Floor Statements

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, we have a lot to do over the next 2 weeks: confirm Kevin Warsh to the Federal Reserve, approve a nominations package, and fund law enforcement at the Department of Homeland Security.

That last item should not need to be on our agenda. We should have been able to have funded border security and immigration enforcement officers as part of the final Homeland Security funding agreement, but my Democrat colleagues refused. In fact, the Democrat leader said today that Democrats will fight legislation to fund law enforcement at DHS with ``every tool we have.''

It is difficult to believe that we are here again. We all remember the ``defund the police'' movement embraced by the left and members of the Democrat Party. We also remember how cities who moved to defund the police backtracked in pretty short order because it turns out, as even some leftists came to realize, we need police officers; we need law enforcement. We live in a fallen world, and there are always going to be people out there who seek to hurt and exploit the innocent, and we need men and women who will stand between the innocent and danger. We need men and women who courageously dedicate their lives to law enforcement.

All of this should go without saying. I can scarcely think of anything more obvious, but, apparently, the need for law enforcement is not obvious to my Democrat colleagues because they are right back to a ``defund the police'' position. This time, it is defunding law enforcement at the Department of Homeland Security, specifically Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the men and women--the men and women--who patrol our borders and take dangerous criminal illegal immigrants off of our streets.

Mr. President, when I say defunding law enforcement and DHS, I don't

mean reducing the budget. I mean complete and total defunding. My Democrat colleagues refused to provide a single dollar for the men and women who protect our borders. They refused to provide a single dollar for the men and women who take dangerous criminal illegal aliens off of our street.

And I want you to think about that for just a minute.

My Democrat colleagues, apparently, believe there should be no physical presence at our borders and no law enforcement officers to deport dangerous criminals who have entered our country illegally.

We had 4 years of chaos at the southern border under President Biden, but at least we had the Border Patrol, overstretched as it was. Now Democrats, apparently, believe in removing all law enforcement officers from our Nation's borders.

I shouldn't need to state the obvious here: that we need border security and immigration enforcement officers to protect our Nation, just as we need police officers and FBI agents and Secret Service agents and all of the law enforcement officers who serve our communities.

Democrats might like to pretend otherwise, but there are dangerous individuals who would like to make their way illegally across our border--drug traffickers, human traffickers, other criminals, terrorists. And the men and women of the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are the men and women who stand between us and these dangerous individuals, who turn them back at our borders and take them out of our communities, if they do manage to make their way into our country.

These are the men and women my Democrat colleagues want to defund-- not reform. Nope, my Democrat colleagues repeatedly rejected reforms. They want to defund and defund completely--zero--zero agents at our border, zero agents to deport criminals here in the United States illegally. That is what my Democrat colleagues opted for.

It is Police Week this week, a week to honor our Nation's law enforcement officers and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting our communities. Perhaps--perhaps--it will remind my Democrat colleagues of just how much we rely on law enforcement and just how much we need all--all--of our Nation's law enforcement officers.

Mr. President, I now move to proceed to Calendar No. 296, S. Res. 526.

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

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, we are a Nation of immigrants, but we are also a Nation of laws. That is a commonsense statement and one on which Republicans and Democrats should be able to agree. But, lately, Democrats have proved that they don't really think we are a Nation of laws. In fact, they don't really seem to care whether some of our laws, particularly laws dealing with border security and illegal immigration, get enforced at all.

And they are even trying to defund the very Agencies that enforce those laws. That is right: no funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement; no funding for Border Patrol. This is what passes for a reasonable proposal in the Democrat Party today.

Democrats apparently think it is reasonable to have nobody patrolling the southern border. They think it is reasonable to let criminal illegal immigrants continue living freely in our country. If that is the Democrats' position, I guess it just proves how far to the left their party has moved.

While our Democrat colleagues try to appeal to the ``defund the police'' crowd, Republicans are doing our job. Last week, Senate Republicans moved forward to begin a process that will allow us to fund Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement without-- without--Democrats.

And in order to prevent Democrats from trying to defund law enforcement again in September, we are going to fund these Agencies for the next 3 years. We are going to give these law enforcement officers certainty that they won't be used as political pawns by Democrats and that they will be able to do the job they were hired to do. And that is an important job.

Protecting our borders and deporting criminal illegal aliens are essential components of our country's security. It is unfortunate that Democrats don't agree.

Last week, the Democrat leader said that Border Patrol and ICE are two Agencies that ``nobody respects in this country.''

``Nobody respects Border Patrol and ICE.'' That is what he said.

Apparently, the fact that there are men and women putting their lives on the line to ensure dangerous individuals don't enter our country does not merit respect from Senate Democrats.

I guess it is no surprise. After all, Democrats have a history of failing to respect our immigration laws. The Biden administration clearly did not believe in enforcing immigration laws, and the result was 4 years of recordbreaking illegal immigration under President Biden's watch.

Millions--millions--were coming here illegally every single year, and a whole lot of those people were waved through and allowed to take up residence in this country.

And long before the Biden border crisis, Democrat-led cities and States were implementing sanctuary city policies that prevented their law enforcement agencies from working with Federal law enforcement to get criminal illegal immigrants off our streets.

These misguided policies have had tragic consequences. Laken Riley is just one example. Mr. President, 2 years ago, Laken was murdered while out on a run on the campus of the University of Georgia. Her killer was an illegal immigrant who should never have had the opportunity to get near her.

He entered the country illegally during the Biden administration. He was released into the interior and was subsequently arrested in New York City and later issued a citation for shoplifting in Georgia a few short months before Laken's murder.

After being arrested in New York City, he was released before Immigration and Customs Enforcement could issue a detainer, a request that police hold an individual so that he could be taken into immigration custody.

And so this individual, here in the United States illegally--and subsequently involved in two crimes--was free on the University of Georgia campus when Laken Riley went running in February of 2024.

A man, who had illegally entered our country and then committed not one but two crimes in our country, should not have been free on our streets, but he was because of open border and sanctuary policies implemented by Democrats.

The Democrats haven't learned their lesson. Today, Democrats are advocating for defunding border security and immigration enforcement. They are advocating for a return to the policies that led to tragedies like the murder of Laken Riley, policies that led to a crisis at the southern border and made America and Americans less safe.

Thanks to Democrats, we have seen what happens when our immigration laws aren't enforced. No one--no one--wants to go back to that--no one, I guess, but Democrats. We are not about to let that happen. Republicans will continue to work to ensure that our borders are secure and that dangerous criminals are not on our streets.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 728.

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. 727.

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

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that all Members of the Republican conference be authorized to sign duly enrolled bills or joint resolutions from April 30 through May 11.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 4465, which is at the desk.

Mr. President, the Senator from Oregon has referenced a letter, and my understanding is that both the chair of the Intelligence Committee Senator Cotton and the ranking member on the Senate Intelligence Committee Senator Warner have agreed to this letter, and it reflects what the Senator from Oregon is asking for.

And so I think that, hopefully, at this point, we will be able to proceed and allow for additional time and consideration so that we can come to an agreement that, hopefully, this body and the House can agree upon to reauthorize the FISA Program.

I think there is a discussion going on about reforms to that. But this will allow additional time to do that. In the meantime, I think, again, my understanding is, the chair and ranking member have signed off on the letter to which the Senator from Oregon refers.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time.

I know of no further debate on the bill.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following resolutions, which are at the desk: S. Res. 718, S. Res. 719, and S. Res. 720.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to; that the preambles be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding adoption of S. Res. 708, as amended, amendment No. 5442, previously agreed to, be modified with the technical correction at the desk and agreed to.