Floor Statements

Mr. President, reserving the right to object, the Biden administration has failed to properly oversee the Pan American Health Organization, or PAHO. President Biden and Secretary Blinken know that PAHO has cooperated with the communist regime in Cuba to traffic doctors overseas, and they know that there are Cuban doctors who are trying to sue PAHO and hold their traffickers accountable.

Here are the facts: In July 2013, the Cuban Ministry of Health signed an agreement with the Brazilian Ministry of Health to formalize an arrangement for Cuban doctors to provide medical services in Brazil. That agreement required the administration of former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff to transmit a monthly payment through PAHO to the Cuban Ministry of Health for the medical services provided by each Cuban doctor serving in Brazil. It also prevented Cuban doctors from seeking employment in Brazil outside of the formal structure of the agreement.

More than 20,000 Cuban medical professionals serving in Brazil under the Mais Medicos Program had their wages stolen by the Cuban Government and received only a small fraction of what they earned. Their family members were prohibited from accompanying them, and many had their passports confiscated.

Cuban doctors were the only medical professionals participating in the Mais Medicos Program who had their salaries directly garnished by their government. Meanwhile, doctors from other countries serving in Brazil received the full wages for their medical services.

Other Cuban doctors suffered similar abuses in Angola, Guatemala, Mexico, Qatar, and Venezuela. For example, in 2019, a group of Cuban doctors reported that they had been directed and often coerced to use their medical services to influence votes in favor of the Maduro regime, including by denying medical treatment to opposition supporters and by giving precise voting instructions to elderly patients.

This gross program is a huge moneymaker for the communist ruling thugs in Cuba. In 2018 alone, they deposited more than $6.3 billion from exporting Cuban professionals to work overseas, and medical missions by Cuban doctors represent a majority of those profits.

Since I came to the Senate in 2019, I have been fighting for these Cuban doctors and against human trafficking. I know my colleague from New Jersey has also voiced concerns about this issue in the past, but nothing has been done to hold PAHO accountable. PAHO is hiding behind legal immunity. President Biden has the power to lift their immunity, and I have requested this administration to do so multiple times, but they have shamefully declined.

It is wrong. Victims of trafficking deserve to see their alleged abusers in court, and PAHO should never be able to hide behind claims of immunity to avoid accountability for their role in facilitating those abuses.

I have informed Secretary Blinken that until substantial steps toward fulfilling this request are made, I will be blocking all relevant State Department nominees.

Americans deserve qualified and competent people in positions of power who put American interests first. If this administration wants to appease dictators, like they have with the Castro and Diaz-Canal regimes, I am going to hold them accountable.

Therefore, Madam President, I object.

Mr. President, a few days ago, the Senate heard directly from President Zelenskyy. The bravery and leadership we have seen from President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people is incredible.

And during this call, he was very clear about what the Ukrainian people need to defend themselves against Russia's unjustified invasion. What is unbelievable is that even after seeing horrifying images on the news and hearing from the Ukrainian President himself, the Senate has done nothing to get the aid they so desperately need approved and on its way. Why? Because Senator Chuck Schumer is holding it hostage.

Senator Schumer is keeping this body from voting on and passing the Ukrainian aid package because he is holding it hostage to include it in the $1.5 trillion omnibus. People are dying. Yesterday while the Senate floor was closed at Senator Schumer's direction, Putin's evil forces bombed a children's hospital.

What in the world are we doing here? It is heartless. It is shameful. It is a stain on the integrity of the Senate and the United States that aid for Ukrainians is being used as a political tool.

We could have voted on the weekend. We could have voted on Monday or Tuesday or yesterday.

But Senator Schumer closed the floor and made it impossible to vote. Ukrainians are dying. It is time to end these games. These are stupid games. That is why I am asking that we immediately take a vote to pass the aid to Ukraine.

And I am thankful that many of my colleagues have joined me to make this request. Senators Marsha Blackburn, John Boozman, Tom Cotton, Steve Daines, Joni Ernst, Chuck Grassley, Cynthia Lummis, and Roger Marshall have all cosponsored my proposal.

What I am asking is to pass the exact text--the exact text--that both the Democrats and Republicans, they have already agreed to this. We can send this to the President's desk today. By holding this hostage in the omnibus, Senator Schumer is forcing even further delays. The omnibus won't go to President Biden's desk until next week.

The people of Ukraine are in the fight for their lives and their freedom. Every day the Senate waits to send American aid, weapons, and resources to help them is another day that their fighting against this Russian invasion is even made more difficult.

There is no reason we can't vote on this aid package now and pass it today. Waiting even 1 more day puts more lives at risk. Let's act now to protect global freedom from Putin's tyranny.

Now, I will turn it over to Senator Roger Marshall.

Mr. President, I want to thank my colleague from Wyoming. I want to thank my colleagues from Kansas and from Tennessee for their interest in making sure that we get Ukraine aid to the citizens of Ukraine today.

I ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader, following consultation with the Republican leader, the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. 3811, which is at the desk; that there be 2 hours for debate, equally divided in the usual form; and that upon the use or yielding back of time, the bill be read a third time and the Senate vote on passage of the bill without intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, it is hard to express my anger and frustration.

What in the hell are we doing here?

I asked for the Senate to do a very simple thing: vote today on desperately needed aid for Ukraine, and Senate Democrats have blocked it.

This is the exact text--the exact text--that both Democrats and Republicans have already agreed to.

People need to know exactly why Democrats have blocked this commonsense bill. I know. It is because they are following orders from Senator Schumer to block passage of aid to Ukraine so we can continue to hold it hostage in the omnibus.

That is what we are dealing with here.

We could send this to the President's desk today, but Senate Democrats have said no because they are insisting that it be passed with the omnibus.

The omnibus is $1.5 trillion, 2,700 pages; as my colleague from Wyoming said, 4,000 earmarks. Senator Schumer alone has 150 earmarks, $600,000 for a greenhouse in New York, $3 million for museum galleries in Brooklyn.

I mean, to him, the omnibus is just a joke. It is a way to send some money home.

Today, inflation just hit 7.9 percent--another 40-year high. And contrary to what President Biden just said this morning, that is just for February. That massive spike in inflation doesn't reflect the big price hikes we have seen in March. The truth is, we have no idea how the omnibus will impact inflation, and we haven't anywhere near the time we need to actually read it.

This whole process is broken, and it reminds me of a truth here in Washington: In Washington, compromise means that both sides get everything they want, and no one has to make a tough choice. Put simply, when Washington settles, taxpayers all across this country lose.

Americans should be furious with Congress. Ukrainians should be absolutely furious with us. While Russian bombs are being dropped on their homes, cities, and hospitals, Democrats in the Senate are blocking the approval of American aid so that they can play politics. Every day that Senator Schumer refuses to allow a vote is a big gift from Senate Democrats to Putin.

I am actually disgusted by what happened here today. To see aid for Ukraine used as a political tool is heartless. It is a stain on the integrity of the Senate and the United States. A fight for freedom and democracy rages in Europe, and Senate Democrats should be ashamed by what Senator Schumer has forced each of you to do today.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, first, I want to thank my colleague Senator Lee from Utah for his leadership on these issues, trying to make sure that the legislation we pass is legislation that we all have the opportunity to participate in.

