Floor Statements

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Well, Mr. President, we are in for a long, tedious, and exhausting night as Donald Trump is set to deliver his fourth State of the Union.

Donald Trump said yesterday he is going to talk for a very long time tonight.

God help us.

I am not sure what he thinks there is to celebrate, because America, in short, is a mess thanks to him. American Presidents often talk about how they inherited a mess and turned things around, but in Donald Trump's case, he created a mess and then set the building on fire. High costs are still kicking Americans in the gut. Donald Trump's tariffs have unleashed chaos and confusion. ICE agents are patrolling our neighborhoods in masks like cartel thugs.

Isn't that right, Senator Lee?

Corruption is up; trust in America is down; and we still have no idea what is in the Epstein files.

If I were a Republican sitting in the House Chamber tonight, I would be squirming in my seat, praying to Heaven that the President wraps up things quickly because the American people are sick of his drivel, and the stench of his unpopularity is spreading across the Republican Party like a toxin.

Look, we know how tonight is going to work. Donald Trump will claim that everything in America is going great, but he is in a huge bubble. America is deeply unhappy with his leadership, and he will blame everyone else for all our country's troubles. He will blame Biden. He will blame the Supreme Court. He will point the finger at everyone but himself.

Tonight, the American people will see a President whose ego does not let him see reality. And what is that reality? I will give you three words: costs, chaos, corruption. That is the reality of Trump 2.0: costs, chaos, corruption. Democrats, of course, offer something different. This year, we are going to give the American people a choice--a choice to lower costs, to end the endless cycle of chaos, and to restore some sanity to our country.

And, as we speak, I am continuing to work with my colleagues to demand Donald Trump and Republicans listen to the American people and stop ICE from terrorizing our communities. The Democrats' position on Donald Trump's brutal ICE tactics haven't changed. Republicans need to work with Democrats to rein in ICE and end the violence. I am disappointed we have not gotten their counter yet, and it is time for them to stop playing games.

Finally, while none of us are excited about tonight's Trumpian endurance test, there are at least two things I look forward to tonight: First, I will be pleased to welcome five great New Yorkers as my guests for tonight's Address--each of them here to put a real face on the consequences of the administration's chaos.

First, we will have Dani Bensky, a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein and now a leading voice demanding transparency, accountability, and justice for survivors who have been failed for far too long.

Second, I will be pleased to welcome Raiza Contreras, a mother whose son Dylan entered the U.S. legally but who was still detained by ICE. Dylan did everything right--followed the rules, showed up to his hearing--and was still arrested by ICE in the middle of a courthouse lobby, if you can believe that; and Raiza is here tonight, fighting to bring her child home. It is amazing that Americans have to come and do this.

Third, we have Gearoid Keogh, a union construction worker on the Gateway Tunnel project who lost his job thanks to President Trump's cruel decision to cut off funding to this project.

Fourth, Aleshandra Fernandes joins us, a Long Island ironworker whose offshore wind job has been thrown into limbo again and again because of Trump's irrational, stupid hatred of offshore wind.

Finally, we have Ben Pearson, a Rochester small business owner who was forced to lay off more than a quarter of his workforce--a quarter of his workforce--hard-working people; he liked to pay them; they did good work--because of Donald Trump's tariffs.

To each of my guests tonight, you make New York proud, and thank you--thank you--for being here. Your presence is the reminder America

needs of the real-life harm that Trump's agenda has done to our country.

Finally, there is one more thing I am looking forward to tonight-- listening to my good friend Senator Padilla, who will offer Democrats a Spanish language response. His story of what he went through in the past year, after being assaulted by Federal agents, and his larger story of how his family built something of themselves in this country is inspiring and admirable. I thank Senator Padilla.

I thank Governor Spanberger as well, and I thank all Democrats who will spend time tonight correcting the lies that will waft out of the House Chamber from Donald Trump's mouth tonight. On Ukraine, 4 years ago the tanks, missiles, and infantry rolled in from Russian territory onto Ukrainian soil. Today my colleagues and I pause to honor the memory of the courageous dead in Ukraine. We reaffirm that the Senate and the American people stand with the Ukrainian people, even if our President's courage and resolve might waiver.

Today, I am disgusted that the United States made a mockery of itself for the whole world to see by voting to abstain from a resolution in the United States on a peaceful and just end to this war. Can you believe it? Putin brutally invades Ukraine, the whole world sees it and knows it, and Donald Trump, out of obeisance, sucking up to Putin, abstains from a resolution simply on a peaceful and just end to this war. What, does Donald Trump want the war to continue and more people to die? I guess so.

On this anniversary of the Ukrainian war, it is shameful that this administration has chosen to mark it by turning its back on the Ukrainian people at the UN. Let's be clear: Any peace that Donald Trump gives into, any peace made on Putin's terms, will be no peace at all. It would rather be a reward for Putin for his belligerence, a reward that autocrats around the world--including here at home--will take note of.

When I was majority leader, I led this Chamber to pass historic defense packages to help Ukraine defend themselves, and 4 years later, despite all the loss and bloodshed the people of Ukraine have endured, they have held the line, but the conflict, sadly, is far from an end.

American support remains indispensable and perhaps the most important factor to determine the outcome of this awful conflict.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, Americans breathed a brief sigh of relief last week when the Supreme Court knocked out Trump's harmful tariff proposals.

Americans are suffering because Donald Trump is raising tariffs. People pay more for so many daily goods, so many groceries, for cars, for homes, for everything. And the American people hate the tariffs because they know it is raising their costs.

And so, for a brief moment, there was a sigh of relief that you heard from one end of America to the other because the Supreme Court correctly said: The President can't raise tariffs on an emergency basis, only the Congress can.

