Floor Statements

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

First, Madam President, today, we have heard some very good news: Edan Alexander, an American Israeli and New Jersey native, has finally been freed from Hamas's brutal captivity and reunited with his family.

I first met Edan's parents, Adi and Yael, right after October 7--a few days after--when Edan was taken hostage by Hamas. For the last 583 days, Adi and Yael have fought tirelessly for Edan's release. Today, that work pays off as they finally get to hug their son again.

Edan's release gives me more hope and motivation to keep pushing for the release of all 58 hostages in Hamas's captivity, including the remains of four New Yorkers brutally murdered by Hamas: Omer Neutra, Itay Chen, Gad Haggai, and Judi Weinstein. They were brutally killed, but their remains should be sent back. But, of course, Hamas, as brutal as they are, doesn't do that yet.

As the President departs to the Middle East, I call on him and his administration to use the full weight of U.S. diplomatic power to get a deal to bring all of the hostages home.

I will continue working as long as it takes to finally bring every last hostage--including the remains of hostages no longer with us--home at last.

Madam President, now on Qatar, yesterday, reports came

out that the royal family of Qatar is set to gift Donald Trump a luxury 747 for him to use as his own Air Force One.

Without a shred of shame, Donald Trump will lecture families about putting up with higher prices that he himself triggered and then accept a $400 million private jet from the Qatari royal family. His shameless self-enrichment is without equal in American history. You cannot think of another President who has been so brazen, so selfish, and so destructive of the norms of what America is about.

In truth, though, the news of the Qatari Air Force is just one tip of the iceberg. For months, Qatar and other Gulf State nationals have spent billions on deals with the Trump organizations to buy the President.

Donald Trump is using his office to enrich himself and his family. This isn't a question. This is a fact with incredible supporting data to prove it. He is putting America's national security at risk to enrich himself.

Just as concerning as the very gift are the national security implications that surround it. The deeply chilling part of this bribe and national security betrayal from the President is just how blatant and erroneous he is doing it, almost daring Republicans to stand up to him and defend our country--daring Republicans.

So where are our Republican friends with this kind of egregious, grubby, awful enrichment? Silence and total obedience.

Madam President, on tariffs, early this morning, it was reported that Donald Trump caved to Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party, with virtually nothing to show for American workers. Donald Trump has changed his mind, once again, on his tariffs, with a new ``deal'' with China to pause most tariffs for 90 days.

Sadly, it looks like China has, once again, gotten the better of Donald Trump. They hardly had to give up a thing.

It is another example of Donald Trump's chaos. Trump has one policy for his tariffs on one day and a different policy the next day. One day, he is pretending to be a tough guy with China. The next day he is caving to China and getting little, if anything, in return. Who knows what Trump's tariff policy will be in 90 days?

If I were a businessperson, I wouldn't count on what he is doing or what he says today that probably won't be in effect in the next week or the next 3 weeks.

Even under this ``deal,'' tariffs are still significantly higher than they were before Trump's ``Liberation Day.'' Businesses will continue to struggle. Supply chains will continue to experience chaos, strain, and unpredictability.

Again, this is only a 90-day pause. As I said before, it is impossible to predict what will happen next, even within the 90-day period, because Trump changes his mind so quickly. Whatever seems good in front of him at the moment, he goes for.

First, he is mad at China and puts in the tariffs. Then he gets lots of blowback and backs off.

Where will he be tomorrow? Who the heck knows. But businesses can't count on reliability, only on chaos.

Donald Trump's trade war is a lose-lose-lose for American families and businesses, leaving them with increased costs and more chaos.

Madam President, on drug pricing, a few hours ago, Donald Trump signed a new Executive order he claims will ``almost immediately'' bring down the costs of prescription drugs. Americans should hold their applause because Donald Trump's announcement is little more than a photo op masquerading at reform, just as he said he would bring down costs on day one, and it didn't happen--the same thing here. ``Almost immediately''? Give me a break.

In case Donald Trump has forgotten, this announcement is like what he already tried to do in 2020, with little success. So Americans are right to be skeptical until they actually see their prescription drug costs go down more.

Donald Trump can say he is doing an Executive order, but we all know the odds are overwhelming that that Executive order will fail.

The real way to make drug price reform happen is to do what Democrats do and what Donald Trump is loath to do: Roll up your sleeves and do the hard work of passing legislation. That is what we did. That is why insulin is $35 for senior citizens. That is why 20 of the most widely used drugs' prices have plummeted, because we negotiated with Medicare. That is why no family pays more than $2,000 total for all their prescription drugs. We worked hard, we legislated, and we got prices down.

Donald Trump does a photo op, says it is going to come down immediately, but, obviously, this is a half-baked political stunt that is unlikely to bring any meaningful change.

Today's announcement is so typical of Donald Trump's Presidency: He promises a golden age, but, in reality, Americans get fool's gold.

Madam President, yesterday, Republicans released the text of their plan to eviscerate Medicaid while cutting taxes for the ultrarich. The bill is as toxic as we all feared.

With a straight face, Republicans are telling the American people that they want to cut taxes for the ultrarich by trillions of dollars and pay for it with the biggest cuts to Medicaid ever--the biggest cuts to Medicaid ever. If this bill becomes law, nearly 14 million Americans will lose their health insurance--again, the biggest cut to Medicaid in American history, 14 million losing their health insurance.

Hospital after hospital will have to lay off tens of thousands of workers. Many of them may be forced to close, particularly in rural areas.

Republicans promised for months they would protect Medicaid, but now Americans know the truth: Republicans never intended to keep that promise, and this confirms it.

Almost 14 million Americans lose insurance. Millions more see their premiums go up. Hospitals from one end of America to the other will close. Thousands will lose their jobs. Millions will lose their access to healthcare. Kids will suffer. Seniors suffer. Healthcare workers will lose their jobs. Americans with disabilities get hurt. And rural Americans are left to fend for themselves.

Hospitals and nursing homes will shutter. States will scramble with their budgets. And American families are left out to dry.

