Floor Statements

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, launching a criminal investigation to coerce the Federal Reserve is a dangerous crossing of the Rubicon--even for Donald Trump, who has crossed many Rubicons already, to his detriment and to the country's detriment.

America's economic stability depends on impartial, stable monetary policy. Our central bank must always operate free of coercion, free of intimidation, and free from short-term political calculation. But what Donald Trump is doing is the MAGA-fication of monetary policy--one of the last places we should have any kind of MAGA influence.

Anyone with two eyes and half a brain can see what this probe is--a brazen attempt to cannibalize the Fed's influence. It is monetary mob- boss thuggery.

If you are an American worried about costs--housing costs, car loan costs, any interest rate costs--what Donald Trump is doing should alarm you. If you are worried about bringing your mortgage rate down if you have a variable-rate mortgage, if you want to keep the mortgage down, if you are a new home buyer and want a lower mortgage, Donald Trump's assault on the Fed should alarm you because when there is chaos in the Fed, interest rates go up.

The banks and financial institutions, when they say ``chaos,'' they grab on tightly and say ``We better not lower anything. We better keep things high because we are not exactly sure what is going to happen'' because when there is chaos in the Fed, there is chaos across the economy, and rates go up.

That is what financial institutions do in times of uncertainty. They rachet rates up to avoid a pitfall of some kind of downward decline that chaos often brings. It becomes more expensive for people to borrow. It makes it harder to own a home. It makes it harder to build more homes. It raises car payments and credit card payments. It raises the price of almost anything.

So if Donald Trump is serious about bringing costs down, about fighting inflation, about showing the American people he cares about them, the last thing he needs to be doing is launching criminal investigations against members of the Federal Reserve Board. Congress should not--cannot--be silent in the face of such naked political attacks.

Now Republicans are whispering in the hallways to one another that they are troubled about what the DOJ is doing against the Federal Reserve, but actions speak louder than words. It is not enough for Republicans to whisper their worry; Senate Republicans should act like they are in the majority and use their oversight powers to bring the DOJ to heel.

We must bring Department of Justice officials here to the Senate to testify in committee under oath and answer for their reckless conduct. We must hold the line against any Federal Reserve nominee from Donald Trump so long as this dark cloud hangs over the Fed.

If Senate Republicans are truly worried about the Fed's independence, if they are worried about what chaos at the Fed means for rising housing costs, rising borrowing costs, rising inflation, then they ought to conduct some oversight. Otherwise, their concerns are little more than hot air.

Populism

Mr. President, now on Donald Trump's fake populism, yesterday, in Michigan, Donald Trump once again tried to gaslight the American people about the affordability crisis in another rambling speech meant to prove he cares about the struggles of ordinary Americans. He mocked the word ``affordability'' once again. He called it a fake.

Maybe to Donald Trump, affordability is a fake because he is a billionaire. He doesn't have to go out and buy the groceries, by a car, sign up for a healthcare proposal that doesn't meet your family's needs. Donald Trump doesn't need to do those things; he doesn't have to worry. But tell that to a teacher, to a truckdriver, to a bartender, to a nurse, that affordability is fake. Tell it to anyone who actually has to work for a living. Affordability isn't fake; it is a very real nightmare. I am sure that last night, probably tens of millions of families gathered to decide which bills they could afford to pay and which bills they couldn't for necessities they need.

Like many Presidents before him, Donald Trump is falling into a classic trap. When times are tough, he ignores reality and tries to convince people that everything is actually going great. This has never worked, and it is not going to work now.

A year ago, Donald Trump stormed into office on the promise to lower costs, to fight for ordinary Americans, to unrig a rigged system. He ran, in other words, as a populist who promised to drain the swamp and end inflation.

But Donald Trump is not a populist; he is a posturer. He throws out these populist ideas to try to persuade people he is on their side, but he never does anything to get them done. He never lifts a finger or a phone. And the American people see that he talks a good game but never does anything to accomplish what he wants to do when it comes to lowering their costs. And the situation of the American people only gets worse.

To Donald Trump: Your posturing, your throwing out these ideas that people like and then doing nothing to actually make them happen, ain't gonna work, Donald Trump. Your posturing ain't gonna work when it comes to costs, when it comes to populism. You have to solve the problem.

What is Donald Trump doing now? He is throwing spaghetti at the wall. He throws a slew of half-baked proposals that are thin on substance-- throws those out--in a desperate attempt to show Americans he cares about rising costs.

In the last week, he has talked about housing, credit cards, the price of beef, trade, and done nothing on any of them, and costs keep rising. The American people don't want a bunch of words that have nothing of substance behind them. They don't want pandering. They don't want posturing. They want Donald Trump to take action.

This is exactly Donald Trump's Achilles heel when it comes to costs and so much else. He talks about a lot of things that may sound nice, but he never follows through or delivers on any of his promises. Whether it is costs or Epstein or ending forever wars, the pattern is the same. Donald Trump talks about credit cards one day, food prices the next, housing the day after, but never actually follows through on getting his Republican colleagues to act.

So here is the reality for you, Donald Trump: It is not enough for you, Donald Trump, to just talk about a bunch of ideas to lower costs. You need to get your Republican colleagues to actually pass legislation, much of which we Democrats have stood for, for a long time.

Otherwise, what Trump is doing is not populism; it is simply posturing.

Actions speak louder than words. If Donald Trump is serious about costs, he needs to put in the work to get Republicans to pass legislation that actually will lower costs for America.

Healthcare

Mr. President, finally, on ACA legislation, when it comes to lowering costs, Americans don't want nice-sounding statements; they want action.

Today, the Senate has a chance to take action to lower the cost of healthcare. In a few hours, I will come to the floor to seek unanimous passage of legislation passed by the House last week to extend ACA premium tax credits for 3 years.

Senate Democrats unanimously supported extending these credits last year. Some Republicans even joined us. But Leader Thune led the way to block this legislation, and it ensured that people's premiums are now skyrocketing.

