YouSaid · the spoken record
Alex Padilla
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On the record 2022–2026
congress · podcast
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“I would like to thank Senator Scott of South Carolina for coleading this bill with me. I hope our colleagues will join us in supporting this effort to strengthen transition support for servicemembers and military families. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the BRIDGE Act of 2026 as swiftly as possible. ____________________”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“This bill would further prioritize servicemembers facing accelerated or involuntary separations and require participating organizations to track outcomes related to employment, financial stability, resilience, and family well-being. In addition, the legislation would direct the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs to coordinate services to ensure a seamless postseparation transition for servicemembers and their families. The BRIDGE Act of 2026 is an important step toward strengthening military family readiness and improving long-term outcomes for veterans and their loved ones. Servicemembers and military families sacrifice greatly in service to our Nation, and they deserve support that reflects the full scope of the transition challenges they face.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Building Readiness and Integration for Dependents Going to Civilian Environments Act of 2026 or the BRIDGE Act of 2026.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“I would like to thank Senator Scott of South Carolina for coleading this bill with me. I hope our colleagues will join us in supporting this effort to strengthen transition support for servicemembers and military families. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the BRIDGE Act of 2026 as swiftly as possible. ____________________”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“This bill would further prioritize servicemembers facing accelerated or involuntary separations and require participating organizations to track outcomes related to employment, financial stability, resilience, and family well-being. In addition, the legislation would direct the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs to coordinate services to ensure a seamless postseparation transition for servicemembers and their families. The BRIDGE Act of 2026 is an important step toward strengthening military family readiness and improving long-term outcomes for veterans and their loved ones. Servicemembers and military families sacrifice greatly in service to our Nation, and they deserve support that reflects the full scope of the transition challenges they face.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Building Readiness and Integration for Dependents Going to Civilian Environments Act of 2026 or the BRIDGE Act of 2026.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“By trying to do good and prevent fires or mitigate fires from a public safety standpoint, you are penalized on the air quality side of things. So this bill creates a narrow, targeted pathway specifically for prescribed fires while preserving existing air quality standards for other exceptional events. I want to thank my colleagues from Utah and Oregon for their partnership in this important bill, and kudos to Chairwoman Capito and Ranking Member Whitehouse on the committee who helped craft this measure as well.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“Now, there is no silver bullet for solving the wildfire crisis, but we know that prescribed fires--experience tells us and the data tells us that prescribed fires are the most effective tools in reducing hazardous fuels and preventing catastrophic wildfires. Will they continue to happen--fires? Yes, but if we can prevent them, that is ideal or at least let's mitigate their size, their scope, and the damage that they cause however we can. But the problem that brings us to this measure is that while the EPA regulations have allowed prescribed fires to qualify as exceptional events since 2016, the Agency has never actually approved one, leaving States worried that using this critical tool--this provenly effective tool--to protect communities could jeopardize their air quality goals.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, colleagues, I am proud to join our colleagues from Utah and Oregon in bringing up this bill. I can't overstate both the importance and the urgency of the Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act, which is a result of more than a year of bipartisan negotiations and a measure that recently passed unanimously out of the Environment and Public Works Committee. As my colleague from Oregon has begun to paint the picture, Western States--including Oregon, California, and others--are confronting a crisis of wildfires that aren't just growing larger and larger every year but more destructive every year and emitting massive amounts of toxic smoke.”
Senate29 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Ocean Protection and DDT Reduction Act.”
Senate24 September 2026Source ↗
“I want to thank Senator Warren and Representative Torres for introducing this bill with me, and I hope our colleagues will join us in support of this bill that ensures no student is forced to choose between their education and their basic needs. ______”
Senate24 September 2026Source ↗
“Yet far too many do, and basic needs will be out of reach for millions more students due to the One Big Beautiful Act, which cut food assistance, healthcare coverage, and access to financial aid. The evidence is clear that addressing students' basic needs prevents students from having to sacrifice their health and well-being in order to succeed in higher education. That is why I am proud to introduce this bill to authorize $1 billion for a new grant program to help institutions of higher education meet students' basic needs. This funding represents an essential aspect of building more equitable paths to higher education, and it represents an investment in our students, our institutions, and our future. The legislation also helps coordinate assistance across Federal Agency lines.”
