squad for the executive branch, but i want to bring that your attention, mr. chairman, an action taken by the state department today that was too woke for sherman. they announced they're going to spend $400 million on zero greenhouse gas emitting armored cars. that's right, electric armored cars, $400 million to replace perfectly good gas driven armored cars. they said they were going to be tesla cyber truck armored cars. this administration will get too woke for sherman if it helps the shareholders of the tesla automobile. there have been a number of falsehoods stated, the biggest one is the $50 million for gaza condoms. musk admitted that it was just completely false. he apologized, so that he made-- doge made a mistake.

are we going to terminate doge? well, i'd like to, but terminate doge because it made one mistake, no, you identify mistakes less than $50 million people want to terminate usaid. musk statement, he should be apologizing for and public apologizing because the truth has a tough time catching up with the falsehood, but let's go through a few others. we're told that there are $6 million to fund tourism in egypt. >> the senate's coming in for more work on president trump's cabinet nominees both to confirm rfk, jr. to be health and human services secretary and brook rollins to be agriculture secretary begin at 10:30 eastern time. you're watching large coverage on c-span2.

the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the chaplain dr. barry black will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. almighty god, who taught us it is more blessed to give than receive, as we prepare to celebrate president's day, thank you for the great gift of leadership. may this wonderful ability to mobilize people toward a shared objective become the strength of our legislative branch. help our lawmakers

find the correct balance that leads to true influence. lord, give them the wisdom to prefer listening to speaking, and learning to teaching, as they seek to make bipartisan progress. infuse them with the serenity to accept the things they cannot change, the courage to change the things they can, and the wisdom to know the difference. we pray in your wonderful 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., february 13, 2025. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable roger marshall, a senator from the state of kansas, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: charles e. grassley president pro tempore. the presiding officer: under the previous order, 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, department of health and human

services, robert f. kennedy jr. of california to be secretary. partner in north america has been turned into a full-blown, and rightfully suspended aid, usaid sent $30 million to cover unclear programs while the dictator has corrupted the

economy, destroying jobs. even to identify terrorists themselves. mr. primorac. >> yes, sir, i'm not familiar with the situation in tunisia, this happens a lot. a lot of goodwill in these programs overall, but the problem is these things go on year after year after year and although there are no changes propping up bad regimes, i was in mozambique in october for the. we're spending a billion dollars, half a billion dollars a year and what happens, there's no reform, support for socialism and the government two months before we came there provided

their port in order to allow the chinese navy to project their power into the western indian ocean so there has to be a much better affinity what we do on the development aids side and the diplomacy where we put our ambassadors on the hook to make sure these things don't happen. thank you. >> indeed we've seen in the republic of georgia the corrupted election of october where the legitimate president has been replaced, as you identify ports, indeed, the chinese communist party has taken over the port in georgia on the black sea and simultaneously, the dictatorship has reached out to work closely with tehran at the same time as tehran has sent assassins to murder donald trump. with that in mind, thank goodness we have good people like our congressional alumnus,

ted yoho here. so, ted, the mechanisms for aid have been co-opted by enemies, and president trump has appointed ambassador stefanik, like ambassador haley, and what can we do to ensure that indeed these agencies are working for the people we're trying to help and not propped up dictators or support terrorists? >> i think the biggest thing is just oversight and we need to follow-up on the oversight. we hear every year how many erroneous spending programs there are, how money is wasted. we hear the reports yet, when i was in congress, i didn't see us acting. it was hard to get everybody to act and that's where i go back to the purity of purpose and what is the mission? we have to stay within those guardrails and we need to make sure while the body of congress

needs to make sure that they stay that way. and it's a tough thing. and if it was a static world it would be easy, but it's a tough world. >> also in the best florida tradition, our secretary of state, marco rubio has announced just last week a great letter to the chairman how they would be stepping in to identify programs and promote those that-- promote the people of legitimately in the world who need it. i yield back. >> thank you, representative wilson, now recognize representative keating. >> thank you, mr. chairman, i welcome two of my former colleagues here, ted yoho, one of the more conservative people i served with in congress and andrew nasios who i think is the most conservative member i served with in the massachusetts house as a republican and republican leader in massachusetts, as well. you know, i think that what

we're seeing with our witnesses, witnesses like this, is the fact that up until three weeks ago this issue, the usaid, used to be the most bipartisan issue and i've been on this committee now for 14 years, plus. we used to agree with these things. we could find things wrong with it that we can correct and the irony of all of this is this, the republicans are in charge of the white house, the house, and the senate. they have the power to do this the right way. they have the power of oversight to look at all the things that have been pointed out. that's your responsibility if you don't like it and you have the power to do it. you don't need this draconian executive directive to do it that's causing chaos. not just here in this country, but around the world. it's not necessary, and it's a huge departure from everything i've seen occurring in the 14 years before this. along those lines, i'd like to

submit, mr. chairman, a letter to the republican and democratic leadership in the house and the senate and it's from almost 150 former administrative officials, republicans and democrats, those who served in the military and the state department, and urging rescission of the trump executive orders aimed at freezing foreign assistance and dismantling usaid. it deplored the undemocratic and unconstitutional dismantling of these agencies. i'd like to submit this. >> so ordered. >> and i'd also like to point out some other correspondence that occurred around this issue. the people that praised this action. where did they come from? i'll tell you where they came from? they came from our greatest critics, the greatest critics of democracy right now in the world, they came from the leaders of russia, and hungary,

and venezuela. they're praising this effort. that's who is for this effort. in fact, the speaker of the russian state duma said that anyone who received funding from usaid should be made to publicly confess and repent on red square. that's who is praising this. that's who is happy with this. putin's happy with this. this is so important now in ukraine, one example, putin's primary target in ukraine is to destroy the electrical grid to use that as an energy weapon of war against the ukrainians in his illegal aggression and what does usaid do? they're helping to train and give the resources so that the ukrainians can repair these damaged electrical grids so they can keep the power on and fight putin. putin's happy with this.

i mentioned the military leaders. general mattis who is also secretary of defense under donald trump, he used to come to this committee time and time again and say, don't fully fund these programs like usaid and you know what? if you don't fund it, just buy me some more ammunition. the military in our country understands the importance of this program. i've had discussions for years and i just recently had discussions with our special operations forces. those people, i respect them beyond words. they are in the most dangerous parts of the world, in small numbers, a global footprint working to know where our greatest threats are in the country. they're paid place in position, hosting the most dangerous threats to our countries as are so many people working for usaid. risking their lives as well. trying to secure the safety of

people, not just in the world, but in our own country, from terrorist threats that are metastasizing and imposed increasing threats right here back at home. they told me of the importance of usaid. they told me how they work together on security issues, on intel issues, ing officer: the democratic leader. mr. schumer: mr. president, this morning the senate will vote on the nomination of robert f. kennedy to serve as secretary of health and human services. by now it's beyond clear that mr. kennedy is not remotely qualified to become the next secretary of hhs. in fact, mr. kennedy might be one of the least qualified people that donald trump could have chosen for the job. there were so many others that would have been better. i'm very proud that every single democrat will oppose mr. kennedy's nomination.

because democrats know better than to elevate a conspiracy theorist to the top health care job in the country. i know some of my colleagues feel the same way privately. in fact, if the senate held a secret ballot today, i'll bet mr. kennedy would never come close to becoming confirmed and that many if not most republicans would vote against him. i think most likely most republicans would vote against him if there were a secret ballot. but sadly and unfortunately for america, republicans are being strong armed by donald trump and will end up holding their nose and voting to confirm mr. kennedy. what a shame. what a travesty. i urge my republican colleagues to think very carefully one last time before rolling the dice, before rolling the dice on

mr. kennedy. a vote to confirm mr. kennedy is a vote to make america sicker. mr. kennedy has not -- has made a living not by promoting public health but by actively fighting it. mr. kennedy is the face of the modern antivaccine movement. mr. kennedy has spent decades profiting off vaccine misinformation.mr. kennedy told that he would, quote, defer to the president on issues as personal as deeply held, as important as abortion. well, how do we know mr. kennedy woeblt just -- won't just defer to the president, who is farther from an expert on health care, on other issues and health care issues as well?

it's simple -- we don't. if he can change his view and defer to the president on something as deeply held as abortion, the likelihood is he'll change his view on many other health care issues to the detriment of the american p people. one thing he won't change his views on is vaccines, i am sure, because he's held that so deeply. my republican colleagues should think very carefully before voting to elevate a vaccine skeptic, a conspiracy theorist to oversee our health care system. if confirmed, i fear greatly mr. kennedy will take steps that severely undermine public health, weaken safety standards, and put the needs of for-profit corporations ahead of the needs of american families. sooner or later, public backlash is going to build, and

republicans will have wished they hadn't signed their names for such a troubled nominee. so, one final time, one final time i implore my republican colleagues to reject the nomination of kennedy to be secretary of hhs. a vote to confirm mr. kennedy is a vote i truly believe many, many republicans, and most americans, will eventually very deeply regret. now, on costs, lowering costs for average families in the budget resolution, well, my colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, my fellow americans, welcome to the age of trumpflation. if there was one mandate donald trump had after winning the election, it was to fight

inflation. remember what he said on the campaign trail? he said, quote, when i win, i will immediately bring prices down, starting on day one. starting on day one, he said, he will bring prices down. well, today is day 25, and inflation is not down but actually up by 3%. higher than what economists were expecting. at the grocery store, the price of pork, chicken and beef are all up. eggs are up 15% from last month. gas prices are up 2% from last month. used cars are up. auto insurance has become more expensive. what is donald trump doing about all this? he's making the problem worse by threatening trade wars with our own allies. here's what the ceo of ford

motor company said yesterday. the ceo of ford motor company warned yesterday that, quote, a 25% tariff across the mexico and canadian borders will blow a hole in the u.s. industry that we have never seen. that's the head of ford motor. that's not some liberal democratic economist. the head of ford motor says that tariffs will blow a huge hole, a hole, in the u.s. auto industry. what he is doing on tariffs is, again, sort of like everything else, it's sort of a meat axe approach, a slash-and-burn approach, not looking at each individual case and seeing what's good and what's bad. inflation is the number one issue on people's minds. it was the biggest issue during the election, and already donald trump is breaking his promise to do something about it. and the american people are

starting to take notice already, even though we're only on day 25 of trump's term. a recent cbs poll showed that 66% of voters do not think trump is focused enough on lowering prices. 66% of voters do not think donald trump is focused enough on lowering prices. you know what? they're absolutely right. in the three weeks that donald trump has been president he's been focused on pretty much everything but fighting inflation, which is the number one thing people care about. we've seen this maneuver so many times before from donald trump. he knows that he has no real answers to fixing inflation. so what does he do? he distracts, he distorts, he says ridiculous and wild, strange things, hoping to distract the country from the fact he's not doing his job. it's why he talks about things

like renaming the gulf of mexico. it's why he's talking about hotels in gaza. it's why he's talking about annexing canada. number of these things have anything to do with the thing that matters most -- lowering the cost of living for average american families. meanwhile, are the republicans doing here in congress? what are my senate republican colleagues doing? are they fighting inflation maybe? no way. no way. republicans are full steam ahead with cutting taxes for the untrarich, paid for on the backs of working and middle-class families. just look at the gargoyle-like budget proposal the house republicans released yesterday. republicans want to make billionaires even wealthier by raising costs for working people. the republican budget slashes nutrition programs that help 40

