Jim Banks
Senator for Indiana · Republican · United States
“But my mom, with the help of good friends and family and some really good doctors, has never let dystonia hold her back from being a great mom, a great grandma, and from someone who goes out and lives her everyday life in the way that she has. Dystonia is often misdiagnosed, and there is no cure for it yet.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, in a few moments, I am going to ask for unanimous consent for my resolution to designate the month of September as Dystonia Awareness Month. But before I do, I want to speak a little bit about dystonia, what it is, and how personal the disease is for me and my family.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, I rise today to recognize John McKenzie, who will retire from his role as the President and CEO of the Indiana Credit Union League at the end of this year.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“I am glad that, on October 2, 2026, John will be inducted into the Indiana Credit Union Hall of Fame. He will retire from the Indiana Credit Union League at the end of this year, after 40 years of legacy building that will benefit Indiana credit unions, the league, and credit union members long into the future. ____________________”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“That is why it is incumbent upon this body to fully fund our military--including President Trump's $1.5 trillion defense budget request that he has made of this body--so that we can deter exactly that kind of conflict.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“Meanwhile, a newer Singham nonprofit called No Cold War is entirely dedicated to advocacy designed to ensure America is defenseless against the CCP's economic, military, and political warfare. But the Singham network is not limited to China-specific advocacy.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
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“I am glad that, on October 2, 2026, John will be inducted into the Indiana Credit Union Hall of Fame. He will retire from the Indiana Credit Union League at the end of this year, after 40 years of legacy building that will benefit Indiana credit unions, the league, and credit union members long into the future. ____________________”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, I rise today to recognize John McKenzie, who will retire from his role as the President and CEO of the Indiana Credit Union League at the end of this year. Throughout his career, John has led many key initiatives to benefit Indiana's credit unions, their leaders, their employees, and the 2.8 million credit union members in Indiana.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“But my mom, with the help of good friends and family and some really good doctors, has never let dystonia hold her back from being a great mom, a great grandma, and from someone who goes out and lives her everyday life in the way that she has. Dystonia is often misdiagnosed, and there is no cure for it yet. That is why it is so important to raise awareness about dystonia, what it is, and what it causes. Greater awareness leads to better research and eventually better treatments and hopefully even a cure. I urge all of my colleagues to support this simple resolution and draw attention to this painful disease that affects so many. Madam President, and, with that, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 917, which was submitted earlier today.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, in a few moments, I am going to ask for unanimous consent for my resolution to designate the month of September as Dystonia Awareness Month. But before I do, I want to speak a little bit about dystonia, what it is, and how personal the disease is for me and my family. Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder that affects nearly 250,000 Americans. It causes involuntary muscle contractions and repetitive movements. These contractions can affect any part of the body, and they can be very painful. Dystonia affects people of almost any age, and it may develop without any clear cause. My mom has suffered from dystonia for nearly 40 years, and I have seen firsthand how difficult the disease can be on anyone who has it.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“It is time to pass the SAVE America Act to save our elections, protect our country, save America. It is fundamentally important. I yield the floor.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“Protecting our elections from fraud and international interference is a lot more important to me than vacation time. Our adversaries--like the Chinese Communist Party--will stop at nothing to distract, divide, disrupt, and destroy America. Their campaign is not confined to election day. Election day is our last line of defense. Americans must always be free to reject the CCP and its values, while choosing a path that embraces the timeless truths that have always been at America's core. The day that the CCP chooses the outcome of our elections will be the day that it won. And by then, it will be way too late to correct course and pass a commonsense bill like the SAVE America Act. We cannot wait for that day. I urge all of my colleagues to wake up.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“But not only that, she also told us that nearly 400 of those voters, who were accidentally placed on their voter rolls, actually voted in the last two elections in New Jersey. Some of my colleagues keep saying that stories like this are a figment of our imagination. It doesn't really happen. Illegals don't vote in American elections. The Democratic Governor of New Jersey just told us it did happen. They keep saying that these stories are just, I suppose, ``accidents'' or ``software glitches'' is what the Governor called it. The fact of the matter is that these stories keep happening, and we need to do everything that we can to put an end to it. It destroys trust in our elections when Americans read about stories like that. If we have to cancel the August recess to pass the SAVE America Act, so be it. Let's do it.