Floor Statements

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, yesterday, every single Senate Republican signed their name onto Donald Trump's plan to cut taxes for their billionaire buddies. Republicans and pundits all seem to be focused on this dispute between one bill or two bills. Donald Trump keeps changing his mind. One day, he says two bills is OK, and then just this morning he wants one bill.

Trump and Republicans have been all over the lot, and this morning the confusion continues. But frankly, this is all a sideshow. Republicans could do 2 bills, 10 bills, 50 bills, 100 bills. It doesn't make a difference because Donald Trump and House and Senate Republicans are united where it matters most: They want to give their billionaire buddies a tax break and have the American people pay the cost, no matter how many bills.

This is going to be a long, drawn-out fight. The debate we begin this week will spill into next week and the week after and go on possibly further. We will have late nights here on the floor, exposing the Republicans' hypocrisy on healthcare, on national security, on job creation, on inflation, and most of all on where their main focus is, their North Star: tax breaks for their billionaire buddies.

Democrats are glad to have this debate with the Republicans. We are glad to expose the truth here on the Senate floor. No matter how Republicans spin it, their No. 1 goal is tax cuts for their billionaire buddies. They are laying the groundwork to defund Medicaid and raise healthcare costs for tens of millions of working families all so they can help their billionaire buddies with another tax break.

Republicans are preparing to cut nutrition programs that feed hungry kids so they can help their billionaire buddies with another tax break. Republicans are making it harder for Americans to own a home so they can help their billionaire buddies with another tax break.

Republicans are preparing to slash NIH funding and reduce the chances that we get cures for so many illnesses that affect tens of millions. They are slashing NIH funding even as a measles outbreak is breaking out in Texas. All--all--so they can help their billionaire buddies with another tax break.

Republicans are getting ready to kill thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of clean jobs in order to put more money in the pocket of Big Oil executives all so they can give their billionaire buddies another tax break.

Of course, Republicans know how unpopular these tax cuts are. I don't hear them getting on the floor and saying we need to cut the taxes on the richest people in America. Oh, no. They will keep trying to divert and change the subject, just like when Donald Trump tries to change the subject by talking about the Gulf of Mexico; we are annexing Canada; we are building hotels in Gaza.

These are all distractions--distractions--to hide Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the Republicans' real goal: Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Republicans are trying to give their billionaire buddies a tax break and have you--you--pay the cost.

Republicans can do it in one bill. They can to it in two bills. They can do it in a whole bunch of bills. It doesn't matter. The endgame is the same: tax breaks paid for on the backs of working and middle-class families.

We will not relent. We are going to continue to expose Republicans for what they are doing in giving tax breaks for billionaires. We are going to do it in reconciliation, in the budget, and throughout the months and years ahead because the American people don't want it.

The Republicans are trying to hide it. We won't let them hide it. It is going to be front and center as we go through these debates.

Ukraine

Mr. President. In a FOX News interview released last night, President Trump spoke about the war in Ukraine, and some of his comments sounded straight from a Russian propaganda playbook. Rather than speak the truth, rather than acknowledge Vladimir Putin's role in starting this war, President Trump amazingly blamed Ukraine for Putin's invasion.

To quote the President: ``You should never have started it,'' he said. He was saying that to President Zelenskyy. This is disgusting-- disgusting--after how this man has fought so hard and so valiantly, and it deliberately distorts the truth.

It is just awful to see an American President--it is disgusting to see an American President turn against one of our friends and openly side with a thug like Vladimir Putin. It is shameful to hear the President repeat Putin's propaganda while laying the groundwork for negotiations that favor Russia at Ukraine's expense. The people of Ukraine did not start this war. Vladimir Putin did.

Ukrainians have fought and died on the battlefield to defend their home. The suffering and destruction of the Ukrainian country and the Ukrainian people that they have endured is staggering all because of Vladimir Putin.

Let's not forgot, America--maybe there are some who say enough already--if we give in to Putin now, America will inevitably pay the price later. That is what history has shown. When you give in to thugs, when you give in to dictators, you pay the price. Hasn't Donald Trump and his allies learned the lessons of history?

This is not just about the security of another nation. This struggle is, in every way, about the ultimate security of the American people. Make no mistake, right now the Kremlin is overjoyed by what Donald Trump is saying and what he is doing. Every single Republican must be put on record for President Trump's dangerous and false statements about the war in Ukraine.