But Donald Trump, who is in a bubble, has no understanding of what the American people need, feel, or want, reimposed the tariffs right away, and then he one-upped it--doubled down on it--and raised them again, and now Americans are back in the same position they were before the Court decision: higher prices, more inflation, harder to afford things, harder to pay the bills. And a good chunk of that increase, the difficulty in paying the bills, is because of Trump's tariffs.

Democrats will not stand for it. And, in fact, the new tariff regime that

Trump put in must expire in a few months and needs Congress' approval. I am here to tell Donald Trump and the American people: We will not extend those tariffs, and they will expire in a few months. And hopefully then Republicans will join us in not allowing Trump to raise tariffs, which so raise costs for the American people.

Tariffs are highly unpopular among Democrats, Independents, and Republicans. Donald Trump, in his bubble, does not understand the burdens he is imposing on American families, but we Democrats do, and we will do everything we can to stop these odious tariffs that are causing so much harm, so much pain, on American families.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, Americans are crystal clear about how they feel about ICE. The status quo cannot continue. We hear it from people back home and all over the country. People are angry. They are afraid. They want accountability and an end to the chaos. The White House and congressional Republicans must listen and deliver.

Democrats have been very clear: We will not support an extension of the status quo, a status quo that permits masked secret police to barge into people's homes without warrants, with no guardrails, with zero oversight from independent authorities, a rogue police force that doesn't obey the rules that every local police force and sheriff's office must obey. It is out of control. No American, regardless of party, supports having their taxpayer dollars fund a secret police force that operates without transparency or accountability. Democrats agree: We demand commonsense solutions, practical solutions--solutions that every police department in America abides by--to rein in ICE and stop the violence.

Now, today, Tom Homan held another press conference in Minneapolis, claiming that the surge in that city is going to soon conclude. He says a significant drawdown has been underway. But let me be very clear: Regardless of what Tom Homan says, ICE's abuses cannot be solved merely through Executive fiat alone. We, first and foremost, need legislation, and that is what Democrats have said from the start. We need legislation to rein in ICE and to end the violence. Without legislation, what Tom Homan says today could be reversed tomorrow on a whim from Donald Trump.

He could say: Go into that city. Put your masks back on.

``You don't need a warrant,'' Trump could tell them. Without legislation, Donald Trump could choose to put a rogue force in any city they want and have them operate without any guardrails.

So, again, Democrats have been clear. We need legislation to truly halt ICE's abuses. We need legislation to rein in ICE and stop the violence. Otherwise, this administration could go right back to what they were doing.

After weeks and weeks of the American people watching the horrors in Minneapolis, the administration felt the heat. So now they are claiming they are pulling ICE out of that city, but the administration doesn't actually want to reform ICE. They will never do it on their own. That is why we are fighting for legislation to rein in ICE and stop the violence.

And, look, there is no reason why Republicans should reject what Democrats in the Senate and the House are proposing. We simply want ICE to be required to follow the same standards that law enforcement agencies across the country already follow and, effectively, obey. We need legislation on warrants. We need legislation on codes of conduct. We need legislation to stop secret, unidentified police. Masks off, cameras on, and basic identification is a must. All of this happens in every other police department--just about every police department in the whole country.

So why do the Republicans resist? Because ICE was created as a rogue force to terrorize people, and the American people really don't like that.

Republicans should ask people back home: Do they think it is OK for Federal agents to wear masks and run around our neighborhoods without any identity as to who they are? Do they think it is OK for ICE to tail schoolbuses and use kids as bait to arrest their parents?

Of course, Americans don't think this is OK. It is simply not law enforcement.

And I want to make something else very clear: A lot of attention has been focused on Minneapolis--rightfully so--but ICE's abuses are happening all over the country, including in my city of New York.

A few months back, there was an outrageous, violent raid on Canal Street, where ICE swept vendors and residents, indiscriminately, asking random people on the street to show their papers and detaining people in droves, including U.S. citizens. ICE agents in New York are patrolling around subway stations. A video recently circulated of ICE agents seemingly barging into someone's home in Queens--without warrants. They are lurking around courthouses, waiting to arrest people who show up for legally mandated hearings.

I heard a heart-wrenching story of a young man in Port Chester who was on his way to church when he got pulled over. At the station, he was about to be released when two Federal agents showed up, asked to see his papers, lied to his wife. What started out as a Sunday drive to church ended up as a trip to a detention center in Louisiana-- sickening. That doesn't make America any safer. That only destroys the trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

So enough is enough. Enough is enough. Democrats will keep pushing the administration and our Republican colleagues to rein in ICE and stop the violence through a smart, commonsense, practical legislative proposal. We must get it done, and we are waiting for Republicans to join us.

Indictments

Mr. President, now, on what happened in the last 2 days on indictments, we gaveled into session 2 days after learning Donald Trump's Justice Department tried and failed to push criminal charges-- meritless criminal charges--against two Members of this body and four Members of the House of Representatives. The President of the United States tried to throw two U.S. Senators in jail--Senators of the opposite party--simply because Trump didn't like what they said.

It is good these indictments failed. The grand jury--average citizens--in a rare moment, saw through these attacks on free speech and rejected what the prosecutors asked them to do, but the mere fact that these indictments were attempted should terrify every one of us. That is what happens in a dictatorship. The Chief Executive arrests people who speak out against him--legislators who speak out against him. It should not, cannot, must not happen here in America. Unfortunately, we all know Donald Trump will keep trying.

A lot of Members on this side of the aisle came to the floor yesterday as angry as I have ever seen them, and they were right to be angry, but both sides of the aisle should be angry. This is an attack on America. This is an attack on democracy. This is an attack on the legislative branch. This is an attack on free speech. If this happened to one of our Republican colleagues, they would want us to speak out, and they would be right because when a President tries to jail Senators for speaking their minds just because he disagrees with them, that is not a Democrat or a Republican problem; it is a constitutional crisis of the highest order. It is an assault on everyone who cares about free speech, who cares about basic freedoms, who cares about how our democracy has functioned for close to 250 years.

