Cynthia M. Lummis
Senator for Wyoming · Republican · United States
“Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate: COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July…”
“Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 119 (Tuesday, July 21, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 119 (Tuesday, July 21, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S4198] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] PRIVILEGES OF THE FLOOR Ms. LUMMIS. Mr.”
“Senator Barrasso and I are riding along the parade route, the same parade route Wyoming has watched for generations. And as we came down the street, I could hear it from my constituents over and over: Pass the SAVE Act, Senator. Pass the SAVE Act. Not once. Not from just one corner of the crowd, all along the parade route.”
“Senator Barrasso and I are riding along the parade route, the same parade route Wyoming has watched for generations. And as we came down the street, I could hear it from my constituents over and over: Pass the SAVE Act, Senator. Pass the SAVE Act. Not once. Not from just one corner of the crowd, all along the parade route.”
“It is the plainly stated view of most people in this country, arrived at through a basic, widely shared sense of fairness: That girls who train and compete deserve a level playing field where they can compete safely.”
“It is the plainly stated view of most people in this country, arrived at through a basic, widely shared sense of fairness: That girls who train and compete deserve a level playing field where they can compete safely.”
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“Here in the Senate, we have confirmed 54 of President Trump's Cabinet and sub-Cabinet nominees. It has required some long hours--many in the middle of the night, much to our consternation. But our work is far from complete. The Democrats' agenda threatens to impose crushing tax increases on hard-working Wyoming families and our local small businesses. If the tax cuts that were implemented under President Trump's first administration are allowed to expire, it will create the largest tax increase in history at a time when businesses need the innovation that allows our economy to grow. That can come through a robust, fair tax system. This is something that I look forward to assisting my colleagues in this body to implement in a permanent form and using our current standard practices.”
“I am particularly pleased with President Trump's support of my strategic Bitcoin reserve initiative, which will address our national debt while securing America's position as the global leader in financial innovation. As Bitcoin comes into more usage, its use makes the whole system more secure, more robust, and more capable of serving our needs all over the world. We should be the global leader with this fantastic, new, ledger- based asset that is in a digital format that is going to be transformative of the everyday economy and puts the everyday American-- in fact, the everyday worker all over the world--in control of their own money. What a wonderful blessing for hard-working people all over the world to have this great, new technology and to have America lead the way in implementing this wonderful, wonderful innovation.”
“But it is something that cries for consumer protections, and our incredible ability that we have as Agencies to disclose matters that should be disclosed to investors and to allow innovation where it makes our ability to do business internationally, faster, cheaper, and more responsible. Through the ledgers, the blockchain's incredible ability to send money all over the world fast and inexpensively helps regular, everyday Americans avoid the tremendous friction that is in the banking system that costs taxpayers money and costs taxpayers time and allows us to do business all over the world in a much less expensive and a robust way. What a blessing to have an administration that sees the future in this way, that understands the innovation that is at our fingertips and that we can use to go forward in a true 21st-century digital economy.”
“Elon Musk and his team have found true waste, fraud, and abuse in government and is identifying it so Cabinet Secretaries can deal with it in their respective Agencies. That is exactly the kind of fiscal discipline that we value in Wyoming--that we all should value as Americans. After years of the Biden administration's unbridled hostility toward digital assets and cryptocurrency, President Trump is fulfilling his promise to lead the most pro-digital asset administration in history. I could not be more proud. We know that we are moving into a digital future, a digital economy. It is something we should embrace. It is something we can include in a new, modern 21st century economy. It is not something to fear.”
“And nobody knows better how to do it than the people who have voluntarily participated through their expertise and ability to identify waste, fraud, and abuse, using the Department of Government Efficiency and their remarkable skills with computers to ferret out waste, fraud, and abuse. Elon Musk and the DOGE team have already identified a huge number of wasteful programs and abusive expenditures that don't benefit American families. All of us should be proud, in both parties, that the rhetoric that we have used over the years that we are going to pay for things by ferreting out waste, fraud, and abuse and then after elected, don't even try to find waste, fraud, and abuse, has finally come to an end.”
“We have kept spending at post-COVID highs, even though the moneys spent during the COVID years is no longer necessary in our now more growing and robust post-COVID economy. Most taxpayers don't realize their hard-earned dollars primarily service this massive debt through interest payments rather than funding national defense and essential services. That is why I strongly support President Trump's creation of the Department of Government Efficiency-- DOGE. It was done through a provision in ObamaCare and its subsequent ability to gain efficiencies through efforts that computers can assist us with.”