We have an obligation in the Senate to take a stand for the truth and take a stand against autocrats, and we will do it shortly. The American people deserve to know, Will Republicans take a stand for democracy and freedom around the world or will they cater to Putin and Russia like Trump is doing with ultimately bad consequences for all of us?

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

Mr. President, this week will mark 1 month since Donald Trump was sworn in as President. In his first month, Donald Trump has waged a scorched-earth campaign against the rule of law and against the very system of checks and balances that kept America together for two- and-a-half centuries. Why? Why are they doing this? Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the Republicans are doing it all for one simple goal: They are trying to give their billionaire buddies a tax break and have you, the American people, pay the cost.

This week, Senate Republicans will take the next major step to achieving Donald Trump's agenda here on the Senate floor. Senate Democrats will expose Republicans' reconciliation budget bill for exactly what it is: a sinister front for clearing the way to cut taxes for Donald Trump's billionaire friends. This is going to be a long, drawn-out fight. This reconciliation budget bill is only the first step, albeit an important one.

Democrats are glad to have this debate with the Republicans. We will show the hollowness of Republicans' arguments on cutting waste. We will expose Republican attempts to cut healthcare, to cut Medicaid, to cut housing, to cut NIH, and to empower DOGE so it incinerates basic services that help tens of millions of people--all so Republicans can help their billionaire buddies with another tax break.

Of course, Republicans will deny all of this and try to change the subject just like when Donald Trump tries to change the subject by talking about the Gulf of Mexico or hotels in Gaza or annexing Canada. These are all distractions so people don't see the Republicans' real goal. And what is that goal? It is worth repeating again and again and again, and we will: Donald Trump and Republicans are trying to give their billionaires a tax break and have you pay the cost. They can do it in one bill. They can do it in two bills. They can do it in 50 bills. It doesn't matter. The endgame is exactly the same: tax cuts for billionaires paid for on the backs of working and middle-class Americans.

In fact, everything we have seen so far in Donald Trump's Presidency has been about rigging the game for the billionaire class, from firing independent government watchdogs to illegally freezing trillions for veterans' care and Head Start and community health centers, to giving Elon Musk Americans' Social Security numbers and even, potentially, private tax and health records, to defying court orders, to demonizing judges. Everything Donald Trump has done so far is meant to dismantle the rule of law so that billionaires can run the show in Donald Trump's America.

If you don't believe me, Elon Musk is already holding court in the Oval Office and meeting one on one with heads of state all the while DOGE is taking a meat-ax to healthcare and education and aviation safety and so many other services without thinking about the consequences for American families and for America.

DOGE talks on and on about cutting wasteful spending, but look what is actually happening: FAA workers who keep our skies safe are being fired in droves even as accidents increase. Apparently, DOGE thinks that is government waste.

The VA, meanwhile, has fired over 1,000 staffers, including people who manage the Veterans Crisis Line. Apparently, DOGE thinks that is government waste.

The FDA, under Robert Kennedy, Jr., is firing staffers who keep our food safe and review medical devices. Apparently, again, DOGE thinks that is government waste. No one else does. They do.

Donald Trump and DOGE even tried to fire hundreds of staffers who safeguard America's nuclear stockpiles. Imagine firing people who guard our nuclear stockpiles all to help their billionaire buddies with another tax cut.

Can you believe how dangerous and foolish this is? Donald Trump and Elon Musk were willing to risk the safety of America all in the name of tax cuts.

This example shows clear as day that DOGE doesn't actually care about increasing efficiency. DOGE is simply taking a meat-ax at government in defiance of the law and without thinking of the consequences--all so that Donald Trump and Republicans can give their billionaire buddies a big tax break.

I want to close on a particularly profane example of how Donald Trump and DOGE are taking a meat-ax to public services--the 9/11 survivors' health program. I would have thought that some things would have been out of bounds for Donald Trump and DOGE, like axing services to 9/11 families. Sadly, I was wrong because last week Donald Trump slashed the workforce for the World Trade Center Health Program, which I helped to create years ago to support our 9/11 first responders, survivors, and families. Apparently, serving 9/11 families--those who have been hurt by 9/11, who have lost loved ones in 9/11--is just more wasteful spending in the eyes of Donald Trump and DOGE. It is utterly disgusting.

