Legislative Session
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senate will resume consideration of H.J. Res. 61, which the clerk will report.
The assistant bill clerk read as follows:
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa.
Mr. President, beginning in 1988, the month of May has been observed as National Foster Care Month. The first Tuesday in May, which is today, has been recognized by many organizations as National Foster Care Day.
The designations of this month and day have been used as a time to raise awareness of the needs of, roughly, 370,000 American children who are in our foster care system. It is also a good time to commend the many organizations that serve children in the foster care system. These children ought to have safe, loving, and permanent homes. I applaud the organizations and the individuals who tend to the needs of these children day in and day out.
For decades, I, too, have worked to support the needs of young people who experience the foster care system. I found that, to get a meaningful understanding of what the needs are, young people who experience foster care ought to have the chance to inform us. So, in 2009, for the purpose I just expressed, I launched the bipartisan Senate Caucus on Foster Youth. My work with the caucus has helped inform me of the many challenges that children in the foster care system face.
To give just one example, older youth who age out of the foster care system without a permanent place to call home or to call family to share life experiences with often aren't being set up for success. These older youth desire and need a permanent connection with an adult or family. They also need to be supported in ways that are beneficial to their long-term independence.
Congress ought to continue to explore solutions that improve long- term outcomes for every child in foster care. I am committed to supporting the needs of children who experience foster care to help them achieve their full potential.
On this Foster Care Day, I hope others are encouraged to do their part to see that no child goes without the love, safety, and stability that they deserve.
I got involved in the foster care issues because I hired a staff person by the name of Sarah Gesiriech, now about 30 years ago. I didn't hire her for anything dealing with foster care, but she came to me one day and said: I have been adopted into this family in Urbandale, IA, and I have observed the foster care system through my life, and I know there needs to be a lot of changes to make sure that the foster care system serves more of the needs.
So, as I usually do if a staff person comes to me with a special interest in something, I encouraged her to pursue that. Now, that is how I got involved in the foster care system.
Sarah Gesiriech worked on some reforms that we passed for the period of time she worked for me. She has then gone on to work for nonprofit organizations since then. We have been able to
I thank Sarah for getting me involved in this issue as to the reforms that we have done, and she has the pleasure today of working on some of these issues in the White House, under the auspices and directorship of the First Lady of the United States of America, Mrs. Trump.
I wish her well, and I wish the First Lady well. In how I can help, I would be glad to help.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The majority leader is recognized.
Mr. President, as I said on the floor yesterday, when I meet with South Dakota business owners, I often tell them to let me know how we can help, even if that means getting out of the way, because that is often what the government needs to do: get out of the way.
It is a foreign concept to the government-knows-best crowd. But what my Democratic colleagues frequently fail to realize is that while government can sometimes be a help, it can often be a hindrance, especially under Democratic administrations, which tend to load down Americans and American businesses with burdensome regulations for extremely dubious gains. The Biden administration certainly did that.
One of our priorities this Congress has been taking advantage of the Congressional Review Act to repeal burdensome Biden administration regulations. We have passed 10 CRA resolutions so far, and this week we plan to add 4 more to that total. We will kick things off with Senator Tim Scott's resolution on the Biden administration's rubber tire manufacturing rule, an excellent example of a burdensome and unnecessary regulation.
The Biden EPA's rubber tire rule set new emissions standards for tire manufacturers. Why? Well, that is a good question. Tire manufacturers are already subject to strict emissions rules, and the Biden EPA--that is right, the Biden EPA--found the rule was not necessary to protect public health or the environment. And as for the rule's effect on emissions, while it will reduce the emission of certain air pollutants, it will increase emissions of carbon dioxide and methane. And then there is the cost. The Biden EPA estimated that this rule would cost tire manufacturers $13.3 million per year, and there is reason to believe that that number could go much higher.
So we have costly new standards for tire manufacturers, justified by no public health benefit--including, as I said, by the Biden administration--and estimated to produce extremely dubious, if any, environmental gains. You might say we have the poster child for a burdensome and unnecessary government regulation, and we are going to repeal it this week.
We are also going to take up Senator Curtis and Senator Lee's resolution to overturn a Biden administration regulation limiting access to public lands in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area for those with off-road vehicles. Senator Curtis has noted that he hopes this measure will be a step toward ensuring that public lands remain accessible to Americans instead of being closed off by Washington bureaucrats.