Look, this isn't just about six Members of Congress being indicted for one video; this is about Donald Trump destroying our democracy-- destroying our democracy--from top to bottom. His goons are arresting journalists and peaceful protesters. Masked agents are patrolling the streets of Minneapolis, launching raids in New York, shooting citizens in the streets. He is raiding election offices in Georgia and demanding the States turn over the voter rolls. He says there is fraud but has no evidence of it. It is a political heavy hand crushing our democracy.

Enough is enough. The American people are tired of this chaos. They are tired of corruption. They are tired of being lied to by this President.

When he asks himself why he is so unpopular, it is not Democrats attacking him, and it is not the press going after him. It is what he does.

The American people, Donald Trump, do not like what you are doing. They do not like what you are doing on costs. They do not like what you are doing on chaos. They do not like what you are doing on corruption.

If Republicans and Democrats don't take a stand in this Chamber, the lawlessness--the chaotic lawlessness--we have seen so far is not going to end. It is going to get worse and swallow all of us up.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, Americans' views on ICE are crystal clear: The lawlessness, the violence, the chaos must end, and the only real way to do it is through legislation.

Today, Senate Democrats will vote no because we will not support a bill that fails to make any progress on reining in ICE and stopping the violence. Americans are sick of their taxpayer dollars going to masked Federal agents, warrantless searches, and violence--violence--in their communities.

Democrats have been clear. We need legislation to truly halt ICE's abuses. Otherwise, what Tom Homan says today could be reversed by Donald Trump, on a whim, tomorrow. Without legislation, Donald Trump could choose to put a rogue force in any city he wants and have them operate without guardrails at all.

The proposals that Senate and House Democrats presented last week and keep pushing for are very reasonable. We want ICE simply to follow the same standards that law enforcement agencies across the country already follow.

I ask every Republican Senator: Go home. Ask your police officer or ask your sheriff what rules they must abide by.

They are very similar to the rules that we are asking ICE to obey, but right now, ICE is a rogue force. Lawlessness prevails when ICE arrives.

If Republicans want to claim our proposals are nonstarters, they should ask the people back home what they think of masked agents, warrantless searches, and using kids as bait to arrest their parents. These are not actions of real law enforcement. This is thuggery.

The American people need to see meaningful change, and our Republican colleagues must work with us to make that change happen. No more rogue police forces roaming through our cities. Support this legislation.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, yesterday, something happened in America that should send a chill down the spine of every American. A grand jury rejected the Justice Department's attempt to indict six Democratic lawmakers over a video they posted telling military members not to follow illegal orders.

The President of the United States tried to use prosecutors to silence the free speech of sitting elected lawmakers because he didn't like what they said. That is a line no President--no President--in modern American history has ever crossed.

The video in question broke no laws. It simply urged members of our military to refuse unlawful orders, to honor the Constitution above any individual. What these Members of Congress said was not radical. It is embedded in the oath every servicemember takes. The only ``crime'' committed here was refusing to bend the knee to Donald Trump. And when this administration tried to dress up retaliation as prosecution, a grand jury of Americans rejected it.

Today, I just want to say how proud and grateful I am for my colleagues Senators Slotkin and Kelly, as well as Representatives Crow, Deluzio, Goodlander, and Houlahan. The entire Democratic caucus is proud of them--proud of their courage, their poise, their loyalty to our democracy and to our Constitution. Senate Democrats will not let this witch hunt go unanswered. The American people deserve to know whether prosecutorial power was misused--abused--for political ends.

And I say to my Republican colleagues: If the executive branch can merely attempt to prosecute Members of the legislative branch for simply exercising free speech, that is not a Democratic problem or a Republican problem; it is a constitutional crisis. If Republicans believe in the Constitution, if they believe in separation of powers, now is the moment--if there ever was one--to prove it.

Yesterday, the Constitution held because ordinary citizens in a grand jury upheld it. They upheld it when this administration refused and when Senate Republicans remained silent.

But we should not confuse failure with intent. Yes, this indictment failed, but the mere fact that it was even attempted is alarming. This indictment was a test--a test of whether Federal prosecutors could be weaponized to become political henchmen, a test of whether dissent could be smeared as criminality, a test of whether fear could suffocate freedom. That test should make our bones tremble.

Today, it was six Democrats. Tomorrow, it could be anyone--because if a President believes that he can even attempt to jail Senators over speech he dislikes, then the First Amendment is no longer a basic right. It becomes a privilege, one that some Americans get to have and others don't, depending on their political views.

And what would that mean for every journalist, every protester, every citizen who dares to dissent? It would mean more jailings, more investigations, more masked agents beating up unarmed, peaceful protesters in the streets. It is happening already, and if we don't halt it, it is going to get a lot worse.

The First Amendment is not optional. It doesn't depend on your political views, and it is not subject to the personal sensitivities of any President.

Finally, the failure of this indictment does not erase what it represents: a President willing to test whether the criminal justice system can be weaponized against his political democracy--something that, if he succeeded, would stab a dagger through the heart of this democracy and all it represents. The Founders wrote our Constitution precisely to prevent the kind of abuses Donald Trump and his Justice Department are doing. Thank God--thank God--that, today, the Constitution held firm. But we cannot always assume that that will be the case if we aren't willing to defend it.

So I am proud of Senators Kelly and Slotkin. I am proud of Representatives Crow, Deluzio, Goodlander, and Houlahan. They stood by their oath. Now, this Chamber must stand by ours.

