Floor Statements

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, today, Jewish Americans and all Americans grieve in the aftermath of another anti-Semitic attack that took place yesterday in Boulder, CO.

This time, it was an elderly group of people peacefully calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas, brutally attacked on the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, which celebrates God giving the Torah to the Jewish people.

This morning, I spoke with senior officials at the FBI and urged them to use the full extent of their power to investigate this heinous attack. These victims did nothing wrong. They aren't involved with the tragic conflict in the Middle East. It is reported that one of the victims was even a Holocaust survivor. All they were doing was expressing a simple plea: Bring the hostages home. And because of their Jewish identity, they were targeted by hate.

When anti-Semitism is allowed to fester in more quarters of society, it historically leads to more terrorism and violence. What happened in Washington and in Boulder is exactly that. Assigning collective or hereditary blame to Jews for what is happening right now in the Middle East is blatantly anti-Semitic, and it is happening in too many corners of America today.

Our prayers are with the victims of the attack and their families; and we thank the first responders who apprehended the suspect before things got even worse.

Iran

On Iran and the recent news there, White House Envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have said publicly that the United States will not allow Iran to enrich uranium and will demand full dismantlement of Iran's nuclear facilities.

But earlier today, Axios reported that there is a proposed side deal in the works between the Trump administration and Iran that will give them far more flexibility of their nuclear ambitions. This report, if true, is terribly troubling. What is in this so-called side deal? The administration needs to come clean immediately and make it public or risk squandering crucial leverage against Iran.

Any negotiation with Iran should openly and transparently use all of our leverage and address nonnuclear issues like their support for terrorism and regional proxies. The administration must clarify what they might be hiding from the American people.

Some of my colleagues on the other side said in 2015, with regards to earlier negotiations on the last Iran nuclear deal, that the administration, essentially, asked Congress to trust but not verify. That is what they said back then. It is disturbing that the Trump administration is preparing to do just that: cutting a secret side deal that avoids congressional oversight and asks Congress to trust, but not verify. Any deal between the United States and Iran must be one Congress and the public can fully and transparently evaluate.

Ukraine

Yesterday, Ukrainian forces carried out one of the most significant attacks against military targets of the entire Ukrainian war.

The single best thing President Trump can do to strengthen Ukraine's hand right now is to show that the United States stands firmly behind them and squarely against Russia. But so far, Trump has not done that.

Putin is a clear villain and a bully. So where is Donald Trump's backbone? Where is his conviction? Where is that toughness he likes to project? Frankly, Senators from both sides of the aisle are getting tired of Donald Trump's wishy-washy approach to Putin. If Donald Trump won't stand up to him, the Senate must.

I support legislation by Senators Blumenthal and Graham that would land a hammerblow of sanctions in a tougher way than we ever have done before against Russia. And 80 Senators from both sides of the aisle, including Leader Thune and myself, cosponsor this bill. Both sides should quickly finish negotiating any necessary changes to the bill, and then we should put this sanctions bill on the floor for a vote as soon as possible. It is very much needed, and it is needed now.

But then we must do more. The administration should turn over every stone to identify more air defense systems that we or our allies can send Ukraine, including ammunition for its Patriot systems. This will save civilian lives.

And the United States should keep going and give more drone and counterdrone support and greater intel sharing. These are things the administration could start doing right now.

Budget Reconciliation

On reconciliation, what Senate Republicans will try to do this month is a travesty. They are picking up right where House Republicans left off--trying to ram through this Chamber Donald Trump's so-called Big Beautiful Bill.

As the Senate returns to session, we do not yet have a text for the Republicans' megabill. But make no mistake--the fight against this bill is ramping up today. It starts with Senate Democrats showing the American people what the bill actually is: ``One Ugly Bill''--one of the most reckless, odious, and self-serving pieces of legislation we have seen in a long time.

Today, I want to share broadly how Senate Democrats will fight this bill with every fiber of our being. It is going to be a long and drawn- out fight. But the American people deserve to see precisely how cruel, how vindictive, how ugly this big bill truly is.

Case in point: House Republicans tucked into their bill a nasty provision that will restrict the power of judges to hold government officials in contempt. It is very clear what is going on here. Republicans want to codify into law Donald Trump's attack against our judicial system. They want to make our courts toothless by nullifying their contempt powers and make it easier for the Trump administration to ignore the courts. This is nothing less than a naked attack against the separation of powers.

If Senate Republicans include this authoritarian provision in their bill, Democrats will fight it tooth and nail. We will not stand by while Republicans try to sabotage our courts. I fervently believe their effort will not win the day.

Yesterday, I also spoke with Leader Jeffries about how both Chambers can work together to fight back against this bill. This Wednesday, Senator Klobuchar and I have also invited House Democratic ranking members to meet with our caucus and share firsthand insight from their fight in the House, including key Republican faultlines.

In all likelihood, this bill will continue to undergo changes and get sent back to the House. For that reason, Democratic unity will be our strongest weapon as we defend the American people from harms contained in the bill.

Our fight in the coming weeks, of course, is not just procedural. It is going to happen on every front--in committees and public hearings, in the Byrd bath, online, in public, and here on this floor.

The Republican plan is very simple: sell out working and middle-class Americans to line the pockets of the ultra, ultrawealthy and well- connected.