A third CRA measure that we will take up this week is Senator Cruz's resolution to block an unlawful Biden-era Federal Communications Commission regulation that allows a Federal program to subsidize unregulated, off-campus Wi-Fi hotspots for schoolchildren. The problems with this regulation are myriad. It is, as I said, unlawful. It violates the Communications Act, which clearly limits the use of the funds in question to classrooms and libraries, and it effectively extends a program that Congress chose not to renew. Then there is the fact that this rule endangers children by giving them unsupervised access to a whole host of potentially dangerous or unhealthy content. Add to that the fact that it creates the potential for duplication of government efforts to deploy broadband, and you have a whole host of reasons to repeal this Biden regulation.
Finally, this week, we intend to take up Senator Kennedy's CRA resolution to repeal a Biden administration rule adding unnecessary redtape to bank mergers. This rule would delay approval of bank mergers that increase competition, potentially restricting choice in banks for consumers.
I am grateful to all of the Senators I have mentioned for their efforts to lift burdensome Biden-era regulations and for all those who sponsored earlier CRA measures. Senate Republicans will continue to work to lift unnecessary government burdens and get government out of the way of American families and American businesses.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The Democratic leader is recognized.
Mr. President, the closer you look at the troubles at Newark Airport, the more alarming the story gets. For months, especially over the past week or so, operations at Newark Airport have been mired by chaos, delays, and crippling system outages.
It was recently reported that on Monday, April 28, air traffic controllers overseeing Newark lost all communications with planes in the air for up to 90 seconds--``unable to see, hear, or talk to them.'' That is 90 seconds of a wholly filled up sky of planes literally flying blind over one of America's busiest airports. Thank God nothing happened, but we tempt fate if no changes are made. If during 90 seconds, the system goes down and so many airplanes are flying so close to each other at a congested airport, that is really sounding a five- alarm fire.
What was the culprit of this blackout? It was a burnt copper wire that shut communications down. This is unacceptable. We can't keep America's planes safe in 2025 if we rely on copper wires and floppy disks. Air traffic controllers and America's travelers deserve far more. Copper wires and floppy disks in 2025? When it comes to safety, the FAA is way behind the eight ball.
Yesterday, I called on the Office of the Inspector General at the FAA to conduct a full investigation into the deteriorating conditions at Newark Airport and to examine how we can prevent these problems from spreading to other airports around the country.
When Newark alone gets backed up, it affects other airports because it is such a busy hub, but if this starts happening at other airports, our air traffic is in real trouble--even more trouble than it is in now.
Donald Trump's FAA has failed spectacularly this year in showing the American people that the Trump administration is up to the task of keeping people safe. We need to get to the bottom as to why. The public deserves answers to some very important questions.
Why have the staffing shortages at Newark and other critical airports been allowed to continue? What role has DOGE's cuts played in aggravating the chaos? What is the plan to fill the vacancies of critical leadership at the FAA? Some of the top positions are not filled because some of the people there who are very capable resigned in disgust at what the administration was trying to do to the FAA.
We have seen chaos throughout the administration, and clearly it's here at the FAA, an Agency that cannot afford any chaos whatsoever because lives are at stake. The longer the FAA and the administration slow-walk these troubles, the greater the risk of a true catastrophe.
Mr. President, now the Trump agenda, a few months into Donald Trump's second term, Americans are getting a clear look at what Trump 2.0 is all about.
Last week, Americans got a good look at Trump 2.0 when the White House released its so-called skinny budget. Trump's days of pretending to be a populist are over. His budget is an all-out assault on healthcare, education, public safety, and programs that help small businesses. They want to ax domestic programs that help tens of millions of people--hundreds of millions, really--by nearly a quarter. It is radical to its rotten core.
The budget is proof positive that the Emperor has no clothes. Donald Trump is a con man who does not care one iota about the struggle of everyday Americans. He would rather listen to his billionaire buddies than to the American people in terms of what the country needs.
Few things crystallize Trump's 2.0 as much as Republicans' signature bill--a massive tax break for billionaires financed by the biggest cuts to Medicaid ever. For months, Republicans have tried to muddle their way forward on their agenda with magic talk totally severed from reality. Republicans say they want trillions in tax giveaways for the wealthy, trillions in spending cuts, but somehow claim these drastic changes won't hurt average Americans. Cut Medicaid, they say, but nobody will lose benefits. That is totally illogical.
