constantly guarded and protected. >> were at our core, democracy. >> this is a massive victory for democracy and for freedom. over and out to the u.s. capital where the senate is gambling back into session after brief recess. live coverage here on c-span2. mr. cornyn: madam president, it's been a little over a month since president trump was inaugurated as the 47th

president. one of his key promises on the campaign trail, and really throughout his service in the white house, has been to confront the threat of the chinese communist party and hold china accountable for failing to play by the rules. the american people voted resoundingly for that agenda this past november, delivering both the electoral vote and the popular vote for president trump as well as republican majorities in both the house and the senate. now the task at hand is to actually begin to implement those promises to hold china to account. xi jinping made it clear that his plans to, quote, reincorporate taiwan in just 2027, just two years away. we don't know exactly what that

entails, but the threat is omi ominous. time's running short to make any potential conflict with china undesirable from their standpoint, to re-establish deterrence, but the good news is we have a number of tools available to us and a track record of success on confronting the threat of the ccp during the trump administration. back in 2018, i was proud to work with president trump on modernizing the committee of foreign investment in the united states, otherwise known as cfiusus. they review foreign direct investment in the united states for potential national security concerns. the bill we ultimately passed and was signed into law by president trump was called foreign risk review modernization act, we updated

cfius to ensure that we were more comprehensivably using foreign entities for nefarious purposes in the united states. this bipartisan legislation was signed into law by president trump as part of the ninth national defense authorization act -- as parts of the 2019 national defense authorization act. this was an attempt to derescue from china -- derisk from china. while this was a big win for republicans and president trump, we still have more to do. the top of our to-do list is to address outbound products from american self investors. at this moment, some individuals, some businesses,

the investments they're making are funneling capital into potential dual-use capabilities that could be used against the united states be and our allies, according to the 2024 report to congress, u.s. investments in china's semiconductors, quantum computing and a.i. alone totaled about $2 billion in 2023. in 2020, more than 90% of these investments were concentrated in the semiconductor industry, and from 2015 to 2021, u.s. investors may up 20% of u.s. global's funding of artificial intelligence. congress to acutely aware of the effect of china's capture of the

autonomous vehicle market and semiconductor manufacturing many we've acted on these issues before, and it's time to do so again. i was proud to lead the chips for america act to help the united states re-establish manufacturing for advanced semiconductors here in america where the percentage of advanced semiconductors that fuel everything from our cell phones to the avionics and an f-45 joint strike fighter, only 20% of those were made here in the united states, the rest were made in asia, prince prin princprincipally taiwan. how can we expect to outcompete or even catch up to chinese companies if unbeknownst to us american dollars are continuing to fuel their rise economically

and militarily. we're simply not being serious about con fronting our greatest strategic adversary if we continue to be blind to the investment of billions of dollars and the very technologies that could be potentially used to kill american soldiers, sailors are, airmen -- sailors, airmen, and marines. now we have an opportunity on a bipartisan basis to finish the job we began with cfius reform just a few short years ago. we can do this by passing legislation on outbound investment. we need greater transparency and accountability so we know exactly what the facts are. it's no secret to any of my colleagues that i've been working on this issue for time now. -- for some time now, during the

previous congress, the national defense authorization act with increasing transparency around outbound investment passed by a vote of around 91-6, demonstrating the high level of consensus in this chamber on this issue. unfortunately, this amendment was dropped from the national defense authorization act when it went to conference and it didn't make it into the final version that was sent to the president's desk and ultimately signed into law. then last year we made progress along a bipartisan path and in a bicameral manner with speaker johnson and congressman michael mccaul who was chairman of the house foreign affairs committee around provisions of outbound investment, but unfortunately that didn't make it across the finish line before the end of the year. but the reason for optimism that

this year will be the time we get these provisions over the finish line, and we worked hard to work with the house's version and to work with the senate version that passed overwhoverw overwhelmingly previously to marry those up and establish a bill that enjoys bipartisan and bicameral support. i've been are working with everyone from the speaker of the house to the chairman of the select committee on the ccp to congressman mccaul, as well as tim scott, chairman of the banking committee here in the senate. and we all made input into a piece of legislation that will finally accomplish what we've been working on for these last few years. we know time is of the essence and and we're working hand in gov with the trump administration to ensure that we accomplish the goals we set out for. i can't emphasize what a great

opportunity and what a great win it will be for all opportunities involved, the addressing the outbound investment for china will be an opportunity for here in the house and senate to have a big win for our country and national security. it will be a home run for all americans can feel safe that american companies and investors are not helping china, not only rebuild its economy, but also its military as well. and, of course, china continues to be a greatest strategic adversary on the planet. the only party that stands to lose from this legislation will be the chinese communist party, and it's high time they be held accountable. madam president, i yield the

floor. mr. heinrich: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from new mexico. mr. heinrich: madam president, i rise today in opposition to senate joint resolution 11 which would repeal a policy that would protect archaeological sites. i want to be clear this policy does not prevent any oil and gas development. it simply requires that companies take a good look at the ocean floor with sonar where they are planning to drill a well and see what is this there. the outer continental self is home to one of a kind cultural resources from shipwrecks and and even evidence of human settlements on land that used to be on dry land but now on the sea floor. this policy is a small change

and it simply brings offshore oil and gas up to the exact same standard that we already apply to offshore wind products. it's entirely reasonable to require energy developers to identify archaeological sites and other cultural resources on the ocean floor just as they do when they produce energy on land. in my home state of new mexico, energy companies routinely work with tribal representatives, state agencies and other experts to identify cultural resource and to make a plan to limit the impact of development on those resources. it's reasonable for us to expect the same of offshore energy developers. now this policy was supported by two politically recognized tribes, passage of this resolution means not only would this policy be repealed, but that any similar policy could

never be put back in place. our cultural resources are too valuable to let them go unprotected just because they're on the ocean floor, and i would urge my colleagues to oppose the urge my colleagues to oppose the

their number one priority is passing more tax cuts for billionaires, in the senate last

republicans ran through the probe billionaire anti-middle-class budget blueprint. contemplated in the house republicans are planning to do even worse, the massive tax giveaway for billionaires there to defend medicaid/veterans benefits enforce kids until they're hungry. the congressional district with the highest enrollment for medicaid in my states are represented by republicans. there are trillions in cuts that they are calling for without kicking kids and families off medicaid they are cutting health care for the children that they represent to cut taxes for billionaires. hurting kids making it so a child cannot see a doctor to give elon musk attacks break he does not need and that's a path to public's want to go down that i'm going to make sure everybody knows that. to the american people, now is the time to tune into c-span now

is the time to give your republican congressman and careful now is the time to texture family checker, now is the time to do everything we possibly can to protect healthcare for our kids and families, every american should understand their story and their voice will make a difference in this ride. congress needs to hear you. my advice, get loud. i will be using my voice and my vote to make sure kids can see a doctor and make sure kids do not go hungry, i will vote no to give billionaires more tax cuts

so he can profit even more. who don't want veterans benefits or services being cut and don't want hard-working public servants fired for no reason at all. these are the people that recognize this is the tip of the iceberg regarding her republicans are going to pay for their tax breaks for billionaires. because at the very center of all the unpopular policies what binds them all together is republicans northstar. a massive tax break to the wealthy and the biggest corporations on the backs of our constituents. we have seen this movie before, last go around the republicans

gave tax breaks to the very wealthy and in my state one single company got a bigger tax break then all wisconsinites then the first year that plan, that was exxon mobil, think about that every wisconsinite put together this time the tax break will be bigger by taking food from hungry kids shedding nursing home doors and ripping healthcare away from kids and disabled americans the number one target is of course medicaid no matter what my colleagues use as a policy cover the end result will be the same, elderly people will be left without care, vulnerable kids will be left

without a doctor to go to and disabled individuals without the help that they need to live healthy and dignified lives. let me click you tell you about a wisconsinite who reached out to me. she is a 60-year-old woman who was diagnosed with stage iv metastatic breast cancer. it has metastasized to her brain, lungs and liver. she depends upon medicaid for treatment. without medicaid, she said to be forced to ration or forgo cancer treatment hey shooting my death or send me and my husband into bankruptcy while trying to keep me alive, let that sink in, let that sink in the republican plan puts her cancer coverage on the chopping block. and make no mistake at all rob

seniors, kids and the disabled to pay for the rich to get richer. it is wrong we will use every lever that we have at our disposal to lift up the concerns that we are hearing from our constituents, band together and organize with them. and fight to stop the tax break for billionaires on the backs of our constituents. back to leadership are. >> remember you said the three year anniversary what do you think it's a path forward doesn't make sense? >> the ukrainian people have fought long and hard we know who started the war, putin who is a bully, the ukrainian people are fighting very hard we should not abandon ukraine workforce a decision down their throats that they don't like.

>> will democrats. >> were negotiating right now and i'm not going to get into the private details of negotiation. >> like i said we are negotiating very well were not going to get into details right now. >> let's see what happens in the committee, no women have raised their hands and i don't like to call on men, you get the last one. >> there is a lot of them we want to get rid of waste fraud and abuse of definitely but you don't use a blowtorch you don't use a meat ax and cut all the

good things as well as things that are waste fraud and abuse, no smart businessman would do that. i think what they're doing is outrageous, the people in america are going to hate what they're doing which is cutting people who are working hard and doing very needed jobs that help the american people

good afternoon the price of everything that you buy is affected by the cost of energy. if you look at what energy impacts. it certainly impacts the cost of transportation, they will, impacts and increases the cost of heating and fueling our homes increase in the cost of groceries, energy is a factor in literally everything that we do

and contributed a big weight to the inflationary impact the american people have experienced over the past four years, republicans in the senate are very interested in making sure we have in all of the above energy strategy that puts the focus on making america energy dominant and what the democrats on the other hand do if they don't like something they tax and regulate at the desk if they do like something they forced the mandate of the american people like they did with electric vehicles this week we will be focusing on driving down the cost of energy in this country which by the way in the last four years under the by the administration energy increase 30%, 30% think about that the impact that the house on the american people pocketbooks they understanding get the issue, they agree with us, this week we will be moving a couple i should is a continuing, congressional review act resolutions and disapproval across the floor, one was senator kennedy, one was

senator homan both of which get at the issue of making energy in this country more available and more affordable to the american people. that is a very different model than what you got for the last four years from the democrats. but republicans in the senate and house of representatives working with president trump who is making american energy dominance a key issue with his administration and were doing everything that we can to open up energy production in this country and make it easier not harder and less expensive and not more expensive to create energy dominance for the american people and thereby lower the cost that they pay literally on everything that they buy starting with senator kennedy he will speak to the cra resolution disapproval that we will vote on followed by senator homan. senator kennedy. >> since 1938 we have drilled

over 6000 oil and gas wells in the gulf of america and built thousands of millions of pipeline. do that in the oil and gas industry has had to spend billions of dollars to survey every square inch in the gulf. every square inch has been surveyed and x-rayed. we found 4000 shipwrecks in the waning days of the biden administration boe and promulgated a new rule that says if you want to drill a well or build a pipeline you have to survey again, this increases the cost of drilling which of course increases the cost of the energy

because of the extra cost is passed on to the consumer which of course hurts us in our fight. this regulation is one example of why you're experiencing inflation in america today. my resolution it would resend this rule. i'm not saying the guy who came up with this idea on this rule is the dumbest person in the world but i am saying the guy who came up with this idea for this rule better hope that the dumbest person in the world doesn't die and were going to kill it. >> in 2000 to the democrats without any republican votes past the so-called and completely misnamed inflation reduction act.

in that included the green new deal which included a law of spending but to add insult to injury they also then put a tax on natural gas. something everybody uses to heat their homes, to cook their food, reading folks are using natural gas ended the inflation reduction daxs, the democrats put a tax on methane natural gas. essentially what the congressional review act resolution that i'm putting forward, he repeals that tax on natural gas. the ira the inflation reduction actually been called the iaa inflation acceleration act because that is exactly what he did take it inflation to 9%, not only with spending like the green new deal but by putting a tax if you can believe it on natural gas the every single american uses every single day

that his so low-income people the hardest. and then put it into perspective since 1990 we reduced emissions from natural gas by 20%, that sounds pretty good since 1990 we reduced overall admissions by 20%. in that time we have doubled the production of natural gas, do the math on that one. with the best environmental standards in the world. the solution for the democrats is to tax and get less and get it from countries with worse environmental standards beyond ridiculous. we are going to repeal it, thank you to republicans and president trump who will get inflation under control with a whole variety of things including making america energy dominant once again we will produce more energy at home energy security is national security it is jobs and economic prices down for

consumers across this country. >> questions. >> any other questions? >> can i help? >> you are dismissed. >> was it appropriate for the u.s. to go against the resolution. [inaudible] >> i stated my views as you know and the start of the war but i do think right now what were trying to do is get a peace deal this is horrific war that's gone on for ten years with tens of thousands hundreds of thousands of casualties in the administration is trying to bring it to an end. right now see if they can bring a resolution to a war that is

cost way too many lines already. [inaudible] [inaudible] >> i think any process you undergo where you're trying to find efficiency and if that involves reductions in these two did enter be done in a respectable way obviously respect of the people involved but i do think as they go through the process the objective of doge is to figure out ways to make government run more efficiently and effectively and reduce its cost and make sure the american taxpayer is getting a good deal on tax dollars that they put into the federal government. i think right now there are

different taxes being deployed to do that and i would say what i said earlier we want to do everything that we can and i think this is been long overdue to try to figure out how we can make government look more efficiently and cost the taxpayers less and make sure they get a good return on the tax dollars that they spend to this country but i would also argue again anything that they do they need to be respectful for people that are involved in the agencies and departments of government. >> now that the cabinet nominees are confirmed should they be the ones making the decisions instead of elon musk. >> that's why we work so hard to get these folks confirmed in there now in a position to make the decisions and i think some of them already asserted to make those decisions are very capable people that will be responsible for running a big department and agency and oversee thousands of employees and they added you everything that they can to make

the department work more efficiently and defined savings and in many cases they're going to make those decisions on their own and if you seen the already some of them have asserted the right and the administration at this point is providing latitude for the managers of the department and agency to move forward. >> the continuing resolution only way to avoid a shutdown. >> we are keeping all options on the table but were running out of time. i think realistically we have to think how can we fund the government and make sure there is not a government shutdown and i only remind people that we are in this position because last year even after the senate appropriations committee passed 11 of the 12 appropriation bills out of the committee the democrats under leader schumer did not bring a single appropriation bill to the floor of the united states senate and they were available for the last six month of last year. we have a pile up right now created by the democrats and

other publicly talking about shutting the government down ironically we would say that will do everything that we can to make sure that the government stays up and running and what form that takes remains to be seen but were working out all the options. thank you.

>> please to be doing by ranking member brenda boyle and congresswoman escobar as well. donald trump's first month has been a disaster. the only president less popular than donald trump is another

reminder only priority lowering taxes for beginners. it will take healthcare away for millions of working americans. to pay for a tax cut the elon musk and republican billionaire donors ask for. they are hiding because they're terrified and voted against trump's endorsed budget. but their constituents are bringing down their doors and demanding more from answers on why they reducing cost for beginners instead of working families. our challenge to house

republicans after we passed the budget today with cut by a hundred 80 billion see how they feel about what you just did. if you get a representative away healthcare from people and you want to be able to defend your vote directly to them that would require the house republican conference we will see vice chair. it's a pleasure to be here on the budget committee. at the beginning of donald trump's term after the inauguration, donald trump was at plus six approval. reuters has been tracking donald trump's approval and disapproval for the first 30 days and they recently released a poll that donald trump is now at minus seven less than one month a swing of 13.1 wire trump's

numbers freefalling, one reason trump's and his indiscriminate tariffs are increasing prices and increasing inflation firing people that work on the blue phil and egg prices and a lot of places you cannot get eggs know where more example five that the republican budget. this gop budget is getting cut 880 begin dollars of medicaid to fund huge tax cuts for the super wealthy and for beginners. what is $880 billion of medicaid look like. it means and shutting down of community health clinics and hospitals the shutting down of nursing homes and two thirds of nursing home patients are paid for by medicaid. this will have a huge impact on the middle class and also billionaires can get even richer.

we are asking everyone to stand up it opposes republican budget betrayal. i'm so honored to introduce the a ranking member of our budget committee the great brenda boyle from philadelphia home of the super bowl winning eagles. >> i did not pay ted to introduce me in that way but i appreciate it. i am brenda boyle, congressman probably philadelphia and also the ranking member of the budget committee. let's be clear the republican budget represents the republican portrayal of the middle class. it cuts at least one and a half trillion dollars including at least $880 billion for medicaid in order to partially pay for trillions of dollars in tax cuts most of which go to the richest 1% of americans. it also increases the deficit and the national debt to the

tune of $4 trillion. even a number of house republicans have come out upon reading the bill and recognize this fact. by the way this is from the same crowd that the last four years did nothing but shed crocodile tears over the national debt. you can see why this is such a republican betrayal of the middle class. it betrays the very folks who voted for donald trump in order to bring down costs at the supermarket. we have not seen one second spent on that subject. what we have seen is yet again the top priority for my republican colleagues is to cut and/government programs most especially medicaid in order to finance tax cuts for the richest 1%. let's be clear about it there is some on the other side who are attempting to confuse people

this absolutely guarantees medicaid cuts that would amount to the largest cuts to medicaid in american history. all to deliver tax cuts for the richest 1%. with that i am happy to yield to a great budget committee member my friend veronica escobar. >> thank you, chairman, thank you vice chair and thank you ranking member wayne sts. it is my play roads to be here standing with great champions for hard-working american families. i think it's really important for us to remember what happened last year. last year the american people went to the polls and overwhelmingly told candidates and told incumbents we want you to focus on the cost of living we want you to lower the everyday cost we want you to tackle inflation, where are we

today we are seeing inflation increase we are seeing costco up in the american people need our help. this budget not only does not help hard-working americans. this budget will devastate hard-working americans in a way that is absolutely a betrayal of the middle class. this budget will make americans sicker, poor and this budget will make their lives more challenging. you cannot make the deep cuts that this budget resolution unlocks without harming the people who are depending on desk to make their lives better. as my colleagues mentioned in medicaid alone in the cuts that will have to happen as a result of this resolution, we are going to see americans have their

premiums their affordable care act premiums double, does that make their lives better does that make things more affordable. we will see families who have a loved one who is disabled lose their benefits, disses this make their lives better does it make the cost of living more affordable for them. we will see families who have a loved one in a nursing home have to figure out the future for their elderly parent or grandparent because medicaid cuts will impact them. will that make their lives better or more affordable when community hospitals close and community clinics close will that make people's lives better or more affordable absolutely not. there will also be an impact on local economies. we have data that shows for every dollar spent on snap that means a dollar 50 that impacts

the local economy by a dollar 50. by removing the support of american people to guarantee we are not just going to her everyday americans we will her economies around the country at a time when americans want us to do the opposite. let every republican considering voting in favor of this terrible budget explain to their constituents how this improves their lives or makes their lives better. i will tell you who's life it does improve the billionaires who will be able to buy another yacht because of the tax cuts. another jet because of the tax cuts. another luxury home because of the tax cuts. but go talk to thomas massie also about what this will do to the debt and he will tell you what it will do to the debt. thank you.

