Floor Statements

Mr. President, later this evening, we are going to hear from Trump in the State of the Union Address. In a little more than a year, President Trump and Republican majorities in Congress have delivered on our promises to the American people, from a secure border to more money in Americans' pockets. As the American people will hear tonight, we are just getting started.

The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for 11 days now. It is the second time in less than 6 months the Democrats have needlessly shut down all or part of the Federal Government. Senators will have another opportunity today to vote to proceed to the Department of Homeland Security funding bill. Democrats have previously opposed getting on this funding bill. They opposed a continuing resolution that would have temporarily funded Homeland Security Agencies while negotiations continued on immigration enforcement. All signs suggest that our Democrat colleagues will once again vote against moving to DHS funding this afternoon.

The Department of Homeland Security houses a number of critical Agencies, and shutting down this Department has real consequences. Democrats are threatening the work of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, of the TSA, of key cyber security offices. FEMA training centers, like the National Fire Academy in Maryland, are closed. Roughly 45,000 Americans who are in training at one of these centers can't go to class right now.

We are hosting the World Cup in a few months, and some security training for that event is on hold right now because of the shutdown.

Civilian Coast Guard employees won't get a full paycheck at the end of this week, and thousands more Americans, from disaster response personnel at FEMA to TSA agents, are worried about potentially missing pay as soon as next week.

As I said, this is the second time in 6 months the Democrats have shut down all or part of the Federal Government.

The Department of Homeland Security employs thousands of Americans. We should want the most talented and most dedicated individuals serving in these roles. But when these Americans and their families are routinely used as political pawns, morale suffers. Think of what that means for these Agencies' ability to recruit and retain the very best. But I guess none of that matters to Democrats.

Republicans want to get to an agreement on Homeland Security funding. So does the White House. And we have acted in good faith throughout these negotiations. The Trump administration has taken a number of actions on its own in Minneapolis, including deploying body cameras, tailoring its mission to criminal illegal immigrants, and requiring identification for officers.

On top of those actions, the White House put forward a very serious offer to legislate reforms almost 2 weeks ago. It took Democrats 5 days to respond, and when they did respond, it was with a counteroffer that was essentially the same as their first, which raises a question, and that is, are Democrats actually interested in a solution here or are they just interested in a political issue?

There is room for compromise here but only if both sides give room. Democrats aren't doing that.

I shouldn't need to remind my Democrat colleagues that the Department of Homeland Security does critical work. Border security and immigration enforcement are one part of its mission. And it is an important mission. We need to have a secure border, and we need to deport criminal illegal immigrants.

Now, we can have a debate about how these tasks are undertaken, but we are not going to support anything that makes it impossible for law enforcement to carry out its job. We are not going to support anything that makes it more dangerous for officers to do their jobs. Unfortunately, that is what some of the Democrats' proposals would do.

Old habits die hard, and, unfortunately, the party of ``defund the police'' seems to be slipping back into calls to defund law enforcement. I hope that is not the position of the Democrats' here. I hope our colleagues are actually willing to come to a solution, but if they are, it is time to show it. This shutdown is already hurting hard- working Americans and impacting efforts to preserve both public safety and national security, and it is time to end it.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I enter a motion to reconsider.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 651.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume legislative session.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate recess until 8:20 p.m. today and proceed as a body to the Hall of the House of Representatives for the joint session of

Congress provided under the provisions of H. Con. Res. 74; that upon dissolution of the joint session, the Senate adjourn until 10 a.m. on Wednesday, February 25; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, 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 consideration of Calendar No. 647, John DeLeeuw, and notwithstanding rule XXII, the cloture motion ripen at 11:45 a.m., and if cloture is invoked, the Senate vote on confirmation at 2:15 p.m.; further, that the Senate recess from 12:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly conference meetings; finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during Wednesday's session of the Senate, 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, for the information of my colleagues, we will gather in the Senate Chamber at 8:20 p.m. this evening to proceed as a body to the House for the State of the Union.

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

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

Mr. President, Homeland Security appropriations expire tomorrow, and there are concerning signs the Democrats are prepared to walk away from the table and allow funding for critical Homeland Security Agencies to expire--funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the TSA, the Coast Guard, cyber security, and more.

I want to take just a moment to review how we got here because it was a mere 3 weeks ago we had a bipartisan agreement on the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill--bipartisan. Both House and Senate Democrats had signed off. That bipartisan agreement included additional funding for body cameras for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. It included funding for deescalation training for ICE, and it included additional oversight of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol spending. We were all set to pass this bill, and then Democrats reneged on the agreement.

And so here we are. Circumstances changed. I understand that. But some Democrats were already signaling they were prepared to walk away from the deal before the most recent events in Minneapolis even transpired.