million americans put food on the table. the republican budget proposes massive cuts to medicaid, threatening health care for tens of millions of people. it will make food, health care, energy and housing more exp expensive, all to cut taxes for the untrarich. hurting the middle class, raising costs for the middle cl class, to help the ultra wealthy. the republican budget plan can be described in one word -- radical. republicans should remember well what happened the last time they cut taxes for the ultra wealthy. it backfired with the rest of america. if republicans try to cut taxes for the untrarich again, history is going to repeat itself, and it will cost them dearly at the ballot box. 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. the dfc was designed for a purpose, trade and the big

thing. i won't come up with why we came up with that, we were at the drc. if they want to create a sovereign wealth fund there should be a different order. if you put it in the dfc, it clouds the mission. are we going to do a development or sovereign wealth fund and you cloud the mission and get away from what i like to call purity of purpose. dfc for hard core infrastructure projects that bring in other invests so we can wean them off foreign aid. foreign aid by itself has not brought anybody out of -- into prosperity, but working together to build the infrastructure to create that structure there, that brings in the opportunity, outside dollars and then we create friendships and allies around the world. >> great, thank you. mr. chairman, i'm willing to work, let's do the work in congress and this committee and

let's build a better, stronger, more prosperous-- >> could i just add something if i could. >> the gentleman's time expired, i thank the representative for wanting to work on the state department reauthorization and look forward to working with that. the representative from tennessee is recognized. >> thank you, mr. chairman, i want to submit for the record an article why condoms cannot always be trusted, dated march 19th, 1993, and it goes on to say that usaid distributed around 800 million condoms last year and this was in '93, the argument that condoms are not being distributed, obviously, has some holes in it, mr. chairman. mr. primorac, can you provide an example of usaid programs, usaid programs that was harmful to the u.s. foreign interest? >> you. i probably didn't say your name right. >> that's okay, congressman,

thank you. >> nobody gets-- jonathan jackson still doesn't get birchet right so we're good. >> i agree it's important to unt coulder china, but the last four years went the opposite direction. the strong infrastructure that we had over at usaid was dismantled by the next administration. i can't think of anything that's harmed our-- the developing world than the climate agenda. it has pushed all of these countries, especially in africa, to go green, solar, wind, ev's, who produces all of those materials? it's china. and so, and then on top of it, we tell them, no, you can't develop your own fossil fuel industry because it's not-- it's anti-green. so, what happens? they can't generate the revenues to create good jobs at home, they can't generate the revenues in order to finance their own health, education and other

needs, and it increases the price of energy, which does what to the poor? it hurts them. the climate agenda has done more in increasing poverty and increasing hunger than anything else. of course, the resentment that's building up from around the world, that's much more conservative than we are on these woke things, it's extremely, extremely damaging and look, a friend of mine at work provided me with something that's very, very telling of the 19 of the top 20 countries receiving aid from usaid are part of the belt and road initiative that china runs. i mean, this is showing that our efforts are know the working. and i agree with congressman yoho and administrator natsios, the developing world want more trade and more investment. i don't care if you're speaking to governmental officials, business leaders, religious leaders, they don't have the aid

where 50% is gone and-- >> and the presiding officer: without objection. mr. boozman: thank you, mr. president. i ask unanimous consent that our intern on the committee on agriculture and nutrition and forestry, cally hennabury be granted floor privileges through may 9, 2025, and that cftc detailee kevin webb also be granted floor privileges through the end of the 119th congress. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. boozman: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i'm honored to speak on the floor of the senate and support brooke rollins to be secretary of agriculture. the senate will vote on her nomination to this cabinet position today, and i encourage my colleagues to vote yes. america's farmers, ranchers, fo foresters need a leader at usda who will be an advocate for their livelihoods in rural

america, and be a strong voice to address the pressing needs of our agriculture community. brooke rollins is that person. in her hearing before the senate agriculture committee, she pledged to do everything within her ability to ensure that our farmers, ranchers, and rural communities thrive. and we know she will follow through on that because rural america helped shape her into what she is today. she's leading a life of service that began with membership in her small-town texas ffa chapter, and continues to credit her ffa advisor for his support and mentorship in her agriculture career. she invited him to attend the nomination hearing before the senate agriculture committee last month, along with the texas state ffa officer team she

served with in high school. texas governor rick perry knew brooke rollins had a heart for texas farmers, and invited her to join his policy team where she advocated for agriculture. she continues that passion today. her executive leadership during the first trump administration, and her regular collaboration with president trump, make her uniquely qualified to serve in this position and advocate for family farms. she understands the significant responsibility of this role. during one of most economically challenging times for agriculture producers. hardwork grow our food are l struggling to operate let alone make a profit in this current economic climate. high inflation and steep input costs far outpacing depressed market prices and put many farm

families on a course towards bankruptcy. with multigenerational operations fighting to continue their family legacy. in december, congress approved natural disaster and emergency assistance to help producers obtain critical operating loans for this crop year. ensuring delivery of this aid will be one of her first priorities as secretary. i'm confident she will produce, pursue and produce policies to help rural america live up to its potential. while we first met during the first trump administration, i've had the opportunity to get to know her better during her confirmation process and she has demonstrated her enthusiasm for being a voice for small-town america and agriculture producers. i'm grateful she is willing to take on this big responsibility and willing to be part of the solution to help rural america

at this time of unprecedented challenges. as chairman of the senate agriculture committee, i've met with farmers, ranchers, and agriculture stakeholders from all over the country, and they have been sounding the alarm of the dire circumstances they face in producing a safe, affordable, and abundant supply of food. farmers from my home state of arkansas shared with the committee last week about the difficult conversations they are forced to have right now about continuing their multigenerational farms and risking their family's future in the industry. unfortunately, this is a conversation many more farm families across the country will have if we do not act quickly. congress must deliver an updated five-year farm bill that modernizes the safety net in order to maximize liabilities. i'm sorry -- in order to

minimize liabilities farm families take on when they plant their crops. food security is national security. our country is blessed to have grocery stores stocked with food to put on our tables. this is the result of the hard work of our farmer and ranchers. these producers need the tools to be successful and continue to grow the food, fiber and fuel our nation depends on. i know brooke rollins shares my commitment to enhancing the policies that help farm families and rural communities thrive. given her executive leadership, she is well prepared to hit the ground running and as she walks through the doors of usda's secretary and deliver the certainty and predictability our producers need. i look forward to working with her to strengthen rural america and the men, women, and families who call it home. i also want to thank everyone

for, on both sides of the aisle in making it such that we can do this in such an expeditious way. it took a lot of cooperation. i think it just shows how important our farmers are. it's about democrats and republicans, it's one of the few areas that is not a partisan issue. it's all about helping the men and women that work so, so very hard to provide the food that we need. with that, i yield back.

>> on trying to stay out of the vitriol. the inspector general is there to investigate abuse. help works. people think they watch us and they find the stuff and they arrest us. that's not how it works. 80% of the investigations done by aid are initiated by aid compliance officers who call the ig and say there's a problem.

you need to come in here and fix it. then they work with them. >> to clarify, , not only is ths endangering americans but trump and mosque are you for stopping this produce wastewater and abuse is a complete lie because they are doing the opposite. that's because this is not an oversight. it's not about reform. it's about completely gutting for assistance. that i say this a lot. and that is that agriculture is the lifeblood of south dakota and the lifeblood of our country. and farmer and ranchers are hard at work every single day to feed america and the world. but what i hear lately from farmer and ranchers is not good. agriculture produce ares across the country have faced strong headwinds across the year. higher interest costs, lower commodity prices leading to declining farm income year after

year. natural disasters have struck many of our farm regions, and the bird flu continues to ravage agriculture across the country. of course the last few years the biden administration was hardly much help. it imposed burdensome regulations like wotus or waters of the united states, that threatened to devastate the farm sector. the administration put expanding market access on the back burner while our agricultural trade deficit grew to record levels. and their profligate spending led to inflation that hit farmers and ranchers especially hard in the form of higher input costs. meanwhile democrats here in congress failed to prioritize and modernize farm bill to support agriculture through these challenges. and we are now more than a year past due for an updated farm bill. mr. president, american farmers and ranchers deserve better, much better. and i expect things will be

different under president trump. i know that farmer and ranchers will have a friend in brooke rollins, the president's choice for secretary of agriculture. mrs. rollins grew up in an agricultural town of glen rose, texas, spent summers working for her family on the farm in minnesota helping with corn, potato, and soybean crops. she was a 4-her, faa state officer and her four kids are keeping up the family's way of life. after studying agriculture development at texas a&m, she went to work for then-gof rick perry where she worked on agriculture policy. she continued ag work by building up a texas think tank and powering the voices of farmers, ranchers and rural communities. she served in president trump's first administration first leading the office of american innovation and then the domestic

policy council. mr. president, brooke rollins is a policy wonk with a farmer's heart. she understands the needs of agriculture producers and she knows how to deliver results. and she promises to get right to work after she is confirmed on four key priorities. first, getting disaster and economic aid out the door into the hands of farmers. second, getting the fwird flu and other animal disease outbreaks under control. third, getting the farm bill done. and finally, revitalizing the u.s. department of agriculture to focus on its core mission and put america and american agriculture first. mr. president, i'm looking forward to working with mrs. rollins on these key priorities. under this republican majority delivering a modernized farm bill is a majority and i'm glad she pledged to work with congress on one of the top farm

bill needs which is strengthening the farm safety net, which is essential to keeping existing operations going and encouraging the next generation of producers to get started. i was also pleased to hear mrs. rollins acknowledge the need to improve management of national forests. the black hills national forest among others across the country has seen its timber industry decimated by bad management policies. i look forward to working with mrs. rollins to provide relief from the dire situation in south dakota. i'm encouraged she will recognize getting disaster assistance out the door. last year many suffered from the natural disasters. as i said, farmers and ranchers who suffered lower commodity prices. congress passed $31 billion in agriculture it disaster and

economic assistance and we need to get that money into the hands of farmer and ranchers working to rebuild. she understands the mission of usda and understands the-day-to-day needs of america's farmers and sheep has the expertise to deliver results. i trust she will put america's farmers and ranchers first as secretary of agriculture and i look forward to working with her in this role. mr. president, later today i will introduce a bill to repeal the death tax. as i mentioned, as a resident of a rural state filled with family farms and ranches, i have made death tax repeal a priority for a long time and i was proud to help secure a doubling of the death tax exemption in the 2017 tax cuts and jobs act. this has provided certainty to a lot of farms and ranches and small businesses over the past seven years but the expanded exemption is expiring at the end

of this year. it is my hope we will not merely extend this exemption but we will get rid of this fundamentally flawed tax once and for all. mr. president, the death tax is fundamentally flawed both in theory and in practice. there should be a limit to how many times the government can tax you. the money you have at your, leave at your death has already been taxed by the government at least once, which makes the death tax double taxation. and the government isn't even profiting all that much from this double taxation. that's right, the death tax accounts for a teeny tiny fraction of government revenue. in fact, there's reason to believe that the government would collect more in taxes if it got rid of the death tax entirely due to the economic growth and job creation that would stem from its elimination. so how is there any support left for this burdensome tax?

