Floor Statements

Mr. President, I was absent for one rollcall vote on August 5, 2026.

On August 5, had I been present, I would have voted nay on the Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Erica Schwartz to be Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (rollcall vote No. 219).

Mr. President, reserving the right to object, despite its name, this bill does nothing--nothing--to meaningfully help pregnant students, nor does it protect their rights. It is yet another step in a broader war on reproductive freedom--this time by threatening funding losses for colleges and universities that do not comply.

This bill would require colleges and universities to distribute information to all students about carrying a pregnancy to term and caring for a child after birth. That is the focus of this bill.

This bill intentionally--intentionally--excludes information about the full range of reproductive health, including contraception, abortion, even where those options are legal. That is not protecting pregnant students' rights; that is government-mandated bias.

Pregnant students who are legal adults do not need politicians, do not need government, deciding which facts they are allowed to know. What they actually need is medically accurate information so they can make informed decisions about what is best for their bodies, their families, and their futures.

While Republicans claim this bill is about protecting students, the reality is that this bill does nothing to actually expand protections for students.

This bill offers no guarantees of medical leave, flexible coursework, lactation accommodations, childcare assistance, housing support, or financial aid protections. In other words, this bill does nothing to address the real barriers pregnant and parenting students face every day.

Instead, this bill will threaten the funding universities and colleges rely on--funds that have been under attack by this regime. Already, the Trump regime has withheld or canceled billions in grants and other funding from colleges and universities. And now, with this bill, they are threatening the further loss of funds to force colleges and universities to comply by requiring--requiring--them to push out incomplete information that intentionally does not provide students the full range of options. And that is because this bill isn't actually about protecting students. It is about advancing Republicans' war on reproductive care.

Tomorrow is the fourth anniversary of the Supreme Court's disastrous Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, overturning a constitutional right that women in this country relied on and had for some 50 years.

And in the 4 years since Dobbs, Republicans have worked tirelessly to deny or limit access to reproductive care, to spread fear and confusion, and to shame those who seek care.

By intentionally withholding medically accurate information from students at a moment when access is already under attack, this bill will only further undermine access to reproductive care.

This bill does nothing to protect the rights of students. It treats students as though they are political pawns, endangering their health and well-being to advance Republicans' extremist anti-abortion agenda. For those reasons, I object.

Mr. President, if Republicans truly want to help students make informed decisions and prevent unintended pregnancies, they would support evidence-based--not ideologically based but evidence-based policies that expand access to medically accurate information, policies like the Real Education and Access for Healthy Youth Act, legislation that I introduced with Senator Booker that would expand comprehensive medically accurate sex education and ensure young people at colleges and universities have the information they need to navigate their futures. That is what real support looks like.

By equipping students with factual information, our bill will help empower our young people to make informed decisions about their bodies and their lives.

Mr. President, that is why I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be discharged and the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 1910; further, that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be consider made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I call up my amendment No. 5506, and I ask that it be reported by number.

Mr. President, rather than handing the administration another blank check for ICE, we should be investing in our future. Youth membership programs help prepare young people for the future while also helping parents of working and middle-class families who rely on these programs--programs provided through organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America. This is especially true at a time when these families are struggling under the skyrocketing costs due to the President's illegal tariffs and illegal war. The DOJ's youth mentoring programs provided $105 million to support afterschool programs in fiscal year 2026.

My amendment with Senator Van Hollen would double the funding for these programs over the next 4 years, expanding opportunities for at least 18,000 more students between fiscal year 2026 and fiscal year 2029.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment and investing in children and families across our country.

Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I am glad to join my colleague Senator Schatz in rising today to recognize the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors men's volleyball team, the 2026 NCAA national champions.

As stated, on Monday, the Rainbow Warriors defeated the UC Irvine team to claim the national title for the third time. In the process, they made history by completing the first 30-win season in program history.

As a proud University of Hawaii graduate, I join people across our State and beyond in celebrating this impressive group of athletes. Not only is their roster impressive; it is diverse, with players from across the Pacific, from Europe, from the mainland, from across our islands. Tournament MVP Louis Sakanoko came to the University of Hawaii all the way from France. The Big West Player of the Year Tread Rosenthal is from Texas. And let's not forget two of Hawaii's own: Kainoa Wade and Alex Parks.

The `Bows' coach Charlie Wade has said that the program they built at UH is unlike anything else on the planet, and part of what makes this team so special and successful is the commitment to embracing and building around their different strengths--players from different countries, different cultures, and different playing traditions coming together to accomplish a shared goal with the understanding that their differences make them stronger.

The State of Hawaii has always understood that diversity is something to celebrate, not fear. In our State, cultures don't just coexist; they combine to create something greater than the sum of their parts. Like our State, these Rainbow Warriors show what is possible when we embrace our differences, our diversity. At a time when diversity is under attack, this team just showed the entire country that diversity is a competitive advantage.

To Coach Wade, to every player, to the fans in Hawaii who packed the Stan Sheriff Center, cheering at the top of their lungs: Congratulations and mahalo. You made Hawaii proud.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I call up my amendment No. 4884 and ask that it be reported by number.