So Democrats wanted to reopen negotiations. Despite our bipartisan agreement, Republicans agreed to their request for additional time to consider this bill before final passage. Democrats wanted 2 weeks. Republicans warned--I warned at the time--that more time would be needed, that it would be almost impossible to come to an agreement and pass a renegotiated bill in that timeframe. But Democrats insisted. And to prevent them from shutting down a large portion of the Federal Government, Republicans agreed to their request.

Unfortunately, once they got their 2-week agreement, Democrats showed little urgency when it came to negotiations. It took them more than a week to come up with a list of demands. They didn't provide legislative text until this past weekend. But now, they have the gall to suggest that it is Republicans who are slow-walking things.

The White House responded to Democrats' list of demands within 2 days and sent proposed legislative text over yesterday, and it is an extremely serious offer.

On top of that, the White House has continued to show it is committed to taking actions on its own, with Tom Homan, this morning, announcing the withdrawal of almost all agents from Minnesota.

It is clear that the White House is serious, but it is increasingly looking like Democrats are not.

Now, I am not sure if Democrats thought the White House would just accede to every one of their demands or what, but they cannot reasonably expect to reach an agreement without actual negotiation with give and take from both sides. We warned Democrats they were not allowing enough time for this process, but they insisted on their 2- week timeframe CR anyway.

And now that we have been proven right, the onus is on Democrats to agree to an additional CR to allow time to complete the negotiations-- unless, of course, Democrats are more interested in a political issue than they are an actual outcome because it is starting to look like Democrats might not have been interested in actual reforms. As I mentioned, they left an agreement on the table that would have provided for body cameras, deescalation training, and increased spending oversight. And now, instead of allowing adequate time to negotiate on additional measures, they are threatening to shut down the Department of Homeland Security, which will get them exactly zero changes to the status quo.

So what is it? What is it that the Democrats want? Policy changes? Or is it a political issue?

Democrats are never going to get their full wish list. That is not the way this works. Republicans, for example, will not agree to measures that make it impossible for law enforcement officers to do their jobs. But Democrats can build on the measures the Republicans have already agreed to if they actually engage in serious negotiations with the White House.

So the ball is in the Democrats' court. Are they going to shut down the Department of Homeland Security, which will be their second shutdown this fiscal year, or are they going to allow for the time to negotiate with the White House and get an agreement on a final bill?

That is the question before the House. We had a bill negotiated carefully that Democrats had signed off on which, as I said, they reneged on, wanted to revisit it, more time to negotiate, which we agreed to. We suggested at the time probably 4 to 6 weeks would be an adequate amount of time in which to negotiate the changes--or some of the changes, the reforms, other things on top of the ones that have already been the bill that they want.

And they said: 2 weeks. They used over a week of that, about 10 days, to actually come up with their list of demands, to which the White House responded quickly. And, again, right now, sitting in front of them, a counterproposal from the White House, a reasonable good faith offer, as I said.

So the question, again, before the House is: Are they serious, or aren't they? Is this about politics, or is it about solutions?

I would like to believe that we are actually here to try to solve this problem and to fund the government, not just the Department of Homeland Security, but all the Agencies of government that are covered in that bill, to include the Federal Emergency Management Agency, TSA, Coast Guard, cyber security. Those are all parts of this. It is pretty important stuff, I would argue.

Democrats are going to have an opportunity later today to vote not only on the bill as passed by the House, which they negotiated and then walked away from, which funds all these things I just mentioned. We will have that vote.

And they will also have an opportunity to allow for an extension for additional time, time which we all knew was going to be necessary to actually reach a final deal. So it really is in their court. And it is not something that they can point fingers at the Republicans or the White House. These are all things we have accommodated them literally in every way in an attempt to try and reach an agreement that would-- having been in good faith offered by the White House to work with them to reach a deal that would satisfy some, if not all, but certainly address some of their concerns and demands and do it in a way that keeps the government funded and keeps these important Agencies operating. That is the question, and it is really up to them. So we will find out, I guess, later today the answer to that question.

But I would simply say that we will be voting to keep the Federal Government funded, to keep it open, to keep these important Agencies-- so critical to the functioning of our Federal Government and the employees who work there who shouldn't be held hostage in a government shutdown--we will be voting today to keep all of those open, with reforms--with reforms--to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the very thing the Democrats have said they wanted, then walked away from and now are insisting that all the concessions that have been made by the White House to date aren't adequate, and yet they aren't willing to extend the time to continue the negotiations.

It is really kind of an ironic position to be in, but they seem to have embraced it. So we will have the votes.

I yield the floor.

Recognition of the Minority Leader

Mr. President, I enter a motion to reconsider.

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

Mr. President, this resolution concerns a request for evidence in a criminal action pending in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. In this action, the defendant is charged with making threats to injure Senator Ted Budd and Senator Kevin Cramer and cyber stalking Senator John Cornyn. Trial is scheduled to commence in late February.

