Floor Statements

Mr. President, I would like to honor the life and legacy of Richard Calvin Montgomery, an accomplished filmmaker, music industry executive, storyteller, and devoted community servant whose creativity, generosity, and commitment to uplifting others left an enduring mark on Prince George's County and beyond.

Born in Cleveland, OH, Richard pursued his education at Hampton Institute and Howard University. A proud initiate of the Beta Chi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., he remained deeply committed to his fraternity and the lifelong brotherhood it represented. He went on to build a distinguished career in broadcasting, music, and entertainment. From his early work at WHOV-FM and WHUR-FM to leadership roles with A&M Records, Venture Records, Alchemy Entertainment, and his own company, Mediaview Communications, Richard became a respected creative force whose work elevated artists, businesses, and communities throughout the Washington metropolitan region.

Richard believed every person and every community had a story worth telling. Whether producing films, documenting community events, or promoting the achievements of others, he used his remarkable gifts to preserve history, celebrate excellence, and inspire future generations. Just as impressive as his professional accomplishments was his generosity. He freely shared his time, talent, and encouragement, making others feel seen, valued, and supported.

I had the privilege of witnessing Richard's dedication to public service firsthand. During my tenure as Prince George's County executive, he served as our videographer, helping tell the stories of the programs and initiatives that strengthened our communities. During the global pandemic, his thoughtful storytelling helped us combat vaccine hesitancy, share trusted public health information, and reach residents with lifesaving messages. His contributions to our county were invaluable, and I will always be grateful for his friendship and unwavering commitment to serving others.

Richard's warmth, humility, and compassion touched everyone who knew him. His legacy lives on in the artists he championed, the stories he preserved, the communities he strengthened, and the countless lives he enriched through his friendship and generosity.

I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring and celebrating the life of Richard Calvin Montgomery--a gifted storyteller, visionary creative, faithful servant, and proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., whose legacy of service and love for community will continue to inspire all who had the privilege of knowing him.

Mr. President, reserving the right to object.

Let's be clear. This bill would roll back the clock by 25 years. It limits access to a safe and effective medication that has been approved by the FDA since 2000. Hundreds of robust clinical trials have demonstrated mifepristone's safety. That is not political; that is science.

This bill would impose new requirements on prescribing healthcare providers, and it would restrict drug dispensing to in-person administration, specifically targeting women living in rural areas and women without access to a primary care doctor or OB/GYN.

For the past year, we have all watched as Secretary Kennedy and this administration have peddled conspiracy theories and junk science to dismantle public health structures in this country.

Just like with the pediatric vaccine schedule, changing the rules on FDA-approved drugs without specific scientific input, legitimate evidence on safety risk, or transparency will cause unnecessary fear for patients.

This bill undermines the critical role of the FDA in ensuring the safety and efficacy of medical products through a gold standard review and approval process. It overrides the FDA's oversight authority by prematurely banning approval to medications, even if they are safe and effective.

That is not gold standard science; it is an effort to control women's bodies and their healthcare decisions.

On the very anniversary of the Dobbs ruling, Senate Republicans are looking to continue to restrict access to care.

I want to remind my colleagues that mothers living in States with abortion bans are nearly twice as likely to die during pregnancy or childbirth compared to those in States that allow women to access reproductive care. These tragedies happen when there are delays in miscarriage and emergencies because reproductive medicine is criminalized.

I object to this legislation.

As I just said, on the very anniversary of the Dobbs ruling, Senate Republicans are looking to continue to restrict access to care.

In stark contrast, Senate Democrats are working to expand access to healthcare for women. We are working to better support new and expecting mothers and babies. I introduced the Healthy MOM Act to do just that.

Uninsured pregnant women are more likely to miss critical prenatal care. These gaps in care lead to a 31 percent higher likelihood of adverse hospital and delivery outcomes. My bill would ensure that all women eligible for coverage through Affordable Care Act marketplaces and private insurance can access affordable health coverage throughout their pregnancies by establishing a special enrollment period for expectant mothers.

Right now, marriage, divorce, changing jobs, or having a baby are considered qualifying life events that trigger a special enrollment period, but becoming pregnant is not considered a qualifying life event. That is unless you live in a State like Maryland, which allows women to enroll in or change their health insurance plan outside of the standard open enrollment period after they learn they are pregnant.