Well, we have another chance to deliver relief for the American people, Republicans, by passing the same bill the House approved last week with bipartisan support. Time is of the essence.

The New York Times reported that nearly 1.5 million Americans already have lost coverage. Americans are in the middle of a healthcare emergency, all because the tax credits are not being extended.

The best, quickest, simplest thing Congress can do to lower premiums is to pass a clean restoration of the credits that expired last year.

So to my Republican colleagues: Do not block this legislation. Do not get in the way. The American people demand relief, and today, you have a chance to deliver it.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, Americans across the country--they could be Democrats; they could be Independents; they could be Republicans; they could live in the north, the south, the east, or the west--agree on one thing: The cost of healthcare is at crisis levels, and families are struggling to pay for healthcare, such a necessity for their families and themselves.

Now, on January 1, as just about everybody knows, the ACA premium tax credits that lowered premiums for millions of Americans expired because Republicans chose to let them die. Republicans knew the crisis was coming; they knew the consequences, and they deliberately blocked relief from the American people.

Already because of the callous actions of our Republican colleagues, ACA enrollment has already dropped by nearly a million and a half people. The average American with an ACA plan has seen their premiums double, and many have seen them much worse than that. It is outrageous; it is wrong, and Republicans know it.

There is a demand from one end of the country to the other to undo the crisis by very simple--there is a very simple way to do it. All Republicans have to do is join Democrats in voting for legislation that expands the credits by 3 years. It will be done. It passed the House. But mark my words, if Republicans don't do it, America will know, and the political price they pay will be severe.

And so to rectify this injustice, to rectify the fact that families are deciding whether to even have healthcare or not or to cut back on something else very important to pay for the increased costs of healthcare, families are deciding that right now.

Every night, millions of American families are talking about what to do with these new healthcare bills that have come through, which have doubled or tripled what they have to pay each month, which will cut back in so many instances on the kind of healthcare they get--make them switch hospitals, switch doctors, not afford the prescription drug that is desperately needed by their child who has cancer.

Every night, Americans are grappling with this horrible problem because there is nothing more important to a family than the health of its members; yet Republicans blocked it. But my fellow Americans, the fight to lower healthcare costs is not over. Today I bring to the floor a very simple request, that when this Chamber receives the bipartisan legislation that passed the House last week, providing a simple 3-year reinstatement of the ACA premium tax credits, that it be immediately agreed to in the Senate.

The Republican leader of the Senate could put this on the floor, and it would pass in the blink of an eye. Most Republicans would vote for it because they know how much the public wants to renew these credits. So there is no reason under Heaven for us to delay. The House passed this bill last week by 230 to 196, and 17 Republicans joined Democrats. That is not a fluke. That is a glaring signal to Republicans that Americans are demanding relief.

Fifty percent--55 percent of Trump voters want the tax credits extended, but the Republican Senate is blind, is in a bubble, is not even understanding the anguish of America about these increased healthcare costs. And they sit there and come up with one excuse after the other why they shouldn't do this. The House, fortunately, listened to the American people and acted, and the Senate should now do the same.

Leader Thune knows that people back home are suffering. He knows that he can fix the problem by just putting the bill on the floor because it will pass. There is a lot to discuss and debate when it comes to fixing our

healthcare system, but right now, there is an immediate concern. Premiums are spiking across the country, so the most immediate thing we can do to lower healthcare costs for the American people is pass a clean restoration of these credits.

We offered the Republicans the chance during the so-called Big Beautiful Bill; they rejected it three times unanimously. But they went home over the summer and the fall and now into the winter and they hear their constituents clamoring for relief. Open your ears, open your minds, Republicans, listen to the American people. There is no doubt, you know it, that the majority of Americans, the overwhelming majority of Americans, even the majority of Republicans and Trump voters, want us to do this.

And frankly, to Americans back home, it is not a Democratic or a Republican issue. The only thing they care about is getting those costs lower. And they want to know who is going to step up and bring premiums down. Who is going to lower costs?

Senate Democrats say in one voice to Americans: We hear you. We have a plan to bring your premiums down. We can pass it through the Senate today, right now, if only the Republicans get out of the way.

We are going to keep at this. This issue isn't going away. We are going to fight and fight and fight until we achieve this for the American people because it is so important. There are other issues Republicans have out there. Some want to block it because they want to extend provisions that hurt women on the issue of abortion. Some want to block it because they want to privatize the system, which would only make it worse. But it doesn't matter; we can debate all those things down the road. The opportunity is now, right now, to allow this body to unanimously pass this much-needed proposal to extend the credits by 3 years.

I urge my Republican colleagues, let this bill pass. Let's give the American people what they so fiercely and rightfully demand. Most of all, let's give millions of Americans relief from the sky-high price of these premiums now that the 3-year extension has expired.

Americans need it. Americans want it. Americans demand it. It is the only humane and right thing to do. This is another chance for my colleagues across the aisle to rectify their mistake and help the American people with an issue that is at the top of the list for them.

And so I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate receives H.R. 1834 as passed by the House on January 8, 2026, that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration; that the bill be considered read three times and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, the need for this resolution is simple. It is clear. The American people do not support another forever war with Venezuela. The American people don't want Donald Trump sending our troops into harm's way without so much as a debate in Congress.

Today, the Senate has a chance to move forward on asserting Congress's constitutional authority on matters of war and peace. We can tell Donald Trump: Enough with foreign adventures. It is time to focus on lowering costs here at home. That is what the American people want.

This resolution is necessary right now because Donald Trump has made clear that what happened in Venezuela is not a one-and-done operation-- not at all.

Last week, the New York Times asked him: Are we going to be there a month? 6 months? a year?

Do you know what his answer was? Donald Trump said:

I would say much longer.

He said: We want to give money to Venezuela.

Here we are. People don't have enough money for healthcare, for housing, for so many other things, and we want to give money to Venezuela? How is that ``America first?''