It is a very good thing that these indictments failed, but these indictments go way beyond six Members of Congress recording one video. Donald Trump has declared war on free speech in America--the wellspring of our democracy, free speech--and he is using the vast powers of the Federal Government to go after anyone who tries to stand up to him.

To my Republican colleagues: Silence in moments like this is not neutrality. It is permission. It is submission. It is acquiescing to the possibility that our democracy may be dying.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, the clock is ticking for Republicans to sit down with Democrats in a serious way to rein in ICE and end the violence.

Last Saturday, we sent Republican leadership and the White House a detailed proposal of legislative text for how Congress can put necessary guardrails on ICE that America, from one end of the country to the other, is demanding. We got the Republican response last night, but it included neither details nor legislative text. We need to see more from Republicans very soon.

As I have said, what Democrats proposed is the definition of common sense. We simply want ICE to follow

the same standards that most law enforcement agencies across America already follow. We must end roving patrols. We must have a code of conduct. We must end secret police who are not identified.

I want to be very clear about something else. These guardrails on ICE must apply across the board, including to operations funded through the Republicans' so-called One Big Beautiful Bill. We can't have ICE agents claiming they don't need to follow the law because they are being funded by this pot of money instead of that pot of money. That would be absurd. Our reforms must apply to all ICE operations.

The American people proudly support law enforcement, but most agree the status quo with ICE cannot continue. What ICE has been doing in Minneapolis and other cities is the antithesis of law enforcement. It is intimidation, coercion, and puts people in danger.

Later today, the heads of ICE, Border Patrol, and other enforcement Agencies will testify in the House for the first time since the killing of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Today's testimony will make one thing very clear: For all the administration's talk of lowering the temperature, little meaningful change has happened in Minneapolis. Thousands of agents are still roaming the streets. People are still being assaulted by Federal law enforcement. And it is only a matter of time before someone else gets seriously hurt or, God forbid, killed.

If heads of ICE and Border Patrol are genuine about lowering the temperature, they should tell Congress that the only real answer is commonsense bipartisan legislation. Nothing else will suffice.

In the meantime, here in the Senate, Democrats await the next answer from our Republican counterparts. We hope they bring us legislative text very soon, just as we sent legislative text to them on Saturday.

Environmental Protection Agency

Mr. President, in terms of the permit announcement, this week the Trump administration is set to take one of its most nakedly corrupt steps since Donald Trump returned to office--and that is saying a lot-- a wholesale reversal of essentially all greenhouse gas regulations. Specifically, the administration is set to repeal the EPA's endangerment finding, basically the bedrock scientific determination that says greenhouse gas emissions pose a threat to our public health and, therefore, should be regulated under the Clean Air Act.

Trump is making a radical move that will send shock waves across the economy--uncertainty for manufacturers, States, regulators everywhere-- and it flies in the face, of course, of basic science.

Let's be very clear what this announcement represents. It is a corrupt giveaway to Big Oil, plain and simple. When Big Oil calls a tune, the Republican Senators dance. They are just in their pockets, as we have seen over and over again with clean energy regulations and so much else. Big Oil has worked tirelessly for decades to undermine rules that protect against emissions. And now that they have their guy in the White House, they are taking the biggest swing yet.

Remember, in the spring of 2024, Donald Trump invited top oil executives to Mar-a-Lago and told them, if you raise me $1 billion to get elected, I will cut regulations so you can make more money. That Devil's bargain is now coming true.

I never thought it would be this way in America, in this bald, disgusting way that so hurts people's health. But there it is.

Who will pay the price for Donald Trump's corruption? Quite literally, every single community in this country. The repeal will hurt kids with asthma. The repeal will hurt homeowners and destabilize insurance markets as extreme weather gets worse and worse.

The blast radius of this reckless decision will span from San Diego to Portland, ME, and from Seattle to Miami. Never in American history have we had a President who promised to fight for everyday Americans so boldly only to betray so nakedly that promise in broad daylight time and time and time again.

This is quite literally one of the biggest giveaways to Big Oil that you could come up with. The economic and health consequences for everyone else will be severe.

Americans are tired of Donald Trump's limitless corruption, and they will bring a reckoning to all Republicans who stand with Donald Trump when they go to the ballot box later this fall.

(The remarks of Mr. Schumer pertaining to the introduction of S. 3815 are printed in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, finally on Virginia's Law, in a few minutes, I will go to a press conference where I will be joined by some truly courageous and inspiring individuals.

This morning, I will join with over half a dozen women who endured unimaginable horrors because of Jeffrey Epstein. I will also join with Sky and Amanda Roberts, the brother and sister of Virginia Giuffre, the late Epstein survivor who spoke out on behalf of so many.

I am wearing this blue butterfly to show solidarity with them.

Today, we will introduce Virginia's Law, a simple but essential piece of legislation eliminating the statute of limitations that has shielded horrific criminals like Jeffrey Epstein and denied survivors of the ability to hold them accountable.

I thank Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez of New Mexico for working with me on this bill.

For years, survivors who were abused, trafficked, and exploited by Jeffrey Epstein were ignored by the justice system. They were told nobody believes them. They were told to be silent.

When the truth about Jeffrey Epstein finally started to come out, when the world started listening to their stories, oftentimes, the laws on the books said: Sorry, it is too late. The deadline to bring your case has passed.

Virginia's Law will change that because justice for victims of abuse should not have an expiration date.

Congress should pass this law immediately. We know when Congress has the will, it can pass legislation with lightning speed. We passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act through both Chambers in a day. There is no reason to delay this bill, which I will introduce later today.

I will have more to say later this morning. But for now, I simply want to thank all the survivors and family members who are here today at the Capitol. Their courage is inspiring. They have come a long way from across the country, taking red eyes and flying overnight so they can be here for this important moment. Their decision to be here today, to push Virginia's Law, will ensure others get the justice that they have been wrongly denied for far too long.

