Floor Statements

Mr. President, I have three 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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.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, earlier this month, the United States of America lost a legend: Harry Stewart, Jr., one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, died at the age of 100.

Lieutenant Colonel Stewart's legacy is one of excellence. He grew up watching planes come in and out of LaGuardia Airport, dreaming of one day flying himself.

At just 18 years old, Lieutenant Colonel Stewart joined a new initiative launched in Alabama; a first of its kind training program for Black pilots established after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

He flew 43 missions from late 1944 to the spring of 1945 with the 332nd Fighter Group; earning the Distinguished Flying Cross after downing three German planes in a dogfight just before the Allied victory in Europe.

Lieutenant Colonel Stewart didn't recognize the gravity of what he was doing at the time, he said in an interview just last year. He just wanted to serve his country, and serve his country he did.

But let's stop for a moment and think about what that means. Lieutenant Colonel Stewart and the rest of the Tuskegee Airmen signed up to fight for a country that did not allow them the same rights as White citizens. They put their lives on the line to fight for a country that treated them as second class.

They could not live, work, eat, or drink alongside White countrymen or women. It was a world where people who looked like them could be met with violent attacks just because of the color of their skin. Consider what that means--that Lieutenant Colonel Stewart and the Tuskegee Airmen dealt with all kinds of discrimination, and yet still decided to risk everything to serve this Nation.

They faced almost inconceivable injustices, but they also believed in the promise of America, even though that promise wasn't being met. They fought for that promise against the Nazis in Europe and in doing so, blazed a trail for countless others to follow.

After the war, Lieutenant Colonel Stewart and three of his fellow Tuskegee Airmen won the U.S. Air Force's inaugural TOPGUN competition, an accomplishment that wasn't acknowledged, though, until decades later.

Unfortunately, that was a common theme for Lieutenant Colonel Stewart after the war. After aspiring to become an airline pilot his whole life and even after serving heroically and earning the Distinguished Flying Cross, he was prevented from flying commercial jets because of his race.

Instead, he earned a mechanical engineering degree from New York University and remained in the Air Force Reserve. He taught the next generations of pilots until being recalled for duty during the Korean war. It wasn't until 2007 that the Tuskegee Airmen received the Congressional Gold Medal for their valor.

The legacies of Harry Stewart, Jr., and the rest of the pilots who made history, should be recognized as central to America's story.

In his first term, President Trump promoted Airman Charles McGee to brigadier general and pinned his stars in the Oval Office.

In his second term, Secretary Hegseth has reaffirmed that the Trump administration will continue to honor these heroes, and the Tuskegee Airmen will remain role models not only for the next generation of American servicemembers but for all Americans.

Lt. Col. Harry Stewart, Jr., and the pilots he flew with represent the best of America. Their courage and selflessness in the face of adversity both at home and at war are inspirational.

And their legacies--those of greatness and unquestionable merit-- deserve to be celebrated amongst the rest of our country's heroes, not just during Black History Month but all throughout the year.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, IVF is legal and accessible in all 50 States. This amendment is nothing more than a Trojan horse. It is far more expansive than they would want you to believe. It actually creates a universal right to ``assisted reproductive technologies,'' allowing future administrations to move this into human cloning and gene-edited designer babies. It also contains no religious freedom protections.

Aside from being bad policy, let's take a step back and think about what has occurred. Two days ago, President Trump took the most pro-IVF Executive action ever towards increased treatment, access, and affordability, while President Biden played politics with IVF, hoping it would help that side of the aisle win on November 5. The American people saw through that. All 49 Republicans here in this Chamber at that time said we strongly support nationwide access to IVF.

We look forward over the next 90 days to working with President Trump to make sure that we increase access and affordability of treatment.

Mr. President, for that reason--today we are here to talk about the border, defense, and energy, and I urge my colleagues to vote this Trojan horse down.

Vote on Amendment No. 971

Mr. President, I rise today to discuss an epidemic that is affecting our Nation's youth, a crisis each and every parent should be concerned about and one that so many parents I know already are.

Our kids' worsening mental health is an emergency, and it is an emergency clearly and undeniably linked to social media. Emergency room visits among adolescents for anxiety, mood disorders, and self-harm have all risen dramatically in the years since social media apps exploded onto the scene.

Over that same time period and during the second decade of this century, rates of depression amongst teenagers more than doubled. By 2019, 20 percent of teenagers agreed with the notion that ``life often feels meaningless''--almost a 100-percent increase from a decade earlier.

According to the CDC, in 2021, and buckle up for this, one in three high school--young women said she actually considered death by suicide; 25 percent of teenage girls made a plan to do so; 9 percent of high schoolers and 13 percent of teenage girls actually attempted death by suicide.

As a mom, that is beyond horrifying. I worry for my own kids. I worry for their friends. And as a Senator, I worry about the future of the next generation of Americans.

To make matters worse, social media companies know the harm their platforms create. Instagram's parent company, Meta, conducted internal research that showed that one-third of teenage girls who use the app report: It makes them feel worse, but they cannot stop.

And while social media companies have taken some steps, it is clear that there is work for Congress to do. The last time a U.S. President signed a major piece of legislation addressing children and the internet was--wait for it--1998.

So you look. Almost 30 years ago, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act was signed into law. For reference, at the time that the law was signed, MySpace didn't even exist.

It is time for an update, and there is a clear place to start. Studies have shown the most damaging time for an adolescent to use social media is during their preteen years. And the 1998 law tried to address that. The law says that websites and other online services cannot collect personal information from children under 13 years old without parental consent. Now, the catch is that those websites have to know that the child is under 13.