Mr. President, Republicans' budget resolution would provide another $140 billion for immigration enforcement. With that amount Republicans have proposed, Democrats could fully fund Federal programs for low-income students, fully fund Federal programs for students with disabilities, quadruple Federal funding for afterschool programs, double the Pell grant maximum award, and provide universal free school meals for all students.

That is why my amendment with Senator Van Hollen would ensure that, before we give another blank check to ICE and CBP without any guardrails, we ensure funding for free school meals so every child has the nutritious food they need to learn and grow.

Republicans could easily do this, but they would rather spend our tax dollars on lawless immigration enforcement and illegal wars.

Budgets are about priorities. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment and showing that our Nation's children are worth prioritizing.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, pursuant to section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and a waiver of provisions of applicable budget resolutions, I move to waive all applicable sections of that act and applicable budget points of order for the purposes of the pending measure.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Vote on Motion

Mr. President, I would be happy to yield to my colleague from New Hampshire Mrs. Shaheen if she would like to go before me.

Mr. President, for 125 years, women have bravely served in our Armed Forces, risking their lives to defend our country and to protect our national security.

Today, more than 2 million--2 million--women veterans live in the United States--women Trump has ignored. Basically, he has turned his back on them by denying them access to abortion care and counseling.

Abortion care is critical care, often lifesaving healthcare, as noted by my colleague just now. That is why, after the Supreme Court's disastrous Dobbs decision, the VA responded by enabling women veterans to access abortion counseling and care.

But last December, the VA, under different leadership and thinking they could get away with it, quietly implemented a near-total abortion ban at the VA even in cases of rape, incest, or when a pregnancy endangers the veteran's life. It is not an exaggeration to call this change in VA policy yet another front in Trump's war on women.

Over 450,000 of the women veterans of reproductive age who receive VA care live in States with abortion bans or restrictions. Because of Trump's extreme policy, these women are now out of options and with nowhere to turn, in reality, for abortion care. These are veterans, as I mentioned, who bravely risk their lives for our country, who have the expectation that their country will take care of them when they return to civilian life--not so under this regime. Instead, the Agency tasked with ensuring the health of our veterans is willfully risking their health and lives all because of its ideological agenda.

We owe it to our women veterans and all veterans to provide them with the healthcare they need and earn, not to mention deserve. That is why Senate Democrats have introduced legislation to overturn this life- threatening policy at the VA and restore access to the care our veterans deserve.

Tonight, every Senator will go on the record to make clear whether they care more about the well-being of our veterans or the political cruelty of Donald Trump. As the regime attempts to score cheap political points and place the lives of thousands of women at risk, I urge my colleagues to join in restoring access to essential healthcare for these veterans.

I want to add to the examples provided by my colleague Senator Blumenthal. Our women veterans, in their service to our country, are exposed to toxic fumes and other environmental and surface conditions that require comprehensive healthcare. As I mentioned, they are exposed to conditions that maybe in the normal course, other women who are not in our services are exposed to. So our women veterans require comprehensive healthcare, and that is what we are asking for. Of course, that care includes abortion care.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I rise in strong opposition to the so- called SAVE America Act. What it should be called is the ``Save Trump Act.'' This bill is not about protecting elections; it is about making it harder for eligible Americans to vote, and Republicans know it.

Right now, my Republican colleagues are trying to hide the ball. They talk about voter ID at the polls as if that is all this bill requires. But that is not the case. That is not the truth. The truth is that this bill requires every American--every American, millions of Americans--to provide documentary proof of citizenship, like passports or birth certificates, in person, just to register to vote, OK?

Right now, we have a situation where millions of Americans are voting, but suddenly that is not going to be OK. This bill will require every American to reregister, register, and show proof of citizenship.

So Republicans are hoping that Americans won't know the difference between having to show a photo ID when voting and the requirement to prove citizenship in order to even register to vote.

Let me be clear. This bill is not just about showing a picture ID when voting; this bill is about having to prove citizenship in person before you can even register to vote.

The SAVE Act will make it harder, more expensive, and certainly less convenient to register to vote. Republicans know this. This is the part that the Republicans are not talking about as they continue to sell the SAVE Act as a voter ID bill. It is the part that Republicans are hoping people will not notice or understand until it is too late, until they are told: Wait a minute. You can't even go to the polls or you can't even vote unless, ahead of time, you register by proving your citizenship.

So once Americans do understand what this bill does, it becomes clear: This bill is not about securing our elections; it is about controlling which Americans get to participate in them through imposing onerous voter registration requirements.

Let's be very clear about something else. Noncitizen voting in Federal elections is already illegal. It is a Federal crime. If a noncitizen illegally votes in a Federal election, they could be prosecuted and even sentenced up to 5

years in prison. Who is going to commit this kind of fraud knowing that they could be imprisoned for 5 years? And as my colleague just mentioned, my colleague from Illinois, there have been so few of these kinds of so-called fraud in the years that millions and millions of people have been voting.

So Republicans would like the American people to believe that noncitizens are voting in our elections in the thousands, and the truth is that noncitizen voting is extremely rare, to be practically nonexistent.