Trump threatened further military action if the current government doesn't cooperate with the United States. The administration is trying to concoct an argument that we are not engaged in hostilities, but that is absurd. You don't have to be a great expert on military affairs to know that

we are heavily engaged. Donald Trump says we are not engaged in hostilities? Tell that to the 16,000 U.S. servicemembers currently deployed in the Caribbean. Tell that to our servicemembers on the Ford Carrier Strike Group. Look at the Marine Expeditionary Unit operating in the region.

Donald Trump is turning the Caribbean into a dangerous powder keg, and Congress must rein him in before one mistake ignites a larger, more unstable conflict.

So the Senate needs to exert its constitutional role when it comes to the use of military force.

I know that there are Senate Republicans acting in good faith who are worried about Venezuela getting out of hand. I urge them to reject this point of order, to provide a necessary backstop, a necessary check, a necessary guardrail on Executive power. It is the right thing to do for the American people. That means no more forever wars, no more military escapades without congressional authorization, no more tens of billions to prop up foreign regimes while American families struggle right here at home.

I want to thank Senator Kaine, I want to thank Senator Schiff, and I want to thank Senator Paul for joining with me in this very necessary resolution. Of course, I thank our great ranking member of the Armed Services Committee for his good work as well.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, last night, the New York Times reported that a criminal investigation has been opened into Jerome Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. Anyone with two eyes and half a brain knows exactly what this criminal probe represents: a brazen attempt by Donald Trump to cannibalize the Fed's independence.

The allegations behind this probe are clearly bogus. This has nothing to do with building renovations, of all things; it has everything to do with Donald Trump weaponizing the DOJ into his attack dog and bullying America's central bank into submission on something unrelated to what they do.

This is another ominous, troubling step toward the MAGA-fication of America's monetary policy, which is the bedrock of the global economy and essential for stability in the markets.

So the American people should beware: If you are worried about making sure mortgage rates come down, making it easier to buy a home, Donald Trump's attack on the Fed should trouble you deeply. If you are worried about what the economy is going to look like in the next 6 months, 12 months, and beyond, Donald Trump's attack on the Fed should alarm you.

If you are a Senate Republican in this Chamber who has at any point spoken out about the Fed's independence, about the need to bring inflation down, about the importance of law and order, now is the time to find your voice and to take a stand.

The bogus criminal probe conducted by the DOJ screams for congressional oversight. We need to bring DOJ officials to testify before the Senate and explain this outrageous criminal probe, and the Senate must reject any future Trump nominee to the Fed so long as this dark cloud continues to hang over the central bank--because if Donald Trump can use the threat of criminal investigation to influence monetary policy, then we will have no independent Fed to speak of, and, again, interest rates will go up, mortgage rates will go up, car loan rates will go up, credit card rates will go up, and the American consumer will pay more.

The American consumer is already worried, troubled, and devastated by the lack of affordability, and what Trump is doing will make things even more unaffordable. You would say: What the heck does one have to do with the other? But when the markets feel there is no steadiness, no stability in the Fed, they charge more, they get worried, they clamp down.

And, look, Donald Trump is clearly angry that his own Presidency has been a disaster for our economy so is looking for a scapegoat, and he thinks Jerome Powell can be one. He has made a big mistake. No one is going to fall for that bull.

Everyone knows Jay Powell and the Fed aren't the reason Donald Trump's poll numbers and our economy are in the garbage. If he wants someone to blame, Donald Trump should simply look in the mirror, not at Jerome Powell.

Venezuela

Mr. President, on Venezuela, last night, Donald Trump posted on Truth Social a ridiculous screen shot of a fake Wikipedia page that called him the acting President of Venezuela. Donald Trump calling himself the acting President of Venezuela is stupid, but it is a very useful illustration of where his head is at right now. He is totally focused on military adventures and completely ignoring the affordability crisis here at home.

To those Republicans who hemmed and hawed last week saying the U.S. involvement in Venezuela was a one-and-done, those views have now aged like spoiled milk. Last week, Donald Trump was asked if we are staying in Venezuela for a month, 6 months, a year, or longer. He answered:

I would say much longer.

And he says this with a smile on his face.

What does he think the American people are thinking--that we want another endless war, this time in Venezuela; that we want to stay for years and waste treasure and possibly lives on this adventure in Venezuela? The American people don't want that.

Then he says:

We are going to [give the] money to Venezuela.

Do you think the American people want that--a foreign adventure so we can give money to Venezuela?

Just yesterday, Energy Secretary Wright said the United States will be in Venezuela for maybe a year, maybe 2 years, and maybe more. The American people didn't vote for Donald Trump to be acting President of Venezuela for a year, 2 years, 3 years--even for a day; they voted for him to put America first and bring down the cost of living.

The more people learn about what is going on in Venezuela, the more people hear that U.S. involvement could last years, the more they will demand that Congress act.

Now, the good news is that this week, the Senate has a chance to halt Trump's military follies, to halt his focus on foreign adventurism rather than bringing down their prices.

Last week, a strong bipartisan group of Senators moved forward with a War Powers Resolution I championed with Senators Kaine, Schiff, and Paul. The Senate will vote this week to pass this resolution and affirm the Congress's constitutional authority on matters of war and peace.

I say to my Republican colleagues who don't yet support this resolution: Join us to prevent another forever war.

The pressure will be on Senate Republicans this week to make a choice: Stand with the majority of Americans who don't want us in Venezuela or enable Donald Trump and risk entangling us in another forever war.

The American people will be watching what we do this week. Americans don't want another round of endless wars. They don't support propping up foreign nations and regimes.

The vote this week will tell all, and the American people will be watching.

Tariffs

Mr. President, finally, on tariffs, as soon as this week, the U.S. Supreme Court may rule on whether or not Donald Trump's chaotic tariff policies are constitutional.

I have long been very clear that the Supreme Court should strike Donald Trump's tariffs down. The President's tariffs are an unlawful usurping of Congress's authority over trade, and I have seen firsthand in New York how they have raised prices for families and shut down so many small businesses.