If you want to protect moms and babies, you need to make sure that they have health insurance and access to the care they need. I ask unanimous consent to pass this commonsense legislation to close a senseless loophole and keep expecting mothers across the country healthy.

Mr. President, as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be discharged from further consideration of S. 3274 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration; further, that the bill be considered read a third time and passed, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 381, S.J. Res. 125.

Mr. President, I filed a joint resolution of disapproval to restore the CFPB's existing rule against charging consumers a convenience fee to pay their bills a certain way. Adding these surprise pay-to-pay fees to bills are useless and unnecessary in general but especially in a time when American families are struggling with the growing affordability crisis.

During my time here in the Senate, I have worked to lower costs and fought to make everything from housing to groceries more affordable for Maryland. I am also fighting these unfair fees because our residents have also had to contend with these unfair debt collection practices.

Maryland consumers have now filed nearly 24,000 complaints against debt collection with the CFPB. The CFPB has stood on the side of consumers, creating an advisory opinion to clarify debt collectors' obligations under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and explicitly prohibiting debt collectors from charging pay-to-pay fees.

Unfortunately, this administration has chosen the side of making things harder for American consumers by withdrawing this rule. Although underlying statutes like the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act continue to prohibit abusive debt collection practices, this administration's rescission of this guidance signals to bad actors that they may have leeway to charge convenience fees without fear of facing any real consequences from the current CFPB.

That is why I filed a joint resolution of disapproval to restore the CFPB's rule, and I urge my colleagues to support it. Senate Democrats and the CFPB have been committed to protecting working families, and fighting these unlawful fees is another step to making life fairer for all of them.

Vote on Motion to Proceed

Madam President, I call up my amendment 5294 and ask that it be reported by number.

Madam President, so many of my constituents in Maryland are worried--worried about making ends meet when the cost of utilities, goods, and services are at a record high because of this administration's reckless policies. The cost of housing is up. The cost of groceries is up. The cost of healthcare is up. The cost of gas, because of the President's war with Iran, is now $4.19 a gallon on a good day. And the average cost of childcare in the State of Maryland is around $25,000 a year.

Across the country, working families are demanding high-quality, affordable childcare opportunities for their children. Childcare has been hard to find and expensive for families for years, while many childcare providers struggle to stay afloat. The system is broken, and American families and their children are stuck paying the price.

Instead of solving the problem, the Trump administration has frozen billions in childcare funding for States this year. Freezing and delaying Federal childcare funds hurts childcare providers, forcing them to close their doors.

As if that were not enough, the President's budget proposal slashes funding for preschool programs by $315 million. Now, the President has thrown salt in the wound for working families by telling them it is about to get much worse. This month, the President said it is not possible for the Federal Government to fund Medicare, Medicaid--

Madam President, pursuant to section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, I move to waive the point of order, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Vote on Motion

Mr. President, I am honored to celebrate the life and legacy of Cynthia M. Ferguson, a distinguished public servant, accomplished attorney, dedicated advocate for environmental justice, and fellow Marylander, who unfortunately passed away on March 12 at the age of 58.

Ms. Ferguson dedicated more than 25 years to serving the American people at the U.S. Department of Justice with dedication and integrity. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and the Chicago-Kent College of Law at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Ms. Ferguson rose from honors trial attorney within the Environment and Natural Resources Division to leading the Department's first-ever Office of Environmental Justice during the Biden administration. In this role, she led efforts to ensure that all communities, particularly those historically overburdened by pollution, receive fair and equal protection under environmental laws.

Ms. Ferguson understood that environmental justice is not an abstract concept but a lived reality for families concerned about the air they breathe and the water they drink, and she dedicated her career to addressing those concerns. Her efforts and leadership made a meaningful difference in communities across the country and helped shape a more equitable approach to environmental protection.

I extend my condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues. Ms. Cynthia M. Ferguson's legacy of service, integrity, and commitment to justice will endure, and she will be greatly missed.

Mr. President, it is unfortunate that we are here today to debate the merits of this so-called SAVE America Act.

Right now, Americans are struggling with the rising costs of housing, healthcare, gas, groceries, and more. Earlier this week in Maryland, the average price of gas shot up 14 cents overnight. The American people are suffering from the effects of a trade war started by this administration and now are watching as we are stuck in an illegal and poorly planned military war in Iran.

