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26Senate Resolution 401: Supporting the Designation of September 19, 2025, as "National Stillbirth Prevention and Awareness Day", Recognizing Tens of Thousands of Families in the United States That...
27Senate Resolution 402: Recognizing Lloyd Ashburn Williams's Unparalleled Dedication to Fostering Economic Empowerment, Cultural Pride, and Social Equity in Harlem
30Senate Resolution 405: Expressing Support for the Recognition of September 22, 2025, to September 28, 2025, as "Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions Week"
31Senate Resolution 406: Designating September 30, 2025, as "Impact Aid Recognition Day" to Recognize and Celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Impact Aid Program
32Senate Resolution 407: Expressing the Sense of the Senate That the Comments Made by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, Threatening to Penalize...
34Senate Resolution 409: Recognizing the 74th Anniversary of the Signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty Between the United States and the Philippines and the Strong Bilateral Security Alliance Between...
35Senate Resolution 410: Calling on the President to Recognize a Demilitarized State of Palestine, as Consistent With International Law and the Principles of a Two-State Solution, Alongside a Secure...
38Senate Resolution 413: Authorizing the Use of Funds From the Senators' Official Personnel and Office Expense Account for Security Enhancements and Services Provided to Senators
(Legislative Day of Tuesday, September 16, 2025) Routine Proceedings, pages S6705-S6777 Measures Introduced
Sixty bills and seventeen resolutions were introduced, as follows: S. 2854-2913, S.J. Res. 80-83, and S. Res. 401- 413.
Pages S6728-31
Measures Passed
SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act: Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions was discharged from further consideration of H.R. 2483, to reauthorize certain programs that provide for opioid use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery, and the bill was then passed.
Pages S6712-13
National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk
Senate agreed to S. Res. 403, expressing support for the designation of October 14, 2025, as the ``National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk''.
Pages S6713-14
Security Enhancements and Services Provided to Senators
Senate agreed to S. Res. 413, authorizing the use of funds from the Senators' Official Personnel and Office Expense Account for security enhancements and services provided to Senators.
Pages S6720-21
Continuing Appropriations Bills: Agreement
A unanimous-consent agreement was reached providing that at a time to be determined by the Majority Leader, in consultation with the Democratic Leader, should the Senate receive H.R. 5371, making continuing appropriations and extensions for fiscal year 2026, from the House, Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 2882, making continuing appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, that the bill be considered and read a third time, and Senate vote on passage of S. 2882; and that if S. 2882 is not agreed to, Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 5371, that the bill be considered read a third time, and Senate vote on passage thereon, with 60-affirmative votes required for passage of both bills, with no amendments or motions in order to the bills prior to the votes on passage.
Pages S6721-22
Waltz Nomination: Cloture
Senate began consideration of the nomination of Michael G. Waltz, of Florida, to be Representative of the United States of America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations during his tenure of service as Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations.
Page S6721
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 on Saturday, September 20, 2025.
Page S6721
Prior to the consideration of this nomination, Senate took the following action
Senate agreed to the motion to proceed to Legislative Session.
Page S6721
Senate agreed to the motion to proceed to Executive Session to consider the nomination.
Page S6721
Waltz Nomination: Cloture
Senate began consideration of the nomination of Michael G. Waltz, of Florida, to be the Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, with the Rank of Ambassador, and the Representative of the United States of America in the Security Council of the United Nations.
Page S6721
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 Michael G. Waltz, of Florida, to be Representative of the United States of America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations during his tenure of service as Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations.
Page S6721
Prior to the consideration of this nomination, Senate took the following action
Senate agreed to the motion to proceed to Legislative Session.
Page S6721
Senate agreed to the motion to proceed to Executive Session to consider the nomination.
Page S6721
Nominations Confirmed
Senate confirmed the following nominations: By 51 yeas to 47 nays (Vote No. EX. 256), Senate confirmed the following en bloc nominations: Dario Gil, of New York, to be Under Secretary for Science, Department of Energy. Dudley Hoskins, of the District of Columbia, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs. Brandon Williams, of New York, to be Under Secretary for Nuclear Security. Richard Fordyce, of Missouri, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation. Tristan Abbey, of Florida, to be Administrator of the Energy Information Administration. Leslie Beyer, of Texas, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Interior. Benjamin DeMarzo, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. William L. Doffermyre, of Texas, to be Solicitor of the Department of the Interior. Theodore J. Garrish, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy (Nuclear Energy). Kyle Haustveit, of Oklahoma, to be an Assistant Secretary of Energy (Fossil Energy). Matthew Napoli, of Virginia, to be Deputy Administrator for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation, National Nuclear Security Administration. Justin Overbaugh, of Florida, to be a Deputy Under Secretary of Defense. Scott Pappano, of Pennsylvania, to be Principal Deputy Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration. Conner Prochaska, of Texas, to be Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, Department of Energy. Paul Roberti, of Rhode Island, to be Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Department of Transportation. Andrea Travnicek, of North Dakota, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Interior. Jessica Kramer, of Wisconsin, to be an Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Jonathan Morrison, of California, to be Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Tina Pierce, of Idaho, to be Chief Financial Officer, Department of Energy. Daniel Aronowitz, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Labor. Scott Hutchins, of Indiana, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics. Richard Anderson, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Air Force. Jonathan Brightbill, of Virginia, to be General Counsel of the Department of Energy. Michael Cadenazzi, of Rhode Island, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense. Robert Gleason, of Pennsylvania, to be Director of the Amtrak Board of Directors for a term of five years. Jovan Jovanovic, of Pennsylvania, to be President of the Export- Import Bank of the United States for a term expiring January 20, 2029. Sean McMaster, of Virginia, to be Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration. Sean O'Keefe, of Virginia, to be a Deputy Under Secretary of Defense. Michael Obadal, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of the Army. John Squires, of Florida, to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. George Wesley Street, of Virginia, to be Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center. Callista Gingrich, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Swiss Confederation, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as Ambassador to the Principality of Liechtenstein. Kimberly Guilfoyle, of Florida, to be Ambassador to Greece. Michael Dodd, of Indiana, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense. Peter Lamelas, of Florida, to be Ambassador to the Argentine Republic. Katherine Sutton, of Illinois, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense. Bryan Switzer, of Virginia, to be a Deputy United States Trade Representative (Asia, Textiles, Investment, Services, and Intellectual Property), with the rank of Ambassador. Christine Toretti, of Pennsylvania, to be Ambassador to the Kingdom of Sweden. Donald Bergin III, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Congressional and Legislative Affairs). William Gillis, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Army. Jules Hurst III, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Army. Brent Ingraham, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Army. Jeffrey Bartos, of Pennsylvania, to be Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations for U.N. Management and Reform, with the Rank of Ambassador, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as an Alternate Representative of the United States of America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations. Jason Evans, of Texas, to be an Under Secretary of State (Management). Jennifer Locetta, of Florida, to be Alternate Representative of the United States of America for Special Political Affairs in the United Nations, with the rank of Ambassador, and to serve concurrently and without additional compensation as an Alternate Representative of the United States of America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations. Peter Thomson, of Louisiana, to be Inspector General, Central Intelligence Agency. Edward Aloysius O'Connell, of the District of Columbia, to be an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for the term of fifteen years. Katherine Scarlett, of Ohio, to be a Member of the Council on Environmental Quality.
Pages S6705-12, S6714-20
Statements on Introduced Bills/Resolutions:
Pages S6732-43
Record Votes
One record vote was taken today. (Total--526)
Page S6719
Recess
Senate convened at 10 a.m. and recessed at 6:59 p.m., until 11 a.m. on Friday, September 19, 2025. (For Senate's program, see the remarks of the Majority Leader in today's Record on page S6776.)
Every speech and line is the Congressional Record's own text, read from GovInfo. Speakers are matched to members by GPO's own metadata. Referandom places each turn on the Clerk's video by matching its words: 49 of 138 spoken turns were found. Turns without a time are still listed; they just can't seek.
National Stillbirth Prevention and Awareness Day (Executive Session)
Madam President, September 19 is National Stillbirth Prevention and Awareness Day. This day is set aside to recognize the tens of thousands of families in the United States who have endured a stillbirth.
More than 21,000 pregnancies in the United States end in stillbirth each year. Sadly, this exceeds the top five leading causes of death among children under 15 years of age. It is critical that we raise awareness and take action to improve this grave statistic.
I am proud to have been a cosponsor of the Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act that was signed into law last year. The law clarifies that resources like Count the Kicks can be deployed for stillbirth prevention. Count the Kicks is a simple and free tool that helps pregnant moms count their babies' movements during the third trimester. The results speak for themselves. In the first 10 years of the Count the Kicks campaign in Iowa, the State's stillbirth rate went down 32 percent while rates in the rest of the country remained static.
My work to improve maternal and child health doesn't stop there. I have introduced the bipartisan Healthy Moms and Babies Act. This bill is a comprehensive approach to addressing our maternal mortality crisis. Through community-based efforts, improved support for rural labor and delivery units, and increasing the use of technology like telehealth, we can prevent maternal and child mortality regardless of the ZIP Code.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant executive clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. President, last night, we found the answer to the question of how serious Democrats are about funding the government, and the answer is not at all.
For years, the Democrat leader talked about the importance of passing clean continuing resolutions. In fact, we did 13 of them while the Democrats had the majority the past 4 years with a Democrat in the White House.
The Democrats' CR proposal this time is the exact opposite. It is not clean; it is filthy. It is packed full of partisan policies and measures designed to appeal to Democrats' leftist base: funding healthcare for able-bodied adults who refuse to work; ensuring that noncitizens go back on the Medicaid rolls; removing Republican-passed measures to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicaid and free up resources for the people who need Medicaid the most.
Even while Democrats are ensuring that noncitizens and able-bodied adults who refuse to work are getting government-funded healthcare, they are attempting to eliminate a historic investment in home- and community-based services for Americans with disabilities. Where exactly do their priorities lie?
They are also trying to ax Republicans' transformational, once-in-a- generation investment in rural healthcare designed to improve the way that we deliver care to those who need it.
Republicans have advanced a clean, nonpartisan CR to keep the government funded while we continue bipartisan work on regular annual appropriations funding bills.
Democrats--well, Democrats are threatening to shut down the government if Republicans don't agree to last night's laundry list of partisan demands. I think that tells you all you need to know.
I expect the House to advance a clean CR tomorrow, and I hope--I really hope--that Democrats will come to their senses and join us in passing it. The ball is in their court.
Mr. President yesterday, Democrats released our bill to extend government funding and meet the needs of the American people. The contrast between the Republican bill and the Democratic bill is glaring.
The Republican bill is more of the same failed status quo of Donald Trump's failed policies: more high costs, healthcare cuts, and premiums up.
Democrats have a different option. We address the crises Americans face in healthcare, in Medicaid, in inflation, and in higher costs.
The House is expected to vote on their partisan, status quo bill either later today or tomorrow. If the bill passes the House, the Senate should take up the issue immediately afterward. We could do it quickly so we don't interfere with anyone's travel plans to Arizona.
We would ask for limited debate and just two votes: the House status quo bill, which delays any sort of healthcare relief; and the Democratic alternative, which would lower healthcare costs for millions of Americans.
I urge Republican leaders to speed up these votes.
One of the oldest sayings in politics is from the great Abraham Lincoln. He said that ``public sentiment is everything.'' That is certainly true in this debate. The American people will look at what Republicans are doing and what Democrats are doing, and it will be clear that public sentiment is on our side.
Public sentiment will be on our side for at least three reasons:
First, the American people want both sides to work together. We have made
The second reason public sentiment is on our side: Americans are tired of the failed, chaotic, high-cost status quo, which decimates their healthcare, which raises their costs, and which Republicans are defending in their bill.
Tens of millions of people are going to lose coverage. Starting in October, millions will receive notices that their healthcare insurance premiums are going to go up $400, $500, $600--not a year; a month. The average working family can't afford that. Premiums are skyrocketing. Hospitals from Virginia to Nebraska, from Maine to California are shutting down now--not later. People won't be able to see a doctor or access affordable medication.
I met a woman whose daughter had cancer. She said to me that they depend on Medicaid for her recovery. What is she going to do? Wait? Delay? See what the Republicans want to do, if anything, when they haven't said they would do anything at all and they decimated healthcare themselves?
Now nursing homes are going to close down, and many, many American families are not going to know what to do about taking care of their elderly parents. They may not have room at home to have them move in, and even if they did, they can't give them the kind of healthcare their parents got in nursing homes. But nursing homes, one after the other, are going to close. They depend on Medicaid.
This is all chaos. This is suffering.
Medical research, which can cure cancer or Alzheimer's--millions are alive because we invested in medical research--cut it off? stifle it? don't send the money out for it? This is chaos. This is suffering.
These are the results of Donald Trump's policies, which the status quo, partisan Republican bill maintains, and Americans are tired of this status quo. All the data shows it. Even Leader Thune called the Republican bill status quo--the status quo option--on the floor yesterday.
America, do you want the status quo on healthcare? Leader Thune says his bill is status quo.
Today, I was amazed to hear that Leader Thune called our bill filthy. Is it filthy to provide healthcare for sick Americans? Is it filthy to prevent premiums from going up $400 or $500 a month? Is it filthy to prevent rural hospitals from closing? That is why Republicans are so out of touch. That is why.
