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>> you have been watching c-span 's unfiltered coverage of the inauguration of president donald trump. we leave this here to bring you to the live committed coverage of the united states senate. they are expected to vote on final passage of the bill calling for the detention of undocumented immigrants for theft related crimes. they may also consider some of trump's cabinet nominees. now to the floor of the u.s. senate here on c-span2. the president pro tempore: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will open the senate with

prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. the chaplain: eternal god, on this march ton king and inauguration day, we thank you for being our hope for the years to come. you store up blessings for all who honor you. if angels must veil their faces in your presence, shouldn't we mere mortals embrace reverential awe. empower our senators to be strong and courageous, as they make loyalty to you their highest priority. lord, smile on them with your

blessings, for you are the author and finisher of our salvation. grant that our lawmakers may know what is conducive for your glory. today we lift our hearts in ceaseless praise to you, our strong deliverer. we pray in your magnificent name. amen. the president pro tempore: 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: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of s. 5, which the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 1, s. 5, a bill to require the secretary of homeland security to take into custody aliens who have been charged in the united states with theft and for other purposes.

the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: i ask to speak in morning business for three minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. grassley: today we have a new president, so i say congratulations to president trump. as we turn a new page from one administration to another, we can put a contentious campaign and all the negative rhetoric behind us. there will be plenty of time for arguments. those arguments can be about policy and personalities in the days and years to come. but today, this very day is a day that all americans can celebrate in their own way. with today's inauguration, there's a sense of optimism that always comes with a new president and the rededication of a republican form of government.

even those who voted another way on november 5 can take the opportunity to pause and enjoy the excitement of their fellow americans and even allow themselves to share in some of that optimism. of course, a new president must assemble a cabinet of people he trusts to carry out his agenda and do that under the constitution with the advice and consent of the senate. with the expectation that before the day is out we'll prove -- approve the nomination of senator marco rubio to be our nation's 72nd secretary of state, and i'm proud that today we can do that. no one in this body can doubt that marco rubio is a very intelligent man with a remarkable understanding of

america's foreign policy and a very deep commitment to the american dream. that dream comes from the fact that his family has a history that started with the immigration to the united states from cuba and then watching their former homeland fall into a communist dictatorship that still exists to this day. and that helps explain his love for america and his drive to oppose oppressive autocratic regimes that threaten freedom. even in this time of intense partisanship, an intense time of character assassination, i expect senator rubio will receive an overwhelming vote for his confirmation. his colleagues know his talents

and his character firsthand. i expect most, if not all, of my colleagues will vote based on what they have seen with their own eyes rather than blind partisanship. i look forward to marco rubio continuing his passionate defense of freedom in his role as our next secretary of state. i yield the floor, and i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. alsobrooks.

mr. grassley: i ask that the quorum call -- last week -- mr. president, last week you heard me speak in support of the laken riley act,

the vote that we're going to have later this afternoon. today i'd like to discuss a related bill called sarah's law. sarah root was a young woman from iowa who had a bright future ahead of her. her life was tragically cut short just one day after she graduated from college with a 4.0 grade point average. she was killed when an illegal migrant who was street racing while heavily drunk crashed his car into this sarah root while she was stopped at a red light. in an outrage of justice, this illegal migrant was released after his arrest.

sarah's law requires immigration authorities to detain criminals responsible for a death or a serious bodily injury. illegal migrants shouldn't be here in the first place. everybody knows that it's against the law to enter the united states without our permission. even so, if they come here violating our law, they hurt and kill an american, the federal government must prioritize their detention and deportation. the trump administration has promised to remove dangerous criminals who crossed our borders illegally. sarah's law will support these efforts. i'd like to thank my colleague, senator ernst, for her long and tireless efforts to get this bill passed.

senator ernst first introduced sarah's law almost a decade ago, and i was proud boy to join -- and i was proud to join as an original cosponsor and colead this effort. since then, she has reintroduced the bill with each new congressional session. we haven't forgot sarah root and it's long past time for congress to pass this legislation that we have named after sarah. sarah's law. i urge my colleagues to pass the laken riley act, as systemeded, with sarah -- laken riley act, as amended, with sarah root's law. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

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♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ my warmest congratulations to president trump and vice president vance. there is a sense of optimism today in washington as we turn the page on the past four years, and i am looking forward to working with president trump and vice president vance in the coming months and years to build a bright, new future for our country. our priority here in the senate for the next few weeks is getting president trump's nomination koched -- confirmed

so that he has his team in work. last week the senate committees heard hearings on 12 nominees. wednesday we held hearings on a total of 6 cabinet nominees, the first day with the largest number. i'm hoping to begin floor votes imminently. i'm excited to confirm a longtime colleague, marco rubio, to secretary of state as well as john ratcliffe as head of the cia. both of these men bring renewed focus to restoring american strength, knowing the surest sign of strength here at home and the globe as well is a strong and prepared america. more confirmation votes will follow, and i will work to have the president's cabinet in place in the very near future. president trump and republicans have been given a mandate by the american people, and the president needs his team in place so we lose no time in delivering. mr. president, along with

approving president trump's nominees, republicans are hard at work on our legislative priorities. among other things, we're focused on extending tax relief for american families, bluffeding burdensome -- lifting burdensome regulations and desiring the border. the senate took the initial stenol this week with conversation -- this legislation will ensure that illegal aliens who steal or assault a law enforcement officer detained by immigration and customs enforcement instead of being allowed out on the streets. i look forward to getting this legislation to the president's desk. when i was elected majority leader, i talked about my commitment to empowering members and restoring the senate as a place of discussion and deliberation. i think we achieved that this past week. we've had an extended debate on the laken riley act, with multiple amendment votes, and one more scheduled for this evening. we passed senator cornyn's