Congress may not have a say on whether or how the Supreme Court will rule, but we absolutely have a say on future legislation on the President's tariff authority. The Senate has already voted four times on a bipartisan basis to reject Trump's illegal trade war.

If the Supreme Court strikes down all or some of Donald Trump's tariffs, we know he will come to Congress and demand another blank check. Republicans must be ready to buck up and tell him no.

Senate Democrats will not support any legislation that hands the President a free pass to slap tariffs on whoever he likes, the consequences for our economy be damned, in his eyes.

No blank checks for an endless trade war. No blank checks for Donald Trump to issue tariffs whenever he likes against whomever he likes, regardless of the consequences--particularly the American people, as he raises and raises and raises their cost of living.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, first, I want to thank Senator Kaine for his great leadership on this issue, Senator Schiff, and Senator Paul for working with me on this resolution.

If there was ever a moment for the Senate to find its voice, it is now. The Senate must act to stop Donald Trump's folly.

Today, the Senate must assert the authority given to it in the Constitution on matters of war and peace. We must send Donald Trump a clear message on behalf of the American people: No more endless wars.

If any of my colleagues--if any of the American people--doubted what Trump was up to, here is what he said last night to the New York Times.

They asked him: How long are we going to stay in Venezuela--a month, 6 months, a year?

Donald Trump said:

I would say much longer.

Donald Trump is ready for an endless war in Venezuela and Lord knows where else. The American people are not. The American people want us to focus on the No. 1 issue they face: rising costs. They can't afford the things they need--the affordability crisis.

And, instead, Donald Trump and too many of our Republican colleagues are saying: Let us spend our treasure and maybe even American lives on Venezuela and other areas far afield.

How can the American people watch this and not just groan and grimace and ache and fear? When America has tried to do this kind of nation building, these kinds of regime replacements in the past, it has led to the American people paying the price in treasure and in blood.

So now we have the opportunity to stop. We are very close. We urge our Republican colleagues to join us. Tell the American people you want to focus on what they care about: the cost of groceries, the cost of healthcare, the cost of electricity and other goods.

The contrast between what is happening in the House and Senate today is glaring. In the House, there will be, from what I am told, a good number of Republicans who will join in saying: Extend the tax credits for 3 years.

Leader Thune has even refused to put that on the floor.

But what is happening here? The ability, the strength, the constitutional authority of the Congress to say: No. No endless wars. No sending all our money down to Venezuela and Lord knows what other countries.

Again, just look at this, my Republican colleagues. Here is what Trump said on oversight of Venezuela.

They asked him:

A year? Longer?

He says:

I would say much longer.

How many of you want to see us bogged down in Venezuela for a whole bunch of years? If you don't want to see that, if you want to see us focused on the costs the American people are facing and reduce them, vote with us.

Vote yes on this very important resolution.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I just got back from an all-Senators briefing with senior administration officials about what is going on in Venezuela. Again, another briefing. Again, no answers.

As before, we walked out of the room with far more questions than answers. It is not just the Senators and Congressmen in the SCIF, a classified room, who deserve answers, it is the American people who deserve answers.

The American people want to know: How much is this going to cost us at a time when we are seeing our costs rise for things like housing and groceries and healthcare? They want to know what kind of troops--how many troops are going to be needed there?

It is clear that the leadership's succession plan that the administration envisions now that Maduro--the awful person that he is-- is gone, the people who are replacing him are just as untrustworthy, just as corrupt, just as bad as he is.

How is Trump going to run the country with these people as his underlings?

So the public deserves answers at this crucial moment because the American people are asking: What the hell is going on in Venezuela? And why is this President, who campaigned on ``America First,'' now spending all his time and energy on escapades overseas?

What is going to happen next? The public is totally in the dark.

We need to know how long an involvement in Venezuela is going to last. Trump has said it is going to take some time. What does that mean? Iraq was more than a decade.

How many troops are we talking about?

How much money and what guardrails are in place?

The American people want to know, is there a place where you say no more? Nobody knows. On something as risky and as different as this-- differently bad as this--people need real answers. That is how our system is set up, but this administration is totally--totally--opaque and, frankly, dishonest with the American people when it comes to Venezuela.

We discussed so many things in the room. And in the room, there was a bipartisan sense of concern with America simply plunging into other countries. I did not get adequate answers.

Are we planning on going into Greenland? Are we planning on going into Colombia? Mexico?

The answers were very unsatisfying.

So this escapade is fraught with huge peril that history teaches us we should avoid. There is chaos in the streets of Caracas right now. Organized gangs are patrolling the streets, oppressing the rights of citizens. At any moment, the interim government's grip on power could deteriorate. The Vice President--former Vice President under Maduro, who is now the President--is totally unreliable, is corrupt, and hates America. That is whom we are relying on. What kind of plan is this?

Again, it is not enough for Senators to walk into a classified briefing and hear the administration's sales pitch. The public has to hear it. I am certain that the public, once they hear it, is going to be as angry, as skeptical, as unconvinced as we are.

The American people need answers and facts presented in public.

My Republican colleagues: Don't you have an obligation to hold hearings--public hearings--and bring Hegseth and Rubio before you and ask these tough questions, not in the closed quarters of a SCIF, where no one is allowed to repeat what they say, but in public?

Where are our chairs of the relevant committees? Not to hold a hearing on something as momentous and potentially destructive as this-- where are our Republican colleagues?

We need administration officials to come testify and to answer the tough questions in public. That is what this Republic is all about. That is why we have three branches of government. That is why the Founding Fathers said the war power, as important a decision as going to war is, should be in the hands of the Congress, a public institution, not in the hands of just an Executive.

And yet, right now, it is in the hands of an Executive because our Republican colleagues are supine. They just aren't demanding hearings, aren't demanding that the President come clean in terms of talking to the American people.

Looming over all of this, the American people are asking: What the heck does this have to do with ``America First?'' How does spending years and potentially billions of taxpayer dollars in Venezuela help families pay their rent, their mortgages, their grocery bills, their electric bills, their healthcare bills?