The Cato Institute found that voting by noncitizens in the United States is virtually nonexistent. The Heritage Foundation found fewer than 70 instances of it over a 40-year period. Think about it. Millions of people vote every year, and the Heritage Foundation found only 70 instances in over 40 years of people voting. That amounts to one ten- thousandths of the over 1 billion votes cast during that same period. And we all know the Cato Institute and the Heritage Foundation are not liberal think tanks.

In continuing their claims of mass voter fraud necessitating this bill, Republicans are perpetuating a lie about something that is practically nonexistent and already illegal.

So why are Republicans so obsessed with passing this bill? Why is Donald Trump calling it ``one of the most important and consequential pieces of legislation in the history of Congress''? Because he and the Republicans know that their agenda--gutting Medicaid, slashing SNAP, taxing us through illegal tariffs, and dragging us into an illegal war--is deeply unpopular with the American people. It is so unpopular that people will be motivated--that is the fear the Republicans have-- that people will be motivated to vote against this agenda and vote for Democrats. Republicans know that when more people vote, they lose. So instead of changing their policies and actually listening to what the American people really need, which are things like lowering housing costs and food costs, the Republicans want to change who gets to vote. They want to cherry-pick who gets to participate in our democracy.

In every State except North Dakota, people have to register to vote before voting. Many States, including Hawaii, have made voter registration as simple as possible to encourage more voter participation. But not under this bill. Under this bill, Americans would have to prove their citizenship by producing documents like a passport or birth certificate in person in order to register to vote.

Imagine you are living in a rural community somewhere and you have to go somewhere in person to register to vote. Republicans know that this is not a simple requirement that they want to impose on people who would want to register to vote.

More than 140 million Americans--nearly half of American citizens--do not have a passport, and my colleague just said that there are more White Americans who have passports than there are Black Americans. So that will already give you an idea of who the Republicans are hoping to discourage from even registering to vote.

In addition, more than 21 million eligible voters do not have ready access to documents proving their citizenship. In other words, for tens of millions of Americans, producing these documents is not a simple hurdle; it is a huge barrier. It is a barrier for young people trying to register for the first time, for seniors who no longer have easy access to documents, for working families who can't afford the time or cost of navigating more government paperwork just to register to vote.

A new passport costs over $150. If this sounds like a poll tax, a price to exercise our constitutional right to vote, that is because it is. It is a financial burden on Americans at a time when millions are struggling just to put food on the table and to pay rent, to put a roof over their heads--yet another reminder of how out of touch this regime is with the lives of average, everyday Americans.

Unsurprisingly, the burdens that this bill creates would fall disproportionately on communities who have historically had to fight for their right to vote, including women.

An estimated 69 million women do not have a birth certificate that matches their current legal name, their married name, including over 300,000 women in Hawaii alone.

In fact, there was a time in Hawaii and probably other States where if you got married, you could not keep your name. You had to take your husband's name or your spouse's name. Hawaii got rid of that, but I just want to mention there was a time when there were lots of limitations on what women could do.

So 300,000 women in my State and millions more across the country would face new barriers to voting. Talk about heading people off at the pass.

If women can be stopped or dissuaded from registering to vote, frankly, that is OK by Republicans. Republicans know full well the consequences that this bill would have for women across our country in red and blue States alike.

While women will suffer under this bill, so too will many other communities, including our servicemembers and their families.

Don't take my word for it. Let me share with you a letter I received from a military spouse in Hawaii. She writes--and I am going to quote her letter because she notes some very important realities for our servicemembers.

She wrote:

The SAVE Act would have disastrous impacts on military

families like mine. Most active-duty families move every two

or three years. In addition to these moves' disruption of our

established support networks, changes in our children's

education and social lives, and limits on our employment and

career paths, these moves also impact our ability to vote.

We have a 27-percent voter participation deficit compared

to civilian voters, partly due to how many logistical

challenges we already face. If passed, this bill would mean

that military servicemembers and their families could

functionally no longer register to vote from a far-away duty

station.

Additionally, if an eligible voter was born overseas like

many in our community--if an eligible voter has changed their

first or last name since birth, like many spouses do when

they get married--or if an eligible voter simply doesn't have

access to their documents because they're in the middle of a

military move--this bill could deny them the ability to

register [to vote].

The SAVE America Act would cut families like mine out of

the ability to participate in our own democracy, the very

democracy we have committed to protect.

There are more than 2 million people serving in our armed services, more than 40,000 of whom live in Hawaii. Our servicemembers risk their lives for our country, but this bill will make it harder for them to participate in the very democracy they fight to defend.

And let's not pretend this bill exists in isolation or in a vacuum. Under this regime, we have seen a relentless campaign to undermine trust in our elections and to enact new restrictions on voting.

Under the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Department of Justice has sued 29 States and the District of Columbia, demanding these jurisdictions hand over their voter rolls and all the personal data contained in these voter rolls.

Now, what are Trump and the person he considers his lawyer, Pam Bondi, going to do with all of this information? Interfering with our elections comes to mind. And it was just weeks ago that now outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Noem refused to rule out stationing ICE agents outside polling places this fall.