amendment with a strong bipartisan margin. i'm grateful to senator katie britt, author of the laken riley act, and managers of the bill for all her work, and senator budd for his leadership on these issues. i'm grateful to senators cornyn and ernst for their amendments to further strengthen this legislation. i want to mention the stays fire between -- the ceasefire between israel and heal e-mail -- and hamas this is in no small part to the message president trump delivered to hamas and the world, and above all to israel's unwavering commitment to crippling the terrorist organization that dedicated it self to wiping israel off the map. 33 hostages, women and children, the injured, and those over 50 years old will be released during the first phase of the ceasefire, including the three hostages released yesterday. the rest of the hostages were scheduled to be released over the next two phases of the ceasefire, and their families and loved one will continue to

wait in agony until they are safely home. is intolerable that these innocent individuals have been in the hands of terrorists more than 15 months, and i want to un underscore the absolute imperative of the return of all hostages as soon as possible. hamas should be on notice that the united states is watching, and that we will not tolerate further delays or further aggression. mr. president, i want to again offer my warmest congratulations to president trump and to vice president vance. i look forward to all that we can achieve together, and i pray that god will bless their new administration. mr. president, i yield the floor, and i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: without obje objection. the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. alsobrooks.

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♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, a few hours ago, beneath the dome of the u.s. capitol, with the eyes of the world upon us, the united states carried out yet again the peaceful transfer of power. we fulfilled the sacred commandment handed down to us by the framers, nearly two and a half centuries ago. we observed the inauguration of donald trump, the 47th president

of the united states. i congratulate president trump, i congratulate vice president vance, the prayers of the american people are with them. today, let me also thank one more time our nation's 46th president, joe biden. history will look kindly on president biden's four years in office. he lifted america out of the abyss of crisis. he restored decency and integrity to the white house. his bold agenda, made possible by democrats in congress and particularly in the senate, will stand the test of time. when americans drive on better roads, breathe cleaner air, enjoy good-paying manufacturing jocks, and save on prescription drugs, it will be because of the things we accomplished under president biden's watch. i thank president biden, and i thank vice president harris for their service to our nation. the peaceful transfer of power is the defining feature of a free society. it's what separates nations like the united states from the wastelands of despotism and

autocracy. as we've seen recently, the peaceful transfer of power can never be taken for granted. it requires all sides to accept the will of the people and affirm the results of the democratic process, no matter the outcome. that is what democrats firmly believe in. democrats believe in the peaceful transfer of power, and we showed it today. democrats are loyal above all to our constitution and to our democratic principles, and today we practiced what we preached, the democratic transfer of power. i hope that today's inauguration shows the world that the chaos of four years ago was an unfortunate aberration, and not the norm. it's now time to look to the future. the challenges that face america are many and great. the senate must respond with resolve, bipartisanship and fidelity to the working and middle class of this country. when president trump and i disagree, i stand ready to work with him -- while president

trump and i often disagree, i stand ready to work with him and with anyone regardless of party to advance the nation's well-being. the american people want us to work together to make their lives better. democrats are ready to do just that. we have been and always will be. finally, today, of course, is not just inauguration day, but martin luther king jr. day too. today we remember that the march of justice may sometimes feel slow and halting, but if we persist and persist and persist, then one day we too shall reach the promised land. i'd like to say that dr. king ho hoopsed a giant -- hoopsed a -- hoopsed a giant mirror on his shoulders. with brilliance, eloquence, and faith he forced america to look into the mirror. america didn't like what it saw, and that began us on a real road, real path to greater equality. we still have a long way to go. king was an amazing man. it's fitting his holiday is the

only holiday on the calendar named for just one person. we have mother's day for the mother's, father's day for the fathers, president's day for the president, but one for one man, and that's because dr. king was so unique and amazing. now, the work of justice we all know panned dr. king taught us does not happen overnight. sometimes progress rushes forth like a mighty stream. other times it feels like it moves backward. either way, dr. king's hopeful message is the same, no matter the odds, we shall overcome. i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. alsobrooks.

quorum call:

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>> thank you. quorum call. i'd ask unanimous consent of the presiding officer to set aside the pending amendment so i may offer my amendment number 90, that there be up to 15 minutes for debate on the amendment, and that upon the use or yielding back of time the senate vote on the amendment without further intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: is there objection? a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mrs. britt: reserving my right to object. mr. president, the laken riley act is a targeted, commonsense, lifesaving bill. this legislation adds crimes to the mandatory detention provisions of the ina and uses the existing framework of the

ina. what this amendment would do is introduce new carve-outs that don't already exist. mr. president, we have a crisis in this nation. our border has been overrun, and every city across this country is paying the price. today we return to common sense. we return to practicality. if you come here illegally and you commit a crime, you should not be free to roam the streets of this nation. our children deserve better, and that's exactly what we're giving them today. my colleague from colorado speaks of daca. mr. president, of the 537,000 daca recipients in this nation, there is not one that is under the age of 17. and, in fact, mr. president, of the 537,000 recipients, there are only 1,000 between the ages

of 17 and 20. when you're talking about other minors across this nation, some of which may be here illegally, we are seeing the cost to them right now. look no farther than what's happening in new york. we have teen migrant gangs running rampant. where you have minors as young as 11 being involved in the theft and burglary rings. mr. president, what do you think you do if you carve out a certain sect of minors? do you think you make them more safe from the people looking to do them harm? do you think the you drug cartels all of a sudden say i'm going to leave them alone? no, mr. president, that's not what happens. what happens, mr. president, is each and every one of those kids becomes a greater target. they become more vulnerable to become a mule to do the work of the drug cartels and human

traffickers. mr. president, again, now is the time to return to common sense. now is the time to return to law and order. we are a proud nation of immigrants. we are also a nation of laws. and the lawlessness ends today. i could not be more proud of those that are choosing today to support the laken riley act. because what we've done is we've decided we're going to stop talking and we're going to start achieving results. we are looking for targeted reforms. they're going to keep americans safe and secure. it's exactly what the laken riley act does. it honors laken's life and legacy, a beautiful life and legacy. as her mother allyson and stepfather john phillips have said, she brought warmth to everyone who knew her, that she lit up every room, that she found ways to show kindness in

