Floor Statements

Madam President, it is great to hear my Democratic colleague come out against what is happening at the border. It is a disaster, and it is a national security threat.

Three weeks ago, two illegal immigrants attempted to break into the Marine base at Quantico in Virginia. Both individuals are Jordanian nationals who were apprehended by Customs and Border Protection at the southern border and released into the United States. One of them was allegedly on the Terrorist Watchlist.

Now, how did we get here? How did we get to the point where two people who entered the country illegally and were not screened or vetted tried to drive a truck onto a military base?

Let me say that again: These people are not being screened or vetted. We have no idea who these people are.

But here is what we do know about the people who have invaded our country: 25,000 Chinese nationals have entered our country since October 1, 2023; 184,000 Haitians have entered under Joe Biden's mass parole program; along with 101,000 Venezuelans, 91,000 Cubans, and 75,000 Nicaraguans. And this doesn't count the 76,000 Afghans who came here after Joe Biden's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.

As I have repeatedly said, I have no problem with legal immigration, nor do my Republican colleagues. America is the land of freedom and opportunity. If people want to come here legally, we will welcome them; but we cannot--we cannot--have terrorists crossing our borders unverified. Ask the FBI.

Beyond the safety concerns, we simply cannot afford to support the 11 million illegal immigrants who have illegally crossed our borders in the past 3\1/2\ years. I don't know if Joe Biden missed the memo, but, folks, we are dead broke--dead broke--yet we are shelling out hundreds of billions of dollars to support these 11 million illegal immigrants, and this does not count the millions of what we call ``got-aways.'' Obviously, if they can come across and not be apprehended, why in the world would they go somewhere and run from the Border Patrol? It is because they are criminals.

A recent report from the House Committee on Homeland Security estimated the southern border surge is costing the American taxpayers about $450 billion a year. You got that right. It is costing the American taxpayers $450 billion a year. After 10 years, we are looking at a $5 trillion bill. In terms of actual benefits, it is estimated that illegals receive $42 billion in welfare annually, $68 billion in education, and $7 billion in healthcare. We are spending hundreds of billions of dollars to support all of these people. The American taxpayers simply cannot afford it.

So why are Joe Biden and the globalist Democrats allowing this to happen? Why is this going on?

It is simply because Democrats care more about keeping power than they do about safety and protecting the American taxpayer and the American citizen. A New York Congressman confirmed this. She said that she welcomes illegal immigration because it helps with redistricting.

The President and his progressive left Democratic Party know that the more people they can get into this country, the longer they will stay in power--by increasing the population in the blue districts. It is a simple fact.

But enough is enough. Too many American lives have been lost due to the blatant disregard of U.S. law by the Biden administration. It is time elected officials fulfilled their obligation and the oath of office, starting with protecting the country from all enemies, foreign and domestic. This bill, the Border Act of 2024 that Schumer is forcing us to vote on, is basically an absolute joke.

By the way, President Trump has never told me--and I talk to him weekly. He has never said one word about the border. I don't know where my colleague from Georgia got this information, but it is false. If he had told anybody, he would have told me.

This bill, the Border Act of 2024, doesn't even have the word ``security'' in the title. That is because this bill will only make the crisis at the southern border worse. It is a border invasion bill; it is not a border bill. It is a border giveaway paid for by the American taxpayers in the trillions of dollars.

It also weakens the power of the President by suggesting the President close the border only when Customs and Border Protection has apprehended 4,000 illegal immigrants a day. Yes, you heard that--a day. So we are going to pass a bill that is going to allow 4,000 people to come here a day. That is insane. The last time I checked, the Commander in Chief already has full authority to secure the border. There is nothing new about that. That is supposed to be a basic requirement of his job: to protect the American citizens; to protect our borders; to protect our country.

The bill also includes zero funding for the border wall--zero, and it codifies dangerous catch-and-release policies.

So how did we get here? How is a border bill crafted that does nothing to secure the border?

Republican leadership put together this bill. They pushed things without telling the rest of the caucus and said: At the end of the day, this is the bill that we have come up with--and we rejected it. Most of us didn't even know what was in the bill even at almost the time of the vote. The bill is just another public relations stunt from globalist Democrats pretending to care about the border during an election year.

We need to get serious about the national security disaster created by open borders--serious. If we don't believe that, we need to ask our allies over in Europe who have pretty much had their countries destroyed by immigration.

The American people don't want another messaging exercise. They want to feel safe in their neighborhoods. They pay our bills. They deserve it. We are here for them.

Over the last 3 years, Americans have watched in disbelief as Joe Biden has intentionally erased our borders and invited millions of illegal immigrants to invade our country. My bill, the Border Safety and Security Act, would shut down our borders until the Department of Homeland Security regains operational control because, as we speak, the border is being overrun. That means the border would be completely closed until DHS is able to track exactly who is coming into the country by either detaining them or setting up a program similar to ``Remain in Mexico.'' It is that simple.

If Democrats are serious about securing the border, they will support the Border Safety and Security Act.

Madam President, as in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of S. 696 and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration; further, 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.

Well, there you have it. The American people have their answer. Democrats don't care about securing the border. They never have, and they never will. They pretend to. They continue to choose open borders--more crime, more fentanyl overdoses, more human trafficking, and more American deaths.

Democrats will say Republicans tanked the bill that would have secured the border. You just heard that.

This is a blatant lie. This bill, crafted by Democrats, would have done absolutely nothing to strengthen the border--not one thing. In fact, it would have made things worse. It would codify the problems that we have had the last 3\1/2\ years.

My Republican colleagues have offered real solutions for the last month to fix the problem. We have a huge problem. Somebody needs to recognize that. But my Democratic colleagues have voted against and objected to every single thing that we have brought up.

Don't buy into this lie.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, Chesca Barnett of Brierfield went to the U.S. Air Force Academy at age 17, thinking that she would one day become an astronaut. Little did she know that her time in the military would take her on a completely different career path. Due to some medical setbacks, Chesca was told she wouldn't be able to go to flight school, as she had originally planned. She recalls feeling devastated at having to give up on a dream she'd had since she was 6 years old.

This setback led her to discover an unexpected passion that would allow her to help those who need it most. A military career coach encouraged Chesca to become a pharmacy tech. She found that she loved the work. After 8 years in the military, Chesca began studying to become a pharmacist.

She chose to specialize in pediatrics because she believes our children deserve the best care available. And for the last 20 years, she has been serving as a pharmacist at Children's of Alabama. She also helps at Cooper Green Mercy Help Services.

A colleague at Children's said that Chesca is ``an excellent pediatric pharmacist with a strong focus on patient safety and a team player who willingly shifts her schedule or comes in for extra shifts to ensure patients are taken care of.''

Chesca feels she has a ``duty'' to serve, which she attributes to her time in the military. But her impact spans far beyond the medical field. Chesca also teaches courses at Jefferson State Community College and Samford University. There, she helps students who are facing personal challenges, reminding them that if she overcame her struggles, they can, too. Chesca is also a proud mom of four.

We are thankful for Chesca's devotion to helping Alabamians in need. Her story is an inspiration to anyone who is facing a difficult circumstance. It is my honor to recognize her as the May Veteran of the Month.

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

Mr. President, I have come to the Senate floor today to talk about the Corporate Transparency Act or, as we call it in DC-- in swamp speak--the CTA act.

The CTA, to me, is one of the worst examples of Big Government overreach that I have seen since I got to Washington over 3\1/2\ years ago. That is saying a whole lot, since our country is $34 trillion in debt. The CTA was signed into law in 2021 as part of the fiscal year 2021 NDAA.

Simply put, the Corporate Transparency Act is an outright attack on the 32 million small businesses in this country. This includes farmers, restaurants, gyms, lawn service companies. The CTA specifically targets working Americans with an LLC, and failure to comply could put you in jail for up to 2 years per violation plus slap on $10,000 per violation. That is quite a penalty.

You know, I don't know about you, but I have plenty of friends and family members who have an LLC. It is just part of the way the U.S. economy works--capitalism. Small business and LLC owners play a huge, huge role in supporting this country and our way of life. I can tell you most business owners have no idea that this law exists--none, not one bit.

The Corporate Transparency Act requires individuals with substantial control over a company or an equity position of 25 percent to disclose personal data with the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Now, that is a long name. It is better known as FinCEN in swamp talk--a government bureau most Americans have no idea as to what it is, and they have never heard of it before. The CTA will impact small businesses across the Nation, in addition to millions of citizens who use LLCs to invest in real estate or protect their assets, which millions of Americans do.

