Floor Statements

Mr. President, I have come to the floor, briefly, to talk about two subjects.

One relates to a situation that I have been updated on of a gentleman who has been detained by ICE out in California, and I want to talk a little bit about it. We have to go back to ``Retrograde.''

When we were leaving Afghanistan several years ago, my office spent a lot of time working with various nonprofits and veterans' advocacy organizations to do our very best to get people out of Afghanistan who had served alongside U.S. servicemembers, and we met with a lot of success. Thank God for former special operators and others who were outside of the boundary. We were literally in a network of coordinating the positioning of families to get to the Kabul Airport--HKIA they call it. It was to get them to a specific gate and get them out, them and their families.

Why were we doing that?

It was because the people who helped special operators and forces in Afghanistan had marks on them. They would be murdered if they were found by the Taliban for supporting and working alongside American citizens, which they did, and many of them lost their lives.

OK. I just became informed over the past day about the detention of a gentleman who had worked for the military as an interpreter, I think, for 3 years directly and then had worked with a contractor. Unfortunately, he was not one of the ones who got out. He was in northern Afghanistan at the time. He was not one of the ones who was fortunate enough to get out before the Taliban was allowed to overrun Kabul and subsequently murder and kill a number of people who had worked alongside Americans for many years.

Well, it turns out this gentleman was in Afghanistan, as was his brother, and they had become targets because they knew that they were working alongside American servicemembers. They murdered his brother, so he decided to flee from Afghanistan to Iran, which was not a particularly friendly territory. Think about that. He was willing to go to Iran because it was a safer place to be than in Afghanistan, and then he subsequently got a humanitarian visa in Brazil.

He did find his way to the United States. Unfortunately, he did so illegally. Instead of being in a safe third country, he did come here. He did violate our immigration laws, but he also stood alongside American servicemembers and was getting out of a horrible situation where, I think, anyone--everyone--would agree that he needed to get out of Afghanistan. I believe he used the CBP One app to try to apply for asylum, and he was paroled here under the Biden administration--and he did abuse the parole system while he was in office. At the end of the day, we have got a guy who served alongside American soldiers, who, undoubtedly, saved American lives in the process, and who was in this country illegally but who is now in a detention center in California.

All I am trying to say, folks, is I want you to obey our laws. The majority of the time, if you come to this country illegally, then I want you to potentially be deported, but you can't cast everybody in that same light. He was also trying to apply for a special immigrant visa under the interpreter program.

So all I am saying is things are moving quickly. It just disturbs me that we have got somebody in detention who served, by all accounts, admirably alongside American servicemen, and he probably saved their lives because those interpreters were embedded in the community. I think we owe it to this person to get him out of detention and into some status to determine what country he should go to. I am not necessarily arguing that he should stay in the United States, but I am arguing that he shouldn't be in detention in California after his service, indirectly and directly, to our country.

That is all I have to say on that matter, but we are going to be tracking it very closely, and I thought it was important to say that on the floor.

Mr. President, the last thing I am going to leave you with is, I sat on this floor yesterday while Senator Padilla was speaking, and I have to tell you that the events that occurred--and I am saying this because now I hear about a dustup in New York. Folks, Alex Padilla I consider a friend, and I believe that he was very, very--his emotions were on--at a 10--because of some of the things that he has seen occurring in terms of ICE detentions and ICE raids. I agree and disagree with him on some of the policy.

But, folks, we have got to get to a point where elected officials have to take some responsibility for their actions. We have press conferences here all the time. We have a weekly press conference out here with leadership. We have got a press room on the third floor. I wonder if we are actually saying it is OK for me to run out here and interrupt Senator Schumer, while he is giving his opening statements, to a presser to ask him a question. I think that that is inappropriate. I think it would be inappropriate to do it to my Democratic colleagues up in the press room on the third floor. I think it would be inappropriate for me to go out and do that out in the field.

So I guess what I am trying to say here is, why don't both sides own up to the fact that they both own some responsibility for what happened there. Senator Padilla should have found a better way to elevate his concerns to the Secretary of Homeland Security rather than going in there and having that dustup. Having said that, there were clearly people in that building who knew he was a U.S. Senator. So the minute he was removed from that situation in the briefing room, they should have treated him with respect and allowed him to disperse. It was disgusting to me to see somebody wrestled to the floor--anybody but particularly a U.S. Senator who is in a Federal building.

