Floor Statements

Madam President, I rise today to honor Detective Jacob Shroyer of Kansas City, MO, for his lifesaving response that went above and beyond the call of duty.

While heading home, Detective Shroyer chose to keep his radio on and noticed a vehicle with flashing lights on the far side of the highway. Shortly thereafter, he overheard a dispatch call go out. Without hesitation, Officer Shroyer made a U-turn and rushed to aid a distressed couple. Arriving at the scene, he quickly helped a woman experiencing a medical emergency be lowered to the ground. Aided by Officer Richard DuChaine, they noticed purple and blue creeping into her lips, a sign of impeded breathing. Detective Shroyer immediately administered rapid chest compressions and lifesaving CPR to the suffocating victim. His actions kept her alive until the Kansas City Fire Department arrived with emergency medical equipment.

Detective Jacob Shroyer is truly a Champion of Missouri. He exemplifies the best of Missouri law enforcement. His decisive response while off-duty and the effective execution of his training demonstrate his commitment to protecting the public--even while off the clock. Officer Shroyer received profuse thanks from the couple as they recovered in a nearby hospital. I commend Detective Shroyer for his extraordinary service and his continued excellence with the Kansas City Police Department.

Madam President, I rise today to honor CDR Stephen Szachta, Jr., of St. Charles, MO, a leader to service personnel who have served alongside him, a companion to our Japanese allies, and a true frontline warrior in our ensuing fight for global competitiveness against the Chinese Communist Party.

Commander Szachta began his career in the U.S. Navy, heeding the call to service following the attacks on September 11 and, after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2006, would later attend the Naval Postgraduate School, graduating with distinction and earning a master of science in systems engineering. In his distinguished naval career, he has deployed in support of counternarcotics and counterpiracy operations, as well as in key engineering roles aboard such vessels as the USS Preble and USS Cape St. George. Commander Szachta held the privilege of commanding the patrol

ship USS Monsoon during her mission critical deployments to the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman, where his crew were awarded the coveted Battle ``E'' award for the ship's superb performance under Commander Szachta's leadership. Commander Szachta recently commanded over 300 sailors of the destroyer USS Rafael Peralta in Yokosuka, Japan, where he has found himself as part of the increasing struggle to reign in the influences of the Chinese Communist Party in the Indo-Pacific. In his career, Commander Szachta has been well-deservingly decorated with the Meritorious Service Medal, two Navy Commendation Medals, and two Navy Achievement Medals, as well as numerous other awards and decorations.

CMDR Stephen Szachta, Jr., is truly a Champion of Missouri. His selfless service to his country and fellow sailors have truly given great pride to our State, and I am truly honored to represent him and honored to call him a Champion of Missouri.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum calls with respect to the Bluestone, Szabo, Lohmeier, and Topping nominations; further, that if any of the nominations are confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, as spectrum auctions move forward, it is critical that the FCC maintains the integrity of its prior decisions related to spectrum use and auctions. Reallocating or modifying licenses that were legally purchased through auctions, such as by relocating licensees or changing the operating rules applicable to those licenses, would undermine the certainty businesses rely on to make

long-term investments in wireless innovation. Companies, investors, and consumers need confidence that once they have secured spectrum rights through a lawful process, those licenses and spectrum access frameworks will be honored. To do otherwise puts future participation and investment at risk.

Mr. President, I ask for unanimous consent to speak up to 5 minutes before the scheduled rollcall.

Mr. President, I want to echo the comments from Senator Hawley. This is a very proud day for the State of Missouri and significant that the first district court judges that are coming before this body under President Trump's second term in office will be filling the bench, the four vacancies, in the Eastern District of Missouri: Josh Divine, Cris Stevens, Maria Lanahan, Zach Bluestone.

I want to talk about Mr. Divine and Mr. Stevens, briefly, here, both of whom worked in the office when I was attorney general, Josh very briefly. He came on, originally, with Senator Hawley. But Cris Stevens, I want to talk about him first.

You know, when you are in a role like attorney general, you need a lot of good people around you, and you have a core team. And for me, that process, you kind of rely on a lot of social capital over the years, and you ask around. You have some relationships, but you have people who then refer you to people, and you go through an interview process. And Cris Stevens was the name that just kept coming up. And I didn't know Cris before that. I knew his reputation just a little bit.

