Floor Statements

Madam President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Mr. President, yesterday afternoon, my Democratic colleagues--and when I say ``my Democratic colleagues,'' I mean all of my Democratic colleagues, with one exception--chose to block legislation to sanction individuals at the International Criminal Court who participated in investigations or prosecutions of American or Israeli citizens.

In the wake of the vote, a number of my Democratic colleagues put out a statement expressing their concern at the ICC's decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli leaders. I suppose it is nice that they are concerned. They should be concerned. But it would be even nicer if they had done something about it.

It is hard for me to fathom how Democrats could vote against this commonsense measure. In fact, they wouldn't even vote to have a debate. I am not sure if they are afraid of antagonizing the anti-Israel wing of their party or if they are simply too beholden to Big Tech, which lodged some tenuous concerns about this legislation.

But whatever their reason, Democrats chose to vote no--no to standing up for our ally Israel and, even worse, no to standing up for our own citizens. Apparently the ``America last'' playbook is alive and well in the Democratic Party.

Mr. President, Republicans tried to the very end to accommodate Democrats in hopes of finally getting this legislation over the finish line, nearly 8 months after the Republican-controlled House first passed the bill. But Democrats kept moving the goalpost, and Republicans were not going to just gut the legislation to get Democrat votes.

If Democrats decide that they want to take real action to address the targeting of our allies and prevent future targeting of American citizens, Republicans are here. Until then, we will continue to do what we can without Democrats to defend our allies and our Nation.

I ask unanimous consent the mandatory quorum call with respect to the Burgum nomination be waived.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, this past November, in an extraordinary and illegitimate move, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

The court's decision was troubling on multiple levels. First, the International Criminal Court, or ICC, has no jurisdiction over Israel or its citizens. Neither Israel nor the United States is a party to the treaty establishing the court, and thus the court has zero authority over Israel or its leaders.

Second, the court's clear suggestion of moral equivalence between the Government of Israel and the Hamas terrorists who attacked Israel and oppress their own people is beyond the pale. Israel wages war against terrorists; Hamas wages war against innocents.

The only reason Israel has been waging war against Hamas is because Hamas chose to launch a massive attack on innocent civilians that resulted in 1,200 deaths and the taking of approximately 250 hostages, more than 80 of whom are still in captivity today.

When it emerged last year that the ICC was planning to seek warrants for Israeli officials, a Republican-controlled House of Representatives brought up legislation to sanction those responsible at the ICC. Forty- two Democrats voted for it, but the legislation was dead on arrival in the U.S. Senate, with the Democrat leader refusing to bring it up for a vote.

When the ICC released its warrants last November, I promised that if Democrats would not bring ICC sanctions legislation to the floor for a vote, I would. Today, I am following through on that promise. The bill before us today will sanction foreign individuals who are involved in ICC efforts to investigate, arrest, or prosecute U.S. citizens or citizens of U.S. allies that are not party to the ICC.

The bill passed the House again earlier this month with the support of every Republican, plus more than 40 Democrats, and I hope we will see a strong bipartisan margin in the Senate as well--first, because this illegitimate targeting of a key U.S. ally should concern all of us, and second, because while the ICC is targeting Israeli leaders today, it could easily set its sights on Americans and American soldiers in particular tomorrow. It has happened before, back in 2020.

While the United States will not be turning over any of our military members to the ICC, the issuance of warrants for U.S. soldiers and military leaders could jeopardize American troops' ability to move freely where needed and impede our ability to defend our country and stand with our allies.

I want to thank Senator Cotton for all his work on this bill, as well as Senator Risch.

I hope--I hope--my Democrat colleagues will join Republicans to swiftly get this legislation over the finish line and to the President's desk.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 12 noon on Wednesday, January 29; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, morning business be closed, and the Senate proceed to executive session and resume Executive Calendar No. 8, Lee Zeldin; further, that if any nominations are confirmed during Wednesday's session, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order, following the remarks of Senator Kennedy and my Democratic colleagues.

Mr. President, later today, we will hold a vote on the nomination of Scott Bessent to be Treasury Secretary. An example of the American dream in action, Mr. Bessent rose from challenging economic circumstances to a career in the world of finance, and he brings a wealth of private sector experience in the economy and markets to his new role, as well as a concern for the needs of working Americans.

During President Trump's first administration, we passed major tax relief legislation. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reformed our Nation's outdated Tax Code, lowered tax rates across the board, nearly doubled the standard deduction, doubled the child tax credit, and enacted pro- growth policies for American businesses of all sizes. As a result, the economy took off, and our Nation became more competitive. Household incomes increased, and the employment rate hit its lowest level in 50 years.

Now, however, a lot of that tax relief is close to expiring, and without action, American families and businesses will face a staggering $4 trillion tax hike next year. At the top of the Republican agenda is extending that tax relief to help our economy and the American people thrive. I deeply appreciate the fact that Mr. Bessent shares that commitment, and I am looking forward to working with him on extending the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

I am also looking forward to working with him to help ensure that American businesses large and small remain competitive in the global economy. Over the last 4 years, we have witnessed the Biden administration embrace the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and negotiate with nations around the world on a Pillar 2 global minimum tax regime--all, I might add, without consulting Congress and, I would argue, without fully appreciating the damage to the United States' own tax base and our ability to set tax policy for U.S. multinational firms.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act helped create an environment where American businesses could thrive on the global stage, and I am committed to working with Mr. Bessent and the Trump administration to continue to protect American businesses and ensure that we do not enter into agreements that put U.S. businesses at a disadvantage next to their foreign counterparts.

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. 7.

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. 8.