So I would just say to those who are tempted now to think that they can act like they are off the hinge and that they should interrupt a press conference or threaten police officials to arrest them: Think twice. Step up and be leaders. If you have got a point, don't go trying to trend on social media by getting in somebody's face. If you want to make a point, that is what you do. If you want to make a difference, then come to the Senate floor and try to figure out how to get your policies through. That is how this place should work.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to begin the vote now scheduled for a later time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate stand in recess until 3:30 p.m. today.

Without objection, the Senate, at 2:42 p.m., recessed until 3:30 p.m. and reassembled when called to order by the Presiding Officer (Mr. Banks).

Mr. President, I rise today to recognize an extraordinary North Carolinian. Since the early 1970s, Cynthia J. Butts, a resident of Murphy, NC, has served as a caregiver for her own family and the families of our Nation's Armed Forces. She has consistently offered care, compassion, and support to those around her.

As a military spouse, Mrs. Butts understood firsthand the challenges of having a loved one deployed. Guided by her natural inclination to care for others, she provided invaluable support for families facing those same challenges. Her caregiving extended to several senior family members, and she is now the primary caregiver for her husband.

As Mrs. Butts' community faced the challenges of COVID-19 and later Hurricane Helene, she once again rose to the occasion. Even as her husband's health declined and she battled cancer herself, she continued to offer love and support to all those around her.

I am humbled to recognize Mrs. Butts for her lifelong dedication to caring for those around her. Our great State and Nation are grateful for her compassion and lifetime of service.

Mr. President, I rise during Police Week to honor the brave men and women in North Carolina and across the Nation who serve in law enforcement. Thousands of officers and their families come to our Nation's Capital every year to pay tribute to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect our communities.

Each name added to the memorial wall represents a story of courage, selflessness, and sacrifice. Unfortunately, North Carolinians know all too well about that kind of sacrifice. Today, I want to honor three heroes who we lost in North Carolina since last year's Police Week in May 2024.

Last September, North Carolina was hit by Hurricane Helene, one of the worst natural disasters in the State's history. The historic flooding and devastation caused by Helene required an all-out effort by first responders, who were working around the clock.

One of those first responders was Court Officer James Lau. Officer Lau's vehicle was swept away by unexpected floodwaters from a river, in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Officer Lau was a Vietnam veteran, and his law enforcement career spanned nearly four decades across 3 States. In fact, Officer Lau was 75 years old. He was already fully retired, but he continued to serve his community as a security officer at the Macon County Courthouse. He is survived by his wife, five children, and four grandchildren.

We also remember Major Michelle Lynn Quintero of the Madison County Sheriff's Office, who was only 48 years old. She was tragically killed by the same storm and fast-moving floodwaters caused by a dam that had overflowed and took down all the power, radio communication, and phone service. Major Quintero was swept downhill and was hit by a tree careening in the fast-moving water.

She served more than 17 years with the Madison County Sheriff's Office. Major Quintero is survived by her husband, who also works in law enforcement, and she is survived by her two children, both of whom work for the Madison County Sheriff's Office.

Late December of last year, on the day before Christmas Eve, Greensboro Police Officer Michael Horan was shot and killed while responding to a call about a man with a firearm in a grocery store. The murderer fled the scene and led law enforcement on a multicounty chase. The brave men from multiple law enforcement agencies apprehended the suspect on Interstate 40.

Officer Horan was a reservist in the U.S. Coast Guard, where he earned multiple awards, including the Coast Guard Enlisted Person of the Year award in 2015 and 2019. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of chief warrant officer, earlier this year.

Officer Horan served with the Greensboro Police Department for 7 years. He was only 44 years old and is survived by his wife and children.

While we can't stop natural disasters or accidents, lawmakers can play a role

in helping to reduce the intentional targeting of law enforcement. That is why I continue to push for the passage of the Protect and Serve Act. This is legislation that I introduced that makes it a Federal crime to intentionally harm or attempt to harm a law enforcement officer. It also gives prosecutors new tools to penalize criminals who target law enforcement.

Officers go to work every day prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for their communities, and they need our support now more than ever.

I had a colleague of mine in the Judiciary Committee today make a great point. That uniform now includes a bulletproof vest. They know what they have signed up for. They wear that as a matter of procedure because every single day they go out there, they assume they may be shot at.

I am asking my colleagues to consider the importance of this legislation and encourage them to take a stand on behalf of law enforcement officers who are no longer with us. There is a reason the Protect and Serve Act is supported by law enforcement groups across the Nation: the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Association of Police Organizations, the Police Officers' Defense Coalition, the North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police, the National Sheriffs' Association, and the Major County Sheriffs association.

Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know why it is hard for any Member of the U.S. Senate to get behind this bill. It simply says that we are going to raise the stakes for anybody who would knowingly do harm to a police officer.

