Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, on anti-Semitism, today, in America, we are witnessing a disturbing and alarming trend. Anti-Semitism and White supremacy and, indeed, neo-Nazism--just saying the word sends shudders down one's spine--are increasingly running rampant in our society. These deeply pernicious forms of hate, spewed by rightwing radicals like Nick Fuentes and platformed by people like Tucker Carlson, who almost seem proud to platform them, have pushed America closer to a tipping point.

Jewish Americans and all those targeted by White nationalist hate are all too often looking over their shoulders, fearing for their safety. And too many--too many--in this country are silent against this threat.

On this issue, silence is dangerous. Because silence is dangerous, today, I am introducing a resolution cosponsored by every single Senate Democrat--all 47. This resolution rejects Nick Fuentes and his anti- Semitic and White supremacist views. This resolution condemns Tucker Carlson for giving Fuentes a platform, and it condemns anti-Semitism, White supremacy, and Nazism wherever and whenever they strike.

As I introduce this resolution today, I invite my Senate Republican colleagues to join us in taking a stand against hate by cosponsoring this resolution. The country wants to see both parties united against anti-Semitism, so it is not too late for my Republican colleagues to join my resolution.

This is not a theoretical exercise. Senators speaking out against White supremacist hatred is vital in today's day and age because there have been far too many instances lately of anti-Semitism, White supremacy, and other forms of hatred being welcomed, normalized, and even endorsed in our society. Who would have thought? When we

stay silent, when we fail to reject anti-Semitism and White supremacy, that is when they spread through society like wildfire.

So my resolution gives Senators from both parties a chance to stand up against anti-Semitism and White supremacy and to send a clear, unmistakable message that here in America, we reject all and any forms of hatred and bigotry.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, today, I am announcing that Senate Democrats will introduce legislation for a clean, 3-year extension of the current ACA tax credits. This is the bill--a clean, 3-year extension of ACA tax credits--that Democrats will bring to the floor of the Senate for a vote next Thursday, and every single Democrat will support it.

Republicans have 1 week to decide where they stand: Vote for this bill and bring healthcare costs down, or block this bill and send premiums skyrocketing.

That is what is at stake when we vote next week. It is going to be one of the most important votes we take because it is showing who is on the side of the American people and lowering their healthcare costs and who is on the side of the big special interests and is going to allow them to raise healthcare costs for America. People back home will be watching what Republicans do, and the American people are running out of time before January 1.

Make no mistake, our bill is the last chance Republicans will get before January 1 to prevent premiums from skyrocketing. Republicans have no hope of solving this healthcare crisis on their own. They have no healthcare plan of their own whatsoever. They are far too divided. Americans can't help but notice that when Leader Thune came to the podium a few minutes ago, he didn't even talk about healthcare because he has nothing to say. They can't even come up with their own bill.

The only path next week is supporting our bill. While Democrats are united in fighting for the American people, Republicans are too busy fighting amongst themselves. They can't even come up with their own plan. Republicans have spent more time kicking low-income people off health insurance and raising costs for those who stay covered than on doing anything to lower premiums. They have riddled their plan with poison pills that would ban abortion nationwide.

For those Republicans talking about sending checks, how is a one-time check supposed to last the whole year? People are paying more every day for the things they need, and a single check in the mail is cold comfort if you are paying $1,000 or $5,000 more a month just for health insurance.

So the reality is this. The reality is simply this: The easiest, most direct way, the simplest way to solve this premium crisis is for Republicans to vote for our bill. Any Republican who claims to care about premium increases on January 1 has only one realistic path, and that is to support our bill for a simple, clean, 3-year extension.

If Republicans block our bill, there is no going back. We won't get another chance to halt these premium spikes before they kick in at the start of the new year. Those insurance premiums in January will land like a hammer blow on the American people. The pain will fall on all Americans but heaviest in the Republicans' own backyards. They don't even care about their own constituents.

As election results have shown in November, this past week, and in many other instances, the American people are beginning to learn Republicans don't care that costs are going through the roof for the average American family.

