Floor Statements

Mr. President, 2 years ago, the American people elected a new Congress and a new President. The American people did so based on a promise that the President and his allies in Congress would work to bring down high costs.

So now it is worth asking a simple question, one that the American people will ask their elected representatives when they return home in a few days: Did the President and his allies in Congress make good on their pledge to bring down costs for American families? The answer is clear: No.

Not only has the President failed to make good on his pledge to bring down costs, not only is it evident that he never even bothered to try, but it is clear that on virtually every metric, it costs more to be an American than it did 2 years ago when this President was sworn in and the 119th Congress began.

It is worth taking a moment to go line by line, cost by cost, broken promise by broken promise, to examine the ways in which the President's policies--including his tariffs and his war--have driven costs higher and higher.

Before the President took office, he promised that he would bring gas prices down from $3 a gallon to less than $2. But under this President and his majorities in Congress, gas prices haven't just failed to go down, they have instead shot up to around $4.50 a gallon, meaning gas costs 50 percent more now than when Donald Trump entered office.

Since the President began his reckless war with Iran without a plan to win, the American people have paid an additional $93 billion on gas in less than a year, and, on average, each American family has had to spend $790 more on gas since this war began.

And the President failed even more catastrophically to bring down diesel prices. Diesel now costs around $3 more a gallon than it did when the President took office. Farmers and truckers are weathering the highest prices for diesel in American history, with costs at the pump exceeding $6.50 a gallon last week.

Now, it is one thing to fail on a promise to lower the price of something; it is quite another to be responsible for the highest price of that good ever recorded in our country's history.

The President also promised to make healthcare ``affordable again.'' Of course, this is not at all what happened. Instead, the President gutted Medicaid to take away healthcare for millions of Americans in order to pay for tax giveaways to billionaires like himself.

He also allowed health insurance premiums to surge, meaning more families now pay more for insurance every single month, even if they don't get sick.

Just before the President took office, the average monthly cost for health insurance was $468 a month. The President did not reduce those premiums by a dime. Instead, families now pay $611 a month. That is almost $150 more monthly, almost $2,000 more per year--$2,000--dollars that could otherwise be spent on the mortgage, the rent, repairs for the car, let alone parents just using it to do something nice for their kids.

And what about the cost of groceries? The President promised repeatedly that he would bring down grocery costs. Well, let's look at the numbers.

Since the President took office, ground beef has risen to $7 a pound, and coffee has risen from about $7 a pound to more than $9.

Now, I don't know if the President is right when he says that ``groceries'' is an ``old-fashioned word,'' as he often claims, but I do know that old-fashioned math tells us that $9 is more expensive than $7.

And let's say we take everything all together--all the goods and services that we pay for every day--and add it all up. How much, if at all, did the President and his allies in Congress reduce costs?

They failed to reduce costs at all. The American people have had to pay an additional $4,200 on goods and services since the President took office. The President had nearly 2 years to try to lower costs, and instead, families had $4,200 more taken out of their pockets.

This isn't a partisan point. This isn't spin. This is just basic mathematical facts--facts that make evident that the President both completely failed to lower costs and honestly didn't even try.

So if the President failed to bring down costs, what has he been working on these last 2 years? Well, the President's been clear about his priorities. He is not interested in lowering costs for families. He is interested in raising monuments to honor himself.

He hosted military parades in his honor. He destroyed the East Wing to build himself a golden ballroom. He has been trying to put his name on other monuments. He is running taxpayer-funded ad campaigns praising himself. And, according to a new report from the Joint Economic Committee Minority, while the American people are paying more to keep up with high costs,

the President wants to spend $1.8 billion on projects to flatter his own vanity.

Now, we throw lots of numbers around in Washington, but it is worth remembering what the American people know full well: This is real money we are talking about. It is the American people's money. We owe it to them to ask: How could that same $1.8 billion help them?

What can $1.8 billion buy when it is not being diverted by an apprentice dictator, who, rightly fearing that no one will ever honor his Presidency after he is gone, rushes to build gilded tributes to himself?

Mr. President, $1.8 billion, it can buy a lot of things: It can pay for the electric bills for 12 million families for a month; it can fill up more than 35 million tanks of gas, even at the President's new high prices; it can buy 600 million school lunches, fully paid for, so our children can have a good, healthy meal at school; $1.8 billion could hire around 30,000 new firefighters to keep our communities safe; and it can pay all the medical expenses--every medical bill--for more than 88,000 American veterans for an entire year.