If that isn't intimidation or voter interference, I don't know what is.

Taken together--making it harder to register to vote, suing States to turn over voter rolls, refusing to pass the Voting Rights Advancement Act, and continued false allegations of voter fraud--this regime is obsessed with controlling the outcome of our elections and obsessed with this bill.

Republicans know they can't win over voters with their policies so they are trying to limit who can vote. We have seen this before, from poll taxes to literacy tests. Southern States spent decades making it as hard as possible for Black Americans and other communities of color to exercise their constitutional right to vote.

We have come a long way since the days of Jim Crow, but this bill is a chilling reminder that the battles we thought we had won don't stay won. Eternal vigilance is required of all of us.

The SAVE Act is not some benign piece of legislation. That is why we Senate Democrats are here speaking up

and fighting back. We know what is at stake, and we refuse to stand by while Republicans undermine our democracy and our sacred right to vote under the false pretense of security.

Here is the truth: Republicans don't give a rip about saving America. All they care about is saving Trump's ass, deluding themselves into believing everything Trump says.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I thought it was instructive to listen to my colleague from Maine, Angus King. And today, he quoted Cicero in saying: If you don't know your history, you live your whole life as a child.

Well, here is another cliche: Ignorance is bliss.

Ignorance is not bliss, and yet that is what President Trump wants the American people to be in--in a state of ignorance.

Our national parks tell the story of our country--good, bad, past, present, and future. With over 430 national park sites covering more than 85 million acres across our country, the national parks system protects the beauty of our country and preserves the history that has played out on these sites.

But under the Trump regime, this past year has been a historically destructive period for our national parks. From stripping land protections and gutting park staff to plastering Trump's face on national park passes--frankly, I am just glad I have a lifetime pass that does not have his face on it. From making Trump's birthday a free entrance day, while limiting the free entrance day for Martin Luther King, Jr., Day and Juneteenth, Trump and Republicans have been conducting an unprecedented assault on our national parks.

What is more, they are attempting to rewrite history to their liking. Last May, the Department of Interior advised national park sites across the country to remove content at their sites that ``disparage Americans.'' The Department claimed to have found hundreds of instances of partisan ideology in exhibits at national parks and ordered that they be removed.

What were these exhibits that were so partisan and offensive that they were flagged and ordered for removal? They included an exhibit at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge to display information describing the internment of Japanese Americans in wartime camps--concentration camps--displays describing the massacres of indigenous people, displays depicting the historical accounts of slavery.

Think about that. This regime views historical accounts of massacres, slavery, and internment as partisan ideology so dangerous it warrants removal. The removal of these exhibits not only strips these sites of critical content, but it erases and whitewashes the history of our country.

These exhibits and others like them reflect some of the darkest stains on our country's history. That is precisely why it is so important that we continue to talk about them and learn about them. It is by preserving history that we prevent ourselves from repeating the more egregious parts of our past.

Perhaps that is why Trump is so hellbent on erasing painful parts of our Nation's history. He wants to wipe out references to the unconstitutional internment of over 120,000 Japanese Americans that destroyed their livelihoods--indeed, their lives--their businesses, and split apart families.

Doesn't this sound familiar, as this regime goes about arresting and deporting thousands of immigrants without due process, spreading fear and chaos in our communities?

Our national parks are places where we can learn about historical events. Our parks also preserve pristine national landscapes in every corner of our country.

Many of these sites are impacted, unsurprisingly, by climate change. Protecting our parks from the impacts of climate change is not a high priority for Trump and his regime, as he continues to focus on ``drill baby drill.'' In

fact, his regime is erasing exhibits addressing the impacts of climate change on our parks.

Information about climate change helps national park visitors to fully understand the environment that surrounds them. The National Park Service has been ordered to remove the general climate change web page, as well as specific changes on other national park websites, including those from the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park site. Talk about sticking your head in the sand.

For Hawaii, our unique geography means it is profoundly impacted by climate change, from shoreline erosion to rising ocean temperatures and so much more.

Americans need to understand what is happening to our environment so that we can better understand how to protect these natural resources for future generations. It is critical that our parks continue not only their missions of conserving natural, cultural, and historical landscapes, but that they accurately display important context about the sites on which they exist.

As this regime--and why do I keep referring to ``this regime''? It is because regimes are authoritarian. Authoritarian regimes tell parks: Hey, do not tell the American people the full history of this site.

That is a regime. So that is why I continue to call this a regime.

Anyway, for this regime, as it attempts to rewrite history all over the place, it is no surprise that they have set their sights on our national parks. The millions of visitors to our national parks will not get a full picture. Apparently, that is exactly as this regime intends.

Mr. President, we deserve better.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, this year marks the 250th anniversary of America's founding, and this year should be a celebration of our Nation and all those who have made it what it is. The story of our Nation is a story of diversity, of people of different races, religions, and national origins coming together to build something bigger than any one of us.

