Floor Statements

Mr. President, in the wake of the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, Senate Democrats were clear: no blank check for a lawless ICE and Border Patrol. This long-overdue agreement funds TSA, the Coast Guard, FEMA, CISA, strengthens security at the border and the ports of entry, and keeps Americans safe.

This could have been accomplished weeks ago if Republicans hadn't stood in the way. Democrats held firm in our opposition that Donald Trump's rogue and deadly militia should not get more funding without serious reforms, and we will continue to fight for those reforms.

I am very proud of our Democratic caucus. Throughout it all, Senate Democrats stood united--no wavering, no backing down. We held the line.

I yield the floor.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, this morning, Democrats sent Republicans our counteroffer on legislation to reopen DHS, pay TSA workers, while at the same time rein in ICE with commonsense guardrails. Our offer is a reasonable, good-faith proposal that contains some of the very same asks Democrats have been talking about now for months.

Leader Jeffries and I have spoken about this agenda, and he agrees we need these strong reforms.

Now, over the last day, Republicans have made the outrageous and bad- faith claim that Democrats are somehow moving the goalposts back in these negotiations. They are saying Democrats changed the ask. They are saying Democrats are backtracking and suddenly introducing new demands at the last minute.

This is nonsense--nonsense.

Democrats and the American people have been very clear from the beginning about what we need in order to move forward. We have been talking about ICE reforms from day one. These are not new demands. These are not surprise demands. They are not things we came up with yesterday.

They are commonsense reforms, reasonable reforms, reforms that police departments across America follow every day. These are reforms the American people overwhelmingly support and things that Republicans know perfectly well we have been seeking since these negotiations began-- since these discussions began as well.

So for Republicans to now act as though Democrats have changed our position as though we have moved the goalposts is poppycock, bad faith. And for Republicans to send us a proposal that has no reforms is bad faith as well and will only slow things down. They know it is bad faith.

In fact, over the weekend Democrats had constructive conversations in person with our Republican colleagues. They--the Republican colleagues--conceded that some of the reforms, verbally, that we have been looking for, they said: These make sense.

We thought there might be a path forward on some of the ways to reform ICE and to get some of the things everybody knows ought to be in Federal legislation. We thought there had been some progress.

But then Republicans sent us their offer yesterday, and it contained none of what had been talked about, none of the reforms we had been discussing. So if anyone is slowing down negotiation and hurting TSA workers, it is the Republican leadership who did not include one single reform.

Republicans, frankly, are struggling to get on the same page among themselves. That is probably why they have been so erratic here.

Moderates in the Republican caucus say one thing; conservatives say another. Donald Trump is all over the place, seemingly without a clue of what is going on. They are still worried about and afraid of what he might say or do. That is what this is all about.

So let me say this: We are ready to discuss these issues at a moment's notice with Republicans. We will not walk away. We are not walking away, and we want to get to a solution.

We now have given Republicans our response. It is a serious offer, and time

is of the essence, I say to my Republican colleagues. The Easter holiday is coming. Families are going on spring break. TSA lines are literally stretching out the door at airports. People are exhausted. And our TSA agents need to be paid.

Enough is enough. It is time for Republicans to drill down and work with us to solve this thing. We have asked the Republicans nine times already to support TSA. We have told Republicans: Just support TSA while we settle these disputes with ICE, and they have refused nine times. They say they want their position on ICE met first before they do anything to fund TSA and pay our workers.

The way to pay TSA is to vote to send their paychecks now while we settle this dispute regarding ICE. We can and must do both--negotiate reforms to ICE but vote to pay our TSA workers now.

That is why, today, for the 10th time--10th time--Democrats will go to the floor so that we can pay TSA immediately as we negotiate ICE. We hope our Republican colleagues will finally see the light and join us.

Let me say it again: Enough is enough. It is time for Republicans to drill down and work with us to solve this thing.

SAVE America Act

Mr. President, finally, on the SAVE Act, which seems to have now been intertwined in these negotiations because of Donald Trump and Republican obeisance to him, let me say this to our Republican colleagues: If you want to shove the SAVE Act into reconciliation, then have at it. We are going to fight you tooth and nail throughout the reconciliation process every step of the way.

You are going to find it very difficult to jam massive changes to the American election system, to turn the American election system inside out, as it were, by using a process that was never designed for that purpose. Reconciliation was not, is not, and will not be intended to be a backdoor for sweeping election law; that is not what it is for.

So if Republicans want to head down that road, they should understand it will be a hard road. Democrats will fight them every--every--step of the way on that road, and it will not go the way they think or want.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, today's vote is simple. Will Republicans join us to save good-paying energy jobs, strengthen our grid, and undo the damage from Donald Trump's war on clean energy; or will they bow before the throne of Big Oil once again?

This CRA vote is a necessary step to reverse the damage from Donald Trump's anti-clean energy vendetta. It will overturn the IRS's eleventh-hour rule change that makes it harder for wind and solar companies to claim tax credits needed to expand investment, increase output, and put Americans to work. This IRS rule does nothing but raise taxes on energy producers. Experts have warned this could raise electricity by 10 percent.

Do you hear that, America? What Trump has done is going to raise your energy costs 10 percent just on this alone. It is going up higher because of other things. It also hurts local communities that rely on jobs.

It is nothing but another front in Donald Trump's war on affordable American energy, and in this case--this is a harsh word, but it is a corrupt giveaway to his Big Oil and Big Gas donors.

It was public. It was in the newspapers. They said: If you give us a billion dollars in campaign contributions, we will get rid of all the deregulation and giveaways they could possibly imagine. It is a crooked, corrupt scheme that is raising people's energy costs along the way.

