Floor Statements

I object.

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

I ask for the yeas and nays.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, this morning, we got some more troublesome news about the economy under Donald Trump. Today, we learned the economy added only 73,000 jobs last month, far below expectations.

But that wasn't the worst of it. We also learned the economy actually added less than 20,000 jobs, each in May and June, the 2 months following Donald Trump's Liberation Day. That is more than 250,000 fewer jobs than originally thought. Let me say that again. We learned this morning that the economy actually added over a quarter million fewer jobs than originally thought. We also learned that unemployment has gone up.

It is disturbing to say, but the chickens are coming home to roost on Donald Trump's destructive trade war and the American people are paying the price.

You sow chaos, Donald Trump, you reap chaos.

And that is what the President is finding out this morning. A quarter million fewer jobs is a significant revision and a flashing red light. Donald Trump's chaotic tariffs are already bleeding our economy of good-paying jobs. In fact, aside from the pandemic, this job revision is the largest since 1979. In other words, the revision saying we lost jobs is more than any since 1979 except for the period of COVID. That is what tariff whiplash looks like.

Businesses--small, large, medium--always need stability. But businesses are waving around their arms in the dark without a clue of what Donald Trump is going to do next. And we now have clear evidence that it is stunting hiring and growth. If Donald Trump's tariffs have created this much trouble just 4 months after Liberation Day, imagine the trouble Americans will have 8 months after Liberation Day, a year after Liberation Day, when the effects of tariffs go further and more deeply into the economy.

Remember, this jobs report comes a day after we learned inflation accelerated over the last month, and it comes 2 days after we learned growth slowed down in the first half of this year and that business investment is down--down--3 percent.

But what is Donald Trump doing about all this? As bad as his previous trade policies have been, today he is doubling down on his awful trade policies. Last night, he imposed a slew of tariffs on 68 countries around the world, including some of our most important trading partners.

Again, if the effects of Liberation Day have been this bad just in 4 months, imagine the pain and harm Americans will feel 8 months, 12 months from now with these new tariffs just imposed yesterday.

Well, if this is what Liberation Day was supposed to look like, then God help us. Hiring is down; prices are ticking up; families are paying more than $2,400 a year because of these tariffs--$2,400 is a lot of money, even to families way into the middle class.

Businesses have no clue of what Donald Trump is doing next. Worse, we still don't have any idea what Donald Trump is actually agreeing to with partners like Japan, the European Union, and South Korea.

Typical of this administration, this President mistells the truth. He lies more than any other President we have seen. He just makes it up as he goes along and then changes, retracts--we know all about those cartoons, that he never did cartoons. That happens over and over again. And somehow too many of the American people forgive him for baldly lying.

Look at these trade breakthroughs. Look at the pattern. Donald Trump hails the agreement as a major breakthrough, announces huge amounts of money coming into the United States. Then the next day, the people he has made the deals with, the countries he made the deals with retract. They say that didn't happen. He just makes it up.

But Donald Trump, you pay the price for making it up because businesses don't know what you are doing and so they cut back. Business investment was down 3 percent in the last quarter. Before Donald Trump was President--let's not forget, he is trying to sell a 15-percent tariff as a great thing. Before Donald Trump was President, these countries had tariffs in the 1 percent to 2 percent range. Now it is 15 percent.

Do you know what that is? That is a price hike on American families. Asking Americans to bear the brunt of 15-percent tariffs is no sane person's definition of victory.

Instead of cutting off five of your fingers, we are only cutting off three. Don't you want to congratulate us? That is the kind of thing Donald Trump says.

We have no clue what America is actually getting in return. In fact, we don't even know what these deals are because Trump lies about them. There is a pattern here. As I said, there is a pattern. One day, Donald Trump comes out bragging that his so-called deals are somehow major victories. But the next day, reality sets in, and it is abundantly clear when you look at the details, he lied, exaggerated, hyped what was in the deals. One day, he said Japan is going to invest $500 billion in the United States. You know what Japan says the next day? It is, at most, 2 percent of that $500 billion--2 percent.

How does this guy get away with it?

But he doesn't get away with it because the chaos he creates, the mistrust he creates hurts businesses and hurts the country.

So we want to know--the administration refuses to be transparent, refuses to provide the details, and that is very bad for the American people and for the economy. So, today, my colleagues and I are urging transparency from the administration. We are writing Secretary Bessent, Secretary Lutnick, and Ambassador Greer to immediately come clean with answers to a number of important questions about Donald Trump's trade deal.