That story should be told in its totality, but we have a regime that fears diversity and is trying to erase it from our history. From directing the National Park Service to remove aspects of American history from exhibits, such as slavery, to targeting immigrant communities across the country, to its all-out war on diversity and inclusion, Trump's regime is attempting to rewrite history and create a White America that never existed in the first place.

The Native peoples were here first. This country would not be what it is today without the social, economic, and cultural contributions and the many sacrifices of historically marginalized but important communities.

As we celebrate 250 years of America, it is critical that we tell their stories--stories that are central to the country and truly define our communities. One such story is the revitalization of Native languages, including the Hawaiian language.

Since 2023, February has been recognized by the State of Hawaii as Mahina Olelo Hawaii, or Hawaiian Language Month. Following the colonization of the Hawaiian Islands by English-speaking westerners, the Hawaiian language, also known as Olelo Hawaii, was nearly driven to extinction. After the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893, a law was enacted effectively barring the teaching of Olelo Hawaii across the islands. As a result, the use of Olelo Hawaii sharply declined, and the language came close to extinction.

Thankfully, cultural practitioners, educators, and community members like Mary Kawena Pukui, author of the Hawaiian language dictionary, kept the language alive until interest in learning Hawaiian increased during the Hawaiian cultural renaissance in the 1970s.

In 1978, Olelo Hawaii was finally recognized as an official language of the State of Hawaii--quite the contrast to President Trump's Executive order designating English as the language of our country.

Olelo Hawaii has been reintroduced to the public education system, and Hawaiian language immersion schools have been established throughout the State to continue to revitalize and protect this important aspect of Hawaiian culture.

The designation of February as Mahina Olelo Hawaii serves as a testament to the resilience of the Native Hawaiian community and the importance of Hawaiian history and culture.

Indigenous languages are an important part of our country's history and fabric. A curriculum similar to what is used in our Hawaiian immersion schools has also been used by other indigenous groups to foster and revive their languages. In 2016, for example, a group of Hawaii educators from our Aha Punana Leo immersion schools in Hawaii traveled to the Midwest and mentored a language institute of the Ojibwe Tribe. There, the group shared their methodology and curricula to support the institute's program and help preserve the Ojibwe language.

I am really proud that the resurgence of Native Hawaiian language is used as an example for other Native groups to learn how they can use similar programs to preserve their very special Native languages. Celebrating the survival and revitalization of these indigenous languages helps to preserve and strengthen the cultural diversity of our communities because, while much has changed since the founding of our Nation, the through line of America has always been our diversity.

So Trump and Republicans can continue to tell their cherry-picked version of American history, but they cannot erase the truth of our diversity.

As we celebrate our Nation's 250th anniversary, we reaffirm our commitment to upholding and fostering that diversity, to protecting the culture of communities that were here before us, and to ensuring the stories of our country and the Americans who make it so great are told in full.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I rise today in opposition to S. 3627, the so-called Pregnant Students' Rights Act.

But before I begin, I want to take a moment to honor Alex Pretti and Renee Good, who were horrifically killed by DHS officers in a tragic demonstration of the lawlessness of this regime.

While my Republican colleagues refuse to address this regime's rampant lawlessness in so many instances, they still find the time to propose yet another ideologically driven bill, this bill, that belies the bill's title.

Let me be clear, pregnant and parenting students deserve real support and real protections during a challenging time in their lives. Democrats have long supported policies to provide that kind of support.

This bill does not, meaningfully, help pregnant students nor does it protect their rights. It is yet another step in a broader war on reproductive rights and reproductive freedoms, this time, by threatening funding loss for colleges and universities that do not comply. This bill would require colleges and universities to distribute information to all students about carrying a pregnancy to term and caring for a child after birth, but it intentionally excludes information about the full range of reproductive healthcare options, including contraception and abortion, even where those options are legal.

That is not protecting pregnant students' rights; that is government- mandated bias. Pregnant students who are legal adults do not need politicians deciding which facts they are allowed to know. They need accurate, medically sound information so they can make informed decisions about what is best for their bodies, their families, and their futures.

While Republicans claim that this bill is about protecting students, the reality is that this bill does nothing to actually expand protections for students. This bill creates no new rights beyond what is already provided under title IX. It offers no guarantees of medical leave, flexible course work, lactation accommodations, childcare assistance, housing support, or financial aid protections.

In other words, this bill does nothing to address the real barriers pregnant and parenting students face every day. We know those barriers are real and serious. More than 4 million college students in this country are parents. Many are working full time while enrolled. Many face food insecurity, housing insecurity, homelessness.

Student parents, particularly women, single parents, students of color, and LGBTQ+ students are less likely to graduate--not because of a lack of ability but because they don't have access to the support they need. At the same time that the Republicans bring this

bill--this hollow bill--to the floor, they are gutting the Department of Education, slashing staff at the Office of Civil Rights, and weakening enforcement of title IX, the law that already protects pregnant and parenting students from discrimination.

As written, this bill would threaten the funding the universities rely on, funds that have been under attack by this regime.

Already the Trump regime has withheld or canceled billions-- billions--in grants or other funds for colleges and universities, and now with this bill, they are threatening the further loss of funds for our colleges and universities.