But when he and I got together and visited about the vision for what we wanted to do with the office, we instantly clicked. He is an incredible family man, a devout Catholic, his wife Leigh--they have great kids. He is a wonderful father.

And before he came to my office, he was probably one of the more decorated and storied criminal prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's Office in generations. I mean, if there was a tough criminal case, Cris Stevens was the guy. And so I brought him in originally as our criminal chief. He later--when Tom Albus, who was my first assistant, went on to become a judge, Cris Stevens then took that first assistant role. And what I was always impressed by Cris was not only his work ethic but his willingness to work with younger lawyers, to be a mentor. His legal acumen was beyond reproach. He is a brilliant guy. He is going to do an incredible job on that court.

I am just so proud for him and his family today as this vote happens, and he will ascend to that really important role, a lifetime appointment, and will do the business of the people on that bench. We need more people like Cris Stevens so it is really a special day.

Josh Divine, as Senator Hawley mentioned, is a very, very smart guy. He has done a great job in the Solicitor General's Office with the current attorney general, Andrew Bailey. He will do a phenomenal job on the bench.

We are really lucky to have such a deep legal bench in the State of Missouri. As these nominees came forward, we just have an embarrassment of riches in Missouri. I think that is true, and the first two of them will be voted on here today.

And as I mentioned, Maria Lanahan and Zach Bluestone will come after that.

So I just want to wish congratulations to them as this vote takes place, and I can't recommend both of them more strongly. And, again, it is a real honor for the State of Missouri to have these two incredible jurists before this body for their confirmation vote.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to start this vote early.

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

Mr. President, we are here today. We are about to begin vote-arama--vote-arama. We seem to do this quite a bit these days, but we are here to do it on a very, very important bill: the rescissions package for President Trump.

I spoke yesterday--and I won't go on for as long as I did yesterday-- about what this is all about. What this bill is about is to test the will of this Chamber--if we can actually move forward on what the American people sent us here to do, which is to find waste, to find fraud, and to find abuse; and also to realign the taxpayer dollars that go out the door with actual American interests.

So we are going to have a lot of conversations about the foreign aid spending, and it has been certainly highlighted, as it should be--some of the ridiculousness and craziness.

And my friend from Hawaii is talking about: Well, that is not going to happen anymore.

Well, good, we don't need the money for it. But let's make sure it never happens again by sending a message that this Chamber can actually see what happened and course correct--$18 million to gender diversity in the Mexican street lighting industry, $2.4 million to make international disaster aid more considerate of sexual orientation and gender identity, $2.2 million to reduce xenophobia toward Venezuelan migrants, $3 million for Iraqi ``Sesame Street,'' and $33 million for U.N. programs like funding for transgender tampons in Bangladesh, LGBTQ campaigns in Rio, and third-gender community centers in Southeast Asia.

If you are listening to this, if you are watching this, that is offensive. That is just a short laundry list in the ways in which these bureaucrats have betrayed the trust of the American people.

So what is today about? It is our effort to try to restore not only just some fiscal sanity to this place, which everybody has talked about, even across the aisle--hopefully, maybe; I don't know--and not just that, but the political will to take that vote to go do it. Many, many legislators in many, many Senates over the generations have talked about doing this.

In fact, President Ronald Reagan talked about getting rid of Federal money for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in the early 1980s. It didn't happen. But guess what. Today, we can actually go do that.

We don't have to sit by anymore and continue to send the hard-earned tax dollars that are sent here by the guys that swing the hammer and the gals who drive the trucks back in Missouri, who should be mortified that they are spending money for the head of NPR to call the President a bigot, a racist; to look over the vast continent of our country and where I come from, ``Flyover Country,'' and look down on them and actually use our money for programming to tell them that, every single hour of every single day.

Enough and enough.

So that is the charge here today, Mr. President. Let the vote-arama begin.

Order of Business

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that there be 2 minutes of debate, equally divided, prior to each vote in relation to Calendar No. 114, H.R. 4.

Mr. President, I rise in opposition to this amendment from Senator Coons that strikes the rescission for international disaster assistance, IDA. I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment.

Many foreign governments and U.N. agencies have become reliant on U.S. emergency funding, using it to avoid in investing in their own disaster preparedness.