The American people desperately want change. They don't think our country is headed in the right direction, and they need help in bringing healthcare costs down, providing better healthcare. They need help maintaining coverage. They need help for the essentials. The Republican status quo bill doesn't do any of this, but the Democratic bill does--the second reason that public sentiment is on our side, not theirs.
Finally and just as importantly, it is unacceptable that Donald Trump has told Republicans not to negotiate with Democrats, and Donald Trump is heading America toward a shutdown by not negotiating.
Look. Here is what he said. These are Trump's words, not mine. I will remind everybody of his words last week: ``Don't even bother'' to deal with Democrats. When Donald Trump says ``don't even bother'' to deal with Democrats, he says he wants a shutdown, plain and simple. And again, that is the last thing the American people want--a President who says: My way or the highway, and shut the government down if I don't get my way. That is what he said.
The public is on our side. The public is on our side. Public sentiment is everything. They don't like Republican partisanship, they don't like the status quo bill, and they certainly don't like Donald Trump refusing to even have Democrats be part of the decision.
He says he doesn't need us? Well, Donald Trump either doesn't know how to count or doesn't understand a modicum of Senate procedure, which most Americans do.
You need 60 votes, Mr. President, Donald Trump. You have 53. You need our votes. To say not to bother with us is saying you want a shutdown, plain and simple. The American people see that.
Finally, Leader Thune has spent a lot of time talking about the past. He has quoted me. I want to remind Leader Thune--I want to remind my Republican colleagues--when Democrats were in the majority and I was majority leader, every year, we did not see a shutdown. I was majority leader for 4 years--no shutdowns. Why? Because we sat down with the other side and negotiated. We knew that the majority had to work with the minority. Like now, we knew then we had to get 60 votes. And bipartisanship ruled the day. It had to if you wanted to avoid a shutdown.
Why is that not happening now? Well, frankly, Leader Jeffries and I were befuddled for about a month because in late July, we asked Thune and Johnson to sit down with us--late July. We heard nothing from them, crickets. We asked again in early September; nothing, crickets.
But now it has become clear why they wouldn't sit down with us. Here is the reason: Donald Trump. Donald Trump made it clear: ``Don't even bother'' dealing with the Democrats. Thune and Johnson listen to Trump. They are not independent actors. They don't represent an independent Congress, an independent House, or an independent Senate. And when Donald Trump says don't negotiate with Democrats, they don't and come up with 20 excuses why.
The single biggest reason that we are on the brink of a shutdown is Donald Trump's refusal to let Republicans even negotiate.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. President, keeping the government open is a fundamental responsibility of elected officials. It always needs to be bipartisan, and today, that requires cooperation by the Democrats.
Right now, the Democrats are threatening once again to shut down the Government of the United States. We are trending toward another Schumer government shutdown. Democrats are in the minority in the Senate; they are in the minority in the House. Yet they have come up with what looks to me like a half-hearted bait-and-switch plan. It is a plan that is designed and is an attempt to deceive the American people. Democrats are trying to avoid being blamed for their reckless obstruction. The American people are not going to be deceived.
Let's be clear. The Schumer plan is a shutdown plan. It is far from a clean extension of current funding. In fact, it is a Trojan horse--a Trojan horse packed with reckless and radical liberal fantasies.
It is not serious, and the Democrats know it. The Democrats want a ransom payment--a ransom payment of over $1 trillion to keep the government open for just 4 weeks.
So let's take a look at it. There is more than a trillion dollars in more spending in what the Democrats are proposing. At the same very time, they are proposing eliminating the $50 billion rural hospital stabilization fund.
That is a lifeblood for rural hospitals in my communities and in your communities. The Schumer shutdown plan reads like a draft of the future platform for the 2028 Democrat National Convention. There are COVID bonus payments--this is in spite of the fact that the COVID crisis ended years ago. Liberal States are being rewarded for giving taxpayer- funded healthcare to illegal immigrants.
They want able-bodied, working-age individuals who refuse to work to continue getting Medicaid. Remember, these work requirements are overwhelmingly supported by hard-working Americans of all political persuasions.
They want to send taxpayer dollars overseas to pay for climate projects. This is fantasyland. They want taxpayer dollars to keep going towards $40
The Democrats have a long and spirited history of wasting American taxpayer dollars. This plan is no different. The Schumer shutdown plan seems designed to score political points on the far, far left.
This is a clarifying moment for the American people. Democrats know they can't have any hope of passing this fantasy plan. They know it, and they know it because they want government to close.
Republicans are proposing a clean short-term extension of funding designed to keep the government opened and functioning. A clean short- term continuing resolution would easily pass the Senate in normal times. A clean CR keeps the government open. A clean CR gives appropriators from both parties the time to complete their work in regular order.
Let me point out that the Appropriations Committee is already producing bipartisan bills. Let me also point out that under Joe Biden, Democrats supported 13 short-term continuing resolutions to keep the government open, and 96 percent of them voted for them.
So times really are different under this Democrat leadership in their efforts to obstruct this President. Democrats once again are putting politics ahead of the essential work of governing. Senator Schumer is clearly making unreasonable demands knowing that his proposal can never pass the Senate. All Republicans are proposing is to continue to fund the government for the next 7 weeks. This is going to allow us to continue the appropriations process and keep the government open during that time.
Senator Schumer himself said last year that passing a clean CR ``will avert a harmful and unnecessary shutdown.'' Now he wants to cause a harmful and unnecessary shutdown. At that time, he said passing a clean CR gives appropriators ``time to finish drafting all 12 bills.'' Let me point out that those bills were then stuck in Senator Schumer's drawer, and he kept them there and never brought them to the floor of the U.S. Senate.
He even said, back then, if both sides work together, if we reject poison pills--of which his bill now is completely loaded with--if we reject poison pills, he said, that can never become law, then the task before us becomes much, much easier.
They want to shut down the government. That is what they are proposing. Senator Schumer needs to listen to his own advice from a year ago. But then he was majority leader; now they are in the minority. The proposal that he came out with last night is loaded with poison pills, and he knows it.
Let me repeat: 13 short-term continuing resolutions under President Biden. Schumer was the majority leader at the time; 96 percent of Democrats voted for them.
Voting yes for a short-term continuing resolution was not considered controversial for the Democrats a year ago.
Now, I recognize that the minority leader today has a political problem. His radical base is demanding a government shutdown. They expect it, they insist on it, they command Senator Schumer to deliver that. His political problem may soon turn into a major problem for American families, for our soldiers, for our Border Patrol agents, for seniors living on a fixed income.
As Senators, our job is to keep the government open, and Senate Republicans are ready to keep the government open. Democrats can either join us or drag the Nation into another Schumer shutdown. That is their choice.
Mr. President, Paul Harvey was a radio commentator. He used to say ``And now for the rest of the story.''
I would like to respond to my friend from Wyoming's comments he just made on the floor of the Senate. One of the proposals Democrats stand by is to reestablish the tax credit for Americans who are buying their health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. It could be up to 15 million Americans stand to lose their health insurance coverage because of changes in the law on the big beautiful Trump budget bill. Among those who stand to feel hardship, at least, or maybe lose their insurance, are some 60,000 residents of the State of Wyoming.
Last night, Senators came to the floor to discuss this issue of the cost of health insurance, which is going to go up dramatically for many Americans as of the 1st of October. The example was given by Senator Welch of Vermont of an individual making $80,000 a year in the State of Wyoming, which he would see his ACA health insurance premiums go up $3,000, $3,000 a month--$3,000. I doubt that many of us could put that sum on the table without some sacrifice. Many people would end up giving up their health insurance entirely.
This was referred to as a liberal radical idea to protect that tax credit which was taken away by the Republicans in their big beautiful Trump budget bill. I don't think it is radical. If you have ever lived without health insurance and had a sick child in your family, you will never forget it. I have been through that experience. So this notion that this is a radical idea is wrong.
The Senator from Wyoming goes on to say that we are cutting out $50 billion in a special program for hospitals across America. What he doesn't tell you is that that $50 billion was a small lifesaver put in the Big Beautiful Bill because the Republicans voted to eliminate $1 trillion in Medicaid spending, an essential program for small town and rural hospitals. So we restore--in addition to the ACA tax credit, we restored the $1 trillion which was in the Medicaid Program, which will spare many of these hospitals from closing.
So when you look at the specifics of the situation when it comes to healthcare, this really makes a difference. I also want to tell you that the policy, healthcare policy that we currently see with this administration is frightening. Let me tell you a story.
When I was growing up as a little boy in East St. Louis, IL, we were afraid of polio. One of our classmates would go to school healthy in the morning and would be paralyzed before dinner. When I was in the first grade, my friend disappeared for weeks. When I asked where she went, they just shook their heads and said ``Polio.'' When she finally returned, she couldn't walk without leg braces. I will never forget the agony I saw on her face.
For decades, polio ravaged America, killing and paralyzing thousands of people a year and then--and then--a vaccine was discovered. The Salk vaccine was a miracle. By 1979, polio was eradicated in the United States. A disease that struck fear in the heart of everyone soon became--thank God--a distant memory. We repeated that success early this century with diseases like measles and rubella.
Unfortunately, those vaccine victories are now under attack by the Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr. His actions threaten to reverse 50 years of progress in infectious disease treatment and prevention.
Let me tell you about the chaos that has occurred at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since Secretary Kennedy was confirmed.
In February, Secretary Kennedy moved to fire--dismiss--more than 1,000 CDC staff members. That is 10 percent of the workforce. This included key members of the Agency's pandemic prevention and laboratory safety staff.
Dr. Monarez told the committee that Secretary Kennedy plans to upend our Nation's vaccine recommendation schedules this month. You see, the CDC's vaccine advisory committee meets regularly to make recommendations based on science on what vaccines Americans should receive at various points in their life.
States use these recommendations, professional medical recommendations, to develop guidelines for what vaccines our children should receive. Health insurance companies are required to cover the full cost of the recommended vaccines from this panel. Unfortunately, Secretary Kennedy unilaterally fired all of the members of the CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee, many of whom were infectious disease and vaccine experts. He fired them all. He replaced them with people who have espoused anti-vaccine views and aligned with extreme health- related conspiracy theories.
This new panel is set to meet today, and I fear they are about to upend decades of progress in preventing unnecessary illness by wiping out recommendations and access to childhood vaccines.
Dr. Monarez testified yesterday that she was fired from not preemptively agreeing to rubberstamp these new vaccine formulas absent scientific evidence that changes would warrant.
Think about that. Secretary Kennedy fired President Trump's pick to head the CDC because she insisted that the Agency's vaccine recommendations be actually backed by science.
Many States who see this anti-vaccine movement at the highest levels of our government are taking things to an even further extreme. Florida announced it would end most of its vaccine requirements, and other Republican States are likely to follow suit. The rising vaccine skepticism promoted by Secretary Kennedy and the Trump administration will cause a resurgence in preventable disease across America.
In Texas, two unvaccinated children died from measles earlier this year, the first such deaths in America in 10 years. Louisiana is experiencing its worse whooping cough outbreak in 35 years. More than 30 infants have been hospitalized, and many were not vaccinated with the DTaP vaccine that could have protected them. Tragically, two of these infants have already died.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., will be the first Secretary of HHS with a body count. He is a danger to the children of America. Kennedy's onslaught has targeted more than just vaccines; he and President Trump have spearheaded a historic level of dysfunction at the National Institutes of Health. They have frozen medical research funding and fired scientists and researchers. Think about that. This is going to make America great again--firing medical researchers?
I have been a supporter of the NIH in all the time I have served in Congress. The research gives people hope when they are faced with devastating diagnoses.
For 10 years, I have been part of a bipartisan task force to raise the NIH research budget. In those 10 years, we increased the budget by more than 60 percent, raising it from $30 billion to $48 billion today. But Trump and Kennedy's proposed budgets for next year eliminates this $18 billion increase in medical research. Every penny of the increase I fought for for the last 10 years is gone with this Trump budget. It will mean fewer novel cures and treatments for patients who need them. It will dramatically reduce research into Alzheimer's, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. They have been suspended because of the Trump- Kennedy cuts.
Does anybody believe that America is greater as a nation with less cancer research? I don't. Patients desperate for cures for horrible conditions like glioblastoma are in agony today because President Trump and Secretary Kennedy canceled the research funding they depend on.
Secretary Kennedy's cuts will stifle a generation of researchers and jeopardize our medical research infrastructure. We will feel the effects of this rash decision for decades to come.
I call on my Republican colleagues to stand up to this public health massacre. Some of the Members are doctors or parents themselves who have vaccinated their kids or spent their careers trying to improve our healthcare system.
My colleagues know that Secretary Kennedy is unqualified, unhinged, and dangerous, and I hope they will find the courage to join me and speak out against the terrible decisions he has fostered. If they don't, I fear there will be dire consequences if we allow Secretary Kennedy to continue to serve in a role where lives are on the line, and he is clearly unqualified.
Mr. President, 13 years ago, an inspired and patriotic 18-year-old by the name of Charlie Kirk launched a political organization. He wanted to identify, train, and organize students to engage in American politics. His dynamism, his tenacity, and his convictions helped inspire a generation.
Charlie Kirk was participating in the very American act of political dialogue when he was assassinated. He was a husband, a son, a father-- had two little children--and he was murdered in broad daylight. It is horrifying. It is very disheartening not only for me but I know many young people.
