law. And we have the chance to do that this morning on the amendment I will offer.

The very first amendment I will offer in vote-arama today will be to outlaw the slush fund forever, so when Trump wakes up a week from now or a month from now and says: Why don't we try that slush fund again?-- he won't be able to. He won't be able to.

With the whole country watching, Republicans will have to choose: either support the slush fund or ban it. They can come up with 10 excuses. It is a yes or no: support the slush fund or ban it. Americans want a big loud voice and vote to ban it permanently--to ban it forever.

We are also going to force Republicans to vote on whether to let Trump keep the immunity he granted himself from audits so he can get out of paying his own taxes. This is what he put in the bill. This is what our Republican friends are putting in the bill. Donald Trump has a get-out-of-jail-free card. No audit ever of him and how he is evading taxes. And he has already tried do that a whole bunch of times. There have been court cases about it. Let him do it? Let this level of corruption rise so it is going to drown all of us? Throw away those good old American values that have served this country well for 250 years because Donald Trump wants to take this money in a corrupt fund and scare you into voting yes? Come on. You Republicans are better than that, I hope.

Donald Trump is less trustworthy than a snake oil salesman, than a back-alley bookie, than the Nigerian prince in your email spam folder.

Are Republicans blind? Are they so far removed from the American people? Do they not even know what corruption is anymore? That is what I think is happening over on that side of the aisle. Donald Trump has immersed so much of America in so much corruption you don't even get it.

But that is what America--you are taking the great values of America on our 250th year and flushing them down the toilet because you are afraid of Donald Trump.

And, listen, another point: Are Republicans really going to take Todd Blanche--a known liar--at his word?

Do we believe that Donald Trump, who has lied to us day in and day out--do we believe that he will able to resist getting his sticky fingers in the slush fund when it would benefit himself and his family? No way. No way.

Vote-arama

Mr. President, on vote-arama, which is part of this bill, rather than let Republicans try to force through their radical reconciliation bill under the current cover of night, Democrats have made sure today's vote-arama happens in broad daylight because Americans deserve to see what Republicans are prioritizing instead of lowering their costs.

Democrats will force Republicans to vote on Trump's MAGA slush fund, his lifetime tax exemption, his billion-dollar, taxpayer-funded ballroom--but that is not all.

Amendment after amendment, vote after vote, Republicans are going to have to answer to the American people on tariffs, on skyrocketing costs, on the disastrous war with Iran, on the violence Trump's masked agents have unleashed on our streets. All of that they are going to have to vote on.

Will Republicans vote for more affordable housing? Will Republicans require Trump's masked agents to wear

body cameras? Will Republicans join Democrats to lower gas prices?

Democrats will ensure that every failed Republican policy--every failed Trump policy--that has driven up costs, unleashed chaos, and aided Trump's corruption will face a vote on the Senate floor today.

And Democrats are going to show just how terrible this bill is from start to finish.

Apparently, Republicans think we cannot afford a single penny to help Americans cover the skyrocketing costs of gasoline, of healthcare, of housing, of food, of energy--you name it--but somehow we can afford to give another $70 billion to Trump's rogue Agencies even though ICE and Border Patrol already have $100 billion cash on hand.

Do you hear that, driver? When you pull up to the gas pump, and it is $4.50, or even higher in many places, ask yourself: Why don't Republicans vote to lower those prices instead of giving ICE and Border Patrol, already discredited, more money when they have $100 billion sitting there?

Let's take stock of what we could buy with the $170 billion Trump's personal police force would have at its disposal if this bill passed.

Instead of shooting Americans dead in the street, the Federal Government could cut a $1,300 check to every household in America to lower gas prices that have been raised so by Trump's unending, it seems, war.

Instead of masked agents breaking down your door in the middle of the night without a warrant, we could fund programs that help Americans keep the heat on in the winter and the AC on in the summer 40 times over.

Instead of dragging law-abiding parents and children into unmarked vehicles, that $170 billion could fund food stamps for nearly 2 years or Head Start for 14 years or childcare assistance for two decades-- things America wants.

America, the contrast is clear: Democrats are fighting for you-- Republicans are kowtowing to Trump and his corruption.

I urge Republicans to vote like the American people are watching-- because they are.

Todd Blanche

Mr. President, on the Todd Blanche nomination, last night Donald Trump said--do you hear this, everybody?--he will nominate Todd Blanche to be the permanent Attorney General. Yech.