>> thank you veronica. [inaudible] >> democrats are led by ranking member and the conversations they continue each and every week that we are here we are appropriators and leaders who were guiding this decision are having these conversations. i've talked before about trust being an important part of the appropriation process, the lack of trust that house republicans are going to stand up to donald trump and elon musk is shaping some of the conversations. i think that is fair to say.

but we stand ready to work and govern. if there is an ability to get to a solution we trust that our counterparts on the senate side will get to a solution to fund government. but this is on republicans they need to put up the votes if they are serious they campaigned on governing and they campaigned that they could govern and control the gavels and govern them are clearly seeing that they don't want to govern all they want to do is what dusty johnson did today try to point and shift blame on democrats. if republicans do not want to govern they need to give us a couple of votes and will put hakeem jeffries in the speaker chair or brenda boyle on the goblin budget and marissa guiding the preparation committee and will deliver for the iraqi public and do what we said we would do. . . .

these are different proposals to enact tax cuts for billionaires and that's what we are dealing in the days and said have to focus on funding government.

we are having conversations and i might need to consider republican leadership so that is there is there not plan. they are interested in collaborating they have to with us. they walked away they have to put up vote. i'm not just it because from appear interested in an investment in these opportunities and republicans

don't want to partner with us using their own. >> this is an amazing start to the morning. an audible question. [inaudible question] [inaudible question] >> thank you for that question. donald trump here, i don't know why that is, highly disturbing.

it would trust over our own intelligence officials and he basically out down to putin and down from has a couple of these. ukraine did not start the war. russia invaded not once but twice and they invaded again in 2022 and it is outrageous about putin and the discriminatory happen to be veterans and when you have them going they have no context. you can't just look at it or

have any idea. such as keeping nuclear weapons and they fired those people unfired them. so we want to make sure they are up against the chaos. >> ample time for america.

now trump joint. >> many of them face ask as a result because of the state and local deduction was eliminated, the $10000 number and middle-class families so when i tell them i'm opposing this effort is a remember what it was

like and they saw the news that there would be affecting families in california the benefit of that so the trump tax cuts is not very popular. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible question] >> we are aware, the letter from the government respect to republicans i think would be shameful and un-american because unlike other disasters ever at.

californians support dollars natural disaster, the expectation and americans were there with each other and never done before to this is shameful and i hope they against this in our expectation is it works in a normal assess has in the past and army corps of engineers, they need these venture disasters.

based on red dates. who we are. >> and the area of altadena inland and the trump administration's condition is to eliminate the coastal condition and what does it have to do with the coastal condition? nothing. leveraging the payments suffering like democrats saying hurricane relief and randomly eliminate, it is absurd and

should be ashamed trying to use pain and suffering of americans, we are not going to use for. >> for the fear mongering. >> i'm going to yield here but it unnerved, they did not cuts from energy and commerce committee, they did not say where those cuts for cannot tell you medicaid cuts were included they know they have to address medicaid in order to make month

work. it is unfortunate but the critical writing? teacher will for because of the conference, their utilizing every strategy support this bill our districts benefit the listen to our constituents. >> it is ingenuous and here is why. the at the kitchen helping with her math teacher will show you work so i will show my work now in terms of why there resolution

four, 880 billing dollars under the review of energy and cons. we wanted to medicaid, we will cut everything else will possibly can, one 100%, it only gives you about halfway, 880 billing dollars by definition the minimum they had to cut hundreds of billions of dollars from medicaid and i might everyone i keep stressing because in that 12 hour mark of the last thursday at the 12 hour, the house caucus got a big when they were able to get an amendment that raised us from one and a half trillion trillion dollars so that is the minimal

to satisfy that amendment so it's pretty clear driving the bus on the other side, extreme members of the house republican congress and the weight clear, hundreds of billions of dollars of medicaid in their budget resolution, the largest american history. >> thank you so much.

.

extensive international needs served as a missionary in brussels see domestically in circles law clerk stationed in iraq as a member of the air force and for years of the previous administration serving as chief of staff u.s. trade representative robert white has highly of his work and very well. expanding opportunities for users like farmers and ranchers massive celtic woman the biden initiation to have no interest rates beyond associating climate and labor issues the trade

agreements to open up for america's farmers and ranchers small business person. it's critical american agriculture. 100% of u.s. troops are exported nearly. thanks in part to the biden administration's an action on trade current agricultural trade deficit is at an all-time high. area was of trade historically.

we always run agriculture until the last few years under the biden administration restarted fracking of knowledge deficits but now trade deficits it's something that needs to be addressed the trump administration is forward to working expand opportunities for agricultural producers and encouraged by the fact expressed commitment for the bennett's committee of which i'm a member in the congress. on interested in working with commerce so it's encouraging to hear his commitment to communication collaboration and look forward course partnership

in the coming months and years as we work to expand opportunities for american producers. this afternoon clear going to vote on a resolution president trump declared office this declaration is justified. america's running out of power. america is running out of power.

electricity and data centers and technology factories around the country utilities and regulators is to expand the nation's power grid. next decade. more than half the u.s. facing lockout decade. large spots of the u.s. rolling blackouts due to the capacity shortfalls according to a grid reliability and made comment system operator this is the

highest risk of energy shortfalls starting as soon as the summer according to the reports on the reliability corporation can force operators to trigger rolling outages to prevent water system arm. our mainstream media outlets reported on the fact that america is running out of power. my democrat colleagues don't consider that emergency, i don't know what to say. these articles and others made. the electric it is shaky thanks in part to movement to shut down fossil fuel power plants for reliable energy is available.

the rise of artificial intelligence and will place demands on the grid there is a real risk we are not going to be able to meet that demand. skyhigh energy bills. it interferes with their plans to take it off conventional

energy. what might happen power demands a shaky by forcing americans into electric vehicles consider what might happen require portable supply of conventional fuels. but there action, we are facing very serious very near future.

emergency facing our nation and look forward to working to unleash american energy production and achieve secure affordable and reliable energy.

. mr. durbin: mr. president. the presiding officer: the democratic whip. mr. durbin: mr. president, over the years federal funding for medical and scientific research has helped split the atom, defeat polio, create the

internet, map the human genome and so much more. no nation has ever made such a significant investment in science and medicine, none, and no nation's researchers have done more to improve the quality of life not only here but around the world. but we are at a pivotal moment in history. all the progress we've made, all the progress we hope to make is in danger because of donald trump and elon musk. that's right. these two men promised to bring down the price of eggs and gasoline and make housing more affordable. well, none of that has happened. instead, they are carrying out an unprecedented and devastating campaign to cut research on cancer, als, alzheimer's, dementia, and infectious diseases. instead of making life better for americans, they want to

slash research funding for the national institutes of health. if you've never heard of this agency, i hope you'll google it or take a look and research it to figure out who they are and what they do. it is the premier medical research agency in the world. if you or someone you love receives a dreaded diagnosis, you turn to the doctor and ask, is there a cure, a surgery, a medicine? i know i've been there and asked those very questions. the difference between the doctors saying, i'm sorry there's nothing we can do and i've got some good news, there's been some research at nih we should look into. you know all the miracle drugs you see on tv? you can't get away from them, can you? 99% of those drugs approved in the last ten years are the product, in some way, of nih research. nih funding is why people are

beating cancer, why babies are being spared from preventable diseases, why hiv is no longer a death sentence, were progress is being made on dementia and other neurological diseases. since the start of this administration, we saw the white house unleash a lawless attack on funding farmers to biomedical research. planes are crashing and they are cutting aviation safety. avian flu is on the rise and threatening to make the leap to humans, and we're culting experts, elon musk is on a stage with a chainsaw. people laugh and cheer. first, let me tell you this, there is nothing to cheer about when it comes to medical research. it was a bizarre memo that prohibited the recipients of

federal grants and medical research from physically meeting in the same place. you're going to hear arguments, we've got to cut back on waste, fraud, and abuse. but having researchers unable to sit down and talk about the next breakthrough, how can that possibly be good for our country. these cuts that were announced by this administration were quickly halted by a federal judge in a federal court. there was comment on the floor earlier today that too many people are going to courts, thank god they want to court to keep this policy from being implemented by this administration. even though the court made a ruling, this administration is holding up funding. nih is delayed awarding of approximately $1 billion in grant funding. does the delay hurt? not unless you're the one sitting in the waiting room at a

why praying to god there is a breakthrough. dr. timothy coh, for 15 years, dr. coh has researched why people with diabetes develop wounds that do not heal as well as researching treatments to address these funds. while studying federal funding for his research, he was recently informed in the last few weeks that his nih grant application is on hold because of the trump-musk federal funding freeze. his current grant is scheduled to end on friday of this week. and if his grant is not renewed, he will have to lay off his lab staff and will see major setbacks in the research he's been in involved in. dr. coe said, it will potentially put an end to my research career and we won't be able to develop these new

therapies for diabetic patients. is diabetes important? if it's someone in your family, it's very important. under the constitution congress is supposed to have the power of the purse, that's what it reads. but over the decades, bipartisan members of congress have worked in concert on a bipartisan basis to do something about nih funding. it was a little over ten years ago, francis collins headed up nih. i told him i can't double your probation, what i can do? he said give the nih agency 5% real growth every year and i'll tell you this, two things will happen, we will light up the scoreboard with breakthroughs in disease, and my researchers will take heart because one of the things that keeps them from pursuing their career in federal

funding. we went from $38 billion to $48 billion in ten years because we had a bipartisan member. on the republican side, senator blunt of missouri was the leader. he was the best when he chaired the subcommittee on appropriations that funded this agency, he was committed to the 5% and then lamar alexander of tennessee, they retired, but they raised the nih funding from $38 billion to $48 billion. a dramatic increase. we did it because we all agreed this is not a partisan issue. it should never be. we know in a nih funding leads to new cures and supports well-paying jobs nationwide and cements our global leadership. universities and hospitals receive approximately

$1.2 billion in nih funding a year which supports 14,000 jobs in our state and $3.5 billion in economic activity. but i will tell you, mr. president, as vertically every state in the nation can tell that story in one form or another. each year the state of wyoming receives $12 million in nih receiving, it is a small state, and this money supports 265 jobs in wyoming and $49 million in economictive. the top nih funding institution at in -- in wyoming is the university of wyoming. they have recently conducted the following projects. see if any of those sound close to home or your family. number one, why alzheimer's disease and dementia can worse hen at specific hours of the day. number two, linking menopause

and cardiovascular disease for women and it sounds like a wordsy -- worthy project to me. unfortunately, president trump and elon aren't finished there. they tried indiscriminately to slash how nih pays for indirect costs, without indirect costs, universities wouldn't be be able to afford the technology that allows them to conduct research. cuts to indirect costs are simply cuts to research. we had a debate on the floor about nih, and one senator talked about the outlying costs, let's review, but to stop the funding for all of the grantees, to stop all of the medical research because there might be one, two, or ten schools who ask for too much or hospitals?

thankfully these illinois attorneys general, along with 21 states, leading attorneys general, sued and secured a freeze for universities and researchers. trump and musk illegally froze medical research funding. theyed tried to illegally cut funding for medical research and now they're firing the medical researchers themselves. reports indicate that 1200 nih employees have been fired, from vaccine researchers to the next generation of scientists to directors of the aultz program. trump and musk ended a program that brought 1600 young scientists to the nih world-renowned campus in maryland to get them started working in labs and running labs. they are our future when it comes to medical research and the trump chainsaw chaos made

them victims. how does this make a greater nation? how does this make us a healthier nation, a better nation? it doesn't. nih leads to treatments that improve extend and save lives. which is why i have this resolution to say to senators on both sides of the aisle let's fleming our support to maybe -- let's pledge our support to make nih an exception, let's not let cuts to something valuable. the works of nih should not be subject to delay or funding disruption in violation of the law -- in violation of are law and reaffirms the workforce at nih is essential to sustaining medical process. can we debate that point? do we think the best medical agency isn't staffed by the world's best? this is not controversial. it shouldn't be.

americans get sick on a bipartisan basis, shouldn't we support medical research on a bipartisan basis. i will fight to protect nih and medical research. i hope my republican colleagues wake up and join me before it's too late. mr. president, i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the consideration of s. res. 93, submitted earlier today, further, that the resolution be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: is there an objection? mr. barrasso: mr. president. the presiding officer: the republican whip. mr. barrasso: mr. president, reserving the right to object. the american people voted to get spending under control. two of three americans say that a major problem that we face today in this country is government inefficiency, and i agree. three in four americans support eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending, and there is plenty of it. we need to review how much money we spend, we need to see where it's going, we need to see what

is effective and what is not. this is common sense, families have to do it, states do it, washington ought to do the same thing. every family audits their own budgets, their own spending, every ceo audits their business operations. president trump and republicans are doing the same thing and it is something that federal government has not done for a long time. let me be clear. i'm a doctor. i support so much of the good work being done by the national institutes of health and through universities around the country. it is essential that america continues to lead the world in medical innovation. i'm a strong supporter of continuing smart investment in our national institutes of health. americans deserve better care, americans deserve better prevention, and of course better transparency. so the total budget for the nih is almost $48 billion. hardworking taxpayers deserve

smart scrutiny and serious transparency over that kind of money. there is indisputable evidence that there is wasteful overspending of administrative costs associated with medical research and this is why i'm here saying this must stop. in 2024, harvard university spent $135 million of government grant money on overhead costs. clearly we can do better. they used hardworking taxpayer dollars to pay for heating bills, electricity bills, pay for buildings, to cover payroll for people not involved in research. this is money that should have been spent on advancing researching for cures. harvard's overhead costs related to the national institutes of health research, 69% of the money goes for overhead. that's taxpayer money, mr. president.

that's one university, one year, clearly we can do better if you look at this all across the country. imagine all the new cures we could find if we just spent the money efficiently. that's what's at stake today and that's gr i'm ear -- why i'm here on the floor of the senate. democrats don't want to have a serious debate about wasteful washington spending, instead they are wasting time by distractions like this one and therefore, mr. president, i object. the presiding officer: the objection is heard. mr. durbin: mr. president. the presiding officer: the democratic whip. mr. durbin: if standing in this senate and asking republicans and democrats to come together to build medical research is a waste of time, what in the world are we doing here? if you were asked to take the federal budget and put your priorities in there, maybe number one would be national defense? well, i might make that number

one as well, but number two would be medical research. when you reach a point where you cut off medical research, these researchers leave the medical laboratories and say, honey, i don't know if i'll have a job here next week. that is not an unusual thing to occur, so the next generation of researchers are being diskurjdz of the un -- discouraged of the uncertainty of funding. this notion that we have to get spending under control, how much does it cost to find a cure? what does it cost to have no cure? we're talking about how long people stay in the hospital or whether they're alive at the end of the experience or not. unless you can find a cure, the front end of it, and you don't find it by saying next year maybe we'll spend some money on medical research. that isn't the way it works. you want to have a good doctor you can trust from year to year, not a new one every year with a question mark. the same thing is true with

researchers. if you have the best researchers, why in the world would you discourage them from their continued work. i listened to this comment about $48 billion. it's a lot of money, for sure. and it's taxpayers' money and i take it very seriously. but how much do you think it cost we didn't find these cures, didn't find these drugs? what would it cost in human terms, the experience of families who would give up hope because there's no place to turn? that's a reality. we all have friends and i had one today -- i won't get into detail -- who has just learned he has pancreatic cancer. we don't have a cure yet. if we could find one, do you know how that would change the lives of so many people and their families? is that worth putting our research into -- our tax dollars into or as the senator said, objected to my resolution, just wasting time here on the floor? well, i'm going to come back and waste time over and over again. i'm not giving up on this. i'm not giving up on families that are waiting for cures and research. i'm not giving up on the

researchers who dedicate their lives to finding them. and of course if we got some overspending, whether it's at harvard or illinois or even the university of wyoming, let's clean it up. but is it possible to clean that up without jeopardizing the basic mission of the national institutes of health? i certainly hope so. to think we would have to close down the whole agency because a handful of schools are overcharging the federal government and there's no proof that they are, i think that's part the of the reality. mr. president, this is an issue that's important to every single american, whether they know it or not. we can get spending under control and do it thoughtfully. not at the expense of the best researchers in the world and the expensive cures which would give families hope once and for all. i yield the floor. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. alsobrooks.

americans do care about. they focus on things that don't while refusing to focus on things actually do care about. what americans don't like is what's happening today in the house of representatives today, house republicans will advance a budget resolution in the way for perhaps recording and cuts to medicaid in american history, for publicans cut taxes in the billionaires club and the american that have and pay the price. the category of things americans really don't like. only one proper way to describe -- radical radically

the billionaires club and eager to cut taxes that they increase explain more to make room for tax cuts and republicans are pushing for trillion and cuts for working and middle class, endangering everything medicaid to the program's, housing assistance and so much more and cut as much as 880 billing dollars for medicaid alone, 80 million alone, people with disabilities and why are republicans putting these people at risk hurting things that

benefit them let's actually go to people and help them. they are doing it to cut cut taxes and pushed an amendment note texas pavilion it. and for healthcare zero helping those who may be out of work, what's more important?