Tragically, it is all too common. Charlie Kirk isn't the only political figure to be impacted by violence. In recent years, he has just been added to the list of people like Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, Congressman Steve Scalise, Minnesota House speaker Melissa Hortman, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and, of course, President Donald Trump.
No matter our political beliefs, all of us should be able to affirm a simple truth: that violence against political figures is unacceptable. It is actually anti-American, period. It is an attack upon our very values. It is an attack upon our Republic.
Our level of sympathy should not depend on the political views of the person who violence has been perpetrated against. Our level of outrage should not depend on the political views of the victim or the perpetrator.
In our great country, we settle disagreements with ballots, not bullets. The way to combat speech you don't like is with more speech, not less speech. This makes us better, sharper, and more American. That is what Charlie Kirk was doing when he was assassinated.
It might seem unnecessary to say these things in the wake of an assassination, but the tragic reality is that not every American believes what I just said; not everybody believes these statements are true. A recent YouGov poll found that only 72 percent of Americans said that political violence is always wrong, and 11 percent said that political violence can sometimes be justified. Eleven percent of people think that it is justifiable to commit political violence. That number shocks the conscience. Let that sink in. The people who believe that are siding with the bad guys.
We must reverse this trend. We must make sure that political violence isn't normal, that it is not accepted. Each of us has a role to play in that. Each of us can be a part of restoring American civic virtue.
We need to focus on what we know to be good and true. Let's spend more time in prayer. Let's spend more time outdoors rather than on our phones or our devices. Let's spend more time getting to know our neighbors and investing in our community. Let's relearn civil discourse. Civil discourse sharpens our arguments and makes us better, and it is better for our communities. It is what makes us human and what makes us American. The civil discourse in our great Republic is what makes us great.
There is no time to waste, and we all have a role.
God bless Charlie Kirk, his wife Erika, and their children. May Charlie rest in peace.
Now, Mr. President, I would like to say a prayer not just for Charlie but for our entire country.
Mr. President, today, I want to take some time to recognize a Nevadan and recognize specifically the legacy that Rosemary A. Vassiliadis has contributed to this country but to Nevada specifically.
On September 12, 2025, after 40 years delivering for Southern Nevada, including more than 28 years as an airport leader at Clark County's Department of Aviation, Director Vassiliadis will retire from her career in public service.
Rosemary started her career as budget chief for the city of Las Vegas in 1984 and has been working for her community ever since. I know; I have watched firsthand. I got to work side by side with her. She spent the last 12 years as the top executive of Harry Reid International Airport, leading one of the Nation's more dynamic airport systems.
Rosemary was appointed as the first woman director of Clark County's Department of Aviation in 2013 after nearly 16 years as deputy director.
I can't say enough about what she has contributed to Nevada, and I want to talk a little bit about it because, thanks in large part to her stewardship, Southern Nevada's aviation system has grown to a $35 billion economic engine, employing more than 18,000 workers and serving as the gateway to the world's premiere tourism and convention destination. The system is anchored by LAS and includes four additional general aviation airports.
Rosemary's vision as head of LAS emphasized the importance of the airport as the first and last experience visitors had of Las Vegas, and she prioritized efforts to enhance that customer experience for all travelers. She worked to expand LAS to include the D gates and terminal 3, and her emphasis on strategic coordination helped move millions of travelers to the region during some of the country's largest sporting events, including the Super Bowl and the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Under her leadership, the airport reached unprecedented milestones, including handling a record 58.4 million passengers in 2024. In the last 12 years, the Harry Reid International Airport has welcomed visitors from new international destinations and solidified its spot as one of North America's top 10 commercial airports.
Rosemary has spent her career supporting the safety and security of all passengers and workers. During her tenure at the Clark County Department of Aviation, Rosemary led the airport system through extraordinary times, including navigating the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks and providing continued service during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under her direction, LAS has also become a leader in the fight against human trafficking. I know this firsthand. As AG, I got to partner with her. As attorney general of Nevada, I got to partner with her and watch her focus on how we address this horrific human trafficking that is happening in this country. Rosemary was one of the first in her field to work with law enforcement and human trafficking experts to create the industry's most comprehensive initiative to train and educate airport employees, provide safe exit strategies for victims of human trafficking, and install multilingual signage in all the restrooms to help address this horrific, modern-day slavery that we are seeing.
Additionally, LAS remains an industry leader in security programs. Most people don't even know this. Rosemary established a partnership with the Transportation Security Administration and created a unique testing ground for new and emerging screening technologies in a live checkpoint environment.
Now, I have to stress this: This is the first and only innovation checkpoint, and Harry Reid Airport is designated as the Nation's only innovation airport. It is because of Rosemary and her team.
Rosemary has established the foundation for the Clark County airport system to continue to adapt as it serves the growing Southern Nevada population and the visitors the community welcomes each year.
As a lifelong Nevadan, I am so honored to have worked with Rosemary over so many years and greatly appreciate her tireless efforts to grow LAS and the Clark County airport system. Her leadership was revolutionary, and she will be missed.
But I want to stress even more. It is not just the work that she did as a civil servant, because I think that is a noble service, and that is what she believed in--always giving back to her community--but Rosemary is also an incredible, incredible mother, friend, neighbor, lifelong Nevadan who truly believed in her State and her community, and raised a great family.
Now I hope she has the opportunity, after all of the years she has given to so many people in Nevada and so many tourists--I am going to say to the staff I am looking at right now, if you have come to Las Vegas, you have come through Rosemary's airport, and this is what it is about: making sure that people feel loved, support. She has not only done it for so many tourists, international and domestic, but she has done it for Nevadans and her family. I am so proud of her and got a chance to watch firsthand her commitment to her State, her country, and her family.
Rosemary, I wish you all the best. Wherever you go next, whatever the next chapter, know that you will always have my support and my friendship and I look forward to seeing what you do next.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts.
Mr. President, we are in the middle of a full-blown healthcare crisis. Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are ripping away healthcare from 15 million Americans. And now, thanks to Donald Trump, one in four nursing homes could close, community health clinics are on the brink of shutting their doors, hospitals, already filled to the brim with patients, are bracing for the biggest cuts in decades. Kids with cancer are watching as promising research, their only chance at treatment, is shut down and health insurance premiums are skyrocketing.
Talk to anyone in the country, and they will tell you that the cost of going to the doctor is already way too high because the reality is that healthcare in America was already failing families even before Trump and Republicans took a chain saw to it.
Massachusetts lost two hospitals last year in the biggest healthcare bankruptcy in decades. Our community health centers were already down to counting their nickels to keep the door open. And now, the Republicans have come in and said they want to take away money that helps cover mamas giving birth and neighbors who need wheelchairs and home health aides so that they can hand that money over to billionaire CEOs. Trump's one-two punch of chaotic tariffs and his Big Beautiful Bill is going to push middle-class families in America over a financial cliff.
Before working moms go broke from a cancer diagnosis, Congress must act. Before community hospitals are forced to shut down, Congress must act. Before your neighbor with the home health aide loses his care, Congress must act.
That is why Democrats are saying, if Republicans want our votes, they need to restore healthcare for Americans. We made it about as clear as we humanly can. The American people need affordable healthcare. No one should go bankrupt because they got sick and needed to see a doctor.
And if the Republicans want to shut down government so that they can keep increasing costs and cutting healthcare, then they need to explain that and not just to us; they need to
OK, then, Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the White House. You own the healthcare crisis. Democrats believe that not a single newborn baby in America should lose healthcare, not a single senior should be tossed out of their nursing home and onto the curb, and not a single person should have to drive hours and hours to get to the nearest hospital.
If we are going to pass a budget for the U.S. Government, then we need to save healthcare for millions of Americans, period.
And make no mistake, every penny of funding needs to be protected from a Trump power grab. Since the week he took office, Donald Trump has been trying to illegally rip away money from programs that Congress has already agreed to fund. His latest ploy: an attempt to zero out funding without even asking for Congress's approval. It is a dirty trick, and it is illegal. We can't have Democrats and Republicans in Congress agree to a budget that helps people get to the doctor and pay for lifesaving cancer research and then turn around and have Donald Trump just halt that money. We need proper safeguards.
So this is our moment. This is our chance to restore healthcare for millions of people in this country. Right now is our small window of opportunity. The Democrats are ready to go. We want to seize this opportunity. It is only the Republicans who stand in the way.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Carolina.
Mr. President, I rise today in remembrance of the 1-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene, a disaster of unprecedented magnitude that devastated North Carolina's Appalachian Mountains.
On the evening of September 26, 2024, this historic storm struck the Blue Ridge Mountains, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake, putting the livelihoods of thousands of North Carolinians on hold, and shattering many communities.
As we approach this solemn anniversary, I want to reflect on the lives that Hurricane Helene took with her. One hundred eight lives were tragically lost in this disaster, leaving their families grieving. To this day, five individuals remain unaccounted for, leaving their loved ones without answers.
In their loss, we are reminded of the comfort and hope found in the 23rd Psalm:
God has been with us in grief, and he is now with us in recovery.
But when I look back on this past year, what is most visible is not destruction; it is resilience: neighbors helping neighbors, communities coming together, and the people of the Appalachian Mountains leaning on faith and hope and determination to carry us through the aftermath of the storm.
A year ago, when Helene first hit, there was no way in or out of the mountains. When I was able to get through, I was in contact with numerous local leaders who tried to describe what was happening on the ground. I saw the impact firsthand thanks to North Carolina agriculture commissioner Steve Troxler when we surveyed the devastation together in a forestry helicopter. Shortly thereafter, I made the first of many on- the-ground visits to the affected towns.
What I quickly saw was the tremendous work being done by Samaritan's Purse and Baptists on Mission, along with many other faith- and community-based organizations and nonprofits that stepped up to help. Companies like Lowe's, Walmart, AT&T, Verizon, and many more stepped up significantly in contributing funds and resources to support rebuilding efforts.
I spoke to local heroes--our first responders--some of whom had not been home in days and were left unsure of the status of their own homes and families. In Fairview, two landslides claimed the lives of 11 members of the Craig family, and they had lived on that land for over a century. I embraced residents as they wept--shaken by their unimaginable loss--as they were left to navigate the uncertainty of just how to move forward. But what struck me the most was the willingness of ordinary people to step up with extraordinary courage and put themselves at risk to save a life.
In Spruce Pine, Eddie Hunnell jumped into rushing waters to save a stranger whose home was being washed away.
Junior Singleton--75 years old from Avery County--woke up to water in his basement that was rising quickly. As neighbors gathered at his home on high ground, he recognized someone was missing. He waded through the floodwaters to get his neighbors out of their home and safely to higher ground.
Medics in Mitchell County, during the shelter-in-place order, responded to a teen boy experiencing a seizure. They had to cut their way through downed trees to reach the boy's home and deliver lifesaving care.
In Yancey County, Mountain Heritage High School students are partnering with Rebuilding Hollers to build tiny homes for Hurricane Helene survivors. Their work restores not just shelter but the hope that people can begin to rebuild their lives.
In Madison County, the catastrophic flooding in Hot Springs--home to just 520 people--gave rise to the Rebuild Hot Springs Area organization. Together, this small town and its neighbors have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to help families return home and businesses to reopen. Though challenges remain, on May 2, the town officially reopened its doors to welcome visitors once again.
In Henderson County, chief Steve Freeman led Bat Cave's volunteer fire department through Helene by urging evacuations, coordinating rescues, and conducting welfare checks for weeks without any power. He expanded his crew, patrolled the rivers daily, and built a spirit of unity, helping neighbors endure and rebuild together.
In Chimney Rock, which was one of the hardest hit towns, manager Stephen Duncan and mayor Peter O'Leary are charting a path forward. With nonprofits like Spokes of Hope, the Great Needs Trust, and Amish partners from Pennsylvania, the community is rebuilding Main Street with reclaimed wood and donated supplies, restoring not only buildings but a sense of hope.
Large sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway are now back open. The parkway serves as a lifeline to the travel and tourism industry in Western North Carolina, and it is the foundation of the small business economy. Work is ongoing on the most damaged sections of the parkway, and those stretches are slated to reopen next year.
Now, while we have seen some successes as folks work to return to normal, there is still a lot of work to do to make sure Western North Carolina is stronger than it was before those fateful days. As we shifted from response to recovery, communities spent millions of dollars of their own to clean up and rebuild with the promise of Federal reimbursement. They have been met with unnecessary bureaucratic gridlock as the Federal Government reviews grant applications and slow- pay funds.
I have talked to local officials about how the slow pace of reimbursements was putting a strain on their general budgets that are still reeling from the economic impacts of lost tourism and businesses that never reopened. I have continued to fight to make sure our communities have the support that they need from their Federal Government to get these critical reimbursement checks signed and out the door for the people of Western North Carolina.
As we approach the 1-year anniversary of the most expensive and deadly natural disaster in North Carolina's history, we have much work still to do. The backlog is too long. There are still tarps on homes. Roads and bridges remain unbuilt. Needs are great, and help is just too slow. But we are finally starting to reduce the backlog of projects awaiting Federal reimbursement. President Trump and I know that the needs are still urgent, and we are working together to get Western North Carolinians the help that they need.
We couldn't have come this far without the local leaders who have shouldered the weight of the crisis and guided their communities toward recovery. I want to thank all of the county commissioners and mayors, county and town managers, and local emergency management directors in all of the impacted counties who have stood on the frontlines of this disaster, never once faltering in their commitment to serve.