Trump picked Blanche because he is loyal to the President alone--not to the Constitution, not to the rule of law, and certainly not to the American people--and not to the values this country has had for 250 years. It is people like Blanche and Trump who have ripped those values up of honesty and of fairness and of decency that have been the hallmark of America that we are seeing them try to wipe away.

For years, Blanche has been Trump's personal lawyer and attack dog, and that didn't stop when Blanche joined the Department of Justice. Blanche orchestrated Trump's self-dealing MAGA slush fund and granted his boss the audit immunity that gives the President free rein to commit tax fraud.

Blanche has blocked the release of more than half the Epstein files, withholding 3 million--3 million--pages from the public. Maybe Epstein's friend Donald Trump could tell us why Blanche went to such lengths to cover up the files. Blanche also lied to Congress under oath when he claimed he had met with the Epstein survivors--something they said never happened.

Blanche not only shields Trump from the law, he uses the justice system to go after his boss' political enemies, bringing baseless charges against the Southern Poverty Law Center, Jim Comey, and others.

Trump and Blanche are cut from the same crooked cloth.

Democrats are going to oppose Blanche's confirmation as vehemently as we have opposed the slush fund and every other corrupt act Trump and his top fixer have committed. Unless Republicans want to remain complicit in Trump's corruption, they ought to oppose Blanche as well.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

I withdraw my request for a quorum.

Mr. President, I have a motion to commit at the desk.

Mr. President, my very first amendment offers Republicans a choice: Do you support Donald Trump's $2 billion taxpayer-funded slush fund, or do you want to protect the American people and their paychecks by outlawing this criminal, crony, cash-back program permanently?

America has never seen a more clear-cut case of corruption. America has never seen a more clear-cut case of corruption than Donald Trump's slush fund: Trump sues Trump. Trump settles with Trump. Trump gives Trump Americans' taxpayer dollars.

Trump won't give Americans a penny to help offset the skyrocketing costs he brought on our country, but he is more than happy to charge them nearly $2 billion to line the pockets of his family, his billionaire friends, and the criminals who mauled police officers on January 6.

If Republicans truly oppose this corruption, then prove it.

Support my amendment and ban the slush fund permanently by law.

Instead, Republicans are trusting the word of Todd Blanche, who built a career on lying--

--that the administration will just drop the slush fund.

Trump hasn't even pretended to promise that the slush fund is done. Instead, Trump said of the slush fund:

I love it. I think it's so important. . . . It was a

beautiful thing.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent for 30 more seconds.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be allowed an additional 30 seconds to conclude my remarks, which we traditionally always give that courtesy.

Mr. President, I know my colleagues are afraid to hear the truth and that is why they objected, when it is almost never--there is never an objection when the leaders speak.

But let me finish my remarks.

Republicans are trusting the word of Todd Blanche, who built a career on lying, that the administration will just drop the slush fund.

Trump hasn't even pretended to promise that the slush fund is done. Instead, here is what Trump said of the slush fund:

I love it. I think it's so important. . . . It was a

beautiful thing.

Republican Senators need to stop playing dumb. They need to listen to the truth and stop trusting these fools, like Todd Blanche, who lies to the American people repeatedly.

Do we believe--do any of us believe--that Donald Trump, who has lied to us day in and day out, will be able to resist getting his sticky fingers in the slush fund, when it would benefit himself and his family? No way.

For something as corrupt as this slush fund, toothless guardrails, meek reforms, and empty promises won't cut it. We need to outlaw it permanently.

Vote on Motion to Commit

I ask for the yeas and nays.

I will join my colleague and all of my colleagues in congratulating Susan Collins, who will cast her 10,000th consecutive rollcall vote in a few moments.

No matter what has been going on in the world or in her life, Senator Collins has never--never--missed a vote in her entire Senate career. This is truly a remarkable milestone. Many of us try hard to make every vote; Senator Collins has actually done it 10,000 times in a row.

Senator Collins and I belong to different parties and do not always see eye to eye, but 10,000 consecutive rollcall votes is an extraordinary streak by any measure, and I congratulate her on reaching it.

(Applause, Senators rising.)

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, like the reconciliation bill before us, the past few weeks have been really eye-opening for the American public to see in plain view the clear priorities of President Trump and his allies here in Congress.

It is increasingly clear that their top priority is not addressing the affordability crisis that is hurting so many families across the country, families who are struggling just to get by.

