Mr. President, I came down to the floor to talk about the SAVE Act, but before I do so, I am reminded that, over the last 10 days, my Republican colleagues have blocked paying TSA agents on at least five occasions. The number five was used…
Mr. President, I came down to the floor to talk about the SAVE Act, but before I do so, I am reminded that, over the last 10 days, my Republican colleagues have blocked paying TSA agents on at least five occasions. The number five was used earlier to talk about some other procedure, but on five different occasions, Republicans blocked paying TSA agents.
Now, I certainly hope that my Republican colleagues who are not in Washington, DC, today--because anyone watching C-SPAN or the proceedings earlier might be wondering why the proceedings were open so long. They were open because my Republican colleagues were worried that they didn't have quorum. They talk about 51 votes for one thing or another. They are not here today.
So what I would ask my Republican colleagues--wherever you are in America; I hope you are with family--is that, when you go to the airport and you walk by those TSA agents, you have the courage to tell them why you blocked paying them. This could have been done.
I very much appreciate the words of my colleague from Louisiana just a few moments ago. Any one of them could offer unanimous consent right now. I would agree to it, but I would bet my life that one of my Republican colleagues would object to paying the TSA agents if it were offered right now. That is the truth.
One of my colleagues just talked about people voting who are not citizens. It is a crime. It is illegal. It is against the law. Enforce the law. If there is a concern about something that is happening, then stop it. I am surprised one of them has not offered a piece of legislation that says that American citizens should stop at a stop sign. Maybe that is not the law just yet. We should be clear about that if that is what we are trying to do here.
But come on, man. If there is disagreement, stop holding these other folks hostage. Pay the TSA agents. Get FEMA funded. Get CISA funded. Get the Coast Guard funded.
My Republican colleagues were very happy when the President was doing whatever he was doing around Venezuela. I asked the Admiral of the Coast Guard if he had been included by the Secretary of Defense in any of that work. His response was no. That is their job. If there is agreement, let's move forward and get that done.
I appreciated the debate yesterday with my colleague from Ohio and my colleague from Michigan. I thought there was some agreement to say: Let's move forward. Let's get this done.
I appreciate what my colleague from Michigan said: Let's get locked in a room and not leave until we figure it out.
That was an old adage from a former Governor from New Mexico, Bruce King.
Bruce, who was a cattle rancher, always said: Lock them up in a barn, and don't let them out until they can figure things out.
Maybe we should do that.
Well, I am here on the floor today to talk about a piece of legislation that many of my colleagues have been talking about, and it is the reason that we are here today. We are supposed to be in Washington, DC, today as U.S. Senators, having a debate about a piece of legislation.
But, again, I hope the journalists up there on the third floor or those who are in the room are writing about the number of Republicans who aren't here. If this is so important to Republicans, where the hell are they? Because they are not here, and someone needs to call this out.
Now, I asked the Parliamentarian if there were some words that I could use earlier because I have come to the practice of calling some things ``manure'' and ``fertilizer'' and things, but I found out today that I can say ``bullshit'' on the Senate floor, and maybe it is about the time someone were to do this--because come on, y'all, if this is important enough to be here, then get your colleagues back to Washington, DC, and let's get to work, because they are not here.
I will yield to you.
Senator Moreno, it takes 51 votes for y'all to move on any of your procedures. The Republicans aren't even here for something that is important.
I think everyone should be back here. I am here, sir.
Reclaiming my time, Mr. President.
I would ask all my Democratic colleagues and all of my Republican colleagues and all of the men, wherever they are, to come back to Washington, DC, and let's do the work.
I will yield in a little bit, sir. I have a lot to say right now. I will give you a few moments in a bit, Senator.
I appreciate that, Mr. President. Thank you for that. Sometimes I forget the rules around this place.
Now, getting back to the SAVE Act, you know, yesterday, I was part of a press conference with some of my colleagues, and one of my constituents called me up and said: You know, the name of that piece of legislation should be called ``Saving Republicans' Behinds Act.''
And the reason that I think that holds true is the only thing this is good for is for Republicans to throw a bunch of people off the voter rolls--namely, 67 million women across the country who may have changed their last name. Some of them may have gotten married. That is what happens in America. Sometimes we take our partner's name, our spouse's names, as well. Sixty-seven million women would be thrown off the voter rolls.
My Native American brothers and sisters' Tribal IDs would not be respected. Many of my Native American constituents were born at home. They didn't go to vital statistics. They were born in generational homes.
Some of my colleagues in this room also represent First Nations, and they know the truth about this.
So throw Native Americans off the rolls. Throw women off the rolls. Let's do what President Trump said. President Trump said out loud to a bunch of my Republican colleagues--I don't know if you were down at his resort, wherever they were--but he told them: If Republicans pass the SAVE Act, it will guarantee that Republicans win in November of 2026.