If the President insists on spending the people's money on himself, he owes them an explanation. So if I have one request today, it is this: I want the President to explain why a monument to honor himself is a better use of taxpayer dollars than paying for healthcare for veterans.

Is a ballroom to make one man feel like a King more important than healthcare for a year for the heroes who fought to keep our country free? What more did America's heroes--people who have given everything to this country--what more do they need to do to deserve the $1.8 billion that the President would rather spend to honor himself? And when in America did honoring service become less important than honoring one man's ego?

I know that a majority of Americans, including many of my Republican colleagues, also find the President's vanity projects distasteful, but I think we are all doing a bit of play-acting if we forget that the President's determination to shower himself in honors is not simply excessive or distractions but is wrong and is distinctly un-American.

Consider our other Presidents. George Washington didn't order the construction of the Washington Monument. Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson didn't pick out sculptors to build their memorials. John F. Kennedy didn't name the Kennedy Center. And none of them tried to put themselves on our currency. They received these honors from grateful citizens after their time in office. The current President is the only exception to this rule.

George Washington was a rich man as well, but he used his wealth to support the Continental Army. He didn't use his office to enrich himself, nor did he have any interest in being King.

The reason why this matters is because the President's desire to appease his own vanity and his failure to bring down costs are linked because it is deeply telling that the President will go to such extravagant lengths to honor himself. He will break with American values and precedent when they stand in the way of his whims; he will use a wrecking ball to tear down buildings; he will spend great time and effort planning every detail; he will file court appeals while defying court orders; he will pilfer taxpayer funds and even ignore the law and the Constitution--all just in his mission to leave a gilded tribute to himself.

But he can't be bothered to lift a finger to bring down costs despite his promise to do so.

What does this all reveal? It reveals that the President is uninterested in listening to what the American people want.

The American people don't want the President to build a golden ballroom; they want him to build homes that they can afford.

They are not asking for parades and car races on the National Mall; they want to pay less at the pump on their way to work.

They don't want his face on our currency; they want to keep more money in their pockets.

So, in closing, what does the final accounting of this President's broken promises tell us? Since the President took office, Americans have had to pay $4,200 more to keep up with rising costs while the President spends $1.8 billion to keep up with his own ego.

In short, it tells us that the President seeks to rule but that he is unable to lead.

He seeks to honor himself, but he is unable to honor his word.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, President Trump, who has failed to lower people's costs, last week launched a nationwide television advertisement campaign promoting himself. On televisions across the country right now, people are being inundated with all kinds of political ads. But the ending of these ads is unlike any other. If someone is watching this ad, right at the end, on the bottom of the screen, you find out that this publicity stunt isn't paid for by President Trump or one of his PACs or even one of his billionaire friends--no. This ad is paid for by you, the American taxpayer.

Estimates show that this ad already costs more than $2.5 million. New reports today reveal that the source of this Federal funding is U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a part of the Department of Homeland Security. The Department of Homeland Security should be working to tackle the enormous national security threats we face, like stopping fentanyl, not bankrolling a vanity project for the President.

I am glad that some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have come out and said that these political ads should not be paid for with taxpayer dollars. Sadly, it takes strong bipartisan pushback as well as the loud and clear voice of the American people to get this administration to reverse course when it is breaking the law or doing something wrong.

Today we have an opportunity to start that process by sending such a message to the President. I have introduced a resolution that is quite simple. It just tells the President that he is wrong, that these ads need to be pulled down, and that they should not be paid for with taxpayer dollars.

The American people want their tax dollars to go toward helping them and keeping them safe, not propaganda campaigns for a President. He is welcome to run whatever ads he wants

with his own riches; but with taxpayer dollars, money that people have worked hard to earn, he needs to follow the law.

At minimum, people deserve to know where their Member of Congress stands on this issue.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent, therefore, that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 921; further, that the resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, it is really disappointing that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have blocked a resolution that simply says these plainly political television ads should not be paid for with taxpayer dollars.

One of the ads is literally one of the President's campaign ads from 2024. It is clearly a campaign message, but he is making all of us pay for it at a time when he has sent grocery costs, rent costs, and gas costs soaring.

Any American who watches this ad can see that it is not a PSA like the White House claims. What is the public service message here? People know the difference between a PSA and a political ad.