This increasing unaffordability is an urgent crisis that actually demands a resolution, but unfortunately we have an administration that is completely out of touch. There are so many real issues that we could be working on that would actually benefit the lives of working families across our country, but we are here ignoring their wishes and debating this legislation because this President isn't living in reality. He has created a fantasy crisis and is committed to finding a solution to a problem that does not exist.

So my colleagues are here making arguments that don't hold up under any real scrutiny, claiming that this bill is necessary to ensure that only U.S. citizens vote in American elections. But reality says that noncitizen voting in Federal elections is already against the law, and there are enforcement mechanisms in place. This is the law, and it should be followed.

My colleagues on the other side of the aisle disingenuously claim that this bill is a commonsense election integrity measure focused on proof of citizenship, voter ID, and cleaner voting rolls. Reality says that, on top of everything else that people are dealing with right now, requiring even more paperwork would create real problems for so many people--like married women whose documents don't match because they changed their names to match their husbands or members of our military who move locations often in service of our country. It would be a problem for people who rely on mail registration or absentee voting. It would be an undue burden for our seniors, veterans, students, and rural voters. Voting already requires a form of American identification.

And so my colleagues on the other side of the aisle say that this bill would provide necessary aggressive voter roll verification and removal of noncitizens from the rolls. Reality says that this aggressive Federal overreach would include requiring States to submit voter data to DHS, the same organization that is currently sending ICE goon squads of men with masks on to kill Americans in our streets. States would be required to submit their complete statewide voter registration lists to DHS for comparison through the SAVE program on an ongoing basis. That is completely impractical.

The SAVE program was not designed to be a voter registration system, and it predictably has resulted in false matches and false ineligibility flags. What is more, it gives DHS a continuing role in Federal elections that it is not equipped or designed to handle. It hands over critical information to an administration that I would dare say has already proven that it is not trustworthy and that it cannot or will not keep the sensitive data of the American people protected. It hands over information to an administration that has already failed this very basic test of using its power for retribution.

Reality says this is being treated as an emergency right now, and we understand why: Because it is a part of a broader electoral strategy that this administration needs to be in place ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. People are unhappy with the direction that our country is going in right now. They are upset that their government isn't working on the real issues that they are facing. And instead of addressing the affordability crisis that is staring us in the face--the affordability crisis that was caused by this President--this administration wants to guarantee a successful midterm election by ``fixing'' an electoral system that is not broken.

The President already issued an Executive order directing Federal Agencies to be more involved in election-related enforcement and citizen verification.

And since then, the DOJ has sought extensive voter data from nearly every State. At least 48 States and DC have received requests for their complete voter registration lists, and the DOJ has sued DC and 29 States, including Maryland, for refusing to provide statewide voter lists with driver's license and Social Security information.

This administration is counting on Republicans in Congress to sell their sick fantasy, and that is why we are here now, wasting precious time trying to fix a problem that is not real. But

reality has refuted every single fantasy claim made in support of this bill.

So what are the architects of this bill actually seeking? Well, simply put, they are seeking to suppress the vote. This is not a standard voter ID bill. This bill is not about protecting democracy. Protecting democracy would eliminate barriers that keep more Americans from voting. This bill does not do that; it does the opposite.

This bill is a blatant attempt to kick eligible American voters off the rolls and make it more complicated for Americans to register and vote. States have already done an excellent job fashioning a system that works.

The fantasy world this bill envisions would disrupt the way voter registration and voting actually work in practice. It would undermine or severely limit online registration, registration by mail, motor- voter systems, same-day registration, and voter registration drives by requiring in-person presentation of documentary proof.

It would alter registration, list maintenance, and ballot-casting all at once, forcing States and election officials to rework systems that voters already rely on.

My home State of Maryland has worked hard to build a system that is both secure and accessible. This bill would undermine the progress that we and so many other States have made by replacing those successful, efficient State systems with new Federal mandates and new legal risks for elections officials.

It would result in wrongful removals from voter rolls and more undue burdens, putting new barriers between eligible voters and the ballot box.

Now, if the President and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle want to ignore the urgent crisis facing the Nation in order to fix issues with voting that actually do exist, they would endorse the bill that I have introduced, the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act, that would criminalize knowingly spreading false information about the time, place, or manner of voting or about voter qualifications, and would prohibit threatening or coercing individuals not to vote or to vote in a certain way.

But that would require my colleagues to actually care about our democracy. They would sign on to the numerous bills by my colleagues that I cosponsored, like Senator Klobuchar's Register America to Vote Act. It would automatically register all eligible citizens to vote when they turn 18. But this, too, would require my colleagues to actually care about our democracy.