And why? Tax cuts for the billionaires. That is what happens when Project 2025 takes over the Republican mainstream.

But the cruelness doesn't stop there. Later today, we also expect Republicans to unveil their plan to cut SNAP, which feeds about 40 million Americans in need. If the reports are to be believed, Republicans plan to cut Federal food assistance by hundreds of billions. If the reports are to be believed, that is what the Republicans plan to do.

Kids will go hungry. Parents will suffer.

I just got back from Buffalo and Albany in Upstate New York, meeting with food banks and religious leaders and church leaders who are on the frontlines of the fight against hunger. The priests and nuns I met with spoke of the obligation Scripture imparts on us to feed the hungry and to give drink to the thirsty. But right now, Republicans want to rob the least of our neighbors to make it better for those at the top.

SNAP should not be a partisan issue. It should not be a political issue. It is a moral question: Are we going to let kids, veterans, senior citizens, and others go hungry? This is about taking care of the most vulnerable in society, especially the children, making sure every child in America is afforded basic dignity.

If a kid goes to bed hungry, they can't learn the next morning in school. They can't get along with their friends. They are off to an awful start.

So SNAP has been one of the great things that America has done until now, in a bipartisan way--but not with these MAGA people running the show and not with the Republicans here in the Senate and in the House being supine to what they know is wrong and vicious and mean and counterproductive.

I urge House Republicans to oppose these devastating cuts to SNAP, particularly those New York Republicans whose constituents I have met over the past couple of weeks. I was in or near the districts of two of them today, and the outrage against what they might do is palpable.

Given the narrow margins in the House, these swing districts in New York have the power to stop these cuts to SNAP. These Republicans can do it. They can make sure no kid goes to bed hungry. I urge them to stand up and hold the line.

When you put it all together, there is no other way to put it: This bill is a grotesque betrayal of working and middle-class families.

And a few moments ago, Republicans released the next phase of their plan: hiking taxes on electricity and raising energy costs for seniors and families. Republicans are so captured by the hard-right ideology that they are willing to cede America's energy future to China and tank domestic industries that we will need to keep energy costs low in the future.

Not a single Senate Democrat will support this destructive piece of legislation. Instead of calling this ``one, big, beautiful bill,'' Republicans should tell the truth. This bill is a big, fat grift, and it is the American people who are getting ripped off.

Madam President, finally, I want to say a little bit about last week.

There are those on the other side of the aisle now shedding crocodile tears that, last week, the minority asserted its right not to proceed to a bill that has zero legislative text. Imagine--imagine--they said, the nerve of the Democrats not voting for a bill when there is no text. How crazy can they be?

We asserted our rights very simply to continue the legislative process to allow time to reach agreement. The majority, in an act of political stubbornness but also stupidity, asked people to vote on a bill they had never seen. They tried to force a vote before Senators even had text to know what they were voting on. And then they get upset that we all voted no?

They shouldn't be surprised--least of all, my good friend the Republican leader, who said in his first speech as majority leader: ``One of my priorities as leader will be to ensure that the Senate stays the Senate.''

Well, in the Senate, we have always had the text of the bill before we vote on it. I say that to my friend the majority leader.

Democrats were perfectly, perfectly appropriate, fair, and correct in asserting our rights. If this Senate is to work, the majority must allow it to work.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, Donald Trump's trade war is a gut punch to the American people. It is the biggest tax hike on families in half a century.

If Donald Trump is going to tax the American people, they have a right to know precisely how much. So, today, I am introducing legislation with Representative Raskin requiring retailers to show consumers precisely how much tariffs are increasing the prices of their products. It is no different than when your utility bill shows fees or a receipt shows if a service charge is included or not.

Specifically, the legislation that Representative Raskin has introduced in the House and I am introducing in the Senate requires large retailers to display in a ``clear and conspicuous'' way the amount that tariffs contribute to a good's final pricetag.

Our bill is about transparency. It is about being straight with consumers. It is about informing the consumers how Donald Trump's tariffs will impact the family budget. And retailers should like it because these increases in prices are not their fault; it is Trump's fault, with his tariffs.

So let the public know. And that is a secondary benefit that will make the public even more angry, and they may call their Republican Senators and Congressmen and say join with Democrats and pass some of our legislation that would repeal some of these tariffs.

The White House growls that companies with the audacity, they said-- audacity--to be honest with consumers about the cost of tariffs are being hostile and political. But this is not hostile or political at all; it is simply being honest with consumers. It is clarity. It is transparency.

It is a smart policy, so of course the White House opposes it because they don't want people to know how much these tariffs are damaging them. It is estimated that if the present tariffs go into effect, the average family will pay $4,000 more. Well, we want to let them know how much the price is increased for food, for housing, for gasoline, for groceries, for prescription drugs.

Last week, for instance, Ford announced they are increasing the price of at least three models by as much as $2,000, in part because of Trump's tariffs. Under our bill, that $2,000 price hike should be spelled out to consumers as in reality what it is--a tariff tax.

Americans deserve to know who is picking their pockets. Our bill will make clear to the American people that Donald Trump's tariffs are a painful tax eating away at their hard-earned money. It will make clear to the American people that Donald Trump's promise to ``lower costs starting on day one'' is a mirage, a fiction--a cruel fiction--all for a chaotic tariff policy that is sending our economy into a tailspin.

On those tariffs themselves, today, Donald Trump is set to announce a new supposed trade deal between the United States and the UK, the United Kingdom. We are still waiting to get the details, but this much is clear: Whatever Donald Trump's announcement with the UK looks like, it isn't a triumph of strategy; rather, it is a product of chaos. And with this President, if past is prologue, who knows if this deal will actually stick.

This is the Trump administration's credo: government by chaos. Just look at how Donald Trump is dealing with Canada, and it tells you everything you need to know about how untrustworthy his UK announcement is. First, Donald Trump says yes on tariffs with Canada; then he says no. Then he insults Canada, calls it the ``51st State.'' Moments later, he meets with Prime Minister Carney and says ``Canada loves us and we love Canada.''