Americans with chronic illnesses will suffer if we don't extend the credits. Rural communities will be devastated. People who get insurance through their jobs will see their costs go up too. This isn't just affecting ACA people.

We can avoid all of this needless pain if just a handful of Republicans join us in passing our bill--join us in passing our bill. Or are they going to continue the Republican war on healthcare, on reducing healthcare costs, and block getting better healthcare for the American people.

For the last 30 years, Republicans have been fighting, but now this fight is coming to a head because the failure to extend these premiums will hit so hard--harder than anything that has hit the American people in the last while.

Democrats have made clear where we stand. Now that our proposal is out, Republicans have 1 week to pick a side: Join us and prevent premiums from skyrocketing, or block our bill and condemn people, the American people, to financial disaster. The choice is up to the Republicans here in the Senate.

Mr. President, on Signalgate, today, a Pentagon watchdog will release a new report on Signalgate finding that Secretary Hegseth put the lives of American troops at risk by sharing sensitive operational information on a group chat in flagrant disregard of security proposals. Secretary Hegseth has put the lives of American troops at risk. The conclusion that this report points to is damning. The Secretary of Defense's lack of judgment put the lives of our troops in danger.

Instead of accepting responsibility for his mistakes as any real leader would do, the Secretary has remained defiant, has mocked this incident, and has tried to label this as a witch hunt--as a witch hunt.

Pete Hegseth has a clear MO: He puts himself first at the expense of our men and women in uniform, and when he screws up, he tries to hide the truth. That is his MO--putting himself first and then hiding the truth.

This new report, just like the boat strikes in the Caribbean, points to a growing pattern: When Hegseth has the chance to make himself look good, look tough, he will talk a big game--try to seem tough. He will go on TV and make big speeches. But when he makes mistakes or faces any adversity, he throws others under the bus without a second thought.

This guy does not belong as Secretary of Defense. In the 10 months on the job, Pete Hegseth has demonstrated clear defects of character that we cannot afford in a Secretary of Defense.

I ask my Republican colleagues: How can we trust this man to keep our troops safe when it is clear that he isn't able to even keep sensitive information safe? How can we trust the

word of a man who will change his story or shift blame or hide the truth at the drop of a hat? The answer is, we cannot trust him.

Pete Hegseth is not qualified to serve as Secretary of Defense. Our brave troops need much better than Pete Hegseth.

Mr. President, today, on nominations, Republicans will move forward with a Trojan horse of a nominee package, confirming in one fell swoop a slew of horribly unqualified, shockingly radical nominees.

All year long, Senate Republicans have bent the knee to Donald Trump, giving him every nominee he has asked for, no matter how unqualified, no matter how unfit they are, no matter how bad this nominee package is. It is much different than any nominee package we have seen.

Democrats oppose these people, as you will see in a minute, because they are just totally unqualified to be in the important positions he is trying to place them in. No wonder the Republicans didn't want to have votes on these people, didn't want to have discussion, because when the American people learn who they are, they are aghast that these types of people would be appointed.

So, yes, Democrats want votes. We want least an hour or two of discussion to fill these important positions.

Leader Thune said, oh, we are just doing this for partisan political reasons. Here is what he said exactly. He said: Democrats must be doing one of two things. Thune said: Either the President has been nominating historically bad nominees, or Democrats are simply being partisan.

Well, Speaker Thune, Leader Thune, that is obvious, Leader Thune: It is that Donald Trump is nominating historically bad nominees. That is why we are doing this.

I mean, there are so many. I could spend hours on the floor talking about them. But let me mention a few, just a few, and when you hear what is going on, America, you will be aghast.

Look at the nomination of Sara Bailey to serve as Director of National Drug Control Policy. They are trying to sneak this one through. Of course they would be afraid of a discussion or a vote or who she is coming to light. Bailey has no background in medicine, no background in public health, no background in law enforcement. She is so radical--Bailey is--that even FOX News's news shows banned her.