If you are a Senator and you care about good-paying jobs, care about our

grid, and want to lower people's energy costs, support this resolution.

I thank Senators Cortez Masto, Wyden, and everyone who has shown leadership on this issue, and I want to thank my Democratic colleagues for leading the way.

Last week, Senate Democrats released our newest ``Broken Promises'' report, exposing how Donald Trump is driving up people's energy bills. Trump made a promise to the American people on the campaign trail: I will cut your energy bill in half. But has he done that? Of course not. Energy prices are up. And they aren't just up; they are rising and at triple the rate of inflation. Some States are seeing double-digit increases over the last year. And now, thanks to Donald Trump's idiotic war with Iran, gas prices are at $4 a gallon.

We must put a stop to all of this today, and that is what this vote is all about.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, well, I would first like to talk about the voter ID amendment that Senator Thune talked about on the floor.

Today, Leader Thune is going to appease the MAGA far right with another amendment Republicans claim is about commonsense voter ID.

But let's be very clear: This amendment is a giant coverup. It was never in the original bill.

The bill--98, 99 percent of it--is about suppressing voters, about taking them off the voter rolls, unbeknownst to them, so they cannot vote.

The bottom line is very simple: 99 percent of this bill has nothing to do with voter ID--what a voter does when they arrive at a polling place to vote. The vast majority of this bill, the overwhelming bulk, is about suppressing people on the voter rolls--taking them off, not even knowing about it.

And it is a coverup. When the Republicans saw that everyone saw through their so-called voter ID amendment, which is not about voter ID but about suppressing the vote, they got worried. So they added this amendment to the original bill, and now Leader Thune is going to ask for a vote on it.

But it is a coverup to cover up what is a giant voter suppression bill. That is the real purpose. That is what 99 percent or so of this bill does, but they can't say that because it is so devastatingly wrong, unconstitutional, and unpopular with the American people. So they are trying to cover up with this amendment.

Let me talk about the amendment.

Republicans say their amendment is a reasonable approach to voter ID. It is not. It is not true when you look under the hood. What Republicans won't tell you is that, first, this MAGA voter ID proposal is more sweeping and restrictive than every State--every State-- Democrat or Republican.

So Republican Senators, this will make it even harder for people to identify themselves in your States.

This amendment would preempt all State laws and was drafted by a MAGA think tank expert who was part of the Trump 2020 fake elector scheme.

Second, MAGA's voter ID provision would block student, veteran, and other State and Federal IDs.

Can you imagine? You can't use your--under this amendment, you can't use your veteran ID, after you served the country and you want to come back and vote, and you show your voter ID, which has been used for so many different legitimate purposes.

And they say: Nope, it doesn't meet this new law.

Third, Democrats support commonsense voter ID standards. States require varying forms of voter ID, either at registration, at the polls, or both. We support both. We support those.

Democrats' Freedom to Vote Act, from a few years ago, set flexible, comprehensive standards based on West Virginia's then-law for voter ID requirements. It was something I think that Senator Manchin talked about and helped get written into the bill.

Ours is supposed to help people vote by making ID within reach. Theirs is very limiting. It doesn't even allow a soldier's ID as a mechanism.

Our bill--our proposal in the Democratic Freedom to Vote Act--from a few years back, provides flexibility for States and inclusive options for voters. That is a commonsense approach to election integrity and voter access.

This Republican amendment, however, does not. As I said, this is a giant coverup to disguise the real purpose of the SAVE Act, which is to kick 20 million people off the voter rolls, most of them not even knowing that it has happened to them.

Department of Homeland Security

Mr. President, now, talking about this bill, Senators continue negotiations to reach an agreement to fund TSA, fund the Coast Guard, FEMA, and CISA, and fund other critical Agencies, while at the same time securing real reforms to rein in ICE.

We had made some modest progress over the weekend, before Donald Trump threw a temper tantrum yesterday, demanding that the SAVE Act be part of any deal to pay TSA workers. Attaching voter suppression to TSA paychecks was an outrageous demand from the start. Democrats knew it. Republicans knew it. And we wasted a day of negotiations because of Donald Trump's temper tantrum. A day may not seem like a lot to the President, but that is another day TSA workers are needlessly waiting for checks, another day of travelers standing for hours at a time at security.

Fortunately, it seems like things are getting back on track this morning. Donald Trump, perhaps realizing that Democrats will block voter suppression in the Senate--the SAVE Act--seems to have gotten over his temper tantrum--we hope, for a little while. With him, you never know.

Republicans can, hopefully, now come back to the table and get serious about reaching a solution to pay TSA workers ASAP.

We await to hear from them in a written proposal that we will review, because, right now, the situation at our airports is untenable. TSA wait times in Houston reached 6 hours at one point over the weekend.

And what does Donald Trump do? He sends ICE agents to the airports.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I noted the absence of a quorum.

I ask unanimous consent that I speak for 1 minute.

I thank the leader for his courtesy.

Mr. President, with this next rollcall vote, the Republicans are tabling my motion to suspend the Senate rules to provide a path to pay TSA workers. I will vote against tabling because I want to see the TSA workers paid.

I yield the floor.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

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

Now, I thank Senator Murphy for his great leadership on this issue, for speaking so clearly and fiercely about the need for this resolution.

This war has dragged on for long enough. It is long past time for it to come to an end. And, today, with this resolution, the Senate must assert its power on matters of war and peace.

This is the third time--the third time--that Republicans have been given a chance to do the right thing and end this war. It is the third time, though, they stick their heads in the sand and pretend this war does not exist. But the war is expanding. The Senate has an obligation to step in.