The prosecution is seeking trial testimony from Ryan Alban, an employee of Senator Budd's office; Lisa Gibbens, an employee of Senator Cramer's office; and Jill Wyman, an employee of Senator Cornyn's office. The Senators would like to cooperate with this request by providing relevant employee testimony from their offices.

This resolution would authorize the production of relevant testimony from Mr. Alban, Ms. Gibbens, and Ms. Wyman, with representation by the Senate legal counsel.

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

Mr. President, on Friday, funding for the Department of Homeland Security will expire. When we passed a short 2-week stopgap for the Department, at the Democrats' insistence, many of us said it would not be long enough. I made that case repeatedly.

Standing here today, I regret to say that we have been proven right. The renegotiation the Democrats demanded with the Trump administration, last month, is, unsurprisingly, taking some time.

Democrats have had more than a week to coalesce around a set of demands. It was just this past weekend that they put those demands into writing.

On Monday, just 2 days later, the administration countered, and I expect Democrats will shortly receive detailed text for further consideration--a quick turn, I might add, after a long wait--by any measure, a good-faith engagement from our friends at the White House.

Do I think the parties are on a path that could culminate in a deal? Yes.

Will they need more time to get there? Absolutely.

So I hope our Democrat friends will remain at the table and give talks more time to mature. The alternate path should interest no one, and that is a needless shutdown that will see funding lapse for our Coast Guard, for our cyber security, for airport security, and for disaster response.

We have been able to pass 11 of the 12 full-year appropriations bills into law this year, and, as I said, I am hoping we can get that 12th bill done soon. We have made considerable progress this past year restoring the regular-order appropriations process.

And thanks in no small part to a more open process, this year's appropriations bill delivered significant wins for the American people.

Today, I want to take a moment to talk about some of the healthcare wins for Americans in the most recent appropriations package. This most recent package included a number of Member-driven priorities to bring down the cost of prescription drugs, increase access to care, improve healthcare quality, and support treatment of diseases that affect literally millions of Americans. And I want to thank Chairmen Crapo and Cassidy for their leadership in crafting this package and for literally years of hard work on these issues of great importance to the American people.

One of the top issues for the American people is the cost of prescription drugs. It is a problem not just in my home State of South Dakota but around country. And the status quo is challenging for patients and for independent pharmacies that often serve small towns and rural communities. But under the Republican majority, Congress has taken concrete actions to drive down costs at the pharmacy counter. That starts with pharmacy benefit manager--or PBM--reform. The recent appropriations package included provisions from two bills to address PBM practices that can drive up the cost that consumers pay for prescriptions.

Policies from Senators Cassidy and Marshall's bill, the Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform Act, will increase accountability and transparency for PBMs. And when a PBM gets a discount or rebate from a drugmaker, this bill ensures that those savings are incorporated into the health plans that many working Americans rely on to afford their healthcare and prescriptions.

We also included in the appropriations package provisions from the PBM Price Transparency and Accountability Act authored by Senator Crapo and supported by nearly all of the Republican members of the Finance Committee, which removes incentives for pharmacy benefit managers to promote higher priced medications at the expense of seniors. This bill also reinforces requirements that protect independent pharmacies and ensure that they can continue serving their communities.

In addition to these commonsense policies, we also took action to improve access to generic drugs, which are often a more affordable option for millions of Americans seeking relief for different health conditions. Senators Paul, Husted, and Lee worked together on the Increasing Transparency in Generic Drug Applications Act, which streamlines the approval for generic alternatives to brand-name drugs, which will help ensure that these safe and less expensive alternatives reach the market more quickly.

And that is not the only thing we did to help accelerate access to medications. Senator Mullin's bill, the Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act will drive development for pediatric cancer drugs. Sadly, Mikaela Naylon lost her battle with cancer this past October. For 5 years, Mikaela sought treatment around the country, and she was a tireless advocate for other children with cancer. And this law is a fitting tribute to Mikaela's fight.

We also addressed access to treatment for children with significant healthcare needs and rare diseases. Senator Grassley's Accelerating Kids' Access to Care Act simplifies the process for children on Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program with complex medical conditions to get care outside their home State. Unfortunately, regulatory hurdles have too often stood in the way of parents' efforts to get their children essential care, wherever it may be located. By removing redtape, Senator Grassley's bill will help ensure that vulnerable children can get the expert care they need when they need it.

Then there is Senator Capito's Innovation in Pediatric Drugs Act, which closes the research gap between rare disease treatments for adults and children by ensuring that drugmakers conduct pediatric studies on drugs for rare diseases.

I am also proud of what we have done to improve access to care. In the Working Families Tax Cuts, we took measures to support rural hospitals. And the appropriations package also includes support for patients to receive care at home. That starts with extending telehealth waivers that have become a critical lifeline for so many patients living far from a healthcare provider, like patients in rural areas. It also includes Senator Tim Scott's provision on the Acute Hospital at Home Waiver Program, which helps continue a successful program that helps Americans get the acute care they need without having to be admitted to the hospital.