My State of Alabama is home to over 400,000 small businesses. Now, small businesses are the backbone of Alabama's economy, making up more than 99 percent of the business community and providing jobs to nearly half of Alabama's working population.

But it isn't just Alabamans who will be impacted. Over 32 million businesses across America are estimated to be affected by this overreaching, Big Government, swamp law. Hardly anybody knows about it. It is a well-kept secret, but it affects farmers, lawyers, accountants, and business owners. They are directly and seriously impacted.

Under this law, millions of small business owners are required--they are required--to report personal details to the Federal Government. Business owners or anyone who qualifies for this massive government overreach must disclose their names, their dates of birth, their addresses, and scan their government-issued photo IDs to the Treasury Department by the end of this year. Any time this information changes, updated information must be submitted to FinCEN's database within 30 days. So, if you move, you have to let the Federal Government know within 30 days that you have changed your address. The failure to file with FinCEN can, again, lead up to 2 years of jail time and a $10,000 fine per violation.

By the way, I find it ironic that we are currently voting on legislation cracking down on social media companies like TikTok and Facebook for storing people's personal data. Meanwhile, the Federal Government is doing the very exact thing that we have been discussing here on this floor for months and months.

Why does the Federal Government need this information in the first place?

Well, the goal of the CTA was to crack down on shell companies used to commit crimes. That is what this was meant for, but the reality is that criminals are not going to file with FinCEN. That is not going to happen. Criminals don't go by the law. Instead, the law will be used to go after hard-working Americans.

In recent years, we have lost over 150,000 farmers in this country. You heard that right. Just in the last few years, 150,000 farmers have gone out of business. They can't keep up with Joe Biden's high-priced economy. It is not happening. They are not making any money. They are selling out. Now the CTA is going to squeeze them for every last cent. We need farmers in this country. We need small businesses. Where does Joe Biden think our food comes from, by the way?

It is sad--it really is--but few in Washington and most outside the beltway have no idea that this law actually exists. I continue to say we have a law that has not been advertised. People haven't pushed it. It is out there, and it is just hanging. They have no idea that this law exists. Plus, they don't have an idea that the criminal penalty is there, and it is a very high price.

To no one's surprise, large businesses--listen to this point--with powerful lobbyists got a carve-out in the law, and they do not have to comply with the CTA. That is right. If they had a very good lobbyist and they are a big business, they don't have to comply with this law. Companies like BlackRock, Facebook, Amazon--they don't have to comply with this because the Federal Government is too busy going after your local neighborhood restaurant or your daughter's favorite nail salon or your family's dentist or your local farmer.

While the little guy has to struggle with all this redtape, LLCs with more than 20 employees and greater than $5 million in revenue do not file with FinCEN. That is right. It is only the small guy. It is only the small person who is trying to make a living. Yet another win for the swampy special interest groups while hard-working Americans who pay their taxes--they will suffer.

The few small business owners who are aware of the CTA's existence want to make sure they are compliant, but they have few places to turn. Accounting and law firms do not want to take

on the responsibility of filing for these clients, and many industry professionals are unaware of the penalties if you fail to file.

So Joe Biden has weaponized the IRS against Americans. He already announced he is using American tax dollars to hire 84,000 new IRS agents to go after everyday taxpayers--84,000. Now, if you remember, President Biden promised: We are not going to go after anybody who makes less than $400,000. Yet another lie from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Now, some of these agents will target small business owners who fail to disclose their personal information to FinCEN, not to mention politically motivated prosecutors who will use the CTA to target conservative business owners.

Sadly, the IRS has a history of singling out certain taxpayers based on their religious and their political beliefs. Have we forgotten Lois Lerner, who is living off her taxpayer-funded pension but should have been prosecuted?

In an America where justice is becoming less equal by the day and prosecutions have been used to target political opponents, the CTA is just another way that this administration can use the Federal Government to go after conservatives and Christians.

To add insult to injury, FinCEN has done little to nothing to educate Americans on the CTA and the harsh consequences if you don't comply. It is almost like they want Americans to be ignorant about the new law so they can punish them for not complying. This is completely unfair. This is not the American way. You would expect this from communist China.

But this is not going to happen on our watch. Next week, I am introducing the Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act to overturn the CTA in its entirety.

America used to be the land of freedom and opportunity. Under Joe Biden, the American dream has become a nightmare for many small business owners and farmers. My bill would provide millions of small businesses and entrepreneurial Americans with regulatory and compliance relief. They need a break. They don't need more regulations; they need less. My bill would also remove a weapon used by rogue prosecutors who would love to punish Republicans and Joe Biden's IRS that openly targets conservatives every day.

It is past time we start standing up for our farmers, our store owners, LLC holders, and small businesses who are the heartbeat of this America.

I am proud to be joined in this effort by Congressman Warren Davidson of Ohio, who is filing a companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives.

If Congress fails to act on this legislation, millions of American small business owners could be in for a rude awakening next year.

I look forward to Leader Schumer bringing this bill to the floor and helping millions of small business owners and helping those who are counting on us to take on this huge government overreach.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, I cannot believe we are here again. Americans cannot believe what we are witnessing here today.

Less than a week ago, House Republican leadership sold out Americans and passed a bill that sends $95 billion to other countries. With the Speaker's blessing, the House Rules Committee approved a package of foreign aid bills that undermines America's interest abroad and paves our Nation's path to bankruptcy.

The Speaker relied on Democrats to force this $95 billion package through committee, over the objection of three conservative Members.

Unfortunately, our leadership here in the Senate, both Democratic and Republican, are complicit.

The Senate is about to follow the House's lead, further violating the trust of those who sent us here. We are about to vote on another $60 billion for Ukraine; this, on top of the $120 billion American taxpayers have already sent to this black hole, with no accountability.

We are a country that is $35 trillion in debt. We are a country whose southern border is wide open thanks to the Biden administration. Illegal immigrants are invading our country. Drugs, including fentanyl, are flooding across, killing hundreds--hundreds--of Americans a day.

We are printing money for other countries while inflation continues to crush the American citizen. Not one dollar of this bill is paid for or offset. Not one. We will have to print more money or borrow it from China, all to fund foreign wars while we are losing the fight at our own southern border.

What we are doing is a slap in the face to the Americans who sent us here to represent them. Instead of debating legislation to close the border and fix the economy, we are about to send billions of dollars to one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

The war in Ukraine is a stalemate. It has been for a while. Pouring more money into Ukraine's coffers will only prolong the conflict and lead to more loss of life. No one at the White House, Pentagon, or the State Department can articulate what victory looks like in this fight.

They couldn't when we sent the first tranche of aid over 2 years ago and they still can't do it over 2 years later. We should be working with Ukraine and Russia to negotiate an end to this madness. That is called diplomacy, by the way, a tactic this administration has been completely unwilling to use.

Instead, Congress is rushing to further bankroll the waging of a war that has zero chance of a positive outcome.

The Speaker claims he is privy to special, classified information that justifies support for this massive package.

If this critical information exists, all elected representatives who are being asked to vote on this massive spending package should have access to it.

Republican leaders in the Senate argue that Russia will roll through

Ukraine and into NATO if we don't immediately send another $60 billion we don't have.

I wouldn't be surprised if we get a letter signed by fifty or so ``high ranking, former intelligence officials'' confirming this and the dire consequences of delay. Don't fall for it.

I had a classified briefing from the Department of Defense just this morning. I can tell you there is no justification to prioritize Ukraine's security before our own. None.

To add insult to injury, we are financing this conflict on the backs of the American taxpayer. As I said earlier, this country is $35 trillion in debt. Today we are borrowing $80,000 a second--you heard that right--$80,000 a second, $4.6 million a minute. And I want this body to explain that to the American people next election. This is irresponsible and unsustainable.

On top of that, we are now considering adding another $95 billion to that mountain of debt with this foreign aid package. This funding will be financed by deficit spending the American people will eventually have to pay back.

This group doesn't have to pay it; the American people do. It is easy to spend somebody else's money.

Unlike the so-called loan to Ukraine--loan, we are hearing, which will never be repaid--don't be fooled--unfortunately, some of my colleagues will vote yes on this bill claiming that, hey, this money for Ukraine is a loan. This was a concept originally floated by President Trump.

However, this bill not only allows the President to set the terms of loan repayment, it lets him cancel the payment any time and the interest on it. Sounds a little fishy to me.