both times republicans overwhelmingly said no. let us hope, house republicans show more courage, more common sense to reject these harmful radical left. billionaire tax cuts clear example and so like. republicans no multibillionaire something they don't like at all. they didn't campaign on it. saying i want to cut taxes for the billionaires the first thing they do when they get here at

republicans seem full steam ahead all the same if this is part of the pattern donald trump and republicans spent their energy focus on things americans don't like while refusing to focus on things americans care about like inflation americans are set with the trump administration prices to rise as they have for the last many years donald trump bring down and day one. his first day cost down but instead, inflation has gone up, grocery prices are up, eggs are

up 15% from last month all the while republicans are focused on things megan so like you don't care about. one of the least popular things have seen trump is made as president and made the decision and most americans don't care whether you call it the gulf of mexico or go for america or something else, most americans don't care about building hotels and gaza are annexing canada to distract people from the fact that he doesn't actually have a solution to the things americans worry about and that make things actively worse, most americans

don't think it's a great idea to get into a trade for with allies that makes trips to the grocery store even more expensive than they are now and of course they do care about making the government more efficient and supports putting waste americans don't like apple chaos. make no mistake, americans did not sign up to endanger the security and medicare chaos and americans know unleashed causing a lot of harm to the country americans don't want to see air traffic safety in droves, no questions asked him about five government efficiency, that's

chaos and danger and airplanes. it is to want to see him start resources. the veterans isis line and veterans may have come back from iraq or afghanistan and a place to call a mobile phone government efficiency, it's more chaos and hard and hurt. imagine the callousness of the personnel with the suicide crisis line as well as by the staff of the va and 9/11

families did not sign up 9/11 healthcare program, police and fire and first responders after that horrible day of 9/11 and got endless in their lungs and now getting some help. families didn't sign-up about but that is tried to get done and i'm glad president trump went on the issue, they should be reversing themselves on many other issues as well of the take away is very clear they're not making government more efficient, it's creating more chaos. if there's one thing, it's more

chaos. rather than cut waste smart way, efficient way, putting people first and the republican party basic government services and the programs that help middle-class families all for the psaki of cutting taxes for billionaires and corporations. republicans are focused on the wrong things helping the wrong people and ignoring the vast majority of americans. on the donald trump's republican party, american families lose so over the last month, it's become clear donald trump and republicans governor, they focused on americans don't care

about or don't like while refusing to focus on things americans actually do care about. quorum call: silence got a little stuff going on

coming out against the measure. if every member is present to vote then republicans can only afford one. extend expiring tax cuts over 10 years and increase funding for border security and defense. you can follow that debate in the final vote expected later today on the house floor over on c-span ladies and gentlemen, very good afternoon and happy doge day. it is doge day on capitol hill. my name is aaron being weird i am happy and proud to represent the people of northeast florida

in florida's fourth congressional district. you all may remember from a few months ago, the american people, 77 -- is in a quorum millionnk ws that we should kick the tires on

every program that we have in the federal government and look to see how we can make it be more efficient and to maybe even some programs where you know what, it's time to move on. so those of us who are being critical of doge are just looking at what doge is doing but not at all with the notion that every are you one of us, republican and democrat and independent, has a responsibility to be the best stewards of taxpayer money that we can be. but here's my problem with doge. they're not looking in the right places. you know, there is so much rip-off that is going on. let's just -- a couple of examples in our health care system. united healthcare is rigging the system on medicare advantage programs. our seniors, we want them to have the health care that they need. but they set up these billing

systems where they paid nurses and forced doctors essentially to overanalyze and overprescribe and overstate what medical conditions were, and this was not to help the senior on a medicare advantage program. this was to pad their bottom line and make billions of dollars. and, of course, i'm referring to the study -- the series of articles that was in had the washington -- pardon me, "the wall street journal" that documented the rip-offs and what i think were corrupt practices by united healthcare. where's doge? all that money is just wasted. it's gone into the pockets of executives at united healthcare. it's gone into shareholder payouts and dividends. but it hasn't gone into improving health care for seniors. or another one --

the pharmacy benefit managers. they are ripping us off so bad. and we had had a bipartisan bill with enormous republican support and democratic support to curb the rip-offs in the pbm industry. that was in our final budget deal last year. it got derailed? why? elon musk. he was against it, and he gave the word that this has got to go down, and the thing blew up, and we don't have the pbm reform that both sides of the aisle knew was necessary, something that was going to save hundreds of billions of dollars for american taxpayers and allow us to reinvest in health care and make things better. so my first question with doge is, why don't you look where the money is, where the rip-offs are instead of just sending out e-mails overnight telling people they're fired, whose performance has been absolutely exemplary?

so that's the core question i have about doge. why are you leaving these practices that we know are really corrupt and a rip-off untouched, unexamined and allowing them to continue when it is hammering taxpayers and citizens? we have work to do on saving money, and we have places where it's absolutely essential we act. doge is blind to all of those, all of those situations. and that's disgraceful, especially when you've got elon musk as the person who sabotaged our effort for pbm reform. the second thing is there's a basic question if you're going to go about examining a program. you can ask hard questions. you can look under the hood. how is it working? how is it not working?

where -- do we have too many personnel? where can we actually improve the practices and the performance by some reforms? doge is not doing that. it literally is not doing that. it has not even taken a day, an hour to come up with a plan of how to examine the various programs that they're engaging with. what they're doing is firing people. people are waking up in the morning, they're getting an e-mail that says, due to your poor performance, you're gone. now, this is a situation that obviously is incredibly cruel. you're working at the department of agriculture, you're working at the nih, you're working on an usaid program, and life is going on and suddenly is you get this e-mail out of the blah it

clearly is a mass -- out of the blue that it clearly is a mass e-mail and it has an impact on your life, your hopes and dreams. that is just a savage way to treat people who have been working in our various governmental agencies, and it has enormous impact on our community. some of the examples, by the way -- doge is picking on veterans, literally. thousands of veterans have been fired. the v.a. has announced the dismissal of more than a thousand employees. that includes researchers working on cancer treatments, opioid addictions, prosthetics and burn pit exposure. so the issue here was not how do we help them do that job better? where are the ways we can economize? the procedure is, you're gone. that's t president trump and elon musk fired 350 employees at the national nuclear security

administration. these are folks who safeguard nuclear weapons. now, it was so embarrassing that even musk had to acknowledge it was a mistake and those people are now back on their job. but what it does, i think very clearly, is show how there's nothing about a plan to execute a thoughtful way to save taxpayer money. it's just shoot first and aim later. 4,000 employees at the u.s. department of agriculture. you know, by the way, that's incredibly important. these are all things that affect red states and blue states. this has no political orientation on one side or the other because the impacts of these are going to be felt by the farmers in indiana, just as they're going to be felt by the farmers in vermont.

another example that's really pretty cruel -- and i just don't understand this -- we have farmers across the country, but i've spoken to farmers in vermont, who entered into contracts with the federal government under the provisions of the inflation reduction act. and what the deal was is the farmer agreed, like, say, to install solar panels or create a buffer zone between cattle grazing and a streambed or to change the tillage practices to try to improve the soil. and, i get it, that president trump and mr. musk are against the inflation reduction act, and they have a right to do everything they possibly can to try to reverse that policy. so this is not about their right to use executive authority. but here's what i don't understand. how do you stiff farmers who

went out and borrowed money because they have a contract -- because they had a contract, they agreed to do certain things around their farm. they they get an e-mail saying, just kidding. we, the federal government, are not going to honor our contract. i'm thinking about one farm in norwich, vermont. they went out and did the work. it was in anticipation of the federal government keeping its part of the bargain and coming through with the cash they agreed to. and they're told, no, we're not doing it anymore. i know, mr. president, that you're like me when this comes to -- when it comes to keeping your word. you give your word, you keep your word. the folks you represent, the folks i represent, that's what they do. that's what they expect. but we have doge saying, well, that doesn't apply to us because we want to or, quote, save

money. that's just flat-out disgraceful and unacceptable. fema -- you know, fema is absolutely essential to help folks respond to a catastrophic event. we need reform in fema, and i want to work with colleagues in order to do that. but when that disaster comes, you know a fire in hawaii or california, floods in vermont or north carolina, hurricanes down south or drought, the response from fema is essential because the local community doesn't have the infrastructure in place to provide that immediate emergency assistance that folks need for saving lives and keeping themselves together during that immediate storm event. and we're hearing doge -- and the president want to just abolish fema. we have to be there when it is

our community that's affected by a catastrophic event where our citizens, the folks we represent, to whom we have a real duty, it's no fault of their own. they're on the receiving end of mother nature, and it's always been the tradition in the senate that we help one another on that. that's not a partisan deal. doge is hammering us on that. you know -- and the people who get hurt, it's the everyday people that we represent that are working hard, are struggling each month to pay their bills, they're anxious about the safety of their kids, they're anxious about inflation, they're anxious about meeting the challenges of daily life, and they want to make a contribution to strengthening their community, as well as their family. and they're getting hammered. and i mentioned, too, among them are the 6,000 veterans hoch who've been -- hov of who've --

who've been fired by doge across the federal workforce. that just astonishes me. how do we say 00 a veteran who signed up to protect our country by sending them an e-mail that says you're fired with no explanation, no sit-down, no face-to-face, just contempt for the value of what they contribute and how hard they're working. i just do not that. i just don't. even in a tough business environment where some simplify our employers have to make tough decisions because they know that the business -- their business can't handle the workforce that they have and they may have to make, against their diabetes, some reductions in force -- against their desires, some reductions in force, our employers will sit down with folks. here's what we can dox let's work out a plan. you need health care the and doge just dispenses with that.

when it has in a plan. so the cruelty, the cruelty of this is so abhorrent to me. you know, we as a society really, despite whatever our differences are, have to have some mutual respect. and it is so essential to people that they have meaningful work. and if we're going to make adjustments, we have to have a plan to include them. where doge says we don't have to do that. this isn't just about elon musk being a multibillionaire. no matter what happens it's not going to really affect him. it's about elon musk l treating people with what i think is the utmost cruelty. you are gone. you are gone. such disrespect for people who work hard at the v.a., work hard in the nih, work hard in the department of agriculture, work

hard in the department of treasury. so that element of this, we should all be shocked at. you know, i can give a few examples of people in vermont, but i know i'm like every single member of the u.s. senate. we can give examples of people in the states we represent. our small business administration office has been a real help to vermonters, very effective. one employee there got a performance review, this is shortly after the performance review. in a very short period of time you have established yourself as an invaluable asset. that was the performance review. the next day, february 7, she was fired because the e-mail

said, quote, your performance has not been adequate to justify further employment at the agency. so arbitrary, so unfair, so elon musk-like. we have a scientist at the department of agriculture, caitlin morgan. sustainable agriculture and food systems at the ag research services -- ag research services food system service. she was fired despite glowing performance reviews. what we have with doge is an assertion that they are seeking out to cut waste, fraud, and

abuse. who's to argue? there's not a person here that wants to vote in favor of waste, fraud and abuse. but the reality is they do have a plan. it's not to look at each agency and then make adjustments so that the agency at the end of the operation will be fit for purpose and better able to do its job. they have a very simple plan. kill the head count, reduce the head count, fire people. that's it. that's the plan, all right. so we're going to be left with a decimated fema, decimated department of agriculture, decimated national institutes of health. and then who's going to put it back together again? and this brings me back to the cruelty of a guy like musk. he doesn't have to worry about that. that's not his concern. tesla is doing fine. spacex is doing fine.

you know, things are great for him. but they won't be great not just for the people whose jobs have been savagely terminated. it will be bad for the cancer research that scientists are doing. it will be bad for our vermont farmers who now find themselves deeply in debt because the federal government stiffed them. it will be bad for our fema response to the next community in our country that gets hit hard by a natural disaster. so we've got to wake up here and be honest about what's going on with doge. we do agree, we do agree, i believe, republicans and democrats, that we've got to kick the tires on programs in government. and it's everything from food

programs to commodity programs to the defense department. and we have, we may have some fierce debates about what the priorities are and what we think is important and what we don't think is important. but that's got to be an on-the-level debate. what musk has done is just said hey, leave it to me, let me send out a bunch of e-mails, fire a lot of people at a lot of agencies. let's move fast and break things and it will come back together. it doesn't work that way. you destroy the foundation of your house, just like if you destroy the foundation of a governmental program like fema or like the national institutes of health. it just doesn't come back overnight, because the organizations that we're trying to build, institutions that are so essential to the well-being of our country, those often take generations to create. it takes the commitment, the

service, the dedication and hard work of americans of all kinds in all states. this guy musk is just destroying it all and cavalier about it and contemptuous to the rest of america about what he's doing. we can pay the price. so it's wrong what they're doing and how they're doing it. in my view, mr. president, we do in fact have an opportunity here because both sides are quite willing to come to the table and ask these questions, how can we do it better. but, you know, if we came to the table and we asked how can we do it better, we would be looking at the long-term function, how do we have fema work better, how do we have our nih work better, how do we assess grants better, how do we have our small business administration be more effective in helping our young

entrepreneurs? we'd be asking those questions. the other thing we would be doing -- i believe this because i have such respect for all of my colleagues here -- we care about how it affected people, and we might have to make some tough decisions because this program could be cut, this one might have to be expanded. but we wouldn't just send off an e-mail telling people to get lost. we wouldn't just be sending off an e-mail to a farmer who just went to the bank and got a loan based on the credit of the united states of america promising to contribute a grant. we'd be considerate of that. doge isn't. in my view, we should all be outraged at the cruelty with which doge is operating. it's cruel to the institutions that are important for each of our states and it's cruel to the people who have been doing this work in good faith for so long.

so, mr. president, we've got to speak up and acknowledge that doge is destructive. we can embrace the effort to address waste, fraud and abuse. we can embrace the opportunity to streamline and save money, make things work better. but we can never abandon our commitment to the people of this country who work so hard. we can never abandon in a cavalier way the veterans to whom we have an immense debt of obligation. so, mr. president, doge is pretty dumb and pretty cruel and pretty destructive the way it's operating under elon musk. i yield back.

offshore oil and gas production from the biden administration. that requires them to submit an archaeological support to energy

management. also working to finalize a package before they run out of money on march 14. on the other side of the capital considering its own version of the budget resolution for the current fiscal year which is been introduced by republicans as part of president trumps legislation agenda. coming out against the measure if every member is present to vote then republicans only afford one defection. the budget plan would extend expiring 2017 tax cuts over 10 years. increase funding for border security and defense. you can follow that debate in the final vote accepted later today on the house floor over on c-span. >> ladies and gentlemen, a very good afternoon and happy doge day. that is right. my name is aaron beam. i am proud and happy and honored

to represent the people of northeast florida in florida's fourth congressional district. you all may remember from a few months ago the american people, 77 million of them to be exact voted for change. they recognized we are on an unsustainable path. our government is too expensive. we are in danger. not only do we have $36 trillion in debt, we add $1 trillion in debt every hundred days. let me tell you what that means. that means all of the promises that we have made as governments to our veterans, we will always take care of you. to our seniors we will always be there with social security. again with medicare. those promises, not to mention, just being that shining city on the hill as america always has been. america is a go to place for

freedom. we look to be the shining example of freedom in the world. all of that is in danger because we are overspending and we are spending ourselves into oblivion when the american people said make a change they have the approval of the majority and minority leaders. the presiding officer: duly noted. ms. lummis: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the following interns in my office be granted floor privileges until february 26, 2025. jasmine wildcat and carlie woodruff. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. lummis: thank you. i rise to speak in support of president trump's energy dominance agenda and to oppose my colleagues who want to keep america literally in the dark ages when it comes to producing energy. this, the greatest energy producing country, is being asked to take a step back.

our energy is cleaner. we produce it cleaner. we transport it cleaner. and yet the biden agenda had us deferring to other countries who produce energy dirtier, transported to countries that are paying for it so the russians, for example, can spend money to fight a war that we're on the other side of. these are matters that president trump is addressing and has committed to the american people pursuant to his executive order on january 20 of this year, the first day he took office, to make a priority, as we all know, during president trump's campaign, he chose to make energy, exporting energy dominance, energy independence a

hallmark of his campaign. and he did it because he knows about the connection between energy independence p and bringing down inflation. when you go to the grocery store, we see products all over the shelves that have been brought there by trucks, trucks that are paying a lot for gasoline and diesel fuel. you see frozen food refrigerators lining the aisles that are plugged in to electricity that comes from oil, gas, coal, wind, solar. and the more expensive it is, the more expensive the products are that we buy in those stores. the same is true in any retail store around this country. over the last four years the biden administration worked overtime to stick it to the energy industry at every turn

while my colleagues here cheered them on and helped them. on day one president biden placed a moratorium on public land energy development that never truly went away until january 20 of 2025, when president trump was sworn into office and signed an executive order. wyoming and the west have fallen victim to the previous administration's regulatory regime designed specifically to kill the industry. once he kills it, he goes overseas amendment asks countries like saudi arabia and venezuela to fill in the difference. these are countries that cannot produce energy as cleanly as we can, and do, and yet he'd rather get the energy from them to placate the radical

environmental community in this country, that very same community that knows that we can do it cleaner here. during the biden administration, the blm declined to offer up lands for oil and gas leasing, and when they did they ignored the spirit of the law and offered the fewest acres possible. in september 2023, the blm collected a measly and insulting $27,000 from an oil and gas lease sale in wyoming. compare that to the september 2021 lease sale that netted over $1.3 million. the people of wyoming are elated that president trump on day one committed to fixing the sins of the previous administration by declaring a national energy

emergency. you know, i was in seoul, south korea, last spring, and one day we had clear air. the next day, it was so dirty that you couldn't see, mr. president, from where i'm standing to where you are sitting. and i said, what went wrong over 24 hours? and they told me the wind shifted and was coming in from china. china's dirty air was blowing in because china is producing dirty energy. and yet we would rather defer to them when we know we can produce it cleaner. in my state of wyoming, the dry creek energy plant is the cleanest coal-producing energy ever produced anywhere. in fact, it is so clean that

when they began emitting from that plant, they didn't want to tell the us epa -- the u.s. epa how clean they could do it, for fear that the epa would apply that same standard to all of america's legacy coal plants, none of which could afford to retrofit to the modern technology of gillette's coal mining -- coal-fired power plant. in wyoming, we have abundant oil, gas, uranium, coal, and more. under the order, wyoming's public lands can return to congress the intended goal of multiple use, which includes responsible resource extraction. if you go back to flpma, the federal land policy management

act that passed in the 1970's, it mandates multiple use of public lands, not single use, not preservation or conservation alone, not ail and gas production -- oil and gas production alone, not recreation alone. it's all of these uses. energy production is the backbone of my and many other western states. we're proud to power the nation and to support a president who supports us. with the rise of artificial intelligence and a thriving data center industry, our nation will need all the energy it can get. mr. president, i was out in california during october, and went to a.i. companies large, medium, and small, and they all told me the same thing, that the bottleneck for america in being the world leader in a.i. is energy. we're going to need way more

energy than we've needed in the past, and in order to make artificial intelligence work for us and to be dominant in this technology, we need more energy, not less, and we know we can do it cleaner than other countries. if my colleagues succeed in passing their resolution that is under consideration, we're setting the stage for failure. we're setting up our economy and future generations for failure. voting to approve the resolution is a vote for an instable energy supply, higher energy costs, around more. i urge my colleagues to vote no against the resolution that is brought by my colleague, senator heinrich from new mexico. i urge my colleagues to stand with president trump and to oppose this resolution.