mr. president, that's a good question. for some, of course, heavy taxation is axiomatic. do well, their thinking runs, and the government should come after you. some think that you shouldn't be able to pass the results of hard work down to your children upon your death. well, mr. president, death tax proponents tend to talk as if the death tax only affects the extremely wealthy, but nothing of course could be further from the truth. the death tax can sweep up those who have very little in the bank, notably family farms and ranches and family businesses. how? well, farming and ranching is often a cash poor business. a farmer might have substantial looking assets on paper, but the vast majority of that is land and farming equipment. only a small fraction of it is money in the bank. on top of that, farmland can often be valued at a level that

is inconsistent with its agricultural productivity value. the crop yield on the land could be worth far, far less. so what happens when a farmer or rancher dies and his estate is subject to the tax? there is a very good chance that his liquid assets, in other words, the cash that he has available in the bank, won't come close to covering the tax bill from the federal government. and the only alternative for his heirs may be to start selling off land or farm equipment to pay the tax. in some cases they will be able to keep the farm, just a smaller version of it. in others, they may have to sell off the family farm entirely. the case is similar with family owned businesses. the owner might appear to have substantial looking assets on paper, but only a small fraction of that may be money in the bank. the vast majority may be tied up in the business. and once again, when the federal

government comes around demanding a huge portion of this individual's taxable estate, there may not be anywhere close to enough money in the bank to pay the tax. to pay the federal government, the owners descendents will have to sell off part or all of the family business. now, mr. president, family farms and ranches are the lifeblood of rural communities in south dakota. they are a source of jobs, they provide support for local businesses, they help build up local schools and local infrastructure. losing a local farm can hit rural communities very, very hard. especially when that farm or ranch is bought up by an out-of-state business with few ties to the community. and limited interest in building it up. mr. president, it's not just those who actually get hit by the estate tax who suffer. a lot of family farms and ranches and family businesses spend a lot of time and money on

estate planning to avoid being hit by this tax. that's time and money that could have gone into building their business, investing in new equipment, hiring new workers, and the list goes on. some set aside capital to prepare for the death tax, capital that again could go into building up the farm or ranch or hiring new workers for the family business. as one of my democrat colleagues, the senior senator from washington, said a while back and i quote, the estate tax is bad for businesses, it is bad for workers and new job creation, and it is bad for our communities who are watching their local family-owned businesses get equal lowed up by -- swallowed up by large corporations, end quote. well, mr. president, as i said, we protected a lot more family farms and family businesses by doubling the death tax exemption in the tax cuts and jobs act in 2017 but we didn't pocket them

all. and those we did protect will lose those protections at the end of this year. it is time to end this punishing and burdensome tax once and for all. i want to thank my republican colleagues who joined me in sponsoring this legislation. and, mr. president, i hope that 2025 will be the year that we permanently bid farewell to the death tax. mr. president, 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.

a lot of orphans are being taken care of by the church. >> the time of the gentleman has expired. >> the staff has been -- >> the time of the gentleman has expired. representative from kentucky is no recognized. >> thank you mr. chairman. the important hearing exposing unanimous consent that i be permitted to speak for up to 15 minutes, senator crapo for up to five minutes and senator schumer for two minutes prior to the scheduled votes. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. wyden: mr. president, late into the night, senators spoke

on the senate floor about why robert f. kennedy jr. is the least qualified nominee to ever be tapped as america's chief health officer. on issue after issue, mr. kennedy has demonstrated a profound lack of knowledge at best and deeply dangerous views at worst. mr. kennedy has refused to tell americans how he would manage health care issues that they're deeply worried about. vaccine safety, women's reproductive health, drug pricing, and affordable health care to name a few. this leads, mr. president, millions of americans alarmed about the future of health and science in america. last week two oregon medical students approached me to talk about mr. kennedy's nomination. these medical students told me

they were less concerned about the damage mr. kennedy would do as hhs secretary in the weeks and months to come. these medical students are not only worried about the prospect of losing cures, treatments, and medical breakthroughs if mr. kennedy is confirmed. these medical students from oregon told me that his unwillingness to take science and medical data seriously is going to harm science for decades to come. so i ask my colleagues to think about those medical students' words. is that a legacy you want to leave behind as a result of supporting mr. kennedy? senate democrats have been making this exact case. in his hearing before the finance committee, i asked mr. kennedy to square his antivaccine views with more recent statements designed to appease a number of our senators

who are quite nervous about his nomination. in his testimony he used the fact that his own children were vaccinated to prove he was not antivaccine. but the record shows that just a few years ago he said he would, quote, do anything and pay anything to go back in time in order to prevent them from getting those vaccines. elsewhere in his testimony, mr. kennedy stated he was not antivaccine but rather pro safety. but about 18 months ago he said on a podcast, and i quote, no vaccine is safe and effective. in other words, mr. president, in the senate finance committee, we brought the evidence. we brought the receipts. and mr. kennedy said nothing to actually disavow his prior statements. he stuck by the time worn tactics of a conspiracy theorist, always ask for more

evidence and never accept the evidence that's placed in front of you. even some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are now deeply disturbed by mr. kennedy's refusal to entertain evidence that would require him to change his mind on vaccine safety. nevertheless, it sure looks like my republican colleagues have bowed to pressure from donald trump and are poised to hand mr. kennedy the platform he has been seeking for two decades, to push fringe views. so before the senate votes, i'd like to take a moment to talk a little bit about the fights ahead on health care. republicans in the house are already pressing ahead this morning with their plan to kick millions of americans off of their health insurance in order to fund more tax cuts for those who are very wealthy. and as hhs secretary, mr. kennedy is going to be a key player in this effort.

while senators were on the floor speaking yesterday, the senate budget committee debated a budget resolution that unlocks the legislative tools republicans need to make good on their go-it-alone plan. at the same time the house budget committee released its own budget resolution that will be debated today. mr. president, what is clear in both of these blueprints, in their game plan is that medicaid cuts are at the top of the list. 81 million americans rely on health care coverage under medicaid, and the chip program for kids. those people are folks with disability, low-income families, seniors, and of course children. the damage and destruction to american families if republicans go through with their plans to gut medicaid cannot be overstated. take nursing homes, for example. two out of three nursing home residents are currently being covered for their health care by

medicaid. imagine you visit your mom in a nursing home in the months after the republican bill makes steep cuts to medicaid. your mom complains there are fewer and fewer staff. she had to wait more than an hour after calling for help to use the bathroom on several occasions. next time you visit, she tells you some of the new staff don't have time for her. you learn that the facility no longer has the resources to conduct background checks and that they're desperate for workers. a few weeks later the facility manager pulls you aside to deliver some bad news. her nursing home can no longer accept patients with medicaid after steep federal cuts to the program. unless you can find another facility that accepts medicaid, you've got to pay the high monthly cost out of your own pocket. suddenly and with no warning, you've got impossible options. either you scramble to find the

money to cover a new facility that costs thousands of dollars a month, or you bring your mom home with you. so between holding down a full-time job and raising young kids, suddenly you have to deal with making sure that your mom gets full-time care and that requires nursing assistance around the clock. unfortunately, this case i described is something you see in every nook and cranny of america. i know that from my days as codirector of the gray panthers. i know that many of your friends and neighbors with ageing parents and grandparents in nursing homes are facing the catastrophe i've just described. now, republicans are going to do somersaults to disguise their cuts to medicaid and they're going to describe it in health care lingo that they think plays well with people. for republicans every single child, senior, family struggling to pay the bills that gets

denied coverage is a win. and that brings us to mr. kennedy. during his confirmation hearing on everything from abortion to vaccines to medicare and medicaid, mr. kennedy was given ample opportunity to go on the record about how he would improve these programs, bring down costs, save taxpayers money and improve care. instead he showed a complete lack of understanding of the basics of medicaid and how it functions. i personally believe it shouldn't be too much to ask for the future ceo of medicaid to understand how important it is to provide affordable coverage for millions of families. republicans with donald trump at the helm are steering our country toward a health care cliff. their ultimate objective is to take away medicaid from as many people as they can. colleagues, so much for making america healthy again.

what the american people need is a leader who will be the voice of reason in the room as trump and as his assistants in country start slicing and cutting. a country needs a leader of health and human services that will actually work to improve care and lower costs, defend the reproductive freedoms of families and listen in particular to facts and science. the american people have no reason to believe based on the record, the evidence that the senate finance committee has accumulated to believe mr. kennedy will be that leader. there is no question the health care system in america needs reforms, it's falling short, and democrats want to work in a bipartisan way on those issues. we are disillusioned by a system that puts profits over patients in too many circumstances. nobody on this side of the aisle is arguing for the status quo. but the solution, colleagues, and i'm closing with this, does

not lie in donald trump's quote, concept of a plan to make our country less healthy, less safe, and less successful. when kids are kicked off their medicaid corn and forced to go -- coverage and forced to go without basic medicare and grow up, with chronic illnesses that leave them in a lifetime of pain and suffering, republicans are going to regret any vote they give to robert kennedy. when seniors are told they have to vacate their nursing homes because it no longer accepts medicaid, republicans again will regret a vote for robert kennedy. when families are struggling to pay the bills and they're landed with a mountain of medical debt because their kid got sick and they were kicked off their insurance, finally republicans will regret any decision they give -- any vote they give to robert kennedy. mr. kennedy will no doubt be right alongside republicans, a willing participant in this future for health care that i've

described today that is really stepping back from progress that has been made. i urge a no vote, colleagues, and i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from idaho. a senator: thank you, mr. president. i rise today in support of robert f. kennedy jr.'s nomination to be secretary of the u.s. department of health and human services and to urge my colleagues to vote in favor of his confirmation. contrary to the attacks that have been constantly made on him, he has made it very clear he will support safe vaccinations and just wants to see that the research on them is done and done well. mr. crapo: when his nomination for the role of secretary of hhs was announced, mr. kennedy

stated, we have a generational opportunity to bring together the greatest minds in science, medicine, industry, and government to put an end to the chronic disease epidemic facing americans. i agree with him. we've got to get into the business of making america healthy again. mr. kennedy's dedication to this commitment has been apparent throughout the nomination process. he will bring a fresh perspective to health care, prioritizing consumer choice, information transparency, and early interventions to strengthen the well-being of all americans. he has been responsive to a wide variety of questions from members on both sides of the aisle, appearing before two committees and answering hundreds of questions for the record. not to mention going through the extensive vetting process of the finance committee, which i chair, which is the most

extensive vetting process that any candidate in the senate goes through -- for a position in this administration goes through in the senate. while some of my colleagues continue to question his financial agreements, mr. kennedy met and then exceeded the requirements set forth by the office of government ethics. mr. kennedy has participated in one of the most extensive processes, as i've said, that our senate puts a nominee through, and has succeeded in meeting those standards. and i encourage my colleagues to support his nomination. now, before i close, i want to respond briefly to the comments that we've heard today here on the floor and all day yesterday, in a long, long budget committee hearing to set up the first reconciliation legislation to come before the congress. it was said today that republicans are going to take medicaid away from children,

they are going to take health care away from seniors. it was said yesterday that we were going to go after pretty much old people, young people, middle-age people and every other kind of people, because we are going to destroy the support base that they have here in the federal system. the fact is this is the politics of fear, the politics of claiming things that are going to happen which are not going to happen. the reality is that yesterday's budget committee meeting was not on health care. there was nothing done in the meeting yesterday that would have done any of the things that you've heard on the floor today. what we did do yesterday was to set up a process so we can provide some significant extra spending authority to our government, to close the border and deport the violent criminals who have come into our country

in the millions in the last few years. we had another provision in it to give significant new resources to our national defense, so that we can build back our department of defense and the authority of those in our armed services, the ability of those of our armed services members to have the technology and equipment and be capable of responding to threats to our nation. and finally, we restarted and charged up our use and engagement in producing america's energy in america, so that we can get back into the business of being independent and not relying on other nations for our energy policy. those are the three things that we focused on in the committee yesterday. and by the way, each of those was a little costly, and every one of those was offset, so that there was no increase in federal

spending. mr. president, i think we need to argue over facts when we get into these debates. we're going to have a tremendous number of debates, and yes, we will debate on health care at some point, but yesterday and what we did yesterday was focused on the border, on national defense, and on reboosting our energy production in america. i encourage a strong yes vote for robert f. kennedy to be the next secretary of the u.s. department of health and human services. mr. wyden: mr. presidentism the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. wyden: i would ask unanimous consent for one minute for an opportunity to respond to my colleague from idaho. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. wyden: thank you, mr. president. i would only say to my friend from idaho that he says this is not going to happen, that people