The standard minimum age for social media platforms is 13. But current law creates an obvious incentive for companies not to verify whether their users are old enough to be on the app. And because social media companies have to know that a child is under 13 for the law to apply, they simply choose not to verify this information.

Look, anti-child-sex-abuse organization Thorn actually conducted a study in 2021 that showed that 49 percent of respondents between the age of 9 and 12 years old said that they had used Instagram; 52 percent said that they had used Facebook; 58 percent said that they had used Snapchat.

And it was just last week, in a Senate Judiciary Hearing, where I heard not one but two parents tell about their painful story where their children had died of fentanyl poisoning from a pill that they had bought on Snapchat, thinking it was something else. They thought they bought a Percocet; they thought they bought an oxycodone. It was laced with fentanyl, and now they are dead.

Sixty-nine percent of these people in this survey, between 9 and 12 years old, said that they had used TikTok.

The age limits social media companies claim they have mean absolutely nothing. That is why I introduced the Kids Off Social Media Act, alongside Senators Ted Cruz, Chris Murphy, and Brian Schatz. The four of us approached this not as Democrats or Republicans, not as someone who sits on the right or the left, but as four concerned parents that are raising teenagers right now and dealing with this issue.

Our bill would set a minimum age of 13 years old for social media platforms, but that is not the only thing that it would do. The Kids Off Social Media Act would also prevent platforms from feeding targeted content picked by an algorithm to users under the age of 17.

For anyone who is curious about why that is in the bill, all you have to do is ask a teenager, especially a teenage girl. Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy wrote that nearly half of all adolescents say that social media makes them feel worse about their bodies. That doesn't seem like an accident.

If you read--and many people have--Jonathan Haidt's book ``The Anxious Generation,'' you will learn that these apps use algorithms that ``home in on and amplify girls' desires to be beautiful in socially prescribed ways, which include being thin.''

Once that starts, once the algorithm starts feeding teenage girls images of increasingly thin and unhealthy women, the vicious cycle begins, and those girls end up finding images or videos promoting anorexia and/or, as Haidt says:

Emaciated young women urging their followers to try extreme

diets like the ``corpse bride'' diet or the water-only diet.

These algorithms on social media platforms are not just leading our daughters to starve themselves; they are leading them to torture themselves as well.

By turning the Kids Off Social Media Act into law, we can put a stop to this. I am so grateful that Senator Ted Cruz, from the great State of Texas, prioritized our bill in the Commerce Committee, and I am sure that parents everywhere are grateful too. After all, parents overwhelmingly support our mission.

A survey conducted by the Count on Mothers group showed that over 90 percent of mothers agree that there should be a minimum age of 13 on social media platforms, and 87 percent of mothers agreed that social media companies should not be allowed to use personalized algorithms to deliver content to our children.

If there has ever been a theme of the legislation that my colleagues and I have pursued so far this Congress, it is keeping American families and children safe. The Laken Riley Act will help keep kids safe from criminal illegal aliens. The Halt Fentanyl Act, which I spoke about on this very floor just last week, will help kids be safe from deadly fentanyl and fentanyl poisons. And the Kids Off Social Media Act will help keep kids safe from mental health effects that these platforms and their algorithms produce.

There is nothing more important we can do as a body than protect the people we serve. So let's do it. Let's get the Kids Off Social Media Act through Congress and to the President's desk. There are parents across this country that are counting on us to step up to put the proper guardrails in place so their children can be safe and their children have an opportunity to both explore and to succeed.

All of our country's children are free to pursue their own American dream, just as our generations were, and this will enable them to do that.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, on April 1, 2020, U.S. Marine Corps veteran Jaime Puerta lost his 16-year-old son Daniel.

That dark day, Jaime found Daniel lying on his bed nonresponsive, ultimately seeing what looked like to be a half tablet of oxycodone on his dresser. Paramedics arrived and tried their best, but Daniel's brain had gone too long without oxygen. Five days later, Daniel's parents had to make an unimaginably difficult decision to take him off of life support.

Soon after, Jaime got a call from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office. He ultimately learned that pill was not an oxycodone pill. It was actually fentanyl made to look exactly like a pharmaceutical-grade oxycodone. That is what killed Daniel.

My colleagues on the Senate Judiciary Committee and I heard, yesterday, Jaime's story. We heard the passion in his voice. You could still feel the hurt. The name of this hearing was ``The Poisoning of America.''

We not only heard his story; we also heard of Bridgette Norring, whose son Devin lost his life to fentanyl poisoning the same week that Daniel died at the age of 19.

Devin had suffered from blackout migraines and dental pain to the point that he sought black-market prescription drugs--opioids--on Snapchat. This was the same platform where Daniel found the counterfeit pill that killed him.

On April 4, 2020, Devin Norring took what he thought was a Percocet. His younger brother Caden, just 14 at the time, found him in his bedroom the next morning. That Percocet was actually a counterfeit pill containing a lethal dose of fentanyl.

Daniel and Devin's stories and what their families have been through are nothing less than heartbreaking, and it exemplifies what we are going through as a Nation--a national nightmare.

I would like to thank them for sharing their stories and the courage they have shown in the face of gut-wrenching tragedy.

As a mom of two kids, what happened to Daniel and Devon is beyond a mother's worst nightmare. It is a nightmare that unfortunately is playing out every day across the United States of America, and it is long past time for America to wake up. It is long past time for Congress to act and ensure that no other family has to experience losses like the ones that I have just discussed.