Because of these barbaric cuts, 9/11 families, including sick first responders and survivors, will now face longer wait times to receive often desperately needed care. Families will worry more about whether or not their loved ones will be able to afford lifesaving treatment. Donald Trump and DOGE's decision to cut funding for the heroes of 9/

11 is outrageous; it is un-American; it is insulting to every 9/11 first responder, survivor, and family.

So, today, I sent a letter, with Senator Gillibrand, to Secretary Kennedy, urging him to immediately reverse the cuts that impacted the World Trade Center Health Program. Donald Trump, Secretary Kennedy, and DOGE have betrayed our sacred promise to never, never forget.

And what is the point of these cruel cuts? So Donald Trump and DOGE can give their billionaire buddies a tax break and have the 9/11 families pay the cost.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today to recognize a momentous occasion for the U.S. Army and for the North Country. Today, February 18, 2025, marks the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Riva Ridge during World War II.

During this battle, on the slopes of the northern Apennine Mountains in Italy, the 10th Mountain Division first ``Climbed to Glory'' and delivered one of the most amazing and decisive victories in U.S. military history.

In the face of grave danger and extreme adversity, the 10th Mountain Division broke through German positions and paved the way for Italy's liberation. Each soldier of the 10th Mountain Division demonstrated extraordinary courage, resilience, and tactical brilliance, forcing the German Army to retreat and providing a major boost to Allied efforts in Europe.

This anniversary comes only days after the 40th anniversary of the reactivation of the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum on February 13, 1985.

Since 1943, the 10th Mountain Division has stood as a pillar of strength, resilience, and readiness, answering the call to serve in nearly every major conflict our Nation has faced.

From the battlefields of World War II to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and now in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve and our NATO allies, the soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division have been at the forefront of protecting our national security.

For more than two decades, they have been the most deployed unit in the U.S. Army, demonstrating unparalleled commitment and courage in defending our country and supporting our partners abroad.

But their contributions go beyond their battlefield successes. The 10th Mountain Division is shaping the future of our military-- pioneering advancements in mobility, rapid deployment, counter-UAS, and the integration of cross-domain capabilities into training for large- scale combat operations to build the Army of the future and will strengthen our armed forces for years to come. With the activation of elements of the 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force at Fort Drum this summer, the installation's role in our national defense will continue to grow.

Fort Drum is more than a military base; it is a cornerstone of our national security, and I am proud to have fought for the funding and resources necessary to ensure its continued success. As we mark this anniversary, let us reaffirm our commitment to the brave men and women who serve at Fort Drum, ensuring they have the tools, training, and support they need to defend our Nation.

``Climb to Glory!''

Mr. President, this morning the Senate will vote on the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services. By now, it is beyond clear that Mr. Kennedy is not remotely qualified to become the next Secretary of HHS. In fact, Mr. Kennedy might be one of the least qualified people that Donald Trump could have chosen for the job. There are so many others that would have been better.

I am very proud that every single Democrat will oppose Mr. Kennedy's nomination, because Democrats know better than to elevate a conspiracy theorist to the top healthcare job in the country.

I know some of my colleagues feel the same way privately. In fact, if the Senate held a secret ballot today, I would bet Mr. Kennedy would never come close to becoming confirmed and that many, if not most, Republicans would vote against him. I think, most likely, most Republicans would vote against him if there were a secret ballot.

But, sadly and unfortunately for America, Republicans are being strong-armed by Donald Trump and will end up holding their nose and voting to confirm Mr. Kennedy--what a shame, what a travesty.

I urge my Republican colleagues to think very carefully, one last time, before rolling the dice--before rolling the dice--on Mr. Kennedy.

A vote to confirm Mr. Kennedy is a vote to make America sicker. Mr. Kennedy has made a living not by promoting public health but by actively fighting it. Mr. Kennedy is the face of the modern anti- vaccine movement. Mr. Kennedy has spent decades profiting off vaccine misinformation.

Mr. Kennedy told me to my face that he would ``defer to the President'' on issues as personal, as deeply held, as important as abortion. How do we know that Mr. Kennedy won't defer to the President--who is far from an expert on healthcare--on other issues and healthcare issues as well? It is simple: We don't. But if he can change his view and defer to the President on something as deeply held as abortion, the

likelihood is he will change his view on many other healthcare issues, to the detriment of the American people. One thing he won't change his views on is vaccines. I am sure because he has held that so deeply.