“The people of Wyoming are grateful to have a President who cares about securing our border and deporting those who are not here legally, especially those from gangs that are causing unsafe communities, horrible crimes perpetuated on the American people--all unnecessarily, if we only followed the laws that were in existence and the statutes that were in existence all along, those laws that President Biden ignored and that President Trump is following and implementing. For decades, America's leaders have failed our country when it comes to fiscal responsibility, and we in this very Chamber are partly responsible for that. Our $36 trillion national debt represents a real and present threat to America's future. We all know it is unsustainable. And yet, after COVID, we never went back to pre-COVID spending levels.”
“I am proud that President Trump recognizes it and that he has taken steps to restore our statutory ability to produce both clean air and abundant hydrocarbon energy simultaneously. Perhaps the most dramatic turnaround has been at the southern border. Where the Biden administration created chaos, President Trump has restored order--through multiple Executive actions, signing the Laken Riley Act, ending catch-and-release, re-implementing ``Remain in Mexico,'' and more. We have seen border encounters plummet from nearly 380,000 in February and March last year to just 22,000, plus a few, during the same period this year.”
“These things can happen simultaneously. And it is because of Yankee ingenuity and it is because we know how to do things better all the time, we don't have to accept the status quo when it comes to energy dominance. But there were certain people in the Biden administration that forced something called environmental justice, an absolutely trumped-up, dreamed-up idea that we can't have clean energy [[Page S2632]] and abundant energy at the same time. That is a totally wrong-headed approach to what has always been a great American tradition of ingenuity and entrepreneurs who can take a problem and solve it. There is such a thing as clean air that can be produced from coal and natural gas, in particular, and I am proud that my State is part of that.”
“For energy States like Wyoming, the official lifting of the unconstitutional coal moratorium represents a significant economic opportunity for western States. By removing unnecessary restrictions on energy extraction, the administration has signaled its commitment to blue collar jobs, cheaper energy for American families, and a new era of energy dominance. Joe Biden and his administration didn't care about the impact their regulations have on working-class people. The Trump administration does care, and they are continuing to take action that will help Americans and our amazing energy communities. Wyoming exports 12 times more energy than it consumes; and much of that is in the form of hydrocarbons. And each and every year, for years after the Clean Air Act passed, we were producing more energy and producing cleaner air.”
“For some people my age, we spent so many years trying to exercise our rights under title IX and other rights to recognize women's rights, only to have them swept under the rug and disregarded by the left, requiring that women not only compete against men but have them in their locker rooms in what were uncomfortable and, in some times, unsafe circumstances. President Trump recognized this and, thankfully, has put that issue to rest for a while. President Trump is also delivering on his promise to unleash American energy dominance. A few weeks ago, I joined President Trump and some of my colleagues at the White House for his signing of an Executive order that starts to reverse the Biden and Obama administrations' anti-coal agenda.”
“One of the administration's first major actions was signing an Executive order directing Federal Agencies to recognize biological sex in athletic competition. The left spent the past 4 years gaslighting Americans and making the failed argument that biological males should now be competing in women's sports in the name of fairness. Within a few weeks of taking office, President Trump tackled this issue and made it clear that this administration won't support the left's attack on female athletes. I believe this is the women's rights issue of our time, and I am grateful for President Trump's leadership.”
“Mr. President, today, President Trump completes the first 100 days of his return to the White House, and it has been nothing short of transformational. Under President Trump and Vice President Vance's leadership, we are witnessing the rapid implementation of campaign promises that are already reshaping America's policy landscape. When I go home to Wyoming each weekend, people approach me everywhere, from restaurants to the feed store, eager to discuss the positive changes happening in Washington. The overwhelming sentiment is enthusiasm for what President Trump is accomplishing for everyday Americans. For example, on day one, President Trump restored the dignity of men and women as biologically distinct sexes. It is hard to believe he had to do that, but, indeed, he did.”
“His actions have made things more expensive and the future far less certain, whether you are a Wisconsin farmer or small business owner, veteran, senior, or just a family looking to make ends meet. In January, I said I would work with anyone to deliver for Wisconsin. I also promised that I would stand up to anyone who hurts Wisconsinites. Those things remain true, and right now our country is not on the right course. And Americans agree. Wisconsinites want lower costs. Our veterans and farmers want to be respected and working families to have a fair shot. Donald Trump's chaos isn't delivering any of that, and it is about time Congress steps up and acts as a true check and balance on this President before it is too late for our economy, working families, and the future of our Nation. I yield the floor.”