Even the worst studies I have seen show that the percentage of ``waste, fraud, and abuse'' is much, much less than the $880 billion they say they are going to cut. They really want to slash Medicaid to the bone. Waste is something of a pretext for them.
Reality is now coming back to bite our Republican colleagues. In the House, Republicans are at total loggerheads about how to move forward. Now, mind you, there is zero disagreement among Republicans when it comes to the big goal: massive tax giveaways for the wealthy. They agree on axing poplar programs like Medicaid, like Social Security, and like veterans. What Republicans disagreed on is simply the method for screwing Americans over, which is the better way to screw Americans over. That is what they disagree on. That is what they are fighting about--but not on the goals, which are pernicious.
Why do Republicans face such a conundrum, where they are so at odds with one another? Simple answer: because their agenda is so unpopular with the American people, and neither House--and no Republican Senator--wants to be left holding this hot potato.
The backlash Republicans are getting from the public, whether it is at townhalls or in the streets or through dismal polling data, should serve as a warning to our colleagues on the other side: If they proceed with their agenda, the political outcry will be enormous.
The idea that some of the Republicans are saying, ``Well, we are going to our leadership to make a request''--if that request is not granted, if Medicaid is still slashed, for instance, it is how they vote that is going to matter, what they put into effect, not going to constituents and saying, ``Oh, I agree with you. I will go to my leadership.''
But when leadership says no, are they going to vote against the bill? We will see. I doubt it. I very much doubt it. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like it is going to happen. And they--each Republican who votes for reconciliation and bad budgets--will be left holding that hot potato.
Mr. President, on the Bisignano nomination, as Republicans press forward this week axing Medicaid and other popular programs, today, Senate Republicans will turn their attention to attacking Social Security in the name of voting on Frank Bisignano to lead the SSA. It is literally putting a fox in the henhouse.
If confirmed, Mr. Bisignano would be one of the greatest threats to Social Security in its 90-year history, one of the greatest threats we have ever had. He will accelerate the closures, the rollbacks, the risky practices that DOGE has already set in motion, and the anxiety Americans feel about their benefits will only get worse.
I am proud that every single Democrat will vote no on Mr. ``Slash- and-Burn'' Bisignano. The last person we need overseeing senior benefits is a DOGE fanatic. He says he is a proud DOGE guy whose claim to fame was overseeing mass layoffs in the private sector. Yes, that is his claim to fame.
During his testimony, Mr. Bisignano lied to Senators about his ties to DOGE and about his role in executing cutbacks at the SSA, the Social Security Administration. If he lied about that, what is stopping him from lying about cutting benefits down the line?
Donald Trump and Republicans can't say directly that they want to kill Social Security outright, so instead they are choosing another method of killing it: strangulation--office closures, delays, mass layoffs, trouble over the phone, trouble over the email.
Every single Republican Senator that votes yes on Bisignano will be complicit in strangling Social Security, plain and simple. If Mr. Bisignano is confirmed, Republicans will own all of the chaos he creates because, again, they are letting the slash-and-burn fox into the Social Security henhouse.
A yes for Mr. Bisignano is a vote for delayed benefits, for longer wait times over the phone, even more layoffs, and office closures. So today, Senate Republicans will have to make a choice: Vote no on Bisignano and protect the millions of Americans who rely on Social Security or vote yes on Mr. Bisignano and side with Donald Trump and Elon Musk and DOGE as they tear Social Security apart.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The majority whip.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that during my speech, I have the opportunity to display some of my father's remembrances from World War II.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. President, I rise today to honor Military Appreciation Month. It is a time to renew our commitment--our Nation's commitment, our individual commitment--to those who defend our Nation. They defend our freedom. They have done it in the past, they are doing it today, and they will continue to do it into the future. Most importantly, it is a time to say thank you.
In Wyoming, our pride in the military runs very deep. This Saturday in Wyoming, there will be welcome home ceremonies. They will actually be in a number of communities throughout the State. This originally began as a welcome home to Vietnam veterans, who were never given the proper welcome home when they came home from the war. This weekend, all Wyoming veterans will be honored and welcomed home.