I and the majority of Americans are highly skeptical that we will ever see a cent paid back to the American taxpayer. The chickens are going to come home to roost, and when they do, it is going to get really, really ugly. Every Member of this body should be laser-focused on getting our own house in order, not bankrolling foreign wars.

Mr. President, $46 billion of this foreign aid package is supposedly for Israel. Sadly, that is not reality.

If you read the fine print, $9 billion of that funding would go to the Palestinians for what is being billed as humanitarian aid for Gaza. Of course, sending any money to Gaza will immediately be used to line the pockets of Hamas terrorists. They will provide zero relief to the civilians suffering under their control.

There is no requirement that any hostages--also in this bill--be released for any exchange of this money. Why is that not happening? We have American citizens and we have Israeli citizens who have been captive for 5, 6 months. We are giving $20-something billion--$9 billion to the people who are holding hostages--and we are not getting any relief for the people who have been suffering as hostages going on 6 months.

Why in the world would America agree to funding both sides of this war? Israel is our greatest ally in the Middle East. We should be standing firm in support of our friends in their battle against Hamas. Sadly, the White House is more focused on playing politics and appeasing their radical, pro-Palestinian base. Why else would we send billions of dollars to Hamas? Is this a political payoff in an election year? Sounds like it to me. What a sad state of affairs this country is in.

While Congress rushes--rushes--today to bankroll Ukraine and the Palestinians, our leadership is avoiding the key crisis facing our Nation: our southern border. Wake up.

According to a recent Gallop poll, immigration is the top concern of people in this country who pay our bills, but the American people were just sold out. It is that simple.

You are witnessing the swamp at its worst--a swamp more concerned about maintaining power and being smarter than everybody else and lining the pockets of their friends than representing the interests of the American people.

Colleagues, wake up. The clock is ticking. How many Americans must die before we take on our own security as seriously as we are taking on other people's borders, including Ukraine's?

We lose 100,000 people to fentanyl. Does anybody care in this body? I haven't heard it. This is a direct result of the border policy under President Biden. Fentanyl is manufactured in China and ran by the cartel in Mexico. At what point does that horrific reality become important enough for us to come in here and vote and shut this dang border down? The left loves to tell you about threats. What kills more Americans than the Biden border policy? Nothing. It is the biggest disaster in history since I have been alive and a citizen of this country. Ukraine is losing soldiers by far fewer than the number of Americans who are dying from fentanyl. We have to take care of our own people before we take care of the rest of the world.

The Biden administration is failing this country. We know what the problem is. We know the solution. But nobody wants to solve it. That is an ineffective government.

President Trump proved that we can get operational control of our border. He had control. The problem is, no one in this administration or this body actually wants to solve this problem, which means we are also failing this country.

Americans are counting on this body to stand up and correct the course. I hope we don't let them down.

For these reasons, I will be voting against this massive supplement of taxpayer money that we don't have today going to Ukraine.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, on April 5, Alabama lost Montgomery County Sheriff Deputy Jermyius Young to injuries sustained in a duty-related car crash. Deputy Young began working as a correctional officer at the Montgomery County Jail at the age of 18 while waiting to turn 21, the age required to attend the police academy. He joined the police academy as soon as he could and then became a sheriff's deputy for the county. He also served as a specialist with the U.S. Army Reserves 206th Transport Company out of Opelika.

Nicknamed ``Smiley'' by his parents for his positive demeanor, which was always accompanied by a huge smile, Deputy Young was an inspiration to everyone around him. Whether on or off the clock, he continually sought ways to help his community. He specifically invested his time volunteering with young people who aspired to be in law enforcement, like him.

``Deputy Young was a role model, not just for other deputies, but for me, as well. He was a fine law enforcement officer. He was loyal, unselfish, efficient, and he always came to work with a smile on his face. He came in wanting to make a difference. He was dedicated to the community and dedicated to making a difference,'' said Montgomery County Sheriff Derrick Cunningham.

There is no doubt that in Deputy Young's 21 years of life, he made a difference--in his community and in our State. Alabama mourns the loss of Deputy Young, but we also celebrate the legacy of courage and selflessness that he established. I join Alabamians in expressing our deepest gratitude for his courageous service.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor the career of LTG A.C. Roper, the deputy commander of the United States Northern Command--USNORTHCOM--and United States Element, North American Aerospace Defense Command--NORAD. Lieutenant General Roper is a native of the great State of Alabama, where

he graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He and Edith, his wife of 39 years, are also the proud parents of two daughters. I know that after over 40 years of distinguished military service, your family is looking forward to your retirement.

In capacity as a civilian, Lieutenant General Roper has over 33 years of law enforcement experience, culminating with his 10-year tenure as the chief of police of the Birmingham Police Department, the largest municipal police department in the State of Alabama. A dedicated law enforcement professional, he is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation--FBI--National Academy, the FBI National Executive Institute, and is an adjunct professor of criminal justice. He specialized in protecting critical infrastructure and served on the executive board of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Lieutenant General Roper is a role model for aspiring servicemembers and law enforcement officers. He has demonstrated the power of passion and purpose in fulfilling a life of service. Lieutenant General Roper, thank you for your long and distinguished career in service to our Nation. On the occasion of your retirement, I wish you and your entire family the best. Congratulations on a job well done.

It was a pretty good game, by the way.

Thank you to my colleague from Utah.

I am kind of amazed at what has happened today. It has been categorized several ways, whether it is kangaroo court or three-ring circus or organized grab-ass. I don't know how you look at it, to be honest with you.

It is amazing what we sat here and watched. We all thought in the last few weeks that there was a chance for an impeachment trial of Secretary Mayorkas, but it only lasted a few hours--a historic event in the eyes of every Senator, not just Republicans but also Democrats.

One thing I want to say is, has he faithfully executed his duties of the United States Constitution, the one that we all put our hand on the Bible and swore to do?

It was amazing to me how this all went down at the end of the day. It really wasn't Secretary Mayorkas. He wasn't the only one on trial today or would have gone on trial, impeachment trial; it would have been every Democrat--every Democrat here in the Senate, every Democrat in the House, and every Democrat who is running our executive branch-- because there has not been one person who has said anything since I have been here, in 3\1/2\ years, like: We need to do something at the border. Not one.

We have let in 10 million illegal aliens in the last 3 years. On that data point alone, Secretary Mayorkas intentionally--intentionally-- failed to secure the border.

I personally asked him one day why he was not at least giving a fair chance of closing the border. He says: Senator, we need more money.

Well, I looked it up, and his budget is 20 percent more than what President Trump's Secretary of Homeland Security had--20 percent.

His job is homeland security. That is his entire job.

Senator Schumer and all the Democrats could have conducted this impeachment trial today, and it would have never seen the light of day after the trial because we would not have had the votes on our side to impeach Secretary Mayorkas. So, instead, the impeachment process is over. The media will stop covering it in a few days. We will be going back to throwing millions of taxpayer dollars at blue

States so they can manage the surge of illegal aliens going to blue cities all over the country.

Just last week, the Department of Homeland Security awarded another $300 million to cities in support of illegal aliens. Today, the city of Denver announced that they would shift $8 million from their law enforcement to take care of illegal aliens. It is clear that the Biden administration is more concerned with taking care of these illegals than they are about protecting the citizens.

So I will ask again: Has Secretary Mayorkas fulfilled his oath of duty before this body to protect and defend the country against all threats, foreign and domestic? Is our border secure? The answer is simple: He has not, and it is not.

Mayorkas has been derelict in this duty--derelict--and confrontational in his duty to all of us when we have asked him personally what he is doing at the southern border.

In voting against his impeachment, our Democrat colleagues are basically lying to themselves. They are risking the lives of Americans.

Senator Schumer and Democrats can't say that they want to fix the border while trying to save his job. Americans are dying at the hands, every day, of what is going on at our southern border.

Every State is a border State now. It is not just Texas; it is not Arizona and California--every State. My State of Alabama is being overrun with illegal aliens.

The number of people crossing the border who are on the Terrorist Watchlist is unprecedented. That is what scares me. If you listen to our FBI Director, he said we have a major threat to our country, and he said it is coming, but it doesn't seem like anybody is listening. Nobody is listening who is in charge.