It has nothing to do with it. In fact, it takes money; it takes attention away; it diverts attention away from the No. 1 thing the American people care about: affordability, costs of living, being able to pay the bills of things you very much need.

Bombing Caracas and bragging about oilfields are not going to lower people's rents. Even in this cockamamie plan they have, the money would go back to Venezuela. The American people are saying: That is ``America First?'' Spend all this time, effort, and dollars getting rid of Maduro and then sending all this oil money back to Venezuela when America needs help?

Threatening Greenland is not going to make groceries cheaper. Military threats against NATO are not going to help families pay the bills. The American people did not sign up for this kind of military adventurism when they voted for Donald Trump, and Republicans who go along will be betraying the American people.

Donald Trump doesn't realize any of this. Why? He is focused on his Big Oil buddies and personal vanity projects like renaming the Kennedy Center and choosing which marble armrests to install.

Just listen to what Donald Trump said yesterday at the Kennedy Center to House Republicans. Once again, he showed everyone he is trapped in a billionaire's bubble. Donald Trump told Republicans, ``I wish you could explain to me what the hell is going on with the mind of the public,'' because he can't understand why people are souring on his agenda. He can't understand that when you can't pay the groceries or your car breaks down and you can't afford to get it fixed and you can't get to work, that troubles people? He can't understand that?

He doesn't have a clue. He talks to his limited circle of rich friends. They don't have to worry about the things 95 percent of Americans worry about. He is in a bubble, and when Presidents are in bubbles, it is the American people who get hurt.

He cannot wrap his mind around the fact that his very own policies have made life worse for ordinary people. But the average citizen knows it. That is why his numbers are plummeting.

Again, yesterday morning, he slammed ``affordability'' as a buzzword and said no one knows what it means. Well, he doesn't know what it means because he has enough money to pay for all the things he needs.

Donald Trump, ``affordability'' is not a buzzword. It is not a con job, and it is not a mystery concept to most people. ``Affordability'' means you can afford to make trips to the doctor when you or your child is sick. It means you can go to the grocery store and not have to worry: Well, should I buy eggs or cheese or milk? I can't afford all of them.

It means you can pay the rent, pay your mortgage.

What ``affordability'' doesn't mean is sending helicopters over Caracas and saying we have the right to attack NATO allies. It doesn't mean bailing out Argentine farmers. It doesn't mean giving away critical chips to China so that they can use them against us.

Now, if Donald Trump and Republicans won't focus on lowering the cost of living, Democrats are happy to do it for them. Later today, I am joining with Senators Warren, Smith, and Klobuchar and housing experts from around the country to talk about this horrible housing crisis, one of the worst manifestations of rising costs.

Today's housing roundtable is a kickoff event for our Senate Democrats and our cost initiative, which will be our North Star for the year and beyond. We are going to be focused like a laser on the increased costs Americans face to pay the necessary bills that they must pay to live a decent life.

And just as we talked about for months, about helping people to afford healthcare, we are going to continue to focus on helping people pay the rent, keep up with their mortgage, and be able to afford a home for the first time.

In the coming weeks, Senate Democrats are going to lay out the many things Congress could do right now, if only the Republicans were serious about lowering costs, when it comes to food, childcare, energy, home ownership, healthcare, childcare, and more. These are things the American people care about: paying the bills, buying a new car, going on one vacation a year with your family--not invading Venezuela, not invading Colombia, not thinking about invading Greenland.

Donald Trump doesn't get it. He admits he doesn't get it. He doesn't understand why the American people are mad at him when it is as plain as could be.

But Democrats get it. We are going to focus like a laser on costs today, next week, next month, and all year long. The Republicans and Donald Trump will be hearing plenty more from us.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, yesterday, I joined with House and Senate leaders for a briefing with Secretaries Rubio and Hegseth, Attorney General Bondi, and other officials about what comes next in Venezuela and beyond.

For 2 long hours, we heard yesterday from the administration. And what we heard was little more than wishful thinking and no real answers. We got no clear answer to any of the four questions I have been asking the administration for days:

First, how many troops are we going to commit to Venezuela? Are there any limits? No answer.

Second, for how long would we be committed to running Venezuela? No answer.

Third, how much is this all going to cost? They said they had no cost estimate.

And fourth, what country is next? Is Colombia on the table? Are we going to invade a NATO ally like Greenland? Where does this belligerence stop? I was very troubled--very troubled--by their answer on this as well.

Sitting in yesterday's briefing, it is clear the administration pulled the trigger on step 1 of their plan in Venezuela without figuring out how they are going to follow through on steps 2 to 10.

How do you enter a country and remove its leader by force without knowing anything about what happens after?

The current Vice President for Venezuela now says she may cooperate with the United States, but her grip on power is weak. She has many rivals in government, and her reputation for steadfastness and honesty leaves much to be desired. And all of the remaining regime leaders in Venezuela are so corrupt that it is naive for the administration to think we can rely on any of them to maintain stability.

Now, this is how we get into endless wars. The administration has a 1-day plan on how to get rid of Maduro but no idea of what happens after. It is what happened to us in Iraq. Yes, this is how we get into endless wars: a 1-day plan to get rid of Maduro but no idea what happens after. Look at history. Look at Iraq. Look at so many other places. This is what leads to endless wars.

And last night, Donald Trump added to the fires of confusion once again.

He was asked who exactly is in charge in Venezuela, and he simply said, ``Me.'' Donald Trump. A lot of macho going on there.

How the hell does Donald Trump expect to exert direct control over Venezuela? We have so many problems here at home--people who are struggling to make ends meet when the economy is slowing down and costs are going up. Yesterday, Donald Trump even suggested we might spend up to 18 months in Venezuela rebuilding its oil infrastructure. And that is probably a low estimate according to most experts. Most experts think it could take easily longer than that, the Venezuela oil fields are such a mess. And are you kidding me? How are we going to spend 18 months and potentially tens of billions of dollars in taxpayer money in Venezuela at a time when people here at home don't even have basic healthcare?