I have been disappointed that I am on the committee that deals with the Postal Service and we didn't even have a vote on this. I didn't have any opportunity in the committee to propose an amendment. It doesn't look like I am going to have an opportunity here to have my colleagues vote on an amendment, and I don't think that is right.

The amendment I am going to talk about today is cosponsored by Senators Johnson, Grassley, Braun, and Lankford, and I want to thank them for their support.

I absolutely support getting something done to reform the Postal Service and ensure more accountability to taxpayers. Unfortunately, the bill before us doesn't do that.

This legislation would add at least $6 billion in new costs to Medicare without any plan to pay for it--$6 billion and no plan to pay for it--and at least $5 billion to our Federal debt, a debt that is already surging above $30 trillion. I think we all should say that is unacceptable.

This bill doesn't reduce costs; it just shifts them from one unfunded government program to another unfunded government program.

Let's remember, Medicare costs are already skyrocketing. Further jeopardizing Medicare is a disservice to the 60 million Americans, including 4.5 million Floridians, who rely on it. My amendment would fix this. It would just require the Postal Service to pay for any new costs to Medicare that this bill will bring. This would ensure that Medicare isn't used like a piggy bank and that the taxpayer and future nonpostal retirees aren't forced to bear the burden of this postal bailout. And the Postal Service should pay their fair share.

I want to make this next point very clear. My amendment is germane. It deserves a simple majority vote. It deserves a vote. I am thankful I have the support of groups like 60 Plus and the Association of Mature American Citizens that represent the interests of America's seniors.

I urge my colleagues to support this.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment and call up amendment No. 4933; further, that the amendment be reported by number, that there be 2 minutes of debate equally divided on the amendment, and that the Senate vote on adoption of the amendment with no intervening action or debate.

Madam President, reserving the right to object, here is what I believe: We need to do everything possible to protect Medicare recipients and stop bankrupting our essential programs.

Senator Johnson has told me repeatedly that he has been asking for years. The Postal Service says they are putting all this money into Medicare, and he has had a simple request: How much money is the Postal Service paying for Medicare, and what are the recipients at the Postal Service receiving in benefits? No one can ever give an answer.

I asked for a CBO score. They said this is going to cost at least $6 billion, and it is going to increase our deficit by at least $5 billion.

So we have an unfunded program in the Postal Service, and we are going to move it and hurt our Medicare recipients.

My amendment--and I was told that this would not cost Medicare anything, so my amendment is pretty simple: whatever the incremental costs to Medicare are should be paid by the Postal Service. I mean, it is the Postal Service retirees; they are the ones who ought to pay for it.

So I don't understand why we wouldn't want to do this. I was told it was not going to cost anything.

By the way, the CBO score that is out there already says it is going to increase our deficit, and it is going to put our Medicare Program in worse shape. They can only give us numbers for the first 10 years. After 10 years, the numbers are going to be worse than the numbers I told you about.

So what I don't get is, one, why didn't we vote on this in the committee? Why didn't we have an opportunity to do an amendment there? Why don't we have an amendment vote on this on the floor? It is common sense.

I would think all of us would want to make sure we are not going to bankrupt Medicare, and all of us want to make sure that if it is going to cost Medicare anything, the Postal Service should pay for it.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, the pending measure, H.R. 3076, Postal Service Reform Act of 2022, would increase on-budget deficits by $5 billion or more in at least one of the four 10-year periods beginning in 2032.

This increase violates section 3101 of the 2016 budget resolution, which prohibits consideration of legislation that would cause a net increase in on-budget deficits in any of the four 10-year periods beyond the current budget window.

I raise a point of order under section 3101(b) of S. Con. Res. 11, the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2016.

Mr. President, as I have said repeatedly, I absolutely support getting something done to reform the Postal Service, but it cannot come at the expense to American taxpayers.

The Federal debt has already surged above $30 trillion, and it just keeps growing and growing.

I wrote to the Congressional Budget Office, asking what the future cost of this bill would be to Medicare and how it would impact the debt. While they could tell me there would be at least $5 billion in new deficits, they couldn't provide data past 2031, when Medicare will be most affected by this proposal.

Here is what we know for certain: This bill doesn't reduce costs; it just shifts them from one unfunded government program to another.

This bill adds at least $6 billion in new costs to Medicare, with no way to pay for it, and adds at least $5 billion to long-term Federal deficits. That is unacceptable. It is why I am raising a point of order today. We have to stop driving America deeper into debt and finally be accountable to the American taxpayers.

I urge my colleague to vote no on the budget point of order.

Mr. President, imagine this. You are a CEO of a company, and one day your CFO comes into your office with bad news. The company's costs are rapidly growing, and you aren't bringing in enough money to keep pace with the rising costs. The solution here is simple: come up with a plan to reduce costs and continue serving your customers and honoring your agreements while ensuring that the company can stay afloat.

If you don't adapt and evolve, you fail and go out of business. Most Americans understand that. Unfortunately, Congress is not like most Americans. We are in charge of running Medicare, and for decades, the cost of Medicare has risen dramatically, but Congress has no plan to address future costs.

And now we have Medicare's Board of Trustees reporting that the hospital insurance trust fund, the fund which supports Medicare Part A, will be insolvent in 2026. You can see here is where we are. In just 4 short years--in just 4 short years--we are going to run out of money to keep paying for services for Americans most in need.

We are talking about things like emergency surgery, in-home healthcare, and hospice care. By 2030, 4 years after insolvency, the trust fund will be $335 billion in debt. Medicare Part A cannot pay when it lacks funds.

What makes matters worse, the Medicare trustees have been warning about this for years. They have told us that Medicare Part A hasn't met even the most basic short-term goals for fiscal health since 2003.

Let's go back to the imaginary company I mentioned earlier. If you were an employee of that company and your salary depended on the company's success, how would you feel if, for 18 years, the company's leadership knew that the company would go under unless they fixed the problem, but it never happened?

Instead of fixing the problem, no one did anything. They just kept using up the company's savings. That is basically what has happened and continues to happen with Medicare.

Here is what is shocking. Absolutely nothing has been done. Washington has completely ignored the warnings about the rising costs and declining revenues for Medicare, and there is no plan to repair the system. Career politicians in the Washington establishment have acted recklessly and immorally.

They are plunging Medicare into billions of dollars of debt, debt that our grandchildren will have to pay off for the benefit of those in the present. To make matters worse, Washington politicians think they can continue to treat Medicare like a piggy bank and draw as much money as they want from it to pay for another unsustainable and unfunded program.

We saw them use Medicare savings to help fund road construction in an infrastructure bill. Make no mistake, I want to have better ports and better highways, but robbing Peter to pay Paul with money Peter doesn't have? That is wrong.

Kicking the can down the road and letting our debt balloon is a disservice to the 60 million--60 million--Americans, including the 4.5 million Floridians, who rely on Medicare.

Now, Senator Schumer is trying to pass a bill that will stick Congress's greedy hand into the Medicare trust fund--this time to pay for the U.S. Postal Service.

In 2020, Part B spending was $418 billion. By 2030, the cost will double to $871 billion.

Look at this. I mean, this is unbelievable.

The Part B and Part D trust fund is funded through a combination of premiums paid by beneficiaries and direct transfer from the U.S. Treasury of collected tax revenue. That means the future costs of Medicare Parts B and D are going to be paid for by higher premiums for retirees and higher taxes for all Americans.