To the firefighters, law enforcement officers, emergency medical personnel, churches, and volunteers who answered the call in our darkest hours, thank you. Your courage saved lives, and your sacrifice gave us strength.
To the people of Western North Carolina--those who have borne the brunt of this disaster--it is because of your resilience that homes are being rebuilt for families to continue making memories; that students are returning to classrooms and are determined to keep learning; and that small business owners are reopening their doors against all odds.
It is your unyielding spirit that has inspired all of us throughout North Carolina and across the Nation. I will continue to speak up for you in the U.S. Senate and know that your loss will never be forgotten.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Hampshire.
Mr. President, I rise today to pass into law a lifesaving bipartisan legislation that will enable us to keep fighting the opioid and fentanyl epidemic, an epidemic that has destroyed families and devastated communities all across our country.
Our country faces many challenges, and I am sure we will continue to debate in the coming weeks how to address those, but today we will advance, on a bipartisan basis, lifesaving legislation that we know is working to combat fentanyl.
New data from earlier this summer found that drug overdose deaths dropped 27 percent last year, compared to the prior year. Since the advent of the opioid crisis, we now have a much better sense of what works to prevent and treat addiction, the resources we need to do so, and the light that exists on the other end of this terrible tunnel. But we can only get there if we keep up the fight.
The SUPPORT Act of 2018, signed into law by President Trump during his first term, established vital addiction treatment infrastructure. Reauthorizing this bipartisan law is essential to our addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts. For example, the act includes funding for addiction treatment for pregnant women and funds for training and equipment to help first responders in this fight.
The original SUPPORT Act passed the Senate with 98 votes, and this bipartisan reauthorization passed the House with 366 votes.
Now the Senate will send it to the President's desk.
While we have made progress in this fight, we cannot be complacent. While there are still too many families and communities ravaged by addiction, we cannot despair. Nothing less than people's lives depend on us acting.
Mr. President, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 2483 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
There being no objection, the committee was discharged, and the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
I further ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The bill (H.R. 2483) was ordered to a third reading, was read the third time, and passed.
Mr. President, the Senate just passed a major bipartisan package to reauthorize the SUPPORT Act, and it is headed to President Trump's desk. Today is proof that despite our differences, bipartisan progress is possible.
I am particularly pleased to be here with my colleague and chair of the HELP Committee Senator Cassidy, who has been instrumental in this fight and who will speak in just a moment.
To our first responders, know that training and equipment are coming to help make your job easier.
To our healthcare providers, know that resources are coming to help people get and stay in recovery.
To those battling addiction, know that support is on the way.
I am deeply grateful to a number of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and I am looking forward to Senator Cassidy's comments just now. I am also grateful to Senator Sanders for working with me on getting this done as well as the advocates who knew we could not give up in this fight.
This package will save lives, and I look forward to continuing to make available every tool we have to stop fentanyl.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Louisiana.
Mr. President, I want to start by thanking Senator Hassan so much and Representative Brett Guthrie and other colleagues for their work to pass the SUPPORT Act. It is part of, as a doctor, I would say, a pro-patient--we would say pro-family--agenda that we wish to deliver for the American people.
About a month and a half ago, President Trump had a signing ceremony for the HALT Fentanyl Act at the White House. That was my bill, so I was privileged to be there. Behind him were families holding the pictures of their children who had died from fentanyl overdose. Incredibly moving.
I had a similar ceremony in Baton Rouge where, across Louisiana, people came and held a picture of their child who had died. In one case, the young man had a hard time sleeping, and somebody at his church gave him a pill to take. He took the pill. It was laced with fentanyl, and he died of an overdose.
This is an incredibly powerful addictant, an incredibly powerful, ability-to-kill drug.
The HALT Fentanyl Act is one part of it. It gives support to law enforcement as they attempt to combat this scourge.
The SUPPORT Act is supporting those who are delivering that primary care, that first responder care, that care of a family for a loved one who might be addicted, that care to the patient herself or himself.
Just this morning, I was on a radio program with Ted Dumas out of Louisiana. We were talking--as we talked about the HALT Fentanyl Act-- that there is somebody listening to this program who is addicted to fentanyl and is looking for a way out; there is some family member listening who knows they have a family member with a fentanyl addiction or some other addiction who needs a way out. The SUPPORT Act is giving them the tools they need to either come out of addiction or to help someone come out of addiction.
Let me just give a shout-out to President Trump. Since he has taken office, we have seen a control of the southern border, we have seen the Mexican Army going after cartels who have been manufacturing and bringing in the fentanyl, and we have seen the chemical companies in China--which Senator Hassan and I, when we went to China last year, specifically asked the leadership of China to control. President Trump is going after those chemical companies and after the Government of China in order to control those chemical companies.
This is a full-court press our government is making. Giving credit to President Trump where credit is due but also to the Congress for passing the HALT Fentanyl Act and now the SUPPORT Act. We are working to control this scourge.
I look forward to this being signed into law. I look forward to continuing to work with congressional colleagues and the President to enact a pro-family, pro-patient agenda that addresses
Mr. President, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 403, which was submitted earlier today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The senior assistant executive clerk read as follows:
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the resolution.
I ask unanimous consent that the preamble be agreed to and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The preamble was agreed to.
(The resolution, with its preamble, is printed in today's Record under ``Submitted Resolutions.'')
Mr. President, like most Americans, my wife Ann and I are completely heartbroken by the tragic loss of our friend and fellow patriot Charlie Kirk in a despicable, targeted assassination.
This is a devastating loss for his wife Erika and their two precious kids and the millions, including myself, who felt the impact of Charlie's work and were inspired by his devotion to God and his beliefs.
Charlie was a good man, a devout husband, father, and friend. His life was shaped by his faith and idea that in America, debate and discussion are crucial to the betterment of our country. He believed in God, the American dream, the value of family, and the principles of our great Nation.
I talked to Charlie pretty much every week. I did his shows often. I did his show 2 days before the assassination. We talked about that he was going to be going to another college to visit. I have gone to colleges to visit, and it is uplifting. But Charlie would go, and he would take anybody's question and have a conversation with them. He just was the most wonderful person to talk to, and so many people in this country looked up to him.
Charlie dedicated his life to the idea that the power of our ideas cannot only win the day but start a movement. And that is exactly what he did. As the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Turning Point USA, he and his team worked to build thousands of chapters across the Nation dedicated to educating students about the principles of freedom, free markets, and limited government.
Charlie inspired millions of young Americans to be involved in the future of their country and make their voices heard. He traveled to college campuses around the Nation to share ideas and talk about them.
Charlie was never afraid to have a conversation. He didn't care if you agreed or disagreed with his ideas. He welcomed the opportunity to respectfully and peacefully debate ideas in the court of public opinion.
Unfortunately, Charlie was taken from us in a disgusting act of political violence on September 10, 2025, but his legacy lives on. Charlie will long be remembered for his love of God, his family and this great Nation and the impact he had on each and every one of us.
We have the opportunity to carry on his memory by believing in the power of ideas, discussion, and the value of our Nation. As we mourn this massive loss, let us gather together in our communities and pray for his family and our Nation. And let us honor Charlie by believing in the power of our ideas to win the day and leave this Nation a better place.
I am proud to have the support of more than 20 of my colleagues to honor Charlie by dedicating his birthday--October 14, 2025--as ``National Day of Remembrance for Charlie Kirk.''
I want to thank my Senate colleagues for uniting together to honor a great American patriot, a leader and friend.
Charlie will be remembered for the profound impact he had on our lives and our Nation. On October 14, we will gather together as a nation and pay tribute to his great life.
Now I will yield the floor to my colleague from Tennessee.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.
Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Florida for bringing this resolution forward and for taking the time to honor a true American patriot Charlie Kirk.
He was a champion for freedom, and he was a role model for millions of young people across our country.
As my colleague had mentioned, he was a devoted husband to Erika and an amazing father to his two children. We offer our condolences to his family.
By adopting my colleague's resolution, this Chamber has an opportunity to honor the legacy that Charlie is leaving. He believed in robust, respectful, bipartisan debate. He encouraged you to challenge your own thoughts and actions; he encouraged you to enter into that debate, to commit to leaving this country in better shape than you found it; and, of course, always giving back more than you took.
We are going to miss him desperately. I join many across the country who are mourning with his family and praying that justice will be served.
I am grateful to have known him personally, spending hours speaking with him at Turning Point USA events and watching how Turning Point has grown, not only into a nationwide but a global movement. He started it when he was 18 years old.
One of the things that always impressed me was how he managed to stay in contact, to offer to help to push issues forward, and to lend a hand no matter how big or small the cause.
Recently, I appreciated hearing from him as I had put some information forward, and he responded immediately on what a good idea this was.
I do want to share just one example of his generosity. One of my grandsons was such a fan of Charlie, and he wanted to start a Turning Point chapter at his school. The school didn't want to have that chapter, so my grandson had to find another way, which he did. I texted Charlie to read him in on the situation, to make him aware. He jumped in to support my grandson and to thank him for the effort.
My grandson said he really felt like Charlie was rooting for him in this situation, and I think that is the way every young person felt when they met him. They felt Charlie was on their side. He wanted the best for them. He wanted to encourage them, to help them think critically through issues that matter to our country.
To any young person mourning his loss, I encourage you to honor Charlie's memory by continuing to support his movement to realize a conservative, prosperous United States of America.
He believed in hard work and smart work, so honor him by working hard, by working smart, by looking for those opportunities to be a leader, to dream those big dreams like Charlie did, and then find a way to make those dreams come true. That is how you honor his life and legacy.
We will not allow his life or legacy to be forgotten, and we will not stop fighting to eradicate the rot of political violence in our Nation that claimed his life.
Mr. President, I come to the floor today to honor my friend and true American patriot Charlie Kirk.
Charlie was one of the most influential people in America. He was an extremely effective teacher--I repeat, a
His organization, Turning Point USA, is largely credited with President Trump's unprecedented success with young voters in this past election.
But he didn't just reach out to conservative students. He was a champion of free speech for everybody.
Over the past week, I have enjoyed seeing many, many, many videos of Charlie's debates with college students all over our great country.
The first thing you notice when you watch these videos is how brilliant Charlie was. He could beat anyone in a debate and, clearly, had a great career in front of him.
But the second thing you notice about these debates is how kind Charlie was. He never raised his voice. He never said anything hateful. If you looked up the words ``positive attitude'' in the dictionary, Charlie Kirk's name would come up.
I don't know if I could stay as calm as he did while he was talking with some of these confused young students, to be honest with you. But Charlie always rose above it and extended grace, even to the people he disagreed with the most. That was clearly because of his Christian faith, which influenced everything that Charlie did. He was extremely outspoken about Christianity, and I truly believe this is one of the main reasons that he lost his life.
He was also an incredible, devoted father and husband. He talked often about how the most meaningful thing you can do in life is to get married and have kids. What a powerful and much needed message for our young people to hear.
There is so much more I could say about Charlie, but I think the outpouring of love and support after his death speaks for itself. If you notice, there haven't been riots this past week. Businesses have not been forced to board up their windows. Instead, prayer vigils have been held for Charlie not only across the country but around the world. Pews and parking lots were overflowing in churches this past Sunday. I have seen countless social media posts of people saying they purchased their Bibles for the first time this week because of Charlie.
When Charlie was asked how he wanted to be remembered in an interview earlier this year, he said he wanted to be remembered for having courage for his faith. And that is exactly how Charlie is being remembered.
Charlie may have gone home to be with the Lord, but his work here on Earth won't stop.
I am glad to see that Turning Point has had more than 54,000 requests for new chapters at colleges and high schools across the country.
I have a granddaughter Rosie Gracie, and I will absolutely encourage her to get involved in Turning Point when she is just a little bit older.
To Charlie's grieving wife Erika and his two beautiful children, we are praying for you. Just know how grateful we are for Charlie's life and legacy. I will continue fighting every day for the values that Charlie believed in: faith, family, and freedom.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant executive clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. President, I don't normally come to the floor to give somewhat lengthy remarks, but today I am doing so because of a deep and, frankly, rising concern for the future of our intelligence community and, in turn, the security of the United States.
For months now, we have watched President Trump's administration, led in this arena by his handpicked Director of National Intelligence Ms. Gabbard, systemically undermine the men and women whose mission is to keep this country safe. These are professionals who serve under Republican and Democratic administrations alike. They are career officials who put duty before politics, who swear an oath not to any President but to the Constitution of the United States.
Yet as this administration fires and denigrates these very men and women, as expertise that takes literally decades to build is being thrown away as it conflicts with political talking points, as assessments grounded in fact are being shelved in favor of conspiracy theories, our adversaries are conspiring, sharing intelligence and military capabilities and strategizing over how to weaken the United States while advancing a very different authoritarian vision for the world.
At the same time, I fear the integrity of our intelligence is being sacrificed on the altar of partisan convenience.
This is not some kind of inside-the-beltway turf battle, and it is not another partisan disagreement. I believe at stake is something much more fundamental: whether America will continue to have an intelligence community free to speak truth to power or whether political pressure will blind us to the very real threats our Nation faces.
(Mr. BUDD assumed the Chair.)