I say to my Republican colleagues: If there was ever a time to stand up for the authority of the Senate, stand up for the powers given to us through the Constitution, the time is now.

Thirteen American servicemembers have been killed and thousands more injured. Energy prices are above $100 a barrel. And now the Wall Street Journal reports the Pentagon will deploy another 3,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne.

Enough.

The War Powers Act allows questions to be asked, allows the public to be drawn into the discussion. That is the way to end endless wars, not to tell no one what is going on, not to keep it secret, not to give anyone else any authority. That is a loser, and it will be a loser for the American people.

The American people are tired of sending our sons and daughters to fight endless wars. Americans are exasperated every time they go to the gas station and pay $4 a gallon. They are tired of Donald Trump making outrageous and deluded statements like saying he does both have a plan and does not have a plan. This is who is leading the war effort-- someone who changes his mind every day, who can't answer the question of what is the goal here? what is the endgame? how much does it cost?

So enough is enough.

Donald Trump does not have the authority to wage this war without the explicit authority from Congress.

I thank Senator Murphy for pushing this resolution. I am proud to support it. I urge some of my Republican colleagues to vote yes.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, first, let me begin today by saying that my deepest prayers are with the families of the two pilots who were killed in a terrible collision at LaGuardia Airport this morning. The video and audio of the collision were heart-wrenching. It is like a punch to the stomach when you listen to it. It leaves you gasping for air.

I spoke with Chairwoman Homendy of the National Transportation Safety Board, which has always done an outstanding job, impartial, in investigating these tragedies. I spoke to Chair Homendy earlier today, and she told me the situation is under investigation.

She told me that over 25 investigators are on their way to LaGuardia right now to get to the bottom of what happened. We owe it to those pilots and their families to find out exactly how this accident was permitted to happen, and I will remain in constant communication with Chair Homendy and the NTSB as well as local authorities as the investigation unfolds.

My heart goes out to all of those affected by this tragedy. My heart goes out to the two pilots who were killed and to all the passengers who were injured at LaGuardia.

Mr. President, on Homeland Security talks. Over the weekend--and for weeks now--Democrats have engaged Republicans in good faith to pay our TSA workers, to fund DHS, while also enacting commonsense safeguards to rein in ICE.

Both sides talked all weekend long. We had some constructive conversations, but there is considerably more work to be done, and Democrats are ready to keep negotiating. Democrats believe TSA staff should be paid now--now.

We tried to move forward this weekend to pay these workers, but Republicans have blocked pay for TSA workers in a rollcall vote where they all voted no on Saturday; and additionally, they have blocked pay for TSA workers seven times when Democrats tried to bring it up.

It is preposterous because the chaos at our airports is simply unacceptable. Still, Democrats are going to keep working in good faith.

Donald Trump, meanwhile, is trying to sabotage negotiations, demanding that talks stop entirely until Congress passes the SAVE Act, a bill that has nothing--nothing--to do with paying TSA workers and nothing to do with ending the shutdown.

That is right. Donald Trump is now saying: We will pay TSA only after Congress passes voter suppression.

What a ridiculous thing to do. What a callous thing to do. He doesn't give a damn about the American people. He cares about his own election. He thinks this SAVE Act--which isn't going to pass--will change how the election comes out, and he uses millions and millions of Americans as hostages.

How can our Republican friends on the other side of the aisle go along with this? It stinks on its face. You don't need any deeper explanation.

This morning, unfortunately, Trump doubled down in Memphis, saying explicitly as possible he won't pay TSA workers and he won't end this shutdown until the SAVE Act is passed.

Let's make it very clear: Donald Trump is the one standing in the way of paychecks for TSA workers with this ridiculous attempt to pass the SAVE Act; the SAVE Act, which would destroy a lot of what we know about democracy; the SAVE Act, which would disenfranchise 20 million American citizens in all likelihood from voting in the next election; the SAVE Act,

which is designed to do as Kristi Noem said, to allow people to vote who we like how they vote as opposed to others.

Well, Donald Trump, your latest temper tantrum is not going to work. The SAVE Act does not have the votes to pass this Chamber, and Democrats will fight it every step of the way. The SAVE Act has nothing to do with DHS, Homeland Security; it has nothing to do with TSA workers or making sure ICE follows the same rules as every other Federal law enforcement Agency in the country.

Every other law enforcement agency uses warrants when they bust-- needs a warrant when they bust into your home. Every other law enforcement agency doesn't wear masks.

Trump and the Republicans are insisting that continue, and they are saying we are holding TSA workers and millions and millions of passengers hostage. And now all of the sudden, in addition to that, Trump says: I won't move forward unless we pass the SAVE Act, which isn't going happen, Mr. Trump. It is not going to happen.

Democrats' position has not changed. We want to pay TSA workers today. We are ready to meet with the White House today to keep talking. In fact, we were going to meet this morning with Tom Homan, but apparently the White House pulled that meeting because of Donald Trump's temper tantrum.

They are all scrambling around there in the White House. They don't know what to do. Their boss, the President, comes out with these idiotic statements every day, whether it is related to the war in Iran where he contradicts himself, whether it is related to the SAVE Act where he doesn't even know what it does, or related to what is happening in Homeland Security.

We hope that Donald Trump will stop derailing these talks and let negotiations continue. Democrats want to be reasonable, and we are going to keep working in good faith to reach a solution. We need to pay TSA workers ASAP. The American people want ICE to change its violent ways. They do not want to repeat the kind of violence we saw earlier this year in Minnesota. They certainly do not want to see ICE detaining passengers at airports and making things worse.