are going to be safe and seniors on medicaid and the like will be safe. i would just say to my colleague, it starts today, today in the other body of congress, i'd say to my colleague. the process of setting in motion these cuts to essential health care services begins today. we can read about it in the publications about the congressional schedule. i look forward to working with my colleague when we can find common ground, but on this point, that it's not going to happen, everybody's going to be safe, the efforts to cut these vital programs, including medicaid, begins this morning in the other body. and i yield the floor. mr. crapo: could i have 30 seconds to just respond? i ask unanimous consent. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. crapo: mr. president, i would simply say that we hear this every time we look at trying to address the spending excesses in our government, and i will just say to my colleague and to everyone, we're not going to take health care away from

children. we're not going to take health care away from adults, from seniors, or middle-aged people. we are not going to attack the benefits that people get under medicare and, frankly, we will reform some of the spending, yes, but we will not do all of the terrible things that are being spun up to try to attack this effort, to control the excessive spending in our government. the presiding officer: democrat leader. mr. schumer: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, the fact that we're here right now, that we're even here right now, voting on this wildly unqualified conspiracy theorist to trust with one of the most life or death jobs, hhs secretary, charged with protecting the health of every single american, should be an affront to every

senator. and the millions of americans that will be impacted by this horrific nomination. my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, i implore you -- think one more time, one last time, about this vote. my colleagues on the republican side, you know the consequences of what you're doing. my colleagues on the republican side, you know how dangerous this is. my colleagues on the other side, you know you are not putting your constituents, their health, their families first when you vote yes. to quote my colleague, the junior senator from texas just a few years ago, he said, quote, we need an expert, we need a scientist, we need someone who knows something about health care heading the health and human services department.

well, which is robert kennedy? an expert? a scientist? what about the senior senator from louisiana, the chair of the help committee and a well-respected medical professional himself? a few years ago, here's what he said, previous hhs secretaries have had a pharmaceutical industry background, have been a state health commissioner, have run health systems, have been governors, somebody who has had a background in actually administering the programs that hhs administers. i ask my colleagues, which of these qualifications does rfk possess? you know the answer -- none of them. the question in front of this body today, the question in front of this body is not simply to confirm rfk to run the nation's health department.

the question before us is, very simple -- which is more important to you, the health and well-being of your constituents or blindly obeying orders, knowing full well the dangerous impacts your vote will enable? i plead with you one more time. rethink this issue. this is dangerous. this is wrong. very wrong. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, all postcloture time is expired. the question occurs on the kennedy nomination. 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. mrs. blackburn.

mr. blumenthal. ms. blunt rochester. mr. booker. mr. boozman. mrs. britt. mr. budd. ms. cantwell. mrs. capito. mr. cassidy. ms. collins. mr. coons. mr. cornyn. ms. cortez masto. mr. cotton. mr. cramer. mr. crapo. mr. cruz. mr. daines. ms. duckworth. mr. durbin. ms. ernst. mr. fetterman. mrs. fischer. mr. gallego. mrs. gillibrand. mr. graham.

mr. grassley. mr. hagerty. ms. hassan. mr. hawley. mr. heinrich. mr. hickenlooper. ms. hirono. mr. hoeven. mr. husted. mrs. hyde-smith. mr. johnson. mr. justice. mr. kaine. mr. kelly. mr. kennedy. mr. kim. mr. king. ms. klobuchar. mr. lankford. mr. lee. mr. lujan.

ms. lummis. mr. markey. mr. marshall. mr. mcconnell. mr. mccormick. mr. merkley. mrs. moody. mr. moran. mr. moreno. mr. mullin. ms. murkowski. mr. murphy. mrs. murray. mr. ossoff. mr. padilla. mr. paul. mr. peters. mr. reed. mr. ricketts.

mr. risch. ms. rosen. mr. rounds. mr. sanders. mr. schatz. mr. schiff. mr. schmitt. mr. schumer. mr. scott of florida. mr. scott of south carolina. mrs. shaheen. mr. sheehy. ms. slotkin. ms. smith. mr. sullivan. mr. thune. mr. tillis. mr. tuberville.

mr. van hollen. mr. warner. mr. warnock. ms. warren. mr. welch. mr. whitehouse. mr. wicker. mr. wyden. mr. young. senators voting in the affirmative -- boozman, cornyn, crapo, graham, mullin, risch, rounds, and tuberville. senators voting in the negative -- bennet, gallego, lujan, markey, schumer, and wyden.

vote: the clerk: mr. wicker, aye. mr. marshall, aye. mr. moreno, aye. mrs. britt, aye. mr. heinrich, no.

mr. justice, aye. mr. sullivan, aye. the clerk: mrs. blackburn, aye. ms. baldwin, no.

the clerk: mr. murphy, no. the clerk: mr. cotton, aye.

the clerk: ms. alsobrooks, no. the clerk: ms. warren, no. mr. young, aye.

mr. kelly, no. the clerk: mr. johnson, aye. ms. ernst, aye. the clerk: mr. durbin, no.

the clerk: mr. cassidy, aye. the clerk: mr. sanders, no. ms. hassan, no.

mr. peters, no. mr. barrasso, aye. mr. reed, no. the clerk: mr. curtis, aye.

the clerk: mr. ricketts, aye. mr. thune, aye. mr. ossoff, no. the clerk: mr. hagerty, aye.

the clerk: mr. van hollen, no. ms. rosen, no. mr. banks, aye. the clerk: mr. tillis, aye.

ms. duckworth, no. mr. mccormick, aye. ms. cortez masto, no.

the clerk: mrs. hyde-smith, aye. the clerk: ms. blunt rochester, no.

ms. collins, aye.

the clerk: mr. lankford, aye. mr. sheehy, aye.

the clerk: mrs. murray, no.

the clerk: mr. hoeven, aye. the clerk: mr. scott of south carolina, aye. . the clerk: mr. merkley, no.

the clerk: mr. budd, aye. mrs. gillibrand, no. mr. moran, aye.

the clerk: mr. fetterman, no.

the clerk: mr. schatz, no. ms. smith, no. mr. husted, aye. ms. lummis, aye.

the clerk: mrs. capito, aye. ms. cantwell, no. the clerk: mr. cramer, aye. mr. kim, no.

ms. murkowski, aye. mr. coons, no. mr. kaine, no.

the clerk: mr. warner, no.

mr. king, no.

the clerk: mr. warnock, no. the clerk: mr. mcconnell, no.

the clerk: mr. schmitt, aye. mr. cruz, aye. mr. lee, aye. mrs. moody, aye. mr. daines, aye. mr. schiff, no. mr. booker, no. mr. padilla, no. mr. padilla, no. is led by this. we wish to be everywhere all times. with allies and partners and encouraged everyone to invest

have they represent but it requires realistic nominees. a lot of to the media anyone suggests abandonment are trying to drive away allies. we are committed to that and understand the importance. the fiscal reality of the have to. nato has to spend more and we are very encouraged and behind closed doors acknowledging that reality nato read again is what trump said in 2017 that said president trump is abandoning nato turning his back on nato allies 2018 now almost every

nato they said. considering there you are. we are proud to be. and we are going to this. can you expand on that a little

bit? >> one of the self-evident the war in ukraine is the underinvestment the ability emerging technology and rapidly blind spot exposed to the aggression against great. and you a great deal. we have to do more to ensure this. we are not able. the defense department the leader to ensure we are investing in vastly not just for

ourselves on publications list as well and we will do that. the major platforms and weapons, whatever the system is, we need to perform that so it's quicker. a request today is delivered seven years from now but three years from now with the most efficient technology possible. we hear that from our allies and it is part of it. something we want to do.

>> thank you very much. it is something explore is a recognition there are diversion interests and the need for strength on the american side and any aggression is deterred. it's a real thing but we don't feel like it's an available let's try president trump has relationship but it is prudent to work with allies to ensure

that deterrence not just reputational but reality exists uncle south korea and others and will continue. this is critical and not to understand the reality critical. it won't be america alone. i have deleted that from day one. america achieved strength conflict strength there's a reason why donald trump has done this at every moment.

my job alone strongest most equable most peaceful military possible. having a big we have to do this. and close with and destroy our enemies as much as possible. you very much. mr. scott of florida, aye. mr. welch, no.

duct otherwise. yesterday cost republicans walked away from the negotiating table. you shown america it's all on you.

the clerk: mr. paul, aye. the presiding officer: on this vote the yeas are 52, the nays are 48. the confirmation is confirmed.

the presiding officer: under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's action. under the previous order, the cloture motion with respect rollins nomination is withdrawn. the clerk will report the rollins nomination. the clerk: department of agriculture, brooke rollins of texas to be secretary. the presiding officer: the question occurs on the nomination. 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.

the clerk: mr. bennet. mrs. blackburn. mr. blumenthal. thank them, a few guess and i appreciate the opportunity to introduceok them. my awesome mom right here about the oldest christian legislature in texas history helen raise my teachers me by herself in that small town. i know a lot of you. my incredible husband we met the first week of our freshman year at texas and in 1990, 35 years ago and four incredible children, luke, jake, anna and are here with me. lucas the oldest, raise your hand, listen to your mother. [laughter] he is a sophomore at texas and then. sleep and core of cadets and left at 1:30 a.m. last night to drive all night be here this

morning so i'm grateful to him and my other incredible children even though they are all teens, it is the joint and most important part of my life being their mom so what a joy to have them. my sister, helen and my knees are all here, my sister-in-law and brother-in-law. my credible ag teacher, mr. gary rosebush who put up with a lot. [laughter] i've oftened said farmers of america changed my life and put me on a course that frankly. liz: today so is a big part of that. i also want to recognize i take great ride in my short but accessible as a little league softball coach my daughter lily was on the team but most of the rest of the team, the hot

tamales from texas are here, thank you for being here. all parts of their work as. the other nine all came so what a joy to have my team here. an incredible inspiration. [applause] i could go on and on, i promise a way to credit short. all the way from georgia to pray with my family and i this morning so pastor franklin, i want to thank you. one of the great pastors of our time. i have so many families here at our planet wrap it up and what

an incredible honor to have them all behind me today that's wonderful. stand and raise your right hand. you swear or affirm this statement you are about to provide is the truth, whole truth and nothing but the truth? >> i do to make it confirmed, he will testify before the committee of the senate. >> i do. >> congratulations on your nomination. you may have a seat. you are recognized for five minutes. >> thank you. established members of this committee, thanks to president donald trump for his faith in me to lead to united states department of agriculture. his confidence bills my determination to deliver. i want to thank my dear friends

and john cornyn and ted cruz graciously introducing me to this committee. i want to extend my sincere thanks to all of you, the united states senate committee on nutrition and forestry careful consideration of my nomination and understand and was the portly, i want to thank and i'm so overwhelmed to potentiallyca serve the men and women who daily, without cause or complaint provide our great nation in the world. it's clear we all agree the cornerstone of our nations community and i commit to you if confirmed, i will do everything

to make sure farmers, ranchers and rural communities survive. an incredible opportunity to work with you. very and my various rules of the trump administration and the america first policy institute. i promise my work will reflect this commitment. 1200 people is where my story begins. my world revolved around farmers of america and failing hey, livestock shows.

