Floor Statements

Mr. President, I come to the floor this morning having just listened to the minority leader talk about the Department of Homeland Security, which the Democrats once again refused to fund.

How can the minority leader from New York have forgotten about why we have a Department of Homeland Security in the first place? It was set up after 9/11, after the Twin Towers were hit, so that it could never happen again. Yet to sit here and listen to him talk about this component of it or that component--this was a program fundamentally set in place to protect our Nation and our citizens from the terror that was rained upon us on 9/11. That is why the entire Department was brought together and funded. Now we hear the minority leader--well, he wants to peel off this part and that part and take the Department apart as we are trying to protect the country.

He said something about what the American people are wondering. What the American people are wondering today is why the Democrat Party continues to stand up for illegal immigrant criminals against law- abiding citizens. That is what I hear about in Wyoming: Why in the world are Democrats wanting to stand up for illegal immigrant criminals and not hard-working American citizens?

So for the last 27 days, the Democrats have shut down the entire Department of Homeland Security lock, stock, and barrel. TSA agents are missing their paychecks. Our Nation's infrastructure is more vulnerable to cyber attacks. There have been two attacks by terrorist sympathizers in the last 2 weeks.

The minority leader--you listen to his comments--is completely out of touch with the American people and what people are worried about all across this country. And there they go again. Here we have it.

Less than 5 months ago, Democrats shut down the entire government. The government stayed shut for 43 days. Now we have gotten most of the government funded, but they continue to shut down the Department of Homeland Security for one reason and one reason only: because they want to protect illegal immigrant criminals. When you listen to what he is saying, when you listen to the comments by the minority leader, he wants to stand side by side with illegal immigrant criminals, not with the American people. Democrats want to defund law enforcement. They want to abolish ICE. They want to turn our Nation into a sanctuary nation.

Yesterday, once again, Democrats blocked Republican efforts to reopen the Department of Homeland Security. Now, the White House and Senate Republicans have made offer after offer. We negotiated in good faith. Democrats in the Senate have not.

What we are doing here is critical. It is critical to the safety and the security of our Nation. This is what we are doing: We are trying to fund America's Department of Homeland Security. When this was set up after the 9/11 attacks and the terrorism, what did they want to include in that? TSA, the Coast Guard, Secret Service, America's cyber defenses. It is the Department that stops smugglers, drug traffickers, human traffickers.

The Department of Homeland Security was created to protect us as a nation, and since 9/11 of 2001, this Department has been on the frontlines in the fight against terrorism and securing the border. That is the part the Democrats hate. They want an open border. They want people to come in indiscriminately from all around the world. And Joe Biden and the Democrats allowed it, with over 10 million illegal immigrants coming into this country in the 4 years of the Biden administration.

The people that work for the Department of Homeland Security--they are the silent heroes of the Nation. They are the ones engaged in the battle to keep our communities safe and secure. They shouldn't be forced to miss their paychecks because Democrats continue to choose to play politics. Right now, 50,000 TSA agents all around the country are missing their paychecks. For the third time in 6 months, Democrats have forced the TSA agents to work without getting paid.

A veteran TSA officer in Phoenix, AZ, was very clear. He said:

We are fed up. We've had enough.

I believe he is right. All Americans are fed up and have had enough of this political posturing and gameplaying by the Democrats.

A CBS News report this week explains what is happening. Absences by TSA agents have doubled--doubled since February 14 when the Democrat- caused shutdown began. More than 300 TSA agents have left the job entirely, and lines at airports continue to grow. In some airports, the lines stretch out of the terminal and into the parking lot. Spring break travel is picking up all around the country. Families are paying the price. That is the price of Democrats' political obstruction.

It is the same and concerning story with regard to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. This is the Agency put in place after 9/11, under the Department of Homeland Security--the entire Department--that protects our Nation's critical infrastructure, and that includes our energy infrastructure.

Since the Democrat shutdown began last month, only one in three staffers at the Agency is working. Why? Because the others have been furloughed because of the Democrat-caused shutdown. And those who are still on the job are working without pay.

America is continually under attack in the cyber world--24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That is energy, banking, financial institutions, water, utilities, and our military. After the strikes in Iran, the pace of cyber attacks against us accelerated. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps made their intentions clear. They said Americans ``will no longer have security anywhere in the world, even in their own homes.''

Imagine the damage that Iran could do if they hacked our critical infrastructure--because they are trying. But because of the Democrats' shutdown--and we just heard the minority leader talk about it. The shutdown is continuing, he is saying. Because of that, vulnerability scans are on pause. That shouldn't happen. We need to get these open and running. Protective guidance for our critical networks is not being issued. We need that.

Democrats don't seem to care because they want to protect illegal immigrant criminals, and we just heard it from the minority leader of the U.S. Senate, the Senator from New York, who ought to be more concerned than anybody about threats to our Nation. Our energy grids, our hospitals, our State and local governments--they are all more exposed.

It is not a question of if the Democrat shutdown is hurting the American people; it is a matter of public record. Democrats are each and every day endangering Americans on the ground, in the skies, and even in cyber space.

