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June 2025 →

SenateFloor Session

June 9, 2025

Speeches 12Members 7

Congressional Record ↗Watch on C-SPAN ↗

Senate Floor VideoThe Senate does not publish its floor video for embedding. C-SPAN keeps the whole day.Watch on C-SPAN ↗

Speeches and Other Business

01One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Executive Session)
2 members spoke
02Los Angeles Protests (Executive Session)
1 member spoke
03Air Force One (Executive Session)
1 member spoke
04Vote on Shumate Nomination (Executive Session)
3 members spoke

Routine Business (56)

01Senate
02Executive Calendar (Executive Session)
1 member spoke
03Cloture Motion (Executive Session)
1 member spoke
04Legislative Session
1 member spoke
05Executive Calendar (Executive Session)
1 member spoke
06Nomination of David Fotouhi (Executive Session)
2 members spoke
07Waiving Quorum Call (Executive Session)
1 member spoke
08Cloture Motion
1 member spoke
09Legislative Session
1 member spoke
10Nominations Objections
1 member spoke
11Privileged Nominations Referred to Committee
S.Res. 116 →
12Text of Senate Amendment 2308
13Text of Senate Amendment 2309
14Text of Senate Amendment 2310
15Text of Senate Amendment 2311
16Text of Senate Amendment 2312
17Text of Senate Amendment 2313
18Text of Senate Amendment 2314
19Text of Senate Amendment 2315
20Text of Senate Amendment 2316
21Text of Senate Amendment 2317
22Text of Senate Amendment 2318
23Text of Senate Amendment 2319
24Text of Senate Amendment 2320
25Text of Senate Amendment 2321
26Text of Senate Amendment 2322
27Text of Senate Amendment 2323
28Text of Senate Amendment 2324
29Text of Senate Amendment 2325
30Text of Senate Amendment 2326
31Text of Senate Amendment 2327
32Text of Senate Amendment 2328
33Text of Senate Amendment 2329
34Text of Senate Amendment 2330
35Text of Senate Amendment 2331
36Text of Senate Amendment 2332
37Text of Senate Amendment 2333
38Text of Senate Amendment 2334
39Text of Senate Amendment 2335
40Text of Senate Amendment 2336
41Text of Senate Amendment 2337
42Text of Senate Amendment 2338
43Text of Senate Amendment 2339
44Text of Senate Amendment 2340
45Text of Senate Amendment 2341
46Text of Senate Amendment 2342
47Text of Senate Amendment 2343
48Text of Senate Amendment 2344
49Text of Senate Amendment 2345
50Text of Senate Amendment 2346
51Text of Senate Amendment 2347
52Notices of Intent to Object to Proceeding
53Privileges of the Floor
1 member spoke
54Orders for Tuesday, June 10, 2025
S. 1582 →1 member spoke
55Adjournment Until 10 A.M. Tomorrow
1 member spoke
56Confirmation

Daily Digest

Routine Proceedings, pages S3275-S3292 Measures Introduced
Fourteen bills and one resolution were introduced, as follows: S. 1986-1999, and S.J. Res. 57.
Page S3284
Measures Reported
S. 245, to require the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to establish a working group on cyber insurance, to require dissemination of informative resources for issuers and customers of cyber insurance. (S. Rept. No. 119-28)
Page S3284
Measures Considered
Genius Act--Cloture: Senate resumed consideration of S. 1582, to provide for the regulation of payment stablecoins, taking action on the following motions and amendments proposed thereto:
Pages S3275-77
Withdrawn
Thune (for Ricketts/Lummis) Amendment No. 2228, to provide for expedited certification of existing regulatory regimes.
Page S3276
Pending
Thune (for Hagerty/Gillibrand) Amendment No. 2307, in the nature of a substitute.
Page S3276
Thune Amendment No. 2308 (to Amendment No. 2307), to change the enactment date.
Page S3276
Thune Amendment No. 2309 (to Amendment No. 2308), to change the enactment date.
Page S3276
Thune Amendment No. 2310 (to the language proposed to be stricken by Amendment No. 2307), to change the enactment date.
Page S3276
Thune Amendment No. 2311 (to Amendment No. 2310), to change the enactment date.
Page S3276
Thune motion to commit the bill to the Committee on the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, with instructions, Thune Amendment No. 2312, to change the enactment date.
Page S3276
Thune Amendment No. 2313 (to (the instructions) Amendment No. 2312), to change the enactment date.
Page S3276
Thune Amendment No. 2314 (to Amendment No. 2313), to change the enactment date.
Page S3276
A motion was entered to close further debate on Thune (for Hagerty/ Gillibrand) Amendment No. 2307 (listed above), and, in accordance with the provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, a vote on cloture will occur upon disposition of the nomination of William Long, of Missouri, to be Commissioner of Internal Revenue for the remainder of the term expiring November 12, 2027.
Page S3276
A motion was entered to close further debate on the bill, and, in accordance with the provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, a vote on cloture will occur upon disposition of Thune (for Hagerty/Gillibrand) Amendment No. 2307.
Page S3276
During consideration of this measure today, Senate also took the following action
Bennet Amendment No. 2278 (to Amendment No. 2228), to provide a definition, fell when Thune (for Ricketts/Lummis) Amendment No. 2228 (listed above) was withdrawn.
Pages S3275-76
A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing that the filing deadline for all first-degree amendments to the bill and to Thune (for Hagerty/Gillibrand) Amendment No. 2307, be at 2:30 p.m., on Tuesday, June 10, 2025.
Page S3292
Long Nomination: Cloture
Senate began consideration of the nomination of William Long, of Missouri, to be Commissioner of Internal Revenue for the remainder of the term expiring November 12, 2027.
Page S3275
A motion was entered to close further debate on the nomination, and, in accordance with the provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, a vote on cloture will occur upon disposition of the nomination of Andrew Hughes, of Texas, to be Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
Page S3275
Prior to the consideration of this nomination, Senate took the following action
Senate agreed to the motion to proceed to Executive Session to consider the nomination.
Page S3275
Fotouhi Nomination: Agreement
Senate resumed consideration of the nomination of David Fotouhi, of Virginia, to be Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Page S3283
During consideration of this nomination today, Senate also took the following action
By 53 yeas to 43 nays (Vote No. EX. 298), Senate agreed to the motion to close further debate on the nomination.
Pages S3282-83
A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing for further consideration of the nomination, post-cloture, at approximately 10 a.m., on Tuesday, June 10, 2025; that notwithstanding rule XXII, at 11:15 a.m., Senate vote on confirmation of the nomination; that if cloture is invoked on the nomination of Stephen Vaden, of Tennessee, to be Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, the post-cloture time be expired at 2:15 p.m., and Senate vote on confirmation of the nomination.
Page S3292
Nomination Confirmed
Senate confirmed the following nomination: By 51 yeas 41 nays (Vote No. EX. 297), Brett Shumate, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Attorney General.
Pages S3277-82, S3292
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions
Amendments Submitted:
Pages S3285-92
Record Votes
Two record votes were taken today. (Total--298)
Pages S3282-83
Adjournment
Senate convened at 3 p.m. and adjourned at 6:42 p.m., until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (For Senate's program, see the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page S3292.)