mr. chairman, i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. alsobrooks. by a vote of 66 to 28. senators are comparing a resolution to appeal gas production rule from the biden administration.

it requires leaseholders to submit a report to the bureau of ocean energy management. off the floor lawmakers are working to finalize a funding package. on the other side of the capital the house is considering its own version of the budget resolution for the current fiscal year that is been introduced by republicans as part of president trump's legislative agenda. media outlets are reporting that four republicans are out against the measure. the budget plan would extend expiring 2017 tax cuts over 10 years and increase funding for border security and defense. the debate in the final vote on the house floor over on c-span. >> ladies and gentlemen, a very good afternoon and happy doge day. that is doge on capitol hill.

i am proud and happy and honored to represent the people of northeast florida and up florida's fourth congressional district. you all may remember from a few months ago, the american people, 77 recognize for being on an unsustainable path. our government is too expensive and we are in danger. not only do we have $36 trillion in debt, we had a trillion dollars in debt every 100 days. let me tell you what that means. that means all of the promises that we have made as governments to our veterans, we will always take care of you. to our seniors, we will always be there with social security. through our seniors again with medicare. those promises, not to mention, just being that shining city on the hill as america always has been, america is a go place for

freedom. we look to be that shining example of freedom in the world. all of that is in danger because we were overspending and we are spending ourselves into oblivion when the american people said make a change, let's join with donald trump who said, by the way, i am bringing elon with me and we will make change to government. congress was not going to sit by and let them do all of the work. the president signed executive . but they are not permanent. so a group of legislators decided, let's get together and let's create a caucus. let's make it, let's make it both republicans and democrats that can come together, maybe not agree on everything, but agreed that we are spending too much. an unaffordable track that we are on. let's make some changes that come together.

we got a little taste of doge day. where we have a handful of our members that are going to be dropping bills, a doge bill either today or this week and you will hear about it first so i'm grateful to come out. we have some heavy hitters standing behind me. before i go to the great state of new york next, i want to tell you about three bills that have a doge flavor to them that you need to know about. one is the cuts act. it is back. what it stands for is cutting on obligated tumultuous spending. ninety-two cosponsors which we went out and found, are you ready for this, covid money. covid money that agencies and states are still hoarding. are you kidding me, covid is over.

but these agencies still hoard this money. that money. we think that it is over $80 billion that is still out there. we want to take that money and use it for expenses or just to pay down the debt. number two. i am proud to introduce pinned? -- suspended? pinned? the presiding officer: without objection. mr. kaine: i rise to describe an amazing journey i took this weekend, a powerful journey connected to my virginia national guard and also to issues that are very, very prominent right now in the world. we finished voting on the senate floor a little before 5:00 a.m. on friday, on the reconciliation bill. a few hours later, i went to dulles airport and flew to finland, landed in helsinki at about 1:30 on saturday, went back to the airport at 1:30 on monday, spent 48 hours on the ground with one of our newest nato allies to work together with them on a number of issues.

the reason for the visit over the weekend was to see my virginia national guard. the virginia guard, as most states, are active participants in the state partnership program established in the 1990's, where a state's guard unit connects with the military of an allied country, and engages in joint training exercises. once finland decided to join nato, virginia, which already has a partner in the state partnership program, reached out and said to finland, we would like to work together with you as well. my governor, governor youngkin, helped preside over the signing of this partnership program in 2024, and the virginia guard, about 50 members of the guard, were engaged in the first training exercises in finland. as governor the virginia, i a used to be the commander in chief of the virginia guard. i've been very close to them. i wanted to see my virginians training in snowy birch forests

in southern finland this weekend. i was able to do that. my guard unit is training with the carillia brigade, one ever the three in the finnish army. on sunday it was a delight to drive two and a half hours to visit with my 50 virginians and hear the finnish army brag about them -- your guard are well-trained, great marksman, even shooting finnish rivals, and in temperatures far colder than virginians normally have to experience on training exercises. in addition to my time with the virginia guard, i spent time in finland with our own embassy team, with representatives from the european command of the army, and the president of finland, who attended furman university on a golf

scholarships and manages the drop the word y'all into a lot of sentences in a thick finnish accent. i spent time with the minister and permanent minister and visited the helsinki shipyard, which is about to work with the united states and canada to build icebreakers, something we desperately need. it was a great trip, too short, but really powerful, and i returned last night, having interacted with my virginians and knowing a lot more. there was a sobering element to it, too. that's why i wanted to speak. to be in finland, a nation that had to fight two wars against russia in the late 1930's, early 1940's, to maintain its independence, and to be there with those leaders on the third anniversary of the russian invasion of ukraine was sobering, and thought provoking. finland knows russia and russian leadership better than just about anybody, because of this hundreds of miles of border between the two nations.

and that memory of fighting two wars against russia to maintain finnish independence is still a very present day and palpable memory for the finns, even though those wars were in the 1930's and 40's. you can be sure our friends, our allies, those we are training together with had some pretty strong thoughts about russia's invasion of ukraine and the commemoration of the third anniversary. i was very disappointed and many were that the u.s. considered competing resolutions. one was a ukrainian resolution that talked about russia as the invader, russia as the instigator of the war. that resolution passed the general assembly, but in a shocking move, the united states voted against it because of the

language placing the blame for the war on russia. there have been previous resolutions after the invasion and on the second and first anniversary, that it was started by russia, that the u.s. led those. the u.s. through the secretary of defense, through the u.n., we don't have a permanent ambassador, but through the representative for the u.s., was unable to vote for a resolution that talked about russia being responsible for the war. we opposed the ukrainian resolution. who voted with us to oppose this resolution, russia opposed, north korea opposed, nicaragua opposed, another 15 nations opposed, about 60 nations abstained, including china wouldn't vote no, they abstained and 90-plus nations voted yes.

the resolution passed but it passed with the united states unwilling to sign on to the proposition that russia starred this -- started this war and should not have done so. there was also a united states resolution that was tendered to the u.n. general assembly, it did not mention anyone being responsible for the war but called for a ceasefire and peace, obviously. the u.s. resolution was subject to an amendment offered by the u.k. and other nations inserting the language in that russia was responsible for the war and should not have done so. that amendment passed, and because it passed, the u.s. ended up not evening able to vote yes on its own resolution and instead abstained. these finnish colleagues, who are friends and allies, were pretty candid about their disappointment in the united states for not being willing to state a truth, that this war was

instigated by russia. and they deeply want to be partnerers with the united states, hence their agreement to the state partnership program with virginia, but they'reled with an american -- they're puzzled with an american leadership stating that russia started this war. i came home, later than i expected, but i had a lot of time to think and what i you thought -- what i thought about was basically this. we need to learn some lessons. we need to remember the lessons of 1938, neville chamberlain went to munich thinking he could find an end to war and he negotiated with the german government and came back to our government and said there is peace in our time, which anyone in politics would love to say,

but we all know that that munich agreement was a disaster, it was negotiated between england and germany, but the other nations that were invaded by germany were not there and it wasn't a peace agreement and they suffered. did england protect themselves by signing a deal and proclaiming peace? no, england was attacked as well after the germans attacked belgium and france and polands. this was a lose -- a loss you can't appease a bully. we can remember in 1975, in 1975, the helsinki aconsidered were signed -- accords were signed, european nationed were guaranteed certain principles, including the inviability of national sovereignty and that no nation could invade the

sovereignty of others. we need to celebrate that. we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the helsinki accords. let's remember 1995, in 1995, as an aftermath of the helsinki accords, we helped form the organization for security cooperation in europe, it includes all european nations, including russia, the osce was committed to the principles of the hel sink accords, protecting national sovereignty. and we need to who has violated those principles and who hasn't. the doha accord, it was a peace accord with the taliban, a peace accord with the taliban. afghanistan was not allowed to be at the table. the government of afghanistan,

that had been our partner in whom we invested hundreds of billions of dollars was not allowed to be at the table and so, yes, there was a, quote, peace deal. there was peace in our time but the peace proved to be illusory and catastrophic months later when the united states removed troops pursuant to the do a accord, it led to a collapse and the inspector general that analyzed the end of our military participation had plenty of blame, bliem to the biden administration and also a blame to president trump who negotiated the deal without including the party that was most affected. i thought of the doha accord when we saw the news of negotiations in riyadh to end the war in ukraine and noticed that ukraine was not at the table. a peace deal about a nation's

sovereignty where you're not allowing that nation to be at the table is doomed to failure. and we need to remember those lessons in connection with any discussion about the future of ukraine. mr. president, you don't even need to completely remember history, just remember what your mom or dad told you. i know i had this call and i think most people remember this, you're getting bullied at school and you go home and complain to your parents and what do your parents tell you about bullies? if you give into them, they will keep bullying you and others, if you stand up to them, not guaranteed they're more likely to stop bullying. the united states should have been willing to stand up to a bully. the united states should have been willing to say this was an illegal war unjustly initiated by russia. if you're unwilling to state a truth, you begin in a very weak position, and so my thought in

coming home from visiting my own troops who are sacrificing and risking to train for an action they know they may one day be called on to support, or else they wouldn't be conducting training in a snowy forest in southern inland -- finland, they are making that sacrifice, our nation is coming and up on the 250th anniversary of our democracy, not only our democracy, but democracies around the world. the world needs us to continue to stand strong. our friends like finland are hoping and operating that we -- praying that we continue to stand strong. it is in my heart that the american people desire to continue to stand strong. and with that, mr. president, i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. cassidy: i ask that jack k.uhl be granted floor privileges today. the presiding officer: without objection. the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. mr. booker: it looks like i'm asking for unanimous consent that the privileges of the floor be granted durva dervetti during the pendency of her legal fellowship until november 2025 and zachary rosen feld, and

rachel doman until april 23, 2025. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. booker: i'm glad there's no objection. it seemed like i was asking a lot, but thank you. mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. mr. booker: mr. president, i'm grateful. we're dealing with a crisis that all 100 members of this body understands, that has taken the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, and that is the scourge of fentanyl. we have been temporarily scheduling fentanyl analogues -- analogues, these substances that are manufactured in order to pour on to our street, such a small amount of this drug can be the size of one pill, as they say one pill can kill. it is important to me that we

see the important scheduling of this continue until the senate finds a more wholesome response to this crisis. we must rise to meet this crisis in a wholesome way, in a way that meets the gravity of the crisis and not just continue to do the things we've done over and over again. and as we are working in a bipartisan way in the senate judiciary committee, with the understanding that the temporary scheduling may expire in the coming weeks in order to remove that pressure and allow us to work in a bipartisan fashion, i've come to the floor today to ask for unanimous consent that we continue that temporary scheduling while we work in a bipartisan fashion to make sure that we give the most fulsome response possible to this crisis. and so i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of

s. 724, the temporary extension of fentanyl-related substances scheduling act, which is at the desk. i further ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: is there an objection? mr. cassidy: reserving the right to object. the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. cassidy: mr. president, for years, one more time, congress has refused to make a definitive, permanent decision, it has failed to make fentanyl-related substances permanent. law enforcement needs permanence, it needs a definitive change to combat the opioid crisis and to go after criminals flooding communities with deadly drugs, this only emboldens drug cartels that

exploit our communities and that should not happen. we need a lasting solution. mr. president, there is no reason to do any temporary extension. we have the bipartisan votes to make the schedule 1 class indication perform -- classification, the senate judiciary committee with senator grassley and senator heinrich has the halt trafficking fentanyl act, this legislation permanently classifies fentanyl-related substances as schedule 1 controlled substances. the halt fentanyl act is not controversial. for two conservative congresses it passed with strong bipartisan support. there's enough votes to pass halt in the judiciary committee and on and the senate floor this congress. my democratic colleagues' legislation delays that perform nabsy. -- permanency. schedule 1 will be in jeopardy

when the next deadline comes around. law enforcement cannot continue to have this uncertainty. after my objection, i will ask unanimous consent to pass the halt fentanyl act. it has already passed the house of representatives and has bipartisan support in the senate. i hope all my democratic colleagues will join in supporting the bill. we have a responsibility to provide law enforcement the tools they need to address the scourge of deadly drugs in our communities. failure to act puts americans in harm's way. for those reasons, i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. cassidy: because of my objection, i ask unanimous consent to pass the halt fentanyl act to permanently classify fentanyl-related

substances as schedule 1 controlled substances, the bill removes barriers that impedes the ability of research to conduct studies on these substances, the house passed this act with overwhelming bipartisan support, it has support from democrat and republican senators now. this is the bill the senate should be voting on today, not just a temporary extension that creates greater uncertainty in our effort to address the opioid krafs but -- crisis but again one that establishes permanence, something that gives certainty to law enforcement to combat this, as i said earlier, scourge of illegal fentanyl. i ask unanimous consent that the committee on the judiciary be discharged from further consideration of h.r. 27 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. i further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and

passed, and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: is there an objection? a senator: reserving the right to object. mr. booker: this is why i'm down here today. literally this point, mr. president. i want to jump here. the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. mr. booker: thank you for recognizing me. i truly appreciate that. but this gets me excited because this is the point that i want to illustrate. my colleague far smarter than me on medical issues, i could not have passed organic chem at stanford. i'm sure he passed it with flying colors. my colleague who is truly one of my more favorite colleagues in this place because how rational, pragmatic he is when approaching real crises like this. this is what i'm begging -- i'm hoping he'll listen to me and i'm begging this body to listen to me. we have had a fentanyl crisis in this country of monumental proportions. it is one of the greatest killers in america. fentanyl and fentanyl analogues

have literally been responsible for lowering the life expectancy for americans. it is one of the greatest crises we have seen to human life in america in my general -- in my lifetime. and there is so much data-driven evidence, evidence-based answers to this of how we can approach this crisis. but yet the only bill that we seem to do is a bill that does what we've already done on a temporary basis. i support classwide scheduling for fentanyl analogues. but here we have this bill, the halt bill, that my colleague pointed out did pass in a bipartisan way, and now is in the judiciary committee. the reason why i'm down here is not to drag my dear friend down here because he is a busy man

and i wanted to come over to him before this conversation started to apologize, but i needed to make this point on the floor in this kind of standoff. he is asking us to pass the halt bill which would give classwide scheduling to fentanyl analogues which we have already done for years. it has been temporarily scheduled and what has happened to opioid deaths in america? when we have used this that law enforcement has called for, schedule, schedule. give us these tools. well, we've had these tools. and deaths in the presiding officer's state, deaths in my colleague's state, death in my state have continued to go up. now here's the beauty of the conversation we're having. and why we should be passing the temporary one to let us go back to work president and i know this because i know his heart. i know your heart. there are evidence-based bipartisan amendments to that

halt act that are widely supported. my colleagues' partner senator from his state in committee said i don't understand why we're not putting the test strips on this. why? because kids that are using fentanyl right now don't know that they're using this fentanyl analogue. kids in your state and my state, they think they're taking adderall and not realizing that this has those toxic things that can kill. so here we are in committee with a bipartisan test strip bill that my colleague's partner senator said this makes sense to me. and the one excuse they were using for not doing a bipartisan bill to give us more of a response than doing what we're already doing and wiping our hands and say we did great things was saying we didn't have time. because it of this artificial deadline. so i'm down here to say wait a minute, let's do the temporary

extension and take time to do bipartisan bills. but don't take my word for it. take the republican witnesses that came to our hearing. we just had a painful hearing of law enforcement leaders, other republican witnesses that told us the scourge of fentanyl that we all know. and those people all said this can't be all congress does. that the halt bill cannot be our only response because the halt bill permanently schedules what we have already scheduled temporarily. i believe in the 99 members here that know that our response to this crisis cannot be what we've already been doing for the last five years. when there are bipartisan bills that we could be putting on this

bill to show america that we're not going to just puff ourselves up and make permanent something that was already done in a temporary way. let me read some of this pleading from republican witnesses. republican witness jamie puerto, a courageous parent who lost his child to an overdose testified, it is imperative that we educate our children on the dangers of any kind of drug use due to the lethality that can come with any kind of experimentation or self-medication. we must have specific fentanyl education introduced to our schools as soon as possible. otherwise more children will die. that doesn't even cost money. we could be doing things through the department of education, supporting education campaigns, bipartisan support for that idea, is it on the halt bill? no. let me go on.

