♪♪ >> we're going to leave this program here to keep our over 40-year commitment to gavel to gavel congressional coverage. watch all of our programs if you go to our website c-span.org. the u.s. senate is about to come in on this wednesday morning. today lawmakers are expected to work on several judicial nominations and in just a few minutes senator majority leader chuck schumer is expected to give remarks condemning anti-semitism here on c-span2. our rock, our fortress, and our stronghold.

empower our lawmakers to change in ways that will render them more faithful to you and more responsive to your call. may they develop such moral and ethical fitness that they will clearly comprehend your desires and be eager to do your will. as they grow in grace and in knowledge of you, deliver them from the bondage of fear, as you turn their spirits toward the light of your presence. may your prevailing providence in our nation and world make them more deeply committed to you.

we pray in your majestic name. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the clerk: washington, d.c, november 29, 2023. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable peter welch, a senator from the state of vermont, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: patty murray, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: under the previous order, is the leadership time is reserved.

morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, micah w.j. smith, of hawaii, to be united states district judge for the district of hawaii. mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: mr. president,

today i come to the floor to speak on a subject of great importance, the rise of anti-semitism in america. i feel compelled to speak because i'm the highest-ranking jewish elected official in america. in fact, the highest ranking jewish elected official ever in american history. and i have noticed a significant disparity between how jewish people regard the rise of anti-semitism and how many of my nonjewish friends regard it. to us, the jewish people, the rise of anti-semitism is a crisis, a five-alarm fire that must be extinguished. for so many other people of good will, it is merely a problem, a matter of concern. so today i want to use my

platform to explain why so many jewish people see this problem as a crisis. before i get into that, i want to offer two important caveats about what this speech is not. this speech is not an attempt to label most criticism of israel and the israeli government generally as anti-semitic. i don't believe that criticism is. and this speech is also not an attempt to pit hate towards one group against that of another. i believe that bigotry against one group of americans is bigotry against all, and that's why i've championed legislation like the covid-19 hate crimes act, which targets violence against asian americans, and the nonprofit security grant program, which provides funding to help all houses of worship, churches, mosques, synagogues,

and to protects them from extreme ipe'ss -- extremists. when president trump called for a muslim ban during the first weeks of his presidency, i hemmed an emergency press conference to protest the man, alongside a muslim mom and four of her daughters, who said they feared they might never see their father again. it was a deeply distressing moment, and i'm an emotional sort. i began to cry. president trump saw me crying on tv and gave me a nickname, crying chuck schumer. i was and am proud of that moniker. the growing and vibrant arab american community is a vital part of our nation and of my city, and i condemn unequivocally any vitriol and

hatred against them. we tragically saw where such hade read -- hatred can lead sometimes, in vermont this week. that is unacceptable. but today, i want to focus my remarks on anti-semitism, because it hits so close to home for me, and because i believe this moment demands it. i have just said what this speech is not, so what is this speech about? i want to describe the fears and anxieties of many jewish americans right now, particularly after october 7, who feel there are aspects of the debate around israel and gaza that are crossing over into anti-semitism, rank anti-semitism, with jewish people simply being targeted for being jewish, having nothing to do with israel. i want to explain, through the lens of history, why this is so

dangerous, the normalization and exacerbation of this rise in hate is the danger many jewish people fear most. and finally, i want to suggest how and why i hope that all americans of good will can come together and do a better job of condemning such views and such behavior. but first, let us establish the facts. there's no question that anti-semitism is a serious problem in america. in general, jewish americans represent 2% of the u.s. population. yet, we are the targets of 55% of all religion-based hate crimes recorded by the fbi. this problem has been steadily worsening in recent years. but after hamm attacked israel on october 7, hate crimes against jewish americans have skyrocketed. the anti-defamation league estimates that anti-semitism incidents have increased nearly

300% since october 7. the nypd has recorded a 214% increase in new york city. it after october 7, jewish americans are feeling singled out, targeted, and isolated. in many ways, we feel alone. the solidarity that jewish americans initially received from many of our fellow citizens was quickly drowned out by other voices, while the dead bodies of jewish israelis were still warm, while hundreds of jewish israelis were being carried as hostages back to hamas tunnels under gaza. jewish americans were alarmed to see some of our fellow citizens characterize a brutal terrorist attack as justified because of the actions of the israel government, a vicious,

blood-kurdling, premedicated massacre of innocent women, men, children, the elderly, justified. even worse, in some cases people even celebrated what happened, describing it as the deserved fate of, quote, colonizers, and calling for glory to the martyrs who carried out these heinous attacks. that happened here in america. many of the people who express these sentiments in america aren't neo-nazis or card-carrying klan members or islamist extremists. they're in many cases that most liberal jewish americans felt previously were their ideological fellow travelers. not long ago, many of us marched together for black and you brown lives, we stood against anti-asian hatred and protested bigotry against the lgbtq

community and fought for reproductive justice out of the recognition that injustice against one one oppressed gros injustice against all. but apparently, mr. president, in the eyes of some, this principle does not extend to the jewish people. the ?iefers of decades of -- the survivors of decades of pogroms in russia, the holocaust, their children and grandchildren and great grandchildren, forcibly evicted from arab countries and their descendants, the many safardin scattered across the mediterranean after being expelled from spain and portugal in the late 1400's. do they not deserve the solidarity of those who advocate for the rights and dig nipt of the oppressed? -- dignity of the oppressed, given the long history of persecution ever the jewish people throughout the world? many of those protesting israeli

policy note that at least 700,000 palestinians displaced or forced from their homes in 1948, but they never mention the 600,000 jews across the arab world also displaced, whose property was confiscated, whose lives were threatened, who were expelled from their communities. the hope at the time was that there would be two states, a jewish state and a palestinian state, living side by side. the plan was for the state of israel to be a sosh the jewish people from -- to absorb the jewish people from the arab lands and the new palestinian state to absorb palestinians living in israel. israel did absorb the displaced people of arab lands. but the arab nations instead sanctioned the united nations to set up refugee camps for the palestinians, refusing to step the possibility that any of them would ever be relocated.

several times throughout history, israeli prime ministers called for a return to close to the pre-1967 borders established by the united states plan. those calls were rejected by yasser arafat, the plo and the wider arab community. many, if not most, jewish americans, including myself, support a two-state solution. we disagree with prime minister netanyahu and his administration's encouragement of militant settlers in the west bank, which has become a considerable obstacle to a two-state nation. but the reason why i invoke history about the founding of the israeli state is because forgetting or even deliberately ignoring this vital context is dangerous. some of the most extreme rhetoric against israel has emboldened antisemites who are attacking jewish people simply

because they are jewish. independent of anything having to do with israel. and those who are inclined to examine the world through the lens of oppressors versus the oppressed should take note that the testimony thousands of years of jewish history are defined by oppression. from october 7, 2023, in southern israel, to 2018 at the tree of life synagogue in pittsburgh, to 1999 at the los angeles jcc to 1986 at the synagogue in istanbul to 1974 at the elementary school, to yom kip yur, 1973 in the golan heights, to 1972 at the munich olympics and airport. to 1967 at the straits of tehran to the 1940's and 1930's in germany and central europe to the 1800's, to 1679 in yemen, to

1492 in spain, 1394 in france, 1290 in england to the crusades in the middle ages to 629 in galilei. to the year 73 in jerusalem, to 586 b.c. in judaha, to 722 in sumaria, to the 13th century in egypt, is the jewish people have been humiliated, expelled, enslaved and massacred for a millennia, century after century at passover, this is the bread of affliction that our forefathers aid in the land of egypt in every generation they rise up to destroy us.

for jewish people all across the word, the history of our tawm going back many generations is central to any discussion about our future. to many americans, especially in our younger generation, too many americans, especially in our younger generation, don't have a full understanding of this history because some jewish people have done well in america, because israel has increased its power and territory, there are people who feel that jewish americans are not vulnerable. that we have the strength and security to overcome prejudice and bigotry, that we have, to quote the language of some, the, quote, oppressors. in fact, anti-semitic conspiracy theories throughout the generations often theorize, often weaponize this very dynamic by pitting the successes

the jewish people have done with their countrymen. it has happened throughout history. it's happening now. for jewish americans, any strength in security we enjoy always feels tenuous, no matter how well we're doing, it can all be taken away in an instant. that's just how it is we only have to look back a century, a few generations to see how this can happen. growing up, my remember my grandfather telling me he rooted for germany over russia in word war i because they treated people so much better. in the early 1900's, jewish communities were one of the plos prospect communities. but that changed when there were rallies decrying the war

profiteers, communists, many germans of goodwill stayed silent or marched alonged isside of them not -- alongside of them not realizing what they were doing, but it was eventually clear that the terms war profiteers, communists represented the jewish people who hitler called para sights, feet -- parasites. the nazi softened the ground for what hitler eventually stated was his true goal, the annihilation of the jewish race in europe. so many of those germans of goodwill who marched in the early years of hitler's ascension stayed on the sidelines. the end result, as we all know,

was the most targeted and systemic genocide in all of human history. six million jewish people were exterminated in a few years while so many others turned a blind eye. history shows that anti-semitism is deeply embedded in europe. i have always said it is the poison of europe -- anti-semitism is the poison of european societies. and while we're thankfully a far way aways from nazi germany today, this is why many people worry about the marchs today, especially in europe. what may begin as legitimate criticism of israeli policy or a valid debate over other religious or economic or political issues can sometimes cross into something darker. attacking jewish people for simply being jewish.