Executive Calendar (Executive Session)

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 173.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The question is on agreeing to the motion.

The motion was agreed to.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report the nomination.

The senior assistant executive clerk read the nomination of William Long, of Missouri, to be Commissioner of Internal Revenue for the remainder of the term expiring November 12, 2027.

Official Text ↗

Cloture Motion (Executive Session)

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The cloture motion having been presented under rule XXII, the Chair directs the clerk to read the motion.

The senior assistant executive clerk read as follows:

Official Text ↗

Legislative Session

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

Mr. President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The question is on agreeing to the motion.

The motion was agreed to.

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

Mr. President, I call for regular order.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Regular order is the pending business.

The clerk will report.

The senior assistant executive clerk read as follows:

Pending:

Thune (for Ricketts/Lummis) Amendment No. 2228, to provide for expedited certification of existing regulatory regimes.

Bennet Amendment No. 2278 (to Amendment No. 2228), to provide a definition.

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

Mr. President, I withdraw Senate amendment No. 2228.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator has that right. The amendment is withdrawn.

The amendment (No. 2228) was withdrawn.

(Purpose: In the nature of a substitute.)

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

Mr. President, I call up my amendment No. 2307 and ask that it be reported by number.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report.

The legislative clerk read as follows:

(The amendment is printed in the Record of June 5, 2025, under ``Text of Amendments.'')

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

Mr. President, I ask the reading be dispensed with.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I ask for the yeas and nays on my amendment.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there a sufficient second?

There appears to be a sufficient second.

The yeas and nays are ordered.

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I send a cloture motion to the desk for the substitute amendment.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Pursuant to rule XXII, the Chair lays before the Senate the pending cloture motion, which the clerk will state.

The legislative clerk read as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I have an amendment to the substitute at the desk, and I ask the clerk to report.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report.

The legislative clerk read as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

The amendment is as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I ask for the yeas and nays on my amendment.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there a sufficient second?

There appears to be a sufficient second.

The yeas and nays are ordered.

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I have a second-degree amendment at the desk.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report.

The legislative clerk read as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

The amendment is as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I have an amendment to the text of the underlying bill.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report.

The legislative clerk read as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

The amendment is as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

And I ask for the yeas and nays on my amendment.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there a sufficient second?

There appears to be a sufficient second.

The yeas and nays are ordered.

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I have a second-degree amendment at the desk.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report.

The legislative clerk read as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

The amendment is as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I send a cloture motion to the desk for the underlying bill.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Pursuant to rule XXII, the Chair lays before the Senate the pending cloture motion, which the clerk will state.

The legislative clerk read as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I move to commit the bill to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs with instructions.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report.

The legislative clerk read as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I ask the reading be dispensed with.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

The amendment is as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I ask for the yeas and nays on the motion to commit with instructions.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there a sufficient second?

There appears to be a sufficient second.

The yeas and nays are ordered.

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

Mr. President, I have an amendment to the instructions.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report.

The legislative clerk read as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

The amendment is as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I ask for the yeas and nays on my amendment.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there a sufficient second?

There appears to be a sufficient second.

The yeas and nays are ordered.

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I have a second-degree amendment at the desk.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report.

The legislative clerk read as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

The amendment is as follows:

Official Text ↗

Executive Calendar (Executive Session)

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 111, Brett Shumate.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The question is on agreeing to the motion.

The motion was agreed to.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report the nomination.

The senior assistant executive clerk read the nomination of Brett Shumate, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Attorney General.

Official Text ↗

One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Executive Session)

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

Mr. President, we are rapidly approaching floor consideration of our reconciliation bill, and Democrats are melting down. I am pretty sure the Democrat leader was on the floor every day last week bemoaning the bill and emphasizing how Democrats are going to fight with everything they have got. That is right, with everything they have got. Democrats are going to use every resource at their disposal to fight against extending tax relief for American families.

They are going to fight against funding to secure our border. They are going to fight against funding to equip our military. They are going to fight against unleashing American energy. And they are going to fight against all our efforts to make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous.

And I guess it is not that surprising. After all, Democrats' previous pledges not to raise taxes on anyone not making less than $400,000 a year often felt a little bit begrudging.

When you are constantly looking to expand government, I guess it makes sense that you would be more interested in raising taxes than in allowing Americans to keep more of their hard-earned money.

And if the Biden border crisis taught us anything, it is that Democrats have, essentially, no interest in securing our borders at all. And speaking of President Biden, after years of Biden budgets that deemphasize investing in our military, I guess it is no surprise that filling the gaps in our readiness is not a Democrat priority.

Democrat hostility to conventional energy is also well-known. And so, again, I guess it is no surprise that Democrats are opposed to unleashing America's energy resources. But it is worth thinking about the essence of what Democrats are endorsing by fighting against this reconciliation bill.

They are endorsing a $2.6 trillion tax hike on Americans making less than $400,000 a year--$2.6 trillion. Without our bill, a typical family of four making $80,000 will be sending an additional $1,700 to Uncle Sam next year--$1,700. Apparently, Democrats are OK with that. Democrats are also implicitly endorsing a continuation of President Biden's lax policies at our border, along with an increasing--and increasingly dangerous--erosion in our military capabilities.

The Air Force has the smallest fleet in its history, and a large proportion of that fleet is not mission ready. Our Navy fleet is already smaller than China's, and without new investment, that problem will only get worse in the next few years.

And in the defining technologies of tomorrow's wars, space, AI, hypersonics, and cyber, China is gaining quickly or already has an edge. On top of that, we are falling seriously behind when it comes to maintaining an adequate supply of munitions. But none of this--none of this--seems to matter to Democrats.

In fact, nowhere in the hysteria that they are fomenting over this bill is any perceptible recognition of the importance of the priorities our bill is addressing--from securing our border to bolstering our national defense to preventing a massive tax hike on American families.

Indeed, judging from the Democrat leader's speeches last week, Democrats' biggest concern right now is ensuring that illegal aliens and able-bodied adults who refuse to work can stay on Medicaid.

The leader certainly didn't put it that way, of course, but his obsession with the Medicaid provisions of our bill certainly suggests it.

I think it is fair to say the Democrats lost last November because they didn't speak to the concerns of voters who were tired of the Biden inflation crisis and the Biden border crisis and Democrats' focus on far-left ideologies.

And judging by Democrats' opposition to our bill and their complete lack of interest in the issues our bill addresses, I think it is fair to say the Democrats haven't learned much since.

Americans are looking for the things our bill will provide, from the economic benefits that will come with continued tax relief to a secure border and a secure, stable, and affordable energy supply.