republican witness sheriff don barnes highlighted the successes of a multifaceted strategy to address both supply and demand for illicit drugs. these are the bullet points he said that we should do, imploring congress don't just do what you have already done. do something more. give law enforcement officers naloxone to reverse overdoses, education for fifth, sixth graders, ensuring continuity of care and successful reintegration for people returning to the community from the skournl of this -- scourge of this drug. witness after witness from law enforcement to scientists to doctors have offered up bipartisan supported ideas so that our response to one of the biggest scourges in our country isn't just to do what we've been doing for the last half decade

or more. i've got bipartisan bills on the committee. my colleagues from texas have bipartisan bills on the committee. and the only excuse that people said for us not to have more consideration or the deadline is coming up for a -- in a few weeks for temporary passage when i realized we passed temporary scheduling by unanimous consent before. it's not hard to do. i beg of my colleagues, i beg of my colleague that's here and others, we have a moving bill that has to go back to the house because we've already edited -- added a managers' package to it. i promise you, if we add truly bipartisan things that give a more fulsome approach, a more comprehensive approach to stop our children from dying, it will pass in the republican-controlled house of representatives because it was bipartisan here. i'm in agony over the deaths in

new jersey. i've met with parents who look at me and say what are you going to do. let me read you the words from one of these parents. susan olerman, a courageous mother who lost her son to overdose. i beg of my colleagues. listen to what she said. i urge you to stop crafting policies based on stigma, false narrative, political loyalty, and most of all, stop using our dead children to justify these failed approaches. hasher penalties for drugs like those for the halt fence 8le -- fentanyl act do not deter drug use. the only -- they only push people into riskier behaviors, increase the likelihood that someone will die rather than call for help, and make our communities less safe. how many more americans must die

before we timely admit that the war on drugs was a failure? i'm a former mayor. i oversaw a police department that had to answer to the calls with children dying on floors. they had these law enforcement tools. they would tell me more needs to be done. the halt fentanyl act will get pas passed. fentanyl analogues will never again be unscheduled in our country. that's not the challenge right now to save lives. the challenge to save lives in america right now is what are we going to do more than is being done right now? fentanyl analogues are scheduled right now, and if the only thing we can do, the only bill that's moving through here is just doing what we've been doing,

shame on us. i'm asking this body to give time, extend the temporary scheduling so that we can work in a bipartisan fashion so that senator kennedy who said, i want more time, can look at this, it seems rational, logical, seems like something we should do, then when bipartisan senators step up like that and say i want to work with the man or the woman across the aisle, that we have the time to do it. so, god, i'm sorry that my friend who is truly a great american leader and one of the smarter people in here, i'm sorry that he objected to my bill, but i will stand up in our committee meeting on thursday and make this same plea that we don't just pass the halt fentanyl act, that we actually put things on it that aren't partisan ideas, that are the ones that law enforcement is calling for, they're the ones

scientists that are calling for, they're the ones doctors are calling for, bipartisan bills that, dear god, the parents of dead children are calling for us to step up and do more that the same old thing we've been doing around the war on drugs since i was a kid myself. with that i object. mr. cassidy: mr. president. the presiding officer: the objection is heard. the senator from louisiana. mr. cassidy: i appreciate my colleague's passion. everybody watching me right now knows somebody who has died from a fentanyl overdose. you cannot minimize the impact of this on everyday families. but what is presented to us as a false choice i would say a wrong choice. i think my colleague is saying unless we pass his amendment to put this temporarily on hold, once more refused to make a decision to make this permanent, somehow things will get better.

let me repeat what i said in my earlier remarks. this thursday the senate judiciary committee with the support of judiciary chairman grassley, a republican, and senator heinrich, a democrat, is marking up the halt lethal trafficking or halt fentanyl act. this thursday is when it's going to be marked up. now, this is a moving piece of legislation. if you want to do something more than this legislation does, start two months ago, start working that committee, don't stop now, call people tonight and say listen, thursday we're going to be marking this up. will you consider my amendment? and make the case that was so passionately given, that we've got to do more than we're doing. i agree. so the way to do it -- because this is not yet been marked up. this can still be modified. and by the way, this is not the

end of what we are going to do to address the issue of fentanyl. it does allow law enforcement to say, listen, this isn't temporary. we now can kind of go to the bank, if you will. this is the law going forward. but if my esteemed colleague wants to make this more than it is now, that is the opportunity on thursday. and the process matters. and going thursday on a bipartisan basis and get that buy-in, sitting down with a senator who is undecided and working through it with that senator, getting him or getting her to a yes is part of that process. delaying once more, delaying once more perms ens, who is to say a year from now once more we'll make it temporary and we'll make it temporary and we'll make it temporary. there's something about deadlines. dead looips sharpen a -- deadlines sharpen a man's mind. if there's a deadline on thursday and when it's brought

it to -- when it's brought to the floor and a deadline, now is the time to act. but now is not the time to delay. i appreciate my colleague's passion. i look forward to working with him. neither of us ever wants to go to a family member, to a friend, to a fellow american and have to comfort them over the issue of another death from opioids. i just think that this is an important step, and if there's more to be added, let's add it. but let's not complain because it hasn't already been added. with that, i yield. mr. booker: mr. president, i just want to clarify, because my colleague pounded on the desk, and that was hard for me to watch. i'm not here because we haven't been trying to get a bipartisan consensus on this and calling and doing all the work. i've watched this now for three congresses. number two, i'm here not because i'm trying to stop the halt act. i'm here because i heard two republicans in our committee say, the only reason we can't consider bipartisan approaches,

even if they're good ideas, is because of the urgency of this moment. so all i'm saying is, this is obviously a fate a comely. i just don't want my colleagues to walk away thinking this is some kind of stunt. this is my attempt to take away the argument for us to do the work on thursday. clearly it's been objected to. i'm going to go back and try my hardest on thursday to do something more. and the one prediction -- i don't want to call it a prediction. but my colleague says we have a lot more time. i've watched for at least three congresses trying to get a larger approach to the fentanyl crisis. and three congresses, this body has failed to raise to the cal -- rise to the challenge. and so i'm dying to be here when what i colleague tells me i told you so and i give him permission to do that that this body will do something beyond just scheduling because, as i've read

you law enforcement, scientists, doctors, parents are not just asking for the halt fentanyl act. they're asking for us to do more to save lives. now, i've only been 12 years. but i know the window opens to get things done when something is a must-pass to move. this is an opportunity to show the larger public that we're not going to do what we always do. i am really worried when this window closes, there will be a lot of people thumping their chest and saying, we dealt with the fentanyl crisis, and all of these other ideas won't have vehicles to go through. i will not stop working until this body does more than just scheduling what has already been scheduled. people on both sides of the aisle are demanding us to do

more. and we don't need to go left, we don't need to go right. we need to do the commonsense, evidence-based approaches that are being supported and called for. in fact. some of the commonsense amendments are already bipartisan-supported by senators. and so i'm grateful and i yield. mr. kennedy: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. kennedy: mr. president, i have a resolution under the -- we call it a cra -- to rescind one of president biden's regulations. in 1938, we drilled the first well in the gulf of america. so many people still call it the

gulf of mexico. since then, 87 years have passed and we have drilled about 6,000 wells in the gulf. we have laid hundreds of thousands of miles of pipelines. oil and gas companies who did this have surveyed, they have x-rayed every square inch of the seabed in the gulf. they have surveyed, they have x-rayed 311,652 squiare nautica miles in the gulf. put texas and california

together. that's the geo-grassley-cruzal area that -- agree to graphical area that has been surveyed by the oil and gas industry. why did they do that? for safety reasons, so before they put a platform in the gulf, they knew when they were pit putting it. and, number two, to preserve history. because we have -- or had a lot of shipwrecks in the gulf. from which we can learn about the past. in fact, as a result of this effort by the oil and gas industry to x-ray the entire gulf, we have discovered 4,000 shipwrecks. in the waning days of the biden administration, september of 2024, the department of interior under the biden administration, the bureau of ocean energy management -- we call it

bilem -- promulgated a midnight regulation, and this is what the regulation said. you have to survey it again. even though the entire gulf has been surveyed, you have to do it again, oil and gas industry. if you want to drill a well or if you want to lay some pipeline, you've got to x-ray it again. why? because the government says so. now, this is going to add anywhere from, i don't know, $20,000 up to potentially a million dollars to the cost of drilling a well. to x-ray after an x-ray has already been done. that, of course, is going to increase the cost of the well, which is going to increase the cost of the oil and gas from the

well, which is going to be passed on to the consumer, which is going to raise the price of energy, which is going to contribute to inflation in america. you want to know why we had such outrageous inflation under president biden? because of regulations like this. and there are hundreds more that increased prices needlessly. that's why under president biden the average person's electricity bill in america went up 20% under president biden. we don't need this regulation. i do not know -- well, let me put it another way. i'm not saying that the person at the department of interior who came up with this idea is the dumbest person in the world. i'm not saying that.

but i am saying that the person at the boem who came up with this idea better worry that the dumbest person in the world doesn't die because he's in the running. and my cra would kill this rule, dead as woodrow wilson, and i hope my completion will vote for -- my colleagues will vote for it. i yield back all time, mr. president, on calendar number 15, senate joint resolution number 11. the presiding officer: without objection. the clerk will read the title for the third time. the clerk: calendar number 15, s.j. res. 11, joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, united states code, of the rules submitted by relating

to marine archaeological resources. the presiding officer: question is on passage of the joint resolution. 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.

the clerk: mr. cotton. mr. cramer. mr. crapo. mr. cruz. mr. curtis. mr. daines. ms. duckworth. mr. durbin. ms. ernst. mr. fetterman. mrs. fischer. mr. gallego. mrs. gillibrand. mr. graham. mr. grassley.

the hearing to consider the nomination of troy edgar to be deputy secretary of the department of homeland security and dan bishop to be the deputy director of the office of management and budget will come to order. for far too long federal >> has increased unchecked amassing over $36 trillion in debt. her children and grandchildren will one day inherit it. in washington there's a mindset that seems to be to just write another check is if each new dollar debt doesn't matter. last for years we have added nearly $6 billion a day or $241 million per hour toward national debt for a running total of $8.5 trillion over the last four years to the unchecked and reckless >> spree in washington over the last four years has put every american family on the hook for another $67,000 injo debt. despite this unprecedented level

of >> agencies continue to ask for more funding more authority and more staff while doing less and less for americans. unsurprisingly americans across the country have taken notice and voted for a change in the status quo. one month ago president trump and the weel with a clear mandate from the american people to steer this country in a different direction and he hasn't let off the gas sense. the trap truck administration along with the new department of government efficiency has been hard at work identifying fraud and duplicate it or outdated programs programs. their efforts have revealed just how many billions of taxpayer dollars are slipping through the cracks and they are moving fast to identify flag were raised fraud and abuse across the federal brockers c.. that's good news. the bad news is that it's only half the battle in a row -- real reform will require complete destruction of how washington operates including congress and

ultimately an affirmation of the savings by a congressional vote. accountability cannot be outsourced. real lasting change demands leaders who aren't afraid to push back against business as usual, leaders who stand up and say we can our way out of every problem which brings us to the two nominees appearing before us today at first we have mr. troy edgar nominee to serve as secretary of the department of homeland security. confirmed mr. egger will take on the role of deputy secretary serving as the department's chief operating officer. dhs is a massive agency employingof nearly 260,000 peope across more than 20 components. having previously served as dhs chief financial officer mr. edgar has first-hand knowledge of when the department can make cuts and streamline operations. second we have representative dan bishop nominee to the deputy director of omb. omb is supposed to be the bulwark against overspending.

we rely and omb to scrutinize agencies budgets and identify redundant. if you want these job to ensure that federal agencies are not rubberstamping costly new program subsidized by the american taxpayer. if confirmed representative bishop will have the front row seat to the entire federal budget process and a chance to say no when agencies continue to demand endless expansion in authority and unchecked both of these nominees have come forward at a time when americans are fed up with government overreach and runaway debt so mr. edgar and representative bishop we appreciate your willingness to serve in the experiences you bring to the table. if confirmed you will each wield influence that can shape how this government operates and how it spends public money. the american people deserve an honest efficient government that respects our hard-earned dollars. thank you for joining us this

morn to share how you plan to meet these responsibilities. i don't yield to the ranking member because he is not here. the committee has received several statements in support of the nominees and without objection these letters of support will be made part of the hearing record. it is the practice of this committee to swear and witnesses. mr. edgar and mr. bishop lee stand and raise your right hand. do you swear the testimony you will give before this committee will be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god? mr. bishop is being introduced by senator budd. senator budd you are recognized for your introduction. and i thank him mr. chairman thank you to the committee and it's my honor to be here to introduce a good friend and colleague dan bishop. long before i was in congress we

lived in charlotte north carolina, everyone would tell me if you want to meet a great leader get to know county commissioner dan bishop. at that time i was helping run the landscaping and janitorial business in my late 20s and i was probably too nervous to reach out and call him. it was a big county. who knew then that years later i'd have the privilege to serve a day on in the house of representatives. i have seen first-hand his thoughtfulness, deep understanding of the issues, his love for our country is care for people and his commitment to stopping runaway >> and getting the federal budget under control. i have no doubt that dan will bring the same tenacity to the job at all and be that he is shouldered his career as a litigator and this time serving people of north carolina in public office. dan. godspeed and best of luck and to the members of the committee you

all be nice. >> thank you. representative bishop you are recognized for your opening remarks. >> thank you chairman paul ranking member peters and members of the committee for this hearing today is my first time on the side of the dais after five years in the house of representatives. i had the pleasure working with several of you. if i'm confirmed it would be an honor to serve our nation in a new capacity to implement president trump's vision and agenda. i want to thank my wife my life partner and my son jack who is working hard in law school today for all we have seen over the last decade including my tenure in congress and now this nomination process. it is a testament to the greater popularity the number of congressional spouses are here with her today and my thanks to them for their kindness and thanks also to my former congressional office staff several of whom have come today

and my dear friends. tremendous honor to be nominated by president trump to serve as the deputy director of the office of management and budget. unknown by name it does with the name implies crafts the president's budget manages and coordinate among federal agencies implement the present regulatory agenda and so on. it's a critical part of ensuring that the government response to the democratically-elected president in order to respond to the will of the american people and not to entrench washington interests and the political establishment. something i've always noticed in congress when i without meeting folks in north carolina is at the american people are way ahead of us. they know what's going on. they are smart, resourceful, resilient and hard-working. they want accountability, transparency and into the way --

though in the washington status quo but they recognize in this past election better nation was at a crossroads on the precipice of either renewed greatness are ruined. in that precarious moment they place their confidence in president donald trump to usher in a new golden age for america. i'm here on behalf of that mission and the trust placed in president trump by the people. our children and grandchildren are being crushed under the massive burden of an out of control federal debt. for too long we have been spending money we don't have on things we don't need. our government has been self-absorbed and efficient and accountable and now administered. the good news is we can fix all of those things and if confirmed i will be laser focused on doing so along with director russ vought and the superb public servant at omb. it's finally time for government

accountable to the people. i thought to deliver that my entire public service career from county commissioner to state legislators to congress and it will continue to be my northstar. whether elected or appointed we must never forget the rights of people to decide. i know that i will never forget and neither will director of vought. i was thrilled to see director boat confirmed by the senate and i can assure you he is the man to get the federal government back on track. if confirmed i look forward to serving as his deputy. thank you for considering my nomination and i look forward to your questions. >> thank you representative bishop. also i want to recognize our current secretary of the department is health kristi noem thank you for joining us today. at this time i'm going to recognize the ranking member going out of order because he has another commitment on another committee.