The American people expect their government to take our Nation's security seriously. Democrats don't seem to be thinking that way at all. The American people expect Congress to fund the Agencies that keep them safe, not that keep safe illegal immigrant criminals. And that is what we heard from the minority leader--what we could do differently to protect illegal immigrant criminals, not protect the American people.

The American people expect us to pay the people who protect us, who protect our airports, who protect our borders, who protect our networks, who protect our communities. That is what the American people want. They expect us to confront the threats at home and abroad and do it with urgency.

Mr. President, the Department of Homeland Security must be funded fully and immediately, and I am tired of excuses from the Democrats because that is all they are--excuses.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I object.

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn).

Mr. President, I just heard the minority leader come to the floor of the U.S. Senate and say: What the Democrats want to do is peel apart the Department of Homeland Security--a Department that was set up in this Nation after the attacks of 9/11, the attacks that struck the home city of the minority leader, took down the Twin Towers.

This Department of Homeland Security was set up specifically to protect our Nation. Multiple components were put together to protect America, the American people.

And what are the Democrats doing today? They are coming to the floor to peel it apart and say: Oh, no, we are not interested in protecting the border. Oh, no, we are not interested in making sure illegal immigrant criminals are taken out of the country.

No, that is not what they are doing. They are coming and saying: We are going to just take this part or that part.

This is a comprehensive plan for the Department of Homeland Security to protect our Nation. That is what we are seeing here today. That is why they are here.

Our cyber security is under attack, our people are under attack, our Nation is under attack, and we need to defend ourselves. We need a full Department of Homeland Security, not what we are going to see in the next hour, which is ``Oh, no, let's fund this little part. No, let's fund this little part. No, let's fund this little part,'' as they don't want to fund the Department of Homeland Security.

They say: Well, hey, the Department of Homeland Security is here to guard our coast. We have the Coast Guard in there. We have FEMA for emergency management of Federal problems. We have our cyber security-- where, today, one-third of those people are working and not getting paid and two-thirds today, right this very moment, are furloughed, and that seems to be fine with the Democrats. They don't seem to care because they are so committed to the illegal immigrants who are criminals and in this country, let in by Joe Biden and them. Over 10 million flooded into the country during the last 4 years. They are so beholden and attached to the far-left component of this Nation that they don't care about everybody else.

We have had terrorist attacks right here in the homeland--two in the last 2 weeks. So we are going to stand here, and we are going to listen to this little unanimous consent agreement and that one at a time when our homeland is under attack.

All warning lights are flashing red, and they want to peel apart piece by piece the Department of Homeland Security--a comprehensive Department of our government to protect the American people--because they want to stand with illegal immigrant criminals.

I yield the floor.

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn) and the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran).

Mr. President, for 26 days now, Democrats have left our country undefended. Democrats in this Chamber have voted three times to keep the Department of Homeland Security shut down.

Once again, Democrats are putting illegal immigrant criminals ahead of the safety and security of the American people. Quoted in the press this morning was Senator Brian Schatz, Democrat from Hawaii, who says he has the votes wrapped up to be the next whip for the Democrat Party. But this is what he said about what the Democrats are doing now-- keeping the Department of Homeland Security shut down. He said:

We are very serene with what is going on.

``[V]ery serene.''

Well, let me tell you what that means for our country, what the Democrats are very serene about. Right now, at this very moment, Iran is targeting our homeland. They have announced it. They are in the process of--let me quote a headline that appeared yesterday in the Los Angeles Times newspaper.

It says ``Iran's threats on U.S. soil.'' Threats to the American people right here at home. It says ``sleeper cells, lone wolves, cyberattacks.''

Our government's own threat assessment calls Iran a ``major threat'' to our cyber network and our data. It is the Department of Homeland Security that is responsible for defending us from these attacks--the very Department that Democrats in this body, that side of the hall, refuse to fund.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is a vital part and plays a critical role in the Department of Homeland Security. It is the Agency that protects our critical infrastructure nationwide, including our Nation's energy infrastructure.

Mr. President, 2,400 people provide this vital service to protect our country each and every day, but because of the Democrat shutdown, only 1 out of every 3 of them are on the job today, and those who are, are working without pay. All of the others have been furloughed because of the Democrat shutdown. These are people who are critical to our intelligence analysis. These are people who are cyber security specialists. They are all off the job.

The Democrats say: Stay home. We don't care. We prefer illegal immigrants than the safety and security of our Nation. Stay home. We don't care.

And they say: We are very serene about it.

Can you imagine that? The security assessments, the vulnerability scans, the protective guidance for our networks--they have been canceled or delayed because of the Democrats' actions. Our energy grids, our hospitals, our State and local governments--they are all left exposed. Democrats are serene about that this morning. That is what they say.

This is all happening because the Democrats are driven by the far- left ideology of their most radical supporters, and that is why they have shut down the Department of Homeland Security.

At major airports across the country, TSA security lines are taking hours for people to get through. Fifty thousand TSA agents are missing their paychecks, and many of them live paycheck to paycheck. For the third time in just 6 months, Democrats are forcing TSA agents to work without pay.