The CDC has, over the past few years, consistently shown that drug overdoses and poisonings are the No. 1 cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45. Nearly 70 percent of those overdose deaths in 2022 were from fentanyl or other synthetic opioids. Twenty- two thousand pounds of fentanyl was seized at America's ports of entry between October 2023 and October 2024. It is more than 1 billion lethal doses. It could kill everyone residing in this country three times over.

It is 5 to 10 percent of what they say is actually coming into our country. You heard me right. They think there is 90 to 95 percent of fentanyl that is entering our Nation every year and we have no idea. For reference--it may be hard to picture--but fentanyl is 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin. That means 2 milligrams of fentanyl, the size of 5 grains of sand, can be fatal. Meanwhile, it takes 250 milligrams of morphine or 200 milligrams of heroin for a fatal dose. Fentanyl is 100 times deadlier than heroin. That is the scope of what we are dealing with.

So why are we not doing something about it in this Chamber? According to the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General, our government has failed to prevent the flow of fentanyl in our country in far too many ways. According to the Homeland Security OIG, screening of participants in the Free and Secure Trade Program, which expedites processing for carriers and commercial drivers thought to be low risk, is far too lax.

In February 2021, the OIG reported, Customs and Border Protections had deployed just over a quarter of the surveillance and subterranean technology solutions President Trump ordered 4 years prior. And in 2023, a vast majority of CBP employees said their field locations, which means the points of entry into the United States, were not adequately prepared or staffed.

President Trump has worked to target the Mexican cartels and transnational narcotics trafficking. He directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to present a plan assigning our Armed Forces to the mission of sealing our border and repelling the drug trade.

I heard Pete the other day discuss it. Secretary Hegseth said: My generation went and fought diligently to secure other countries' borders. This generation has the opportunity to secure ours.

Ultimately, President Trump reached an agreement with the Mexican President--10,000 Mexican soldiers placed at the U.S.-Mexico border to stop the flow of fentanyl and illegal migrants into our Nation. And President Trump pushed the Canadian Prime Minister to take significant action to stop the flow of fentanyl across our northern border.

These are all steps in the right direction. And as chair of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, I will work to make sure the people tasked with protecting the public from this poison have the resources they need to help.

But what yesterday's hearing made clear is that we have more to do.

Last Congress, I cosponsored Senator John Kennedy's Fairness in Fentanyl Sentencing Act, and I am proud to be a cosponsor once again this Congress. That bill would change the quantity thresholds triggering mandatory minimum prison sentences for fentanyl distribution. It would also direct the U.S. Postal Service to increase its chemical screening and dedicate more personnel to the task of interdicting fentanyl and other illegal substances imported into our country.

Our children's lives are worth it. We must do more now.

Additionally, last Congress, the House passed the HALT Fentanyl Act. It passed in an overwhelmingly bipartisan fashion. I am proud to support it here in the Senate. Leading it is Senator Chuck Grassley, Bill Cassidy, and Martin Heinrich. While I cosponsored it last time, I am proud to cosponsor it again this Congress.

This bill takes the necessary steps of placing fentanyl-related substances under schedule I classification and ensuring law enforcement has the tools necessary to actually end this epidemic.

On January 20, it was a new day in America when President Trump was sworn in. It was a new day in the Senate when we passed the Laken Riley Act, which President Trump signed into law last week. Congress can get this done. Republican majorities in both Chambers have proven we can and will lead the way and are willing to work diligently with our colleagues across the aisle to ensure that happens.

No doubt, we have shown that we mean business. We made promises to the American people that we would work to protect them, and we will keep that promise. We delivered on our promise that we would not tolerate criminal illegal aliens roaming free in our country. Now we need to deliver for the American people once again.

Mr. President, the era of open borders is over. The era of allowing deadly fentanyl to flow into our country is over. The American people need us to act now, and that is exactly what we are doing. We are going to clean up our streets. We are going to protect our families. We are going to secure our borders. And we are going to ensure that our children actually have the opportunity to live their American dream.

Let's make America safe again, and let's continue to talk about this issue. Our kids and their safety should come first.

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

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, January 2025 has been a turning point for the United States of America. President Donald Trump's inauguration marked the beginning of, as he put it, a new ``golden age'' for America. And our new President unveiled a list of Executive orders undoing 4 years of decline, in his very first week in office.

He has already reversed a number of the failed Biden-Harris policies that weakened both security at our border and enforcement of our immigration laws in our Nation's interior. He has taken action to end catastrophic catch-and-release policies. He reinstated ``Remain in Mexico,'' and he stopped the abuse of immigration parole.

Not only did President Trump turn our country's border and immigration policies around 180 degrees on his very first day, but, finally, at long last, Congress is working again. The House and the Senate sent the strongest immigration enforcement legislation to the President's desk since 1996.

After nearly a year of working to get the Laken Riley Act through, it is finally mere hours from becoming actual law. We are finally on our way to ensuring that criminal illegal aliens are off our streets before they can commit the most heinous crimes imaginable. Providing our States the ability to compel the Federal Government to do its job is something it also includes--and the enforcement of the laws that are actually on the books.

Far too often, we hear from grieving parents whose children's lives were cut far too short by illegal border crossers, who were poisoned by fentanyl brought across our southern border, or who suffered abuse at the hands of people who shouldn't have been in our country to begin with.