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“That is precisely why we have got to pass the SAVE America Act, and we have to pass it now, ASAP. In the face of the CCP's coordinated campaign, we need more election integrity--not less. We need to ensure that all votes in American elections come from Americans--not illegal aliens or foreign manipulation. And by the way, it is not only because of our international adversaries that we need to pass the SAVE America Act. Just last week, a huge story hardly got any notice in the mainstream media. But the new Democrat Governor of New Jersey--a former colleague of mine in the House--she announced that 6,600 noncitizens were ``accidentally added to the New Jersey voter rolls.'' That is a hell of an accident.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“adversaries, including at a minimum Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, as well as non-state groups, have the capability to compromise U.S. election infrastructure. Our adversaries are actively coming for our elections, and if that is not enough to sound the alarm--what you just heard from President Trump in his prime-time press conference and what I just shared with you--I don't know what else is. All Americans--especially my colleagues in this body--should be outraged by this vulnerability. We know that our adversaries like the CCP seek to do us harm and yet we stand by and often do nothing about it. Our inaction has no excuse. We need to safeguard our democracy, and we need to do it right now. If this Chamber does anything at all this year, it must ensure that American elections are for Americans only--now and always.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“Meanwhile, a newer Singham nonprofit called No Cold War is entirely dedicated to advocacy designed to ensure America is defenseless against the CCP's economic, military, and political warfare. But the Singham network is not limited to China-specific advocacy. Singham groups advance a wide variety of causes that are united only by their hatred of America, our allies, and the rule of law. From anti-ICE boycotts, violence against law enforcement, rioting, obstruction, and support for Hamas' attempted genocide of Jews in Israel, Singham groups and their members advance division, chaos, and hatred. All of this advances CCP interests and poisons our society. Thankfully, under President Trump's leadership, the Department of Justice is now investigating this and whether Singham has been fueling this lawlessness in violation of U.S. law.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“Even the New York Times has marveled at the hundreds of millions of dollars that Singham-linked groups have funneled to radical nonprofits that ``mix progressive advocacy with Chinese Government talking points.'' Take one example that you and I know well--CODEPINK--you know, the radical organization that chases many of us around the hallways--around this building and our office buildings. You see, CODEPINK used to condemn CCP human rights abuses. But after Singham started lavishly funding the group--and then, by the way, he married its cofounder--CODEPINK stopped criticizing the Chinese Government and started defending it. In fact, in recent years, CODEPINK has even provided cover for the CCP's shocking genocide in Xinjiang.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“That is why it is incumbent upon this body to fully fund our military--including President Trump's $1.5 trillion defense budget request that he has made of this body--so that we can deter exactly that kind of conflict. It is outrageous that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle-- the Democrats--are holding up this bipartisan NDAA and budget request to fund our military when our military desperately needs our support. Yet, even if we successfully deter a hot conflict, we could still lose in other ways. That is because every day the CCP is waging economic and political warfare against us. The CCP is trying to nurture dependency, exploit our divisions, cause us to question the justness of our cause, and erode our democracy. This political warfare campaign is not confined to the shadows. In many cases, it operates out in the open.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“President, President Trump recently confirmed what many of us already knew: that foreign adversaries like China are working daily to interfere in our elections and our democratic society. China especially seeks America's decline in hopes that they can establish a world order that runs through the Chinese Communist Party, and we must do everything possible that we can to stop them from doing that. Historically, when countries have held that kind of ambition, they have started big, catastrophic wars. It should come as no surprise that the People's Liberation Army is undertaking the largest peacetime military buildup in human history.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, before I begin my remarks today, I must say that with a heavy heart I am grieving today for town marshal Brad Fisher, a 25-year law enforcement veteran who was tragically killed today in the line of duty in Indiana. Marshal Fisher was assisting other officers in stopping a fleeing suspect when the suspect hit Marshal Fisher and ultimately killed him. I am praying for Marshal Fisher, for his family, everyone in the town of Lynn, IN, and Randolph County. What a devastating loss, a tragic loss. May he rest in peace. And may we always remember the sacrifice that all of our men and women of law enforcement make when they keep us safe. I just want to take a minute and remember him. Election Interference Mr.”
Senate29 July 2026Source ↗
“It is ironic with this resolution because 2 percent of Rhode Islanders over the last 5 years have moved to Florida, and they moved to Florida especially after the pandemic--all of the mandates and higher taxes, and they are choosing a State that works, that is attracting them, just like people from all over the coast are moving to Florida because they like Florida, they like lower taxes, and they like the quality of life that Florida offers. This resolution is just an attack on Florida. I do invite my colleague--again, whom I respect and enjoy working with--to come to the Banking Committee. Let's work on bipartisan solutions and ideas to bring down the cost of living for all Americans. We can do that together. We can find solutions to do that. This resolution doesn't do that. Mr. President, that is why I object.”