Senate24 September 2026Source ↗
“I know how important it is to help students cover the full cost of attending college, including tuition and fees, housing, food, transportation, books, childcare, healthcare, supplies, and more. According to the Hope Center for Student Basic Needs, three in five college students experience food and housing insecurity. We also know that rates of basic needs insecurity are much higher for historically marginalized students, including Black, Latino, and indigenous students; parenting students; LGBTQIA+ students; first-generation students; Pell Grant recipients; former foster youth; and justice- involved students. Our Nation's college students shouldn't have to worry about going hungry or having a roof over their heads.”
Senate24 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Basic Assistance for Students in College Act or the BASIC Act, which I introduced today.”
Senate24 September 2026Source ↗
“I would like to thank Senator Tillis for introducing this important legislation with me, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact the Barriers to Suicide Act as soon as possible. ______”
Senate24 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I rise to introduce the bipartisan Barriers to Suicide Act.”
Senate24 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Ocean Protection and DDT Reduction Act. This bill would direct NOAA, in consultation with EPA and DOD, to study and address the impacts of historical toxic waste dumping, especially dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, DDT, and other industrial and military wastes, in the San Pedro Basin off the coast of California. Dumping of industrial, chemical, and military waste off the Southern California coast occurred from the 1930s until it was banned in 1972 by the Ocean Dumping Act. This included the dumping of DDT, radioactive materials, alkaline and oil waste, and unexploded ordinance and munitions across 14 sites along the coastline from San Diego to Santa Monica. In addition to the dumping of chemical waste barrels, millions of pounds of DDT and PCBs were discharged through sewer outfall pipes.”
Senate24 September 2026Source ↗
“Our Nation's college students shouldn't have to worry about going hungry or having a roof over their heads. Yet far too many do, and basic needs will be out of reach for millions more students due to the One Big Beautiful Act, which cut food assistance, healthcare coverage, and access to financial aid. The evidence is clear that addressing students' basic needs prevents students from having to sacrifice their health and well-being in order to succeed in higher education. That is why I am proud to introduce this bill to authorize $1 billion for a new grant program to help institutions of higher education meet students' basic needs. This funding represents an essential aspect of building more equitable paths to higher education, and it represents an investment in our students, our institutions, and our future.”
Senate24 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Basic Assistance for Students in College Act or the BASIC Act, which I introduced today. I know how important it is to help students cover the full cost of attending college, including tuition and fees, housing, food, transportation, books, childcare, healthcare, supplies, and more. According to the Hope Center for Student Basic Needs, three in five college students experience food and housing insecurity. We also know that rates of basic needs insecurity are much higher for historically marginalized students, including Black, Latino, and indigenous students; parenting students; LGBTQIA+ students; first-generation students; Pell Grant recipients; former foster youth; and justice- involved students.”
Senate24 September 2026Source ↗
“I would like to thank Senator Tillis for introducing this important legislation with me, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact the Barriers to Suicide Act as soon as possible. ______ By Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Ms. Warren, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Booker, Ms. Hirono, and Mr. Van Hollen): S. 5559. A bill to provide for the basic needs of students at institutions of higher education; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.”
Senate24 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I rise to introduce the bipartisan Barriers to Suicide Act. This legislation would establish competitive grants to help State and local governments fund nets and barriers that have been shown to reduce suicide on bridges and other high-risk infrastructure. This bipartisan bill would establish a grant program for States and localities to apply for Federal funding under the National Highway Performance Program to install nets, barriers, and other evidence-based suicide deterrents on bridges, buildings, parking garages, highway-rail grade crossings, and at rail stations. This bill would also authorize a study to identify the types of structures most commonly used for suicide attempts, types of barriers that are most effective in prevention, and additional strategies to reduce jumping deaths.”