My Republican colleagues should think very carefully before voting to elevate a vaccine skeptic and conspiracy theorist to oversee our healthcare system.

If confirmed, I fear greatly that Mr. Kennedy will take steps that severely undermine public health, weaken safety standards, and put the needs of for-profit corporations ahead of the needs of American families.

Sooner or later, public backlash is going to build, and Republicans will have wished they hadn't signed their names for such a troubled nominee. So one final time--one final time--I implore my Republican colleagues to reject the nomination of Mr. Kennedy to be Secretary of HHS. A vote to confirm Mr. Kennedy is a vote I truly believe many, many Republicans and most Americans will eventually very deeply regret.

Mr. President, the fact that we are here right now--that we are even here right now--voting on this wildly unqualified conspiracy theorist to trust with one of the most life-or-death jobs, HHS Secretary, charged with protecting the health of every single American should be an affront to every Senator and the millions of Americans that will be impacted by this horrific nomination.

My colleagues on the other side of the aisle, I implore you, think one more time, one last time, about this vote. My colleagues on the Republican side, you know the consequences of what you are doing. My colleagues on the Republican side, you know how dangerous this is. My colleagues on the other side, you know you are not putting your constituents, their health, their families first when you vote yes.

To quote my colleague the junior Senator from Texas just a few years ago, he said:

We need an expert, we need a scientist, we need someone who

knows something about healthcare leading the Health and Human

Services Department.

Well, which is Robert Kennedy? An expert? A scientist?

Or what about the senior Senator from Louisiana, the chair of the HELP Committee and a well-respected medical professional himself? A few years ago, here is what he said:

Previous HHS Secretaries have had a pharmaceutical industry

background, been a State health commissioner, run health

systems, have been governors--somebody who has had a

background in actually administering the programs that HHS

administers.

I ask my colleagues: Which of these qualifications does RFK possess?

You know the answer: None of them.

The question in front of this body today--the question in front of this body--is not simply to confirm RFK to run the Nation's Health Department. The question before us is very simple: Which is more important to you--the health and well-being of your constituents or blindly obeying orders, knowing full well the dangerous impacts your vote will enable?

I plead with you one more time: Rethink this issue. This is dangerous. This is wrong--very wrong.

I yield the floor.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Under the previous order, the cloture motion with respect to the Rollins nomination is withdrawn.

The cloture motion was withdrawn.

Mr. President, let me begin with a quote from President Trump during his campaign for the Presidency.

He said:

When I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting

on Day 1.

Well, today is day 23, and prices are up 3 percent. Let me reiterate that Donald Trump said during his campaign that prices would come down starting on day 1. It is day 23, and prices are up 3 percent.

Donald Trump is already breaking his promise to the American people. Inflation is the No. 1 concern of most Americans, and Donald Trump said he would fight inflation, but he hasn't. Groceries are up 0.5 percent. Chicken, pork, steak are all more expensive. Egg prices are up 15 percent from last month. Gas prices are up 2 percent from last month. The prices of used cars are up. The price of heating your home is up. Housing costs are through the roof even though Republicans are racing to privatize Fannie and Freddie.

Well, welcome to the age of Trumpflation. Donald Trump is breaking his promise to lower costs. This was the No. 1 issue in the campaign to most people. Donald Trump said: Starting on day one, prices are going to start coming down. Well, they are up 3 percent, and it is day 20. Welcome, again, to the age of Trumpflation.

Donald Trump knows that he doesn't have real solutions to bring costs down despite his campaign promises. So what is he doing?

He is distracting and diverting the American people or trying to-- with issues that have nothing to do with bringing prices down. He is distracting and diverting with issues like changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico; talking about changing the chairman of the board of the Kennedy Center; talking about building hotels in Gaza; talking about the Panama Canal; talking about annexing Canada.

These are not the things Americans signed up for. No way. If there is one mandate Donald Trump had, it was to fight inflation on day one like he promised to do, but he is not doing that. He is focused on everything else except what Americans want most.

Meanwhile, Americans woke up this morning to bad news for their bank accounts. They woke up to the grim reality that Donald Trump is not going to keep his promise to lower costs. They woke up--Americans woke up--to an era of Trumpflation, and, unfortunately, this is only the beginning.