Republicans are going to deliver, no matter how hard Democrats fight to stand in the way.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.

The senior assistant executive clerk proceeded to call the roll.

Richard J. DurbinDemocrat, Illinois

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

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Richard J. DurbinDemocrat, Illinois

Mr. President, what is the hurry? What is the big hurry on this Big Beautiful Bill that President Trump wants to see the Congress pass?

Well, the hurry is to make sure we don't stop and read it. It is 1,000 pages. And as we read it, we discover things included in that bill that passed the House of Representatives which may not be appealing to the people across America. The House of Representatives passed this bill by one vote.

It ends up having a direct impact on many people across this country. Just imagine this, if you will. They are considering a bill, a tax bill, that will eliminate health insurance coverage for 16 million Americans. More people and families will lose health insurance coverage by virtue of this Big Beautiful Bill than any legislation we have passed in modern memory. In fact, just the opposite has been true. I have been here under the Affordable Care Act with President Obama when we expanded the reach of health insurance. Now, President Trump has us going in the opposite direction.

Some Republican Senators, like Josh Hawley in my neighboring State of Missouri, have criticized this because he realizes how many people he represents count on Medicaid, the basic government program for health insurance. Senator Hawley says, even as a Republican, he can't support that provision. No one should support that provision.

If you ever lived in a moment in your life with a sick child-- seriously sick child--and no health insurance, you will never forget it. I know. I have been there. To think that 16 million families would lose their health insurance is impossible to imagine.

We received a report from the Congressional Budget Office just last week. They are neutral. They are not Democrats; they are not Republicans. They revealed that the Republican proposal would cost 16 million families their health insurance coverage, the biggest cut to healthcare in American history.

No wonder then that Republicans want to move this bill quickly. They don't want to talk about the impact it is going to have on the Medicaid Program. Medicaid, of course, is a program that provides health insurance based on a person's income. Lower income individuals qualify for it; those in higher incomes don't.

The facts are coming out now that many of the Republicans in the House are saying: Well, we didn't read the bill when it went through there. They have

With this analysis from the Congressional Budget Office, we have new estimates on how this bill impacts each and every State. Two hundred ten thousand people in my neighboring State of Missouri, Senator Hawley's State, could lose their health insurance coverage--210,000. In Iowa, nearly 100,000 people can lose their health plans. And our neighbor Indiana, 250,000 Hoosiers could lose the peace of mind that comes with having health insurance. It is the same story coast-to- coast: 40,000 people in Maine, 26,000 Alaskans, they are all going to be victimized.

You say to yourself, What is it that is so compelling that the Republicans feel they can stand up and tell 16 million people in America you lose your health insurance? What will they use that money for? What will they take it to the bank for? For something very basic, tax cuts for the wealthiest people in America.

Oh, there they go again, Democrats talking about tax cuts. Many of the Republicans deny that this is going to happen, but the facts are there. They estimate that the top 0.1 percent of wage earners in America under the Republican plan that passed the House will get an annual tax break of $400,000. Republicans quickly add: Go ahead and tell the rest of the story. Everybody gets a tax break.

OK, let's go down to the other end of the spectrum: $400,000 for 0.1 percent wage earners. What about those making minimum wage? What will they get as a tax break? Twenty dollars a month. Twenty bucks a month while the cost of healthcare goes up and the cost of their margins go up--$20 a month. This, to me, is absolutely indefensible.

Friday, I visited a hospital in Chicago. It is a special hospital. It is La Rabida, a children's hospital on the South Side of the town right on Lake Michigan. It is a wonderful hospital. Ninety percent of the families that bring their children to La Rabida Hospital qualify for Medicaid. These are families of limited means, and they turn to this highly professional hospital which has a reputation of caring for the poorest kids as well as the richest kids. They treat them all the same, and they treat them well.

When I visited the hospital, they told me a story of one of their patients. Her name is Leyone. She was born prematurely, 26 weeks. When she was born, she was only the size of the palm of your hand. She was given just days to survive. She needed a ventilator, tracheotomy tube, central line, an IV-like device that brought medicine to her heart, and much, much more.

Today, Leyone is 4 years old. It is a miracle. Thanks to the incredible care provided by La Rabida and the love of so many people, she is here.

Leyone's family was covered by Medicaid, the most highly targeted program for cuts in this Big Beautiful Bill.

Ninety percent of the patients that come through the doors of La Rabida Children's Hospital in Chicago are on Medicaid.

What is going to happen to that hospital? I will tell you what the hospitals tell me. Many of them are barely getting by, barely--not just in the city of Chicago but my downstate areas as well. They came out to see me 3 weeks ago, 20 hospital administrators from downstate Illinois. On their own, they wanted to tell me the story that the bill that passed the House of Representatives--the big beautiful Trump bill, the tax bill we are talking about here--will be devastating to these hospitals. Some of them won't survive.

What does it mean to a small- or medium-sized city that is lucky enough to have a good hospital and lose it? Well, the obvious: If you need emergency medical care, it is a longer drive. If that baby is about to be born, it is a longer drive.

When it comes down to treatment, these hospitals provide the first in urgent care, and if that hospital closes, what happens? Well, it takes longer to get that care. In addition to that, it also means that a major part of the local economy is gone--gone. How are you going to attract a business or keep a business when you lose your hospital? That is what is at stake here because of the cuts in the Medicaid Program.

So the Trump Big Beautiful Bill is designed to cut the program that these hospitals rely on most--the Medicaid Program.

Now it turns out that because they add so much to the deficit-- trillions of dollars to the deficit--for this tax cut, you are also facing the possibility of something called sequestration. What that means is that there will be less coverage for Medicare.

Medicare is a program created in the 1960s under President Lyndon Baines Johnson that provides for families who are elderly and need some help in paying medical bills. It worked miracles. People started living longer and being healthy and being able to survive. But now they want to cut back on Medicare as part of sequestration. This would be devastating to the many people who count on it.

It is not just La Rabida that would face devastating consequences under these Medicaid cuts; red States and blue States will also suffer. When you cut $800 billion out of Medicaid, hospitals that are on the edge close. Already today, 26 rural hospitals in Kansas--26 hospitals in Kansas--and 9 in Missouri are at risk of immediate closure. This Big Beautiful Bill could push them over the brink.

According to America's Essential Hospitals, uncompensated care costs for hospitals will increase by $42 billion in a single year under this Republican Big Beautiful Bill. For the rural hospitals that are hanging by a thread, this bill could permanently close their doors.

Hospitals are not the only ones. The Medicaid Program provides for help in paying the bills of over half of the people who are in nursing homes. So if your parents or grandparents are in a skilled care facility or in a nursing home and you are happy with where they are and you want to keep them there, you have a new challenge. If the Big Beautiful Bill providing tax cuts for the wealthiest people in America passes, the compensation to that nursing home will go down. When that goes down, many of these nursing homes are going to close, and the choices for someone you love in your family will be limited.