History shows us what happens when intelligence is ignored, manipulated, or kept from those who need it most. In 1941, the U.S. Navy intercepted communications showing that Japan was planning to attack Pearl Harbor. That knowledge ended up being of little use because it was not communicated to the people who could have taken action to protect the fleet. The result was the devastating surprise that cost thousands of American lives.
In the aftermath, Congress resolved that we could never again afford to be blindsided. So in 1947, in a bipartisan way, Congress created the Central Intelligence Agency, the modern Department of Defense, and other institutions to ensure that unfiltered, unbiased intelligence is provided to the President, to Congress, and to our military. These institutions are meant to protect us from surprises and to give policymakers the truth, even when it is inconvenient or uncomfortable.
Now, for the most part, this system has worked, and all of us who work up here know it has never been perfect. The abuses revealed by the Church Committee in the 1970s made clear why strong congressional oversight is essential. That is why the Senate Intelligence Committee was established in 1976 and our House counterpart the following year.
Today, while not flawless, these committees--of which I know the Presiding Officer is a member--remain the best check we have to ensure that intelligence Agencies uphold American values and laws and avoid repeating past mistakes--and hopefully learning from them when they do occur. Even with our modern system of congressional oversight, we have seen tragic failures. Intelligence failed to predict the collapse of the Soviet Union. We failed to connect the dots before 9/11. And perhaps most foreboding, in the runup to the Iraq war, intelligence was distorted to fit policy preferences. Intelligence about weapons of mass destruction and Saddam Hussein's ties to al-Qaida were inflated and cherry-picked. Analysts who even at that time raised doubts were ignored.
The result was a devastating war in Iraq, fought under false pretenses, that cost literally thousands of American servicemembers their lives and limbs. But we learned from those failures.
After the September 11 attacks, Congress placed additional safeguards and created a new position: the Director of National Intelligence. The objective was to better coordinate our intelligence Agencies, to avoid the so-called
That was the commitment I asked President Trump's nominee and the current Director of National Intelligence, Ms. Gabbard, to make during her confirmation hearing, and she assured our committee and the American people that she would protect the independence of the intelligence community to ensure that the IC is never politicized. She even pointed to the runup to the war in Iraq as the clearest example of what happens when intelligence is bent to fit policy and the President is told only what he wants to hear. She pledged that she would never allow those mistakes to be repeated on her watch.
Mr. President, but in only 6 months, we have seen the opposite from this administration. We have seen career FBI agents, people who have risked their lives for this country, forced out of their positions simply for investigating crimes committed in the January 6 insurrection. These were professionals following the law, performing their sworn duties, and yet their service was treated as disloyalty. Careers were ended and decades of expertise were discarded just for doing the job they were entrusted to do.
We have seen the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the National Intelligence Council dismissed because their well-documented, evidence- based assessment of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua criminal network did not align with the administration's preferred narrative. These analysts presented carefully sourced intelligence showing that the gang of bad guys acted, actually, independent of the Venezuelan Government, not at the behest of foreign officials. Yet their findings were rejected and their leadership positions removed simply because the truth didn't fit a politically convenient story.
And again, to be clear, there is no question that Maduro's regime in Venezuela and the TDA are ruthless actors who pose real threats, but punishing officials--punishing intelligence officials in particular-- for telling the truth only weakens our ability to confront them.
We have seen the three-star general leading the Defense Intelligence Agency pushed out after analysts produced a straightforward, evidence- based assessment showing that Iran's nuclear program had not been obliterated, as President Trump so loudly claimed. Rather than face those facts, the administration decided to punish the messenger, and he was let go from DIA.
We have seen, more recently, analysts, literally with decades of experience on Russia, stripped of their security clearances or reassigned at the very moment that their years of expertise is needed most.
More recently, DNI Gabbard has personally revoked the clearances of at least 37 individuals in a transparently political act of vengeance in a single stroke of a pen and, at least in one case, exposing an official working undercover. That alone--putting someone who has worked undercover and identifying that identity--in past administrations would have been grounds for firing.
We have seen statutory requirements to keep Congress fully and currently informed ignored, oversight stymied and obstructed, and inspectors general who are supposed to keep their eyes on these Agencies--inspectors general and their personnel silenced, forced out, or removed.
And I remind my colleagues, in terms of oversight for the intelligence community, that is not a right that all 100 Senators have. There are literally 17 of us. As chair or vice chair over the last few years, I am part of the so-called Gang of 8. If we don't do our jobs, nobody is watching all of these intelligence Agencies.
Even more damaging, we have seen highly sensitive intelligence declassified and released, clearly for political purposes, without proper coordination with the Agencies responsible for protecting sources and methods--that is how we do our work and who are the people involved. The disclosures actually risked revealing the identities of assets--and those are human beings--and the techniques we rely on-- those are the technology and skills we have--and the credibility of ongoing operations, all for the sake of advancing a political narrative. The very tools that protect lives and maintain America's strategic advantage are being treated as leverage in a partisan game.
Let's remember, the so-called Russia hoax and that assessment, which this administration continues to disparage, was a coordinated, unanimous finding by the entire intelligence community. Our committee-- on a bipartisan, unanimous basis--reviewed it and validated it extensively. Not a single one of my Republican colleagues objected to its findings, including the current Secretary of State, then-committee chairman Senator Rubio.
And what did that assessment actually conclude? I think every one of us understood that Russia conducted a sweeping, systematic campaign to interfere in our 2016 election; that Moscow's goal was to sow chaos, to undermine faith in American democracy, and specifically to boost Mr. Trump's candidacy. These findings were not partisan talking points; they were sober judgments of career professionals, backed by evidence, and affirmed by both parties in Congress.
And during the first Trump administration, they responded to that report appropriately and put resources to make sure the 2020 election was the safest election on record. Kudos to the first Trump administration in doing that.
But with all of this happening, as troubling as all of this is, what may be most astonishing is who seems to be calling the shots now: not seasoned national security leaders, not career intelligence professionals, but conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, a figure who has called the 9/11 terrorist attacks an inside job, who described herself as a ``pro-White nationalist'' and a ``proud Islamophobe,'' and who has made openly racist and anti-Muslim statements. This is not someone with even a shred of credibility, let alone the experience or judgment we should demand from those influencing U.S. national security decisions.
Yet, time and again, we have seen senior officials pushed out of their posts because Ms. Loomer decided they were not sufficiently loyal to the President. National Security Council staffers, people well-known and respected on both sides of the aisle, including staffers who worked for my Republican colleagues in the Senate, were shown the door at her demand; the two top officials at the National Security Agency, including a well-respected four-star general, Timothy Haugh, forced out, along with the Agency's general counsel, again at Loomer's behest.
These are critical posts in one of our most important intelligence organizations, vacated not because of misconduct or failure but because of the whims of a political provocateur whose public record is filled with hate and conspiracies. And don't take my word on these actions. Ms. Loomer's own social media feed claims all of these firings and dismissals almost as trophies.
And just a few weeks ago we saw something that I believe should trouble every Member of this body, regardless of which party you belong to. My staff and I had arranged a visit to the National Geospatial- Intelligence Agency located in my State of Virginia so that I could go ahead and do my constitutional duty of oversight and, in that meeting, meet with intelligence professionals who also happened to be my constituents. Yet, at the last minute, that visit was blocked--again-- and apparently, as she claimed, by Laura Loomer.
What does it say about the state of our national security when a self-proclaimed White nationalist and Islamophobe with a personal vendetta against U.S. Government officials--and, by the way, no security clearance, no sworn duty to defend the Constitution--can dictate who serves in critical intelligence positions and even prevent Members of this Chamber from conducting basic oversight?
I have to ask again: Why is this administration going to war against the very professionals sworn to keep our country safe? Why are decades of service and sacrifice being tossed aside?
Why? Because they think they are still obliged to provide the truth and speak truth to power. But, instead, it appears that sometimes those truths
These safeguards we put in place and the oversight this body provides--again, only 17 of us have seen these classified programs-- these safeguards only work if intelligence officers know that they can tell the truth without losing their jobs. If analysts who analyze the facts and try to come up with conclusions believe their careers will be destroyed for offering inconvenient assessments, then we will only get intelligence the White House wants.
Imagine the consequences if our intelligence community is forced to spend its time chasing down conspiracy theories instead of monitoring terrorist networks, cyber threats, or foreign adversaries. Imagine if analysts stop flagging real dangers because they fear political retaliation. Imagine if experienced officers walk away from service altogether because they know their expertise will be diminished or punished. That kind of environment doesn't just weaken our intelligence community, it puts every American family at risk.
Again, this is not some kind of partisan point. Democrats and Republicans alike have relied on the intelligence community to keep the country safe. Every President, whether they liked what they were hearing or not, has depended on accurate, independent analysis to make decisions that affect millions of lives.
That is what makes this current moment so alarming. We are dismantling trust in institutions that literally took generations to build. We are eroding morale among some of the most dedicated professionals in public service. And I fear that we are sending a clear message to young officers, whether they are at the CIA or any of the other intelligence Agencies: Don't bother building a career in intelligence if you plan on telling the truth.
Meanwhile, these aren't actions in a vacuum. Our adversaries aren't slowing down. Cyber attacks, disinformation campaigns, nuclear proliferation, terrorist attacks, transnational criminal organizations--these threats are real, and they are not going to wait for us to get our house in order.
If we continue to allow politics to dictate what intelligence is acceptable, we are effectively flying blind. That is why, again, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle: Please, for God's sake, take this seriously. We can disagree about policy, but we cannot allow the facts themselves to be corrupted.
The intelligence community must remain independent, professional, and committed to the Constitution above all else.
I have had the opportunity in my tenure on this committee to work with a lot of these men and women. I didn't know many of them before I was on the Intelligence Committee. They are dedicated professionals. I never asked a single one what their party affiliation was. They oftentimes put their lives in harm's way and, candidly, never get the attention that our military does. They work in secret.
The truth is, these professionals and the work they do deserve to be respected, honored, and listened to because if you corrupt the intelligence and bend it to political wills, we have seen constant examples of what happens.
The truth is, the American people deserve nothing less.
Mr. President, as many Americans know, the current budget is going to expire at the end of September, and if an agreement is not reached, the government will shut down, which is, frankly, not anything that anyone wants. The question that we now have to address is how we keep the government open and serve the needs of the American people.
As Americans know, Republicans have a majority in the House and in the Senate, and they also control the White House. They run the government. Republicans have the responsibility, therefore, to keep the government open.
My understanding is that there will be a vote tomorrow on a continuing resolution to fund the government until November 20. In the House, a simple majority wins, and I would imagine that, by a very slim vote, Republicans will have the votes they need in order to pass their resolution.
In the Senate, however, the rules are different--historically different. In order to pass a continuing resolution, it will take a 60- vote majority to pass. That means that at a time when there are 53 Members of the Republican caucus and 47 Members of the Democratic caucus, it will require bipartisan support. That is what Senate rules are about.
In other words, Republicans will need Democratic and/or Independent votes--I am an Independent--in order to keep the government open.
Bottom line: Republicans will need to negotiate. That is how the Senate works, and that is how democracy works.
Speaking for myself and I believe many millions of Americans, here is some of what it will take to get my vote:
No. 1. Republican leadership, don't take away healthcare from 15 million Americans by making the largest cut to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act in history.
No. 2. Republican leadership, don't increase health insurance premiums by 75 percent on average for over 20 million Americans who get their healthcare through the Affordable Care Act.
No. 3. Republican leadership, do not undermine modern medicine and the health and well-being of our children by rejecting the scientific evidence regarding vaccines.
No. 4. Republican leadership, do not allow our great country to be moved toward authoritarianism by putting Federal troops on city streets without a request from a Governor or a mayor. Do not have ICE agents snatch people off our streets without due process. Do not undermine the Constitution of the United States and the rule of law by allowing an administration to refuse to spend money appropriated by Congress.
Let me be more specific. As I think almost every American understands, our current healthcare system is dysfunctional, it is broken, and it is cruel. At a time when we spend almost twice as much per capita on healthcare as any other major country--over $14,000 per person--85 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured--85 million Americans.
The Republican continuing resolution in the House does nothing-- nothing--to prevent 15 million Americans from being thrown off the healthcare they currently have, as a result of Trump's so-called Big Beautiful Bill. In other words, instead of lowering the number of uninsured and underinsured, if we do not act, 15 million more Americans will be uninsured. We cannot allow that to happen.
This is a life-and-death issue. Studies have shown that up to 50,000--50,000--Americans every year will die unnecessarily if we do not reverse these cuts.
So we are talking about here, if we do not act, going from 85 million uninsured and underinsured to 100 million uninsured and underinsured. Those cuts must be rescinded.
But it is not just preventing 15 million Americans from losing their health insurance; everybody in this country--every businessperson, every union worker--knows that the cost of healthcare in this country today is astronomically high and unaffordable. I don't care what State you are in--people cannot afford healthcare today. Yet, if we do not act right now, in this continuing resolution, the Affordable Care Act tax credits will expire and premiums will skyrocket by 75 percent on average for more than 20 million Americans.
Let me repeat: Healthcare premiums for 20 million working-class and middle-class Americans will go up by 75 percent on average if we do not extend those tax credits in this coming legislation.
Let me say that I wish very good luck to my colleagues, whether they are Democrats or Republicans, who want to go home to their constituents and explain why healthcare premiums are going up by 75 percent in order to pay for $1 trillion in tax breaks for the 1 percent. I do wish you the best of luck in trying to explain that one. I do not intend to.