They would sign on to Senator Wyden's Vote at Home Act that would expand vote-by-mail, a method that has proven to increase voter participation. Yet that would require my colleagues to care about our democracy.

They would sign on to Senator Padilla's Voter Purge Protection Act that would prohibit States from using questionable voter purge tactics to take tens of thousands of eligible voters off the voting rolls. But that, too, would require my colleagues to care about democracy.

If they truly cared about democracy, they would have already signed on to the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act that would restore the safeguards of the Voting Rights Act that was so shortsightedly gutted by the Supreme Court.

John Lewis lived through some of this Nation's most challenging times. His reality was seeing poll taxes and literacy tests disenfranchise thousands, harassment and death threats for trying to register voters, violent attacks for peacefully protesting. His reality was bravely standing up to hate, knowing that fighting for the right to vote was worth the blood he shed on the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

That very real crisis was met by the passing of the landmark Voting Rights Act, so instrumental to this Nation's progress that through everything he faced in his life, John Lewis said that his ``greatest fear is that one day we may wake up and our democracy is gone.''

You know, I walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge last summer. It is something that I recommend that all who have the ability to do will do, so that especially the young people of our country will understand truly what has been put on the line in order for us to have the right to vote.

It wasn't lost on me, as I walked across that bridge and recognized-- to be honest with you, very similar to these goons running across our country, these ICE agents in masks. These are people who were essentially deputized to traumatize American citizens.

So the men who were on the other side of that Edmund Pettus Bridge were waiting for these young people--John Lewis was 22 years old when he took up this battle--walked across that bridge, and these people who were not even truly law enforcement officials had sticks that were wrapped in barbed wire.

Can you imagine the character of a man or a person who is capable of beating another human with a stick that was wrapped in barbed wire? But that is how strongly these people felt about depriving people of the right to vote. They beat him within an inch of his life because they did not want to give African Americans the right to vote.

So this bill would take real steps toward creating another crisis, a crisis that was John Lewis' ``greatest fear.'' America has a long, detailed history of people fighting, bleeding, and dying to secure the right to vote.

That hard-won freedom to speak with your vote should not depend on whether you have the time, money, or flexibility to satisfy a new set of hurdles that go to serve this administration's goals.

And I would say that those goals are intellectually dishonest goals, and they are not reality.

You don't save America by silencing the voices of Americans. I will repeat that. There is no way to save America by silencing the voices of Americans. You save America by embracing the ideals that set us apart to begin with. The reality is that we should be encouraging more people to take full advantage of their rights. That is why we should be making it easier for eligible citizens to participate in our democracy, not harder.

When a bill takes a fundamental right and wraps it in paperwork, penalties, and confusion, that is not election security; that is a step backward for American democracy, and that is not what the American people want.

They did not ask for an additional crisis to deal with. This administration has insisted on ignoring their calls for help on the affordability crisis, but maybe listening to their objections to this bill will open their eyes.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I stand here in opposition to H.J. Res. 142.

DC passed a law last summer decoupling from certain tax provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. This decision was a targeted and time- limited move, instituted for 225 days, to evaluate revenue impact and determine which changes could be incorporated in a fiscally responsible manner.

DC's decoupling also does not alter or eliminate any Federal tax benefits enacted by Congress. Their law applies only to District taxes.

And it is not an action solely taken by DC. In fact, at least 13 States have

taken similar steps, and roughly 20 States require legislative review before implementation, rather than automatically adopting Tax Code changes.

And while some States decoupled entirely for 2025, DC only decoupled from 13 of the 84 tax provisions, with the possibility that DC could still implement some of what they decoupled from once they have finalized their review and determined the fiscal impact.

These moves are standard in State tax administration. They are consistent with States accounting for situations unique to them and their residents, making sure that implementation happens smoothly. They are done to make sure that taxpayers and the governments alike have some measure of certainty.

This resolution of disapproval would do just the opposite. It would cause significant uncertainty and chaos--not for the Federal Government. This resolution would have no effect on the Federal Government or Federal operations. The chaos would all be placed on DC.

This resolution would literately change the rules in the middle of the game, while taxpayers have already started filing returns. It would require revising tax forms and systems and could force taxpayers to refile returns. It would create confusion for families, businesses, and tax professionals. The chaos would result in a revenue loss of $600 million over the next 4 years.