First of all, how are any of these deals going to be actually verified and enforced? How do we know these investments Donald Trump has bragged about are going to take place because it seems the countries who are making the deals have a different story than what Trump tells? Second, what system or mechanism exists to track any of this information? What industries will see the benefit? What kind of investments are we talking about? Have they thought these things through or does this pop up in Donald Trump's head, and it then comes out of his mouth?

Finally--especially crucially--how do we know that these investments, even if they happen, are going to benefit the public and not just benefit the businesses and industries owned by Donald Trump and his friends?

We have seen over and over again that what they do in the White House doesn't benefit the American people but benefits the people who work in the White House, their cronies, and Donald Trump, himself, who is gaining millions and millions of dollars from his Presidency by taking advantage of the laws they passed. No other President would do it. Ronald Reagan would turn over in his grave if he saw what Trump was doing to benefit himself as President. It causes Americans to just lose faith in democracy.

It has been 4 months since Donald Trump's so-called Liberation Day. By now, we have enough evidence to show these chaotic tariffs are inflicting real damage to the economy. We would be foolish to think doubling down is somehow going to make it better, but that is what Trump did yesterday.

Donald Trump needs to reverse course because the only deal he has actually struck is a raw deal for American families. The only deal Donald Trump has struck is a raw deal for American families, consumers, and businesses. Today's jobs report is the latest warning sign that this tariff chaos must end.

Mr. President, what is a very bad leader? What does a bad leader do when they get bad news? Shoot the messenger. That is just what happened with the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Today, we got some of the worst labor numbers that we have gotten in a long time. The economy added only a paltry 73,000 jobs last month. But that wasn't the worst of it. We learned the economy actually added less than 20,000 jobs each in May and June following 2 months of Donald Trump's ``Liberation Day.'' That is 250,000 fewer jobs than we thought.

So, of course, that is very bad news for the economy, but what does Donald Trump do? Instead of trying to fix the economy, he shoots the messenger. The woman he fired, the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics passed, this Senate 88 to 8. Vice President Vance voted for her. And now, fire her.

Well, Donald Trump, firing her isn't going to relieve the chaos that you have created with your ramshackle tariff regime. Shooting the messenger isn't going to make the jobs that we are losing in healthcare and clean energy because of your so-called Big Beautiful Bill come back. None of this will change. The American people will still suffer in exactly the same way that they did an hour ago before you fired the head of the BLS.

You know, Donald Trump sometimes admires dictators. He admires them. Well, he sometimes acts just like them. It is classic Donald Trump: When he gets the news he doesn't like, he shoots the messenger.

Now, there is a word for this when the Soviet Union does it, when the dictators of the Russians did it. They called it ``pripiski.'' It meant ``Fire the messenger. Don't change your policies.''

As long as Donald Trump keeps firing messengers who bring him truth-- he hates truth when he doesn't agree with it--as long as he does that, this economy will not improve, inflation and costs to the American people will not go away, and new jobs will not return to this country. He ought to start governing like a leader, not like someone who imitates authoritarian leaders.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, so we have now passed three appropriations bills--helping our farmers, helping our

veterans, helping our security. It shows that when both sides want to work together, we can get things done.

We hope we can make the same kind of progress on further appropriations bills that we have made on these.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, yesterday, Donald Trump announced what he called a deal with South Korea, and it is very similar to the deals we saw with Japan and the European Union. It is all talk, no substance; all hat, no cattle. And it raises the costs for average Americans.

Now, instead of levying a 25-percent tariff, as he has threatened, South Korea will face 15 percent tariffs. And then he pretends like that is some kind of victory. Fifteen percent is far from a victory because it is American families who are the ones who will have to pay for it in the end. Raising your prices by 15 percent on imported goods--that is a lot of money to a lot of people.

In fact, we got some more news this morning. According to the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge, inflation continues to accelerate as Trump tariffs continue to hammer American pocketbooks. That means Americans are paying more. Inflation goes up, the American family pays more. That is because, in part, of Donald Trump's tariffs. That sure doesn't sound like a golden age to me.

Just like the supposed deals with Japan and the European Union, Donald Trump has claimed that South Korea will invest billions towards the United States. The problem is, there is no way to enforce what Donald Trump is saying. It is just talk--more talk, no action. That is all he does.

When he announced his deal with the EU, for instance, the EU immediately said there is no way they are going to be able to meet the kinds of investments Donald Trump was bragging about. The EU stated publicly the agreement was nonbinding and there was no plan to back it up.

So on day one, Donald Trump talks about some huge number that will be invested in America, and the next day, the people who say they are investing say: No way. It is not happening.

The same thing happened with Japan. In Japan, they said--after Donald Trump announced a $500 billion investment--that they will only be able to invest 2 percent of what Donald Trump bragged about.