Let's talk about the deficit. For years, Republicans screamed about fiscal responsibility. But now Republicans are backing a bill that could add over $50 trillion to the national debt over 30 years. Even Elon Musk said this bill is a bad idea. That should tell you something.

And most cravenly of all, Republicans are cooking the books so they can pretend their tax breaks won't impact the debt. Republicans are planning to use the Budget chair's section 312 authority under the Congressional Budget Act in an unprecedented and illegitimate manner to run roughshod over the Byrd rule.

The bottom line is this: Republicans' ``One Ugly Bill'' is a farce. It is betraying our values; it is a threat to working families; and it is a giveaway to the very few at the expense of the many.

Senate Democrats will fight this bill in committee, on the floor, and in the court of public opinion every step, every day, and every possible way.

I believe to my core that the American people, when they truly know what this bill is all about--if they see how shamelessly it enriches the wealthy and everyone else--the American people will reject it outright.

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, just a few blocks from here, at the Capital Jewish Museum, a scourge of anti-Semitism reared its ugly head yet again in America. The sickening, cold-blooded murder of two Jewish staffers of the Israeli Embassy seems to be another horrific incident of anti-Semitism, which we all know is much too rampant in our society.

Yaron Lischinsky, Sarah Milgrim--may their memories be a blessing.

Such a blatant and targeted act of anti-Semitism, right here in the Nation's Capital, should outrage everybody--a beautiful young couple about to be married just starting their lives, gunned down seemingly because they were Jewish.

Let this be a call to all of us: We must never allow the malicious poison of anti-Semitism to fester and flourish. While we still must learn more about this tragic incident, we do know that when anti- Semitism is rife in the air, all kinds of individuals cling to it and, sometimes, unfortunately, act on it.

This morning, I am praying for those who were killed in this senseless act of violence, all those affected, and their families.

Mr. President, now, on reconciliation, a few hours ago, while most Americans were fast asleep, House Republicans rammed through their so-called Big Beautiful Bill through the House of Representatives, in the dead of night, in the hopes that nobody would notice.

House Republicans took a bill that was already rotten to the core and made it even worse to appease the most radical factions of their party. It will bring deeper, harder, and even faster pain to the American people.

It seems the hard right over there wanted even quicker pain. It is truly jarring to watch House Republicans cheer and pat each other on the back while bond markets spiral and working families are left to worry about how they will make ends meet.

So this morning, let's take a look at a few ways this bill has gotten even worse as it has reached final passage. We will surely learn more in the coming days, but let me share a few changes Republicans made that Americans deserve to hear.

First, this bill was already the largest cut in Medicaid in American history, but now these cuts have been rushed forward and will happen as soon as next year. Moving up the timeline now means that hospitals, particularly rural hospitals, have even less time to prepare and increases the chance that they will close and that hundreds in each county will lose their jobs.

Up to 14 million Americans are in danger of losing their health insurance. This bill will shut down rural hospitals, community health centers, urgent care clinics, and more. But while hospital beds are closing, Republicans are prioritizing a repeal on tanning bed taxes.

And, of course, at the last minute, the anti-choice radicals snuck in a new provision, penalizing enrollees in private plans on ACA exchanges covering reproductive care. Defunding Planned Parenthood wasn't enough. The radicals got their pitchforks and added a provision to effectively ban every insurance premium on every ACA exchange for covering abortion.

This is catastrophic and even increases the anti-choice provisions in the bill by a dramatic amount. It will mean that nearly one in seven Americans who has been insured through ACA since 2014 will be subject to this change.

And while our communities get sicker, our kids get hungry. Republicans weren't satisfied with simply making 4 million kids go hungry. They decided they needed to move up the timeline. Cuts to SNAP will take effect as soon as next year. That makes it even harder for food pantries to adapt--more chaos, more hunger, and more closures among our food pantries and kitchens that serve the hungry.

Widespread hunger is now on the fast track. Republicans seem to be saying that the average person who needs food gets only $5 a day. A dozen eggs cost more than $5 a day.

That is the price Republicans accept so they can cut taxes on the wealthy.

Republicans are stealing from hungry kids, stealing from low-income families to give trillions in tax giveaways to the wealthy.

This is not beautiful. It is ugly. It is revolting.

As the bill proceeds, perhaps the most dramatic change that occurred overnight is the surrender of America's clean energy future to China. Republicans are condemning Americans to higher energy costs and killing hundreds of thousands--even millions--of good-paying jobs.

Last night, the Republicans did something else too. They added a clean job kill switch. At the very last minute, Republicans added a provision that says any project that doesn't break ground within 60 days of this passage will lose the entire tax credit.

That is getting rid of the tax credit. No project can start in 60 days. That is

not how it works. They know that. They know that the clean energy tax credits are popular. They know that the clean energy tax credits will reduce costs for American families.

So instead of saying, ``Kill it outright,'' they say, ``You must start within 60 days.'' That is saying, ``Kill it outright.'' Everyone knows that, and I saw that some of the hard-right people from the oil patch States were gloating--gloating--that clean energy is gone. It is one of the most devastating things added at the last minute in this bill, snuck in, in the dark of night.

We in the Senate--and I hope our Republican colleagues will join us in this--are going to fight this every step of the way. Much of the clean energy industry will be dead. As I said, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of jobs will be lost, and China, 10 years from now, will be dictating what happens in our energy markets to our children.