Further, let me be clear: Vaccines work--not exactly a controversial statement. It is a statement supported
At a time when the Secretary of Health and Human Services has dismantled the vaccine review process, narrowed access to lifesaving COVID vaccines, fired leading public health experts, and filled scientific advisory boards with conspiracy theorists and ideologues, we must stand with the scientific and medical communities and rescind Secretary Kennedy's dangerous policies.
This is not about politics. It doesn't matter whether you are Republican, Democrat, or Independent. We are talking about protecting our children from polio, measles, whooping cough, and other preventable diseases.
The American people, slowly but surely, are catching on. No matter what their political view may be--Democrat, Republican, Independent-- they understand that our current economic system is rigged. They understand that the very richest people in this country are becoming much richer, while 60 percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck and millions of people are trying to survive on starvation wages.
The American people understand that while billionaires are getting huge tax breaks, they are finding it harder and harder to afford healthcare, to pay the rent or their mortgages, to afford childcare, to be able to send their kids to college, to pay for the prescription drugs their doctors prescribe, or to buy decent quality food for their kids.
The American people understand--painfully and depressingly--that unless we change the way the economy functions, their kids will likely have a lower standard of living than they do. In the richest country in the history of the world, it is likely that the younger generation will have a lower standard of living than their parents, while almost all new incoming wealth goes to the people on the top.
Today, we have more income and wealth inequality than we have ever had in the history of the United States. Today, we have one man, Mr. Musk, who owns more wealth--if you can believe it--than the bottom 52 percent of American households--one man, more wealth than the bottom 52 percent of American households. And, by the way, he is on his way, it appears, to become a trillionaire--even richer and richer.
Today, the top 1 percent owns more wealth than the bottom 93 percent--top 1 percent, more wealth than the bottom 93 percent. And the CEOs of major corporations now earn over 350 times what their average employees make.
While the billionaire class becomes richer and richer, real inflation accounted for weekly wages that are lower today than they were 52 years ago--huge expansion of worker productivity, and yet the average worker, in many cases, is worse off than he or she was 52 years ago.
Enough is enough. At a time of massive income and wealth inequality, it is insane to be giving a trillion dollars in tax breaks to the top 1 percent. If President Trump and the Republican leadership want my vote, they will have to rescind that tax break for their oligarchic friends.
Our country today faces not only major economic crises, we are looking at extraordinarily threatening--a threatening moment to our democratic form of government. Frankly, we now have a President of the United States who does not believe in our Constitution and the separation of powers; who does not believe in freedom of speech and the right to dissent; who is moving us, every day, toward an authoritarian form of government with more and more power into his own hands.
Too many Americans from my State of Vermont and every other State in this country have put their lives on the line and sometimes died in order to defend democracy and our way of life: the right of people to live without fear, the right of people to express their point of view-- no matter what it may be. You disagree with me, that is great. That is called American democracy--the right of people to vote without intimidation.
Today, in an unprecedented way, we have Federal troops in cities in America who have not been requested by a governor or a mayor. Today in America, we have people who are being snatched off the streets--taken right off the streets or out of their workplaces--by masked Federal agents, thrown into vans, and dispatched to detention centers without due process. Does anybody think that that is what America is supposed to be about--somebody walking down the street, getting picked up by masked men, thrown into a van, and taken God knows where? Today, we have a President sending some of these people to South Sudan, Uganda, El Salvador--we don't know where. People have no relationship to the country they are being sent. Imagine being plucked off the street, sent to South Sudan, country in the middle of a civil war, virtually no government. That is not acceptable. That is not what our great country is supposed to be about.
These undemocratic, unconstitutional policies must be rescinded. The movement toward authoritarianism in this country must be ended.
In this very difficult moment in American history, let us stand with the American people and listen to their needs. Let us not throw 15 million working-class people off of the healthcare that they have so that 50,000 people a year die unnecessarily. We cannot allow that to happen.
Let us not raise healthcare premiums by 75 percent for 20 million Americans. People can't afford healthcare today. What happens when your premiums go up by 75 percent? Let us not endanger the children of this country by undermining modern medicine and making it more difficult for people to get the vaccines they require.
And at a time of massive income and wealth inequality, let us not give a trillion dollars in tax breaks to the top 1 percent.
And, lastly, as we observe growing authoritarianism every single day, as we see more and more disrespect for the great Constitution of our country--which has made us an example to the entire world--let us-- Republican, Democrat, Independent--let us stand together and save American democracy.
If the Republican leadership does those things, you have got my vote.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.
Mr. President, in the Republican ``Beautiful For Billionaires'' bill that Senator Sanders was just referring to, there were a great many dirty tricks tucked in there to hurt people and make billionaires wealthier and happier and more free to pollute.
Of all the dirty tricks in that bill, perhaps the trickiest was the one that was so hidden that it wasn't even mentioned in the bill, and that is, about a half-trillion dollars in cuts to Medicare.
We have heard a lot about the trillion dollars in cuts to Medicaid. But without ever mentioning it, the Republican ``Beautiful For Billionaires'' bill will cut Medicare by half a trillion dollars, give or take.
How does it do that? It does that by adding $4.1 trillion to the deficit--one bill, one act of Congress, $4.1 trillion piled on our national debt.
There is another law that exists on the statute books of the United States of America, the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act. What does that do? It requires a look at bills that create enormous additions to our national debt. And to protect our fisc, it requires mandatory cuts to other accounts.
That is supposed to discourage running up the debt by trillions in the first place, and it is supposed to remedy that defect with automatic cuts.
Guess what is lined up for automatic cuts under the Statutory Pay-As- You-Go Act? Yep, Medicare. The same Medicare that we saw that huge demonstration from Republicans about during President Biden's State of the Union speech when he said Republicans want to cut Medicare, and they rose in ire and anger to say: No, that is not possibly true. And he said: Oh, I think we have unanimity here. I think we have agreement: no cuts to Medicare.
Well, that didn't last long. The cuts to Medicare just had to be well hidden, and that is what this bill does.
We have asked the Congressional Budget Office what it means. How big will the cuts be? When will they take place?
Well, here is the outcome: Given the magnitude of this massive increase, it will create a $45 billion cut to Medicare in 2026--next year. Next year, $45 billion cut to Medicare.
Unfortunately, it is not a one-time thing. It is going to keep going. In the following year, it goes up and up. By 2034, the end of the 10- year budget window that we work in, the annual cut to Medicare will be $76 billion.
If you stack up all those cuts year after year to Medicare, starting in 2026 and going through 2034, the total cut to Medicare from the ``Beautiful For Billionaires'' bill is $491 billion. That is where I get half a trillion from. I am rounding the $491 billion number CBO gave us for the total hit to Medicare done by Republicans in their ``Beautiful For Billionaires'' bill.
To head this off, we are going to have to pass legislation that exempts Medicare from those coming PAYGO cuts that are going to happen automatically by operation of law unless we take that step.
Now, Republicans could have, at the time, put a simple provision in their ``Beautiful For Billionaires'' bill saying: For purposes of this bill, Medicare is exempted from the PAYGO Program.
It could have protected, with very simple language, against a looming half-trillion-dollar cut to Medicare. They chose not to. They chose not to.
The question is, Was that an oversight or is this a trick to try to tee up cuts to Medicare that they don't have to own? Well, here is a clue as to whether that was a trick or an oversight: On the other side of this building, over at the House of Representatives, the Republican- controlled House is sending over a continuing resolution to fund the government. They could have put this correction in that bill. They could have added a simple line saying that when it comes to Medicare and the huge addition to the debt from our ``Beautiful for Billionaire's'' bill, pay-go sequestration will be lifted. Again, they chose not to do that.
The American public might not be familiar with sequestration and automatic cuts and how all that works, but I will tell you what--people around here are. Lots of people around here know very well that when you dump $4 trillion-plus onto the national debt, it is going to cascade into cuts to these other accounts, and those other accounts include Medicare.
So to plead innocence about this not being the intention all along is completely unsupportable. To say that it was just an innocent oversight in the ``Beautiful for Billionaire's'' bill is unsupportable. And now, with the continuing resolution coming over from the House, we have more proof that this is a deliberate cut targeted at Medicare done exclusively by House and Senate Republicans.
I want to focus on protecting Medicare. I have a Medicare and Social Security Fair Share Act that would require people with incomes over $400,000 to pony up equivalent to what regular workers pay on the higher part of their salary. That would protect benefits and Medicare as far as the eye can see--as far as the actuarial eye can see--for Medicare and Social Security.
I want to put everybody here on record that we need to undo the looming half-trillion-dollar cut to Social Security before it starts to hit families in Rhode Island and elsewhere around the country.
To that end, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of my resolution, S. Res. 404, submitted earlier today; that the resolution be agreed to; that its preamble be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
Madam President, the First Amendment is the beating heart of our democracy. It protects the right of Americans to speak freely, to criticize their leaders, and to entertain and inform without fear of government reprisal. The Framers did not write an exception for late- night comedians or for political satire. They did not carve out an exemption for monologues that offend those in power. The principle is clear: In America, the government does not get to decide which jokes are permissible and which criticisms are punished.
Yet, yesterday, we saw a shocking breach of this constitutional order. Brendan Carr, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, went on a partisan podcast and threatened ABC, the American Broadcasting Company, and its parent company, Disney, over a joke told by comedian Jimmy Kimmel. Carr called Kimmel's comments the ``sickest conduct possible'' and suggested revoking the broadcast licenses of ABC affiliates.
He then delivered a line toward ABC and Disney. It sounded like something out of ``The Godfather.'' He said:
Let me say that line again:
That is not oversight; that is intimidation. That is not regulation; that is retaliation. That is ``The Godfather'' giving Disney an offer they can't refuse from the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. That is the language that mobsters use to shake people down, and it came from the mouth of the FCC Chairman of the Federal Government, with vast legal authority to punish Disney and ABC and their affiliates.
The chilling effect was immediate. Within hours, Disney and ABC indefinitely suspended Jimmy Kimmel from the air. A comedian was silenced because a government regulator, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, flexed his authority.
This is not an isolated slip of the tongue; it is part of a broader pattern by the Federal Communications Commission under Brendan Carr's leadership. Over and over again, he has used his office to attack and undermine journalists and broadcasters and news organizations that dare to speak in ways which he personally dislikes. He has threatened media companies with investigations for their editorial choices. He has amplified partisan attacks on reporters who cover him critically. He has turned the FCC into the ``Federal Censorship Commission,'' with his being the censor in chief.
These are not the actions of an independent regulator; they are the actions of a partisan censor. And make no mistake, if left unchecked, this campaign will not stop with ABC or with Disney. Every newsroom, every broadcaster, every local affiliate will hear the message loud and clear: Criticize the people in power, and you risk your license, your livelihood, your very ability to operate.
That conversation is taking place in newsrooms all across our country today. Look what happened to Disney. Look what happened to ABC. Be afraid. Don't think that the First Amendment protects you anymore. Don't think that you have a right to speak what your opinion is.
The FCC was created to ensure that the public airwaves--our shared national resource--are used in the public interest. It was not created to dictate what late-night hosts may joke about. It was not created to punish networks for broadcasting opinions that government officials dislike. It was not created to be the speech police for the United States of America.
The Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, sitting in his office, watching TV, saying ``I don't like that. I am taking away their license,'' is not what the Federal Communications Commission was established to do in our country. Yet Chairman Brendan Carr has pretended otherwise. He has distorted the FCC's mandate to serve his own partisan ends. Instead of acting in the public interest,
He should know better. It was not too long ago, before he was Chairman, when Brendan Carr was singing a completely different tune. He actually condemned perceived attempts by ``government officials to silence political speech that they don't like.'' That is the old Brendan Carr. He defended talk show hosts, saying:
Did I say that? No. Brendan Carr said that--Brendan Carr. But this is a different guy now. He just got a job in the Trump administration, so he is bending the knee to Donald Trump on all of these issues, because, then, he rightfully defended the First Amendment. He said:
Chairman Carr has betrayed those principles, and he should resign. He is not fit to be the Chair of the Federal Communications Commission. He is using it now to intimidate people whom he considers to be political enemies of Donald Trump. That is not his job.
But that is not enough. The Senate must speak with one voice in rejecting his unconstitutional actions.
The resolution I bring before this Chamber today condemns Brendan Carr for weaponizing government power against Disney and ABC. It affirms that the Federal Communications Commission does not and must not have the authority to punish broadcasters for the content of their programming. It declares that no American--whether a comedian, a journalist, an ordinary citizen--should ever have to fear government retaliation for speaking their mind. And it doesn't make any difference whether you are a Democrat or Republican, whether a Democrat doesn't like what a Republican said, whether a Republican doesn't like what a Democrat said.
We have to stand for the Constitution, not for censorship, to stand for freedom and not intimidation, to stand for a free press, not a government-controlled press.
Chairman Carr has shown himself unwilling and unable to uphold the responsibilities of his office, but the Senate can still uphold our responsibilities to the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution--the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the one they put up first because they knew that free speech and freedom of the press was what ultimately would protect the democracy against dictators and Kings and those who would subvert our Constitution to their own individual whims.
By passing this resolution, we can make clear that the First Amendment is not negotiable; it is not partisan; it is not subject to the whims of a single regulator.