obviously many of those marching here in the u.s. do not have any evil intent, but when jewish people hear chants like from the river to the sea, a founding slogan of hamas, a terrorist group not shy about their goal to eradicate the jewish people in israel and around the globe, we are alarmed. when we see signs in the crowd that read by any means necessary after the most violent attack ever against israeli civilians, we are appalled, the casual invocation of such savagery. when we see protesters at macy's thanksgiving day parade compare the holocaust to the israeli army's action to defeat hamas in self-defense of their people, we are shocked. and when we see many people in news organizations remain

neutral about the basic absurdity of these kraims and actions -- of these claims and actions, we are deeply disappointed. more than anything, we are worried quite naturally given the twists and turns of history of where these actions could eventually lead. now, this is no intellectual exercise for us. for many jewish people it's like a matter of survival informed once again by history, in this case, very personal his troy me. take this -- history to me. take the story of my family. my grandfather came to ellis island at a young age without an education, he was a -- he would steal apples from a push cart to survive. he ended up with the paperworkers in new york, and

helped form the union there but lost his job in the leadup to world war ii and came back to new york city and bought a little exterminating service. his son, my father, followed in his footsteps and took over the exterminating business, my father struggled, barely making ends meet, but with my mom he provided a stable home in brooklyn for my siblings and me where we were able to flourish and because of the tolerance and openness and opportunity that courses throughout americans life, i stand before you as the highest elected office a jewish person has ever attaind in the history of this country. only in america -- only in america could an exterminator's son grow up to be the first jewish party leader in the senate. but it must be said also, this is not the norm in the grand and

long scheme of jewish history. while my grandfather came to america and encountered opportunity, many of his siblings, cousins and aunts and ungles remained -- uncles remained behind in europe. i was told why our family tree stopped growing in 1941, they asked my great grandmother, the wife of a locally revered rabbi to gather her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren on the porch of her home in the town square. as more than 30 people gathered on the porch, the nazis forced the remaining jewish citizens of the town to gather in the town square and watch. when the nazis told my great grandmother, you are coming with us, she refused and they machine gunned down every last one of

them, the babies, the elderly, everybody in between. this story resonated deeply in my heart when i first started learning the details of the october 7 massacre in israel. i was in china with a bipartisan delegation of my -- with my fellow senators, like to get president xi jinping to stop the flow of fentanyl across the borders. as the horrors of october 7 starred to come into focus, the israeli ambassador to china shared with me the story of what she heard had happened in one of the kibbutz. hamas terrorists entered the kibbutz on october 7 p and killed more than 100 israeli jewish residents from the elderly to babies. this is not the first time i heard of evil being committed against the jewish people. most, if not all jewish

americans, know stories similar to that of my family, and most, if not all of us, learned this story at a young able. it will be imprinted in our hearts for as long as we live. all jewish americans carry in them the scar -- of this -- tissue of this general racial trauma and that forms how we are experiencing and processing the rhetoric of today. we see and hear things differently from others because we're deeply sensitive to the deprivations and horrors that can follow the targeting of jewish people if it is not repudiated, which brings me back to today. while many protesters no doubt view their actions as an expression of solidarity with the palestinian people, for much jewish people, we feel some of the most extreme rhetoric is

darker ideas that has lurked below the surface of every question involving the jewish people. anti-semites have always trafficked in coded action, an action to did define jewish is unworthy of rights and privileges afforded to other groups. there are people who chant from the river to see palestinian will be free, not because they hate jewish people, but because they support a better future for palestinians. but there is no question that hamas and other terrorist organizations have used this slogan to represent their intention to eliminate jewish people not only from israel but from every corner of the earth. given the history of oppression, expulsion and state violence, there is practically embedded in jewish dna, can you blame the jewish people from hearing a violently anti-semitic lesson loud and clear?

any time we hear that chant, we shouldn't accept this language from anybody any more than we accept other racist dog whistles, like calling covid-19 the chinese virus. that goes for extreme right-wing jewish settlers who also used deplorable language and don't believe there should be any palestinians between the river and the sea. anti-semites are taking advantage of a pro-palestinian movement to expose hatred and bigotry to jewish people, but rather than call out this dangerous behavior for what it is, we see so many of our friends and fellow citizens, particularly young people who yearn for justice unknowingly aiding and abetting their cause. worse, many of our friends and allies whose support we need now more than ever during this moment of intense jewish pain

have brushed aside these concerns. suddenly they don't want to hear about anti-semitism or the ultimate goal of hamas. when i asked some of the marchers what they would do about hamas, then don't have an answer. many don't seem to care. and so jewish americans are left alone, at least in our eyes, to ponder what this all means and where it can lead. can you understand why the jewish people feel isolated when we hear some praise hamas and chant its vicious slogan? can you blame us for feeling vulnerable only 80 years after hitler wiped out half the jewish population across the world, why so many countries turn their back? can you appreciate the deep fear we have about what hamas might do if left to their own devices? because the long arc of jewish

history teaches us a lesson that is hard to forget. ultimately, we are alone. as a teenager, growing halfway across the world from brooklyn in -- from israel, i remember feeling this aloneness myself. when many of the world's airlines boycotted israel so they could maintain business with the arab world, i admired air france as a little boy because only they would fly to israel. i preferred to drink coca-cola to pepsi because coca did business -- coca-cola did business in israel and refused to be part of a boycott. i remember in june of 1967, walking in solitary silence to class with -- to madison high school with a transistor radio

held to my ear listening about the six-day war and praying to god that israel would survive. on top of feeling alone, the second dominant feeling that jewish people have endured throughout history has been the sting of the double standard, which is the way the world has practiced anti-semitism over and over again. to the jewish people, the double standard has been ever present and is at the root of anti-semitism. the double standard is very simple -- what is good for everybody is never good for the jew. when it comes time to assign blame for some problem, the jew is always the first target. in recent decades, this double standard has manifested itself in the way much of the world treats israel differently than anybody else. the double standard was made clear to me when i was in college. i remember the day when the great and articulate israeli

ambassador to the united states abba iban was invited to lecture on campus while the students for democratic society and the progressive labor party were waging a campaign against israel's right to exist. 2,000 people gathered in a large auditorium to see ambassador iban and the members of the sdsplp sat in the gallery, hanging a banner saying fight the zionist imperialists. when the members of the sd s&p lp drive -- sds and plp tried to shout him down, he pointed to the gallery, and with his inflection calmly but strongly delivered a statement that i will never forget and i will paraphrase now, he said, i am talking to you up there in the gallery. every time a people gets their statehood, you applaud it. the nigerians, the pakistanis, the zambians, you applaud their

getting statehood. there is only one people when they gain statehood you don't applaud, you condemn it, and that is the jewish people. we jews are used to that, he said, we have lived with the double standard throughout the centuries. there are always things the jews couldn't do, everyone could be a farmer but not the jew, everyone could be a carpenter but not the jew, he said, everyone could move to moscow but not the jew, and everyone can have their own state but not the jew. there is a word for it, he said to them, that is anti-semitism and i accuse you in the gallery of it. and the protestors slinked off. this double standard per sicheses in america today -- persists in america today and is leaving jewish people feeling isolated and alone. in the immediate aftermath of october 7, an attack on

defenseless civilians, the early early, women, baseballs, a good number of people -- babies, a good number of people passed actions on the israeli government. can anyone imagine a terrorist attack in another country receiving such a reception? when hamas terrorists actively hide behind innocent palestinians, knowing many of those civilians will die in the israeli response, why does the chris system for any -- critic tism for any civilian death fall exclusively on israel, not at all on hamas? my heart breaks for the thousands of palestinian civilians killed or suffering in this conflict, so many children, and i have urged the israeli government to minimize civilian casualties on many occasions. by committing such heinous atrocities on october 7, before sneaking back into their tunnels

underneath hospitals and in refugee camps in geaz, hamas -- gaza, hamas invited an immense civilian toll, exploiting the double standard that so. of the world applies to israel. of course, let me repeat that does not relief israel of the responsibilities to protect innocent palestinian lives. i've been among the first to tell israeli leaders they must act according to international law. i'm also fighting for critical humanitarian aid for palestinians, that this senate under my leadership is working to deliver. so, i rise in this chamber today, i am speaking up to issue a warning informed by lessons of history too often forgotten. no matter what our beliefs, no matter where we stand on the war in gaza, all of us must condemn anti-semitism with full-throated

clarity wherever we see it before it metastasizes into something even worse. because right now, that's what jewish americans fear most. the spike in anti-semitism we're experiencing right now in america began after the worst instance of violence committed against jewish people since the holocaust. the vitriol against israel in the wake of october 7 is all too often crossing a line into brazen and widespread anti-semitism, the likes of which we haven't seen for generations in this country, if ever. which is why we need to name it clearly anytime we see it. after october 7, when boycotts were organized against jewish businesses in philadelphia that have nothing to do with israel, that is anti-semitism. after october 7, when swastikas

appeared on jewish delhis on the upper eastside, that is anti-semitism. after october 7, when protestors in california shouted at jewish americans, hitler should have smashed you, that is anti-semitism. after october 7, when a jewish u.s. senator was vialently threat -- violently threatened for her juice on israel, that it is ?oism. when students on college campuses who wear a yamicca, or display a jewish star, pushed, spat upon and punched, that is anti-semitism. after october 7, when an author and prominent left wing magazine labeled the pro-israel rally in washington a hate rally, that is anti-semitism. i attended that rally like tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of others, because i believe there should be a place of refuge for the jewish people.