Donald Trump is tying himself in a triple knot on the Iran war, on the SAVE Act, and on TSA workers. And he makes--he tightened that knot around his waist last night by saying ICE should go to the airports, then by saying that he would not go forward unless the SAVE Act passed.

He is making it harder and harder for himself. He is making himself less and less popular with the American people, and he is causing tens of millions to wonder: What is going on in that man's head?

So that is the dilemma we all face, and it is the American people who suffer. They suffer at the airports. They suffer as gas prices go up because of the Iran war. They suffer because he is threatening their democracy.

Now, let me talk about ICE at the airports. This morning, Tom Homan from the Department of Homeland Security said ICE agents have arrived at 14 airports--New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and elsewhere. Everywhere ICE goes, trouble follows. We have seen that, and it is highly likely the airports will be no exception.

No one trusts that ICE is going to make things better. Patrolling airports is not in ICE's job description; it is certainly not what they are trained to do. Let's be clear: ICE agents performing the work of TSA officers are not going to make our airports any safer.

It is going to make them less safe because ICE agents aren't trained in airport security. These agents aren't familiar with the layout of the airports they are walking into. They don't know the protocols and procedures in the same way TSA workers do.

It is a simple solution, Donald Trump: Pay the TSA workers so you don't have to bring ICE agents in there.

ICE agents are going to miss things, and that is assuming they focus on security. What if they do what they have done in other cities and start harassing travelers, asking to check papers, check their citizenship, detain them without due process even if they are American citizens, just as we have seen them do for months now?

And I wouldn't be surprised if Donald Trump and Stephen Miller would encourage them to do just that at the airport.

In any case, ICE's mere presence is going to inflame the situation at these airports where tensions are already high. Every time a traveler walks to their gate or stands in line at security and sees an ICE agent lurking about, they are going to be reminded of Donald Trump's chaos. They are going to be reminded of Minneapolis, and they are going to think: The chaos is now coming to my city too.

So, Donald Trump, the more you keep ICE agents at our airports, the more you will be reminding people of how much chaos and fear ICE has already caused. It is a terrible idea that could backfire on the country and on Donald Trump.

Instead of trying to replace TSA workers with ICE agents, Trump should pay TSA workers right away, get Republicans to come to a deal before the chaos gets worse.

Let me repeat that because it is so simple. Instead of trying to replace TSA workers with ICE agents, Donald Trump should simply pay TSA workers and get Republicans to come to a deal before the chaos gets even worse.

Mr. President, the Senate is in session once again this weekend, and once again Republicans are doing nothing productive. Yesterday, instead of considering legislation to tackle inflation or end the war in Iran, MAGA Republicans wasted Senate floor time on a radical culture-war amendment that went nowhere. It failed, and it accomplished nothing--a total waste of time with nothing to show for it.

And, yesterday, the Republicans once again blocked the Senate's ability to finally start paying our TSA workers. These workers have gone now for weeks without pay. They work around the clock. They keep our airports running. Republicans had the chance to pay them once again, and they refused. They refused.

The bottom line is this was the first time we saw ``yes'' or ``no'' votes from Republicans on an amendment that simply said ``Pay them.'' Don't wait, as the Republicans are saying, until we resolve all the other issues in ICE. It simply said ``Pay them now,'' and they said no. And that shows you, when they are voting yes on amendments that won't actually pay them because it won't pass because it is tied to all the other complications in ICE--including the desire that American people have that we must have warrants when you bust into someone's home and that the police should not wear masks--they say they will only vote for TSA agents if we get rid of those things, if we don't make sure they have to wear masks. That is fake. That is not really helping TSA workers. Our amendment did. They all voted no.

But we are going to keep at it. I say this to TSA workers. I say this to people at the airports who are waiting in line ungodly hours. We will keep doing this and doing this until the Republicans see the light and feel the pressure that they are holding up payment and relent.

Now, today, Donald Trump and Homan are saying they will deploy ICE agents to airports starting on Monday. This is really disturbing. ICE agents--who are untrained and have caused problems everywhere they have gone--lurking at our airports? That is asking for trouble, and it will certainly make the chaos at the airports even worse. No one has any faith in ICE agents. They haven't received training. They don't know what it is to be a TSA person and do what you need to do there.

The real problem here is they have no plan for using these ICE agents. Trump says send them there, they send them there, and Homan says they are still drawing up plans, with less than a day's notice.

What is this? We know what it is. It is another impulsive action by Donald Trump. Some idea pops into his head, and he announces it, and then the people working for him, a few of whom do have some degree of talent and ability--not many--underlings--they have to rush to try to implement what they know is an idiotic plan.

In this case, it is a plan that has no planning. It is another impulsive action from Donald Trump. When he acts impulsively, there is usually trouble. Whenever Donald Trump acts impulsively with no follow- through, there is trouble.

ICE agents will be asked to do things they are not trained to do. They don't know how to perform core TSA screening functions. Travelers will be on edge with Federal agents looking over their shoulders. All they will do is worsen the situation at airports, which are already on edge.

So I have an idea for Donald Trump: Instead of sending ICE agents to harass travelers at airports, why doesn't

Trump get his act together and agree to pay the TSA workers and get the Senate Republicans to do so?

Iran

Mr. President, now let's talk about the disastrous war in Iran, causing so much havoc, so much chaos, and raising everybody's gas prices and prices on so much else.

Here is what Donald Trump said on Friday about the war. Donald Trump said:

You know, I may have a plan or I may not.