So listen to what the negotiators from the other side say the day after Trump puts out his braggadocio. If they were being totally honest, the Europeans, the Japanese, the Koreans would announce that day that what Donald Trump is saying isn't true, but they are announcing it the next day, and people hear it.

It is so typical of Donald Trump. He makes bold promises, talks a big game, but when reality sets in, he changes the goalposts, makes excuses, lies about what he has done, and then the American people are left paying the price because his policies hurt them.

It may get worse. At midnight tonight, unless Trump changes course, a slew of tariffs will come into effect for dozens of countries that include America's most important trading partners. Four months since Donald Trump's so-called ``Liberation Day,'' his trade war has been an experiment in chaos, dishonesty, and inflation.

Donald Trump has launched America against the rest of the world without a clue, it seems, about what he is trying to do. He seems to make it up every morning when he wakes up. If what he says 2 days later contradicts what he said previously, he doesn't care. Lying doesn't matter to him, and he doesn't believe the American people will see through it, but they do.

Americans are left paying, meanwhile, more of out-of-pocket expenses for everyday goods. It is estimated the average household pays $2,400 a year extra. That sure doesn't sound like a golden age to me.

And more problems. The tariffs are affecting companies, businesses large and small. Yesterday, Ford said that Donald Trump's tariffs will cost the company $2 billion--$2 billion--and that is certainly going to be passed on to the consumers. Imagine what that $2 billion could do if it weren't for tariffs. Ford might have hired more workers, invested in more plants.

What Donald Trump is doing--costing Ford $2 billion, costing companies billions more--that doesn't sound like a golden age to me.

Amazon, Walmart, popular toy companies, and other retailers say price hikes may very soon happen. That is where everybody shops. Americans are going to pay more for their groceries, more for their toys, more for their clothes, more for their cars. As families get ready to send their kids back to school, they are facing the pinch as the cost of clothing and pencils and backpacks and all that kind of stuff goes way up. It doesn't sound like a golden age to me.

So Donald Trump can stay in his bubble. He can pretend like 15 percent tariffs on our biggest partners are a cause for celebration. But Donald Trump should ask the American people if 15 percent more for everyday goods is a victory. He won't like what they tell him.

Mr. President, on China, meanwhile, if there is one country that has benefited from Donald Trump's tariff chaos, it is China. We all know that Trump loves to talk tough against Beijing, but a closer look at the Trump administration's actions towards them show it is just that-- talk.

Over the past few weeks, Donald Trump has granted the Chinese Government greater access to American advanced AI chips vital to our national security.

Trump has done a complete flip-flop once again. First, his administration blocked these chips from being sold to the Chinese entities. That was a huge win. But now that has gone out the window.

Donald Trump is also hitting the brakes on new restrictions on other sensitive tech exports to Chinese companies, perhaps hoping it helps trade talks.

Meanwhile, reports are out that Donald Trump canceled the long- planned, high-level security meeting with Taiwan and even blocked their President from coming to the United States.

Donald Trump, our national security should never be a bargaining chip, least of all when dealing with Beijing. But, Mr. President, you somehow think otherwise. President Biden, whom I know you don't like, put a lot of these restrictions in because he saw the dangers of China, and you are backing off.

So while Donald Trump wants America to think he is a tough guy when it comes to the Chinese Government, when it comes to Beijing, his actions over the last 6 months show a pattern of appeasement, and he is unwittingly sending a clear message to adversaries around the world: Under Donald Trump, America's security, prosperity, and technological edge are open to negotiation.

Dollar for dollar, person for person, our tech is better than China's, but when we give them access to what might be the family jewels in terms of tech, in terms of chips, in terms of AI, since they spend more money than we do after DOGE and all those cuts, they are going to get ahead of us, and our children and grandchildren are going to regret it. So will we.

Mr. President, on Social Security, there is just a parade of horribles coming out of this administration. Yesterday, the Trump administration did something they rarely do: They told the truth. It wasn't Donald Trump, but it was one of his minions. They told the truth.

The Trump administration said--in this case, they talked about wanting to privatize Social Security. In the middle of an interview, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent said that the so-called ``Trump accounts'' that Republicans passed in their ``Big Ugly Betrayal'' could one day be used by Americans as a replacement for Social Security.

Listen to what Bessent said. The accounts that they put into this horrible ``Big Ugly Betrayal'' bill are a ``back door for privatizing Social Security.'' That is what Bessent said, the highest ranking economic official, probably, in the administration. He said they put in their so-called Big Beautiful Bill ``a back door to privatize Social Security.''

I don't think our senior citizens think that is a big, beautiful bill when it could privatize their Social Security. Has America heard it? They are hearing it.