her faith and her love for the lord. today we honor laken, and we ensure that with this commonsense approach, mr. president, targeted, making sure that our communities are safe and secure, that no other family has to go through the heartbreak that laken's did. so, mr. president, ultimately i have to say no to this amendment, and, therefore, i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. p mr. bennet: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. mr. bennet: thank you, mr. president. i thank the senator from alabama for her work on the senate floor and for coming over. i know this is a, this is a big day around the senate. mr. president, it's a big day for america. it's appropriate, i think, that we should be here on this issue, on this issue today because over the coming months and years we are going to be confronting a

lot of choices to make. i think it's critically important that as we make these choices, we do it in a way that is consistent with our values. mr. president, throughout our history, generations of americans have tried to secure our heritage as a nation of immigrants and a nation committed to the rule of law. both of those are important. and when we have fallen short, which we have from time to time, we have battled back to reclaim these moral values. p our enduring commitment to this imperfect but principled work is why 21st century america has one of the most dynamic economies, vibrant cultures, and an important reputation throughout the world as a beacon of freedom. that reputation, by the way, is not assured.

that is a reputation that has to be earned by our nation every single day, mr. president. although our founders were fam famously suspicious of overreaching by the federal government, they recognized the obvious national imper alternative, that national security and foreign policy imperatives and the problems that would arise if every state and county and city were to enforce its own immigration laws. that's why the constitution of the united states says that the congress working with the president should administer those laws. and they therefore assign this to the national government, not to the local government to enforce our immigration law. throughout our history, the american people have been

welcoming to new immigrants and sometimes less so. understandably, chaotic and changing circumstances like the ones we face today, sometimes raise alarms among the american people. unfortunately, in our time, and i would agree with the senator from alabama on this, we have not addressed the chaos at the southern border of the united states, and politicians have used this crisis for years to divide the american people on -- on one side of the partisan divide and as another. and as a result, the failing immigration system that we have has only become more broken. the thing that i want to make sure of is that, as we think about the chaos that we're facing, the complexity that we're facing is that we don't, as we have occasionally in the past, abandoned our values and our commitment to ■the ruleof

law. in more inspired times, we've used these crises to actually burnish our great global advantage as a nation of immigrants that's committed to the rule of law. in 2013, mr. president, we had what was in my view an important chance to embrace those values with the senate's work on the gang of 8. the senator from alabama might remember it. to her that seems like ancient history. i was one of the members of the gang of eight. i was a lot younger than i am today and so were the other members of that gong too. but -- gang too. but we seriously tried to take on meaningful immigration reform in this chamber. we had a tough, but fair pathway to citizenship for those who could earn it in the united states. we included the dream act.

we had a mass overhaul of our visa system so our farms and ranches and high-tech industries, even our ski industry could continue to compete with the rest of the world. we had $46 billion of border security money in there. i hate to think, mr. president, what that money was in real dollars today, what that $46 billion would look like today. i'll bet you it's around $68 billion, that people in this chamber agreed to support together. there was so much money in that bill that lindsey graham, senator graham from south carolina, who was another member of the gang of 8, used to say there were going to be so many border patrol agents that they could hold hands from one end of the border to the other across the united states of america. i can see that the senator from

alabama has heard that story before. there has been a huge cost of inaction, not just the money that if we had spent it then would have made such a huge difference, but the painful consequences, the senator from alabama and others have talked about, i have talked about, for the american people and for our country. in the end, after months of going through the legislative ringer, as i mentioned, we got 68 votes over here in the senate. if it had been given a chance, read speaker boehner's book, he'll tell you this, if it had gotten to the floor, it would have gotten a majority vote. but the freedom caucus did tand that before it could see the light of day on the house floor. since then, because of so many of the american people's

fundamental concern, the federal government and this congress has been immobilized. on the subject of immigration for sure under both republican and democratic presidents. in the meantime, transnational gangs have ceased full opportunity of our inaction, raking in millions of dollars, smuggling in human beings and drugs and weapons into the united states. they have perfected their worldedwide smuggling operations. they changed people how to exploit our asylum system and weaponized social media to allow thousands of people to travel all over the globe to present themselves at the southern border of the united states or to come through the southern border. and the result of that paralysis has been at times an overwhelmed southern border. for this reason in 2022, i urged

the biden administration never to lift title 42 without a plan and without the resources to execute it. they were unprepared for what was to come, and they were too slow to act. it's clear almost -- it's clear to almost everybody today that our system isn't built for today's conditions. we need to fix it, and we need to give the american people confidence that we have a fair and secure system in place. so how do we do that? well, tonight, mr. president, we're going to vote on the first response from the congress, the laken riley act, which i think is neither focused on driving resources to the border or establishing a more robust and rigorous system of immigration. instead, contrary to our constitutional obligation, today's bill devolving authority away from the president and

congress to 50 state attorneys general, in ways that seem extremely counterproductive to me. i hope i'm not right about this. although you can already see a battle brewing in the administration about this. this bill provides state attorneys general the power to seek nationwide injunctions to completely block certain countries like india and china, el salvador, from sending immigrants here. imagine a salvadoran farm worker on an h2 a visa living in florida or louisiana or committing a violent crime, leading to a deportation order. he should be deported. i'm not here to dispute that. i don't deputy that. -- dispute that. but with this bill, if el salvador doesn't accept his deportation, florida's attorney general could ask a court to

force the federal government to ban all visas from el salvador or all h2a visas or all h-1b visas for high-tech workers for all that matters. nearly 5,500 people in colorado today are working on an a-2a visa. why should florida's attorney general be able to dictate color color's need for -- colorado's need for their workers? why should any state attorneys general be able to hammer the economies of 49 other states? it doesn't make any sense. it's because congress and the administration have abandoned their responsibility here. we find ourselves in this position. second, this bill creates mandatory detention policies for immigrants accused of committing nonviolent and also violent