To make matters even worse, of course, the bill also raises taxes on some projects that are underway. Donald Trump says he wants America to dominate energy, and then he does this--taxing energy projects, raising costs for families?

Nope. Donald Trump, what you are doing is absolutely stupid and counterproductive. You don't even know what you are doing. You just think: Oh, clean energy, let's just get rid of it. We will rely on oil, gas, and coal.

Well, there ain't enough oil, gas, and coal to fuel the world, and it is more expensive to do it, Donald Trump. What the heck are you doing?

This is an American energy kill switch. Solar jobs will vanish. Wind jobs will vanish. Manufacturing jobs will go to China, just the opposite of what the President says he wants. And people's electric bills will go up.

So America, when your electric bill starts going up, talk to Donald Trump, talk to the Republicans in the House, and please talk to the Republicans in the Senate and tell them not to move forward on this folly.

Republicans call their bill a tax break, but, in reality, it is a tax hike and a job killer, except for China, where it is a job creator. China wins; America loses.

In the coming days, Americans will take a look at the Republicans' Big Beautiful Bill and discover it gets uglier and uglier the closer they look.

The bill, hopefully, has a doomed future in the Senate. Senate Democrats will let hell freeze over and fight this in every way that we can.

Donald Trump told House Republicans that voting no on his bill will be the ultimate betrayal, but the real betrayal this morning was the Republicans voting yes--the betrayal of the American people--because there is nothing beautiful about the biggest cuts to Medicaid in American history, nothing beautiful about cutting SNAP benefits so children go hungry and can't learn or have productive lives, nothing beautiful about cutting SNAP benefits by over $200 billion.

Senate Democrats will oppose this morally bankrupt bill with every fiber in our being--every fiber.

Mr. President, now, on a more happy note, when Ruth Carnegie took a job with the Senate Doorkeepers 5 years ago, she quickly impressed everyone with her calm, competence, and her ability to handle chaos, which, of course, made perfect sense. She had spent the previous 3 years working for me.

Next week, after 3 years in ``Schumerland,'' 12 years in the Senate, and 22 years on Capitol Hill, Ruth will move on to her next chapter. Now, it might surprise you that someone whose dream is to race down the autobahn found a home here in the Senate, an institution not known for its pace.

But, in truth, Ruth was built for both. When things moved fast, Ruth could keep up. When things slowed her down, Ruth could be steady. She is soft-spoken yet strong. She has a combination of humility, wisdom, and strength.

One of the things I admire most about Ruth is that she always lifts up everyone around her, being a mentor to many people who have and will go on to do great things.

Ruth, thank you, thank you, thank you. You have left an indelible mark on the Senate, and you have earned a very happy retirement.

I yield the floor.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

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

Mr. President, so 100 days into Donald Trump's Presidency, America is plagued with deep problems. Donald Trump's trade war is sending prices up and up. Republicans are on the brink of taking away people's Medicaid. Trust in American leadership is in decline on the world stage. But what are Senate Republicans focusing on today? Today, Republicans are going nuclear to appease the fossil fuel industry and, at the same time, erode away the institution they profess to care about.

First, the facts: This week, Senate Republicans want to use a measure known as the Congressional Review Act--CRA for short--to repeal three vehicle emission waivers from California. These waivers have been used for decades and are vital for helping keep our air cleaner, our kids healthier, and to lessen our reliance on Big Oil.

Republicans have tried to get rid of California's emission waivers for a very long time. The fossil fuel industry--which knows it is in decline, which knows that clean energy is not only the cleaner wave of the future but the less costly wave of the future--but the fossil fuel industry hates them, hates

that industry. So Donald Trump's EPA tried to rescind the last iteration of one of these waivers during his first administration, but that effort fell short in the courts. The courts rejected it. Now Republicans want to try again. This time by using the CRA to repeal these emissions waiver at a simple majority threshold.

But what was made crystal clear today on the Senate floor through parliamentary inquiries I made to the Parliamentarian that the Senate Parliamentarian has advised both sides, Democrats and Republicans, that legislation to overturn these waivers does not--does not--qualify for expedited consideration under the Congressional Review Act. That means any legislation to repeal these waivers should be subject to a 60-vote threshold in the Senate.

The Senate Parliamentarian, as we know, plays a vital role in keeping this institution whole. It is thankless work. Parliamentarians' advice and judgment on rules and procedures of this institution is indispensable to both parties. So Republicans face a choice: Do they adhere to Senate precedent, as they have long claimed to do, and find another way to pass their repeal or are they going to plow ahead, overrule the Parliamentarian, do the bidding of Big Oil, and further eat away at the Senate in the process?

Well, today we have our answer: Senate Republicans are going nuclear. Let's be very clear, to override the Parliamentarian and to use the CRA in the ways the Republicans propose is going nuclear--no ifs, ands, or buts.

And don't take my word for it. Let me read a quote from Leader Thune from just a few months ago when he was asked if he would advise his party against moving to override the Parliamentarian, Leader Thune said this:

Yeah, and that's totally akin to killing the filibuster. We

can't go there. People need to understand that.

Again, Leader Thune himself said: Overruling the Parliamentarian is akin to killing the filibuster, and that is just what the Republicans are proposing to do today.