Tens of thousands of servicemembers, veterans, and military families live in Wyoming. Our airmen at F.E. Warren Air Force Base maintain our Nation's nuclear deterrent. Our Wyoming National Guard--they are ready to serve, and they are ready to serve at a moment's notice.
All of them embody America's spirit. It is a privilege to represent each and every one of them here in the U.S. Senate.
Let me take you back a moment to the changing world happening in 1945--May 8, 1945. It was Victory in Europe Day--VE Day. On that day, the world celebrated the triumph of liberty over tyranny. That triumph of liberty was paid for by the blood and the bravery of 16 million Americans who served, and one of those was my father.
I have his dog tags with me. I carry them whenever I travel overseas, whenever I visit our veterans, and whenever I visit our men and women in uniform. I did it earlier this year in Jordan and in Syria. I did it at Thanksgiving in the Middle East. I did it last spring in Djibouti where we had members of our Air National Guard serving there.
I also have his prayer book called ``My Military Missal.'' These were given out in World War II in the Battle of the Bulge. They used them, and the back was a rosary, the beads printed in there as if in braille, with a crucifix. And this rosary has been well-worn, used by his thumb because he was walking and had it in his pocket on patrol.
He signed up 3 days after Pearl Harbor, my father did. He fought through
Here we are 80 years later, and we face a dangerous world. Our enemies are aggressive, menacing, and powerful. Very few of those men who fought in World War II are alive today--very few. We celebrated the Battle of the Bulge and had ceremonies with those few in Bastogne this past December. They are gone. There is a next generation today and a generation after that. And under the bold leadership of President Trump, our military is rising to meet the challenge that we are facing today. And we are today restoring peace through strength.
In 100 days, President Trump and Secretary of Defense Hegseth have made our military stronger and, of course, more respected around the world. Recruiting is soaring. The last month was the best month in almost 40 years.
I was in Mills, WY, for a pancake breakfast for the Lions Club on Saturday morning. I met two young men who were helping to volunteer serving pancakes. One is going to go to the Naval Academy and one to West Point. The next generation: Ready to serve, ready to defend, ready to protect.
So what we are seeing today is maintaining military strength at a time where investment is needed, and that is what this Congress is debating--because the ``greatest generation'' built the arsenal of democracy and we carry that on by modernizing our military.
Under unified Republican government, America is embracing the new technology, such as artificial intelligence, to outpace our adversaries. We are rebuilding our industrial base. We are expanding shipbuilding so our Navy remains the world's finest. And, boy, what a reputation the Navy SEALS have, and the Presiding Officer's long and distinguished history of service to our Nation--now in the Senate but prior to that in the military and your wife, as well.
We are improving the quality of life of servicemembers and their families because a supported military is a strong military. We are creating an Iron Dome for America so our Nation is safe from danger. In all, we are investing more than $150 billion in peace through strength. These efforts, backed by bold leadership, equip our military to deal with life in a dangerous and menacing world.
Military strength is not enough. VE Day reminds us that defending freedom also demands moral clarity. That means championing the values of liberty and justice, the values that Americans have always stood for.
The minutemen of Lexington and Concord stood for them, the paratroopers of Normandy stood for them. Wyoming's troops serving around the world today continue to stand for them.
I visit with Wyoming troops every year overseas at Thanksgiving. I go wherever they are. It started in 2007, my first year in the Senate, when I visited troops in Iraq, outside of Baghdad, Andar province.
I try to visit every deployment of our National Guard. I just got back from visiting the troops in the Middle East in March. I go for the purpose of thanking them for their service and bringing a little piece of Wyoming today to wherever they are in the world. And when you go visit with them you ask: Do you have everything you need? Is there any way we can be helpful? But they want to talk about home. They want to talk about how the hunting was, how the weather is, how the football team has done. They want to talk about their families, which community they were from, and then their mission to make sure that the folks at home are protected so they can return to Wyoming and be with them once again.
Those currently deployed overseas are eight time zones away. You know, you want to make sure they have everything they need, and they do in terms of what they are getting in terms of supplies; they just miss a little bit of home in Wyoming.
We are blessed to have these soldiers. We are blessed to have soldiers from all of our States serving like this. People from all different backgrounds come to serve, and today I just want to be here to remember our history and think about the sacrifices that so many continue to make.
We honor them by doing what we need to do here to make sure that they are equipped to fight the modern threats that they face. We honor them by uniting as a nation to support them. We honor them by making sure that they have veterans healthcare available to them in their communities. I talked to Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins about making sure that the veterans have what they need, and he as a veteran is committed to that.