Moreover, if we are going to talk about which side of the aisle is supporting communism and socialism, it is this President, who had the U.S. Government take a share--an interest--in a privately held company; it is this President, who welcomed the leader of the largest Communist Party in the world to the White House, fawning over him, having the military on their hands and knees straightening out a red carpet for him, while banning the free press from the White House and welcoming the communist press in.

My colleagues on the other side of the aisle should stand together in opposing this clearly unlawful and wrong use of taxpayer money. This is an incredibly wealthy President with a huge war chest that can afford to fund whatever political messages he wants. It should not come at the cost of hard-earned American tax dollars.

So, despite the fact that we can't pass this resolution today, I hope that the administration listens to the bipartisan pushback on these ads and reverses course immediately.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I am honored to recognize Shaun Sullivan of Hampton as September's Granite Stater of the Month for his extraordinary commitment to public service and nearly two decades of work supporting vulnerable children in Rwanda.

Shaun's commitment to serving others began in New Hampshire. After attending Lakes Region Community College to learn about fire science and emergency services, he served as an on-call firefighter in Merrimack. He then spent a decade fighting wildfires across the country, including 6 years on a specialized ``hotshot crew'' in California and as an Alaska smokejumper that tackled the biggest and most severe

wildfires. And during his off seasons from firefighting, Shaun went to Rwanda, often staying for months at a time.

Shaun first traveled to Rwanda in 2008, eager to experience another culture and find a meaningful way to help others. When he returned in 2010, he began teaching English to adults and looking for an opportunity to volunteer with children. Through local connections, Shaun was introduced to Ubaka U Rwanda, a home for homeless children. Many of the children had experienced profound hardship, and the home offered them the stability and care they needed to build a brighter future. Shaun quickly became part of the family, spending his days tutoring the children, playing soccer, cooking and sharing meals, and helping children with their studies. He has now traveled to Rwanda 17 times, forming relationships that have lasted for years and watching children he once knew grow into adults with careers and families of their own.

Over the years, Shaun has worked tirelessly to raise money and build a community of support for Ubaka U Rwanda. His early fundraising efforts in California included organizing running challenges with fellow firefighters to raise money and awareness for the home. Since returning to New Hampshire, Shaun has continued raising money with the support of members in his community. His dedication has inspired others to become personally involved, with fellow New Hampshire fire fighters, friends, and family members traveling with him to Rwanda and some returning year after year. Shaun now holds his running fundraiser in Rwanda, completing most of a marathon himself before running the final miles alongside the children he has worked for years to support.

Today, Shaun continues to serve as a firefighter in Portsmouth while returning to Rwanda each year. Nearly two decades after his first trip, Shaun remains committed to raising awareness and support for Ubaka U Rwanda so that the home can continue providing vulnerable children with a safe place to grow and thrive. Shaun's compassion and commitment to serving others both at home and abroad are why I am proud to name him September's Granite Stater of the Month.

Mr. President, I want to thank Senator Cassidy and Senator Wyden for the colloquy we just heard because we do need to tackle a number of challenges in the Social Security system.

The most important job of government is, of course, to keep people safe. And increasingly, some of the most constant threats that Americans face are scams and identity theft.

There has been a sharp rise in identity theft and online scams, including the theft of Social Security numbers. Identity theft is more than an annoyance; it can cost people their savings, jeopardize their credit, and more.

This is a danger that we need to take seriously, just as we stopped highwaymen from menacing people on our streets, we similarly must stop the outlaws of the digital age from preying on our people.

Unfortunately, even as criminals steal Social Security numbers, their victims, ordinary Americans, feel as if they have no one to turn to for help. It is not as simple as finding a police officer on the corner to retrieve a stolen wallet or purse.

Criminals have modernized their methods. So the U.S. Government must modernize its response too. That is why I have introduced a bipartisan bill with Senator Grassley. Our bill would streamline the process for victims of identity theft to get help when their Social Security number is stolen, giving Americans a single point of contact at the Social Security Administration so that they can get the help that they need.

When someone's Social Security number is stolen, when they are at risk of losing their hard-earned Social Security benefits, they deserve better than to have to navigate a never-ending maze of hold times and transfers as they try to find someone within the government who can help.

This bill is only one step in the work we have to do to fight scammers, but it does mark a commonsense step that Americans from across the political spectrum can certainly get behind. This legislation will help keep more Americans safe, combat fraud and abuse, and makes our government work better for the American people.

Families are already struggling enough right now with high costs. They deserve to be able to keep the money and benefits that they have earned without being threatened by online criminals. And when they are threatened, they should have access to a straightforward and prompt process to get help.