From my perspective, again, the First Amendment is the beating heart of our democracy. It protects the right of Americans to speak freely, to criticize their leaders of both parties, and to entertain and inform without fear of government reprisal.
So, Madam President, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 407, submitted earlier today; and, further, that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in recess until 5:45 p.m.
There being no objection, the Senate, at 5:03 p.m., recessed until 5:45 p.m. and reassembled when called to order by the Presiding Officer (Mr. Husted).
Mr. President, on behalf of leadership, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Authorizing the Use of Funds From the Senators' Official Personnel and Office Expense Account for Security Enhancements and Services Provided to Senators
Mr. President, I will shortly ask for unanimous consent to authorize Senators to use their office accounts for security purposes. Every Senator will now have additional flexibility to address the security concerns they face as public officials. Along with the additional investment in security in the continuing resolution that Republicans have put forward, there is ongoing bipartisan work to address Member security in the legislative branch appropriations bill, which I hope House and Senate will complete work on in the very near future.
We are also actively working with the Sergeant at Arms to identify additional authorities for security options for Senators. I am grateful to the Senate Sergeant at Arms and the Capitol Police for their work on this and for the collaborative efforts of many Senators from both parties.
Mr. President, as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 413, which is at the desk.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the resolution.
Mr. President, I thank the majority leader for his comments and commitments regarding improving Member security. I know that he, Leader Schumer, Chairman McConnell, and I all share the same goal. I think all 100 Senators share that goal.
We continue to see an unprecedented rise in threats targeting Members of Congress, with the Capitol Police on track to investigate over 14,000 threat cases in 2025. That represents a 50-percent increase over the nearly 9,500 threats Capitol Police reported in 2024.
We are witnessing disturbing incidents of politically motivated violence across the Nation, targeting elected officials and high- profile individuals associated with both political parties.
Whether it is the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk at a college campus in Utah or the tragic assassination of former speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives Melissa Hortman and her husband in their home, it is tragic; it is unacceptable. And we would be foolish not to take notice.
The House acted on a bipartisan basis to provide new funding for enhanced Member security this past July. Even before the June shooting of Minnesota State officials, the Senate Sergeant at Arms proposed a program for enhanced security options for Senators. Bipartisan Senate Appropriations leaders have expressed support to fund that effort.
Unfortunately, progress has been slow despite strong interest from Senators of both parties. So today's resolution is a step in the right direction.
First, unlike the bipartisan House plan, there is no new funding provided by today's resolution. On the other side of the Capitol, bipartisan House leaders announced that Members will receive an additional $10,000 per month to help with security. This resolution-- without further action--requires Senators to choose between either paying for office staff and operations or paying for their own personal security.
The Senate has two great security agencies: the Sergeant at Arms and the Capitol Police. They do a great job with their existing programs, and they are ready and able to do more if we give them direction and funding.
So while I am ready to support adoption of this resolution today, I do so based on the commitments from the majority leader and Democratic leader, namely: First, we will work on new security options from the Sergeant-at-Arms, in coordination with the Capitol Police; and second, we will see real funding to support enhanced Senate security; and finally, that we will see more progress in the coming weeks.
I look forward to continuing to work on a bipartisan basis to get that done.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 413) was agreed to.
(The resolution is printed in today's Record under ``Submitted Resolutions.'')
Mr. President, I send an executive resolution to the desk for the consideration of certain nominations en bloc and ask for its immediate consideration.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the title of the resolution for the information of the Senate.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
An executive resolution (S. 412) authorizing the en bloc consideration in Executive Session of certain nominations on the Executive Calendar.
Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 425.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the motion.
The motion was agreed to.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the nomination.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read the nomination of Michael G. Waltz, of Florida, to be Representative of the United States of America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations during his tenure of service as Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations.
Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 410.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the motion.
The motion was agreed to.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the nomination.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read the nomination of Michael G. Waltz, of Florida, to be the Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, with the Rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, and the Representative of the United States of America in the Security Council of the United Nations.
Mr. President, I now ask for a second reading, and in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to my own request.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The objection is heard.
The bill will be read for the second time on the next legislative day.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the Democratic leader, should the Senate receive H.R. 5371 from the House, the Senate proceed to
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. President, I rise today to recognize Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville as it celebrates 75 years of dedicated service to the people of northwest Arkansas. Since its founding in 1950, this institution has grown from a small county hospital into the region's largest health system, anchored by a state- of-the-art medical center, as well as a robust network of clinics, specialty services, and outreach programs.
Washington Regional has long been a trusted care leader, committed to improving the health and well-being of families across the rapidly growing region it serves. From earning national recognition for stroke and spine care to receiving the Lantern Award for outstanding emergency services, it continues to deliver high-quality medical attention close by for our family members, loved ones, and neighbors.
Its dedicated providers and support staff have been strong partners in promoting community health beyond just the hospital walls. Through wellness initiatives, health education, and outreach alongside local organizations, it has advanced preventative care and addressed pressing health challenges, working to ensure that even the most vulnerable Arkansans have access to the support they need.
As WRMC marks this milestone, I extend my heartfelt congratulations and gratitude to the physicians, nurses, staff, and volunteers who work very hard contributing to its mission. For 75 years, this institution has been a cornerstone of care and compassion in northwest Arkansas. I am confident that its legacy of service, innovation, and excellence will continue to strengthen the health and well-being of Arkansans for generations to come.
Mr. President, I rise today to honor a century of leadership, service and sisterhood embodied by the bright young women and alumni of the University of Arkansas's Kappa Kappa Gamma chapter, Gamma Nu. This year marks Gamma Nu's 100th anniversary of proudly encouraging and sustaining a culture of excellence and service that has enriched the campus and greater Fayetteville community.
Founded in 1925 by 15 students, Gamma Nu has grown into the largest chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma nationwide, supporting 650 active members and more than 4,000 alumnae. For a century, its members have embodied the values of scholarship, philanthropy, and character development-- setting a powerful example of what it means to lead with integrity and purpose.
Collegiate organizations like Gamma Nu play a vital role in shaping the next generation of leaders, offering young women opportunities to build confidence, develop skills, and form lifelong bonds rooted in shared values and experiences. I have seen this impact firsthand as a proud dad of three Gamma Nu alumnae. It is evident that their time in the chapter helped prepare them to pursue service and leadership, and I know that is the case for countless of their peers.
From organizing defense stamp drives during World War II to supporting literacy and mental health initiatives today, the women of Gamma Nu have consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to uplifting and giving back to the community. Their efforts have supported causes ranging from Arkansas Children's Hospital to the National Eating Disorders Association, and their volunteer work continues to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
Gamma Nu women have long been leaders on campus--serving in student government, excelling in academics and athletics, and representing the university with distinction. Their chapter house, a landmark on West Maple Street, stands as a symbol of tradition and transformation, having evolved to meet the needs of a growing and dynamic membership.
The chapter's centennial celebration will bring together hundreds of alumnae and current members to reflect on their shared legacy and look ahead to the future. I am pleased to join them in the celebration of a new Panhellenic scholarship--the Kappa Kappa Gamma Centennial Leadership Award--designed to honor an outstanding Panhellenic leader outside of the Gamma Nu chapter, and the unveiling of a commemorative fountain to encourage thoughtful gathering and reflection.
As Gamma Nu embarks on its second century, I commend its members, past and present, for their contributions to the University of Arkansas, the region and beyond. May their legacy continue to inspire generations of women to lead with courage, serve with compassion, and uphold the values that have defined a remarkable first 100 years.
Mr. President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is still available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications that have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such an annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
Mr. President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is still available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications that have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such an annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
Mr. President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is still available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications that have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such an annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
Mr. President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is still available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications that have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such an annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
Mr. President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30
In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is still available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications that have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such an annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
Mr. President, while I voted No on S. Res. 377, which calls for an up or down vote on 48 nominations, en bloc, I would have voted yes on the following nominations if I had the opportunity to vote on each nomination separately:
Mr. President, this week, I filed a bill, as I do multiple different weeks. I don't come every week
I also don't come to this floor very often and read an entire bill to this body, but I want to do that today. It is not long. It is literally just half a page. But it reaffirms something that I think should be pretty simple for all of us but for some reason has become controversial in the past few decades.
Here is the whole bill. It says:
Now, this should be pretty simple for us as Americans. We should treat religious organizations on a college campus the same as every other organization. The university shouldn't be able to reach into some organizations and say ``Because you are religious, we need to tone you down'' or ``Because you are religious, we need to pick your leadership for you because we want to pick your leadership.''
I will tell you, most Americans would say ``No one does that anyway''--except they did. Under the Biden administration, this became an issue, where multiple different colleges and universities would reach into different religious organizations on campus and would deny them access to be able to be on campus and use campus facilities at all or they would say: We don't like the way you pick your leadership. You need to have a broader perspective of leadership from multiple different perspectives of the campus. It can't just be your particular faith in your religious organization.
It became the most bizarre set of ideas that came out of the Department of Education to say a Jewish organization had to pick non- Jewish leaders to be the leadership of their organization or non- Christians had to also be selected as leaders of their Christian organization on campus.
We are like, what in the world? What happened to the basic right of association and affiliation that is a constitutionally protected right?
That never happened to nonreligious organizations; it seemed to only happen to religious organizations.
So while we have common agreement on this as Americans and while that rule is now not being applied under the Trump administration, I raise a very simple bill to say: Why can't we, as all Americans, agree that religious organizations on college campuses should be treated exactly the same as every other organization on any college campus? That should be basic.
So I bring a very simple bill to be able to resolve that one big issue and to say let's make this once and for all just a policy that we have as Americans.
Now, I bring this up because it needs to be addressed, but I also bring this up because next week, there is a significant event that is going to happen all around the country--quite frankly, all around the world--that some people won't even notice but, quite frankly, is Earth- shattering.
Thirty-five years ago, a group of students gathered around a flagpole early in the morning to be able to pray for their school. It was in 1990. It ended up being about 46,000 total students in 4 different States, including my State of Oklahoma, that just kind of gathered. The word kind of spread organically that one Wednesday morning in September, students--high school and middle school students--would just go and do one day publicly what they do privately other days; that is, pray for their teachers, pray for their faculty at school, pray for each other, pray for their parents, and pray for the Nation.
So in September of 1990, around 46,000--we don't know the exact number--students in 4 different States just quietly gathered to pray. Now, that may not seem like a big deal, but in 1990, there was a great debate that was still spinning on this issue. In fact, that year, that September day, at at least one of those gatherings, the sheriff's department came out and arrested the students for praying--praying--on their school campus before class started.
The result of that was that the next September, a million students showed up to pray--a million, documented. From almost every State in America, teenagers showed up at their high school or their middle school campus just to be able to pray. They didn't have teachers with them; they didn't have youth pastors with them--just students. They gathered at their pole. It was a simple thing called See You at the Pole--just that simple. They would encourage each other just to be able to show up that one day in September to be able to pray publicly for their parents, for their Nation, for their campus, and for what was going on in their community.
It became the largest student prayer movement that we know of in the history of the Nation. Year after year in September, one Wednesday, students from around the Nation would gather. It was about 3 years later that it started spreading globally, to where literally students from around the world were just going to their flagpole, and they would just gather to be able to pray.
Now, people have said over the years: Why a flagpole? Well, it is because every school has a flagpole, and so it became just a common cry. It kind of seems like ``See you at the principal's office'' doesn't ring as true. But it was just like, what does every single campus have? Every single campus has a flagpole. So that simple statement, ``See you at the pole,'' became really a challenge to say ``See you at a spot where we can pray.''
There is a lot going on in the country right now--a lot. There is a lot of anger, there is a lot of frustration, and there are a lot of questions about what happens next.
For 35 years, students have gone to their flagpole and have prayed for the Nation. My simple request of them again this year is to do it again. This Nation could use some prayer. This Nation could use a generation rising up to be able to say: No one is going to stop us from praying.
It is the most simple request that we have--to not go to government but to go to God and say: We need your help. We need your intervention.
I am always proud of a group of students at a high school football game that finish the game or that start the game just taking a knee to be able to pray for each other, pray for safety, and then go out and hit each other as hard as they possibly can on the football field. But it is always fun for me to be able to watch the sportsmanship that begins with two teams that gather together to pray, and it is almost always just one player on each of the teams that drops that idea and says: We should do this. Our team should do this.
It is not led by the coaches. It is not led by the teachers. It is led by students that just say: Let's ask God to help us in this.
I am always impressed when I am on high school and junior high campuses as I walk around the campus during lunch, and I see everyone kind of gathering for lunch and all the conversation happening, and I will see a couple students over in the corner, as they sit down at their lunch, to be able to just bow their heads for just a simple moment to be able to thank God for their food.
I am always impressed when I hear about groups of students that get together on a regular basis just to be able to have Bible study together, just to be able to pray for each other. They face a lot of pressure. They face a lot of challenges in this day and age. It is resetting and centering when they actually stop to say: Let's pray about that.
I am tremendously impressed that for 35 years--now a second generation of students are gathering at their flagpoles the fourth Wednesday of September to be able to just pray for each other, pray for their teachers, pray for their school, and this time, an earnest plea to God to help our Nation.
I am proud of students of faith and how they gather to be able to say: These days are dark, but we believe in a God who gives light, and we will choose to be a light on our own campus and do what we can to be able to serve each other and to be able to serve our schools.
