has grown, the number of filers have grown, the economy has become larger, more global. the tax system has grown. so if you have a growing tax system and a decreasing number of employees to manage the tax system, you have the emergence of challenges, including not only challenges in answering the phones or meeting people in walk-in centers to deal with their tax questions, but also, you start losing pace on collecting what is owed. these are not new taxes. the-- whether the irs staffing is high or low does not deck tate dictate whether our taxes are high or low. all the irs is responsible for collecting the taxes enacted by congress and right now we run about a $700 billion deficit each year in terms of what is

owed versus what is paid. and in this way, the way the op-ed is set up, in particular because our understanding is many members of the doge are coming in from the private sector with private sector experience, we're basically saying, let's ask all the ceo's. >> the senate is gavelling in to consider the nomination of todd blanch to be deputy attorney general. also on the agenda today legislation to repeal a biden administration rule on digital consumer payment applications like venmo and paypal. live coverage of the senate here on c-span2. ... the president pro tempore: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. black, will lead the senate in prayer.

the chaplain: let us pray. holy one, who expresses your love to us each day, shower us with your mercy so that we may rejoice and be glad. may the gift of your presence be more than sufficient to meet the needs of our nation and world. bring peace to those who are devastated by war. lord, empower the members of this body to defend on your might and to stand united as they meet the challenges of our time. as they strive to do your will,

teach them to say the right thing at the right time and to serve you with faithfulness. keep them humble and fill them with your peace. we pray in your powerful name. amen. the president pro tempore: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

the presiding officer: under the previous order, morning business is closed, the senate will consider the joint resolution, the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 20, s.j. res. 28, disapproving the rule by the bureau of financial protection related to defining largerer -- payment applications. mr. grassley: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: in january investors concerned about china's advances in a.i. innovation wiped out nearly a trillion dollars in u.s. tech stock value, and that happened

in a single day. chinese companies like deep seat are often able to keep pace with silicon valley because they steal our tech secrets and they do it from right under our own noses. this not only puts the united states at a competitive disadvantage but also threatens our national security. the citizenship and immigration ser services ombudsmen has warned that chinese nationals in our university systems are engaged in widespread technological espionage both on campus and in the workplace. foreign stem students often take tech jobs that give them access to sensitive technologies.

now, this shouldn't be possible. why? because the law clearly states that student visas are solely for study, not for work. outrageously, the department of homeland security has -- granted work authorization to these students. the department of homeland security has even allowed foreign students to stay in this country under their student visas for years after they graduate in order to work. if we want to protect our national security and our competitive economic competition with china, this must end. so i am hopeful that with new leadership at the department of homeland security, these

unlawful work authorizations will no longer be approved. that leads me to calling on secretary noem to protect jobs, innovation and national security by terminating the cpt onned opt student work programs. in other words, stop the steal that benefits the communist party of china. i yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. brooks. -- ms. alsobrooks.

and it is unfolding in real time with real-life impact on our veterans. not only is he firing veterans

2400 already terminated our veterans come one-third of them, but across agencies in the united states government where 30,000 members of the federal workforce have been indiscriminately terminated. 30% of them are veterans as well. almost 50% of everybody in the department of defense who has been fired, they are veterans. and they may be probationary employees promoted to a position where they are in probationary status because they've done such a great job, they are being fired, younger members of the federal workforce. they are there for up to two years. the future of our civil service, their fired. and so many of them are veterans who have worn the uniform,

served and sacrificed, and want to continue to benefit the country with the skills and dedication that they've demonstrated as members of our united states armed forces. public service has long been a preferred path for military affiliated -- our local police force or as emergency medical personnel joining the federal workforce has enabled them to continue serving our country while offering competitive wages, benefits and much-needed stability for them as veterans and tremendous benefits for taxpayers. and now what elon musk is doing relying on his algorithm and his ai formulas is to cut across the

board leaving no veteran as disposable trash or roadkill in his campaign to eliminate waste. well, let me tell you elon musk if you were serious about eliminating waste, you wouldn't have fired the inspectors general of these agencies who are the watchdog. they have records of eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse. exhibit a, michael missal, the inspector general of the v.a. hired and appointed first by president obama. he served under president trump for four years and then under president biden. he has ruffled feathers of republican and democratic administrations because he's uncovered waste and fraud in the very bipartisan way and he regards his jobs as bipartisan. he would be the one to eliminate waste. not with a meat ax but with a

scalpel. i wish my colleagues had been in the hearing today come , jog of the house and senate veterans affairs committee to hear commander of the veterans of foreign wars, the vfw. of those heroic vietnam veteran, injured there. he's got shrapnel in his arm, and is he told us, a surgeon removed the shrapnel peace by piece, didn't cut off his arm. that's the approach that we need as he said in eliminating waste, not cutting off arms or legs but removing the waste carefully, deliberately. cautiously. among the illegally terminated,

and i should stress illegally terminated, 2400 v.a. employees, many, many of them veterans themselves, numbers of the guard or reserve is now, caregiver, military spouses, in the dod many of them, 45% former veterans and the overall impact will be disastrous on the 640,000 veterans who are public servants. musk and trump have already offended -- up into the lives of so many. the thousands of veterans casually discarded, illegally fired without notice or justification, all for cheap headlines. the impact in real life are

undeniable and stories from newspapers. the story of those really dash i know my colleagues are hearing from their constituents about the mental health services that are delayed, about the surgeries that can't be provided, about the veterans crisis line serving veterans who may be taking their own lives, all reduced. these real lives impact are undeniable and we're talking about the people who make sure that veterans have transportation to those appointments, who assist with benefits claims, , who ensure tt the v.a. hospitals are maintained and that who clean

operating room sister lies implementing between procedures. it may not be the surgeon who was fired at the surgeon walking into the operating room needs a staff and a team to assist him, needs the housekeeping staff to make sure that it's clean. these people have dedicated their careers to serving veterans and their nation, and all have been indiscriminately and illegally terminated. nomine chavez-deremer nominated for secretary of labor. ms. chavez-deremer is a former congresswoman from oregon, she's been a mayor and city councillor. she and her husband spent 30 years building a small business. from her first job packing peaches at a california farm, she's known the value of a hard day's work. in her public service, she's put in the work to seek differing

perspectives and to find common ground. mr. president, ms. chavez-deremer's mother would always tell her, i quote, when you know better, you do better, end quote. we need the labor department to do better than what we saw from the biden administration. over the last four years, the labor department pushed out many mandates that were the very opposite of pro-worker. americans lost their jobs because of the biden covid vaccine mandate. many workers found the independent contractor status threatened by a biden administration rule. then there was the labor department's attempt to allow 150 million americans' retirement savings to be invested based on climate factors, rather than just an investment's rate of return. mr. president, president trump has shown his commitment to the working people of this country, making life better for working americans was a priority in his first administration, and it will be a priority in his

second. it's a welcome change in direction from the last four years. speaking of a welcome change in direction, mr. president, last night, the president came to capitol hill to address congress and lay out his vision for the next four years. his vision and his record of accomplishment. because in just six weeks, president trump has already accomplished an incredible amount. chief among his achievements is the job he and his administration have done in securing our southern border and restoring respect for the rule of law. there were approximately 8,415 uncounters at our southern border during february. 8,450. that is at least, at least a 25-year low. to but the that number in perspective, during the biden border crisis, customs and border protection was sometimes dealing with 8,000 or more attempted illegal crossings per day. in just six weeks in office,

president trump has overseen an incredible turnaround. it shows what happens when you have a president and administration committed to securing the border and enforcing the law. senate republicans are committed to answering the president's calls for turbt funding to protect -- for funding to protect the borders and get dangerous aliens off the streets. another crisis the president lost no time in addressing is the national energy emergency we're facing. as "the washington post" reported last march, i quote, amid explosive demand america is running out of power, end quote. the biden administration pursued policies guaranteed to make things worse, from restricting conventional energy development to forcing americans into electric vehicles. fortunately, we're in a new era, and president trump has already taken steps to roll back burd burdensome biden energy regulations like the electric vehicle mandate and unleash

american energy development. and the republican congress will support his efforts. for the sake of our security, our economy, and americans' pocketbooks, we need to have a reliable, affordable and abundant energy supply. i'm thankful to have a president who recognizes this. mr. president, one of the signature accomplishments of the first trump administration was the passage of the tax cuts and jobs act. legislation that put more money in hardworking americans' pockets. one of the top priorities in the second trump administration is making that tax relief permanent. it's a priority for the president, and it's a priority for republicans here in the senate. we are hard at work laying the groundwork for permanently extending the tax cuts and jobs act this year. mr. president, there were so many things to hear last night that were a welcome change from the last four years. president trump's commitment to reversing burdensome biden administration regulations and eliminating ten regulations for

every new one his administration proposes. the president's commitment to eliminating wasteful and unnecessary spending. his commitment to protecting children from radical gender ideology and ensuring that women and girls' athletic opportunities are protected. and more. as always, mr. president, i'm grateful for president trump's faith in america. it reminds us how blessed we are to live in this ■great ountry and that in the united states of ame america, everything is possible. 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.

they can't hire staff for care for the veterans between the first set of termination secretary collins terminated nine veterans crisis line employees and the hired some back and he fired more.

and we know a pregnant spouse of a a disabled veteran who was hired under the military spouse appointing authority was terminated. we know a 25 year marine corps veteran with a 100% service connected disability rating and 15 years of service was terminated. we know a v.a. researcher working on treatment for substance use disorder among veterans was terminated. we know the cybersecurity lead for the v.a. website, the digital hub that connects veterans with their benefits and hold sensitive personal data was terminated. these kinds of impacts and i mentioned just a tiny fraction of all of them are ongoing. they are real. they are urgent. and i'm more than happy to work on the language of this resolution, but the goal is

indisputable and unavoidable. i'm going to turn out to some of my colleagues who have joined me today. i thanked him for doing so. first senator whitehouse, if i may yield to him. >> the senator from rhode island. >> mr. president, first let me thank senator blumenthal for this effort. really matters, even if it fails, it matters to our veterans to know that we tried come to know that we did not leave them out there at the mercy of elon musk and his little muskrats have been running around through all of our government agencies, violating court orders, prowling through your data, americans, prowling through your data. and, of course, firing. no president has fired more veterans than donald trump just in his first few weeks in office.

and what it's doing to the v.a. and the service for veterans is deeply wrong and deeply unfortunate. in rhode island we have our province v.a. health center, which is a first-class operation. operation. our veterans love it. it is all sorts of new services and facilities. senator reed and i have worked to make sure -- it has really 2500 employees. it's a big operation. and we also have the province v.a. benefits office which is such a good benefits office that if the program is being rolled out and not working someplace, they call in the providence and if it's office to try to get it working. if they're about to roll out a new program at the want to a

detested, they go to the providence benefits office because they're good at what they do -- they want to beta test it -- i can't think of anything that makes themes more proud than the customers whom they serve. n. mr. schumer: mr. president, last night donald trump subjected the american people to a deluge of falsehoods, misrepresentations, and outright lies. what americans heard last night was easily the nastiest, most divisive, most partisan, and most dishonest presidential address in american history. in a speech that lasted almost two hours, donald trump spent over ten minutes falsely ridiculing and delegitimizing

social security. following doge's lead, alleging this program, which serves tens of millions of americans, is a scam. they seem to be preparing to go full steam ahead to take benefits away from you, the american people. it's amazing. tens of millions of americans depend on that check, that social security check, to buy food which is becoming more expensive under donald trump, to pay for prescription drugs, and they want to repeal the laws we did that make them cheaper for the average american, and so much else. calling it a scam? ridiculing it? with false information? and saying and cutting seven million out of social security offices -- 7,000, rather, out of social security offices? shows you where they're headed -- to hurt social security, one ever the most sacred programs in america.

why are they doing this? why would they do this? so unpopular. only for one reason, the motivation of donald trump, elon musk, and the republican party is tax cuts for the billionaires. that's their number one goal, and they'll twist america in knots, hurting people, many people, millions of people, to get it done. trump also lied about his plans to eviscerate medicaid, lied about his plans to cut taxes for billionaires while making working americans pay the costs. there was more truth, mr. president, there was more truth in ten minutes of senator alyssa slotkin's rebuttal than two hours of donald trump's long winded self-serving diatribe. senator slotkin did an outstanding job last night dismantling donald trump's nonsense with clarity, with fact, and with some desperately needed common sense.

i'm so grad i -- glad i asked her to deliver the democratic response because she knocked it out of the park. now when donald trump wasn't lying, he was distracting. he talked again about renaming the gulf of mexico. he talked about renaming mountains. he said that he was a better president than george washington. what a bubble this guy's in. what planet is he on? for a moment i wondered if donald trump was utterly clueless of the disaster his administration has been under his watch. and the one thing donald trump did not mention last night was a real serious plan to bring down costs. the number one thing americans wanted to hear most. instead donald trump doubled down on his plans to send costs skyrocketing by starting a trade war with canada and mexico. let's be very clear about this. donald trump's tariffs are attacks on working and middle-class families.