CBS News reported last night on what that means. It means unscheduled absences have doubled in the shutdown. Hundreds of qualified, experienced agents have quit.

This is what happens when Democrats force people to work without pay. Some go and get other jobs, take part-time jobs, don't show up for work. Well, how do the American people respond? Well, services clubs are holding food drives for the unpaid agents. Our Rotary Club in Casper, WY, has done the exact same thing to help these agents because the Democrats want to keep the Department of Homeland Security shut down.

Think about that--a food drive for Federal workers who are going to work every single day who can't get paid. And what do the Democrats have to say about it? ``We are very serene with what is going on.'' That is how the Democrats look at it today, sitting back in their serenity, watching as people suffer, people work without getting paid, and our Nation's security at risk today. Democrats don't seem to care. Once again, they are much more interested in protecting illegal immigrant criminals than they are in protecting the well-being and the safety and security of the American people.

As Democrats keep the Department of Homeland Security shut down, the threats continue to grow, and our vulnerability continues to be exposed.

This past weekend, in Senator Schumer's--the minority leader-- hometown of New York City, two radical Islamic terrorists threw homemade bombs into a crowd--New York City--in front of the mayor's residence. The attempted bombing was carried out by two individuals who identify closely with the terrorist group ISIS.

Recall that ``ISIS'' stands for the ``Islamic State.''

The New York City Police Department reported that the explosive devices could have caused serious injury, could have caused death, and we are fortunate that no one died.

A week earlier, as the world knows, in Austin, TX, another radical Islamist terrorist opened fire into a crowded restaurant. Three people were murdered, and a dozen more were wounded. The shooter wore a T- shirt. What did it say? It had an Iranian flag on it. It was underneath a sweatshirt that said ``Property of Allah.''

These are the threats we face right here on American soil today. It is reckless for the Democrats to shut down the Department designed to stop terrorists, and it is insulting to the American people to say that they are serene about it.

Defunding American security is disruptive, it is dangerous, and it is deadly.

Let me tell you about one more person. Her name is Stephanie Minter. She was a mother, 41 years old, from Fredericksburg, VA. Two weeks ago, Stephanie was waiting at a bus stop not an hour away from where we stand right here in the U.S. Capitol. She was stabbed to death by an illegal immigrant criminal--stabbed to death.

Do you know when her killer entered the country illegally? In 2012. Barack Obama was President at the time. Do you know how many times that killer has been arrested here in the United States in those 14 years he has been here illegally? Thirty times. Arrested thirty times and arrested for violent crimes--multiple stabbings, assaults, for rape. Do you know how many times he was convicted? Zero. Why? Because pro-crime Democrats--Democrats who prefer illegal immigrant criminals over American law-abiding citizens--pro-crime Democrats kept dropping charges time after time after time because the pro-crime Democrats were worried about something--in their words, they were worried about ``immigration consequences.''

``[I]mmigration consequences''? What about the effect on the victims of these crimes? And now this death in Northern Virginia, right across the river. It is happening right across the river in Fairfax County, VA. Who supports this? Well, apparently the Democrats do, sanctuary State Democrats. Democrats like their newly-elected Governor of Virginia because on her very first day in office--and, of course, she ran as a moderate--on her very first day in office, she announced that Virginia would no longer cooperate with Federal immigration enforcement.

You know they used to say: There is a new sheriff in town. This isn't a sheriff; this is somebody that wants to undermine the law of our Nation, undermine the security of the American people.

Get this: She said that enforcing Federal immigration law ``is certainly not contributing to any strengthening of our community--let alone making our communities safer.''

This is blood on their hands. This is blood on the hands of the Democrats.

Governor Spanberger is wrong. Enforcing Federal immigration laws saves American lives. Failing to enforce them endangers every American.

The police force--the police are beside themselves. The county police from Fairfax County repeatedly warned the liberal prosecutors to lock up this killer who killed Stephanie. But what happened? The local police commander wrote: ``It is not a question of if'' this man will hurt someone ``but rather when.'' And now it happened with a murder. Three months after that message was sent, Stephanie Minter was murdered by an illegal immigrant in cold blood.

We owe every American citizen a government that keeps them safe and secure.

The Democrats have a whole different view of America today. It is not a view of laws, citizenship; it is a view of open borders and illegal immigrant criminals.

Republicans want a nation where mothers can go to work, where college kids can go out on runs, where women can ride on the train without fear of losing their lives to illegal immigrant criminals being protected by the Democrats.

Democrats are fighting for something so different than what Republicans believe the American Nation stands for and our history stands for. They want open borders. They want to release illegal immigrant criminals into our communities. They want to turn America into a sanctuary country. That is why they defunded the Department of Homeland Security.

Make no mistake, if Democrats continue to obstruct funding for the Department of Homeland Security, more blood will be on their hands.

The next terrorist plot that goes undetected, Democrats, blood will be on your hands.

The next lone wolf attack, Democrats, blood will be on your hands.

The next criminal who crosses our border illegally and kills an innocent American, Democrats, blood will be on your hands.

The American people deserve safety and security. It is time to reopen the Department of Homeland Security. It is time to pay the people who protect our country. Let them get back to work protecting us. It is time to put the American people first, not illegal immigrant criminals, as the Democrats continue to want to do.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum call in relation to Calendar No. 343, H.R. 6644.