Just yesterday, Leader Thune admitted that this step could ``create precedent for the future'' and what an awful precedent.

And in his first address as Republican leader, Leader Thune stood right here in the Chamber--I sat and listened--and promised that ``one of my priorities as leader will be to ensure that the Senate stays the Senate.''

Well, what happened to all of that? What happened to all the preaching we hear from the other side about norms and rules and precedent? Apparently, when the rules suit them, Republicans will preach about protecting precedent. But now that the rules are inconvenient, when they stand in the way of their ideological goals, Republicans say: Away with them.

Shameful. Shameful.

Republicans don't need to take the Senate down this road. They have other alternatives at their disposal. If they want to repeal these waivers, bring legislation to the floor. Have a debate. There is nothing that prohibits that. That is what should be done in the kind of regular order our Senate Republicans professed they were going to restore when they got here, when they got the majority here in January.

Make no mistake, this is not a narrow assertion of congressional authority, as Leader Thune claimed it was. Today, Republicans set a new precedent that cannot likely be reversed. Moving forward, Congressional Review Acts will be weaponized like never before. Today it is all about California emission waivers; tomorrow, the CRA could now be used to erase any policy from an Agency that the Trump administration doesn't like at a simple majority threshold. They could go after permits for oil and gas drilling; some on the other side wouldn't like that. They could eliminate healthcare innovation waivers that States use to get care to people through Medicaid and the ACA.

They could even use the CRAs to make it even harder to form a union. They could go after Agency actions that protect access to reproductive care, like making it harder to access the medication mifepristone. They could go after rules that protect access to reproductive care.

All of this and more could now be done at a simple majority threshold with an expanded CRA. And all that would need to happen is for Donald Trump to choose an Agency action or policy he doesn't like, stamp it with a label ``CRA,'' send it over to the Congress, and Republicans will bow in obeisance and repeal it at a simple majority threshold.

This, in other words, is a backdoor strategy from Republicans to make Project 2025 a reality. And mark my words, many of our Republican colleagues are going to not like having to vote on CRAs that Trump wants, and we will be able to get votes on them because of what the Republicans are attempting to do today.

It is the legislative branch ceding authority over to the executive if we go forward with this, and Republicans should tread carefully. What goes around comes around.

If Republicans are willing to overrule the Parliamentarian and highjack the CRA in a way that it has never been used before, they will not like it the next time they are in the minority. That is for sure.

So this is a sad, shameful, disappointing day for the U.S. Senate. Republicans will come to regret the ill-considered step they take today, mark my words. And our country, the health of our children, the health of our communities--the whole country--will be worse off because of what Republicans have done.

Budget Reconciliation

Mr. President, now, on reconciliation, it is no secret how awful the Republican tax bill is. For weeks, we have said their bill shows that billionaires win; American families lose. Last night, the nonpartisan CBO proved that to be quite accurate.

The CBO's nonpartisan analysis shows that this bill would decrease household resources by 4 percent for the bottom 10 percent of Americans while increasing household resources by 2 percent for the top 10 percent of the country. To be clear, this bill would hurt the most vulnerable Americans, and the most benefits would only reach the top wealthiest--trickle-down economics, if there ever was one.

This bill hurts American families. They are the losers of this bill. American families will lose healthcare. They will lose food benefits. They will lose jobs. They will lose money. Bottom line: American families lose; billionaires win.

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

Mr. President, I am a sponsor, along with Senator Markey, our lead sponsor, and Senator Hirono, for the Small Business Liberation Act. In a few minutes, Senator Markey will come to the floor and ask unanimous consent to pass it, but I wanted to say a few words in advance of his coming.

Senate Democrats today will try to pass the Small Business Liberation Act to exempt small businesses from Trump's destructive trade war. I am very proud to cosponsor and support this legislation that Senator Markey has sponsored.

Two months since Donald Trump's so-called ``Liberation Day,'' his tariffs have been economic arson on Main Street, and small businesses are getting scorched.

I have visited small businesses from one end of New York to the other, and these tariffs are sowing chaos. They are raising costs, smashing supply chains, forcing businesses to hike prices, lay off people, and even close their doors for good. Already, employment of the smallest of small businesses has declined by 3 percent, and last month alone, 65,000 small business jobs were wiped out.

Trump's 90-day pause does nothing to bring relief or certainty to small business but only continues the uncertainty and chaos. How can a small business possibly plan for the future when the future only shows chaos? One day Donald Trump says this, the next day he says that, and nobody knows what tomorrow brings.

These small businesses can't do anything about their pain. They don't have the ear of the President like the mega corporation CEOs do. The administration is utterly clueless about the pain they are creating for small business.

Our legislation will help small businesses get back on track by exempting them from Trump's destructive tariffs. There are almost 35 million small businesses in the United States that employ roughly half of the private sector jobs in the country. Providing these businesses with tariff relief shouldn't be partisan. It is a national priority.

If Republicans clearly care and truly care about protecting small business, they should not stand in the way of our legislation passing today.

Will they side with the American people and small business and help pass our legislation or will Republicans block this bill and side with Donald Trump as his trade war decimates small businesses from one end of the country to the other?

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, earlier today, the Defense Department announced that the United States has formally accepted a luxury 747 jetliner as a gift from Qatar to be used as Air Force One. It is the largest foreign gift to an American President in modern history--one Donald Trump says will go to his Presidential library after his term.

