Floor Statements

The following Senators is necessarily absent: the Senator from Idaho (Mr. Crapo).

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum call with respect to the Oz nomination.

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman), the Senator from North Dakota (Mr. Hoeven), and the Senator from North Carolina (Mr. Tillis).

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

Mr. President, for the last 4 years, when Joe Biden was President, the American people knew that the southern border had been thrown wide open. So many of the television stories were done at the southern border.

So what has happened now with the criminal cartels? The criminal cartels were watching closely. They knew that Joe Biden hadn't just thrown up the southern border, he had also thrown open the northern border. The criminal cartels noticed, and they took advantage.

There are unique threats to the United States at our northern border. President Trump is taking the bold, decisive, swift action that is necessary to secure that border as well. His actions are working, and he is not going to let up.

Canada is making changes. They have agreed to deploy to the border more technology--that is helpful; more law enforcement officers--that is helpful. Canada also created their first-ever national fentanyl czar. That is helping.

Democrats have said in the past that they want to see the northern border secured. They sure aren't acting like that today. Let's take a look at what some of the Democrats have said in the past.

Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire said in March:

Strengthening security of our northern border is vital to

keeping both New Hampshire and our country safe.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York said in September that Border Patrol agents at the northern border are ``struggling to address a dramatic increase'' in illegal border crossings.

Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, a member of the Democrat leadership, called for, in January of 2022, an ``expansion of Federal anti-trafficking and anti-smuggling efforts'' on the northern border.

Now, today, however, Democrats are going to bring to the floor a resolution to throw out the commonsense action that a number of them had previously called for to secure the northern border. They want to get rid of that.

The message is clear: Democrats remain the party of open borders. They lost an election being the party of open borders and high prices. Today, they want to become once again known as the party of open borders.

The largest, longest land border in the world is the border between the United States and Canada. That northern border is twice as long as our southern border with Mexico, and so much of that northern border, as the Presiding Officer knows, is unguarded. The northern border stretches across 13 States--New York, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, New Hampshire--and then you get out west. Vast areas.

Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel testified before Congress last week. What did he say? Well, he spoke about the threats facing our country today, and he issued a stark warning. He said:

Known and suspected terrorists are flowing in through our

northern border more [now] than they are at the southern

border.

These are the facts. The northern border is now a hotspot for terror suspects, for drug cartels.

In the Biden administration, we would come to the floor and talk about how many terror suspects were captured while coming across the southern border. The number is astonishing now at the northern border. The cartels got the message.

President Trump is doing what he promised to do at the southern border--secure the southern border--so they are coming up to the northern border, with 143 terror suspects already caught this year at our northern border by Border Patrol agents. Why so many? Because that is where they are coming from now. They realize they have no chance at the southern border, so now the assault is coming at the northern border. If that is how many we have captured, how many have we not? This is a threat to the safety of our communities.

The Mexican cartels also have a growing presence at the northern border. You would think the Mexican cartels--that their presence would be at the southern border, adjacent to Mexico, but I am telling you the Mexican cartels now have a greater presence at our northern border, which would be a surprise to most people.

CBS recently interviewed a drug smuggler, a smuggler who works for a major Mexican cartel. That smuggler revealed a chilling fact. He said that the cartel is moving pounds and pounds and pounds of fentanyl across our northern border each and every month.

Human traffickers are also taking advantage of our open northern border. In 2024, in just 1 sector, more than 19,000 people crossed into our country illegally. There have been more illegal crossings in one sector in 1 year than in the previous 17 years combined. We are talking about the border between the United States and Canada.

The explosion of drug smuggling and human trafficking is hurting our American communities, and the impacts are felt way beyond the border. Fentanyl overdose deaths are the leading cause of death in young adults. Illegal immigration strains our communities, it strains our schools, and it strains our hospitals.

President Trump and Republicans are determined--determined--to stop this surge at our borders, both the northern border and the southern border, because this is a life-and-death issue for the American public.

Canada needs to continue to work closely with us to intercept deadly drugs and terror suspects. The security of both of our nations depends upon it. The best way to protect our communities is to secure our borders.

Now, this is not what Senator Kaine's resolution does. The resolution that the Democrats are going to bring to the floor today and that probably every one of them is going to vote for is going to undermine the work that the United States and Canada are doing to secure the northern border.

Fortunately, for the safety of the American people, the House of Representatives will not take up this legislation even if it passes the Senate, and it is never going to make it to President Trump's desk.