Now, the House has already passed this bill on a strong bipartisan basis. So I hope that we can send this legislation to the President today.

Mr. President, therefore, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be discharged from further consideration of

H.R. 5345 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration; that the bill be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motion to reconsider be considered made laid and upon the table.

Mr. President, I appreciate the efforts of the Senator from Texas to get legislation that we have passed here passed through the House of Representatives.

But I think it is really critically important to understand that while he is in these negotiations, people's identities are being stolen, people who need their Social Security benefits are going without as they try to navigate a complex and outdated Social Security system.

It is high time that we pass this bill. I am disappointed that we weren't able to send this bill to the President today. I understand the concerns of the Senator from Texas, but I really do think this is urgent for our people. I hope that my colleague from Texas and I can work together in a bipartisan way to get this over the finish line soon.

Madam President, I rise today to speak about a broken promise, a promise that the President made to the country when he took office.

Time and again, the President promised that ``starting on day one'' of his administration, he would ``end inflation''--his words. A year and a half into his term, it is clear that the President not only has broken his word but that he disdains the very notion that he should even try to make good on his pledge.

Now, for the vast majority of Americans of all ages and walks of life, of all political stripes, costs aren't a partisan thing, and it is simply clear: It costs more to be an American with Donald Trump as President.

Part of why I am speaking today is because, as a new Joint Economic Committee minority report details, American life has become more expensive under this administration. As of June, in my home State of New Hampshire, the average Granite State family has had to pay an additional $4,400 for goods and services since President Trump took office. This toll is exacted from virtually every part of everyday life.

In Donald Trump's America, when a person wakes up and starts their day, they now drink coffee that costs around $10 a pound, a 25-percent increase since the President launched senseless trade wars, launched without the support of the American people.

After they finish their coffee and drive to work or to drop their children off at school, they do so in a car that now costs more to fill up every time they stop at the pump. Each Granite State family has spent $596 more on gas, in fact, since President Trump launched his reckless, illegal war against Iran--a war he launched without a plan to win.

Now, let's say our typical American has a doctor's appointment that day. Assuming that they are able to afford health insurance, they will receive care covered by a plan which premiums rose as much as 50 percent under President Trump. Why? Because the President let Affordable Care Act insurance premiums surge.

And at the end of the day, the average Granite Stater returns to a house or an apartment that is also more expensive, as families in our State have so far spent $1,108 more on rent or mortgage payments since President Trump started his term--all because the President refuses to address our country's housing crisis.

And after my constituent gets home and goes to pick up her mail, she opens another electric bill. Electricity has gotten so expensive that people in New Hampshire have had to pay $194 more so far this year than last year because the President caused a worldwide energy crisis and canceled clean energy projects.

Next on the list, my constituent goes into the kitchen to make dinner, where--you guessed it--the ingredients cost more than they did before Trump took office. Granite Staters paid $310 more for groceries last year than they did the year before.

So what has been the cost of the Trump Presidency, a Presidency where food, healthcare, gas, rent, and more have all become more expensive? The costs can be summed up by the figures in this report, but it can also be put more simply. For many in our country, the cost has been nothing less than seeing their chance at the American dream fade before their very eyes.

A year and a half into his Presidency, my Republican colleagues are making excuse after excuse for the President's failure to address the American people's basic needs. They need to stop--stop trying to advance the fiction that the President cares about lowering costs or perhaps is trying to lower costs but is getting some bad counsel from his advisers. If the President actually wanted to help the American people, he would listen to them. He would hear that this economy isn't working for them and, for some, well, it is breaking them. If he cared, this man who was supposed to understand the economy, as well as the hopes and dreams of the American people, would acknowledge that he needs to take action to lower costs. And even if he doesn't care, if this President believed that, in America, Presidents are accountable to the American people, he would be working to make life more affordable.

But this President neither cares nor thinks he is accountable to anyone other than himself and perhaps his billionaire backers. Just consider, he has attacked and dismissed anyone who says that there is a problem at all. He has called inflation a ``hoax'' and dismissed the cost-of-living crisis as--his words--``made up.'' He says this despite the fact that virtually every American of every political perspective-- at least those who live outside the splendor of Mar-a-Lago--knows that American life has become more expensive under President Trump.

