Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations: Calendar No. 774; and all nominations on the Secretary's desk in the Coast Guard, with the exception of Jesse M. Millard (PN846) and Ronzelle L. Green and Tabitha A. Schiro (PN849); that the nominations be confirmed; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order to any of the nominations; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate then resume legislative session.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, the cloture motion with respect to Calendar No. 436, S. 4784, ripen following disposition of the Schwartz nomination on July 14.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I spoke on the floor yesterday about the landmark bill Republicans passed last year, the Working Families Tax Cut bill, and I talked about how this bill fits into Republicans' efforts to turn things around in our country, turn things around by putting more money in Americans' pockets, helping small businesses grow, strengthening the agriculture sector, and giving a lifeline to rural healthcare.

Any one of those things alone would have been a significant achievement, but the Working Families Tax Cut addressed all of them, all of them and more, much more, and this morning I want to talk about how this bill helps to make America more secure.

That, too, is, unfortunately, a turnaround story. And I say ``unfortunately'' because the previous administration allowed our Nation's security to fall into a sorry state. Images of the chaos at the southern border during the Biden administration come to mind, so does the state of our military readiness.

In recent years, our military readiness has not been where it needs to be to deter and counter threats. We had ships in need of maintenance, planes that can't fly. Meanwhile, China was investing in key military technologies. Yet the Biden administration showed little interest in making the type of investment needed to get our military back to where it needed to be.

And so when Republicans took control last year, we didn't waste any time. As part of the Working Families Tax Cut, Republicans made a generational investment in America's military. It was a major investment to help get our readiness to where it needs to be quickly.

It invested in shipbuilding, missile defense, defense manufacturing capacity, critical munitions, drones and counter-drone technology, an expanded Air Force fighter fleet, nuclear modernization, U.S. infrastructure in the Pacific and more.

And alongside robust funding in the annual defense bill, these investments will help restore America's military strength and make our adversaries think twice before crossing us.

As I mentioned, we also needed to address border security. When President Trump took office, he wasted no time implementing policies that restored order at America's southern border and put criminal illegal immigrants living in our country on notice, and we saw the results.

Illegal crossings dropped precipitously. Border agents weren't being stretched so thin anymore and could spend more time stopping cartels and other criminals. That is how things should be at the border, and Republicans are making sure that it stays that way.

As part of the Working Families Tax Cut, we made a generational investment in border security. We provided the resources necessary to finish the border wall and deploy additional barriers and technology to secure the border. There was funding to support the hiring of new agents and to bring on more immigration judges to address the massive backlog in immigration cases, and those resources are making a difference.

Thanks to President Trump and the Working Families Tax Cut, as of the end of last month, apprehensions at the southern border are more than 90 percent lower than they were under the Biden administration. Border Patrol is seeing a few hundred border crossings on a typical day compared to as many as 10,000 in a single day, at times, under President Biden, and not a single illegal immigrant has been released from the border in more than a year.

The American people support border security, and keeping America safe should be something that cuts across party lines. Unfortunately, our Democratic colleagues have repeatedly demonstrated zero interest in border security, and they consistently reaffirm their belief in open borders.

First, there was their complicit silence as the Biden administration opened our borders to a flood of illegal immigrants. Then, every Democrat opposed our border security measures in the Working Families Tax Cut. And then this year--this year--Democrats took their radical open border beliefs to a new level and tried to defund Border Patrol and ICE.

That is right. Democrats not only opposed giving these Agencies adequate resources to do their jobs, they opposed giving them any resources.

Fortunately, Democrats' radical proposal did not carry the day, and Republicans were, once again, able to fund border security and immigration enforcement, unfortunately, without Democrats' assistance.

The security of our country is one of our greatest responsibilities. Without it, nothing else matters. It is a responsibility that Republicans are taking seriously. The Working Families Tax Cut is a big step toward a more secure America. It invests in safer streets with funding for State and local law enforcement, safer skies by supporting air traffic control modernization, a secure border, and a strong military.

We all watch the news and can see that the world is a dangerous place. There will always be bad actors and other dangers threatening the safety and security of the American people, but Republicans are working to ensure there are individuals standing ready to protect us and that they have everything they need to keep America safe.

A stronger America is a safer America, and that is what Republicans are delivering.

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 move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 776.

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.

Mr. President, today I recognize Erik Gunderson, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past several weeks.

Erik is a graduate of Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, VA. Currently, he is attending the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, IN, where he is pursuing degrees in global affairs and political science. He is a hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of his internship experience.

I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Erik for all of the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. President, today I recognize Natalie Kelley, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past several weeks.

Natalie is a graduate of Berkeley Preparatory School in Tampa, FL. Currently, she is attending New York University in New York, NY, where she is pursuing a degree in psychology. She is a hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of her internship experience.

I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Natalie for all of the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. President, today I recognize Benjamin Lust, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past several weeks.

Benjamin is a graduate of Stevens High School in Rapid City, SD. Currently, he is attending Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, where he is pursuing degrees in political science and human and organizational development. He is a hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of his internship experience.

I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Benjamin for all of the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. President, today I recognize Nicholas Maas, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past several weeks.

Nicholas is a graduate of Roosevelt High School in Sioux Falls, SD. Currently, he is attending the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN, where he is pursuing degrees in criminal justice and political science. He is a hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of his internship experience.

I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Nicholas for all of the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. President, today I recognize Lavin Maddox, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past several weeks.

Lavin is a graduate of Sioux Falls Christian High School in Sioux Falls, SD. Currently, she is attending Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, where she is pursuing a degree in human and organizational development. She is a hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of her internship experience.

I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Lavin for all of the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. President, today I recognize Elena Rossi, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past several weeks.

Elena is a graduate of Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School in Washington, DC. Currently, she is attending Boston College in Chestnut Hill, MA, where she is pursuing a degree in economics. She is a hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of her internship experience.

I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Elena for all of the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.