For a war? Whoa. Here people's lives are at stake, billions are being spent on an almost daily basis, and he says:

You know, I may have a plan or I may not.

These are the words of the Commander in Chief in the middle of a war involving one of the most dangerous regimes on Earth:

I may have a plan or I may not.

That is unhinged and dangerous. Lives are on the line, and the President says he may not even have a plan. Tens of billions are being wasted. No plan. Troops being killed and injured. No plan. Civilians being killed and injured. No plan. Gasoline costs $3.94 a gallon on average. And Trump: I have no plan--or I may not have a plan, which means none.

What does Donald Trump do? He lifts sanctions on two of the states that are enemies to us in so many ways--Iran and Russia--so they can go after our own troops and allies. Lifting sanctions on Iran and Russia so they can go after our troops and our allies--it is the dictionary definition of ``asinine.''

Donald Trump's military strategy is like watching a snake eat its own tail.

This war needs to come to an end.

Secretary Rubio, Secretary Hegseth, and other Cabinet officials must come before the Senate and testify under oath in public to explain why we are in this mess and what the goal even is. Even some Republicans are openly admitting they have no clue what the administration is trying to accomplish in the Middle East.

Enough is enough. The American people do not want a war with Iran that has no end. They do not want to see our troops deployed again and again to the Middle East. They don't want to just have a knot in their stomach every time they pull up to the gas pump and, soon enough, the grocery store as well because of the higher prices caused by this war. It must come to an end.

I yield the floor.

I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker), the Senator from Delaware (Mr. Coons), the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin), the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Gallego), the Senator from Virginia (Mr. Kaine), the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Kelly), the Senator from Michigan (Mr. Peters), and the Senator from New Hampshire (Mrs. Shaheen), are necessarily absent.

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

Well, Mr. President, today, every Senator must answer a very simple question: Senator, do you want chaos at our airports to come down--yes or no, Senator?

Let me repeat the question: Republican Senator, do you want the chaos at our airports to come down--yes or no? If you have had enough of long lines, if you want TSA workers to get paid, then vote yes on the motion I am bringing before the Senate today.

It is unacceptable for workers and travelers and entire airports to get taken hostage in political games, but that is what the Republicans are doing. It is unacceptable to say we will only pay TSA workers if it is attached to a bill that funds ICE with no reforms, but that is what the Republicans have been doing.

Democrats want to pay TSA workers ASAP, with no strings attached. A ``yes'' vote will do that. That is the first time in this Chamber that we will have an opportunity to vote yes or no on whether you want to pay TSA workers ASAP, with no strings attached.

Every bill they have brought before the Senate says: Oh, yes, we want to

pay the TSA workers, we want to reduce the lines at airports, but only if you pass ICE funding with no reform.

And the American people want reform. They know that, but you have got Stephen Miller up there in the White House and so many others who don't want any reform of ICE, and our Republican Senate friends are willingly going along with that and holding airports, travelers, and TSA workers hostage.

We Democrats want to bring down the long lines at the airport, and a ``yes'' vote--plain and simple--would do just that. I urge Republicans to support my motion.

The chaos at airports has reached a boiling point. People have been waiting for 2 hours, 3 hours--sometimes more--just to get through security. One couple in Austin said the lines stretched right out the door and into the grass outside the airport.

Meanwhile, TSA workers are about to go a full month without pay. That is unacceptable. It means they cannot pay the rent or the mortgage, they cannot buy groceries, and they are digging into their savings just to get by--these hard-working, good people. And at the same time, they are being asked to work brutal hours.

It is no surprise many of them have been calling in sick. It is not even a surprise that many are looking for other jobs. They have to support their families and themselves. We need to bring this to an end today--today--and that is what we can start doing with a ``yes vote'' on our motion.

As I have said, we have seen a lot of rollcall votes over the past few weeks on the floor related to DHS funding, and they say they want to get up and fund TSA. But they want to fund all of DHS--even ICE, even Border Patrol--with no reform.

This vote today is different from what our colleagues on the other side have offered. It is a breakthrough because it says: Fund TSA only. Vote ``fund TSA with no strings attached.''

Republicans, in essence, say they want to reopen all of DHS but only if there are no changes to ICE and Border Patrol when they vote. That is not acceptable, not just to us, not just to Democrats but to the American people.

The American people feel very strongly that ICE's conduct needs to be reined in. Trump himself, the originator of these horrible ICE goon squads, has said they have gone too far.

We can't just give ICE a blank check to keep operating without guardrails, as Republicans have proposed in their previous votes. So, today, Democrats offer to pay TSA without the anchor of demanding funding of ICE and CBP without any guardrails, which is what the Republicans are doing.

We want to open TSA with no strings attached.

Let me repeat: no strings attached.

There is not one bill the Republicans have brought forward that doesn't have strings attached--strings that don't let it have a majority vote.

Now, we are having productive conversations on reforming ICE and CBP, and Democrats remain committed to securing reforms. But that is an ongoing process. We are meeting today again, but we must fund TSA now.

Let us keep negotiating the outstanding issues with ICE, but let us start sending paychecks to TSA workers now. Let us bring the long lines at the airports--let us end the long lines at the airport now. This is the logical, expedient, correct thing to do.

So in conclusion, I urge my Republican colleagues: Vote yes if you want to pay TSA. Vote yes if you want to bring down the long lines at airports. Vote yes today.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

I announce that the Senator from Delaware (Mr. Coons), the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin), the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman), the Senator from Virginia (Mr. Kaine), the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Kelly), and the Senator from New Hampshire (Mrs. Shaheen) are necessarily absent.