Mr. President, on DOGE, we all agree--I have said it many times--that cutting waste in government and increasing efficiency is a good thing, but what DOGE is doing is something else entirely. DOGE is taking a meat-ax and attacking vital programs indiscriminately. Of the programs that he cuts, some may be wasteful; many, clearly, are not. Cut now, says DOGE. Ask questions later.

Meanwhile, of course, Trumpflation continues to get worse. If Donald Trump and DOGE want to focus on efficiency, they should do it as the Constitution maintains and the Founders wisely prescribed--through Congress. The Founders knew we needed debate; we needed sunlight; we needed transparency so we can see what programs can be improved or changed and what should be maintained. Instead, DOGE is taking a meat- ax and cutting vital programs that virtually no one outside of DOGE would call wasteful.

Cut now. Ask questions later.

I was in Albany and Syracuse on Monday, visiting community health centers. These centers throughout the country--CHCs as they are known, community health centers--are among the most effective and efficient users of government funding, and they rely on Federal dollars to provide high-quality, affordable healthcare for working people--far cheaper than for the people who would show up at a hospital. They are particularly important in rural areas where people have no option, but

many of these community health centers have had their funding cut temporarily, and too many are still unable to access funding. Some have even had to close. That means many working people suddenly have no option for high-quality, affordable healthcare near them.

Is this DOGE's idea of cutting wasteful spending--taking among the most effective, efficient parts of the healthcare system that deliver healthcare to people who need help with lower costs and cutting it without asking a question? without examining what community health centers do? Meat-ax. Meat-ax. That is what they are doing.

Or let's look at programs like PEPFAR in the AID program. Again, they want to cut the whole AID. But what about PEPFAR? Do people at DOGE even realize what PEPFAR does? It helps combat things like AIDS. It has saved 25 million lives. Other programs stop things like Ebola in central Africa. If Ebola is left unchecked, it could, one day, spread to America--from Uganda to around the world today. There are flights from Kampala all over the world. So even if you oppose foreign aid on a policy ground, most people believe that PEPFAR and the programs fighting Ebola in central Africa are effective and cost-effective and make us more secure. God forbid Ebola would spread to the United States.

Do you want to see what government waste looks like? It doesn't look like those two programs. Thanks to DOGE, here is what government waste looks like that DOGE has created: Thanks to DOGE, half a billion dollars in food assistance through USAID is sitting in ports and ships and warehouses unable to move.

So the bottom line is simple: If you want to make cuts, you have sunlight, transparency, debate in Congress--not lawlessness; not breaking the law because you feel, well, that you know more than anybody else; not by implementing cuts and asking questions later. It is a formula for disaster when you do things like that. These policies will hurt children; they will hurt seniors; they will hurt veterans and so many other of our friends and neighbors.

Mr. President, on reconciliation, today, Senate Republicans' scheme to pass tax cuts for the ultrarich takes the next important step. Later today, Chairman Graham of the Budget Committee will hold a markup of the Republicans' first reconciliation bill.

Republicans claim that their bill will be fully paid for, but that means Republicans are laying the groundwork to gut things like nutrition assistance, funding for nursing homes, student debt support, and to kill clean energy jobs that employ Americans in red and blue States alike.

There has been so much focus on how Republicans are going to pass their signature bills--should it be one bill? Should it be two bills?-- that at the end of the day, talking about process is a sideshow. This ``one bill, two bills, or a hundred bills'' is meaningless. What they are trying to do is give tax cuts to the very wealthy--further tax cuts to the very wealthy--who are doing just fine, and they are hurting average Americans by cutting programs--again meat-ax, slashing--across the board to do it.

They could carve up their bill. They could carve up one bill, two bills, five bills. As I said, it doesn't matter. They could carve it up in their agenda however they want, and they could change the order of policies they tackle first, but the endgame does not change. This is all about clearing the path to cutting taxes for billionaires and making the American people foot the bill.

The whole thing--the whole big enterprise--is aimed with one goal in mind: tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans--large tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans--who, as I said, are doing fine--not as fine as the average Americans, who just saw their inflation go up 3 percent.