Because DC's law funds the District child tax credit and enhancements to DC's earned income tax credit, this resolution would hurt DC's admirable and groundbreaking effort to address child poverty and provide a boost to low-income residents.

And the fallout would not only impact businesses in DC but also spread to businesses in surrounding States like mine.

Adopting this resolution of disapproval would make us agents of chaos, and we would be breaking decades of precedent to do it. Congress has rarely, if ever, overturned District laws through disapproval resolutions, and Congress has never before reversed a District revenue- raising measure.

Our action would be so rare and so chaotic that it would have a damaging effect on DC's bond rating. Credit rating agencies have warned that congressional interference in local revenue decisions can weaken DC's credit standing and increase borrowing costs.

This goes against why we are here. We are not here to cause economic instability and hurt taxpayers. We are here to help.

This isn't about party line or ideology. DC's independent, nonpartisan chief financial officer has raised serious concerns about the instability that this would cause. DC's business community strongly opposes the resolution. Hospitals, realtors, builders, hotels, and major employers aren't making ideological calls, but pleas for certainty.

And every other State represented here, red and blue, including those which went further in their own tax determinations, would be watching us set a new precedent--the possibility of their informed judgment being overridden by unnecessary Federal overreach, inviting chaos across their State lines.

For these reasons, I urge all of my colleagues today to join me in voting against this resolution.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, Mr. Smallwood was once asked about the enduring impact of gospel music, and he said, ``It's something about the spirit of gospel music that unifies.'' Countless souls have been blessed by his decision to use his gifts in this way. Mr. Smallwood was a classically trained musician, an incredible singer, an amazing writer, and a brilliant composer. And in addition to his God-given gifts, he was a student of music. He was a perfectionist that cared about the details.

But the art that Mr. Smallwood created has never been above our heads or too complex to understand. He had a special ability to touch hearts on the most basic level because it came from his own. He gave us pure, genuine worship. As much as his creativity stretched the bounds of gospel music, his worship never failed to connect with us because his music always remembered Who is the center of our joy.

Mr. Smallwood's gift led him to perform before Presidents and dignitaries and filled concert halls around the globe. But it also touches people who feel forgotten in their most isolated moments. It has changed people who never had the opportunity to meet him. His music not only speaks to us, but also speaks for us. It expresses our emotion. It describes our feelings of gratitude. And it translates for us in those low points when words fail us, and all we can do is lift our hands in total praise.

We may not be able to sing or play like him. We may not have his trained ear or his talented pen. But we share life's joys and challenges. And his consistent theme was, no matter if we are in our mountaintop experience or if we are in need of healing in the valley, to worship anyhow.

So, for all the awards and honors that were given to Mr. Smallwood throughout his life, what endures is what he gave to us: the gift of timeless, unifying music; songs that people around the world can feel in any language; poetry that future generations will appreciate just as we have; melodies of healing and praise for every season of life.

I ask that you join me, the residents of Maryland, and souls across the globe in honoring and celebrating the life of Richard Smallwood.

Mr. President, I thank Senator Welch and Senator Marshall and my colleagues who are here today and all the members of the Senate Agriculture Committee for their bipartisan work on this legislation.

This legislation rightfully provides more options for parents, students, and teachers, which will benefit our children and their families. Specifically, this legislation will allow schools to provide whole milk, but it also makes it easier for parents to request that their child be provided with a milk alternative, if their child suffers from lactose intolerance.

I do, however, remain concerned about the continued classification of lactose intolerance as a disability. I want to be clear that this issue predates the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, and the bill does not create this problem.

Lactose intolerance of some degree affects more than 50 percent of the population. The classification of lactose intolerance as a disability can cause confusion for parents, who would not refer to their lactose intolerant child as having a disability, especially given the high prevalence of lactose intolerance. So they may not realize that they can write a letter asking for their child's school to provide a milk alternative, and it creates an undue stigma.

I want to thank my colleagues and their teams for their receptiveness to my concerns.

I especially want to say thank you so much to Senator Welch and also to Senator Marshall, and for the discussions that we and our teams have had around them.

After those discussions, I understand why my colleagues prefer not to use the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act as the vehicle to address these concerns, and therefore, I agreed to lift my hold on the bill in exchange for a commitment from my colleagues to work with me to find an appropriate legislative solution to address this longstanding problem.