the average american household could see an extra $2,000 a year in expenses. tariffs mean the cost of pretty much everything would go up. not just cars, although he could destroy the car industry. remember, for about 40% of the parts that we -- that are in american cars come from canada. but also housing and groceries and food, beef, dairy, eggs. the cost of furniture and smartphones and laptops and fertilize forefarmers. even going out to dinner with friends will all be more expensive because of donald trump's tariffs. tariffs will slow growth, they'll erode profits, they'll worsen unemployment and equality and wreak havoc on supply chains that tens of millions of people and businesses depend on. and let's be clear. the administration has obviously

not thought through these tariffs. they seem to be changing their plans by the hour. even this uncertainty is extremely harmful to the economy. it makes it impossible for businesses to plan ahead. it depresses spending. it slows growth, eats away at consumer confidence. yes, there are certain tariffs, particularly against china which competing with us economically in unfair ways that might make some sense. but these have been unthought through. they're creating chaos for the economy. that's the one thing that the tariffs are accomplishing, chaos for the economy, stock market plummets, and why? why are they doing this? well, it's not different here than social security or medicaid. why is donald trump hell-bent on starting a trade war when virtually every expert knows the casualties of a trade war will be families and consumers? the reason is very simple. one reason. he and doge say that social security is a scam. they want to take away people's

benefits to pay for billionaire tax cuts. that's the whole ballgame. i can't think of a time when any president ridiculed social security the way donald trump did. and i can't think of any time where someone was more chaotic and deleterious on tariffs than donald trump was. would they're seeking in return is the greatest transfer of wealth from working families to billionaires in the history of america. they want to take social security benefits away from you, the american people. they want to take health care away from you, the american people. they want to take away education and medical research and infrastructure and basic public services. why? well, it's pretty expensive to give tax cuts to the wealthy el elite. but that's what they're doing. that's what a transfer of wealth looks like to the -- average american, taking so many things away from you and that you depend on. but donald trump and republicans

forget one thing. the american people aren't just going to roll over and let republicans run this country. democrats and frankly all americans of goodwill regardless of party are organizing and mobilizing to defend health care, social security, and the livelihood of americans' families. americans are organizing in public and republicans have seen these frustrations at town halls. that should be the first clue that they should drop their terrible agenda. when a lead republican in the house tells republicans you better cancel your town halls, they're running away from their policies and priorities. and we are organizing online. i set up a call with some of the leading activists and people who have been out there on the front lines protesting in new york last week. i thought about 500 people got -- would get on the zoom. it was 3,000. i met with 3,000 on zoom. a turnout exceeding all expectations to talk about how we can defend health care,

defend public services, stop tax cuts for the very wealthy, and make people's voices heard in the halls of power. and we're okaying in the courts -- organizing in the courts. new lawsuits are happening every single day. since just march 1, that's four, five days ago, at least 35 court rulings have come down halting or pausing some of the administration's worst abuses. the courts are one of the best tools available for protecting the rule of law and preventing the worst abuses of the administration. organizing is not easy. it takes persistence, but it works. it makes change happen. it's the cornerstone on which democracy is founded. donald trump's exhausting speech is now in the rearview mirror. so democrats will keep fighting every day to protect this precious democracy and hold the line against donald trump's attempts to rob american families of their livelihoods, taking so much away from the

average american family, and giving it to the very, very wealthy. i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. alsobrooks.

leadership, work ethic, problem-solving abilities, and, of course, integrity. these are not just abstract qualities. their tangible assets that veterans bring to our businesses, our communities and to our government. they are qualities that drive innovation. they boost productivity and foster a culture of excellence. employing our nation's veterans when they transition to civilian life is not just a responsibility. it is a smart business decision. that's why the federal government has long taken advantage of the absolutely remarkable talent pool. veterans now make up roughly 30% of our federal workforce. for more than 640,000 veterans in the civil service. and and i rise today to exprey

absolute outrage over the indiscriminate firings of nearly next thousand of these veterans from the v.a. to the defense department to the treasury department. at the v.a. were veterans input is particularly critical to shaping policies call. the presiding officer: yes blast blast i ask that it be verb yated. the presiding officer: without objection. blast blast i just heard the minority leader and have his reflections on last night's address to the nation by president donald trump. well, a man is entitled to his opinion. this morning, however, cbs news reported on what the viewers at home thought about what they saw. mr. barrasso: the headline is poll of trump's 2025 joint address to congress finds large majority of viewers approve. large majority? 76% of the viewers approve of

what they heard last night. they asked those viewers, did you -- did the president spend time on talking about the issues that you care about? two out of three said yes, indeed. how did they make people feel? what did they say? almost 70% said hopeful, hopeful for the future. over half said proud, proud of america. they described the president as presidential, inspiring, and unifying. the question they asked, does president trump have a clear plan for inflation? more than two out of three said yes. that's what the american people saw. so apparently the minority leader did not see the same speech or did not reflect the same way as the great majority of the american viewers at home. because last night i believe people saw president trump's

bold agenda and rapid action in motion. and that was focused on securing the border. joint addresses to congress are typically about making promises, but last night it was different. president trump spoke about the promises he is keeping, the action that he has already taken to make our country safer. the numbers tell the story under president trump in february. there were less than 9,000 illegal crossings at our southern border. that is the lowest in recorded history. under joe biden, the border was a very different story. the border was wide open for members of criminal cartels, for drug dealers, for people on the terrorist watch list. so last month was february. we're now into march. so we look at february 2022, 2023, 2024, and now with president trump back in office.

february 2022 under joe biden, 160,000 illegal crossings. 2023, 157,000 illegal crossings. 2024, 190,000 illegal crossings. president trump, less than 9,000. joe biden was having these numbers in a single day when he was in the white house. president trump is securing the border. he's doing it boldly. he's doing it strongly. he's doing it with intention. as one illegal immigrant said, it's too hard. you can't cross right now. that's the message we wanted, american people wanted illegal immigrants to be hearing. it's too hard, don't even try it. under president trump, we actually have reverse migration. it's a reality.

cartel criminals once profited from the border invasion. not anymore. one smuggler told nbc news that his profits had fallen 80%. it's a good message for them all to hear. illegal immigrants are turning around and at the same time, illegal criminals in this country are being taken down. in my home state of wyoming, ice recently arrested two mexican nationals, drug dealers. one was found with a pound of methamphetamine. president trump is taking cold-blooded criminals like this off of our streets and getting them out of the country. president trump is also fighting to stop the drug cartels, and these are the people who are flooding our nation with deadly drugs. fentanyl poisons and kills more than 70,000 american citizens each and every year. this is a crisis. day one president trump listed these killer cartel members as

terrorist organizations. no other president has taken such a bold step ever. and it's working. the cartels are now shutting down drug labs. the leaders are going into hiding. for the first time in years, the cartels are running scared. that's the way it should be. president trump said he's going to do whatever it takes to keep americans safe. president trump began his first day in office by signing dozens of executive orders. he cracked down on illegal criminals in each of our communities. our border patrol agents are securing the border once again, he launched the biggest deportation operation, customs and border patrol officers have started to deport the worst illegal immigrant criminals and president trump made sure that taxpayers stopped paying billions of dollars on free

hotels, on free phones, on free health care for illegal immigrants, which was a magnet to bring more illegal immigrants into the country. that's not the message they're hearing today. social security, medicare, and medicaid are for american citizens, not for illegal immigrants. president trump's actions are going to protect and preserve these vital programs for the very people that the programs were intended from the beginning. the american public overwhelmingly supports what president trump is doing. cbs news, the same people who did the poll this morning on how successful and how much the people of this country welcomed the president's address last night, well, last week cbs news reported that 59% of americans approved of president trump's deportation program, 64% of the public said that president trump's actions are reducing illegal crossings at

the southern border. it's what the american people want and what they voted for in november, a secure border. people around this country oppose what the democrats are doing in sanctuary cities like chicago, los angeles, denver, and boston. they oppose funneling their hard-earned taxpayers to pay for benefits for illegal immigrants. people want safety, they want security, and they want some sanity coming out of washington they didn't have in the last four years. that's what president trump and that's what republicans are delivering. this is only the beginning. last night president trump laid out a clear path forward. he said the department of homeland security needs backup, needs man power and we need to finish the wall. manpower, technology, the wall, they are essential for full border security. that's why two weeks ago, mr. president, you and i and other

members of our colleagues here on the republican side of the aisle passed a budget that increases funding for border security. senate republicans voted for more border agents, more detention beds, more deportation flights. every democrat when having an opportunity to vote for those things voted no. secure the border is why i introduced a bill called build the wall act, it would finish building the wall along the southern border and paid for with unspent covid money. the money's still there. stopping the killer cartels is why we need to pass the fentanyl act. fentanyl is the number one killer of americans between the ages of 18 and 45. illiciting fentanyl as a schedule one, it -- the act is

bipartisan, and passed the senate judiciary committee 16-5, and passed the house of representatives with the support of 98 democrats and i'm glad that leader thune is prepared to bring it to the floor. the senate is going to deliver a secure border, safer communities. that's what the american people demand and, mr. president, it is what the american people deserve. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. first, mr. president, i ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum call with respect to the blanche nomination. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. barrasso: thank you, mr.

are the ones only accept the election outcome. that is a fundamentally un-american view. and no one understood that more than john lewis. voting is an act of patriotism. we love her country. we want to make it better and want every american to have the same opportunity. let's make our elections more fair and more accessible so that everyone has a chance to make their voice heard. let's in republican efforts to put up roadblocks to the ballot box and let's remind people that voting is how we make our democracy stronger. together complex past the john

r. lewis voting rights advancement act. it's my privilege to introduce someone who is taking a legislative role in his capacity as chair of house administration of the children from new york. >> ranking member -- [inaudible] >> good morning. thank you to all my not only colleagues but dear friends who are up on the dais to talk about this report in legislation and a special thank you to a colleague of mine on house administration committee and a great friend whose views of leadership on this legislation is bringing it to the floor once again at its congresswoman terri sewell who we will all be joining in alabama this week. she has a lot of work. she is tireless and has a big weekend ahead of her. we're so grateful for her continued fight here. and as i said thank you to

leader jeffries, to whip clark and chair aguilar for their incredible leadership for the american people and also my dear friends from new york, yvette clarke. i do it as a word about john lewis. i often say people ask me back in rochester did you get to meet john lewis? i had the privilege of serving with him for just a couple years, and i remember in the morning when we would get on the floor i would always go over to say hello. i was a good boy mr. lewis. how are you? he finally said to me want to come unity we are colleagues, you can call me john. i said i appreciate very much, mr. lewis. but he will always be mr. lewis to me. i think as if clear house democrats believe democracy works best when every single person participates. it's at the core of who we are. as i often say i'm a center rochester, new york, a community whose history is synonymous with

expanding access to the ballot box. rochester some of the frederick douglass and susan b. anthony two of the most passion and well-known advocates for voting rights in american history. frederick douglass published the north star newspaper at the heart of my downtown area and would take our ties to the sacred history very seriously. i stand with my esteemed colleagues as we continue the fight they began to long ago. today we carry the legacy of frederick douglass with us as we work towards our own north star protecting the right to vote for every single american and restoring the voting rights act to its full strength. 60 years after the late congressman lewis led the march from selma to montgomery restoring my people the fight for free, fair and equal access to the ballot box is not over. we stand together on the shoulders of giants who introduces legislation and again

thank congress member terri sewell for incredible leadershi leadership. the effort is pursuit of bring america closer to its foundational promise. so we're not going to back down in the fight to ensure every american has an equal say in the decisions governing their lives. we will stand up against disenfranchisement and fight for the very bedrock of this democracy. so many of our colleagues funny other said it out and all three branches of government seem to a forgot what we need democracy in the first place. we haven't and we will continue that fight every single day. thank you for the privilege of being here, and i am honored and delighted to ask to come to the podium, great leader of the democratic caucus, great leader of democrat members and a dear friend from the rate bureau of brooklyn kings county, hakeem jeffries. >> good morning, everyone. i think the distinguished gentleman from the great state

of new york. new york is into building right now. [laughing] >> everywhere. >> it is all being led by a great leader from selma, alabama, and we are so appreciative of terri sewell, rebellions, or intellect, her passionate, her heart and her soul on behalf of the american people and on behalf of our great democracy. voting rights is essential to the integrity of our democracy. it has a special place in a government of the people by the people and for the people. protecting the right to vote is necessary and protecting the integrity of our system of free and fair elections and a government that is truly representative of the american people. this whole notion, the idea, the experiment of self-government relates directly to the ability

of all americans to have the unfettered right to vote. the voting rights is under attack across america. republicans in many ways have decided that voter suppression is an electoral strategy. that is unacceptable, unconscionable, and un-american. and we want to make voter suppression of unlawful. in every way possible, which is why the john robert lewis voting rights advancement act is so critical. we stand behind it. we're thankful for the leadership of terri sewell. more than 200 democrats are original cosponsors of this legislation. we are unified on the issue of protecting the voting rights of every single american all across

the country. and we ask republicans to join us. voting rights is not a democratic issue or republican issue. it's an american issue. and we should all stand behind the john robert lewis voting rights advancement act to make sure that it passes the house, passes of the senate can get signed into law so we can keep our great american democracy going into the future. thank you. >> thank you mr. liddy. we bring to the mic that another amazing brooklynite, the chair of the congressional black caucus yvette clarke. >> thank you very much, congresswoman soldier i am congresswoman yvette clarke, chair of the congressional black caucus and and i probably rt new york's ninth congressional district which is in central and southwest brooklyn. i want thank my esteemed colleague representative terri

sewell, leadership has been tremendous and unrelenting. it reintroducing the john r. lewis voting rights advancement act in 119th congress. as well as all of my colleagues assembled here, the leadership of the democratic caucus and the leadership of our affinity caucuses. voting rights is and is always been the cbc north star. the late congressman john lewis said the vote is precious. it is almost sacred. it is the most powerful, nonviolent tool we have in a democracy. ..