You know, when does this all stop?

So they are doing this because they want incomplete information to be given to all students attending the universities and colleges by not providing the students the entire range of reproductive options, and that is because this isn't actually about protecting students; it is about advancing Republicans' war on reproductive rights.

Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Republicans have worked tirelessly to deny people access to abortion care and spread fear and confusion and shame to those who seek reproductive care. By intentionally withholding medically accurate information from students at a moment when access is already under attack, this bill would only further undermine access to reproductive care.

If Republicans truly wanted to help students make informed decisions and prevent unintended pregnancies, they would support evidence-based policies that expand access to medically accurate information, not limit this kind of information.

Policies like the Real Education and Access for Healthy Youth Act, legislation that I introduced that would expand comprehensive, medically accurate sex education and ensure young people have the complete range of information needed to make responsible decisions about their health and their futures, are what real support looks like--not censorship, not gaslighting, not ideological mandates.

By withholding comprehensive, accurate information from students, my Republican colleagues' bill would deny students the dignity of making informed healthcare decisions for themselves, and it would force colleges to push biased, incomplete information to all of their students regardless of whether they want to or not.

So once again, this regime is extorting colleges to do what they--the regime--force them to do. This bill does nothing to protect the rights of students. It treats students as political pawns, endangering their health and well-being to advance Republicans' extreme, anti-abortion agenda; therefore, I urge my colleagues to vote no on advancing S. 3627 and instead join us in advancing the protections that pregnant and parenting students actually need to thrive.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I want to thank my colleague from Maryland for his passionate advocacy for IDEA. IDEA is a critical program of the U.S. Department of Education.

Let me tell you what is happening to the U.S. Department of Education under President Trump.

We have a regime--that is what I call the Trump administration. It is a regime hell-bent on dismantling the Federal Government. From withholding billions in Federal funding to conducting mass firings of Federal workers and shuttering critical Agencies with hardly any notice at all, to implementing countless, harmful Executive actions, the Trump regime has sown chaos, corruption, and cruelty from day one. It is no wonder that there are now over 300 lawsuits to stop Trump's illegal actions.

It is clear Trump doesn't give a rip about our government or the millions of Americans who rely on the services it provides. That includes the U.S. Department of Education, which does critical work to ensure our country's more than 50 million--50 million--public school students can get a quality education.

Instead of trying to strengthen the Department of Education's support for our Nation's public schools, Trump and his allies are trying to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education completely. This has always been part of

his plan. He began his second term by summarily firing nearly half of the Department's workforce. He did this in one fell swoop. These committed people at the Department of Education were told: You don't have to come to work tomorrow. So this followed the plan laid out, basically, for President Trump and Project 2025. Then, just this week, his Secretary of Education laid out plans to slash and dismantle the Department even further.

Education is foundational. It certainly was for me. As an immigrant, I came to this country not knowing any English. I didn't read or write English. It is the education system that this country afforded me that provided me the opportunities that resulted in my standing here, giving these remarks.

So, while we can all agree that there are ways we can improve our education system, we should also be able to agree that there is a role for the Federal Government in helping to ensure that all students--50 million--receive a quality education. For decades, the Department of Education has played that role of working to protect students against discrimination and ensure equal opportunities in our schools.

Of course, one of the ways it does this is by supporting students with disabilities. Signed into law in 1975, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, protects the rights of more than 7 million students with disabilities across the country--7 million. The IDEA helps to ensure these students receive free and appropriate public education that meets their needs. It also provides funding--yes, we need to fund the IDEA to the extent that is required--to help support these students and ensure the oversight of services for students with disabilities.

Before the IDEA was enacted, we did not have these kinds of Federal protections for students with disabilities. As a result, there was no way to ensure that students with disabilities were not denied access to education or were not neglected in our schools. As noted by my colleague from Maryland, many of these students didn't even get to go to school. They didn't have IDEA.

So, later this month, we will celebrate the 50th year of IDEA--the landmark law that has provided millions of young people with access to a free and appropriate public education.

Despite the success of the IDEA and programs like it, this regime is accelerating plans to dismantle the Department of Education and roll back the progress it has enabled by moving important programs to other Departments with no education expertise.

Recently, for example, Trump tried to take advantage of the shutdown to illegally fire hundreds more workers from the Education Department, including the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services and the Office for Civil Rights.

Education Secretary McMahon--herself one of Trump's billionaire buddies--has made the preposterous claim that the shutdown proved the Education Department is unnecessary. This is the kind of unsubstantiated--I can hardly believe that she would consider this proof of any kind, but this is the kind of stuff that the Trump administration always claims. The regime makes these kinds of unsubstantiated claims on a regular basis to justify its ill-conceived and often illegal acts.

In reality, I had constituents reaching out to my office during the shutdown to share concerns about how furloughs of the Department of Education were impacting Hawaii's public schools and the students they serve, including the students with disabilities.

I heard from the mother of a 4-year-old boy who attends a title I school in Hawaii. She was concerned about how the mass firings of special education staff threatened the services her child received.