Mr. President, I have a motion today that asks every Senator a very simple question: Do you want TSA workers to get their pay--yes or no? Are you tired, like many Americans are, of seeing long lines at the airport--yes or no?

If Senators want to pay TSA workers and end the airport chaos, they should support my motion. Our TSA workers cannot be taken hostage for political games, but that is what Republicans have done.

It is unacceptable--unacceptable--to say we will only pay TSA workers if it is attached to a bill that funds ICE with no reforms, but that is what Republicans have done.

Democrats want to pay TSA workers ASAP, no strings attached. A ``yes'' vote on my motion would start doing just that. This is the only vote--the only vote, not the others--that the Senate has taken that will fund TSA--no ands, ifs, or buts.

This is the first time--the first time--the Senate holds a vote related to paying TSA workers that has zero strings attached to it. This is the only vote that says you are for supporting TSA families unconditionally. All the votes Republicans have pushed so far tie TSA paychecks to fully funding ICE without any reforms.

Republicans say: Sure, we will pay TSA, but only if you keep funding ICE agents without any guardrails whatsoever.

That is not acceptable to the American people.

So, today, my motion makes the matter very simple: Let's pay TSA workers ASAP. That is it--nothing else. We can keep negotiating ICE and CBP separately.

We are having some productive conversations on getting reforms to ICE, and Democrats are going to continue pushing for real, serious reforms

through legislation. But that is an ongoing process that should not get in the way of funding our TSA workers.

So let's keep negotiating the outstanding issues with ICE while sending paychecks to TSA workers now. Let us end the long lines at the airports now. This is the logical, expedient, and correct thing to do.

I yield the floor.

You bet.

Would my colleague yield for a question?

Mr. President, this is the only vote available to us because you have filled the tree and not allowed an amendment like this here.

Would the Senator be willing to put this amendment to pay TSA immediately on the tree?

Is the tree full, Mr. Leader?

Like this past amendment was?

Mr. President, we are having productive discussions. I just met with our team 20 minutes ago. We are making some progress. There is more to be made. Each side has its own views.

But why hold pay for TSA workers up when we can do it immediately? Why wait? We don't know how long these negotiations will take. There are some pretty tough positions. We could do it now.

I yield the floor.

I announce that the Senator from Delaware (Mr. Coons), the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin), the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman), the Senator from Virginia (Mr. Kaine), the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Kelly), and the Senator from New Hampshire (Mrs. Shaheen) are necessarily absent.

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

Mr. President, the chaos at TSA is reaching a boiling

point. We need to reopen it as quickly as possible. That is what Senate Democrats are intent on doing. So, tomorrow, the Senate will take a very simple procedural vote on beginning to reopen TSA, which Democrats are leading.

Tomorrow, America will see the matter crystal clear: which Senators want to open up TSA, pay TSA workers, and end the chaos at our airports and which Senators are going to block TSA funding yet again. If you want to open up TSA, vote yes tomorrow.

Every previous vote offered by the Republicans has tied TSA funding to also continue funding for ICE, without any reform of ICE. This is different. This doesn't tie the TSA to ICE funding because ICE funding is controversial. This does not make the workers at our airports or the passengers at our airports hostages.

Republicans are saying: Unless you pass ICE as-is, without reform, we are not going to help the TSA workers get paid and reduce the lines at the airport.

We are saying: Just do it, no ands, ifs, or buts.

Negotiations to rein in ICE and end the violence still have a way to go. There are some very deep disagreements. Republicans still have not accepted that the American people want legislation--real legislation-- to ensure the kind of brutality we saw in Minneapolis can't happen again. But in the meantime, Republicans do not need to hold the rest of these Agencies hostage, including TSA.

To my Republican colleagues: We both see the chaos at TSA. We both know and would admit there is a lot more work to do on ICE. There is no good reason to keep holding TSA hostage. There is no good reason to reject our proposal to fund it.

We are going to hold this vote tomorrow, and I urge my Republican colleagues to vote yes.

SAVE America Act

Mr. President, on SAVE, the Senate is in session today, and all we are really doing is wasting time on a voter suppression bill written only to appease the fringe elements of the MAGA base. With so many problems facing our country, the cost of living so high, with people struggling to make ends meet, with the war going on in Iran, Republicans instead are choosing to spend time making it harder for citizens to vote. This is exactly what the SAVE Act is designed to do. It is designed to make it harder for citizens to vote.

Do not listen to the Republican talking points about voter ID. That is a ruse. Underneath the surface, the SAVE Act is a voter purge bill. Most of its core elements don't even talk about voter ID. They want to make it harder to register to vote than it is to register to buy an AR- 15.

MAGA Republicans want to force every single State in America to submit their voter rolls to the Department of Homeland Security. They want Americans' information to be run through an algorithm that Elon Musk and DOGE could use to kick eligible American citizens off the voter rolls without them even knowing they were kicked off.

When you show up at the polling place, they say: Mr. Jones, Ms. Smith, you are no longer on the registry.

And you say: Why?

They say: Well, you will have to go find out.

That is a disgrace. That is undoing what is deeply American: the right to vote. They want to make registering to vote a bureaucratic nightmare.

They want to end vote-by-mail, end registering online, end registering on college campuses and in churches, and even end registering at the DMV, where, of course, you have to show ID.

That is what the SAVE Act is, and Republicans know it. They know that if the American people are given a fair chance to make their voices heard, Republicans are in trouble.

Iran

Mr. President, on Iran, thanks to Donald Trump's war with Iran, gas prices are now nearing $4 a gallon. Experts predict that this weekend gasoline will cross the $4-a-gallon threshold. In just the last month, gas prices have gone up by $1 a gallon. Brent crude is hovering around $108 a barrel, much higher than it has been.