>> nine states enacted this. it's more important now than ever before. republicans are trying to roll back progress with bills like it safe act that would require americans to provide proof of citizenship. it's a crime to vote and you are not a citizen, it's a felony. there is no need to reinvent the wheel. the law is in the books all ready. studies have shown one out of ten adult citizens or eligible voters can't quickly gather their documents under it safe act. image if i told you right now, go get me your passport, it will take you a half day. image if i tell you go get me your

citizenship papers, it will take some a long time to do that. it's a felony to vote if you are not a citizen. historically latinos are among those disproportionate of voter suppression laws. they are seeing an increase in voting restrictions including arizona, texas, wisconsin, and florida. latinos are the fastest growing share of the electate. it's a young community. 1.14 are illegally eligible to vote every single year. more than a million citizens turn 18 one every 30 seconds. one every 30 seconds. so, i can count to 30 and one member of the latino community

turn 18. this is how powerful the concept of one person, one vote is. so, let's pass this bill. our leadership, our democratic leadership is fully behind it. it's good for america and democracy. [speaking spanish]

>> good morning, everyone. i'm congresswoman grace chair of the asian pacific american congress. i'd like to thank my friend for championing this bill in memory of our beloved friends and civil rights icon, the late congressman john lewis. i'd like to thank our caucus leadership and leader jaffreys for showing such great support. we are reminder so many others march the great risk to their own safety. to insure every american could exercise their right to vote. it's their bravery passage of the

voting rights act of 1965 a landmark piece. as we heard, this fight is far from over the right to vote is currently under attack by anti-democratic extremist across our nation. 29 states have enacted restrictive voting laws that criminalize people who provide assistance with voter registration and they are designed to disenhance people they they denied puddling gal support is nothing shorter of silencing their voices. this is not the first time we have faced discrimination

at the ballot box before. a city council member said if they couldn't speak good english they were possibly not american citizens and forced them to complete a paper ballot and have it vouched for by another register voter. in washington, an individual challenged the right to vote for 1500 people of mainly asian and hispanic dissent whose names he said have no basis in the english language. now, president trump has taken action to restrict multilingual support and language access for our communities which could farther disen franchise asian americanaive hawaiian and pacific islander voters. we cannot let this stand and i'm proud to cosponsor this john r. lewis voting rights enhancement act to straighten the act of 1965 and

protect access to the ballot box. i want to do our part our countries system of governance by the people and for the people continuing for generations to come. thank you, and i yield back. >> i'd like to thank all of our speakers today. what you see before you is the entire house democratic caucus in support of the john robert lewis voting rights advancement act. we know, freedom is not free. it was paid for on the backs of many of the forefathers and mothers who fought, died, prayed, marched for the freedom we all know and joy. house democrats standing firmly before you knowing the power of the vote is sacred. we are embolden by the legacy of john r

lewis. the cause of the foot soldiers is now our cause too. we are resolute and determined in our effort to make sure that we fully restore the protections of the voting rights act of 1965, with that, i'll open it up for questions. yes. >>reporter: first of all, for members of leadership here, is this the first bill you take-up in the house? secondly the protest outside wanting them not to be disruptive. >> this is a top priority for house democrats because it's central to the integrity of our democracy. >> we are asking questions and answering questions regarding the voting

rights of 1965 and the selma montgomery march. >>reporter: [inaudible] >> well, first of all, i think it's truly telling that the entire house democratic membership is signed onto this bill. this is a priority for house leadership and house democrats period. we know, we are fighting an all hill battle. we can be mady, or upset we have to be determined. if there is anything they taught us,se taking a page from the playbook. we must be resolute, determined and consistent and persistent to fight for the right to

vote and we'll continue to do that. yes, ma'am. >>reporter: [inaudible]mr >> well, first it has to be passed into law. i think what we realized in the shelby verses holder decision, only congress can put back the full protections of the voting rights act. with that decision. when we pass it in 2006, we did so under old laws or an old formula. so, what the voting rights act of the john robert lewis advancement act is a modern day formula with a look back at 25 years. looking back at 1997 and going forward. not the ' 60s or '70s and we still

see ramped voter protection. it's running a muck. that provision allowed for the justice department to preclear state laws before they came into effect. we know, we have work to do and doing that work. we are conta dent if we are persistent in our efforts. we introduced it five or six times but we passed it twice out of the house. so, we know, the ground swell of public sentiment matters and appealing to the american public to continue to join with us in the fight for better protection of voting rights. >>reporter: [inaudible]

>> we are obviously, the slim majority that exists for house republicans does mean if we can pick-off three to join us in the effort, this is what this press conference is, an appeal for them to join us to fight for protections in the voting rights act. i look forward to welcoming not only members of congress but ordinary americans, if anything, what happened on bloody sunday taught us, ordinary americans working together collectively can achieve poured social change. john lewis was 27 years old when he and williams lead the march. whatms happened on bloody sunday was a

travesty. the world watched black americans, simply and peacefully march across the bridge tobeg their government for the right to vote. that's a right of citizenship in this country. i look forward to welcoming leader jaffreys and caucus chair. so many standing here and leaders in the caucus. also ordinary americans as we gather to pay commemoration in honor to the 60th anniversary of bloody sunday. faith in politics that john lewis started many years ago lead a delegation including 40 members of congress and senators to selma, birmingham, and montgomery. on sunday, look forward to having a march lead by jubilee, that's an organization, a group based out of selma doing this

year after year after year. we look forward to welcoming folks to churches in selma. we fully expect, as we did with the 50th to have a commemorative march across the edmond pettis bridge. yes. >>reporter: [inaudible]

>> this is about taking the case to the american people. they understand how important the right to vote is for every citizen of the great nation. so, this is more than just about them. it's about making a public appeal, as well as an opportunity for all of us to stand strongly and resolvely in our efforts to fight for a greater democracy. i think i'm doing pretty well.

>> let's just talk about the 100 minutes we saw yesterday. it wasn't focused on the american people. it was never assertion and laid the groundwork for cutting social security that continues this path of cutting social security, cutting medicare, cutting medicaid, cutting veterans benefits. we always acknowledge at the state of the union is a mom fighting for her 4-year-old that has a brain tumor that's rare. you know, why she was there our hearts are out for a great child that was brought that we honored last night and survived because he had research, research that makes

women -- it's not a rare disease when it's your child. what do we see, what are they clapping for? they are clapping for devastating cancer research, alzheimer's research. diabetes research to give tax cuts to billionaires. i really don't want to hear about decorum. i think that's important in order to get the message to the american people. the message from my colleagues and the president of the united states was clear. it builds on the very save act that was brought up earlier. when it comes to voting rights, they will trick and mislead the american people in order to restrict it. that's what the save act does. it's built on a false premise that there are noncitizens voting in large numbers

that are swaying elections. that's a complete lie and they know it. what is the answer to that? make it harder for women in the country to vote because they got married. this is part of the immigration argument. i'm angry today. i'm angry what i saw. that president of the united states who ran and had people vote for him because he said he would cut their cost and make sure they had a chance of the american dream has come in with an unelected richest man on earth and taken a chance on everything we care about. everything the american people put their trust hymn to do. it's a betrayal.s. so, let's not talk about decorum when the plot is exposed and reiterated every single day.

take people's healthcare. you take our veterans benefits and take funding for public schools and you do it all, all of it to give a tax cut to the wealthiest people who won notice it but whose greed knows know bounds. >> amen. >> again, i'd like to thank everyone and welcome the world to selma. we look forward to the 60th anniversary not only to remember but reflect on who to place there and rededicate ourself to the cause in which john lewis and the foot soldiers marched. i welcome the world selma and reintroduce the john robert lewis voting rights advancement act. >> thank you.er

senate lawmakers work on trump administration executive nominees and the vote to advance the nomination of todd blanche. as they continue to cast their vote we will show you me marks prom president trump's speech last night. >> speaking of a welcome change in direction this president, last night. he came to address his vision. his vision and record of

accomplishment. in six weeks president trump has accomplished an incredible amount. chief among his achievements is the job his administration has done to restore the southern border and respect for the rule of law. there were 8,450 encounters at our southern border during the month of february. 8,450. that's at least, at least a 25 year low. to put that number into prospective. during the biden border crisis border protection was dealing with 8,000 or more attempted illegal crossings per day. in just six weeks in office he's over seen an incredible turn around. this shows what happens. the administration to securing the border an enforcing the law. senate republicans are committed to call for additional

funding to protect borders, and get dangerous criminal aliens off the streets. this president, another crisis, the national energy emergency we are facing. as the washington post reported last march. among explosive demand, america is running out of power, end quote. the biden administration pursued policies to make things work from restricting energy development to forcing americans into electric vehicles. we are in a new era. president trump has taken steps to roll back burdensome regulations like the mandate and energy development. the republican support his efforts. for the sake of our security, our economy, and americans pocketbooks. we need a reliable, affordable, and abun and did energy

supply and thankful we have a president that recognizes this. one accomplishment was the passage of jobs cut and jobs act. one of the pop priorities is making that tax permanent. it's a priority for the president and republicans in the senate. we are hard at work laying the groundwork for extending the tax cuts and jobs act this year. there were so many things we heard that were a welcome change from the last four years. the commitment to roll back burdensome regulations. removing 10 for every new one he proposes. the commitment to eliminate wasteful spending. his commitment to protect children from gender ideology and ensure that women and girls

athletic opportunities are protected and more. as always, mr. president. i'm grateful for your faith in america. reminding us how blessed we are to live-in the great country. in the united states of america everything is possible. i yield to the floor. >> last night donald trump subjected the american people to a lot of falsehoods and out right lies. what americans heard was the nastiest most divisive, most partisan, and dishonest presidential address in american history. in a speech that lasted almost two hours donald trump spent 10 minutes falsely rit rit calling

social security. they seem to be preparing to go full steam ahead to take benefits away from you, the american people. it's amazing. tens of millions of americans depend on that check, that social security check to buy food that's becoming more expensive under donald trump. to pay for prescription drugs and they want toth repeal the laws we did to make them cheaper for the average person. calling it a scam. cutting 7 million out of social security offices, 7,000 out of social security offices shows you wear their head is at to hurt social security one of the most sacred programs in america. why would they do

this? so unpopular? only for one reason, the motivation of donald trump, elon musk, and the republican party is tax cuts for the billionaires. that's their number one goal. they will twist, america in knots hurting people, many people, millions of people to get it done. trump also lied about his plans to eviscerate medicaid, lied about the plan to cut taxes for billionaires while making working americansay cut cost. it's more than 10 minutes. in two hours of donald trump's long-winded self severing speech. the senator did an outstanding job distantialing the nonsense with clarity, facts, and desperately needed common sense. i'm so glad, i asked her deliver the democratic response

because she knocked it out of the park. now, when donald trump wasn't lying he was distracting. talking about renaming the gulf of mexico, heat spoke about renaming mountains. he said he was a better president than george washington. what a bubble this guy is in. what planet is he on? for a moment, i wondered if donald trump was utterly clueless of the disaster his administration has been under his watch. one thing donald trump did not mention was a real serious plan to bring down costs. the number one thing americans wanted to hear most. he doubled down on his plans to send costs skyrocketing by starting a trade war with canada and mexico. let's be clear about this. donald trump's tariffs are a tax on working and middle-class families. the average american household could see an extra $2,000 in

expenses. tariffs mean the cost of everything would go up. not just cars, he could destroyed the cash industry, remember, for 40% of the parts that are in american cars come from canada. also, housing. and groceries and food. beef, dairy, eggs, the cost of furniture and smart phones and laptops and fertilizer for farmers. even going out to dinners with friends will be more expensive because of donald trump's tariffs. tariffs will slow growth. slow profits. worsten unemployment and on supply chains tens of millions of people depend on. let's be clear. the administration has not gone through the tariffs. they are changing

their plans by the hour. even this uncertainty is extremely harmful to the economy and making it impossible for businesses to plan ahead. it slows growth. yes, there are certain tariffs particularly against china that's competing with us. it might make sense. these have been unsought throughf, creating chaos for the economy. that's the one thing they are accomplishing. cayous for the economy and why are they doing this. it's not different here than social security or medicaid. why is donald trumper hell bent on starting a trade war when every expert knows the casualty will be families and consumers. the reason is simple. he and doge say

social security is a came. that's the whole ballgame. i can't think of a time when a president ridiculed social security the way donald trump is. what they are seeking in return is the greatest transfer of wealth from working families to bill narrows in the history of america. they want to take social security benefits away from you the american people. they want to take healthcare away from you. they want to takeaway medical research and basic public services, why, it's expensive to give tax cuts to the wealthy elite. that's what they are doing. that's what a transfer of wealth looks like to the average americans taking so much away from you. donald trump and republicans forget one thing, the american people won't just rollover and let republicans

run the country. democrats and all americans of good will, regardless of party are organizing and mobilize to defend healthcare. americans are organizing in public and republicans have seen the flustrations at town halls. that should be the first clue they should drop their terrible agenda when a lead republican in the house tells republicans you better cancel your town halls, they are running away from your policies and priorities. we are organizing online. i set up a call with the leading activistcl and people who have been out there on the front line protesting in new york last week. i thought about 500 people would get on the zoom. it was 3,000. i met with three throw on zoom. we are talking about how we can defend healthcare and public services and stop tax cuts for

the wealthy and maim peoples voices heard in the halls of power. we organization in the courts. new lawsuits are happening every single day. since march 1, that's four or five days ago 35 court rulings holing or pausing some of the administrations worst abuses. the courts and one of the best tools available to protect the rule of law and preventing the worst abuses of the administration. organizing is not easyth but it works. it's the cornerstone in which democracy is founded. donald trump's exhausting speech is in the rear-view mirror so democrats will keep fighting everyday to protect this precious democracy and hold the line against donald trump's attempts to rob american families of their livelihoods and take so much away from the average american family and giving it to the very, very,