Today, someone who retires at the Postal Service can keep their health plan into retirement, with the option of adding Medicare, but the Postal Service needs to pay the full cost of the health plan if the retiree doesn't choose Medicare. Now, this is costly to the post office, so the proposed solution in Senator Schumer's postal reform bill is to force all future retirees into Medicare as a means of saving money for the post office. This actually just shifts costs away from the Postal Service onto the Medicare Program--from one government program to another--and it is a cost borne by hard-working taxpayers and nonpostal retirees. This is a gift to the post office balance sheet, but it is a cost to everybody else. In other words, the solution is as bad as the problem.

On top of that, the CBO doesn't even have an accurate estimate of how much this bill will actually cost. I sent a letter to the CBO asking what the future cost of the bill would be to Medicare. While they could tell me there would be $5 billion in new deficits, they couldn't provide data past 2031, when Medicare will be most affected by this proposal. Yet Congress wants to pass this bill and pretend like it is solving a problem when it only makes matters worse. If you look at the limited CBO score we have and think about what it says, it shows that it increases costs to Medicare and reduces costs to the Postal Service.

Advocates are quick to say that it saves the government money, but that is wrong. The post office keeps all the savings and just moves the costs to Medicare. It doesn't actually save the taxpayer any money.

We have got to stop doing business like this. How can anybody in this body explain to their constituents that this is the right way to pass bills? How can anyone really say with a straight face that kicking the can down the road is the right thing to do?

Do you know why the American people don't trust us? It is stuff like this. When Congress passes a bill like this, with zero committee process, zero amendments so far considered in the Senate, and the bill ends up being terrible, well, it is not hard to see why the American people don't have a ton of faith in Congress to solve problems.

In 2020, Medicare spending was almost $1 trillion. That is $1 trillion in mandatory spending without any review by Congress.

I want real reform. I want to make sure retirees have the healthcare they have paid into and that the Postal Service is actually sustainable. That is why I have introduced an amendment to require the Postal Service to pay for any new costs to Medicare that this bill will bring. This will ensure that Medicare isn't used like a piggy bank. This will ensure that the taxpayer and future nonpostal retirees aren't forced to bear the burden of this Postal Service bailout. It would ensure that the Postal Service pays their fair share.

I am thankful to have the support of groups like 60 Plus that represent the interests of America's seniors.

Unlike many career politicians who are running Washington off a fiscal cliff with over $30 trillion worth of debt, I have actually been a CEO. I have run companies and have had to help solve financial problems. I have listened to CFOs and have worked with budgets to turn things around. I didn't come to Washington to fit in and maintain the status quo. I came to make real change that benefits American families, and this bill, as written right now, doesn't do anything to help anyone.

I urge my colleagues to support my amendment and join me in demanding that Senator Schumer slow down and put this bill through the proper process. American taxpayers and voters who sent us here deserve better than this.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I thank my colleagues Senators Risch and Toomey for their leadership on these efforts.

Americans are watching Russia's invasion into Ukraine, and they are looking to us for leadership. As an evil tyrant wages war, they are asking how our government will respond. So here we are. Congress is in session, and Senator Schumer has placed the world's most pressing issue on the back burner. What could be more important than supporting a fellow democracy under attack against a thug whose goal is to control as much of Europe as he can? A postal reform bill and a radical abortion bill.

The freedom, wealth, and resources of Europe are under attack. Senator Schumer wants to use our time to ensure more unborn babies can be killed and pass a postal reform bill that doesn't actually provide any long-term reform for America's postal workers.

And for what? So that President Biden has some progressive talking points he can use during his speech?

This is wrong. Even Switzerland, which has spent decades with a strong sense of neutrality, took decisive action this week and froze the assets of Putin and his thugs.

The Ukrainian people are being pushed out of their country and are losing their lives as they bravely defend their homes. We are hearing stories of Ukrainian grandfathers taking up arms to defend their families. Why can the Senate not come to work ready to take on the gross attacks by Putin?

He is threatening to use nuclear weapons, and he is threatening NATO members with cyber attacks and subversion. Yet Senator Schumer wants to put the Senate's focus elsewhere.

And we all know that the Postal Service is not in dire straits. It will continue delivering the mail this week, next week, and the week after.

But the same cannot be said about the continued self-rule of Ukraine or peace and stability in Europe as Putin threatens to expand this war. That is why Senator Risch and I sent a letter to Senator Schumer asking he delay bringing up the postal reform bill and prioritize our support for the people of Ukraine.

When Putin is threatening to undo our global order and seize further control of wealth and power across Europe, Congress must act swiftly and severely. Placing any other legislation, especially a bill which does not address any urgent issues, ahead of addressing the turmoil in Europe is dereliction of our duty to the American people and a betrayal of our responsibility to stand for freedom and support the world's democracies.

At a time like this, we need to be clear about our priorities. First, the United States must continue to work with our allies and partners to destroy the Russian economy and levy devastating sanctions against the Russian oligarchy and Putin's thugs and cronies, both in and outside of the Kremlin.

Second, the United States must supply Ukraine with every weapon needed and continue to work with our allies and partners to deliver resources to Ukraine's military and the Ukrainian people.

Third, we must prioritize and increase our own defense spending to ensure maximum military readiness as we face both communist China and Putin's aggression. Now is not the time for weakness or any compromise of America's national defense capabilities.

Fourth, we must also immediately ban Russian aircraft from using American airspace.

Fifth, the Biden administration must immediately roll back its failed Green New Deal policies and take action to boost U.S. energy production and independence. They should restart the Keystone XL Pipeline and stop purchasing oil from Russia.

Sixth, all lobbyists currently working with the Russian Government, Russian oligarchs, and other Russian interests should immediately cancel their contracts. The same goes for those representing countries that refuse to condemn Russia's invasion or are aiding Russia's attempts to evade sanctions. It is inexcusable for any American to be lobbying on behalf of Putin's evil regime or those supporting it.

Seventh, all State and local governments should take every action possible to end their relationship with Russian Federal and local governments and with Russian-owned businesses. A number of States and local governments have already taken this step, and we applaud their leadership.

Finally, every American should take care to not purchase Russian-made products. Just like with communist China, buying products made in Russia will only fuel Putin's war. One of the best tools America has at its disposal is our ability to destroy the Russian economy and inflict maximum pain on Putin and his oligarch thugs.

Now is a time for all Americans to come together in defense of freedom and democracy, and the Senate must lead by example.

That is why I am proud to work with my colleague from Idaho on the Never Yielding Europe's Territory Act, or the NYET Act, to provide the critical support Ukraine needs to defend itself and deter Russian aggression, while imposing real costs on the Kremlin for its ongoing aggression against Ukraine.

The Senate should act immediately on this bill. American leadership is needed now more than ever, and taking these steps now is how we as a nation stand up against evil. Until this conflict is over, supporting Ukraine and making the horrific war as painful as possible for Putin and his evil regime must be our top focus.

I yield the floor to Senator Risch.

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

Mr. President, since coming to the U.S. Senate over 3 years ago, I have regularly spoken about the dangers presented by communist China.

Last month, outside the Kennedy Caucus Room, I was joined by a group of pro-democracy activists from Hong Kong and advocates speaking out against the genocide in the Uighur homeland.

