conflicts that we don't necessarily need to be in and places that we're just enforcing, you know, unfortunate policies. >> hi, my name is robin, from washington state and i would love the president to address how he's going to protect our national parks. these are our national treasures valued throughout time and environmentally and the heritage of our country. i want to know how he's going to protect these national treasures. >> c-span's voices, delivering democracy unfiltered. be a part of the conversation. >> c-span, democracy unfiltered. we're funded by these television companies and more, including charter communication. >> charter is proud to be recognized as one of the best internet providers and we're just getting started, building 100,000 miles of new infrastructure to reach those

who need it most. >> charter communication supports c-span as a public service, along with these other television providers, giving you a front row seat to democracy. >> live now to the u.s. senate on the floor today, legislation to repeal biden administration financial rules, including an irs cryptocurrency roll. and president trump's nomination for labor secretary and deputy attorney general. you're watching c-span2. ... ada. the president pro tempore: the senate will come to order. today the opening prayer had be

opened by pastor brad graves, senior pastor, first baptist church from ada, oklahoma. the guest chaplain: i want to thank you, as a father, a husband, a grandfather, but most importantly as a follower of the lord, jesus christ. father god of heaven, we come to you today in the name of your one and only son, the lord jesus christ. countless men and women of faith in you have walked these halls over the last two-plus centuries, ever since the setting of its cornerstone in 1793, this building has stood as a place not of just legislation but of morality and nobility. it has been a building that the nations of the world looked toward with bated breath to learn what the united states of america would do, how they would respond to crisis in our world, and how they would assist those

in need. our own citizens have looked to this building wondering with hope and prayers that the laws and decisions made in this room and in this building would better their lives, protect their families, and enable their god-given freedoms. and this day, march 4, 2025, is no different than any other day. we may not be at war, we may not be on the crisp of social crisis, but the world is watching our next move and our citizens need god-fearing leadership. so now, before the gavel is struck, before the arguments are made, before debate begins, we beg you for mercy on our nation. god, be patient with us. we ask for your grace on our leadership. lord, they carry a heavy burden for which they will stand in account for someday and for the love of god to be displayed through our actions as a nation because we are called by your name, one nation under god. i have been praying for every man and woman in this senate chamber to come to know the love of god. i pray that every family represented in this room would experience the love of god.

and i pray for every american citizen to understand the depth of god's love for them. so, god of heaven, i claim the scripture that love "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (corinthians 13:7) i claim the scripture that "everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." and i most certainly claim the scripture that is so familiar to us "that god so loved the world that he gave his one and only son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life." guide these men and women today by your unending, overwhelming love to do your will and follow your ways. and to especially protect the lives of the most vulnerable, to create legislation that supports families and morality, and that shows the love christ to a watching world. i ask these things in your name of my lord, my savior, and my returning king jesus christ. amen and amen.

and all cboed's people across the nation say. amen and amen. the president pro tempore: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. under the previous order, the senate will be in a period of morning business for debate only until 11:00 a.m.

i recognize the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: october 7, 2023, will probably go down in history to americans like december 7, 1941, pearl harbor day. october 7, two years ago, israel experienced a surprise attack from hamas. as those under attack rushed to safe rooms and to bomb shelters, the terrorists' group inhill traiting the country -- infiltrating the country began firing on homes and killing israelis at random. those who have seen the footage of the attacks, in many cases by those films taken by the attackers themselves have said

that the glee and the pride hamas showed in killing, in mutilating and in raping innocent civilians was particularly shocking. it's also very chilling and also very disgusting. on october 7, hamas also took roughly 250 residents hostage, even including babies, real old people, and even some americans. the horror that these individuals have faced under the brutal reign of hamas is unimaginable. the hostages have been subjected to inhumane conditions, deprived of their basic human rights and used as pawns in the cruel game of manipulation.

now, more than 500 days later, hamas is still holding dozens of hostages captive, including five americans. of the five americans in hamas activity, four have been confirmed to have been murdered. as the families who spent over a year in anguish, waiting for any sign of their loved ones, desperate for their safe return, hamas has kept their bodies and refused to return them to family and friends, compounding the grief of loved ones. all americans would say this cannot stand. the united states must remain steadfast in its commitment to securing the release of these hostages and holding hamas

accountable for these atrocities. and under president trump's leadership, that is exactly what our country is doing because of president trump's support for the state of israel and for his war against hostage-taking. to the families of these hostages, we grieve with you. we share in your pain, and we share in your hope as well. but to the hostages still in captivity, we want them to know they're not forgotten. the world is watching, and we will not rest until justice is served and you're safely returned to home. god bless you 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. the gao has classified the faa effort to modernize our achy system as high risk. high risk. this deep-rooted since the '90s it's clear they have

fallen short. i say that not make going but to make clear that we are not much closer to a solution than we were in 1995. we need to rewrite the previous playbook and begin digging out of the hole that we have found ourselves in. this moment in time represents a unique opportunity for the members of the subcommittee and all aviation stakeholders to coalesce around a common goal, meaningful air-traffic control modernization that will benefit the flying public and all users of the national airspace system. at the request of this subcommittee gao undertook a more recent study on the faa's air traffic control system. published just last you the report noted the urgent need to

modernize aging systems and found 51 of the agencies 138 a key systems were unsustainable. that's roughly 37%. 54 of the agencies when and 38 systems were potentially on sustainable, roughly 39%. look at this. 105 systems out of 138 identified as unsustainable or potentially unsustainable. 58 of those have critical operational impacts on the safety and efficiency of the national airspace. for for a country that consids itself the gold standard in aviation safety, these numbers are unacceptable and we must do better. while it is easy to lay blame after ficer: without

objection. mr. thune: mr. president, this evening president trump will come to the capitol to address congress. i'm looking forward to hearing the president discuss his accomplishments so far and outline his vision for our country. president trump may have been in office for matter of weeks, but he's already built a considerable record of success, and chief among his successes is what he is doing to confront illegal immigration and restore order to our southern border. over the weekend it emerged there were just 4,058 encounters for the entire month of february. at least a 25-year low. that's a stunning turnaround, mr. president. put that number under perspective, the border patrol sometimes saw that number in a single day. it's incredible what president trump accomplished in

six weeks. i haven't mentioned how his administration has been making our community safer by arresting criminals. they have taken a lot of dangerous people off of our streets. it goes to show what's possible when you have a president committed to protecting our border and our nation's security. and of course that's not all the president has accomplished during his first six weeks in office. among other things, he has also been laying the groundwork for unleashing american energy. while democrats may not like to admit it, the united states is rapidly heading towards an energy crisis where we simply don't have the supply to meet the demand. as "washington post" noted last march, and i quote, vast swaths of the united states are at risk of running short of power as electricity-hungry data centers proliferate around the country, leaving utilities and regulators

grasping for credible plans to expand the nation's creeking power grid. end quote. that's a pretty serious situation, mr. president. and instead of taking steps to increase our energy supply, the biden administration pushed us further toward crisis with measures designed to restrict conventional energy development and force americans to adopt electric cars, putting a vast new burden on our electric grid. fortunately, propose, president trump -- mr. president, president trump recognizes the situation and is committed to increasing our nation's supply and promoting a secure and affordable energy future. and i look forward to hearing from him as he discusses the work he's been doing tonight. mr. president, here in the senate, we've been working to support president trump's agenda, first and foremost by getting his cabinet in place and we have confirmed 20 of the

president's 22 cabinet nominees, faster than any of the three previous administrations. in addition to cabinet nominations, we have been making the groundwork that the tax cuts that we passed in the first trump administration permanent and making an investment in our national border and national energy security. we're working to overturn burdensome biden administration rules. we're taking up two rules that infringe on americans' financial freedom. first, we'll vote on senator cruz's resolution to stop the digital asset broker rule, which puts at risk the privacy and security of tens of millions of americans who trade digital assets. this request also give the advantage to foreign companies that do nots have to comply with the rule. and driving innovation overseas. later this week, we'll vote on senator ricketts' resolution to

prevent unnecessary expansion of the consumer protection financial bureau. the biden administration made a last-ditch effort to increase government supervision of venmo and pay pal by expanding the cfpb's authority. these type of apps are already regulated. and they counted for just 1% of the cfpb's consumer complaints in 2023. why add another layer of bureaucracy? apparently, democrat can't help but see innovation as an opportunity for regulation. all told, the biden administration saddled americans with 1.8 trillion in regulatory burdens. that's a big weight on the economy and on crucial industries like american energy. we will continue our work to alleviate these burdens. mr. president, the biden administration left our nation facing a lot of challenges, but we are turning the page on the

biden administration's failed policies and i firmly believe there is a brighter future ahead. i look forward to hearing from president trump tonight as he outlines his vision for american greatness. mr. president, i yield the floor, and i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. alsobrooks.

>> i yield back the balance of my time. >> the gentleman yields. i now recognize the raking of of the full committee mr. larson. you have five minutes but take all the time you want. >> thank you. for holding today's hearing. to examine the ways we can pretty air-traffic control infrastructure and staffing. what you think the witnesses as well today for joining us, representing aviation, the airlines, aviation experts are all playing a critical role in helping us understand how we can ensure safety to the flying public. the tragic near collision near the washington national airport and the internet should not midweight in recent runway incursions prove a stark reality that the u.s. aviation systems

incredibly straight. as this committee continues to keep the victims and families some of whom are here today in our thoughts, , it reminds me of the importance of the work that we're doing and what's at stake in the field to address the challenges they continue to play the national airspace system. one year in implication of the 20124 faa reauthorization law in a few weeks into the new administration, this committee is at a critical juncture for use aviation as the administration is wasting valuable time and resources we we need to invest in safety investments enhancements now. enhancements to the faa's infrastructure. we have to grow and support our skill aviation safety workforce. we need to reject the administration any administration action that undermines or demoralizes and we need these folks showing up to work every day focus on the work, about who won the going to build a go to work the next day.