“I hear it from constituents every day calling my office. Now, in ordinary times, my office would maybe get around 50 to 100 calls a day, but regularly, since January, we have passed 1,000 calls a day from Wisconsinites. There isn't a corner of our State that hasn't been impacted by this President's often illegal, sometimes unconstitutional overreach of his Presidential powers. These Wisconsinites are not alone. Poll after poll is showing the same thing: This President is reaching historically low approval ratings. More Americans are giving him an F grade than any other grade. It is hard to state all the ways that President Trump's second term is already impacting folks in Wisconsin.”
“Croix Valley on our western side who have had their childcare or food assistance threatened because this President is choosing to prioritize tax breaks for his wealthy friends over working families. Dairy farmers saw millions in funding that they were promised to grow their businesses frozen, and Alzheimer's researchers at Wisconsin's universities are making do with less because of arbitrary cuts that threaten the next breakthrough that would serve our loved ones. Seniors accessing their hard-earned Social Security benefits have fewer places to turn as field offices shutter and staff is let go. Public schools in Milwaukee with children in them who have been exposed to lead paint in the schools have fewer resources because President Trump fired the very lead hazard experts they relied on at the CDC. Imagine that.”
“I have heard from veterans like James in southeastern Wisconsin who are out of a job because Donald Trump fired them from the only place that they have ever felt like they belonged in civilian life: helping their fellow veterans at the VA. I have heard from so many small businesses, like Lakefront Brewery. There was a local roofing contractor in Milwaukee, small retailers, and an auto parts seller in Milwaukee who are all considering: Do we have to raise our prices? Will our customers be able to afford our prices? Or do we have to lay off workers because President Trump's trade war is tightening their margins and making it harder to plan for the future? I have heard from families from Ozaukee County on Wisconsin's east coast to the St.”
“I have heard from farmers like Linda in Vernon County, who barely survived Donald Trump's first trade war. Family farmers like her are scared that they will be put out of business entirely as punishing tariffs and new trade wars jack up costs of fertilizer and farming equipment, while cutting off access to markets. I have heard from folks like Renee in Milwaukee. Renee has stage IV breast cancer. Renee is scared that cuts to Medicaid will force her and her husband to choose between protecting their life savings--their retirement savings--or getting the lifesaving cancer care that she needs to stay alive.”
“[[Page S2642]] Here is the kicker: Donald Trump not only broke these promises, but many of the things he promised to fix he has actually made worse. Grocery bills are up, and I have yet to see even a concept of a healthcare plan, while Medicaid coverage for 1 million-plus Wisconsinites is on the chopping block to pay for tax breaks for billionaires. Wars are raging in Ukraine and Gaza. Billionaires and big corporations have a friend in the White House who has their backs. It is one of the greatest bait and switches of our time. And, at the end of the day, it is Wisconsin families who are paying the price. For the last 100 days, I have heard from constituents in all 72 Wisconsin counties who fear what this administration's actions will mean for them and their families.”
“Now, while on the campaign trail and even once in office, the President made a staggering number of promises: promises to end wars on day one, promises to lower costs at the grocery store on day one, promises to make healthcare more affordable. And the list goes on and on and on. Look, I was on the campaign trail and listening to Wisconsinites at the same time as Donald Trump was. And, truly, I get why he was making some of these promises. Wisconsin families were facing high prices. Workers felt like they were being ripped off by their big-corporation employers. Democracy felt broken, as voters' voices were drowned out by special-interest money, and people were sick and tired of endless wars. Mr. Trump claimed he had the solution. Well, so far, he has broken these promises and literally betrayed the American people.”
“But I hope, and I ask my Republican colleagues to join me in protecting these small businesses and families from these harmful tariffs. If I am hearing it in my State, I know, my colleagues, you are all hearing it in your States as well. So if there is an opportunity to work together, please don't rubberstamp Donald Trump's harmful agenda. Let's work together so we are actually working on behalf of American families and ensuring that these small businesses can keep their doors open. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wisconsin. Ms. BALDWIN. Madam President, I rise today to reflect on the last 100 days and the unimaginable amount of havoc and harm President Donald Trump has caused for Wisconsinites.”