I move to table Senate amendment No. 4311.

Mr. President, I move to table Senate amendment No. 4310.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to vitiate the yeas and nays on Senate amendment No. 4307.

Mr. President, I know of no further debate on Senate amendment No. 4307.

Mr. President, I know of no further debate on substitute amendment No. 4308.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn), the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Justice), the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Moreno), and the Senator from Alabama (Mr. Tuberville).

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

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn), the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Justice), the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Moreno), and the Senator from Alabama (Mr. Tuberville).

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

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

Mr. President, I come to the floor today having just heard the minority leader talk about the fact that the Democrats have now filed five new War Powers Acts. Let's talk about that act and what it all means and what the Democrats are trying to do here.

The War Powers Act was enacted in 1973. It was first used by the Democrats. They first used it in 2018. So it sat for 45 years not being used, and then they used it against President Trump in his first term. There have been a total of 11 times that War Powers Resolutions have been offered, 8 of them were from Senator Kaine and Senator Sanders, all aimed at President Trump. We defeated one of these last week.

So now they have come out, and they have introduced five more, and one of the Senate Democrats' loudest complainers about everything said that it is basically symbolic. It is just symbolic what they are doing. These are show votes. We know the record of the Democrats. Do you know how many they introduced when Obama was President? Zero. Do you know how many they introduced when Biden was President? Zero. Because when a Democrat is President, Democrats forget about the War Powers Act-- ignore it completely.

So what is behind this charade of what the Democrats are doing? Well, let me quote Senator Tim Kaine the Senator from Virginia, who was the Vice Presidential nominee when Hillary Clinton ran for President, because it is all about trying to control the Senate floor time. This is what Senator Kaine said earlier this year. He said: Flood the Senate calendar with privileged motions where I am taking the floor time away from the Republican Party.

That is what this is all about. This isn't about advancing the needs of the Nation. This isn't about helping people. It is not about protecting Americans. None of that is true. It is about slowing down the Senate, throwing instruments into the gears, all to try to create theater--not to help protect our troops, not to help protect our people, not to make the world safer. Not at all. That is what this is all about. Their hand has been shown.

Iran

Mr. President, after 47 years of terrorism and torture and tyranny, what we are seeing today that is Iran's murderous leadership, they are dead. Their missiles, their launchers, their production sites--they have been severely damaged. Since the start of the operation, missile attacks from Iran have gone down by 90 percent. Over 50 of Iran's warships have been sunk. This is a sign of success on the part of our brave men and women in uniform.

For decades, American Presidents have pledged Iran would never acquire a nuclear weapon. Thank goodness we have a President now in the United States--President Donald J. Trump--who kept that promise. The President has acted boldly; he has acted decisively; and this is where so many others have hesitated.

What we see is Presidential courage and commitment to ensure that Iran will not obtain nuclear weapons. What we have seen is American peace through strength.

Iran is a terrorist regime, and that is why, today, Iran is still terrorizing the world by trying to hold the world's energy supply hostage. This regime is attempting to choke off the shipping of oil through the Strait of Hormuz. In recent days, Iran has attacked oil and gas facilities across the region and has targeted oil tankers in the Persian Gulf. Remember, 20 percent of the world's oil supply goes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Now, I understand why families are worried about the price of energy. I agree absolutely with these families that I talked to this weekend in Wyoming. This weekend I met with a group of ranchers. We were at the Green River Valley Stockgrowers Association meeting. It was in Big Piney.

Now, when the price of gasoline goes up, it is a concern to everyone, and not just because of the cost of gas but also the cost of food because it costs more to produce the food when energy prices are higher. So we need to do everything we can to make sure we can get down the price of energy for people who are not only having to just drive but who produce in this Nation. And that is why Republicans are taking action now to lessen the pain.

Fortunately, America is once again energy-dominant. It wasn't that way in the past when American energy producers were being attacked by the Democrats.

Wyoming is America's energy breadbasket, and we are no longer utterly dependent on the Middle East for energy. We were in the past but not anymore. And that is because of Republican policies that unleashed American energy, and we have it in abundance.

America is now the No. 1 producer of oil in the world. We are setting record numbers for production--almost 14 million barrels of oil every day. That is more than double where we were 15 years ago.

Now, with respect to what is happening in the Persian Gulf, there is no question: Prices are going up, and Republicans are working to bring gas prices back down quickly. I believe we are in a strong position to do it because of the energy dominance agenda that we have.

At the same time, President Trump is determined to get energy flowing again in the Middle East. He has announced that the United States will provide risk insurance to oil tankers in the region. He also announced that the U.S. Navy will escort cargo ships if necessary.

You know, this is very similar to what President Ronald Reagan did in the 1980s. It worked then; it is going to work now.

The President's dynamic actions are going to get prices back down, and what he is doing, in the long run, is going to keep prices down. The real loser, of course, with what is happening in Iran right now is communist China.