IDA is intended to aid in response to emergencies around the world. But, instead, it has gone to things like $3 million for sexual reproductive health in Venezuela; $2.1 for climate resilience in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and East Africa; and $2.4 million to make aid more considerate of sexual orientation and gender identity.

IDA will still have unobligated funds--more than $6 billion--that the administration may use as they see fit.

Mr. President, with that, I urge my colleagues to vote no on amendment No. 2856.

Vote on Amendment No. 2856

Mr. President, I rise in opposition to the amendment offered from my colleague Senator Cortez Masto.

Let's be clear about this. The funding rescinded in this package has zero--zero--impact on emergency alert systems. The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, IPAWS, or Next Generation Warning System Grant Program are funded and operated by FEMA, not the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Those alerts do not rely on CPB, and they certainly don't depend on taxpayer subsidies for partisan media outlets. Any entity could administer these programs without funneling money through a politically biased intermediary. If adopted, this motion would kill the bill by delaying its consideration by the July deadline and stand in the way of Republican efforts to eliminate wasteful spending and deliver on the President's agenda for the American people. I urge my colleagues to vote no.

Mr. President, I rise in strong opposition to the amendment offered by Senator Gallego.

The overwhelming majority of CPB's funding goes to NPR and PBS-- entities that have drifted far from their original mission and now serve as megaphones for partisan, leftwing activism. American taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize programming that glorifies radical gender ideology in schools or pushes to defund the police.

Local stations are not without resources. They already receive revenue from individual donations, membership drives, corporate sponsorships, and private grants. On top of that, many States already invest in public broadcasting. It is entirely reasonable and, frankly, long overdue to expect they just shoulder more of the burden here.

This amendment is not about protecting rural radio stations or television stations; it is about protecting a political agenda with taxpayer dollars.

If adopted, this motion would kill the bill by delaying its consideration by the July 18 deadline and stand in the way of Republican efforts to eliminate wasteful spending and deliver on the President's agenda to the American people.

I urge my colleagues to vote no.

Vote on Motion to Recommit

Mr. President, I rise in opposition to the amendment offered by the Senator from Hawaii, Senator Hirono. Saying that defunding CPB will somehow prevent Americans from receiving emergency alerts is demonstrably not only fearmongering but not true.

Emergency alerts, the kind you see on your cell phone and that air on TV and radio stations, are sent out via a system funded and operated by FEMA, called the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, or IPAWS. If we rescind CBP's annual funding, IPAWS will continue to operate as usual, sending emergency alerts to cell phones, public broadcasters, and commercial broadcasters alike. Simply put, we don't need to subsidize leftwing propaganda in order to keep Americans safe.

If adopted, this motion will kill the bill by delaying its consideration by the July 18 deadline and stand in the way of Republican efforts to provide accountability and course-correct from wasteful spending and deliver on President Trump's agenda for the American people.

I urge my colleagues to vote no.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that it be in order for the following Senators to be recognized to offer amendments, motions, or points of order; that the amendments be reported by number, with no amendments in order prior to a vote in relation to the amendments or motions: No. 1, Warner, motion to recommit regarding Economic Support Fund; No. 2, Schumer, motion to recommit regarding countering China; No. 3, Schiff, amendment No. 2862; No. 4, Markey, motion to recommit regarding children's educational programs; and, No. 5, Rosen amendment No. 2878.

Mr. President, I rise in opposition to the motion to recommit offered by Senator Warner that would effectively kill this bill. Let me be clear, the funding we are rescinding in this package will have no bearing on the safety, security, or prosperity of the American people. So much of our money for too long has been misaligned with any idea of a core American interest. This bill seeks to rectify that.

Rather, the economic support funding we are rescinding has been used to do things like support sedentary migrants in Colombia, hold a pride parade in foreign countries, to teach children how to make environmentally friendly reproductive health decisions overseas.

It is long past time to recoup the funds for asinine programs like these and work to regain the trust of the American people once again. As I mentioned, if adopted, this motion would kill the bill by delaying its consideration until after the July 18 deadline and stand in the way of our efforts to eliminate waste and spending and deliver on President Trump's agenda for the American people.

I urge my colleagues to vote no.

Vote on Motion to Recommit

Mr. President, I rise in opposition to the amendment offered by Senator Schumer.

We heard that refrain before the Big Beautiful Bill--the tired refrain about tax breaks for billionaires. The Democrats don't have anything left and are resorting to these sorts of amendments, which, by the way, are already covered in the substitute.