“He doesn't want to have to pass higher costs onto his customers. But if Trump's erratic tariff agenda continues, he may have no choice. Trump says Americans must accept short-term pain for long-term gain. But what is there to be gained if hard-working Nevadans have to close the doors of their businesses? I think to myself: If it has only been 100 days, how much damage is he going to potentially cause in the next 100 days, in the 1,361 days left in his term? It has been 100 days, and small businesses across the country may soon be faced with having to close up shop. I think about what is going to happen to my small business owners, the ones I just talked about: Juanny, Mark, Santy, Kristen, and the others. Will they make it through the rest of Trump's term? I don't have the answer.”
“Whether people are staying home because they don't have the room in their budgets for a vacation or international tourists are choosing other destinations, Trump's economic agenda is threatening to crater our $2 trillion tourism economy. That hurts small businesses. And when they can't keep up because costs are rising because they have fewer patrons or because of the higher cost of importing their supplies, these small businesses are forced to raise their prices. They don't want to have to, but they are forced to raise prices and pass the burden on to customers, everyday Americans. It is just unsustainable. The same sentiment is echoed in the northern part of our State. In Reno, I spoke to Mark. He is a small coffee shop owner who is already asking himself how he can continue to navigate everyday operations amid this uncertainty.”
“All three of these are women-owned shops that serve specialty drinks and incredible foods to Nevadans, from coffee and boba to tacos. In Vegas, as you may know, travel and tourism are the backbone of our economy. When people come to Las Vegas, they don't just visit the Strip. They go to Chinatown. They go to the Arts District and all over the valley to patronize our small businesses. For many businessowners like Juanny, like Santy, and like Kristen, their margins are already razor-thin, and tourism is key to meeting their bottom line. But because of President Trump's blanket tariffs, we are already seeing a decline in visitors coming to Las Vegas.”
“These are our mom-and-pop shops. They are entrepreneurs. They are the lifeblood of our economy and are part of the fabric of every community across this country. And it is these small businesses that are bearing the brunt of President Trump's destructive tariffs. Now, don't get me wrong. I believe that targeted tariffs on our adversaries can be a useful tool to protect American jobs and our national security. But these blanket tariffs are just the opposite. These last 2 weeks, while back home in Nevada, I got a firsthand account of what small businesses are dealing with because of these tariffs. I have heard concerns and visited with three small business owners in Las Vegas: Juanny, Santy, and Kristen--separate business owners.”
“He has directed Elon Musk and his unqualified, loyalist DOGE team to fire more than 121,000 Federal employees who deliver essential services, including everyone from firefighters who should be fighting the fires that happened in the West to scientists researching cures to deadly diseases. Donald Trump is pushing House and Senate Republicans to rubberstamp a plan to cut nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid in order to give tax cuts to billionaires, and, on top of all of that, he has created endless chaos and uncertainty. I can go on and on. That is just how much damage President Trump has caused to our country in his first 100 days in office. But I want to take some time to focus on the impact that his economic agenda is having on our small businesses. I am from Nevada, where there are almost 300,000 small businesses.”
“Madam President, listening to my colleagues, I am reflecting on last year, when President Trump was campaigning in--I want to say it was Bozeman, MT--and I remember he said: ``Starting on day one,'' in his administration, he said, ``we will end inflation and make America affordable again, to bring down the prices of all goods.'' That is what he said. Well, it has been 100 days since he entered the White House, and here is what he has given us so far. His tariffs are increasing costs for the average family by more than $4,000 a year. He has slashed billions from programs that everyday Americans rely on, including $1 billion for mental health care services.”
“So when I look at these 100 days, I wish for my constituents it wasn't so. My State is fourth in the country for ag exports. We have 15 Fortune 500 companies. I know the differences in this economy and how hard it is anyway. But when I look at those people showing up at the rural smalltown townhalls or showing up at farmers' events and telling me what is going on, that is where I realize: This 100 days isn't just some campaign brochure. This 100 days isn't just sound bites on social media or a post. This is their lives, and we need to stand up for them. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada. Ms. CORTEZ MASTO.”