To every officer serving today: Thank you for your courage. You have earned my unending gratitude.

By supporting this bill, Members of the U.S. Senate can demonstrate their enduring gratitude to law enforcement.

By not supporting it--I don't know what that says, but I know it is something that in North Carolina and among law enforcement agencies, it is not good.

To the families of the fallen: Your loss is shared by a grateful nation. We will never forget your loved ones' service, nor their sacrifice. God bless them. God bless law enforcement. And may God bless the United States of America.

Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I understand the Senate has received H.J. Res. 75 from the House.

I move to proceed to H.J. Res. 75.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Vote on Motion

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call with respect to the Meador nomination be waived.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, at 4:30 p.m., the Senate vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the Hoekstra nomination; further, that at 6 p.m., the Senate vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the Johnson and Cabrera nominations in the order listed and that if cloture is invoked on the nominations individually, the postcloture time be expired and the Senate vote on the confirmations of the nominations as well as the motion to invoke cloture on the Atkins nomination at a time to be determined by the majority leader, in consultation with the Democratic leader, no earlier than Wednesday, April 9; finally, that if the nominations are confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action. I also ask that the order be amended to include the Huckabee nomination.

Mr. President, this morning, we had a Finance Committee meeting, and Ambassador Greer was there, our U.S. Trade Representative, whom I voted for and have a lot of confidence in. I asked him a line of questions. Then I saw the press getting lazy and not reporting what I said. So I felt like, instead of having to talk a lot to the press, here is what I said:

I was a partner at Price Waterhouse for most of my career. I have advised big clients on big projects. What I was asking the Ambassador today was a simple question on policy--or, I should say, on business-- that didn't resonate with the people in journalism who have, apparently, never worked a day in business. We used to have this concept of ``one throat to choke,'' right? When somebody makes a business decision for a major enterprise, there is always one person-- it is not the President; it is not the Vice President, as they are in elected positions, and they have to roll out experts.

All I was saying there is I support what is going on, right now, with trade. As uncertain as it may seem now, I think the President is right in challenging other nations that have, for decades, abused their relationship with the United States--to press. I think he should. Whether or not I would do it ``alla prima,'' as I described--that is all at once--or whether or not I would pick out the top quartile of the worst offenders, work on them, and then kind of work down the list is subject to debate.

But the point that I was making is that someone in the administration--I assume, when they decided to do broad-based tariffs against dozens and dozens of countries, that they gamed out the second- and third-order effects of that decision. I am assuming that anybody with a modicum of business experience would have understood that the markets are going to react the way they did, and that is OK. Markets go up and down. Markets reacting the way they have over the past few days over the long term is a problem.

So my request--just to make it clear what I said--of ``one throat to choke'' is just in jest: Whom is it I am either going to put on a pedestal and show up at the ticker-tape parades when all this stuff works out well or whom am I going to hold accountable for not thinking through some of the second-

and third-order effects? That is what businesspeople do, and that is what I did for the majority of my career. Presumably, with the very successful businesspeople consulting President Trump, they have thought it through.

We need to know that because the American people are wondering. I have got farmers--and the Congress has failed to pass a farm bill for a few years now. So I have got farmers living harvest to harvest, and now we are being told that there may be some nontariff trade barriers shutting down markets. So I will hear from my pork farmers and I will hear from soybean farmers and I will hear from cotton farmers and I will hear from people who grow about 80 different commodities at scale. We are one of the No. 1 pork States, and we are one of the No. 1 chicken States. They need certainty. I am willing to have some of this happen, but at some point, we have to settle it down and sooner rather than later.

The only other thing I said that, I think, bears repeating is that businesspeople do think in long terms. Most of the business cases I have built for clients were for 5-year, 10-year, 15-year sort of horizons. You don't have that luxury in business. If you get the country on the right track or the wrong track, you suffer the political consequences or the benefit every 2 years. So anybody who tells me this trade stuff is going to be tumultuous for a couple of years does not understand American democracy. Americans give you about 14 months after January when you get sworn in to demonstrate that you are putting the country on the right track. If you do, you get rewarded at the ballot box, and if you don't, you get sent home.

So the only thing that I was trying to communicate today is I hope and I believe that there are people in the White House who are protecting the President by looking around corners and implementing policies that are going to benefit the American people. If they did, then this should work out really well. If they didn't, they should be that ``throat.''

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum calls with respect to the Johnson and Cabrera nominations.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the rollcall vote begin now. I believe it was scheduled for 6 p.m.

I ask for the yeas and nays.