China is one of Iran's biggest allies and enablers. It buys most of Iran's oil exports, and it buys them at a discount. It buys them at a discount because it is buying them on the black market. So China has been getting massive amounts of oil from Iran and paying a lower price as a result.

What does Iran do? Well, it turns and uses the money to buy Chinese air defense systems and other weapons, as well as fund terrorism. These are the very weapons that our military is destroying and continues to destroy today.

Operation Epic Fury is more than just a success against the world's No. 1 sponsor of terrorism. It is a significant setback for our No. 1 adversary in the world.

President Trump is completely rewriting the global energy map, and he is doing it in America's favor. Our Nation needs to continue to produce more energy. That means oil and natural gas. It means coal, and the President has been terrific in signing Executive orders on that. It means uranium for nuclear power.

We all know affordable, available, and reliable American energy is a source. It is a source of American strength, it is a source of American safety, and it is a source of American prosperity.

In the meantime, Congress should take action to lower gas prices for American families. I have introduced legislation to do that. It is called the Pay Less at the Pump Act. It does exactly that. This legislation repeals a harmful tax called the Superfund tax on crude oil.

Well, where did this tax come from? Well, the Democrats--$12 billion tax in their 2022 reckless tax-and-spending bill. Working families have been paying the price ever since. It is unfair. It is what the Democrats want to do. They always want to raise taxes.

My bill will lower prices at the pump and lead to more American energy production. It is certainly good for my home State of Wyoming. It is good for working families. It is good for our entire Nation.

Republicans promised to make America safer and more prosperous, and we are going to continue to do both of those things.

I yield the floor.

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Cassidy), the Senator from Alaska (Ms. Murkowski), and the Senator from Idaho (Mr. Risch).

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

Mr. President, I come to the floor today having just listened to the minority leader talk about a number of topics. What he didn't talk about is the fact that his party has shut down the Department of Homeland Security.

There is a poll that is out by Gallup, and it says: What is very important in terms of U.S. foreign policy goals? And

the No. 1 thing is to prevent future acts of international terrorism.

Well, how do we prevent it? Who is it in this country that counters the terrorism? It is the Department of Homeland Security, which the Democrats--and they are going to have to vote again today--are likely, as they have announced, to vote to keep it shut down. That is a betrayal of the American people.

He used the word ``betrayal.'' To me, that is where it fits--with what actions the Democrats are likely to take today.

What is the No. 2 very important purpose of U.S. foreign policy as a goal from the Gallup poll of the American people? No. 2 is preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction.

So what did we hear the minority leader talk about? His opposition to the efforts to show peace through strength and undermine the ability of Iran to develop and use and deploy nuclear weapons. Once again, a betrayal by the Democrats of the American people.

Today, the Senate is going to vote on a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security. This vital Department needs to be funded immediately. The Democrats have been blocking it for weeks. Protecting the American people is not optional. It is the first duty of government. For 3 weeks, the Democrats have held hostage the Department of Homeland Security. The Presiding Officer knows the reason. It is because the Democrats in this body and across the Capitol Building in the House of Representatives prioritize illegal immigrant criminals over American citizens, and they have done it repeatedly through their votes and their actions. Democrats have shut down the Department of Homeland Security because they want to end enforcement of our immigration laws and end immigration enforcement in America. They have been very clear about that. They refuse to fund the Department of Homeland Security because they want to turn America into a sanctuary country. That is where they are.

Those in this Chamber would rather oppose President Trump than protect the American people, and they have repeatedly shown it. Let me say it again: Senate Democrats would rather oppose President Trump than protect the American people. This shutdown is a cheap publicity stunt. They are doing it for the radical left, and it is, at the same time, a costly danger for our country and our citizens.

Now that America has struck Iran, the No. 1 threat to our homeland is the threat of terrorism. Last week, in Austin, TX, a lone-wolf terrorist opened fire in a crowded establishment, killing three Americans and wounding over a dozen more. The shooter was wearing a T- shirt. The T-shirt bore an Iranian flag, and it was under a sweatshirt that said ``Property of Allah.''

The warning lights are flashing red. Look, we know that Iran exports its terror abroad. They have been doing it for the last 10 years with the $56 billion that Barack Obama and the Democrats gave to the Ayatollah 10 years ago.

For 4 years, Joe Biden and the Democrats opened the border, and we don't know who is in our country today. When Joe Biden was in office, 1,500 illegal immigrants from Iran were arrested at the southern border. Do you know what the Democrats then did? They released half of them into the United States. This was what was known as the Democrats' catch-and-release program. Who are they? Where are they? What are they doing today? No one knows. And these are just the people that we know about that were released into the country. Think about the thousands and thousands of ``got-aways'' during the time Joe Biden was President of the United States. They are in communities in all 50 States. Iran's tentacles stretch all the way to small communities in our Nation.

Now, the Department of Homeland Security is warning law enforcement nationwide about the elevated risk and threat from lone-wolf attacks like we saw in Texas last weekend, and yet at this very moment today, Democrats in this Chamber are continuing to block the funding for the very Agency that is tasked with stopping these terrorist attacks.

Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, said funding for the Department of Homeland Security is--his word--``ridiculous.'' That is the way the Democrats perceive this. I will tell you what is ridiculous. What is ridiculous is to shut down the Agency responsible for finding the terrorists in this country and stopping them before they act. That is what we are dealing with. It is ridiculous to refuse to pay the men and women who protect our homeland. That is what the Democrats are doing. It is ridiculous to cripple our cyber defense. That is what the Democrats are doing and continue to do.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security--they protect our Nation's critical infrastructure, including our energy infrastructure. Chuck Schumer was on the floor talking about energy. Why isn't he protecting our energy infrastructure in this country? Why is he continuing to make it vulnerable to attacks? It is awful what they are doing. Today, only 800 of over 2,000 employees are on the job in this Department, and they are working without pay. The others have been furloughed due to the Democrat shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. And because of this shutdown, the Agency has canceled both physical and cyber security assessments to detect vulnerabilities within our system.

No wonder we are on high alert. We need to be on high alert because of the Democrats who have put us there. This is a direct threat to our Nation's security. Shutting down the Department of Homeland Security, as Democrats in this Chamber have done repeatedly, makes our country less safe and makes our citizens more vulnerable. But I expect to see, when the Democrats come in, them once again continue to keep the Department of Homeland Security shut down.

As the Presiding Officer knows, Republicans tried to negotiate with the Democrats in good faith. The President has sent offers to the Democrats to say: Look, let's be reasonable here. Open the Department of Homeland Security. Yet, they refuse. They cling to their love of illegal immigrant criminals rather than to the love of this Nation and the safety and security of the people here.

This is all about safety, national strength, and national security. And the shutdown by the Democrats endangers each and every one of these as well as each and every American citizen. The next cyber attack on our homeland--Democrats are going to bear full responsibility. The next lone-wolf terrorist--Democrats will bear full responsibility. The next criminal who crosses the border illegally and kills an innocent American--fully on the Democrats. Blood will be on their hands because we don't have a functioning Department of Homeland Security that is funded with people on the ground in every position receiving their paychecks.

The Democrats seem to think it is a bargaining chip. American safety and security is not a bargaining chip, and I am going to vote with my Republican colleagues today to fully fund the Department of Homeland Security without delay.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Cassidy), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran), and the Senator from Alabama (Mr. Tuberville).

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

Mr. President, I rise today to speak in strong opposition to what the Democrats are putting forward on this floor of the U.S. Senate today. It is a War Powers Resolution.

Let me expose this resolution for what it is. The Democrat resolution

undercuts Americans' peace through strength.

I just heard the minority leader come to the floor, and he said that no one ``has the guts to stand up to him'' and say he is wrong. I think he was talking about President Trump.

Well, let me tell you, the Republicans are going to stand up to Chuck Schumer and to Tim Kaine, who has brought this resolution today on the floor of the U.S. Senate, and say to them: You are wrong. You are wrong.

The purpose of the War Powers Act of 1973 is to ensure consultation and reporting. It is never intended to allow Congress to micromanage military operations. Under the statute, a President must notify Congress within 48 hours. President Trump did that. Members of this body were further briefed yesterday by top officials from the administration. The law then provides a 60-day window for continued military action.

Now, many people believe the War Powers Act is actually unconstitutional. The Constitution makes the President the Commander in Chief. Every modern President has exercised this authority. President Clinton did it in the Balkans. President Obama did it in Libya. President Biden did it in Syria and the Gaza Strip.

So why do Democrats object today? Why? It is because Donald Trump is President of the United States. That is why they are doing this. Democrats would rather obstruct President Trump than obliterate Iran's national nuclear program. Let that sink in. That is what the Democrats are trying to do. They want to use the War Powers Act as a partisan battering ram.

This is Senator Kaine's fifth War Powers Resolution since President Trump returned to office a little more than a year ago. These resolutions have been used only 11 times in 50 years since the law was passed. The Senator from Virginia alone accounts for nearly half of them. Yet Senator Kaine introduced no War Powers Resolutions--zero-- when Barack Obama and Joe Biden were President.

And it isn't just the War Powers Resolution. As Democrats jeopardize Americans' peace through strength abroad, they are obstructing American security here at home.

A few minutes ago on this floor, Senator Schumer, the minority leader, came to the floor, and he said that what was happening in Iran is--he said, ``military insanity.'' Those were his words.

Let me tell you what insanity is. Insanity is not allowing the Department of Homeland Security to be funded--because the Democrats are blocking that funding today. They have done it earlier this week. They have been doing it now for several weeks, at a time when our Nation is on red alert for terrorism. And they are coming to the Senate floor today to try to tie President Trump's hands in a situation in Iran that is making America safer and making the world safer, and the Democrats are undermining our security at home.

It was 9/11 years ago--the planes into the Twin Towers, into the Pentagon, into the field in Pennsylvania--9/11. That is why we established the Department of Homeland Security: to fight terrorism.

And there is no end in sight to what the Democrats want to do, continuing to keep the Department of Homeland Security shut down. The shutdown by the Democrats is endangering every single American. The next cyber attack on the homeland, that is on the Democrats. The next shooting by a lone wolf terrorist like we saw in Texas, that is on the Democrats. Blood will be on their hands. The next criminal that crosses the border illegally and kills an innocent American, that is on the Democrats, who have shut down the Department of Homeland Security.