the overwhelming bipartisan tone 24th faa reauthorization faa reauthorization law is a blueprint for the reforms are new to improve the system. these solutions are well reasoned. the solutions were hard-fought. these solutions present the best path forward towards improving the safety of the mast. the primary responsibility is to facilitate the safe operation. rely solely on the expertise of faa's workforce for what it's air-traffic controllers tracking air-traffic across the country, operation specialists in a solid defensemen with equipment at u.s. airports or even program assistance for supporting various teams at the agency, they all are critical in achieving the safety mission at the faa. aviation experts have long raise concerns of the understaffing of the faa's safety critical roles. the independent safety review team found these workforce gaps quote further erode the margin

of safety and increase risk, , d quote. it's alarming then such us tenuous time for aviation administration has decided to purge the faa of employees. hundreds of them. these folks are not a handful of junior hires as some have callously claimed. they are talented individuals who dedicated their lives to aviation safety in careers, and service to their country. mr. chairman, i would like to in into the if you could, a letter from myself and ranking member cohen and other democratic colleagues and have had a chance to talk to the sector the second. demanding answers on the firing and unproductive with the emails and other department will prevent these actions from jeopardizing additional safety. >> without objection. >> the reauthorization law recognizes the importance of the safety workforce by requiring the agency to higher the maximum numbers of controllers in the

academy, update the adequate staffing model for controllers come safety inspectors and other critical safety positions, and expand the agencies training resources. m be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: so, mr. president, tonight, donald trump will address the nation before a joint session of congress. this will be the fifth time donald trump speaks from the house chamber, and by now the american people know just what to expect. they can expect donald trump to launch a deluge of mistruths and falsehoods. but tonight we won't hear one peep from donald trump about his broken promise to bring inflation down on day one. we won't hear one syllable about how donald trump's policies are making inflation and the costs that average american families pay worse. so, this morning, let's start here, let's start about that here, starting with tariffs. last night, for the first time in decades, the president of the united states imposed 25%

tariffs on nearly all goods coming from canada and mexico. what does this mean for the american people? what do donald trump's tariffs mean for the american people? they're going to pay more, everyday costs are about to become more expensive. it means, according to the ceo of target, to take one example, consumers could see higher prices within days. this is not something six months out. that includes everything -- price of gas, produce, cars, cheese, dairy products, coffee, even chocolate. american farmers are going to pay -- will pay more for fertilizer, which means food prices go up. new furniture will become more expensive as canada is a major supplier of lumber. refrigerators, washers, microwaves, lap toms -- laptops, clothing, shoes, all will likely see increases. hold on to your hat, mr. and

mrs. america. when you bring it all together, the average u.s. household could see $2,000 in increased expenses a year, and that's a conservative estimate. let me repeat that. the average american family, $2,000 more out of their pockets, their hard-earned dollars that they're struggling to stretch, and now another added increase, all that didn't have to happen because donald trump is imposing taxes -- tariffs on canada and mexico. it's been clear that in the past, when applied intelligently, precisely, tariffs can be a useful tool, against adversaries that engage in unfair trade practices that harm american workers. the tariffs against china years ago are one example of this. but the situation today is completely different. it makes no sense to start a trade war with america's closest trade partners, because the casualty of that trade war will be consumers and american

households. so let's get it straight. donald trump's tariffs are a tax on working americans to the tune of $2,000 or more a year. why are they doing this? why are they doing this? well, he says fentanyl, but less than 1% of the fentanyl that comes into the country comes from canada. it's one of the ways they can close that budget hole when they take huge tax breaks for billionaires. this is another place, another place where donald trump and the republicans are raising your costs so they can cut taxes for billionaires. it's unbelievable. i don't think this is going to be seen very positively by the american people . now, let's talk about one month into the trump administration. on his first day in office, donald trump promised a golden age was coming over the horizon. but when donald trump speaks tonight, his promise of a golden

age will feel like ancient history. so this morning, let's talk about donald trump's many broken promises. as a candidate, donald trump promised when i win, i will immediately bring prices down starking on day one -- starting on day one. he said grocery prices will come tumbling down, he said, when he gets elected. instead, what's happened? inflation has gone not down but up. gas prices were 2% up from the previous month. chicken, pork, beef, all more expensive. eggs, 15% higher than last month. what's donald trump's solution to all of this? the secretary ever agriculture said yesterday, americans should just buy their own chickens to lay their own eggs. is he serious? this is the agriculture secretary? americans should buy their own chickens to lay their own eggs? who are they kidding? as a candidate, donald trump also said vote trump and your

incomes will soar, your network will skyrocket. to be fair, if you're a billionaire, he's telling you the truth. but if you're not rich, donald trump and republicans' signature legislation is to cut medicaid and social security and other programs by hundreds of billions of dollars in order to pay for tax breaks for the billionaires club. let's look at another claim by donald trump. the next economic boom will begin the instant donald trump has won four more years. that's his quote. he said the next economic boom will begin the instant donald j. trump has won four more years. let's look at what actually happened. last month, consumer confidence took its biggest nosedive in years. retail sales dropped unexpectedly by 0.5%. unemployment filings hit their highest levels since last fall. the s&p 500, one of donald trump's favorite measuring sticks, erased all the gains this year.

and now donald trump has started a trade war with our closest trading partners. that is not what an economic boom looks like. this is economic anemia, created by donald trump's own policies. i could go on, because there are so many people being hurt, and such policies of such foolishness. donald trump promised to take care of veterans, yet doge tried to fire hundreds of critical staffers from the v.a., including crisis hotline staff and funding for cancer treatments. housing costs are up. electricity bills are up. if there's any golden age to be had under donald trump, it's a golden age for lawlessness, it's a golden age for billionaires and their club. it is not a golden age for americans who work hard every day, an honest life to make ends meet, but i doubt we'll hear any of that from donald trump tonight. finally, i'm proud to welcome

seven new yorkers to tonight's joint meetings of congress. these new yorkers are examples of some of the very people who donald trump promised to help but who he has left behind. first, i'm honored to welcome emma larsen, a 12-year-old middle school student from long island with a rare genetic disease, which has been treated, thanks to nih funding research. emma was dosed with spinal muscular atrophy as a 1-year-old. at the time, there was no cure. thanks to research at an nih-funded lab in cold springs, new york, emma received a breakthrough drug that changed sma's prognosis. her story shows why nih funding is lifesaving, and we should stand up against efforts to slash funding. imagine, slashing funding to nih, which helps people like emma lives so you can give a tax break to billionaires who are already doing very well, thank

you? i'm also proud to welcome elissa elman, disabled army veteran recently fired from the v.a. in western new york. she served honorably in afghanistan and was diagnosed with a rare cancer associated with toxic burn pit exposure. even while receiving treatment, she wanted to work, she wanted to serve her fellow veterans, she got a job at the buffalo v.a. guess what -- last week, elissa found herself locked out of a computer and later found out doge eliminated her position. this woman served in afghanistan, got burned pits, serving her country in the veterans administration to help other veterans. all of a sudden no word, no notice, locked out of a computer and found that doge eliminated her position. is that the golden age?

for whom? alyssa is one of 2500 v.a. employees who were fired by doge. putting the care of our nation's veterans at risk. tonight i also welcome tiffany ramos from rome new york who worked at the usda office in syracuse and was fired from her job helping rural farmer and businesses across upstate new york. tiffany is one of many usda employees fired with no notice despite years of service leaving farmers across america wondering who is left to help them. amazing. these people worked hard. there was nothing against them. they didn't get a notice saying you didn't do this, this, this. you can improve this way, this way, that way. they're just fired. it's cruel. it's heartless. it's nasty. it's lacking knowledge and fax based and it hurts america, in this case our farmers. i'm also proud to welcome two medicaid recipients, jessica

martinez and medina garcia. they were both cancer survivors who depended on medicaid to afford their medication and receive treatment. and finally, it is truly my honor to welcome ornon and ruby, father of eti chen. as we all know, omar and itay were tragically murdered by vicious hamas thugs right on october 7, the day of the massacre, the day of the invasion of israel. in the case of omar's family, it wasn't until a year later they learned he was murdered by hamas on october 7. how cruel. hamas let them worry. i met with them numerous times. is our son alive? is he dead? is he okay? is he wounded? viciousness of hamas, the viciousness. as for itay, he was taken

hostage and tragically murdered by hamas on the border of gaza october 7. after months fighting for his return, itay's family learned he was also murdered that terrible day. this is the depths of hamas's cruelty. for months they refused to even acknowledge that omar and itay had been murdered. they kept these families in anguish, in the dark. what a horrible feeling to wonder if your child is alive or dead. and hamas knowing it dangles cru cruelly the possibility they may be alive when they weren't. families wondered over and over again are our children alive, are they dead, and of course tragically their worst fears happened. what omar and itay's family have endured, it's beyond comprehension. i'm inspired by their

perseverance, their resolve to keep calling for the safe return of host annuals even though their loved ones are gone and for the return of the bodies of their loved ones which is essential by jewish law. there's no time to waste. i continue working for as long as it takes to finally bring every last hostage and the remains of the hostages no longer with us home at last. it's an honor to welcome all my guests to the capitol.

mr. barrasso: mr. president. the presiding officer: i recognize the senator from wyoming. mr. barrasso: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, tonight president trump will tat podium and he will have a joint address to congress and clearly to the nation. just heard the minority leader of the senate come to the floor and talk about president trump's promises. let me talk about those promises, properly maces made -- promises made, promises kept by president trump. he's only been in the office now for seven weeks and he is a very -- he has a very strong record of accomplishment in those seven weeks. what did he promise he would do? he said he would cut wasteful washington spending. that's a promise he's kept. what we are seeing is the most comprehensive audit of federal

spending of money in history. this administration already in just these short weeks has identified $55 billion of savings. president trump promised to secure the border. well, he's kept that promise as well. he immediately began deporting criminal illegal immigrants. they're here in the country illegally and they were criminals, heinous crimes. we're talking about murderers, rapists, drug dealers. the word got out around the world illegal border crossings in february dropped to an all-time low. president trump said he would unleash american energy. he's kept that promise as well. from day one president trump declared a national energy emergency. now, this is going to unlock america's full energy potential. he withdrew from the climate

accord. did it once before but joe biden put us back in. what we saw in the biden administration is they applied handcuffs to american energy producers and american energy production. president trump said no, we're not doing that. he's opened alaska's vast amounts of energy for the american people. he pulled the plug on biden's electric vehicle mandates. he reopened 625 million acres of offshore drilling. remember joe biden in the final days of his administration with his midnight regulation to ban that exploration for american energy. president trump promised to protect women who participate in sports. he kempt that promise. -- kept that promise. the trump administration marched a return to common sense. we have seen that return to common sense also, mr. president, in here in the united states senate. because we're determined to get

america back on track. there is no time to waste. one measure of our rapid start is the historic pace with which we've been able to confirm members of president trump's cabinet. senate republicans have now confirmed 20, 20 members of president trump's cabinet. we confirmed president trump's education secretary just last evening. so compared to previous presidents, this is a remarkable pace. it's more confirmations than president obama had at this point in 2009, more confirmations than president biden had in 2021. it surpasses the timeline of any president in recent history. president trump's nominees are strong, they are smart, they have a history of success, and that history is going to continue now that they're members of the cabinet. our successes have direct impact

on president trump's agenda. with his team in place, president trump has been able to execute effectively and efficiently. the senate is also acting decisively to secure the border. within days of taking office, senate republicans passed the laken riley act. the laken riley act is named after a young nursing student in georgia. she was murdered by an illegal immigrant. she was just out for a jog. we've named the bill in her honor. the laken riley act saves american lives. it requires illegal immigrant criminals to be deported. it was bipartisan legislation, 12 democrats voted with us to pass this legislation. and it is now the law of the land. the laken riley act sends a clear message that tragedies like this can never be allowed to happen again in the united states of america. that the era of open borders is over. senate republicans mean

business. after years of crises, we are now securing the border. the numbers tell the story. we are deporting illegal immigrant criminals on a daily basis. and we are also working with the house of representatives on our shared agenda. we're delivering on the promises that we made to the american people. we're going to secure the border, we'll restore peace through strength, we're unleashing american energy, and we're going to stop the democrats oncoming freight train of a $4 trillion tax increase. democrats oppose all. these things. they want to raise american public taxes by $4 trillion. mr. president, we're going to stop that. president trump is only 43 days in this office, this historic presidency, an incredible victory, the comeback king as i call him for his ability to win this election. 312 electoral votes.