But do you know what she has going for her? why she was nominated for an important position with no experience? She said the January 6 rioters were ``good Americans.'' That was her ticket to getting this job. All you have to do is tell Donald Trump he was right about January 6, even though he was so obviously wrong and dangerous in what he did then. But all you have to do is tell him ``Oh, they were good Americans,'' and that is good enough for Donald Trump. And now Senate Republicans have gone down to his level, and it is good enough for them.

Republicans are also trying to sneak through people like Anthony D'Esposito to be the inspector general--the watchdog--of the Department of Labor. This is a former Member of the House who put his mistress on his congressional payroll and has faced a slew of misconduct allegations as a police officer. That is not anyone's definition of a good watchdog--unless you are Senate Republicans. Someone who faced misconduct allegations and put his mistress on the payroll is now the watchdog at the Department of Labor? Give me a break.

Of course they want to hide these nominees. They are embarrassed about them. They know that Donald Trump has the lowest standard of any President we have ever seen for qualifications to important positions.

There is John Bartrum, who Republicans want to appoint as Under Secretary for Health at the Department of Veterans Affairs. What is his claim to fame? He was instrumental in firing VA staff, tearing up VA contracts, and politicizing VA research.

That is just three. There are so many more that are just appalling. Yeah, we Democrats of course want to see votes on these nominees. We don't want to allow them to just be all voted yes in a big package so their lack of qualification, their lack of honor, their lack of honesty, their past records can be hidden.

But Republicans are ashamed--ashamed--of who they have to vote for.

They should vote against these nominees, but they are afraid of Donald Trump. It is very clear what Republicans are doing. They are trying to pull a fast one on the American people and sneak through an entire henhouse of bad nominees without giving them the scrutiny that the American people demand.

You know, when you choose bad nominees, you pay a price. Trump picked Hegseth for Secretary of Defense, whom I talked about a few minutes ago. He had no qualifications to be Secretary of Defense. The only way he got through was arm-twisting from some Republicans who knew he shouldn't be in that position, and now Trump and the administration and Senate Republicans who voted for him are paying a price because it is so obvious he is screwing up left and right.

When you put in these bad nominees, you sneak them through or bludgeon them through, the administration and, unfortunately, the American people pay a very significant price. This nominee package is a perfect symbol of what this majority has been about from day one: bowing to Donald Trump, rubberstamping his unqualified loyalists, and chipping away at the Senate's role as a check on a highly abusive Executive.

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, Americans once again went to the polls in an election where affordability--how much people have to pay for the things they really need--was the driving issue. A deep-red Tennessee district that Trump won by 22 points swung by double digits in Democrats' direction.

Last night was the latest flashing red light indicating Americans are fed up with Republican policies--particularly how much they have to pay for the things they really need.

Donald Trump doesn't get it. At yesterday's Cabinet meeting, Donald Trump once again doubled down on the bizarre claim that the affordability issue is somehow a hoax. Yeah, maybe it is a hoax for a billionaire like him and all of his cronies, who never have to worry about how much they have to pay for the things they need, but American people have to worry and worry about it every week when the bills come in, and they say: My income isn't equal to what I need to buy.

The costs are going up and up and up, in large part--in good part-- because of Donald Trump and his administration's policies.

So when Donald Trump says that affordability is somehow a hoax, he is on a different planet than the average American. At his Cabinet meeting, he called affordability ``a fake narrative'' and ``a con job.'' He said affordability ``doesn't mean anything to anybody.'' What a bubble he is in. He doesn't understand how the average person struggles each week, each month, to pay the bills.

Of all the ways Donald Trump could respond to people's worry about the high cost of living, he has chosen the worst strategy. He is telling Americans they are imagining things. Donald Trump--a man who has lived his entire life in the kind of luxury most people could never wrap their heads around--is pretending that high costs somehow don't exist. The man is a multibillionaire. The President of the United States, who is supposed to know what is on people's minds, is telling people that high costs that they pay each week don't exist. Well, their pocketbooks feel it. Their wallets feel it. Their bank accounts feel it.

Maybe things are going great if you are rich like Donald Trump, but for everyone else, things are getting worse, not better, when it comes to paying for stuff.