The American people have heard enough of those stories, and, on November 5, they told us they wouldn't take it any longer. The results of the November election were a signal from the people we represent to the lawmakers meant to act on their behalf. They were a verdict from the American people that Washington had, for far too long, become guilty of overlooking the problems that actually mattered to the people we are here working for.

With the Laken Riley Act, we have started to deliver on that verdict, but we are not done yet. The Laken Riley Act addresses the important problems of criminal illegal aliens already inside our country, but interior immigration enforcement is only one aspect of the problem we face. There is another priority we must focus on: preventing criminals from entering our country to begin with.

That is why I have reintroduced the WALL Act. It is long past time to finish construction of a wall on our southern border, and this bill would put us on the path to doing just that. It would appropriate funding necessary to finish the wall, and it would allow President Trump to do so without raising taxes on U.S. citizens or increasing our national debt by a single cent. In fact, we would fund the wall by fixing yet another issue with our immigration system: We would eliminate taxpayer-funded entitlements and tax benefits to illegal aliens. Not only would taxpayers stop having to foot the bill for illegal aliens, but we would also close the loopholes that illegal aliens are taking advantage of. Meanwhile, the benefits intended for citizens and legal residents would truly only go to citizens and legal residents.

Solving another problem, the WALL Act would impose monetary fines on illegal aliens and immigrants who overstay their visas. We would finish building the wall, and we would save money while we are at it.

The Joint Committee on Taxation estimated in 2018 that enacting the provisions in the WALL Act would save us $33 billion over 10 years. The bill would save us both dollars and lives. And what could be more important than the task of keeping our country safe and restoring financial responsibility?

Just like the Laken Riley Act, the WALL Act is common sense, and, most importantly, it delivers to the American people what they have demonstrated they want, need, and deserve. It is the first move toward making sure that our immigration enforcement and border security Agencies have the funding they need to carry out the will of the people.

We must fund construction of the border wall, but we can't just stop there. As the chairman of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, I am committed to ensuring that the Trump administration has the detention space they need to get criminal illegal aliens off of our streets and providing funding for CBP and ICE enforcement and removal operations so these Agencies have the personnel, resources, and technology necessary to fulfill their missions. And that, Mr. President, is a long time coming too.

As long as civilization has existed, both leaders and citizens have understood that the most important role that the government has is to provide security for the people who live under its jurisdiction. From the White House to both Chambers of Congress, the Republican Party is committed to getting our country back on track, to responding to the demands of the American people that they made to us this last November: securing our border, removing criminal illegal aliens from our streets, and providing a safe, orderly nation for the American people.

There is no greater responsibility we have, no higher calling we can seek than making America safe again. We have heard the American people's voices, and we understand the call. Now, let's heed that call and pass the WALL Act. Let's continue to turn our promises made into promises kept.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I walked out of a meeting and got to see my dear friend and distinguished colleague from New Jersey addressing these incredible individuals behind me, in front of me, and all around the room. And so, in typical fashion, I literally ran out of the door to come and be a part of this.

First, I think you know that for my distinguished colleague from New Jersey and I, one of our favorite things that we get to do each and every semester that you are here, is to host you--host you for lunch and conversation in a way that I think America needs to see. We do it across the aisle. We have laughs, thanks to this one, and we have a good time. And we get to dive into who you are and what your questions are and what this body is about.

Getting to be a part of this distinguished poetry contest that you have, that is a new one for me, and it is one that I hope I continue to get to do--because, guys, you all are incredible.

When I was reading through these, it reminded me not only how special it is that we get to walk in these doors every day, how incredible this body is, and the gravity of the jobs that we do; but it showed me how phenomenal each and every one of you are for giving up your time, your energy, and your talent to make sure that this institution and our Nation are better.

So thank you--thank you, thank you--for what you have given to this country through your service here the last couple of months.

And my distinguished colleague from New Jersey has said it best, but just to add a couple of pieces of advice on your way out the door: Be unafraid to fail. Folks, I am not going to lie to you. It is not fun to fail. But without your willingness to do it, you will never achieve what is possible for you and what God has in front of you. And look, when you do fail, learn from it. Take a step back. Figure out what role you played in that, what you can do better, how you can be better, and how you can grow as a result, because I have found that everybody knows your peaks in life, but it is your valleys that actually truly define you and prepare you to climb the next hill.

Also--and I hope you have seen this on the Senate floor--you do not have to agree with someone to show them respect. And, in fact, we are counting on you to be respectful to those that you agree with and disagree with. That is what this Nation was founded on: the ability to have these conversations--challenging conversations--with people that you respect and with people you have built a relationship with that you may not agree with.

We need your generation to help us continue to bring that back. I have seen that from each and every one of

you, and I am inspired by the way that you have conducted yourselves.

And then, last but not least, get in the arena. Right? Now, everyone's arena is different. Everyone's lane is unique. And that is not just OK; it is necessary. But we need you to be unafraid to jump in and to move this Nation forward because, at the end of the day, we need you to achieve what we need to do for the American people, not only just in your communities and States but truly across the country.

You have all been given a special gift, but it is up to you to utilize that to affect as many people as you possibly can in a positive way and make the world around you better as a result of who you are and the way that you conduct yourself.

And so all of that to say: It has been an honor and a privilege to get to know you. From the bottom of my heart and on behalf of all of our colleagues, we are grateful for you. And I am grateful for my friendship with the Senator from New Jersey, and I hope that our friendship has served as an example for you of what is possible when you maybe put differences aside; you get to know each other as people; you can have tough conversations, find common ground, and move good things forward.