every one of the battleground states. and this president has not wasted a second, a minute, an hour, or a day in office because he knows how important it is to act quickly, and he's doing that. he's solving the urgent problems that are facing our nation, what the american people elected him to do. it's what the american people expect and that's what the american people are seeing. so the president is working with the house and with the senate, all of us working together to get america back on track. and we're going to deliver what the american people have asked for, safety and prosperity for the people of this great country. thank you, mr. president. 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.

okay, over time through patricians compensations everything else. let's have you live or its affordable and with these facilities where they work together and have resiliency. but we need to all work together to be able to come up with a plan. right now the faa is somewhat paralyzed because they always tell us they can't come forward

with the plan because even if they want to bring down one system, old system that is no longer ngb or things like that that someone will get upset at them. it's been very frustrating for all of us that it said we want to work to be able to do what you the congress told the faa to do and we can't get them to move forward. so we have to collectively support you and a leadership that you all can provide to be able to go and tell you how to write size of these facilities. we have to get rid of this craziness of trying to shut down the faa, portions of the fh at that if we government shutdown. we have our controllers that are forced to work without pay but if we look at this people don't realize with the faa starts to prepare for a shutdown call it causes problems to the whole system which they're starting to do in case will shut down next week.

it takes weeks and sometimes months even to reconstitute. there's multiple things we want in industry to work together and help this committee that we surely hope it is this committee that leads the way, talk to your colleagues both on the appropriations side but also in the senate and smart ways where we can use the trust them. we have examples of the harvard maintenance fund and other sons -- harbor -- smart multi-year programs to be able to start to fix this. we look forward to working closely with you. >> thank you, mr. bunce. mr. daniels your regular. >> good morning. thank you for the opportunity to testify before you on this important subject. my name is nick daniels and of the present national air traffic controllers association, natca. i'm a proud air-traffic controller for the last 21 years as a civilian air-traffic controller, 19 years at fort

worth, texas, mrap traffic control center and to use dallas tower. also proudly served as the sergeant in the united states marine corps with five years as a cow and raider air-traffic controller. i want to start by saying natca grieves for the families, friends and communities that were devastated by the aviation accident on january 29 at washington national airport. we remain steadfast in our commitment to work with all federal agencies investigating the accident. natca takes pride in our role as the aviation safety organization and stand shoulder to shoulder with congress, the executive branch, the industry stakeholders to ensure a national airspace system means the safest in the most efficient in the world. we have always seek to be part of that social look forward to working with congress and administration to address the challenges we face today and in the future. our subject matter experts play a critical role in safety, training and modernization of the national airspace system.

it is essential that natca is able to collaborate with secretary duffy, acting administrator committees of congress along with the industry stakeholders of this pivotal subject. the . the 10,800 dedicated american air-traffic controllers, , thouh 3600 short of what's needed along with other aviation safety professionals that we represent threat the faa, to provide defense of federal contract our programs are vital to the united states economy. we insured the safe and efficient movement of millions of passengers and tons of cargo through a dynamic airspace each day. we would like to thank this committee for passing the faa reauthorization act of 2024 with overwhelming bipartisan support. the law includes many critical provision on of hiring, traig and staffing including maximum hiring for air-traffic controllers for the duration of the bill. the foundation of the air-traffic control system is the hard-working men and women. the national airspace system requires a sufficient number of

wholly certified air-traffic controllers to meet the faa operational statutory and contractual requirements. this includes modernizing procedures, equipment and facilities and integrating the next wave of aviation users through unmanned aerial vehicles and more. we are concern these staffing a training event is could be disrupted by a government shutdown later this month. several years ago with a government shutdown for 35 days the faa was required to close its training academy and missed its original hiring target i over 500 trainees. government shutdowns also disrupt or halt the modernization programs which can take months to restart. congress has consistently provided the faa with the resources it requests through the authorization of topline numbers and the annual appropriations process. however, the faa has historical requested to little funding and we now have significant backlog of system necessarily sustainment and replacement.

many faa facilities have exceeded their expected lifecycles when major systems fail they can lead to air-traffic delays. the united states and the american people deserve the best of facilities and equipment the we can provide the safest travel possible. as an example the faa's 20 what mrap traffic control centers were built in the 1960s. fort worth, seattle, kansas city city, memphis and indianapolis to name a few. a are between 59-64 years old. the tower and rater facilities also require attention. the average faa operator tower is the 36 years old. this to sustaining of these assistance as well as to enhance and support critical safety and modernization programs the faa projects it will need $6 billion annually for its facilities and equipment account. to be clear we have experienced success. last year the agency and natca were able to fast-track the deployment of the surface awareness initiative call the tool that will help controllers

mitigate the risk of wrong landings in runway incursions. now we need to do point to other traffic facility. natca's involvement as a partner will ensure that the faa continues to deliver on these initiatives to industry stakeholders and the flying public on time and and cost savings to the american taxpayer. transportation secretary sean duffy said he wanted to ensure illinois. mr. durbin: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: thank you, mr. president. i've been honored to serve in the united states senate for a number of years, and i carry with that service a great number of memories, but there's one that was particularly personal that i'll never forget. the year was 2021 and the day was january 6. the senate chamber was filled

with members who were witnessing a meeting required by our constitution where the vice president presided over the senate, where you're sitting. we gathered here and counted the electoral votes to determine who was the president. as a result of the 2020 election. it's a fairly routine undertaking, but there is some sol lementy to it because the constitution requires it. and i can recall that episode because it was a hectic day. it was the same day that president trump, was leaving the office, had called a rally at the end of the mall. thousands of people had showed up and they decided to march on the capitol at the president's urging and invitation. that's not unusual in this town or even in in building that

protesters would gather to state their purpose as they are entitled to in a democracy. but this was different. the group that was coming up here was not protesting or gathering for speeches. they had some other intent. and we weren't sure what it was. i can recall it was a few minutes after 2 o'clock in the afternoon on that day. vice president pence was sitting where you are, and in the midst of the proceedings some group, i believe now that it was the secret service, came in and literally physically removed vice president pence from where you're sitting, leaving the chair empty while we were in session. it was a startling moment. what is going on here? in a few minutes the representative of the capitol police stood at the podium where you're sitting and made an

announcement. now for those who don't know the capitol police, they are our security force many they are the ones ones -- they are the ones who keep us safe as we do the duties of the government and they protect everyone in the building, tourists, staff, everyone. they literally risk their lives for us. so one of them came and stood before us in uniform and said, there's a group approaching the capitol and we ask you all to stay in your seats. this is going to be a safe place here in the senate chamber. others will join you along the walls and don't worry about it. we're all going to be safe in this building. it wasn't ten minutes later that another capitol policeman came before us and said, plans have changed. everyone evacuate the chamber as quickly as possible. we went outside and saw through the windows the demonstrators

with their signs coming towards the capitol, some were approaching the chill in different directions, we were spirited off to another office building on capitol where we -- capitol hill where we were protected. that's a day i'll never forget. i've been come into this building since i was a college student at georgetown years ago. this is a special place to me. it is not my office building, it is the united states capitol. it has significance as a symbol. it means something to have a mob take over the capitol as happened that day, pushing members of the house and senate to hide in broom closets and to leave the building for their own personal safety. i never dreamed that would happen in the united states of america, but i lived it, it happened, and the american people know it happened because the videos are quite graphic.

they tell the story of what was going on that day. at the end of the day, many of us were in different places watching the c-span broadcast, the rioters coming into this chamber, going through my desk and many others, posing for pictures and in the presiding officers's chair. it was a sad scene. i thought to myself at the time when if we noticed the house of commons and parliament in london, england had been overtaken. it doesn't happen. this is a civilized country, england, it couldn't happen there. it didn't. it happened here. as a result of it, the department of justice, took those people, those violent

rioters seriously and prosecuted almost 1600 of them for wrongdoing. some of them very serious sentences, some just trespassing. but they were all taken seriously and treated appropriately. they answered under the law for their conduct that fatal day. so what happened when this new president came to office? he decided that isn't what happened at all on january 6. these tourists, these demonstrators were assaulted by the police. he ignored the fact that 140 law enforcement officials were injured on that day protecting this building and the people in it. he ignored the fact that three or four people died shortly thereafter because of that experience. he decided the people who needed our sympathy were the rioters and not the police and so the president, one of his first acts in office, president trump, signed the pardon of some 1600

individuals. i've come to the floor to report to you what's happened since in the few weeks that passed since that mass pardon by president trump. i want to tell you the story today of several of the people who were involved in january 6 and pardoned by president trump. last week, body camera video was released depicting a traffic felony arrest where a schaefer -- sheriff's deputy fatally shot matthew huddle, not the first to be shot by a policemen after being pardoned by president trump. the video footage confirmed there was a struggle during which, huddle, raised an object believed to be a firearm. amount the beginning of the traffic stop, huddle can be seen stating, i want to let you know i'm a january 6 defendant. quote, i stormed the capitol. i'm waiting on my pardon.

investigators later recorded a load.9 millimeter handgun, he was involved in the january 6 riot. he pleaded guilty to one count of remaining in a restricted building on grounds in his role of the insurrection and sentenced to six months in prison. peter schwartz had four counts of assaulting police officers during the january 6 attack on the capitol. schwartz was seen on body camera footage spraying officers with pepper spray, wielding a baton and threw the first chair at officers. prior to january 6, schwartz had amassed criminal convictions in more than four different states for crimes including domestic

violence, threatening his girlfriend and assaulting security officers. one of his former girlfriends, a 43-year-old factory worker who has -- who voted for president trump three times, said that she fierce for her -- fears for her safety now that swartz has been pardoned and released. she said that schwartz repeatedly beat her until she called the police in july of 2019. in reacting to schwartz's involvement in the insurrection, he stated, he found an opportunity to gn be violent. the -- go be and violent. he this thrives on violence. another of schwartz's girlfriends shelly stallings filed a police report in 2020, alleging that schwartz bit her forehead and punched her in the head. he was pardoned by

president trump. jeremy brown, one of the last january 6 defendants remaining behind bars since president trump's blanket pardon was released from prison westerns. he -- wednesday. he -- prosecutors did not think he was covered by the pardonon. in april of 2023, brown was convicted in tampa, florida of possessing a short-barrel rifle, shotgun, explosive grenades resulting from a january 6 law enforcement search of his residence in september of 2021. he was sentenced to 87 months in prison for those charges and released by the pardon of president trump.

mr. president, this is a horrible situation, and sadly, tragically, these are people who never should have been pardoned by the president. they attacked the police here in this building. they desecrated this capitol. they were not the victims. they victimized innocent people who were doing their job under the constitution. mr. president, on an unrelated topic, instead of improving the lives or lowering prices for americans, we're seeing policies of the trump administration do exactly the opposite. the president spent his time trying to systematically dismantle the federal government, creating lives with our closest allies, and now imposing destructive tariffs on our biggest trading partners. the tariffs he has unleashed, 25% on canada and mexico, as well as an additional 10% on china, will hurt american consumers and supply chains and un undermine american manufacturing. illinois is the fourth largest

exporter in the nation. in 2023 our exports to canada totaled more than $21 billion, billion, these tariffs will hurt illinois farmers, workers and manufacturers, not to mention consumers. additional tariffs on our three biggest trading partners will add to the economic strain already beginning to show under the new administration. a survey of consumer sentiment published last month recorded its largest monthly decline in four years, due to large part to concerns about trade and tariffs. tariffs are taxes. they are taxes that the consumers of america will have to pay. these levels of concern have not been seen since the trade wars in president trump's first term. as americans already struggle under the weight of high housing costs, these tariffs will make things worse. much of the lumber used to build new homes in the united states comes from canada, and more than 70% of the imports of two

essential materials that home builders rely on, softwood lumber and gypsum, come from canada and mexico. with a 25% tariff on imported goods from those two countries, american home builders will need to pay more, and so will the consumers. while the president claims foreign countries will pay for u.s. tariffs, that isn't the truth, and we know what the truth. is the burden of tariff is carried by american companies and passed on to american cons consumers. indiscriminately slapping tariffs on goods means higher costs, on groceries, gas, cars, while inspiring retaliatory tariffs and even boycotts on american-made products, further hurting our economy. mr. president, i understand we're probably having a roll call. i see members coming to the floor. i ask that the remainder of my statement be entered into the record. the presiding officer: without

objection. majority whip? mr. barrasso: i move to proceed to calendar 11, s.j. res. 3. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: motion to proceed to calendar number 11, s.j. res. 3, providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5 united states code, and so forth. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. 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. ms. blunt rochester. in everything the it we have a , we've got to. do enforce that so the rich employees only focus they have not thank you for the questions. we are in the probationary status. we are not.

