Floor Statements

I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman) is necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman) is necessarily absent.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, last week, I came to the floor to talk about the chaos that has been created by the announced proposed freeze on Federal funding and loans. I want to share a few stories about what I have seen and heard since I spoke on the floor last week.

Sharpsburg is near my home town of Springfield, IL. It has a water system in Christian County. It is in phase 3 of construction of a rural water project. It contains 18 miles of pipeline providing water to 50 new rural customers. The work is underway. The project is nearly complete, and it will be in jeopardy if there is a freeze permitted to take effect.

What does it mean? It means that these 50 homes and families will be without clean, safe, and affordable water. That is unacceptable.

The freeze also means that scientists at universities across the State are worried about their jobs and research. Parents of children with disabilities are worried about losing resources for their kids. Adults are worried about losing access to healthcare and social services.

Since then, not one but two judges have issued temporary restraining orders blocking President Trump's measure. As of yesterday evening, that pause has been extended.

But let me remind you: This freeze is unconstitutional. The Constitution gives the power to Congress, not to the President--the power of the purse--and the President has no legal authority to withhold funding that was signed into law for Americans on a bipartisan basis.

In the 1970s, former President Nixon tried to impound or withhold funding appropriated by Congress, and, in response, Congress passed the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, or the ICA. The ICA is still the law of the land, and it prohibits Presidents from withholding funds unless Congress approves the decision through outlined procedures.

But consider this: The current administration, apparently, does not care. The President and his people are ignoring the law, creating chaos in hopes that amidst the confusion, some part of his power grab will stick. He is testing the limits of how much he can chip away at our system of checks and balances.

There are reports that unelected Elon Musk and his ``government efficiency team'' now have access to the payment systems of the U.S. Treasury, which is essentially the checkbook of the entire Federal Government. Elon Musk tweeted to say he is planning to cut $4 billion in Federal spending every single day from now to September 30--$4 billion a day.

I am appalled to see so many of my Senate Republican colleagues falling in line as President Trump and Mr. Musk attempt to strip Congress of our constitutional authorities and cause this kind of pain to our constituents. I am disappointed to see so many of my Republican colleagues vote to advance the nomination of President Trump's pick to run the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought. If this funding stunt is any indication, he is not fit to run that office.

The damage from the freeze extends beyond our shores. Bipartisan, congressionally appropriated funds to provide lifesaving humanitarian aid and freedom in places like Venezuela, Iran, and North Korea have been ground to a halt. For example, programs like PEPFAR, started by President George W. Bush--and I give him credit for that--with the support of the evangelical community and its partner, the Global Fund, have dramatically curtailed the AIDS epidemic ravaging parts of the world. The program has saved more than 25 million lives. It has been so effective that some have forgotten just how devastating AIDS happened to be in that part of the world, killing more than 2 million a year globally and leaving 14 million--14 million--orphans in sub-Saharan Africa.

Further, USAID clean water and sanitation programs have provided more than 70 million people with first-time sustainable access to clean water in the last decade--programs that have a 6-to-1 return in dollars saved in health, economic, and educational returns.

Low-cost vaccination programs eradicated smallpox and almost eradicated polio from the face of the Earth--something that was unimaginable just a generation ago. Food grown by American farmers helps save millions of lives when war and natural disasters strike. Gutting such programs puts innocent lives and American influence across the globe at risk. It is senseless, counterproductive, ill-informed, and increases the likelihood of costlier interventions that don't respect borders, including pandemics, war, and failed states.

The United States cannot and should not stand alone in the world. We are a global leader, and we have an obligation to continue to act like it.

But over the weekend, in what sounded like a dystopian story from an otherworldly dictatorship, the Trump administration and Elon Musk tried to shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development without congressional approval. Try to imagine that disgraceful scene, as one of the world's richest men gleefully guts programs for some of the world's poorest people.

And don't be fooled--this isn't about reform, and the U.S. budget deficit won't be solved by gutting USAID. The foreign assistance budget is only 1 percent of our Federal spending--a small, powerful investment that is not only the right thing to do but the smart thing to do to prevent conflict and famine and failed states as well as to build alliances and friends around the world. Gutting such programs is a betrayal of American values.

Already, nations like China sense a strategic opportunity under President Trump. When these programs go away, the Chinese will step in.

Are Republicans going to roll over and cede congressional power on these bipartisan programs? I sincerely hope not.

There is a lot at stake in the first few weeks of this new administration. I want to give the President a chance to show his values, but so far, I have to tell you, there is a lot of disappointment. This temporary freeze hurt a lot of innocent people, and this notion now of shutting down USAID--I can't imagine Elon Musk would have it on his conscience that so many helpless people would lose the basics of life for his budget plan. He wasn't elected to anything, and I think we should return to the Constitution, which still guides us today and should.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, shortly, Senate Republicans will confirm the nomination of Pam Bondi to serve as Attorney General and lead the Department of Justice in the new administration.