“When America was on this cusp of greatness and we had come from the pandemic--we were dealing with inflation; that is true. To me, we were going to the next level of problems, which is making sure we had a workforce for the jobs we had and that they had housing and that they had childcare. Instead, we are going backward. We were on the cusp at NIH, with the research and with the combination of mapping the human genome and AI and all of these incredible innovations that are going on. And as long as we put some rules of the road in place, we were in the place to lead in the world on some incredible new things. But now we are going backward if we don't even have FDA people who can improve the new gadgets and the new medical devices. Or if we don't have any rules in place when it comes to AI, we are going to go backward, not forward.”
“And the thing that is really galling to them is, when you look at what [[Page S2641]] these tax breaks will do for the billionaires, and the thought that that is being paid for by--as the Congressional Budget Office has said when looking at the House numbers, it would be hundreds of billions of dollars of cuts to Medicaid or paid for from food assistance, with grocery prices up. And people need--and I tell you, they need them in the rural areas just as much as they need them in the urban areas. That is just the last straw. And from what I have heard, we are going to really see the worse of it when you start to not see those goods come in. So I know that my businesses, big and small, are seeing this coming. They are stopping investing. You know what that means.”
“So if you wonder why these opinion polls are saying what our colleagues on the Democratic side here have been saying forever and asking our Republican colleagues to stop rubberstamping everything he does and to stand up, which did happen on the tariff vote that Senator Kaine and I and Senator Warner pushed forward when it comes to Canada-- we are going to have another vote like that, which covers more countries when it comes to tariffs--they want people to stand up. They don't want any more rubberstamps.”
“He tries on email for days, tries to get through, just trying to figure out what he does when his wife has died, and he can't find one person to talk to in the government and has to call our office. Besides all of that horror show, what really people have to understand--people ask me: What is the worst thing no one is talking about? It is the small businesses, the small ranchers, the small farmers that are the roadkill here. They are the ones who do not have the margins. In the case of farmers and ranchers, it may be because input costs are already difficult, or maybe because of the weather. Or in the case of our poultry producers, it may be because of the avian flu and the like. But this is just like the last straw that they can't handle. That is what is going on right now.”
“Or I doubt that the Treasury Secretary has heard about Beth Benike, who runs our ``Minnesota Small Business Person of the Year'' company, called Busy Baby, an online company that gets stuff that she makes into things for high chairs for babies--a successful small business. She is not going to make it. She wasn't invited by the Treasury Secretary to that secret JPMorgan investor meeting. She didn't get in the door. She doesn't know what the scoop is. She is just trying to get by. Among other things that all my colleagues are hearing right now from individuals and people living on fixed incomes and seniors who are depending on Social Security and can't get through--one of my constituents, when their wife died, he couldn't even get through.”
“Maybe they just tell us--maybe they tell people behind closed doors, maybe they show up. They don't know why the person next to them has a sign that says ``This is not normal.'' I heard a farmer ask this woman: Why do you have that sign? She said: Because it is not normal. He said: I am normal. And she said: This is not normal. They are showing up because they cannot believe what is happening. Here is the problem. Some of the biggest entities, the big companies--Tim Cook, it is good for phones, good for Apple--he is able to call the President, go over there. My soybean farmer who relies on a market that is quickly dwindling--that already dwindled under the last Trump administration--he doesn't have that phone number. He can't get over there in the Oval Office. He can't get an exception.”
“That is what is happening now, and they know it. That is why you see these numbers. It is not like the American people haven't noticed. In his 100 days, President Trump, sadly, has the worst approval rating of any President since polling began. Two-thirds of them don't like how he is handling the economy. Two-thirds of them, by multiple polls, don't like these tariff taxes. I was just on a 19-county rural tour in my State. I visited farms and small businesses. Everywhere I went, I heard people--some of them quieter than others--and I think that is important to know. On TV and on social media, you see these big people yelling into a microphone. I don't blame them. They are mad; they are sad. That is all. They are showing how they feel. But there is another group of people maybe are a little quieter.”
“I think back to the promises that were made, not just during the campaign but the first day. I think of my constituents who voted for me and voted for him--who actually believed he was going to bring costs down and put them first and do something about housing and do something about healthcare and do something about childcare. Those were some of the main things they brought up to me. They were hoping that would happen. But, instead, we have seen the most divisive, chaotic Presidency. Yes, chaos is up, corruption is up, costs are up, and, sadly, people's retirements are down. Americans are paying the price. Trump's tariff taxes, which is especially concerning to those in the rural areas of my State who sometimes just get by on a margin--those tariff taxes, $4,000 a family, $200 in grocery costs--that is what is going to happen.”