Senate15 July 2026Source ↗
“Inflation rates came way down-- down as much as we have seen it in many years--because of President Trump's policies to uproot Green New Deal policies, passing the Working Families Tax Cut bill that we passed that makes life more affordable for working families all over this the country. It is pretty clear that this resolution is just a veiled attack on Florida. I am not from Florida. Florida is a good State. And I love the State of Rhode Island. I did all of my Navy training there. I respect my colleague.”
Senate15 July 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, reserving the right to object, it is pretty clear that this resolution is an attack on a red State by one of my colleagues from a blue State. I respect my colleague, but this resolution doesn't pass muster. In fact, we know that the radical, Green New Deal agenda that was wrought on us in this country by the Biden administration raised gas prices in this country to astronomical rates, made life less affordable and more difficult for Americans all over this country. That is why they quickly turned the page on those policies and got rid of Biden and those radical Green New Deal policies and chose President Trump to come back to the White House. We had really good news this week.”
Senate15 July 2026Source ↗
“The Indiana State Police Alliance champions the values of integrity, superior quality, outstanding service, teamwork, mutual respect, and accountability. It is clear why Captain Krueger was chosen to lead this esteemed organization; he not only understands these values, he embodies them. On behalf of a grateful State, I thank Captain Krueger for his service and leadership. Indiana is better and safer because of his dedication. I wish you the very best in your continued career. ____________________”
Senate29 April 2025Source ↗
“Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and congratulate Captain Scott Krueger on the completion of his tenure as president of the Indiana State Police Alliance. As president, Captain Krueger represented over 1,200 active Indiana State Troopers. Captain Krueger has proudly served the State of Indiana for 25 years, following in the footsteps of his father as a dedicated member of the Indiana State Police.”
Senate29 April 2025Source ↗
“We are kicking off a new era of peace and prosperity like we have never seen before. Again, Indiana, thank you for this incredible opportunity. To my colleagues, it is a privilege to serve with you. I am so excited about what lies ahead. I yield the floor. (Applause.)”
Senate9 April 2025Source ↗
“It has only been 5 months since election day when I took that walk, and we have already seen a major shift for hard-working Americans. For too long, Washington has not cared about people like those boys and that mom, but I do. And I know that all of you do, and I know that President Trump does too. As leaders in this country, we have a duty to fight for those boys and those moms like her for their American dream. To my Republican colleagues and my colleagues across the aisle, we must stand together more than ever before to fight for those working families. It is going to take everyone in this Chamber working together to do it. There is so much in this fight that we can all agree on as Republicans and Democrats, and now is the time for leadership of both parties to step up for American workers and families.”
Senate9 April 2025Source ↗
“But as we were walking down that street, I noticed a mom sitting on the steps of her trailer, smoking a cigarette, watching her two boys in the yard who would have been about the same age as my brother and I would have been when we lived in that trailer park too. As I watched them, I couldn't help but wonder if those boys would be able to achieve what I did or if the deck was so stacked against them today that that kind of opportunity for them was way out of reach. Later that evening as the results from election night poured in, it became apparent to me that America decided to turn the page to a new chapter for this great country. And as someone who has lived the American dream, I have got great news for those boys and their mom: The golden age of America is here.”
Senate9 April 2025Source ↗
“I went on this dogwalk with Marsh, and we walked past the museum, we walked past the courthouse and the town square in my hometown. We walked past the hot dog stand that was where I had my first job as a teenager, and then we ended up in that trailer park that I mentioned earlier where I grew up. I have driven past it many times, but it was the first time that I have actually gone through alone and walked through and down this street since I was a kid. It was just a couple of hours before the news would call my race and name me the Senator-elect for the great State of Indiana, so this was rather an emotional experience for me. As memories of my childhood flooded back, I realized how incredible of a life and opportunity that I have been given.”
Senate9 April 2025Source ↗
“That type of investment is helping to bring back the American dream for hard-working Americans. On election day this past November, I took what ended up being a long and nostalgic walk with my dog Marshall. He is named after Thomas Riley Marshall, the 28th Vice President of the United States, who is also from my small hometown. In fact, his Vice Presidential statue is right outside the west door as you enter this Chamber. In fact, on election day, we walked right past his home, which today is a museum in his honor to his history. When I was in elementary school, we would go to field trips to the museum, and the teachers would say: Look what this guy did coming from a small town like this. If you work hard and dream big, maybe you can do something like that too.”