Let's be clear, funding rescinded in this package has no bearing on the safety, security, and prosperity of the American people. It will only make us more focused on the threat of communist China.

No more ridiculous spending. Let's get focused on our chief adversary, which is China. In fact, the substitute, as I mentioned, already protects the foreign aid fund for countering China's malign influence by protecting the Countering PRC Influence Fund.

Contrary to my colleague's assertions, I suspect communist China loves to see America squander its resources on shoving radical leftwing social programs on societies around the globe.

If adopted, this motion would kill the bill by delaying consideration until after July 18 and stand in the way of our efforts to return accountability and have this Chamber actually speak, as it should, that we are going to reduce wasteful spending, once and for all, and deliver on President Trump's important agenda for the American people.

I urge my colleagues to vote no.

Vote on Motion to Recommit

Mr. President, I rise in opposition to this amendment from Senator Schiff that reduces the global health rescission from $500 million to $66 million to fence off unobligated balances for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and other diseases.

We already do that in the substitute. What we are also doing in the substitute, though, I would point out, is targeting egregious waste like $7.4 million for a curriculum that teaches practitioners about environmental racism and DEI. Remember, that $7.4 million could have been used to save lives. By slashing the amount rescinded from the global health funding, we would be allowing this inexcusable use of taxpayer dollars to continue.

With that, I urge my colleagues to vote no on amendment No. 2862.

Mr. President, I stand in opposition to the amendment from Senator Markey. Saying that defunding the CPB will somehow prevent Americans from receiving children's educational programming is patently false. American taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize programming that glorifies radical gender ideology at schools or encourages children to defund the police.

As just one example, PBS programming has been used to help fund a children's learning segment promoting the book ``The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish.'' This is not any sane person's definition of an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars.

Eliminating this funding doesn't ban public stations from airing kids' programming; it just ends the Federal subsidy. Taxpayers across this country should not be funding that nonsense.

This motion isn't about protecting children's education; it is about protecting a political agenda with taxpayer dollars.

I urge my colleagues to vote no.

Vote on Motion to Recommit

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that it be in order for the following Senators to be recognized to offer amendments, motions, or points of order; that the amendments be reported by number, with no amendments in order prior to a vote in relation to the amendments or motions: No. 1, Senator Kaine, motion to recommit regarding faith-based organizations; No. 2, Senator Booker, amendment No. 2887.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the following amendments be the final amendments in order; that the amendments be reported by number; that following disposition of the amendments, the bill, as amended, if amended, be read a third time, and the Senate vote on passage of Calendar No. 114, H.R. 4, as amended, if amended, with no intervening action or debate; and finally, that if passed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table: No. 1, Shaheen amendment No. 2898; No. 2, Ossoff amendment No. 2896; No. 3, Merkley amendment No. 2863; No. 4, Kim motion to recommit; No. 5, Lujan motion to recommit; and, No. 6, Schmitt amendment No. 2853, the substitute.

Mr. President, I also ask for unanimous consent that all remaining votes be 10 minutes in length.

I would ask that Senators please stay in their seats.

Mr. President, I rise in objection to the amendment from my colleague from Alaska.

As was mentioned earlier on several of these other Corporation for Public Broadcasting amendments, this rescission does nothing to affect FEMA, which actually does the emergency response system.

Our hearts--and I know this is a scary situation in Alaska. The good news is FEMA has money for these sorts of alerts.

We have come a long way tonight. We are almost there. Our efforts to finally prevent Federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting--this is maybe one of the last votes for that. What is important to note here is this would gut that aspect of it. And 93 percent of the work that we are trying to do would be eliminated here. This would effectively fully fund the Corporation of Public Broadcasting to the tune of 93 percent of what we are currently trying to rescind. This is a very important vote. I would ask my colleagues to vote no.

Vote on Amendment No. 2865

Mr. President, I rise in opposition to the amendment from Senator Ossoff.

UNICEF's mission, although admirable, is not immune from waste, fraud, and abuse. That is why this rescission package includes $142 million for UNICEF's overhead.

The truth of the matter is, there is still significant funds for lifesaving care for kids, even after this rescission package is adopted. And my substitute amendment protects maternal and child health in the Global Health account.