Again, I want to thank my colleagues and the members of the Senate Agriculture Committee for their work on this bill that ensures that schools will provide healthy milk and milk alternative options for our children.

I look forward to working with you to further support the children and families in all of our States.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has championed religious freedom for the Orthodox Christian community. His All Holiness is the spiritual leader and the Primus inter Pares of Orthodox Christianity and is the longest serving Archbishop of Constantinople in history. Through theological dialogues and international peace conferences, the Ecumenical Patriarch has sought to reconcile Christian churches and advance greater cooperation and understanding between Christians, Muslims, and Jews.

Since his election in 1991, the Ecumenical Patriarch has worked tirelessly to unite Orthodox Christians with the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, and other Christian sects. He helped to rebuild the once-persecuted Orthodox church after the Iron Curtain fell, supporting peace-building efforts to diffuse conflict in the region.

He has also been a leading figure in meetings to bring together the Abrahamic Faiths: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. He has initiated dialogues with Muslim leaders, visiting countries that no other Christian hierarch has ever visited. Through these discussions, he has built more credibility and opportunities to build bridges between the faiths.

Additionally, the ``Green Patriarch's'' work on the environment is significant. His award of the Templeton Prize shows his commitment to environmental protection, an award that has been received by other luminaries like Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela.

I ask that you join me, and the residents of Maryland in congratulating His All Holiness for receiving the Templeton Prize. I am so grateful for the impacts the Ecumenical Patriarch has had on both the Orthodox Christian community and all Marylanders.

Mr. President, thank you, first of all, to my colleague Senator Chris Van Hollen for yielding, and I also want to thank the senior Senator from Maryland for his work on this legislation, the True Shutdown Fairness Act.

Senator Van Hollen is a tremendous partner on this critical issue and an advocate for the thousands of Federal workers in our great State.

Maryland is home for 494,000 Federal workers and Federal contractors and 34,000 uniformed military personnel. Many of these Marylanders have spent their lives serving their fellow Americans, fighting to defend our country, ensuring our food and water are safe, making sure our parents and grandparents get their Social Security checks, and researching cures to cancer.

That they have been characterized by this administration as an enemy worthy of trauma is repugnant. If you live in Maryland, you know a Federal worker. They are your friend. They are your neighbors. They are the people like my grandmother Sarah Daisy.

You see, Sarah Daisy worked as a housekeeper in Washington, DC, but dreamed her entire life of working for the Federal Government. Back then--and many will recall--she had to pass a civil servants exam, which included a typing test, in order to work for the Federal Government, but she couldn't afford a typewriter and didn't know how to type. So she taped a white piece of paper on her refrigerator. She drew a keyboard on that piece of paper and stood in front of her refrigerator in her one-bedroom apartment every night and taught herself the key strokes.

Well, Sarah Daisy passed the exam and got herself a job working in the Federal Government. It was her dream.

She worked in the Hoffman Building. She would always tell me about it. I can vividly remember her saying that she was so proud that she walked past this general and that general in the hallway. She was very, very proud. And I am honored to be her legacy and to be fighting for the countless Marylanders, just like Sarah Daisy, who are being so cruelly targeted by this administration.

Now, thanks to Republicans in this body who have chosen to follow this President's order and shut down the government, many of our Federal workers are working without pay still in service to our country. The rest have been furloughed through no fault of their own.

Our ask today is simple: Pay them for the jobs that they were hired to do.

We are now in day 23 of this Republican shutdown, and let us not mince words. Republicans hold the keys to the kingdom. They have control over the White House. They have majorities in this Chamber and in the House. And what have they done with that power? Has the cost of your groceries gone down? No. Has the cost of housing gone down? No. Has our economy gotten stronger? Absolutely not.

What have they done? Shut down the government. That is it.

This shutdown is on them. We know it; they know it; and the American people know it. It has been 23 days of this administration refusing to come to the table in good faith and negotiate a plan to keep the government open and make sure that healthcare is affordable and accessible for millions of Americans. It has been 23 days of this administration using the shutdown as an excuse to further target Federal workers who are my constituents.

My State is home to 494,000 Federal workers and contractors. All of them are feeling the pain from this President's refusal to do what he supposedly loves to do best, make a deal.

Right before the shutdown began, the very sinister Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought instructed Agencies to use a shutdown as

an opportunity to issue permanent government layoffs. Vought then began circulating a memo that would seem to challenge the legality of furloughed workers receiving backpay.