“As America marks the first 100 days of the worst President of our lifetimes, I ask Americans to look at this administration for what it is--a full frontal attack on the core elements of what makes America truly great: The rule of people over kings and oligarchs; the rule of law, not the dictates of an authoritarian; respect for the rights of all people, respect for all people; and a commitment to promoting the general welfare for the whole, not cruel and cheapskate voting. Let us commit ourselves, all of us--Democrats here in the Senate-- against this administration and to uphold the core values and principles of this beautiful Nation which we must fight to preserve and protect. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Minnesota. Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, it is 100 days since Donald Trump took office.”
“And the American people will not tolerate--will not tolerate--your disruption, your threat, your trying to end, in a sense, our democracy. Good news is this: Donald Trump's destructive agenda has one great weakness--the American people themselves. Most Americans vehemently reject the path which he is trying to take our country on costs, on chaos, on corruption, on democracy. The American people are not giving up. They are standing up. They are organizing. They are resisting, and Democrats are standing with them shoulder to shoulder and with our country.”
“When the Founders drafted our Constitution, they feared a man like Donald Trump who sees the rule of law as a nuisance, considers the truth an inconvenience, regards his fellow citizens as little more than subjects: Kiss the ring, bow before the throne, or watch your back. That is the ethos of Donald Trump. He has moved with lightning speed to weaponize the Federal Government against anyone he thinks might oppose him. He doesn't believe in democracy, debate, or honest disagreement. He simply wants to crush his opponents. That is what dictators do. What is so interesting, Madam President, Americans are as angry about that as they are about their higher costs because the roots, Donald Trump, of democracy go deep in the American people.”
“We are not just hearing it from Democrats. We are not just hearing it from people who are out on the streets protesting. We are hearing it from average folks who don't really care about politics but are getting hurt, and it is making them look at Donald Trump and say: Whoa, this is not what I bargained for. And, of course, last but not least is the threat to our democratic republic. He is acting like a King, a mob boss, a wannabe dictator. He said he wanted to be a dictator on day one; it looks like he is extending it. Any quarter of opposition that might say something in our tradition of free speech and debate, he tries to crush--crush the law firms, crush the universities, go after the judges which have been a foundation of our Republic. The judges are independent and are able to stop an executive that is going too far.”
“Whatever he thinks will appeal to people that moment, he says. And he [[Page S2640]] doesn't even know what appeals to people. It is really what appeals to his own ego, which seems to be governing this country more than any rational policies or caring. The chaos makes Americans' heads spin--firing people who manage our nuclear arsenal, then saying: Never mind, oops. But, you know, when you fire people, they don't all come back. Of course, their morale is shaken. These are good people who worked so hard for so long. The long and short of it is this: Donald Trump's 100 days is 100 days of corruption, cronyism, of higher costs--much higher costs to the American people. It really is awful. The poll numbers show it. But we don't need the poll numbers to tell us. We have all been back in our districts. We are hearing it.”
“Oh, no, maybe I am not. This tariff is going to stay in place. This one will be reduced. Then he flips it. Again, no sound businessperson is going to plan ahead. That is why, not Democrats, but places like the big banks and big analysts say chances of a recession could be as high as 60 percent. What does a recession mean to the average family? You could get laid off. If you need to find a job, it is harder. Costs go up. Stagflation is likely to occur. It is nasty, brutal to people. So chaos is there; and chaos, of course, is in foreign policy. I was amazed last week on one day when Donald Trump was over at the Vatican, he says he had a great talk with Putin and acted like there was going to be a deal. Next day, he says: I had a terrible talk with Putin, and he didn't even talk to Putin in between. He makes it up.”
“Only an administration that exhibits a meanness--almost a viciousness--would do it. But that is what Trump, DOGE, and Musk and all their henchmen who work there are doing. This is just a terrible, terrible 100 days for anyone who depends on Medicaid. And that is a huge number--tens of millions of people in America. And there is also chaos in so many other places. Every single day, Donald Trump's administration lurches from one crisis to the next. For all their talk of bringing back meritocracy, their administration seems addicted to chaos and incompetence--hardly meritocratic. Every day, there is a new decision, new reversal, new course correction, only to give way the next day to whatever impulsive decision comes next. Tariffs are a great example. One day he says yes to tariffs. The next day he says: No, I am negotiating with countries.”