No one knows what Donald Trump will say next. If this were a roller coaster, the whiplash would paralyze everybody involved. So American businesses and American consumers have no faith that the President has a design. Whatever is in front of his face that day, whatever pressure there might be on him, he reacts. And it doesn't matter if he said the complete opposite thing a day or a week earlier.

Early this morning, members of the President's own Cabinet are already lowering expectations of the deal, saying it is only ``an agreement in concept''; ``there's a lot of details to be worked out.'' And we know what happens when that happens, particularly in a Trump administration.

Donald Trump's new trade deal with the UK seems to be built entirely on quicksand. It is likely to be built on quicksand. He blows with the political winds. When people say he is too reckless, he backs off. When there is criticism of him backing off, he reintroduces the bill. So it would be hard to take anything the President says about this deal seriously because, in all likelihood, he will change his mind again.

Anti-Semitism

Mr. President, on anti-Semitism, this morning, the Anti-Defamation League issued a new report illustrating a disturbing trend I have been warning about: the rise of anti-Semitism in America. Specifically, this report looked at anti-Semitism toward Jewish Members of Congress, which has dramatically risen--something I can attest to firsthand.

Social media has become a breeding ground for anti-Semitism. But it is not just elected officials. Social media has become an easy way for hate groups to organize and proliferate their message against all sorts of communities and individuals. They go after Jewish-owned businesses. They go after synagogues. They go after families. They direct anti- Semitic slurs even against individuals who might not be Jewish.

We must not allow anti-Semitism to grow unabated in America like wild weeds. As the great poet Conor Cruise O'Brien said, anti-Semitism is a light sleeper. When there is trouble, somehow anti-Semitism always pops its head up--the Jewish people being made scapegoats, as we have been for centuries. It must be confronted at every instance. It must be rooted out.

We all play a part in fighting back against the forces of intolerance. People of all backgrounds, faiths, beliefs, and opinions have a duty to stand up and speak out against hate, no matter where it comes from.

Federal Budget

Mr. President, now, on the Trump budget, if you asked AI to come up with a Federal budget that utterly screws over average Americans, do you know what the AI would come up with? Donald Trump's latest budget proposal. So, today, let's look at Trump's so-called skinny budget a little more closely. It is hard to believe that this is a serious proposal.

If enacted, the Trump budget would completely gut public safety, something they say they want to strengthen. Trump's own FBI Director, Kash Patel, one of the most loyal Trumpites, testified in the House yesterday that the FBI can't meet its mission to keep Americans safe with the cuts in Trump's budget.

If Kash Patel, one of Donald Trump's most loyal acolytes, says this budget won't work, who else is going to come out against it? How can we take this budget seriously? If Patel is against it, so will be many other Cabinet officers, publicly or privately. How carefully was it even done? Did the people who put it out know they are slashing the FBI? The budget has sloppy and reckless written all over it, and even Kash Patel agrees.

That is not all. The Trump budget would also strangle American families. It is an all-out assault on American healthcare. Under Donald Trump's budget, America's housing crisis would go from bad to worse.

Hell will freeze over before Democrats entertain anything remotely close to Trump's budget. This budget proposal is dead on arrival in the Senate, and anything close to it will go nowhere as well.

Medicaid

Mr. President, on Medicaid and the CBO, the Republicans right now are struggling with a very basic idea that the truth sometimes hurts. In their case, the truth is that Republican policies are so deeply unpopular with the American people. Republicans are realizing that, and it has left them paralyzed.

Now that Republicans actually have to produce a bill, reality is catching up with them. No more bland words. No more: Don't worry; we will protect you. The budget shows what they are actually up to.

Yesterday, the CBO reported that no matter which scheme of Medicaid cuts Republicans are likely to choose, the result will be that millions will become uninsured. Republicans can try any which way to make their bill work, but their numbers just don't add up. There is no way for Republicans to accomplish their massive tax giveaways without devastating millions of working and middle-class people.

Even if the Republicans pass a fraction of their proposed Medicaid cuts, it still means millions will lose their healthcare. And for what? So that billionaires can get another tax break that they don't need at a time of high inflation and a possible recession? That is the definition of cruelty.

This is the fundamental problem Republicans are facing right now as their infighting continues--that their policies are deeply, deeply unpopular with the American people--not just blue State Republicans but purple and red State Republicans too. Telling the American people that you want to ax their healthcare so that extremely rich people can pay less in taxes is a horrible message that virtually hardly anyone in America agrees with, but that is precisely what Republicans are trying to do. So it is no surprise they are eating their own tails trying to figure out how to proceed.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, the closer you look at the troubles at Newark Airport, the more alarming the story gets. For months, especially over the past week or so, operations at Newark Airport have been mired by chaos, delays, and crippling system outages.

It was recently reported that on Monday, April 28, air traffic controllers overseeing Newark lost all communications with planes in the air for up to 90 seconds--``unable to see, hear, or talk to them.'' That is 90 seconds of a wholly filled up sky of planes literally flying blind over one of America's busiest airports. Thank God nothing happened, but we tempt fate if no changes are made. If during 90 seconds, the system goes down and so many airplanes are flying so close to each other at a congested airport, that is really sounding a five- alarm fire.

What was the culprit of this blackout? It was a burnt copper wire that shut communications down. This is unacceptable. We can't keep America's planes safe in 2025 if we rely on copper wires and floppy disks. Air traffic controllers and America's travelers deserve far more. Copper wires and floppy disks in 2025? When it comes to safety, the FAA is way behind the eight ball.

Yesterday, I called on the Office of the Inspector General at the FAA to conduct a full investigation into the deteriorating conditions at Newark Airport and to examine how we can prevent these problems from spreading to other airports around the country.

When Newark alone gets backed up, it affects other airports because it is such a busy hub, but if this starts happening at other airports, our air traffic is in real trouble--even more trouble than it is in now.

Donald Trump's FAA has failed spectacularly this year in showing the American people that the Trump administration is up to the task of keeping people safe. We need to get to the bottom as to why. The public deserves answers to some very important questions.