So when the American people say that their costs have gone up and the President dismisses inflation as a ``hoax,'' is he saying that American families are lying? Is he suggesting that they should not believe their own eyes, their own understanding of math, when they look at the numbers at the cash register or at the gas pump? Because it is one thing not to solve a problem for American families; it is quite another to essentially say that the American people are lying.

What have American families done, what have the people who gave the President the privilege of serving in the highest office in our country done to have their biggest challenge, their greatest anxiety and fear dismissed by the President as a ``hoax''?

Should we be surprised that a President who incited a mob to storm the Capitol and tried to overturn the voices and votes of the American people dismisses yet again what they have to say? Maybe the President would be more inclined to help the American people if they were a little less decent and a lot better connected. After all, this is President Trump's Washington, and we know well who this President is. He will save one of his corrupt campaign donors asking for a pardon, but he won't lift a finger to save American families a dime on their groceries.

And so I return to the President's promise. When he sought our country's highest office yet again, Donald Trump told the American people to put aside his corruption, his self-dealing, his poor character, his willingness to fan the flames of division and extremism, to forget the way he disrespects our veterans. He wanted us to even forget the attack on this Chamber, to forget the scars of the Capitol Police officers, forget all of this and more because he said he would bring down costs.

And now he is dismissive and contemptuous of anyone who asks him to make good on his pledge. He even undermines my Republican colleagues when they do try, in good faith, to lower costs. He actually threatened to block a bipartisan bill to bring down the cost of housing, a law that we were eventually able to pass.

Now, Donald Trump has made himself very, very clear. His Presidency will be defined not by lowering costs for families but by raising monuments to himself.

It doesn't have to be this way. The American people, right now, want an American dream that they can afford, a dream that doesn't belong just to a privileged few, a dream that is bigger than self-dealing, kickbacks, and self-enrichment schemes in the gilded rooms of Mar-a- Lago. The dreams of the American people aren't focused on golden luxury trappings. Their dreams are less gilded than all of that, but they are also far more noble.

Americans want their children to live better lives than they did; with quality, affordable healthcare that can help them rest easier at night; a decent education for their children; a place to build not a gilded ballroom but a home--a home in a country where we don't live fearing one another, divided over politics, but instead united as freedom-loving Americans who know that we are lucky to live in the greatest country on Earth, who love this country too much to ever hate our fellow Americans and who won't let the miracle of self-government die--not in the service of one man's ego, not for anything.

The American people want an America that is as good as this Nation's promise. They deserve a President whose word is as good as our people.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I am honored to recognize Renee Blacken of Bethlehem as August's Granite Stater of the Month for her extraordinary resilience, adventurous spirit, and commitment to expanding access to trauma recovery resources in northern New Hampshire.

Earlier this year, Renee became the first American and first solo female to complete the Atlantic Dash, rowing more than 3,200 miles alone across the Atlantic Ocean in a 6-meter wooden boat without a chase boat or resupply. After 65 days at sea, she arrived in Antigua, becoming the oldest American woman to complete a solo Atlantic row.

Renee undertook this extraordinary challenge not only to test her own limits, but also to support a cause deeply personal to her. After overcoming physical and mental health challenges with the help of trauma recovery resources, she founded the New Hampshire nonprofit Outdoor Adventuring for Good to expand access to trauma recovery programs throughout northern New Hampshire. Today, the organization is helping fund programs that support first responders, veterans, survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault, and others on their healing journeys.

Throughout her voyage, Renee remained connected to Granite Staters by sharing updates with supporters and exchanging videos with students in classrooms across New Hampshire. She taught young people to embrace challenges, that extraordinary achievements are possible through courage, preparation, and perseverance, to believe in themselves, and to understand the importance of asking for help when facing difficult times.

Renee's historic achievement, courage, and dedication to ensuring others have access to the support they need are why I am proud to name her August's Granite Stater of the Month.

Mr. President, I am honored to recognize Matthew Ives of Peterborough as July's Granite Stater of the Month for his extraordinary commitment to helping others through his service as a volunteer trauma nurse in Ukraine.

Matthew has dedicated his career to the care of others. His path into nursing began with years of service in healthcare, working as a lifeguard, EMT, 911 dispatcher, pharmacy technician, and ultimately graduating from nursing school at Nashua Community College. After he witnessed the suffering caused by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Matthew asked himself what he could do to help. He recognized a critical need for additional training in lifesaving trauma care, particularly the proper use of tourniquets to prevent otherwise survivable injuries from becoming life-threatening.