not because i wish violence on palestinians or any other people. and mr. president, after octobet hillcrest high school in queens ran rampant in the hallways and demanded the firing of a teacher, these are high school students, demanding the firing of a teacher just because that teacher attended a rally supporting israel and forced her to hide in a locked office for hours while staff struggled to regain control, that is anti-semitism. walking out of the school to march in support of palestinians is completely legitimate, but forcing a jewish teacher to remain as she described, locked in an office because she attended a rally in support for israel is anti-semitism, pure

and simple. in fact, mr. president, the teacher who i'm speakerring about is sitting in the -- who i'm speaking about is sitting in the gallery today, right now. i invited her to come and listen. and i am truly honored that she accepted my invitation. that is true courage. i believe it shows just how strongly so many jewish americans feel about the issue. she has requested anonymity, which i ask everybody present and everyone in the media to please respect. but i say to her from the bottom of my heart, thank you for being here. thank you for caring. i have just listed a few of the so many examples, there are so many more, of pure, unadulterated anti-semitism has dramatically increased since october 7.

but the roots of pluralistic, multiethnic democracy are deep in america. this is a place where jewish people have been able to flourish alongside so many other immigrant groups. we must never lose sight of just how special that is, nor must we ever stop fighting for it. all americans share a responsibility and obligation to fight back whenever we see the rise of prejudice of any type in our midst. to preserve this nation as a promised land of refuge, as a land that honors the dignity of every individual, as the land of opportunity for all. so my plea, my plea, my fervent plea to the american people of all creeds and backgrounds is this, first, learn the history of the jewish people who have been abandoned repeatedly by their fellow countrymen. i said this particularly to younger people who didn't live

with any of this history. learn the history of the jewish people who have been left isolated and alone to combat anti-semitism through the centuries. second, reject the illogical and anti-semitic double standard that is once again being applied to the plight of jewish victims and hostages, to some of the actions of the israeli government, and even to the very existence of a jewish state. that is a double standard. there's no durking from it. -- there's no ducking from it. third, understand why jewish people defend israel. not because we wish harm on palestinians, but because we fear a world where israel is forced to tolerate the existence of groups like hamas that want to wipe out all jewish people

from the planet, some of us watch this film, which the public can't see, which showed the brutality and viciousness that every israeli citizen and every jew feels. we fear a world where israel, a place of refuge for jewish people, will no longer exist. if there is no israel, there will be no place, no place for jewish people to go when they are persecuted in other countries. as an adult, i remember watching my grandfather, one of the few in his family to survive the hol cast, back -- the holocaust, being overwhelmed by emotion, breaking down in tears when he saw israel for the first time. this had nothing to do with politics or money or racism or oppression. it was deeply human. the emotional catharsis of a man whose family was uprooted and

exterminated, finally stepping foot in the place of refuge for his people, the place that the jewish people had yearned for, not just for decades or centuries, but for millennia. so many of my aunts and uncles and cousins and nieces and nephews would be alive today had israel existed before world war ii, as i said before. many jewish americans fear what the fiewsh may bring -- what the future may bring, based on the repeated lessons of history. many jewish americans see clear anti-semitism in the double standard being weestledded by too many -- wielded by too many poarchts of israel -- opponents of israel. this is apart from anything to do with israel. maybe worst of all, many jewish americans feel alone to face all of this, abandoned by too many friends and allies in our greatest time of need.

as anti-semitic hate crimes skyrocket across the country. i implore every person, every community, every institution to stand with jewish americans, not to ignore it, not to shrug your shoulders, to denounce it as anti-semitism in all its forms, especially the double standard wielded against the jewish people for generations to isolate us. the time for solidarity must be now. nothing less than the future of the american experiment hangs in the balance. building a more perfect union, one that fulfills our founding ideals is our longest and most solemn struggle as a country. as americans, we are called on to do all we can to achieve that higher standard. we are stewards of the flames of liberty, tolerance, equality that warm our american melting

pot and make it possible for jewish americans to prosper alongside palestinian americans and every other immigrant group from all over the world. are we a nation that can defy the regular course of human history, where the jewish people have been ostracized, expelled, and massacred over and over again? i believe, truly believe in my heart, that the answer can and must be a resounding yes. and i will do everything in my power as senate majority leader, as a jewish american, as a citizen of a free society, as a human being, to make it happen. may it be god's will. i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

quorum call: but i also think a lot of you don't know that i've worked with anna even for the energy and committee and she's played a critical role outside

of the committee in many ways, particularly with armenian across his caucus. if the stuff for anna the house would never recognize the armenian genocide which is such an important thing in history of armenians, that that happened, that we did that. so thank you, anna. and tony, i to say tony coordinates the alone time leader on the subcommittee. he's also served as vice chair of our consumer protection and commerce subcommittee. these led several ofll our key efforts to put mr. mcconnell: i had an opportunity to watch the majority leader's speech this morning. it was extraordinary. i want to compliment him for providing a history lesson for americans about the history of the jewish people and putting it in context with the conflict

that's under way. so i want to thank him and associate myself with his remarks. i share his disgust at the alarming rise of anti-semitism in america and around the world in the wake of the october 7 attacks. so, again, i stand with him in condemning this hatred and i stand with our ally israel as it defends literally its right to exist. on another subject, border security is actually national security. this is not just a statement of legislative priorities or partisan politics. it's a fact of human history. the senate has little more than two weeks to deliver

supplemental legislation on the four urgent national security priorities and each one of them deals directly with the questions of border and sovereignty. for over a decade, putin has been trying redraw the borders of europe. he's invaded and occupied georgia and ukraine. he's attempted assassinations and influenced operations on foreign soil. and he's exploited humanitarian crises to weaponize migrant flows to europe, including most recently at the border of finland. meanwhile, the hamas terrorists who rule gaza violated sovereign borders on their way to slaughtering 1,200 israelis and

taking hundreds more hostages. these savages stated objective is to erase the borders of the state of israeli, quote, -- israel from, quote, from river to the sea. china is also keen on challenging borders, the prc are used force in an attempt to gain an upper hand along its border with india. it's expanded its military footprint in the south china sea and threatened to resort to territorial disputes with multiple neighbors by force, and their investment in military modernization are aimed at threatening taiwan sovereignty and bringing the island to heal.

borders matter, sovereignty matters. the united states is a global superpower with global interests and we have an interest in -- autocrats and terrorists from the borders of europe, middle east and the indo-pacific. because if we leave them unchecked, these aggressors will keep challenging borders and keep starting wars. borders are intrinsically and universally about a nation's security. controlling and defending them is the essential predicate of sovereignty. so it's not by accident in addressing national security priorities, senate republicans are working so hard on policy changes to restore security to

america's own borders. trying to clean up the biden administration's border crisis isn't some arbitrary interest that is unless you ask the democratic leader. according to the senior senator from new york, the national security crisis' party has abetted at the southern border is extraneous to the national security supplemental before the senate. the way our colleague sees it, securing our own borders, as we help our allies and partners defend their sovereignty, would be dangerous. dangerous? here's the real word -- world. what's dangerous is denying the humanitarian and national security crisis festering at america's southern border on

president biden's watch. what's dangerous is accepting the record numbers of illegal aliens surging across our borders as the new normal. what's dangerous is defending our open borders and a broken asylum and parole system even at the risk of urgent assistance to our partners in ukraine, israel, and asia. the biden administration's open borders will rank among its biggest national security failures, plain and simple. but if senate democrats refuse to take border security policy changes seriously, they'll also be wrapping america's weakness up as a krits mass gift -- christmas gift to russia, china, and iran. borders are an essential element of national security, they are

not extraneous. we must secure and defend sovereign borders beginning right here at home. if we fail to upheld this -- uphold this basic fundamental responsibility, america and our frenders around the world will pay dearly. -- and our friend around the world will pay dealer. -- dearly. on another matter, president biden son the road and is facing an uphill battle to convince the american people that bidenomics is somehow working. he has been touring the country with a rosy assessment of the economy on his watch. he's been telling working americans about what the administration's obsession with radical climate policy is doing for them but by overwhelming margins, the american people haven't been buying what the president is selling.

polls continue to show that for millions of families, bidenomics is just a code for higher prices, shrinking paychecks, and lower quality of life. the entire nation watched in real time as the biden administration's war on domestic energy drove the price of gas and home heating through the roof. taxpayers watched washington democrats turn their hard-earned dollars into subsidies for blue state liberal favorites, electric cars and home appliances. here's how one analysis put it, quote, the typical american household must spend an additional $11,440 annually to maintain the same standard of living they enjoyed in january of 2021. an extra $11,000 a year just to

stay afloat. but the biden administration's latest tactic appears to be publicly congratulating itself to prices on some every day staples were actually rising slower than at the pace it was set during his time in office. he wagged -- the president wagged his finger that american manufacturers stop the price gouging now that inflation has come down. well, the bidenomics strategy is apparently ignoring how americans are living every day. they seem to be counting on middle-class families to forget about the 40-year high inflation their spending binge helped create. they want their country to set

aside the average food prices have risen 20% since president biden took office. well, it doesn't look like the american people have any intention of suspending their disbelief about bidenomics, and who on earth would blame them? the presiding officer: the senator from new york. mrs. gillibrand: i'm here once again to highlight the stories of the people who have been and continue to be held hostage by hamas.

i'm so happy to hear that several of our hostages, whose families i have worked with have been finally returned, they include the 4-year-old abigail, whose parents were murdered in front of her eyes and faces the trauma of healing. daniellea has been visiting her sister, brother-in-law david,nd 3-year-old -- and 3-year-old twins and the -- on the day of the attack when they were taken captive. they have -- emma and julie have been released but david is in captivity. i'm grateful that members of another family i worked with have been released including a 67-year-old mother, a sister, adid's two young children, aunt

shrone and her 12-year-old daughter. it has been heartening to see these families reunited with their loved ones, to see the love and indescribable relief, and i'm grateful to the biden administration for making these reunions possible. but of course many more people remain in captivity, including emma and julie's father david and nava's father. these families are endured the worst tragedies and are still ripped apart with no idea when they will see their fathers, brothersst brothers, and sons again. t handwritten l is a 38 -- tal is a 38-year-old who loves to read and exercise and play sports. they travel in the desert areas in southern israel and spend time near the see of galliy.