Just last week, it was reported that an Afghan on the FBI Terror Watchlist has been in the United States for almost a year. He is a member of a U.S.-designated terrorist group responsible for the deaths of at least nine American soldiers and civilians in Afghanistan--nine. ICE arrested him in San Antonio just last year in February. Unfortunately, this known terrorist has been released on bond and is now roaming the neighborhoods in the United States of America.

It isn't just terrorists; it is also fentanyl. We have had 100,000 people a year die in the last 3 years. The last time I looked, that is 300,000 people. It is a crime, what is going on.

Law enforcement officers in Alabama tell me that they had never heard the word ``fentanyl'' until 3 years ago--not heard the word. It was heroin. It was cocaine. It was meth. Now it is almost 100 percent fentanyl, just in the last 3 years. That is a pretty good coincidence.

In February this past year, Secretary Mayorkas traveled to Austria to speak to Chinese officials about counternarcotics efforts. Now, he traveled to Austria to do that. Did he discuss the flood of Chinese people coming into our country? Madam President, 22,000 Chinese illegals have come into our country just in the last 5 months. Most of these individuals are adult males. And I wonder where we get the idea that there might be a big problem coming to America soon. Yet the media tries to act like all the people who are coming here from China and all these other countries are great people. Some of them probably are, but most probably are not. They are coming here for different reasons.

This is not a border crisis; it has turned into a huge invasion. It is a national security problem, and we are having it more and more each day.

So I just want to say this: We have not done our duty here today. We have failed the American people.

My phone rings constantly about protecting the sanctity of not just Alabama but everybody in this country from what is happening at the southern border. Nothing good is happening because of what has happened from Secretary Mayorkas to the people who have opened these borders-- again, not just southern but also our northern border. That is getting worse and worse.

We failed the American people today. Why? I don't know, but we don't do our job.

We had a Republican majority when I first got here 3 years ago. We brought the President of the United States on an impeachment trial, and he was a Republican. We put him on trial in this very room.

This is all politics. We broke something today that has never been done in the history of this school--excuse me. I am used to getting on people when their phone is ringing in the classroom. But it has never happened before. Now, we have set a precedent, and, unfortunately, it will be a precedent probably that will be broken many times.

How is this body ever going to be able to hold anybody accountable for anything that they have done wrong here in the Federal Government?

Mr. President, the House managers have officially delivered the letters of impeachment for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas to the Senate. Now is the time for every Senator to go on record.

Do you think Mayorkas has done a good job at the border? Has Mayorkas fulfilled the oath he swore before this body to protect and to defend our country against all threats, foreign and domestic? Is our border secure?

The answer is simple. Mayorkas has intentionally failed to do his job.

Now, Senator Schumer and the globalist Democrats have the opportunity to conduct a full and a fair trial before the entire Senate and the public. Unfortunately, that is not how this is going to play out. Democrats are going to try to table the Articles of Impeachment, which has never been done in the history of the Senate. They are going to attempt to sweep the border crisis that President Biden has created under the rug.

Every single House Democrat voted to save Mayorkas's job. They endorsed our wide-open borders that have allowed terrorists, drug traffickers, and murderers into our country. The Democrats are lying to themselves and risking the lives of every American. Senator Schumer and the Democrats can't say they want to fix our border while voting to save Mayorkas's job.

Mayorkas has been derelict in his duty to secure the border in the 3 years he has been on the job. Our border is the least secure it has ever been. In fact, it is almost nonexistent. Our Border Patrol agents are so overwhelmed and receive such little support from the Biden administration to enforce our laws that they have been forced to release millions of illegal immigrants into the United States. And those who are released on parole, they are even given work permits.

The Biden administration is more concerned with taking care of illegal aliens than they are about protecting American citizens. We might as well start mailing every criminal, drug trafficker, and terrorist an open invitation to cross our borders.

I have spoken numerous times on this floor to highlight stories of Americans who have died at the hands of illegal aliens. Their tragic deaths are a direct result of Secretary Mayorkas's inaction. Mayorkas and Joe Biden have blood on their hands.

The most important responsibility of any sovereign nation is the safety of its citizens. Yet what did the Department of Homeland Security announce just last week? They plan on sending another $300 million to communities receiving illegal aliens from this border crisis.

The top priority of this administration is to let as many people in as quickly as possible, regardless of how many American lives are lost in the process.

The number of people crossing into the United States who are on the Terrorist Watchlist is unprecedented. Just last week, it was reported that an Afghan on the FBI Terror Watchlist has been in the United States for almost a year. He is a member of a U.S.-designated terrorist group responsible for the deaths of at least nine American soldiers and civilians in Afghanistan. ICE arrested him in San Antonio just this past February. Unfortunately, this known terrorist has been released on bond. He is now roaming our neighborhoods.

You know, it just isn't terrorists we have to worry about. Fentanyl is flowing freely across our borders, and it is killing hundreds of thousands of Americans--not thousands but hundreds of thousands. Law enforcement officers in my State of Alabama tell me, time and again, how their officers must wear heavy equipment and carry Narcan

spray to protect themselves from the fentanyl that is pouring into our communities. And, by the way, most will tell you they never heard of fentanyl until this administration came into power.

Despite the critical need to secure our borders and discourage illegal immigration, Mayorkas has been traveling the world--yes, this Mayorkas, traveling the world--lecturing other countries about their national security, while his refusal to enforce U.S. laws has exposed his own country to an invasion. It is embarrassing.

In February, he traveled to Austria to speak with Chinese officials about counter-narcotic efforts. Did he discuss with them the flood of Chinese illegal immigrants coming to the United States through the southwest border? Since October of last year, 22,000 Chinese nationals have been arrested by Border Patrol agents at the southwest border and released into our country. Most of these individuals are single adult males of military age.

Yet, the media tries to act like all these people crossing the border are innocent women and children. Now, some of them are, but most are not.

This invasion is more than a border crisis; it is a national crisis. Yet I seriously doubt Mayorkas even brought up that point in his meeting with the Chinese officials.

In February, he was in Germany for the Munich Security Conference. The Munich Security Conference is the largest international security meeting in the world. Mayorkas was there giving speeches on strengthening global security and partnerships. Meanwhile, the border he is responsible for is wide open, and thousands of people are dying. Give me a break. Our allies must be laughing at us--absolutely laughing.

The Secretary's priority should be here in our country, securing our borders, protecting our citizens. President Biden has made the United States a joke around the world.

Under this administration, nearly 10 million people have invaded our country. Every State is now a border State--every State. This is not a gray area.

Secretary Mayorkas has intentionally failed to do his job. He has personally lied to me to my face three times in the last 3 years--a U.S. Senator. Just tell me the truth. He can't say the truth. He can't tell you the truth.

To my Democratic colleagues, have you read the heartbreaking stories of innocent Americans who have been murdered by illegal aliens? Are you concerned? Are you concerned about the safety of your spouses, your kids, your nieces and nephews? Does it worry you that hundreds of terrorists are flooding our country? Does that bother you at all? Do you know somebody who has died of fentanyl which was trafficked into our country by cartels?

This isn't about politics, folks. Our national security and our country's future are at stake. Americans deserve to know the truth about how Secretary Mayorkas has intentionally failed to secure the border.

I will be voting to hold Mayorkas accountable.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and globalist Democrats have been derelict in their duty to secure the border under President Joe Biden--I repeat: derelict in their duty.

Our border is the least secure it has been in the history of our country. In fact, it is almost nonexistent. At least 9 million illegal immigrants have entered our country since the beginning of this administration. Our Border Patrol agents are overwhelmed and receive such little support from the Biden administration to enforce our laws that they have been forced to release millions of illegal immigrants into the United States.

Those who are released on parole are given work permits. Tell me this: How does handing out work permits discourage illegal immigration? It doesn't. How do these actions secure the border? They don't. We might as well start mailing every criminal, drug trafficker, and terrorist an open invitation to invade our country.

I have spoken numerous times on the floor to highlight stories of Americans dying at the hands of illegal aliens: 12-year-old Travis Wolfe of Missouri, 22-year-old Laken Riley of Georgia, Washington State Trooper Chris Gadd. The tragic deaths are a direct result of Secretary Mayorkas's inaction. How many more Americans have to die before the globalist Democratic Party takes meaningful action to secure the border? This madness must end. Americans deserve to be safe from the drug traffickers, terrorists, and murderers who are flooding into our country.

The number of people crossing into the United States who are on the Terrorist Watchlist is unprecedented.