The proposals, the actions of the Republican majority and the White House isn't trying to tackle the cost of healthcare; it is not trying to tackle the cost of housing; it is not reducing the price of gas-- that is for sure--or addressing the increasing costs of groceries.

The end result of the proposals before us continue to be personal gain for the President and those around him, plain and simple.

But I don't think we should really be surprised by that. Don't take my word for it. We are talking about a political party whose President--the leader of that party, who has said publicly, his own words: I do not care about Americans' financial situation.

Let me repeat that. A President, leader of the Republican Party who says: I do not care about Americans' financial situation.

It doesn't get any clearer than that, folks, because whether it is a late-night social media post or what he says in front of the cameras for everybody to hear, this President has no problem telling us exactly what his priorities are.

And his priorities are clearly not Americans' financial situations. His priorities include an abomination of a ballroom that he wanted the American people to pay for to the tune of $1 billion after repeatedly saying that it wouldn't cost a single taxpayer dollar, that it would be privately funded.

Another one of his priorities is ensuring immunity for himself and for his family, and shoring up support from his MAGA loyalists, including the January 6 insurrectionists who were prosecuted for violently attacking the Capitol, violently attacking Capitol Police.

He was trying to advance a self-serving corrupt slush fund to pay off his supporters. That is his priority.

Here is another one just from yesterday: selecting an unqualified person Bill Pulte into an extremely sensitive position within our government as head of the Director of National Intelligence whose track record leads us to see plainly their goal of interfering in our elections or politically pursuing anyone the President perceives as being an enemy.

These are the President's priorities, colleagues, not helping working families. And as clear as day, as he has outlined these priorities, there is no pushback by the Republican majority. They continue to enable every single one of these efforts.

The ballroom, which is nothing other than a vanity project, that never should have happened in the first place. It is a tragedy that the East Wing was torn down without a discussion, without the consultation with Congress that is clearly required.

Yet for weeks, we heard Republican Members of Congress parroting the lame excuse of: For security reasons, this was a necessary project. But they have nothing to say about a UFC ring being built on the lawn of the White House. Really?

And by the way, what happened to the private donations that were supposed to be paying for the ballroom project? The President bragged about the $400 million--probably more--that he secured. So where is it? Where is that money?

We have to remain vigilant that the ballroom project funding does not appear in this new reconciliation bill or doesn't work its way back in.

Now while Acting Attorney General Blanche publicly stated yesterday that the so-called weaponization fund was not moving forward, it is really hard to take this administration at its word when they are constantly saying one thing and doing another--lies over and over to the American people.

When we first learned about their plans to create this fund, I actually came to the floor and asked that this floor pass by unanimous consent my No Rewards for January 6 Rioters Act which I introduced back in January to stop this proposal in its tracks. Trump already gave pardons to January 6 insurrectionists. Let's not give them payouts as well.

So we must act to ensure that no one who attacked the Capitol and especially those who assaulted law enforcement officers that day can ever qualify for any kind of payout like this.

And again, a few words on Bill Pulte, Donald Trump's pick to serve as Acting Director of National Intelligence. It is clear that his only qualification--only qualification that matters to President Trump--is blind loyalty to President Trump, a willingness to do whatever Trump asks.

Now time and again, we have seen Pulte use sensitive information in his role at the Federal Housing Finance Agency to target Trump's political opponents. Don't just imagine what he might do, imagine what he will do with the sensitive information at his fingertips in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, whether it is attacking opponents or finding new dangerous ways to advance Donald Trump's election corruption and efforts to take over--the President's words again--to take over elections.

Each of these is a misplaced and dangerous priority that Donald Trump puts over the needs of the American people. All these priorities do nothing to advance our national interest or improve the lives of working families across the country.

So let's not allow ourselves to be distracted from the biggest of the misplaced priorities at the heart of this reconciliation bill. When I hear some of our Republican colleagues say: OK. No ballroom here, no slush fund here--they don't commit to not coming back to it in other efforts.

They say: Let's come back to the intent and core of what this reconciliation bill was at the outset--billions and billions and billions of dollars more for ICE and CBP for immigration enforcement, the same Agencies that are still sitting on more than a $100 billion of previously approved and appropriated funds that they can't even spend.

What happened to fiscal responsibility? Instead of ensuring that money flows as Agencies can spend it, they are trying to ram more money to these Agencies while shielding them from oversight and accountability.