Again, I want to thank Virginia Giuffre's family who will also attend today. What they have gone through is unimaginable. Virginia was courageous and an inspiration to every single one of us. After facing unimaginable horrors, she spoke out--spoke out for

those who could not speak for themselves.

Advancing this bill will help her legacy live on by ensuring justice for all survivors.

Mr. President, finally on Virginia's Law, in a few minutes, I will go to a press conference where I will be joined by some truly courageous and inspiring individuals.

This morning, I will join with over half a dozen women who endured unimaginable horrors because of Jeffrey Epstein. I will also join with Sky and Amanda Roberts, the brother and sister of Virginia Giuffre, the late Epstein survivor who spoke out on behalf of so many.

I am wearing this blue butterfly to show solidarity with them.

Today, we will introduce Virginia's Law, a simple but essential piece of legislation eliminating the statute of limitations that has shielded horrific criminals like Jeffrey Epstein and denied survivors of the ability to hold them accountable.

I thank Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez of New Mexico for working with me on this bill.

For years, survivors who were abused, trafficked, and exploited by Jeffrey Epstein were ignored by the justice system. They were told nobody believes them. They were told to be silent.

When the truth about Jeffrey Epstein finally started to come out, when the world started listening to their stories, oftentimes, the laws on the books said: Sorry, it is too late. The deadline to bring your case has passed.

Virginia's Law will change that because justice for victims of abuse should not have an expiration date.

Congress should pass this law immediately. We know when Congress has the will, it can pass legislation with lightning speed. We passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act through both Chambers in a day. There is no reason to delay this bill, which I will introduce later today.

I will have more to say later this morning. But for now, I simply want to thank all the survivors and family members who are here today at the Capitol. Their courage is inspiring. They have come a long way from across the country, taking red eyes and flying overnight so they can be here for this important moment. Their decision to be here today, to push Virginia's Law, will ensure others get the justice that they have been wrongly denied for far too long.

Again, I want to thank Virginia Giuffre's family who will also attend today. What they have gone through is unimaginable. Virginia was courageous and an inspiration to every single one of us. After facing unimaginable horrors, she spoke out--spoke out for

those who could not speak for themselves.

Advancing this bill will help her legacy live on by ensuring justice for all survivors.

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

Mr. President, on Saturday, Senate and House Democratic leadership, including myself and Leader Jeffries, sent legislative texts detailing the 10 items we outlined in our letter, which has been public since Thursday, for reining in ICE. We sent them to our Republican counterparts, including Leader Thune, Speaker Johnson, and the White House.

So since Saturday, the ball has been in the Republicans' court. We have no idea which of our proposals they will accept and which they reject. And when I say the Democrats offered exceedingly reasonable proposals and have the support of the American people, I am not exaggerating. In fact, many on both sides who have seen our proposals say they are reasonable, and they are reasonable for one obvious reason: We are asking ICE to do nothing more than follow the standards that the vast majority of law enforcement agencies already follow. Why should ICE be different, especially when they have such a record of brutality?

We are simply saying no barging into people's homes without a judicial warrant. Who on the other side objects to that?

No secret police wearing masks with zero identification. Who has police officers in their own jurisdictions who don't have any identification and are not identifiable? Of course not. It is perfectly reasonable. That is how we do law enforcement.

I ask Republicans: When have they ever seen a traffic cop wearing a mask?

Democrats also say: no use of force without a code of conduct.

Well, I hope people listen to this. Our proposed language for use of force is based off language currently in effect in the State of Florida. If it is good enough for Florida law enforcement, it certainly should be good enough for Republicans in Congress. Florida hardly is a State run by Democrats.

We also cannot have unannounced raids in places like hospitals and elementary schools and polling places. Republicans should ask people back home if they think it is OK for ICE to tail schoolbuses or to have ICE ``surround the polls,'' like Steve Bannon and others say. Most Americans would say this has nothing to do with going after criminals and everything to do with intimidation, coercion, and trying to jaundice our election process.

Well, Republicans, the clock is ticking. We have sent you our proposals, and they are exceedingly reasonable. I hope our colleagues on the other side, many who--at least here in the Senate--recognize that things need to change, show they are ready to act in a meaningful way.

SAVE Act

Mr. President, now, on the SAVE Act, as Americans struggle with high costs, fewer jobs, and endless chaos from Donald Trump, House Republicans are choosing to spend their time this week on federalizing Jim Crow. Republicans bristle--the rightwing bristles--every time that I say that the SAVE Act is Jim Crow 2.0. They don't like it because sometimes the truth hurts. While the specific policies may have changed since the days of the Jim Crow South, the goal of the SAVE Act is the same: disenfranchising American citizens and making it harder for eligible people to vote, particularly low-income Americans and people of color. This is the truth.

The SAVE Act is not a mainstream bill whatsoever. It is a fringe piece of legislation that has now taken over the Republican Party, masquerading as election security when it is really about laying the groundwork to meddle in the midterm elections and make it much harder for people to vote.

Here are just some of the nasty reasons the SAVE Act is as extreme as it gets: No. 1, the SAVE Act includes such extreme voter registration requirements that, if enacted, it could disenfranchise 21 million American citizens--21 million. That is more than 10 percent-- significantly more than 10 percent--of the people who vote.

No. 2, millions of American citizens--millions--don't have access to the paperwork that SAVE would require and would be in danger of getting shut out of our democracy. For example, if you are one of the 50 percent of Americans who doesn't have a passport or if you are one of the tens of millions of Americans who can't quickly access your birth certificate, the SAVE Act would, in effect, take away your right to vote.