Today we celebrate Military Appreciation Month, so let's thank our heroes who fought for our liberty. Thank them who served today; thank their families; thank them who have sacrificed as the Presiding Officer and his family have done. That is a commitment. Because of their courage, America remains safe; it remains free. And with bold leadership like we have today, it will stay that way.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic whip.
Mr. President, before I make my remarks, I want to join my colleague, Republican colleague from Wyoming in a salute to our military and appreciation for all they have given to America.
It is a touching story. I know he spends so many holidays visiting with Wyoming Guard troops stationed around the world, and I didn't know he carried his father's World War II dog tags with him. That is an indication of his love and respect for his dad, and I want to join in those sentiments.
But though the military commitment that people make is a unique commitment because you say that you will risk your life for this country, there are many other commitments that can be made in public service which make this a greater Nation too.
Mr. President, for more than three decades, AmeriCorps has strengthened communities across the United States. From rebuilding homes to providing rural healthcare, tutoring kids after school, cleaning up after natural disasters, AmeriCorps supports our most underresourced communities. My Republican colleagues represent communities that benefit from AmeriCorps whose members serve in their State.
For decades, AmeriCorps has had bipartisan support, which it deserves, but last week, unfortunately, the Trump administration pulled the rug out from under these community organizations by eliminating their funding--eliminating. Organizations like the Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House in East St. Louis, IL, my hometown, which provides meals to members of all ages of the East St. Louis community--they were left scrambling after the President's announcement eliminating AmeriCorps.
Right after the funding cuts were announced, Reverend Gaston, the CEO, met with workers who serve as drivers for the center's Meals on Wheels program.
For many of the senior citizens in that town and around the country, Meals on Wheels is literally the only physical contact they have with the outside world. It is a moment in the day that they look forward to with great anticipation. It is more than just food.
The night before the drivers were set to deliver meals, Reverend Gaston had to tell them, ``There [is] nowhere to go.'' He added that those workers would not get paid, even though they had worked earlier in the day.
The East St. Louis community is located in a food desert, which means members like Ayshia, who takes care of her grandfather, have come to rely on the center's food pantry for healthy options like fruits and vegetables. I know; I was just there 2 weeks ago.
Last month, eight dedicated AmeriCorps members worked in the center's cafe to offer a safe place for the community to eat a hot meal. Today, because of Trump's cuts, the tables are empty.
Camille, who is Lessie Bates Davis' program director for AmeriCorps shared that she has 120 days to close out the program. After that, even she will be left without a job.
While Camille is concerned about her own future, she has also shared how overwhelming it is to tell people that
Other programs across Illinois are feeling similar impacts. Take Lukas, an AmeriCorps member who has worked at the Boys and Girls Club in Livingston, IL, providing students with a safe place to learn and play after school. He won't get paid because of the Trump cuts, but he plans to continue to volunteer unpaid because of the impact on his community without people like him. He is feeling very bad for the young kids he knows so well.
Another constituent Ann is an AmeriCorps program director at Severson Dells Nature Center in northern Illinois in Rockford. Ann shared that one alum of AmeriCorps was inspired to serve this country by joining the U.S. Coast Guard after working in his community as an AmeriCorps volunteer and member in the nature center.
To use Ann's words:
I urge my Republican colleagues to fight against this administration's senseless attempts to eliminate such small amounts of funding that have such incredible positive impact in their communities, as well as my own. Don't sit by in silence.
As if cutting funds from AmeriCorps wasn't enough, last Thursday, in the dead of the night, President Trump signed an Executive order trying to end Federal funding for National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting. As it currently stands, only 1 percent of Federal funding goes directly to NPR and PBS.
It is a marginal expense in comparison to the amount of good it does. They provide news coverage, lifesaving emergency alerts, and educational programming for our kids. While President Trump falsely claims that the public media is ``biased and partisan,'' he is wrong. Public media provides local communities with unbiased and nonpartisan news coverage, especially in rural and smalltown areas where a newsroom often is working off limited resources.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a private, nonprofit corporation authorized by Congress since 1967. For more than 50 years, Congress has provided funding on a bipartisan basis for Public Broadcasting. By doing so, we have ensured the independence of the public media system and provided an opportunity for a longstanding public-private partnership in service to all Americans.