>> thank you and thank you for that nomination chairman paul and thank you director and congressman bishop for being here today. the department of homeland security the office of management and budget where you have each been nominated in key positions plays a critical role in strengthening our national security and ensuring of the federal government is operating effectively, efficiently and in accordance with the law. mr. edgar is the committee considers your nomination there are several questions about recent actions the administration is taken with respect to the department of homeland security where you are already serving. i understand as a senior adviser to the secretary. i'm concerned about the troubling reports of key dhs personnel getting fired indiscriminately including staff at fema, cybersecurity and infrastructure security agencies as well as the u.s. coast guard. i'm going to want to know more

about the individuals who have been terminated and those who have been placed under administered if leave and the reason for the department's actions. specifically he wants no impact these terminations will have an dhs ability execute its vital national security missions including disaster response and efforts to prevent cyber attacks. i'm also alarmed elon musk and those personnel have been granted access to potentially very sensitive dhs data which could violate cybersecurity and privacy laws. dhs will become of the most sensitive data about americans and american companies of any government agency including their biometric information as well as private companies proprietary information. congress, the american people need to know what and how that data will be used to more importantly why. we need to know what kind of legal and security analysis was conducted before sharing this

very sensitive personal information and we need to know if the data was properly managed and not at risk of being stolen by any of our adversaries. mr. edgar hope you'll address these concerns and will demonstrate how you will work with congress and the secretary and the administration to rectify these issues if confirmed. today we are considering the nomination of dan bishop to service the deputy director of the office of management and budget. the office of management budget is a critical office in the executive office of the president with significant responsibilities ranging from developing and executing the central budget to improving agency performance as well as reviewing regulations. this role not only requires the expertise and the budgetary processes, policy and government management by the fundamental understanding and appreciation for the constitution and the law including >> laws passed by congress under

a bipartisan basis. congressman bishop given your record and your views on i'm allowing omb to withhold federal funds i have serious concerns abouted your building to carry t this very important role. as we so recently and that the funding freeze ordered by president trump commit -- communities across our country are counting on the funds appropriated by congress to upgrade their roads and bridges their first responders to provide a host of other services. we need leaders at omb who are committed to following the laws on the books which includes the empowerment control act. i'm concerned if confirmed he will not carry out the laws of congress that we have passed and that is funding her community and that is simply unacceptable. he also had serious questions about your positions on the federal workforce. as i've said before our non-partisan civil service employees play a vital role in protecting our national security

caring for our veterans and ensuring the safety of her transportation system. the record abuses including support for legislation that would make all federal employees that will gives me serious pause about how you would manage the federal workforce. and s finally have questions abt your record of disregard for independent oversight including frittelli at tory actions by revealing the name of a whistleblower. i appreciate you being here today both of you to answer these questions and how you intend to manage the operations of the budget of the federal government if you are confirmed. >> mr. edgar is being introduced by senator johnson. senator johnson you are recognized for introduction. >> thank you mr. chairman fits my pleasure to introduce mr. troy edgar president trump's nominee to be the deputy secretary of the department of homeland security. mr. edgar is from los alamos --

los alamitos california where he served as mayor in a county official for over 12 years. troy is a u.s. navy veteran for more than 30 years in business and executive experience providing leadership and advisory services across a range of industries including aerospace, government sector defense high-tech software and telecommunications industries. troy came before this committee when president trump nominated him to serve as chief financial officer at dhs. in that role he was responsible for the fiscal management integrity and accountability for the department's 90 billion-dollar budget supporting 240,000 employees. prior to dhs he was executive at ibmas part ring with the federal consulting business but i want to acknowledge the letter from the ceo and chairman of ibm and ask it being entered into the record. troy nearly a decade in the aerospace industry bowling where he was cfo of logistics

division. he's held many key positions within manufacturing logistics information technology and procurement which makes him an ideal fit for the position of deputy secretary of dhs. mr. edgar earned his bachelors of science at an nba from university of southern california and los angeles. he joined this morning by his wife. his business and government work experience and strong support from president trump would help troy. i encourage all on this committee to swiftly confirm him. thank you mr. chairman. >> mr. edgar you are recognized for euro pudding statement. >> thank you. chairman paul ranking member peters and members of the committee is an honor for me to appear before you today as a present nominee to be the deputy secretary of homeland security. i want to recognize senator johnson for that kind introduction. i'm grateful to president trump and the secretary for the trust and confidence they have placed in me and i think -- thank the

committee for considering my nomination. i'm honored secretary no has taken time out of her busy schedule to be with your -- to be here with me today and swear in my nomination. thank you for being here madam secretary. the process enables me to better appreciate the high honor. still upon me to serve the american people to better understand the critical expectations of the committee that the committee may have if confirmed to the deputy secretary. my family is important to me but they are not here. i'd like to recognize them. matt tyler and even armor since my brother tracey and i honor the memory of my mom and dads. i'd like to introduce my precious wife betty. betty embodies the american dream in a manner that enables me to understand the hopes and aspirations of millions of people who come to america.

her story helps me understand the true weight of a service. i'm not only come into this nomination with technical skills and business experience but with the conscience there might personal experience. that is an immigrant from iran who speaks farsi and french growing up in tehran. her family was led to united states after the shah was overthrown in 1979. when she arrived she learned english and spanish and attained a bachelor's and master's degree in french. she has been a french teacher in la quinta high school in orange county for over 25 years. rises every morning believing that she has the ability to change another student's life in the way this country is changed her into thank you betty for being here to support me. i've had the honor previously working with this committee and the first trump administration as senator johnson said in my senate confirmation overseeing the chief financial officer at dhs. when i left being the cfo of dhs

on january 20 i was managing a 90 billion budget in 250,000 employees but that role allowed me to learn and research the entire department not just the important border security and immigration components. it's with his unique knowledge of my commitment and experience of time intending to honorably served president trump secretary gnome and the american people to the best of my ability. the deputy secretary serves as the chief operating officer and if confirmed i will stay focused on supporting the secretary ensuring where effectively and efficiently using the policies and resources provided to me for the presence goal on national security missions of dhs. furthermore i will support the hard-working professionals at dhs by helping provide the resources they need to fill this critically important mission. if confirmed i look forward to working with this committee and other members of congress and the important role of oversight

and support of this department. i'm committed to investing in the time to build the critical were working relationship needed to help advance dhs. as stated earlier i like to think mr. krishna chairman sealed ibm the national sheriffs association and county sheriff for their letters of support for my nomination. thank you for the opportunity to appear before you and i look forward to answering your questions. >> thank you mr. edgar and we will proceed to questions where each member will have five minutes they want to be clear from the outset we will not tolerate any disruptions and i would direct the capitol police to remove any member of the audience that disrupts the hearing. mr. edgar and mr. bishop do you agree without reservation to comply with any requests or summons to appear and testify before any duly constituted a committee of -- congress if you are confirmed quite. >> yes. >> while the secretary is still here i want to put in one plug for both of you.

dhs is on national biodefense analysis and countermeasures center called them back. they do data from shah research in a very safe lab and we want more oversight as to what specific experiments are going on there. we send a request and we hope you will provide needed answers to that. without i'm going going to pass it on to senator lankford. >> mr. chairman and thank you to the witnesses for being here for the million forms a party filled out. mr. edgar had to say the introduction of your wife i'm open to moving heard of that seat rather than you, to have her take charge of this as well so kind of you to introduce your family and your wife to be able to commit the secretary noem thanks for coming in and thanks for all you have done. mr. edgar you have done a lot of the work behind the scenes. this committee in the days ahead

will work a tremendous amount of trying to get the funds to dhs they need to implement the border security wanted by the american people. without question dollars are needed but without question there is and infrastructure. you and i talked about $20 million a month being on soft sided facilities in 20 million a month for giant tents that are out there. we talked about gsa had the frustration with cbp and gsa facilities organized for gsa putting in a $14,000 where they have sold a parking lot for a dollar at the -- local community after buying it back for a million dollars. the challenges they have had were cbp said we need more lanes and it designed the building with fewer lanes based on their design. we have got to be able to figure out how to do with ways but also to implement policy quickly. what would you do to help the

communities on the ground and the leadership on the ground to do the mission? >> thank you senator. i would start first of all having the opportunity to be the cfo for dhs and looking all 26 minutes mainly the one mainland were talking about the cdc. right now the organization is focused on an immigration border security and if confirmed as deputy secretary would work not only with cbp. i.c.e. and they could be leveraged in the same way that ice will need to have 100,000 detention. cbp has availability. my job as being the previous year was confirmed to be the deputy is secretaries making sure we are being wasteful and we are being responsible and representing and leveraging all the contracts across the government ability to execute president trump's agenda.

>> we will walk through the process. as long as is wisely and so the mayor can people know where their tax dollars are going. dea fbi great letters around here and they are challenged to cooperate together and to be able to keep from mission. your oversight secretary noem oversight and the coast guard in all things border over fema over secret service there are lot of tasks out there and lot of coordination as well. what needs to be done in your view at this point to make sure we are on mission and we are actually working with other agencies to make sure secret service is doing what it can do well and not getting into other areas in what hsi can do well without getting into the dea area. >> president trump has set the agenda and has created the executive order that created homeland security task force.

i'll follow the leadership of secretary noem related to the combination of the department of justice or the law enforcement agencies you are talking about in with an hsi and i.c.e. and cbp. we'll have a whole of government and the task force will take on cross government activities not only just being able to do border security but to bring the full power of enforcement out to law enforcement. as the steering commit he i will be chaired by general bondi and secretary element will follow that direction going forward. >> we look forward to that coordination. it's good to see you and thank you for your leadership. and the sacrifices you've made and you and i talked about the federal agencies in the federal law that requires e-verify federal contracts. we have now learned it has not been for so we don't know how

many people are not present in the country who were executing federal contracts who have worked for the federal government on this. you and i have spoken on this and your assurance to me was we are going to make sure we implement the law and we did the oversight that needs to be done. >> absolutely center and i know you are a student of all the details that omb is in command of and we will use the office tools to make sure we have consistency enforcing laws. >> we have federal program inventory that is new and one of the areas they passed a law six years ago called taxpayers right to know that being implemented by this body and we look forward to that. >> senator peters. >> thank you mr. chairman. gentleman i have sent numerous oversight request to dhs and omb

since the start of this administration and unfortunately haven't received little or no response or response for documents or information as a result of these requests preferred sample two weeks ago i asked omb about the frustrations illegal funding freezes. this committee is responsible as both of is responsible as both of you know for of all of these agencies. my question for you to view if confirmed to commit to ensuring the omb had dhs lancers requests for information as we fulfill our oversight role on this committee information from me all of my colleagues as well as my staff and i hope this is not a hollow promise. >> if confirmed in a lawful for use sir. >> you understand the role that we need to work together on that but we had to have information.

under director vought director vought is made clear we will maintain transparency at the office of management and budget and you will personally be aware of every request made by member of congress and i will see to it that i am as well. >> appreciate that and can't that and can't both of you commit to providing the information within two weeks of assuming your office mr. bishop? >> sir i'm not certain the process that omb will permit and i think you have provided it in an expedited way and we will work to that end within the department according to the process. >> and if it can be done you'll describe i can be done. >> i will commit to following the processes of blondie omb to that effect. >> i appreciate that. >> i will follow, the processes and to obtain a transparent relationship of this committee. i'm now hearing from several agencies that this administration has instructed

its staff to not communicate with members of congress and our staff. my question for each of you are either of you aware of this directive coming from the trump administration did not talk to members of congress? congressman bishop that should be outrageous to you. >> senator i'm unaware of that. i did encounter such instruction by prior to when i was a member of congress but i can't speak to it. i'm serving as a senior adviser and haven't been involved in that. >> would you push back against anything like that? think i certainly would want to ask questions about it. >> i'm not familiar with what you are specifically talking about. >> but you understand to have that kind of the directive would be wrong? >> like i said i'm not familiar with that directive and i will look at it. >> you would look at it and say

that's wrong? >> i don't know what the directive is specifically for the trump administration is indiscriminately firing civil servants across the federal government. these actions in many ways are harming public services across the country. it appears that frustration has not done any analysis about how this impacts customer-service and even more importantly national security. congressman bishop this is just a yes or no answer for you, do support the administration's recent effort to indiscriminately remove civil servants from their positions? >> i cannot answer yes or no. i don't believe the administration is proceeding in an indiscriminate way. >> you have seen the analysis for each employee as to why they've been terminated? >> i certainly haven't. >> how can you make that assertion if you haven't made the analysis? >> president trump is not proceeding away this

indiscriminate. >> if we ask for information as to why these particular individuals you'll show was not indiscriminate? >> the deliberative process under advisement counsel. >> mr. edgar? >> the process we will go through i had to believe it's been a lawful process followed by president trump and i look forward to working with secretary trump. with president trump. >> it could impact national security operations firings that is and fema in tsa so these are indiscriminate indiscriminate indiscriminate or have you seen detailed analysis before each individual inspired? >> i have not. i'm a senior visor so i've not seen them. these are orders coming through the executive order process and i'm not sure -- i am sure he is duly informed.

>> if confirmed you will be in a position to analyze both the impact as well as the criteria? will you do that and will you be transparent about that? >> yes we'll make sure we can continue our objectives of trying to save money fraud and abuse. >> we all hear on this committee is all about that perdue don't want to jeopardize national stream we want to make sure thoughtful decisions are being made before folks are terminated and not indiscriminately and clearly you can meet the objective of fraud and abuse in a plausible manner and not indiscriminately but you need to be transparent about that in order to have trust in the process. i look forward to working with you at the department. >> thank you. >> senator johnson. >> mr. edgar and mr. bishop you were both aware the fact that i've been talking quite a bit

about returning pre-pay prepend demek level mr. edgar you experience the cfo of dhs and a lot of private-sector experience. coming from the private-sector nobody seems to use the budget the way families use the budget and the way business uses a a budget that i use the analogy about don't think any family if they have a serious illness they would borrow $50,000 to pay for medical bills they continue to borrow $50,000 and at that level but that's what we have done here in the federal government. we had $4.4 million in 20 teams averaging $6.5 trillion for the next five years. last year we 6.9 of the shareware and course to >> $7.3 trillion so for both of you gentlemen to think there's any justification for us and >> as the pandemic is want its way down at $7.3 trillion above where we were in 2019 mr. edgar? >> first of all what we are going through now is really a

reconciliation bill >> at a higher level than we would normally. at this point if you look at what that focuses for the agenda for president trump this is money that is needed to get through and make sure we can make good on the promises of interior enforcement for the long term my commitment to this committee as the previous cfo >> level is not sustainable in my focus would be to work with the secretary and our staff to look at them under -- longer-term sustainability once were able to get through the agenda and each can continue our partnerships and get to >> profile that will be more sustainable and responsible. fimmis to mr. bishop yvette a number of conversations along with line and you are smiling. as a candidate did you talk about zero-based budgeting by any chance. >> i certainly did senator. >> you know why it's called zero-based budgeting?

and you think they are serious about a? and the result has been gotten there hasn't senator and you have constructed consistent theme inez making this point whh is i would say somewhat unescapable and for the government to have run permanently in the code with era. >> just to review i've looked at a number of prepend demek baselines and one with 1998 bill clinton barbie had a surplus and that was voted for by people like senator durbin and schumer and mcconnell and grassley and collins and john thune in the house of very bipartisan bill. if we increase that $1.65 trillion by population growth and inflation in today's social security medicare and interest in place that would give us $5.5 trillion for the baseline that's what president biden projects for revenue. if you go to clinton 2014 plus

it up for population growth inflation news this year so sha'carri medicare in the interest is 6.2 trillion. they give us a figure of 6.5 but here's the range 5.5 to $6.5 trillion at the prepend demek baseline how do we return to that? the house and i appreciate the efforts and they are having a really hard time and i talk about death by a thousand cuts. we started 7.3 trillion can't cut that, can't cut that but it's reasonable to say let's return to prepend demek level baseline plussed-up for population growth and inflation and if you do add some for defense or drop some for port security which we are trying to do in this verse that reconciliation package had we accomplish this and had we turned what doge that i don't necessarily agree we all want to prevent fraud and abuse in the

way they are howling about the outrageous fraud and abuse the doge is uncovering, but how do we translate what doge is finding into real >> numbers and howun to return that prepend demek reconciliation. >> it's something that requires actions in congress ultimately so what's going on in the house and what you've begun in the budget committee here in the senate and i appreciate the point you made about this fundamental idea about getting >> that two of the pre-covid concept and i would say at one view their deliberative process going on at the directors series about the topics you are focusing on here and there there's a deliberative process i'm going now about how the president wade in on the process

going on here in congress towards reconciliation. >> i would count on both of you working close with me to determine some prepend demek baseline in >> thank you mr. chair and mr. bishop i want to start with you. i was concerned by what i just heard in terms of her previous response. do you believe the firings that have happened in the layoffs that have happened you said they are not indiscriminate? >> senator i don't believe president trump or the people in the white house policymaking operations would proceed in a way that is indiscriminate. >> we are seeing the firing being probationary terms of new hires as well as probationary including those that have been recently promoted and they are new in that position because they've been promoted and we have seen mass layoffs because

frankly i guess it's easier to fire them. you don't consider that to be indiscriminate? >> senator i do not. the folks who are advising the president the president has made points about believing the federal employee workforce is not at the right side. >> when we see the national nuclear security frustration hundreds fired their and reinstated does that not seem indiscriminate initially and then they realized that's the nuclear functions of the united states that's important. we are seeing this level and you think that was an appropriate move to initially fire them? >> think the president has spoken directly to that bit in the course of making changes you may find you need to move in the other direction and to make an adjustment after you've made the first change but in my view that doesn't make it indiscriminate. >> mr. edgar i like to turn to

you and get a sense what was the reasoning for the firing of 130 employees at the cybersecurity agency? >> i wasn't responsible for that but i guess what i would say in response if you look at this outside of federal government to process you are talking about is whether we are being indiscriminate or not this is something all fortune 500 companies do and it's not out of the norm. you would look at the junior people to make a reduction in go through process. >> we have incredibly important procedures going forward the cybersafety review board under dhs was revoked. the membership there was revoked. do you think that was a good idea quick. >> i think it's a great idea. >> you think it's a great read even though they are overseeing the investigation non. >> i didn't make the decision to do it but i think it's a great

idea. i think they have overstepped their authority and they need to be. >> who is conducting the investigation at dhs? if they have taken over the review of the cybersecurity safety review board. >> at this point it will be reconstituted at the right time. >> if it's going to be reconstituted why was a decommissioned to start with the. >> it was decommissioned because it was going in the wrong direction. starting with the leadership there. >> i want to switch gears mr. edgar and i want to get your response and have known record when it comes to the protected status in the revoking of haiti venezuela. i want to ask you to you not believe the consideration of safety of individuals is something we in the united states should take in account when we are thinking about how to proceed with the legal pathway to immigration clinics

in protective status as temporary and the secretary reserve the right and the opportunity to go in and look at it there from venezuela or haiti. the secretaries make taken appropriate action to make sure she reserves her opportunity as secretary mayor crusius over done what his authority is. it puts more options on the table for the secretary to make her decision but when it comes in the fema you call that a greater position great people and their organization at all levels. should we expect that at fema or are we going to see a rapid abolishment of fema. >> i would agree with the present and i think we need to reevaluate what the direction is we are going to go withhy fema. we have a lot of issues that need to be dealt with structurally. is structured in two different ways under the disaster and the non-disaster recovery fund.