crime. and, as i said, i believe we should be going after transnational gangs, street gangs and people who pose a threat to our communities. when a brutal crime is committed, as in the case of laken riley, we should respond. we have to respond. and we should stand with her family, as the senator from alabama has done, and her community and ensure something like that never happens again. but in my opinion, this bill is not targeted enough. it would force ice, working with local law enforcement, to detain immigrants who are accused, not just convicted, but accused of a very broad set of crimes, including shoplifting. without regard to how young they are or how -- or more important whether they're a threat to our community or a threat to public

safety. there is a good reason, and i know the presiding officer may not agree with this, but i know he knows the logic. there is a good reason why we seldom pass legislation with mandatory detention or jailing. we tend to believe that law enforcement is in the best position to determine in real time who the threat to public safety actually is. and we know we don't have the resources, we never have the resources, to lock up every nonviolent offender without regard to whether they're a threat to public safety or not. i know this sounds crazy, but this bill is so broadly drafted that it would compel law enforcement to put a mandatory detention on -- you heard it -- an 11-year-old immigrant in

new york accused of stealing a soda from a gas station. i think most law enforcement agents across the country would tell you that their time would be much better spent tracking down and detaining, for example, a violent criminal whose bludgeoned their neighbor with a hammer, but this bill doesn't distinguish between those two cases. instead, it strips law enforcement of their ability to make their best judgment about whom to arrest and not to arrest, whom to detain and not detain, and how to focus their precious resources on protecting our public safety. the proponents of this bill do not deny that children will be swept up in its administration. this is not a draftingeror --

drafting error, mr. president. in this bill, every undocumented person accused, not just convicted, but accused of a list of crimes that's in this bill must be detained. that might sound like law and order, mr. president, but it's easy to see how this encrotchment on -- encroachment on law enforcement's ability to do its job could spiral out of control. to make matters even worse, this bill does not provide ice with the resources it needs to implement what is now a massive unfunded liability. and i know that the proponents of the bill say they're going to fix that problem, but just so you understand, ice says this bill is going to cost $27 billion a year. that's their number. i've heard much higher numbers than that. let's take their number,

$27 billion a year, that's three times ice's annual budget of $9 billion. many of us are used to -- used to congress passing bills without ever paying nord stream 2, but this may be one of the worst cases that we've seen. and i know there may be an attempt here through reconciliation, you know, a tax measure, to try to fund this in some way or to pick some other place to do it, but choices are going to have to be made between the mandatory detention of people who may not be a threat to our community and other choices, like the funding for border patrol or the countering of weapons a -- the countering weapons of mass destruction office at homeland security, the

disaster relief fund, three that comes to mind. every dollar that ice spends incarcerating kids is a dollar the border patrol doesn't have to spend on the border itself. wouldn't be american people be a lot better -- wouldn't the american people people be a lot better off if homeland security were left to focus on violent criminals and enforcing the border and not kids accused of nonviolent crimes? i assume no one here really thinks that mandatorily incarcerating children accused of nonviolent crimes is the best, most strategic way to fix our immigration system. we certainly don't want a repeat of the images of children caged in chain linked enchosures screaming -- enclose iers screaming -- enclosures screaming out for their parents. federal law enforcement does not want that and i doubt any of us

want private prisons managing that. that episode was a shameful part of our history and if falls -- it falls into that chapter of our history. in another one of our more shameful immigration failures, congress never addressed the status of the dreamers. the senator from alabama made this point when she said there is not one dreamer who is under 17. that is because the american people in r support -- in support of dreamers, that we have been unable to rationalize their presence in the country. but three million dreamers who after all these years are middle aged, nurpgss and teach -- nurses, teachers, small business owners with families of their own are also vulnerable.

i would ask the presiding officer for two additional minutes. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. bennet: thank you, mr. president. we can make this bill better and stronger by focusing on the actual threats to public safety and protecting nonviolent kids from getting locked up, stripped away from their parents, schools, chumps, and -- churches and communities. we can make this better by protecting nonviolent dreamers from mandatory incarceration in the only country they know. mr. president, i know my time is almost over. the american people want us to fix our broken immigration system. they want us to feel safe in our own country. they want us to secure the border and cut down on illegal border crossings. they want us to strengthen rigorous legal pathways to support our economy and attract top talent. they want us to improve our partnerships with other countries so there's a reason for people to stay at home and

not just come here. and as we fix our broken immigration system, most americans want people treated with dignity, especially if they are children. immigration is one of the many challenges facing our country today. it touches every aspect of our economy. it directly affects families and often implicates our core values. in their best moments our parents and grandparents managed to navigate these issues by upholding the law and honoring our values. we must not abandon that aspiration in our time. mr. president, i am grateful for your patience. i apologize for going over a minute or two. and i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mrs. britt: i ask unanimous consent that senator ernst, risch, shaheen and i be permitted to speak up to five minutes each prior to the

scheduled roll call votes. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, so ordered. mrs. britt: mr. president, before i yield the floor to my distinguished colleague from iowa, i do want to respond to one thing my colleague from colorado said. look, i'm glad to see there being a keen interest on what's happening to migrant children now. my question has been where has that passion been for the last four years. when we had over 468,000 unaccompanied minors come across our border. when i just saw my distinguished colleague from wisconsin walk in who has tried to bring attention to this, tried to make sure we had a hearing of the 88,000-plus children that have been lost under this previous administration. look, additionally, when you talk about ice, there are 6,000 ice officers on the interior of our country. when we have over 11,000 migrants that have come here illegally, over 7.8 that are in removal proceedings, over 1.4