wealthy. yield the floor and knight the absence of a quorum. senate lawmakers in their first roll call vote of the day to advance another nominee todd blance. we will take you to a security summit hosted by the ronald reagan institution right here on c-span 2. >> the most likely biggest challenge from the prospective of delivering something quickly and relatively affordable. our biggest challenge is organization and culture. we are not accustom to have to intergrade at the

intergrade to acquire the iron dome. this is on the order of the manhattan project. it will take an i have fort to the top of our government. it will take national will to bring this together. it's a heavy lift. what we have to push back on are those that slow us down or prevent us from talking. >> can you elaborate on that in terms of organizational boundaries. there has been a talk to push them to go harder or faster. is that what needs to happen. >> the boundary and missile defense agency at the threat through the homeland from them. they are not good. the space force is great at building space defense but not missile defense. counter uas the air

force,-and-a-halfgy, and army. we have to breakdown the barriers of title 10 and dod. how do i take advantage of the intelligence in a matter of time. >> whoa is the lynch linchpin in the efforts. will they have a real life example. how do we lead that without actual combat ? >> it's an all government reporting with full presidential support. r in space force is changing and some of the priorities that

services laid out. .there is more talk about space priority but actively interdicting assets. some doctrine worked on that right now. what can you tell us can you image a lot of space x capabilities. >> under the concept of competitive endurance. the cso spoke about it a lot. there is three under there. deny operational surprise, that means we cannot be surprised by others actions. we need to know what's coming or going. the second is deny the advantage. because it's so large. there is a

significant first mover advantage. those they throw the first purrch have an advantage. we have to prevent that from happening and counter space planning. that's the overall encompassing for space control. if you go down the three efforts to deny surprise i need more space capabilities to understand what's going on. we don't have enough in space. that will come through partnership with industry and allies. i need resiliency built-in the capability. more of it will be through excess capacity coming through partnership with commercial and international allies. we know we can't build enough to give us everything we need on orbit.

once i deny operational surprise and advantage. incredible capabilities to ensure i can stop an attack. what does that look like? we are trying to determine that. >> obviously, because this is a new and emerging field, they are either just coming online in some cases. how do you evaluate the state of industry for answering those emerging needs? are we where we need to be or more that needs to be done. >> we are nowhere where we need to be nor have we been in the past. there is more innovation out of the industry today

we are looking at the realm of possible. innovation coming out the way we communicate and protect and defend. we try to take advantage of that. when it comes to sensors they can image. >> i think, we as a nation need more investment as a nation we spend the last several decades in the way we fight. i'm one company deep on one level of technology. we have to expand the industrial base and inefficiency. i need lights out capacity. i don't have enough

to feed the innovation coming out of the industry today. we have to grow the work force to have that excess capacity. that's against our culture right now. we are about efficiency, not necessarily about effectiveness. >> interesting point about aquisition. a lot of people spoke about how to improve aquisition not necessarily something that supported a company to diversify the supply base. how do you change the culture that they are incentivized or is it a top leadership

the system we have in place across the government delivering at the expense of performance they do everything to reduce the risk of the program. it's funding instability and technology insertion. risk to oversight. they try to keep the good ideas out they can use it tonight an you will get a completely different answer and you will defend it out. >> what changes need to happen? is it a matter of

indicating this as aquisition professionals or a role for other parts of congress to play. >> all of the above. we need to be more risk tolerant, when a program manager inbraces innovation we have to reward this and dust them out again bring it to me faster. don't worry about it. focus on the capability to the war fighter as fast as i can. we have to reward that behavior. it comes from the behavior and laws you have in place because of the defense aquisition executive and program executive officers. we have to keep pushing that to allow them to innovate. if you look at the guardians we bring on today, our younger generation,

they are chomping at the bit. they had an ipad at 6 months old. they want to embrace it. we have to take advantage the curiosity early on and not beat it out of them. when they grow up to be peos or program managers they understand how to innovate. >> they stay in the force too. >> yes. >> they don't cycle out. >> on that topic, it seems like services are working with cocomes to get, live, this is an actual war fighter for a person facing a real life threat. can you talk about what sort of lessons you learned or how the interaction has gone. i image you do the same. >> it goes really well. we try to do as much as we can. when i expose the

combattan command and how hard it is to implement the laws mutt on you. all of the effects, they have a different demand system. when i send them in and understand how the kit will be used, i understand what the war fighter needs to get ingrained into that ethos. they come back with a different sense of urgency and how deliver capability to the field. getting them to talk more is beneficial. within the space force, we try to stand up units intergraded from the beginning. i have the operator standing side by said exchanging leadership roles but the mixture is awarers and operators. >> obviously space force is growing in the environment. when it comes to the 8% reallocation, how will that effect where space force

goes. is it you drop things or go slowly? >> i think, as you reallocate the 8%. there is 8% things that will accelerate and 8% of things that will slowdown. en the space force. we are 3% of the total. we are the smallest force with the smallest budget. within that constrained environment, you have opportunities to optimize where you spend your money. there are a few studies out therefrom mackenzie and other organizations. most have 20 to 40% inefficiency built-in their structure. the objective is to find that. >> what types of programs do you feel like might end up

accelerating. we are willfully under funded. where you see some of it and legacy systems we could possibly divest. we are going through that order to make sure the capabilities at the end of the day will they be the most optimum and effective. >> on the systems, to what degree do you see increasing availability. of those legacy. >> there is a lot of opportunities there. in that commercial space we challenged all of the peos and program managers across the entire portfolio either in our commercial or allies. under what we try to

do in the space force is exploit everything we can connect. second thing is, bias much as i can. only then let's go build what we must. we are trying to look at every requirement we can to shift away from building it internally to buying it externally. >> i image, there are some challenges and things that didn't workout and by something commercially. there are instances when things don't workout. have you found them yet and what did you learn from either making the requirements process clear? >> we have not found anything that doesn't work that way. we found something we can do more e fish he wantly and effectively. we could have wrote the contract better, etc. right today, this is our most robust.

we are buying a lot of sat com. this is not the same kind of sat com that i need during crisis. how do i put in place a relationship and contract structure to guarantee you additional capacity in terms of crisis and conflict without waiting to start that conversation. they are leading the way we have the joint commercial oopration which we have in three countries. one in the united states, new zealand and we are sharing data with 15 partners clerk will report the

nomination. the clerk: nomination, department of justice, todd blanche of florida to be deputy attorney general. mr. cornyn: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: mr. president, there's a lot going on here in washington, d.c. that's an understatement. but i want to highlight a meeting that i had, that i attended along with many of my senate colleagues last week with elon musk and the department of government efficiency team. the topic has gotten a fair amount of information, visibility in the press, but much of it's been misinformation, and i'd like to address some of that and the importance of this effort here in the next few minutes.

we had a very informative meeting with mr. musk and his team about the work they are doing on behalf of the american people. i first met elon musk maybe 15 years ago when he came to my office and said he had a new company called spacex, exis ande wanted to compete with the other companies that had contracts for space. i guess, looking back on it, that was quite a long time ago but see how far spacex has come, which now carries the vast majority of payloads into space for the united states government and for the private sector. interestingly and to the point of the department of government efficiency, mr. musk had to sue the federal government in order to compete, which tells you a

lot about the problems that the federal government has, that it's not open to competition, and, thus, creates a lot of problems now that i think the department of government efficiency is now looking at. but in addition to all that, mr. musk has now moved his, moved personally and his family and his businesses to texas. so i'm happy to have him as a constituent, and he's creating a lot of jobs in my state, everywhere from bokacika, south texas in cameron county which is i think renamed. and the tesla factory which i visited a fuel months ago. star l link providing p internet access to people to people who

never hoped to have that access. we can all acknowledge whether you like mr. musk and what he's doing, he's obviously a brilliant individual and certainly among the most brilliant people i know. so you have to ask yourself why would a guy, maybe one of the richest, maybe the richest human being on the planet do what he is doing for the u.s. government. i think that's an important question to ask. certainly he's not doing it for the money. he's certainly not doing it for the glory, because any time you start messing with the status quo here in washington, d.c., you can be assured you will become a target. you will be criticized, you'll be demagogued against, you'll be lied about. it just goes with the territory and something i'm sure that he has not necessarily experienced

before, and, frankly, i'm glad he's willing to put up with all that in order to do some important things. what the department of government efficiency is focused on is efficiency, something we purport and claim to be focused on here in washington. waste, abuse, and fraud. but we talk about it a lot, but that's basically what we end up doing, is talking about it and not doing much, if anything, about it. right now the u.s. national debt -- that's like our credit card -- sits at over $36.4 trillion. now, i'm sure that the american people, certainly it's true in my case, can't really get your head around how much money that really is. to me, one of the most telling indications of how big a number

that is is we're now spending more money on interest on our national debt than we are on our defense, which is the most fundamental and important role that the federal government plays. i know sometimes when you have such a big number or a big challenge or big problem, it's easy to say, well, it's just too hard. we can't do anything about it. and in the case of politicians, some may say, and i bet there are more than a few who say, well, it's too politically risky to try to deal with the status quo, because i'm sure there are going to be some sacred cows or some pet projects that individual members of congress or maybe constituent groups or special interest groups want to preserve. and so they don't want you looking at that. they don't want you disrupting

the status quo. but as we, the reality is, and as we heard from president trump last night, as well as news reports, there are many examples of outrageous expenditures of taxpayer dollars that need to be exposed and they need to be addressed. and there's no time -- we have to start somewhere, and i would submit that there's no time like the present. well, if you spoke to someone struggling with a substance abuse problem, an addiction, you would never say to that person, well, the situation with your addiction is just so bad that it's hopeless. it's simply too hard to change. there's nothing you can do. well, the truth is washington, d.c. is addicted to spending.

and has been for a long, long time. and we have no responsible choice but to address it. so i'm glad that mr. musk and his team have stepped up. and while doge may not erase that national debt overnight, they are certainly highlighting the problems that that, those taxpayer expenditures present. and i think this effort will be part of the answer as to how we get back on track and correct our fiscal challenges. -- here in our country. now, of course, there are many in washington who want nothing to change. i think we saw some of them last night sitting on their hands during the president's state of the union speech. they like the way things are.

they like the status quo. as a result, there's been a lot of wailing and gnashing of teenage and, frank d. -- gnashing of teeth, and dissemination of information, which again is not reality. some in the media have created for their own reasons misconceptions that mr. musk and his team are going into and making personnel and financial decisions on their own or forcing these decisions on the respective agencies that they are researching. but that's simply false. let me say that again. some may have the perception that mr. musk and the department of government efficiency team are themselves making personnel or financial decisions on their own. that's follows.

the reality is that those working for the department of government efficiency are doing so in compliance with the law. each agency's doge employees have gone through the presidential personnel office onboarding process. they have appropriate security clearances and are direct-contract employees of these agencies. and they must abide by the same guidelines and rules as other employees to ensure the protection of sensitive information. the reality on the ground is that doge employees are reviewing systems, processes, data, personnel, and making recommendations -- recommendations -- to the agency heads. then the agency head in most cases a cabinet member appointed by president trump and confirmed by the senate is the one with

the authority to make those discretionary calls. now, of course, this is a tremendous -- it is a tremendous project, as i indicated earlier, to reform our government's giant bureaucracy. and with any undertaking of this size, it's a given that there will be some trial and error, some mistakes that are made. but hopefully those that can be readily addressed once pointed out. and the administration has made those course corrections, and they should continue to do so, and i believe will do so. but there's much to be hopeful about. one example that doge identified -- and it is just, to me, a symptom of the problem -- is reforming software licenses and subscriptions. we were told at the meeting at the white house with mr. musk

and the department of government efficiency that some agencies are finding out that they're paying for as many as 37,000 software licenses but only about 10,000 employees are responsible for functions that require those licenses. 37,000 licenses but only 10,000 arguably would be required. now, think about what this means for a minute. and, again, this is just a symptom, i think, of a larger problem. this means taxpayers are paying for a lot of licenses -- software licenses that are sitting around that are not being used. imagine if a private company let something like this go unaddressed. so, of course, they wouldn't because if they did, they eventually would go out of business. they'd go bankrupt and cease to exist.

but the federal government doesn't work that way. some of these things that mr. musk and his team are finding should be an embarrassment. i can tell you that my constituents back in texas are paying close attention and mainly like what they see. but the perennial problem is that the federal government just is very slow to change. and part of that has to do with the incentives that exist in the private sector that don't exist in the public sector. as indicated, a private business couldn't do what the federal government does or they'd go belly-up. this is part of the reason that our national debt has been growing by leaps and bounds without any credible effort by the congress or the federal government to change. and change we must.

it's unsustainable. now here in congress we have a certain amount of accountability because we run for election. we have to stand for reelection. our constituents get to vote for us or against us. and we naturally want to be reresponsiblive to what our -- responsive to what our constituents are telling us. there's always a sensitivity, for example, in what we spend in our offices. we take great care, i bet to a person, not to waste the taxpayers' dime. now, that's the sort of accountability that democracy provides. government of the people, by the people, for the people. but when you look at the bureaucracy -- a word that literally means rule by the desk -- there's no such incentives. there's no accountability --

until now. so to have someone like elon musk and doge come in and shake things up is just exactly what washington needs. and, again, it should be no surprise to any of us that there's some folks here in town who don't like what they see. there are many people who want nothing to change. and we're definitely hearing a lot of speculation in addition to the misinformation about what this means and where it will ultimately lead. but many of these stories have turned out to be nothing more than that. stories. we know there's always been waste, fraud, and abuse within the government, but it does not have to be that way. the problem is big, but it's our job as elected members of

congress, working as part of the federal government, working for the american people, not to ignore it, not to give pretty speeches talking about how bad the problem is, but actually our job is to do something about it. and that's why i appreciate what the department of government efficiency and the trump administration are doing. i truly believe this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to actually get our fiscal house in order. this is not easy. if it were easy, we would have done it before. this is hard. it's politically risky. but it's absolutely critical that we do so. if we look at what the voters told us on november 5 of last year, we saw an overwhelming desire of the american people to change the direction of the country.

they gave president trump and us a mandate for change. and i think what doge is doing, along with the trump administration, is very much in line with the mandate that we got from the voters on november 5. so i support the efforts that the department of government efficiency are undertaking, and i look forward to continuing to work with mr. musk and president trump as a member of the senate caucus on -- for doge, the department of government efficiency, so that we can get our nation's fiscal trajectory back on track. it's absolutely essential that we do so. mr. president, i yield the floor. i would note the absence of a quorum.