This gift is outrageous. Donald Trump will berate companies to ``eat his tariffs'' and tell parents to pay yet more for groceries but is accepting a luxury plane he can use as Air Force One.

This gift screams ``national security risk.'' It is bribery in broad daylight. Donald Trump is thumbing his nose at Republicans and practically daring them to stop him.

Well, today, the Senate can. In a few moments, I will move for swift passage of the Presidential Airlift Security Act, prohibiting the use of any foreign plane to be utilized as Air Force One.

Specifically, my legislation would prohibit even a single taxpayer dollar from being used by the Department of Defense to procure, modify, retrofit, or maintain any foreign aircraft for the purposes of transporting a U.S. President. This is about ensuring our national security and about not wasting taxpayer dollars on an utterly senseless deal.

It should not take an act of Congress to stop the President of the United States from accepting the largest foreign bribe in modern history, but apparently Donald Trump is perfectly willing to sell out the American people and the Presidency to fill his own pockets.

Senate Republicans who say they are troubled by the idea of using a foreign plane as Air Force One should join me in supporting this very commonsense

bill. Donald Trump accepting this gift reeks of corruption and naked self-enrichment, and Republicans should stand up and support my bill, defend national security, and protect Americans.

So I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be discharged from further consideration of S. 1804 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration; that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

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, I want to be very clear about what is about to happen tonight, here on the floor of the Senate.

Tonight, in order to do the bidding of the fossil fuel industry, Republicans will erode away at the Senate and undermine this institution they claim to care about.

By weaponizing the CRA, Republicans tonight cross a point of no return for the Senate, expanding what this Chamber can do at a majority threshold--this from the very party that professes to care about the rules and norms and precedents of this institution.

To override the Parliamentarian and to use the CRA in the way that Republicans propose is going nuclear--no ifs, no ands, no buts. It is going nuclear.

Don't take my word for it. This comes from Leader Thune himself. He was asked a few months ago about this very scenario of overriding the Parliamentarian, and he said this:

Yeah, and that's totally akin to killing the filibuster. We

can't go there. People need to understand that.

But, unfortunately, we are going there, it seems. And, just yesterday, he admitted that this step could ``create precedent for the future.''

So, apparently, when the rules suit the Republicans, they will preach about protecting them. But now that the rules are inconvenient, when they stand in the way of their ideological goals, Republicans will say: Away with them.

Make no mistake, this is not a narrow assertion of congressional authority, as the other side claims. This is an aggressive, new precedent. Moving forward, Congressional Review Acts will likely be weaponized to bold new levels.

Today, it is all about California emission waivers, but tomorrow the CRA could now be used to erase any policy from an Agency that the Trump administration doesn't like, at a simple majority threshold. They could eliminate healthcare innovation waivers that assist patients on Medicaid and the ACA, at a simple majority threshold. They could use CRAs to make it harder to form a union, at a simple majority threshold. They could go after Agency actions that protect access to reproductive care, like making it harder to access the medication mifepristone. All of this and more can now be done, at a simple majority threshold, with an expanded CRA.

This, in other words, is a backdoor strategy for Republicans to make Project 2025 a reality. It is the legislative branch ceding its authority over to the Executive, which will now slap the ``CRA'' label on a whole host of policies and get Congress to rubberstamp their appeals.

Republicans should tread very carefully today. What goes around comes around.

If Republicans are willing to overrule the Parliamentarian and hijack the CRA in a way it has never been used before, they will not like it during this session of Congress and, certainly, next time, when they are in the minority.

So this is a sad, shameful, disappointing day for the U.S. Senate. Republicans, I am certain, will come to regret the ill-considered step they take tonight.

Parliamentary Inquiry

Now, I have a parliamentary inquiry.

Is the Chair familiar with section 802(d)(1) of the Congressional Review Act, which states that ``all points of order against the joint resolution (and against consideration of the joint resolution) are waived''?

Thank you, Madame Chair, you made the case that this is nuclear.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, is it true--parliamentary inquiry, Madam President.

Yes. I just want to--I hope our leader will listen because it is exactly clear, and I want to repeat what we had said yesterday.

Is it true what you said yesterday: that the Parliamentarian advised leadership offices that the joint resolution of disapproval regarding the California waivers at issue do not qualify--do not qualify--for expedited consideration under the Congressional Review Act?

Thank you. It shows we are going nuclear, no matter what the leader says.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I move to table the question submitted by the Chair, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, I raise a point of order that points of order are not in order under section 802 (d)(1) of the Congressional Review Act.

I appeal the ruling of the Chair.

Mr. President, I move to recess for 90 minutes, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Vote on Motion

Mr. President, I move to recess for 60 minutes, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Vote on Motion

I move to recess for 30 minutes, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Vote on Motion

Mr. President, I move to recess for 15 minutes, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Vote on Motion

Mr. President, I move to recess for 10 minutes, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Vote on Motion

Mr. President, I move that the Senate adjourn, and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, on this vote, the Republicans will be breaking their commitment and will be going nuclear. And however they try to disguise their actions, this is nuclear--no ands, ifs, or buts.

Tonight, Senate Republicans expose themselves as fair weather institutionalists by overriding the Parliamentarian, which the Chair explicitly noted that the Parliamentarian has been overridden. And in order to do the bidding of the fossil fuel industry, Republicans have eroded away at the Senate foundation and undermined this institution they claim to care about.