Senate Republicans are moving forward this week on major legislation that includes strong border provisions, protecting the border. This legislation will give the Border Patrol agents the tools they need to secure the border and deport criminal illegal immigrants--both northern and southern.

Republicans are out there, focused, working every day to make our communities safer. Democrats are not. They continue to be the party of open borders. Republicans are focusing on results, and the results speak for themselves.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Alaska (Ms. Murkowski).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Marshall).

Further, if present and voting: the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Marshall) would have voted ``nay.''

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham) and the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker).

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Hawley) and the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Schmitt).

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

Mr. President, let me start with a simple truth, something we both know. It is good to produce more American energy-- energy that is available, affordable, and reliable. It is good for our workers, good for our country, good for our safety, and good for our Nation's security.

We in America are an energy superpower, and under President Trump and Republicans, we are finally beginning to act like it. Last week, President Trump announced a dramatic change. America is going to produce more critical minerals, in addition to more energy, unlike what we had been doing for years in the last administration by locking away our critical minerals. They need to be developed. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is spearheading this change. It is part of the bold agenda of ``mine, baby, mine.'' It is exactly what America needs to do to get back on track.

There is a growing demand for critical minerals, and America must boost our mining workforce in order to meet it. That is why, this week, I have introduced bipartisan legislation to support our mining schools. The students we recruit, the students we train, the students we empower, the talent that we unlock will fuel America's energy dominance for generations to come. We need to fuel our success by fueling theirs.

A vital piece of the Trump energy dominance strategy is unleashing clean coal. President Trump wants America to produce more coal. I agree. This is good for Wyoming, and it is good for America. Wyoming is America's energy breadbasket. We have world-class coal, and Wyoming's Powder River Basin produces the cleanest burning coal in

the world. Now, the climate alarmists are going to say that coal is the energy of the past. They are misinformed. Clean coal is the energy of the future. Tomorrow's technologies are going to need more affordable, reliable, available energy, not less.

America is making bold innovations in new technology. Only an ``all of the above'' energy approach is going to sustain it. Coal is one of the most affordable, reliable, and abundant sources of energy on the entire planet. In America today, it is much cleaner than ever before. With it, we can power our data centers. We can win the energy race. We can win the artificial intelligence race. Clearly, this is a focus against communist China, and Wyoming energy producers and Wyoming energy workers are going to lead the charge to victory. American energy dominance is the source of our Nation's strength. It keeps America and our allies safe and secure now and into the future.

We learned from Europe an important lesson: Dependency is deadly. Europe banned fracking because climate zealots in Russia told them to. Europe shut down nuclear powerplants because the extremists told them to. Unreliable and unaffordable energy sources couldn't keep up with the demand for energy. As a result, you know what happened. Europe, last year, spent $23 billion on Russian oil and gas, and $23 billion is actually more money than Europe sent in aid to Ukraine. If this doesn't prove that energy dependence is self-defeating, nothing else will.

Under the Trump administration, things are now different. America finally has an ``all of the above'' energy strategy. On day one, President Trump declared a national energy emergency. President Trump slammed the brakes on Joe Biden's electric vehicle mandate. I have legislation that pulls the plug on the Democrats' electric vehicle subsidies. President Trump withdrew from the disastrous Paris climate deal. President Trump lifted the self-destructive Biden ban on liquefied natural gas exports. President Trump created the National Energy Dominance Council.

The President and Republicans are serious about building the infrastructure we need to power our Nation. President Trump supports new natural gas pipelines and more powerplants. This is a 180-degree turn from the previous administration. For 4 years, the previous administration went on a regulatory rampage. Heavy-handed Washington bureaucrats attacked American energy producers and American energy workers, including those in my home State of Wyoming, and the costs were catastrophic.

Let me ask a few rhetorical questions:

Does anyone believe that America was better off when energy prices rose 31 percent? Of course not.

Does anyone believe that we were better off begging dictators to power our Nation? Of course not.

Were Americans more prosperous? No, we were not.

The truth is, American energy is not the enemy of the economy. American energy is the engine of the economy. American energy is a God- given blessing, and we finally have an administration that treats it that way.

So I applaud Secretary Burgum, Secretary Wright, and Administrator Zeldin. They are America's energy all-stars. Their bold actions are restoring American energy dominance.