Every public school child who receives special education must have, as mentioned, an individualized education program, or IEP--a plan to help meet the unique needs of each student. But without the necessary trained staff to support oversight of these programs, there is no one to help guide teachers or schools in developing these plans and ensuring that they are implemented or followed.

As mentioned, just yesterday, Secretary McMahon released a detailed plan for reorganizing the Department of Education by moving dozens of programs and services to other Agencies that do not have the necessary staffing, funding, or expertise to oversee these programs. We can expect that she will try to move IDEA too.

I heard from a middle school teacher on Hawaii island who emphasized just how unrealistic Trump's plan is to move oversight of IDEA to another Agency outside of the Education Department. He rightly pointed out that other Agencies have ``no expertise in the complex education law that is I-D-E-A.''

Education specialists, officers, and analysts within the Office of Special Education programs are trained to best support IDEA. It is not as though you can just move this program to Homeland Security or Human Services and expect them to be able to provide the kind of support that IDEA requires. Moving this program would mean a loss of expertise that will not be rebuilt quickly, leaving our most vulnerable students to pay the price.

As another example of moving programs out of the Department of Education as part of the dismantling of the Department--I could not resist this example--President Trump proposes to move the student loan portfolio to the Small Business Administration, which has neither the capacity nor the expertise needed to handle this massive program. The SBA is one of the smallest Federal Government Agencies. How is it supposed to handle a Department of Education program with over 40 million borrowers and over $1.5 trillion in loans? It can't.

Clearly, neither Trump nor Secretary McMahon see a Federal role in education because they are just moving programs without figuring out how these programs are even going to be continued. In fact, that is not their intention. Their intention is to get rid of the U.S. Department of Education, and they can't do that because only Congress can do that. So what do they come up with? These alternative ways to dismantle the Department.

Shouldn't supporting our public schools and our children's education be a national priority? I mean, obviously President Trump and Secretary McMahon don't think it is a national priority. Certainly, it is a national priority in other countries. Why? Because these other countries know, as I said earlier, that education is foundational and that an educated populous is an engaged populous.

By gutting staff and funding that students rely on and attempting to eliminate the Department altogether--a plan that will inevitably hurt our students, no question--this regime's actions make it abundantly clear that they don't want an engaged populous. One can't help but wonder why.

This regime is not committed to public education. They are not committed to public education. They don't see a Federal role for public education, and that is the long and short of it.

We can and must do better to support the education of 50-plus million children in our country.

Mr. President, I rise today and join my colleagues in support of Senator Blumenthal's bill to curtail the President's authority under the Insurrection Act. This legislation is critical, given President Trump's blatant disregard of our democratic values and the rule of law.

He has deployed National Guard troops throughout the United States over the objections of Governors, mayors, and the local communities. These deployments are intended to incite fear and distract from Republican attacks on healthcare, social services, and the release of the Epstein files.

Trump isn't keeping anyone safe. He is sowing chaos in our communities, not to mention fear. His plan could not be more clear: He wants to manufacture a confrontation. I fear his next step is to invoke the Insurrection Act, a law that was passed over 217 years ago.

This extreme action would allow Active-Duty troops to take the place of local law enforcement. Under the Insurrection Act, our military could execute search warrants and arrest American citizens.

We cannot allow this violation of civil liberties to happen over a crisis of President Trump's own making.

I support this legislation because it adds important checks on the President's power under the Insurrection Act. It would first require commonsense congressional approval; two, protect habeas corpus; and, three, provide a clear avenue for judicial review to ensure Americans' liberty and our safety are protected.

Now is not the time for the military to be distracted with domestic policing and President Trump's political agenda. Our troops are not trained or equipped to replace local law enforcement. Given the national security challenges that we face around the globe, our military's focus must be on their own readiness to do the mission that they are constituted to do.

But, instead, from the Department of Justice to the military, we have a President who is politicizing traditionally nonpartisan Agencies for his own political agenda. What could be more chaotic than that?

This bill is an opportunity for Congress to finally step in and check President Trump's abuse of power.

I yield the floor.

Yes. Would my colleague yield for a question?

First of all, I commend you for holding the floor to raise issues of such concern to the American people.

I want to focus my question on the corruption of the Trump regime. This corruption is rampant and unending, from making untold sums off meme coins to the latest outrage, demanding that the Department of Justice pay him more than $200 million. That is taxpayers' money that he wants to get his hands on. We have a President putting his financial interests before the best interests of the American people.

This is the classic Trump playbook: using the power of his office to make a profit at the expense of the American people and as a distraction from the chaos and cruelty that he is sowing every single day. It is classic authoritarianism, using the tools of government to enrich himself, reward his friends, and punish his enemies.

So I am asking my colleague: What kind of threat does this blatant corruption pose to our democracy, our institutions, and on the American people?

Certainly.

So the rampant corruption of this regime, what kind of threat does this blatant corruption pose to our democracy, our institutions, and the American people?