And Donald Trump has the gall to say that prices are ``not that bad.'' Do you hear that, America? Donald Trump is telling you $4 gas is not that bad. What bubble does he live in? How often does he fill up his car with gasoline? When Donald Trump says that the prices are not that bad, who is he kidding? He is speaking like a billionaire. America is being led into war by Marie Antoinette.

And then Kevin Hassett, the top economic adviser to Trump, says Americans' pain is ``the [least] of our concern[s] right now.'' Can you believe this? The highest economic adviser in the Trump administration says Americans' pain is ``the [least] of our concern[s] right now.'' If there is anything that shows how much Donald Trump and his minions are out of touch, that is it right there. Trump and his acolytes are unbelievable. They are so clueless. They are in a bubble.

Meanwhile, the war with Iran is expanding. Iranian strikes on Qatar's energy structure have knocked out 17 percent of the country's LNG export capacity. QatarEnergy says two LNG trains could be sidelined for 3 to 5 years--a staggering blow to global energy markets. In other words, even if this war ended tomorrow--and there are no signs it is anywhere close to ending--the damage Donald Trump has unleashed will take a long, long time to fix.

Meanwhile, the war in the Middle East is expanding, not shrinking. Donald Trump is sending additional warships and thousands of marines to the region. He refuses to fully rule out boots on the ground, a step that would mean more American casualties and even higher costs than he now projects. And this week the administration was floating a funding request of more than $200 billion--$200 billion--to finance this open- ended war. No way; that will never happen. It is a preposterous and dangerous risk. We should never accept giving Donald Trump a blank check to wage war in Iran in perpetuity. Even a fraction of the $200 billion is unacceptable for a war without a plan, without an endgame, without the support of the American people. And, of course, the money could be used for so much better--reducing Americans' costs on healthcare and on housing and on electricity and on daycare.

So much could be done with that money instead of a war that Donald Trump has chosen to wage without even a vote in Congress.

Meanwhile, Trump continues to vilify and bash our closest allies even as he publicly asks for their help. Today, he called NATO a ``paper tiger'' and called our allies ``cowards.'' How does he expect to form a coalition, which he says he needs, if he is just going to spend his time calling them names--calling our allies names?

The damage Donald Trump is doing to our alliances will last a long time and is sickening. He has spent years trashing our allies, insulting them, threatening NATO, undermining the very alliances that have kept us strong for generations. Now, suddenly, after Trump has dragged the United States into a war that is not going his way, he turns around and asks those same allies to jump in and help. What world does he live in? And when the allies don't immediately leap into this open-ended conflict in the way Donald Trump wants, what does he do? He calls them ``cowards.''

Donald Trump's leadership is pathetic--pathetic.

The war needs to come to an end now. The American people have had enough.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, well, Donald Trump promised an easy and quick war with Iran. He promised overwhelming victory. Three weeks later in Iran, just the opposite of what Trump promised is happening.

Last night, a stunning report in the Washington Post revealed that the Pentagon has reportedly discussed with the White House requesting $200 billion--$200 billion--from Congress to bankroll Donald Trump's war with Iran.

Two hundred billion dollars so Donald Trump can go to war with Iran is preposterous and unacceptable. Even a fraction of that is unacceptable for a war without a plan, without a goal, without the support of the American people.

Let's be very clear: If Trump wants $200 billion, that means he believes we might be in a war with Iran for a very, very long time. Two hundred billion is more than what we spent even at the height of the war in Iraq. It is more than we have spent all together in Ukraine.

It is an indefensible number; one of the most wasteful and unthought- out budget requests I have ever heard in my time in the Senate. For $200 billion, we could lower healthcare premiums for tens of millions of Americans. For $200 billion, we could educate a generation and unleash the immense potential of our students. For $200 billion, we could cut hunger in this country in half or more for many years. For $200 billion, we could invest in jobs and science and manufacturing. We could begin fixing our power grid.

But instead--instead--the Trump administration reportedly wants $200 billion to go to war with Iran.

It is unacceptable. It is ridiculous. It is beyond the pale. Such a large amount of money for a war that no one knows the goal, no one knows the conclusion, no one knows the path that changes--Trump changes all of these things, the goal, the path, the cost every day--and he wants us to spend all this money?

And meanwhile, the consequences of Trump's war are mounting every hour. I hope America will look at this chart. In 4 weeks, gas prices have surged by 27 percent here at home.

It is the second largest 4-week jump in 35 years--the second largest jump in 35 years. And Donald Trump doesn't care.

Here is what Trump said about this huge increase--plus 27 percent--in gas prices. He said:

They're not bad. I thought it would be worse.

Well, if you are a billionaire, you don't care. If you are a billionaire, you don't think such a large increase every time you pull up at the pump is bad. Tell that, Donald Trump, to the people paying $4 a gallon.

And then look at what Kevin Hassett, Donald Trump's top economic adviser, said on live television. He said:

Americans' pain is the least of our concerns.

What an outrage. Hassett, take that back because it sure is one of the biggest concerns of the American people.

``The least of our concerns right now.'' What kind of bubble are they living in when the average American has to figure out how to pay for gas to get to work or pay for lunch?

America, every time you fill up the tank know this: Donald Trump and his advisers don't care that you are hurting. It is the least of their concerns. They do not care that Trump's war is taking money out of your pocket. They do not care that rising gas prices are making it harder to pay rent, pay for groceries, pay for healthcare.

They do not care. Shameful, disgraceful, coldhearted, and so out of touch.