As if an increase in healthcare premiums isn't enough, the cost of basic goods will skyrocket under this Republican plan. The ``Big Beautiful Betrayal'' will raise energy bills up to $400 a year for families and 10 percent for businesses. Remember what I told you the tax break was for people who are on a basic income in this country--20 bucks a month? Well, it turns out $400 a year, which is dramatically more than 20 bucks a month, is going to make it even harder. It will increase costs by hundreds of dollars a year for 80 million households, all while giving $400,000 to Elon Musk and the wealthiest Americans.

If housing weren't already too expensive, many Americans will see their mortgages increase by $600 a year. Want to follow your passion and start a business? Small business loans are estimated to increase under the Big Beautiful Bill by $1,000 a year. Tariffs are estimated to raise costs for American households by around $2,500.

If this last election were about the cost of living and giving families a fighting chance to survive paycheck to paycheck, this bill is devastating for those who aren't the wealthiest in America. I urge everyone to learn the facts and know what effect this Republican tax bill will have on families across my State and others.

This year, for the Fourth of July, the most American thing we can do is, on a bipartisan basis, stop this disaster. What does it take to say pause? stop? We don't want to cut Medicaid. We don't want to take health insurance away from 16 million people. We don't want to see the expenses of families going up. What does it take? It takes four--four-- Republican Senators who will step up and say: This is a mistake.

Donald Trump is trying to rush us into something which is not good for American families. It is good for billionaires. If you happen to be in that category, this is a great day for you. But for ordinary families who are struggling with their regular bills they have to pay, the Big Beautiful Bill is a big, beautiful betrayal of American families.

Official Text ↗

Los Angeles Protests (Executive Session)

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.

The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.

Christopher MurphyDemocrat, Connecticut

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

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Official Text ↗

Air Force One (Executive Session)

Christopher MurphyDemocrat, Connecticut

Madam President, the U.S. Constitution and the American people give the American President vast power: the power to decide how billions of dollars are spent; the power to oversee the entire Federal criminal justice system; the power to sell arms around the world, to deploy millions of American soldiers, to negotiate peace treaties.

We give him these powers--the Constitution gives the President these powers--so that he uses them on our behalf, to deploy that vast power of the American Presidency to increase our quality of life, to protect the American people. We place immense trust in the President not to abuse these incredible authorities that are given to him.

But Donald Trump is abusing that authority in ways that, honestly, shock the conscience. Donald Trump is using the power of his office not to help or protect us but to enrich himself and his family. He is doing it publicly, brazenly, out in the open. He is, in effect, daring us-- specifically, daring the legislative branch, the coequal branch--to stop him.

Nearly 3 weeks ago, news broke that the White House had dialed up one of our key allies in the Middle East, the Government of Qatar, and it asked that the Qataris give the President a luxury jet that is reportedly worth upward of $400 million.

Now, the nicest jet that I have ever been on is Air Force One, and it is really nice. But the jet that Trump wants to make Air Force One-- that he is asking for from the Qataris--makes Air Force One, the current version, look like a tenement house. The Qatari jet that he is asking for, its interior is designed by a famed French designer, complete with a flowing grand staircase, sculpted ceilings, plush carpeting, leather couches, and gold furnishings. The plane has been called the world's most luxurious private jet. It includes nine bathrooms, five kitchens, swanky lounges, and a master bedroom suite.

The arrangement that Trump proposed to the Qataris would briefly pass the jet through U.S. Government hands--but only, as reported, for just a year or two--before it would end up belonging personally to Donald Trump. The U.S. Government would essentially be a straw purchaser. The real owner of the jet, for all practical purposes, would be Donald Trump.

Now, this kind of gift, a $400 million luxury jet, has no precedent in American history. No President has ever asked for--never mind been given--a $400 million gift from a foreign nation. Why? Well, because Presidents know that that is crossing a line; that is a massive abuse of their power.

The leverage that Presidents have over other countries that they could use to ask for millions of dollars in gifts, it is supposed to be used to benefit the Nation's security, not to enrich themselves. But, also, it is just illegal. There is a very specific clause in the Constitution that forbids this kind of gift from a foreign government to a President, and this body is supposed to be in charge of helping to enforce the Constitution. Our Founders wrote that clause into the Constitution because they worried about this exact situation, where a President is using his authority, like a Monarch or a King, to make himself the richest person in the world.

Now, the Qatari Government feels like it had little choice but to say yes when asked for this $400 million gift--again, briefly to the U.S. Government but really, for all practical purposes, to the President. They felt like they had no choice precisely because an American President has so much power; they have so much leverage, especially over a vulnerable country in the Middle East.

In this case, Qatar really needs to keep the United States on its side. Middle East politics, they shift really quickly, and during Trump's first term, when the Qataris were not close to Trump, they paid a price. They found themselves badly and dangerously isolated in the region. Saudi Arabia and the UAE, if you remember, effectively ganged up to blockade Qatar, and Trump gave that move implicit consent.

So Qatar, frankly, is willing to pay a very high price to avoid that fate again. But Qatar also has things that it wants from the United States. No Middle East country has ever been allowed to buy MQ-9 Reaper drones. These are the most lethal armed drones that America makes. We have previously judged that the region is just too volatile to allow any nation to possess the Reaper, and, arguably, there is an arms controls regime that doesn't allow us to transfer that technology.

But Qatar wanted to break that precedent. Of course, they did. They wanted to be the first nation to have the Reaper technology, and Trump seemed willing to go along. So a $400 million gift to the President-- again, that the President was asking for--is a relatively small price to pay for that kind of military edge over your rivals in the region.

But there was one more reason that Qatar had no choice but to give Trump--or, at least, they felt they had no choice but to give Trump-- this wildly illegal gift: because Trump had made it clear to the whole region, to the whole of the Gulf region in the Middle East, that he was for sale and that preferential American treatment was for sale and that if Qatar didn't pay, another country would.

Qatar wasn't going to be protected, frankly, by a collective refusal of Trump's extortion in the region, and they had only to look next door to the United Arab Emirates to see how high the price was getting to win Trump's affection. At the exact moment that Trump was leaning on Qatar to give him the luxury plane, he was also leaning on UAE to give him not a $400 million gift but a $2 billion gift.

And he didn't have to lean hard. Just before the Qataris committed to give Trump the plane, an investment firm backed by the Emirati Government and chaired by the Emirati Government's National Security Advisor shocked the world and announced that it would use Trump's brand new stablecoin--this is a form of cryptocurrency--in a $2 billion investment deal that this investment fund, essentially an arm of the UAE Government, was doing. And because of that $2 billion deal, overnight Trump's stablecoin became one of the five largest stablecoins in the world--massively inflating the President's wealth due to this one single investment.