With that, I urge the body to vote no on this amendment.

Mr. President, I rise in opposition to the amendment offered by Senator Merkley.

The Trump administration has been very clear and has directed that the nonstatutory components and functions of the U.S. Institute of Peace shall be eliminated to remain consistent with applicable law.

The Institute of Peace, although it has a great sounding name, has violated this order and gone well beyond their statutory authority on a number of fronts--and I will just mention one of them--including funding projects at the University of Denver for escaping the ethnic trap of deeply divided societies. The list could go on and on. We don't have the time to do it.

But this Agency has exceeded its mandate and has become nothing more--at this point or in many ways--than a think tank that peddles radical left ideology, violated the trust of the American people.

Part of our charge tonight is to help restore that trust. And with that charge in mind, I urge my colleagues to vote no on this amendment.

Vote on Amendment No. 2863

Mr. President, I rise in opposition to the motion that has been made by Senator Kim.

Two quick points. The first is, if this were to actually somehow pass, it would kill the bill because it would go beyond the July 18 deadline. Secondly, saying that defunding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting can somehow prevent Americans from receiving veterans' educational programming is patently false.

Eliminating CBP doesn't do that. It doesn't ban public stations from airing this kind of program. Of course they can. But what is true is that American taxpayers are tired of having to subsidize radical leftist programming they hear every single day and every single week of every single month or watch every single day or every single week of every single month on NPR or PBS.

Mr. President, I urge my colleagues to vote no on this motion.

Mr. President, we are on the precipice in this Chamber right now to do something that is rarely done in this town, which is to identify waste, fraud, and abuse and actually do something about it.

This is a rare thing. It is an important thing. It is about the $9 billion we are going to save or $90 billion in the 10-year window. And where I come from, that is still a lot of money. That is a lot of money. But it is more than just that. It is about restoring trust with the American people.

When the American people see dollars going to DEI trainings in Burma or sex changes in Guatemala, they wonder what in the world is going on around here.

Tonight, we can say: We hear you; we know why you sent us here; and we are going to do something about it.

With that, I urge my colleagues to vote yes.

Vote on Amendment No. 2853

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor the athletes of the Washington University Women's Tennis Team and to congratulate them on their recent victory in the NCAA Division III Women's Tennis National Championship. Over the last year, the entire team has shown remarkable dedication and commitment to enhancing their athletic prowess and working to ensure that their skills are at their peak. With over half a million athletes competing for NCAA championship titles each year, the WashU Bears have more than proven their mettle, as demonstrated by their remarkable victory against the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens.

I would also like to offer my congratulations to head coach Paige Madara and assistant coaches Ally Persky and Erin Swaller, as their steady leadership has been an important part of the Bears' success. Thank you for your committed work to helping the team succeed and reach their fullest potential. I am excited to see all the success this team continues to achieve.

Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate the bicentennial anniversary of the founding of First Baptist Church--FBC-- of Lafayette County, MO. Since its founding as ``Little Sni-a-Bar Church'' in 1825, First Baptist has been a cornerstone of Lafayette County and has helped spread the message of Jesus Christ to countless individuals over its two centuries of service. To this day, it remains the longest serving active church in the county. I am proud to recognize the legacy forged by Pastor John Warder 200 years ago, as well as his 41 successors, and wish to express my appreciation for the ongoing steady leadership of Pastor Russell Pierce over the last decade.

To the elders and church body of FBC, thank you for your devoted service to building stronger the community in Christ. I appreciate your devotion to the Word, and I wish your entire community the best as First Baptist Church enters its third century.

Mr. President, I have seven requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders.

Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 11 a.m. on Thursday, July 17; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, morning business be closed, and the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of Calendar No. 260, Joshua Divine; finally, if any nominations are confirmed during Thursday's session of the Senate, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

For the information of the Senate, the first vote will be at noon today on the Divine nomination.

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Mr. President, I rise today in strong support of President Trump's rescission package. In a time of extraordinary debt, this bill is a first step in a long but necessary fight to put our Nation's fiscal house in order.

But it is about much more than just that. This package isn't just about how much we spend but about what we spend it on. It is about whether or not we are still a sovereign nation of people in command of our own destiny. It is about whether elected representatives can act on behalf of the people they serve or whether or not they just yield to a vast bureaucratic apparatus of permanent Washington.