The American people deserve better. The American people deserve safety and are not getting it from the Democrats, as they continue to shut down the Department of Homeland Security. The Department of Homeland Security must be fully funded, and the people working there must get paid.

Make no mistake, what President Trump is doing today in Iran is right and it is necessary. For 47 years, Iran has attacked our country and our people. From Beirut to Baghdad, Iran and their terrorist proxies have American blood on their hands. Every President--every President-- has pledged Iran would never have a nuclear weapon. Only President Trump had the courage to keep the pledge.

President Trump worked for more than a year on a diplomatic off-ramp. He offered Iran every opportunity to choose peace. Iran refused every offer. The Iranian regime was racing to build a nuclear weapon. It was building and stockpiling deadly missiles at the rate of 100 missiles a month. As the Defense Intelligence Agency reported, Iran had the ``largest and most diverse'' missile arsenal in the Middle East. Only when it became clear that Iran was preparing to attack our troops and our allies did President Trump strike first.

Operation Epic Fury is a defensive action against a clear, present, and accelerating danger. Our forces are engaged in targeted strikes against Iran's military assets. The mission is to destroy Iran's capacity to wage war, and our troops are succeeding.

This case for the mission is clearly and publicly stated. President Trump communicated our objectives within hours of the first strike: Destroy Iran's missile industry, and that includes their missiles, their launchers, and the production capacity, missiles they were stockpiling. Destroy Iran's navy. Destroy Iran's terrorist proxy network. Stop Iran from ever getting a nuclear weapon.

That is exactly what our brave men and women in uniform have done. In less than 1 week and with 100 hours into this, Iran's Supreme Leader has been killed, its missile and drone industry destroyed, its navy sunk, the tentacles of Iran's terror network severed, and its capacity to ever produce nuclear weapons eliminated. This is American peace through strength.

President Trump absolutely acted within his article II, section 2 constitutional powers to achieve these goals. When Democrats come to the floor and they claim that President Trump lacks the constitutional authority to carry out this mission, they are wrong. When they claim President Trump has not clearly laid out our objectives to the American people, they are wrong.

Our targeted strikes also send a powerful message--and it is a message of deterrence--to our adversaries. Russia and China are seeing that American resolve is real.

There is also a profound opportunity here for the Iranian people. Operation Epic Fury is a defensive action for America, and it can lead to freedom for the Iranian people. The Iranian people have been prisoners of this oppressive regime, and they have been that way for decades. With the regime degraded, the Iranian people now have the opportunity to chart their own future. America is fighting the Iranian regime, not the Iranian people. The Iranian people aspire to freedom, and they have America's support.

Mr. President, let me return to the Kaine resolution on which we are going to be voting today. It is wrong to vote to signal weakness to our enemies. It is wrong to vote to undermine our troops in combat. It is wrong to vote to undercut peace through strength. I will vote to uphold the safety and the security of this Nation.

I yield the floor.

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cornyn).

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations en bloc: Calendar No. 657 through Calendar No. 660, Calendar No. 661 with the exception of Col. Thomas M. Siverts, Calendar No. 662, and Calendar No. 663, and all nominations on the Secretary's desk with the exception of PN681 Dustin B. Elliott, PN681 Vincent J. Noble, and PN835 Thomas P. MacNeil; that the nominations be confirmed en bloc; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order to any of the nominations; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; and that the Senate then resume legislative session.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 626, which is at the desk.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 5; that following the prayer and the 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 resume consideration of H.R. 6644.

For the information of my colleagues, we expect a vote on reconsideration of cloture on the motion to proceed to DHS appropriations at approximately 1:45 p.m. tomorrow.

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

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate recess from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. today and that all time during recess count postcloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 6644.

Mr. President, the President of the United States took decisive action this weekend to keep America and Americans safe. He did it to stop the No. 1 state sponsor of terrorism in the world. He did it to forge a path to peace in the Middle East.

Operation Epic Fury is one of the boldest military operations in modern history. I support it fully and without reservation. President Trump had the courage to do what is right and what needed to be done, something previous administrations refused to do--absolutely refused.

Operation Epic Fury has one purpose: to protect the American people from a regime that has spent 47 years at war

against America--at war trying to destroy us. This is an absolutely bloodthirsty dictatorship, and blood is on their hands.

I heard the minority leader here on the floor, this morning, make reference to parents whose sons and daughters serve in the military. Well, I got an email yesterday from one of those parents, a Gold Star parent because she lost her son in Iraq in 2008. He was from Wyoming: SSG Tyler Pickett. She emailed me because I had spoken at his funeral in 2008. He was a 28-year-old from Saratoga, WY, killed by an IED. And we know that it was Iran who was supplying those IEDs that killed so many Americans in Iraq and in Afghanistan.

And what did she say? She said:

I have a request. When you speak to our President, Donald

J. Trump, will you thank him from me and my family.

She said:

I was working when the attack on Iran took place. My

brother texted me and called me. We were cheering, praying,

and continuing to pray for everyone. Once again, thank you,

and God be with you always.