I yield the floor back to my distinguished colleague from New Jersey.

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

Mr. President, this week marks a new start for the U.S. Congress. After a yearlong battle over the

Laken Riley Act, this week, we decided to put the security of the American people first and take the next step toward ending an era of open border policies. We passed the bill.

It is impossible to overstate just how great an achievement it is that we came together to send the Laken Riley Act to the President's desk. For decades, it has been almost impossible for our government to agree on solutions for the problems at our border and within our country. The Laken Riley Act represents perhaps the most significant immigration enforcement bill to reach the President's desk since 1996. It is a significant first step to protect American families and to honor Laken Riley's life and legacy. It ensures that no family will have to endure the heartbreak that Laken's family has had to endure.

With our Republican majorities in both the House and the Senate, Congress is back to working for the American people once again. The American people made their voices heard on November 5, and they told this city that they would no longer tolerate a government that ignored our border crisis; that they would no longer put up with open borders, unsafe streets, and soft-on-crime policies. Congress listened, and we have delivered, but we are not finished yet.

Monday, Inauguration Day, marked the start of a new American golden age. With President Trump back in office and with our majorities ready to work with him, we are headed toward creating a safer, more secure, incredible country. The Laken Riley Act is no doubt a step in that direction.

Now is the time to turn the page from the last 4 years, to think about what we can do together to turn the will of the American people into action, to do the things a government is meant to do: provide security for its people, ensure its streets are safe, and enforce the rule of law.

It is also a time of remembrance. It is a time to think about the light Laken Riley shone on all of those around her, the example she set for how to live one's faith and make a positive impact in the world. I am so proud that we came together in this body to honor her and the profound impact she had on everyone who knew her.

To Allyson and John Phillips, Laken's mother and stepfather, thank you for the courage you have shown in advocating for this bill and for Laken's legacy. We are all eternally amazed by your grace and strength in the face of tragedy. You, like Laken, are so incredibly inspiring, and as you so humbly said about the passage of this bill, all the glory to God.

I would again like to thank Representative Mike Collins, who has spearheaded it to House passage not once but twice, and I look forward to its third and final passage today in the House.

I would also like to thank Leader Thune, who, in his very first month as leader, took a difficult issue and moved it gracefully through the U.S. Senate.

And a big thank-you to the rest of my colleagues here in this body and the ones in the House for coming together, for putting partisan differences aside to find common ground to actually achieve a result, and for showing the American people that they can trust their elected Representatives to listen, to understand, and to do the right thing.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, reserving my right to object, the Laken Riley Act is a targeted, commonsense, lifesaving bill. This legislation adds crimes to the mandatory detention provisions of the INA and uses the existing framework of the INA.

What this amendment would do is introduce new carve-outs that don't already exist.

We have a crisis in this Nation. Our border has been overrun, and every city across this country is paying the price.

Today, we return to common sense. We return to practicality. If you come here illegally and you commit a crime, you should not be free to roam the streets of this Nation. Our children deserve better, and that is exactly what we are giving them today.

My colleague from Colorado speaks of DACA. Of the 537,000 DACA recipients in this Nation, there is not one that is under the age of 17.

And, in fact, of the 537,000 recipients, there are only 1,000 between the ages of 17 and 20. When you are talking about other minors across this Nation, some of which may be here illegally, we are seeing the cost to them right now.

Look no further than what is happening in New York. We have teen migrant gangs running rampant, where you have minors as young as 11 being involved in the theft and burglary rings.

What do you think you do if you carve out a certain set of minors? Do you think you make them more safe from the people looking to do them harm? Do you think the drug cartels, all of a sudden, say: Hey, I am going to leave them alone.

No, that is not what happens. What happens is each and every one of those kids becomes a greater target. They become more vulnerable to become a mule to do the work of the drug cartels and the human traffickers.

Again, now is the time to return to common sense. Now is the time to return to law and order. We are a proud nation of immigrants. We are also a nation of laws, and the lawlessness ends today.

I could not be more proud of those who are choosing today to support the Laken Riley Act because what we have done is we have decided we are going to stop talking and we are going to start achieving results. We are looking for targeted reforms. They are going to keep Americans safe and secure. It is exactly what the Laken Riley Act does. It honors Laken's life and legacy, a beautiful life and legacy. As her mother Allyson and her stepfather John Phillips have said, she brought warmth to everyone who knew her--that she lit up every room, that she found ways to show kindness and her faith and her love for the Lord.

Today, we honor Laken, and we ensure that with this commonsense approach, targeted, making sure that our communities are safe and secure, that no other family has to go through the heartbreak that Laken's did.

So, ultimately, I have to say no to this amendment, and, therefore, I object.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senators Ernst, Risch, Shaheen, and I be permitted to speak for up to 5 minutes each prior to the scheduled rollcall votes.

Mr. President, before I yield the floor to my distinguished colleague from Iowa, I do want to respond to one thing my colleague from Colorado said.

I am glad to see there being a keen interest on what is happening to immigrant children now. My question has been, where has that passion been for the last 4 years when we had over 468,000 unaccompanied minors come across our border?

I just saw my distinguished colleague from Wisconsin walk in, who has tried to bring attention to this, tried to make sure we had a hearing on the 88,000-plus children that have been lost under this previous administration.

Look, additionally, when you talk about ICE, there are 6,000 ICE officers in the interior of our country, and we have over 11 million migrants that have come here illegally, over 7.8 that are actually in removal proceedings, and over 1.4 million that have been given their final orders of removal, and yet the resources have not been there for them to do that at the level they need. That will change under this administration and under the Republican majority.