There are also reports that Stephen Miller might be heavily involved in the governance of Venezuela. I asked about this at our briefing, and the answers were very troubling. This is the same Stephen Miller who yesterday went to CNN and asserted that Greenland rightfully belongs to the United States and nobody will fight the U.S. military over Greenland.

What is going on here? What kind of venture is this?

The language Miller used comes right out of the 1930s, directed by a senior official of the United States against a NATO ally. God help us and the future of world order.

Donald Trump has opened a Pandora's box. We have to take seriously that, after Venezuela, he may attack other nations without warning-- maybe Colombia, maybe even a NATO ally like Greenland run by Denmark. All the while, how does any of this belligerence in Venezuela or Greenland put America first?

How does any of this help people here at home pay the bills, pay for their healthcare, put a roof over their heads, pay for their groceries or their energy bill? The American people voted for Donald Trump to put America first. That is what he campaigned on. A lot of his most hard- right supporters voted for him because he was ``America First.''

Well, ``America First'' means focusing on healthcare costs and all kinds of rising costs here at home, instead of using taxpayer dollars to build up the oil fields in Venezuela. It means helping American farmers instead of bailing out Argentinian farmers. It means bringing manufacturing back to our shores instead of giving critical chips away to China.

It means helping people pay their rent, pay their mortgage, pay their energy bill, instead of launching an attack on foreign countries and putting our troops in danger.

Mr. President, on Epstein, it has been 18 days--18 days--since the administration was required by law to release the full Epstein files to the American public, and it has been 15 days since the administration has released any documentation on Jeffrey Epstein.

Now, the Department of Justice says it has released less than 1 percent of the files--less than 1 percent in 18 days at 2\1/2\ weeks. Are you kidding me? They say they were preparing well in advance, and they have only gotten 1 percent done?

It is deliberate stonewalling of the American people, what Congress and the American people are demanding. It is an outlandishly naked attempt to hide the truth and defy the law. People across America are wondering, scratching their heads, and asking, What the hell is Donald Trump hiding? His Justice Department is so adamant about slow-walking everything.

Let's be very clear about what the Justice Department is doing and what I warned would happen. They are using every trick in the book to ignore the will of Congress and to ignore Federal law. Every single Member of Congress, with one exception, spoke in unanimity: The administration must release the truth about Jeffrey Epstein--no dodging, no obfuscation, no hiding. It has been 18 days, and what does the administration have to show for it? Less than 1 percent of the truth. It is unacceptable.

The American people won't stand for it. And the Senate is going to take every action available to ensure that every shred of evidence that must see the light of day comes out. Jeffrey Epstein's victims deserve no less. The American people deserve no less.

Donald Trump, why are you hiding the truth about Jeffrey Epstein from the American people?

Thank you to my friend Senator Kaine of Virginia for his good words, and I thank Senator Padilla for organizing this floor block, and all of my colleagues who have come to the floor today. I see Senator Peters is waiting.

Why are we here to speak on this difficult and somber day? Because 5 years ago today, down to this very hour, the temple of democracy was turned into a snake pit of mob violence. Its windows were smashed. Its offices vandalized. Lawmakers and our staffs--everyday citizens who love their country and work here every day--hid beneath desks and feared for their lives.

Nearly 140 police officers were injured as 5 people lost their lives. It is like yesterday to me. I was sitting right at this desk. I had just known on January 5, the day before, that I was becoming majority leader because we had won the seats in Georgia. And I am sitting there and looking at something, and all of a sudden, I feel a hand on my collar. It was Michael Lanczycki, the head of my security team. He said: You are in danger. We have got to get out of here. I looked up at my desk, and I saw Pence being rushed off the platform.

We went out the door. We made a right turn. We opened another door, and we were within 20 feet of these hooligans, one of whom recognized me and said: Let's get him.

Because of the bravery of the Capitol Police officers, nothing bad happened to us, but it was a horrible day. Five years later, I want to thank my detail, but all the members of the Capitol Police, the DC Police, our servicemembers, and all the first responders who helped us. You are heroes. On that day, you were the first line of defense for democracy--the first line of defense for democracy.

And it is shameful and cowardly today that the Trump White House has tried to rewrite history. Countries fail when they don't learn from their history, and yet to blame the Capitol Police force for creating violence is sickening. How could they do this? On the one hand, they say they love police officers, but right here they blame those here.

They were our heroes, the Capitol Police officers. And the only ones who caused violence were the rioters, egged on by Trump. So we thank our heroes. We also mourn those who perished in the days and weeks and months after the attack, especially the first responders.

And, of course, the anniversary here on January 6 comes at a bitter and complicated moment. Donald Trump is now back in office. How we could have let somebody who did this, hidden by all the propaganda and lies that he and his allies in the media and his allies in politics propagated, is just incredible. It is confounding. It makes you worry about democracy.

His pardons make a mockery of the rule of law. And on his very first day, he pardoned every single convicted insurrectionist--very first day as President.

That speaks loudly as to who Donald Trump is, the lowness of his character, the lack of any honor. And, sadly, too many of our Republican colleagues remain silent in the face of this obvious evil. Too many have tried to rewrite history. Too many are trying to turn the criminals into martyrs. We were here. I heard one of them say it was a tourist excursion. We were here. It was no tourist excursion. It was no tourist excursion at all.

And while the insurrection lasted just a day, the attack on democracy lives on. There are people, young people here, who may be susceptible to the same kind of propaganda because they think it happened once and the people who did it were heroes and were pardoned.

So this is dangerous, not only at this moment but in future moments and days and months and years ahead.

And that fight against democracy lives on in the threats against free and fair elections; the threats against workers--election workers, poll workers; threats live on in Donald Trump's very own Justice Department, which has tried to get its hands on State voter data, and it has abandoned any fight against voter discrimination.

And, of course, Donald Trump continues to plug in election deniers within the people's government. He makes them heroes. It is making night day, turning black into white, white into black.