Senate24 September 2026Source ↗
“President Trump promised that these tariffs would bring back manufacturing, make Americans more wealthy, pay down the Nation's debt, create jobs, and lower prices for consumers. That sure sounded good, but it couldn't be further from the truth. None of that has happened. Actually, the exact opposite has come to bear. But, again, instead of focusing on those issues, we are once again taking precious time on the Senate floor and talking about unnecessary changes to how people should be able to vote or not vote--maybe that is their ultimate objective--for an election that is already underway. Just because your team is losing at halftime doesn't mean you can call a timeout and change the rules or change the referees, trying to change the outcome. So let's dispense with this measure and get back to the real work at hand. Mr.”
Senate23 September 2026Source ↗
“The threat to the economy is so bad that the Federal Reserve has not only not lowered interest rates as Donald Trump has practically demanded; they have taken a recent step to increase interest rates for the first time in 3 years to try to rein in inflation. So nothing is getting cheaper, nothing is getting easier, and a recent report showed that the administration's tariffs--again, the war in Iran; the trade wars that are unnecessary; and bad economic decisions--are taking a toll on American families: $4,200 per household in increased costs because of higher prices. And now the President has, once again, threatened our Canadian neighbors with endless tariffs. Look at healthcare. The average cost of employer-provided healthcare is expected to increase by at least 11 percent. What happened to the so-called ``Liberation Day'' of last April?”
Senate23 September 2026Source ↗
“And so, again, there is not nearly the time to properly, responsibly implement it, even if you agreed with this bad policy. Let me make a case for what is really going on here, all this talk about changing the rules around elections. This administration, including the President himself, has been trying nonstop to interfere and change the rules on the elections for a long time now, and those efforts have been successfully pushed back. I expect him to continue these threats and attempts--not just between now and election day-- probably on election day and postelection day, if history is any indicator. Why? First of all, it is a desperate attempt to hold onto power because the writing is on the wall. In poll after poll, approval ratings, et cetera, show that Donald Trump is going to be in for a rough night this November.”
Senate23 September 2026Source ↗
“It would go into effect immediately, causing chaos and confusion and a burden for election administrators, who wouldn't even know how to begin to comply with this for an election that is already underway. Let me go even further and reference the Supreme Court's recent actions when they blocked President Trump's Executive order on vote-by- mail and what he was trying to do, giving authority and direction to the U.S. Postal Service to determine which voters get their ballots and which don't. Even Justice Kavanaugh, with whom I disagree on much--but even Justice Kavanaugh--said it was in part because changing the rules so close to an election ``would be arbitrary and capricious.'' That was a couple of weeks ago that this ruling came out. If at that time the Supreme Court deemed it too close to an election, we are even closer now.”
Senate23 September 2026Source ↗
“The other part is, indeed, the timing and its implications, trying to change the rules--because this bill, if signed into law, would go immediately into effect, creating chaos in the middle of an election that is already underway. But don't just take my word for it. Let me quote the Republican Lieutenant Governor of Utah, who says that this is ``violating our constitutional right to a secret ballot.'' Why? Because the requirement to include a copy of your driver's license when you are voting by mail undermines the notion of a secret ballot in America. Let me quote the Republican Governor of Ohio, who says that a very similar bill that reached his desk in the State of Ohio represented ``a significant burden.'' And, again, it is not just a potential or theoretical significant burden for some election sometime in the future.”
Senate23 September 2026Source ↗
“In Virginia, South Dakota, Minnesota, Vermont, and Illinois, voters are already going to the polls to vote in person early. In the next couple of weeks, additional States will begin. Nine more States will have begun their early voting. In my home State of California, ballots will be mailed to every registered voter in the State. So, again, the bottom line here is the 2026 midterm election has already begun; it is in full swing. So let's not be fooled about this attempt to pass a piece of the SAVE Act. No. 1, the substance. It is not just a voter ID bill. It is a bill-- and the timing is curious--that seeks to create chaos and confusion over vote-by-mail and absentee voting.”