I now yield the floor to my colleague from Iowa.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, over the past week and a half, the world's greatest deliberative body has discussed and debated the Laken Riley Act. I have taken to the Senate floor multiple times, as have several of my Senate colleagues, to impress upon our fellow lawmakers just how important it is to pass this bill to protect American families, to keep criminals off our streets.

The reason we are all here today is to consider the Laken Riley Act. And, really, it is out of a sense of duty, a moral obligation to honor Laken, her life, and her legacy--a life cut far too short at the hands of an illegal alien, who committed the most heinous crime we can possibly imagine, and a legacy that continues and will continue to live on.

Laken Riley, as my colleagues know, was an exceptional 22-year-old. She was a beloved daughter, an extraordinary friend, a shining beacon of light who truly lived out her faith. She was a nursing student who wanted to help people. She had big goals and aspirations. She had hopes and dreams to strive for over the course of her life that will never have an opportunity to become a reality, and that is because of the Biden-Harris open border policies.

Her killer was allowed to roam free in our country despite having been apprehended at the border and committing multiple crimes after being paroled into the U.S. interior. Then he reached the darkest depths of criminality and took Laken from this world 330 days ago.

Last week, on this same floor, I read the words of Allyson and John Phillips, Laken's mother and stepfather. They described in heartbreaking detail the joy Laken brought to everyone fortunate enough to know her in their lives. They said:

Not only did the people who knew and loved Laken lose a

beautiful soul. But so did our world.

This didn't have to happen. Jose Ibarra shouldn't have been anywhere near Laken on February 22, 2024. He should have never been in the United States. And once he had committed a crime on multiple occasions, he should have been detained by ICE until he was removed from our country. If he had, Laken would still be with us today. That is why we need to pass the Laken Riley Act.

As elected representatives, our greatest responsibilities are to listen to the will of the American people and to keep the American people safe and secure. And on November 5 of last year, the American people made their voices heard, and they were very clear. They told all of us in Washington that they would no longer put up with the crimes like the one Jose Ibarra committed, the one that stole Laken from her loved ones.

The American people delivered a verdict, and they deserve results. We have irresponsible, open border, soft-on-crime policies, and that must end. It is our duty to turn their cries into action, to respond to the clear message that they sent, to honor the charge they delivered. That is the purpose of American democracy. And just as the purpose of our democratic Republic is to turn the will of the people from desire to law, the purpose of our government--the most basic function our country has--is to protect its citizens.

That is what the Laken Riley Act does. It will help ensure other families will not have to endure the pain a criminal illegal alien inflicted on Laken and her loved ones. This bill will prevent countless nightmares so daughters like Laken can go on a jog and not have their dreams forever stolen from them.

I am proud to have bipartisan support for this bill, and I am grateful for Senators John Fetterman and Ruben Gallego, who have decided to sign on as cosponsors. I am heartened to see so many of my Democratic colleagues come out in favor of this commonsense, straightforward legislation.

But we can't lose focus now. We are so close to the finish line, so close to delivering results for the American people, for the voters who sent us here, and for Laken and her family.

So now, to my fellow Senators, let's do right by the American people. Let's heed their call, help keep them safe, and pass this bill.

I yield the floor.

Reserving the right to object, Mr. President, with all due respect to my colleague from Oregon, he voted against even proceeding to this bill. Now he is attempting to force amendments onto the bill outside of the bipartisan amendment process that we are working through.

Look, I get it. I understand the frustration when your caucus is working and your bill doesn't get called up to be voted on. But the truth is, we are working diligently to make sure that all voices are heard.

I also find it really interesting because for the past 4 years under the failed Biden-Harris administration's open border policies, I have not seen one bill be brought to the floor from this side of the aisle to really focus on what is happening to children as a result of these policies.

If you look at our wide-open border, we have had over 468,000 unaccompanied children come across our border in the last 4 years. When you look at the numbers that HHS has put out, they admit to losing at least 85,000 children. Where has the outrage been?

My colleagues and I on this side of the aisle have been diligently bringing this to the forefront time and time again, even holding our own version of a hearing because we couldn't get our Democratic colleagues to shine light on this. How dare they step out of line with Biden and Harris and their open border policy and agenda. How dare they. They should have. We did, and we will continue to make sure that we speak up for these kids.

When you look at what is happening to migrant children being trafficked, in many cases, from drug trafficking, to sex trafficking, to stories that are absolutely gut-wrenching and heartbreaking, something has to be done, and it begins with making sure that we have accountability and that we are taking criminals off our streets.

It is not just migrant children who have paid the price for the failed policies of this last administration; it is American children as well.

Look at 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Texas, who was brutally raped and murdered by two men who never should have been here. Look at Laken Riley, who last Friday would have celebrated her 23rd birthday had she still been on this Earth. Had this bill been enacted, Laken Riley would still be alive.

This bill is a lifesaving bill. This bill protects children.

We are going to continue to fight to expose the detrimental impact of the Biden-Harris open border policies, and we on this side of the aisle look forward to joining with those on the other side of the aisle who are willing to make commonsense, targeted reforms to keep Americans safe.

Because of that, I object.

I will always work with you to talk about how we can help children--always.

Neighbors.

Mr. President, reserving my right to object, we have repeatedly confirmed with ICE that all existing consent decrees would continue to apply. This amendment addresses something the bill doesn't do.