In a recent Axios-CBS poll, half of Americans said that food is harder to purchase this year than it was a year ago. That doesn't sound like a hoax--not to people who go to the supermarket every week and have trouble and look at those bills and say: How the hell did they get so high? It sounds, rather, not like a hoax, which Donald Trump seems to think it is, but a big problem every week for American families--the high cost of groceries and what they buy at the supermarket.

Seventy-four percent of Americans now say that the economy is either poor or just fair. Consumer confidence--one of the watch words of how good our economy is going to do in the future--is sinking.

This holiday season, the price of an 8-pound, bone-in spiral ham is up nearly 50 percent compared to last year--50 percent for a traditional Christmas dish. Beef prices are up 15 percent compared to last year. Canned vegetables are more expensive because tariffs made the packaging more costly even when those vegetables are grown here. Even something as simple as aluminum foil is up 40 percent compared to last year.

So, Donald Trump, hear the American people: Affordability--the high cost of paying for things--is not a hoax. People are struggling to pay for the things they need.

It is because of Donald Trump and his disastrous policies. His tariffs have effectively taxed each household around $2,000 a year. Tariffs sent retail coffee prices up 40 percent in September alone. And those tariffs were placed on places like Brazil. We don't grow coffee here in America, so what the hell is there a tariff doing there? Except it is a tax. That is the way Trump taxes people.

Tariffs have poisoned American manufacturing. This week, the Wall Street Journal reported that manufacturing has contracted for 9 months in a row. Manufacturing, one of the lifebloods of America, has been declining every month for the last 9 months. And what is the reason? Ask manufacturers. Tariffs are the No. 1 cost. Producers say it is getting more expensive to source the material they need to make their products. It is very simple.

Mr. President, when it comes to paying for things that Americans need, healthcare is way at the top of the list.

Every American knows they want to have healthcare. God forbid they, their spouse, their loved one, their kids, their parents become ill or sick. They want to know there is some kind of safety net there for them. But Trump and the Republicans don't seem to realize that.

In just 28 days, the ACA tax credits are set to expire. Next year, tens of millions of Americans will see their healthcare premiums skyrocket--20 million by an average of 114 percent, those on ACA that need those credits. Millions more--even on private insurance--are going to pay a whole lot more too.

I just had a friend I know who works for a big company--the company told him ``You are going to have to pay $450 more a month for your health insurance'' because the insurers are charging the health company more--all because of the expiration of the ACA credit.

This is not theoretical. Higher premiums mean real pain, real suffering for real people--most of them, in fact, in red States.

Yesterday, the American Cancer Society found that virtually every single cancer patient who relies on ACA tax credits--96 percent--96 percent said they will struggle to get the care they need if the credits expire.

Republicans are literally telling cancer patients ``You are on your own.'' Telling someone with cancer ``You are on your own because I want to give tax breaks to billionaires''--how un-American is that? How against what Americans need, want, desire is that?

Republicans have clearly sent America barreling towards a healthcare cliff.

The Republicans are divided. Democrats--we are united on healthcare. One House Republican, though, said that the Republicans are ``nowhere on healthcare.'' That is right. On healthcare, Republicans are divided; Democrats are united. And the divisions on the Republican side are severe. One day, the White House says they will release some grand plan to address the problem. The next day, congressional Republicans say ``hell no'' and shoot the White House plans down, and Trump backs off. Republicans can't agree on whether to dismantle the ACA or privatize the whole system or just keep attacking women's health because it plays well with their hard-right, anti-choice base.

Forget not being on the same page on healthcare; Republicans aren't even reading from the same book. And while Republicans continue fighting with each other, the American people are left holding the bill.

So I have said many times before: When it comes to healthcare, Republicans are divided--divided among themselves and divided from what the American people overwhelmingly want. Fifty-five percent of Trump voters--Trump voters--want to restore the ACA credits.

Democrats are united on lowering premiums. We are united on lowering costs. We are united on helping Americans pay for the things they need. Republicans, meanwhile, are paralyzed--paralyzed by their divisions, paralyzed by their own extremism. And it will be Americans who will pay the price when premiums go up. And they know who is to blame. They know why.