Make no mistake, Republicans have set a new precedent that will come back to haunt them and haunt this Chamber. What goes around comes around.

If Republicans are willing to overrule the Parliamentarian and highjack the CRA in a way that has never been used before, they will not like it next time they are in the minority.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, on SALT--that is, the State and local tax deduction--in the fall on the campaign trail on Long Island and in his Truth Social account, Donald Trump said this:

I will turn it around, get SALT back, lower your Taxes, and

so much more. I'll work with the Democrat Governor and Mayor,

and make sure the funding is there to bring New York State

back to levels it hasn't seen for 50 years.

And on Long Island, Donald Trump went further. He promised to ``cut taxes for families, small businesses, and workers, including restoring the SALT deduction, saving thousands of dollars for residents of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and other high-cost states,'' promising that once he restored SALT, ``jobs and factories will pour back into New York. I know how to do it better than anybody has ever known how to do it, and we can do it so easily.''

This was obviously met with raucous praise. After all, it was he, Donald Trump, who created this disaster when he put SALT caps in during his first term in his tax bill that year.

I was incredibly skeptical about Donald Trump's promise on Long Island; after all, this was the arsonist promising to put out the fire.

Since then, many New York House Republicans have made the same promise, parroting then-Candidate Trump almost every week since he has taken office. They even formed a little SALT Caucus in the House. So some may be shocked--shocked--to hear that just a few moments ago, right here in the Capitol, President Trump completely--completely-- reversed himself. Now, Donald Trump is against this proposal that he and many New York House Republicans campaigned on. He reportedly said this morning he will not raise the SALT cap because ``we don't want to benefit Democratic governors.''

President Trump came to the Capitol apparently to send a message to New York Republicans. He is reversing himself and breaking his promise on SALT, just as I long warned he would do. Donald Trump apparently says he now opposes SALT because it would only benefit Democratic Governors. What about New York taxpayers? What about the police and firemen and teachers who are paying higher taxes because of SALT on Long Island and the Hudson Valley, throughout New York State, or the millions of taxpayers across the country impacted by Trump's illogical move to do this in his first term?

Does Donald Trump give a damn about middle-class New Yorkers, particularly in the suburbs who are paying more taxes because of the SALT cap? Apparently not.

When Trump came to Long Island and talked a big game about restoring SALT relief, I called it a farce. It was actually a lie. And today, he has proved himself a liar and has seemingly played New York Republicans for fools.

If New York Republicans don't stand up to Donald Trump right now, they will look like fools. They have said over and over again that they are going to fight this horrible SALT cap, which hurts so many New Yorkers, so many in their own districts. They have said they will fight to the end. Will they stand up now to Donald Trump or cave while disappointing millions of New Yorkers?

Ashli Babbitt

Mr. President, on the Babbitt settlement, I am deeply disappointed that the Republican leader did not condemn the Trump administration's most recent attack on our beloved Capitol Police. I am appalled and disgusted at the disrespect the Trump administration is showing to the Capitol Police by awarding $5 million to the family of

Ashli Babbitt, who broke into the U.S. Capitol on January 6. And I am appalled and disgusted at the thought that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle support Trump's decision.

Awarding the family of an insurrectionist $5 million is an insult to first responders, those who were in the Capitol, and those everywhere. It sends a sickening message to police and all other first responders throughout the country: When it matters most, Donald Trump will turn his back on you.

Fentanyl

On fentanyl, Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail he would hold the Chinese Government accountable to stop the fentanyl crisis. Over 100 days into office, Donald Trump has failed on both accounts.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump has also handed over all leverage to China through his stupid trade war. Now he is trying to gut key State Department programs that curb the flow of fentanyl into America.

Today, I join three of my colleagues in demanding Secretaries Rubio and Bessent use all possible diplomatic tools to push the People's Republic of China to take immediate action to stop the flow of fentanyl into America. This administration should also scrap the misguided 91- percent cut--91 percent--to the State Department's international narcotics control and enforcement programs included in the President's budget proposal.

Instead of working to hold China accountable and stop this crisis in its tracks, the Trump administration had to wage a destructive trade war with China and blame allies like Canada for our fentanyl problem. And now Donald Trump's budget is trying to gut key programs that could actually do something about the problem.

Specifically, I urge the Trump administration to, first, push the Chinese Government to do three things: Do a better job policing illicit fentanyl and precursor chemical trafficking; increase precursor scheduling; and stop the illicit financing of precursor chemicals in China. We need commitments on all three points. Second, the Trump administration must use every diplomatic tool available to stop the flow of fentanyl into America. Finally, the Trump administration must immediately end cuts to programs that actually address the fentanyl crisis.

When I met with President Xi 2 years ago, I told him directly about the devastating impact of the opioid crisis on American families. I demanded to President Xi that the Chinese Government take immediate action to cut off the supply of precursor chemicals that are fueling this crisis.

Some steps were taken, some important steps, but much more is needed from the Chinese Government, and the President and his team should be working with the PRC to get these concessions and cooperation rather than the current strategy: destroying our influence and competition with the PRC abroad.