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

Mr. President, right now, Republicans control the White House, the House, and the Senate. In other words, Republicans control the

Federal Government. Since day one of the Trump regime, they have used that control to sow chaos and attack programs and services that the American people rely upon. Here are but two examples:

Earlier this year, Trump tried to shut down Social Security offices across the country, making it much harder for recipients of Social Security benefits to call Social Security, find out the information they needed, and to access their benefits. So Social Security reversed course on this I call it lamebrain idea to close some of the offices when they responded to the huge hue and cry from people who said that was not something that should be happening to Social Security recipients.

Another example: This regime slashed the Department of Education, firing more than half of the Education Department's staff, as part of an all-out assault on the Federal support for public education in our country. If President Trump had his way, he would just get rid of the Federal Department of Education altogether, but since only Congress can do that, they did things like firing half of the staff.

Now they are coming after programs millions of Americans rely on for their healthcare. Republicans created this healthcare crisis when they passed their ``Big Ugly Bill,'' which guts Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP, among other programs.

At the same time, Donald Trump zeroed out funding for research on diseases such as cancer. And when we are talking about research on children's cancer, to cut off funding for that kind of research is more than mean. They also cut out funding for research on diabetes, Alzheimer's, halting studies that could unlock major breakthroughs and literally save lives.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of Americans oppose what this regime is doing regarding healthcare. Republicans know their position is indefensible, which is why they are resorting to lies and excuses--lies that get more desperate by the day. They are lying because they don't want the American people to know the truth.

What is that truth? The truth is that Republicans are happy to make permanent massive tax cuts for billionaires in their ``Big Ugly Bill'' but refused--refused--to make permanent tax credits hard-working families rely on to get their healthcare.

Misplaced priorities are nothing new for Republicans. I was in the House when we passed the Affordable Care Act--the ACA--which expanded healthcare to more than 20 million Americans who up to that point did not even have healthcare. I was here in the Senate as Republicans tried over and over again to repeal the ACA and kick those millions of Americans off their healthcare.

It is rich that these same Republicans who crusaded for years to get rid of the ACA now stand before the American people talking about how much they care about their healthcare. Why should the American people believe these lies as they are, even as we speak, getting notices of huge increases in their healthcare costs? The American people don't believe the Republican lies. They see right through them.

Meanwhile, Republicans, unwilling to do what the American people want, now claim that, well, extending these credits isn't urgent, so we can do this a few months from now. We don't have to do it now. There is no sense of urgency.

Another lie.

Time is of the essence. Open enrollment under the ACA starts in just a few weeks, and because of Republicans' refusal to act--I repeat-- people across the country are getting notices saying: Here is what your ACA premiums are going to cost you.

The figures are astounding. Without an extension of these credits, average out-of-pocket premium costs for a family of four in Hawaii are expected to increase from $10,000 to more than $16,000 a year--an increase of more than $6,000, or $500 a month.

Maybe in Trump's world, $500 isn't much, but to everybody else, that is a lot. Billionaires may not care that millions of people in our country are getting these notices about their increase in healthcare, but the rest of us do. For so many families, these huge increases could well break the bank.

Let's face it--this is not a red State or blue State issue. Hard- working Americans in every State across the country rely on the ACA for healthcare coverage, and they are all about to see their costs skyrocket.

In Speaker Johnson's home State of Louisiana, where nearly 300,000 people--his constituents--get their healthcare through the ACA, a family of four in Louisiana can expect to see their premiums increase by more than $9,000 a year.

In South Dakota, Senate Leader Thune's home State, out-of-pocket costs for a family of four will increase by more than $13,000 a year. Think about that. Without action, Leader Thune's constituents will be paying $13,000 more than last year for the very same coverage and the same benefits.

Nationwide, it is estimated that healthcare premiums will more than double for hard-working families. Make no mistake, plenty of families won't be able to afford these significant hikes and will be forced to go without healthcare--all because Republicans refuse to act.

Working families are awakening to this healthcare crisis because--and I repeat--they are getting their increase notices even as we speak. And they know who is responsible. It is the Republicans, with their ``Big Ugly Bill.''

Trump returned to office promising to lower costs on day one--yet another lie. It is not happening. More than 250 days later, Americans are facing the fallout from this regime's reckless economic policies, including the disastrous tariffs that are decimating small businesses.

So instead of actually doing anything to lower costs for our hard- working families, the Republicans have shut down the government because they really don't care that families have to pay so much more for healthcare. Many of them--millions of them--are going to drop healthcare because they will not be able to afford these increases.

Under the Trump regime, Americans are poorer because costs are not going down, and they are about to get sicker when they no longer can afford the healthcare that was provided through the ACA tax credits.

Democrats, on the other hand, know that the health and welfare and well-being of the American people are worth fighting for and that keeping the government running shouldn't come at the cost of Americans' healthcare.

We talk about what I would call a completely stupid choice--not even a choice. We should keep the government running, but if the Republicans are so intent on giving permanent tax breaks to the billionaires, they should give permanent tax credits to the millions of Americans who need and deserve this healthcare.

Frankly, Republicans can end the government shutdown today if they agree to restore healthcare to the American people. Until then, Democrats are going to keep fighting to protect Americans' healthcare, reopen the government, and hold this regime accountable for the harm they are inflicting on this country every single day.

I yield the floor.