million that have been given their final orders of removal and yet the resources have not been there for them to do that at the level they need. that will change, mr. president, under this administration and under the republican majority. i now yield the floor to my colleague from iowa. ms. ernst: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. ms. ernst: mr. president, i rise in support of the laken riley act and ask my fellow colleagues to vote for my amendment, sarah's law. combined, these actions will close the loopholes that for too long have allowed murderers who come here illegally to roam free at our communities and commit more crimes. these two young women, sarah root and laken riley and their families deserve justice. and, folks, we can make this

happen tonight. after all, this is not a partisan fight. i'm honored to have my colleague, senator fetterman from the great state of pennsylvania cosponsoring sarah's law. the truth is the border crisis has impacted every state, not just southern border states like texas and arizona but new york, georgia, pennsylvania, and, yes, folks, even iowa. the end of this month marks nine years since iowans michelle root and scott root who i know personally woke up to every parents' worst nightmare. their daughter sarah was killed

by a drunk driver who was an illegal immigrant. sarah, a 21-year-old from council bluffs, iowa, had just graduated from belleview university in nebraska with a 4.0 gpa. she was headed home after celebrating this milestone, very important day in her life with her family and friends. in an instant, an illegal immigrant edwin mejia who was drunk driving with a blood alcohol three times the legal limit struck and killed her. one would think that sarah's killer would clearly meet immigration and customs

enforcement's enforcement priorities. but no. no. citing the obama administration's november 2014 memo, ice declined to take custody of mejia. yes, folks, he had killed a woman and they declined to take custody of edwin mejia despite his repeated driving offenses and history of skipping court dates. before the root family could even lay sarah to rest in her satin-lined casket in the cold iowa ground, her murderer had

posted bond never to be seen again and never to face justice. since then i have warned repeatedly against the dangers of letting illegal immigrants who have already broken our law s roam the country and continue their lawlessness. a loophole in the law meant sarah's killer escaped justice. but today we can do something to ensure that no other family has to go through the pain and the grief that scott and michelle and scotti and the rest of their family still feel from that

heartbreaking day. my amendment would close the alarming loophole that let sarah's killer go free. it would simply require ice to detain illegal immigrants charged with killing or seriously injuring another person so they do not disappear before facing justice. let's make this a reality today. for sarah's family, for laken's family, and for the countless american families we can protect. i thank the gentlelady from alabama for spearheading this effort to bring justice for our families. thafrm you and -- thank you and i yield the floor, mr. president.

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: i apologize, senator. the senator from idaho. a senator: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are not, sir. a senator: i ask unanimous consent that following the disposition of calendar number 1, s. 5, the senate proceed to executive session to consider executive calendar 2, marco rubio of florida to be secretary of state. further that the senate vote on confirmation of the rubio nomination with no intervening action or debate. finally, if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made, laid upon the table and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. crepe -- mr. crapo: i would also ask unanimous consent that immediately prior to the vote, i be given three minutes to debate and my distinguished colleague from new hampshire also be given three minutes to debate prior to calling the roll. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, so ordered.

all postcloture time is expired. the question occurs on amendment number 8 as amended. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote: the clerk: ms. alsobrooks. ms. baldwin. mr. banks. mr. barrasso. mr. bennet.

the clerk: mrs. blackburn. mr. blumenthal.

ms. blunt rochester. mr. booker. mr. boozman. mrs. britt. mr. budd. ms. cantwell. mrs. capito. mr. cassidy.

♪♪ ♪♪ [cheering] >> laura firefighters. they are well seasoned. they participated in parades and ceremonial's. a great opportunity.

each and every day. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪

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♪♪ ♪♪ we keep the rhythm of the drums going. please welcome the marching band. traveled all the way from tennessee, they are proud to the 2025 presidential inaugural parade. ♪♪

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♪♪ [cheering] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ 2013, it's become a high school

music program participated in numerous like the 75th anniversary of the attack on pearl harbor. [cheering] [cheering] ♪♪ ♪♪

♪♪ mean green marching machine. ♪♪

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♪ ♪ ♪ if you were counting close to 300 from the mississippi valley state band. [cheering] since it is apparently the band has played a significant role at the university across the united states to perform at the athletic events, mardi gras, rose bowl parades and many, many more mississippi valley state university band take great pride faculty mississippi communities.

take a look at that brass out there. that is just part of the big green marching machine. mean green marching machine from mississippi, ladies and gentlemen. [cheering] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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ladies and gentlemen, please welcome new special envoy to the middle east steve witkoff. [cheering] [applause] >> good evening everybody. i was appointed by president trump to be the special envoy for peace in the middle east. [cheering] and i would like to describe to you some of the things we are doing.

and the reforms on president trump's policies. first of all it is an honor to stand before you today as i reflect on the enormity of the role that president trump has tasked me with i am constantly reminded of the privilege it is to serve under the leadership of my boss, president donald j trump. [cheering] who his presidency has provided a clear all vision for the middle east and it is this vision that guides every step i take in the mission. president trump's leadership has redefined what is possible in the pursuit of a progress and pd stability in the middle east. his decisive, pragmatic approach ensures that even the most entrenched conflicts are met

with fresh perspectives and innovative strategies. his policies have already delivered remarkable successes such as yesterday's release of hostages and gaza. [cheering] thank you. this achievement demonstrates the strength of president trump's leadership and the respect he commands on the global stage. it is yet another example of his ability to deliver results and the most complex and challenging situations. the abraham accords, a testament to his vision and determination have also brought historic progress to the region, transforming old rivalries into new alliances.