Tariffs

Mr. President, across the country, companies like Walmart and Mattel and Target and Ford are starting to do exactly what many economists feared in response to Donald Trump's stupid tariff policy: They are raising their prices. And the American people are paying more.

But does Donald Trump listen? Of course not. He almost never listens except to what he wants to hear. Instead of backing off his tariffs, Donald Trump tells companies to ``eat the tariffs.'' Those are his words. He tries to bully and berate companies simply when they want to be transparent with their customers.

Of course, businesses will raise prices because of the tariffs. What on Earth does Donald Trump expect? Donald Trump blaming businesses for raising prices due to tariffs is like setting fire to a building and then blaming the fire department.

For someone who fancies himself a shrewd businessman, Donald Trump doesn't seem to understand the pain his trade war has created for businesses. Perhaps it is hard for Donald Trump to hear their concerns from inside his luxury Qatari jet.

Budget Reconciliation

On reconciliation, Donald Trump can meet with House Republicans as many times as he likes, but he won't change the fundamental problem of their bill. It kills jobs--U.S. jobs, explodes the deficit, and overwhelmingly helps the rich.

First, on jobs. Donald Trump and Republicans want to reward billionaires by taking an ax to clean energy investments America needs to meet our energy demands of the future. Under Donald Trump, China is overtaking the United States. Republicans' attacks on clean energy investments mean the U.S. will cede our leadership on clean energy to Chinese companies. Clean energy is the future. We need it to meet our energy needs. And Republicans who squander the future will regret it. They are letting China become No. 1 on one of the most important industries in the world: energy.

Second, if Republicans make Trump's tax cuts permanent, they will add over $50 trillion to the debt in the next 30 years. Our children, our grandchildren will be condemned to a lifetime of higher interest rates, higher costs, diminished potential.

Meanwhile, Republicans keep saying their tax scam will lift Americans across the board. This is false, and we have the data to show it. According to a study by Wharton, under the Republican plan, the top 10 percent of Americans will get 65 percent of the benefit of the value of the tax breaks. Many Americans making less than $51,000 a year would see their incomes go down. Many working families in the first income quantile will take a $1,000 hit. The national debt will increase by $4.6 trillion over the next decade. That is in addition to, again, the potential $50 trillion over the next three decades if these tax giveaways are made permanent.

That is the formula for the Republican's ``big, beautiful bill'': billionaires win; working families lose.

Equinor

Finally, on Equinor, yesterday, after weeks of fierce backlash, the Trump administration backed off its unjustified work stop order for Equinor's Empire Wind off the coast of Long Island.

I am really glad the administration backed off. For weeks, I worked with Governor Hochul and Equinor and pushed Secretary Lutnick to release their report explaining the work stop order. They told Equinor they must stop. They said, you didn't meet environmental assessments and they wouldn't tell them why. They couldn't even answer. They were so frustrated, they were ready to leave, even though we invested billions and billions already in the ground to build these turbines which could provide up to 800,000 families with cheaper electricity.

Well, the reversal is good. It will save more than 1,000 good-paying New York jobs on Long Island and on Staten Island, and it will preserve billions in private investment.

What kind of country encourages companies to invest in America and then, all of a sudden, makes them lose $4, $5 billion they have already sunk into the ground without giving a reason for it?

A few days later and this project could have been scrapped entirely-- a disaster for New York's economy and for the entire wind and energy industry.

The work stop announced was rotten the moment it was issued. The administration never gave a real explanation for its many claims that Equinor permits were rushed. This order seemed more like a broadside against the wind industry than anything else.

This episode should serve as a warning to other industries: Donald Trump may try to push you, but if you push back, he will back off. I say that to all the wind and solar folks who are producing and about to produce good, clean, low-cost energy. Donald Trump and the Republicans in the House, and maybe in the Senate, are threatening them by cutting off tax breaks we were able to get done in the IRA.

Now that this order is lifted, billions of dollars in private investment will once again flow into New York. Thousands of New Yorkers and offshore wind supply chain workers across the country can get back to work. Construction can continue on a project that will power half a million homes and proceed on one of the biggest, most significant offshore wind projects in the country.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, is it true that the Parliamentarian advised leadership offices that the joint resolutions of disapproval regarding the California waivers at issue does not qualify

for expedited consideration under the Congressional Review Act?

Thank you, Mr. President.

Before I yield, I want everyone to understand what the essence of my question was. This week, the Republicans want to use a legislative tool known as the CRA in an unprecedented way: to repeal emissions waivers that the fossil fuel industry has long detested.

The CRA has never been used to go after emission waivers like the ones in question today. The waiver is so important to the health of our country, and particularly to our children, to go nuclear on something as significant as this and to do the bidding of the fossil fuel industry is outrageous.

And we just heard in response to my inquiry just now that the Parliamentarian affirmed this, that these California waivers are not-- not--eligible for the expedited procedures that the CRA affords.

That means that legislation to repeal these waivers should be subject to a 60-vote threshold in the Senate. To use the CRA in the way that Republicans propose is going nuclear--no ands, ifs, or buts.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, today, our thoughts and prayers are with President Biden and his entire family after his cancer diagnosis this weekend.

If there is one thing we all know about President Biden, it is that he is a fighter. All his life he has faced adversity and tragedy of the worst kind, and each time, his response has been the same. He has faced it with grace, with courage, and with the kind of resilience that only can come from God. This is no different. I know President Biden will face this hardship with everything he has got.

