Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume legislative session.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Recognition of the Minority Leader

Mr. President, I rise today alongside my companion and friend and colleague, the senior Senator from Ohio, to honor and recognize a great American, and that great American would be Roger Penske.

Last week, Roger celebrated his 89th birthday. Team Penske celebrated its 60th year. Both Roger and Team Penske have very much of which to be proud; yet Roger is going to be the last person ever to discuss his remarkable achievements.

His guiding principle is ``effort equals results.'' Now, that is a phrase those of us from Wyoming understand very well. ``Effort equals results'' simply means that a hard day's work equals real rewards. It also means extra efforts yield exceptional results. Honesty, hard work, and integrity are going to get you far in life, and Roger Penske continues to go the full distance.

Now, as a teenager, Roger got into the car business--buying and fixing up old cars. Cars were his calling. Even during college, at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, he was successfully racing automobiles. He had a successful racing career, a successful career as an owner of a fleet of car dealerships, and a successful career helming Penske Truck Rental. He employs tens of thousands of Americans, and he employs people in all 50 States. The Penske name is synonymous with success, with excellence, and with moving America forward. Effort equals results.

As Roger grew more and more successful in business, racing was always on his mind. So, 60 years ago this month, at the age of 29, in 1966, Team Penske was born. Racing is where Roger's passion comes alive. Team Penske debuted at the 24 Hours of Daytona. They haven't hit the brakes in 60 years. To use a racing term, Roger is still ``standing on the gas pedal.''

Roger is known in racing as the Captain, and the Captain's leadership has made Team Penske the most successful racing team in automobile history. Their drivers have had more than 600 victories all across various forms of racing. Team Penske has won a record-setting 20 Indianapolis 500 races and, this year, a historic three-peat at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Effort equals results.

Just like race car driving itself, the Penske name is woven into the fabric

of America. Fittingly, both will be part of this year's America 250 celebrations. In this historic year, Roger Penske is spearheading the Freedom 250 DC Grand Prix. It will be this August. Our Nation's Capital will host its first-ever INDYCAR street race. It will be magnificent. This course will take drivers around the Nation's Capital, and it will be a historic race. This was Roger's vision, a vision for how to put American patriotism on full display.

As a lifelong racing fan, I can't think of a better way to celebrate American innovation, American speed, and enduring excellence. Many people might suggest that the Freedom 250 DC Grand Prix is a culmination of all of Roger's hard work. Those people would be mistaken because, at only 89 years old, Roger is just starting his engine.

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 understand that there is a bill at the desk, and I ask for its first reading.

Mr. President, I now ask for a second reading, and in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to my own request.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Presiding Officer of the Senate be authorized to appoint a committee on the part of the Senate to join with the like committee on the part of the House of Representatives to escort the President of the United States into the House Chamber for the joint session to be held at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, February 24; that following the prayer and pledge, Senator Kaine be recognized to deliver Washington's Farewell Address, as provided under the previous order; that following his remarks, 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, and the Senate be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each; further, notwithstanding rule XXII, that the cloture motion filed on February 12 ripen at 5 p.m.

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 come to the floor having heard the minority leader come to the floor, and

what he said was that the Democrats are going to vote against funding the Department of Homeland Security.

Yesterday, the Democrats received the legislative text that they demanded. Just this morning, border czar Tom Homan announced that the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota was over. There has been significant progress in the last 2 weeks, enough progress that Democrats should join Republicans today to keep the Department of Homeland Security fully funded. Democrats don't seem to be determined, in any way, to fund the Department of Homeland Security. They seem determined, however, to protect illegal immigrant criminals.

The goal of the Democrat Party, as stated, is to abolish ICE-- Immigration and Customs Enforcement--and to defund American security. Remember, the Democrats are the party of ``defund the police.'' They are not for the safety and the security of the American people, and a ``no'' vote today will confirm that.

Who pays the price? Well, the American people because FEMA will not be funded, TSA will not be funded, the Coast Guard, the Secret Service, America's cyber security defense--all defunded because Democrats are prioritizing illegal immigrant criminals ahead of the safety of the American people.

The White House and Republicans are acting in good faith. Democrats should vote today to keep the Department of Homeland Security open.