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

>> thank you, leader. we've heard a lot of things in the 100 minutes presidential address last night. not one thing about helping veterans. 100 minutes, not one thing about helping our veterans. instead we heard the same corrupt agenda. help the rich get richer and to pay for tax cuts for the richest man on earth, the gop is throwing our veterans under the

bus. raising prices, , getting their health care, destroying their livelihoods. six weeks into this administration they have fired 6000 veterans without cause. they are getting ready to fire 83,000 v.a. employees. they are cutting snap benefits that feed more than 1 million veterans. the medicaid coverage is being cut that covers 3 million military families. and social security checks that support nearly 8 million veterans. they are selling out our veterans to enrich billionaires, and they are insulting them as they do it. before the speech last night, one of trump's top advisers was asked specifically about the

veterans they had fired. she said, quote, they are not fit to have a job. there is nobody more fit than the patriot who has voluntarily put on the uniform, who has exposed themselves to injury, to death, to illness, who was chosen to make those sacrifices to defend us, to defend our country, our democracy. democrats are here to say in unison, we will not allow our veterans to be defined as government waste. [applause] and we are privileged to be joined by three heroes who have served our country in uniform. three patriots who are watching the republican party and the president of the united states

turned their backs on them. first, we'll hear from chris whitaker, a proud air force veteran and a small business owner who was senselessly fired from the sba. chris. where's chris? there he is. thank you for joining us. [applause] >> helo f1. my name is chris wicker. i am an air force veteran, a former small business owner. i am from minnesota, a constituent of congressman ileana omar. in july 2024 i landed the job of a lifetime for me. i was a deputy director for the minnesota district office of the u.s. small business administration. now, i join the air force paid out of high school where i spent six years on active duty as an intelligence analyst. i spent almost ten years in national security and in a tent

in kabul, afghanistan,, i use these resources to write a business plan for for a cleg company to start a different life. the sp help me get my cleaning business off the ground. my dream was to one day help people start and run their own business. and i have been very passionate about this work. so for the better part of eight months i supported others at the agency that helped me when i came home from afghanistan. i know what it's like to be a a veteran feeling like there are not a lot of options in the world for us. i i became a resource to help those people. until last month when i received an e-mail saying that i was fired because of my performance. that is a lie. my termination was not based on performance and i am now one of tens of thousands of federal workers wrongly terminated. i am here to speak up on behalf of of all federal workers who are being treated like garbage,

and/or feeling scapegoated, rightfully so. i'm here to speak up for the people who lost their jobs, wrapped up in a lie that their performance was inadequate. these are the folks that put life into our cities, and they make it work living in them, cities like minneapolis, every single day. these people, my people walk past the american flag and pledge allegiance to it every day as they serve their communities. they are good americans, and i am a veteran. i know what i patriot looks like, to visit one of those people deserve the gratitude of a thankful nation and not the demonization and criticism that they've been getting. this is unacceptable and it must and. [applause] >> i thank the members especially congresswoman omar. thank you.

all of the advocates have gathered here today and let me push back. we will not stop elevating the stories of those who have been impacted. thank you. [applause] >> hello. my name is luis. i'm from a small-town pennsylvania. i'm sure many of you have children. i myself have four boys. they are three, 12, 13 and 15. i served as a united states navy cb for three years. on her today to urge congress to put family first and present dangers cuts to the programs that families like mine rely heavily upon. after i left the navy i struggle to find full-time work. i felt abandoned by my country. the one that i had worked so

hard to serve. in the navy don't teach you now to live come to life as a civilian. and i don't know how to keep me and my children afloat without these programs. during difficult times that i have lived through, medicaid, snap and wic where my lifeline. i needed these and i still do. i don't understand why republicans are trying to destroy these programs. these programs allow parents like me to take my kids to the doctor when they are sick and put food on my table. the same programs enable millions of veterans who don't qualify for services through the veterans administration to obtain medical care. my grocery bills keep going up. two years ago when my infant son was born, a carton of eggs was three dollars. now in my town it's almost eight dollars. if i lose snap i won't be able to feed my family. if i lose medicaid my children

won't be able to see doctor when they're sick. republicans want to take healthcare and food away from people like me, veterans and working parents so they can get handouts to millionaires and billionaires. it's unacceptable that they will let the people who serve this country suffer. take it from me, right now it's not just as veterans but all of us that suffer. every day veterans are suffering at the hands of the people that we fought to protect ticket if the republicans the same people that we protected get their y it's going to hurt families like yours in like mine. it's time for all of america to stand together with us. the proud veterans of the united states military, and fight for a right to live and thrive in this country that we fought so hard to protect. [applause] >> with that in mind i like to introduce my fellow brothers in arms, eric rodriguez. thank you.

[applause] >> i'm a disabled iraq war veteran. i.d.e.a. worker, a proud seiu steward representing illinois for a proudly served my country and now i proudly serve my fellow veterans. right now the trump administration is trying to cut the v.a., -- let billionaires stiller healthcare. veterans, we are under attack. last week 1400 workers got fired illegally. 22 were my colleagues at the hospital. some of them didn't get a real notice. all they got was this, an e-mail

with exes with the date should be an no-name. that's how little they think of people and our veterans in this country. and who serve our country. slashing staff, selling out the v.a., for what? so billionaires can make more money while veterans -- or worse, they get no treatment. our president was asleep at the wheel when musk was at the wheel. to understand? veterans don't trust him. he's not one of us. we are not about to sit back and take the seiu. we are fighting back. we're organizing and we are taking action. we are not going to back down.

on the southside of chicago we stand up business. we start -- we've done our duty. now were asking the administration and the public needs to do theirs. we served this country. we know how to take it, take the fight to them and we know how to win. thank you. [applause] >> thank you. [applause] >> at this time i would like to pass it over to -- [inaudible] >> good afternoon. thank you to leader jeffries for his leadership. i want to wreck that some of the numbers on this stage. we are joined today by the ranking member of our veterans

committee, mark mikado. [applause] as well as democrats who were veterans, rodney scott, louise carbajal, he is a marine so i have to do it twice. and mike thompson. all right. so last night donald trump lied to you. he promised a golden age and the fact show we're entering a trump dump. inflation is increased. consumer sentiment is down. the federal reserve bank of atlanta has now projected that our economy is going to contract if it is literally going to get smaller this quarter. in the chaotic actions of the trump administration enabled by house republicans they are in not only harming our country,

they are also harming our veterans. one in four federal employees are veterans. when the trump administration indiscriminately and in many cases brazenly illegally fired federal employees, it has a a disproportionate effect on her nations veterans. no wonder, nowhere the donald trump mention veterans issues less like a horse after house republicans are also harming our nation's veterans. the radical budget they just passed with $880 billion of cuts to medicaid harms our veterans because one intent of our veterans gets coverage through medicaid. i want to thank today are veterans for sharing their powerful stories and i will conclude on this story. i met a veteran yesterday. she served in the u.s. air force. she then went to work at fema in alabama the same state were started my active duty training in the air force. she was one of the first

volunteers to go to hurricane helene. she has two kids ages four and ten. and in present day she got an email e-mail similar to what eric got that said she was fired. no notice, no severance pay, if she couldn't even go back to her office. a few days later she had to walk into the of a field in the snow and her supervisor to, and give her the office items in a box. that is not how we should treat our nation's veterans, not how we should treat all federal employees and the stuff that we should treat any american. the actions of the trump administration are shameful, immoral, and they are completely -- to veterans. that's why the leadership of hakeem jeffries and of the democratic members here in this room we're fighting back and we will prevail. [applause] i, is now much honor to

introduce our amazing caucus chair, pete aguilar. [applause] i want to thank ted lieu, vice chair of the democratic caucus for service to the country wearing the uniform we're here in the halls of congress. house democrats are focused on the american people who are being harmed by this republican budget which slashes of medicaid to help pay for tax cuts for billionaires, that hurts the v.a. healthcare system. an air force veteran who continued his life in public service as deputy director of sba gets caught up in a chaos and dysfunction of elon musk crusade to line his pockets with even more taxpayer dollars. thank you so much, chris, for sharing your story. a navy veteran and mother of four meca relies on step and medicaid to put food on her table to keep her children healthy, the republican -- pens avenges key congressional district the trade by voting to

take away her healthcare. thank you, louise. and to eric and army veteran and a front-line worker at the v.a. hospital, we want to tell you we would not get distracted by the lies that you heard last night. we are going to keep the focus on where it deserves and to focus on what the president does, not what he says. these stories are happening all over the country, and sadly it's only going to get worse. it didn't have to be this way, that trump and house republicans refused to prioritize the needs of everyday americans. the american people were told this version of the president would be different. we were told that this version of the president would bring down prices on day one. instead, prices are going up. the economy is in a freefall and trump's reckless tariffs are going to make it worse. the only focus is on passing

massive tax giveaways for corporations in billionaires. we were told this version of president trump could be trusted to lead our country at a perilous time in our history. we were lied to and we will hold accountable the people who perpetrated this lie on our constituents and the american people. thank you so much for being here. [applause] massachusetts. ms. warren: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are. ms. warren: i ask that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. warren: today's vote on this congressional review act

resolution could not be more forward. vote yes if you want americans to get scammed. no if you don't. vote yes if you want elon musk to have a get out of jail free card when he scams people on money. vote no if you don't. three kwourts of americans -- quarters of americans use venmo and cash app. so the cfpb investigated and stepped in with a new rule to help prevent this fraud. the cfpb's rule also helps protect consumer privacy and it combats debanking on these platforms. ask any american how much they like getting scammed and whether they think there should be stronger protections against it, and listen to how angry people get over these scams. look, nobody wants to be scammed

and no one wants fewer protections against getting scammed. in fact, the only people who want weaker rules against scamming are the guys who run the scams. that may explain why elon musk is hoping the senate kills this new rule today, because e-'s new x money digital payment mrament would be subject -- cfpb review. he wants a get out of jail for free elon card, and that is what the vote today would actually give him. i think it's pretty clear what elon's play is here. he wasn't very subtle when he tweeted, cfpb r.i.p. and then the doge team locks the

cfpb staff out of the building. that was act one. now he wants act two. he wants congress to block this cfpb rule. so what will elon get out of it if the rule is blocked? well, he will get a clear runway for his payment app without having to worry about whether there's a cop on the financial beat who would catch him if he rips off customers who use his new app. but this is really a three-part play, not just a two-part play. act one was closing down the cfpb so that the financial cops were shut out at least for a while. act two is the part we see now with elon rolling back a rule that when the cops are back on the beat, a financial cop could use to -- could use that rule to go after elon if he breaks the law. act three comes next week when

republicans try to move forward with legislation that will clear the decks for elon to issue x money as his own stable coin without any guardrails to protect consumers, to protect national security or to protect the financial stability of our economy. put simply, republicans are setting the stage for the richest man in the world to issue his own currency that competes with the u.s. dollar. act one protected all the scammers. act two protects the cash app scammers in particular. and act three, as currently drafted, will roll out the red carpet for elon and jeff and mark and maybe a few other big tech billionaires to seize control of our money and payments which underpins the entire economy.

so the question is -- will congress go along? will congress protect americans from getting cheated out of their money or will congress give elon musk a get-out-of-jail-free card so he can scam whoever he wants to scam and know that the cfpb can't touch him? look, this may feel like just one more vote on a busy day, but rewarding elon musk and a handful of billionaires will mean real cons go forward in this country. i urge my colleagues to vote no. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor.

mr. wyden: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from oregon.

mr. wyden: i join my colleagues today to talk about the importance of consumer financial protection bureau in defending typical americans against scams and multinational banks. this agency's entire purpose is for standing up for regular people as a watchdog against the powerful and corrupt. donald trump and elon musk are attempting to close the cfpb and they're demonstrating their priorities. they have systematically knee capped every part of the government that can stand in the way of their spree of looting the government to make themselves and their friends even wealthier. this unlawful freeze threatens oregonians economic opportunity and stability. donald trump pledged to the american people to level the to level the playing field to lower prices, his action and the actions of many colleagues on the other side do the opposite. just yesterday my officered from

veterans who served our country and now go to college and oregon. these are brazen people who are not wealthy. we shared details how predatory for-profit fake veterans their post-9/11 g.i. bl befrts. if -- benefits. if not for the work of the cfpb, many veterans would have been robbed of tens of thousands of dollars each and its earned benefits. my constituents shared they're really worried about what's going to happen in terms of our student veterans if elon musk and donald trump succeed in shuttering the cfpb. maybe they didn't know they protected the veterans and servicemembers from bad actors or possibly they didn't care. since the bureau astart 13 years ago, it returned $13 billion to consumers and prevented billions

more in losses. between fraudsters and stammers, donald trump protected the fraudsters and the scammers by illegally sending cfpb staff home and freezing the agency's work. now my republican colleagues are attempting to repeal the cfpb rule that protects consumers from frauds and scams on payment apps like venmo. the cfpb would be able to look at the books of payment apps to ensure they are following the law. this rule doesn't impose new requirements on services like venmo, but this type of supervision is important to stop illegal activity before it's too late. in the case of payment apps, this is crucial to combat fraud and scams. fraud and scams on payment apps are only getting more common. so why are my colleagues pushing to overturn the rule now?