And as I have said, the Laken Riley Act would protect kids. It is bipartisan; it is targeted; and it is common sense. That is why we want to keep it that way. I object.

Mr. President, reserving the right to object, we have heard a lot of things that are untruthful about this bill today. First off, no one's due process is taken with regard to their immigration proceeding that may be moving and the ability to see the criminal proceeding through to the end.

At the end of the day, we have to make a decision, and that is the decision that is in front of my colleagues right now. Are we going to protect open border policies or are we going to protect kids?

I mean, we are seeing, even in this conversation about carveouts and

whatnot--you have got teen migrant gangs running rampant in New York City, allegedly running theft rings, with children as young as 11.

Think about what you do when you think about each one of these things we have discussed today. If you were to carve out a certain kid or a certain age, you don't make that kid safer; you make them a greater target for the drug cartels, for the people looking to move crime.

We have to make sure that we are taking a commonsense approach to this. And at the end of the day, if you don't commit a crime, you are going to be good.

So I am here today to say it is time to pass the Laken Riley Act. It is past time to do that--having a commonsense, targeted approach that, no, does not fix everything.

I hear my colleague's frustration with regard to regular order of last year. I would like to echo that. You think about what we are dealing with right now. We have had over 11 million people come across the border under the Biden-Harris administration. Some people say that number is much higher. There are at least 2 million that came across the border that we don't know who they are, where they are going, or what their intentions are.

You look at the nondetained docket we have here in our country--7.8 million. You look at those who have been given their due process--1.4 million have been issued their final orders of removal, meaning they have been given their due process, and we have said: You have no legal right to be here.

We have got to do better at tackling every bit of that, and doing better starts today. We are not only going to do right by Laken Riley and her legacy; we are going to do right by the children of this country, making it safer and more secure. That is exactly what this bill does. It is a bipartisan piece of legislation, and we must keep it strong and keep it that way.

So on that, Mr. President, I object.

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

Madam President, last week, the Senate took a big bipartisan step toward honoring the life and legacy of Laken Riley, answering her loved ones' call to action, and protecting American families.

But that step, no matter how big, was just that, a first step, and there are many to follow if we want to follow through for the American people on the demands to secure our border and interior immigration enforcement, make it real, take it seriously. And to do that, we have to break the cycle that we have seen year over year.

The House passed the Laken Riley Act not once but twice. Senator Budd took this very bill to the Senate floor last year, and, unfortunately, our Democratic colleagues blocked it. I personally took the bill to the floor a second time and called on my colleagues to pass it, but not only did they say no, they stood in the way and didn't even allow us to have a hearing in the entire 118th Congress.

Democrats persisted in their obstruction in moving this bill forward. It isn't just the Laken Riley Act the Democrats are standing in the way of; it is the safety and security of our American citizens. It is progress on making sure that we begin to have a more secure border and that our streets and communities are safer.

But today is a new day in the U.S. Senate, and people's tunes have changed. While I am hearing from many of my colleagues across the aisle that they want to vote yes on this bill, that illegal aliens who commit crimes should be sent back to their country not released onto American streets, I am optimistic, but I want to caution my colleagues: Don't revert back to your partisan tribe.

We can't lose focus on what this bill is about and what it would do. It would protect American families and save innocent lives. The Laken Riley Act is bipartisan; it is straightforward; it is targeted; and it is common sense.

It will ensure that illegal aliens who committed a theft-related crime after unlawfully crossing our border are off our streets before they can commit the most heinous crime imaginable. Laken Riley's killer was first arrested for coming into our country illegally. Then he was unlawfully paroled and released by the Biden administration. Then, in New York, he was ``charged with acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17.''

Then, again, he was released without ICE issuing a detainer. Then, in Georgia, he was charged for shoplifting, and, again, he was released without ICE issuing a detainer.

Jose Ibarra then went on to kill Laken Riley. The Laken Riley Act would have prevented him from running wild through our country's streets. And had it been law, it would have saved Laken Riley's life.

And if we enact it into law in the coming days, it will no doubt save American lives, and it will save families from the heartbreak and tragedy that Laken Riley's family has had to endure.

Now, I want to be clear, this bill does not attempt to fix every single thing in our immigration and border security system. We all know that there are plenty. And we have had several other border security and immigration enforcement bills in the works. I personally have the WALL Act and the Keep Our Community Safe Act. But you will notice I am not trying to tack those bills onto the Laken Riley Act as amendments because this is a targeted bill to protect American families from criminal illegal aliens; isn't that common sense?

Look, regardless of which side of the aisle you are on, I think this is clearly common ground that we should be able to rally around. I know that my Republican colleagues heard the American people's voices in November, and we are answering that call. The question remains, will enough Democrats join us to make it happen?

Unfortunately, there are some working to create another push to block this vital legislation. So special interest groups are working around the clock right now to try to kill this bill.

They are waging a campaign of misinformation and, in doing so, trying to create enough momentum so this bill doesn't become law. They have created every farfetched hypothetical that they can dream up but never discuss the real tragedies--like Laken Riley--and how they could have been stopped if we had only done our job.

I have refuted their claims in conversations with my colleagues, and we will continue to do so. But what the American people should know is this: These are the same groups that have publicly fought to keep our borders wide open for years. They are the groups who thought that Joe Biden was too tough on the border and immigration, if that is even possible.

We know how far out of touch that is. These are, of course, groups who don't want ICE detaining criminal illegal aliens. They are the very groups that actually wanted to abolish ICE.