the calendar of our all. texas and then on scholarship where he studied and made her and leadership and development in the university of texas law school grad graduated honors and performed courtship in the policy shop of perry. it was there i had my first direct tutorship role. i've been in office serving two plus years when i received a call, a think tank of two or three staffers in san antonio and was asked if i'd be interested in being there leader and i answered that as well. my husband and i built our family, that would be helpful in a good potential opportunity to be a great mom but also continue to fight and the next 15 years fundamentally be defined the

mission of a think tank from just having ideas for writing about them in papers to actually effectively change policy for the people of our state. texas rural and small-town communities, giving them a voice in government too often does it denied. in short, came to texas. changing the game is exactly what i accepted the invitation to join president trump first administration of the beginning of 2018. everything we sought to do, to make the lessee or real change, or real texas was being done in the first trump administration and also honored and excited to be part of it. i joined first to the white house office of american innovation and its leader, and then became assistant to the president addition on strategic initiatives and eventually at the role of director of the met

domestic was a counsel. january of 2021, four years ago, we understood president trump second term agenda would be delayed so i had the privilege and idea of establishing another institution of policy leadership at america first policy institute was born. i currently serve as president ceo there. thanks to president trump and all of you i hope to have the opportunity to bring that level of passion commitment the usda. i keep not tell you of all people that this is surpassingly important because agriculture is surpassingly important to us as a nation. all americans are important but the farmer, worker of the land who sees the others is amongst the most notable. thomas jefferson wrote agriculture is otherwise pursued because it will -- sorry, i

don't want to get thomas jefferson's quote wrong. it will, in the end, to contribute most to real wealth, good morals and happiness and wisdom will true today. i recognize if confirmed, i am stepping into the role during one of the most economically challenging times in american agriculture history. with that, i want to share with you as i close my top priorities for day one and perhaps longer-term priority first, we must ensure the disaster and economic assistance authorized by congress is deployed as quickly and efficiently as possible. second, we must work with great men and women of usda say : unities and state leaders and background in policy to immediately and comprehensively get a handle on the state of animal disease outbreaks. third, we must immediately begin to modernize, rethink the united states department of

agriculture, responding to clear needs and desires of the american people as set forth well the president of the united states over this last historic week. finally and longer-term, we understand serving all american culture and all american people ensuring rural communities are equipped and prosper not just today but tomorrow and the day after that and many tomatoes to come including exploring improvement to world development programs, demanding strong and steady domestic export markets for beautiful agriculture, eliminating some silly regulation that hampers innovation in trying nutrition programs are effective and efficient in putting in the work to make sure we have a healthy. next generation of farmers, ranchers, entrepreneurs, innovators and all americans.

this is what we need for the next century of american greatness. just for my top priorities, beyond these, i'm dedicated all of you with timely technical assistance we will need to ensure we have a farm bill that moves over. my name after all is the same as yours, the same that brought you to the senate of the same that brought donald j trump to the presidency again and that is to serve the people this great country. thank you, senator and thank you ranking member klobuchar. >> thank you for your opening statement. my colleagues and i would like to ask you some russians. each senator will have seven minutes. before i ask, i'd like to add a number of letters in support of the nomination in the record.

i'd like to highlight one side by the farmers union national council of cooperatives informed other agriculture organization supporting without objection, so ordered in your written statement, you alluded to your testimony provided we talked about your focus. could you expand on that? the first 100 days, what can we expect? >> the first 100 days, if i am so fortunate to be confirmed, will be fast and furious effort to ensure we move that economic aid out. when i got the call and the president about this particular position, i was the owner of a lifetime to accept the call and the nomination but five minutes later i started thinking, what

can i do to make it successful is most effectual? watch department the top priority animal disease and ensuring we begin to move toward presidential vision, i worked for him. i'm cabinet members also working alongside all of you in the conversations we all had the last four to six weeks from both sides, both republicans and democrats were very encouraging to me i believe there is an opportunity, moment of this agreement, i have no doubt, there will be many moments of agreement so i thought is to get in there, anyone who knows me knows that excellence is not only the goal but the expectation that we moved with rapid speed to ensure it's done,

24 hours a day, seven days a week for our constituents and at the end of the day this country and that community is thriving and away perhaps they never have before because the work and the goals and vision i think it's so important. >> appreciate on several occasions you're bringing up, this committee has worked in a bipartisan way to get this done, a big effort that took a lot of work and were able to get that done in a very bipartisan way but that's what we have heard about desperately needed trying to figure things out and farmers have lost a lot of money so that is music to all of our years.

vitally important and high quality crops to feed the world. can you scratch how prioritize the needs of american farmers and ranchers and trading partners in u.s. agriculture, how will the administration minimize the impact? >> i'm glad this is the top of the next few hours because i think it is on the mind of every member of this committee and perhaps every member of our the first thing i think is important to note is the last few years we have $45 billion trade deficit so the priority will be expanding these across the country. we've been vision sporting my own to make sure want to hit the ground running effectually

bringing down the $45 million trade deficit 42% in the last year. the deep recognition by system 35% last year as well. our farmers are hurting. regarding the president agenda, the proxy surprised to anyone in the room he believes it's a very important tool in his toolkit to continue or bring america back to the forefront of the world and ensure we have a thriving economy. he did and we did, he understands the potential devastating impact to farmers and ranchers. during that time, i've spoken with secretary for you a few times and halogen so i fully understand and we are prepared to secure. working with the white house to ensure we can close holes for

farmers and ranchers moving forward and the next coming days and few years and that will be a top priority of mine. >> very good. hunger is an issue we continue to face. my own state of arkansas has the highest rate of food insecurity in the nation. he will be responsible nutrition programs that assist one in four americans. these programs make the vast majority of spending at the department. in spite of these programs on classic 20 years the national rate hovered around 12% since 2001 even during times of economic prosperity. these programs biden temporary assistance and those in need to focus on moving families of economic independence has been

lost. will you commit to reviewing this programs tosa ensure to hep incentivize americans for city employment while still being able to trust and be relied on in times of need? back i appreciate your concern and focus on this incredibly important program. sometimes people on our side of the aisle are claimed as those who don't care about the kids or those are hurting for disadvantaged communities. i know i've spent my career working to ensure everyone about america everyone has a shot at the american dream. president trump and america first policy group so high, too, have a real heart for this work and i've talked to many of you in your offices perhaps driven by him raised in a small town by a single mom and we didn't have

much and we never participated in the nutrition program that i am fully aware and have a heart for this work and this community it's easy to make the commitment to sure we are doing everything we can that this program continues being effective and efficient. having said that, it is imperative that every taxpayer dollars spent in support of these programs we fully understand it's reaching its intended recipient and the recipient is able to use it effectively and efficiently, true nutrition reasons that we have a real health issue in this country. you all know this. four and five children are facing obesity or close to it, a level of diabetes and chronic disease continues to rise so together, and myself if so fortunate to be confirmed, will have a major role in all of the

above ensuring programs serve those who need them and do so effectively but also ensure the taxpayers are well served, the dollar from my electrician and work with who has his own small business and send it to a family in need, that dollar used in the best and most effective way so that is certainly my commitment to you. >> thank you very much, mr. chairman. thank you. we both noted committee has worked together and all numbers know this, a bipartisan way to improve the firm safety net observation nutrition, food security. will be a force for working with both sides of the aisle? >> thank you so much for that question. it is thinly important to me that we deliver for american

farmers and ranchers exceedingly. i have already begun to lose leap over how to make that happen in a way that is productive and supporting your work and i have a long history of working in a bipartisan manner. it may not be the forefront of my resume but i worked with many of you in the last administration which i believe was perhaps the hallmark of president trump 1.0 and bipartisan work together. i sat in an office for many hours with senator booker, senator scott and many others from both sides as we went out how to solve the criminal justice challenges and i hope to bring that same skill set and knowledge and relationships to this effort as well. >> i appreciate you mentioned animal disease is one of your

lead priorities as well as disaster economic assistance. you and i discussed this, since 2022, outbreak of avian flu has devastated culture producers, dairy cows, resulted in at least one death but we are starting to see an increase prices that contributed to that. if confirmed, how will you ensure farmers have the resources they need prevent the spread of this virus? what is your plan? >> there's no doubt with the community and whom we all work for is the community, not just america but the entire world relies on abundant, safe and secure food supply and the learning of devastation georgia. the last few weeks with the poultry outbreak and

depopulation death of poultry your points about dairy, affecting dairy herds across dates, there's a lot i have to learn this and if confirmed, this will be as i mentioned in my opening statement, one of the very top priorities. we are hyper focused on finding a team right now, i'm sure they are already working, i respect the process, i know they are working hard. the current and future team will work hand-in-hand to do everything we can. if i may add my background working in state policy work closely with governors offices kg commissioners across the country. after that upon myself which is where i met a few of our governors now here closely aligned with republican and democrat leaders.

>> i really appreciate that and we have seven minutes. i went to go a little quicker here. just yesterday the administration announced it will have external public health medications from the cdc avian flu, animal disease and important announcements have producers of today with information on disease read and i know under the usda, i urge you to talk to them about that. i appreciate our discussion, when you served as the bow of the lessee foundation, your organization was often critical biofuel and report card to make this so we'll just have one fuel, but we have options including senator fisher and senator grassley and many others. if you believe the role is in

domestic energy production, health continue to promote production? >> i appreciate you bringing the bullets by understanding those written over a decade ago, i haven't seen anything more recent. the foundation put up 100 to 1000 pieces of content year. i did not alter that specific piece but to be clear, there's no doubt in texas also feels and the importance of fossil fuels and energy dominant narrative, clearly i've spoken with so many of you on this issue on this agriculture, it's important that we to elevate and honor all versus a fuel included biofuel and the important piece of his

agenda so i look forward to continuing that. >> i know they appreciate you and your family has significant financial interests in the oil industry. will this motivate decisions you make at the department and impact your financials? >> more in-depth discussions but not as many as i would like to they have worked in, they will tell you even to the detriment of financially, attentive families that i've never, ever made a decision based on financial decision it will not begin no matthew discussed the x you mentioned that long-term on

exports and as you know, during the term first trump administration, we had calls from farmers they want trade, not paid. they want to grow the market and not just get government payment. we worked hard to help farmers build markers here and abroad. rural expert centers. how would you work with president trump in the office of the u.s. trade routes and others to ensure they understand the effects in america? how you manage this risk and extra payments to make up for it? make sure they understand the importance of rural america ...