Why have the staffing shortages at Newark and other critical airports been allowed to continue? What role has DOGE's cuts played in aggravating the chaos? What is the plan to fill the vacancies of critical leadership at the FAA? Some of the top positions are not filled because some of the people there who are very capable resigned in disgust at what the administration was trying to do to the FAA.

We have seen chaos throughout the administration, and clearly it's here at the FAA, an Agency that cannot afford any chaos whatsoever because lives are at stake. The longer the FAA and the administration slow-walk these troubles, the greater the risk of a true catastrophe.

Trump Administration

Mr. President, now the Trump agenda, a few months into Donald Trump's second term, Americans are getting a clear look at what Trump 2.0 is all about.

Last week, Americans got a good look at Trump 2.0 when the White House released its so-called skinny budget. Trump's days of pretending to be a populist are over. His budget is an all-out assault on healthcare, education, public safety, and programs that help small businesses. They want to ax domestic programs that help tens of millions of people--hundreds of millions, really--by nearly a quarter. It is radical to its rotten core.

The budget is proof positive that the Emperor has no clothes. Donald Trump is a con man who does not care one iota about the struggle of everyday Americans. He would rather listen to his billionaire buddies than to the American people in terms of what the country needs.

Few things crystallize Trump's 2.0 as much as Republicans' signature bill--a massive tax break for billionaires financed by the biggest cuts to Medicaid ever. For months, Republicans have tried to muddle their way forward on their agenda with magic talk totally severed from reality. Republicans say they want trillions in tax giveaways for the wealthy, trillions in spending cuts, but somehow claim these drastic changes won't hurt average Americans. Cut Medicaid, they say, but nobody will lose benefits. That is totally illogical.

Even the worst studies I have seen show that the percentage of ``waste, fraud, and abuse'' is much, much less than the $880 billion they say they are going to cut. They really want to slash Medicaid to the bone. Waste is something of a pretext for them.

Reality is now coming back to bite our Republican colleagues. In the House, Republicans are at total loggerheads about how to move forward. Now, mind you, there is zero disagreement among Republicans when it comes to the big goal: massive tax giveaways for the wealthy. They agree on axing poplar programs like Medicaid, like Social Security, and like veterans. What Republicans disagreed on is simply the method for screwing Americans over, which is the better way to screw Americans over. That is what they disagree on. That is what they are fighting about--but not on the goals, which are pernicious.

Why do Republicans face such a conundrum, where they are so at odds with one another? Simple answer: because their agenda is so unpopular with the American people, and neither House--and no Republican Senator--wants to be left holding this hot potato.

The backlash Republicans are getting from the public, whether it is at townhalls or in the streets or through dismal polling data, should serve as a warning to our colleagues on the other side: If they proceed with their agenda, the political outcry will be enormous.

The idea that some of the Republicans are saying, ``Well, we are going to our leadership to make a request''--if that request is not granted, if Medicaid is still slashed, for instance, it is how they vote that is going to matter, what they put into effect, not going to constituents and saying, ``Oh, I agree with you. I will go to my leadership.''

But when leadership says no, are they going to vote against the bill? We will see. I doubt it. I very much doubt it. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like it is going to happen. And they--each Republican who votes for reconciliation and bad budgets--will be left holding that hot potato.

Nomination of Frank Bisignano

Mr. President, on the Bisignano nomination, as Republicans press forward this week axing Medicaid and other popular programs, today, Senate Republicans will turn their attention to attacking Social Security in the name of voting on Frank Bisignano to lead the SSA. It is literally putting a fox in the henhouse.

If confirmed, Mr. Bisignano would be one of the greatest threats to Social Security in its 90-year history, one of the greatest threats we have ever had. He will accelerate the closures, the rollbacks, the risky practices that DOGE has already set in motion, and the anxiety Americans feel about their benefits will only get worse.

I am proud that every single Democrat will vote no on Mr. ``Slash- and-Burn'' Bisignano. The last person we need overseeing senior benefits is a DOGE fanatic. He says he is a proud DOGE guy whose claim to fame was overseeing mass layoffs in the private sector. Yes, that is his claim to fame.

During his testimony, Mr. Bisignano lied to Senators about his ties to DOGE and about his role in executing cutbacks at the SSA, the Social Security Administration. If he lied about that, what is stopping him from lying about cutting benefits down the line?

Donald Trump and Republicans can't say directly that they want to kill Social Security outright, so instead they are choosing another method of killing it: strangulation--office closures, delays, mass layoffs, trouble over the phone, trouble over the email.

Every single Republican Senator that votes yes on Bisignano will be complicit in strangling Social Security, plain and simple. If Mr. Bisignano is confirmed, Republicans will own all of the chaos he creates because, again, they are letting the slash-and-burn fox into the Social Security henhouse.

A yes for Mr. Bisignano is a vote for delayed benefits, for longer wait times over the phone, even more layoffs, and office closures. So today, Senate Republicans will have to make a choice: Vote no on Bisignano and protect the millions of Americans who rely on Social Security or vote yes on Mr. Bisignano and side with Donald Trump and Elon Musk and DOGE as they tear Social Security apart.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

So just a few moments ago, I joined with my Senate Democratic colleagues to stand with a group of small business owners who are living every day--every day--with the wreckage of Donald Trump's economic agenda.

And let me tell you, these small business owners are not partisans-- some of them support the President. Many of the business owners I stood with in New York support the President; but right now, all of them are watching their livelihoods go up in smoke.

Donald Trump's reckless trade war is economic arson, and it is Main Street that is getting scorched.

In a few weeks, Donald Trump's tariff tax has jacked up prices, smashed supply chains, and forced small shops to make impossible choices: raise costs on their customers, lay off workers, or shut their doors for good--which some, unfortunately, are doing. While Trump's billionaire buddies get private meetings to go beg for exemptions, America's small business owners are left out in the cold--forgotten, ignored. They don't have Donald Trump's phone number--nope.