Fentanyl flows freely across our borders and is killing more and more Americans every day. Law enforcement officers in Alabama tell me time and time again that their officers must wear heavy equipment and carry Narcan spray to protect themselves from the fentanyl that is pouring into our communities. Three years ago, they had never heard the word ``fentanyl,'' says our police chief in the city of Montgomery.

The cartels are trafficking professionals. They are managing the human and drug trafficking at our border. This is a billion-dollar industry that the Biden administration is turning its back on and allowing.

Secretary Mayorkas has completely--completely, 110 percent--refused to do his job. He swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Can any one of us seriously say that Secretary Mayorkas has upheld his oath of office?

Progressive Democrats are wanting to try to table the Articles of Impeachment and sweep Biden's border bloodbath under the rug. Every House Democrat already voted. They have already voted to save Mayorkas's job. Globalist Democrats are lying to themselves and risking the lives of American citizens. Senator Schumer and the progressive Democrats can't say they want to fix our border while voting to save Secretary Mayorkas's job.

Despite the critical need to secure our borders and discourage illegal immigration, Secretary Mayorkas travels the world discussing national security with our strategic partners while his own country is being invaded. It is embarrassing.

Last month, Secretary Mayorkas was in Guatemala discussing migration flows from South America to the United States. Have these folks done anything to stop the border invasion from their countries? They have done absolutely nothing.

In February, Mayorkas traveled to Austria to speak with Chinese officials about counternarcotic efforts. Did he discuss with them the flood of Chinese illegal immigrants coming to the United States through the southwest border?

Madam President, 22,000 Chinese nationals have been arrested by Border Patrol agents at the southwest border since October and released into our country. Most of these individuals are single adult males of military age. Yet the media tries to act like all these people who cross the border are nice people, nice women and children. Some of them are, but most are not.

This invasion is more than a border crisis; it is a national security crisis. Yet I seriously doubt that Secretary Mayorkas even brought that up in his meeting with the Chinese officials a few months ago.

In February, Secretary Mayorkas was in Germany for the Munich Security Conference. The Munich Security Conference is the largest international security meeting in the world. Secretary Mayorkas was there giving speeches on strengthening global security and partnership. Americans are dying--dying--from our dangerous open borders, and he is talking about other borders across the world. The Secretary responsible for securing our borders is collecting passport stamps while lecturing other countries on their national security. Our allies must be laughing at us. The Secretary's priority should be here, securing our borders, not somebody else's, and protecting our citizens, not somebody else's.

President Biden has made the United States a joke on the world stage--an absolute joke. We need to get our house in order. We are in trouble.

So far, there has been only talk as far as border security is concerned for the last 3 years. Now is the time for every Senator to go on the record. If you are at all concerned about the drugs and criminals flooding into our country and moving to your State, you will vote for a full and fair trial. This is not a gray area.

Secretary Mayorkas has intentionally--intentionally--failed to do his job. It is time that the Senate take action. The families of Laken Riley, Travis Wolfe, Trooper Gadd, and countless others deserve--they deserve a fair trial.

I will be voting to hold Secretary Mayorkas accountable, and I ask my colleagues to do the same.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, in a time when we are facing shortages in the trucking industry, Alabama's veterans are helping fill this vital need in our economy. One such veteran is Scott Croisant of Florence. Scott joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1982, after graduating from Wilson High School.

While in the Marines, he trained to become a truck driver. Scott deployed twice to Lebanon, following the 1983 Beirut bombings. There, he helped transport food, water, and ammunition in combat zones. He was also part of Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada. After completing his time in the military, Scott served in law enforcement before entering the trucking industry.

And for more than 24 years, he has driven a truck for Greenbush Logistics in Abbeville, out of its Tuscumbia location. Scott spends many, many early mornings and late nights on the road, to keep our supply chains moving. He is committed to ensuring folks across the southeast get the building materials that they need on time. Scott has an incredible record of more than 2 million accident-free miles.

Travis Williams, the director of Logistics for Greenbush, says that Scott ``epitomizes the essence of a professional driver. His unwavering dedication, skill, and attention to detail make him a role model for all drivers.''

Scott is also a trusted mentor for upcoming truckers. He has helped train nearly 100 new truck drivers. Alabama is thankful for Scott's service to our country, and his tireless efforts to keep America's economy moving.

It is my honor to recognize him as the April Veteran of the Month.

I move to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 2882 with a further amendment No. 1781.

Mr. President, I still can't believe we are having serious conversations about men competing in women's sports. We have lost our minds. I know many of you have daughters, nieces, and granddaughters who play sports. My amendment would protect the integrity of women and girls in sports and protect them and sports itself, because women and girls are being discriminated against.

I am here to fight for the future of women's and girls' sports, for the safety of their locker rooms and showers. The Biden Department of Education is doing exactly the opposite.

My amendment is simple. A school should protect women in sports and ensure that only biological women can compete against each other. An educational institution should not be able to use Federal funds to implement a radical agenda and facilitate biological males competing in women sports.

It is time to draw the line in the sand. Women are being attacked, not just on the court, in the pool, but in the dressing room. It is time to show what side you are on. So when you vote, I hope you take a look in the camera and smile, and go home and explain your vote to the daughters and granddaughters and young women in your families.

Mr. President, here we go again. I cannot believe I am here today on the Senate floor talking about Americans dying at the hands of illegal aliens.

I said I would do this every week and give an update on the young people and people of our country who are dying at the hands of illegal aliens--specifically young people. Our kids are dying because of Joe Biden's immigration policies.

I was on the floor last week talking about the death of Laken Riley, a young woman who was running around the University of Georgia, minding her own business, when she was abducted and brutally beaten-- unrecognizable--by an illegal alien from Venezuela.

Just a week ago, I came to the floor to talk about the death of Washington State Trooper Chris Gadd. He was on duty at a DUI checkpoint when Raul Benitez Santana, an illegal alien from Mexico, drunk behind the wheel, crashed into Trooper Gadd's police cruiser. Trooper Gadd was 27 years old.

There are so many other young people who need and deserve to be recognized and remembered, so many sad examples of the deadly impact this administration's open border policies have had in this country. It is a shame.

In December, Travis Wolfe, a 12-year-old boy from Missouri, was riding with his parents when their car was struck head-on by another vehicle driving down the wrong side of the road, 70 miles per hour--the wrong side of the road, 70 miles per hour. Court documents reveal that the driver of the other car that crashed into Travis Wolfe was an illegal alien from Venezuela.

Twelve-year-old Travis spent the last 3 months on life support. He died on March 6. His family hasn't received an apology from Joe Biden. They are not going to get an apology from Secretary Mayorkas. They just buried their 12-year-old son. Do my colleagues care? Do they care?

Last August in Ohio, a minivan driven by Hermanio Joseph, an illegal alien from Haiti, collided with a bus that was carrying 52 kids and was headed to school for the very first day. Although he was from Haiti, Joseph illegally entered the country through the southern border. Twenty-six kids were hospitalized--26.

One child, 11-year-old Aiden Clark, was ejected from the bus and pronounced dead at the scene. In Aiden's obituary, his family wrote that he loved daily vegetable gardening with his dad, trampoline jumping with his sister, and snuggling with his mom. Eleven years old.

Aiden's life was taken far too soon. Travis Wolfe will not get to grow up. Trooper Gadd had a wife and a 2-year-old daughter. His daughter will never see her father again. Laken Riley will never become a nurse. She will never hang out with her friends again or celebrate a victory at the University of Georgia with friends and family.

Losing a child is a parent's worst nightmare. We can't possibly imagine what their families are going through, but we can work to prevent more deaths from occurring. We know what needs to be done. People in this body know what needs to be done. People on the other end of the building in the House know what needs to be done. People in the White House know what needs to be done to protect these lives.

President Biden can use the authorities given to him by Congress to secure the border. He can do that. He doesn't need more laws; he can use the laws that have already been written.

He can finish the border wall, which he stopped and now is selling all the materials that are at the border to build this wall, that the American taxpayers have paid for--they are selling it for 10 cents on the dollar. You can't make this up.

He can stop exploiting the Department of Homeland Security's parole authority by letting in millions of people without screening or processing.

President Biden can stop supporting sanctuary cities where law enforcement officers are blocked from working with Federal officers to get criminal aliens off the streets and out of our communities.

President Biden can bring back order to our country. We are losing it daily. He can do all these things right now. He doesn't need another law. The laws are there--just go for the laws.