Senate9 April 2025Source ↗
“He is putting our attention on the issues that matter most to working Americans, like being able to afford a home, a car, groceries, education, and healthcare. He is standing up against global companies that are selling out to our enemies, and he is bringing back a country that builds and makes things. Just last month, so important to Indiana, we heard that Honda is going to build their new Honda Civic in Indiana, not in Mexico. And last week, GM said that they would increase truck production just a few miles from my hometown in Fort Wayne. Our steel mills are roaring back to life. Our tech companies are hiring in America again. And Eli Lilly, also based in Indiana, plans to invest $27 billion in American manufacturing. So far in just 10 weeks, President Trump has announced $6 trillion in new investment in the United States of America.”
Senate9 April 2025Source ↗
“President Trump tapped into the American people's hopes in a way that few leaders before him ever have. And that is why I was so inspired in just the first couple of weeks on the job as a U.S. Senator to be in that Rotunda for President Trump's inauguration when he talked about ushering in the golden age of America. It was so encouraging and inspiring to real people in real places like my hometown. I feel like I am living through some of the best parts of our history, and I stand with President Trump in his commitment to put those working families first. He is removing the ``kick me'' sign from the backs of our workers and our producers. He is doing what the voters elected him to do, and he is keeping his campaign promises.”
Senate9 April 2025Source ↗
“Too many of our leaders have been playing footsie with China instead of pushing back and standing up for our workers. In 2001, our trade deficit with China was $84 billion. By 2024, that deficit more than tripled to $295 billion. Nearly 25 years ago, China accounted for 8 percent of the world's manufacturing output, but by 2020, that number has gone up by 35 percent. The Chinese Communist Party wants to make the United States irrelevant in every key industry: steel, aluminum, nuclear power, AI, semiconductors, telecom, planes, ships, cars, and many more. They are making us weaker and dependent. And here is the worst part about it: the CCP conned American investors into footing the bill. They rolled out the red carpet to corporate America, and Wall Street poured nearly $1 trillion into Chinese companies that destroyed American jobs.”
Senate9 April 2025Source ↗
“In fact, he kept pointing back to the Oval Office and saying that we are in the position that we are today because many of the men who sat in that office behind him did nothing while foreign countries took advantage of us and our workers. President Trump understands, like we all do, that we can't pass the American dream on to the next generation if we let China dominate us. In fact, he is the first President of my lifetime to call China a threat to the American way of life. That is why I believe that letting China into the World Trade Organization was the worst economic mistake of my lifetime. For too long, they have stolen our technology, they have copied our products, and they have built up their industries with slave wages that American workers can't and shouldn't have to compete with. No one has held them accountable until now.”
Senate9 April 2025Source ↗
“But we have lost way too many of those kinds of jobs around the country to China and foreign countries that have taken advantage of us and our workers. It was great to see leaders from that steel mill-- Steel Dynamics--in the Rose Garden last week when I had a front row seat to celebrate President Trump's tariffs announcement, which will massively help our steel industry in places like Columbia City, IN. For too long, our leaders have turned a blind eye when our enemies like China took those good-paying skilled jobs away from us. One of the really memorable moments from the Rose Garden, last week, of President Trump for me was when he said that it is hard to fully blame foreign countries when it was the lack of leadership on our own part that allowed those countries to take advantage of America.”
Senate9 April 2025Source ↗
“Foreign companies have used their low wages and subsidies to dump cheap steel and take over our market, while American steel companies have struggled to keep up. Today, America produces 1 percent of all of the cargo ships in the world. But in 1980, we made over 50 percent of them. It costs over double to build a ship in the United States than it does in China and South Korea, and they heavily subsidize their shipbuilding industries. You see, in Columbia City, my small hometown, the best paying jobs are at a local steel mill called Steel Dynamics. A lot of guys I went to high school with, a lot of friends of our family work there today, and they do really well and provide for their families.”
Senate9 April 2025Source ↗
“About 600,000 jobs went to Mexico over two decades since NAFTA. In the 1980s, it took about 40 weeks of work for a factory worker to earn enough to support their family. Today, it takes about 62 weeks, which means those working-class families are growing debt and falling further and further behind. For too long, empty lots, boarded-up buildings, and dead store fronts could be seen all over America because of the choices that our Nation's elites made. It was a tremendous failure of leadership. They opened up our borders, they cut wages for workers, and, as a result, cheap labor flooded into our country. Indiana is also the top steel-producing State in the country, but the steel industry has shrunk by two-thirds. In 1980, the United States made one-sixth of the world's steel. Now that has dropped to one- twentieth.”