There is a lot more I could talk about when it comes to healthcare wins for the American people. There are Senator Collins' provisions to support type 1 diabetes research and help family members acting as caregivers; Senator Marshall's Fair Billing Act, which will help ensure that patients are billed appropriately based on where they receive care and will empower them against unfair facility fees; Senator Crapo's work on coverage for multicancer early detection screening; and Senator Boozman's work to support organ donors and moms with preemie babies.

Our most recent appropriations package contains numerous healthcare policies that will benefit the American people. It will help bring down healthcare costs, improve access to quality and affordable healthcare, and ensure that the United States remains a leader in healthcare innovation, and it will help ensure that innovations can reach the Americans who need them, especially children.

We passed 11 full-year appropriations bills by engaging Members of both parties, and every one of these healthcare wins is a result of that work. And when I say ``wins,'' I don't mean for the Senators and Congressmen who wrote these bills. These are wins for the American people to help them live healthier, happier, and longer lives.

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 ask unanimous consent that the following Senators be permitted to speak for the following number of minutes and, finally, that Senator Scott of Florida or his designee be recognized to make a motion to proceed to Calendar No. 315, H.J. Res. 142: Senator Schumer for 15 minutes, Senator Durbin for 15 minutes, Senator Schatz for 10 minutes,

Senator Booker for 10 minutes, Senator Murphy for 10 minutes, Senator Warner for 5 minutes, Senator Van Hollen for 10 minutes, Senator Alsobrooks for 5 minutes, Senator Kaine for 10 minutes, Senator Wyden for 5 minutes, Senator Hoeven for 10 minutes, Senator Kennedy for 20 minutes, and Senator Scott of Florida for 5 minutes.

Mr. President, I have four requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders.

Pursuant to Rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

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

Mr. President, I understand there are three bills at the desk due for a second reading en bloc.

Mr. President, in order to place the bills on the calendar under provisions of rule XIV, I would object to further proceeding en bloc.

Mr. President, tax filing season is no one's favorite season, but thanks to the working families tax cuts, things are looking up this year. Americans filing their taxes are looking at a host of new tax relief.

Taxpayers can take advantage of this relief for the 2025 tax year, which means a lot of Americans are going to be seeing bigger refunds this spring. That starts with the newly enhanced child tax credit. Back in 2017, Republicans doubled the child tax credit from $1,000 to $2,000 per child. With the working families tax cuts, we made that relief permanent and not just permanent, we boosted the tax credit again by hundreds of dollars, and we linked it to inflation so its value will never go down. Parents filing their taxes this year can take advantage of this additional relief.

Then there is the new tax relief for older Americans--$6,000 bonus deduction for low- and middle-income seniors. Seniors will be able to save hundreds and, in some cases, even more on their taxes. Again, that applies to the 2025 tax year as well, which means seniors will start seeing that relief this spring.

Tax filers of all ages will be taking advantage of the enhanced standard deduction this year.

Back in 2017, Republicans nearly doubled the standard deduction, which is claimed by 90 percent of taxpayers in this country, and with the Working Families Tax Cuts, we boosted that deduction still further. Once again, the effects of that will be showing up in Americans' tax refunds this spring.

And the good news doesn't end there.

I said that parents will be able to take advantage of the enhanced child tax credit this season. They will also have the opportunity to open up new investment accounts for their children and to opt in to an initial, free $1,000 contribution from the Federal Government for newborn accounts. These accounts will provide another tax advantage option for parents to invest in

their children's futures. Again, these accounts can be opened during this tax filing season. The money can be used, after the child turns 18, for their education, to start a business, to buy their first home-- in short, to give them a head start on their American dream.

And then there is no tax on tips or overtime. That is right. Starting when they file their taxes this season, Americans who receive tips-- from waitresses and bartenders to Uber and Lyft drivers--will be able to deduct those tips on their taxes. The same goes for overtime. Americans who spend long hours working overtime, like nurses, firefighters, and paramedics, will be able to deduct their overtime when they file their tax returns, and that means lower tax bills and more money in their pockets.

We call it the Working Families Tax Cuts for a reason. We set out to make life better for hard-working Americans--for the moms and the dads who are struggling to fit dentist visits and car repairs and Little League and ballet lessons into the budget, for the Americans relying on tips to make ends meet and the dedicated healthcare and emergency workers who work overtime to help their fellow Americans, for the lower- and middle-income seniors pursuing a hard-earned retirement. It is for every American who has struggled thanks to the inflation crisis that President Biden and Democrats helped to create.

To all of those Americans, I would just like to say: Relief is on the way, and it starts this tax season.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.