That is a mother who lost her son, who is cheering the action this past weekend--and it continues today--to protect the American homeland for which her son lost his life 18 years ago.

For 47 years, Iran has chanted ``Death to America,'' and they have meant it. Iran has, for years, bankrolled and armed terrorists-- terrorists who have killed thousands of Americans, terrorists who on October 7, 2023, killed over 1,000 Israelis and Americans in the attack by Hamas on Israel. Iran has plotted assassinations on American soil against dissidents, against American officials, and even against President Trump.

Iran continued to race to build nuclear weapons. Even after the successful bombing of their nuclear facilities, last year, the Iranians were not deterred. They said: We are going to go do it again.

And they stockpiled ballistic missiles, which could be used to deliver a nuclear weapon or just to attack neighbors.

Make no mistake, Iran is not some faraway threat. It is a clear and present danger to the United States, and this Congress knows it. Every Democrat knows it.

In the past 96 hours, Iran has launched a wave of missiles and drones and attacked 11 countries in the region. Think about that. Iran attacked 11 of their neighboring countries--immediate neighbors. Iran's indiscriminate attacks prove Iran poses a universal threat. President Trump gave Iran every opportunity to choose peace. Instead, they chose delay, they chose deception, and they chose destruction. Iran refused every diplomatic off-ramp offered, and Iran believed it could once again run out the clock without consequences.

Iran was wrong. Operation Epic Fury was President Trump's commitment to protect our Nation.

Today, Ayatollah Khamenei is dead, his senior leadership team is dead, and his reign of terror is over. Iran's vast missile arsenal is being dismantled. Its nuclear program is being demolished. Its tentacles of terror are being severed. America is safer. The world is safer. This is American peace through strength.

Operation Epic Fury also sends a strong message to America's other adversaries. Iran's allies and enablers, of course, are China and Russia. For years, every dollar of Iranian oil and weapon sales sustained their terrorist regime. The oil and weapons also strengthened our adversaries. This anti-American axis of aggression is today weaker. President Trump has reshaped the strategic landscape in the Middle East and all around the world.

Inside Iran, people are pouring into the streets to celebrate. To the Iranian people: You have endured decades of repression and brutality. This is a moment of freedom. America stands with you.

As Operation Epic Fury succeeds in Iran, far-left Democrats in this Chamber are on a mission, and their mission is to undercut American peace through strength. This week, Democrats are going to force a vote on yet another War Powers Resolution. Their War Powers Resolution is intended to tie the hands of the Commander in Chief as he works to protect the country.

This administration briefed the Gang of 8 before Operation Epic Fury began. Every Senator is going to be briefed later this afternoon. The mission objectives are clear and publicly stated: Destroy Iran's missile industry; destroy Iran's Navy; destroy Iran's terrorist network; stop the world's No. 1 sponsor of terror from obtaining nuclear weapons.

President Trump protected our country. He did it by enforcing a redline with Iran. This is the opposite of President Obama and the Democrats. They tried to buy the Ayatollah's friendship. They sent pallets of cash directly into Iran.

Under the War Powers Act, the President retains authority to conduct missions like this for up to 60 days. Now is the time for Congress to support our servicemembers in the combat zone, not undermine them from this very Chamber.

If Senate Democrats are truly concerned about protecting the American people, here is what they should do right now, right here, today: Fund the Department of Homeland Security. They have been holding it up, shutting it down. Today, the greatest threat to our safety at home right here is terrorism. We are at heightened alert.

The Department of Homeland Security is on the front line against terrorism, and the Democrats want to keep it shut.

The Department of Homeland Security protects our airports, our shores, our cyber networks, our homeland. Democrats have shut down the Department of Homeland Security, and that shutdown endangers every single American citizen.

This weekend in Austin, TX, a killer wore a T-shirt with the Iranian flag and a sweatshirt that read ``Property of Allah.'' The investigation is ongoing, but the message is clear, now is the time for us to be on high alert. For the safety of the American people, the Department of Homeland Security needs to be fully funded. The workers need to be fully paid, not waiting and hoping to say: Well, will we ever get paid again, as the Democrats refuse to fund the Department of Homeland Security.

Republicans stand with the brave men and women who are carrying out Operation Epic Fury. We pray for their safety in harm's way. We also pray for the family members who have given their lives in defense of our freedom, as the email that I have just read from the mother of SSG Tyler Pickett from Wyoming who lost his life in 2008 near Kirkuk in Iraq.

Peace through strength always keeps America secure, and as the majority whip, I am going to do everything possible to defeat Senator Kaine's resolution that undercuts our peace through strength.

Republicans are going to continue to work for the safety and security of the American people and of this great country.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Alice for her hard work as an intern in my Washington, DC, office. I recognize her efforts and contributions to my office, as well as to the State of Wyoming.

Alice is a native of North Carolina. She is currently a junior at The Madeira School in McLean, VA. She has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made her an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of her work is reflected in her great efforts over the last several months.

I want to thank Alice for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It is a pleasure to have her as part of our team. I know she will have continued success with all of her future endeavors. I wish her all my best on her journey.

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