The attacks are not over but neither--I want to assure the American people--is our fight to protect the democracy we love. The way forward is clear: We must speak the truth. We must fight the lies. We must never relent on speaking what happened on January 6 in the face of the hurricane of lies that comes from Donald Trump and, particularly, so many of his media allies.

To protect democracy, to speak the truth, to reveal and expose the lies, this is our moral obligation as Members of this institution and as citizens of this democracy.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, early Saturday morning, as we all know, U.S. forces apprehended Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Both of them are now in U.S. custody.

First, I will say this: Maduro is a tyrant. Nobody mourns what has happened to him. Under his watch, the people of Venezuela have suffered immensely. But now the crucial question is, What comes next for Venezuela and, more importantly, for the United States?

Nobody really seems to know. The administration's story keeps changing by the hour. Even after Secretary Rubio spent all day Sunday trying to clean up Trump's mess, the President went right back to repeat that the United States will now apparently run Venezuela for a while.

On and on and on. No plan. No clarity. Only chaos.

Ironically and dangerously, the chaos Donald Trump has engendered in Venezuela leads him on, in his mind, to think he should try the same thing in Colombia, in Iran, and even in Greenland.

But the danger in Venezuela is only beginning. Donald Trump has opened a Pandora's box, and things can get out of hand very quickly. And if Donald Trump tries to do to Colombia and Greenland what he did to Venezuela, the disasters and consequences could compound exponentially, as bad as Venezuela alone is going to be. Whenever our country has gotten involved in this kind of regime change and nation building, American families pay the price in blood and in treasure. That is what happened in Iraq, for instance.

The American people did not sign up for this kind of military adventurism when they voted for Donald Trump. They wanted a President focused on America first, focused on lowering the cost of living, lowering healthcare costs, lowering grocery prices. Just like Donald Trump broke his promise to release the Epstein files, he is now breaking his promise to end American involvement in the endless wars.

I warn my Republican colleagues: The backlash from the MAGA base on the war in Venezuela will be swift, fierce, and thunderous, just like it was with the Epstein files. And if the Republicans go along with Donald Trump on Venezuela, Americans will pay the price in blood and in treasure, while Republicans could very well pay the price politically.

In the meantime, the next step for Congress is clear: We must stop Trump's folly by invoking the War Powers Act. Later this week, I will join Senator Kaine, Senator Schiff, and Senator Paul in forcing a vote on our War Powers Resolution, a bipartisan measure that will affirm Congress's authority on matters of war and peace when it comes to Venezuela. If there was ever a time for Republicans to step up to the plate and stand up not just for the authority of Congress but for

our national security, our safety, that time is now.

Separately, this afternoon, leaders of the House and Senate will meet with senior administration officials to ask questions about what is going on in Venezuela--try to get to the bottom of it--and what the plan is moving forward. An all-Senators briefing is also being organized for later this week. I demanded these briefings immediately after the strike on Saturday.

The administration owes Congress and the American people some pretty basic answers to many important questions--most importantly: What the hell does Donald Trump mean when he says the United States now intends to ``run'' Venezuela? Does this mean we are now in the business of nation building Venezuela? Are we going to put troops on the ground? How many? Where? And how much will it cost? How long will this go on? These questions should be answered to the Congress and, more importantly, to the American people before the administration attempts anything akin to so-called running Venezuela.

Frankly, we also know why Senator Rubio misled Congress so blatantly over the past 4 months. On three occasions, I asked Rubio whether or not the administration was seeking regime change in Venezuela. Three times the answer was no. We never really believed him in the first place, to be candid. But if Secretary Rubio wasn't straight with us about Venezuela, what else is he not being straight with us about now? What else is he not being straight with the American people about now? For example, is an attack on Colombia now on the table? What about Iran or Greenland?

How is any of this putting America first? The simple answer is that it is not.

If you are a family of four in New York and your healthcare premiums just doubled on January 1, what are you supposed to think when you read in the paper that Donald Trump is spending billions attacking Venezuela? If you are struggling to keep a roof over your head, if you are falling behind on your mortgage payment, what are you supposed to think when Donald Trump says we are going to ``run'' Venezuela for a while?

The American people did not sign up for another round of endless wars. They want Donald Trump to focus on the problems here at home: on healthcare, on housing, on energy, on groceries. But Donald Trump's promise to keep us out of foreign entanglements is now as worthless as his promise to release the Epstein files.

He promises his base one thing on the campaign trail and does the exact opposite once he is in office, and it is the American people who will pay the price.

Mr. President, now, on cost of living, if Donald Trump refuses to focus on the one thing Americans want most, which is to lower the cost of living, Democrats are happy to do it for them. As we begin 2026, Democrats enter the new year on our front foot. The cost of living will remain the No. 1 focus for this week, this month, this year, and beyond.

The tip of the spear for so many people when it comes to costs, of course, is healthcare. It is now January 5, 2026. For tens of millions of people, the reality of sky-high premiums has now been locked in, thanks to Republicans who let the ACA premium tax credits expire last year. Millions more no longer have healthcare at all. Many others have switched to lower quality plans and can no longer see the doctors they have gone to for years and years and years or afford the medicines that their children have been taking to cure deadly diseases. Parents without insurance now don't know what to do if their kids get sick.

Every Democrat in the Senate voted to extend the premium tax credits at the end of last year. And a number of Republicans--a small number, unfortunately, of Republicans--in both Chambers say they want to do it. But instead of listening to the vast majority of Americans who want these tax credits rendered, Leader Thune and Speaker Johnson have sided with rightwing extremists who are happy to see these credits die. The result: higher premiums, more uninsured Americans, greater uncertainty for the people back home--especially people, actually, in the red States.

Democrats will not relent on the issue of the cost of living, of how difficult it is for Americans to pay the bills for things they need. The topic is not going to go away anytime soon. In fact, it will only grow in intensity over the year.