>> it is essential in what's needed. in line, did not. and replacement in the is there top five list box for whatever

reason medical information and three operational dictates and what they were doing, i think it would be good. you and support and promotion is good idea of the. the floor on the program and the

efficiency they are identified. informed congress. >> thinking of a construction company. the work environment you should focus on those in the loop instruction because cannot related. it made a lot of sense. my analogy is this program assistance and members in support of those safety and

hired. now personally to do that program. they are in the safety mission. >> how this works, everybody has a role to play and work they need and the safety inspectors, because of the folks right there. everything they do in the maintenance mechanics and they create parts identified obstacles.

and the different jobs serious. >> so the effort here is fire people but not necessarily get rid of the work. it is the aviation work without actually noticing it. the safety and sector workforce by causing them to do other things.wa it's typically the workforce and

the shutdown of the oklahoma city shut down and the modernization anywhere between 100, upwards of 500 throughout that given. >> thank you. >> we are just going to lay on this. and positive. mr. daniels, is this correct?

>> twenty-six years. >> can you tell me what we are looking at on the screen? mecca gradually lowered we calls the stars, it's what their looking at and referencing. five. does anybody know and lease helps? >> the united states and help the satisfaction early out. >> we are looking at it, it looks like it's 40 years old or a quarter of a century. the desired not to put too much

information distract them and extremely proficient the conflicting air traffic but anybody who looks at the screen and wonders how it's a state-of-the-art for air traffic control in the united states is really perplexed. can you talk about the legacy systems but when is the last time? is about a third of the systems that are unsustainable. the technician second help maintain the systems and run

into funding issues as well. when you look at modernization and a couple of different areas, one of the cost, or the risk? and a need to make sure they are not distracting these unsustainable is. >> we go back and review audio situations it seems likely audio is barely intelligible. why is it hard to understand? is not an artifact of recording device or what they are actually

hearing? >> thank you for the question. multiple aircraft and frequencies we work with contractors and many occasions in those very moments and we tell them we to bring it back. >> they heard the construction do it, what can we do to improve? 's or anything you know that we can do?

>> improve communications controllers and there may be others involved there are a number of misreads out there. get this through, it's amazing how quiet they get. there really is a great enhancer in the amount of traffic we see we are going to need more.

>> thank you and thank you for your witness and testimony today. it is supposed to be the location and a tragic air traffic collision as well as suspicious mass layoffs.

the american public. there's so dedicated to working in a bipartisan fashion. and swiftly but the legislation. in the just want to confirm but understandings, can you verify who presents? like i do. >> thank you. owned and operated trump will in my district and funny across the

country at six years old and traffic control is one of the oldest is the majority of traffic control. when it will invest and completed design in approximately 5.6 billion in thise. equipment account with maintain modernized throughout the u.s.

>> sorry about that is a variety of ways 1995 the procurement is exercise or we believe and what we have to do to galvanize all of us and stop talking about for almost 15 years will talk about it over and over again in figure out what everyone can do together. everyone must want to get it. we all have our differences we all came together. that takes a little pressure off and new ways of doing things. i first came here to testify for

three days now my job, i came that is that had been written for years, the same thing over and over again. >> modernizing our aviation infrastructure and they are intricately linked and highly billed workforce to do their job well repair aviation in the departure and it is very limited. a looming government shutdown, how the administration and potential failure to brother strength air traffic controllers? >> a pipeline in the system for

the academy. the pressures every day of the system and a lot of times it's paycheck to paycheck pressures on that. >> thank you. >> i recognize myself five minutes. appreciate your testimony before the committee today and i want to appreciate your work in the job you do everyday on one side of the equation the air traffic controllers in the right directions the air estate as possible.

hoping there was some insight in the collision alert. >> i can't speak to specifics. a legislative maybe during that as we understand walked me through what that would look like?

and something that is so frequent clutter for the work will. in the general aviation over the top of another air force so we do have people on the committee's and evaluate and engage and find ways. and the efforts are underway and actual alerts that might draw attention in a more urgent passion.

>> as long as we actually work create design. >> thank you. mr. darrell, question for you, can you walk us through the system and how it works? that's not a system to maintain, that is something the airline handles themselves.

>> we've got multiple systems out there so it does get inhibited on your letter to the ground. the capability being able to have awareness of altitude especially that video there, a two-dimensional division. the depiction was available closer to the ground. >> audio tone below a certain altitude but i believe it is below 500. the alert will come, a standoff

separation thought alert approaching 500 feet and prior to that threshold. >> it gives you commands to go on. >> my last question, have short on time. the air transportation system heavily relied on the there are fewer and fewer that are operational by now that we would not have a backup system for. >> the issues with cps and the

aspect. >> you know how many are no longer operational? >> they call it the bor and there is a number of them on this list based operation and we could get the numbers. >> thank you. >> right now the american public is understandably concerned. there's air traffic controllers feeling the weight of uncertainty wondering at the systems in place to protect them from we need to be.

they're not just unlucky mistakes, they are warning signs of the constraints. they are overworked and understaffed. unnecessary risk in the aviation system. we all understood air traffic controllers and improving air traffic control technology were not optional and necessary steps and despite his clear mandate, the industry is being delayed and even cut to the workforce. i am guns firing over 500 faa

employees and maintaining a system with aviation safety already at risk about how the system is compromised and the glaring conflict of interest if he tries to course the faa verizon a warning to overhaul the communications system the backbone of the controlled starbucks. after firing experience employees they would have collected a two place verizon

which won the contract to clint corbin feeling valid contract for the air traffic control system. at threat to the safety of the public not making aviation system safer or better, it's jeopardizing public safety and ability to track and manage air traffic safely. where is theo. accountability ad urgency? stress is never helpful. air traffic control services

undeniably fun of the most stressful jobs in the world. no reason to add unnecessary challenges. we are witnessing actions only interpreted as a tax on corrections got undermined their ability to perform their duties and it increases the stress on air traffic control. >> thank you for the question. i can speak to our workforce the amount of stress and accusations and negative comments because

folks to wonder if they will have a job tomorrow and pull people out of their position. you wonder how it's going to play out. >> let me ask mr. daniels to answer that. >> any uncertainty brings added risk and technologies in the testing and development and standards and elon musk has it.

>> if you are leaning on the contract to save their own job and the people at risk. and in the world work an incredible lady. if she were to walk in right now, i would think i was in trouble for something. i know we have 17 critical air traffic control systems and the

timeline for about ten years and prioritizes the risks during that period of time but only got five minutes. >> the risk assessment and modernization assessment but there were additional systems that needed planned. >> i think the answer is not enough and we are so far behind and the systems globally needs to be rather how do we make action happen?

was the vision going to be like? we in the industry we really is that modernization priorities and we don't have to do it tomorrow, we have a logical plan. we. >> i'll be brief, please remain committed on these priorities.

there is radar in surveillance for higher prioritizes and this committee did. >> thanks for the question. the systems we are talking about any of those and it is still waiting. >> 92% are spent on the legacy systems. >> how much? >> 92% fence on colonization but modernization is broken, they are not doing a lot at this

time. >> cybersecurity threats and we find out that they have the ability to crack into them during the korean war and they will antiquated. >> that's one of the main reasons it's so hard because if you take equipment in the airspace system we can experience that with the modernization and across the country.

>> saw the legacy systems are dependent upon the enterprise system and implementation of that and it has to be replaced. >> thank you. >> i recognized mr. carson for five minutes of questions. >> after tragic loss of 67 lives, i believe it is past time to fix the problem of helicopter traffic in one of the busiest runways in the country. i believe there's a pause or

military traffic and interested in learning if you all agree changes should be made permanently. to get all the hands-on training, do you think permanently changing air traffic patterns and our testimony on permanently spending with certain exceptions and we evaluated. numeral thank you for the

question that we have safety in place safety council across the tire system local level and the mandates. to affect and working together on these procedures. >> that area on january 29 it is a known conflict every year. the area of the situation call.

>> what more should we be thinking about from military aviation and expertise? improvements in program. >> continued effort times over is the involvement and the troop train will come from this support both long-term investment and the equipments we use. anything else will be upended.

