Floor Statements

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.

Mr. President, I come to the floor today having read a most fascinating story today in Politico. It is about what the Democrats' strategy is today on the floor of the U.S. Senate, and it seems they are coming here today to defend their wasteful Washington spending.

The title of the article is ``Democrats eye changes to climate spending clawbacks.''

Remember, this is a party who had a President, Joe Biden, who told the Environmental Protection Agency, the EPA, to prioritize climate over energy for the American people that was affordable, available, or reliable. That was Biden's priority; that is the Democrats' priority-- climate over energy available, affordable, and reliable.

It cost them the election because they were the party of high prices and open borders. It doesn't seem like they have heard the message when I look at this, as they are trying to on the floor of the Senate today amend our rescissions package to go after efforts to save the American taxpayer dollars.

The story is about how the Democrats are going to defend hundreds of millions of dollars that prop up the old worn-out Green New Deal, and they want to prop it up in foreign countries. We are talking about pet projects--one quote: net zero cities in Mexico, electric buses in Africa, even taxpayer-funded classes on ``environmental racism.'' That is what the Democrats are going to be protecting and trying to defend on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

But just weeks ago, Democrats said tax cuts for working Americans were unaffordable. No, they don't want to cut taxes for Americans. That is why every Democrat in this Chamber voted against the tax cuts that save people who work and get money from tips--save them $1,300. Democrats voted no--no, we don't want you to keep your tips; we want you to pay taxes on them, so we can spend money overseas on climate change.

Democrats actually voted unanimously to raise taxes by $4 trillion on the American people. Thank goodness we were able to stop it, to block what the Democrats wanted to do to raise taxpayer dollars by $4 trillion. That would hurt every working family in America. They called what Republicans did fiscal irresponsibility.

Now, suddenly, money is no object. No, millions for the Green New Deal abroad, not 1 cent on hard-working Americans at home.

That is the warped priority of the Democrats in this Chamber. They are not just liberal; this is radical thinking. This is completely out of touch.

Is it surprising, then, when you see the Democrats' own pollster say that their party is weak, it is woke, and it is out of touch? That is how American voters view the Democratic Party today. Only one in three middle-class, working families, hard-working families, in America even identifies with that party anymore because they have gone so far to the left and so out of touch with the hard-working men and women of this Nation.

The bill that we are trying to do today in the Senate is simple--to end wasteful Washington spending, to save taxpayers billions of dollars, and to restore fiscal responsibility.

This money that we are clawing back today represents the hard work of American people--farmers, ranchers,

small business owners in Wyoming and across the country. Every dollar the Federal Government spends should honor their work, not waste their money. Taxpayer dollars should keep America safe. It should secure our borders. It should invest in our future. That is what we are doing here today.

We should never be funding something called vegan food in Africa, social media mentorship in Europe, net-zero cities in Mexico. These programs are unaccountable, unnecessary, and truly out of touch with America's priorities. Americans voted for fiscal savings, not foreign slush funds.

Today, the Federal Government is too big. It spends too much. The bill we are discussing today sends a clear message: The age of wasteful Washington spending has come to an end.

Now, I have heard the Democrats fearmongering about this bill. Let me set the record straight. Republicans are protecting emergency alert systems here at home; Democrats are protecting and promoting electric buses in Africa.

In November, Americans rejected this wasteful Washington spending. This week, Republicans are delivering on that mandate.

I yield the floor.

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

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from West Virginia (Mrs. Capito).

Mr. President, I rise in opposition to this amendment from

my friend from New Jersey. This amendment reduces the rescission for development assistance, and then it earmarks a substantial portion of the remaining funds for poorly defined agriculture and food security programs.

The rescissions package already protects essential food security programs, including the Feed the Future Innovation Labs and administration of the Food for Peace and the McGovern-Dole Programs, all of which serve core American value interests.

It also leaves billions in unobligated balances under the development assistance, under the economic support fund and international disaster assistance accounts--all available to support the types of agriculture- led growth that make Americans safer, stronger, and more prosperous.

But these aren't the programs my friend from New Jersey is trying to protect. Instead of enabling us to support our most effective programs, it would enable the ineffective ones that Democrats love to champion.

With that, I urge a ``no'' vote on amendment 2887.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

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

Aster attends Casper College and hopes to attend law school after completing her bachelor's. 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 Aster 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 order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, it is astonishing, as I come to the floor, to listen to the Democrat minority leader. We just heard his comments about foreign aid keeping ``Russia and China at bay.'' If it were only the case.

