Floor Statements

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 111, Brett Shumate.

Mr. President, we are rapidly approaching floor consideration of our reconciliation bill, and Democrats are melting down. I am pretty sure the Democrat leader was on the floor every day last week bemoaning the bill and emphasizing how Democrats are going to fight with everything they have got. That is right, with everything they have got. Democrats are going to use every resource at their disposal to fight against extending tax relief for American families.

They are going to fight against funding to secure our border. They are going to fight against funding to equip our military. They are going to fight against unleashing American energy. And they are going to fight against all our efforts to make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous.

And I guess it is not that surprising. After all, Democrats' previous pledges not to raise taxes on anyone not making less than $400,000 a year often felt a little bit begrudging.

When you are constantly looking to expand government, I guess it makes sense that you would be more interested in raising taxes than in allowing Americans to keep more of their hard-earned money.

And if the Biden border crisis taught us anything, it is that Democrats have, essentially, no interest in securing our borders at all. And speaking of President Biden, after years of Biden budgets that deemphasize investing in our military, I guess it is no surprise that filling the gaps in our readiness is not a Democrat priority.

Democrat hostility to conventional energy is also well-known. And so, again, I guess it is no surprise that Democrats are opposed to unleashing America's energy resources. But it is worth thinking about the essence of what Democrats are endorsing by fighting against this reconciliation bill.

They are endorsing a $2.6 trillion tax hike on Americans making less than $400,000 a year--$2.6 trillion. Without our bill, a typical family of four making $80,000 will be sending an additional $1,700 to Uncle Sam next year--$1,700. Apparently, Democrats are OK with that. Democrats are also implicitly endorsing a continuation of President Biden's lax policies at our border, along with an increasing--and increasingly dangerous--erosion in our military capabilities.

The Air Force has the smallest fleet in its history, and a large proportion of that fleet is not mission ready. Our Navy fleet is already smaller than China's, and without new investment, that problem will only get worse in the next few years.

And in the defining technologies of tomorrow's wars, space, AI, hypersonics, and cyber, China is gaining quickly or already has an edge. On top of that, we are falling seriously behind when it comes to maintaining an adequate supply of munitions. But none of this--none of this--seems to matter to Democrats.

In fact, nowhere in the hysteria that they are fomenting over this bill is any perceptible recognition of the importance of the priorities our bill is addressing--from securing our border to bolstering our national defense to preventing a massive tax hike on American families.

Indeed, judging from the Democrat leader's speeches last week, Democrats' biggest concern right now is ensuring that illegal aliens and able-bodied adults who refuse to work can stay on Medicaid.

The leader certainly didn't put it that way, of course, but his obsession with the Medicaid provisions of our bill certainly suggests it.

I think it is fair to say the Democrats lost last November because they didn't speak to the concerns of voters who were tired of the Biden inflation crisis and the Biden border crisis and Democrats' focus on far-left ideologies.

And judging by Democrats' opposition to our bill and their complete lack of interest in the issues our bill addresses, I think it is fair to say the Democrats haven't learned much since.

Americans are looking for the things our bill will provide, from the economic benefits that will come with continued tax relief to a secure border and a secure, stable, and affordable energy supply.

Republicans are going to deliver, no matter how hard Democrats fight to stand in the way.

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, for many months now, we have been laying the groundwork for legislation to make tax relief for hard-working Americans permanent and invest in our security to build a stronger, safer, and more prosperous America, and we are very nearly there.

It has been an exciting week in the Senate, with the Environment and Public Works Committee and the Armed Services Committee releasing their portions of the text. The text will come from the Commerce Committee and the Banking Committee very soon.

I am grateful for the hard work of so many members and the committee chairs. This has been a deeply collaborative project from the get-go and the product of extensive work both within the Senate and between the Senate and the House. Between the good work of the House and the good work of the Senate, we are going to have an outstanding final bill.

The bill text released this week by the Environment and Public Works and Armed Services Committees covers

parts of the energy security and national defense sections of the final Senate bill.

As I said on the floor yesterday, energy is the critical resource. Without a reliable energy supply, our homes, schools, hospitals, businesses, factories--our entire country--will literally grind to a halt. That includes our national security and national defense capabilities as well. A secure, stable, abundant energy supply is essential for our national defense, it is essential for our economy, and it is essential to keeping energy affordable for hard-working Americans.

After 4 years of the Biden administration acting to constrain American energy production, our bill will help unleash American energy. It will suspend the Biden administration's natural gas tax, which threatened to both reduce supply and drive up energy prices for Americans. It will seek to end a key part of the Biden administration's electric vehicle mandate, which threatened to put a dangerous new burden on our already shaky electric grid. And more.

Meanwhile, the defense section of the bill released this week by Chairman Wicker will promote peace through strength by reversing the trend of underinvestment in our military. With China beginning to outpace the United States in key defense capabilities and manufacturing, it is especially critical that we act now to prevent the United States from falling behind on the national security front.

The defense title, while no substitute for robust yearly funding, will be a substantial step forward toward rebuilding our military to ensure that our service-members are equipped to deter or defeat any threat.

Our bill will provide $29 billion for shipbuilding to build 13 new battle force ships, rapidly grow a fleet of unmanned vessels, and expand our maritime industrial base.

It will provide $25 billion for the President's Golden Dome to defend the homeland from missiles, drones, and hypersonics, including accelerating capabilities for the Space Force and modernizing existing U.S. missile defense sensors and sites like those we have in Alaska.

Our bill will provide $23 billion to expand advanced manufacturing capacity, restock critical munitions, and rebuild U.S. supply chains.

It will provide $16 billion to develop and quickly field low-cost and next-generation weapons to arm our troops--weapons like drones, counter-drone capabilities, cheap munitions, AI capabilities, and a whole lot more, including expanding our Air Force fighter fleet and rebuilding our Pacific infrastructure.

Our Nation will be safer and stronger because of the bill. I am grateful to Chairman Wicker, Chairman Capito, and all the Members both on and off of these committees who have invested so much time to produce this energy and defense language.

It is exciting to see so many months of work coming to fruition. I look forward to the release of bill text coming from the Banking Committee and the Commerce Committee in the very near future and consideration of this bill on the floor in the coming weeks.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, today is the last session day for our spring pages, and I want to thank them for their service to the Senate and to our country over the last few months. The Senate could not do all that we do without their hard work--work that they do at all hours of the day, late at night, and while keeping up with schoolwork.

So to this year's pages, thank you for all that you have contributed to the Senate this session, and best of luck in all your future endeavors.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to print the names of the spring 2025 page class into the Congressional Record.

I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 49.

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

I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 112.

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

I move to proceed to legislative session.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 117.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume legislative session and be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.