>> we talk about this and i think everyone here understands their needs to be a performance when it comes to fame and what hasn't worked and what has worked and is and i urge you in the secretary and we talked about this before to try to have a bipartisan committee and we see a quick gutting out that it's just going to leave the american people and save an insecure when it comes to disasters in every aspect of the country. >> senator ernst. >> thank you mr. chair and thank you to the nominees for being here today. we truly appreciate your service. congressman bishop i'm going to go ahead and start with you sir. his chair and founder of the doge caucus and laser focused on making sure our government is responsive to our taxpayers and ensuring a federal workforce is

serving the american people. today i want to focus on taxpayer-funded union time which requires federal agencies to pay employees for time working for their union and not the american people. the biden administration took several steps to hide the cost of taxpayer-funded union contracts from the american people including rolling back president trump's executive order to prevent union abuses and increase agency oversight annual report on the cost of taxpayer-funded union time off of the web site and hiding annual reports opium had previously published. meanwhile as part of my investigation into telework i have learned teleworking hud employees were paid for performing union duties despite

one being in an oklahoma jail for drunk driving and another in puerto rico vacationing during duty time. even more alarming hud told me it wasn't even aware of this because there was no way to verify when or even if employees are engaging in union duties. congressman bishop will you commit to working with director vought and epm to. >> thank you senator and i follow closely the work you've done in that area and chairing the doge caucus and concerning the issue with federal employees so i thank you for that. olympian opm have a close working relationship. i'm coming to learn about is the senior guys are and certainly i will take that back to director vought and they think the issues you are speaking to our

significant in the course i will implement the directive of president trump. i look forward to making sure the information you need is readily available. >> thank you but in 2019 some of those agencies refuse to provide opm with data. what you ensure all agencies are responsive to opm when it solicits information and taxpayer-funded union time. >> it's very important congress receive oversight information needs in there to deliver process that i work with omb and under the advice of counsel and the director of omb. >> thank you. briefly is there something we can do to make sure agencies are appropriately reviewing taxpayer-funded union time payments. >> i can't make a specific commitment on n that senator.

that liberty processes that go on the air force to follow. certainly it's an issue that needs to be front and center. >> assuming your confirmation i hope we worked together on this issue. it is a big one for our taxpayers. in the time that i've left politicians and bureaucrats in washington seem to be a lot more upset that doge is finding fraud and abuse than about the nonsense that we have funded in the first place. you can hear all of these big spenders all the way from iowa. every taxpayer should have the ability to look and find the same doge is exposing. there are nearly 50 federal agencies right now that are not reporting their >> on usa >> .gov accounting for more than $5 billion each year. congressman bishop every

american canr: be one of our doe deputies across the united states but the needle and these help to do that. i move to proc executive session to consider c calendar number 24. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. a senator: i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: 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. vote:

the clerk: 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. curtis. 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. i'd like to thank president trump for his confidence in me at the special focuses of this campaign they want to make american education the best in the world can return education to the states where it belonged to free american students from the educationrm bureaucracy of school choice. proof that americans overwhelmingly support the presence vision and i'm ready to

enactra it. education is the issue that determines our national success and prepares american workers to in the future. i've been passionate about education since my earliest college days when i studied to earn a teaching certificate. this is continued for my business career as a connecticut state board of education member as a university trustee and the chair of the america first policy institute which advocates workforce development parental choice and accountability in higher education. i'm also a mother and grandmotherha and i join millios of american parents who want better schools for our kids and grandkids. the legacy of our nation's leadership in education is one that every person in this room embraces with pride. unfortunately many americans today are experiencing a system in decline. the latest scores from the nation's. report card should achieve many k-12 math and

reading at their lowest level in years. more than two-thirds of public colleges are beset by violent crime every year. we can do better for the elementary and jr. high school students by teaching basic reading and mathematics. the college freshman facing censorship for anti-semitism on campus and for parents and grandparents who worry their children and grandchildren are no longer taught american values in history. communications. excessive consolidation of power on federal education establishment. fund education freedom and not government-run systems listen to buildup careers and not college debt and power state and a special interest in investing teachers not washington bureaucrats but it confirmed i

will work with congress to reorient the departments who are helping educators not them. my experience as a business owner and leader of the small business administration as a public servant in the state of connecticut and more than a decade of service in the college trustee has taught me to put parents teachers and students notfo bureaucracies first. outstanding teachers are tired of political ideology in their curriculum and red tape. that's why school choice is a growing movement across the nation that offers teachers and parents an alternative classrooms that are micromanaged. we should emphasize career focused education especially in cutting edged -- work companies need high-skilled in place for their workers deserved more post-secondary pathways career aligned programs apprenticeships and on-the-job learning. the jobs in tech skills trade and health care for non-college degree holders.

those whour attend college and courses of study aligned to workforce demand. it's a world leader by far an emerging technology like aei and block change and we need to invest in american students who want to become pioneers. we wanted to encourage innovative new institutions, smart accountability system tear down barriers to entry so universities aren't surrounding surrounding -- we must protect all students from discrimination and harassment and if i'm confirmed the department will not stand idly by while jewish students attacked and discriminated against. it will stop forcing schools to let boys and men into female sports and it will protect the rights of parents to direct the moral education of their children. the opportunity before us the next four years as momentous but i look forward to working with the committee on nation's parents teachers and students

and education leaders from all political perspectives for a better future for every american learner. thank you so much for the opportunity to speak with you today and i look forward to your questions. >> thank you very much. i shall begin. everybody is rightly focused on the fact that we have a problem with reading scores and they have been anchored where they are for quite some time. an incredibly high percentage of children are not reading at grade level and the old truism that kids learn to read by grade three or four and need to learn there after but they aren't learning to read by grade three or four. that's a dyslexia according to nih reviewed literature affects 20% of the population. those 20% learn to read differently and if their differences are not acknowledged they will be among those anchored the holding reading scores down. it intuitively makes sense to

diagnose the child as early as possible in most states do not screen. that said you can see where i'm going with my own thoughts but what would be your approach to addressing the issue of dyslexia which has been ignored and not like new hampshire where the governor put in a program that other states what would be your approach to make sure dyslexia is diagnosed at an early stage and receive the intervention and the sheer he would need to receive? and thank you very much term and kassidy and i know this is a sensitive subject for you since i believe your son does have dyslexia as you and i discuss. >> my daughter actually. >> i'm sorry. i very much would like to be sure that we are looking to diagnose issues like dyslexia early because we have found it can be turned around so i'd like to work with you and understand how we can have a better approach for that in our school systems. >> you had mentioned you would

not tolerate the anti-semitism that's been on the rise. what steps would you take to make sure the backlog in anti-semitism cases is processed and those responsible for illegal discrimination? held accountable. >> senator cassity i think by far what we saw happening on our campuses was absolutely. kids lost in libraries afraid to come out. i believe in freedom of speech on campus over debate but we should encourage that. we cannot allow violence happening on our campuses. that puts all students in an unsafe place and if i were confirmed as secretary of education i'd want to make sure the president of those universities and colleges are taking very strong measures not to allow this to happen and the least they can do whatever they need to do to set standards and to make sure those standards are

upheld. we cannot allow that to take place on our college campuses. there's a current backlog in the department of education to address this. do you have any specific plans on how you can help them address that backlog quick. >> of it like very much to be able to get into the department understand that backlog. i've talked with the lawyers who were there to focus on what we need to do to clear out that backlog and i look forward to doing that. >> president trump is reportedly drafting an executive order requiring the secretary of education to develop a plan for downsizing the department of education working with congress to eliminate entirely. yes or no do you agree that the department was created by congress and it would need an act of congress to close the department of education? in a president trump understand we'll be working with congress and we'd like to do this right. they like to make sure that we are presenting a plan but i

think our senators could get on board with in our congress to get on board with that would have a better functioning and education and certainly it does require congressional action. >> in terms of the plan to downsize what would be the component to that plan that would not require congressional approval. >> i do believe senator there are departments of education established by statute and those particular department we have to pay particular attention to. long before there was the department of education we fulfill the program of our educational system. are there other areas where agencies are part of the department of education could better serve our students and their parents on the local level. i am all for the president's mission which is to return education to this day.

i believe the best education -- >> if the department is downsize with the states and localities receive the federal funding it's not the present school to defund the program but to have them operate more efficiently. >> with that i yield to senator sanders. >> thank you mr. chairman. when we talk about education after looking at it and the fact that we are talking talking about the struggles that low-income kids are having, mrs. mcmahon you are aware what you call -- we have more wealth inequality and we have ever had before and you are aware we have the highest rate of child -- and they were aware i suspect that teachers are dealing with kids who are literally homeless. kids who come from dysfunctional families where there is violence. does it concern you that we are

living in a society where the people on top are doing phenomenally well while 60% of americans are living paycheck to paycheck and how do you think that impacts our educational system. >> thank you very much senator for that question. first of all let me say that i believe teaching is one of the most noble professions we have in our country and we have so many good dedicated teachers to help our students. i do think that we are tracking students in low-performing schools and that's why the president has such a strong policy toward school choice. >> but you will agree and i don't mean to interrupt you but you will agree the truth is upper middle class public schools in america generally do pretty well. if you are homeless and you are homeless person your kids are doing. i'm asking you what you think

about the massive level of income inequality and child poverty and that's something you might want to pay attention to. >> certainly senator i do believe we want to make sure that every child in our country has the opportunity to have equal access to a quality education in the department of education is not setting economic policies in this country. we should focus on educating our children and we should focus it on the local level. >> let me ask you -- you mentioned correctly we have many great teachers, right. >> yes. >> if you are a businesswoman and wanted to attract the best and the brightest would you be starting them off after they leave school may be at 50 or $60,000 in debt the salaries of $40,000 or would you say we respect you. ..

nobody in the world will disagree with you. the question is, if teaching is a noble profession. teaching is a important profession, shouldn't we be shog them salaries commensurate with the value of that work they are doing? i'm asking a simple question. would you recommend to states as a leader of education in america that teachers make at least $60000 a year? xo certainly recommend to states that teachers be paid what is commensurate with the kinds of jobs that are part of their state. not all states have the same living costs. not all states have the same

ability to pay teachers. to attract really good teachers and keep them we should pay them commensurate with the job performance that they are undertaking. cooks of billions of young people, low income people are finding it very difficult to afford to go to college. they are leaving school 50, 100, $200,000 in debt. pell grant program provides assistance to over 7 million low income you guarantee to us made secretary of education no student will lose their pell grant as the department is dismantled. >> defendant is not the goal here. i would like to see expansion short-term certificates for pell grants for students who are coming onto four-year universities.

who could have the opportunities to use pell grants. >> or i am hearing you say is a pell grant program will continue inured ministration? >> yes. do you agree? once again goes the nicest congress. >> yes. it set up by the nine states congress. when we work with congress clearly cannot be shut down without it. thank you. i'm pleased to hear your strong commitment toward the many incidents on the college

campuses. among the important times are title one all have been high priorities for me. i want to briefly discuss those programs. title i public schools in terms of resources 63% received title i funds to our states. second, i dea the disabilities education act which help children in special needs.

may receive more than 65 million to support k-12 students with special education needs. i would note that falls far short of the 40% that was promised when legislation was passed in the 1970s. trio programs which we have discussed, have changed the lives of countless first-generation students who are going to college and come from families with no experience with higher education. i have seen so many success stories as a result of trio. how do we maintain the administration and oversight of these programs if we abolish essentially reorganize the department of education.

talking about various i think especially the trio program we both agreed just hit the terrible blow by regulation students that were applying simply because of spacing on a form. that type of regulatory controls cannot stand that's impossible at the perpendicular congress today they go directly to the state department of education and are distributed to the districts. i dea is the same i'm not sure it started the concerns for disabilities within the agency

that has more oversight of all of those. so, i think if i am confirmed to be able to get in and assess programs help they can have the best oversight possible for it how we can really take the bureaucracy out of education and focus on teaching our children to read and to do math. to appreciate her history it is certainly my goal and it will be michael's executive education. >> thank you. on monday the administration announced the department of education was going to terminate 89 contracts from the institute of education sciences. they were worth $881 million as well as terminating 29 training grants. this week my office word from a former teacher from oakland, maine who developed a

high-impact tutoring model and it is currently being used in 12 schools in maine alone. she has one of the grant applications pending to more thoroughly in pate impact the value of this model on the students outcomes. she's worried that's not going to be in jeopardy due to the sudden cuts. considering the poor reading and math scores reported and that unfortunately includes poor scores in my home state shouldn't the department of education continue to collect data and evaluate outcomes rather than halt these activities so you can help states know what work? >> thank you, senator. it is my goal if i am confirmed to get in and assess these kinds of programs.

because i am not sure yet what the impact of the programs. there are many worthwhile programs that we should keep. i am not yet apprised of them. i would like to study them and get back and talk to you more and work with you. i look forward to work with this committee and all of congress to make sure we can deliver for education. >> thank you. i appreciate your response. thank you. >> the community will come to order. >> senator marie. >> thank you. elon musk ranjit staffers reportedly set up camp the department of education they've already been given access to highly sensitive student data have started holding back money that congress decided on a bipartisan basis was needed to help our schools with students we are also occurring as you know about executive order coming any day these are

bipartisan laws but, a lot of turmoil is happening. you heard from a colleague asking that question now. so, i want to ask you if confirmed you commit to giving every dollar we have invested in our students and schools out to them? >> the appropriated dollars and those with monies passed by congress, yes. i have no issue however with the fact i believe the american people spoke loudly in the election last november to say they want to look at waste, fraud, abuse in our government. so doge there are a couple of implants of the department of education their art with there h agencies throughout the district. they are doing an audit. when congress appropriate money to put that out as directed by

congress who has the power of the purse what we do at the present or elon musk tells you not to spend this money congress has a property to you? i do think it is worthwhile it's much easier than it is a call back. >> process by law as you look at that. who decides the school district or elon musk or congress? our appropriation bills, we expect those bills if you have input, if you have programs you

have looked at that are not effective then it is your job to come to us, explaining why and get the support for that. let me move on. i believe our nation students and tax payers do want true accountability. congress came together in a bipartisan way to replace no child left behind act. on this committee passage into law it gives states more flexibility in using federal education funds. a limited those one-size-fits-all mandate that everyone hated it. really strong guard rail to hold states and schools accountable. i believe the department of education must do more to implement that law. right now, less than 20 to 42% of her schools identified per

comprehensive support in improvement are csi, it had a plan that met all the requirements for that law. include practices we know are ineffective. national assessment results, she will know phrase a few weeks ago show our lowest performing students continue to fall further behind. i want to ask you what specific actions we take to implement the law? i am not looking for exhaustive list.ar can you name a couple of requirements that are in that long? >> senator, thank you. i look forward to working with you in committee understanding more clicks you with the requirements are? do you know about the requirements for the ant report card? can you name any of the requirements? >> yes i have read through and it's very interesting. it's how i got into education the first place that no child left behind was left in place

but books are no records you can tell me right now that you will make sure as secretary of education will implement question. >> know i went to study it further and get back with you and i'll be happy to do that. cooks let me ask one last question. as i mentioned doge staff have been given access in the department of education to personal information. personal information of students and families like their social security numbers, and their driver's license numbers and their date of birth, what college they are enrolled in. i know the access has been temporally caused due to litigation. but there is a real potential for that kind of information to be abused or for student privacy to be placed in jeopardy if the thecourts end up ruling againste students highly personal information and target students and target their families are cut off access to congress for students for that someone perceives opposes maybe

president trump's policies. so, i want to ask you do you believe doge employee should have access to private student data? >> it is my understanding that doge employees have been on boarded employees of the department of education therefore they operate under the restraints of utilizing access of information. >> that is not our understanding. >> deeply concerning that we have doge staffers we don't who they are. i think that should frighten everyone. >> again i'm not there for. >> thank you madam chair. >> are not there yet is my understanding there on boarded projects help if you do get there you make sure student private information is not given to someone who has no idea what they have or we have no i do how they're using it. thank you. >> thank you. i think you congratulations on your nomination.

i look forward to your confirmation hopefully in working with you on what is arguably one of the most important issues to the future of our country and to our children. i would just simply ask you if you believe education is the is foundational to the opportunity for your version of the american dream for children. you agree with that? >> illicitly do you agree with that. thank you question. education i think is at the very center of our culture. it is the ticket out of poverty for so many students. it is how our children's minds are cultivated so that they can learn. i remember listening to it senator cassidy when he said every child up until the third grade learned to read and after the third grade reads to learn.

cannot read at a proficiency level, they cannot continue to learn they cannot be proficient in school. they cannot go forward to higher education they cannot even start a business or do anything. so education, i do believe is at the very center of what we need to do to ensure we had the best education for our students and that they all have equal access to quality education. >> the issue of inequality come up this hearing. i can tell you when i started in my unelected career i was a green state legislator in the state of ohio who had the strange notion that if children are trapped in chronically failing schools they should have the opportunity to go somewhere else and i thought who could be against that? i quickly found out there were a lot of people powerful people, powerful institutions.

as americans i believe freedom and choice is good as part of our dna is part of our markets, and business and that monopolies don't work for the big business or big government. basically on that lifetime. fundamentally billionaires have choice. it's children that grew up in poverty the don't have choice. that is an important element of fixing inequality because if we are going to say in education that you don't have the choice to go to a schooled social needs. we basically have institutionalized a barrier against that opportunity. i do have the equality of

opportunity. to share with me i hope to fix that. >> the president one of his cornerstones of education is school choice. he certainly does believe in universal school choice. i believe the numbers 33 states i might be corrected on that states that do have school choice. public schools come up they are competitive. a lot of the concerns relative to school choice, not leaving public schools in horton going to other schools but they have the opportunity. parents look at there is insight that my school is failing my child. i have the opportunity to have an educational savings account or a voucher program or a scholarship program to get my child may be to the charter school or to the other public

school that's doing better than my child because this is where i live. i know if i could get my child to that next school they will be better off. every parent wants opportunity for their child. >> quickly made calls to superintendents in my state in ohio before he came today. i see would you prefer to have the money sent directly to you rather than through the federall department of education? do you think you could do a better job if we release you from the rules and regulations and you just said and they said yes. tell us what you want us to achieve. we will achieve what we will do it. and i just wanted to share that with you. want to give you a chance to answer this. you are not president trump does isnot talking about cutting any funding for children you are not talk about cutting funding for disabled children.

you are talking about changing the way the money gets to the students and schools that you are committed to that. is that correct? >> that is correct senator thank you very much. >> thank you. >> it is now senator baldwin. next thank you before start my questions i wanted to put some studies in the record. research studies that private school vouchers in louisiana, indiana, ohio and washington d.c. show students who use these voucher perform worse academically than their public school peers unanimous consent to enter those studies that show private school vouchers have a negative impact on student achievement. >> without objection. >> think it mr. chairman. mrs. mcmahon i appreciate the opportunity to meet with you last month. i believe in getting all the president's nominees a fair shake. that is with the people of wisconsin expect for me and i look forward to hearing more

about your approach to running the department of education if confirmed. since 1972 title ix has been a critical tool in ensuring all students are from -based and federal education programs. we briefly discussed title ix in our meeting. i would like to ask you a series of yes or no questions to get into a little more detail. depa education, linda mcmahon, of connecticut, to be secretary. mr. thune: mr. president. i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of linda mcmahon, of connecticut, to be secretary of education, signed by 17 senators as follows. mr. thune: mr. president, i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection.