No. 3, the SAVE Act would gut tried-and-true methods of voter registration, including registration by mail and registering online. That means our servicemembers overseas could get shut out. That means Americans who have trouble leaving their homes could get shut out. That means rural Americans could be shut out of our democracy.

The SAVE Act would introduce the 21st century equivalent of a democracy that tolerates literacy tests and asks people to guess the number of jellybeans in a jar. And for what reason? Because Donald Trump, to this day, lies about the 2020 election, and Republicans in the House--dutiful lemmings to the end--eagerly enable his lies and push radical bills pretending they care about election security.

The SAVE Act is dead on arrival in the Senate. Democrats will not sign our names to this radical piece of legislation that takes away the right to vote from tens of millions of American citizens.

Jeffrey Epstein

Mr. President, on Epstein, the most important ad that Americans saw during Super Bowl Sunday had nothing to do with a new product or a TV show. It was about justice for Jeffrey Epstein's victims. An ad, yesterday, championed by the organization World Without Exploitation reminded the American people of the ugly truth: Millions upon millions of files, roughly half of the Epstein files, are still being locked away by the Department of Justice, and they have failed to explain why in a way that the law requires.

The Senate passed legislation unanimously, last year, requiring these files to be released by December 19. That was more than 50 days ago. The American people are wondering, and they are still waiting: What is Pam Bondi hiding?

Earlier today, Ghislaine Maxwell came before the House Oversight Committee and refused to answer questions, instead invoking the Fifth Amendment for every single question. Later this week, Pam Bondi will testify before the House Judiciary Committee but to date has failed to show the American people the transparency Americans are demanding.

The American people aren't getting the answers they were promised about Jeffrey Epstein. Shame--shame--on the Department of Justice. While they continue to hide the truth, Jeffrey Epstein's victims continue to wait for their day of justice.

Nomination of Jeremy Carl

Mr. President, finally, on Trump nominee Jeremy Carl, this week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee

will hear testimony about Jeremy Carl, Donald Trump's nominee to be the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations. To call Jeremy Carl a radical and a bigot and unqualified is all far too kind. Jeremy Carl has a long history of making violent, anti-Semitic, and openly racist comments in podcasts and on social media, which recently he has tried frantically to erase.

Of his political opponents he once said:

There is no `` `peaceful coexistence' . . . We either win

or die.''

He called Juneteenth a ``race hustling and white-shaming'' holiday and that ``if you're a white person celebrating Juneteenth, you've already surrendered.'' Do you believe a guy would say this?

He said that ``Jews often have loved to play the victim.'' And on a podcast a few years ago, he added:

Throughout history Jews chose some professions that made

them more oppressive and they can't be surprised that the

average descents of Cossack peasants would be resentful

towards them.

Can you believe this? What stereotypical garbage.

On the Holocaust, Carl simply says:

Everyone has traumas in their past.

In other words, he is saying: Get over it.

That is vile.

Jeremy Carl's long history of racist, White-supremacist and anti- Semitic views plainly disqualifies him from serving in a senior diplomatic post at the Department of State. No person who thinks Jews should get over the Holocaust and spreads pernicious Jewish stereotypes can claim to have the character or judgment to serve as a diplomat for this country. Jeremy Carl's nomination should go no further after this week, and he should be forced to answer during testimony for his long history of violent, racist, and anti-Semitic rhetoric.

I yield the floor and note the Senator from Washington State has arrived.

Mr. President, for months--for months--Americans have watched in horror as ICE agents have stopped acting like law enforcement

and started terrorizing communities across the country. In cities like Minneapolis, Chicago, Phoenix, and elsewhere, Federal agents have been running around with no identification, barging into homes without warrants, arresting people without due process, using force in ways that violate people's constitutional rights. On two occasions, American citizens were executed in broad daylight. No other police department in America--no city police, no sheriffs, no State police, or until recently, no Federal police--would tolerate this kind of unrestrained barbarity.

The American people are reacting. They are appalled. The data shows that, overwhelmingly, even Republicans--non-MAGA Republicans in particular--are really upset about these violations of rights. They look at the pictures on TV, and they say: This is not America. This is not America.

Well, Donald Trump is realizing that Americans are turning against him on this issue. And it is not an immigration issue; it is a public safety issue, and the Republicans are on the wrong side of public safety right now. In fact, they are defending using tax dollars to create chaos in our cities instead of using those dollars to reduce costs of healthcare.

Well, Donald Trump is getting it. He called me last week because he didn't want to have the six bills tied together. He knew Homeland Security was much more of a problem.

And yesterday, in an interview, Trump said: ``[M]aybe we can use a little bit of a softer touch'' when it comes to ICE's tactics.

Well, President Trump, if you want a softer touch, then the right answer is to lean on Republican leaders in Congress to pass the proposals Democrats have put together. Frankly, Republican leaders can't get it done without you, President Trump, because they are too scared and too gripped by the extreme right to do anything without your backing.

Their immediate rejection of the Democrats' reasonable, commonsense proposals was totally predictable because the Republican leaders don't want ICE to have any accountability--totally adverse to what Americans believe and want.

Passing legislation along the lines that Democrats have proposed is the right thing to do. Americans already support our ideas. They are not extreme. They mirror the same standards that law enforcement around the country already follows.

The change, of course, will require legislation or the public won't buy it, and legislation will require Donald Trump to push the Republicans into action.

Leader Jeffries and I are ready to negotiate. Yesterday, we formally shared our specific demands with Republican leadership about what must happen to rein in ICE and stop the violence.

And Democrats in the House and Senate are on the same exact page about what needs to be done to rein in ICE, end the violence. What must we do? We must see the end of roving patrols. People can't just be picked up on the street and thrown into some dark place with no explanation as to why with no warrant. You can't barge into someone's home without a warrant. That is what we are saying.