Senate23 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, reserving the right to object, let me remind us all, colleagues, that we, as of today, are 41 days from the midterm elections; or, as I like to refer to it, it is simply the last day to vote, because a lot of people in States across the country take advantage of their right and opportunity to vote early, in person, like people in Virginia did beginning this last weekend. Many people in States across the country, including in my home State of California, exercised their right and option to vote by mail. I will get back to that in a minute. The point is, in a growing number of States, the midterm election is already underway. People in North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Alabama are already receiving their ballots in the mail.”
Senate23 September 2026Source ↗
“Finally, I want to thank our brave Federal firefighters for risking their lives to protect our communities when they need it the most. I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance the Wildland Firefighter Health and Safety Act as quickly as possible. ____________________”
Senate17 September 2026Source ↗
“During the LA fires, firefighters from across the State, country, and even abroad answered our call for support, and it is thanks to their hard work and bravery that more structures and, most importantly, more lives were not lost. We owe it to these heroes to ensure they have the support they need, given the dangerous nature of their work. In the 1970s, structural firefighters began using respiratory protection, yet we are still sending wildland firefighters into dangerous conditions without adequate protection. This bill would establish an interagency task force and an advisory panel of outside stakeholders to coordinate exposure reduction, pilot respiratory technologies, and develop an updated wildland firefighter health strategy every 3 years. I want to thank my colleague Senator Sheehy for coleading this effort with me in the Senate.”
Senate17 September 2026Source ↗
“We have all seen the devastation, destruction, and loss that has occurred in communities across the country as wildfires grow in frequency and intensity. Last year, we saw the Eaton and Palisades fires destroy thousands of structures and take 31 lives, making them 2 of the worst fires in history. As a result of climate change, Californians have become all too familiar with wildfires. Containing them has proven to be a large undertaking that has required close local, State, and Federal coordination. Communities are able to make it through these horrific disasters thanks to the bravery and hard work of fire crews on the ground.”
Senate17 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the bipartisan Wildland Firefighter Health and Safety Act. This bill would address some of the serious health risks Federal wildland firefighters face when on the job.”
Senate17 September 2026Source ↗
“Finally, I want to thank our brave Federal firefighters for risking their lives to protect our communities when they need it the most. I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance the Wildland Firefighter Health and Safety Act as quickly as possible. ____________________”
Senate17 September 2026Source ↗
“During the LA fires, firefighters from across the State, country, and even abroad answered our call for support, and it is thanks to their hard work and bravery that more structures and, most importantly, more lives were not lost. We owe it to these heroes to ensure they have the support they need, given the dangerous nature of their work. In the 1970s, structural firefighters began using respiratory protection, yet we are still sending wildland firefighters into dangerous conditions without adequate protection. This bill would establish an interagency task force and an advisory panel of outside stakeholders to coordinate exposure reduction, pilot respiratory technologies, and develop an updated wildland firefighter health strategy every 3 years. I want to thank my colleague Senator Sheehy for coleading this effort with me in the Senate.”
Senate17 September 2026Source ↗
“This bill would address some of the serious health risks Federal wildland firefighters face when on the job. We have all seen the devastation, destruction, and loss that has occurred in communities across the country as wildfires grow in frequency and intensity. Last year, we saw the Eaton and Palisades fires destroy thousands of structures and take 31 lives, making them 2 of the worst fires in history. As a result of climate change, Californians have become all too familiar with wildfires. Containing them has proven to be a large undertaking that has required close local, State, and Federal coordination. Communities are able to make it through these horrific disasters thanks to the bravery and hard work of fire crews on the ground.”
Senate17 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the bipartisan Wildland Firefighter Health and Safety Act.”
Senate17 September 2026Source ↗
“citizens, the unreliable magic data, and potentially thousands of violations of State and Federal privacy laws--saying that this is dangerous for our democracy is a huge understatement. This is more than a reckless attempt to prove Donald Trump's election-denial talking points, like the ones he used in the White House speech this past July. Diversion of Federal law enforcement to break laws for political purposes is a clear abuse of power, and there is a very real danger that thousands of naturalized U.S. citizens and legal residents will potentially face negative consequences because of this sham investigation.”