Let me remind us all of the deaths of Americans like Renee Good, Alex Pretti, and Ruben Ray Martinez. Let me remind us of how this administration is using children like 5-year-old Liam Ramos as bait. Let me remind our colleagues about the price gouging that is happening, mothers and children at Dilley detention center having to pay so much just to access clean water and letting thousands of children languish in detention, jailing more than 6,200 children since the beginning of this administration.

That is a shame.

And now they want to shield them from more than 425 judges appointed by both Democrat and Republican Presidents, including some appointed by Donald Trump himself who have issued more than 10,000 rulings finding that ICE has violated the Constitution of the United States.

That is not an exaggeration: more than 10,000 findings of ICE violating the Constitution of the United States, violating due process, and violating Federal laws since the start of this Trump administration--10,000 rulings.

That is more than a 90-percent loss rate in court by this administration. This administration's immigration enforcement efforts have clearly not just been extreme and cruel, they have been unlawful and indefensible.

What we should be doing, colleagues, is discussing and debating ideas on how to help American families better afford their groceries, how to better afford the gas they put in their car because they have to get to work, help American families afford their mortgage or the rent, how to pay for childcare, how to pay for healthcare.

So many Americans are reeling from the ``Anything But Beautiful Bill,'' from the expiration of the ACA tax credits, and so many Americans are suffering from the experience of witnessing or having their children ripped from their arms, with loved ones, family members, friends, neighbors, coworkers disappearing into detention,

many in the United States, many now in a foreign country.

They are suffering through all of that while still wondering how they are going to make ends meet at the end of the month. Those are the priorities for countless families across the country who are hurting and struggling right now that we should be focusing on. But instead, no, we are focusing on what this reconciliation bill offers in front of us.

I have said it before. I think most folks, at some point in this Chamber, have used the reference that budgets are a reflection of our values. A reconciliation bill is a budget bill. It, too, is a reflection of values and priorities. They reveal what we prioritize. They reveal what we stand for, what we fight for, and it serves as a guide to see if it truly reflects the needs and priorities of the American people or not.

If you look at this language, if you look at the concept of the reconciliation bill in front of us, it is clear that Donald Trump and our Republican colleagues have no interest in addressing the urgent needs of the American people.

So I ask, colleagues, let's reject this bill full of misplaced priorities. Let's actually regroup and put a bill together that will lower costs for American families, expand their opportunities, and help Americans get ahead.

And I guarantee you, if we were to do that in good faith, you wouldn't have to resort to this party-line, strictly partisan process of budget reconciliation. That would be something that would garner bipartisan support and be in the best interest of our country, our economy, and the needs of the American people.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Alaska seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 3 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 3 votes for Vice President.

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Arizona seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 11 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 11 votes for Vice President.

Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Colorado seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Kamala D. Harris of the State of California received 10 votes for President and Tim Walz of the State of Minnesota received 10 votes for Vice President.

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Connecticut seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Kamala D. Harris of the State of California received 7 votes for President and Tim Walz of the State of Minnesota received 7 votes for Vice President.

Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Florida seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 30 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 30 votes for Vice President.

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Georgia seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 16 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 16 votes for Vice President.

Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Illinois seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Kamala D. Harris of the State of California received 19 votes for President and Tim Walz of the State of Minnesota received 19 votes for Vice President.

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Indiana seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 11 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 11 votes for Vice President.

Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the Commonwealth of Kentucky seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 8 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 8 votes for Vice President.

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Louisiana seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 8 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 8 votes for Vice President.

Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Kamala D. Harris of the State of California received 11 votes for President and Tim Walz of the State of Minnesota received 11 votes for Vice President.

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Michigan seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 15 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 15 votes for Vice President.

Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Minnesota seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Kamala D. Harris of the State of California received 10 votes for President and Tim Walz of the State of Minnesota received 10 votes for Vice President.

Senator FISCHER. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Mississippi seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 6 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 6 votes for Vice President.

Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Missouri seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 10 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 10 votes for Vice President.

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Montana seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 4 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 4 votes for Vice President.

Senator FISCHER. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Nebraska seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 4 votes for President and Kamala D. Harris of the State of California received 1 vote for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 4 votes for Vice President and Tim Walz of the State of Minnesota received 1 vote for Vice President.

Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Nevada seems regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 6 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 6 votes for Vice President.

Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of New Hampshire seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Kamala D. Harris of the State of California received 4 votes for President and Tim Walz of the State of Minnesota received 4 votes for Vice President.

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of New Jersey seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Kamala D. Harris of the State of California received 14 votes for President and Tim Walz of the State of Minnesota received 14 votes for Vice President.

Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of North Carolina seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 16 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 16 votes for Vice President.

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of North Dakota seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 3 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 3 votes for Vice President.

Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Oregon seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Kamala D. Harris of the State of California received 8 votes for President and Tim Walz of the State of Minnesota received 8 votes for Vice President.

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 19 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 19 votes for Vice President.

The certificate of the electoral vote of the State of South Dakota seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 3 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 3 votes for Vice President.

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Tennessee seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 11 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 11 votes for Vice President.

Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Vermont seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Kamala D. Harris of the State of California received 3 votes for President and Tim Walz of the State of Minnesota received 3 votes for Vice President.

Senator KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the Commonwealth of Virginia seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that

Kamala D. Harris of the State of California received 13 votes for President and Tim Walz of the State of Minnesota received 13 votes for Vice President.

Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the great State of Wisconsin seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 10 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 10 votes for Vice President.

Senator FISCHER. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Wyoming seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 3 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 3 votes for Vice President.

Mr. President, on Monday, Tina Peters walked out of prison. The convicted felon and former county clerk is free after serving less than a quarter of her sentence, a sentence she earned when she violated her oath and tried to undermine Colorado's free and fair elections.

That doesn't just make her a conspiracy theorist; it makes her a criminal. Tina Peters had her day in court. She was prosecuted by a Republican district attorney and convicted by a jury of her peers in a Republican stronghold. The verdict was unanimous. Tina Peters was guilty as sin. But if you ask the Trump administration, they believe she needs and deserves a payday.

Last month, the Department of Justice announced the creation of a $1.8 billion fund, a slush fund--can't call it anything else--for criminals just like Tina Peters.

President Trump plans to hand out nearly $2 billion of your tax money, taxpayer dollars, to January 6 rioters, to wealthy business partners, and people who have attacked democracy.

We are going to do everything we can to make sure that doesn't happen. The Acting Attorney General says they will no longer pursue this slush fund. I am not sure I believe that for 1 second.

The only promises this administration has seemed to keep are to billionaires and President Trump's cronies. The President calls it the ``Art of the Deal.'' Well, what is the deal? The taxpayers pay in; his allies get payouts?

This administration isn't just trying to give your tax dollars to criminals. They are spending literally trillions of dollars, when you add it up, trillions of dollars on bombs and tax breaks for billionaires. And what do Americans get in return? Higher bills, benefits that have been gutted, and a tab that they never agreed to pick up.

While the Trump administration is busy cashing in, people working-- the so-called working people of America--are facing a cost-of-living emergency. The President's war in Iran--his war of choice--is sending costs through the roof. The costs are already adding up. On energy alone, Americans have spent an average of $450 per person more since the start of this war. Gas in Colorado is now roughly $4.50 a gallon. Before the year is out, Americans will spend hundreds of dollars more than they would have before just on groceries.

Here is how bad it has gotten. Americans now carry a record $1.25 trillion in credit card debt. That is the highest level since the stock market crashed in 2008. That is the equivalent of every single American owing $3,600. That is not a working class that is thriving. That is one that is barely surviving.

And here is the cruel reality: People are working harder than ever. Coloradans are doing everything they can to hold up their end of the bargain--long days, multiple jobs, paying taxes. But the more they contribute, the less they get back, the less they get in return.

And there is a clear explanation for this: The President doled out roughly $4 trillion in tax breaks--so that is over 10 years--but roughly $4 trillion in tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans so that the largest corporations, so the wealthiest individuals like him, can skip their taxes. And to pay for it, they slashed--over 10 years, they slashed $1 trillion from the healthcare of Americans. That is astounding.

Trump's tariffs generated $133 billion. Nearly every dollar came right out of the pocket of American consumers' pockets--an average of more than $1,000 a person.

Now, the Supreme Court ruled that these tariffs were illegal, and a Federal court ordered the administration to repay American businesses. Has the government responded? Have they complied? No, of course not. They are using every excuse they can to resist. They have failed to pay back the $166 billion that they owe. Even worse, just yesterday, President Trump announced new tariffs on 59 countries, in addition to the European Union.