republicans are trying to roll back the rule. i'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that elon musk wants to start a payments app, that's a lot harder to do when you have to follow any pesky laws or rules. anybody who's used the sight formerly known as twitter knows that elon musk doesn't seem to care about the proliferation of fraud or scams. trump, musk and my colleagues across the aisle seem to be working to destroy the cfpb because it enforces consumer protection and data privacy laws which i have been working to strengthen. elon musk has trampled into america's sensitive data at the irs. it should be clear to all of us that elon musk, donald trump and the rest of this billionaire crowd seems to have no regard for the law or for the constitution. those who voted for donald trump because they wanted lower prices and a fairer economy really

ought to be concerned about what i've just described in the economic sabotage. and anybody who plays by the rules has a right as well to feel betrayed by the trump and musk contempt for the rule of law. i am glad to be here with my colleagues to blow the whistle at trump and the dangerous chaotic agenda and with senator warren who has led this for so many years i will vote no on this resolution and i urge my colleagues to do the same. and, mr. president, i yield the floor. mr. wyden: i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

the clerk: ms. alsobrooks.

and have his reflections on last nights address to the nation by president trump. the man is entitled to his opinion. this morning cbs news reported on what the viewers at home five about what they saw. headline is whole trump 2025 joint address to congress finds large majority of viewers approve. large majority, 76% of the viewers approved of what they

heard last night. ask those viewers did the president spent time on talk about the issues that you care about? to what are three suggest indeed. -- two out of three -- what did they say? almost 70% said hopeful. hopeful for the future over half said proud, proud of america. describe the president as presidential, inspiring and unifying. does president trump have a clear plan for inflation? more than two out of three said yes. that's what the american people saw. so apparently the minority leader did not see the same speech or did not reflect the same way as the great majority of the american viewers at home. last night i believe people saw president trump's bold agenda

and rapid action in motion. that was focus on securing the border. joint address to congress are tippling about making promises but last night it was different. president trump spoke about the promises he's keeping, the action that he has already taken to make our country safer. the numbers tell tell a str president trump in february, there were less than 9000 illegal crossings at our southern border. that is the lowest in recorded history. under joe biden the border was a very different story. the border was wide open for members of criminal cartel, drug dealers come for people on the terror watch list. so last month was february. when out in the march and we will yet february 2022-2020, 2024 and now with 2024 and now with president trump back in office.

february 2022 under joe biden 160,000 illegal crossings. 223,157,000 illegal crossings. only 2,490,000 illegal crossings. president trump, less than -- joe biden was having these numbers in a single day when he was in the white house. president trump is securing the border. he's doing it boldly. he's doing it strongly. he's doing it with intention. one illegal immigrant said it's too hard. you can't cross right now. that's the message we want american people one illegal immigrants to be hearing. it's too hard, don't even try it. under president trump we have reverse migration. it's a reality.

cartel criminals want to profit from the border invasion. not anymore. one smuggler told nbc news that his prophets had fallen 80%. good message for them to all here. illegal immigrants are turning around and at the same time illegal criminals in this country are being taken down. in my home state of wyoming ice briefly rested two mexican nationals, drug dealers. one was a man found with the pounds of methamphetamine president trump is taken cold-blooded criminals like this off of our streets, getting them out of the country. president trump is also fighting to stop the drug cartels and these of the people who are flooding our nation with deadly drugs. fentanyl poisoning kills more than 70,000 american citizens each and every year. this is a crisis. day one president trump listed these tiller cartel members as

terrorist organizations. no other president has taken such a bold step ever, and it's working. the cartels are now shutting down drug labs. the leaders are going into hiding. for the first time in years the cartels are running scared. that's the way it should be. president trump said he's going to do whatever it takes to keep americans safe. president trump again his first day in office by signing dozens of executive orders. he crackdown on illegal immigrant criminals in each and every one of our communities. p.m. powered the border patrol agents. they are securing the border once again. he launched the largest deportation operation in history. immigration customs when -- ice ages beginning to deport the worst illegal criminals. president trump also make sure american taxpayers stop spending billions of their dollars one free hotels, free phones, free

healthcare for illegal immigrants which of course acted as a magnet to bring more illegal immigrants into the country. not the message of their hearing today. social security, medicare and medicaid are for american citizens, not for illegal immigrants. president trump's actions are going to protect and preserve these vital programs for the very people that the programs were intended for. the american public overwhelmingly supports what president trump is doing. cbs news the same people who did the poll this morning on how successful and how much the people of this country welcome the president address last night, last week cbs's report seeking 9% 9% of americans ad of president trump's deportation program. 64% say the president actions are reducing illegal migration and crossings at the southern border. that's what they voted for in

november, a secure border. people around this country oppose what the democrats are doing insane choices like chicago, los angeles, denver and boston. they oppose funneling their hard-earned taxpayers to pay for benefits for consumers more susceptible to fraud. mr. president, in november the cfpb published a rule to extend oversight over big tech companies that offer mobile payments and digital wallets. companies like cash app, venmo, google, and apple now handle millions of dollars in consumer transactions per year. everyone knows someone who has either been defrauded or scammed on one of these applications,

and everyone also knows how difficult it can be to get your money back, even if your savings get wiped out. the cfpb took a very sensible approach to update our financial regulations to address this problem. the cfpb's rule places big tech companies that handle your money under federal oversight in order to make sure they are following the law. if these big tech companies want to act like banks, then they should be subject to similar consumer protection requirements as banks are. under the cfpb's rule, someone is making sure consumers actually get reimbursed when they are victims of fraud. it means that fraudsters are having a harder time stealing people's savings. and it means greater protection against sophisticated scammers that are hacking people's phones

and e-mail accounts. if this resolution is adopted, there's no going back. it will preclude the cfpb from adopting substantially similar consumer protections in the future. big tech will operate under its own rules, and consumers will be vulnerable. and it's no coincidence that this cra vote comes only one month after elon musk announced that he would be starting his own digital payments company. what a coincidence. a vote in favor of this resolution is a vote to strip federal oversight of elon musk's payments company. it's a vote to make it easier for elon musk to shirk his obligation to reimburse the american people when they are cheated out of their money on

his platform. elon musk wins, the american people lose. i hope my republican colleagues will join us to protect this eminently sensible rule, and i urge my colleagues to oppose this resolution. and with that, mr. president, i would yield the floor. mr. hickenlooper: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. mr. hickenlooper: mr. president, the consumer financial protection bureau is, at its core, a law enforcement agency. congress established the cfpb 15 years ago to protect americans from fraud, from getting ripped off by banks and credit card companies, financial

institutions, but today's republican-led resolution weakens the cfpb's ability to protect consumers. it's part of a broader effort by the administration to shut down consumer protections entirely. now, let's take a minute to go back in time to the time before the cfpb existed, right before the 2008 financial meltdown. back then, abusive fees and misleading disclosures meant that coloradans paid more for mortgages, more for credit cards, more for student loans. fly-by-night lenders made massive profits by targeting vulnerable families with excessively high-cost loans, turning credit from a tool for opportunity into a tool for scams. financial scammers could all too easily slip through the cracks in oversight. there just wasn't enough

oversight. in some cases, there was no oversight. our neighbors were getting hit with hidden fees and frauds when they took out a mortgage, when they used a credit card, or if they were just paying for school. there was no cop on the beat. the result? by 2008, years of this shady, abusive practice helped spark a devastating global financial crisis. six million households lost their homes to foreclosure. a quarter of our families lost 75% of their wealth. americans lost faith in our financial system. in 2010, congress created cfpb to help make it -- help make sure that this could never happen again. congress gave it a simple job, to protect americans from getting ripped off. the bureau cleaned up mortgage markets, debt collection, student loans, and much, much

more. it worked to protect veterans and other servicemembers. fast forward to today and the cfpb's results really speak for themselves. the bureau has delivered $20 billion, that's billion dollars with a b, back to americans through its enforcement actions. it's brought relief to 200 million americans and small businesses facing scams or abusive practices. in colorado, nearly 67,000 people have sought the help from cfpb, including more than 6,200 servicemembers. thousands of those complaints led to relief for consumers. it really is a remarkable track record. that is, until it's been decided by republicans to, well, that they want to eliminate many of these protections, if not all of them. this today would unwind productions designed for the

modern financial system, for the everyday payment apps we all use, like venmo or paypal. it would allow some of the largest financial firms in a consumer's life to stay in the shadows, to operate outside of any oversight. that's exactly the approach to consumer protection we had 20 years ago, before the chfpb, before the 2008 financial crisis. this is but the latest attempt to lead consumers -- to leave consumers vulnerable to scams. in fact, the trump administration is trying, i think many people believe illegally, to abolish the cfpb entirely. they fired dedicated staff who protect consumers. they canceled the lease on the cfpb's office. and they literally ordered a total shutdown of the agency, an unprecedented effort to defy congress. the administration believes that cfpb doesn't deserve to exist. maybe they think that scammers and fraudsters have finally hung

it up and have gone to find honest work. but i think the american people know better. the administration wants to take our economy back to the time before the financial crisis of 2009, with weaker protections and no one looking out for cons consumers. if the trump administration gets its way, it's clear who the winners will be -- loan sharks, shady mortgage companies, junk fee merchants. and the losers will be the rest of america. any coloradan that wants a fair deal on a credit card or on a mortgage. bottom line -- more money in the pocket of fraudsters, scammers, and the unscr unscrupulous, less for the little guy to save. i urge my colleagues to stand up for american consumers and vote no on this resolution. mr. president, i yield back my

all four of her mayors are from states on that list. republicans were saying they should lose that money because they don't agree with their dear leader. trump and republicans are tend to take money from lou cities and states and give them to the red states for republicans demonize blueberries in cities that are the very area that are keeping the economy going. the attacks would the mayor's and city are not our shameful and dangerous to the impulses of this president was trying to expand executive power at nearly every direction. i would like to thank our mayors for coming in today having the strength and courage to stand up to this administration.

thank you. i yield back. >> the chair recognizes mr. makes. >> thanks, mr. chairman. sotomayor adams, you've agreed -- you agreed today that new york is them nukes he is a sanctuary city commiserate? >> at least from a definition, but there's now a uniform definition. >> right. but that's what you proclaim. mayor johnson you previously also declared that your sanctuary city. mayor johnson you said that chicago must lead with a lit by the promise of sanctuary city. boston and other police markets cannot cooperate to iceland comes to detaining some awards. of course i don't know what mr., a johnson would define it. ..

>> you'll notice there's no mens rea requirement here. this is it. every one of you is exposed to criminal culpability if here. that's the reality of it. let's do the next one. any person that is an alien knowing -- now you've got a couple of -- [inaudible] here, of the fact that an ale yen remains in the united states conceal, harbors or conceals from detection or attempts to conceal from detection, such alien in any place. you'll notice it doesn't make a

distinction that all of y'all want to make of criminal warrants versus civil. you're all in violation of all three of these statutes. you've got criminal culpability, i yield back. >> gentleman yields back. care recognize ifs mrs. randall from washington state. >> thank you, mr. chairman, and thank you to our witnesses for taking the time to be here today. you know, i represent the northwest corner of the country, so i did happily live in boston for ten years safely. and washington state is proudly home to more than one million immigrants. we know in washington that our communities, like yours, are stronger because of immigrants. we are fed if because of immigrants, we're able to take public transportation because of the work of immigrants. we are able to to work on building the affordable housing that we need because of immigrants: we receive quality

health care because of immigrants. but this administration, as we see over and and over and over, is more concerned with deporting families than support anding families. than supporting families. their actions are rooted in hatred and fear and deliberate misunderstanding. they say they want to lower costs, but what their actions show us the is the opposite. and we're going to drive our economy, and this administration's mass deportations have wreaked havoc on our communities all while families see their grocery bills continue to rise and worry about their health care being ripped away. my constituents are scared. they're writing to us that they're afraid to go out in public, send their kids to school, go to the grocery store without two other members of their family or their neighbors with them. there are dozens of families making emergency plans to make sure someone is legally designated to take care of their

children if they're detained or deported and, in fact, our governor had to create additional policy to ensure that kids are not left alone when their parents disappear. we've heard from beet farmers and wheat growers and florida christmas tree farms, grocers. >> harvesters that their businesses cannot continue without the support of immigrants. we know that there is a huge economic impact to our families and our communities. and mayor adams, per your testimony in 2021 on immigrant new yorkers, you stated that including those who are undocumented, immigrants in new york paid billions of dollars in taxes and and contributed billions more in spending power to the new york economy. is that true? >> yes. >> yes, thank you.