As many know, this is National Small Business Week. Thirty-five million businesses in this country employ nearly 60 million Americans. And I heard my friend the Republican leader talk about it being National Small Business Week. Well, I would say to my Republican colleagues, if you really want it to be National Small Business Week, put our legislation on the floor that exempts small businesses from the tariffs. That will make small businesses happy. An idle celebration while they are being smashed with tariffs doesn't make them happy.

In rural America, small business is particularly important. They employ more than half of all the workers. These small businesses are the heartbeats of our towns, our neighborhoods, and our economy, but the trade war jeopardizes these businesses. Over 80 percent of businesses say that thanks to Donald Trump's tariffs, they could be forced to raise prices for consumers, and many say they would lay off employees.

Protecting small businesses has never been a partisan issue. It shouldn't be now. It is national priority. But what do small businesses hear from Donald Trump? Well, you should have listened to him yesterday. When asked yesterday if he would consider relief for small businesses, the President waved it off. He said: They are not going to need it.

Utterly condescending. Utterly dismissive. Not going to need it? Tell that, President Trump, to the small business owners I just met with. Tell that to the nearly 370,000 workers at the smallest of small businesses who have already lost their jobs.

He is in a bubble. Donald Trump has no understanding of what small business people go through.

Senate Democrats are fighting back against Donald Trump's economic disaster. Today, my friend Senator Markey is introducing the Small Business Liberation Act, which I am proudly cosponsoring, to exempt small businesses from Donald Trump's destructive tariffs. This bill should not be a partisan fight. It should be common sense. When 72 percent--72 percent--of small businesses say that erratic tariffs are giving them economic whiplash, it is time for the Senate to act.

Last week, Senate Republicans had a chance to stop this trade war, but they chose to stand with Trump instead. Well, we are giving Senate Republicans another chance now--by working with us to take up the Small Business Liberation Act.

Senate Republicans' refusal to stop this trade war makes them just as complicit as Donald Trump. Small businesses are the backbone of this country. It is time for Senate Republicans to grow a backbone and defend small businesses from Donald Trump's tariffs.

Madam President, now on Trump and the Constitution, yesterday, Donald Trump was asked the easiest question in the world for a President. He was asked:

Don't you need to uphold the Constitution of the United

States?

Donald Trump's answer:

I don't know.

It was appalling. He doesn't know if he is supposed to uphold the Constitution? He swore an oath to that effect. He might have forgotten that.

It is hard to imagine something more un-American than Donald Trump, the sitting President, saying that he doesn't know whether he needs to uphold the Constitution. As I mentioned, just over 100 days ago, he raised his right hand and swore in front of the Nation to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution. But no President has done more to disregard the Constitution and buck the rule of law than Donald Trump, and now he plainly admits it, almost proudly.

One of the traits of a dictator is someone hostile to all forms of guardrails and accountability, who doesn't want to hear any dissent. Well, the Constitution is the ultimate guardrail, and Donald Trump thinks he doesn't need to obey it.

Donald Trump is the embodiment of what the Founders feared: a President hostile to the rule of law, scared of debate, scared of opposition. He can't stand the idea of something restraining his power, so instead he tries to crush anything he views as opposition. That is not strength; that is insecurity--deep insecurity.

Donald Trump is putting our Constitution through the shredder, and Senate Republicans are totally silent. They are complicit. They are watching the Constitution be ripped up. They say nothing--nothing.

Ten years ago, Republicans would have been up in arms--up in arms-- over the idea of a sitting President saying he doesn't know whether he needs to uphold the Constitution. Even a year ago, Republicans would have been up in arms had President Biden said ``I don't know'' if he should follow the Constitution. So where--where--is the outrage from my Republican colleagues today?

This much is clear: You cannot be loyal to both Donald Trump and the Constitution. The two are like oil and water. The American people deserve to know where Republicans stand--with the Constitution or with Donald Trump as he rips it to shreds.

Madam President, on Newark Airport, for months and now especially this week, Americans flying in and out of Newark Airport have experienced increasing delays and disruptions. Airlines are canceling flights. There is a shortage of air traffic controllers. They are relying on 1990s technology in 2025. One Newark air traffic controller even said that flying into Newark is ``not safe.''

Keeping the flying public safe and our national air space efficient is the responsibility of Donald Trump's FAA. They are failing spectacularly. So today, I am demanding a full Inspector General Office investigation into what happened at Newark so these problems do not get worse or spread to other airports around the Nation. I am demanding that the OIG, the Office of Inspector General, investigate answers to these questions:

One, why were Potomac TRACON, Philadelphia TRACON, and New York TRACON--the control towers in Washington, Philadelphia, and New York-- excluded from the FAA's list of hard-

to-staff facilities, even when there was a clear shortage?

They gave 13 other facilities bonus pay so they could attract more people. Why not New York, Washington, and Philadelphia, where it is worse?

Second, what is the plan to reduce decades-old technology, equipment, and infrastructure at our airports?

One of the reasons Newark had a problem was a copper wire burnt. Did they ever hear of fiber optics over there at the FAA?

Three, what is the plan to quickly fill critical leadership vacancies?

Members have been fired at the FAA, and others have quit out of just disgust. Well, there are a lot of vacancies, especially in the higher positions. We need to fill them. What is the plan?

Other airports across the Nation could see similar problems like Newark if the FAA does not take this investigation seriously.

Madam President, finally, on Mr. Bisignano to be head of the beleaguered Social Security Administration, we all know that SSA-- the Social Security Administration--is in a state of chaos, but instead of advancing someone who will bring order and stability to Social Security, Senate Republicans are backing a slash-and-burn, billionaire CEO who will only pour gasoline into the DOGE fires.

Mr. Bisignano has zero experience in government or with Social Security, but he has plenty of experience in cutting jobs and downsizing. He says of himself:

I am fundamentally a DOGE person.

That is who they want.

Madam President, American people, Republicans, you want someone who is a DOGE person in charge of Social Security? My goodness. I can't think of a worse Agency for Mr. ``Slash-and-Burn'' Bisignano to lead than the Social Security Administration. That is his nickname, ``Slash- and-Burn.''