Senate9 April 2025Source ↗
“You see, it is clear: It is the result of bad policy choices that put corporate and foreign interests ahead of those workers like my dad. Decades of America-last policies have hollowed out our industries and crushed our workers. Wall Street shipped factories overseas and stripped our companies for quick profits. For a State like Indiana, the top manufacturing State in the country, that is a huge blow. We have lost 6 million manufacturing jobs since 1980, while our population grew by over 117 million people. Like President Trump said last week, we have also lost more than 90,000 factories since NAFTA was signed. Adjusting for the value of the dollar, working-class wages for men haven't gone up at all. They earned about $850 a week in 1980, and they still earn about $850 a week today.”
Senate9 April 2025Source ↗
“I served my country in the U.S. House of Representatives and now here in this historic Chamber, the U.S. Senate. My oldest daughter Lillian is in the Gallery with us today. And just like my parents, I want my three daughters to be better off than what I was. That is the American dream. This really is the greatest country in the history of the world. That American dream is always worth fighting and protecting. But sadly, the country has changed a lot from when I was a kid growing up in that small town. There used to be plenty of those good- paying factory jobs like the one that my dad had, with pay that kept up with the cost of living and companies that treated their workers right. It is no accident that a lot of those jobs have disappeared, and the working class is falling further and further behind.”
Senate9 April 2025Source ↗
“Those were exactly the kinds of jobs that allowed my parents to put food on their table and raise their boys. To so many Americans like my parents, the American dream isn't just some concept that think tank experts in Washington, DC, write about. It is real. It is what they have lived in their lives, like my mom and dad did, because to my mom and dad, the American dream is, if you work hard, then perhaps your kids might have a better shot than what you did. I want to take a moment, like the Good Book says to do, and I want to honor my mom and my dad. It is because of them that I have lived the American dream. Look at where I am today: on the floor of the U.S. Senate, from humble beginnings in a small town in Northeast Indiana, the first of my family to go to college, and the great honor of wearing the uniform and serving my country.”
Senate9 April 2025Source ↗
“They didn't go to college. They had me at a young age. My mom started working when she was 13 years old at a local nursing home called Miller's Merry Manor, and she only recently retired from working there for most of her life. My dad worked at a local Dane factory, where they made axles for cars and other vehicles. My uncle, my grandpa, many relatives, and many friends of our family also worked in that same factory. In fact, it was my grandpa, my mom's dad, who got my dad his job there when he started dating my mom. When I was growing up, that factory provided good pay and opportunities for so many families in my community. During all three shifts, 24/7, the parking lot would be overflowing as workers earned a wage that was good enough to support their families. That was our American dream.”
Senate9 April 2025Source ↗
“Mr. President, it is the honor of my life to be here representing Indiana in the U.S. Senate. I want to start out thanking Hoosiers for sending me here to serve them, my State, and my country. It is an incredible honor. It is humbling and thrilling, truly, speaking on the floor of the U.S. Senate for the very first time. You know, I grew up in a trailer park in Columbia City, IN, a small town of less than 10,000 people. I still live there today with my wife Amanda and our three young daughters, and, really, it is the best hometown in America. But when I was a kid, we lived on the very south end of town, on a dead-end street with about a dozen trailers. I often drive by that boyhood home, and I point it out to my daughters, and I say: That is where I came from. Unfortunately for them, it is on the way to school.”
Senate9 April 2025Source ↗
“Mr. President, Richard Warner Carlson died at 84 on March 24, 2025, at his home in Boca Grande, FL, after 6 weeks of illness. He refused all painkillers to the end and left this world with dignity and clarity, holding the hands of his children with his dogs at his feet. He was born February 10, 1941, at Massachusetts General Hospital to a 15-year-old Swedish-speaking girl and placed in the Home for Little Wanderers in Boston, where he developed rickets from malnutrition.”
Senate26 March 2025Source ↗
“Mr. President, on January 10, 2025, Indiana lost a remarkable man of faith with the passing of Rev. Paul D. Mooney of Indianapolis. Reverend Mooney was born in Noblesville, IN, in 1943, and was raised on his parents' farm in rural Hancock County. From an early age, Paul's exceptional gift for communication was evident. As a teenager, he hosted his own radio show and graduated as president of his high school class. But God had even greater plans for his life.”
Senate16 January 2025Source ↗