President Trump's attempts to silence the media he does not deem acceptable should be responded to on a bipartisan basis. We must be united to let this President know that silencing a reliable news source is unacceptable in modern America. We have come to expect this kind of censoring by dictators and fascists, but we don't expect it in the United States.
Countries like Russia and China spend billions of dollars trying to undermine our news and spread disinformation; and cuts to free, untampered public news are not the way to fight off their advances.
As soon as I learned about the proposed cuts, I spoke out on the need for Congress to respond, to save these important institutions. And what was the response of my Republican colleagues? Silence. Crickets. It is the ``Silence of the Lambs.''
My Republican colleagues cannot afford to stay silent any longer. We must work in a bipartisan manner, continue to work to stop these funding cuts and prove to the American people that we care about our local communities and everyone's access to free, unbiased broadcasting. We must continue to allow NPR and PBS to provide essential news, information, and lifesaving services to the American public. Democracy cannot survive in silence.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
In yet another of many attempts to unravel protections for human health and the environment, and in their endless quest to accommodate the country's biggest polluters, Republicans in the Senate are seeking congressional disapproval for EPA's final rule setting national emissions standards for hazardous air pollutants for rubber tire manufacturing.
A little history here. Since the 1970s, the Clean Air Act has required EPA to set emission standards for facilities that are major sources of hazardous air pollution. For over 50 years, these standards have allowed us to expand our industry and grow our economy while also making major improvements in air quality for the American people. Yet some toxic pollution remains unregulated, even at regulated facilities. And so, in 2020, the DC Circuit, the Federal court, directed EPA to regulate all unregulated hazardous air pollution from major sources. In response, EPA finalized long-overdue protections for the rubber processing stage of tire manufacturing.
Before then, this process was entirely unregulated by the Federal Government. But faced with new emissions data showing that rubber processing releases large quantities of hazardous air pollutants, EPA was obliged under the Clean Air Act to act. The rule is expected to significantly reduce toxic air pollution, nominally a goal of this administration. Pollutants include heavy metal like mercury, organic chemicals, and particulate matter--the little stuff that floats in the air, and this gets into people's lungs.
These pollutants, even in low doses, can cause significant harm to human health. Children, babies, and developing fetuses are at particular risk, vulnerable to the effects of these pollutants. So this rule protects the communities which house these rubber processing facilities, communities like Des Moines, IA; Topeka, KS; Social Circle, GA; Anderson, SC; and Findlay, OH. People living in those communities will be protected by this rule from an increased risk of cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease, and even cognitive impairments. This is dangerous pollution.
So make no mistake, this resolution to undo the clean air rule would deny clean air protections to the American people, with particular harm to American children whose lungs and brains, still developing, are most vulnerable to the effects of these pollutants.
My Republican colleagues have argued that the energy needed for the pollution controls will increase carbon emissions. Well, two things on that. First, it just ain't true. EPA found that secondary air impacts are minimal and do not outweigh the health benefits from reduced toxic pollution. It is also a bit laughable that my Republican colleagues now purport to care about carbon pollution after every single step they have taken in this arena has been to make carbon pollution worse, to help their big donors from the fossil fuel industry, and to lead us ever more rapidly into the climate crisis with its insurance meltdown component that is now so widely predicted--predicted even by the Chairman of the Federal Reserve here in the Senate Banking Committee, saying that in 10 to 15 years there will be whole regions of the United States where you can't get a mortgage anymore. Why can't you get a mortgage anymore there? Because the insurance has made it untenable. The insurance is untenable because the climate risk is both much worse and more unpredictable.
So what is widely predicted, including recently by a board member of the biggest insurance company on the planet, is that uncertainty and added risk in the natural systems caused by fossil fuel pollution makes insurance--particularly property insurance--untenable, which makes mortgages unavailable, which crashes housing prices, and that is predicted to lead to a 2008-style economic meltdown to the entire economy.
You may not want to hear this, but it is widely--widely--predicted by expert sources, many under a fiduciary obligation to get this right, unlike the fossil fuel industry which lies with impunity.
Anyway, given the record of this body and this administration on this issue, the idea that there is a sincere concern about carbon emissions happening on the other side of this aisle verges on the preposterous. The full story here is that the economic effects of this rule are minimal. EPA found during its rulemaking process that facility owners affected by this rule will
The rule even offers flexible compliance options that could further reduce the burden if a company were to make an honest effort to come into compliance with air rules that protect the safety of their own communities.