david is a talented 33-year-old actor who lived with his family in near oz. they woke up on october 7 to the sound of bombs. when hamas set fires fire tor house, the shelter filled with smoke and forced them out to meet the terrorists. his american family last saw nim him in a video shared by hamas where he can be seen in the back of the truck with sharone and one of the twins. a survivor said she spoke briefly with him and he said to her, i know that i left the safe room with two babies and now i have only one. i can only imagine what it must be like for him now to have boat of his babies -- both of his babies ripped away. these two families, these fathers don't deserve to be separated from their families, they don't deserve to be kept in horrific conditions potentially with little food. as joyful as it has been to see

some of the hossance reunited with -- hostages reunited with their families, we must push for the continued release of all hossance. i will -- hostages. i will work with their families and the biden administration to get every hostage, including the nine americans home. i yield the floor. mr. thune: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from south dakota. mr. thune: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are not. mr. thune: today, i want to speak to the issue of our southern border, because i think it's a really important and relevant issue with respect to the national security package

that we're considering or that will be, i think at some point, considering hearing in the senate, that deals with many of the national security crises we face around the world. as i think about this issue, i'm always reminded that as a one generation removed from immigrant individual in this country, my grandfather came here back in 1906, i am reminded that we're a nation of immigrants. we've had throughout our history a welcoming culture in this country. we are a country made up of people from all over the world, and i'm arenative of that. as i -- i'm representative of that, one generation removed. it's also important to remember we are a nation of laws, first and foremost, and ronald reagan once said a nation without borders is not a nation, or i've heard it paraphrased that a nation that can't control its borders can't control its destiny. i believe that to be true, madam

president, and i think what we have right now at our southern border is a situation that's just run amuck. it really has. you cannot defend -- you cannot defend what's happening at our southern border if you believe we're a nation of laws, or a nation of immigrants. because you have to have a legal way to get into this country. all countries do that, and the united states is a very welcoming nation. if you look at the number of people who come here every year you look at the number of people that come ashi refugees. syou look at the number of add upan all the countries aroud the world the united states exceeds that. that's a remarkable testament to the welcoming nature of the country. it's welcoming in the sense it's done within the context of the rule of law that has toe be

front and center. we have a huge welcome sign and huge green light to come across the south he were border. that's in direct contro diction of everything our nation is about as a nation of laws. so, as i talk about this issue madam president it has become a natural security issue. once again, there has been another record set when it comes to the border and not the good kind, the good kind of record. this administration, now, has during the month of october seen 240,000 individuals be apprehended trying to cross our southern border. that's the worst october. that's on top of the three previoushi months that were rhistoric records. month of september 200,000

people trying to come in the country illegally. the highest october number ever recorded. those are just the individuals that were p apprehended. the month of october saw an average per day individuals at tthe border patrol saw but wast able to appear hand they entered the country in just one month. there is no telling how many unknown there were during that same period madam president, it suggests a situation that's out of control the closing of the fiscal year marked the third record breaking year of illegal immigration at the border for thet, biden administration.

the end of the crisis is nowhere in sight. the problems here are really too many to count. cities struggle to deal with the migrants and major cities are discovering what border cities have been going through. just as a point of fact big cities, city of new york, the mayor of new york announced he will be freezing the hiring of police officers in new york, closing librairies, and cutting education funding. this is to deal with the migrants. this is not just a problem on the southern border but

communities across the united states of america. encouraging migrants to undertake the journey to the southern border and sometimes with tragic results. i say, madam president our national security is in jeopardy because a border security problem is a national security problem. this isn't a matter of speculation, we know for a fact the dangerous individualsat attempting to make their way across the southern border. during fiscal year 2023, 169 on the terrorist watch list. this is 2023. 169 people on the terrorist watch list. trying to come across the

southern border. another 13 in ther month of october. those are the people that are apprehended at the southern border. this doesn't count to god aways. if they are on the terrorist watch list they will be pretty regood invading. people trying to come in on a daily basis that are on the terrorist watch list. on top of that you have thousands of what they call interest aliens. those are individuals that pose a threat to the united states. they have been apprehended over the past few years. the numbers we have refer to those who have been apprehended. i should say unidentified. the unknowns. many of them might have been seeking a better life. that's entirely possible.

it's not only possible, i will say likely some were dangerous individuals who should not be centering our country. madam president, this war period we expect to take-up supplemental spending for national security priorities.rt support for our allies like israel and ukraine. some national security priority and one national security priority the legislation must address iser border security. the october 7th terrorist attack national security requires constant vigilance. our nation is simply not secure to deal with the massive flow at the southern border. we must get this crisis under control. senator graham has been working onboarder security measures focusing on the two areas in

need of reform. parole and asylum. underys the system a large percentage of people claiming acai rem are released after initial screening with court dates up to a decade later. epthe associated press said in march 77 individuals claiming asylum passed the initial screening. in practice, thousands of individuals that entered the countryce illegally and took residence in our country for a number of years given our immigration court backlog, that's a problem. in fiscal year 2022 they granted parole i to 300,000 individuals. the biden department had an overly permissive application of

parole meaning tens of thousands who have not been granted legal status andin might not have a cb have been taking up residents in the country with instructions to report back a year or more in the future for farther review of the status. givenno the backlog and overwhelmed nature of the parol system this is de facto permanent residence. this invites abuse. individuals are availing themselves of the flawed policies to gain entry to the nation. any supplemental legislation must not deal with border security but with our asylum and parol system if we want the crisis atri the southern border under control. madam president, the outpour is a national security vulnerabili.

republicans know it. not admit it my democratic colleagues know it as well.l. it's time for them to act on that knowledge and join republicans to pass real border security measures as part of the national security supplemental. madam president, i yield the floor. mr. schatz: mr. president. the presiding officer: the >> thank you, madam president. i begin my prepared remarks i'd like to acknowledge schumer for his personal

compelling andes essential remarks on the rise of anti-semitism across the country it was needed and accurate and touched me. madam president, we are about to see the beginning of cop 28. the annual international meeting to take climate action. this isct a little different. america finally took historic action the message they will bring to this cop, cop 28 beginningal tomorrow we took the

biggest climate action in history. is itre more than we have ever done before, absolutely. the cope is a unique opportunity for governments to work together andhe coordinate their responseo what is the greatist challenge greatest challenge of our time. it's effecting more and more people including all of us in the united states. recognizing congress took the biggest climate action in american history a year ago with the inflation reduction act. setting targets to dramatically reduce carbon admissionsall of

the things the clean energy side said none of the things they were fearing happened. it's working faster and better and more powerfully than our experts were able to project. there is still more to come. the ira is proof that big bold climate action is not just possible but benefits everyone. it offered a road map for the rest of the world as my dear

friend and family member, may she rest in peace madeline albrigtt. still be especially tuned in for what the united states will do or say. what actions will they take we were going so they are still in. they are still committed to climate action.

they were able to do something this year and last year. it was hard to make that case year-over-year over year. we try to tell everybody. weio haven't done it at the scae that's necessary. this is n different, now we have done it. it's working and equal to the task in front of us and every other nation should capitalize on this opportunity and do their own version of the inflation reduction act. this is a real chance for us to put words into action. we have been talking about what to do y for climate for years. it's time to put the resources and money behind the pledges as time runs out. what absolutely cannot happen in the conference is it cannot be by fossil fuel.

all the while actively expanding their fuel enterprise. wee. saw alarming reports that e host of the cop was looking to cut t deals with countries on ol and gas projects. i know, he denied that. i know the reporting is some what mixed. i don't begrudge the uae chairing this. it's a rotating thing that goes by region. uae gets to charity. that's not the problem. the extent to which the toss ill energy c companies have decidedo the process to undermind it. t we have to be very aware. if there are tossle or energy companies that want to be engaged, that's great. we'll bega damned if we allow

these companies to bear hug the come process to the point where it's meaningless. myself,c and others will watch this like a hawk. on another note. the senate is about to vote on the first two nominees of court. micha smith and park. they both had distinguished careers and extraordinary qualified. most recently in the criminal division and civil rights coordinator. they are quick to highlight the balanced temperament and to justice. likewise, the judge spent two decades as a public defender andve brought her

integrity and sound to the bench. both of these nominees represent the best of hawaii and will represent all of us well on the judiciary.y i urge colleagues to confirm to the federal bench. they had a bipartisan position and bipartisan vote on the floor. i yield to the floor. >> senator fromnt maine. >> madamms president, i ask unanimous consent to speak for 15 minutes prior to the e.scheduled roll call vote. >> without objection. >> thank you. >> i come to the floor to urge action on the fiscal year 2024 appropriations bill that funds critical programs. programs that are so important to america and to american

families. programs for research. onse november 1st they passed the first package of three hrappropriation bills. the militariry construction. the agriculture and fda bill. the transportation and housing bill. bad dam president. due to the extraordinary work of the members of the appropriation committee they passed by overwhelming vote. despite working hard to report all 12 of the funding bills by end of july additional full

year appropriation bills have not been brought to the senate floor. instead, the federal government has been operating under short-term funding patches known as continuing resolution since the start of the fiscal year on october 1st. these temporary funding patches lead to uncertainties, needles in efficiency and wasted taxpayer dollars. madam president, one of the bills that i hope will be brought to the floor soon is the department of defense appropriations bill. this bill would provide resources. at a time we are facing many complex threats from around the

globe. including those by an imperialistic china and incree creasingly belligerent iran. earlier this summer they approved the version of the defense funding bill by a strong bipartisan vote of 27-1. this bill contains funding for key nationals security priorities, including our troops and family with the pay andy benefits they deserve. expanding our naval fleet and modernizing the nuclear triad. straightening deterrents against china and addressing military readiness and capability.