... and how to ensure at every corner that my team, that our community what we all represent together is at the table fighting for what we believe is necessary for these communities. >> thank you. i have important questions for the second round here on conservation and nutrition at a know my colleagues will be asking them as well. thank you. >> senator mcconnell. >> thank you mr. chairman. congratulations on your nomination. i appreciate you coming by the office. i had a chance to tell you then

that kentucky agriculture is a little different. it's 75,000 farms but most of them are small. we are also the number one beef cattle state east of the mississippi. people don't generally associate kentucky with that. i want to echo what others here have said about trade. i went over to the trade representative on the floor of the house who was there for the big speech and introduce myself and i said, do you have anything to do? she basically didn't have an answer. it seems to me trade is sort of become a word for a lot of americans that implies exportation of jobs. in kentucky we think of trade as exportation of products. it's extremely important part of

what we do. i think both of the candidates in the last election sort of shied away from this issue, as others have said, give us some hope that maybe we can get back in the trade business. we would need trade promotion authority which we currently don't have. i would be interested in your thoughts further about this. >> thank you, senator mcconnell. it was an honor to be in your office, talk a little bit about kentucky bourbon and a few other important things. it's the first time i ever herd anyone say that president trump i shied away from anything. i don't specifically have or recall anything specific about him not talking about trade other than perhaps to your point that our country and especially our ag community is in a tough

spot now with regards to exports and move that our products out. i know the usmca is back up for negotiation along with other trade agreements. here's what i'm very encouraged about and i hope it perhaps give you some encouragement as well. in my now almost nine years, maybe eight years with president trump, at the end of the day we all know him to be the consummate dealmaker. i believe that that skill and intense focus on making deals for his people, not only for america before the community that supported him at 90% since early the very, very beginning, i think 338 counties out of 3444 agriculture counties voted for him. he knows these of the people that have been with him the longest and i sincerely believe if i do my job and and worked with all of you to ensure the white house and our partners

across the agencies have all the data that they need, while at the same time we are working across the world to bring in new trade partners, to expand access for new trade products and all weather is the specialty crops or the row crops or the livestock industry, i believe as a present midget in his inaugural address we are embarking on a golden age and believe this is going to be a very, very big part of that. >> i want to shift to something kentucky specific that we discussed in the office. i want to bring it up again. back in 2020 through the appropriations process i managed to allocate $65 million for an agricultural research service lab at the kentucky college of

under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, and the president will be immediately notified ever the senate's action. understand the previous order, the senate will roo sume consideration -- resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, department of commerce, howard lutnick, of new york, to be

>> were going to start with the u.s. press for would take two from u.s. and to metro international and go from there depending on the secretary. let us start it is with a sense of sadness but also an honor to celebrate the life of someone who truly made a profound impact on my home state of mississippi, paul

gallow. my state mourns paul, who died january 19, 2025, after a brave fight with cancer. known across the airways as the host of the paul gallow show, paul was far more than just a broad broadcaster. if there's anyone who can be considered a mississippi icon, it's him. he earned that status over decades as a steady voice for news and opinion in my state. i'll never forget the first time i had the honor of being on the paul gallow show as a newly elected state senator. paul treated me with kindness, fairness, and respect, qualities he extended to everyone he encountered, whether they were politicians, movers and shakers, or simply everyday listeners. he made you feel like you were a part of every conversation, someone you could rely on and

someone you could trust. in the 1990's, paul helped transform a longtime vision into reality with the creation of super talk mississippi, a statewide network that gave mississippians a platform to be heard, uniting our state through shared conversation. paul was the son of the mississippi delta, was a true believer in mississippi. he recognized its potential and its strengths, but he wasn't afraid to address its challenges head-on. he shaped the conversations that mattered to the people of mississippi, no matter where they lived across the state. throughout his career, paul was a voice for change. he spoke out on critical issues affecting our communities and held our leaders accountable. his dedication to the people of

mississippi, and his unabashed commitment to doing right by them, was evident in everything he did. beyond his broadcasting career, paul and his colleagues at super talk mississippi became champions for the palmer home for children, their tireless efforts raised millions of dollars to support children in need, giving them a better chance at a brighter future. paul's compassion for the people of mississippi, especially its children, was unwavering. my heart goes out to his wife, patsy, their children, grandchildren, the entire super talk family, and the countless listeners whose lives he touched. paul's impact on mississippi will be felt for generations. through the stories he shared, the people he connected with, the policies he's influenced, and the legacy he leaves behind,

paul gallo will always be part of mississippi's story, and always a part of our hearts. thank you, mr. president. and i yield the floor.

test: . >> good afternoon, everyone. we're going to start with u.s. press, two from the u.s. press and two from international go from there, , depending on the secretary. let us start with -- hold on. >> it is great to be here at nato with 31 allies, also with my wife who's been meeting the families of u.s. troops both here in germany and we will head to poland right after this. that's what this is all about for me and president trump and defense department. i want to express special thanks

to the secretary general for your boldness, for your friendship, for your leadership and most especially for your urgency, your urgency of the matter at hand which is great to see from the leader of nato. look, look forward to working closely with him and his team. before were told that what we've done, i want to reaffirm a few things from this podium. first as we see it nato strategic objectives are to prevent great power conflict in europe, determine the nuclear and nonnuclear aggression and defeat threats to treaty allies, should deterrence fail. second, the use is committed to building a stronger more lethal nato. however, we must ensure that european and canadian commitment to article iii of this treaty is just as strong.

article iii says allies and i quote, by means of continuous and effective self-help and mutual aid will maintain and develop their individual and collective capacity to resist armed attack. leaders of our european allies should take primary responsibility for defense of the continent. which means security ownership by all allies, , and by clear understanding of strategic realities, and it's an imperative given this strategic reality that we face. and that begins with increasing defense spending. 2% is a start start as president trump has said but it's not enough. nor is 3%, nor is 4%. more like 5%. real investment, real urgency. we can talk all you want about values.

values are important. but you can't shoot values. you can't shoot flags. and you can't shoot strong speeches. there is no replacement for hard power. as much as we may not want to like the world we live in in some cases, there's nothing like hard power. it should be obvious that increasing allied european defense spending is critical, as the president of the united states has said. also critical is expanding our defense industrial base capacity on both sides of the atlantic. our dollars, our euros, our pounds must become real capability. the u.s. is fully committed under president trump's leadership to pursue these objectives in the face of today's threats. yesterday i had a chance to attend ukraine defense contact group. today participator in both the

nato ministerial and the ukraine council. in both we discussed russia's war of aggression against ukraine. i had the chance to breathe allies on president trump's top priority, a diplomatic, peaceful end to this war, as quickly as possible in a manner that creates enduring and durable peace. the american defense department fully supports the efforts of the trump administration. and we look to allies to support this important work with leading on ukraine's security assistance in now through increased contributions and greater ownership of future security assistance to ukraine. to that end i want to thank my uk counterpart, defense secretary john healey, for hosting this ukraine defense contact group and for his leadership on support of

ukraine. president trump gave me a clear mission. achieve peace through strength. as well as put america first. our people, our taxpayers, our borders and our security. we are doing this by reviving the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military, and reestablishing deterrence. nato should pursue these goals as well. nato is a great alliance. the most successful defense alliance in history. but to endure for the future, our partners must do far more for europe's defense. we must make nato great again. it begins with defense spending. but must also include reviving

the transatlantic defense industrial base, rapidly prioritizing readiness and lithology, and establishing real deterrence. finally i want to close with this. after world war ii, first general at the president eisenhower was one of nato's strongest supporters picky believe in a strong relationship with europe. however, by the end of eisenhower's presidency even he was concerned that europe was not shouldering enough of its own defense. nearly making, in eisenhower's words, quote, a sucker out of uncle sam. like president eisenhower, this administration believes in alliances, deeply believes in alliances. but make no mistake here president trump will not allow anyone to turn uncle sam into

uncle sucker. thank you here and we are glad to take questions. >> let's start with the u.s. traveling tv with liz. >> thank you. your focus somewhat ukraine has given up. what concessions concessions will be asked to make? >> i would start by saying the argument that is been made that somehow come to the table right now is making concessions to vladimir putin out right, that we otherwise or that the president of the trend shouldn't otherwise make. i just reject that at its face. the reason why negotiations are happening right now. just a few weeks have president trump was sworn in as president of the united states. vladimir putin response to

strength. in 2014 he invaded crimea not during the presidency of donald trump. over four years there was no russian aggression from 2016-2020. in 2022 vladimir putin took aggression on ukraine. once again not while president trump was president of the united states. so any suggestion that president trump is doing anything other than negotiating from a position of strength is on its face ahistorical and false. so when you look at what he may have to give or take, what's in or what's out those negotiations, we have the perfect dealmaker at the table from a position of strength to deal with both vladimir putin and zelensky no one is going to get everything that they want. understand who committed the aggression in the first place, but i challenge anyone else to think of a world leader at this moment who with credibility and strip could bring those two lives to the table and forge a

durable peace that openly s the interests of ukraine, stop the killing and the death which president trump has been included wants to do, and hopefully ultimately is guaranteed by strength of europeans who are prepared to back it up. >> article v for the nato peacekeeping forces that could potentially, how to set deter the present? >> i would say, one to to be clear about something that pertains to nato membership not being realistic outcome for negotiations. that something listed as part of my remarks here as part of the coordination with how we're executing these ongoing negotiations which are led by president trump. all of that said, these negotiations are led by president trump. everything is on the table.

in his conversation with vladimir putin and zelensky. wike decides to allow or not allow is at the purview of the leader of the free world of president trump. so i'm not going to stand at this podium and declare what president trump will do or won't do. what will be in her what will be out. what concessions will be made by what concessions are not made. i can look as our team has of what is realistic, likely on outcome. realism is an important part of the conversation that hasn't existed enough inside conversations amongst friends. but simply pointing out realism like the borders won't be rolled back toward anybody would like them to be in 2014 is not a concession to vladimir putin. it's a recognition of hard power realities on the ground after a lot of investment and sacrificed first by ukrainians and then my allies, and a realization a negotiated peace is going to be some sort of demarcation that neither side wants.

it's not my job as the secretary of defense to define the parameters of the president of the united states as he do some of both complex and consequential negotiations in the world. >> let's go with axios, in the far right. >> thank you, mr. secretary. given the quorum call? thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i have seven requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. these have been approved by both the majority and minority leaders. the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. cornyn: mr. president, last week the senate voted to confirm pam bondi as u.s. attorney general. i was proud to support her nomination both at the senate judiciary committee level and on the senate floor. today the senate judiciary committee held a markup on the nomination of kash patel for

director of the fbi. likewise i was happy to support his nomination in committee, and i look forward to supporting here on the senate floor as soon as that vote comes before us. one of president trump's most important pledges during the campaign was to end the politicalization and the weaponization of the department of justice, including the fbi. pam bondi and kash patel, i think, are outstanding picks to fulfill this pledge which is very important, and i'm pleased the senate is moving to confirm them with no delay. i believe that the fbi and the department of justice are two of the most important institutions in america. if you look around the world, you see a lot of countries that have a similar economic system to ours, and you wonder why is america uniquely prosperous, why

is it that we succeed where others fail. and i believe it's two things. one is our independent judiciary. and secondly, our institutions like, of justice like the fbi and the department of justice who are supposed to discharge their responsibilities without regard to politics and without regard to the sort of activities we've seen in recent years. we know that both of these individuals, mr. patel and ms. bondi, have their work cut out for them. the mission of the department of justice, after all, is to uphold the rule of law, to keep the country safe, and to protect civil rights. the fbi's mission is to protect the american people and to uphold the constitution of the united states. under the biden administration, and even before that, the

department of justice and the fbi has failed to achieve those noble and worthy goals. of course, back to even during president trump's first term of office, there was the infamous crossfire hurricane fbi investigation. there was the so-called russian hoax based on a phony piece of russian propaganda known as the steele dossier, which ultimately we found out was part of the opposition research that hillary clinton's campaign collected during her campaign against president trump back in 2016. this was dressed up to make it look like a credible bit of intelligence when in fact it was russian propaganda we ultimately found out. russian disinformation. two weeks ago during his hearing at the judiciary committee, kash patel told me that the rule of

law is the one of the fundamental precepts that make america an exceptional nation. without the rule of law, he said, and i quote, we go back to the uganda that my father fled. kash patel's adherence to the mission of the fbi and its parent agency, the department of justice, is a stark contrast with what we've seen in recent years. we saw, for example, merrick garland's misguided memo in october of 2021 directing the fbi to work with u.s. attorneys to, quote, discuss strategies for addressing threats from parents who were taking an active role in their children's education by participating in student, parent-teacher meetings and school board meetings. similarly we have the fbi richmond field office that sent

a memo in 2023 suggesting that traditional catholics might pose a threat as violent domestic extremists. so we know there are example after embarrassing example of how the fbi and the doj have gotten off track. a report from the house judiciary committee highlighted, for example, the fbi's misguided attempt to artificially inflate the number of domestic extremism threats by claiming americans who exercise their first amendment rights were somehow potential domestic terrorist threats. not to mention the fbi's role in censoring information related to hunter biden's criminal activities. a senate report from the homeland security and governmental affairs committee in 2020 detailed many of