I am hopeful that my colleagues will listen to the verdict the American people delivered on November 5, rather than the propaganda of these radical interest groups.

The time to act is now. The American people have made their voices heard. They want action, and they want it without any delays. They want the Laken Riley Act. It is a strong bipartisan piece of legislation that has support from both sides of the aisle in both Chambers.

Forty-eight House Democrats voted for it. It is cosponsored by Senators John Fetterman and Ruben Gallego of the Democratic Party. I am grateful for their cosponsorship and their courage to say now is the time for results.

I have been encouraged by other Members of the Democratic Party who have said: This is a bill I would like to see cross the finish line.

Last week, we had 84 Senators who voted to advance it. So each one of my colleagues is left with one simple question this week: What will you choose to protect--open borders or American families? To me, that is a pretty simple choice.

It is time to fulfill the responsibility we have to the American people to protect the citizens of this country from criminals who would do them harm. It is time to make sure that what happened to Laken Riley and her family never happens again.

It is time to pass the Laken Riley Act, and it is past time to choose American families.

I look forward to this body having the courage to do that this week.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, on January 10, 2002, Laken Riley was born into this world to her loving family. Tomorrow would have been her 23rd birthday. She should be celebrating with her family, blowing out candles on her birthday cake, and filling her loved one's lives with the joy she spread so effortlessly.

But instead of celebrating another year around the Sun with friends and family, instead of figuring out what her next steps in life would be--which had limitless potential--instead of achieving her dreams of becoming a nurse, tomorrow, we will mark the first day she isn't here with us on this side of Heaven.

Nobody knew Laken and the light she shined on all those around her like her family, so I would like to read a statement from Allyson and John Phillips, Laken's mother and stepfather:

It's impossible to fully describe what was taken from Laken

and from our family on February 22, 2024. Laken's life was

abundantly and exceptionally full of promise. She was a

beautiful, shining beacon in the life of everyone who knew

her. Not only did the people who knew and loved her lose a

beautiful soul, but so did our world.

Laken shared her love for Jesus with everyone she

encountered. Laken's passion for sharing her faith through

acts of kindness were felt by everyone she met. Laken was

selfless, hard-working, and made those around her feel

special. Laken did not just talk about her faith, she led by

example.

A truly special person.

Laken Riley was, as we can hear in Allyson and John's heartfelt words, just incredible.

There was no reason--no reason at all--that she should no longer be with us. Her killer, who came to this country illegally, should have never been in the United States. And once he had been arrested for multiple crimes before committing this heinous, unimaginable crime, he should have been detained by ICE immediately. Had that been the case, Laken's family and Laken herself would have faced a very different reality. They would be celebrating a birthday, not approaching the 1- year anniversary of her murder.

The Laken Riley Act will help prevent other families from experiencing this unimaginable heartache.

I was proud to introduce this bill in the Senate with Senator Ted Budd of North Carolina, with his support and leadership, along with Majority Leader John Thune and the entire Senate Republican conference, along with support which came from across the aisle from Senators John Fetterman and Ruben Gallego.

I am grateful for the tremendous leadership of Georgia Congressman Mike Collins, who originally introduced and led this piece of legislation through bipartisan passage in the House--not once but twice--literally lapping the Senate. When you look at Representative Collins, that is a true servant leader. He saw an issue that occurred right there with his constituency. His heart broke alongside theirs. And then he didn't just talk about it; he did something about it. Representative Mike Collins put pen to paper. He said: We are going to create a solution. We are going to make sure that no family has to experience the heartbreak that Laken's family is enduring. That type of leadership is what every Member of this body should strive for.

As is already the case under current law for various types of criminal activities, our bill would require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain illegal aliens who commit theft-related offenses and would mandate that these illegal aliens are detained until their removal from the United States before they get the opportunity to commit further, graver crimes.

I want to be very clear. The only individuals that would be subject to this bill are criminal illegal aliens. These individuals crossed our border illegally, and then they committed a crime after getting here. That is who we are talking about.

Our bill would also ensure that States have standing to bring civil action against Federal officials who refuse to enforce mandatory detention and enforcement provisions of our current immigration laws, as well as statutory limitations on grants of immigration parole, or officials who violate those laws.

I know and my colleagues know that our bill is as necessary as it is straightforward. The House, as I mentioned, has lapped us in the Senate by passing this twice, under the leadership of Representative Collins. Unfortunately, when we tried to move it here, Democrats repeatedly blocked our attempt. Senate Democrats actually didn't even give this a committee hearing or a markup. Let's learn from those mistakes.

To my Democratic colleagues, I implore you to see reason, to see Laken's face, and to think about the potential consequences if you choose to block this again.

I once again want to read the words of Laken's mother and stepfather, Allyson and John Phillips:

The Laken Riley Act has our full support because it would

help save innocent lives and prevent more families from going

through the kind of heartbreak we've experienced. Laken would

have been 23 on January 10th. There is no greater gift that

could be given to her and our country than to continue her

legacy by saving lives through this bill. Every single member

of Congress should be able to get behind this purely

commonsense bill that will make our country and communities

safer.

So to my colleagues, please listen to Allyson and John. Understand their pain. Hear their pleas for action. They need us to pass the Laken Riley Act. Every American family needs us to pass the Laken Riley Act. And they deserve it.

Today, on the eve of what should have been Laken Riley's 23rd birthday, let's honor her legacy and advance a bipartisan bill that will help us save American lives.

I yield the floor.