By the way, Congress passed a bipartisan law ensuring their backpay during the last Trump administration.

Yet this administration continues to disregard the rule of law. Just last week, Vought ominously tweeted: ``The RIFs have begun.'' He then directed Federal Agencies to begin illegally terminating thousands of Federal employees.

This is a man who is outwardly, in a very sinister way, taking pleasure in harming Federal workers.

Hours later, President Trump and Secretary Kennedy fired more than 1,700 more people from the Department of Health and Human Services, including staffers that work to prevent measles outbreaks, before admitting they had sent nearly half of the notices to employees at the CDC in error.

Imagine that, with a family to support, you get a notice that you are fired before getting another email, hours later, telling you that your RIF has been rescinded. The chaos and the cruelty are unconscionable. Thousands of dedicated civil servants have been shown the door by an administration that, in the words the Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, has said that it is his intention--he said he hopes that Federal workers will no longer want to come to work because they will be in so much ``trauma.'' He also said that he hoped they would feel like villains.

So there has been a systemic dismantling of our Federal Government, a witch hunt targeting patriotic people across this country who raised their hand to serve the American people.

All of this chaos is needless. It is a manufactured crisis. So many Marylanders would like to show up to work today and serve the American people, but they have been left behind by this administration. Hundreds of thousands of civil servants have been either furloughed or forced to work without pay, all because this President decided to shut down the government instead of lowering healthcare costs for Americans.

We need to ensure our workers are paid. The truth of the matter is we are now just 9 days away from open enrollment beginning, when Americans will begin to sign up for their healthcare plans for next year, and they are already facing sticker shock.

Even with the State stepping in, a 60-year-old couple living in Salisbury, MD, making $90,000 a year, will pay $1,100 more per month-- per month--for healthcare. They will have to pay $1,100 more per month next year. For a family of four in Maryland, making around $128,000 a year--and for context, that is the combined salary of a firefighter and a teacher--they will be paying $1,427 per month next year versus $916 this year.

If the President and our colleagues on the other side of the aisle get their wish and allow the tax credits to expire, nearly 90,000 Marylanders could be priced out of their health insurance all together. So we will keep fighting for healthcare because it is what Americans deserve.

But this chaos is unsustainable, and we must have faith that, soon, this season will be over.

I know, soon, there will be a morning not like the morning we have awakened to today. Today's morning brings about chaos and fear and confusion and division. But I know soon there will be another morning where Americans will wake up across our country and not fear that they will not be able to afford rent, groceries, and healthcare.

Right now, it is our duty as Members of the U.S. Senate to pay our Federal workers. Our government will cease to function if we do not. And the damage, I fear, is irreparable.

Yet, just like Russ Vought, my colleagues today are picking winners and losers, putting forth legislation that made sure only excepted workers are paid, instead of the entirety of the Federal and military workforce that has been held hostage by this Republican shutdown.

We cannot cherry-pick who gets paid during a shutdown based on our perception of the political affiliations of our patriotic civil servants. We must pass legislation that ensures our Federal workers receive the paychecks that they have earned.

Around 750,000 Federal employees have been furloughed this month at no fault of their own. Hundreds of thousands of these employees live in our region--in Maryland, Virginia, and the District. Senator Johnson's bill would ignore these dedicated workers, leaving them to continue to go without a paycheck while President Trump refuses to get back to the bargaining table.

They cannot afford to wait for the President to tire of throwing celebratory picnics or tearing down the White House for a gilded ballroom. They cannot afford to wait for Speaker Johnson and House Republicans to actually show back up to work.

In case some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have forgotten, Federal workers don't just serve Democrats. They serve every American citizen who needs their help. Researching cures for cancer isn't just for people who live in blue States. Making sure that people get their Social Security checks isn't some leftwing conspiracy.

I would assume that everyone in this body agrees that Americans should get paid for their labor. Well, if you believe that, you will support our bill.

It took courage and dedication for my grandmother, Sarah Daisy, to learn a new skill in order to serve her country. Each day, our armed servicemembers and civil servants show courage and dedication to serve and protect our country from harm, to make it a better place. Let's show courage today, work together, and pay all Federal workers because we all know Federal workers are Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. They are not political pawns. They are patriots.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, it is my distinct honor to enter into the Record my heartfelt congratulations to Melanie Campbell on three decades of extraordinary leadership and commitment to civic engagement, service, justice, healthcare equity, and so much more.