But it doesn't stop there. This morning, Reuters reported that Donald Trump is thinking about deploying thousands more troops to the Middle East as the Pentagon prepares for the next stage of the war.

You know what that sounds like to most Americans, what Trump said? It

sounds like Trump is getting closer and closer to putting boots on the ground. It sounds like Donald Trump is thinking of expanding this war-- mission creep on a massive scale.

It seems like an oxymoron, ``mission creep on a massive scale.'' But they are creeping and creeping and creeping every day and bungling us into war. Boots on the ground, of course, will inevitably mean a surge in casualties, a surge in costs, a surge in chaos.

It is not what the American people want, and Republicans know it. They know this war goes against the wishes of the American people, and they refuse--Republicans here in the Senate--refuse to stand up to Trump, even though they know the war is wrong, wasteful, and putting lives at risk.

Last night, we gave Republicans another chance to assert Congress' constitutional authority to tell Donald Trump he cannot drag this country into war without authorization. Once again, Republicans opposed it when they opposed Senator Booker's motion.

Where is their courage? Where is their loyalty to the Constitution? Where are the public hearings with Secretaries Rubio and Hegseth under oath? You want to spend $200 billion and you don't want to even let their Cabinet people show up at hearings to answer questions?

What an outrage:

Americans' pain is the least of our concerns.

Do you hear that, America, that $4 gas?

Americans' pain is the least of our concerns.

This is not the end of the matter in the Senate. This issue ain't going away. Republicans can try to wash their hands of Donald Trump's war with Iran, but they will not escape responsibility. The American people and Democrats will hold Republicans accountable for willingly supporting Donald Trump's reckless, aimless, chaotic war in Iran.

SAVE America Act

Mr. President, on the SAVE Act, Republicans want to waste yet another day on a radical piece of legislation that hardly anyone outside the MAGA fringe even cares about, the SAVE Act.

Democrats' position has not changed. If Republicans want to waste the Senate's time debating this bill, so be it. We will continue to debate it. That is what the rules allow the Senators and Senator Thune to do.

But we will continue to expose just how radical and ugly it is. That is what Democrats will do over and over again. The longer the SAVE Act stays before the Senate, the more obvious it becomes it is not a voter ID bill. It is a voter suppression bill. It is a voter purge bill.

The SAVE Act says no more vote-by-mail, no more driver's licenses to register, no registering online or on campus or at church.

Republicans want to make Americans pass through the eye of the needle just to exercise their fundamental right to vote. The SAVE Act would force every State in America to send its voter rolls to the Department of Homeland Security, an Agency that has nothing to do with administering elections and everything to do with Musk and DOGE and incompetence at the top.

Those voter rolls would then be screened by an algorithm designed by Musk and DOGE to supposedly root out noncitizens from the rolls.

But in reality, it could kick millions of American citizens off the voter rolls just like it kicked off many American citizens when a screening was tested in Missouri.

Now, MAGA Republicans keep talking about the SAVE Act in terms of protecting elections. This is a load of nonsense.

Kristi Noem was more honest. She said it was about--Kristi Noem said--the SAVE Act is about making sure only the right people get to vote--the right people get to vote.

So anyone who thinks this is just some benign effort to tell the small number of illegal immigrants--make sure they are not on the rolls. No one disagrees with that. Oh, no. It is an effort to make sure the right people get to vote.

Who are the right people according to Republicans and Donald Trump? Well, the SAVE Act gives us some clues. Deep in the SAVE Act, there is one blanket exception for the SAVE Act's draconian restrictions, only one--one exception. Guess what it is.

It is for the State of North Dakota. North Dakota is ruby red. It is overwhelmingly Republican, and it is the only State that right now does not require any form of voter registration. So it gets a free pass from all the rules every other State would have to follow.

How convenient.

Look, MAGA claims of voter fraud are utter garbage, but according to the ultraright Heritage Foundation, North Dakota had 12 instances of improper voting. Twelve is not a lot. It is tiny. But it was still more than other States that would be forced to impose draconian barriers to vote. North Dakota gets a pass again.

How convenient.

It is almost as if the goal of the SAVE Act has nothing to do with securing elections. This is how you write a bill designed to give Republicans a naked, partisan advantage, and it is what the SAVE Act does.

It is not a voter ID bill. It is a voter suppression bill.

Department of Homeland Security

Mr. President, finally, on TSA and ICE, today, this afternoon, Democrats will be giving Republicans another chance to do the right thing by TSA workers and pay them for the important work they do while we continue to debate how to address issues at ICE. The Democrats have maintained the same position for weeks. We need to rein in ICE and stop the violence, and the American people are on our side.

But rather than negotiate commonsense reforms, Republicans have stonewalled funding and held critical Agencies--like TSA--hostage. We Democrats don't want to do that.

Republicans, we are willing to fund TSA now. Just don't stand in the way. Support us, just don't stand in the way. Support us. TSA agents will be funded. We are willing to fund TSA now. Now. No ands, ifs, or buts.

Last night, Warnock went to the floor to offer a UC to pay our TSA workers. For the fourth time, Republicans blocked the bill. Today, Senator Slotkin will try it again and give Republicans another chance to fund TSA right away, shorten the lines at the airport, and bring the chaos to an end.

The only question Republicans must answer today is this: Has enough been enough? Will they finally fund TSA or keep holding those workers and our travelers hostage?

I yield the floor.

Madam President, pursuant to the notice given by me on March 16, 2026, I move to suspend paragraph (n)(1) of rule XXV.

Madam President, I have a cloture motion at the desk.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.