Now, this wasn't an ordinary investment decision. Out of all of the stablecoin companies in the world, the Emiratis chose what, at the time, was a brandnew, relatively small crypto company run by two people who had very little background in the industry. Why? To put money directly into the pocket of Donald Trump.

On the website of World Liberty Financial--that is the company that is issuing the Trump coin--they don't hide the fact that this isn't the Trump kids that own the business.

On the website it states, 60 percent of this company, World Liberty Financial, is owned by an entity affiliated with Donald J. Trump.

But it gets even more corrupt because World Liberty Financial's other cofounder is a guy named Zach Witkoff, who, not coincidentally, is the son of Steve Witkoff, Trump's top Middle East adviser. The Trumps could have picked anybody in the world to run his stablecoin business with, but they chose the son of the Middle East envoy just so that when they were going around asking for money in the region, it was crystal clear that if you were doing business with World Liberty Financial, you were doing business with the people in the Trump administration who make all the decisions about the Middle East.

So in one fell swoop, the Emiratis can put money into the family that controls the White House and the family that deploys and decides Middle East policy.

Now, just like the Qataris, the Emiratis want something in return too. Their ask was for the United States to remove restrictions on selling the most advanced American-made computer chips to the UAE. The restrictions have been in place under Republican and Democratic administrations for a really good reason: The UAE has a very close--too close--relationship with China, and the United States has always, rightly, worried that if we gave advanced technology to UAE, it would pretty quickly potentially fall into the hands of the Chinese. Now, this would be very bad, especially regarding these microchips--these computer chips--because these chips power the most advanced and proprietary American AI systems. Losing these chips to China could cost us the lead to China on the global AI race.

The UAE also wanted the United States to look the other way while they helped fund a death-spiral civil war in Sudan. The UAE is the main supplier of weapons to the worst of the two parties that are involved in the brutal, catastrophic, deadly civil war in Sudan.

And they want the United States to keep giving them weapons--most recently asking for a resupply of Chinook helicopters, even as they use their military prowess to destroy Sudan.

The end of this chapter of the story will not shock you. In coordination with the $400 million luxury plane and the $2 billion investment in Trump crypto, Qatar got signoff on buying the Reaper drones, and Steve Witkoff--father of the co-owner of World Liberty Financial--marched over to UAE right before the President was showing up himself and announced that the United States would, in fact, magically, lift those restrictions on the microchips. And just as unsurprisingly, Trump announced he will sell the Chinooks to Abu Dhabi, with no requirement that they stop fueling the war in Sudan.

The blatant exchange of U.S. national security secrets, our most sensitive drone technology, and our most sensitive chip technology in exchange for cash into Donald Trump's pocket is perhaps the most brazenly corrupt act in the history of the American Presidency, and we cannot normalize it just because he is doing it out in the open in public.

The Senate--the Senate--which is given the responsibility by the Constitution to be a coequal branch with the President--we have independent responsibility to uphold and protect the Constitution to set American foreign policy. We cannot pretend this is not happening. We cannot look the other way while the entire moral foundation of our foreign policy is being shattered.

Republicans can't ignore this just because the President is their party's leader. We have that independent obligation to protect the Constitution, which clearly says that these gifts are illegal, whether they are going to a Democratic President or a Republican President.

We have a responsibility to our taxpayers to stop a President from immorally enriching himself using the power we give him to help himself instead of helping us.

What makes this moment so dangerous is that both UAE and Qatar-- especially Qatar--are key partners of the United States. They aren't our adversaries. They are our allies. They are imperfect allies, but they are our allies.

In fact, I have been down on this floor in the past arguing on behalf of Qatar and the United States-Qatar relationship when other Senators have tried to denigrate the Qataris' contributions to regional peace. The Qataris have been a critical partner on so many important issues. It is worth saying that.

There is no way that we would have been able to evacuate 124,000 people from Afghanistan on the eve of the Taliban takeover without Qatar's help. The Qataris today host thousands of U.S. troops at Al Udeid Air Force Base, the largest base in the region.

The Qataris are critical mediators who have helped us send back- channel messages to secure the release of American hostages or negotiate peace deals. There is no question that Qatar is a country that helps stabilize the region and often is indispensable in protecting U.S. interests overseas.

So I want to cultivate and strengthen that important relationship. I honor the work the United States and the UAE do all around the region to try to

But our relationship with Qatar and the UAE, it can't be a corrupt relationship. We can't sell drones to Qatar--our friend--if our friend is willing to take part in Trump's corruption. We cannot sell weapons to the UAE--our ally--if our ally is willing to take part in Trump's corruption.

We will have a chance this week to make this clear; that the U.S. Senate will not facilitate--will not grease the wheels of Trump's corruption of our foreign policy.

We can do that by voting to block these two arms sales to Qatar and to the UAE--not permanently but until both countries commit to deny Trump's requests for personal enrichment as part of the bilateral relationship.

That is why Senators Van Hollen, Kaine, Schatz, and Sanders have joined me in two resolutions of disapproval for those Reaper drone sales and the Chinook sale, and we will have a vote on these two resolutions as early as this week.

President Trump has declared that U.S. foreign policy is for sale, and the opening bids from two of the richest nations in the world is a $2 billion investment in Trump's crypto company from the UAE and a $400 million luxury plane essentially for the President's permanent personal use.

At the exact same moment that Trump is trying to push a bill through this Congress that is going to ruin a lot of people's lives--cutting off their healthcare or leaving kids without food at night--he is making himself even richer by trading American national security policy for gifts and, to make it worse, trading away U.S. national security secrets in exchange.

The net result is an American public that is poorer and weaker and less secure and a President who is richer. It is corrupt. It is corrupt. We have never ever in the history of this country allowed for a President to do this. Never in the 250 years that our Republic has been on the Earth has a President ever asked another nation to enrich himself in this way in exchange for preferential treatment from the U.S. taxpayers.

If you are Republican or Democratic Senator, you have to see this as unprecedented, as terrible for our Nation, as corruption. American foreign policy should not be for sale. If we let these arms sales go through, we are greasing the wheels of that corruption. If we vote for these resolutions of disapproval, at least we have a shot to stop it.

I yield the floor.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.

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Nomination of David Fotouhi (Executive Session)

Sheldon WhitehouseDemocrat, Rhode Island

Madam President, I will say that I am here today because we are about to go to the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of David Fotouhi to serve as the Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and I very much hope that colleagues will oppose his nomination because he is, essentially, 100 percent on the side of the polluters and not interested in protecting the public health or the public safety or the public's well-being.

If you think about the EPA at its most basic, its mission is to protect clean air and clean water and a safe climate. But in this guy's two jobs since law school, as a corporate lawyer and as acting general counsel of the EPA during the first Trump administration, Mr. Fotouhi has served the interests of polluting industries that do everything in their power to avoid, weaken, or kill the rules that protect our clean air, our clean water, and our safe climate. He has consistently been on the wrong side.