He himself suspended the border wall. He authorized Homeland Security to continue paroling people without consequences. He and his blue State supporters set up shelters in the middle of cities and suburbs to house illegal aliens indefinitely, costing you, the American citizens and taxpayers, billions of dollars, when we have homeless and veterans on the streets not being taken care of.

Hospitals, schools, and other community resources have been depleted--depleted--by being forced to provide for both U.S. citizens and the millions of illegal aliens crossing the border. U.S. citizens are paying for all of this, not the Biden administration--the U.S. citizens. It is their right.

It is embarrassing. Our country's leadership must be reminded of their greatest responsibility: the safety and security of Americans. No. 1 responsibility. This administration could care less.

Let's look at a recent example of a country's prioritizing safety for its citizens. What has the Dominican Republic been doing in response to gang violence and unrest in Haiti because Haitians are coming to the Dominican Republic? What are they doing? They secured their border.

The Biden administration established a parole program specifically for Haitians. Our immigration policy priorities are completely misaligned and totally opposite of what they are doing in the Dominican Republic. With our duty to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, they are letting our guard down.

So States are taking matters into their own hands. Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that a new Texas law, which allows State and local law enforcement to arrest and detain and deport illegal aliens, could go into effect while under review at the lower court level, but late last night, the Fifth Circuit Court again blocked enforcement of the new Texas law ahead of oral arguments. This is a crime. The Supreme Court has spoken. While the Biden administration won't arrest, detain, or deport illegal aliens, Texas would have been doing so. It is shameful that a State had to take matters into their own hands like this.

It is embarrassing that President Biden's Department of Homeland Security sued Texas for implementing immigration laws which they should have been implementing themselves. But they have a different agenda. They want more people in this country to vote for this administration.

Americans are being killed by illegal aliens, and the President simply cannot be bothered. The blood of Laken Riley, Trooper Gadd, Travis Wolfe, Aiden Clark, and so many other Americans is on his hands--the blood of Laken Riley, Trooper Gadd, Travis Wolfe, and so many others. They won't be forgotten.

Democrats say their open border policies are motivated by compassion: We have compassion for people coming into this country.

Whose compassion? Democrats have plenty of compassion for illegals. What about American citizens? taxpayers? the young people in this country who are dying at the hands of these illegal aliens that should not be here but only are here because of this administration?

They don't seem to have compassion for victims of crime.

Joe Biden, last week, apologized that he called an illegal alien ``illegal'' in the State of the Union Address. That sets the scene for everything. They couldn't care less about the American citizen. They care more about people from other countries.

This is madness. This madness must end. We can't wait until an election. We can't let 4 or 5 million more people in. We can't let hundreds of people die at the hands of these illegal aliens. Our children's lives are at stake, and our country is at stake.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, later this evening, we are going to hear the President of the United States tout the successes of his administration over the last year. He will say that our country is in a better place because of his leadership.

Are you ready?

Are you looking forward to hearing how grocery costs, energy costs, and the gas prices have all gone down over the last year? Maybe you are eager to hear about Joe Biden's solution to the historic border crisis--one which he created, by the way--that has crushed our rural hospitals, our schools, and other public resources.

So let me save you some time. Here is how President Biden's speech is going to go. The economy has never, ever been better.

This is a lie. Grocery prices are up 21 percent; gas prices are up 32 percent; inflation is up 18 percent; credit card debt for the average American is at an all-time high. Do those numbers sound like the economy is better than ever?

Well, I don't think so.

He will say America has never been safer.

This is a lie. Cities across the country are experiencing surges of homicides, muggings, and carjackings. New York City just deployed the National Guard to combat subway crime.

Let me read that one more time. New York City just deployed the National Guard to combat subway crime.

I never thought I would see it. This is obviously a Democratic city.

Washington, DC--right here, our Nation's Capital--saw, last year, its deadliest year in almost two decades.

That doesn't sound like this administration and its Democratic allies have prioritized the safety and security of Americans, which, by the way, is any--any--administration's top responsibility.

Joe Biden will turn to Ukraine next and say that, by continuing to send billions of dollars to secure their border, we will protect our country--billions more dollars. Yet that is another lie. We have already spent and sent over to Ukraine $120 billion, only to watch their war descend into a yearslong stalemate, with hundreds of thousands of people killed and no end in sight.

We are $34 trillion in debt and borrowing an additional $80,000 per second. You heard me right. We are borrowing $80,000 per second. That is $4.6 million a minute. We are increasing the debt at a rate of $2.5 trillion per year.

Our munitions are depleted because the President has continued to give it away to other countries. We are defenseless; we are broke; and we have little to show for it. Our streets should be made of gold. We should have fast trains across the country. Our airports should be immaculate. We have nothing to show for a $34 trillion debt.

President Biden will also say the border crisis should have been solved with the Biden-Schumer border deal and complain that Republicans blocked the bill from moving forward. I was looking forward to this bill, but, surprisingly, this is another lie.

The Biden-Schumer border deal was a border giveaway. The bill did not stop the administration from paroling thousands of people per day into our country. To me, that was what a border bill was supposed to be about.

The bill did not authorize funding to complete the border wall. It is simple: Put up a wall. We just put one outside the Capitol here today to keep the mean people from coming to this speech tonight.

The bill will not stop funding sanctuary cities where criminal aliens are protected from deportations.

The President will claim he has done everything he can do to secure the border but that Republicans have tied his hands. That is what he will say. To clarify, the President of the United States will claim, at the end of the night, he cannot secure the Nation's border. How embarrassing. What a shameless dereliction of duty and a bold-faced lie. He thinks that Americans are either too stupid to see what is going on here or he might think they just don't care, but I think they do. He is wrong on both counts. Tuesday's primary race results proved just how wrong he is.

When I last spoke on the floor 1 week ago, I said I would be back the next time an American was killed by an illegal alien. Well, here I am, and it is far too soon.

This past weekend, 27-year-old Washington State Patrol Trooper Christopher Gadd was killed by an illegal alien. This is he right here. Raul Benitez Santana--a Mexican citizen, drunk and high behind the wheel--crashed his car into Trooper Gadd and killed him. Trooper Gadd was a husband, a father, a brother, and a son. Benitez Santana has been arrested

multiple times before since he has been in the United States illegally--illegally--over the last 10 years, and this man lay dead today because of that. He has been charged several times for driving with a suspended license in addition to possession of marijuana and domestic abuse.

He should have been deported long ago, but he wasn't. Now Trooper Gadd is dead. Does anybody care other than his family?

Sadly, Marysville, WA, where the crash occurred, is a sanctuary jurisdiction. I still haven't figured that out. You know, I have spoken about sanctuary jurisdictions before. They are cities, counties, and States where locally elected officials prohibit police from cooperating with Federal law enforcement officers to get criminal aliens out of our communities and into removal proceedings to be deported, but if you are in one of these sanctuary cities, that doesn't happen.

This tragic event is but one in a pattern of occurrences happening across our country in which the lives of U.S. citizens are put at risk because of Joe Biden's refusal--absolute refusal--to secure the border.

So, earlier today, the House of Representatives voted on the Laken Riley Act. We talked about her a couple of weeks ago here, right on this floor--a young lady who was killed by an illegal alien at the University of Georgia.

The Laken Riley Act would mandate the detention of illegal aliens charged with crimes as small as shoplifting. That is exactly what Laken Riley's killer had been arrested for previously. By the way, he had also been arrested for endangering a minor before he was charged with Laken Riley's murder. This bill today that was voted on in the House-- 170 Democrats voted against this bill.

The blame for the state of this country rests solely with President Biden. He is the boss; he is the leader--period.

Does he care about you? Does he care about you as a taxpayer and a citizen of this country? He doesn't show it.

Does he care about your family? Does he care about keeping them safe or is it just by luck that nothing happens to you? I don't think he does.

Will he protect you? I don't think so. He hasn't shown that. He didn't protect Laken Riley or Trooper Gadd here. I am sure he won't talk about Laken or Trooper Gadd in his speech tonight, but he should. Their names should come up. Their families are grieving. It is just unfortunate that he doesn't take the leadership role and the blame. These two Americans don't support his narrative of a successful Presidency.

He is going to say he has had a successful first 3 years and his last year was successful, but we have lost a lot of people because of the decisions that he has made at the border, and there have been many, not just these two. One is too many.

I don't know how many people will support this talk tonight. I am anxious to hear it. I am anxious to hear what his writers got together and said about our country and what has happened over the last year and what he foresees in the future. It had to be hard.