This month, as the Olympic Games have gone on in Beijing, we have seen the dangers that our athletes have faced. Athletes who have tested positive for COVID have been taken away by Chinese authorities, where they have been improperly fed. The FBI urged Team USA to leave their personal phones at home for fear of being surveilled by the Chinese Government and impacted by Chinese hackers.

Of course, we saw the dangers athletes face in communist China several months ago in the case of tennis star Peng Shuai. Peng is one of the most recognizable Chinese athletes. She is a three-time Olympian and was ranked the No. 1 doubles player in 2014 by the World Women's Tennis Association. She has won championships at Wimbledon and the French Open and has represented her country at the highest levels of tennis competition.

In November, when she shared her story of sexual abuse by a former Vice Premier of the Chinese Communist Party on social media, it rightfully caught the world's attention. Communist China's reaction to these disturbing allegations have shocked us all and completely verified all our fears.

Instead of taking Peng Shuai's claims seriously and investigating these allegations, the communist Chinese Government followed its authoritarian playbook: silence, deflect, and cover up. General Secretary Xi and his communist thugs are so thin-skinned, weak, and intolerant of any questioning of their conduct that the government immediately silenced and disappeared Peng.

People around the world asked on social media: ``Where is Peng?'' Chinese state media released what it said was an email from Peng to the Women's Tennis Association contradicting her previous allegations. It read like a hostage note and only raised more concerns as to her whereabouts and safety. Then Beijing shared a couple of videos of Peng at various structured public events and staged several video calls with the International Olympic Committee. The IOC didn't ask about her disappearance; they didn't ask about her allegations of abuse. And in the months since, the IOC has worked hand-in-hand with communist China to cover up Peng's allegations.

In the days after the Olympic opening ceremony, the IOC worked with Chinese officials to publish a highly controlled interview of Peng in a French sports magazine. In answers that were translated by a Chinese official, Peng announced her retirement from professional tennis and denied the previous claim she was assaulted. It was disturbing. And the fact that the IOC helped coordinate the interview shows Thomas Bach is willing to prioritize his relationship with communist China over the safety of athletes.

Compare their response to the World Tennis Association. At the beginning of December, the WTA announced it would be suspending all its tournaments in communist China until it was clear that Peng Shuai was safe and in good health and until there was a completely transparent investigation into her allegations of assault. It is a stark contrast between two organizations meant to protect the athletes--one aiding in the censorship and oppression of athletes, while the other does the right thing.

And now, you have a well-known pundit representing the Chinese Communist Party spouting gross and demeaning comments about Peng. On ``60 Minutes Australia,'' Victor Gao, the vice president for the Center for China and Globalization and former translator for Deng Xiaoping, argued Peng could not have been assaulted because she is strong and athletic, so she should be able to defend herself. Can you imagine even saying that? The Chinese Communist Party is saying that there is no way Peng could have been assaulted, so you better stop talking about this issue.

Well, I am not going to stop talking about this issue, and I am not going to let comments like that slide by. That is why I have introduced a bipartisan resolution with my colleague from Virginia rebuking the IOC for its failure to clearly and forcefully challenge the Party's claims about Peng Shuai's safety. The same resolution was unanimously adopted by the House of Representatives in December, and it is crucial that the Senate do the same.

My colleague from Virginia, Senator Warner, is joining me to lead this resolution, along with 14 of our colleagues from both sides of the aisle. I am glad that my colleague from New Jersey, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has committed to mark up and favorably report this important resolution in the committee next month. I look forward to seeing its passage there and swiftly bringing it to the floor.

The United States is the leading voice of freedom and democracy around the world. We cannot tolerate this kind of behavior. Today, my colleagues and I are standing together for human rights.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, reserving the right to object.

Throughout his administration, President Biden has shown a shocking disregard for congressional authority and oversight.

Following his botched and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden administration has refused to take accountability or provide answers to Congress or the American people. The President repeatedly shifts blame and hides from the truth. His administration demands to have closed, so-called classified hearings, even though none of the material being discussed is classified information.

We still don't even know how many Americans are trapped in Afghanistan. We don't know how many Americans are trapped in Afghanistan. Biden abandoned them behind enemy lines.

It is wrong. It left many Americans with no faith in President Biden's ability to lead or appoint qualified individuals to serve in these important roles.

That is why I cannot and will not consent to allowing this nominee to move forward in an expedited manner. We should take a vote so every Senator can get on the record with their support or opposition to this nominee.

Therefore, I object.

Madam President, reserving the right to object, let me first say that I care deeply about fixing the problems with the U.S. Postal Service. The Postal Service provides an essential service and touches the lives of nearly every American. The Postal Service also consumes billions in taxpayer and consumer money every year, meaning that it has to be accountable to taxpayers and consumers not only in how effectively it delivers but in how it spends the dollars it receives. So I absolutely support getting something done to reform the Postal Service and ensure it is more accountable to taxpayers and consumers.

I also support provisions of this bill, like its focus on enhanced services for rural communities, which will benefit many families across my great State, and I like the fact that it maintains the current 6-day mail delivery schedule. Unfortunately, there are also pieces of this bill that set us back and block the opportunity for us to achieve our shared goal of responsibly reforming the Postal Service.

What I am asking for here is not unreasonable. I simply want the Senate to have the opportunity to work on this, improve it, and deliver a bill that truly works.

The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has jurisdiction over the Postal Service. I am actually very proud to serve on this committee. Unfortunately, the committee has not held one hearing or member meeting on the bill, nor has the bill even been considered at a markup.

We aren't here considering just a simple resolution. This is a massive, multibillion-dollar bill that has huge impacts on Medicare recipients, and the Democratic majority skipped the committee process and rushed the bill to the floor.

Despite the rushed process throughout the bill, a few details need to be highlighted, and they are not pretty.

First, as I said before, this bill does not fix the underlying issues with the Postal Service, nor does it make it profitable. I don't understand why the Postal Service loses money and cannot be profitable. I don't think many Americans understand why.

America is more than $30 trillion in debt. We can't afford to add more stress on our already enormous national debt with poor financial planning, which I think this bill absolutely does. In fact, this bill simply shifts risk to Medicare recipients by adding billions in new costs to Medicare.

I am not sure why the Democrats are so eager to threaten the viability of Medicare or the benefits for Medicare recipients. The Democrats triggered billions in Medicare funding cuts in 2021 in Florida and other States in their wasteful, partisan COVID spending bill. Now they are putting even more stress on Medicare and the benefits of Medicare recipients by shifting billions in new costs onto the program.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, between just 2025 and 2031, this bill would increase costs to Medicare by more than $1.9 billion for Part B and $4.2 billion for Part D. This will hurt Medicare recipients. And even that score is based on the limited number of future budget years that were covered in the CBO's review.

We must have a long-term CBO score on this bill so that Congress can clearly review the future impacts to Medicare recipients. That is why I sent the director of the CBO a letter earlier today asking for more information about this bill.

Over 60 million seniors across our country, including more than 4.5 million seniors in Florida, rely on Medicare. It is unconscionable to add further expenses to them and place the future care of postal workers on the line when Medicare is already on the road to insolvency.

The retiree health benefits for the Postal Service are partially unfunded. This bill provides no new funding for the retiree health benefits of postal workers. It doesn't solve the problem.