etch day the department of defense ought to raise under a temporary funding measure rather than the full year appropriations bill important national security investments remain on hold. for example, the department has identified more than 330 new programs or production increases that cannot proceed. this includes more than a dozen high priority initiatives identified by the airport. 6 billion in army transformation efforts in multiyear procurement authority for the virginia class submarine.

this quote from the joint chief of staff. we under a continuous resolution. they give china the upper hand. i asked consent, unanimous consent that the text of general brown's letter be printed in the record following my remarks. >> without objection. >> thank you. >> recently, some have called foror simply passing a yearlong continuing resolution for fiscal year 2024. essentially locking in last years priority and continuing to fundit programs that shouldn't e funded or reduced and preventing the funding of new programs.

i wouldn't like to take a few moments to describe how harmful that would be to our national defense. a yearlong continuing resolution wouldut simply scale to provide the resources needed to protect our nation. it would reduce spending by 26.6 billion to the president's budget request and the fiscal responsibility act and by 34.6 billion comparedom to the funding a levels approved by the appropriations committee that was bipartisan. you can see the big difference having a yearlong fear it's

completely inadequate funding level many security priority funded in the defense bill would suffer. to respond to military recruitment challenges. the men and women in uniform. this is funding for the 5.2% military pay g rate aor long cr was created. the military personnel funding and exacerbates and retention

challenges. to offset the cost for the military dot will be forced to slow recruiting. the last thing we want to see happen delayed service member move and takes others. pacompared hour committee versea yearlong cr. as you can see there are tremendous differences. into circus members for the actual funding for the pay raise. another thing going into effect. before you take money out of other personnel consultants. such ash expanding prekindergarten for more than 4,000 children of service membe.

they will not be able to proceed duringdi a yearlong cr. our committee also invests in the overdue modernization. at a time where china's navy is 80 ships larger than our own, the committee approved a bill includingrd record investments. more than $33 billion navy shipbuilding and includes funding. this is for much needed serve in resent days the capabilities of these shift and the

professionalism they are serve abroad them. they were on full display as they have downed numerous drones and missiles headed towards them and aimed at israel. two of the shifts i'm proud to say the uss kearney and thomas were built-in my day. since october seventh they launched at least 73 attacks on u.s. service members and basis. as well as israel. the senate committee approved a bill and also included funding

for two virginia class and in a down payment and submarine corp. in addition to contributing to cost increases and delayed for delivery of ships to the navy. a yearlong cr would result in only one class and potentially no funding. they included 65 billion for capabilities requirements for the endopacific including 750 to meet the highest priority of the

most senior military commander in the region. an additional 981 million. they were listed as priority by military f service on deterring china. the authorized multiyear procurement in the region and such a long-range precision missile and patriot air defense missiles and anti-shift missiles. they provide stability and predictability to our defense industrial face and save taxpayer dollars. neither the additional funding nor theun authority to award the contracts would be possible under yearlong cr. our committee bill would ramp up investments for the u.s. defense industrial base. it would increase funding by 31%

compared to the last fiscal year and includes 1.8 billion to modernize 23 army depots, arsenals, and ammo plants across 17 states. under a yearlong cr both would be blocked or delayed. our committee bill also includes readiness. upo to 75 navy ship repair availabilities will be delayed or canceled that would degrade the navies ability to sleep for operations as the navy is maintaining a greater presence a projecting power since hamas' terrorist attack against

israel. just yesterday, a story about the aircraft strike group. hundreds of troops to the middle east since the surprise terrorist attacks on israel in an effort to prevent that conflict from spiraling into a regional war. the problem is, the military, because it hasn't received it's regular appropriations bill, is having to scramble to find the funding for that. because the middle east troop movements weren't planned they had to pull money from existing operations. that means less money for training that the military had all ready planned for the year.

madam president, our nation's security and servicemen and women deserve better than continuing resolution. let's getur work done and pass e full year funding bill. thank you, madam president. >> motion to invokes closure. >> with thece accordance of the provision of rules 22 in

standing with the senate move to a close a debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 379micha smith. >> by y unanimous consent the call has been made. smith be voted to be a judge be brought toun the close. the clerk will-call the roll. [roll call].

>> senators voting in the affir. [roll call]

no. the clerk: ms. smith, aye. mr. carper, aye.

the clerk: mr. lujan, aye.

the clerk: ms. rosen, aye. mr. sanders, aye. mr. moran, no. mr. lee, no.

the clerk: mr. wicker, no. mr. cotton, no. ms. warren, aye. mr. van hollen, aye. mr. marshall, no.

the clerk: ms. butler, aye.

the clerk: mr. cramer, no. ms. cortez masto, aye. the clerk: mr. kelly, aye.

the clerk: mr. lankford, no.

the clerk: mr. paul, no. mrs. capito, no. mr. welch, aye.

the clerk: mr. graham, aye.

the clerk: ms. sinema, aye.

mr. murphy, aye. the clerk: mrs. hyde-smith, no.

mr. budd, no.

the clerk: mr. cardin, aye. vote:

the clerk: mr. boozman, no. the clerk: mr. young, no. mr. wyden, aye.

the clerk: mr. barrasso, no. mrs. fischer, no. the clerk: mr. sullivan, no. mr. hawley, no.

the clerk: mr. warnock, aye. mr. ricketts, no.

the clerk: mr. rubio, no. ms. murkowski, aye. mr. tillis, aye.

the clerk: mr. vance, no.

vote:

the clerk: mr. romney, no. mr. johnson, no.

the clerk: mr. schumer, aye.

the clerk: mr. manchin, aye.

roll call vote vote:

the clerk: mr. mcconnell, no.

the presiding officer: the yeas are 57, the nays are 42, and the motion is agreed to. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: first, mr. president, i have a unanimous consent request that jeremy king, a secret service detailee from my office be granted floor privileges for the remainder of the congress. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. grassley: with the -- if the biden administration decides to allow a terror state access to billions of dollars, then at a bare minimum, the biden administration must perform a strict oversight of how that

money is of used. it's pretty simple. common sense requires considering the risk that this money gives to iran, the biden administration has created a serious problem that needs strict oversight. more than all that, the congress must also have the same regard of how the executive branch conducts its business in regard to this billions of dollars. today i have an on-point example to present to my colleagues. in september this year, the administration's state department provided iran access to $6 billion as part of a prisoner swap agreement. then in mid-october, the united

states and the qatar governments decided to refreeze these funds due to the october 7 terrorist attack on israel. hamas, an iranian-funded terrorist organization, as we all know attacked israel and murdered civilians, seized hostages, and destroyed towns. hamas committed unspeakable acts of terror and evil not seen since the nazis towards jewish people. on october 12 of this year, secretary of state blinken addressed the international media, and in that address

claimed that the state department has, quote, strict oversight of the funds and retains the right to freeze them. meaning freezing the $6 billion. end of quote. now, there better be strict oversight. the taxpayers ought to require that. exceedingly strict oversight. i now ask, what did the secretary of state mean when he said strict oversight? i don't want to -- i don't want lip service from the secretary. i want details. so on october 12 of this year i wrote a letter of exactly that. what are the details? my letter also sought to know what government agencies are involved in this alleged

oversight. what are the roles of the respective agencies in this oversight? what enforcement mechanisms are in place to ensure compliance? how will the state department be able to punish iran if conditions of this $6 billion is violated? i also ask what -- asked what components of state department are responsible for conducting this oversight, among other questions. almost a month passed, almost a month passed the two-week deadline to respond. the state department did finally sent me -- send me a letter. that letter was very incomplete and a very unsufficient response that failed to answer the essential question. using his words, what does

strict oversight mean? the letter didn't deal with that and it seems to be a pretty simple question. the state department letter meekly said, quote, the u.s. will have full visibility and will exercise strict oversight as to how and when the funds are used. this isn't an answer. this is lip service. we're talking about billions of dollars accessible by a terrorist regime. so as you would expect senator grassley to do, on november 21, i sent a letter, a follow-up letter to secretary blinken informing him of his failed response and then again renewing my request for congress and the

american people to know and understand what the secretary meant by the words he used of strict oversight. the secretary made these oversight promises publicly in an international setting. and the secretary has an obligation to explain himself of what strict oversight is. if the state department is engaging in strict oversight, then say what it is and give us, the congress, the details of that. the task pairs deserve to know -- the taxpayers deserve to know exactly how the biden administration plans to ensure proper oversight of $6 billion to iran. this senator obviously won't stop demanding answers, especially when it comes to a

terrorist regime's access to billions of dollars that the united states has something to say about. then on another subject, mr. president, iowa is home to roughly 25 different types of snakes. some are venemous, copper head and rattlesnakes. however, the one snake doing the most damage to iowans is a snake that's not even in iowa. so i'd like to introduce you to the brown tree snake. the brown tree snake doesn't reside in iowa, washington, d.c., or any other state represented within the senate. that snake lives in guam. that snake not only is damaging the native animals of guam, it's

reeking havoc on the american taxpayers. so this gets to money. the federal government's goal from what i've been told is to eradicate the snakes. and that's where millions of dollars comes in. now our government has been trying to do this for the last 30 years. on june 7, 2023, i sent a letter to the department of defense, the department of interior, and the department of agriculture. i asked those three agencies how they spent taxpayers' money to eradicate this snake from guam. after waiting five months and an additional request on august 3, i received responses from these agencies. alarmingly, none of the three

were able to tell me how many of the snakes are thought to be on the island or the estimated timeline for the eradication. it seems to me our government ought to have better statistics that tell us what their planning is and how their goals are being met. but you can see soon that they don't have that information. so let me say it's obvious with all the taxpayers' money they're getting, they ought to at least have some sort of an estimate on this subject. so what did my oversight find? we'll start with the department of agriculture. that department from fiscal year 2000 until right now, its budget expenditures were over $10

million. now that's a drop in the bucket compared to others. this is what i learned from the department of interior. that department told me that from fiscal year 1993 to now, they funded over $90 million to spark eradication, suppression, and interdiction of the brown tree snake. now, another department, the department of defense, gave me this figure for the same fiscal years. it spent more than $140 million. how many more decades and hundreds of millions of dollars do we have to spend on this snake? and what kind of projects have the taxpayers funded related to this snake? i have some examples for you.