The first duty of our government is to keep Americans safe. Today, the U.S. Senate faces a test. Republicans are going to answer that test by upholding our duty to the American people. The question is, Are the Democrats going to join us? It sounds, from listening to the minority leader, that they have no intention of voting to keep America safe and secure. Democrats seem to be determined, as announced by the minority leader, to block the funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

Mr. President, we Republicans have acted repeatedly to secure the border, to strengthen law enforcement, to remove illegal immigrant criminals from our midst and from our neighborhoods and from our communities. From the Laken Riley Act to the current funding bill, we have worked in good faith with the Democrats to make America safer. Now what we see are Democrats flip-flopping on funding the government.

This was a bipartisan bill. Democrats helped negotiate it. The Democrat ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, who is on the floor right now, supported it. Democrats in the House voted for it.

Republicans have offered Senate Democrats fair terms for reasonable reforms. Senate Democrats are now rejecting them.

Over the course of the past 2 weeks, the Democrats' list of unreasonable demands continues to balloon. Democrats are now demanding an end to Supreme Court-approved administrative warrants. The Supreme Court says they are good; the Democrats say: No, not good enough.

Democrats are now demanding harsh restrictions on cooperation between Federal immigration officers and State and local officials.

Democrats are now demanding a ban on immigration enforcement at so- called sensitive locations. You know, they have been hospitals in the past, schools, places of worship. Not enough--not for the Democrats. No, their demands are so extreme they are now defining ``sensitive locations''--expanding it to include, of all places, polling places. Illegal immigrants should not be at polling places and certainly not illegal immigrant criminals. Now the Democrats want to add this to their list of sensitive locations. Even Joe Biden's Homeland Security Secretary said that was a step too far.

Taken together, these conditions would materially slow immigration enforcement in this Nation. Polling locations would become a sanctuary location for illegal immigrant criminals--people allowed to roam free in our communities.

Democrats want to turn America into a sanctuary country. They have been for abolishing borders.

Republicans believe many of the Democrat demands would undermine public safety and the rule of law. And you know what. So do the American people. They agree with us.

We are not going to make and accept proposals from the Democrats that are going to make our communities less safe.

So what comes next if the Democrats reject the offer that is before them today or reject a continuing resolution to discuss and continue to work together? It is entirely up to the Democrats. If the Department of Homeland Security is defunded, the pain will extend throughout the country. And Democrats know what the Department of Homeland Security does. It funds disaster relief through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It keeps America safe when we fly by going through TSA. It protects our Nation from cyber attacks through the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency. It oversees the Coast Guard.

The Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard testified to Congress this week. They asked about this, about the devastating impact of the loss of funding. He had some things to say about that. He said 56,000 Active members of the Coast Guard would work without pay. He said morale would plunge, and the Coast Guard recruitment efforts would suffer.

The record is clear: Republicans have acted to protect the American people. Ninety-six percent of the government is already funded today because of our work passing 11 of the 12 appropriations bills, and we are down to the final 1--the last 4 percent of funding. We are ready to do it again.

Democrats have two options: One, vote today to fund the Department of Homeland Security, or two, stand side by side with illegal immigrant criminals. That is the choice. What is it going to be?

If they refuse to fund our Nation's security, they will be making a deliberate choice and a deliberate statement that they are wanting to practice the politics of pain, and the American people will regrettably be the ones paying the price for the destructive demands of the radical left that is running their party today.

Mr. President, on a separate matter, yesterday, I was at the White House with the President of the United States. President Trump and his all-star energy team have done historic work to unleash American energy, and that most certainly includes Wyoming coal.

Recently, the east coast experienced something that Wyoming experiences every year, as does your home State of Montana, Mr. President, and that is sustained temperatures below freezing.

The power grid was tested, and through it all, coal delivered. Coal generation jumped 31 percent during the recent winter storm. Meanwhile, wind and solar energy declined. Coal literally saved American lives.

Coal is also saving American families money. According to a recent report, families saved more than $100 on their energy bills last year thanks to coal generation.

Coal is one of the most affordable, available, reliable, secure sources of energy in the world. We have it right here. We have more coal in the United States than any other country, and my home State of Wyoming produces nearly half of it. For America to be energy dominant, we need Wyoming coal.

For years, the Biden administration tried to shut down coal mines, coal-fired powerplants, and attack American coal miners. That was the Biden administration.

I will never forget when I heard Joe Biden tell his EPA Administrator to prioritize climate over energy that was affordable, available, and reliable. That is what they did. The American people paid a heavy price.