And then he went further. He said: and for the next 50 years.
Well, thank you for telling the truth. Thank you for telling the American
people what this is all about, because that is what this is.
Now, Donald Trump, when he made those intentions clear, he also said that Republicans should just try to rewrite the rules. President Trump said that Republicans should just take over these elections. President Trump has already threatened insurrection rule here and there. President Trump has also said he is going to send ICE agents across the country to ballot places.
There was a hearing this week where Tulsi Gabbard, who is supposed to be in charge of intelligence in America--that is kind of an oxymoron. She was sent down to look for ballots in Georgia, something about a stolen election in 2020.
Now, I look around the room. At least two of my colleagues that are in the Chamber right now were here on January 6. I was here as well.
This notion of the President not buying the outcome of the election because he didn't win--bring it back to where we are today and the SAVE Act: another power grab. Take away the right to vote for American citizens.
Now, Republicans know something today that I know to be true as well: that the Republican agenda isn't working, and that is bad for the American people.
If you don't believe me, go to a grocery store with some of your constituents. Chat with them after church. Go to the ball game, but take a few extra bucks because that hotdog is not going to cost you a buck fifty anymore. It is going to cost you 5, 6, 10 bucks.
American people, when they are trying to get some groceries for the kids, they go to the checkout line, and they realize that maybe they put too many things in the grocery cart because everything got more and more expensive--Trump tariffs, this and that.
There is nothing happening to lower the costs for the American people, and what I hope my brothers and sisters across the country realize today is that if Republicans in the majority in the Senate want to do something and bring it to the floor, they do it. They are doing it right now, even though a bunch of Republicans are not in Washington, DC. We are on the floor talking about the SAVE Act.
I wish they had the same gumption to lower prices for the American people, to hold this President accountable. Bring that legislation to the floor.
And maybe one of my Republican colleagues will surprise me and offer a unanimous consent to pay the TSA agents. I am going to stick around for that one because I look forward to hearing that we are going to do that one here as well.
So just as a reminder, this legislation would also empower the Department of Homeland Security to get their hands not just on Social Security information and on IRS information, but now on voting information.
What my Republican colleagues want to do is give these out-of-control ICE agents--the same ones that killed two of our American citizens, our brothers and sisters in Minnesota; the same out-of-control agents that are busting American people's car windows open, busting into people's houses without a judicial warrant--those same folks, that is what this legislation will do, hand that nonsense over to them.
But, look, let's not forget that the Trump administration has shown that it is willing to lie and abuse its power. President Trump keeps joking over and over and over about a third term. And every time I bring it up, my Republican colleagues say: Oh, he is just joking. He doesn't really mean it.
Well, I wish that was true.
I am going to give some advice to my Republican colleagues, if they are willing to listen. Some of them are up for election this year.
I am reminded of stories that many of us maybe heard firsthand--I hope all of us have read--about a colleague that some of us served with as a Member of the House of Representatives. His name was John Lewis.
John, a civil rights giant, a civil rights hero, a man who stood arm in arm with strangers to stand for our rights, to make sure that--no matter who we were as American citizens, the way we spoke, the color of our skin, where we were from--we could vote; that no longer would the right to vote be taken away from us. He stood on that bridge in Selma, where thousands of Americans were bloodied and beaten and left for dead--that John Lewis.
The SAVE Act would undo the work of these civil rights activists and giants that fought for all of us.
Now, in our democracy, voting should be accessible for every eligible American, no matter who they support. But what congressional Republicans only want to happen is you can vote in America, but only if you vote for them.
So here is my advice: If Republicans want to win some more elections, they should stop taking food away from seniors, children, and veterans. That is something we should agree on. They should stop taking away tax credits that make healthcare more affordable for millions of Americans. I am not even going to remind you all of my fight 4 years ago when I survived a stroke, of how hard it is to get care and how expensive it is.
Maybe stop emboldening untrained ICE agents from smashing in Americans' car windows and illegally entering American citizens' homes to kidnap American citizens. That is probably good too.
And stop leaving behind our farmers and ranchers--enough with the bandaids. Let's work on some things together here. The farm bill is something that we could still do, and I hope we do it.
Stop allowing this President to keep raising prices on families with tariffs and illegal wars. That is something that a lot of my colleagues agree on. Some of them have voted to stop this stuff.
So to my Republican colleagues, if any of you are still wondering how I am going to vote on this bill, I will be voting no.
And to the American people, my Republican Senator colleagues should too.
Donald Trump doesn't get a third term. He does not get to choose who votes and who doesn't when they are American citizens. In America, people decide who is going to represent them.