Now, I heard that my Democrat colleagues say this bill will address the massive supply chain crisis that millions of American families have suffered from. I could not disagree with them more on this point. And, frankly, I am shocked that they are willing to unfairly stick our postal workers with the blame for the failures of the Biden administration that have created and worsened our supply chain problems. This bill does nothing to address this supply chain problem.

I know that the hard-working men and women of the Postal Service are not the ones causing this crisis; but if my colleagues insist that they are, that is even more of a reason to make sure this bill is heard in committee so we can really dig into the problem and make sure we come with up a sustainable solution.

There is no looming deadline that would necessitate rushed action by the Senate. This bill perfectly captures everything that is wrong with the way Washington solves problems. Instead of taking the time to craft a sustainable, affordable, and accountable solution that serves the interests of taxpayers, Medicare recipients, consumers, and postal workers and achieves our policy goals, Congress rushes bills into law so that politicians can send out a press release saying they did something, even if that something actually makes the problem worse.

If any business operated like this, it would absolutely fail. We have to stop this insanity. Given the scope of the legislation, the potential negative impact to postal workers, taxpayers, consumers, Medicare recipients, and seniors, the Senate should carefully and thoughtfully consider this bill. We should take all appropriate steps to make sure that we get this right. The Senate has simply not been afforded the opportunity to do that; therefore, I object.

Madam President, reserving the right to object, I notice neither of my colleagues addressed the fact that, still, why didn't this go to committee? Why wouldn't we go through a process? This massive, billion-dollar bill, why wouldn't we go to a committee? They did not address that.

And, by the way, they talk about a technical error. I was here when my colleague from Florida had a technical change where the number was wrong, and my Democratic colleagues blocked the amendment. So this is not unheard of.

On top of that, they never addressed the fact that this puts our Medicare recipients and our Medicare Program at further risk because the program is not fully funded, and this is nothing to fix it. On top of that, with our retiree benefits in the Postal Service, their funding is underfunded. This doesn't do anything to improve their funding.

So I am not going to object, but let's make sure we clear up the facts here.

Madam President, almost 4 years ago, on February 14, 2018, the world witnessed a senseless attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL.

I am proud to join my colleague Senator Rubio to introduce this resolution which honors the 17 victims of the tragic shooting: Alyssa Alhadeff, Scott Beigel, Martin Duque Anguiano, Nicholas Dworet, Aaron Feis, Jaime Guttenberg, Chris Hixon, Luke Hoyer, Cara Loughran, Gina Montalto, Joaquin Oliver, Alaina Petty, Meadow Pollack, Helena Ramsay, Alex Schachter, Carmen Schentrup, and Peter Wang.

I often think of these innocent lives who were lost way too early. They were sons, daughters, parents, and partners. Some were educators, athletes, musicians; many of them, just kids with a life full of promise ahead of them. My heart breaks knowing that they will never get to pursue their dreams and that their families will always have a piece of their heart missing.

Since that horrific day, I have worked closely with many of the victims' families to ensure no family has to experience that again.

While I was Governor, we passed the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act to make sure our State does everything possible to ensure this does not happen again.

Now as a U.S. Senator, I am fighting for improvements on the Federal level, including the Luke and Alex School Safety Act, named after Luke Hoyer and Alex Schachter, which builds on our work to keep schools safe.

I am also working with my colleagues to pass the bipartisan EAGLES Act, which improves school safety for our students and teachers and provides more resources to law enforcement to prevent future tragedies from happening.

While, unfortunately, we cannot bring back the lives lost on that tragic day nearly 4 years ago, I will always work to honor them and do everything in my power to protect our students and educators and ensure they have a safe environment to learn and succeed.

Madam President, as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 508, which is at the desk.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Madam President, I yield the floor.

Madam President, as our Nation continues to battle against COVID-19, we know that the best way forward for defeating this virus is making sure Americans have adequate prevention and treatment options against this terrible illness.

While I understand that we are still learning about COVID-19 every day, I share the frustrations of public health leaders and the American people at the Federal Government's lack of proactive leadership in fighting this virus. Even with a vaccine developed under the previous administration, President Biden has not been able to slow COVID-19's spread.

The Federal Government's most important role during a public health crisis is to provide accurate information to the American people. Unfortunately, over the past year, there has been mixed messaging, cruel and unfair finger-pointing, baseless censorship, and a striking lack of effort put into comprehensive public health education efforts.

You should be able to get a test, period, but many Americans have been frustrated at the lack of at-home tests as the virus has continued to spread under President Biden. However, as we seek to ensure the health and well-being of American families, we must do so while using taxpayer dollars responsibly.

It is imperative that the Federal Government do everything in its power to complete our public health mission in a manner that prioritizes support for domestic manufacturing. That is why, as soon as I learned about the administration's intent to purchase 500 million at- home COVID-19 rapid tests for the public earlier this year, I wrote to the HHS Secretary and urged him to prioritize the purchase of American- made COVID tests and prohibit the purchase of tests made in communist China.

We know that at least two FDA-authorized at-home COVID-19 antigen tests are manufactured in communist China and imported into the United States. The last thing the American tax dollars should go towards is funding a country that is guilty of starting the pandemic, covering up and lying about the origins of COVID-19, committing genocide again millions of Uighurs, destroying democracy in Hong Kong, persecuting Tibetans, harassing and threatening Taiwan, stealing American technology and research, and engaging in illegal and unfair trade practices.

Giving communist China taxpayer money would be a complete abuse of the public trust. Sadly, although unsurprisingly, that is exactly what the Biden administration has done in its decision to funnel $1.28 billion to Andon Health, a Chinese company. That is right--instead of supporting American manufacturing and exclusively ordering American- made tests, the Biden administration is handing nearly $1.3 billion of taxpayer funds to a company in communist China. This isn't a secret; it was widely reported by Reuters last month.

I am sure we all remember Biden's promise to ``Buy American.'' It is a commitment I and many of my colleagues in the Senate applauded. But, like so many promises made by this President, it has been broken.

That is why I introduced the No Taxpayer Dollars for Communist China COVID Tests Act--a bill to right the wrongs of the Biden administration and prohibit buying or importing COVID-19 tests made in communist China with U.S. tax dollars. I would like to thank Senator Roger Marshall for cosponsoring this bill.

We need this legislation because President Biden has announced that the government will be purchasing 500 million more at-home tests, and just last week, the Department of Defense announced it was buying more than 100 million tests from Andon Health to achieve Biden's goal. That is more money for communist China's economy and less investment in our own economy.

The Federal Government has a responsibility to support American manufacturers, especially as our economy recovers from COVID-19. We cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that it was the Chinese Communist Party that lied about this deadly virus, tried to hide it, and has continuously covered up the origins of COVID-19. We know that every dollar spent on COVID-19 tests manufactured in communist China goes directly to supporting General Secretary Xi and his genocidal regime.

People in this town think taxpayer money is free money to use as they want. They forget that for every dollar collected, there is a hard- working American who earned that money by the sweat of their brow. We have a duty and obligation to ensure that we spend that money wisely.

Thankfully, we won't lose anything or experience shortages by not giving these contracts to Chinese companies. It means HHS will have to work harder to get good, responsible contracts. But the Biden administration's willingness to fund the communist Chinese economy instead of the American economy is an absolute disgrace. It is another example of Joe Biden's willingness to appease dictators and forsake democracy, freedom, and human rights.