Mr. President, I want to begin with a truly disgusting and alarming piece of news the American people got this morning. This morning, the former President of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez, was released from prison after Donald Trump gave him a pardon.

We all know Donald Trump does a lot of hypocritical things. Almost every day there is hypocrisy oozing from the White House. But pardoning one of the world's biggest drug traffickers is egregious, shameful, and dangerous, even for Donald Trump.

It would be bad enough on its own for Donald Trump to pardon this horrible drug trafficker, but for him to pardon this drug lord while putting a quarter of our military in the Caribbean, right nearby Honduras, to fight drug trafficking makes an utter mockery of

Donald Trump's supposed desire to root out all drug trafficking.

Let's be clear of the facts: The person Donald Trump just pardoned was convicted of helping move 400 tons of cocaine to the United States, all the while Trump blows up alleged drug boats to prevent drugs from getting to America and risks leapfrogging the United States into war with Venezuela.

You can't have it both ways, Mr. President. You talk a big game about hunting down drug traffickers and getting drugs off our streets and then turn around and free a dangerous, convicted drug lord. That sends a message to other criminals: Suck up to Trump, and you will get a pardon, no matter how many boatloads of drugs you pump into our streets.

Even one Trump adviser admitted that ``how we justify this is really hard.''

Trump's pardon reeks of hypocrisy; it reeks of corruption, which is the MO of the Trump administration.

The failure of the leadership at the Department of Defense is also a national embarrassment. The mess Secretary Hegseth creates regularly shows the consequences of picking an inexperienced FOX News host to lead a massively complex life-or-death Federal Agency. Donald Trump is learning it the hard way: If you pick a FOX News cable host to lead the largest, most complicated Federal Agency of all, you get burnt, and Hegseth is just way beyond what anyone would imagine in how bad he is at that Department.

In the past few days, more questions have arisen about Hegseth's order to attack alleged drug trafficking vessels off the coast of Venezuela. It is possible those strikes--which may have included verbal orders from the Secretary of Defense to ``kill everybody'' on those boats--violated the law.

But this is the problem: The American people still don't know exactly what happened because Pete Hegseth refuses to tell the truth.

Months ago, right after the strikes, Hegseth went on FOX News and bragged that he was present at every moment of the operation. He said on FOX News that he ``watched it live.'' He said the same to us in person.

But then, last night, he tweeted that his admiral was actually the one who made all the combat decisions.

This is so spineless.

Pete Hegseth won't hesitate for a moment to talk a big game and take credit if he thinks it makes him look good, but the minute trouble arises, suddenly Hegseth says someone else was making the decision.

Now, let's be very clear about something: There is a very easy way for the American people to get the truth. Pete Hegseth should release the full tapes of the September 2 attack--both the first and second strike; not a clip, not some edited or redacted snippet. The full, unedited tapes of each strike must be released so the American people can see what happened with their own eyes.

Now, Pete Hegseth says he did nothing wrong. So prove it. If it is true, he should have nothing to fear from the truth. But if he refuses to release the tapes, if he stonewalls, if he keeps hiding the facts, then the question becomes unavoidable: What is Pete Hegseth hiding? What does Pete Hegseth not want the American people to see?

Is it that his story doesn't add up? We don't know because Pete Hegseth is right now hiding the truth. And, sadly, that has become the theme with this administration. When facts are inconvenient, they cover up.

So, Secretary Hegseth, release the tapes.

I also want to commend my Senate colleagues, including the chairman and ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, Senators Wicker and Reed, for working together in good faith in a bipartisan way to conduct oversight of these boat strikes. I support those efforts wholeheartedly.

One of the first things we need is a classified briefing from the DOD--Department of Defense--about exactly what happened during these operations. Let me be clear: Secretary Hegseth must be part of those briefings. We need documentation. We need the tapes.

But we should go one step further: Secretary Hegseth should testify publicly before the committee, under oath, so that the American people hear the facts.

