Floor Statements

Mr. President, as a U.S. Senator, I want to make sure we can keep America safe and secure. People who share that goal also share a common belief. The belief is this: Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol have an important mission for our Nation. Their mission is to keep America safe and secure.

At this very moment, these vital Agencies are running out of money. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin has warned that the money will run out by the end of this week. We are just days away from a law enforcement funding shortfall. If ICE and Border Patrol go unfunded, America itself will become less safe.

Last week, Republicans here in the U.S. Senate passed a budget blueprint, and it fully funds these critical Agencies. That budget has now been sent to the House of Representatives. Speaker Johnson has pledged to all of us that he will put it on the floor as soon as tomorrow, and I encourage my colleagues there to pass it without delay. A targeted and focused bill is the right path because it is the quickest path. It funds American law enforcement now. It protects the American people now as well as into the future.

If you believe in secure borders, this bill is for you. If you believe in safe communities, this bill is for you. If you want our law enforcement fully funded for the long term despite the Democrats' best efforts to defund them, this bill is for you.

This bill is also President Trump's bill. A few weeks ago, the President gave it his complete and total endorsement. I was with the President in the Oval Office, and we sat down and went through it. President Trump has been clear. He says he wants this funding bill on his desk. Senate Republicans heard him loud and clear. We stuck together. We passed a budget blueprint. It is one that keeps America safe. Republicans need to continue to stick together to meet the President's deadline.

Every Republican knows why this reconciliation process is necessary. It is necessary because, as President Trump has rightfully said, protecting American citizens is the first duty of government, and it is necessary because, as Senate Democrats continue to demonstrate, protecting American citizens is something that Democrats oppose. They have actively obstructed it.

Last week, the minority leader came to this floor, and he delivered a statement which I found very disturbing. I found it disturbing and also misleading and wrong. The Senator from New York, who just left the floor a few moments ago, stood here and said Republicans are funding ``two groups: Border Patrol and ICE,'' and he went on to say ``that nobody respects in this country.'' Those are the words of the minority leader, the Senator from New York. He said nobody respects them in this country. That statement alone is blatantly false. The heroes of ICE and Border Patrol spend their days arresting gang members, seizing fentanyl, and securing the border. The American people know it, and the American people respect it. Americans all across this country honor their service and their sacrifice.

Let me tell you what Americans don't respect, and let me tell you what Americans flat-out reject: It is the Democrats who call to defund the police. It is the Democrats who call to abolish ICE and to abolish our Border Patrol.

That is why today's Democrat Party is the way it is. It is because that is what they stand for. The Democrats would rather protect illegal immigrant criminals than law-abiding U.S. citizens.

The American people voted for secure borders. They voted for safe communities. President Trump and Republicans have delivered. Look at the historic border security accomplishments. What you have seen now under Republican leadership is that zero--absolutely zero--illegal immigrants have been released into our country in nearly a year.

Democrats want to return to the days of open borders. Well, Americans had open borders for 4 years under Joe Biden. It was one of the most dangerous and deadly times in American history. Ten million illegal immigrants flooded into our country. Open borders are a magnet, and they were a magnet and were proven to be a magnet for hardened criminals, for drug dealers, and for terror suspects.

Americans are done with this catch-and-release program. Americans are done with open borders.

ICE and Border Patrol deserve to be paid. ICE and Border Patrol deserve to have the tools, the resources, and the support they need each and every day to carry out their mission. It is time for Congress to fund these heroes who keep our country safe.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that there be 6 minutes of debate, equally divided, between Senator Wyden and the majority leader prior to the scheduled cloture vote.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Alabama (Mr.Tuberville).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Alabama (Mr.Tuberville).

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

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

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Banks), the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz), the Senator from Wyoming (Ms. Lummis), the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Moreno), and the Senator from Alabama (Mr. Tuberville).

Further, if present and voting: the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz) would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Durbin. I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman), the Senator from Washington (Mrs. Murray), the Senator from California (Mr. Padilla), and the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Warnock) are necessarily absent.

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

Mr. President, let me begin with a message to the brave men and women of ICE and of Border Patrol. Republicans honor your unwavering service and sacrifice. You know that Democrats, through their words and actions here, do not.