so one can imagine if this administration continues its mass deportation the plans in cities across the country including new york, it would have a significant impact on all our economies. mr. are buyer, can you speak to what the economic impacts would mean to the u.s. economy? >> absolutely. it'd be devastating. you're looking at an instant recession if it was, you know, some magic wand you could wave to get rid of all these people like they want. that'd be about a 7% drop in gdp that's well into the trillions of cars in loss -- dollars. production of goods and services that benefit americans. and when you really think about it when it cops to the cities, right, it's not equally distributed across the country. it's really these cities and some others that are going to be overwhelmingly impacted. so those neighborhoods, you're looking at a death spiral of economic activity when you

remove so much of the population. and, obvious, we talk about just the people who are undocumented, but there are children, there are spouse, all those people are going to be affected by mass deportation. >> thank you so much. and, mr. chair, with unanimous consent i'd like to enter this new york times article, frustration grouse inside the white house -- >> without objection, so ordered. >> thank you so much. and, you know, this committee has been interested in often covering waste, fraud and abuse, and i'd like to draw our attention to the asmr deportation flight that the administration touted on their official social media channels. while previous flights, deportation flights cost for about 10.5 hours $47,000, this military flight that was congressman if deered from its mission of national security or to take folks -- commandeered --

to take folks who were if detention centers already to a stopover in guantanamo cost us $299,250 for the same flight. my, folks in my community who are stationed at joint base louis mccord, are being diverted from their essential missions to guantanamo to be layover stewardesses for this man that's just for clicks. it's just to stir up media, just to deliver are on a promise that the president's made and that he's worried he will be accused of letting his base down if he doesn't carry out. thank you. >> chair recognizes ms. mace from south carolina. >> thank you, mr. chairman. all of the mayors here today are actively working to harm the american people you represent. you all have blood on your hands. i'm going to ask a series of yes or no questioned today, and i

would like to concern questions today, and i would like to remind all of you, you are under oath. i only want a yes or a no to my question. the first question, do you acknowledge breaking into our country is a crime? mayor adams a, yes or no? do you acknowledge breaking into our country is a crime? >> i acknowledge -- >> yes or no. >> i acknowledge -- >> okay. honorable johnston -- he's not going to answer the question. yes or no, is breaking into the country -- >> depends how you cross the border. >> okay, mayor johnston, yes or no? >> comprehensive immigration reforms -- >> mayor wu, do you have a better answer than these gentlemen before you? yes or no? >> yes. >> okay. do you believe it's acceptable for illegals who commit heinous crimes to be released back into the public instead of being detained or -- mayor adams, yes or no? >> anyone that break -- >> this is not hard, yes or no. >> anyone who finish. >> okay.

mayor, yes or no? >> they should be de-- >> mayor? >> anyone who -- >> okay, yes or no. >> mayor wu,? this is why you have -- >> anyone who's a public safety threat -- >> all right. i have any next question. would an ill -- when an illegal alien rapes a woman, do you believe you're on the right side of history. mayor adams, yes or no? >> say that question -- >> okay. mayor johnston. when an illegal alien rapes a woman, do you believe you're on the right side of history? >> i will charge and prosecute -- >> you said you would go to jail, didn't you? for harboring illegal aliens, mayor johnson. >> could you repeat your question. >> do you believing you're on the right side of history? >> could you clarify that -- >> mayor wu, yes or no? >> no. rape is, obviously, horrible. >> why are you letting rapists back on the street streets of -- >> that is not true. >> when an illegal alien no rests an underage a -- molests

an underage kid, do you pat yourself on the back? mayor adams? >> it's despicable -- >> mayor johnston? >> i prosecute people who -- >> mayor johnson? >> we -- >> mayor wu? >> we investigate, arrest and prosecute. >> you guys don't sound very confident today. would your city honor an i.c.e. detainer on an illegal alien who rapes kids if one was issued today, mayor adams? yes or no? >> in accordance with law, we will honor detainers. >> mayor johnson? >> -- [inaudible] >> we always a cooperate with federal agents with a criminal warrant. >> mayor wu. >> a criminal warrant, we will enforcement. >> a criminal warrant. i'm talking about an i.c.e. detainer on an individual who's here illegally who rapes kids. do you all hate donald trump

more than you love your country? mayor adams? >> i respect my president. i respect -- >> yes or no. you're having the hardest time today. >> mayor johnston? >> i love my country. >> yes or no? >> i love my country. >> okay. mayor johnson? >> as the son of a pastor, i love everyone. and this country. >> mayor wu? >> i love my country and my city. >> do you all -- are you all willing to go to jail for violating federal law? mayor adams? >> i'm not going to violate federal law, so i don't have to worry about that. >> mayor johnston? >> we don't violate federal haw either. >> you do not violate federal law? is it violating federal law if you don't horn detainer requests from i.c.e.? >> absolutely not. we explicitly follow the statute. the statute says you cannot prohibit city employees from sharing information about someone's status in the government. >> do you love illegal aliens more than you love your fellow countrymen. >> i love all the residents --

>> mayor johnston, are you willing to go to jail for violating finish. >> the city of chicago complies with all laws. >> oh, i highly doubt that. mayor wu? >> we are not violating federal law. >> mayor wu, do you believe that i.c.e. arresting a child rapist, quote, threatens everyone's safety, end quote? yes or no? >> no. >> does i.c.e. arresting a murderous ms-13 gang member threaten everyone's safety, yes or no? >> no. i would like to hold up. >> do i would like to hold up this quote of you where you say i.c.e.'s efforts threaten the safety of everyone, end quote, boston mayor michelle wu. you're a hypocrite. thank you, mr. chairman, and i yield back. >> chair recognizes -- >> mr. chairman, have a unanimous consent request. mr. chairman? i have a unanimous consent request. >> proceed. >> i'd like to somewhere into the the record this article -- as a survivor of sexual violence myself.

this is from courts, march 2018 -- >> without objection, so ordered. >> data from texas shows that -- >> without objection, so ordered. we put it in the record. >> i haven't entered it. >> you have -- >> mr. chair, i have several articles. i need to enter them. let me just go ahead with what the articles are. >> what's the next article todat senate resolution 28 that sounds highly technical, complex, difficult to understand, and some may consider it so. but, in fact, it would have the very simple, straightforward effect of undoing a rule that is vital to protecting consumers. it would undo the consumer financial protection bureau's

larger participants rule under the congressional review act. i think most people by now know about the cfpb, consumer financial protection bureau, which is in effect the top cop on the beat of reviewing big banks' activity to prevent consumers from being cheated, scammed, or frauded. and it's under attack by the trump administration, and, of all people -- surprise -- elon musk. elon musk's attack on this rule is not coincidental, as i will explain in just a couple of minutes. but to add insult to injury, our republican colleagues are forcing a vote on this cra to overturn cfpb's larger participation rule which protects consumers as big tech companies rush in to offering

financial services. the big tech companies are getting into this business. why? because that's where the money is. this rule making allows the cfpb to supervise larger nonbank companies that offer digital payment services, including peer-to-peer apps like venmo or cash app. again, sounds complicated but really, at its core, it is very simple. it means that the cfpb can protect consumers on venmo and other apps the same way they do with banks. that's what the rule enables them to do. you're not a big bank, but consumers can still be protected if you fail in your duty to them.

it's a commonsense measure to deter misconduct and protect consumers. if this cra attempt is successful, it will undermine the cfpb's efforts to crack down on peer-to-peer fraud, apps which are misused or abused, and that fraud has surged in recent years. to make it real, let me just tell but my experience as chair of the senate permanent subcommittee on investigation. i opened an inquiry into the handling of scams and fraud on zell. our investigation found that the level of reimbursement for fraud has dropped precipitously in the last five years from 62% to 38%. what does that mean? reimbursement for fraud has

diminished hugely in the last five years, even though the rate of fraud has probably increased. in other words, peer-to-peer companies like zell are not returning money. they are supposed to be giving back to people who are scammed on their app. not only are consumers who have already been harmed by fraud and scams on peer-to-peer payment platforms not seeing relief, by rolling back the larger participants rule, the trump administration is effectively telling tech companies that want to offer payments, do whatever you want. the floor is yours. no one will be watching you. no one will be enforcing

reimbursements, if you permit fraud on your platform. now, just so everyone understands, requiring reimbursements provides a pretty strong incentive for any platform to police and prevent fraud. that's the reason why reimbursements are important in a more general sense. obviously they're important to somebody who's been defrauded and want their money back. but the requirement that the platform provide reimbursements is a very strong and persuasive deterrent to lax and lackadaisical oversight by the platform itself. these platforms are speedy. they're quick. they're easy. and it becomes speedy, quick, and easy to lose your money. and most of the payments are

irreversible. people watching at home may be wondering why republicans are spending their time trying to roll back a commonsense rule that will empower cfpb to protect everyday consumers from scams. well, like i was saying a little bit earlier, you don't have to look very far for the answer. as with a good part of the havoc wreaked by this administration in the last month, follow the money. it leads to elon musk. in january, musk announced that he is partnering with visa to launch x money, a new venture that would provide x users with access to a mobile wallet and the ability to make peer-to-peer payments. so this new service provided by x would be, in fact, potentially

subject to this rule and requirements for reimbursement that, of course, would check laxity of oversight and force the kind of responsibility -- it's really responsibility to consumers that these peer-to-peer platforms owe them morally. it ought to be a legal obligation, not just a moral one. the value of x has dropped dramatically -- another surprise -- since musk purchased it two years ago. the value has declined by nearly 80%. and now, seemingly, musk is desperate to turn a profit on his investment in x. the cfpb, which musk has

attacked and now the administration is moving to shut down, will be one of x money's regulators. in fact, its key regulator. so, given the spike in scams, bots and hate speech on x since musk purchased the site, one can only imagine how prevalent scams are likely to be on x money, especially with a diminished or no cfpb to regulate it. i know regulation is becoming a dirty word. but think of it as protecting consumers, preventing fraud that may be irreparable when it occurs because consumers can't get their money back. the larger participants rule, if

it is not repealed, would authorize the cfpb to examine x money's books and records and look for illegal practices. cfpb would be at x's door asking for those records, overseeing their transactions, protecting consumers. no wonder elon musk doesn't like it. he's averse to transparency and disclosure as a matter of principle, and that's why he is trying to make regulation a dirty word. hence, while elon musk continues to ride roughshod over the cfpb, senate republicans are doing his bidding today. they're attempting to overturn the rule he doesn't like because it would require more

disclosure, more transparency, more responsibility legally as well as morally from x money, his company. so when you come right down to it, it seems more simple than even i thought at the beginning of my talk here today. cfpb, through rule making like the larger participants rule, protects consumers from fraud, scams, and financial abuse. every attack on cfpb -- we've seen a lot of them, including this one, the cra -- is an attack on commonsense consumer protection. it's designed to benefit wealthy and we will-connected -- and well-connected like elon musk at the expense of everyday americans. it takes away a protection to benefit musk. it's already a multi -- who's

already a multibillionaire, and x money and x. and it's at the expense simplify us, everyday americans. i urge my colleagues today to vote against this attack on the cfpb and to vote no on senate resolution 28. again, it may seem complicated. before i came to the floor today, i was meeting with some media executives, people extremely knowledgeable, financially astute, involved in major american corporations. and i told them i was coming to the floor of the united states senate to talk about the cfpb and the larger participants rule, and they looked at me as

though i were from outer space. americans are unaware, and they will be unaware until x money starts hosting scams, frauds, bots, and they're cheated or defrauded, and then they will wonder, why is there no protection? why aren't you doing something? they will say to us in the united states senate. and i hope they will hold accountable my republican colleagues, anyone who supports this cra, because it will dramatically reduce you the enforcement power of the cfpb,

anyone else, to help protect consumers from those frauds and loss of money, which they need now more than ever. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor.

: >> he's pulling in fbu, a, the t, dea, they're all being diverted to crack town can on criminal gangs and criminal organizes in the united states so it's not just dhs, it's every criminal agency in the united states government is being diverted to mass deportation right now.