>> addresses those issues and training programs to get employees familiar with technology so we are able to do this at your manufacturing operators and controllers battle to get them familiar because technology is moving so fast and the more we can get the workforce to know the latest enhances the whole system. >> recruiting the best two handouts the pressure and we look forward to partnering with the faa recruiting and retaining those with all of these

concentrators. >> i think recruitment is difficult in the federal workforce. the gentleman yields back and we are open for questions. >> i've listened to most of your testimonies here and they are unsustainable. you take the mode of transportation. we need to act with urgency and we still have floppy disks still

today. we have to do something now. you talk about aging infrastructure and they've always been short of controllers and appears they are self-induced and this seems like it takes a tragedy to do something, is it going to take another tragedy to move the ball forward? i believe we should be ashamed of ourselves to allow technology we talk about we are the gold standard, the world is watching

but listen to the testimony today, we want the american people smelled we are aware of the issues and will address it so the next time you take your family vacation, you will get your final destination in the government is finally working for you is i don't know if i can say that today. >> you made it very clear what are we the gold standard or not ask we visited the training facility and we were talking,

these are kind of arbitrary what an air traffic controller at 56, i'm too old to be air traffic controller, i think he looks pretty healthy, doesn't he? too old. you just can't do it, i don't understand we come up with arbitrary ages. is that the number? about be changed knowing the lifestyles we need. >> thank you for the question. i would like to know, i believe

waivers are available for people and they are over 56 years old. i look at what we do in congress we fire you at 65. you're too old to be here. you just don't have that skill set anymore. i think it is age discrimination, i don't understand why but somebody would come up -- we shouldn't be firing people at 56 years old. i disagree, to fill the slot,

who are in the military. >> when did you transfer into the civilian sector? so you wouldn't have done it? >> is the age limit at 31. >> it is this level as well. you got to be under 31 years old. >> five minutes of questions. >> i offer unanimous consent

loverboy 14 transportation secretary and the implementation of 2024 and a letter from the airlines association and flight influence and congressional leadership and a letter from the association of flight attendants. >> without objection. >> i would like to begin, despite thinking you and the 30,000 faa employees who work hard every single day to keep our airways safe. and professionalism jobs in and

we value artwork and medication and your advantage points. the personnel on air traffic control planning. >> we haven't and was one of staff. the modernization the legacy systems one of the challenges on their parts but having those knowledgeable vexations. and it is certainly a challenge. uncle jim and go through and

what we represent, absolutely worried about the workforces and probationary, it does have him focus at hand and has him worried. >> what is really. there are several jobs out there and national airspace. maintenance mechanics are skills

trades, not unskilled people and they bring in a variety of different trades including electoral expertise responsible for restoring buildings and bringing them back until they can be replaced because now many of them are there, we don't have the ability to meet on these projects along the logistics of these surplus around the country so slowly but surely. >> we've heard probationary firings primarily affected non- safety critical less experienced staff, and you clarifies on that? >> let me talk about the

specialist for a moment and identify obstacles and develop litigation. they are very experienced as a contractor and they come over so one day they are contract and they are doing this work for many years, 19 were primarily on the work in the shows. >> i recognize mr. johnson alternate will really i think

last year we did some good things does look a lot of american attention authorization we need to prioritize replacement more than 50 years old. an airport where i fly south stuffs as of monday morning and the work there, they are doing their best so that we are able to successfully prioritize this and actually care about is truly trained and dedicated individuals. i told mr. daniels and years to get certified air traffic

controllers. i'm told the main constraint getting them ready to go is the field training. what can congress avoid constraints? >> number one is the continuation the training of individuals not to stop and always, anything that impedes the government shutdown as far as training and working with agencies are not in the latest 27% saving cap fairly and ability to be ready to go at any moment investment in the training simulators are the key.

>> be air traffic academy is there area so not going to the government shutdown it is field training. you're talking about simulators with the comfort of training or no? >> they do. go through training evaluation milestones and number one is show up and number two you do simulators work and many are outdated and they are an impediment our progress. >> so we should do more investment because that will reduce it? >> is been agreed upon by the 27%. >> so the same general topic, is it my understanding new

graduates would be trainers? somebody told me we got the graduated folks out the academy over to serve trainers rather than being in the field. >> i don't know anything about that. >> okay so what can congress do to move us in the right direction? >> commerce really has to hold the faa accountable for the bill if you have last year. you can go -- the joint resolution. the clerk: calendar number 11, s.j. res. 3, providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, united states code, and so forth.

ms. collins: mr. president.

the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i rise today to introduce legislation with my colleague from wisconsin, senator baldwin, to reauthorize the life span respite care program. mr. president, every day an estimated 53 million family caregivers attend to loved ones across all age groups, disabilities, and chronic conditions. respite care gives these full-time caregivers a much-needed opportunity to take a temporary break from their important responsibilities. caregivers help their loved ones remain at home and the decision to assume these responsibilities

full-time often delays the need for nursing home care. while many of these individuals care for an older adult, almost one-third of caregivers attend to family members under the age of 50. the value of their efforts is tremendous, amounting to more than $600 billion in uncompensated care each year. this compassionate task, however, can take a tremendous toll. caregivers experience higher mortality rates and are more likely to acquire acute and chronic health conditions themselves. respite care helps reduce mental stress and physical health problems that they may experience; thus helping to

keep caregivers healthy and families intact. yet almost 85% of america's caregivers have never received any respite services. as a senator representing the state with the oldest median age in the nation, the well-being of our older citizens and their caregivers is among my top priorities. since the life span respite care act was enacted in 2006, 38 states and the district of columbia have received grants to increase the availability and quality of respite services. our legislation would extend this programming for another five years through fiscal year 2030.

mr. president, in maine, there are approximately 166,000 family caregivers who provide 155 million hours of care to loved ones each year. the maine department of health highlighted the importance of respite care in a report released earlier this year that evaluates the maine state respite care program. participants shared how assistance made available through this program has enabled them to take much-immediated breaks -- much-needed breaks, reduce their anning date and -- anxiety and even reenergy their enthusiasm for caregiving. one mainer shared their access to respite care has meant that she has been able to truly visit with her parents when she spends

time with them instead of using all of that time just to do their chores, their yard work and other tasks. she says that it has been wonderful to have someone help care for her parents with their chores and shopping for their needs, and it has meant that she herself is far less tired. stories such as these emphasize the importance of respite care, of a break for these caregivers who are giving so much to their family members. although most caregivers are adults, there are also more than 5 million young people in our country who provide care for grandparents, parents, or siblings with disabilities. studies have found that approximately one in five young

adults who dropped out of school did so to care for a family member. these children often choose to give up activities that other teens should enjoy, such as extracurricular activities, sports, outside activities, and they may experience depression or anxiety. our legislation would clarify that young people who are caregivers, including those who are under age 18, are also able to access respite care services. mr. president, there is a large gap between caregivers who need respite services, who need a break from the 24-hour care of their loved ones, and those who actually receive this kind of

assistance. our bill would help close that gap by reauthorizing funding for this program that has helped states establish or strengthen respite services. this funding can be used to assist caregivers in finding available respite services to train and recruit volunteers, to provide temporary caregiving, and to provide financial support through vouchers so that caregivers can better afford respite services. our bill is widely supported by leading caregiver and respite organizations, including the arch national respite network and resource center, the alzheimer's association and the alzheimer's impact movement.

mr. president, our bipartisan legislation will provide the necessary resources to ensure that more caregivers have access to the respite services they need. i urge all of our colleagues to support this important bipartisan legislation. it will make a real difference for the caregivers, the family caregivers in our states. thank you, mr. president. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from wisconsin. ms. baldwin: thank you. today i rise to reaffirm my partnership with senator susan collins in the life span respite care reauthorization act of 2025. senator collins and i recognize the challenges that family caregivers face, and we have worked together over many years

to advance legislation to support the essential role that caregivers play in our communities. we were successful in passing legislation that establishes a national strategy to support family caregivers. the raise family caregivers act. and we are committed to reauthorizing the life -- life span respite caregiving act. every day family caregivers in wisconsin and across our country tend to the needs of their loved ones. although this work can be very, very rewarding, it can also be emotionally and physically challenging. after serving as my grandmother's primary caregiver as she got older, i know firsthand the time, the dedication, and the sacrifice

involved to keep our aging, disabled, or sick loved ones safe and well. caregiving can be a 24/7 job, and too often family caregivers compromise their own health to ensure that their loved ones are not left in limbo. respite care offers family caregivers a necessary break to focus on their own mental health and well-being. that's why i was proud to reintroduce our bipartisan legislation so that our family caregivers can access the support and the relief that they need. this bill would support family caregiversly reauthorizing the -- -- by reauthorizing the respite caregiving program which allows full-time caregivers to take a temporary break for their responsibilities caring for aging or disabled loved ones. across the country, there are

over 53 million americans who currently provide uncompensated care for their families, which provides an estimated $600 billion in uncompensated care each year. let that sink in. by protecting the health of caregivers, respite care decreases the need for professional long-term care and allows individuals who require care to remain at home. i look forward to continuing to work with senator collins to advance this important legislation in the 119th congress. and with that, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from missouri.

mr. schmitt: i rise today to argue for a swift and decisive confirmation of mr. colby. it is common today to hear leaders in foreign -- let me restart that. it is common today to hear leaders in the foreign policy establishment talk of upholding the rules-based international horde and promoting liberal values and norms. what is much less common is to hear anyone talk about tangible, concrete american interests. mr. colby is a welcome exception. he believes that america is a real concrete nation and people with real concrete interests. and that the fundamental purpose of our foreign policy is to protect and advance those interests. in the past 30 years, american

foreign policy has lurched from disaster to disaster. to be a friend of the reigning consensus is to be an advocate of same failed ideas that led us to spend trillions of dollars for causes that were not ours while leaving us woefully unprepared for the ones that are. america does not need more of the same. what america needs is a new approach, a new strategy, a new philosophy of strength for the 21st century. that is what elbridge colby will deliver. no one can argue that he is not qualified thor this role. he spent over 20 years working in the defense and foreign policy, serving in the department of state, the department of defense, and various national security positions at different think tanks. he served feignfully in the fairs trump administration as the deputy assistant secretary

of defense for strategy and force development where he was the lead author of the 2018 national defense strategy. from there, he founded a think tank, the marathon initiative, and wrote a book called "the strategy of denial." outlining his vision for confronting the true geopolitical challenge of our time. deterring and if necessary defeating the threats posed by a rising china. president trump's decision to nominate mr. colby to this position was not a mistake. this administration wants to carry out a fundamental and long overdue reorientation of our nation's foreign policy. and elbridge colby is a critical component of that mission. the media tells us that he is controversial. why? well, he believes that our foreign policy must prioritize our core interests and that means that we can't be everywhere at once doing

everything all the time. his critics say that makes him weak. in reality, it's exactly the opposite. the quickest and most certain path to weakness is to waste our blood and treasure on wilsonian adventurism abroad. and the real threats to america go unchecked. for years he has been one of the lone voices in the foreign establishment. it's true that mr. colby believes that the iraq war was a mistake. he does not believe that a hot war with iran would serve america's long-term interests. he believes that a costly and unwinnable proxy war in ukraine is an obstacle to our ability to he radio -- to rebuild our military. and that our european allies must step up and do more to defend their own continent, as the united states transitions to our focus in the indo-pacific. all of these things -- i should

say, on all of these things, the decisive majority of americans are on his side. even if the foreign policy establishment isn't. the political class in this city must come to terms with the fact that the world most of us grew up in no longer exists. president trump intends to drag this city, kicking and screaming, if necessary into the 21st century. that is what we saw at the white house last week, a new foreign policy are centered around uncompromising and unapologetic pursuit of the interests of the american people. mr. colby will play a key role in that project, and i look forward to watching him serve as our next under secretary of defense for policy. mr. president, i yield back.