hunter's and his associates' unseemly and likely illegal activities, including payments from ukrainian, russian, kazak, and chinese nationals and revealed that the fbi may have had knowledge of these activities for some time and done nothing. in september 2020 when the house judiciary committee sent a follow-up letter to director wray related to hunter biden's alleged misconduct, the fbi stonewalled them and refused to confirm or deny any ongoing investigations. i know that's a common response by the fbi. they're not getting to talk about ongoing investigations, and certainly we understand that as a routine matter, there shouldn't be any sort of interference in ongoing investigations. but congress has a unique constitutional role of oversight and essentially what director

wray was saying, he wasn't willing to give the congress as an oversight body the information we need in order to do our job. of course, despite these numerous efforts within the fbi and the department of justice to protect hunter biden from accountability for his crimes, we know his own father issued a presidential pardon in the final weeks of his presidency. even though for months he had said he would never do such a thing, but then he did claiming his son was selectively and unfairly prosecuted. well, my reaction was hunter was convicted of one crime by a jury but pled guilty to others, so it's not clear to me how president biden can say that he was selectively and unfairly prosecuted for the crimes that he pled guilty to. it's hard to imagine thinking someone was unfairly targeted

when the entire government, all the government agencies involved did everything they can to assist the biden family and to protect that person from justice. well, it's no surprise take the american people were upset and even outraged by this. who could forget the marked differences, the double standard in response when president trump was found to have sensitive documents at his home in mar-a-lago, when president biden was found to have sensitive documents at his home in wilmington, delaware. and all the while during the historic crime wave we've experienced in recent years, merrick garland directed his agency not to enforce mandatory minimums against most drug crimes. he did this while americans across the country were suffering from fatal drug overdoses at record numbers, especially from fentanyl which

took the lives of approximately 70,000 americans last year alone. the route of all of these a -- the result of all these abuses of authority has been a loss of trust and confidence by the american people in these important institutions, the fbi and the department of justice. these institutions were no longer believed to be engaged in the fair administration of justice based on facts and evidence as opposed to political gamesmanship. now, i realize attorney general bondi and soon to be director patel are going to have a huge task ahead of them to restore these agencies to their core missions and to restore the trust that has been eroded of

the american people and our american system of justice. but both of these individuals have pledged to do just that, and i believe they have -- should have an opportunity to do that. pam bondi, after all, has been a career prosecutor. she's -- she then went on to be attorney general of florida for two terms. as a former attorney general of my state in texas, i know how tough her job -- how to have that job can be, but she's done an outstanding job, and i have no doubt that her promotion to u.s. attorney general by president trump was well served. she's prepared for this important job. my goal for the department of justice and the fbi is to restore the nonpartisan functioning of our country's chief law enforcement agencies. the american people deserve an fbi and a department of justice that they can trust.

they deserve to live under a system where the guilty are prosecuted and where the innocent are not unfairly targeted. they deserve to live in a place where political views are not a basis for a criminal investigation. and where an accused person is still preassumed innocent until proven guilty. in short, we need a department of justice that will deal out justice even-handedly without fear or favor. i believe that being attorney general is probably one of the toughest jobs here in washington, d.c. because you're not only the chief law enforcement officer for the country, you're also a member of the president's cabinet. but even given the difficult nature of the job, merrick garland practically abdicated his responsibilities as chief law enforcement officer in order to be a partisan advocate for

president biden's policies. president trump's attorney general will have a chance to turn the page from merrick garland's failures by reversing the partisan hackry that has been a part and parcel of president biden's department of jus justice. president trump's attorney general can restore the department of justice to its core mission. pam bondi can serve president trump and the nation well by enforce he -- enforcing the law that's on the books and ending the weaponization of political enemies. similarly, kash patel has an opportunity to turn the page from the abuses and lack of accountability we've seen at the fbi in recent years. so i look forward to working with ms. bondi and mr. patel in their noble endeavor to restore trust in our nation's justice system. and by doing so, to restore the

trust of the american people. mr. president, i yield the floor.

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from kansas is recognized. mr. moran: thank you. today i want to speak about a program that has shaped our nation's humanitarian efforts and made a significant impact on my home state of kansas. a program called food for peace. in 1953 agricultural surpluses had reached an all-time high, but the price of storing excess commodities was too expensive to rationalize, and it was at risk of going to waste. kansas farmers, like cheyenne county's peter o'brien worked hard to cultivate and grow these commodities. looking for a solution, peter suggested at a local farm bureau meeting that maybe the excess food could be sent to countries in need. peter understood that out of our abundance, we have a moral duty and opportunity to feed the hungry. his idea sparked the origin of a program we now know as food for

peace. another kansan, one of my predecessors, andy shepple, led the food for peace act in the senate which was signed into law by president eisenhower, another kansan, in 1954, and senator bob dole from russell, kansas, later championed the reauthorization for food for peace of the program's premise was simple but impactful. by lever annualing the surpluses we produce in kansas and around the nation, we can address famine around the world while creating new markets for our commodities and bolstering our agriculture economy. the first shipments of american wheat and corn were sent to korea and greece in 1954 and by the end of food for peace's initial year of operation, it had fed 1.2 million people. over the last 70 years, the program has fed more than four billion people in more than 150 countries, all with american-grown commodities. hunger whether driven by price

increases or food shortages can act as a catalyst for protests and armed conflict. we've seen how food can be used as a weapon of war, as radical islamic groups in syria use food as a means to recruit soldiers. we've witnessed regions of the word that are critical to america's strategic interests to send into chaos due to people not having access to affordable food. in a turbulent world stricken with conflict, american leadership is more than just our military and our economic might. food aid provided by the united states reduces despair and increases stability within fragile countries by enabling economic productivity and minimizing the risk of radicalization. for countless individuals around the word, their survival is dependent upon the resources provided by the american people. these vulnerable populations rely on the strength and prosperity of the united states. however, much work remains in the ongoing battle against

hunger and part of that battle is improving the process and programs that administer our aid. food for peace is administered by the usaid and the inefficiency of usaid has been growing concern. the agency struggles with bureaucratic delays, mismanagement, and a lack of coordination which undermines its ability to deliver effectively aid to those in need. this inefficiency not only wastes taxpayer dollars but also diminishes the impact of america's foreign aid in addressing global crises. reports suggest that millions of taxpayer dollars have been allocating to promoting tourism in lebanon and egypt, funding the purchase of electric vehicles for vietnam and inadvertently supporting the cultivation of opioid in afghanistan. even more kerping it has been confirmed that nine million intended for civilian food and medical supplies in syria fell into the hands of terrorist organizations lived to al qaeda

due to the failed oversight of usaid. amid these concerns of corruption, president trump has taken steps to dismantle usaid in conjunction with the president's action and with approval of the white house policy team, i've introduced a bill with senator john hoeven and senator roger marshall and representative tracy mann to move food for peace from the turbulent usaid program and move it to the department of agriculture in an effort to prevent waste and bring the program closer to farmers that depend upon it. usaid has a long and proven history of managing agricultural policy and programs that support american farmers. food distribution systems, and global security efforts. usaid has boots on the ground and the infrastructure already in place to support the logistics for food assistance. the agency understands how to move crops efficiently, sustain play, and quickly. this knowledge is indispensable

when responding to international crises or speed and reliability -- where speed and reliability can mean the difference between life and death. by placing food for peace under usaid's authority, we make certain that the program is in good hands and can continue to bring revenue to american agriculture. as just a little over an hour ago the senate confirmed the new secretary of agriculture brooke rollins, i've no doubt she will be an excellent advocate for our nation's farmers and i appreciate the conversations we've already had on this legislation. the secretary has told me she's excited about this proposal and looks forward to working together on this issue. we produce more than we can consume in this nation so without programs to export, too, our ability to make a living in agriculture in kansas and across the country disappears. in f kwnch-23 alone -- in fy-23 alone, $713 million of commodities were purchased by the food for peace program,

putting money back into the hands of farmers. in rural america, food assistance programs like food for peace put american-grown products in the hands of the hungry, and this food is a tangible extension of the hard work and dedication of farmers and ranchers. i'm pleased to help find ways to make our delivery of food aid more effective, more efficient, and remove the challenges and things we've seen that are so disturbing. america is the greatest countries on earth and the most prosperous. food for peace bolsters the farmers who feed us, creates a more stable world and feeds the hungry. mr. president, i yield the

>> i'm happy to take a couple questions. [inaudible question] >> i'm not so sure we did it because the numbers we won. 75,000 people accepted the buyout program.

that's going to save millions for taxpayers and that's exactly what we wanted. >> you couldn't have extended it by even a couple of days? >> we put a deadline on it and the deadline was reached. setting 5000 people accepted the offer. >> can you share information about -- [inaudible] it might be something more of a negotiation. >> you will be hearing from the president of the united states directly on this in about two hours. i will speak. is very excited about this announcement and is been working on for quite some time. he looks for to seeing all of you in the oval at 1:00. we will and then we will swear in rfk jr. who i understand -- [talking over each other] >> why invite vladimir putin to the white house?

>> a republican of wyoming, , ad the other judiciary committee and also the natural resources committee. welcome back to the program. >> it's wonderful to be a. >> as american to serve on the judiciary committee so want to ask about the recent attacks by elon musk and other allies of

president trump attacking the federal judiciary and saying they don't have the right to rule and they should be investigated. elon musk saying the judges should be impeached. what's your take on that? >> guest: i'm going to disagree with your premise. i will sit as an attack. under a form of were able to criticize anyone who's in public service whether they're in the judiciary or the executive or legislative branch. it's appropriate to criticize the decision if you disagree. as an attorney i've done that in the past. i don't think that's all that atypical. where i would agree with musk and president trump is a fine these decisions to be very strange. the reason i say that is we have been bombarded for years with the idea of the all-powerful executive branch and that's the bureaucracy and administrative agencies. the president has a right to do

things such as under the last administration use of people climbing the present have the right to forgive billions and/or millions in student loans come hundreds of millions in student loans despite the fact congress have passed a law allowing the president to forgive student loans. they were doing that soon the department of education. -- silly. they're saying the president has right to do that because he oversees the department of education. >> host: who said that traffic many people in media mainstream media that were perfectly countable with the idea the president have the authority to do something through an agency that is contrary to what -- >> host: let's stick with the three branches of government. do you think the judiciary has overstepped its bounds? to think there's ambiguity as far as what the role is as compared to the president and congress? >> guest: is not a matter of roles. they are defined by article one,

two and three purpose but with the is right decision. that's what they're attacking. elon musk and the president they are saying legally what the judges are saying are not, the decisions are not legally sound. we all have the right to criticize or disagree with a judge if the issue decision that we disagree with. i don't have any problem with them saying these decisions are legally suspect and they should not stand. they're going to do what we always do, they're going to appeal them. it's not that the going to defy them. they're going to peel them. the president has said that. we know that's what the department is going to do. that's the correct process to follow. >> host: the department of government efficiency the subcommittee in the house that's led by marjorie taylor greene held her first during yesterday trip we covered it on c-span pic if you missed it on our website. i want to show the abortion of the top committee democrat,

representative melanie stansbury. she had remarks and want you to respond. >> i want to point out literally while we've been sitting here for the last almost two hours getting lectured on fiscal responsibility, literally the republicans just released their plan to raise the debt limit while we're sitting here. they want to raise it by $4 trillion. okay, guys. like, literally, , i, i'm just without words. inflation is going up. you want to raise the debt ceiling by $4 trillion. you want to get medicare. you want to get medicaid. you talk about going after social security after promising that she wouldn't. i mean really what the heck is going on here? we are not trying to take down elon musk as a businessman. this dude is literally breaking the law inside of the federal