The minority leader has a long and spirited history of wasting American taxpayer dollars. Now he wants to send taxpayer dollars overseas to pay for climate projects and vegan food programs. Apparently, that is what he means when he talks about foreign aid keeping Russia and China at bay. He forgot to mention that he wants to spend half a million dollars to put electric vehicles--electric buses-- on the streets of Rwanda. He forgot to mention that he wants to spend $6 million on net zero cities in Mexico. He forgot to mention he wants to continue to spend over $100,000 for media training in Liberia.

Mr. President, I ask, how does that keep Russia and China at bay? He failed to mention that he wants to continue to spend $3.3 million on civic engagement in Zimbabwe. He didn't say any of that because there is no good reason at all for that kind of wasteful Washington spending. None of that spending helps farmers or ranchers in my home State of Wyoming. None of this spending helps struggling families.

In November, Americans voted to end this wasteful Washington spending. Voters got it right. Chuck Schumer gets it wrong. How many people went to the polls and told politicians to spend $7.4 million of their hard-earned money on teaching foreign countries about environmental racism? No one.

Democrats love to hide behind fearmongering, and that is what the minority leader has done again today. Democrats never stand up and defend their spending on the merits. I don't see Democrats coming to the floor and talking about those projects that they want to see continued because they know it doesn't hold up to the least amount of public scrutiny. The American people look at this, and for them, the issue is quite simple. Their taxpayer dollars are being wasted and have been wasted for a long time. The Democrats in this body want to continue wasting them.

We still have families digging out from the worst inflation in 40 years. We have cities overwhelmed by illegal immigrants and the crime that they are bringing to these communities. People deserve to have their taxpayer dollars spent on issues that are focused on their priorities. President Trump sent Congress a proposal to rein in some of the worst wasteful spending.

How do the Democrats respond? Well, they are threatening to shut down the Government of the United States. Democrats are fighting tooth and nail to protect programs most Americans didn't know even existed and they wouldn't support if they knew they existed. That is what we are doing today: exposing some of these terrible programs and wasteful Washington spending.

It is indefensible what has happened with spending in the past with the last administration. If we have another Schumer shutdown--we have had one before--if we have another one, the American people will pay a heavy price. Seniors who rely on Social Security, military families living paycheck to paycheck, and border patrol agents will be forced to work without pay. Why? So the Democrats can continue to send Americans' taxpayer dollars to foreign countries for very questionable projects.

I heard the minority leader lecture us before about bipartisanship and regular order. Well, look at what has happened. When Senator Schumer was the majority leader of the U.S. Senate a year ago, the Senate Appropriations Committee--the committee itself--passed 11 of 12 appropriations bills. They did it by December of 2024, 1 year ago from now.

Many of those bills that came through the committee received unanimous support by the Republicans and the Democrats on the committee. So what happened? Well, Republicans supported getting all these bills done on time through the committee on a bipartisan basis. What did Senator Schumer do with these bills? He was the majority leader. He had control of the agenda of the floor of the U.S. Senate. He sat on them for 225 days. He didn't bring them to the floor of the U.S. Senate. Oh, no. He refused to bring a single bill to the floor of the U.S. Senate for a single vote not because he couldn't, because he refused to.

The American voters revolted, changed parties of the President, Senate, and the House. Now he wants to be the one to blame Republicans for gridlock. This is the height of hypocrisy.

That is what we are dealing with, Mr. President. I am all for regular order. That is why I want to commend Senator Susan Collins for her leadership now as the Republican chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the Senate. She is working in good faith. She is committed to getting the job done.

This debate is about more than dollars and cents. It is about priorities and about how we spend American taxpayer dollars. Americans didn't vote to continue the Green New Deal or even try to force it on the rest of the world. The American people voted to fix what is broken here at home. Republicans have our priorities straight. Republicans are focusing on making our Nation safer and more prosperous. Republicans are getting this country back on track.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. McCormick).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. McCormick).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. McCormick).

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Idaho (Mr. Crapo), the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. McCormick), and the Senator from Arkansas (Ms. Murkowski).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. McCormick).

Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 114,

I ask for the yeas and nays.

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Utah (Mr. Curtis), the Senator from Utah (Mr. Lee), the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. McCormick), the Senator from Alaska (Ms. Murkowski), the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. Paul), the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds), and the Senator from Alaska (Mr. Sullivan).

The following senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Utah (Mr. Curtis), the Senator from Utah (Mr. Lee), the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. McCormick), the Senator from Alaska (Ms. Murkowski), the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. Paul), the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds) and the Senator from Alaska (Mr. Sullivan).

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