The truth should not be kept behind closed doors. The fresh air of public scrutiny should be let in. The public has a right to know. That is why Pete Hegseth must testify publicly and, most importantly, why he must release the full tape of the attacks.

Mr. President, on healthcare, let me start with a shockingly candid quote from a senior House Republican on their plan to fix healthcare. This senior House Republican, when it came to healthcare, said about the Republicans in the House:

We're nowhere on healthcare.

That is what a senior House Republican said. It is a grim thing to say, but it is the truth. There has never been a clearer divide on what Democrats want on healthcare and what Republicans want on healthcare.

Democrats want to lower healthcare costs for families. We want to make healthcare cheaper, more effective, more accessible. We are united on that issue from one end of the party to the other.

Republicans, meanwhile, are a total mess when it comes to healthcare. Republicans don't know what to do. One day Trump floats a so-called healthcare plan. The next day, Speaker Johnson forces him to shoot it down.

Some Republicans say they want to dismantle the ACA--probably a majority of them in the House and a large number in the Senate--just dismantle it altogether. Other Republicans seem more focused on eradicating reproductive care in every State than helping people afford healthcare.

The bottom line is, Republicans are in total disarray on healthcare. And while Republicans continue the infighting, who is paying the price? The American people, the people whose premiums are going up by $500 to $1,000 a month. These people know that Trump and the Republicans are to blame.

America, we all know, is in a healthcare crisis, and Republicans are only adding fuel to the fire.

Democrats have been clear from the start: The first step--the first step--to solve this crisis is extending the ACA tax credits. Democrats are ready to do so. We are united, and we are committed to lowering the cost of healthcare.

Republicans, however, by their own admission, are nowhere on healthcare, and that is a disastrous message to send to the American people who are suffering from skyrocketing healthcare costs.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, this morning, I was informed by New York law enforcement of multiple bomb threats made against my offices in Rochester, Binghamton, and Long Island. The bomb threats against my offices came with the email subject line ``MAGA'' and from an email address alleging the ``2020 election was rigged.''

Local and Federal law enforcement responded immediately and are conducting full security sweeps, and investigations are ongoing. Everyone, thank God, is safe, and I am grateful for the quick and professional response of Federal and local law enforcement to ensure that these offices remain safe and secure for all New Yorkers.

As I have said many times, these kinds of violent threats have absolutely no place--no place--in our political system.

No one--no public servant, no staff member, no constituent, no citizen--should ever be targeted for simply doing their job.

Mr. President, now on Venezuela, Donald Trump has turned the Caribbean into a dangerous tinder box. Today, we have more troops off the coast of South America than we have had in decades. U.S. forces have struck at least 20 alleged drug boats with zero independent evidence, no transparency, and no concrete legal justification.

On Saturday, Donald Trump proclaimed that the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela to be closed in its entirety. What does this mean? We have no clue because Donald Trump said a few hours later not to ``read anything into it.''

The erraticness of his foreign policy is dangerous in itself--saying one thing one day and one thing the next. So Americans are right to wonder, what on Earth is Donald Trump planning in Venezuela? Is Donald Trump nudging America into another war? Is he seeking regime change for Maduro? Will he put U.S. troops in harm's way? Nobody knows. All we have is a bunch of contradictory statements from Trump.

Donald Trump seems to be planning a war totally in secret--without congressional authorization, without any transparency, without any explanation for what his goals even are. And all it takes--all it takes--is one mistake, one miscalculation, one lapse in judgment from either side, and suddenly our troops could find themselves in armed conflict with Venezuela. Lives could be lost. American security could suffer.

So I want to be very, very clear. If Donald Trump proceeds with his plan to conduct strikes against Venezuela, Senators Kaine, Paul, and I will immediately file a War Powers Resolution to force congressional action to block the use of troops in Venezuela. The power to declare war lies in the hands of Congress, and we intend to exert that authority should the need arise.

Now, I urge my Republican colleagues to work with us to advance this resolution if it becomes necessary because the thought of another forever war makes Americans sick to their stomachs. Americans are tired of seeing troops bogged down in one country after another. Americans do not want a pointless war in Venezuela.