>> the phoenix police chief has a stated we work with our federal partners all the time to work on criminal issues, not civil immigration issues. that will continue to be the stance of the phoenix police department. i can tell you during my time on the phoenix city council, i heard constantly from our police force that they are understaffed and need to focus their resources on violent crime. president trump has also tried to force municipalities to divert their law enforcement personnel to mass deportations. diverting city police would mean our officers are spending less time investigating murders, rapes and robberies. now, i want to shift to the economy. mayor wu, would you agree that local leaders and public safety officials who hear directly from constituents about public safety know better what your city needs to focus on than the white house does? and also are you worried about i.c.e. raids and the impact that the it will have for businesses and economic prosperity? >> yes. our local community knows best,

and we can tell you in boston over our history it has not been the word of presidents or kings or presidents who think they are kings that set what happened. it is our are residents. >> and, mr. bier, can you tell us what the economic impacts like food prices and housing costs of mass deportations would be and how this could affect a city like phoenix. >> about half the cost of the fruits and vegetables on your, in your growsly store is coming from the labor -- grocery store -- is coming from the labor of immigrants and other workers at our farms. so it's an extremely important component of our agricultural production in the united states. if you look at where these people have gone, they have gone into the sectors where there is no work visa, there is no legal immigration option for employers to hire in these sector thes. that is why we had so many people come, because of the labor needs of the united states. >> thank you so much. i truly want to thank the mayors

for being cheer if taking on these ridiculous attacks on our local officials. you know what is best for your communities and the people you represent, better than donald trump, tom 40 and steven miller. and finally, i'd like to request request unanimous consent to enter into the record, first, a report published by the american immigration council titled mass deportation: devastating costs to america, its budget and the economy. and second, a center for american progress report titled trump's rash immigration actions place cruelty and text cl -- spectacle above security. >> without objection, show ordered. >> thank you. i yield back to the ranking member. >> chair recognizes mr. donalds from florida. >> thank you, chairman. this is my third term on the oversight committee. we've been talking about illegal immigration and oversight the entire time. i remember we had a group of this committee that went down to the el paso section of the border.

this was back in february, march? or 2021. and during that time period, we were at one with of the holding centers, and there were these buses that were coming to the detention facility, and they were picking up 30 kids, 50 kids at random walking out of the facility. and when i went over to question the bus driver that was transporting these kids, border agents told me as a member of congress that you're not allowed to question the bus driver. and, of course, people knowing me, i didn't take no for an answer, and i repeated the question. and i was told that this bus of children was leaving el paso and going to san diego. and and so what was occurring under the biden administration is that they were busing unaccompanied minors all across the united states for one reason and one reason only, and that was the because they did not want the press to see the pictures of kids in cages. they did not want to see our borders being overrun. they wanted to disperse that

problem all through the united states. that is the reckless history of illegal immigration under joe biden and the democrat party. mayor johnston of denver, you lamented earlier that there were 10-11 buses coming per day to your city. did you ever talk to joe biden about why this was happening to your community? >> thank you, congressman. i both reached out to governor abbott from texas, he didn't respond -- >> why would you reach out to governor abbott of texas when it is joe biden, the former commander in chief, that opened up our borders? if why didn't you talk to him. >> well, our buses were directly being sent from governor abbott. we reached out to say we're happy to collaborate, we understand no one state or city should bear the brunt of this -- >> i'm glad you said that, because that brings me to my next point. governor abbott and governor desantis, when they started moving illegal aliens out of

their states and sent them to denver, they sent them to chicago, they sent them to new york, they sent them to martha's vineyard, the reason why they did that is because you four could hide, hide behind the realities of illegal immigration on border towns all through our country and on cities and states who did not want to see illegal immigration but did not have the political representation to go to the white house. and only when it showed up on your doorstep, did you get upset. mayor johnston, can coming back to you, how much did your city spend on illegal immigration? do you have a round number? >> over the last couple years on all newcomers, it's around $79 million since 2022. >> $79 million. ing mayor johnson, chicago, how much has the city of chicago spent on illegal immigration? >> if you're referring to the 2022 up to 2024 of the buses coming from texas, roughly the same percentage of the state of texas, about 1% of our overall

budget. >> what is that? i don't have the city's budget in front of me. numbers. >> it's 1%, and we can make sure someone -- >> e-smith: mr. president, i rise today to once again join my republican colleagues in reaffirming our commitment to safeguarding the protections provided by title 9 and the hard-won opportunities it offers women and girls. since its enactment in 1972, title 9 has been instrumental in preventing sex discrimination in education, ensuring equality for girls and women. remember that before title 9, women and girls were denied the same academic and l athletic opportunities as their male peers. title 9 was originally designed by congress to ensure that women and girls received equal and fair opportunities based on biological reality, while also ensuring their safety in

educational settings. for more than 50 years it successfully upheld these principles. unfortunately over the past four years we've seen a concerted and completely misguided effort to redefine gender in ways that ignore biological facts and threaten the significant strides women and girls have made since the passage of title 9. these misguided actions eroded the protections that title 9 was created to offer. after watching the l biden administration claw away at the integrity of title 9 for four years, i am proud to stand with my colleagues and president trump in fighting to restore the protection that title 9 was always meant to provide to girls and women in sports. despite the attempts of our colleagues across the aisle to defend their war on title 9, the

american people overwhelmingly glae on a fundamental point. biological male fleets should not be -- athletes should not be allowed to participate in women's sport. i find it ironic that the party that wore pink in the president's address last night is the same party where not one member voted to protect women in sports this week. if it were not so serious, it would almost be laughable. this is not a matter of partisanship but of common sense and fairness. it is a matter of equal opportunity for all. this is the message we must continue to amplify in congress as we work to ensure the future protections of title 9 remain intact.

we must pass legislation that protects female athletes and preserve the integrity of women sports. to suggest that biological females and transgender women are the same in all respects particularly in athletic competition is to set women and girls back, not forward. the protection of women and girls in sports act would safeguard title 9 by defending, defining gender based on an individual's biological and genetic sex at birth. it would also ensure that no federal funding goes to schools or educational organizations that allow males to participate in women's sporting events, ensuring that title 9's original intent is upheld across the board. importantly, its passage would make it harder for some future

president to again assault title 9. it is disheartening to see that once again my democratic colleagues are failing to advocate for the importance of title 9 and what it means to women and girls everywhere. instead they choose to cater to an out-of-touch woke mob on this issue. i am proud to join senator tuberville in supporting this commonsense legislation that will continue to protect our daughters, nieces, and granddaughters for years to come. thank you, mr. president, and i yield the podium. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from nebraska. mr. ricketts: thank you. i rise in support of the protection of women and girls in sports act. this act will protect our daughters and granddaughters and keep the original meaning of the

title 9 act that was meant to help protect girls and promote females in sports. on monday i was proud to support and vote for this bill. sadly, every single democrat, every single one voted against it. it is deeply concerning and disappointing, frankly, that not one single democrat would step up and say i want to protect women sports, that i have a daughter or a granddaughter who wants to have the same opportunities that title 9 has provided over the last 50 years. for 50 years title 9 has made it so women and girls would have a chance to compete in sports. but it's not just about athletic opportunities. it's about is scholarships and

it's about long-term careers. title 9 leveled the playing field so our daughters and granddaughters could dream big and pursue their dreams. we saw this on full display in nebraska when we had volleyball day in nebraska. for those who do not recall, nebraska set a women's sport attendance record. over 92,000 people came to watch our women's volleyball teams. it occurred at memorial stadium. it was the largest crowd ever. and you don't have to take me at my word that this is important for title 9, the omaha world herald quoted the biggest title 9 statement of all time. end quote. it was an incredible moment and could not have happened without title 9. that progress is under attack today. the biden administration tried to eliminate those protections.

the biden administration tried to rewrite title 9 without the approval of congress. they tried to change the definition of sex to include gender identity, which, let me tell you, that was not a thing 50 years ago when this bill was written. girls would be forced to share dorm rooms, locker rooms and bathrooms with males. men would be able to take women's spots on sports teams and women's scholarships. that's what happens if you allow this to go forward, if you allow men to compete in women's sports just by claiming they're a woman. the damage is already being done. last night president trump told the story of peyton mcnabb. payton was a high school volleyball player on the girls team who was severely injured by a male opponent that smashed a

ball into her head. she suffered a concussion, a brain bleed, and permanent whiplash. she also dealt with vision problems. it never should have been allowed to happen. riley gaines is another example. riley swam for the university of kentucky and competed against a man for three years of her college career. lia thomas, formerly william thomas, was a mediocre male swimmer, who decided that he would be a women's swimmer with all that goes along with that, not only competing in events, but also accessing the locker rooms and he became one of the top women swimmers. because it's true what we all know from common sense, males and females are built

differently. it's wrong and it's unfair that -- to allow men to compete against women in women's sports. it ignores science and common sense. last august the united nations released a report that showed over 600 female athletes and more than 400 competitions have already lost 890 medals in 29 different sports because those women were competing against males who claimed to be women. that's hundreds of young women who trained for years only to have their medals, records, and opportunities taken from them. the american people see the unfairness of it and they strongly support protecting women's sports. a 2025 poll from "the new york

times" found that 79% of americans want to keep women's sports for women, for biological females. that includes a majority of registered democrats. this isn't a republican or a democrat issue, this is an american issue. and, mr. president, unlike my democratic colleagues and president biden, president trump took steps to protect women's sports. he took action to protect the original meaning of title 9 in his first few days as president. he knew that title 9 was written to protect women, not erase it. his leadership stood for fairness, science, and common sense. but there's no guarantee the next president is going to uphold president trump's action. this bill would make those

protections permanent. mr. president, the protection of women and girls sports act is simple. it says that under title 9, sex means the person's reproukive biological -- reproduct biological at birth. that's how title 9 was written and understood for decades and that's how title 9 should work today. men and boys shouldn't compete against women and girls in female sports. it is common sense. it is absolutely just plain common sense. yet two days ago every single one of my democratic colleagues voted against protecting women's collegiate athletics. they chose the wrong side of an 80-20 issue. they chose not to fight for science, for equal opportunity, and for women and girls. i urge them to reconsider.

let's stand with women over radical politics. let's stand with the overwhelming majority of americans. let's keep a level playing field for our daughters and granddaughters. again, i urge my democratic colleagues to reconsider.

>> absolutely. all of our key industries whether it's health care, life sciences, higher education, financial services, everything that we do depends on immigrant residents and the contributions that they make. >> thank you, mayor.

immigration defines boston. for generations our city has been shaped by people who have endured incredible hardships to arrive at our shores seeking a better life. they drove taxis, opened restaurants, studied at our schools, built homes, repaired our roads and bridges, cared for patients, cleaned offices, built businesses, provided essential early education and childcare for our babies. there is no doubt immigration is essential to the success of boston, but there is, in fact, the dark threat looming over this great city. that threat is the racist and xenophobic anti-immigrant policies coming from this trump white house. mr. chair, i ask unanimous consent to enter into the record this boston globe article titled, they're going to deport if us: trump's immigration policies prompt some children to skip school. >> without objection, so ordered. >> mayor, when i've been speaking to principals and educators in boston at various round tables ask town halls that

i've convened, the stories are heartbreaking. elementary schoolteachers are -- school children are crying in their teachers' arms. mayor wu, last week with i met with an esteemed doctor from the a boston hospital that reported follow-up appointments in her clinic have seen a 200% spike in no-shows and cancellations. her assessment? her patients are missing critical care like dialysis, prenatal care and chemotherapy because of a fear of immigration raids at our hospitals and health care settings. mayor wu, do you agree with this health care provider? >> absolutely. we hear it from our shared constituents. people are afraid, and that is having huge impact on their daily lives when they're just trying to do right, be a good example for their kids as they pursue the american dream. >> mr. chair, i ask unanimous consent to enter into the record this article, titled some immigrants are skipping health care. >> without objection, so

ordered. >> so here we have a man who thinks he is king screaming anti-immigrant slurs from the oval office and what it has done to make boston safer, nothing, not a thing. but it has traumatized our kids, cost elders their dialysis, delayed chemotherapy and struck fear into the heart of hard working people who not only contribute immensely to our city and community, but whose labor and contributions are also essential to the very functions of daily life in our great city. the members of this committee would be well served by learning from our esteems mayor, but a teach-in is not the charge of this committee. remind my colleagues, this committee's purpose is oversight. the only person who has something to answer for is donald trump. he has single single-handedly vilified our immigrant neighbors and disregarding the constitution and basic decency dale cannily. this man point toss our most vulnerable, scapegoats them for every hardship while he himself is actually the source of the

hardship that the american people are experiencing. my colleagues don't really care about criminality. you really cared about criminality, you would do something about a elon musk's power grab, stealing our data. you would do something about a efforts to defund the national institutes of health cancer research. if you cared about criminality, you would do something about a people that want to rob our babies of food. make it make sense. my republican colleagues believe a 6-year-old from el salvador who wants to go to school and a mom who pled fled violence in haiti are the reason that the cost of eggs are too damn high. and your housing and gas will follow suit shortly because of these donald trump tariffs. we quorum call? the presiding officer: we are not. mrs. blackburn: thank you, mr. president. i think everyone so enjoyed listening to the state of the union address last night and for so many tennesseans, we heard

from them today. they were excited. they felt hopeful, and they also are watching very closely to what the actions of the house and the senate are going to be. now, many of them have mentioned that they know we have that march 14 funding deadline coming up, and so in nine days, the federal government would be running out of money. and they've heard my colleagues from across the aisle talk about shutting the government down and making that choice to shut the government down because they don't want to pass a budget. but if you shut the government down, then you are not going to be able to move forward on president trump's agenda. we know they're not for that agenda, but what they're missing, mr. president, is that the american people are for

prul's agenda -- president trump's agenda. they want to see the border secure, they want inflation to come down, they want crime in the cities to be dealt with. they want our standing in the world to be returned. they support president trump. and we know that when president trump was returned to the oval office, he was given a powerful mandate from the american people. and he deserves to have his agenda shape government spending. but we know there is little time left and so we begin to hear those conversations that we usually hear about having a continuing resolution. now, the reason conservatives like me oppose that is because

it continues the current spending, and that is a joe biden budget. and we know that under the biden administration, they literally ran the numbers off the government credit card. they were spending so much money. they have driven this nation's debt to $36.5 trillion. this pandemic and post-pandemic spending has left every single american spending $1,060 per month to buy the same basket of goods and services they were buying in 2021. think about that. that is the result of the result

of bidenflation, $1,060 to buy the same services that you could buy four years ago. we know what happened with bidenflation. we know the true rate of that inflation is cumulatively over 20%. it's not what they wanted to say, poor inflation is 3% or it's 4%, anybody who buys milk and eggs knows that is not right. and of course it is going to take a while to get those numbers down. to look at the prices of gas and groceries and rent and utilities. and we know that the biden budgets are what fueled this growing debt, this annual deficit that we've seen, and the

fact that now when you look at every single american, their portion of our nation's debt is now $107,000. $107,000. i was talking to a friend this week who has a new baby. just arrived, brand-new, and they are so excited to once again have a little baby in their family. and as we were talking about politics and all that was going on and the excitement of the baby, i said, and when you look at the federal debt, their share, their welcome to the world present from the u.s. federal government, you now, as a u.s. citizen share in this $36.5 trillion debt to the point of