four projects in fiscal years 2009, 2010, 2014, and 2018 related to the application of tylenol-treated baits which are poisonous to the snakes to nine-tenths million dollars. $600,000 for multiple public awareness campaigns, to educate the public of guam on how the snake affects the ecosystem and human health and other factors. $375,000 for various research projects, including improved camera monitoring of the snake, caged bird colonies as super attracters with integrated snake trapping and studying the efficacy of self-resetting kill

traps. $123,000 for purifying and testing gekko skin compounds. $56 million in fiscal year 2023 for the brown tree snake barrier south multispecies barrier. now the last one ought to really hit home for you. the biden administration can't secure the southern border. millions of ilimmigrants are illegally -- immigrants are illegally crossing every year. according to reports in fiscal year 2023, 172 people on the fbi f.b.i.'s terrorist watch list have been encountered at the border. how many on the terrorist watch lists that haven't been encountered, that are got-aways, i guess we don't have a figure on that one. so the 172 are the ones that we

know of. here congress and the biden administration have no problem spending $56 million on a barrier to secure land against a snake. this is a clear example of spending that's out of control and why congress must perform more exacting oversight. sadly, this is not a new problem. on july 22, 2004, the late senator from arizona, john mccain, made the following remarks on this floor regarding earmarks identified in a defense appropriation bill for that year 2004. quote, one million -- $1 million for the brown tree snake. once again the brown tree snake has slighterred its way --

slithered its way into our defense appropriation bill. i'm sure the snakes are a serious problem, but a defense appropriation act isn't the appropriate vehicle to address this issue. end of quote of john mccain's statement. so here i stand 20 years later identifying that this snake has continued to wreak havoc on both the island of guam and of course on the american taxpayers. i recognize that the brown tree snake is a serious problem in guam, but it's also become a serious problem robbing the american taxpayers, taking millions out of their billfolds without really any plan that i've been able to discover that the taxpayers -- or the government knows how they're going to spend the taxpayers'

money to eradicate this brown tree snake. congressional appropriations of taxpayers' money will be subject to waste, fraud, and abuse without congressional oversight. accordingly, that's exactly what's needed here to better determine if taxpayers' money has been used as it should have and whether these spending levels are needed entirely or at all. i yield the floor. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from nebraska. a senator: thank you very much. mr. ricketts: we have a humanitarian and national security crisis at our southern border. just last month customs and

border protection encountered 241,000 contacts, people coming across that southern border. that is three times the amount that we had in october of 2020. since joe biden has been president, there have been 6.6 million border contacts, and 1.8 million got-aways. and the got-aways, those are the folks that customs and border protection, cbp saw but couldn't encounter, couldn't get to. that is more than prem president obama and president trump's administration combined. children are being trafficked. people are dying and the cartels are profiting. and my colleague from iowa just referenced the southern border.

we've seen 172 people on the terrorist watch list try to enter our country in the last year. 169 at the southern border. and to put that in perspective, that number used to be in the single digits every year. last month it was 12. we're encountering more people on the f.b.i.'s terrorist watch list in one month than we used to get in an entire year. border security is national security. certainly the events in israel should bring home to us the danger of a border that is not properly protected. and it is president biden's policies that have led to this humanitarian and security crisis. now, i've been down to the southern border four times. just recently as well.

and i've talked to the folks, the cbp, and yes, they need some resources. things like the aerostat blips have been hugely successful in being able to counter the cartels' drones, to monitor people who try to come across the border. so there are resources we can provide to our southern border to help strennen it -- strengthen it. but you know the number one thing they told me they needed? was a change in policy. because it's the policy that is driving all these people to take this dangerous journey to illegally cross into our country. now the senate is going to take up border security. and president biden's solution is to ask for more money to help process all the people coming across the border. that's not growing to fly. -- that's not going to fly.

if you are just processing them more efficiently coming across the border, you're not deterring anybody from coming across our border. it's the policies that are sending the message to people to come here illegally. the policy needs to change. so as we consider a bill, perhaps a supplemental bill where we're going to have border security in it, it must contain policy changes. the policy is what's caused this. we have to change the policy. what are some of those policies? we see that we have an asylum system and a parole system that's broken. we need to address that. and then we must have a first safe country policy. you may say what's a first safe country? if you're seeking asylum, fleeing your home country, what this policy says is you stop in the first safe country and you

apply for asylum in the united states from there. not within our own country. and i know that there are people who don't like this idea but let me tell you, canada has this policy. so, for example, if you're traveling from mexico through the united states to get to canada and you want to seek asylum in canada, you have to remain in the united states. that's their policy. that's the canadian's policy. you know who else has that policy? the united kingdom. in fact, i've got a chart right here with all the countries that have that policy. italy, france, spain, germany, ireland. in fact, not only does our northern neighbor have this policy, but 29 other countries have this policy that you have to remain in the first safe country. what does that mean? if you're coming to our southern border, you must remain in mexico and that is part of the

policy changes that we need to have. we must bring back remain in mexico. president biden has direct responsibility for the humanitarian crisis at our southern border. children are being trafficked. people are dying and the cartels are profiting off of all of this. he is responsible. if he's not going to act, we in the senate must act. my republican colleagues and i have put forward commonsense solutions on how to address the issues at our southern border. we must have these policy changes if we are going to pass any sort of supplemental that is going to include additional funding for anything else. the number one issue we have here is addressing this humanitarian and national security crisis. that is the priority for the american people, my republican

colleagues. and my senate democrat colleagues must make that their priority as well. thank you very much, madam president.

a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from kansas vrtd thank you, madam president. today i'd like to discuss one of the many critical topics we face in the country, in the congress, in the senate, federal spending. mr. moran: we are certainly focused upon the issues that we're trying to bring together in regard to an emergency supplemental, in regard to supporting ukraine, israel, combat china in the south pacific and around the globe. iran terrorist activities and as the gentleman from my neighboring state of nebraska indicated, issues involving our national security at our own borders. today i want to take a step back and indicate that we were on a path and wish we would get back

on a path in making sure that the appropriations bills that the senate committee on appropriations has considered, amended, and approved and brought to the senate floor. 12 appropriations bills annually. the senate has considered -- the full committee has considered all and passed all 12. but the senate, this body, which is again using its week to consider nominations, still has all but three of those bills yet to consider. it is important that federal spending is provided to keep our government open and functioning and functioning and open for the american people. this topic has dominated a lot of conversations nationally now for months. we are operating under a continuing resolution that funds the federal government at its current level until late january, mid-january 6, or early february. and when that current continuing

resolution then expires. i certainly support the efforts of senator collins and senator murray, the ranking and the vice chairman of the appropriations committee. i support their work. it is my hope that leader schumer will allow those appropriations bills, that process to continue. three out of 126 is insufficient and the consequences to finish is consequential. when considering appropriations bills, it is critical that two core principles are established. first is that we must get our federal spending under control. we borrow way too much money. our ability to real estate spond to national security issues is diminished when our spending is out of line with our revenues. second, it's our duty to draft appropriations bills that are judicious, responsible, carefully tailored and that we

establish priorities, determine what the nation's highest priorities are for the coming or current fiscal year. congress must start this work immediately, not wait for the final moments, not wait until the middle of the january or the beginning of february. otherwise we are on a path once again to another continuing resolution or, as we said, we would -- or as we said we would not do again a huge omnibus in which these bills are all packaged together, reducing the understanding of not only members of the american public but reducing the capability of the united states senators to fully understand the nature of the bill and not giving the opportunity for my colleagues, who don't serve on the appropriations committee, the chance to amend and alter the bills that our committee has approved. a c.r. puts spending on autopilot. it is the antithesis of what is

involved. the idea that the federal government should be funded next year at the same level as last year is wrong, and it's wrong that the same amount of funding ought to go to each program. some things maybe ought to be eliminated. there are some things that i know should be eliminated. there are some things that maybe are receiving the right amount of money and there may be things that are deserving, as the priorities change, of additional spending. the best hope to avoid another c.r. and to avoid a much-criticized many now bus spending bill at the end is to continue the process, the process that we've started on fy -- the fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills to consider them on the senate floor and to move them forward. over the past nine months, the senator from new hampshire, senator shaheen, and i have worked to craft the appropriations bill for the subcommittee that we lead called commerce, justice, science and to balance those two core

principles -- fiscal responsibility with thoughtful allocation of scarce resources. the cgas -- the cgs bill, one of those bills left to be considered on the floor, provides funding for a motive of federal agencies that play a critical role in the lives of every single american, certainly every single kansan. the national weather service, the national science foundation, and just a host of other activities which enjoy broad bipartisan support both here in congress and among the american people. with respect to fiscal responsibility, this bill -- commerce, justice, science -- for 2024 cuts actual federal spending by $1.is 3 billion compared to the amount of mo enthat was enacted in the previous fiscal year fy2023. that's about an amount equal to

