Floor Statements

Mr. President, you know better than anyone, having just won election to this body, that Americans elected Republicans all across the country to get our country back on track. That is what this last election was about, and Republicans are keeping our promises.

Today, more Americans say our country is on the right track than they have said for the last 20 years, and that is because President Trump and Republicans' commonsense revolution is working.

By contrast, what we see with the Democrats--they have abandoned all common sense. The American people are resoundingly--amazing numbers-- according to a recent poll--CNN did a poll. They are no friends of Republicans. What did they say? They said that only 29 percent of the American people view the Democratic Party favorably. Even worse, according to a recent NBC poll, only 27 percent of Americans had a positive view of the Democrats.

The Democrat approval rating is at its alltime low in the history of polling in this country. Why is that? Well, let me tell you. It is because Democrats in this body--in this Senate--are taking positions and continuing to take positions that are truly radical. Democrats in this body support people who support terrorism. That is who they side with.

They refuse to protect women in sports. Eighty percent of Americans say we need to protect women and girls in sports against biological men.

Democrats refuse to stand with Israel.

Democrats, through their votes, are trying to support higher energy prices, not lower energy prices. It was inflation which cost them the election--the open borders and the high prices of the last administration. Democrats are refusing to protect taxpayers.

In terms of specific wasteful Washington spending that we have been seeing, Democrats are refusing to allow us to remove some of this wasteful Washington spending. They want Americans to pay higher taxes-- $4 trillion in increased higher taxes is what they are hoping for at the end of this year.

The minority leader, who just spoke, appeared last week on a television show called ``The View.'' What did he do? He spent his time attacking not the abuses against America but against hard-working and successful American families--people who just want to keep more of their hard-earned money; people who don't want to see the government waste it, fritter it away, as we have seen from these examples and lists of money being spent in ways you just wouldn't think makes sense to anyone.

The minority leader had nothing good to say about the innovators or the job creators, the hard-working Americans who make this country great.

Over the last 4 years--the 4 years of the last administration-- wasteful spending caused the worst inflation in 40 years. Democrats raised our taxes. They took our money, and they spent it recklessly.

Today, Democrats are pulling out all the stops to block our bold Republican agenda. This is an agenda that the American people support. How do they do it? They don't have the votes in the House. They don't have the votes in the Senate. They don't have the White House. How can Democrats and their radical views be reflected in what is happening in this country? You know they are doing it through radical district court judges.

That is what the American people are hearing about today in the news--radical district court judges who oppose President Trump, oppose his agenda. How many district court judges are there in the country? The number is 677. That is how many there are in the United States. Last week, 1 of them--1 of the 677, just 1 of them at the district court level--ordered a nationwide ban to stop deportation of illegal immigrant gang members. This is wrong. One district court judge in one district court out of 677 of these district judges is saying ``stop'' for the entire country.

Well, these gang members, these illegal immigrants, they are part of a criminal group, and it is a criminal group designated by President Trump as terrorists. They are murderers and rapists. They are drug dealers. They threaten the safety and security of every American community.

Last month alone, there were 15 nationwide injunctions issued against the Trump administration by who? By activist district judges from Washington to Seattle. These activist district judges think they know better than the American people. Their radical order blocks signature pillars of our Republican agenda, the agenda the American people voted for in November.

These radical activist judges are protecting criminals, they are protecting terrorists, and they are after people that we know we need out of the country--they want to keep them here. They are against accountability. It is clearly an effort by the Democrats and

their activist judges to try to undo the will of the voters.

Let me be very clear. When partisan, unelected district court judges try to micromanage the President of the United States, that is not judicial review, it isn't checks and balances, it is purely partisan politics, and it is wrong. Radical district judges are not going to succeed in blocking Republicans from getting this Nation back on track.

I applaud President Trump. He is fighting to uphold the rule of law. He is appealing these bad rulings. He is representing the values of the American people.

Let me go back to where I began. Last week, NBC reported Democrats are at the lowest level of support in the history of polling. At the same time, more Americans say that our country is on the right track than they have in the last 20 years. The Republican agenda for America continues to be popular.

Americans want to escape the last 4 years of high prices and open borders. Republicans' shared agenda will deliver safer communities, secure borders, affordable prices, and peace through strength. Republicans are committed, Mr. President, to getting America back on track.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from North Dakota (Mr. Hoeven).

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

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

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

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Cassidy), the Senator from Nebraska (Mrs. Fischer), and the Senator from Nebraska (Mr. Ricketts).

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Cassidy), the Senator from Nebraska (Mrs. Fischer), and the Senator from Nebraska (Mr. Ricketts).

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Justice), the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Hawley) and, the Senator from Wyoming (Ms. Lummis).

Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Wyoming (Ms. Lummis) 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 with my colleague from Wyoming, Senator Cynthia Lummis, to mourn one of Wyoming's most beloved and fiercest champions. He passed earlier this morning. That would be former U.S. Senator Al Simpson--not just former Senator; former member of the Wyoming House of Representatives and former Army veteran. He passed away earlier today at the age of 93 in his hometown of Cody, Wyoming. I talked to his wife Ann this morning. She said it was a beautiful, full Moon, and Al went to Heaven on a moonbeam.