Yesterday, I came to the Senate floor to discuss the Trump administration's decision to purge Department of Justice officials and warned that Ms. Bondi's record suggests that she will aid in this effort to pack the Department of Justice with loyalists seeking retribution against President Trump's political rivals.

Since the Watergate era, there has been bipartisan support for the principle that the Department of Justice investigations and prosecutions must be independent from the White House. Over the years, both Republicans and Democrats have asked many individuals seeking the office of Attorney General one basic question: Will you be willing to tell the President no?

Given that Ms. Bondi, when speaking about President Trump's criminal indictments, threatened ``the prosecutors will be prosecuted, and the investigators will be investigated,'' I have serious doubts about her willingness to really say no to this President.

This concern is even more pressing because, over the last 16 days, the Trump administration has purged dozens of senior career law enforcement officials at the Department of Justice and at the FBI. This purge has been particularly focused on dedicated, nonpartisan prosecutors and investigators working in the National Security Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

On its first day, the Trump administration removed or reassigned as many as 20 experienced professionals with invaluable national security expertise, without any comparable replacements, including the veteran career Deputy Assistant Attorneys General in the National Security Division. These are men and women we have entrusted with the responsibility to keep America safe. They were summarily dismissed by this new President just days into his administration. Those who have been reassigned are reportedly being put in roles concerning immigration enforcement, for which they have little expertise.

We had a hearing this morning about fentanyl and talked about some 70,000 Americans each year losing their lives to this terrible drug. We are all concerned and expressed it at this hearing. But some of the very people who are working in drug enforcement are going to be removed and put into mass deportation of immigrants.

We have said over and over again that if the President is setting out to do what he promised he would do, he

needs more personnel to get it done or he will have to cut back invaluable functions of our law enforcement community at the risk of endangering the families and businesses in America.

Since that warning, dozens more senior officials have been removed. At the FBI, at least six FBI Executive Assistant Directors, or EADs, have been removed, including the EADs who oversee the National Security Branch, Intelligence Branch, and the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch. The Trump administration has also removed special agents in charge of at least four major field offices and the Assistant Director of the Washington Field Office.

The Acting Attorney General has also issued a memo firing dozens of career DOJ prosecutors, stating:

Given your significant role in prosecuting the President, I

do not believe that the leadership at the Department can

trust you . . . in implementing the President's agenda

faithfully.

The Trump administration has even asked line attorneys and agents to retire, resign, or be fired simply for handling tasks linked to the investigation of President Trump or prosecution of his misconduct.

The Acting FBI Director informed the entire FBI workforce that he was reviewing the files of ``all current and former FBI personnel assigned at any time to investigations and/or prosecutions'' relating to January 6 and unrelated terrorism cases.

Mr. President, if you are a student of history, you know that when the communists took over the Soviet Union, one of the things that they gloried in doing was rewriting history, trying to make the bad chapters, the embarrassing chapters, the sad chapters different so that future generations never were really quite sure what happened. That is exactly what is going on with January 6, 2021.

Despite the graphic video evidence of what happened on that day when this insurrectionist mob tried to take control of this Capitol and stop the transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joseph Biden--despite the clear evidence to the contrary, they continue to believe that this is a hoax, that somehow these were just tourists coming by the Capitol. Those of us who were there, those of us who remember the danger that was brought by these mobsters and thugs, know that is a lie.

Now they are going through the Department of Justice and saying: If you were involved in prosecuting any of these people who beat up on the policemen in this building, tore down the structures, broke the windows; if you were involved in any prosecution involving them, you are not welcome at the Department of Justice.

They want to rewrite history. They want future generations to believe the lie that they have perpetrated about what happened on that day. Those of us who were there will never forget what actually did happen.

The interim U.S. attorney for DC also ordered an internal review of staff handling cases relating to January 6, moved to dismiss all pending charges against those defendants, and has already fired dozens of prosecutors and investigators who worked those cases.

The people who were spared by the pardon of Donald Trump include individuals who are dangerous. One had a record of 38 convictions for crimes, and they are now back out on the street.

Over the past weekend, thousands of FBI personnel across the country were told to complete a questionnaire that asked a series of questions about their involvement in the prosecution and investigation of January 6.

This shameless partisan retribution is only the beginning. It has been reported that future FBI Director Kash Patel, if he is chosen by the Senate, will be guided by an advisory committee composed of solely partisan political operators, including an associate of Elon Musk's. Elon Musk. Who elected him? By what authority does he have any voice in the administration of our government? Why should he or his minions have access to the private records of American citizens? It is happening.