these agreements are not nearly symbolic. they represent a practical roadmap for peace, economic cooperation, mutual respect across nations. my role as president trump has tasked me as straightforward yet profoundly challenging. to turn his vision into actionable outcomes. he sets the agenda. he lays the frame work and inspires people like me into bold action. my responsibility is to implement his vision, engaging with leaders across the region to find pathways toward sustainable peace and stability. and let me tell you, having donald trump as a boss makes this task not only possible but far more effective. [cheering]

president trump's reputation as a leader who delivers results resonates far beyond washington. leaders in the middle east know he means what he says. his ability to cut through bureaucratic gridlock and focus on tangible results is the game changer. it allows me too approach delicate negotiations with the confidence the full weight of the united states is behind me. the principles president trump is laid out for our approach to the middle east and foreign in foreignpolicy in general, ard and are clear. the amendment as amended is agreed to. mr. thune: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. thune: i ask the next vote be a ten-minute vote. the presiding officer: without objection. the clerk will read the title of the bill for the third time.

the clerk: calendar number 1, s. 5, a bill to require the secretary of homeland security to take into custody aliens who have been charged in the united states with theft and for other purposes. the presiding officer: the question occurs on passage of the bill as amended. is there a sufficient second? there is. the clerk will call the roll. vote: the clerk: ms. alsobrooks. ms. baldwin. mr. banks. mr. barrasso. mr. bennet. mrs. blackburn.

in my work i've seen firsthand how these principles of resignation. they provide a transcends politics speaks of the shared humanity of all people in a region. leaders across the middle east recognize this trump administration is serious about results, not symbolic gestures, but real meaningful progress that improves lives.

thank you. [applause] it is not always easy. there are moments of deep challenge and frustration. decades of mistrust cannot be undone overnight. but yet i take comfort in knowing i am not in this alone. president trump's clarity of vision ensures that i never have to question what success looks like. his leadership provides the confidence and direction necessary to navigate these complexities. as we move forward, my commitment is to continue the work of advancing president trump's vision for the middle east. whether through expanding the abraham peace accords, fostering economic development, or facilitating dialogue between a long standing adversaries, my focus remains on actionable results. let me close by saying this, a

stable and prosperous middle east is not an unattainable dream. it is a goal within our reach made possible by strong leadership and unwavering commitment. under president trump's guidance we are proving the impossible can become reality. thank you. but i will more thing to say. we have some special people for me too introduce you to, tonight. president trump has been talking to them as well. they are the families of hostages from israel who have been in gaza for the last year end a half. there are many of them here today. several of the families have lost children and loved ones they are here because they're part of an effort to retrieve their bodies so they can be

buried in a proper way. several have children who are still in captivity. there is an american family here, who's loved one is scheduled to come out in 14 days. they're going to be meeting the president tonight. let's give them all some love and a big hand. come on up. [applause] [cheering] [applause] [applause]

[applause] [applause] [applause]

[applause] [applause] [applause] and now, i get to introduce my

dear friend and president of the united states donald j trump. [cheering] [applause] [cheering] [applause] thank you very much everybody, appreciate it. [cheering] so now the work begins. we won, we won, now the work begins and we have to bring them home. tonight i'm going to be signing on the j6 hostages pardons.

to get them out. as soon as i leave i'm going to the oval office we will be signing pardons for a lot of people. a lot of people. thankca you to steve witkoff. he's a good guy, a friend of mine. he has been a very successful man and a great negotiator plays a wonderful time people love him. he has got tremendous a power of persuasion. that is what we need it. we don't need staffs, we've got a lot of stiffs. we just had a whole load of them. and to the former hostages with us today, welcome. welcome home. some of the folks are former hostages. not a good situation. the three young ladies that came home yesterday, you saw that. there's more coming home every day now, they are coming home. they were hurt, they were hurt.

they were hurt. one header and in fingers on her hand were indeed blown off. she was trying to defend yourself in a bullet being fired. a bullet knocked off her hand. i don't know, it's a disgrace. we never stopped praying for you and we are so glad you are reunited with their friends and families. god bless you all and some are justra saying my son is gone but please bring home his body. right steve? many of you have told me that. that your son is gone but bring home his body. it should never have happened. three years, ridiculous but should not of happened would not have happened pretty want to express my tremendous gratitude to the hundreds of thousands of proud american patriots who came from all across the country to join us in this celebration.

it's a celebration of a big win. you are witnessing the dawn of the golden age of america. that is what is going to be paid are going to bring it back. we are going to bring it back fast. let us also think the incredible service members, national guardsmen, police, secret service and law enforcement personnel for keeping us all safe. they are great people. new york's finest, i grew up with new york's finest. we've got to give them their authority back. we don't have any crime. the whole way they run things in this country now, it is disgraceful. it's going to change rapidly. were going to make our cities

safe again to. even though we are indoors and had it magnificent inaugural parade. let's give a big round of applause. they were great. to all the incredible performers aren't men and women who made it possible. those people are really talented and amazing people. want to thank my wonderful family for being here. especially my beautiful wife, our first lady. [cheering] [applause] i love our first lady. also jd. how good has jd been? and his beautiful wife. jd has been great.

he's another good negotiator to. we need negotiators in this country. so many of the people on the stage are not only family members for example lara trump the wife of eric. she was the head of the republican party along with my friend michael. stand up, the two of you. what a job. what a job they did. they work so hard. they knew there would be rigging we said were going to make it too big to rig. we did we made it too big to rig. we won every swing state by a lot we won the popular votes by millions and millions of votes. we won the whole ball of >>. and we're going to go drill baby drill into everything we wanted to do and bring your prices down. make our country safe.

thank you very much michael. thank you very much what a job you have done. was thinking about getting a nice job in the administration as i leave you right where you are. we are not moving and michael, i am sorry. anyway, thank you very much. appreciate it, appreciate it very much. i am about to sign some very important executive orders with our new administration. don we stand up please? how about don? [applause] he is a popular one. he goes out he's a little on the

rough side sometimes but that's what you want. he has done a fantastic job and loves our country is done a great job. and ivanka. and jared negotiated abraham's accord the biggest deal made in the middle east and many, many years. stand up. and that tiffany is going to have a little baby. i have a very tall son named barron. as anyone seen him?