But, as everyone knows, healthcare is not the only part of the story when it comes to lowering the cost of living. In the coming weeks and months, Democrats will lay out cleanly and comprehensively how we can lower costs for the American people on a number of different topics-- from health to housing, to groceries, to childcare, to energy costs, and beyond.

In the coming weeks, for example, I will work with a number of my colleagues, including Senator Warren, on the many options we have to help Americans pay for housing. We also need to look at lowering grocery costs. We need to end Donald Trump's destructive tariffs. We need to help families afford daycare. These are the things that Americans care about, not invading Venezuela, not attacking Colombia, or dreaming of invading Greenland.

The Democrats are focused on the things that matter to the American people, and we will focus on these like a laser--the high cost of living; affordability. Just like Democrats are dialed in on healthcare and brought the Nation's attention to this important issue, we are also focusing on costs as they relate to housing and groceries and energy and childcare and so much more.

We show the contrast that, while Donald Trump and Republicans are spending all of their time on foreign wars, on ballrooms, on private jets, Democrats are the ones focused on helping people pay the bills for the things they need every day to live their lives decently.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, last night, Donald Trump gave a speech about how supposedly great his first year has been. So, of course, his speech was short because there is really not much to say about how great Trump has been.

For 18 minutes, the President, last night, tried to convince Americans the sky is green and that trees can walk. He yelled at the camera and said that things are somehow going great even though costs are up. He said he is doing a great job in office--all of which is, obviously, false. And the American people didn't buy it.

It was clear, in watching the speech, that the President didn't want to be there. The only thing Americans saw last night was a very rich President trapped in a bubble, forced by his advisers to give a speech he didn't want to give. It is like your cousin who can't sit still for a Christmas photo, only this is the President of the United States.

Our country is in a lot of trouble right now, but instead of giving Americans a plan on how we will lower their costs, Donald Trump played the blame game. That is so typical of him. Instead of solving a problem, which is what a good President is supposed to do, he just points fingers at other people, and that doesn't do a bit of good to get the American people back on the right track. It is never a good sign when the President begins a speech by saying, ``I inherited a mess,'' because that is just another way of telling people: I don't want to be responsible for any of this.

Again, President Trump's speech showed he lives in a bubble--a billionaire bubble--completely disconnected from the reality that everyday Americans are seeing and feeling. People are feeling squeezed harder and harder every day, and Donald Trump, last night, took a victory lap.

Now let's talk about one of the most important issues for Americans when it comes to costs: healthcare.

Last night, Donald Trump offered exactly zero solutions for how we are going to lower Americans' healthcare premiums. He kept blaming Democrats. He kept saying the healthcare crisis is not his fault.

But here are the facts--the immutable facts--Donald Trump: No amount of finger-pointing, lying, hyping it up, or patting yourself on the back is going to undo the fact that the American people are going to pay a lot more for healthcare come January 1.

On January 1, the ACA enhanced premium tax credits are going to expire because Donald Trump chose to let them die.

Even our Republican colleagues have told us time and time again that if Trump would do something here and support an extension of the tax credits, as we Democrats are fighting for, then maybe they would be able to do something. But he doesn't.

Now tens of millions are going to see their insurance premiums double on average. Four million people will lose insurance because Donald Trump let it happen, and he is there, sitting in front of the TV camera, patting himself on the back--unbelievable. Millions more with private insurance will see their premiums go up because Donald Trump let it happen. Our emergency rooms are going to be even more overrun. People are going to be kicked out of nursing homes. Rural hospitals will close. And there is Donald Trump congratulating himself on how great he is.

Look, because of Republicans' total inaction on healthcare, huge damage has already been done, and nothing we do after January 1 can undo so much of that damage. As I have said before, the toothpaste is out of the tube.

However you want to say it, the point is this: Because of Republicans, it is now impossible, sadly, to prevent people from having to pay hundreds, if not thousands, more on their premiums next year. It is going to start January 1.

Even if we can figure out a way to stop the bleeding next year--that is a very big ``if''--Republicans are still in shambles and have no plan themselves. For too many people, it is going to be too late because Republicans chose to let these ACA tax credits expire. They had an easy opportunity to join us in our 3-year, clean extension of the ACA credits, and they refused.

Well, Americans heard none of what they wanted to hear last night during Trump's speech--nothing about how he will lower premiums, nothing about how he will lower their cost of living, nothing about how Republicans could have fixed this crisis but didn't. Donald Trump kept playing the blame game. Many a President has tried to do that--all with disastrous results. People want solutions; Donald Trump gave them none.

Democrats, meanwhile, are not going to stop fighting to lower people's premiums, and we are not going to stop fighting to lower costs across the board and help Americans pay for the things they need and avoid those moments on Friday night when families sit around the kitchen table and say: How the hell am I going to pay this bill? I don't have the money for it. I need what the bill has asked me to pay for.

Look, we Democrats will not stop fighting to lower costs and help Americans pay for the things they need. These will be our watchwords in 2026: lower costs and lower healthcare costs in particular.

That issue ain't going away, Republicans. We are going to keep on it and on it and on it until maybe you join us to really solve the problem.

Republicans, healthcare is not going away. People need help to afford premiums, and Democrats are going to keep fighting and pushing this issue for all of 2026 and beyond.

Mr. President, on the CR, Democrats want to get our work done to finish the bipartisan appropriations process. Our goal is a bipartisan bill that funds the government through fiscal year 2026.

Republicans worked for over a month and just yesterday gave Democrats a list of their cleared amendments, one of which has no text.

While I don't expect we will need quite as long as Republicans took, it will still take some time for us to work through our amendments so that we can finish the minibus in January.

Democrats are working in good faith to finish the process. As we have said, our goal is a bipartisan bill that funds the government through 2026, and we are working in good faith to finish this process. It is not easy. Obstacles always remain. No side is going to get everything they want. But a bipartisan agreement is the preferred outcome for the vast majority of Senators, Democrat and Republican.

I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker), the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin), the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Smith), and the Senator from Massachussetts (Ms. Warren), are necessarily absent.