Unless drastic changes are made to our Nation's leadership in the very near future, I think the American citizens are going to be on their own. It is just going to be by luck whether you are going to make it or not make it. I am not talking about just financially. I am talking about life or death, because we are losing people almost daily.

So, on that, I am looking forward to hearing President Biden's speech tonight. I hope the American people will listen in--listen in hard--on what is going on, because this is our country, and our country is in trouble. I hope to God that we make the right decisions come this November. God bless.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, every single day, our veterans use the skills and discipline they learned in uniform to build up our country. Countless veterans pass on these lessons to others. Colonel Earle Thompson, from Lake Martin, is one such example.

Colonel Thompson began his military service by signing up for the U.S. Army after graduating from Carroll High School in Ozark. This was the start of an accomplished 36-year-military career. Earle went on to get his bachelor's degree from the University of South Alabama. He balanced being a fulltime student while serving in the Alabama National Guard. After college, he transitioned to the Air Force, where he would serve 28 years across the globe, including combat sorties in Panama and Operation Desert Storm. He took full advantage of the training we have to offer right here in Alabama, particularly at Maxwell Air Force Base. There, he went through Squadron Officer's School, Air Command and Staff College, and Air War College.

Since retirement, Earle has been doing his part to help students make the most of Alabama's resources for successful careers. For the last 13 years, he has been using his military experience to lead aviation training at Auburn University. He serves as the deputy director for Defense Research Programs, where he teaches air traffic control and aerodynamics. His work helps address the shortage of both commercial and military pilots in the U.S.

Additionally, Earle serves as the chair of the Auburn University Regional Airport Safety Committee. He is also actively involved in Opelika First Baptist Church, where he sings in the choir. Earle spent 36 years protecting our Nation, and now, he is raising up the next generation of pilots who will help Alabama soar to new heights. It is my honor to recognize Colonel Earle Thompson as the March Veteran of the Month.

Mr. President:

I do solemnly swear or affirm that I will support and

defend the Constitution of the United States against all

enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith

and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation

freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion;

and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of

the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

That is the oath that we all take once we become Senators of the United States.

Just imagine that you are Allyson and John Phillips. Last Thursday afternoon, you get a phone call from law enforcement in Athens, GA. The voice on the other end of the phone says that your daughter has been murdered by an illegal immigrant. I cannot imagine what that feels like. I cannot even begin to understand the shock and sadness and anger.

Laken Riley was a nursing student at Augusta, GA, this past year. On Wednesday morning, she went out for a jog on the campus of the University of Georgia. She never came back. Police found her body in the woods a few hours later around noontime. She was covered with blood and injuries from head to toe.

An autopsy found that she died of blunt force trauma to the head. The charging documents in this case say that her skull was disfigured. This was a brutal murder of an innocent young woman.

Laken Riley was just 22 years old. She had her whole life ahead of her. She had a bright future. Now that future will never be realized.

You know, I spent 40 years of my life on college campuses. I have dedicated my life to coaching young adults, but I wasn't just a coach; I was also a mentor. There is nothing more heartbreaking than losing a promising young person like Laken Riley, and I want to offer my condolences to the Riley family.

Our No. 1 commodity in this country is our young people. Laken's death is even more heartbreaking because it could have been prevented and should have been prevented. On Friday night, police arrested and charged Jose Antonio Ibarra with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, and hindering a 911 call.

Jose Ibarra is an illegal immigrant from Venezuela. In other words, he should never have been in this country in the first place. This brutal and horrific murder would have been prevented

if Joe Biden and Democrats had done their job by enforcing the law.

Jose Ibarra crossed the southern border in El Paso in September of 2022, a year and a half ago. He was paroled into our country, and I will talk about parole here in just a minute. His social media accounts show that he went from El Paso to New York City. New York is a sanctuary State and city. That means that illegals who commit crimes will not be turned over to the immigration police when their jail time is up.

This is an open invitation by New York City to criminals. We have a lot of these sanctuary cities in our country today. According to ICE immigration police, he was arrested just 5 months ago in New York, charged with acting in a manner to injure a child and for driving without a license. Specifically, he was arrested for allegedly endangering a 5-year-old child, 5 months ago.

Athens police called the murder of Laken Riley a crime of opportunity. In other words, this was, essentially, a random act of violence. It could have been anyone's daughter. She did absolutely nothing wrong.

So my question is: Where are Georgia's Senators today? What are Georgia Senators doing to secure the border, to protect more people like Laken Riley? Where is their outrage? Soon, the Senate will hold a trial on articles of impeachment against Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas, the guy that is in charge of our border.

Georgia Senators, how are they going to vote when the trial comes up? Are they going to vote for Secretary Mayorkas since he has been impeached in the House? Because he is the one that let this killer in.

Are Senators from border States like California and Arizona going to save Mayorkas' job, the job that he has refused to do for the last 3\1/ 2\ years? We will find out and find out soon.

In the House, every single Democrat fell in line and voted--and voted to save Mayorkas' job just a few weeks ago, every single Democrat--and the guy hasn't done his job in 3\1/2\ years.

Every single House Democrat endorsed the job that Secretary Mayorkas is doing; that includes five Democrats from the State of Georgia where Laken Riley was killed.

In a separate vote, 150 House Democrats voted against deporting illegals who had been convicted of drunk driving.

Mr. President, 150, all Democrats, voted against deporting illegals if they got caught drunk driving. That includes all five of Georgia's Democrats in the House.

This is today's Democrat Party, and I go back to the oath that we all took to protect domestic and foreign, to protect.

Are Senate Democrats going to put their political careers on the line by continuing to support the least popular President in modern history, who has not done his job at the border? We will soon find out.

Or are they going to stand beside somebody who has broken the law? If Laken Riley were my daughter--if Laken Riley were my daughter, Secretary Mayorkas would have a lot more to worry about than a pending impeachment trial. He would need to go into hiding. It is embarrassing to this country of how these people are holding people accountable under the law.

I would do everything in my power to ensure he never forgot her name and that his inaction led to her death. Blood is on his hands.

I cannot possibly understand what this family is going through today. But for open borders--all the open-border crowd--she is just collateral damage, just somebody else that has been murdered. It won't be talked about again. Don't worry about it. All we care about is votes. All we care about is power.

To Democrats in this administration, Laken Riley is just another sacrifice on the altar of woke ideology. The blame for this crime lies with this administration and with the Democratic Senate majority. Democrats run Washington right now. The buck stops with them. They uphold the laws.

Democrats could have stopped this if they would have secured the border, if they had done their job. But they have utterly refused for the last 3\1/2\ years.

In fact, this administration has done exactly the opposite. This is globalism. This is putting the interest of other countries ahead of our own country, our own people, our own citizens.

Joe Biden has effectively erased our southern border--we don't have a border--and has invited the world in with no oversight or plan to figure out who is here and why.

I have been talking about this issue since I was elected to office 3 years ago. Nearly every American--excuse me. Nearly every Republican has been talking about it in both the House and the Senate.

I haven't seen Georgia Senators down here on the floor sounding the alarm on the southern border, not one time in the last 3\1/2\ years. I haven't seen California Senators giving speeches about the border and why is it open, because they are being overrun. I haven't seen Arizona Senators down here giving speeches on the border: You have got to help us. Let's close the border.

I haven't seen that. I am not sure I have seen one Democratic Senator on this floor in the last 3\1/2\ years talking about the open borders that we have--not one.

This is the biggest problem facing our country by far. President Biden says it is climate change. You have got to be kidding me.

Democrats don't want to talk about this. Republicans have tried to fix the problem.

I introduced the Border Safety and Security Act, which would close the border until the Federal Government regained control of operations along the southern border. I have sponsored legislation like H.R. 2, which is the best border security bill that we have had. I have offered more than 50 border amendments to the recently passed national security supplemental bill--any one of them which would have helped fix the border crisis.

Democrats have blocked me and the Republicans at every turn. They are the majority of the Senate, and they control the floor. I understand that.

A few week ago, we almost took up a so-called border bill from Senator Schumer and Senator Murphy. They worked on it for months. For months, they worked on it--embarrassing. It was more of a border giveaway--a border giveaway--than a border bill.

This would have not stopped the deaths of these young people. It would not have stopped and prevented the death of Laken Riley.

Unbelievably, the senior Senator from California actually opposed it for being too conservative. The people of California are suffering because of a wide-open border, just like all the people across our country.