So, with many of these tests already repurchased and the Biden administration planning to spend billions more taxpayers dollars, it is important that Congress act on this immediately, which is why I will be asking to pass this good and commonsense bill today.

As if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 3565, which is at the desk; further, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

First off, if my colleague actually wanted to help American families, he would do whatever he could to get American families jobs.

I can't understand why my colleague would object to this bill. When did the Democrats decide that they no longer care about the oversight authority of Congress?

My colleague never said that HHS couldn't find American manufacturers for these tests. He didn't go back and check to see if they did. It seems like every one of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle is just another member of the Biden administration focused on covering up for Joe Biden and his appeasement of General Secretary Xi.

I am actually trying to support American jobs and American families so they can support themselves.

I want to support American manufacturers and the American supply chain. The Biden administration is actively choosing to support the communist Chinese regime and their economy instead. This is what he was elected to do, and this is the last thing American families want to see their tax dollars go for.

As stewards of taxpayer dollars, it is our duty to make sure we are doing everything we can to support the American economy, not the communist Chinese economy, especially following the pandemic and during this time of record-high inflation.

So I think objecting to this bill is a choice just to appease communist China, and it is dearly disappointing that we couldn't pass this good, commonsense bill today.

Reserving the right to object, look, I get it. I understand why my colleague is anxious. He has got to distract from the bill I came here to pass today. Democrats have shown again and again that they will do anything to cover up for Joe Biden and his weak appeasement of communist China. From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, my focus has been on providing targeted help to families who truly need it. That is where my focus remains.

My colleague is well aware that this program that he is talking about is actively being debated, and there are concerns on both sides of the aisle. Just one of the many issues being discussed in the program is the program's lack of work requirements and insufficient means testing. It would be irresponsible to cut those discussions short and pass a measure that does not have the unanimous support of the Senate tonight. Therefore, I object.

Madam President, like many of my colleagues, I often speak about my family here on the Senate floor. As most of my colleagues know, I grew up poor and spent years of my childhood living in public housing. I never knew my biological dad, and my mom and my adopted father did the best they could for our family with the very little they had.

I think that small part of my life is well known, but what may not be known to many people is that my parents were Democrats. Sadly, the Democratic Party my parents belonged to no longer exists. Today's Democratic Party would be totally unrecognizable to my parents, just as it is to millions of Americans all across our country right now.

I am a proud Republican. It is no secret that I am trying to expand my party, but I still believe in the benefits of our centuries-old two- party system. It makes our Nation stronger; it pushes us to listen to both sides, work together, and leads to progress.

That is why the filibuster is so important. As a rule, the filibuster embodies what is most essential to the survival of our Republic. It weakens the sometimes attractive nature of tribalism and bolsters the importance of and need for consensus when crafting policy.

The filibuster protects our democratic process. That is why the Founders designed the Senate to operate this way, as a cooling saucer that could resist the temptation of political expediency that leads our country to wild swings in policy and position.

I make this point not only to highlight the foolishness of doing away with this rule as my Democratic colleagues would like to do but to draw attention to the gravely concerning abandonment of democratic principles we see in today's Democratic Party.

Madam President, I take no joy in saying this, but today's Democratic Party has become the new anti-democracy party. The terrifying examples of this are all around us: packing the Supreme Court, pushing a radical Federal takeover of State elections, ignoring our laws on border enforcement and criminal prosecution, and forcing unconstitutional vaccine mandates on American workers. None of these things give more power to the people we are elected to represent.

What these dangerous ideas show is that today's Democrats don't believe that people are capable of getting it right. Democrats don't think their ideas can win enough elections to control a majority in the Senate. Senator Schumer said as much just last week. He said that if the Democrats don't pass their ``Corrupt Politicians Act,'' they will lose their majority. A party that once prided itself on being a voice for working Americans like my parents is now turning to authoritarian tactics to impose its will on government by force because it does not trust the decision voters will make.

In trying to pack the Supreme Court, Democrats are saying they do not trust the decisions of the State legislatures--bodies comprised of the people's elected representatives.

In pushing the Federal takeover of State elections, Democrats are showing that they know their ideas are too radical to win the approval of voters, so they need to leave the backdoor open for fraud and the dilution of votes to win elections and stay in power. That is why they want to give noncitizens--those here illegally and who may be dangerous criminals--the sacred right to vote.

In pushing an unconstitutional vaccine mandate, Democrats are making clear that they don't trust the American people to make smart decisions for themselves and their families when it comes to their own health.

In the eyes of today's Democrat leaders, disagreement is intolerable. There are no more opponents; only racists. They allow no room for compromise because all who disagree are evil, bigoted, and backward.

When the ruling class strips the people of their voice, democracy dies. When the elites in Washington decide they know better than the families they are supposed to represent, our American experiment fails.

Madam President, it is a sad day when I think about how unrecognizable today's Democratic Party would be to my parents, not because it has naturally evolved or modernized but because it has abandoned the principles it once fought so hard to protect.

I am sure these words will upset many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. I hope they do, and I hope it drives them to refocus their party back where it belongs: on the needs of American families.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, since the founding of our Republic, the Senate has existed to encourage extended debate and protect the rights of the minority party.

Over the centuries, as various political parties have risen and fallen from power, the Senate's rules have been respected and followed. One of those rules is the legislative filibuster, which protects the minority party's rights by requiring a 60-vote threshold to pass legislation in the Senate.

Unfortunately, many of today's Democrats in Washington only care about one thing: radically transforming this Nation into a new socialist state. And they will use any means necessary to keep their grip on the Federal Government.

Now we are seeing Democrat leadership in the Congress wield their historically narrow majority to push one partisan bill after another without even attempting to get Republican input or support. Instead of working together with their Republican colleagues, they are searching for ways to make it easier to jam through progressive, socialist policies without any compromise. Just look at the majority leader's most recent statements on the filibuster.

Last week, the majority leader wrote a letter to all Democrat Senators explaining his plans to fundamentally and permanently alter the rules of the U.S. Senate and change the legislative filibuster. His statements could not be more hypocritical or self-serving.

The legislative filibuster, which has been in place for decades, has been repeatedly defended as a vital and necessary rule to protect the minority party's rights, including by Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and even Senator Schumer.

In 2017, Senator Schumer urged then-Majority Leader McConnell to ``find a way to build a firewall around the legislative filibuster,'' which is the most important distinction between the Senate and the House.

He went on to say:

Without the 60-vote threshold for legislation, the Senate

becomes a majoritarian institution like the House, much more

subject to the winds of short-term electoral change. No

Senator would like to see that happen, so let's find a way to

further protect the 60-vote rule for legislation.

These are the direct quotes from the Senator from New York. He called the filibuster the most important distinction between the Senate and the House, and now he is turning his back on them.

Of course, my colleague from New York isn't the only one caught in a bind here by previous statements and actions. Just remember that, in 2018, the current Senate majority whip, Senator Dick Durbin, said doing away with the legislative filibuster ``would be the end of the Senate as it was originally devised and created going back to our Founding Fathers.''

He further admitted: ``We have to acknowledge our respect for the minority, and that is what the Senate tries to do in its composition and its procedure.''

Or remember in 2017, when 32 Democrats signed a bipartisan letter urging Senate leadership to keep the sacred part of the Senate intact. Most of those same Senators who defended minority party rights are still in office today, but only one has expressed any opposition to Senator Schumer's plans to destroy the filibuster, now that he is in the majority.