He is known in Wyoming and in this body and across the country for his incredible life of service and really an unparalleled sense of humor.

Throughout his life, Al boldly fought to uphold the values and the ideals of this great Nation. Whether he was serving in the Army or the Wyoming House of Representatives or the U.S. Senate, his commitment and his contributions were evident everywhere.

He was well known for rolling up his sleeves and working with anyone regardless of party to do what he thought was best for Wyoming and the Nation. When the Nation called on Al Simpson, when they called on him to serve, he was always there fighting for our best interests.

Al once said:

Never let them distort who you are.

So let me tell you about the real Al Simpson. His life and his legacy are defined by the c's--the c's standing for his hometown of Cody, and collegiality is a big part, but also there was courage, character, and credibility.

He represented Wyoming in this Chamber as a U.S. Senator from 1979 to 1997, and for that reason alone, Al looms very large in Wyoming's political history. There is a lot more. He left an indelible mark here in the Senate. While others ran from tough issues, Al welcomed them. It was an opportunity to serve. He actually never backed down from a fight. He embraced the fights as long as he was fighting for what he thought was right.

He sponsored legislation that helped protect our clean water and our clean air. He secured better grazing rights for Wyoming farmers and ranchers. He fought to secure our borders and imposed stiff sanctions on employers who hired illegal immigrants.

He once said:

The first duty of every nation is to secure its border.

He was so right.

He was elected by our Republican conference in the Senate in 1985 to serve as the assistant Republican leader. He was the first Republican whip from the State of Wyoming. He was the whip for 10 years, and he did it under the leadership of Senator Bob Dole. So I am proud to hold the office today that he once held. His leadership brought Wyoming values to Washington, and he left a lasting national impact.

Al came from a family of public servants. His father Milward was both Wyoming Governor and Senator. His dad Milward was Al's role model for public service and civic leadership. His big brother Pete once explained:

The extent to which we became men we owe to our father.

Everyone who knew Al well knows that his most important influence in his life came from the love of his life,

his wife Ann--his wife of 70 years. Al and Ann first began dating when they were students at the University of Wyoming. They were married in 1954. For seven decades, Wyoming was fortunate to listen to and learn from Al and from Ann.

They were an inspiration to all of us--to me, to my wife Bobbi, and they were, I know, to Cynthia and her husband Al. They made a legendary team, always working together to make both Wyoming and Washington a better place.

Al liked to say:

Everything in Wyoming is political, except for politics,

which was personal.

Yet, for Al, politics was never personal. His debates were passionate and they were principled. He was friends with Ted Kennedy. They collaborated together on legislation. From energy, to border security, to fiscal responsibility, Al worked across the aisle to tackle the tough issues. He always did what he believed was best for the country. In today's political environment, Al's example of bridging partisan divides is more important than ever.

In the art of persuasion, Al Simpson could teach a master class. One reason Al was so persuasive was his humor. He had an incredible sense of humor. He had close personal relationships with Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Herbert Walker Bush. The title of his biography tells a lot about Al. It is called ``Shooting from the Lip.'' Al was a gunslinger when it came to clever quips. There are too many to count. We don't want to recount some of them on the floor of the Senate; they would probably be stricken from the record. But that is who Al Simpson was. He made you laugh. He also made you think. And that is what made Al so special. He took his service seriously, but he never took himself too seriously.

Al and Ann returned to Wyoming after he retired from the Senate. Fortunately for Wyoming and our Nation, that service did not end because they never really retired. Al enthusiastically served numerous groups and organizations, which all have benefited from his presence. From his beloved alma mater, the University of Wyoming, to the world- renowned Buffalo Bill historical center, Al Simpson devoted his time, his talent, and his treasure.

When Al saw an unmet need in his community, he worked to see that it was addressed. He was especially active in mentoring future leaders. It is no wonder that he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2022. It is the highest honor an American civilian can get for service to our country.

He was a model of leadership for everyone, regardless of party. He did it all across Wyoming and through the years here in Congress. Once, he said:

If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't

have integrity, nothing else matters.

Integrity, work ethic, incredible whit--Al truly leaves behind a legendary career. For Wyoming, Al is a native son and also a North Star and a rock star.

For the U.S. Senate, Al is a leader, a legislative craftsman, and a principled lawmaker.

For me, he was a mentor and friend.

To Ann; to their children, Bill, Collin, and Sue--I talked to Bill and Collin this morning; to their entire extended family, I join the Nation and Wyoming in sending you our heartfelt condolences.

We can take solace in knowing that the decades of work Al did to make Wyoming and our country a better place will be felt for generations to come.

Senator Lummis.

I ask unanimous consent that the order of yesterday be amended so that the committee-reported substitute amendment to S. 331 be agreed to with all other remaining provisions in effect.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 45.

Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to legislative session.