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from rhode island. mr. reed: thank you, mr. president. on day one, president trump lit the fuse on elon musk's plan to hollow out the federal government by changing the name of an obscure technical office within the white house, the u.s. digital services, usds, and called it doge, without congressional authorization, and giving it extraordinary reach into the operations of the federal agencies. since then we have heard report after report about how mr. musk and doge have rammed their way into agencies not to make smart

decisions, not to improve efficiency, not to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse, but to disrupt, denigrate and demoralize. and along the way doge has made incredible blunders such as firing and then scrambling to rehire employees at the national nuclear security administration. let me repeat that. mr. musk and his minions fired the people who keep nuclear weapons safe, and then someone realized fortunately within a few days they had to come back. and here's another example. musk and his hackers made cia send an unclassified e-mail with the names of its recent hires. boy, if i was in the russian security service, i'd love to get a list -- which they did -- of everyone who's going into the

cia. they also cut staff from the federal aviation administration, the national weather service, who prevent and warn every american of travel and weather dangers. and it goes beyond that. agricultural interests listen daily to the reports, the accurate reports of the weather service so they can plan their crops, they can plan everything. and that's being withered away, and i think the ultimate goal is to privatize it, which is not the best way to go. these actions don't just reflect incredible incompetence, they are dangerous. they undermine national security and increase risks for american citizens. in any other setting blunders like these would be grounds for firing, but musk and doge operate with arrogance, impunity and zero transparency.

millions of americans are asking who are these people? as the ranking member of the financial services and general government appropriations subcommittee, the subcommittee ostensibly oversees the budget for the white house, uscs and doge, i'm asking the same question because congress, like the american people, is being kept in the dark. as appropriators, we typically work together on a bipartisan basis, no matter which party is in the white house, to get information, to conduct oversight, to ensure that federal dollars are spent in accordance with the laws passed by congress. but now without authorization from congress, doge is recklessly slashing its way through virtually every federal agency, from the office of personnel management, to treasury, to hud, to state, to

usaid, and to the department of defense, and more. it's vital that we understand what doge is and isn't. while elon musk tells us and the american people that doge is maximally transparent, it is not. we still do not have answers to fundamental questions like, what is the scope of doge's work? how many people work at doge? and who are they? do they also hold jobs at, say, the federal government? what are their financial holdings and potential conflicts of interest? do they have allegiances to foreign governments? will doge respond to requests under the freedom of information act? what are its plans to reform

agencies? who is doge firing and why? and many, many other questions. and unfortunately, when doge shares information, it is frequently wrong. as "the new york times" reported, five of doge's biggest claimed savings were deleted from its website because they were inaccurate. this includes a canceled usaid contract for $650 million which was counted by doge three times. a canceled social security contract was erroneously listed as being worth $232 million instead of the actual $560,000. and a canceled i.c.e. contract was listed as saving $8 billion

instead of $8 million. if you're going to name something the department of government efficiency, don't you owe it to the taxpayers to actually do a good job? on top of having zero accountability, doge legal authority to operate is dubious. doge has essentially taken over the usds which was originally established to help federal agencies more adeptly utilize technology to serve the american people. over the years usds helped establish everything from direct file, which helps taxpayers file their taxes for free, to direct mail covid tests, to a successful online passport renewal protocol. doge is now using the hallowed

shell of usds to illegally undo the american federal government, moving from agency to agency, cutting congressionally appropriated funds, priorities and even dismantling entire agencies. the bottom line is doge is without congressional authorization and without direct funding from congress, is acting to undermine the federal government. and, frankly, contempt to the united states congress as a constitutional body who creates the laws. the president's challenge in the constitution is to enforce those laws, not to circumvent the congress of the united states. based on a press report, it appears to be doge, populated by a mixture of unelected

billionaires, tech executives, and unvetted, inexperienced people, including an individual who is found to have posted racist tweets. this gang is being granted access to america's most sensitive data, like your bank accounts, your social security accounts, and it would seem a host of classified intelligence. and how are they using this information? how are they protecting this information from our enemies. is it being shared with outdoors enemies? is doge shall used to give mr. musk, his companies, and his billionaire friends an advantage when competing for government contracts? we simply don't know what this gang is doing inside the government. every single day that passes

without transparency and congressional access to information about doge's funding, staffing, and scope of work is a moment too long. with the current continuing resolution due to expire on march 14, we have big decisions to make. my hope is that these decisions can be made on a bipartisan basis informed by the facts, but we cannot responsibly fund the government if we do not understand how doge infiltrated it, made it less efficient and less responsive to taxpayers and essentially circumvented the responsibilities of the united states congress. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor.

mr. cornyn: i ask unanimous consent that the following members be able to speak before the lunch recess, myself for up to 15 minutes, senator murray, senator cantwell, and senator britt for up to ten minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cornyn: mr. president, as everybody knows tonight president trump will give an address to a joint session of congress. i look forward to attending the president's address and i am happy to welcome my friend,

abraham george, who will join me as a guest tonight. in addition three other texans will be joining the president tonight as his guests, alexis nugoury is an angel mom who lost her lovely 11-year-old daughter jocelyn. jocelyn was tragically murdered by two illegal immigrants two weeks before they were apprehended and released by the biden administration. next from texas, roberto ortiz who served nearly a decade on the u.s. border patrol. he has been tested repeatedly as he's been shot on multiple occasions by cartel members while on duty near the rio grande river in my home state and finally, elliston

barris is a vic of deepfakes. i applaud her for her courage in joining us here tonight for using her voice to speak out against the dangers imposed by new technologies. president trump has rightfully turned the page on a wide array of president biden's disastrous policies from reforming our runaway spending through doge, the department of government efficiency, to prioritizing investment in semiconductors in manufacturing to bringing our hostages held in gaza back home to their families. but perhaps one of his most significant accomplishments this far, and it's only been about six weeks, has been when it comes to border security, something near and dear to my heart and the heart of my 31 million constituents who call texas home. border secure played a significant role in the mandate

that the president got last november. the past four years were marked by president biden's failure to enforce the law and to secure our border. and this was, without a doubt, a crisis, a humanitarian and public safety crisis of the former administration's own making. this was truly a man-made crisis. starting from the campaign trail, president biden invited the massive wave of migration by promising a, quote, surge to the border for asylum seekers. can you imagine a president l inviting a surge to the u.s. border of asylum seekers? this is one promise that unfortunately he kept. but president biden's failures went far beyond just his rhetoric. in the early days of his presidency, president biden basically reversed every policy

president trump had put in place, including the remain in mexico policy which has been remarkably effective. in other words, people seeking asylum need to remain in mexico while their claim is being processed. and the truth is only about 15% of people who claim asylum in america who appear in front of an immigration judge ultimately are granted asylum. they meet the legal criteria, whereas the other 85% do not. the biden administration halted construction of president trump's border wall and instead used federal funds to stall already-paid for wall materials. not only did the taxpayer have to pay for the materials but they had to pay for the storage of those materials. as the border crisis continued to evolve for the worst,

president trump ended title 42, the covid era policy that was our last line of defense to keep a lid on the migrant crisis when president biden enforced other laws. as undoing the successful executive orders made by the first president trump administration, president biden decided to circumvent congress in an attempt to make illegal immigration legal using temporary programs that were never intended for that purpose. his department of homeland security created the cpb1 act, an app for your phone which allowed migrants to literally schedule a visit to a port of entry so they could claim asylum and enter the country. another biden-harris allowed

cuba, haiti, and nicaragua and venezuela to enter. that was 360,000 migrants who were basically told if you come, you can stay in the united states, but they were conferred a temporary status that left them all in legal limbo. let's not forget the biden white house cooking the books on illegal immigration by abusing the parole system. parole is a word, people who are familiar with the criminal justice understand, but this is different in immigration terms parole means you were essentially released into the united states even if you didn't claim a right to be able to stay, for example, a right to asylum, you're just simply released as a border patrol measure to avoid bad publicity at the border when people were

sleeping in the streets and lines were stacking up. we know what this looks like, a crisis of mass illegal immigration, human trafficking, drug trafficking across our southern border. approximately 100,000 americans die each year as a result of drugs that come across the southern border. approximately 70,000 from synthetic opioids like fentanyl, which the leading cause of death for young people between the age of 18 and 45. during all four years of the biden administration, a number of illegal migrant he encounters were cbp totaled over 10 million. that's basically 10 million people showing up and saying, let me into your country and the biden administration said, come on in. but on top of that, there were

were 1.7 million got-aways. now got-aways are people who were evading law enforcement who appear on some sensor, a camera or some other sensor and evade law enforcement. and, of course, we now know they are freely rooming the -- roaming the interior of the united states. if you know you can show up at the border and be able to enter, basically ushered into the country, why would you evade border patrol? i think the simple answer is these are people who knew they would not be able to enter because of criminal records because they were transporting drugs or some other illegal activity yet they made their way into the interior of the united states. fentanyl, which i mentioned a moment ago, was manufactured from chinese precursor chemicals smuggled through the open border which has taken tens of

thousands of lives. and the people of texas, the 31 million people that i'm honored to represent have felt the burden of president biden border -- disastrous border policies most acutely because we are closest to the problem. we are at ground zero. governor abbott, our outstanding governor and the legislature filled the gap when the federal government refused to do the job along the border. an international border is the responsibility of the federal government, not the state government. what is the state to do when federal government says we don't care about the law. it's up to you. governor object ott and the texas legislature stepped up and spent approximately $11.1 billion to fill the gap that should have been filled by

the federal government. and for that reason i am insisting that congress fulfill governor abbott's request to be reimbursed the $11.1 billion that the state -- that state taxpayers had to spend that rightfully should have been the expense of the federal government and federal taxpayers all across the country. there could be no doubt that this historic crisis was the direct result of president biden policies, and that's one reason why i believe not only he did not run but vice president harris lost the election. it was a rejection of those open-border policies. i'm looking forward to hearing the president discuss tonight the incredible strides his administration has made in just about six weeks since his inauguration. nowhere is that success more apparent than when it comes to border security. after four years of record

highs, cbp is now facing record lows. the border patrol tells me now we can do our job, we're not regulated to changing diapers or transporting migrants from one facility to another. we can actually keep out the worst of the worst and enforce the laws when it comes to border security. as soon as president trump was elected, even before he took office, the migrant flows began to subside. that's called deterrence. if you know the law is going to be enforced and you know you're not going to be successful making your way into the country, why would you spend thousands of dollars in order to pay off a cartel member to smuggle you up to the border? during november and december of last year, after the election, encounters were at their lowest levels between the ports of entries since august of 2020.