As a partner at a prominent law firm Mr. Fotouhi defended a raft of big polluting interests, including megapolluters Chevron and Sunoco. Now, that is just the tip of the iceberg. Other polluter clients included Aethon Energy, Cibolo Energy Partners, Energy Transfer Partners, Matador Resources Company, and ProFrac Holding.

What did he help them do? Well, he defended one company for dumping tens of thousands of tons of PFAS into drinking water. He defended tire manufacturers for poisoning salmon with their rubber additives. He defended an automobile company against claims of greenwashing concerning their so-called clean diesel cars. He defended another for failing to obtain proper permits, resulting in illegal emissions of sulfur dioxide. And he represented a major defense contractor seeking to shift responsibility onto the United States for environmental remediation necessitated by the company's release of hazardous waste. The list goes on.

As counsel and then acting general counsel at EPA during the first Trump administration, Mr. Fotouhi worked hard to repeal environmental regulations meant to protect human health and the environment by doing two primary things: First, he developed the legal justifications for these attacks; and, second, when they were challenged in court, he orchestrated the strategy to defend against those legal challenges.

Well, which regulations were involved? Actually, a lot of them: rules covering CO2 emission standards for light-duty vehicles, greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft, methane emissions from the oil and gas industry, lead and copper in drinking water, State water quality certification processes, and the management of coal combustion residuals. In other words, lots and lots of rules meant to make our air, water, and climate cleaner and safer became the targets of this individual.

Now, Mr. Fotouhi is nominated to be second in command as the Agency implements the poisonous agenda of President Trump's fossil fuel donors. Chief on those polluting donors wish list is the rescission of EPA's ``endangerment finding,'' a 2009 science-based determination that greenhouse gases are harmful to human health and the environment.

Yes, that was 2009, and when that rule was adopted, it had been settled scientific fact for decades that greenhouse gases harm public health and the environment.

Now, here we are, 16 years later, where the evidence has only gotten stronger, and the looming economic dangers have only gotten more evident, and, yet, he wants to undo that rule. The only people who benefit from repealing the endangerment finding--the only people--are the planet's biggest polluters, who just happen to be among Trump and the Republican Party's biggest donors.

Mr. Fotouhi has served those polluters' interests for years. He is their boy.

Clearly, like everyone, polluters have a right to counsel. But it remains difficult for me to understand how someone who has made a career representing the very industries that destroy our environment, defending their practices that did that damage, now has any business being entrusted to protect us. He will obviously serve their interests and not the public interests. Always has, always will. Even before Mr. Fotouhi's nomination, the corruption of EPA by Trump's polluting fossil fuel donors is already underway.

Where even to begin?

Administrator Zeldin continues his assault on clean air and clean water at what he now contemptuously calls the climate religion, contrary to his repeated and obviously false and empty promises when he came before us in committee.

The list of congressionally authorized and appropriated funding that EPA continues illegally to hold hostage is too long to list here today. Obviously, the biggest target is the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which drives Administrator Zeldin and his enablers at DOJ crazy, and it drives them to conduct that merits both legal and professional liability. I have talked about this frequently as it relates to the repeated misconduct of the unconfirmably corrupt Ed Martin over at DOJ, who is part of this scheme.

Beyond illegally blocking grants, this EPA has put the Office of Research and Development--responsible for conducting EPA's scientific research--on the chopping block with RIFs, reductions in force, and reorganizations imminent because, after all, who wants science where big polluting donors' interests are involved?

Then we have the coming onslaught of deregulatory actions, which will make cars dirtier and less fuel-efficient and more expensive for their owners to run so that Trump's big donors in the oil industry can sell more gasoline; deregulatory actions, which will let power plants and oil and gas facilities

EPA is even attempting to shut down the program that keeps track of how much carbon pollution industrial facilities emit. They don't even want to keep score any longer.

``Hear no evil, see no evil'' is Administrator Zeldin's motto over at the EPA.

The corruption in this administration is endless, and the corruption related to the fossil fuel industry is particularly evil and damaging. And the service of David Fotouhi in the cause of the polluters who fund Trump and the Republican Party is, in my view, completely disqualifying. On the other hand, for the polluters, it is the reason they like him.

I will vote no on his nomination, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

I yield the floor.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.

Shelley Moore CapitoRepublican, West Virginia

Madam President, I rise as chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee. I rise today in support of the nomination of David Fotouhi to be the Deputy Administrator of Environmental Protection Agency.

Behind Administrator Lee Zeldin--who I believe is doing an excellent job--Mr. Fotouhi's position is of the utmost importance to the Agency, and his perspective is essential in returning the Agency to its core mission in support of President Trump's administration's agenda.

Mr. Fotouhi has spent the previous years of his career representing clients on matters relating to all types of environmental law. And before that, he previously served as the acting general counsel and principal deputy general counsel at EPA, so he has tons of experience. Mr. Fotouhi has been recognized by multiple national law publications for his work in environmental and energy law and as a leader on those issues.

Mr. Fotouhi's previous experience at the EPA provides him with a wealth of perspective on the Agency's critical role of protecting our environment, our land, and our water and our air. While doing so within the bounds of the legal authority that Congress has established, EPA Deputy Administrator is generally tasked with overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Agency.

In this role, Mr. Fotouhi will coordinate the work of EPA's important air, water, and chemical offices, in addition to the EPA's regional offices--which touches all of us--the research enforcement and general counsel office teams. Effectively integrating the Agency's work will be at the top of Mr. Fotouhi's list of responsibility.

Facilitating economic growth while protecting public health and the environment requires the Agency to establish consistent and legally defensible regulations, fairly and clearly enforces those rules, and communicate with the States, communities, and entities that are impacted by those regulations.

Throughout the confirmation process, both in meetings with me and in front of our committee in his testimony before the EPW Committee, Mr. Fotouhi displayed incredible knowledge and understanding of the tasks before him and pledged to uphold the principles of cooperative federalism.

His vast experience has positioned him well for service at the EPA, and his presence will move forward the initiatives that are important to the success of our country.

The fact of the matter is that Mr. Fotouhi is well-qualified and equipped to fulfill this role. I have confidence he will refocus the Agency back to fulfilling its core mission and away from pushing extreme regulations that threaten the reliability of our electric grid and our American competitiveness. Too often, we have nominees that have a lot of experience regulating but no experience advising entities on complying with regulations. This is an important perspective for the Agency to have and one that Mr. Fotouhi brings to the table.

I encourage my colleagues to join me and my fellow EPW Committee members in supporting this nomination so we can get to work together on efforts that improve the lives of Americans across the country and to protect--I will say that again--to protect our environment.

I yield the floor.

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Waiving Quorum Call (Executive Session)

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota.

John HoevenRepublican, North Dakota

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum call with respect to the Fotouhi nomination.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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Vote on Shumate Nomination (Executive Session)

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the Shumate nomination?