So, today, the entire Senate wishes Joe Biden our very best. We will pray for him; we will root for him; and we know he will bounce back just as he has done his whole life.

(The remarks of Mr. Schumer pertaining to the introduction of S. 1804 are printed in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')

Mr. President, now on the Saudi chip deal, today, I am joining with Senator Warren to lead Senate Democrats in calling on Secretaries Lutnick and Rubio to hit pause on a number of chip deals Donald Trump announced last week with Saudi Arabia and the UAE. I am alarmed that these deals announced by Donald Trump, which involve the most advanced AI-related semiconductors, have ``national security threat'' written all over them. Without clear and enforceable protections, I am worried that these chips will gradually end up in the hands of the Chinese Government and the Chinese Communist Party, given how cozy the Saudis and Emiratis have been with the Chinese.

Recent history shows that when foreign countries end up with American-made chips, the Chinese Government, the CCP, and their related companies get ahold of these chips. DeepSeek's AI model was precisely accomplished with U.S.-made chips. Now Donald Trump wants to potentially open up another loophole with his Middle East chip deals.

Over the years, Chinese companies and the CCP have forged deep ties with the same Middle Eastern countries that Donald Trump is now giving unfettered access to our most advanced AI chips. No serious national security expert would tell you this is on the level. It not only threatens our security but also risks cannibalizing the U.S. build-out of AI. If we want to stay No. 1 in AI, which we all do, this is the wrong deal.

Why is Donald Trump building the future of AI in the Middle East, not in America? We all know that he is desperate--Trump is desperate--to show the world he is ``Mr. Art of the Deal.'' But he is so desperate to tout these deals that he is not thinking and protecting the long-term security and job implications to our country. With this deal, American AI chips are being given to the highest bidder at the expense of the American people and American dominance in the rapidly growing and important field of AI.

Mr. President, on the hostages in Gaza, last week, we witnessed a moment of hope: the release of American-Israeli and former New Jersey resident Edan Alexander, who had been held in Hamas captivity for nearly 600 days.

But our work is far from over. We must keep fighting for the release of all 58 hostages still being held by Hamas, including the remains of 4 New Yorkers who were brutally murdered: Omer Neutra, Itay Chen, Gad Haggai, and Judi Weinstein.

I call on all parties to seize the momentum of Edan's release to secure a deal--one that secures the release of the remaining hostages, delivers an immediate surge of humanitarian aid and food for innocent Palestinians in Gaza, and moves us toward a durable and lasting security and peace in the region.

As negotiations continue, I urge both the Israeli Government and the Trump administration to do everything possible to ensure full access to lifesaving aid, shelter, and essential services for all innocent civilians in Gaza.

Mr. President, on tariffs, last week, Walmart announced that soon it will raise prices on its products nationwide. Then, over the weekend, Donald Trump, who started this stupid trade war to begin with, tried to bully and harass Walmart for having the gall of being transparent about the decision--for having the gall to show that prices are going up because of Donald Trump's tariffs.

Then, today, the CEO of JPMorgan, Jamie Dimon, warned that the impact of tariffs have not yet passed through the broader economy. Even Donald Trump's scaled-back tariffs are ``pretty extreme'' in Dimon's words.

So Donald Trump can try to blame businesses when they are forced to raise prices, but he can't escape the economic realities of his own trade war. He made this mess. He is sending prices up. He will bear the responsibility--Donald Trump will.

Finally, it is pretty rich for Donald Trump to tell retailers that they have to ``eat the tariffs,'' but, meanwhile, he is accepting luxury planes and crypto deals in the Middle East. Donald Trump does far more to help himself than to help America.

Mr. President, on the tax scam, on Friday, Moody's Ratings downgraded the U.S. Government's credit rating, citing rising fiscal deficits, soaring interest costs, and fears that Republicans are about to make things worse. You would think Moody's announcement would be a wake-up call to the so-called party of fiscal responsibility to stop their multitrillion-dollar giveaway to the ultrarich.

But nope, last night, Republicans cleared another hurdle to pass their billionaire boondoggle, one that adds trillions to the national debt. Republicans have forfeited any credibility when it comes to complaining about government waste. They are now the undisputed kings of reckless spending, and their ``big, beautiful bill'' is their crown jewel.

Permanently extending these billionaire tax giveaways could add as much as $50 trillion to the national debt in the next 30 years--$50 trillion. No matter what Republicans say, these tax breaks are not going to pay for themselves. The last Trump tax cut certainly didn't. Why will these be any different, particularly given the economic chaos Donald Trump has created with tariffs?

Americans have to be wondering: What are we getting in return for this fiscal timebomb?

The answer is this: more tax breaks for those at the top. That is it.

Those at the bottom, meanwhile, are getting ripped off. A study from Wharton released on Friday found that many Americans making less than $51,000 a year would lose after-tax income under the Republican proposal. You heard that right. Many making less than $51,000--that is a lot of Americans--would see their incomes go down. Future generations, meanwhile, would be condemned to a lifetime of higher borrowing costs, incurable inflation, and diminished economic potential.

This is the entire goal behind the Republican's so-called ``big, beautiful bill'': Help the ultrarich today; screw the middle class tomorrow.

That is not beautiful; that is ugly.

I yield the floor.