the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. kennedy: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, with me today is mr. john lowery, who's one of my colleagues from my office. he's been a big help to me.

mr. president, as you know, when vice president harris and president trump ran against each other for the presidency, one of the planks in president trump's platform was that he was going to review every penny of federal government spending. why did he say that? why did he promise to do that? well, first, there's a moral principle involved. people worked hard for their money, and when they give it to gft they're entitled to -- give it to government, they're entitled to expect government to spend it efficiently. number two, president trump ran on that plank because of our debt. the federal debt is $36.5 trillion. you know, we throw these numbers around like a trillion, you know, we start to take them for

granted. to give you a little pers perspective, this $36.5 trillion, it grows bigger by the second. it's going to increase, if we just keep doing what we've been doing, it's going to increase $1 trillion every 100 days. if we just keep doing what we've been doing, it's going to increase $10 billion a day. today, nothing changed, we added $10 billion in debt. that's also $417 million an hour. that's $6.9 million a minute. i think i've been talking about a minute. we just added $7 million to our debt. that's why the president want to get rid of spending porn. the reaction here in washington,

mr. president, has been breathtaking. i understand washington is not exactly a slice of america. i get that. i understand that washington is not normal. normal in washington, d.c. is a setting on the dryer. so i get all that. we're different in washington. but the pushback to president trump's effort, through mr. musk and his team, to reduce spending has just been extraordinary. i mean, people are barking and yelping and shrieking about it. they sound like the game room in a mental hospital.

and i get that a lot of people don't like president trump. and i get that many people don't like mr. musk. i get that mr. musk is different. i kind of like that. i mean, i like different. you know, he is the sort of guy that would wear, i don't know, he'd wear crocs to a wedding. i get that. i find it kind of refreshing. but nobody's ever called him a dummy. and he's found an incredible amount of waste and abuse of tack pair -- of taxpayer money, what i called spending porn. i'm not going to repeat everything i've repeated -- or said the first time we talked about this, but mr. president, it seems to me to be, once again, extraordinary that people are mad at president trump and

mr. musk for the process they're using, but they're not mad about the money being wasted. i mean, mr. musk, whether you like him or not, has found -- he's found, for example, $7.9 million he found, we spent to teach sri lankan journalists to avoid binary-gendered language. he's found money that was given to an ngo to empower the lgbt community in armenia. he found $1.5 million we spent to rebuild the cuban media echo system. 2.1 million to the bbc to strengthen the media echo system in libya. $8.3 million spent for equity and inclusion education in nepal. does no one care about how the money was actually abused and

wasted? mr. president, it's not unusual for me to be disappointed for some things i see in washington, and understand the last administration i have to admit i was disappointed just about every single day. i had almost gotten used to it. but last week, and this is what i want to talk about, mr. president, i read a story. it was a story about the abuse of taxpayer money in the last administration, and it was so nau nauseating that it triggered my gag reflex. in april of 2024, not that long ago, the epa under president biden gave $2 billion in taxpayer money to an

organization that had absolutely no experience, that was backed by a very prominent democratic politician by the name of miss stacey abrams. here's what happened -- in 2022, as you know, mr. president, president biden and our -- my democratic colleagues passed the inflation reduction act. not a single republican voted for it. not one, either in the house or the senate. we knew at the time that spending $1.2 trillion -- that's what the inflation reduction act cost -- would only make inflation worse, not better. and even president biden eventually admitted that the inflation reduction act did absolutely nothing to raise prices. even president biden at the end of his term admitted that.

so where did all the inflation reduction act money go? fair question for taxpayers to ask. i mean there's nothing wrong with wanting to know what they do with our money. let me say that again. there's nothing wrong with wanting to know what they do with our money. so where did all the inflation reduction act, this $1.2 trillion, go? well, president trump and doge, the group appointed by president trump, and the epa under new leadership, under mr. lee zeldin, have begun to follow some of that money. now this is where ms. abrams, ms. stacey abrams comes in. i think it's fair to say that

ms. abrams is, i don't know, i would call her controversial. she has the right to believe what she believes. this is america, and she has the right to free speech. i'm not criticizing that, even though i disagree with some of what she says. but i think it would be fair to describe her as controversial. she's probably best known for the fact that she ran for governor of georgia twice, and she lost. in her career, ms. abrams has said the following. i don't want to just articulate hyperbole here. i want you to read her words, not mine. on april 20, 2024, ms. abrams appeared on msnbc with mr. al

sharpton and this is what she said. quote, what we know is that the attack on diversity, equity and inclusion, dei, is an attack on democracy. on september 20, 2022, during a panel discussion in atlanta, ms. abrams said this about a baby's heartbeat, a fetal heartbeat, the heartbeat of a baby in a mother's womb. this is what ms. abrams said about a fetal heartbeat. she said it is, quote, a manufactured sound. a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman's body, end quote. her words, not mine. on, in may of 2022, during a georgia gubernatorial debate, she's running for governor of georgia now, ms. abrams called

georgia, quote, the worst state in the country to live in. in october of 2022, during another georgia gubernatorial debate, ms. abrams accused the sheriffs, all of the sheriffs in georgia who endorsed her opponent, governor brian kemp, of wanting, quote, to be able to take black people off the streets. in october of 2022, ms. abrams appeared on msnbc. she suggested that abortion is a solution to inflation. here's what she said. she said, quote, let's be clear, having children is why you're worried about your price of gas. it's why you're worried about how much food costs, close quote. her words, not mine. let me say again, ms. abrams has the right to her opinion. this is america. you're not free if you can't express yourself. but i do think any fair-minded person would have to conclude

that ms. abrams is controversial. so, in march of 2023, not that long ago, ms. abrams went to work for an organization, a nonprofit, called rewiring america. you've probably seen that name in the news. rewiring america. ms. abrams' title, she went to work for rewiring america, her title was senior counsel. she was paid for her work for rewiring america. we don't know how much, though there will probably be an investigation to find out. now, nonprofits like rewiring america, ms. abrams' group, they have to file documents with the irs, and one of the documents they have to file is called form 990. this form by the irs asks a number of questions about nonprofits. one of the questions the irs asks is where, is for the

organization, the nonprofit to list its accomplishments. rewiring america, ms. abrams' group, told the irs in 2023 on this form 990 that rewiring america was, quote -- this was rewiring america's quote, start-up year for the organization. and the form goes on to say that the only accomplishment rewiring america listed was that it had, quote, joined a coalition of other national organizations to apply for a grant from the inflation reduction act's greenhouse gas reduction fund. in other words, ms. abrams' organization told the irs that this filing was their first ever tax filing in 2023, that the organization was a start-up, and

its purpose was exclusively to seek a grant from president biden's inflation reduction act. fair enough. so what do we know about this coalition that ms. abrams' group wanted to form? rewiring america, ms. abrams' group, announced on october 12, 2023, that it was joining habitat for humanity, it was joining united way worldwide and two other organizations. and these four organizations were going to form another nonprofit, a coalition of nonprofits called power forward communities. so you've got power forward communities up here, you've got rewiring america, and some other organizations down here. and all together they make up power forward communities. and they also announced that a gentleman by the name of tim

mayopolis, a former obama administration appointee, would lead the coalition. now as a nonprofit, i told you that rewiring america had to file forms with the irs. well, so did this new group power forward. it had to file form 990 as well with the irs. according to its filings, power forward had just $100 in total revenue in 2023. according to the irs filing, it didn't list a single accomplishment. i've seen girl scout troops with more business credentials. yet power forward communities, of which ms. abrams' rewiring america was a part, had the audacity to ask the federal government for a $2 billion gr

grant. for what, you ask. it was supposed to be for, quote, to expand access to clean energy by prioritizing housing, equity, and resilience. power forward communities said it wanted to take this taxpayer money and help people install energy efficient upgrades to their homes. what are we talking about? heat pumps, get rid of gas stoves. now, it's good to dream big in america. i'm all for that. but under any reasonable standard, mr. president, under any reasonable standard, one is entitled to ask how these organi organizations, ms. abrams' rewiring america and power forward communities, brand-new organizations, no business

experience, $100 in the bank, are qualified to receive $2 billion of taxpayer money from the biden administration. now, that didn't stop the p biden administration from cutting a check, though. they took our money and gave power forward communities and rewiring america $2 billion. you want to know how we ran up $36 billion in debt. that's how. that's how. 's

these ngo's to distribute $2 billion

in 21 days, but the biden administration also told power forward within 90 days to go take a course. you know what the course was? the name of the course was how to develop a budget. how to develop a budget. so president biden gave power forward 21 days to spend the money, but said you've got 90 days to go take a course about how to put together a budget. and why would anybody in the milky way give $2 billion of taxpayer money to two organizations that had just been formed? yet, according to the irs

filings, had no accomplishments, and one of them only had $100 in the bank. i think i know why. i certainly know what it looks like. i mean, this would be comical if it wasn't so odious. $2 billion. you know, the last four years under the last administration have been very difficult for america. the cost of everything has gone up. the cost of many things have gone up by 20%, and our wages didn't keep up. the average electricity bill in america went up 19%. the average louisianian, because of president biden's inflation, had to spend an extra $890 a month extra for food and clothing and car notes, and they didn't get $890 a month raise. president biden and my democratic colleagues told us

that the inflation reduction act -- i remember when it was passed -- they said if you spend $1.2 trillion on the inflation reduction act, it will be a lifeline to every family in america. it's not what it looks like to me. it's starting to look like to me that it was really a slush fund. a slush fund for washington insiders. i don't want to make accusations that are unfair. i think epa administrator zelbin needs to -- zeldin needs to get to the bottom of this. he announced that he needs to call back as much as $2 million

and other moneys. i think he should do it fairly and according to due process. if the shoe fits, wear it cinderella. here's what i see. i see two organization formed in the last year or so of president biden administration on their irs filings they say we have no experience, we have no accomplishments, one of them only has $100 in the bank. one of them senior counsel is ms. stacey abrams, a well-known politician, i see them asking the president of the united states and his epa $250 million to fight gas stoves and getting it to the exclusion of every

other applicant who might have been to be able use that money. now, this is just the beginning of the type of spending important -- porn that mr. musk and president trump are speaking about. i'm going to repeat what i started with. there's nothing wrong with wanting to know what they do and did with our money, and that's all president trump and mr. musk are doing. mr. president, i want to spend five minutes talking about another subject because president trump tomorrow has a very important meeting with prime minister starmer of the united kingdom. this is the indian ocean. you've heard me talk about this. a group of islands right here

are called the chagous islands and the -- why do i talk about the chagous islands, from 1715 to 1810, these islands were owned by france, and in 1814, france gave the krchagous islan to the united kingdom, and then france after the united kingdom gave them this, and the united

kingdom administered both the chagos islands and marishnist. they were owned by france or the united kingdom. the only connection that mauritius at the time these two were -- after the united kingdom acquired the chazos islands, the united states of america built one of the most important bases, they are called deediego -- dieo garcia. now, mr. starmer, the prime

minister of the united kingdom has decided that he wants to give the chagos, with our military base, to maritius. he wants to give it to them. we said, wait a minute, we've got a military base here. what about our military base? and mr. starmer says, well, i'm going to give all of the islands, including the military base to maritius even though maritius never owned them and now that maritius owns them, we're going to pay maritius9 millionth -- $9 million over time for a military base that we built. what? why? well, i'll tell you why.

prime minister starmer feels guilty because the united nations -- actually it's not the united nations, rather, it's a group called the enter national court of justice, which is loosely affiliated with the united nations -- issued a ruling that criticized the united kingdom for actually owning the chagos islands. they said, united kingdom, you're an anti-cacanticoloniali need to give the chagos islands away to mauritius. that's what's going on of how did this get started? the prime minister of mauritius, his name was prime minister

jognoph, he sued in the international court of justice, he sued the united kingdom and said, give me mauritius, and the international court of justice issued a ruling in mauritius's favor. it is an opinion, it's not binding on anybody, but he got what he wanted on behalf of mauritius. a few years later, he was beaten and replaced by a new prime minister whose name is prime minister rranguluhm, he said not only do i want the mauritius islands, he wants 18 billion

pounds for our military base, and he said we will lease you the base that you built, which we, mauritius, now own back to you, but you have to give us between $9 billion to $18 billion. isn't that special in isn't that special? that's what's going on. now, there's one other thing you need to know. mauritius is very close to china. mauritius is -- is has a -- a very lucrative trade agreement with china, and you'll not be surprised to learn that after all of this has been developing, china all of a sudden is mauritius's best friend because if prime minister starmer does this, mauritius is going to own the base. they're going to own the base. now prime minister st frn ar --

starmer with president trump and try to talk president trump into this. and the prime minister said if president trump is not comfortable with me giving away an american military base, i want to giggle when i say that, if president trump's not comfortable, i won't do it. and here's what the prime minister's going to tell president trump tomorrow. he's going to say, number one, mr. president, we need to do this because it's the right thing to do. the united nations enter national court of justice, which has xri comprised of a bunch of weany wokers, said that we and the united kingdom feel guilty and he will say we need to give these islands away and your military base because it's the right thing to do.

the second thing he's going to tell mr. president is if we don't do it, china's going to get really mad. he's going to say china's going to get really mad if we don't do this. the third thing he's going to tell the president is, if we don't do this, the united nations could cut off the telecommunications for our military base, like the united nations is going to all of a sudden out of the blue cut off the spectrum in the telecommunications for an american military base. they have no jurisdiction to do that and they also don't have the oranges to do that. there's one other thing i will mention. i didn't mean to go this long, but this is an important meeting the president's having. remember i told you about the -- the prime minister who started all of this, prime minister

jugnauth, he got beat, you'll recall me saying in 2024. a few weeks ago former prime minister jugnauth was arrested. yep. he was arrested for money laundering. the mauritius authorities searched his house and the home of one of of his -- of one of his closest associates, and you know what they found? they found $25 million in cash. in various currencies. they found rolex watches, they found cartier watches, and they found united kingdom visas. i'm not saying that they're connected, but it's mighty

interesting. here's what one of the generals who formerly worked for president trump has said about this deal, it stinks to high heaven. general mcmaster. quote, the general said, mr. president, it would put us, the united states, at a significant strategic disadvantage especially at a time when china's trying to get control of critical terrain and choke points around the world in this effort to create new spheres of influence. to president trump i say, don't do it, mr. president. please don't do it. i don't care what prime minister starmer promises you, the only reason he's doing this is because he's -- he feels guilty

because the united nations has said that the united kingdom should be ashamed of its history and ashamed that it at one time owned colonies. people of the united kingdom can feel what they want. that's none of my business, but we've got an american military base here and it's very important to defend the indian ocean against china. please, mr. president, please, president trump, don't let prime minister starmer talking you into giving away an american military base that we need to combat china to another country that never owned it. just because prime minister starmer feels guilty. i'm sorry he feels guilty. he needs to go buy an emotional support pony, but he doesn't need to give away an american military base.

and president trump, please don't agree to this. that's it, mr. president. i'm out of gas. my work here is done. somebody wants me to read something, mr. president. i'm sorry you had to stay so long, this was important, this meeting with prime minister starmer is tomorrow. i don't want to lose the military base that we need. i appreciate your indulgence. mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate resume legislative session and be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. kennedy: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the appointments at the desk appear separately in themr. kennedy: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the consideration of s. res. 97, which was submitted earlier today.

the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. res. 97, honoring the life of nebraska community leader howard l. hawks. the presiding officer: without objection. the senate will proceed. mr. kennedy: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. kennedy: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the consideration of s. res. 96, which was submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. res. 96, designating the week of february 24 through february 28, 2025, as public schools week. the presiding officer: without objection. the senate will proceed.

mr. kennedy: i know of no further debate. the presiding officer: is there further debate? hearing none, the question is on adoption of the resolution. all those in favor say aye. all opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the resolution is adopted. mr. kennedy: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. kennedy: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10:00 a.m. on wednesday, february 26. that following the prayer and pledge, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, morning

business be closed, and the order of february 18 in relation to senate joint resolution 10 be executed. further, mr. president, ski unanimous consent that at 12:00 noon, the senate proceed to executive session and vote on the confirmation of the greer nomination, as provided under the previous order, and that following disposition of the greer nomination the senate resume consideration of senate joint resolution 10. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. kennedy: for the information of all senators, senators should expect two votes tomorrow evening -- passage of senate joint resolution 10, and, number two, motion to proceed to calendar number 14, s.j. res. 12, senator hoeven's cra. if there is no further business mr. president, i thank you for your time and patience this evening, if there's no further business to come before the

senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. the presiding officer: the the presiding officer: the the senate gambling out for the day. earlier senators confirmed to be presidentru's army secretary and considered a resolution disapprovi o a rule from the den administration dealing with offshore oil a gas production. later this week expect votes on the nomination of jamison greer she was tradeepsentative and senators also plan to consider legislation to an president trump national energy emergency. declared o t first day of his secodministration when the senate returns will have live coverage here on cspan2. associated press and others are reporting that over 20 civil seice employees on the departntf government efficiency or trend to have resigned cimg the work of the department was dismantling critical public services. the ap story quotes resignation letter which reads in part we swore to serve the arican

people and uphold our oath to the constitution across pridtial ministration. however, it has become cleare could no lonr honor those commitments. the trump administration responded with press secretary karoline leavitt releasing a statement saying president trump will not be deterred from delivering on the promises he made to me our federal government more efficient and more accountable to the hard-working american taxpayers. ♪ c-span, democracy unfiltered. we are funded by these television companies and more including ♪ ♪. ♪ where are you going? or may be a better question is how far you want to go? and, how fast you want to get there? now we are getting somewhere. so let's go, let's go faster. let's go