Shelley Moore CapitoRepublican, West Virginia

Madam 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.

John BarrassoRepublican, Wyoming

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Hagerty) and the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Young).

Further, if present and voting: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Hagerty) would have voted ``yea'' and the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Young) would have voted ``yea.''

Richard J. DurbinDemocrat, Illinois

I announce that the Senator from Wisconsin (Ms. Baldwin), the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Bennet), the Senator from Hawaii (Ms. Hirono), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Ossoff), the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. Reed), and the Senator from California (Mr. Schiff) are necessarily absent.

The result was announced--yeas 51, nays 41, as follows:

The nomination was confirmed.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, and the President will be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Official Text ↗

Cloture Motion

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Pursuant to rule XXII, the Chair lays before the Senate the pending cloture motion, which the clerk will state.

The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived.

The question is, Is it the sense of the Senate that debate on the nomination of David Fotouhi, of Virginia, to be Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, shall be brought to a close?

The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule.

The clerk will call the roll.

The senior assistant legislative clerk called the roll.

Richard J. DurbinDemocrat, Illinois

I announce that the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Bennet), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Ossoff), the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. Reed), and the Senator from California (Mr. Schiff) are necessarily absent.

The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 53, nays 43, as follows:

The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this vote, the yeas are 53, the nays are 43, and the motion is agreed to.

The motion was agreed to.

Official Text ↗

Legislative Session

Katie Boyd BrittRepublican, Alabama

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume legislative session and be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Official Text ↗

Nominations Objections

Jacky RosenDemocrat, Nevada

Mr. President, in response to the Trump administration's reckless decision to rescind Nevada's approval to receive its share of Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment Program funding, I hereby announce that I intend to object to the nominations of Arielle Roth to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information (PN22-25), Paul Dabbar to be Deputy Secretary of Commerce (PN26-12), Pierre Gentin to be General Counsel of the Department of Commerce (PN22-6), and Harry Kumar to be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce (PN26-26). I have submitted to the legislative clerk formal notices of my intent to object to these nominees.

Official Text ↗

Privileges of the Floor

Shelley Moore CapitoRepublican, West Virginia

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the following interns on the Committee on Agriculture be granted floor privileges through June 27, 2025: Riley Swifford, Jaiden Stansberry, Caroline Brickey, Flossie Glinski, Caleb Parker.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Official Text ↗

Orders for Tuesday, June 10, 2025

Katie Boyd BrittRepublican, Alabama

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 10, that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, morning business be closed, and the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of Executive Calendar No. 49, postcloture; further, notwithstanding rule XXII at 11:15 a.m., the Senate vote on confirmation of Executive Calendar No. 49, and if cloture is then invoked on Calendar No. 112, Steven Vaden, the Senate recess following the cloture vote until 2:15 to allow for the weekly conference meetings; further, if cloture is invoked on the Vaden nomination, the postcloture time be expired at 2:15 p.m. and the Senate vote on confirmation of the Vaden nomination, and if any nominations are confirmed on Tuesday's session of the Senate, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; finally, that the filing deadline for all first-degree amendments to Calendar No. 66, S. 1582, and the substitute amendment No. 2307 be 2:30 p.m. tomorrow.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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Adjournment Until 10 A.M. Tomorrow

Katie Boyd BrittRepublican, Alabama

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

There being no objection, the Senate, at 6:45 p.m., adjourned until Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at 10 a.m.

Official Text ↗

Executive Calendar (Executive Session)

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 173.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The question is on agreeing to the motion.

The motion was agreed to.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report the nomination.

The senior assistant executive clerk read the nomination of William Long, of Missouri, to be Commissioner of Internal Revenue for the remainder of the term expiring November 12, 2027.

Official Text ↗

Cloture Motion (Executive Session)

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The cloture motion having been presented under rule XXII, the Chair directs the clerk to read the motion.

The senior assistant executive clerk read as follows:

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Legislative Session

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

Mr. President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The question is on agreeing to the motion.

The motion was agreed to.

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

Mr. President, I call for regular order.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Regular order is the pending business.

The clerk will report.

The senior assistant executive clerk read as follows:

Pending:

Thune (for Ricketts/Lummis) Amendment No. 2228, to provide for expedited certification of existing regulatory regimes.

Bennet Amendment No. 2278 (to Amendment No. 2228), to provide a definition.

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

Mr. President, I withdraw Senate amendment No. 2228.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator has that right. The amendment is withdrawn.

The amendment (No. 2228) was withdrawn.

(Purpose: In the nature of a substitute.)

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

Mr. President, I call up my amendment No. 2307 and ask that it be reported by number.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report.

The legislative clerk read as follows:

(The amendment is printed in the Record of June 5, 2025, under ``Text of Amendments.'')

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

Mr. President, I ask the reading be dispensed with.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I ask for the yeas and nays on my amendment.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there a sufficient second?

There appears to be a sufficient second.

The yeas and nays are ordered.

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I send a cloture motion to the desk for the substitute amendment.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Pursuant to rule XXII, the Chair lays before the Senate the pending cloture motion, which the clerk will state.

The legislative clerk read as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I have an amendment to the substitute at the desk, and I ask the clerk to report.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report.

The legislative clerk read as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

The amendment is as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I ask for the yeas and nays on my amendment.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there a sufficient second?

There appears to be a sufficient second.

The yeas and nays are ordered.

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I have a second-degree amendment at the desk.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report.

The legislative clerk read as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

The amendment is as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I have an amendment to the text of the underlying bill.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report.

The legislative clerk read as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

The amendment is as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

And I ask for the yeas and nays on my amendment.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there a sufficient second?

There appears to be a sufficient second.

The yeas and nays are ordered.

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I have a second-degree amendment at the desk.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report.

The legislative clerk read as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

The amendment is as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I send a cloture motion to the desk for the underlying bill.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Pursuant to rule XXII, the Chair lays before the Senate the pending cloture motion, which the clerk will state.

The legislative clerk read as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I move to commit the bill to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs with instructions.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report.

The legislative clerk read as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I ask the reading be dispensed with.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

The amendment is as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I ask for the yeas and nays on the motion to commit with instructions.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there a sufficient second?

There appears to be a sufficient second.

The yeas and nays are ordered.

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

Mr. President, I have an amendment to the instructions.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report.

The legislative clerk read as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

The amendment is as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I ask for the yeas and nays on my amendment.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there a sufficient second?

There appears to be a sufficient second.

The yeas and nays are ordered.

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I have a second-degree amendment at the desk.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report.

The legislative clerk read as follows:

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

The amendment is as follows:

Official Text ↗

Executive Calendar (Executive Session)

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 111, Brett Shumate.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The question is on agreeing to the motion.

The motion was agreed to.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report the nomination.

The senior assistant executive clerk read the nomination of Brett Shumate, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Attorney General.