These actions will cripple FBI field offices and U.S. attorneys offices across the country by increasing the caseload for the remaining agents, dramatically slowing down critical investigations and prosecutions.

The Trump Department of Justice is taking this partisanship beyond the President's personal grievances, as many as there may be. They are already dropping criminal investigations against the President's allies, such as Congressman Andy Ogles. They also have begun systemically stripping the Department of Justice of vital, substantive expertise by reducing personnel from the law and policy sections of various divisions, such as the Environment and Natural Resources Division, which pursues polluters who poison our communities.

As America faces a heightened threat landscape, these shocking removals and reassignments of hundreds of employees deprive the Department of Justice and FBI of experienced leadership and decades of experience fighting violent crime, espionage, and terrorism.

For years, my Republican colleagues claimed they ``back the blue'' and accused Democrats of being soft on crime. We heard it over and over and over. But now, as President Trump is gutting our Nation's law enforcement Agencies and putting our national security at risk, my Republican colleagues do not complain. They are nowhere to be found.

Instead of condemning these actions, they will likely come to the Senate floor tonight and confirm an individual to lead the Department of Justice who is in lockstep with this policy of President Trump and was chosen for the role specifically because she is loyal. More than anything else, she is loyal.

I urge my colleagues to consider what a danger President Trump and Pam Bondi present to this Nation. I will oppose her confirmation and hope my colleagues will do the same.

I will also say letters went out today asking for further hearings on Kash Patel. I have been reading his response to the questions for the record--QFR--and I can tell you, they raise more questions than they answer. He has an attitude. To think this man will be in charge of 38,000 FBI agents and personnel, 400 field offices across the Nation and around the world, is going to have the authority to investigate those whom he chooses, is a frightening thing. His message in politics is ``get even.''

I read his book. It is called ``Government Gangsters.'' This book, in specific detail, talks about his view of politics. He has a long list of grievances, political and personal, and he plans to get even. That is not the kind of person we need in charge of the FBI. He has no experience to point to of any significance which qualifies him for this job.

We have had many Directors of the FBI chosen for long periods of time because of our change in the law. We now have a 10-year period of service for the Director of the FBI, and we also do our best to make sure they are apolitical since they bridge various administrations, not just one or two. That is part of the law, and that is the reason we did it.

Now we are going to put a man in that position who has no experience, no background, and a political chip on his shoulder. I am afraid that is just a recipe for disaster.

I urge my colleagues to think twice about Pam Bondi and Kash Patel. This is not what we should expect or want from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, 2 weeks. It has been 2 weeks with the new President. The inauguration seems so far in the distant past. It is hard to believe. What this administration has tried to do during the first 2 weeks is almost impossible to describe in a very short period of time--so many Executive orders, so many changes, so many speeches by the President, so many threats, so many changes in the way this government is run--and many of them raising serious questions that even go to the heart of the Constitution.

Since President Trump took office 2 weeks ago, he has sown chaos across the Federal Government, but despite his campaign promises, something has been conspicuously absent from his agenda: lowering the cost of living for Americans. The unprecedented, economically questionable tariffs he announced on Friday on three of America's largest trading partners--25 percent on Canada and Mexico and 10 percent more on China--show just that.

I said to my staff, when they handed me a copy of this speech which was written this morning, that there have been some developments during the course of the day when it comes to Mexico--at least a postponement of the imposition of tariffs on Mexico for a month. Canada is still a work in progress, as far as we know. Despite campaigning on a promise of lowering prices, these tariffs will not do that. They will do just the opposite. American families will find things more expensive.

Don't take my word for it. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said that tariffs will ``only raise prices for American families and upend supply chains.'' That is the Chamber of Commerce.

The National Association of Manufacturers said:

Ultimately, manufacturers will bear the brunt of these

tariffs, undermining our ability to sell our products at a

competitive price and putting American jobs at risk.

The President himself even admitted that these economic measures will cause pain for many American families.

Trade between my home State of Illinois and Canada and Mexico are essential to the strength of our economy. More than 1 out of 10 workers in Illinois works for the export market. Illinois is the fourth largest exporter State in the Nation. And what are our first and second largest export markets? Canada and Mexico.

As a result of these tariffs the President is proposing, working families will feel the pain. These tariffs will drive up costs for manufacturers; it will disrupt our supply chain; and they have already inspired retaliatory tariffs which American consumers will feel at the store. Clearly, our outrage at this senseless policy may be working. Today, the President announced he will delay the tariffs with Mexico for a month. I am glad to hear that.

Let's be clear about one thing: Unless you are a tech billionaire or you are helping someone to get rich through the crypto market, the President does not care about making your life better. He only cares about enriching himself at the expense of everyday Americans. So, when you wonder why the stock market is dipping and the price of eggs and potatoes goes up at the grocery store and when your oil change is marked up, know that it was because of the policy of the new President who has been in office for 2 weeks.