When they are not busy taxing Americans, the Trump administration is pouring hundreds of millions into this new ballroom. Meanwhile, 9,000 families in Colorado just lost their SNAP benefits. That is their food stamps, their nutrition. Our economy is leaving too many Americans behind.

Just talk to Leah, a young woman I met recently at a healthcare roundtable in Colorado Springs. She is the full-time medical caregiver for her daughter Victoria, who was diagnosed as a baby with spina bifida. Victoria is a paraplegic, fed through a tube, and requires a ventilator.

Leah works around the clock to keep her child alive. That hard work is about to get even harder. This year, Leah's income will be cut by 40 percent as a direct result of this administration's Medicaid cuts. That cut puts her daughter's life at risk.

The Trump administration claims these Medicaid cuts were about preventing graft and fraud, but there is clearly no fraud whatsoever in a mother doing everything she can, trying to keep her child alive.

Leah doesn't even know if they will be able to keep their house, whether they will have enough money to make their payments. That house had been specifically fitted to take care of Victoria's needs.

Without Leah's around-the-clock care, Victoria would have to be institutionalized in an acute care facility at a dramatically higher cost. Now, that is waste. It might not be fraud, but that is waste.

Leah is living every parent's worst nightmare. She works as hard as she possibly can every day to try and keep her child alive, and now it is still not enough. So many Americans are living with these kinds of fears.

At a local nonprofit in Boulder--I take that back. At a local nonprofit in Denver, I met a woman named Brittany, who told me that healthcare is one of her biggest stressors, one of the major things that causes her emotional stress.

Brittany's daughter recently had a severe asthma attack. Brittany watched her daughter gasp for breath and begin to turn blue. In that split second, she faced a second fear. Should she rush her daughter to the hospital herself and risk the drive with no one to care for her daughter or call an ambulance, which she knew she wouldn't be able to afford?

That is a fear no parent should have to live with. The Trump administration made it a reality because they chose these tax breaks for the wealthiest people in this country, many of whom--if not most of whom--don't even want the tax breaks. But they chose tax breaks for these billionaires over healthcare for working people.

At another event in Denver, I met Luisa, who spends $90 a week on gas as she drives 28 miles to work and home every day. She had moved farther from Denver because the housing was more affordable. Now she wonders if she made the right choice.

Luisa is watching costs increase while she takes home less every week. She does everything she can to insulate her kids from fear--from her fear. On weekends, she tries to take her kids to the park right about lunchtime. She hopes they are too busy playing to remember how hungry they are. As she says, ``It's one less meal to buy.''

Our country is measured in these moments: the way we care for the most vulnerable, the life-or-death journey between the house and the hospital, the cost to fill an empty refrigerator.

By every measure, our President--President Trump--is failing. He has run up costs; he has paid himself and his friends; and he has stuck Americans with the tab, waiting for Americans to pay the bill.

This is the moment where we decide whether that is acceptable-- whether the people who work the hardest, already pay the most, and ask for the least finally get a country that works for them. It is a question that echoes throughout our entire history, one that built the Civil Rights Movement, women's suffrage, and the long fight for workers to have a seat at the table.

At its core, it is the American question: Whom does this country actually work for? This administration has given their answer to Coloradans. Leah from Colorado Springs will lose close to $80,000 in support. Brittany calculates the cost of an ambulance while her daughter is turning blue and can't breathe. Luisa hopes her kids will not remember that they are hungry.

Americans fund the system. Trump takes billions for himself, and Americans--Americans--get the shaft.

We know there is a better way. Americans have held up their end of the bargain long enough, with long days and multiple jobs and taxes paid over long periods of time. They have earned more than a slush fund for felons, more than a government that builds ballrooms while 9,000 Coloradans lose their groceries. And these are families that are struggling to put food on

the table. It is more than an administration that takes everything and returns nothing.

And we have introduced an amendment to stop elected criminals like Tina Peters from getting a dime of your taxpayer dollars. Soon, Republicans are going to be forced to vote on it. So while hard-working Americans struggle with rising costs, those who undermine our elections are the last people our government should subsidize, the last people that should ever get your hard-earned tax dollars.

We need to put an end to the slush fund. We need to put that end in writing so the Trump administration can't change their mind later on. Working Americans have paid in too long to keep getting played, and we will fight tooth and nail to make sure they get what they are owed.

I yield the floor.