And just last Congress, most of the Democrat caucus used a filibuster to block a police reform bill from my Republican colleague Tim Scott and a bill that would have protected newborn babies who survived attempted abortions.

So my Democrat colleagues think the filibuster is great when it works in their favor, but they can't stand it when it blocks their radical socialist agenda, an agenda we know the American people do not support.

So why the change of mind? Why are they willing to be so blatantly hypocritical and so obviously flip-flop? Because they know if they pull this off and pass this radical, dangerous bill to federalize elections, it will all but secure their power into the future. That is what we are talking about here.

Democrats want to push through this bill that will completely upend our current election system, and they are willing to abandon their principles and flip-flop on the filibuster if it means permanently maintaining power.

Senator Schumer admitted it earlier today on MSNBC. He said the quiet part out loud and explained that Democrat Senators are saying things like ``I'll lose my election'' or ``We'll lose our majority'' if they don't change the filibuster to pass their election takeover bill.

Democrats say this is about ``voting rights.'' It isn't. The right to vote is more readily accessible and easily exercised by eligible voters across the country than ever before. This is really about federalizing our elections and enacting policies that they think will give them an advantage in future elections. And all along the way, they will revel in their hypocrisy and self-righteously pretend that they are ``protecting democracy.''

But make no mistake, a change to the filibuster won't protect democracy. It will ruin it.

Democrats in this Chamber can posture all they want, but the American people see them for what they really are: self-serving, power-hungry politicians.

We all know that if the Democrats' bill was good, if it included policies that would actually improve our Nation's elections, it would pass. But there is nothing in the bill worth voting for. The Democrats' bill is an assault on American elections. It will fuel voter fraud, waste taxpayer dollars on political campaigns and attack ads, and make it nearly impossible to conduct fair elections that our citizens can trust.

We need an end to this self-serving hypocrisy, and we need Members who will stand up for what is right. I am urging my Democratic colleagues to see past their party's own partisan, short-term interests, and I ask them to consider the health and future of our democracy. That is what the American people deserve.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, yesterday marked 6 months since July 11--a day when brave Cubans all across that island marched for democracy, cried out for freedom, and sent a clear message that the time was up for the illegitimate communist regime.

From Havana to Santa Clara to Santiago de Cuba, the message of ``Patria y Vida!'' could be heard from the people. Cuban families and demonstrators stood against the revolution's motto of ``Patria o Muerte'' to once again declare that the revolution had failed.

That failed revolution promised prosperity and equality for all, but the only equal thing about it was poverty, suffering, and oppression for all. We watched as families gathered outside the headquarters of the Cuban Communist Party to chant ``Cuba isn't yours!'' Their message was clear: It is time for a new day of freedom and democracy in Cuba.

Instead of listening to the cries of their people, the communist Cuban regime lashed out with violence and the oppression it has used for more than 60 years to silence opposition to its reign. The regime and its thugs kidnapped innocent democracy activists and kept others trapped in their homes. Right now, hundreds of Cubans have been indefinitely detained or unjustly sentenced to prison simply for demanding basic human rights.

Some of these protesters are facing prison sentences as long as 30 years. One of them is Jose Daniel Ferrer, the leader of the pro- democracy UNPACU group and a dedicated freedom and human rights activist. Since his detainment, I have had the chance to talk to his family several times. Each time we speak, the stories they tell me are more heartbreaking.

Jose Daniel is being tortured by the communist regime in an attempt to end his life. He is suffering from severe headaches, mouth bleeding, malnutrition, cough, and insomnia--all products of the cruel torture and inhumane treatment from the regime.

We can also think about Felix Navarro, another longtime freedom activist who helps lead a pro-democracy group on the island. He was arrested, not for demonstrating but for asking police about the status of some of the members of his group who had been detained.

Reports indicate even young teenagers are being detained indefinitely.

The unjust imprisonment, beatings, and torture of the Cuban people is abhorrent. It is inhumane, and it cannot be tolerated. It is clear that these actions stem from the regime's paralyzing fear over the freedom movement spreading across Cuba. They are terrified that there is a new day of freedom on the rise for the Cuban people, so they resort to total oppression and to the silencing of any mention of independence or freedom.

As the greatest beacon of freedom and democracy in the world, the United States must stand against the communist regime and with the Cuban people. I am thankful that U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Brian Nichols recently called for the immediate release of the July 11 demonstrators. Along with his calls, we need the voices of President Biden and Secretary Blinken, and their calls need to be coupled with action that actually pressures the illegitimate communist Cuban regime now.

It was only a couple of weeks ago when I called the White House to talk about the case of Jose Daniel Ferrer. The first time I called, they asked me to leave a message, so I did. When I called the next day, the White House hung up on me.

Throughout his entire first year in office, Joe Biden has been shamefully silent about Cuba. Just like he does with communist China, Biden's strategy on Cuba is to do the bare minimum. Even while the protests were ongoing, he did nothing to alleviate the suffering of the Cuban people.

Compare that to the Organization of American States. After I spoke with them a few weeks ago, Secretary General Luis Almagro issued a statement demanding the immediate release of all arbitrarily imprisoned political prisoners. He expressed special concern for the well-being of Jose Daniel Ferrer and urged the Cuban regime to allow a humanitarian mission that can immediately verify the state and situation of political prisoners in the country.

Why can't Joe Biden make that same request? Where is the President? He has had 6 months to help provide internet to the Cuban people to help disseminate information and help the freedom movement, but he has done nothing. His silence is appeasement, and those of us who love freedom will not simply sit by idly while he refuses to act.

As long as the illegitimate communist Cuban regime continues to deny the people their freedom, democracy, and basic human rights, I am going to fight alongside them and demand action.

Today, the Senate can do something. Today, the U.S. Senate can pass a resolution honoring Cuban activists like Jose Daniel Ferrer, condemning the Cuban dictatorship's repression, and calling for the international community to stand with the Cuban people. I have introduced a resolution that does exactly that, and it is something that everyone in the Chamber should agree with.

I am thankful for Senators Marco Rubio and Mike Braun for cosponsoring this resolution. I am also thankful for Mario Diaz-Balart, Congresswoman Salazar, and Congressman Gimenez for introducing the companion resolution in the House.

We must make sure our message to the Cuban people is clear: America has not and will not forget you. We have seen your bravery and courage. We have heard your calls for freedom. You have risked everything for the freedom of Cubans across the island. You are an inspiration to us all.

I ask unanimous consent to address the Senate in Spanish.

Mr. President, I am glad to see this resolution pass.

I want to thank my colleagues, Senators Marco Rubio and Mike Braun, for cosponsoring this resolution and Congressman Diaz-Balart, Congresswoman Salazar, and Congressman Gimenez for supporting this resolution in the House.

In my roles as a U.S. Senator and the Governor of Florida, I have had the honor of meeting and speaking with countless Cubans who have risked their lives to flee Castro's brutal regime. Many of them came here with nothing, scarred by the oppression of the regime but hopeful for a new life. With what little they had, they started businesses and families and built thriving communities and are a major part of the economy of Florida.

We have all seen their resolve to fight for freedom, support their families, and contribute to their communities. They are an example of the American dream and a testimony to the ills of communism and socialism. The Cuban people are a source of inspiration for all of us. They show us what can be accomplished when you have freedom and opportunity.