In 2024, Matthew traveled to Ukraine for his first volunteer deployment. Working in a bomb-damaged stabilization point near the frontlines, he treated both military personnel and civilians suffering from burns, broken bones, shrapnel wounds, and other traumatic injuries. Matthew has repeatedly returned because he knows that the need for care remains great. Even when he is back in the United States, he continues to support the people he met in Ukraine by helping secure the resources that they need to continue their lifesaving work. In addition to training and treating patients,

he has personally helped provide supplies and equipment, including funding vehicles and medical equipment for those serving on the frontlines.

Matthew says that New Hampshire's ``Live Free or Die'' spirit has shaped the way that he views the resilience of the Ukrainian people. He sees that same determination in those who continue to defend their communities despite immense hardship, refusing to surrender their freedom in the face of tyranny. His work reminds Granite Staters that courage often takes the form of quietly showing up each day to serve others, even in the most dangerous circumstances.

Matthew has returned to Ukraine, where he trains Ukrainian servicemembers in lifesaving medical skills and continues to provide care on the frontlines. Matthew's compassion, courage, and selflessness are why I am proud to name him July's Granite Stater of the Month.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I am honored to recognize Emelia Ajavon of Grantham as June's Granite Stater of the Month for creating the Chess Club 4 Kids in New Hampshire's Upper Valley.

After developing a love of mathematics and strategy at just 9 years old, Emelia attended a local chess club and discovered that there were few opportunities for kids her age to learn and play chess with their peers. Emelia, in true Granite State spirit, rolled up her sleeves and established the Chess Club 4 Kids at the Howe Library in Hanover.

Working with library staff, local schools, and community members, Emelia helped transform a simple idea into a thriving program. What began with just four participants has grown into a vibrant community that now welcomes an average 20 to 30 students each meeting and has served more than 100 families throughout the Upper Valley.

Through Chess Club 4 Kids, students from multiple communities across New Hampshire come together to learn, compete, and build friendships. By creating separate learning opportunities for beginners and more experienced players, Emelia's club ensures that every participant feels welcomed, challenged, and supported. For many students, Emelia's club has become a place not only to strengthen critical thinking and strategic skills, but also to find a sense of belonging among peers who share similar interests.

As Emelia prepares to enter high school, she is already working to pass leadership of her club to younger students so it can continue to thrive for years to come. Her commitment to ensuring the Chess Club 4 Kids endures reflects the same vision and dedication that inspired its creation. Emelia's initiative and generosity embody the very best of the New Hampshire, which is why I am proud to name her June's Granite Stater of the Month.

Mr. President, I call up my amendment No. 5535 and ask that it be reported by number.

Mr. President, as families struggle with high costs, we should be focused on making life more affordable for American families, starting with housing.

My amendment is straightforward. It does not take funding from other programs; it simply expands the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, sending more money to all 50 States to help build 7 million new, high- quality homes nationwide. That means 25,000 new homes in my home State of New Hampshire, 60,000 new homes in Iowa, and 135,000 in Colorado. Building these homes will help address our housing shortage and help make housing more affordable for all Americans.

Now is the time to listen to the American people and lower costs for families.

I urge a ``yes'' vote.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, this amendment does not take any funding away from any other Department or Agency. Pursuant to section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act and all budget resolution disciplines that apply, I move to waive all points of order for the purposes of the pending measure.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Vote on Motion

Mr. President, earlier today I called up my amendment No. 5535 to expand the HOME Investment Partnerships Program that would send money to all 50 States and help build 7 million new homes nationwide. Because I only had 1 minute to speak, I wanted to provide for the Record how the amendment would help build at least the following housing units in each State:

70,000 homes in Alabama; 10,000 homes in Alaska; 130,000

homes in Arizona; 55,000 homes in Arkansas; 980,000 homes in

California; 135,000 homes in Colorado; 85,000 homes in

Connecticut; 15,000 homes in Delaware; 400,000 homes in

Florida; 200,000 homes in Georgia; 25,000 homes in Hawaii;

30,000 homes in Idaho; 280,000 homes in Illinois; 135,000

homes in Indiana; 60,000 homes Iowa; 45,000 homes in Kansas;

85,000 homes in Kentucky; 100,000 homes in Louisiana; 20,000

homes in Maine; 130,000 homes in Maryland;

160,000 homes in Massachusetts; 195,000 homes in Michigan;

95,000 homes in Minnesota; 35,000 homes in Mississippi;