Those are the role models that we need in a new generation. Those are the folks that we look forward to seeing what they do in the days ahead.
As fun as it is to me, students that are gathering this year are the children of the first generation that gathered 35 years ago to start a movement to be able to pray. Thirty-five years ago, I was a youth minister. I was a part of that first See You at the Pole in 1990. I was in leadership, helping organize students in getting the word out, to be able to say ``What can we do''--what can we do--``to serve each other and the Nation?'' The obvious answer began with ``Let's pray.''
See You at the Pole was born. It wasn't my idea. It was a group of students' idea. I just got to help fan the flame.
Students of this Nation need the encouragement of this body to be able to say ``well done'' and set a fresh new example; be the next generation of leaders; be the people who will rise up and do what is right; be the role models that are desperately needed; be individuals who will actually not only have a faith but live your faith--all the principles of the faith.
We can certainly use individuals in our Nation right now who are living the most basic principles of loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and loving your neighbor as yourself.
To the students of this Nation, I would encourage them to ``see you at the pole'' next Wednesday morning.
This coming Wednesday morning, September 24, you can be assured I am going to be parked across the street from a campus watching a group of students pray for a Nation that needs help. I will join them and say, ``God help us. We need your help.'' I will see you at the pole.
S. 2871. A bill to take certain Federal land in the State of California into trust for the benefit of the Pit River Tribe, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Pit River Land Transfer Act of 2025. This bill would transfer 584 acres of Federal land, administered by the Forest Service, to the Secretary of the Interior to be held in trust for the Pit River Tribe, California.
The Pit River Tribe consists of 11 autonomous bands traditionally inhabiting the area surrounding the Pit River and its tributaries. They are known for their deep spiritual connection to the land, with a rich cultural heritage centered around fishing, hunting, and seasonal gatherings. Today, they continue to preserve their traditions while engaging in efforts to reclaim ancestral lands and promote tribal sovereignty.
The proposed land to be transferred is known as the Four Corners Property, located in Shasta County. Today, the Four Corners Federal land is located in the ancestral territory of the Tribe, which the Tribe has historically used and has an ongoing relationship with.
This legislation is a commonsense step forward that will empower the Tribe to better serve their communities and empower Tribal self-growth. I want to thank Senator Schiff for cosponsoring this bill, and I also want to thank Republican Congressman Doug LaMalfa for introducing companion legislation in the House.
S. 2881. A bill to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of California, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Ackerson Meadow Land Exchange Act. This legislation will facilitate a simple land exchange between the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service in the Sierra Nevada.
This bill would transfer 160 acres of Stanislaus National Forest land to the National Park Service to be managed as part of Yosemite National Park and transfer 170 acres of National Park land to the Forest Service to manage as part of Stanislaus National Forest. The land in the exchange is known as Ackerson Meadow.
Ackerson Meadow is one of the largest midelevation meadows in the Sierra Nevada. It is an ecologically and regionally critical wildlife corridor, and the scenic meadow is an important habitat for the State endangered great grey owl and little willow flycatcher, as well as a suite of additional at-risk wildlife species. In 2016, a coalition of conservation groups donated Ackerson Meadow to Yosemite National Park; however, it is almost completely surrounded by Stanislaus National Forest and only partially contiguous to the rest of Yosemite National Park.
The current configuration of land management presents logistical challenges to both NPS and Forest Service; therefore, both Agencies, as well as local stakeholders, support this land exchange.
I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this straightforward legislation to better manage the land in and around Ackerson Meadow.
S. 2889. A bill to promote minimum State requirements for the prevention and treatment of concussions caused by participation in school sports, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Mr. President, this week, I filed a bill, as I do multiple different weeks. I don't come every week
I also don't come to this floor very often and read an entire bill to this body, but I want to do that today. It is not long. It is literally just half a page. But it reaffirms something that I think should be pretty simple for all of us but for some reason has become controversial in the past few decades.
Here is the whole bill. It says:
Now, this should be pretty simple for us as Americans. We should treat religious organizations on a college campus the same as every other organization. The university shouldn't be able to reach into some organizations and say ``Because you are religious, we need to tone you down'' or ``Because you are religious, we need to pick your leadership for you because we want to pick your leadership.''
I will tell you, most Americans would say ``No one does that anyway''--except they did. Under the Biden administration, this became an issue, where multiple different colleges and universities would reach into different religious organizations on campus and would deny them access to be able to be on campus and use campus facilities at all or they would say: We don't like the way you pick your leadership. You need to have a broader perspective of leadership from multiple different perspectives of the campus. It can't just be your particular faith in your religious organization.
It became the most bizarre set of ideas that came out of the Department of Education to say a Jewish organization had to pick non- Jewish leaders to be the leadership of their organization or non- Christians had to also be selected as leaders of their Christian organization on campus.
We are like, what in the world? What happened to the basic right of association and affiliation that is a constitutionally protected right?
That never happened to nonreligious organizations; it seemed to only happen to religious organizations.
So while we have common agreement on this as Americans and while that rule is now not being applied under the Trump administration, I raise a very simple bill to say: Why can't we, as all Americans, agree that religious organizations on college campuses should be treated exactly the same as every other organization on any college campus? That should be basic.
So I bring a very simple bill to be able to resolve that one big issue and to say let's make this once and for all just a policy that we have as Americans.
Now, I bring this up because it needs to be addressed, but I also bring this up because next week, there is a significant event that is going to happen all around the country--quite frankly, all around the world--that some people won't even notice but, quite frankly, is Earth- shattering.
Thirty-five years ago, a group of students gathered around a flagpole early in the morning to be able to pray for their school. It was in 1990. It ended up being about 46,000 total students in 4 different States, including my State of Oklahoma, that just kind of gathered. The word kind of spread organically that one Wednesday morning in September, students--high school and middle school students--would just go and do one day publicly what they do privately other days; that is, pray for their teachers, pray for their faculty at school, pray for each other, pray for their parents, and pray for the Nation.
So in September of 1990, around 46,000--we don't know the exact number--students in 4 different States just quietly gathered to pray. Now, that may not seem like a big deal, but in 1990, there was a great debate that was still spinning on this issue. In fact, that year, that September day, at at least one of those gatherings, the sheriff's department came out and arrested the students for praying--praying--on their school campus before class started.
The result of that was that the next September, a million students showed up to pray--a million, documented. From almost every State in America, teenagers showed up at their high school or their middle school campus just to be able to pray. They didn't have teachers with them; they didn't have youth pastors with them--just students. They gathered at their pole. It was a simple thing called See You at the Pole--just that simple. They would encourage each other just to be able to show up that one day in September to be able to pray publicly for their parents, for their Nation, for their campus, and for what was going on in their community.
It became the largest student prayer movement that we know of in the history of the Nation. Year after year in September, one Wednesday, students from around the Nation would gather. It was about 3 years later that it started spreading globally, to where literally students from around the world were just going to their flagpole, and they would just gather to be able to pray.
Now, people have said over the years: Why a flagpole? Well, it is because every school has a flagpole, and so it became just a common cry. It kind of seems like ``See you at the principal's office'' doesn't ring as true. But it was just like, what does every single campus have? Every single campus has a flagpole. So that simple statement, ``See you at the pole,'' became really a challenge to say ``See you at a spot where we can pray.''
There is a lot going on in the country right now--a lot. There is a lot of anger, there is a lot of frustration, and there are a lot of questions about what happens next.
For 35 years, students have gone to their flagpole and have prayed for the Nation. My simple request of them again this year is to do it again. This Nation could use some prayer. This Nation could use a generation rising up to be able to say: No one is going to stop us from praying.
It is the most simple request that we have--to not go to government but to go to God and say: We need your help. We need your intervention.
I am always proud of a group of students at a high school football game that finish the game or that start the game just taking a knee to be able to pray for each other, pray for safety, and then go out and hit each other as hard as they possibly can on the football field. But it is always fun for me to be able to watch the sportsmanship that begins with two teams that gather together to pray, and it is almost always just one player on each of the teams that drops that idea and says: We should do this. Our team should do this.
It is not led by the coaches. It is not led by the teachers. It is led by students that just say: Let's ask God to help us in this.
I am always impressed when I am on high school and junior high campuses as I walk around the campus during lunch, and I see everyone kind of gathering for lunch and all the conversation happening, and I will see a couple students over in the corner, as they sit down at their lunch, to be able to just bow their heads for just a simple moment to be able to thank God for their food.
I am always impressed when I hear about groups of students that get together on a regular basis just to be able to have Bible study together, just to be able to pray for each other. They face a lot of pressure. They face a lot of challenges in this day and age. It is resetting and centering when they actually stop to say: Let's pray about that.
I am tremendously impressed that for 35 years--now a second generation of students are gathering at their flagpoles the fourth Wednesday of September to be able to just pray for each other, pray for their teachers, pray for their school, and this time, an earnest plea to God to help our Nation.
I am proud of students of faith and how they gather to be able to say: These days are dark, but we believe in a God who gives light, and we will choose to be a light on our own campus and do what we can to be able to serve each other and to be able to serve our schools.
Those are the role models that we need in a new generation. Those are the folks that we look forward to seeing what they do in the days ahead.
As fun as it is to me, students that are gathering this year are the children of the first generation that gathered 35 years ago to start a movement to be able to pray. Thirty-five years ago, I was a youth minister. I was a part of that first See You at the Pole in 1990. I was in leadership, helping organize students in getting the word out, to be able to say ``What can we do''--what can we do--``to serve each other and the Nation?'' The obvious answer began with ``Let's pray.''
See You at the Pole was born. It wasn't my idea. It was a group of students' idea. I just got to help fan the flame.
Students of this Nation need the encouragement of this body to be able to say ``well done'' and set a fresh new example; be the next generation of leaders; be the people who will rise up and do what is right; be the role models that are desperately needed; be individuals who will actually not only have a faith but live your faith--all the principles of the faith.
We can certainly use individuals in our Nation right now who are living the most basic principles of loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and loving your neighbor as yourself.
To the students of this Nation, I would encourage them to ``see you at the pole'' next Wednesday morning.
This coming Wednesday morning, September 24, you can be assured I am going to be parked across the street from a campus watching a group of students pray for a Nation that needs help. I will join them and say, ``God help us. We need your help.'' I will see you at the pole.
Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Pit River Land Transfer Act of 2025. This bill would transfer 584 acres of Federal land, administered by the Forest Service, to the Secretary of the Interior to be held in trust for the Pit River Tribe, California.
The Pit River Tribe consists of 11 autonomous bands traditionally inhabiting the area surrounding the Pit River and its tributaries. They are known for their deep spiritual connection to the land, with a rich cultural heritage centered around fishing, hunting, and seasonal gatherings. Today, they continue to preserve their traditions while engaging in efforts to reclaim ancestral lands and promote tribal sovereignty.
The proposed land to be transferred is known as the Four Corners Property, located in Shasta County. Today, the Four Corners Federal land is located in the ancestral territory of the Tribe, which the Tribe has historically used and has an ongoing relationship with.
This legislation is a commonsense step forward that will empower the Tribe to better serve their communities and empower Tribal self-growth. I want to thank Senator Schiff for cosponsoring this bill, and I also want to thank Republican Congressman Doug LaMalfa for introducing companion legislation in the House.
Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Ackerson Meadow Land Exchange Act. This legislation will facilitate a simple land exchange between the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service in the Sierra Nevada.
This bill would transfer 160 acres of Stanislaus National Forest land to the National Park Service to be managed as part of Yosemite National Park and transfer 170 acres of National Park land to the Forest Service to manage as part of Stanislaus National Forest. The land in the exchange is known as Ackerson Meadow.
Ackerson Meadow is one of the largest midelevation meadows in the Sierra Nevada. It is an ecologically and regionally critical wildlife corridor, and the scenic meadow is an important habitat for the State endangered great grey owl and little willow flycatcher, as well as a suite of additional at-risk wildlife species. In 2016, a coalition of conservation groups donated Ackerson Meadow to Yosemite National Park; however, it is almost completely surrounded by Stanislaus National Forest and only partially contiguous to the rest of Yosemite National Park.
The current configuration of land management presents logistical challenges to both NPS and Forest Service; therefore, both Agencies, as well as local stakeholders, support this land exchange.
I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this straightforward legislation to better manage the land in and around Ackerson Meadow.
S. 2889. A bill to promote minimum State requirements for the prevention and treatment of concussions caused by participation in school sports, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Mr. President, I have two requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders.
Pursuant to Rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:
The Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, September 18, 2025, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on nominations.
The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, September 18, 2025, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand in recess until 11 a.m. on Friday, September 19, and that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. President, tomorrow, the Senate will hold votes on two bills: the status quo continuing resolution from the Republicans, which will lead to a shutdown, and the Democrats' plan to prevent a shutdown while avoiding a catastrophe in rising healthcare costs.
Tomorrow, Americans will see the glaring contrast, the contrast between the Republican plan continuing the status quo of Donald Trump's healthcare cuts and high costs and the Democratic plan to avoid a shutdown while lowering premiums, fixing Medicaid, and protecting funds for scientific and medical research.
The latest studies, in fact, show that the impacts of the Republican healthcare cuts are quickly getting worse and worse than first imagined. This is an oncoming train that must be stopped.
So tomorrow, Republicans can choose: Either listen to Donald Trump and shut the government down or break this logjam by supporting our bill and keeping the government open. The votes tomorrow will tell all.