government, and for party that is supposedly the party of law and order, in quotes, i really do not see you holding him accountable and doing your most basic constitutional responsibility in the separation of powers. from what do you think? >> guest: i don't think she understands the relationship between the debt ceiling and what we're doing in terms of a budget or the spending of what doge is doing. those are not necessarily related. raising the debt ceiling to sell to pay the bills that are already been incurred. i find it rather strange in light of the fact we're only one month into this administration and we've got bills come due because of the last administration. we're raising the debt ceiling so we can pay the bills that were incurred by joe biden. i find it to be every strange argument and i find it to be rather, rather bizarre she's attempting to be quite, cutting spending to doge ended in fine

programs that we don't want that need and should be funding with paying the bills that have already been incurred. that's just strange. >> host: she said elon musk is breaking the law and that you, the republicans and conquers, i'm not holding him accountable. >> guest: what i would ask is, how is he breaking the law? no one seems to be asking that question. he has been appointed by the president again just like any other appointee or special employee of the presidential office. he has been appointed and passed with going in and look at how the government is spending money. he is doing that. i cannot for the likes of me figure out how that would be breaking the law. that's the question we need to be asking these folks. it's easy to throw things around and say something like that. i would like to see proof of how is breaking the law. >> host: if you want to join the conversation and ask harry hagerman hagemann a republican of boiling any questions you can do so it shall should be with us for about 20

minutes. the lines are republicans 202-748-8001. democrats 202-748-8000 and independents 202-748-8002. earlier this week a group of about 30 house democrats led by glenn ivey of maryland, he will be our guest after your segment, they wrote a letter to the senate judiciary committee urging them to reject kash patel as fbi director. i'll read you a little bit of that. we will put on the screen for folks to read. to the nomination this but tell an individual with almost no law enforcement experience and history of politically charged and inflammatory statements is clearly a break from tradition and one that deserves extensive scrutiny as a result. the u.s. house published a room -- appointments in his book and this promise to shut down the fbi headquarters on his first

day in office. the fbi director is not a position for an erratic, political actor focus on retribution. a continues but i'd like you to respond. >> guest: the rhetoric and the hyperbole is off the charts in terms of making those accusations. kash patel has extensive experience in dealing with issues that he will be as head of the fbi. one of the things understand is that prior to 9/11 it was the field offices for the fpac that did the vast majority of the work. there was obviously an fbi office in washington, d.c. as it did work as well but our field offices were fairly independent they functioned much better. it was after 9/11 ahead of the fbi mueller brought everything you to washington, d.c. and stockpile all the power here. if you talk to people who are long-term fbi employees and people have dealt with the fbi they will tell you that's when

the fbi became politicized. ..

i think the problem is some people are just -- with the whole elon musk issue, legal or not, the problem of billionaire george of slashing government waste fraud and abuse so i think that's the problem. i don't know the legalities a little and that's pretty much what i have to say. >> why does that bother you? >> background africa and billionaire and you know they

didn't get the money honestly. and george with our books. mr. must is a naturalized citizen. i don't think there are legitimate allegations about apartheid and africa several decades ago as bad as it was, that has nothing to do with elon musk whether he is a millionaire or billionaire is irrelevant whether he is identifying waste fraud and abuse should not be paying for it.

we are spending a trillion dollars a year on interest which are higher than always been on the fence. it is legitimate and figure out what is going on under the hood. the presiding officer: the senator from massachusetts is recognized. mr. markey: are we in a quorum, mr. president? the presiding officer: we are not. mr. markey: i'm here to speak about the confirmation of kelly

loeffler to serve as administrator of the small business administration. i'm concerned for the more than 72,000 people who call massachusetts home. i'm concerned because of donald trump and elon musk that they have sent a clear message, they are here to illegally cut off p funding for government services. they are here to make government work for billionaires but at the expense of the working class people. and they are filling their cabinet with people who are going to carry out that illegal bidding. as i stand here today, doge operatives continue to work under the cover of darkness, including at the small business administration. the american people want answers. is the private information of families and businesses and individuals safe at the sba?

will an entrepreneur looking to open their beauty salon be able to close on an sba loan and get their money on schedule? can government contractors, many of which are veterans, continue providing critical services while getting paid on time? lawmakers and american families alike are scrambling to figure out whether the government is open for business. small business owners are wondering what will come from the illegal access to their private data by musk's minions. these are just small business people across the country. they've handed over their financial secrets of their family, and there's no guarantee that all of those secrets of those families are being protected right now. they're small business people. we have 7 million people in massachusetts and 722,000 small businesses. meanwhile donald trump continues to attack dei, p diversity,

equity, and inclusion, when in reality the administration is carrying out a different kind of dei, defending elon's interests. so today i stand in opposition to the confirmation of kelly loeffler because of this effort which is going to be throwing us into constitutional crisis through their illegal actions. and i fear that as administrator, senator loeffler will put the interest at the command of donald trump and elon musk of more than 34 million small businesses second and elon and billionaire interests first. in a moment when our democracy is under threat, i expect a clearer commitment to the rule of law. so far senator loeffler has offered an una poll gentlemen

particular defense -- unapologetic defense of trump's orders which supersede the law of the land and supported pardons for january 6 insurrectionists. taxpayers need to be sure they have an environment which is fair and impartial at the sba. instead senator loeffler has in the past basically bragged that she's more conservative even than atilla the hun. i need to make sure this environment is going to be hospitable to small businesses because they need to make sure there is an administrator that will act ethically. small businesses need an administrator that will help them compete and innovate. they do not need an administrator who is only listening to the white house trump and elon musk orders. so to conclude, mr. president,

under the biden administration, we saw a record number of new small businesses. but just because they were recovering, that doesn't mean they weren't hurting. so to all my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, we have to work together to uplift our entrepreneurs and promote a ruthless, darwinan marketplace that will bring a smile to adam smith. that's my goal. and the vibrancy of our communities depends on us ensuring a small business can compete, expand, and create jobs. by crippling government from wi within, trump is trying to damage critical services that help families put food on the table. i urge a no vote on the confirmation of senator loeffler to serve as administrator of the small business administration. unfortunately, we by now are able to look back and see the totality across the epa, across

nih, across the president's call for the dismantlement of the department of education, what the real story line is here as the trump administration and the doge apparatchiks move into agency and p agency and they are in the small business right now. my goal is to try to protect that sba that we've all known on a bipartisan basis for generations, to just protect it from this storm of partisanship that is taking over our country. and on that basis, i recommend a no vote. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa is recognized. ms. ernst: mr. president, later today we have the opportunity to advance the nomination of the honorable kelly loeffler to be

the administrator of the small business administration. senator loeffler is immensely qualified for this role. as a successful businesswoman, it is abundantly clear that senator loeffler truly understands what it takes to be an entrepreneur and will be an effective voice for small businesses across america. since president trump's election in november, optimism on main street has surged to its highest levels since 2018. our nation's job creators, small businesses, are excited about the prospect of having a dedicated and knowledgeable leader at the helm of sba. last week the small business committee, where i serve as chair, favorably reported her nomination out with a bipartisan

vote, a sure sign that my friends on both sides of the aisle believe she is fit to lead sba. senator loeffler will bring accountability back to the agency and promote policies that will truly benefit americans' small businesses. as evidenced in her nomination hearing, senator loeffler's experience and her expertise make her the right person to lead the sba and advocate for our small businesses. growing up on her family's farm in bloomington, illinois, senator loeffler experienced firsthand the problems facing america's farmers and small business owners. and as a fellow farm girl

myself, i look forward to having some more midwest common sense in washington, d.c. senator loeffler also witnessed her parents start up a small trucking business and navigate complex rules and regulations. she understands the struggles small businesses face because, you know what? she has experienced them. fortunately senator loeffler is ready to cut the red tape and reduce the burdens that so many of our job creators still face today. senator loeffler is also a successful entrepreneur. she was the first employee and ceo of a financial technology company. through her hard work and

tenacity, she aggressively grew the company and took it public within three years. additionally, senator loeffler knows what it means to work for main street and the american people. during covid, as a u.s. senator, she worked tirelessly to bring relief to the people of georgia, specifically through the paycheck protection program. however, she, like me, recognizes that some took advantage of this program, and they need to be held accountable. during her confirmation hearing, senator loeffler detailed her zero tolerance policy for waste, fraud, and abuse in the sba. mr. president, that should be welcome news for all of us.

in addition, senator loeffler indicated the need for a full-scale audit. i started my political career as an auditor, so i agree with this. the full-scale audit at the sba to uncover improper spending and stated she would rely on that data to make the best decisions for the future of sba. senator loeffler also noted the importance of working with congress, particularly when it comes to disaster relief. she recognized the tragedy of the sba's disaster shortfall, which lasted for 66 days in the middle of back-to-back natural disasters. she recognized this should never happen again.

sba's vital role in the disaster process cannot be overstated, and we must ensure we have an administrator who will alert congress at the first signs of any concerns. the sba needs a strong leader with a proven track record in business management, and senator loeffler brings all of that and more to the table. i look forward to working with senator loeffler to ensure small businesses all across america can thrive and maintain these high levels of optimism we're already seeing under this administration. i urge my colleagues to advance her nomination, support her with a yes vote, and i yield the floor.

ms. ernst: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. ms. ernst: i would note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. alsobrooks.

it's going on and figure out there rides things that play out personally and the larger issue is impact of scaling down the government with the. >> were you telling your judgments ask ones afraid of losing their job or have already lost their job? should in a place for

determination and rightly so. for political reasons. there are bargaining agreements the federal government to provide an extra set of rights as well. we talk issues and how they play out in the office of him. whether they opt out. and if you resign today, we will pay you for six months or so even though you are not working.

enforceability. lastly, the government proposed and the stationary. and how long is that? >> it's one year and not all.

and for here they have that. and a good thing, what is your response to that? >> the waste fraud and abuse, they should be done but they are not going about doing it the right way. a couple points on that front, every major department in the federal government has the inspector general. the first thing they did was fire. so instead of consulting with

people and midway done, maybe not even completed and they moved them out and decided to start from scratch. and they have gone through a bidding process and they are given access in the circumstance and see it. must effort.

and assess to that information which is not so there's a lot of sermon about what must is doing and there's a right way to do it and a lot of it would have been done -- mr. cruz: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from texas is recognized are. mr. cruz: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cruz: mr. president, i rise in support of the nomination of howard lutnick to be secretary of commerce. two weeks ago, mr. lutnick appeared before the commerce committee, where he received a warm reception from senators. the following week, he was reported out with bipartisan support, underscoring that many

commerce committee members see mr. lutnick as highly qualified to serve as secretary of commerce. mr. lutnick has demonstrated great resilience and grit throughout his life. as he revealed at the hearing, growing up with some real personal adversity has given him a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by ordinary working americans. he lost both of his parents before his 18th birthday, and he put himself through college and helped to raise his younger siblings. on 9/11, howard personally witnessed the fall of the twin towers. and on that day, a he lost two-thirds of his staff, including his own brother. few men can recover from an experience like that. but howard not only rebuilt cante cantor fitzgerald, but he made it into an international

powermouse with 13,000 employees -- powerhouse with 13,000 employees and the operations in 20 countries. just as importantly, he has dedicated his rebuilt company to helping support the families who lost loved ones on 9/11. he created the cantor fitzgerald relief fund to ensure that the families of employees who were killed received health care and millions in financial support. and he continues to serve as a board member of the national september 11 memorial. over the next few years, mr. lutnick will lead on key issues vital to the success of america's economy. expanding commercial access to midband spectrum, keeping the gulf open for oil and gas exploration, and spurring a resurgence of manufacturing in america. mr. lutnick will ensure that american taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently and that