in the first two weeks of january, customs and border patrol encounters were 50% lower than they were in january of 2021. 50% lower. during the latter half of the month when president trump actually took office, apprehensions fell by a staggering 85% compared to the same period in 2024. you know, the statement's often made, elections have consequences, one of the most important consequences of president trump's election is that we're now re-establishing border security and the people of this great country are safer for it. during the entire month of january, there were less than 1500 apprehensions a day a nearly 40% decline from december of last year. and just one week ago, customs

and border patrol hit a 15-year low of only 200 encounters in one day at the southern border. these numbers are pretty impressive, but they are not at all surprising. they are a direct result of the deterrent effect created by president trump and secretary nome's policy changes. migrants know that a trump administration means our laws will be enforced. if you can make your way into our country using legal means, by all means, do so. as i mentioned earlier, our country is the most generous in the world when it comes to legal immigration. we naturalize about a million people a year. so if you have a desire to come to america, do it through legal means, not through illegal means. instead of rolling out the welcome mat like president

biden, president trump started his second administration by turning the traffic light red instead of green. on day one, president trump declared a national emergency, which it was was at the southern border, at the southern border giving him greater flexibility to in-state the -- he ended president biden catch and release policies. secretary nome, our new secretary of homeland security began her tenure by sending a clear video message to migrants that she intends to enforce the laws that prevent illegal immigration. she didn't stop there. under president trump and his administration, ice arrests, immigration and customs enforcement, have increased more than 600%, which included criminal migrants which have

doubled. they have returned to a commonsense case by case process to humanitarian parole where under the biden administration it was used as a way to have mass releases of migrants at the border who made no legitimate claim to stay, they were just released. secretary nome has also clawed back the $80 million a month spent by fema to house illegal migrants in luxury hotels in new york city. that's where your tax dollars went. to put people who had no legal claim to stay in the united states in hotels in new york city to the tune of $80 million. these policies are welcome. they are good news to my constituents in texas, and i believe to people across the country. there's a reason why secretary mayorkas, the former secretary

of homeland security, who was responsible for implementing the border security measures of the biden administration, there was a reason why he was impeached by the house of representatives. he simply did not do the job he had sworn to do. well, texas has had to bear the brunt of open borders for four years, which includes rampant crime and deadly fentanyl. so i look forward to working with president trump and secretary nome to continue the important work they've begun to keep americans and texans safe. mr. president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from washington. mrs. murray: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, no one wants a shutdown. well, actually no one except elon musk who recently said that sounds great. that is why i have been at the

table this entire time ready to pass a bill that protects key investments and makes sure that congress -- congress, not donald trump or elon musk -- decides whether or not our public schools or our lifesaving cancer funding gets -- research gets funded. unfortunately, republican leadership told their members last week to walk away from the negotiating table, which raises the risk of a shutdown in an attempt to pass a clean yearlong continuing resolution that would give trump and musk exactly what they want, fewer restraints and more power over federal spending so they can pick winners and losers as they see fit which would hit all of our constituents. nonetheless, i urge republican leadership to come back to the table. they are willing to do that and work with us on full-year funding bills, the type of work we do together every year and prevent a shutdown while we do

that. we cannot stand by and accept a yearlong power grab c.r. that would help elon take a chainsaw to programs that -- that families rely on like yours or keeps our agencies together that keep our communities safe. we actually have a job to do here, republicans and democrats, to be a voice for our constituents, to advocate for the funding they need and to get support back to our communities. i have heard my house republican colleagues say they will not restrict a republican president's powers. i want to be clear, with what i'm asking for is to work together as we write and negotiate these full-year spending bills, our laws get followed. i'm open, and i want everyone to know i'm open to any ideas on how we can work together to do that. i am confident, mr. president, we can get this done, i am ready to pass a short-term c.r. to

prevent a shutdown and so we can finish our negotiations and write our full-year spending bills, which is our job to do. today on a topic i believe appropriators on both sides of the aisle would agree with. we need fwar more -- far more accountability from the trump administration to write these bills. here is one big problem, how with we supposed to fund the government when many agencies are not responding to our questions, and we have no clear picture who is actually in charge of many of our agencies? it is clear as day there have been a lot of dramatic changes made across the government. agencies are being illegally shuttered. workers are being fired by the thousands. again, often in direct violation of laws we passed. and hundreds of billions of dollars in federal programs and grants have been frozen,

unfrozen, frozen again. we've had contracts that have been recklessly canceled, some accidentally and then restarted, not to mention the workers that were fired and rehired. it is incredibly chaotic, and it makes it much harder to write our legislation that actually responds to these latest developments when programs are switching on and off again like a 2-year-old is playing with the light switch. when the number of people and programs illegally terminated remains unclear. it is much more difficult to write funding bills for department programs when we have no idea what the department is actually doing or what the actual plan is for next year or it's actually them or perhaps doge making the plans in the first place. when we are seeing decisions made and reversed, made and ignored, made by people who have no authority to make them, and yet seemingly being implemented,

and it's not just the whirlwind of decisions causing this chaos, it is the complete lack of transparency and accountability surrounding these decisions from trump and musk that makes it all but impossible to get a straight answer. when we have questions that urgently need answers, like why has this energy program been frozen? or when will the nih grants start up again? or which v.a. contracts have actually been scrapped? or how many workers have been pushed out? then it helps if we know who is actually in charge. when our constituents have problems that require solutions quickly or they'll have to close a business or lay people off or lose their family farm, then it matters that we can get the right person on the phone to get things resolved. yet, when there's information we urgently need to write our funding bills and avoid a shutdown, like agency priorities or unexpected challenges or just

the basic nuts and bolts of stuff, to say nothing of the information we need to address the very extraordinary circumstances and decisions of the past few weeks, it is totally unclear who we should actually be talking to if we want answers that actually reflect the reality of what's happening. it is totally unclear who is actually making these decisions and who is actually in charge. appropriators have now sent over 30 letters to agencies since january 20 asking to just understand agency actions, and that's to say nothing of the efforts from me and my staff to get answers to our e-mails and our calls. but the answers have been few and very far between. what's more, just because we hear something from someone who should know, just because we hear from someone who should be in charge, we have found that does not mean it's actually true.

there's more than one time in the past few weeks we've been told one thing, only to see the reality is entirely different, like, for example, when the omb funding freeze was implemented and we were told it won't affect head start. except that it did affect head start. providers in my state were locked out of that payment system for days, even after the funding freeze itself was rescinded. it seems the only thing consistent about the past few weeks is that every time there's been chaos, every time i see actions that fly in the face of laws we have passed, not to mention common sense or contradict what i have heard from agency leaders, doge has been at the center of it. we have seen doge absolutely trample the authority of congress and other federal agencies, including officials congress confirmed. for example, while secretary

rubio instituted a recklessly broad and illegal freeze of all foreign assistance funding, he publicly announced exceptions for a limited set of programs, including lifesaving aid. the basic idea being we probably shouldn't let hiv spread rampant and probably shouldn't let food, grown right here in america, rot in ports while children starve. causing mass deaths through pointless negligence is not a good strategy for bolstering our global reputation. it is cruel and self-defeating. as secretary of state, he made the exception. but doge had other plans, because on the rare occasion that what was left of usaid staff who had not been sidelined was able to clear these payments through the agency's interim leadership, surprise, doge staffers would veto those payments anyway. keep in mind, we don't know

about this because doge disclose it or state disclosed it. we know only because of reporting. that, mr. president, is not how this works. congress and the american people we represent should not be out of the loop. especially given the serious stakes here, and the serious questions that remain, like on what authority did they veto those payments? whose orders did they use to overrule the secretary? i would very much like to know, because while the secretary is guilty of plenty of attacks on his workforce and programs, it certainly seems like the secretary of state got steamrolled on numerous occasions without even knowing it. if that's the case, who are we supposed to talk to with questions about states' funding needs, the secretary or the two doge minions who actually have their hands directly on the levers of power here? let's not forget about what

happened at treasury. doge wanted access to our most secure systems. agency officials told them no. then the agency officials were told they're fired. that sent a chilling message to our federal workers -- you stand up to doge at your own peril. it's not just treasury. doge has been worming its way into department after department, making a beibeeliner the most sensitive systems, including ones storing my constituents' sensitive financial data and bulldozing over anyone who stands in the way for any reason. we don't even know who all of these people are or whether they even have security clearances. they have even had people fired for denying them access to declassified -- or to classified material beyond their security levels. that is how completely unchecked

their power has become. and we have incredibly little insight into what they're actually doing with those sensitive systems. we've seen doge claim they can only view some data that's already -- that's already deeply concerning, but there are plenty of indications they've been given more power at times, and they're interested in tinkering with some of these systems or unaccountably blocking payments like we sawed a usaid. let's talk about the defense department. first, secretary hegseth said he wanted to revive the, quote, warrior spirit at the department. now, he's telling employees to reply to doge's weekly e-mails. he's firing thousands of defense personnel and asking every corner of dod to propose major cuts. as an appropriator, trying to write full-year bills that fund our military, which is it?

major increases or major cuts? who do i ask about the department needs? is this up to the secretary? or up to doge? who at doge is even steering this ship? we need to know this kind of thing, and we really needed to, like, know yesterday, because we have a deadline coming up for the funding, for funding the military, and we have some serious questions for whoever is in charge, about how the administration is approaching things. when i say whoever is in charge, i don't mean who is in charge on paper, because it seems like there is a big disconnect. i mean who is actually making decisions and the driving act actions, at our agencies and at doge, for that matter. because look, first elon was running doge with vivek. then it was just elon. then it supposedly wasn't elon at all. but then elon kept posting about hiring decisions, like someone

in charge, and rehiring an individual who resigned after their blatant racism came to light. and he kept right on doing press availabilities with the president in the oval office to discuss his work at doge, like someone in charge. so, it sure looks like elon is still head of doge. even after we were all finally told, with great supposed certainty, doge is actually being run by another person, no one had ever mentioned, we promptly learned she's on vacation. the very next day, we saw elon briefing the cabinet on what he is doing at doge. if that all seems confusing or contradictory, i don't think it's an accident as much as a smoke screen, one that seems designed to hide the obvious fact that elon musk is the one calling the shots at doge. all of us here in congress really need to know that, because he is the richest man in the world, with billions

actually in government contracts on the line. and he is apparently in charge of his own conflicts of interest. we're just supposed to trust him? has he recused himself from a single decision? we haven't heard anything about that. as a steward of taxpayer dollars who wants to make sure the bills we write are implemented to help my constituents, not elon musk's bottom line, i would like to know. did the owner of spacex recuse himself from decisions gutting nasa? did the owner of tesla interfere at all in the funding freezes that hurt his competition in the electric vehicle market? does the guy who posted criticizing verizon's work for faa and pitching his own company starlink as an alternative have anything to do with reports the government may reverse course now on the verizon contract?

did the guy selling satellite internet have any role in halting funds that were helping my constituents access to broadband? or what about all the watchdogs that have been fired? people reviewing neurolink devices at fda, people at the agency that reviews the safety of tesla's self-driving cars, or the inspector general looking into elon's connections to foreign governments. despite what musk likes to pretend, it is not in the slightest bit transparent for him to decide what he hides and what he shares about his role in government. nor is it transparent when doge is posting updates that are often completely inaccurate from getting basic math wrong to getting wrong basic timelines of what trump did versus biden, to not understanding how our contracts work and counting the

same cuts over and over and over again. they aren't being transparent. they are muddying up the waters with falsehoods and disinformation and making it that much harder for us to write meaningful funding bills in the next few days. if doge doesn't even know what programs they've cut, and how much they've cut, how are we supposed to understand how these decisions hut our constituents? how are we supposed to write legislation that rejects the cuts we find harmful or alliance if areas of agreement? we need real answers from doge and as soon as possible. once again, i am requesting that elon musk come before congress for a hearing to be held accountable for the american people. tell us what exactly are you doing? why are you firing federal employees whose salaries are covered by fees, not by taxpayer dollars? why are you firing our veterans

by the thundershowers, who are -- by the thousands, who are doing work to support our communities? why are you firing people who make sure seniors get their social security checks? who are the people who work for you? how were they vetted? what are your long-term plans for this agency? and based on what authority are you overruling our secretaries, directing federal workers, and ignoring the laws we pass here in congress? america's waiting. we are losing valuable time. congress and the american people deserve answers, and we need them to do their jobs. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor.