We need reasonable use-of-force policies like States do. Every State has good rules for their police, for their sheriffs. Why should ICE be the only exception? Why should they be allowed to continue to terrorize our cities?

And, of course, we must have no secret police with masks off and cameras on. Speaker Johnson--he says that is wrong.

Why? Explain it. Every local community--I am sure the communities down in Louisiana, the sheriffs and State police, have full identification of police officers.

Yes, there is a problem with doxing, and that can easily be dealt with in the rare moment it happens. That doesn't require all masks stay on. Everyone knows that. These are just excuses because they are afraid of the rightwing who believe in this horrible stuff.

We also make clear that certain places like schools and churches and election places should be off limits.

We make it clear that American citizens cannot be arrested and detained without due process.

Republicans, Leader Thune, Leader Johnson, explain why you think it is OK for American citizens to be arrested and detained without any due process. Explain it.

Just like you have to explain why you want to keep the masks on. Just like you ought to explain why people can be arrested without warrants. Explain it: Why?

But, instead, just a quick, immediate dismissal because you are afraid to negotiate.

Our demands are not crazy demands. It is the kind of stuff that applies to police departments everywhere. We are not going out on a limb saying Federal officers should have identification.

We know what we are talking about when we say that the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable search and seizure, should be obeyed. This is middle school civics class stuff we are dealing with here.

So I am just astounded to hear Republicans like Johnson and Republican Senators, some of them, say our proposals are somehow political or nonstarters.

Political? Republicans think it is political and nonstarters to say police should identify themselves? Explain that to America.

It is not political. It is the Constitution, and it is the moral and right thing to do in a democratic country. It is about people's basic rights. It is about people's safety.

If Republicans don't like our proposals, pouting is not going to make the chaos in the streets go away. The Republicans need to explain why to the American people. Let me say it again: If Republicans don't like our proposals, pouting is not enough. They need to explain why to the American people--because they don't have a good explanation. They are just afraid of the rightwing, some of those crazies on the right who actually do want to rip up the Constitution.

The truth is Republicans cannot explain why our ideas are extreme because they know deep down that what ICE is doing is indefensible, so they are stuck.

If Republicans think it is political or extreme to say ICE agents ought to identify themselves, again, explain why to the American people.

Johnson, explain why it is OK to do it in Louisiana but it is not OK to do it here, to have police identify themselves.

If Republicans think it is political or extreme to say it is wrong for ICE agents to raid churches and schools and hospitals--oftentimes with no warrant and no cooperation with local police--they should explain why.

If Republicans think the status quo with ICE is OK, they should back it up and say so to the American people.

Now, most Americans, we Democrats, support law enforcement. We support our police. They have hard jobs. They put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe. What Americans don't support are the kind of abuses ICE is committing with impunity across communities, and police officers don't like it either. It gives them a bad name.

ICE's behavior is not law enforcement; it is thuggery. ICE's behavior is not law enforcement; it is thuggery. It puts people in danger.

President Trump knows things have to change. He should lean on Republicans in Congress to work with Democrats and deliver. This is a gut-check moment for Congress. Americans expect nothing short of real, meaningful, commonsense legislation. Americans expect us to rein in ICE and end the violence, which we can do right here, if only the Republicans cooperate and do the right thing.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, 2 months ago, nearly every single Member of the House and Senate voted to pass a very simple bill with a very simple message: release the Epstein files. The legal deadline to release the files was December 19--nearly 50 days ago--and the American people are still waiting for the truth to come out. The December 19 deadline was not a recommendation; it wasn't a suggestion. Releasing the Epstein files is the law, a law that every single Member of this Chamber--Democrat, Republican, Independent--supported as well as every Member of the House, save one.

So where are we today, 50 days past the deadline?

At best, according to the Department of Justice's own admissions, maybe half of all of the available Epstein files have been released. That means millions of documents which contain the names of coconspirators: financial records, travel logs, letters, emails. The public deserves to see those documents, but the heinous crimes of Jeffrey Epstein and his coconspirators remain shrouded in darkness. These are things the public deserves to see, but they are shrouded in darkness, and whatever materials have been released have often been redacted to an absurd degree. Hundreds of pages have been blotted out to the point that it is just a wall of black ink. That is it--a wall of black ink. Look at this: There are hundreds of pages that look just like this. This is not transparency. This is not what the law requires. This is a mockery of the truth and an insult to the survivors.

What makes this all the more sickening is that, in over 1,000 instances, the Justice Department failed to follow the law and leaked the identities of over 100 victims. But do you know whom the Justice Department did seem to protect? Epstein's coconspirators. Do you know whom else the Justice Department seemed to protect? Donald Trump. What is Pam Bondi trying to hide?

Enough is enough. Today, I come to the floor to seek unanimous agreement of a resolution directing the Senate to sue the Trump administration for violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Fifteen of my Democratic colleagues have joined in cosponsoring this resolution, and I thank every single one of them for standing firm.

I urge my Republican colleagues not to stand in the way today. It is the height of absurdity for Republicans to have supported the Epstein Files Transparency Act but to then go ahead and object to enforcing it--what hypocrisy. Objecting today would completely cancel out the whole point of Republicans' supporting the law in the first place.

Finally, the people who have lost the most and who have suffered the most are Jeffrey Epstein's victims. With me, I have a letter from about 20 of the victims, explaining how reckless and dangerous it was for the DOJ to carelessly

release the victims' information while going to great lengths to redact the names of the coconspirators.

So I ask unanimous consent that this letter from Jeffrey Epstein's survivors, detailing the grave harms of the DOJ's careless release of victims' identities, be printed in the Congressional Record.