125,000 homes in Missouri; 15,000 homes in Montana; 35,000

homes in Nebraska; 75,000 homes in Nevada; 25,000 homes in

New Hampshire; 190,000 homes in New Jersey; 40,000 homes in

New Mexico; 600,000 homes in New York; 200,000 homes in North

Carolina; 15,000 homes in North Dakota; 260,000 homes in

Ohio; 80,000 homes in Oklahoma; 110,000 homes in Oregon;

260,000 homes in Pennsylvania; 25,000 homes in Rhode Island;

90,000 homes in South Carolina; 10,000 homes in South Dakota;

135,000 homes in Tennessee; 700,000 homes in Texas; 40,000

homes in Utah; 10,000 homes in Vermont; 160,000 homes in

Virginia; 180,000 homes in Washington; 25,000 homes in West

Virginia; 115,000 homes in Wisconsin; and 10,000 homes in

Wyoming.

Mr. President, I am honored to recognize Kathy Nichols of Hudson as May's Granite Stater of the Month for her extraordinary volunteer service to people with vision impairments.

After retiring in 2021, Kathy wanted to use her time to give back to her community. She connected with Future In Sight, a nonprofit organization that helps visually impaired Granite Staters live independently by providing transportation, assistive technology, training, and other support services. Kathy quickly signed up to volunteer, in part, to honor her late father who was blind in one eye.

Kathy has become a steadfast volunteer for the organization. She has provided nearly 300 rides for 20 clients, volunteered more than 800 hours of her time, and driven almost 9,000 miles to help members of her community maintain their independence and dignity. Through her service, Kathy has not only helped Granite Staters access appointments and daily necessities, but also reminded them that they are not alone.

Kathy has also built new friendships through her volunteering. After she was paired with Jan Schlecht through Future In Sight, the two developed a close friendship built over countless conversations during rides to appointments, errands, and everyday activities. Through shared conversions and experiences, Kathy and Jan formed a bond which reflects the meaningful relationships that can grow through service and community.

Kathy's volunteerism has shown the profound difference one person can make through kindness, empathy, and commitment to others. She exemplifies the compassion, generosity, and community spirit that make New Hampshire such a special place to call home, which is why I am proud to name her May's Granite Stater of the Month.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I am honored to recognize the first grade students at Campton Elementary as April's Granite Staters of the Month. The Campton students are learning American Sign Language to help communicate with and include one of their classmates Ben, who is deaf.

Ben is the only deaf student at Campton Elementary and participates in class with the help of a teacher's aide and Cheryl Ulicny, who is a certified teacher of the deaf. As Ben's classmates have gotten to know him, some of his friends wanted to learn how to sign as a way to better include Ben and grow closer to him. Quickly, the entire class decided to take on the challenge and started to learn American Sign Language, through a mix of lessons from Cheryl and everyday conversations with Ben. The practice has spread beyond first grade too, and staff throughout the building meet up at what they call ASL Club, to learn and practice their signing skills. Today, almost every student and staff member at Campton Elementary knows at least a sign or two.

The first grade students at Campton Elementary embody the Granite State spirit of valuing the contributions of all our citizens and working to fully include everyone in our communities. Their work to learn American Sign Language is why I am glad to name them April's Granite Staters of the Month.

Mr. President, I am honored to recognize Kara Cole of Plymouth as March's Granite Stater of the Month. Kara created a program to teach elementary school students the lifelong skill of sewing.

Kara has always been passionate about sewing, and she believes that the skill isn't just a fun hobby but that it is also an important way to encourage sustainability, foster creativity, and provide a career pathway for students. After Kara realized 4 years ago that many of the students she worked with as a library media specialist for the Franklin School District didn't know how to sew, she decided to roll up her sleeves and change that. Kara went above and beyond her responsibilities and, alongside Cassie Easter, a library assistant in the district, Kara created a program to teach elementary students at the Paul Smith School in Franklin how to sew.

Since establishing the program, Kara has helped hundreds of students learn how to sew. This year, with the help of local donations, Kara helped students sew pillowcases and was even able to ensure that every single student had a pillow to put in their pillowcase. Kara has plans to grow the program in the years to come and hopes to include neighboring schools and organizations as part of her mission.

Kara's desire to go above and beyond to teach others a lifelong skill in her community is a great example of the Granite State spirit of supporting our neighbors. Her passion for helping young people is why I am proud to name her March's Granite Stater of the Month.