1.5% below the current level of spending. so we are culting spending in our -- so we are cutting spending in our appropriations process. families face challenges in their own budgets. i think they should expect government to prove it can make the same kind of difficult decisions u the fy2024 cgs bill crafted by senator shaheen and i delivers on that obligation, and i thank my colleagues on the appropriations subcommittee, both republicans and democrats, for working together to accomplish that goal. and in congress we've -- every once in a while we have a vote on a pending plan. it seems seemingly impossible to achieve the notion that we should at least be able to cut federal spending by one penny out of a dollar. senator shaheen and i have found a way to make that a penny and a half, 1.5%.

that's savings of $1.3 billion. that second core principle thatty approach the appropriations process is that congress must make careful and deliberate decisions about how we allocate resources. our opportunity to do that comes from certainly the assistance of our experts in the budget arena, a but a significant number of hearings in front of the committee in which people have the opportunity to come highlight each agency, each department, their budget priorities. and give us is a chance to ask questions and to pursue what the right balance is. and we owe that obligation making the right decisions to the american taxpayer. there are also areas that are vitally important that we from time to time include increases, where appropriate, to address new threats, new challenges, and new areas that are critical to the united states in us maintaining our competitive edge and our national security. for example, in the fy2024 cgs

bill, we provide resources to the national institute of standards and technology -- nist -- home to some of the world's best scientists to ensure that we both -- excuse me, to ensure that we understand both the promise and the pitfalls of artificial intelligence. national is a stands on the verge of returning the first humans perhaps in this case, it sounds like the first woman to the moon, in over 50 years. it was vitally important that we provide nasa with resorrieses necessary to execute the artemis mission. there are those that would say that's not a private but the chinese would like nothing more than to beat us back to the moon. we will not, should not allow that to be the case. the national weather service needs to recapitalize its weather satellites. these satellites are vital to people in kansas as we predict

the weather and determine the safety and economic well-being of our state. there are vital to determining new, severe weather patterns and they will save lives. these examples are just a few of why it's important we have an annual appropriations process to make the changes to address things that americans care about and to deal with the things that have changed in our lives across the country. america's needs and priorities, they're not static, they're not the same, nor should government's decisions on how to spend dependent dollars be either. this bill, the fy2024 cgs bill, even in the context of its savings, still addresses the newest and more important challenges facing our country. i want to spend a moment discussing the funding and oversight of the department of justice. crime -- crime across the country -- is increasing. it is a problem for almost every american and certainly every

american family, and it is deserving of being prioritized by the united states senate, the congress, and the administration. like many americans, i have serious concerns with many of the policies coming from the biden department of justice. many new regulations issued by atf threaten to trample core constitutional rights. doj's priorities are often designed to satisfy the loudest activists rather than the everyday american and their concerns, including skyrocketing crime across the country and in the state of kansas. crime is affecting even more safest communities and kansans and americans are concerned about what washington is doing to keep their families safe. fentanyl is also a crisis, has been and continues to be and grows -- a growing crisis in our country. this is not just an assertion. again, the numbers speak for themselves. after a year in which more than

100,000 americans lost their lives to fentanyl and with the highest increase in deaths among infants over one year old, president biden's budget for doj proposes hiring only four new dea special agents. the drug enforcement agency's agents. and yet the president's budget request, it indicates that doj needs more than 1,200 new attorneys, primarily at the division that files civil lawsuits. doj's priorities have been and are misguided. when i became the top republican -- vice chairman on the cgs subcommittee -- when i became the chairman of the committee, i made it a priority to meet with special agents, deputy u.s. marshalls, board of prison correctional officers, intelligence analysts and prosecutors in the field. i am impressed by their

dedication to keeping the american people safe. indiscriminate, thoughtless budget cuts will result in fewer deputy marshals to apprehend violent fugitives, fewer fbi specialists, fewer dea agents to combat mexican cartels and fewer federal prosecutors not just to arrest violent criminals but to send them to prison. instead of defunding federal law enforcement, we should use the appropriations process to prioritize, to make deliberate and judicious decisions about the department of justice's priorities. this means providing funding for the core activities critical to public safety while rejecting these proposals that make less sense or no sense from the biden administration. to that end, the bill cuts funding from the department of justice by $817 million, a more than 2% cut. within that amount funding for the fbi's construction account is cut by $191 million.

this is the type of careful cuts we were able to achieve while maintaining jobs of thousands of agents, intelligence ajts and others who help combat violent crimes. additionally, working with my republican colleagues in the committee, we were able to address some of the worst errors and abuses by doj in recent years by new legislative language to be prohibit funding for the investigation of parents who peacefully protest school board meetings, a doj move epitomized by a school board memo. my colleague had new legislative language prohibiting the department from targeting americans for religious beliefs. to my colleagues who have deep reservations about the department of justice know that i share those concerns and yet i believe we have prepared a responsible bill that makes meaningful adjustments to the

department of justice and law enforcement mission. it is a credible for feel responsibility that americans strongly support. madam chairwoman, i yield the floor. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from hawaii. ms. hirono: madam president, i rise today alarmed at republicans' demands for drastic anti-immigrant policy changes in exchange for continued support for ukraine for nearly two years our allies in ukraine have fought off putin's unjust invasion with the support of the

united states support president zelenskyy himself has said is essential to his country's success. but now as ukrainians fight to defend their country and democracy itself, republicans are holding additional aid hostage in exchange for unrelated immigration policy changes. in exchange for onetime funding for ukraine, republicans are demanding permanent policy changes that would further weaken our broken immigration system. the proposal put forward by several of my republican colleagues earlier this month would further complicate our asylum system and so -- sow further chaos at the southern border. this plan would require asylum seekers to apply for asylum in every country through which they transit, a clear violation of international law that would

effectively deny asylum to almost anyone outside of mexico or canada who cannot fly directly to the united states. similarly, raising the standard for initial asylum screenings known as credible fear interviews would require asylum seekers to present even more detailed asylum claims within just days of a traumatic journey to the united states, typically while detained in dhs custody and without the assistance of counsel. by making it even harder for the most vulnerable to seek asylum, these changes would result in political dissenters and persecuted minorities being sent back to danger and in some instances to their deaths. the republicans' plan would also make the situation of the southern border more chaotic by eliminating the president's parole authority, which the

biden administration has used to create safe, orderly pathways for nations -- i'm sorry -- for nationals from cuba, haiti, nicarauga, and venezuela to enter the united states. eliminating this parole authority would force vulnerable people from these countries to make a dangerous journey to our border to seek protection rather than applying for protection in advance. madam president, as the only immigrant serving currently in the senate, i know that the challenges confronting immigrants are not hypothetical. this isn't about statistics. it's about people, people desperate for opportunity and the hope of building a better life in our country. a plan that villainizes and degrades those seek to go enter our country -- seeking to enter

our country is bad enough but this plan does little to address the actual issues facing immigrants. failing to acknowledge the plight of daca recipients, temporary protective status holders and undocumented individuals living in the shadows while contributing to our communities and our economy. just this month the judiciary committee on which i sit held a hearing on how to improve immigration courts. immigration experts shared meaningful, thoughtful ways to improve the key component of our immigration system. disappointingly but not surprisingly, sad to say, none of the solutions discussed at that hearing are included in the republicans' proposal. beyond the problematic conat no time of their proposal is the precedent that republicans are attempting to set by tying

onetime funding for ukraine to permanent anti-immigrant policy changes. pitting vulnerable groups against each other, ukrainians fighting an unjust invasion and asylum seekers fleeing persecution, is a recipe for bad policy making. exchanging permanent policy changes for temporary funding all but guarantees additional republican demands on immigration next year. there was a serious effort to enact bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform in the senate in 2013. i was here then. i had just gotten elected to the senate. 2013 was the last time this body attempted to address this issue of a broken immigration system in a comprehensive way. to this day i consider that bill

that we worked on in a bipartisan way in 2013 as one of the most important issues in bills i've ever worked on in the senate. comprehensive immigration reform was needed then and it is desperately needed even more now. i stand ready to work in good faith with anyone looking to meaningfully improve our nation's badly outdated and broken immigration system. however, that is not what the current republican proposal does. madam president, the american people are tired of rhetoric. they are looking to us to act. i believe this body has the ability to come together and enact comprehensive immigration reform, and i hope we, democrats and republicans, we both acknowledge that the immigration system is broken, can find the will to do so. we did in 2013, and we can do

it again. on another note, madam president, i'm glad that later today the senate will vote to confirm micah smith and tomorrow shanlyn park as judges for the u.s. district court for the state of hawaii. shanlyn a.s. park was born and raised in hawaii where her career has been spent almost entirely in public service. after graduating from shamana university and the william s. richardson school of law judge park served as a public defender in hawaii for 20 years. as a judge, she has earned high marks from her, for her even handed approach and well-reasoned, fair decisions. importantly, if confirmed, judge park would make history as the first native hawaiian woman to serve as a federal district

court judge. it's high time and long overdue. representation matters. like judge park, micah smith has also had an impressive legal career. after graduating from the lock haven university and harvard law school, he clerked on the u.s. court of appeals for the second circuit and then on the supreme court for justice souter. he went on to become a federal prosecutor, a job he has held for the last 12 years. he began at u.s. attorney's office for the southern district of new york and in 2018 returned home to hawaii to join the u.s. attorney's office in honolulu. i believe both nominees experience temperament and demonstrated commitment to public service along with their deep roots in hawaii will make them excellent judges on hawaii's district court. i look forward to voting to confirm them.