“And when they are cutting the healthcare of veterans, these people who served us are told: ``Go away.'' And the cruelty with which they are firing people in the VA and other Agencies--I know one woman who was a former veteran. She served our country, risked her life, got injured. She was helped by the VA, then decided to work there. She saw the good work they were doing. She loved her job. She didn't get paid that much, but she loved helping her fellow veterans. One night, Friday night, she comes home and on her computer is: You are fired. Don't show up to the office until further notice. This woman was distraught. Why was she fired? What did she do wrong? What of her services serving the veterans at the Buffalo VA home--what services were not needed, were superfluous, were waste? There were none. She was just cruelly fired.”
“And even if Donald Trump ended Trump's tariffs tomorrow, the damage is already done because leaders don't know what he is going to do next. It is not just the tariffs, the prices, and recession. Americans are worried about the costs of cutting to their healthcare, cutting their Social Security, cutting Medicaid. They are going to slash Medicaid. I was in six of the Republican districts in New York State last week. All six had Democrats, Republicans, Independents frightened to death about what will happen if Medicaid is cut. They could lose their jobs. Elderly people could be kicked out of nursing homes. Healthcare would diminish for everybody.”
“She proudly voted for Donald Trump but told me she is seeing her costs rise 30 percent. She is frustrated--frustrated that the President she supported put her whole business, which she put everything into, at risk. Donald Trump's tariffs are a MAGA double whammy. Not only are they eating the people's bottom lines, his chaotic approach makes it harder for people in businesses to plan ahead at all. If you are a business, you don't know what he is going to do 2 weeks from now or 5 weeks from now, so you don't spend. You don't build a new plant. You don't hire the new worker. Small businesses have to cut back because they don't have a cushion. Every business is getting clobbered by Donald Trump's chaotic tariff policies.”
“We urge national retailers to be honest with their constituents, with their customers. I urge national retailers, when you post prices online for your products, show the consumer exactly how much tariffs are added to the total price. Cars would have been X dollars, but now they are X plus Y dollars. Show it to the American people because it is hurting you, retailers. Don't let them blame you. They should be blaming Trump. Be honest with your customers. Show them exactly how Donald Trump's tariffs are making prices go up. Americans deserve to know who is picking their pockets. And smaller businesses shouldn't take a downfall of Donald Trump either. His policies are forcing them to an impossible choice: hike your prices or risk shutting down your doors. On Long Island, a small business owner told me she is losing sleep over tariffs.”
“The stock market is on pace for its worst 100 days of any Presidential term since Nixon. What happened to Donald Trump bragging about the stock market like he always liked to do? There is not much to brag about these days. No President in history has promised more on day one and delivered less by day 100 than Donald Trump. In record time, the President has turned his golden promise into an economic ticking time bomb. It gets worse every day. He is trying to call it progress. He says to people: Americans won't mind paying more. That is the arrogance of a billionaire--the arrogance of a billionaire. Thanks to Donald Trump's stupid trade wars--which have failed to rein in countries like China--CEOs and small business owners are warning about rising prices, empty shelves, disrupted supply chains.”
“They are destroying the guardrails of government. They are destroying every part of anything that opposes them, all so they can take more money away from working people and give it to themselves. Let's talk about it. First and most urgently, maybe--they are all very urgent; that is the only reason I say ``maybe.'' But the first 100 days of Donald Trump have meant 100 days of rising costs. For months before he became President, Trump promised that if elected, costs would go down, that America would be affordable again. Well, prices haven't gone down. Quite the opposite. Groceries up; gas and energy prices up; clothing, cars, homes up. What about retirement savings? Down. What about consumer confidence? Down. In fact, consumer expectations are at their lowest level in over a decade.”
“So tonight, Senate Democrats come to the floor to expose this administration for what it is: a full-frontal attack against the fabric of America, a full-frontal attack on our economy and on people's pocketbooks, and a full-frontal attack, finally, on working people in the middle class to take away people's Medicaid, their Social Security, veterans' care, healthcare, and more--all to give tax cuts to the very wealthy. Another way to describe this administration: Billionaires win, American families lose. There is a cabal of very greedy people who run the White House. They are rich. They have no understanding of what average Americans go through. And they plunder the government, then slash programs we so desperately need for average families--all for tax cuts for the rich. And there is a second thing they are doing.”