What a difference a new administration has made because today, America is no longer apologizing to others for using our God-given energy resources.

President Trump's announcement this week builds on the work that Republicans have done over the past year. Our shared agenda is unleashing American energy, it is growing the economy, and it is putting money back in people's pockets.

Our Working Families Tax Cut law opened up more Federal land for new coal leasing. The Department of the Interior has already acted on this. It has opened 11 million new acres to leasing.

Additionally, the Working Families Tax Cut law reduced royalty rates for

coal produced on Federal lands. That is good news for Wyoming coal producers. They now have more certainty in terms of reinvesting in production. It also means good-paying Wyoming jobs are going to continue there for decades.

At the same time, Republicans delivered no taxes on overtime for American workers. Well, that includes a lot of Wyoming coal miners and coal miners in your home State of Montana as well, Mr. President. They have earned every dollar they make; and when they file their taxes this year, they will be able to keep more of it.

Wyoming families are thrilled with these changes. They know that coal funds our schools and services in our communities. And thanks to President Trump and Republicans, Wyoming coal miners are powering the Nation with affordable, available, reliable coal.

Mr. President, there is a book that I speak about when I talk to students and others in Wyoming, and it is called ``Hidden America: From Coal Miners to Cowboys, an Extraordinary Exploration of the Unseen People Who Make This Country Work.'' These are the men and women who put food on the table and keep our country with the energy that we need. It is a privilege for me, Mr. President--and I am sure for you in your home State--to represent these fine American workers.

I yield the floor.

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Wisconsin (Mr. Johnson), the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Justice), the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell), and the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. Paul).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell).

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Wisconsin (Mr. Johnson) and the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell).

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

Mr. President, I just heard the minority leader come to the floor and speak about his ballooning list of demands--demands that are designed to protect illegal immigrant criminals. That is what this is about. This is the discussion right now on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Democrats have come up with a Christmas list of demands-- demands designed to appeal to their radical base.

This growing list of Democrat demands makes it almost impossible to remove dangerous illegal immigrants from the streets of our Nation. Democrats are resisting even the most reasonable attempts to enforce our immigration laws. They don't want us--law enforcement--to enforce the immigration laws of this Nation. That is what they are for: getting rid of those laws.

The more we learn about the demands coming from the minority leader and that party, the less the normal American citizen likes them, and that is especially if you are concerned about any safety or any security in the community in which you live or the neighborhood or the streets of your community. The Democrats continually want to make it harder to arrest and remove illegal immigrant criminals.

So last week, I spoke about the one Democrat dangerous demand for requiring something called judicial warrants. Now, that may sound like a technical change. It is not. It is a dramatic change, and it would grind immigration enforcement to a halt.

Do you know what it would do? It would lock in place the chaos that Joe Biden and the Democrats hoisted upon this country with their wide- open border policy.

The Democrats' preference is to release illegal immigrants who are criminals right onto our streets. They prefer that over holding them until immigration officials can come to pick them up, if they have been arrested.

So I am going to take a look at one of the specific demands that the Democrats have come up with--and it is a new demand; I haven't seen this one before--because they want to ban immigration enforcement from their so-called sensitive locations. The so-called sensitive locations defined by the Democrats, in the past, have included places of worship, hospitals, and schools. Now, they want to include in that list polling places.

Well, let's think about that. It is an entirely new provision. Polling places have never been included on any list like this before, and Democrats are now including them because they want to turn America into a sanctuary country and polling places into sanctuary locations. That is what the Democrats are demanding.

So let me ask Democrats a simple question: Why do you want to protect illegal immigrant criminals at polling places? What are they doing at polling places?

They shouldn't be at U.S. polling places. Why in the world would they be there if they are not trying to vote? And, by law, they are not allowed to vote.

That tells you how far to the left the Democrats have moved. Illegal immigrants aren't allowed to vote in Federal elections. Sometimes Democrats will say that, but it is not what they want.

Democrats seem fixated on protecting illegal immigrant criminals at polling places. Yet Democrats energetically opposed commonsense policies to protect the integrity of the ballot--the integrity of the ballot. It is a vital right of American citizenship--the sanctity of the ballot.