and i know that we've already voted on micah smith and i thank my republican colleagues for voting for micah in a bipartisan way, and i look forward to their support for shanlyn park. madam president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia. mrs. capito: thank you, madam president. i rise today to once again speak about a subject that president biden and his administration are refusing to address, and that is this crisis on our southern border. i've been extremely outspoken about this topic, and many of us have, especially when it comes to the need for deterrents

along our southern border, the alarming drug epidemic that continues to harm my state and the rest of the entire country, and the desperate need to make changes to our immigration policy and the laws that define our homeland security. the american people see the numbers, but it's not just numbers. they see the actual human effects within their own cities and states of this rampant illegal immigration. it can no longer be ignored. in just the past year there have been more than 2.4 million illegal encounters on our southern border. we've all seen them on our television sets. and that is more than 180% increase since fiscal year 2019. 169 encounters with individuals on our country's terror watch list, six times the amount of the past year. and fentanyl seizures along the

u.s.-mexico border have hit record highs. i see my fellow senator from kansas. he spent a lot of time on this fentanyl issue because it's so devastating to our states. more than 26 thousand pounds of illicit fentanyl were seized along the country's southern border this past year, and this is just the data we know. it's hard to fathom that there are 600,000 got-aways. those are people not even disrupted in their journey. the drugs and the threats to our national security that are streaming across our border that we might have missed. this is truly and simply an unmitigated crisis. there is no doubt that this is leading to and sometimes already has created an unsustainable situation across this country. but don't just take my word for it. i will offer some quotes. quote, the federal government's lack of intervention and

coordination at the border has created an untenable situation. quote, this issue will destroy new york city. quote, a federal crisis of inaction that is many years in the making. end of quote. these quotes are all direct quotes from democrat governors and mayors across the country. across the aisle and across the country, we know that president biden's rhetoric and lack of action on the southern border has created an historic problem. in fact, this is a 50-state problem. i hear about this from west virginians frequently. they have expressed border security to me. things like the catastrophic flow from the biden administration immigration, the vulnerable state our communities

are left in by the flow of human trafficking and illicit drugs coming across the border and the need to bolster our national security with the increase in crossings from the terror watch list. my home state of west virginia is not a border state so to speak, but we're all border states now. we are no stranger to the strife and grief created by the flow of harmful narcotics into our communities. from june 2022 to june 2023, west virginia's provisional state data shows an estimated 14,015 west virginians died from fentanyl overdoses, these are mothers, brothers, sisters, moms, and dads. drug overdoses caused over 5,200

emergency visits and our ems teams -- these numbers are staggering, especially for a state as small as mine to fentanyl overdoses in this country has become the leading cause of death for americans aged 18 to 45. something has to be done, and it has to be done now and fast. this crisis on our southern border raises grave questions about the national security of our own country. in addition to the 279 individuals on the terror watch list that have been encountered at the southern border since president biden took office, u.s. customs and border protection has arrested over 35,000 migrants with criminal convictions in just this past year many nearly half of the migrants encountered on the southern border are coming from

countries other than mexico, honduras with chinese immigrants crossing into the united states, who are they? we don't know. many of them are living in our states. the immigration crisis on our southern border is now more multifaceted than ever and this administration has allowed that to happen. we truly have no idea who is entering our country illegally. so in a time of heightened national security risk, there is a chance -- this is a chance that we cannot be willing to take. there is currently a large-scale ground war in europe. our ally and friend, israel, is facing historic and unprecedented attacks of terror, and terrorists in the indo-pacific remain on high -- excuse me.

tensions in the indo-pacific remain on high alert. so as leader mcconnell stated on this same floor yesterday, quote, national security begins with border security. end quote. we can and should take needed action to mitigate the threats that we face. this starts by securing our southern border and making the policy changes necessary to defend our homeland from in a farrist -- from forces abroad. i say policy changes because there are some who say if we put money into the situation, it will help the problem. all the money does is turn the asylum cases around faster, makes more people have parole into the united states and there again a cycle of unknown people in the united states. time and again, americans have asked the tough questions -- republicans have asked the tough

questions to put an end to the crisis we have seen unfold. nearly every official, democrat and republican, in the executive branch and in congress have acknowledged that there are top-to-bottom changes that need to be done to our asylum system. that's what's being offered and that is what needs to be delivered, changes to our asylum system, meaningful changes, meaningful changes to our parole system, and safe third country agreements. this will have meaningful effect on the problems that i described. so now's the time to come to the table. republicans stand for solutions that enforce and enhance not just the immigration laws that we have on the books but the policy changes that would -- that we're advocating for, we back our hardworking guards who are overwhelmed and

undersupported and we need to finish the bored wall and provide the necessary level of deterrence that we need. i've been encouraged by my colleagues' bipartisan efforts for the ongoing talks to deliver the immigration policy changes that are increasingly needed, but any agreement will need to find consensus by the entire body. i implore my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to understand the effort. we don't have time to waste. we need to come together, secure our border and fulfill the other national security obligations that are demanded of a nation as powerful as ours. with that, madam president. i yield the floor. mr. marshall: madam president.

the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. mr. marshall: madam president, border, border, border. i just had lunch with speaker mike johnson, a great friend, a classmate, we came in together. and that's what he said. he said he wish he could get us all a t shirt that says border, border, border. no matter what the question is, the answer is secure the border. i think speak johnson has been talking to some of the people that i have been talking to. i had a great time back home in kansas. i got to spend time with my grandchildren, teaching them how to hunt and fish and sled, i got to see a lot of friends and family members to share what's going on in their lives and get caught up. no matter where i went, the number one worry people have is their concern about the safety and security of their own family. in kansas, the heartland, the

middle of the country, the middle state, people are concerned about their own safety and security. and why wouldn't they be? since joe biden was sworn into office, over 10 million immigrants have come into our border and over 1.5 million gotaways have occurred. 10 million people crossing our border illegally, 1.5 million gotaways. this crisis at our nation's border is the number one, most immediate threat to our safety and security. this is a true, clear, and present danger to our nation. just think about these numbers. fentanyl's now the number one killer of young adults in america. it kills a kansan every day, nearly three million americans are dying every day from fentanyl poisoning, not to mention what's going on with human trafficking and the violence a, as my dad, a police

officer tells me, the violence that follows the drug trafficking, but it seems this is falling on deaf ears on pennsylvania avenue. look at october, november, and december, it looks like these will be record record breaking s for people crossing the border illegally. for some reason the white house wants to take border security off the table in the supplemental bill. why? that's what people are asking me back home. why? that's the question americans want to know. they point out the facts that we know well up here. under this administration, we've seen 279 known terrorists try to cross our borders, more than 24,000 chinese nationals, not to mention some 80,000 aliens of interest from countries like afghanistan, iran, iraq, and syria who have breached our borders. this is indeed an invasion of our border and every american is now paying for it. as a matter of fact, it's now

coughing americans -- costing americans nearly $500 billion a year. let me say that again, $500 billion a year to house and take care of these illegal immigrants. can you imagine how many border patrol officers, how many technology, how many drug dogs and, yes, how much fence can we build for half a trillion dollars a year? again, that's what americans are asking me back home. it's time for this chamber to step up to the plate and do what is right for the american people. for such a time as this, we need leadership. and i'm grateful, i'm proud, and the american people are glad to hear the leadership on this side of the aisle are saying, we will deny cloture on this supplemental bill if there's not meaningful border security. this concept of a supplemental bill without taking care of our national security, of sending over a hundred billion dollars to foreign lands without addressing our own soafort --

sovereignty reminds me of what lincoln said, you can fool some of the people some of the time but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time. let my message be clear. let's bring on the hard work, late nights, weekends, that's what kansans do. we work hard and have values of a hard work ethic and i'm willing to do just that, to work hard to get to border security. on this side of the aisle, we're not going to waver or quit, this is as once in a lifetime opportunity to secure this border and get it right for once. i urge every republican to vote down cloture of this outrageous supplemental package unless we see true, meaningful border security included. we've got solutions that this body can send to the president's desk today that wouldn't cost a dime. changing the slum policy

alone -- asylum policy alone could result in 75% less people entering our nation illegally. if we turn off the siren of asylum, we can cut back the illegal crossings by 75%. that will allow the border patrol to do what they were hired do, stopping the bad guys, fentanyl, and the human trafficking, rather than playing nurse maid to 10,000 people every day. we have to limit the president's abuse of parole powers, which allowed parolees to enter our nation under his watch. our insistence this be included in a bipartisan bill, it is an attempt to protect the lives and well-being of the americans that elected us and our families and to ensure the sovereignty of this great nation. this is a national security

issue, not an immigration issue. it's imperative, it's a must that any supplemental bill includes provisions to address these border issues, any package agreed upon by all or some of the senate conference must be active of controlling our borders, a measure to stop the torn -- that is not in practice would be a devastating blow to the credibility of republican senators on this issue over the long term, and unacceptable to the people we represent. this is why i urge every republican in this body to vote no on cloture on any bill that does not at a minimum include policy changes that meaningfully address the flood of illegal immigration at our southern border. thank you, madam president. i yield back. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: madam president, i

appreciate the comments of my colleague from kansas. coming from texas, this is a familiar topic because we have a 1,200 common border with mexico and illegal immigration, drug smuggling and everything that goes along with it has been something that we've had to live with pretty much alone for a long time. now, as we've heard some people say, every state has become a border state. every city is a border city because what happens at the border does not stay at the border. you get migrants who ultimately make their ways to big cities like new york, washington, d.c., chicago. the mayor of new york says a few thousand migrants showing up in new york will destroy new york city. well, what about the seven

million people that have come across the southern border and released into the interior of the united states, released at the texas-mexico border? not a lot of empathy. not a lot of sympathy for what we've had to endure, our border communities and the people in texas, not to mention the billions of dollars that we've had to spend of taxpayer money by texans to do the federal government's job. it's it's outrageous and the part that is most tragic is, of course, alled lives lost to the drugs that come across the southern border. but the biden administration does not seem to understand or they seem to be in willful suspense of their power of disbelief is that the