That is why we continue to fight for the end of communism in Cuba and for the freedom and liberties of every Cuban family. It is why we should all join them and say ``Abajo la Dictadura!'' ``Patria, vida y Libertad!''

Madam President, last month I was proud to see the Senate come together in a bipartisan effort and pass a Congressional Review Act measure to overturn President Biden's unconstitutional Federal vaccine mandate on private businesses. In that bipartisan vote, a majority of U.S. Senators sent a clear message that these job-killing mandates are wrong and have no place in our country's fight against COVID-19.

Then, just days after Christmas, President Biden said something very interesting. While he was talking with Governors about the COVID-19 pandemic, he admitted:

Look, there is no Federal solution. This gets solved at a

State level.

This is President Biden's message: States should be leading the effort. Now, that doesn't mean there isn't a role for the Federal Government. But what we have seen from the Biden administration is no progress, just worsening cases, and the horrible job-killing consequences of his unconstitutional mandates on private businesses.

I want to be clear: His unconstitutional mandates are job killers. Back in October, the Federal Reserve reported that vaccine mandates were widely cited by businesses as a reason for low labor supply and hiring and retention issues. It was a finding my Republican colleagues and I have been warning about for months before their report, and it is directly tied to inflation.

When the labor supply is reduced, prices go up, and families, especially those on low and fixed incomes, suffer. Restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations, and small businesses all have to charge more.

I heard about a restaurant owner in St. Petersburg, FL, who had to take certain items off the menu because they simply cost too much, and he can't pass the cost on to his customers. He has even seen the price of oil and to-go boxes more than double.

I talked to an operator of a food bank in Osceola County, FL. She used to see 15 families each day, and now she is seeing upward of 70 families. Food prices have gone through the roof. It is more expensive for her to get food to give to people hurting at the very time demand is up. This is the reality for families and small businesses all across America, and vaccine mandates do nothing but make these problems even worse.

I can't imagine why, just when our country is working to get back on its feet, the President of the United States would be pushing policies that kill jobs, but that is exactly what he is doing. Now lockdown- loving Dr. Fauci and President Biden want to double down on their insane mandates and are considering forcing every American who wants to fly to show proof of vaccine before boarding an airplane. This is just another Orwellian response from the Biden administration and radical Democrats that does nothing to protect the American people.

Providing information about the virus, providing tests, supporting vaccine and therapy developments, and getting the economy back on track should be the only role of the Federal Government in this pandemic.

Congress has to take a stand and protect the American people from these

communist China-style policies that are meant to divide us. That is why a few months ago, I introduced the Prevent Unconstitutional Vaccine Mandates for Interstate Commerce Act. The bill would prevent Federal Agencies, like the Department of Transportation and Department of Commerce, from requiring proof of vaccination for companies trying to do business across State lines.

Importantly, it would block the Federal Government from making airline passengers show proof of vaccine before catching a flight, which is exactly what Dr. Fauci wants to do.

This bill also protects truckers and will ensure that the Biden administration can't ruin our supply chains even more. Our truckers are the key to fixing Biden's supply chain crisis, and we should do everything we can to protect them.

President Biden has continually showed us his track record of failed policies and a mandate for domestic airline passengers would only add to his growing failures and blame shifting. We saw it in his failed and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan. We have seen his administration's complete failure to handle the crisis across the southern border. We see it every day in President Biden's inability to fight inflation by stopping reckless spending. We continue to see his failure and complete void of leadership in how this administration is fighting COVID-19.

Now, I am sure my Democrat colleagues will say that this legislation isn't needed because at this exact moment, there is not a vaccine mandate to fly on a plane, but they said the same thing last year when we tried to preemptively block vaccine mandates for private businesses. They claimed the President has committed not to do that. We know the President broke that promise.

The American people deserve better than politicians who continue to mislead them on the Federal Government's failures to fight COVID properly. The back-and-forth has to end.

We must end these ridiculous, unconstitutional vaccine mandates and focus on getting our economy back on track. That is why, as I mentioned earlier, the U.S. Senate passed a Congressional Review Act measure to invalidate President Biden's vaccine mandate on a bipartisan basis. The Senate, along with the majority of Americans, doesn't believe that the Federal Government should force people to choose between taking the vaccine and losing their job. That is why I am again demanding that the Federal Government stop trying to force the American people to follow draconian, job-killing mandates that hurt families.

This is the second time I have come to the floor to try to pass this bill and protect the rights of American families and businesses. I would like to thank Senators Cynthia Lummis, Ron Johnson, Mike Lee, and Roger Marshall for joining me in introducing this important and urgently needed legislation. This is a commonsense bill, and I hope all my colleagues will support it.

As if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be discharged from further consideration of S. 2895 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

First off, I want to make sure my colleague understands what this bill would do. This bill would prevent Federal Agencies, like the Department of Transportation and the Department of Commerce, from requiring proof of vaccination for companies trying to do business across State lines.

So what this bill does is say that the Federal Government is not going to mandate this. If a private business wants to say that you have to have a vaccine to come in, that is a decision that private business gets to make. But government shouldn't be in the position to tell a new business that they have to require a vaccine. I mean, that is not what you do.

What this does do is it is killing jobs. It is killing people and killing the jobs of people who worked their tail off in the prior 12 months.

Now, I don't know why this is controversial. The Senate, on a bipartisan basis, just passed a Congressional Review Act measure striking down President Biden's vaccine mandate. On a bipartisan basis we already decided we don't believe in what the President is doing.

We have got families and businesses all across this country that are struggling to keep up with the cost of inflation, and the government should be doing everything it can to reduce inflation and get the economy going.

Look, I know what it is like to go hungry because groceries cost too much. I watched my mom and my dad struggle for years. When prices rose, my mom took in odd jobs. When she struggled, we didn't have as much food on the table.

It is the responsibility of the Federal Government to improve the economy and help families get ahead. We know the vaccine mandates are absolutely causing prices to rise. When prices rise, people are getting hurt, and they are making interstate commerce much more difficult.

So instead of taking action to help families and curb inflation, the Biden Administration is taking every possible step to make it harder for them to put food on the table and afford to live in this country.

The President has already said that this must be handled at the State level. I agree. And the Federal Government can take a step in this direction by ensuring vaccine passports won't be required for interstate commerce.

They shouldn't be required to get on a plane. They shouldn't be required to carry goods across State lines.

Even our Nation's healthcare providers know that mandates don't work. They stopped doing it in most cases. Just last month we saw hospitals across this country delay or suspend their vaccine mandates because they knew it was killing jobs.

We know that Biden's unconstitutional mandates are going to make it more difficult to retain staff and deliver quality care to their patients. I don't understand why my colleague wants to give the government more power, more power, more power--upholding regulations that are causing prices to rise and forcing people to choose between keeping their jobs and getting a vaccine.

We ought to give people the freedom to live their lives, to do exactly what my colleague just said: If a business wants to require a vaccine, they should require that. But if they don't, the government shouldn't be doing that. Our government should be giving people information, and let them make the decisions they want to make.

I trust American families. I trust American businesses. They are smart enough to make informed decisions about their health. But my colleague's objection is bad for American families and bad for business owners, and I hope she will reconsider her objection.