Democrats opposed photo IDs to vote. You need one to check out a book from the library. You need one to get on a plane. You need one to buy a beer. But the Democrats don't want you to have to produce a photo ID to vote, which is a sacred right of citizenship. That is because Democrats oppose election integrity. They oppose ensuring American elections are dedicated and decided only by American citizens. They don't want that. They believe it disadvantages them to have just citizens vote, and they support banning immigration enforcement at polling places. It is astonishing. That is how far to the left the socialist-driven Democrat Party has moved.

Illegal immigrants shouldn't be at polling places--illegal immigrant criminals--and they shouldn't be roaming our communities. They need to be arrested and removed from the country.

Once again, Democrats are putting illegal immigrants ahead--who are criminals--ahead of the safety and security of the American people.

Taken together, the list of Democrat demands points in one dangerous direction, and that is the direction of abolishing ICE, abolishing our borders, and turning America into a sanctuary nation. Republicans will not accept changes that make our communities less safe.

The deadline the Democrats have demanded to fund the Department of Homeland Security is Friday, 3 days from now. The Department of Homeland Security budget is $90 billion. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is 11 percent of that. Democrats are risking America's safety over 11 percent of the Department of Homeland Security budget.

The rest of the budget goes to other critical functions the American people depend upon and need right now, and that is because it funds FEMA, or the Federal Emergency Management Agency, for disaster relief, as our Nation is trying to still deal with the effects of a recent storm. It funds TSA to help keep Americans safe when they fly. It funds the Coast Guard to stop the flow of drugs and what has been coming across to our shores from foreign countries. It funds the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to protect our Nation from cyber attacks and more.

So, this week, Senate Democrats have a choice to make:

Option 1, fund the Department of Homeland Security.

Option 2, Democrats can once again side with the radical left and force a shutdown of the vital services to the American people. And why do they want to do that? To protect illegal immigrant criminals.

If Democrats choose option 2, it will force a shutdown to protect illegal immigrants. The consequences to the American people will be painful. The Democrats have been choosing that side again and again-- safety and prosperity for the Republican choice; illegal immigrant criminals, the Democrat choice on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

The Democrats seem to be very willing to delay disaster relief, to disrupt air travel for every American, and to degrade anti-drug operations. And our Nation will be more vulnerable to cyber attacks.

All of these key missions are conducted by the Department of Homeland Security, the one branch of government that has not yet been funded. We have done 11 of the 12 appropriations bills. We have funded 96 percent of the government. And the Democrats said: Nope, we are not going to fund that vital function of the government--because that is the demand of the radical left.

Republicans are ready to vote to keep America safe, and we have been ready for weeks. To the point, weeks ago, the House of Representatives passed a bipartisan appropriations bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Senate Democrats had agreed to what was in the bill. Then the Democrats flip-flopped. And they did it why? Because of the cries from the radical left, the people that are calling the tune for that party. Democrats were for it before they were told to be against it.

Democrats need to start protecting the American people and stop protecting illegal immigrant criminals. It is that simple. But, today, Democrats on this floor--we just heard it from the minority leader-- continue to be the party of open borders and illegal immigrants.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell).

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell) 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 ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum call with respect to the Olson nomination.

Mr. President, last night the minority leader came out

with a list--a new list--of demands designed to protect illegal immigrant criminals. We just heard him speak about it on the floor just a few minutes ago. The minority leader has said that he has 10 demands. Last week, he had three. Now, he says he has 10. I read the fine print. It looks to me that this ballooning list is now up to 23 demands. The minority leader just said Republicans are calling the demands political. I see them as radical and extreme. This is about funding the Department of Homeland Security for our Nation, keeping our Nation safe.

The minority leader said Republicans can't explain why their demands are extreme. I can tell you why they are extreme. They prioritize the safety of illegal immigrant criminals over the safety and security of the American people. I would think the majority of Americans would see that as extreme and dangerous.

Now, the minority leader might think that he has leverage to defund law enforcement. He is wrong. Border Patrol is funded. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is funded.

To me, what is reckless here, from this far-left wish list, is it is closing the Federal Emergency Management Agency--closing them down--the Coast Guard working without pay, TSA agents working without pay, making our Nation more vulnerable to cyber attacks. Those are all things that are funded by the Department of Homeland Security. So that is why I tell you that these demands are radical.

It is the demand to change the rules regarding immigration enforcement warrants. And that is a big part of what they are talking about. When Democrats say they want to ``improve warrant procedures and standards,'' it sounds nice. I am not a lawyer. You study it, you look into it, because you hear the Democrats use that phrase a lot. What Democrats won't tell you is the people that benefit from that are criminals.