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the presiding officer: the senator from washington. a senator: i rise to speak on important public policy issues related to my state's committee and i appreciate the opportunity to follow our senior senator, senator murray, who is articulating the impact of some of these so important issues. ms. cantwell: public policy issues on the state of washington. trade is the lifeblood of the state of washington and our economy. farmers in my state export $7.5 billion worth of agricultural

products a year. that was the number from 2023. $7.5 billion. any time somebody starts a trade war, i guarantee you you're going to get our attention. under the president's trade war, the farmers in my state are going to be the first victims. trump said to our farmers yesterday on truth social, quote, tariffs will go external on products on april 2. have fun. end quote. have fun? have fun? when retaliatory tariffs strike our farmers just as they did in the first trump administration. it's not going to be fun. it's going to be a nightmare for our farmers. and many of the farmers in my state worry that they will be able to farm at all. it's not like they're going to lose farm land. there are rich people, billionaires, software executives that will buy farm land. we're going to lose farmers. i know this because we've already been through this trade

war with many of my farmers struggling to overcome the damage that was wrought during the first trump administration. the last time we went down this road, we lost the apple market because of retaliatory tariffs. we had $120 million market that basically collapsed practically overnight in india. and i travel to india and worked hard over several years to lift those tariffs, and now we finally are back growing our exports exponentially but the market still isn't fully recovered and now people are questioning what's going to happen next. i heard from one girl in my state who said, quote, the alarms in ag are sounding. the band has stopped playing. and the last lifeboats and -- the last lifeboats are leaving the ship. we cannot endure another cycle similar to the one that was started seven years ago when tariffs were first put in place

and without leaningful, long -- meaningful, long lasting solutions, you may very well be looking at the last generation of farm families. end quote. that's just one of my constituents. it doesn't sound like he's having fun. these family legacies built on generations of work cannot be lost in a trade war. you can't get them back once they're gone. i hope my colleagues will slow down on this tariff tirade. under article 1, section 8 of the u.s. constitution, congress has the power to set duties and regulate foreign commerce. however, congress has spent the last 80 years delegating its tir rave authority to -- tariff authority to presidents. you can say okay, that might have been okay because previous democrat and republican presidents worked to lower tariffs and to open up markets. i have voted for many of those

trade agreements. but this president, i believe, is abusing this authority. he calls it an emergency. he's using the trade wars to supposedly force countries to do things like changing their border policies. i believe it's time for congress to start taking back some of that power and considering how we're going to protect the family farm. we know this. that in my state, families are paying more for groceries. they're paying more at the gas pump. they're paying more at electricity bills. and they are seeing the stock market plummet because as businesses grapple with trump's unnecessary trade war, businesses are concerned about the long-term impacts of the supply chain and the costs of those tariffs of the american people want to see the administration tackle inflation and the high cost of everything. when the president, president

trump, was on the campaign trail, he talked about inflation. he said, quote, starting day one we will end inflation and make sure that america makes afford a affordable again and bring down prices on all goods, end quote. well, i don't think that's what's happening today. the wall street editorial board put it well this morning when they wrote, quote, trump takes the dumbest tariff plunge, end quote. i agree. we don't need to be doing this. these tariffs are attacks on groceries bought by every american. canada is the largest exporter of meat to the united states. while 77% of fresh vegetables are imported from mexico and 11% are imported from canada. so costs are going up on every american who is buying. and that means they will also

buy less. the tariffs on canada and mexican goods that president trump is planning would cost american families an estimated $1,200 per year. according to anderson economic group, tariffs could raise the price of a new car as much as $12,000. i'm pretty sure nobody has extra money for a new car. housing costs, one of the biggest drivers on inflation, but president trump's tariffs would drive up the cost of construction material making it even more expensive to dress our housing shortage, slow our new home construction. and one analysis found that tariffs could push home construction up by 4% to 6% over the next 12 months. i can tell you we already have expensive housing in the northwest. we can't afford another 4% to 6%. and the tariffs also create supply chain disruptions making it harder to find alternative

sources of materials, delaying projects that are already under way. and these short-term sticker shocks will put long-term pressure on housing affordability making the problem worse, not solving it. just last week when people want to talk about gdp and where this is going, it's amazing that the atlanta fed was forecasting gdp growth over 2% for the first quarter of 2025. that's literally what this line here was discussing. that the consensus was 2%. and even the fed was weighing in on that. but we can see when we got to february, we fell off a cliff. we fell off a cliff. and why? because now the atlanta fed is

saying we had one swing of 5% in just one week, and now this drop is the representation of a cliff that president trump is pushing the american economy over. so you can see they're going down to negative, not just zero growth but negative. mr. president, we can't afford that. and we can't afford the stock market dropping 700 points yesterday. the only way that we can work together is that if my colleagues here will start talking about these tariff issues. we don't need to weaken our institutions here. we need to strengthen them. and our colleagues need to work together to resolve these issues. i would say, too, that as my colleagues start to plan how we deal with these budget issues, that we should also keep in mind that some of the cuts that these

agencies have been facing are really the cuts to some of the most technical jobs the united states government has. whether you're talking about noaa or the national weather service or the national institutes of health or the national science foundation or the u.s. department of agriculture, they've all been targeted for reductions. these agencies are critical to our economic growth and to our security. and at a time when we are seeing more extreme weather events or more floods or more wildfires, why shouldn't we be investing more in weather forecasting, not less, and when you look at noaa workers who support our commercial and recreation and tribal fisheries, they employ 1.7 million people, including thousands in the state of washington. why would you cut specialized workforce that are helping support the growth of gdp?

because you want to basically cut those technical workers at the same time you're putting on tariffs? in 2023 the national institute of health awarded $1.2 billion in highly competitive grants to the state of washington. 65 different organizations. this supported 12,000 jobs and generated $3 billion in economic activity. but doge wants to cap the overhead expenses of research. university of washington medicine tells me that this would leave them with shortfalls, and that they might have to stop clinical trials that are under way. you can't just stop medical research like it's a faucet. once halted, the research, the data, the clinical trials, the patients, the laboratories, the equipment, all that led to innovation will be lost. you think you just turn that back on? you know, these kinds of ideas

sound great, but they're not well thought out. it's literally throwing tax dollars away. tonight my guests at the state of the union will be dr. paul lang from the university of washington, dr. lang helped develop early detection tests for prostrate canner. because of these tests and other treatment breakthroughs we have seen a decrease in the death rate of prostate cancer. it dropped by one half, significant progress. that is why we need research dollars to save lives. similarly, the university -- washington state university researchers actively zest on norv -- test on novel drug treatment for advanced prostate cancer at sharma lab. if its work is disrupted, they say that, quote, risk potentially is high.

replacing -- not being able to replace data and endangering the ultimate viability of potentially lifesaving treatments, end quote. there are lives that might not be saved because of these budget cuts. so it is time, mr. president, that congress get involved, that we fight for the science that we believe will save lives, move our country forward, and grow our gdp, and help our farmers by stopping these trade wars and putting our farmers back in charge of growing an economy for the future. i hope that we don't cut ars funding that usda depends on. i hope that we will give hope to our future constituents in the growth that we need to grow our economy instead of cutting our opportunity. i thank the president and i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama

mrs. britt: mr. president, i have three requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they have the approval of the majority and minority leader. the presiding officer: duly noted. mrs. britt: thank you. mr. president, on november 5, president donald j. trump was elected to the second term on the back of a big tent coalition. in 2024 this election showed us that we needed to put the finishing touches on a shift that we've seen occurring in our party and our nation. the republican party is the party of parents. we're the party of families. and we're the party of hardworking americans. and we have an opportunity to prove it. starting with addressing our country's child care crisis. mr. president, anyone who has kids can attest to this. it is incredibly difficult to

find affordable, accessible high-quality child care. when i was a student, i had gone back to school with essentially a newborn and an 11-month-old and decided why not. law school sounds good. i joked that on the scale of bad ideas i've had in my life -- and i've had a few -- that one is without a doubt number one. and in the midst of trying to figure out my one year, i also had to figure out child care and it was challenging for me to find a place where i could get both of my kids in. so at the very beginning, there i was taking one child to one place and one child to another all hoping to show up to torts on time and then get back before you get fined, picking them both up and hoping traffic didn't keep me from being late. when mire his and i had the opportunity to move to birmingham, where he began his new career and i had one more year of law school left, we got

them immediately, both of our kids, into one child care facility but the check that we wrote, mr. president, wow! it felt like i was writing a check for college tuition and not a check for a 3- and a 4-year-old to be cared for and loved and educated during the day. well, i tell you what, the problem -- that was, what, 13 years ago? it's only gotten worse. child care costs had been increased. they've actually increased 36% over the last ten years, actually outpacing inflation. it's gotten to the point where parents on average, y'all, are spending 22% of their income on child care. the median annual price of child care in this country is about $15,600. the cost is crushing for so many parents. it's also prohibitive.

so ask yourself this -- how many married couples do you think think about having another child? they want to and they start looking at the dollars and cents and feel like they can't financially afford it. to my fellow republicans, don't we want to incentivize rather than deter parents from starting their families? and how can we, as the party of life and the party of families and the party of parents and the party of workers, neglect to make that easier? if our goal is creating a comprehensive culture of life -- and that should absolutely be our goal -- then we have a role to play in the child care space. but families are not the only ones that are affected by the current state of child care in this country. the amount of money that the american economy loses annually

because of child care, the challenges that we face as a result of the affordable care act and accessibility -- affordability and accessibility are staggering. our country -- 74% of mothers and 6% of fathers either have to leave work early, arrive late or be absent because of last-minute changes in child care. 59% of part-time or nonworking parents say they would go back to work. they want to go back to work. but, unfortunately, they don't have access to quality child care at a reasonable cost. that isn't good for the broader economy, and it isn't good for american workers. president trump has made it clear -- he wants america to be a place that builds things once again. he wants to unleash a golden era

for made-in-america excellence, where the skill, hard work, and ingenuity of our people accomplishes the impossible and changes the world. to accomplish that goal, which i wholeheartedly agree with, we need to tackle the child care affordability crisis. ultimately, this is a workforce crisis as well. that's where a two-pronged approach that i have introduced today alongside a number of my colleagues, mr. president, comes into play. with the child care workforce act and the child care availability and affordability act, it consists of targeted investments in families and small businesses. it modernizes our existing tax credit so that our policy reflects our current economic reality. it's a good example of commonsense policymaking. we are not creating or growing another entitlement.

we are letting americans keep more of their hard-earned taxpayer dollars in a manner that grows our economy and gives people an opportunity for their american dream. and we're offering job creators an incentive to invest directly into their hardworking people -- into hardworking people with child care-related benefits. it will help couples who want to have more children. it will help parents be able to reenter the workforce after having kids and we'll have our job creators, especially small businesses, recruit and retain workers. this legislation is pro-family. it's pro-main street. it's pro-growth. for the first time in years, the republican party controls both chambers of congress, mr. president. and the white house. we have an opportunity we can't afford to waste. if we truly are the party of

parents and the families and hardw hardworking men's, we have an opportunity to -- hardworking americans, we have an opportunity to prove it. let's address the child care crisis in this year's tax package, mr. president. i think america will be better for t thank you. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate stands in recess until 2:15 p.m.