Plain and simple: Again, what is their plan? To funnel more wealth to the ultrawealthy while slashing everything else to the bone: gutting Medicare and Medicaid; yanking school lunches from kids; blocking prescription drug reforms which make drugs cheaper for the average American; cutting funding for cancer research--one of the most popular things we do; cutting research for semiconductor manufacturing and letting China get ahead of us. No matter how they dress it up, no matter what spin they can put on it, the Republicans' agenda boils down to this: tax cuts for the wealthy and deep, deep painful cuts for everybody else.

Mr. President, I know I spoke a little while ago on Tulsi Gabbard, but I feel so strongly, I just wanted to make one last plea to my Republican colleagues.

In a moment, the Senate will vote to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as the next Director of National Intelligence. Every single Democrat, I am really proud to say, will oppose this awful nomination because we simply cannot, in good conscience, trust our most classified secrets to someone who echoes Russian propaganda and falls for conspiracy theories.

It is hard to believe, of all the talented and capable people, that this is the person nominated. It is a person who has said things like: The Ukraine invasion was caused by the United States, not by Putin. It is somebody who has denied Assad's use of chemical weapons, despite all of the intelligence. It is someone who echoes Russian propaganda and falls for crazy conspiracy theories.

I say to my Republican colleagues, please think once again about this nomination. This endangers our security. And my guess is, if a secret ballot were cast on Tulsi Gabbard, maybe she would get 10 votes. You all know how bad she is.

And so I know that people feel they want to please the President in his nomination, but there are certain times you have to buck and stand up and say: No, this is just a very bad choice for America. And the nomination of Ms. Gabbard is simply one of those.

I plead with my colleagues--I know it is the last minute--to think twice, to vote no, as we all will vote, because this is such an awful nomination, who will endanger our national security and our intelligence operations throughout the country and the world.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, unfortunately and sadly, we are witnessing an alarming abdication of duty from Republicans here in the Senate. The job of the Senate when it comes to nominees is very simple: When a nominee is obviously qualified and experienced, we should consider them seriously even if we don't agree with their political views or ultimately vote for them. But when a nominee comes before the Senate who is obviously unqualified, who is obviously fringe, whose views are obviously detrimental to the well-being of the American people, well, Senators have a duty to reject them and to tell the President to send someone better.

We were faced with one such nominee earlier today in Tulsi Gabbard, and now we are faced with another such nominee right now.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is not remotely qualified to become the next Secretary of Health and Human Services. In fact, I might go further. Robert F. Kennedy might be one of the least qualified people the President could have chosen for the job. It is almost as if Mr. Kennedy's beliefs, history, and background were tailor-made to be the exact opposite of what the job demands.

A few weeks ago, it seemed like maybe Senate Republicans would have drawn the line on nominees like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Tulsi Gabbard, but the past few days have been a stunning capitulation by Senate Republicans. At this point, they are just rubberstamping people no matter how fringe they are.

If the Senate had a secret ballot, I will bet you that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., would never have come close to confirmation. His unfitness for the job is simply too obvious and too glaring.

HHS is an Agency that depends on science, on evidence, and on impartiality to ensure the well-being of over 330 million Americans. HHS ensures we eat safe food, purchase reliable medications, oversees Medicare benefits, and approves the use of lifesaving vaccines. Most importantly, a good HHS Secretary makes sure the American people have access to affordable, high-quality healthcare.

Mr. Kennedy, unfortunately, is not qualified to oversee any of these things. He is neither a doctor nor a scientist nor a public health expert nor a policy expert of any kind.

If Mr. Kennedy is confirmed given that lack of background, it is my deep fear that he will rubberstamp Donald Trump's war against healthcare, meaning we will see more of the disastrous funding cuts of the past few weeks, meaning that more people will lose health coverage, meaning that the interests of for-profit corporations and Big Pharma will come before the needs of working Americans.

When I saw Mr. Kennedy and asked him certain views, like on abortion, he said: Well, I am going to defer to the President.

On something as personal, as heartfelt, as talked over within ourselves, even, as abortion, he will follow the whims and the wishes of the President? Well, then, how do we know he won't do it on everything else? Even in the places where he might try to tell someone in an interview that he is different than the President, how do we know he won't just follow the President given that he said that on one of the most fundamental views a person can hold?