[applause] thank you. we won the youth vote by 36 points per said dad you've got to go out into this one or that one and we did a lot of them. he's respectable, he understood them very well he said you got to got to joe rogan and do all of these guys and we did. we did joe rogan was great for they were all great, they were all good. he understood the market.

another famous one. is at byron donalds back there? stand up. stand up. what a future this one house. what a future. that is great thank you very much. how about lightning secretary of congress. he is going to take in more money than any countries ever thought about. he is going to take in some money. we have many others i'm not going to go through them. were going to sign some orders right now and that's really what i want to do.

we are going to sign executive orders. first i will revoke nearly 80 destructive and radical executive actions of the previous administrations were the worst administrations in history. not one of them, the worst. partanyone that would allow mils of people to pour through our borders from jails, prisons, mental institutions and is as sane asylums. gang members to be taken off the streets of venezuela and deposited in our country many, not just venezuela crime in venezuela is down 74% because they took their criminals and gave them to us through an open border policy of the previous administration. all over the world they are emptying their prisons into our country. bill, as amended, is p.

the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination, which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, department of state, marco rubio, of florida, to be secretary. the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. schumer: the senate will vote on the confirmation of senator rubio to serve as the next secretary of state. democrats have been very clear about our approach to president trump's nominees. we will neither rubber-stamp nominees we feel are grossly

unqualified nor oppose nominees that deserve serious consideration. senator rubio is an example of a qualified nominee we think should be confirmed quickly. earlier today he was unanimously voted out of committee with full support from democrats and should be confirmed quickly on the floor. today i will vote yes on senator rubio. while i do not always agree on his positions, in this instance, it's important for the new administration to have a senate-confirmed secretary of state as soon as possible. i'll vote yes. the -- it was the same during the first obama term. it was appropriate then. it's appropriate now. the presiding officer: the senator from idaho. a senator: it's an honor to confirm president trump's first

appointment mr. risch: he was voted positively out of the foreign relations committee moments ago. 16 years ago i came here and sat down in the foreign relations committee, took a seat at the very end, got on the intelligence committee, took a seat at the end, two years later, marco came in and sat next to me. during that period of time we have worked together a tremendous number of hours on many issues. we are at a time when america faces threats from nearly every corner of the world, it's no secret that hostile -- this -- there an authoritarian access, we need a chief diplomat like marco rubio to take them on. our challenges in the foreign relations lane and national security lane are enormous and complicated. i can't think of another person better equipped to tackle these

issues than our colleague, marco rubio. i would encourage anyone who wants a clear understanding of the united states foreign policy, look at and watch the recording of marco's performance before the foreign relations committee last week. i would say to you, his performance was flawless. marco's qualifications and ability to stand in the shoes of thomas jefferson, our first secretary of state, and the 70 who followed him, marco'ses qualifies indications are -- qualifications are unchallengeable. i urge you to vote for marco rubio. mrs. shaheen: the position of secretary of state is one of the most important in our government. given the uncertainty around the globe right now, it is in america's interest not to skip a beat and to fill this role immediately. that's why i'm pleased that the

foreign relations committee not only moved quickly today to hold a business meeting, but we unanimously confirmed senator rubio's nomination. i've had a good working relationship with senator rubio for many years and i was very impressed at his hearing by his groos root policy -- grass root policy. i believe he has the skill and qualification to be secretary of state. i will vote for marco rubio and i urge my colleagues to do the same. the presiding officer: the question occurs on the nomination of the great senator marco rubio, of florida, to be secretary of state. mr. schumer: soon to be the great former senator. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the ol. -- the roll. vote:

when that stuff goes up in the air does not stay there. it's not like you have a what we love walt the stomach of a wall around it it floats into the united states of america after three and half to five and half days it floats across the ocean and comes right over your neighborhood. and it falls into your neighborhood so they all say we have to fight for cleaner air. the dirty air is dropping all over so what are they talking about? unless everybody doesn't interest is not work. with the cleanest air water this country has ever had under the trump administration we did not do anything to stop jobs and stop production, believe me. you're going to see a lot of companies come pouring back because of tariffs. tariffs is the most beautiful words to me in the dictionary is reprimanded by the fake news they said what about love,

religion and god? i said i agree. let's put god number one. let's put religion number two. love i don't know it got to put that number three i guess, right? and then it is tariffs. tariffs are going to make us rich. it's going to freak our businesses back that left us. it will also sign executive order to immediately and federal government censorship of the american people and in america we believe in free speech. or bring it back starting today to stop the weaponization, do i know about that. deranged jack smith have you ever heard of him? he is a deranged prosecutor. he has now been reduced to getting on an airplane going back to the hague or wherever he

came from. gotta give her to that guy. with seat one of the people he got a pardon today to the pardon jack smith? did you know biden will i was making my speech pardoned his whole family? the brother, the whole deal wasn't pardoned. was pardoned. can you imagine that? while i was making my speech, did everyone hear my speech? [cheering] did you like my speech? [cheering] [cheering] [applause] thank you. i mean the only thing wrong with it as i had a lot of tough things to say and some great people who work for me. they said sir this is a great

speech it so unifying. don't talk about fighting with his pardons and his family we want a unified country. they said don't talk about the j6 hostages you're going to be releasing today. [cheering] sir, don't put that in your speech please. that i want. they said sir it won't beat unified it's a beautiful the way it is and it's getting great reviews. if i put things like that in the terrible reviews. one little paragraph and they go crazy, right? so i sent alright, i won't put in my speech but i'm speaking in front of a lot of people at a place called capitol one arena. i will talk about it there. we are going to be going over to

the beautiful oval office. even if it wasn't beautiful as the oval office it's beautiful we love the oval office. the wars start and end there. everything starts and ends at the oval office. we love it. want to go to the oval office we are going to sign and release our great hostages that didn't do, for the most part they didn't do stuff wrong. you take a look at what went on. look what happens in other parts of the country and portland were they killed people, destroyed the city. nothing happened to them. in seattle where they took over big chunk of the city nothing happened. many apples for the birds on the city, nothing happened essentially nothing happened. all they want to do is go after the j6 hostages. a 76 till grandmother was a rest of because i think she was looking at the capitol or

something like that. we are not going to put up with that crab anymore. [cheering] [applause] to stop the weaponization of law enforcement i've been investigated more than any other human being in the world i believe i have the all-time record subpoena, subpoena every single day we get subpoenas. i was more than any person, capone scarface was a pretty rough guy. he was investigated about 1100th wind trump my father's looking down at me. my mother's looking down at me, how does this happen? they investigate their political opponents the opponents have invited and ultimately kamala harris has anyone heard of her?