Republicans in Congress are working aggressively on legislation that will fully unleash American energy, and here is why: When we produce more affordable, reliable American energy, our Nation is better off. When we empower energy producers and energy workers, America is better off. America has the energy; we have the workers; and we have the capacity to produce energy responsibly. Today, America has a Senate majority that is committed to making America energy dominant.

I yield the floor.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Kennedy) and the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds).

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for up to 10 minutes, followed by Senator Cruz for up to 10 minutes, prior to the scheduled rollcall vote.

Mr. President, I traveled last week to visit with over 150 members of our Wyoming Army National Guard. They are stationed in Jordan and in Syria, and they are a long way from home--nine time zones away from Wyoming. They are there to keep our country safe and free.

One year ago, our adversaries were growing bolder, stronger, and more aggressive. That was a year ago. Today, America is stronger, safer, and much more secure. President Trump is restoring peace through strength. This is a dramatic change from what we saw in the previous administration.

Within days of taking office, President Trump began freeing American hostages--Marc Fogel, Keith Siegel. Almost a dozen former hostages who were held by our adversaries are now safe on American soil. President Trump is bringing American citizens home.

He is also bringing America's enemies to justice. Let's look at the recent precision strike in Yemen against the Houthi terrorists. Remember who the Houthis are. They are Iran-funded terrorists. Their official slogans say ``Death to the United States'' and ``Death to Israel.'' They are a direct threat to the American people and specifically to our servicemembers and to American trade.

Since October 7, 2023, the Houthis have attacked U.S. Navy ships 174 times. They have attacked U.S. commercial ships 145 times. Iran provides them with high-tech missiles and precision-guided drones.

These attacks continue. Why? Because Joe Biden and the Democrats were weak, and Joe Biden, their President, projected weakness. President Trump is strong, and he projects strength. President Trump responded firmly with overwhelming strength.

I am grateful for our servicemembers who carried out the attacks.

President Trump sent a clear message to the terrorists: Stop or get destroyed. He also sent a clear message to Iran: You will not escape accountability.

This is a remarkable change from his predecessor. Joe Biden appeased Iran. His administration gave Iran $100 billion in sanctions relief. President Trump is keeping up maximum pressure on Iran, and the Houthi strike proves it.

President Trump knows that Iran is responsible for the chaos in the Middle East. Since taking office, President Trump rightfully has hit Iran with 94 new sanctions. President Trump also placed sanctions on Iran's so-called ghost fleet. These are the oil smugglers who move Iranian oil to China. These sanctions against Iran help put communist China on notice. These fleets are moving Iranian oil and selling it to China at a discount, making Iran richer and making China more powerful. Remember, 90 percent of Iran's exports of oil go to communist China. We saw a lot of it under the last administration. As the Wall Street Journal editorial board recently wrote, ``[T]he Iranian oil-export problem is really a Chinese import problem'' because they are getting the cheap oil. President Trump is responding firmly to this new axis of evil.

Here in the West, President Trump is taking historic action against the killer cartels. He recently designated killer cartels as ``foreign terrorists.'' With this designation, he can move more aggressively to deport illegal immigrant criminals who are members of these deadly groups.

The President of the United States is our Commander in Chief, and President Trump takes the role seriously. He is

reestablishing our military as the most lethal and intimidating force in the world. Under the Trump administration, recruitment has surged to its highest level in 15 years. This is important because history teaches us an important lesson. And what is that lesson? Weakness invites conflict. Strength deters war. When our military is prepared, America is strong and projects strength.

President Trump is also the best chance for peace between Russia and Ukraine. Both Russia and Ukraine must come to an agreement on a longlasting cease-fire. President Trump and his administration are pursuing an end to the killing and to the bloodshed.

In the Middle East, peace and prosperity are also necessary. That begins with American support for Israel. The Senate should confirm Governor Mike Huckabee to be America's Ambassador to Israel.

Overall, President Trump is off to a strong start. His swift actions are making America safer and stronger. Fully restoring peace through strength, however, requires congressional action as well. In the Senate, Republicans are preparing legislation to do just that. Republicans will rebuild our military, improve military readiness, expand shipbuilding, and invest in the newest technologies to keep America safe, and that includes an Iron Dome for America. All of this makes our military more lethal.

Americans strongly support these policies. They know that this is the path toward safety and security. Republicans are going to bring back peace through strength. We will get America back on track.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Mississippi (Mrs. Hyde-Smith).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Mississippi (Mrs. Hyde-Smith).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Cassidy).