I am so troubled by this nomination. Already, as we have seen, community health centers across the country have been locked out of the funding they need to serve patients, and I fear it will get worse under RFK, Jr.'s watch. Already, the CDC has gutted valuable public health care data from its websites before the courts stepped in. As we speak, DOGE has basically hacked into the payment data of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which tens of millions of people rely on for secure benefits. I fear all

of that will get worse--worse--under RFK, Jr.'s watch.

Now, it would be bad enough that a vote to confirm RFK, Jr., would be a vote to weaken America's healthcare system, but it gets even worse when you remember that a vote for RFK, Jr., is also a vote to elevate a conspiracy theorist to the top healthcare job in the country.

Mr. Kennedy has made a living not by promoting public health but, in his later years, by actively fighting it. RFK is the face of the modern anti-vax movement. He has spent decades profiting off vaccine misinformation, undermining public trust in a medical practice that has saved tens of millions of lives, if not hundreds of millions or more, for more than a century.

We need to take a moment to truly reckon with the dangers of putting a vaccine skeptic in charge of HHS.

Simply put, weakening vaccine standards could mean more people will die--more people will die. A vaccine skeptic in charge of HHS could defund vaccine awareness campaigns that are led by organizations like the CDC. A vaccine skeptic in charge of HHS could reshape the CDC's vaccine advisory board and alter which kinds of vaccines are required to be covered by insurance companies.

A vaccine skeptic in charge of HHS would make our schools less safe. If fewer kids are required to be vaccinated against things like measles, the results will be sicker classrooms across America.

A vaccine skeptic in charge of HHS could weaken protections for vaccine and drugmakers from frivolous lawsuits.

These are just some of the dangers that come with putting a vaccine skeptic in charge of America's healthcare policy. It will set American healthcare back dramatically.

Of course, during his hearings, RFK, Jr., tried to run away from his fringe views. We heard the usual excuses you might expect from a nominee forced to answer for a terrible record. He suggested perhaps he was misquoted here and there or that he had been misunderstood or that he never meant to come across as anti-vaccine at all, and that, of course, he would follow the science. Well, give me a break. Are Senators supposed to believe that someone who has spent decades writing books and giving speeches and making trips around the world undermining vaccines has suddenly had this epiphany and come around on vaccines; that, suddenly, now that he has been nominated to lead HHS, he is fully on board with vaccines, and that we have nothing to worry about when it comes to his views? How convenient. Again, give me a break.

We should look less at RFK, Jr.'s eleventh-hour conversion and, instead, examine the things he has said again and again, going back decades. We should look at the way RFK, Jr., has used his powerful platform to spread misinformation for years, like in 2023--not very long ago--when Mr. Kennedy went on FOX News and said:

I do believe autism does come from vaccines.

Or when Mr. Kennedy gave his speech at a conference linking the CDC vaccines division to ``fascism.''

Or like in 2021, when he said on a podcast:

Our job is to resist and to talk about vaccines to

everyone. If I see someone on a hiking trail carrying a

little baby and I say to him, ``Better not get vaccinated.''

And, of course, you could try reading Mr. Kennedy's numerous books against vaccines, like the one claiming parents have been misled on the measles vaccine. Or you could go to the online store of one of his anti-vaccine groups and check out the merchandise they sell for kids, like the onesie that says ``Unvaxxed and Unafraid''--a onesie for a little one, putting this propaganda on him or her.

This last example is pretty revealing because it is not just that Mr. Kennedy embraces pseudoscience and conspiracy theories but that he has, in fact, profited off spreading misinformation. He has been involved with no fewer than five lawsuits filed by anti-vaccine groups against drug companies. In fact, his primary source of income from the last year came from the fees he collected by referring clients to a civil lawsuit against vaccines.

And, by the way, he didn't originally disclose those connections to ethics officials. Worse, he refused to give up his financial stake in any settlement agreement that comes from one of these lawsuits. That is stunning.

That means, right now, Republicans are on the brink of confirming a nominee to HHS who will be in charge of vaccine regulations in America and who at the same time stands to benefit from lawsuits against vaccines, financially benefit.

Well, Donald Trump says he wants to get rid of the swamp. This is a textbook definition of ``the swamp''--to benefit from lawsuits against vaccines while you are HHS Secretary and have power over which vaccines are needed and how they are distributed and talked about to the American people.