we had to beat two opponents. we had to be provided him and him and now is 39-point down. they should have left me in i would have beat him. his debate performance was not the best. that's what killed him how to change is like you get into a fight the great white spoke last night love whites, usc. he puts into fighters ones getting creamed, really beaten they say take him out and put someone else and to finish the fight that's what they did to us. forgive us and we knew but we took care of both of them. we beat actually two opponents. but, to stop the weaponization of law enforcement in our government i'll sign an order directing every federal agency to preserve all records

pertaining to political persecution under the last administration of which there were many. beginning the process of exposing any and all abuses of power. even though he has pardoned many of these people. can you believe it? he has pardoned them to know why he did it while i was speaking because i couldn't speak about it i was speaking i didn't know he did i finished my speech he said to sir, he pardoned his whole family. our first lady was a please don't do that. we have plenty of time to talk about it. and we will. we are doing all this on the very first day in office. we have been in this position will route one the primaries in record time. at the fastest win of a primary ever in political history which is a nice thing that's nice to know.

the second election was rigged so we knew we were doing well. and if it wasn't, if it wasn't i would never run. that third one is just a monster. why wasn't that a monster? that was a big one. the second one they got 10 or 12 million votes within the first one. how about that? we did great on the first one, much better on the second one that man did we do on the third one. we are going to have some fun. we are going to make our country great again them. how good of a name is mack out? [cheering] keep america great. unfortunately it wasn't great. you can't say keep it great, it will be great again. i don't think it's going to replace a maga.

never replacing maga nothing will ever replace maga. maga was the most successful, political operation, political movement in the history of our country. maybe in the history of the world. we'll see what happens. we're not finished yet we've got a long way to go. we are doing this very first day in office. in just a few moments, i'm not only signing the release of the j6 hostages, i am signing other things, you are going be happy reading newspapers tomorrow and the next day, and the next day, and the next day. so i want to thank you. look at this place it's full to the rafters. look at those people up there. we don't have any empty seats. by the way the capitol one owners who got to root for their

teams they've been so great to maga a comment to us, i want to thank ted and everybody but you are fantastic. the ice hockey team is doing great. they are doing great. i want to thank them, capitol one arena owners have an absolute fantastic. thank you once again to everyone. i can only tell you you are going to be very happy. you're going to watch the good things happen. were going to stop s'mores are happening in going on. it never would have happened and it has. as you know israel would never fit hit on october 7. none of you would be up here. none of you would know about this tragedy you're going through right now. but iran was broke. anyone that bought oil from iran, they cannot do any business with us. they're not going to do business with america.

china pass, everybody passed, they were broken. they did not have money for hamas. they did not have money for hezbollah york sevens would be alive it would certainly not be incarcerated like they are. it is a shame. were getting a lot of people in a short period of time. i'm going to go right over here and sign in front of you is that okay? [cheering] [cheering]

[cheering] [inaudible] why don't you say what i am signing the crooks the first item president trump assigning is the rescission of 78 biden area executive order presidential man memoranda. [cheering]

[cheering] the second item president trump is a regulatory freeze preventing bureaucrats or issuing any more regulation until we have more control of the government and this administration. [cheering] [applause] [cheering] [cheering] the next item is a freeze on all federal power except the military and other excluded categories. again until we have control of the government we understand the objectives of the government going forward. [cheering]

>> could you imagine a biden doing this? i don't think so. i don't think so. >> the next item is you announcing your speech is a requirement federal workers returned to full-time in person at work immediately. [cheering] [applause] >> thank you sir we have a directive to every department and agency in the federal government to address the cost-of-living crisis that has cost americans so dearly. [cheering] [applause]

>> we love you president trump. the presiding officer: on this >> on this vote 99 the knees are zero. the nomination of the great senator marco rubio from the state of florida is confirmed. [applause] under the previous order the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table the president will be immediately notified of the senates actions.

majority leader projects i ask you now's consent received in a period good morning but is a set is permitted to speak there in front to 10 minutes each. >> without objection. >> mr. president for customer committees to meet during today's session the approval of provablymajority minority leade. >> duly noted. >> mr. present i ask unanimous consent of the letters inside rubio regarding his resignation from the senate be printed in the record. >> without objection. >> mr. president i calendar number for essex. >> theed clinical report. >> motion to proceed to calendar number four essex a bill to amend title 18 united states code health care practitioner failing to exercise a proper degree of care on the case of child or attempted abortion. eskr the motion to proceed. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the motion to proceed to calendar number 4, s. 6, a bill to amend

title 18, united states code, to prohibit a health care practitioner from failing to exercise the proper degree of care in the case of a child who survives an abortion or attempted abrgs signed by 17 senators as follows. mr. thune: mr. president, i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: i ask consent that the mandatory quorum call be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 11:00 a.m. on tuesday, january 21, that following the prayer and pledge, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hours be deemed ex-provided. the time for the two leaders and morning business be closed. further, upon the conclusion of morning business, the senate resume consideration of the motion to proceed to calendar number 4, s. 6. finally, the senate recess from 12:15 to 2:15 to allow for the weekly conference meetings. 12:30. sorry. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: mr. president, if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it s