I will just mention a few, starting in California. Last May, an illegal alien named Carlos Dominguez stabbed three people in Davis, CA. Two of them died, David Breaux and a student named Karim Najm. A third person was stabbed but survived, named Kimberlee Guillory. The alleged attacker in this case, Carlos Dominguez, came here in 2009 as an unaccompanied minor. He just had his first preliminary hearing in court this past week. Where is the outrage from the California Senators about the death and the stabbings of these people?

Let's talk about Arizona. Last year a young man named Harly Sellers was killed by a drunk driver in Fountain Hills, AZ. The alleged drunk driver who killed him is named Hilario Ortiz Cruz. He is an illegal alien who had previously been deported in 2013.

It is a felony to reenter this country after being deported. A lot of people don't realize that, but it is. We don't go by many laws anyway.

Harly Sellers was 29 years old. He was engaged to be married in just 2 months. That wedding will never happen. Harly Sellers left behind two young children, including a 1-year-old baby named Carter. Carter will never know his dad.

This was a crime that could have and should have been prevented. Where are the Senators from Arizona? Where is their outrage? The silence is deafening.

Part of the blame for this crime falls on this city, here in Washington, DC. This city should be blamed because we make the laws, and we push the laws.

Just a couple of weeks ago in Texas, a 16-year-old girl named Lizbeth Medina was killed in her own bedroom--just a couple of weeks ago. A grand jury has now charged an illegal alien in the case. He is charged with breaking into the home and then beating her to death and stabbing her.

This is happening all across our border. But it is not just limited to the border. Every State in our country now is a border State.

Just last night, people arrested and charged an illegal alien just a few miles from this building--just a few miles. It is about a 30-minute drive from the U.S. Senate. Police allege that an illegal alien named Nilson Granados-Trejo was among a group of gang members who shot at another group of gang members. Police say it was all about a drug dispute.

Caught in the middle of the crossfire was a mom and her 2-year-old son. That 2-year-old, Jeremy, has died. He didn't have a say about the border.

Nilson Granados has previously been arrested twice for alleged theft. The guy that shot this kid right here, twice has been arrested. He was subject to a deportation order from a judge in New Jersey, but he was released from custody several times, even though immigration police filed a detainer. He was never sent back.

Nilson Granados should not and should have not been in this country. He should have never been here in the first place. He should have been deported when he was caught the first and second time. Like the judge says, this crime could have and should have been prevented. But it was not prevented because of Joe Biden's open border.

Just this week, an illegal alien was arrested in Louisiana for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl. He also allegedly stabbed someone in the face during an armed robbery a few weeks before.

A month ago, an illegal alien pled guilty in court to stabbing a man to death in Bozeman, MT, in 2022.

Just yesterday, in my home State of Alabama, in Albertville, police arrested two illegal aliens for alleged child exploitation. This goes on and on and on. I could have been up here all day.

Americans are dying due to our open borders at the southern and northern borders, and they are dying every single day. Who cares? We are worried about a budget here. We are worried about sending $60 billion to Ukraine. We are not worried about the citizens of the United States.

People are going to wake up, and when they do, there is going to be a huge change around here, and I hope it happens.

Americans are dying due to open borders every single day when it comes to drugs, and 100,000 Americans die every year because of drug overdose. You would think that would be something that people would talk about. Nobody cares. Nobody cares. That is 300 Americans a day dying from fentanyl--300 a day. That is like a commercial airliner crashing every day.

Nobody cares. This building doesn't care. Everybody is worried about their next election, getting reelected. That is our problem here. They don't do what is right.

The DEA tells us drugs that were brought here over our southern border are absolutely destroying the young people in this country. So Joe Biden, our President, is going to the southern border tomorrow-- hallelujah.

This will be only--I want you to think about this. This is a guy who has been up here for 50 years. Now, I don't know why. I don't know why anyone would want to be up here 50 years to watch what goes on here. He has been up here 50 years as Senator, Vice President, and President. This is only the second time he has been to the border. And he asked why we don't have border policies.

Well, hell, man, you have been here forever. What did you do while you were in office?

He did zero. His first time ever at the border was last January, after 50 years in politics. And he is trying to run for reelection again. Good luck.

He went to El Paso. Border Patrol cleared the streets of all illegal camps and immigrants. There was nobody there. He didn't talk to any illegal immigrants. He didn't go to the Border Patrol station. He just took his picture, walked around with his sunglasses on, had a relaxing day, not worrying about the border, not worrying about what is coming across the border. He just went down there to have his picture taken.

Now, the media says he is going to Brownsville, TX, tomorrow to get his picture taken. He is going to Brownsville, TX. Yesterday, 12 illegals come across at the border there.

You know we have got another President, former President Trump. He is also going to the border tomorrow. He has been down there many times. He is going to Eagle Pass, TX. Yesterday, there were over 500 that came across the border there. No matter what you think about President Trump, he actually cares.

One of Joe Biden's Executive orders was to let asylum officers give out asylum at the border without ever going to a judge.

In other words, when you come to this country, you are supposed to be given a time and a day to go see a judge to see whether you get to stay here or not. But, in the last 3\1/2\ years, we have been giving asylum at the border, giving a piece of paper which has a destination that you are going to; put on an airplane and flown somewhere across the country, and finding out what you can do to make a living and where you can go.

I know. I was on a plane not too long ago with a planeload from McAllen, TX, of illegals that were put on there, on this plane, going to cities all over the country. I was on there with them.

I am watching them come on. I am thinking: You know, it took me 45 minutes to go through TSA. I got patted down. All my stuff was scanned and didn't have anything on.

They brought them up straight to the plane, opened up the door, and let them get on. It was absolutely amazing.

Why do we need TSA? That is another point.

Meanwhile, as we are giving out all this asylum, Joe Biden has taken 94 Executive actions against immigration enforcement since he has been in office. In other words, 94 times he says: OK, we don't need this at the border. That is my law. That stands. We don't need this one--94 times.

Meanwhile, he said we can't do anything to fix the border.

If you want to fix the border, Mr. President, just take those 94 Executive actions and put them back somewhere on the shelf, and let law enforcement do their job. One of these Executive actions was the abuse of the parole system, and I said I was going to say something about this.

(Ms. CORTEZ MASTO assumed the Chair.)

That is how Jose Ibarra, who killed Laken Riley, got into this country. Joe Biden paroled him into the country, meaning he was arrested when he got to the border by Homeland Security and then released.

Federal laws say that parole is supposed to be used only on a case- by-case basis. Why are you here? Why do you need to come here? Full information given by the immigrant and should be on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons. That is the reason you are here. They just wave him on through.

That is not what Joe Biden is doing. He is not looking into the backgrounds of these people. They are just coming right through the front door, laughing at us--we have seen the pictures at the border-- and going on.

Joe Biden is paroling massive numbers of people into this country. We better wake up. This is illegal, but Joe Biden is doing it anyway. And now Laken Riley is dead. People will forget about her, except for her parents and her friends. I mean, we will go on to some other tragedy down the road. But we had better wake up. We had better wake up.

We need to bring back the ``Remain in Mexico'' policy. We have to bring it back. We do not need more asylum officers. Joe Biden has just turned our Border Patrol and our asylum officers into Walmart greeters at the border. Again, I have been down there several times, and these people need help.

He is going to go there tomorrow and say: Oh, we need a lot more help down here, more secretaries. We don't need law enforcement.

We don't need any more Walmart greeters. We need a wall. We need to bring back the ``Remain in Mexico'' policy, as I said a few minutes ago. We need to go back to the policies of President Trump. President Trump's policies worked, and the reason Joe Biden changed them is because he wanted to do exactly opposite of what Trump was doing. He didn't want to give him any credit. Joe Biden has the exact same laws on the books that President Trump had, but the difference is day and night.

Laken Riley's death and the death of every other American caused by this border crisis rests with President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas. I hope they can't sleep at night, because this could have been prevented. We need to go back to the policies that work, stop playing these dang games, and stop playing politics. Otherwise, this will keep happening.

We are here, and we took an oath of office to say we are going to watch over the citizens of this country. If we don't do something, more Americans will die, more Americans like Laken Riley. More parents will be forever scarred for what happened last week. We have to do something. We can't forget about this.

Every time we have somebody who has lost their life in this country because of an illegal alien, I am coming back up here and I am going to rub it in the faces of the Democratic Party, Secretary Mayorkas, Senator Schumer, and Joe Biden. It is 100 percent their fault.

With that, I yield the floor.