Now, let me repeat what I said a few weeks earlier. It fills me with such sadness, as well as a great deal of frustration and even anger. A few weeks ago, it seemed like Senate Republicans would have drawn the line on nominees like Robert Kennedy and Tulsi Gabbard. A few weeks ago, yes, indeed, it did seem like Senate Republicans, maybe, would have drawn the line on RF Kennedy, Jr., and Tulsi Gabbard. But, unfortunately, and, again, sadly, the past few days have been a stunning capitulation by Senate Republicans.

If the Senate had a secret ballot, I will bet you that Tulsi Gabbard would have gotten fewer than 10 votes and Robert Kennedy would not have come close to confirmation. My guess is a majority of the party on the other side would have voted against him as well, as are all of us.

But, instead, Donald Trump is tightening his vice grip even further on Senate Republicans. What we are witnessing is leadership from one branch of government, withering under pressure from another, even to the point of confirming dangerously unfit individuals to positions of immense responsibility.

My Republican colleagues should think very carefully before they roll the dice on Mr. Kennedy. There is a very serious risk that, if confirmed, Mr. Kennedy will take steps that severely undermine public health, and then sooner or later public backlash is going to build, and Republicans will have wished they didn't sign their names to this troubling nominee.

So I implore my Republican colleagues, reject the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy to be Secretary of HHS. There are certainly better individuals for the job, even if many on our side may not agree with them politically.

But a vote to confirm Mr. Kennedy is a vote to make America sicker. A vote to confirm Mr. Kennedy is a vote to make America sicker. It is a vote to let pseudoscience dictate healthcare policy. It is a vote that will endanger the lives of the American people. And it is a vote, I truly believe, many, many Republicans will eventually deeply regret.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, in his first 3 weeks in office, Donald Trump has waged a scorched-earth campaign against the rule of law.

We all know that Donald Trump, of course, won the election last November, and as we all know, he campaigned on a platform to cut back large parts of the government. But nothing--nothing--in the Constitution, nothing in our grand tradition of American separation of powers allows Donald Trump to break the law in order to achieve those goals.

Let me repeat that. Donald Trump campaigned on cutting back the government. That is true. But he is not allowed--not allowed--to break the law to achieve those goals.

That is not how America works. You campaign. You put your ideas forward. In this case, Donald Trump won. But he did not campaign on breaking the law, and the American people don't want him to break the law.

The reason we have a system of checks and balances is so that even when one side wins an election, there is a check, there is a balance. That is what America has been all about for over 200 years. At this point, Donald Trump is trying to break that tradition in area after area after area. So the courts have begun to speak, and their message is very simple: The law is not optional, not even for a President of the United States.

Yesterday, at least five rulings were handed down in Federal courts against the President's brazen conduct in office: court rulings against his attempt to freeze trillions in Federal funding at OMB; court decisions against his heartless, cruel decision to stop billions in medical research funding through the NIH. Courts have ruled against his unlawful attempt to hollow out the Federal workforce regardless of the job they do.

To be sure, these decisions--these five decisions and many others like it; I think there are over 50--are all temporary, preliminary, and it is one step in a long process that will play out in Federal court. But the trend is clear: Donald Trump is not free to bulldoze his way through the rule of law. Donald Trump is not free to bulldoze his way through the rule of law. He is an executive, not a monarch. He swore an oath faithfully to execute the duties of his office, and when the courts speak, Donald Trump must accept their judgments and honor the Constitution.

Now, there are some on the hard right who think Donald Trump should ignore the courts. Even the Vice President seems to suggest the courts can't ``control the powers of the executive.'' With respect to the Vice President, the issue here isn't the courts trying to control the President; it is the President trying to control the law. He

wants to decide for himself what the laws are, which ones should be applied, which ones shouldn't, and what they mean.

Congress makes the law. Courts interpret the law. We all learned that in grade school. That is how checks and balances work in a constitutional republic. Donald Trump does not reign supreme. When the courts speak, the President must adhere to their judgments. That is what his oath demands.

The courts will be an important venue for holding Donald Trump accountable whenever he breaks the law and breaks his promise to the American people. It is one tool in the toolkit for how Democrats and all Americans who care about the rule of law will make sure that Donald Trump does not break the law and do just what he wants. Our courts will be just one resource of several, but they will be among the most important, and as we have already seen, they are a critical front in the struggle to uphold the rule of law and prevent America from sliding into utter lawlessness.