This is what Donald Trump and his cronies think about your benefits, America. They want to privatize them. They want to give it over to Wall Street. They want to eliminate a bedrock of this country, Social Security--probably the most popular government program ever created and has done so much good for so long.

Why are they doing it? Why do they want to privatize Social Security? Just to line the pockets of the wealthy elite.

Of course, Secretary Bessent had to rush to Twitter later to do a little cleanup, but the truth came out--the real truth.

Actions speak louder than words, and the actions Donald Trump and his gang are taking against Social Security speak volumes. For months, the Social Security Administration has suffered from the laceration of the DOGE chain saw--laying off thousands of staffers, closing local offices, and beneficiaries hanging in limbo. Now SSA is forcing the field office workers who are left to shift from working with the local beneficiaries who come in with appointments to instead answering the phone lines because they don't have enough staff. You call up, and you have to wait and wait and wait, if you get service at all. There are more delays in answering questions, more delays in processing benefits. Perhaps that is the point. I am pretty certain it is.

Donald Trump and Republicans know they can't come right out and say they want to end Social Security outright. So what does he do? What does Trump do? He and his cronies sabotage Social Security from within. Instead of one lethal blow, the Trump administration is engaged in an act of strangulation, making Social Security so unworkable, so problematic, and so inefficient, that they create the pretext for privatizing.

Secretary Bessent's comments yesterday more or less gave up the game. In their view, Social Security is not part of America's future. But in the views of an overwhelming majority of Americans, it sure is.

Trump and his people want to end guaranteed benefits and tie the dignity and survival of seniors to the whims of Wall Street. Democrats will fight this every step of the way. We believe in Social Security.

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

Mr. President, so this morning, we got more worrying news showing how Donald Trump's administration is raising costs, sowing chaos in the economy. The New York Times headline put it succinctly: ``U.S. Economy Slowed in First Half of 2025 as Tariffs Scrambled Data.''

And while the Trump administration will try to wave rosy headlines about the Q2 numbers, today's GDP number is, in fact, a mirage because some ominous numbers lurk under the hood. Business investment plunged in the second quarter by 3.1 percent.

The fact that business investment plunged so starkly is very troubling. It shows that, already, businesses are worried about growing their operations, worried about hiring more workers, worried about trading with their international partners, and worried in general about the future.

And this number is another data point in a larger pattern. Donald Trump's tariffs are weighing down the U.S. economy, spiking costs for small businesses and families alike. And if Donald Trump keeps up the chaos, the dangers for the economy will continue to get worse.

Mr. President, now, I come to the floor this morning with some news. Today, Senate Democrats take additional action to try and uncover the truth about the Epstein files. This morning, I join all of my Democratic colleagues on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in invoking a century-old law known as the ``rule of 5'' to compel the Department of Justice to release the full and complete Epstein files, which, to date, of course, they have refused to be transparent about.

Under Federal law when any five Senators on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee call on the Executive branch to release investigative documents, they must comply. Our request covers all documents, files, evidence, or other materials in the possession of the Department of Justice or the FBI related to the case of United States v. Jeffrey Epstein. This includes records and documents related to Epstein and his clients while ensuring that the private information of any victims is protected. We expect the Trump administration to provide these documents by August 15.

The situation with the Epstein files is very simple. Donald Trump promised transparency, and he has broken that promise. As a candidate, Trump said on many occasions he would release the Epstein files if elected, and yet he has refused to do so.

Over the past few months, FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi said they would ensure transparency and release the documents, but they have not done so. And 5 months later, we have zero answers, only a slew of denials.

Donald Trump was asked earlier this month if he ever had been informed whether or not he was mentioned in the Epstein files, and now we know he lied. He said no, but, in fact, he was told by the Attorney General in May that he was mentioned.

And when the House of Representatives had an opportunity this month to take a vote on the Epstein files, Speaker Johnson sent everyone scrambling home on an ``Epstein recess,'' adjourning the House early.

The pattern is undeniable. Every single time Donald Trump or his administration or Republican leaders have had a chance to be transparent about the Epstein files, they have chosen to hide. The President's refusal to be straight with the American people is very disturbing. His rather desperate-sounding evasions are, frankly, odd. He will release the Martin Luther King files, which no one asked for; he will accuse President Obama of treason; he will say one wild thing after another, but he won't touch the Epstein topic with a 10-foot pole. It begs the question: If there is nothing to hide, why all of the evasiveness?

So, today, Senate Democrats take action. We are invoking Federal law and using our authority as a check on the Executive to compel transparency.

I urge Republicans to stand up for the oversight powers of Congress and join us in calling for more transparency on the Epstein files because once there is transparency, we can have the truth and so can the American people.

Donald Trump should stop hiding from the truth. He should stop hiding from the American people.