Enough is enough. Congress spoke with one voice when it passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The deadline has long passed, and the Trump Justice Department is still breaking the law. Senate Democrats are exhausting every possible avenue to force the administration to do what it is already legally required to do: release the complete files and deliver transparency and justice, finally, to Epstein's victims. If the administration will not follow the law, which it isn't, the Senate must act. No one, not even the President, is above the law.

The question before Senate Republicans, today, is simple: Will they enforce the law that they helped to pass or object and help keep the Epstein files hidden?

So, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 597; that the resolution be agreed to; that the preamble be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

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

Mr. President, the wounds of this Nation will not heal until the terrible abuses of ICE are reined in. The deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti have shocked people from one end of America to the other. The image of Federal law enforcement gunning down and murdering U.S. citizens in broad daylight is abominable.

Now, a few moments ago, Tom Homan announced that there will be a drawdown of 700 law enforcement officers in Minneapolis.

Let's be very clear. Homan's announcement is not close to enough. Seven hundred officers is going to be like a drop in the bucket to the people of Minneapolis, as over 2,000 agents--representing 70 percent of agents--will still be on the streets, brutalizing citizens, abusing citizens, abusing people. It is not close to enough.

They all have to leave now. That is what the people of Minneapolis want, and, frankly, that is what the American people want, having seen these images.

Seventy percent of the problem is still stationed in Minneapolis. The chaos is going to continue. The danger that someone gets killed--God forbid--continues. All of ICE needs to leave Minneapolis now. They are not needed. Residents don't want them patrolling the streets like a military occupation.

To say, if 70 percent represents it, that about three-quarters of Minneapolis will still be militarily occupied ain't close to good enough. It is not what the people of Minneapolis want. It is not what the American people want. A full withdrawal of ICE is the only step-- the only right step--for the safety of the citizens and to allow Minneapolis to go function again.

I have heard from our Senators. People can't go to schools. Stores are closed. Life is disrupted, and it is disrupted as much by 2,000 agents as by 2,700 agents.

Tom Homan is saying that a small group of agents will leave sometime down the line, and that is meaningless.

And let's be honest, Tom Homan is no hero. Removing Bovino and replacing him with Homan is like switching from somebody who is really, really, really bad to someone who is just really, really bad. That is cold comfort to the people of Minneapolis.

Tom Homan was the architect and the chief progenitor of many of the awful policies we see in effect right now that are hurting residents in Minneapolis and in so many other places in America.

Today's announcement only affirms that the real solution to ICE is never going to come from the executive branch policing itself. ICE's abuse is not a problem that can be solved by executive fiat--and particularly when it is from Donald Trump. We all know that tomorrow Donald Trump could put the 700 troops back, acting like he didn't even ask for them to be withdrawn. That is how Trump operates.

We need legislation, not executive fiat subject to the whims of Donald Trump. With Donald Trump, it is easy come, easy go. So we need legislation.

Look, most Americans--certainly I--stand firmly behind law enforcement. They have a tough job. They put themselves at risk every day to keep our communities safe. But what Americans don't like is a subset of Federal agents going off the rails and acting with zero restraint, zero accountability, and acting like a squad of roving thugs--goons.

So Democrats have been clear about what Congress needs to do to end ICE's violence and ensure public safety. ICE needs to end roving patrols, follow basic standards of accountability, and end the secret police who are masked and unidentified.

These are reasonable demands. Reasonable demands include masks coming off and cameras staying on. Real reasonable demands include accountability so that someone is looking over what is going on here and stopping it and limiting it. Reasonable demands mean no roving patrols where these ICE agents just, at whim, pick up people going to schools and churches.

What we are asking is common sense and what the American people want, and so it is troubling and perplexing that some Republicans, led by Speaker Johnson, are right now siding with the secret police.

Speaker Johnson says having ICE agents take off their masks would somehow create further danger. Does he know anything about law enforcement? When he goes home to Louisiana, do the sheriffs or police officers wear masks? No.

In every jurisdiction in America, police officers identify themselves. It is a good way of dealing with the handful of abusive officers that exist. It is a good way to make sure people know what is happening.

And Johnson says taking masks off is a danger? A greater danger than people getting shot or beaten to a pulp on the streets by unidentified secret police?

Meanwhile, the senior Senator from Texas called the idea of no masks ridiculous. Senator Cornyn says taking masks off is ridiculous.

But I will tell you what is actually ridiculous: defending secret police after they murder or maim or brutalize people in our streets. It is ridiculous to look at all the images of chaos to see what is happening in Minneapolis and other cities, to see the tear gas and bodies lying lifeless, people hurt and beaten, thrown into dark prisons with no understanding of why they were picked up and put in these prisons. That is the danger.

It is ridiculous to think that ICE, a force of untrained people, should get special treatment, while every other law enforcement agency in the country is asked to follow reasonable codes of conduct.

When you get pulled over, the traffic cop doesn't wear a mask. People don't see sheriffs and their deputies running around wearing masks. Security guards and State troopers and even most FBI agents don't walk around wearing masks. But, all of a sudden, these ICE agents, who have one of the worst records of law enforcement we have seen in America in decades, should be allowed to wear masks.

It is truly ridiculous for Republicans to argue that at this very delicate moment, when people fear excessive force from Federal agents, the right answer is to defend ICE's ability to wear masks and enter homes with zero guardrails.

Now, we have just a few days until DHS funding runs out. Democrats have been clear on what needs to happen. Our proposals are designed to ensure public safety and instill the kind of guardrails that the vast majority of Americans support.

Republicans need to realize that the single worst thing they can do right now, in the eyes of the Nation, is to double down on the status quo of ICE. They must negotiate. They must sit down and work out a real solution.

The Nation is tired of the chaos ICE is unleashing on our streets and does not want Republicans in the Senate and House to sit on their hands and allow it to continue.

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