Mr. President, on another equally important matter, this week, the Senate will vote on the nomination of Pam Bondi to serve as Attorney General.

Given the Trump administration's ongoing purge of Justice Department officials, I urge my colleagues to look very carefully and closely at Ms. Bondi's nomination. President Trump has repeatedly made it clear that he values loyalty above all else when it comes to Attorneys General.

Don't take my word for it. Look at what happened in his first term. He fired his first Attorney General and forced out a second for insufficient loyalty; and he said as much. President Trump has said time and again he expects the Justice Department to seek ``retribution'' on his behalf. In Ms. Bondi, I am afraid, the President has finally found someone who passes his loyalty test.

Now, look, if you look at the resume of Pam Bondi, you will find that she served as attorney general for the State of Florida for two terms. She has experience as an attorney general of our third largest State. You are not only going to hear that over and over, but it appears that she is prepared to break with bipartisan tradition when it comes to a nonpartisan Department of Justice--one that upholds the rule of law and is free of undue political influence from the White House.

I am not convinced that she is dedicated to these ideals. She was the leader in an effort to overturn the 2020 election. To this day, she still clings to the basic loyalty oath that was required of those who were a part of that effort. She refuses to acknowledge that Joe Biden won the Presidential election in 2020--she can't get over it--and she echoed the President-elect's calls for prosecuting his political opponents, including a pledge she made publicly that the ``prosecutors will be prosecuted, and the investigators will be investigated.''

Sadly, Ms. Bondi's threat is already coming to fruition. Since President Trump's inauguration, his administration has purged dozens of senior career civil servants at the Department of Justice and the FBI, including longtime nonpartisan leaders of the government's counterterrorism and counterespionage efforts. These career civil servants are responsible for coordinating the Justice Department's fight against international terrorism and foreign spies. These removals substantially diminish America's ability to respond to national security threats. Quite simply, they are a danger to the public. The Trump administration's purge of these officials is a naked political move.

In firing a dozen career prosecutors, the Acting Attorney General issued a memo that said in that memo:

Given your significant role in prosecuting the President, I

do not believe the leadership of the Department can trust

you.

How blunt can you be?

Line attorneys and agents are similarly being bullied now simply because their assigned tasks were linked to the criminal investigation of the President or the January 6 riots--one of the largest prosecutions in the history of the United States when an insurrectionist mob came to the floor of this Senate,

rifled through my desk--I saw this on tape--assumed the chair that is being held now by the President of the Senate, posed for pictures, made all sorts of signs, left notes behind, and tore up the Capitol Building. At the end of the day, 140 law enforcement officers were hurt, and 4 lost their lives. That was the reality of what happened on January 6.

Do we expect the Justice Department to do nothing about the hundreds of people who stormed this Capitol? We saw it on videotape. Nobody is making this up. What they did was to prosecute them for the crimes that they committed. Many of them were sentenced, and many of them pled guilty when they saw the videotapes that portrayed exactly what they did on that day. The Justice Department prosecuted them, and many of them ended up in jail--some of them with serious sentences for their serious misconduct.

Now comes the new President, Donald Trump, and on his first day in office, he absolves them from criminal guilt and tells them they are free to go.

A question has to be asked of the American people: If someone came bursting into your home or your church or your school and tore it up, beat up those who were trying to maintain order and did it all on videotape, should they be held responsible for it?

I certainly think so. That is certainly true when it comes to this building, which represents the symbol of America and our democracy. If you want to desecrate this building, you should pay the price.

The American people deserve an Attorney General who will acknowledge that reality, who will protect the fundamental rights of this country, demonstrate independence and integrity, and remain faithful to the Constitution, the country, and the rule of law.

Ms. Bondi, during the course of her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, was also asked about Kash Patel, the President's nominee to head up the Federal Bureau of Investigation. She made it clear that she supports him. I don't. I don't because he doesn't have the experience to hold the job. He certainly has nothing in his background to suggest that he can supervise 38,000 FBI agents and employees and 400 field offices around the world trying to keep America safe every single day. Yet she stood behind him.

I fear Ms. Bondi will only protect and remain faithful to one person throughout this whole experience, and that is the President who is giving her this opportunity.

I urge my colleagues to look carefully at her record and the record of Kash Patel. They are a team in this effort, and they should be held accountable for what they have said and written and the positions that they have taken in support of the President, even when his positions are not consistent, in my mind, with the equal and free administration of justice.

I yield the floor.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

I announce that the senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman) is necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman) is necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman) is necessarily absent.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker), the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman), and the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Ossoff), are necessarily absent.