We cannot accept a system that forces us to fund our own decline. Let me begin with something simple: We are $37 trillion in debt. We are borrowing money from our grandchildren to fund bloated bureaucracies and radical leftwing activists. While the actual American people are working long hours to afford groceries and gas, their government has been writing checks to leftwing propaganda outlets and spending billions overseas on countries that hate us. Enough is enough.

This rescissions package is our opportunity to drain the swamp, not just in theory but in practice. It claws back nearly $10 billion in spending--9 billion--including billions for radical NGOs, hundreds of millions for foreign

interests, and, yes, the taxpayer funding that props up corrupt and ideologically captured institutions like NPR and PBS.

And let's talk about that for just a minute because no part of this debate has sparked more hysteria and more outrage from the left than defunding the so-called public broadcasting. Why? Because they know exactly what is at stake. NPR and PBS are not neutral media outlets. They are the closest thing we have ever had in this country to Pravda. They are the arms of the leftwing activist class, taxpayer- funded platforms for political propaganda masquerading as journalism.

Don't take my word for it; take it from Uri Berliner, a veteran NPR editor who recently blew the whistle on what is actually happening behind the scenes there. In a stunning expose, Berliner described how from COVID to Hunter Biden's laptop, to the Russia hoax, NPR simply refused to consider any facts or perspectives that didn't align with the progressive party line. Even asking questions about the company's editorial bias was ``treated as evidence of disloyalty.''

Berliner took a survey of the ideological makeup of NPR's editorial staff in Washington, DC. The final tally was 87 Democrats and 0 Republicans--0 Republicans, not a one.

Then there is the new CEO of NPR, Katherine Maher. Before she took the job, she spent years denouncing America, praising censorship, and advocating for the most extreme and grotesque forms of far-left politics. She described the First Amendment as the ``number one challenge'' to combating disinformation, called President Trump a ``deranged racist sociopath'' and celebrated when he was banned from Twitter saying, it was ``satisfying to deplatform fascists.''

Now she is running America's National Public Radio, funded, in part, by your hard-earned tax dollars. That is nothing short of obscene.

Why are Americans being forced to subsidize institutions that hate them? Why are truckdrivers in Missouri paying for Ivy League grads in DC to tell them they are bigots? Why are we, as conservatives, spending billions of dollars to leftwing radicals that want to run us out of the public square?

There is no good answer to these questions. The fact is, we shouldn't be. And President Trump's rescission package is a huge first step toward ensuring that we never do it again; that NPR and PBS are just the beginning.

This package also takes aim at the insanity of our foreign aid budget. We are sending billions--billions--to every interest under the Sun, except for that of our own country.

Here is a taste of what this package defunds: $18 million for gender diversity in the Mexican street-lighting industry; $2.4 million to make international disaster aid more considerate of sexual orientation and gender identity; $2.2 million to reduce xenophobia toward Venezuelan migrants; $3 million for Iraqi ``Sesame Street''; $4 million for sedentary migrants in Colombia; $6.2 million to address the needs of Venezuelan migrants in Colombia; $33 million for the U.N. Population Fund, including funding for transgender tampons in Bangladesh, LGBTQ campaigns in Rio, and third-gender community centers in Southeast Asia.

And that is not even to mention the $800 million that this package cuts from the Migration and Refugee Assistance Account, which funds the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, a program that has been at the center of the gigantic NGO industrial complex that has been driving the mass migration crisis in this country on taxpayer dime.

Americans never voted for any of this. They were never even asked. But the entire system is bankrolled by their money. Our own citizens are being pushed out of jobs, swamped by Third-World immigration, and told they are racist for complaining about it when people like Katherine Maher say something and criticize them.

We send billions overseas to promote transgenderism and DEI and spend billions here at home to help import millions of illegal immigrants and pay the salaries of people who hate us, all while our own people are told there is no money for safe streets, decent roads, or a secure border.

The people who run these programs see the Federal budget not as a means to serve the American people but as a piggybank for a global leftwing revolution. The administrative state in Washington, DC, is the beating heart of this revolution. It redistributes hundreds of billions of dollars a year from Middle America to a radical ecosystem of NGOs and activists working to undermine our civilization.

For too long, the Federal Government has been hijacked by people with no loyalty to the country they are supposed to serve. Today, we have a chance to change that.