Every single Senate Republican who votes yes on Mr. Bisignano is voting yes to put Social Security benefits in jeopardy. Voting yes on Bisignano means voting yes on continuing the wave of office closings and mass layoffs. What they are doing at Social Security--DOGE and the Trump people--they are afraid to say they want to kill it, so they try to strangle it--closed offices, longer wait times, phone lines disrupted, emails disrupted.

Mr. Bisignano's nomination is another reminder that Donald Trump's chaos is made possible thanks to the complicity of Senate Republicans. They could stop the attacks by DOGE if they wanted. They could halt terrible nominees if they wanted. But every Senate Republican, every time, who has a chance to side with the American people instead sides with Donald Trump. They are doing it again with Mr. Bisignano's nomination.

The Senate should reject the nomination of Mr. ``Slash-and-Burn'' or else the chaos we have seen from DOGE will only get worse.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, Donald Trump's first 100 days in office boil down to one word: ``failure.''

Yesterday, we learned that the U.S. economy shrank--actually shrank-- in the first quarter of 2025. It is his first quarter in office, and the economy shrinks. It was the worst single quarter the economy has seen since the time of the pandemic.

And what does Donald Trump have to say about this? Does he admit his mistakes? Does he take responsibility, like any leader should do? Of course not. Donald Trump has said it is Joe Biden's fault the economy is shrinking today. He said it will be Joe Biden's fault if the GDP is bad again in the next quarter.

In Donald Trump's alternate universe, when things go wrong, it is always someone else's fault. It is just appalling.

It is no surprise why Donald Trump's polls are slipping. He starts a trade war with no plan at all and then tells families they will just have to settle for higher prices. He tells parents they will have to accept fewer and more expensive gifts for their kids for Christmas. Leave it to Donald Trump to act like a Grinch in the middle of spring. Fewer choices, higher prices--that is the Trump economy in a nutshell.

But Donald Trump has not acted alone. Republicans in the Senate and the House own his mess too. It is not just that Republicans are silent; they are complicit in Donald Trump's failures.

Last night, Senate Republicans had a chance to stop Donald Trump's tariffs here on the Senate floor. They said no. They chose to side with the tariffs instead. They chose to side with high prices for Americans--$4,000 more a year. They chose to side with Donald Trump over siding with the American consumer, who is paying more than $4,000 a year. So Republicans now own Donald Trump's tariffs.

Let me repeat. Republicans own Donald Trump's tariffs.

Don't complain about him. Don't go knocking at the White House door, saying: Get rid of him. You are going along, and you voted to go along.

If Republicans wanted to stop these tariffs, they certainly could. They have the power. Many of them know privately it is the right thing to do, but they are too scared to cross Donald Trump. So instead of siding with the American consumer, they side with him and enable his destructive behavior.

But it is not just tariffs--oh, no. Republicans are behind every failure of Donald Trump. They are his enablers, his collaborators, his coconspirators. We all know they could undo Trump's failing policies if they wanted to, but they sit on their hands and in so many cases are complicit.

Republicans are complicit in Donald Trump's push for tax cuts for billionaires. They are complicit in putting Medicaid funding on the chopping block. They are complicit in adding $52 trillion to the national debt. They are complicit as DOGE sabotages the Social Security Administration. They are complicit in the leadership failures at the Pentagon. And they will be complicit should the economy slip into a wholly unnecessary recession, God forbid.

In just 100 days of Donald Trump, polls show Americans are getting fed up. They are fed up with the chaos, they are fed up with the lawlessness, and they are fed up with Donald Trump siding with the special few over them. And the longer the Republicans enable Donald Trump's reckless behavior, the American people are going to get fed up with Republican majorities as well.

Tariffs

Mr. President, now on tariffs and retailers. Even Donald Trump admits that prices are going up because of his

trade war. Companies ranging from Procter & Gamble, to Target, to adidas, to Best Buy, to AutoZone all warn--all warn--that a global trade war means that Americans will pay more for their products. Even if some companies try to hold off for a little while, eventually, the dam is going to break. The result? The average household will pay an extra $4,700 a year. That is a lot of money for an average family.

I urge national retailers to be transparent to their customers. If national retailers raise prices on their products, they should list out exactly how much their price increases are connected to tariffs. They should break it down so consumers know.

Companies itemizing the cost of tariffs for their customers is not ``hostile'' or ``political''; it is being honest with consumers. And it is easy to do. I have talked to businesspeople all over my State and even the country. They know how much the costs are increasing because of tariffs. They simply have to let consumers know as well.

Electric and gas companies already itemize each surcharge and fee in each utility bill. Airline companies on their tickets list out fuel costs, security fees, and base fares. Why shouldn't they and all companies do the same for this new increased cost from tariffs?

Retailers have reportedly already explained to the Trump administration the impact of tariffs on their products. Well, consumers deserve the same courtesy. Itemize the price of tariffs, break down the costs so people can see, and maybe that will cause enough people to put pressure on Republican Senators and Congressmen and on the White House to get rid of these ridiculous tariffs across the world. And it will serve the interests of the retailers as well because if the tariffs go away, their prices will go back down.

Americans deserve to know who is picking their pockets. I call on retailers to disclose to consumers how much tariffs are increasing the prices of their products, and they should do so as soon as possible.

Nomination of Frank Bisignano

Mr. President, on the Bisignano nomination, today, Senate Republicans will vote to advance Frank Bisignano to lead the Social Security Administration.

Frank Bisignano has an ominous reputation: He is Mr. Slash and Burn. Bisignano equals slash and burn when it comes to companies and now when it comes to the Social Security Administration. Everywhere he goes, every company he has been part of, he slashes and burns. So I can't think of a worst Agency for Mr. Slash-and-Burn Bisignano to lead than the Social Security Administration.

Every single Republican who votes yes on Bisignano is voting yes to ax Social Security.