Here is what this Democrat demand actually does. I will tell you because Senator Schumer refuses to tell us what it does. It ends immigration enforcement--ends it. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is forced to use what are called judicial warrants. For each and every immigration arrest, America will become a sanctuary country, not just a bunch of sanctuary cities in different States--no, an entire sanctuary country. That is what they are pushing for, and that is their goal, and it is a destructive goal for our Nation.

Democrats want to abolish ICE. You have even the signs being carried in the streets. They want to abolish borders. They want to turn America into a sanctuary country for illegal immigrants and, specifically, for illegal immigrant criminals who Joe Biden let flush into this country all the way through 4 years--10,000 a day, illegal immigrants coming into the Nation. If Democrats had their way, removing illegal immigrants from our communities, from our streets would be nearly impossible.

Today, more than 1 million illegal immigrants have received, from the courts, a final court order for removal. Democrats want every single one of them to stay in our communities, to stay on our streets and in our neighborhoods, all across the country forever.

If you have a final removal order, you have already gone before an immigration judge. You presented your case. You received due process. You exhausted every possible appeal. After a fair and thorough process, a judge has affirmed you may not stay in this country any longer-- finished. It is time for you to go. It is the law.

Federal immigration officials have used administrative warrants for decades. Federal law provides for them. The Supreme Court upheld their constitutionality in 1960. We are talking 65 years ago. Federal circuit courts have reaffirmed their use in decade after decade after decade. Senate Democrats want to overturn long-term constitutional precedent. Why? Because Democrats seek to dismantle immigration enforcement completely.

The Democrat demand is not a minor adjustment. If Democrats have their way, it will lead to fewer arrests, fewer removals, and lead to more illegal immigrant criminals released onto the streets in our communities and our neighborhoods. That is what this is about.

The Senate should be very clear-eyed about the Democrats' goals and the dangerous consequences of the demands that are being made by Senator Schumer and the Democrats just to fund the Department of Homeland Security, something that we had agreed to do in the weeks prior to their decision, a week ago, to just say no. They said: No, we are done.

Joe Biden and the Democrats spent 4 years ignoring our Nation's immigration laws. They are the party of wide-open borders. They have been. They have proven it. They brought back catch-and-release. They abused parole powers, and they demonized law enforcement. They demonize the very men and women who devote their lives and commit their careers to keeping our Nation safe. As a result, 10 million illegal immigrants flooded into the country, and our communities became less safe because Democrats refused to enforce the law.

In Georgia, Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, was murdered by an illegal immigrant. Her killer crossed into this country illegally in 2022. The Biden administration released that killer into our country instead of removing him. Before he killed Laken Riley, he was arrested in New York City for child endangerment--somebody arrested in New York City for endangering a child. Despite his crime, what happens in New York City? He was released. Why? Because New York City is a sanctuary city. Now, the Governor there wants to make it a sanctuary State.

Had her killer been in custody, Laken Riley would still be alive today. She would have finished her nursing training and be taking care of patients in her community.

In North Carolina, two teenagers were killed by an illegal immigrant in a deadly car crash. The killer was driving drunk. His criminal record before the incident was lengthy--a lengthy criminal record. Yet before the crash, his other charges were dismissed by sanctuary cities.

North Carolina's legislature passed multiple bills to require local police to get illegal immigrant criminals off the streets. So what happened? Well, North Carolina's pro-crime Democrat Governor, named Roy Cooper, vetoed them all. So criminals are back on the streets thanks to a North Carolina pro-crime Democrat Governor named Roy Cooper--three vetoes by Roy Cooper, Democrat Governor of North Carolina, allowing illegal immigrant criminals to roam freely. And because of Governor Cooper's reckless vetoes, parents had to bury their teenage children.

Tragedies like this remind us that we all pay the price when liberal politicians favor illegal immigrant criminals over the safety of American citizens. That is exactly why Republicans passed the Laken Riley Act. Because of that law, the Department of Homeland Security has detained an additional 20,000 illegal immigrants who otherwise would have been released back into our communities.

When it comes to public safety, Democrats continue to fail the American people. Senate Republicans will not accept changes that make our communities less safe. When I read Senator Schumer's list of the 23 demands--he may call it 10; it started as 3--these are things that will make our communities less safe. Republicans are going to continue to stand on the side of safer and more secure communities.