Official Text ↗

One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Executive Session)

John ThuneRepublican, South Dakota

And I guess it is not that surprising. After all, Democrats' previous pledges not to raise taxes on anyone not making less than $400,000 a year often felt a little bit begrudging.

When you are constantly looking to expand government, I guess it makes sense that you would be more interested in raising taxes than in allowing Americans to keep more of their hard-earned money.

Indeed, judging from the Democrat leader's speeches last week, Democrats' biggest concern right now is ensuring that illegal aliens and able-bodied adults who refuse to work can stay on Medicaid.

The leader certainly didn't put it that way, of course, but his obsession with the Medicaid provisions of our bill certainly suggests it.

And judging by Democrats' opposition to our bill and their complete lack of interest in the issues our bill addresses, I think it is fair to say the Democrats haven't learned much since.

Americans are looking for the things our bill will provide, from the economic benefits that will come with continued tax relief to a secure border and a secure, stable, and affordable energy supply.

Republicans are going to deliver, no matter how hard Democrats fight to stand in the way.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.

The senior assistant executive clerk proceeded to call the roll.

Richard J. DurbinDemocrat, Illinois

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

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Richard J. DurbinDemocrat, Illinois

Mr. President, what is the hurry? What is the big hurry on this Big Beautiful Bill that President Trump wants to see the Congress pass?

The facts are coming out now that many of the Republicans in the House are saying: Well, we didn't read the bill when it went through there. They have

Today, Leyone is 4 years old. It is a miracle. Thanks to the incredible care provided by La Rabida and the love of so many people, she is here.

Leyone's family was covered by Medicaid, the most highly targeted program for cuts in this Big Beautiful Bill.

Ninety percent of the patients that come through the doors of La Rabida Children's Hospital in Chicago are on Medicaid.

So the Trump Big Beautiful Bill is designed to cut the program that these hospitals rely on most--the Medicaid Program.

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Los Angeles Protests (Executive Session)

The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.

The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.

Christopher MurphyDemocrat, Connecticut

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

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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Air Force One (Executive Session)

Christopher MurphyDemocrat, Connecticut

On the website of World Liberty Financial--that is the company that is issuing the Trump coin--they don't hide the fact that this isn't the Trump kids that own the business.

On the website it states, 60 percent of this company, World Liberty Financial, is owned by an entity affiliated with Donald J. Trump.

So in one fell swoop, the Emiratis can put money into the family that controls the White House and the family that deploys and decides Middle East policy.

And they want the United States to keep giving them weapons--most recently asking for a resupply of Chinook helicopters, even as they use their military prowess to destroy Sudan.

We have a responsibility to our taxpayers to stop a President from immorally enriching himself using the power we give him to help himself instead of helping us.

So I want to cultivate and strengthen that important relationship. I honor the work the United States and the UAE do all around the region to try to

We will have a chance this week to make this clear; that the U.S. Senate will not facilitate--will not grease the wheels of Trump's corruption of our foreign policy.

I yield the floor.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.

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Nomination of David Fotouhi (Executive Session)

Sheldon WhitehouseDemocrat, Rhode Island

Yes, that was 2009, and when that rule was adopted, it had been settled scientific fact for decades that greenhouse gases harm public health and the environment.

Mr. Fotouhi has served those polluters' interests for years. He is their boy.

Where even to begin?

EPA is even attempting to shut down the program that keeps track of how much carbon pollution industrial facilities emit. They don't even want to keep score any longer.

``Hear no evil, see no evil'' is Administrator Zeldin's motto over at the EPA.

I will vote no on his nomination, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

I yield the floor.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia.

Shelley Moore CapitoRepublican, West Virginia

His vast experience has positioned him well for service at the EPA, and his presence will move forward the initiatives that are important to the success of our country.

I yield the floor.

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Waiving Quorum Call (Executive Session)

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota.

John HoevenRepublican, North Dakota

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum call with respect to the Fotouhi nomination.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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Vote on Shumate Nomination (Executive Session)

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the Shumate nomination?

Shelley Moore CapitoRepublican, West Virginia

Madam 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.

John BarrassoRepublican, Wyoming

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Hagerty) and the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Young).

Further, if present and voting: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Hagerty) would have voted ``yea'' and the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Young) would have voted ``yea.''

Richard J. DurbinDemocrat, Illinois

The result was announced--yeas 51, nays 41, as follows:

The nomination was confirmed.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, and the President will be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

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Cloture Motion

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Pursuant to rule XXII, the Chair lays before the Senate the pending cloture motion, which the clerk will state.

The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

The PRESIDING OFFICER. By unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived.

The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule.

The clerk will call the roll.

The senior assistant legislative clerk called the roll.

Richard J. DurbinDemocrat, Illinois

The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 53, nays 43, as follows:

The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this vote, the yeas are 53, the nays are 43, and the motion is agreed to.

The motion was agreed to.

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Legislative Session

Katie Boyd BrittRepublican, Alabama

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume legislative session and be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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Nominations Objections

Jacky RosenDemocrat, Nevada

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Privileges of the Floor

Shelley Moore CapitoRepublican, West Virginia

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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Orders for Tuesday, June 10, 2025

Katie Boyd BrittRepublican, Alabama

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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Adjournment Until 10 A.M. Tomorrow

Katie Boyd BrittRepublican, Alabama

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

There being no objection, the Senate, at 6:45 p.m., adjourned until Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at 10 a.m.

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Speeches and Other Business

Routine Proceedings, pages S3275-S3292 Measures Introduced

Measures Reported

Measures Considered

Withdrawn

Pending

During consideration of this measure today, Senate also took the following action

Long Nomination: Cloture

Prior to the consideration of this nomination, Senate took the following action

Fotouhi Nomination: Agreement

During consideration of this nomination today, Senate also took the following action

Nomination Confirmed

Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions

Record Votes

Adjournment

Executive Calendar (Executive Session)

Cloture Motion (Executive Session)

Legislative Session

Executive Calendar (Executive Session)

One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Executive Session)

Los Angeles Protests (Executive Session)

Air Force One (Executive Session)

Nomination of David Fotouhi (Executive Session)

Waiving Quorum Call (Executive Session)

Vote on Shumate Nomination (Executive Session)

Cloture Motion

Legislative Session

Nominations Objections

Privileges of the Floor

Orders for Tuesday, June 10, 2025

Adjournment Until 10 A.M. Tomorrow

Executive Calendar (Executive Session)

Cloture Motion (Executive Session)

Legislative Session

Executive Calendar (Executive Session)

One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Executive Session)

Los Angeles Protests (Executive Session)

Air Force One (Executive Session)

Nomination of David Fotouhi (Executive Session)

Waiving Quorum Call (Executive Session)

Vote on Shumate Nomination (Executive Session)

Cloture Motion

Legislative Session

Nominations Objections

Privileges of the Floor

Orders for Tuesday, June 10, 2025

Adjournment Until 10 A.M. Tomorrow