In any event, that minimal 1 percent or less financial burden ought to be outweighed by the substantial public health costs that Americans will face if Congress and the Trump administration continue their mad quest to eliminate clean air protections. More doctors' appointments and emergency room visits, more inhalers and prescriptions, more lost school and workdays--that will be the cost of passing this resolution.
I urge all of my colleagues to protect the health of Americans and vote no on this misguided resolution.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Carolina.
I rise in support today for two strong nominees: Luke Pettit and Marcus Molinaro, who were moved out of the Banking Committee with broad bipartisan support.
Luke Pettit has been nominated to serve as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Institutions. Luke brings a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of our financial system, honed through his service of the Senate Banking Committee and in his role as senior policy adviser for Senator Hagerty. And he has worked in the private sector. Luke is a servant leader who understands the difficult challenges facing American families and businesses.
Marcus Molinaro has been nominated as Federal Transit Administrator. His extensive experience, from his tenure in Congress to his outstanding leadership as Dutchess County executive, underscores his unwavering commitment to improving transit infrastructure and enhancing the lives of all Americans.
Marcus is a proven leader who understands that effective transit systems are the backbone of vibrant communities. Under his leadership, I am confident that the Federal Transit Administration will excel in its mission to connect communities, ensure safety, and promote new opportunities, including much needed housing initiatives, across this great Nation.
I urge my colleagues to join me in confirming both of these nominees.
I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations en bloc: Calendar Nos. 63 and 65; that the Senate vote on the nominations en bloc without intervening action or debate; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate resume legislative session.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
The Senator from Massachusetts.
Mr. President, reserving the right to object. I want to note that President Trump is pushing our economy off a cliff. Over the past week, the President has told families to brace for more expensive toys for Christmas and he continues to lie about the fact that grocery prices are actually going up. He has managed to shrink the economy in his first 100 days and experts from across the spectrum are already predicting a recession.
He is also working to tear our Federal Government apart. And while President Trump works to burn down our economy and our future, the Senate is still chugging along with business as usual in confirming the President's nominees to lead the Agencies that he is actively trying to destroy.
My litmus test for any executive branch nominee is will they enforce the law and uphold our Constitution or will they simply bend the knee to the orders of President Trump? I am worried that Mr. Pettit will simply go along with the Trump administration's deregulatory agenda, instead of fighting to protect consumers and to ensure financial stability.
I know that Mr. Molinaro wants to improve the public transportation system and support public transit workers. I appreciate that. I genuinely do. I have no doubt about it. But it seems clear that the White House and Elon Musk's DOGE will gut the Federal Transit Administration and undermine the Department of Transportation.
We cannot wave these nominees through by unanimous consent without a real debate. Therefore, I object.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
I am so sorry to hear that.
Mr. President, I rise for another topic. Today, I rise in support of my Congressional Review Act to overturn one of the Biden-era EPA rules on the rubber tire manufacturing NESHAP.
In November 2004, Biden's EPA continued on its radical left climate agenda and issued and implemented a new rule to study after study proved to be unnecessary. Their claim was the implementation of the rule was a manner of public health. The EPA performed--the EPA-- performed a risk review of the rule and found this was inconsequential to public health and that the rule increases CO2 emissions.
Instead of listening to their own experts, the Biden administration ignored the experts to push forward their burdensome regulatory overreach. I am grateful to stand in this Chamber today to roll back these ill-advised rules so manufacturers can avoid millions of dollars in compliance fees that will cost the American consumer those millions of dollars and, instead, invest in the American workforce, the greatest workforce on the planet.
It is time for us to act. It is time for us to roll back these unnecessary EPA rules so that the American people are not burdened with millions of dollars of additional costs simply to buy tires. Let us do the right thing.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, all time on H.J. Res. 61 has expired.
The clerk will read the title of the joint resolution for the third time.
The joint resolution was ordered to a third reading and was read the third time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The joint resolution having been read the third time, the question is, Shall the joint resolution pass?
Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk called the roll.
The result was announced--yeas 55, nays 45, as follows:
The joint resolution (H.J. Res. 61) was passed.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table.
The Senator from Louisiana.