The Social Security Administration is already in chaos. Knowing how popular it is, the Trump administration doesn't say outright they want to kill it. Instead, they want to strangle it--fewer offices, fewer people in the offices, trying to take away phone lines, trying to take away email--strangle it because they know it is too popular to say they are going to kill it directly.

But already, because of their actions--because of the Trump administration, DOGE, Musk--the Social Security Administration is already in chaos. People's benefits are already in danger of being delayed. Wait times over the phones are getting longer. Field offices are shutting down. Employees are getting fired. Staffing is at a 50- year low. Chaos. And the last place you need it is at the Social Security Administration.

DOGE says--Musk says they want to get rid of waste. There is no waste here. Social Security is one of the leanest operations there is. But they just want to kill it and probably eventually privatize it. The hard-right wing, which hates all government, wants to take this crown jewel that Americans have and love--Social Security--and privatize it? That is what some of them what to do, if you read some of these academic papers. No way. We are going to fight that tooth and nail, and we will stop that.

Republicans have a choice when it comes to this nominee. To confirm him is to be complicit in dismantling Social Security. They should vote against moving forward today.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, Americans woke up this morning to some

very troubling news. The economy shrank in the first quarter of 2025 by 0.3 percent. It shrank. It was growing until now. It shrank. It is the worst quarter in years. Businesses, families, and consumers are bracing themselves for the hammer blow of Donald Trump's tariffs, and it is sending the economy into a tailspin.

Today's GDP numbers show that Donald Trump is running America the same way he ran his businesses--into the ground. Before our very eyes, Donald Trump's policies of tariffs and tax hikes are strangling the economy. Donald Trump's first 100 days have been defined by one big ``f'' word: ``failure.'' Donald Trump's first 100 days have been defined by the ``f'' word: ``failure''--failure on the economy, failure to lower costs, failure on foreign policy, failure on democracy, failure everywhere you look.

Donald Trump must admit his failure and reverse course and immediately fire his economic team. Otherwise, we will see more of the same: failure and chaos and total incompetence.

His tariff strategy?--total failure. China is not coming to the table. Manufacturing is not racing back to our shores. There is no strategy--only chaos. Every day, he changes his mind. One day, he says yes to tariffs; the next day, no. One day, this country is on the list; the next day, that country is on the list. No tariffs. Double the tariffs. On and on and on. As he is doing this, his policy advisers have different explanations for what he is doing and why he is doing it.

Businesses pay the price for Donald Trump's failed policies. When businesses don't know what the President will do next, they can't plan for the future. They are not going to hire workers. I have talked to business leaders--small businesses, medium-sized businesses, and big businesses--in New York, and I am sure this is true around the country. They are holding off on any new spending because they don't know what Donald Trump will do next. His chaos is just totally impeding our economy. We are seeing it happen in real time.

Because the tariff policy has been such a mess, such a failure, today, later today, Senators Wyden, Kaine, and I will force a vote here in the Senate to stop Donald Trump's trade wars. Our Republican colleagues have an opportunity to stop Donald Trump. Our resolution presents Republicans with a choice: Stand with Donald Trump or stand with American families.

The GDP number today should be a wake-up call to Republican Senators now more than ever. Four voted with us the last time on tariffs about Canada. Many more should vote with us this time given the new numbers and given that this resolution covers all of the countries that Donald Trump has so failed on with tariffs.

Senate Republicans know deep down that Donald Trump's tariff policies are awful for their States, so they have to choose today: Stick with Trump or stand with your States.

But the failures don't stop there, just at tariffs. What about his promise to bring down costs? Again, failure--failure to bring down costs. Grocery prices are up. Housing is up. Rental housing is up. The price of a new car is up. Household appliances are up. Big retailers are warning that Donald Trump's trade war will make the problem far, far worse.

Foreign policy? Total failure. Putin is emboldened. China is not coming to the table. Our allies are all losing trust. He is ready to break up the European alliance over Ukraine.

DOGE? Total failure. Elon Musk talked a big game on cutting waste and reducing fraud, but DOGE is attacking Social Security, attacking veterans' care, attacking cancer research.

That is not cutting waste, Mr. Musk. That doesn't make the government more efficient. That puts a dagger to the programs that America needs and which make our country strong.

The list goes on. Rooting out corruption? Failure. Transparency? Failure. The rule of law? Failure. Economic optimism? Failure. It is one big ``f'' word: ``failure.''

While our economy sinks in real time, while consumers get saddled with Donald Trump's tariffs, Republicans are complicit. They are coconspirators. They are aiding and abetting Donald Trump as he cuts taxes for billionaires. They are aiding and abetting Donald Trump as he wants to obliterate Medicaid. They are aiding and abetting Donald Trump as he wants to add $52 trillion to the national debt. They want to help the richest of the rich while telling the working people to get lost.

The Republican agenda boils down to five dismal words: ``Billionaires win; American families lose.'' This is a recipe for failure if there ever has been one.

Finally, as Donald Trump destroys our economy, the American people cannot and will not stand by as he also tries to destroy our democracy. Donald Trump is everything the Founding Fathers worried about when they wrote the Constitution. They feared a man who would see the rule of law as a nuisance, who would consider the truth as an inconvenience, and who would regard his fellow citizens as little more than subjects. Either kiss the ring, bow before the throne, or watch your back--that is the ethos of Donald J. Trump.

Republicans howled at the Moon for years about weaponizing government, but no President in American history has weaponized the government like Donald Trump has in 100 days. The Department of Justice has become his personal henchman. He is assaulting the freedom of the press. He is assaulting our education system and institutions of higher learning. His deportation force is expelling American citizens with no due process. Let me repeat that. Donald Trump is deporting American citizens with no due process, and the American people don't like it.

One of the traits of a dictator is someone hostile to all forms of accountability, to all forms of criticism. That is Donald Trump to a tee. He is scared of debate. He is scared of opposition. He can't stand the idea of others disagreeing with him. So, instead, he tries to crush anything he views as opposition. That is not strength; that is a sign of deep, deep, deep insecurity.