This isn't just about saving money; it is about taking back control. Every single dollar we claw back from the NGOs and the foreign aid swamp is a dollar we take away from the people who are waging war on our country. It is a dollar we can use to secure our border, rebuild our Nation, and restore the promise of America for the next generation.

The left is alarmed by this bill. They should be.

Unlike generations of many who came before us who would talk a big game and then get to DC and do nothing, President Trump is actually serious about ending their taxpayer-dollar gravy train, and this rescissions package is a major part of delivering on that promise. This is just a first step, but it is a big one.

For a long time, Washington has only ever moved in one direction: More spending, more control, and more power for the bureaucrats. And as permanent Washington grows, the citizen shrinks.

This rescissions package reflects President Trump's promise that the American Government will, once again, serve the American people, not the other way around.

It is a time to remind the bureaucrats, the NGOs and the foreign lobbyists and their friends in the media that the American taxpayer does not exist to subsidize their ideological pet projects. We are not a tax farm for global leftism. We are not the world's piggy bank. We are a sovereign nation, and it is time we started acting like one once again.

The American people didn't send us here to protect the status quo. They sent us here because they know the status quo is broken. They sent us here to fight and deliver for them, and that is exactly what this bill does. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting yes on this package.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I am proud that this breakthrough provision has been included in the Big Beautiful Bill. This will provide much needed relief for individuals with disabilities who have waited far too long to be on the waiting list to receive services. There has been a backlog, and this will help clear it up, to the tune of billions of dollars.

My colleague's amendment would completely undermine this very important effort. Ripping out important transparency and accountability provisions will divert intended resources for those who need it most in order to pay off public sector unions along the way. That is all it is.

Medicaid exists to serve our patients. I have heard a lot from my Democratic colleagues about cutting benefits. It is all a lie. They are about to vote to cut off important benefits for the most vulnerable among us.

I am tired of the lectures. This is actually a provision that does it. They are about to vote no. I encourage my colleagues to vote no on this amendment, which, again, is nothing more than a political payoff for public sector unions and takes money away from the most vulnerable among us.

Vote on Amendment No. 2817

Mr. President, I rise today to honor Mr. George Garrison of Joplin, MO, for his storied career of public service and for his 95th birthday.

Born on April 15, 1930, in Joplin, MO, George attended Joplin High School, where he played baseball and football. His passion and talent led him to play class D professional baseball, and while he had signed a contract to play Triple-A professional baseball--fulfilling a dream-- he was actually drafted by the U.S. Army in January 1952. Shortly after being drafted, George married his high school sweetheart Barbara on February 1, 1952.

Like many young men his age, George was deployed to Korea. He served with the U.S. Army's 7th Infantry Division, 47th Field Artillery Battalion, where he drove the battalion commander to and from the frontlines. After 20 months of brave service to our country, including his deployment, George retired as a corporal in the U.S. Army and returned home to his beloved wife in Missouri.

After his military career, George went back to school and finished his degree in education. He became a public school teacher and coach in Raymore, MO; where he taught industrial arts, history, physical education, and coached basketball and track. Having played sports himself, he was dedicated to the betterment of his students and the character building that comes through sports.

Following his tenure in Raymore, George and Barbara moved back to Joplin where Geroge taught at Webb City High School. Both the ninth grade basketball and football teams he coached in 1957 led undefeated seasons. George then went on to become an assistant principal at Webb City Junior High School, and the couple moved to Webb City. Given his years of teaching and coaching for the Webb City School District and his proven leadership skills, in 1967, George was tapped as assistant superintendent. After 27 years of service in public education, George retired in 1984.

In addition to his decades of work with students and parents, George served as chairman of the Webb City Park Board, where he led the city in purchasing the land for the city's well-known King Jack Park, where he has since watched his grandkids play baseball and softball.

Whether in Joplin or Webb City, George has faithfully served his church--first as a charter member at Fellowship Bible Church in Joplin, where he helped in the youth group, and then as a deacon, Sunday school teacher, member of the choir, and of course, the softball coach, at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Webb City.

George has been happily married for 73 years and enjoys spending time with his three daughters, who all reside in Webb City, MO; his seven grandchildren; and his three great-grandchildren, with two more on the way. I thank George for his military service, his work in the Missouri public school system, and I wish George all the best upon reaching this impressive milestone of 95 years.