Donald Trump does not have the authority to send our troops into harm's way without authorization from Congress. Should Donald Trump proceed, the Senate will immediately respond. Should a strike occur, we will force a debate in Congress and force a vote to prevent the U.S. troops from being in hostilities against Venezuela. Our troops' safety and our national security are at stake.

I urge both sides to stand ready to assert the powers of Congress on matters of war and peace should the need arise because the rules of the Congress allow us to require a vote on this issue should the need arise.

Mr. President, on Hegseth, I want to say a word about Secretary Hegseth. I don't think we have ever seen someone so unserious, so childish, so obviously insecure serving as Secretary of Defense as Pete Hegseth, and that should alarm every single one of us.

Secretary Hegseth loves to look tough. He loves to boast about the lethality of our forces. He wants to be taken seriously, but yesterday he posted a ridiculous tweet of a cartoon turtle firing on alleged drug traffickers--a sick parody of a well-known children's book. This man is a national embarrassment. Tweeting memes in the middle of a potential armed conflict is something no serious leader would ever even think of doing. The only thing this tweet accomplishes is to remind the world that Pete Hegseth is not up to the job.

But, of course, this is much more serious than memes on twitter. A few days ago, the Washington Post reported that Secretary Hegseth gave a spoken directive to kill all the occupants of the first alleged drug boat struck by U.S. forces. If the reports in the Washington Post are accurate, this may expose those involved to legal consequences.

What we need right now more than anything else is the truth, the facts, which is precisely what Secretary Hegseth has refused to give.

There are tapes in the possession of the Department of Defense that would show exactly what happened during these military strikes. Secretary Hegseth has an obligation to be truthful, so he should release those tapes. He says the Washington Post account is not correct, so why not release the tapes and prove it? If he refuses to release these tapes, it calls into question the truthfulness of his account.

The tapes will show one way or the other what happened and whether Hegseth is telling the truth. If Secretary Hegseth has nothing to hide, he should not fear being truthful.

In the meantime, Republicans in the House and Senate, including the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, have promised ``vigorous oversight'' on these strikes. This is very encouraging, and I thank them for working in a bipartisan way on this matter. But now Republicans in both Chambers must follow through. We need congressional hearings. We need full and transparent briefings from the Pentagon. Most importantly, the committees should continue to demand that Secretary Hegseth release--release--the tapes.

This is such a serious matter that Secretary Hegseth himself should come before the Congress to testify under oath about the nature of his order, the evidence supporting the strikes, and an explanation for what the goals are in Venezuela.

With our troops standing on a knife's edge in the Caribbean, we need a Secretary of Defense who can prove himself to be serious, sober- minded, and someone of high character. Sadly, Hegseth has the opposite of each of these qualities.

Finally, Mr. President, on healthcare, so the holiday season is upon us, and this year, people are wondering how the hell they are going to afford their health insurance. The ACA tax credits the Republicans have refused to extend will expire, and as many as 20 million Americans will see their healthcare costs skyrocket. Many more than 20 million, even if they have private insurance, will see their costs skyrocket as well.

What are Donald Trump and Republicans doing to solve America's healthcare crisis? Absolutely nothing. Absolutely nothing. Donald Trump and Republicans seem to be in no hurry at all to prevent tens of millions of people's premiums from skyrocketing.

After waiting until the last minute to even talk about healthcare, Republicans are now in utter disarray. First, Trump said he would finally release his grand plan to fix healthcare. Then Republicans in Congress threw a tantrum and bullied the President into backing down. Now Republicans in the House and Senate can't seem to get on the same page about how they will fix this crisis that has been brewing under their watch.

So while Republicans are in complete disarray about healthcare, Democrats remain united to lower people's premiums and to bring their costs down.

Until Donald Trump and Republicans show they are serious about working with us to solve the healthcare crisis, Americans will continue to see their healthcare costs skyrocket, and they will know it is Donald Trump and the Republicans who are to blame.

I yield the floor.