The more Donald Trump tries to take America down this ominous road, the more he will face resistance. Democrats will oppose his agenda. The courts will oppose his attacks. Most of all, the American people will resist his hostile takeover of our democracy.

I yield the floor.

Recognition of the Majority Leader

Mr. President, later this afternoon, Senators Wyden, Kaine, and I will force a vote here in the Senate to put an end to Donald Trump's stupid and reckless trade war. I thank Senators Wyden and Kaine for their leadership on this issue.

We will have now more than 3 hours of debate on it, and that begins now.

Our resolution presents Republicans with a choice: stand with Donald Trump or stand with American families hurt by his trade war. The dismal GDP numbers today should be a wake-up call to Republican Senators now more than ever.

Four Republicans joined us last time to pass a resolution blocking tariffs on Canada because they knew how bad those tariffs were for people back home. Many more Republicans should join us today as the disastrous economic consequences of Trump's reckless trade war gets worse every single day.

If the Senate passes this bill, Speaker Johnson and House Republicans should immediately drop their opposition or else they will be complicit in pushing America into a recession.

One thing is clear, Donald Trump's tariffs have been a total failure. Instead of isolating China, Donald Trump's tariffs are isolating us. Instead of spurring American manufacturing, Trump's tariffs are raising costs and driving us into a recession.

There is no strategy with Trump's tariffs, only chaos. One day, Donald Trump says yes to tariffs; the next day, no to tariffs; one day, tariffs on this country; the next day, tariffs on that country. Even Donald Trump's own policy advisers are struggling to explain his flip- flopping.

The only thing Donald Trump's tariffs have succeeded in is raising the

odds of recession and sending markets into a tailspin.

I have talked to business owners in New York. I was in Suffolk County at Tandy's, a well-known dress seller there. Her costs are going up 30 percent because of tariffs, and she is faced with two awful choices: raise prices or lay off employees. And she doesn't want to do either.

Small businesses, medium businesses, big businesses--they are all frozen because they don't know what Donald Trump will do next. They can't plan for the future. Their costs are rising. They can't hire new workers. It is happening all over America.

Senate Republicans know deep down that Donald Trump's tariffs are awful for their States. So today they have to choose: Stick with Trump, or stand with your States and the people of America.

I thank my colleague and yield to the Senator from Oregon, the ranking member of Finance, who has done such a great job on this issue.

Mr. President, first, I want to thank Senators Padilla and Reed for holding the floor on such a vital issue to our country, our democracy, and who we are as a people. I thank Senators Klobuchar and Bennet for participating as well and all the others who did as well.

Well, we know that free and fair elections are the very wellspring of American democracy. When you ask people around the world ``What is great about America?'' this is one of the first things they say: ``They have elections, real elections, free elections.''

But unfortunately--deeply unfortunately--no administration has come closer to destroying that wellspring than the Trump administration. Donald Trump and Republicans are putting our elections in a vice grip-- Executive orders from the President on one end and dangerous legislation from Congress on the other. They don't understand the sacredness of elections and keeping them fair. The kind of legislation, the kind of Executive orders which are so jaundiced, so slanted on the side of one party, are the antithesis of democracy.

On the one side, Donald Trump recently issued an Executive order that would coerce States to prevent millions of Americans from voting. On the other, Republicans in Congress are pushing the SAVE Act--one of the most destructive, dangerous voter-suppression bills in recent memory. It is very reminiscent of Jim Crow. That is what Republicans want to do--they want to not only restore Jim Crow in the South; they want to have Jim Crow spread from one end of this country to the other.

It will not happen. It will not happen.

Let me be clear. I will not let this noxious bill, the SAVE Act, become law. Every Senate Democrat, every single one of us, is united against it. They need 60 votes. The SAVE Act is dead on arrival.

I would like to say it louder so my friends in the House and the rightwing over here can hear: The SAVE Act is dead on arrival.

Democrats and Americans see this bill for what it is--a nasty, vicious attack on our democracy.

The SAVE Act reads more like a how-to guide for voter suppression rather than a serious attempt to secure our elections. The SAVE Act would make easy methods of voter registration--like online registration, registration by mail, and registration drives--a thing of the past.

Massive purges would inevitably remove many American citizens from the voter rolls, and it is already wholly unnecessary. Federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in Federal elections. It is done with one purpose in mind: voter suppression.

What they have in mind is they think those that vote Democratic are less likely to vote than Republicans if this passes. It is trying to slant the elections away from free and fair.

Every single State already prohibits noncitizens from voting in State elections. So Republicans are trying to strip our democracy down to its studs, all to fix a problem that doesn't exist.

Under the SAVE Act, if you want to register to vote or if you want to simply update your registration, it would be harder than it is right now because on top of your ID card, you will need to provide either your passport, birth certificate, or citizenship certificate.

So if you are one of the 50 percent of Americans without a passport or one of the 21 million American citizens who don't have access to your birth or citizenship certificate, Republicans wants to make it harder--not easier, harder--for you to vote.

If you are one of the 69 million Americans who changed your name after you got married and your certificates don't

match your current name or if you have currently moved recently and changed addresses, Republicans want to make it harder for you to vote.

It is one unnecessary hurdle after another.

We know the SAVE Act is not about securing our elections. It is about suppressing voters. It is about making it harder to vote and easier to cheat. It is despicable. It is damaging--beyond damaging. It goes against the very foundations of our democracy.

Democrats will never, never allow the SAVE Act to become law.

I once again thank my colleague from Rhode Island for sponsoring this act.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, this resolution presents Republicans with a choice: Stand with Donald Trump or stand with American families hurt by the trade war.

The dismal GDP numbers today should be a wake-up call to Republican Senators now more than ever. Donald Trump is doing with the economy and tariffs what he did with his own business: Drive them under. It is terrible.

We hope that Republicans will join us because the devastation of the tariffs is apparent. Families are paying more. IRAs are going down. The country is on the edge of a recession because businesses are paralyzed.

The only solution: Pass our legislation, have Johnson pass it in the House, and tell President Trump his tariff policies are chaotic and plain dumb.

I yield the floor.