Many of you are veterans and served in the military. Many of you have families at home. You are the professionals who secure our Nation's borders. You are the heroes who risk your lives to keep our communities safe.

Democrats have said you are the problem. You are not the problem. ``Defund the police'' Democrats are the problem.

Democrat Representative Ocasio-Cortez of New York said you are a ``rogue Agency.'' Senator Schumer of New York has echoed those same words yesterday.

You are not a rogue Agency. Today's Democrats are a rogue and radical party.

You deserve better than reckless Democrat hostage-taking. That is what is going on here. You deserve the tools and the support from Congress necessary to carry out the vital mission that Congress has given you.

This Nation depends upon you, and Republicans are going to deliver for you. That is what this debate is about today.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement must be funded fully and immediately. The U.S. Border Patrol must be funded fully and immediately. It is just common sense. These Agencies keep America safe every single day.

If Congress doesn't act quickly, they are going to run out of money very soon, perhaps in a matter of weeks. That would make our country less safe.

Senate Republicans are united and committed to keeping America safe and secure. Republicans will use the budget reconciliation process to do that.

This means that we can fund American law enforcement without relying on a single Democrat vote. Democrats have turned into the party of ``defund the police''.

And let me tell you about the Republican plan to protect our communities. Our plan provides more than $70 billion of funding for immigration enforcement and border security. It secures the funding not for 1 year, not for 2 years, but for the next 3 years.

The Republican plan means stronger law enforcement and safer communities. It also represents a commitment to the dedicated professionals of ICE and Border Patrol. And we are going to continue to support them, just as they continue to protect all of us.

This is funding Democrats once agreed to. Now, they have walked away from it. Democrats have blocked funding for the Department of Homeland Security not once, not twice--16 times

they have voted against it. Why? Because Democrats are playing to the most radical members of their party.

Through their actions, Democrats are putting the safety and security of our Nation behind the safety and security of their own political careers.

Democrats have blocked funding for Border Patrol. This is the Agency that stops the criminals, the drug traffickers, the human traffickers, and the terrorist suspects from entering our country illegally. Democrats would love to defund them permanently.

Democrats have also blocked funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This is the Agency that removes illegal immigrant criminals from our communities and takes them off the streets.

The American people support removing illegal immigrant criminals. Clearly, Democrats do not. Democrats care more about protecting illegal immigrant criminals than they do about protecting law-abiding American citizens.

Democrats seem to want to take our country backward--backward to the bad days when they were in the majority and our southern border was wide open, backward to the days when illegal immigrant criminals roamed freely in our communities. This is an insult to the families of Laken Riley and Sheridan Gorman and to all of the innocent people who have been murdered by illegal immigrant criminals.

The budget resolution that we are debating today is part of a larger Republican effort to keep America safe. The last administration threw the border wide open. More than 10 million illegal immigrants flooded into our Nation. Under President Trump and Republicans, the border is now secure. Law enforcement is being restored.

Last year, Republicans passed the most comprehensive border security investment in American history--nearly $165 billion. It was part of the Working Families Tax Cut law. The results speak for themselves: Zero-- absolutely zero--illegal immigrants have been released into the country for nearly a year. The Republican budget resolution builds on that success.

To my Democrat colleagues who are calling for reforming ICE, let me just say directly to you on the floor of the U.S. Senate: You rejected every single opportunity for common sense, cooperation, and compromise. You said no to all of it.

Republicans offered body cameras for agents; Democrats voted no. Republicans offered more oversight; Democrats voted no. Republicans offered more training for agents; Democrats voted no.

Reform no matter how reasonable--no matter how much common sense--was never the point of the Democrats. The point has always been to abolish ICE, to abolish our Border Patrol, and to return to open borders. Today's Democrat Party owns that shameful record. They can run from it, but they cannot hide from it. It is their record, and the Senate has a duty to protect the American people.

The choice is simple. The choice is clear: Fund law enforcement or block it. That is the vote today. Fund border security or try to block it. That is what we are voting on.

The American people are watching. They will know and remember who voted to protect law-abiding American citizens and who voted to protect illegal immigrant criminals. Republicans are ready to stand and vote for the safety and the security of the American people.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley), and the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. McCormick).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley).

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the following amendments be the next amendments in order: Hawley No. 4794; Markey No. 5001; Paul No. 5378; Merkley No. 5235; and Kaine No. 5282.