She has served for over 30 years, shaping our country through politics, culture, and social activism. Her leadership at the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, NCBCP and its signature programs--the Black Women's Roundtable, BWR; Black Youth Vote, BYV, Unity Campaign; and NCBCP Thomas W. Dortch Jr. Institute at Clark Atlanta University--have inspired not just me, but countless Americans across our Nation. Whenever there has been a moment of injustice in this Nation, she runs toward it, not away. She has taken her fight from our Nation's Capital to Georgia to every corner of this country.

A true convener and inspiration, her dedication to fighting not only for Black women, but for Black families to build lives where they flourish has inspired my work as U.S. Senator. I don't want our families to just get by; I want them to have lives where they truly thrive.

I will never forget that we met at Community of Hope AME Church. I was told, ``You need to meet Melanie! This is someone you must know.'' And they were absolutely right--not only because her work has inspired me and given me faith and purpose, but because she is also one of the kindest, warmest, most sincere women I have ever met.

I am so appreciative, as are the countless Black women she has inspired, for her 30 years of fighting.

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

I ask unanimous consent that further reading of the motion be dispensed with.

Mr. President, I want to know if my colleagues on the other side of the aisle believe that there are some Americans who are so wealthy that perhaps they don't need a tax break so we can save healthcare and food for our most vulnerable constituents.

So I will kick off this dialogue by raising a commonsense idea: We can save healthcare for millions of Americans if we strip out tax giveaways for individuals making more than $10 million--yes or no?

President Trump claims to fight for the working class. Yet we have before us a bill that gives tax breaks to the top 1 percent that would be paid in cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and more--programs that serve hard- working Americans.

So I ask, do you want community hospitals or another giant mansion for a billionaire? Should we save healthcare and nutrition assistance for millions of Americans by stopping giant tax giveaways of $10 million?

If my colleagues on the other side want to put their money where their mouths are, then they will say yes.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I strongly oppose this cruel bill, which will unduly harm Marylanders and people across our country. The Congressional Budget Office has found that this bill would kick a million more people off of their healthcare coverage compared to the House bill. That means this bill--a bailout for billionaires--will come at the cost of 17 million losing their healthcare coverage. More specifically, the bill would kick 246,000 Marylanders off of their health coverage. Senate Republicans are making a policy choice to harm millions of Americans to benefit the wealthiest Americans.

Altogether, the Senate bill cuts more than $1 trillion in healthcare for Americans. These cuts would hurt my home State of Maryland. In Maryland, Medicaid covers nearly 1.5 million people. That is a quarter of our population. This bill could cause over 160,000 Marylanders to lose coverage over the next 10 years. It is not beautiful to them.

More veterans live in Maryland than any other State. Thousands of veterans depend on Medicaid to cover gaps in VA coverage for essential services like mental health care and long-term services and support. It is not beautiful to them.

Undoing enrollment policies will also increase Medicare premiums for over 1 million seniors. And because they won't be able to afford essential medications, death rates among seniors will rise.

New redtape requirements in Medicaid will terminate health coverage for up to 1.5 million children nationwide, and another 400,000 children will lose coverage because of these cuts that undo improvements to enrollment processes.

I heard the fear and concern in a townhall this week. I have looked into the eyes of Marylanders terrified about losing their coverage.

The immediate coverage losses are not the only thing in this heartless bill that will imminently harm Marylanders. This bill will cause hospitals to close. Specifically, it will cause rural hospitals, children's hospitals, and hospitals that serve low-income populations across the State of Maryland to close.

Thus, this bill will have long lasting, and devasting impacts to my State of Maryland. I hereby enter into the record a motion to commit, which is very simple. It would prevent Medicaid cuts to children's hospitals, disproportionate share hospitals, and rural hospitals-- protecting the most vulnerable among us and preserving the access to care for my State of Maryland.

Mr. President, I supported passage of S. 1582, the GENIUS Act, because it creates new Federal regulations and consumer protections for payment stablecoins. Specifically, the bill was amended to explicitly and clearly preserve State consumer protection laws in the negotiated rule of construction in section 7(f)(4). This was always the intent of the bill, as evidenced by the public discussion between Senators of both parties during the March 13, 2025, markup in the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. The amended, final version of the bill includes this negotiated rule of construction to prevent State consumer protection laws from being preempted, as intended by the bill's sponsors and supporters.