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley).

Mr. President, the Republicans are committed to a safe and secure America. That is what this debate is about tonight.

All night long, Democrats have ignored this very important issue. Democrats would rather protect illegal immigrant criminals than protect law-abiding American citizens. They want to defund ICE. They want to defund the Border Patrol. They want to go back to the days of 10 million illegal immigrants flooding into our country--the criminals, drug dealers, gang members--all of it. The Republicans are getting law enforcement the resources they need to keep our communities safe.

Point of Order

Mr. President, under the provisions of section 305(b)(2) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, I raise a point of order that the amendment offered is not germane.

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley).

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

Mr. President, the U.S. Border Patrol and our Immigration and Customs Enforcement have a complex and essential role in the lives of all Americans. They have a big mission. They arrest drug traffickers, they arrest terror suspects, they arrest human traffickers, they save exploited children, and they secure our border. This work is absolutely critical to our Nation's security.

Not long ago, Democrats actually agreed with all of those things I said. In 2019, Senator Schumer, the minority leader--this is what he said to NBC News.

He said:

ICE does some functions that are very much needed.

They don't seem to think that anymore. Now Senator Schumer is leading the charge to abolish ICE, and he wants to defund the Border Patrol. That is because today Democrats care more about protecting illegal immigrant criminals than protecting law-abiding American citizens.

For more than 2 months, Republicans have negotiated in good faith to fully fund critical law enforcement Agencies in this country. We are done negotiating. We are moving forward alone. Republicans are going to fund ICE and Border Patrol without a single Democrat vote. We are not going to concede a single one of their demands, and these are demands made by radical Senate Democrats.

The Senate is going to consider a budget resolution this week. The resolution is targeted, and it is focused. Here is what it does:

First, it fully funds and fully supports the men and women of ICE and Border Patrol.

Second, it funds them for the next 3 years.

Third, it gives them more resources than ever before. ICE receives more money to protect our communities. Border Patrol receives more money to secure our borders. Increased funding means more law enforcement. It means more illegal immigrants will be deported as criminals. It means more investigations into drug cartels and human traffickers. It means that our communities will be safer.

It is just common sense. Consider the commonsense policy changes that Republicans offered and Democrats refused to accept: $20 million to buy body cameras for agents to wear; Democrats voted no. More oversight of ICE spending; Democrats voted no. More money for deescalation training; Democrats voted no.

The Department of Homeland Security now has a new leader. It is Markwayne Mullin--we know him--from the great State of Oklahoma. At his confirmation hearing, now-Secretary Mullin committed to working with Democrats on commonsense reforms to immigration enforcement. Almost every Democrat still voted against his confirmation. Why? Not because they don't like him personally but because Democrats don't want to reform ICE. They want to abolish ICE. That is the difference. They want to abolish our Border Patrol. They want to defund law enforcement in America.

Here is what Democrats are still demanding: Senate Democrats want to ban ICE agents from wearing masks. Masks help protect agents and their families from being doxed by gangs of radical thugs. We know that open border groups are publishing the names and home addresses of agents online. These dangerous actions are one more reason that attacks on ICE agents have been rising dramatically.

These open border Democrats have a long-term goal. Their goal is to make life so miserable and so frightening for the families of ICE and Border Patrol agents that these highly trained professionals quit their jobs. The Democrats' long-term goal is to undermine the hiring of new agents and shut them down completely.

So, today, Republicans are moving forward to fund law enforcement.

To my Democratic colleagues, you have lost your war on law enforcement. You have failed to turn America into one big sanctuary country, as you have turned so many cities into sanctuary cities all across the country. You have failed to take America backward to the days of open borders by the Democrats, when more than 10 million illegal immigrants flooded into our country on the Democrats' watch. Under Republican leadership, zero illegal immigrants have been released into our country now in almost a year.

Republicans want ICE and Border Patrol to be able to do their job. Republicans want law enforcement to be funded. We want American citizens and American communities to be safe. Americans deserve safety and security.

This week, Republicans are delivering it.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley).

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Montana (Mr. Daines), the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley), the Senator from Alaska (Ms. Murkowski), the Senator from Idaho (Mr. Risch), and the Senator from Montana (Mr. Sheehy).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Hawley).