Senate14 September 2026Source ↗
“Colleagues, you know as well as I that 12 minutes to review unreliable data and complex immigration history is not an adequate amount of time to conduct a thorough investigation--because these aren't that; these are sham investigations. We all know that voting by a noncitizen is illegal. That is already the law. You know that. I know that. We also know that based on study after study, report after report, audit after audit, it is extremely, extremely rare. Our current safeguards are working. This Unlawful Voter Initiative does not appear to be a legitimate effort, and we should not take anything that comes out of it at face value. Just 12 minutes for an investigation, a lot of U.S.”
Senate14 September 2026Source ↗
“They are using something called supplemental magic. That is right--in the materials that have been uncovered, they are using this supplemental magic to create a list of people that they think are not eligible to vote. Remember, the Agency has already said they know the data is unreliable. So, frankly, this disclosure raises a lot of questions. Why is this initiative happening now? Who are the potentially hundreds of thousands of people being investigated? Who are they? And what the heck is supplemental magic? We need answers. This Senate--Congress--deserves answers. The American people deserve answers. Agency training materials for this initiative say that ``raw data includes a lot of U.S. citizens.'' Let me repeat that. The training materials acknowledge that the data includes ``a lot of U.S.”
Senate14 September 2026Source ↗
“On other websites, like the one of my home State of California, officers are being told to misrepresent themselves and enter voters' sensitive information like Social Security or driver's license numbers. When USCIS officers expressed concerns with these practices, they have been told by Agency leadership to just go ahead, that they won't be ``personally liable.'' Think about that for a second. If what the Department is doing and if what these officers are being told to do was legal, it begs the question of, why would they need to be reassured by Agency lawyers that they won't be held personally liable? The whistleblower disclosure also reveals that DHS is using their own unreliable data to target people for investigation. That is right--data that the Department and Agencies already acknowledge is unreliable.”
Senate14 September 2026Source ↗
“This, without question, is a terrible waste and misuse of Agency resources, but colleagues, it is actually so much more worse than that. The whistleblower disclosure also includes compelling claims that USCIS officers are being directed to lie and to misrepresent themselves in order to search voters' sensitive personal information on State election officials' websites. Let me say that again. Federal officers are being told by headquarters to lie or to misrepresent themselves in order to access State voter data. It is a clear violation of State laws, and these violations have likely occurred thousands and thousands of times. On some State websites, officers are being told to attest under penalty of law that they are the voter or the voter's representative.”
Senate14 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.”
Senate14 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam President, colleagues, here we are after months and months and months of continuing to debate this bill, which still hasn't passed. We should be debating how to bring costs down for working families across the country. I would love to hear from my colleagues how we are going to get out of this war in Iran. Instead, here is this measure again, which is not a simple voter ID bill. As written, it is stricter than most voter ID bills in States that already have a voter ID law in place. But this goes even further, requiring voters to include a copy of their ID when they vote by mail, as well as tens of millions of Americans who vote by mail. This bill would do away with secret ballots as we know it. So colleagues, I urge you to vote no on this measure. Vote on Motion”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“I ask for the yeas and nays.”
Senate7 August 2026Source ↗
“I would like to thank Senator Cornyn for coleading this bill. ____________________”
Senate6 August 2026Source ↗
“The bill would direct the Reclamation cannot administratively impose a maximum funding amount that each desalination project can receive, which would allow large desalination plants to receive the full 25 percent cost-share. I believe it is important that the bill support desalination projects of varying sizes. Large projects can allow multiple water districts in a region to participate and can lower the unit cost of the water produced. The desalination projects supported by these Bureau of Reclamation programs have supplemented local supplies, provided flexibility during water shortages, and diversified the water supply. Desalination offers a drought-proof water supply alternative, and we need to keep funding both commercial desalination projects and research to lower its costs and reduce its environmental impacts.”
Senate6 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Desalination Reauthorization Act. This bill would reauthorize BOR's programmatic approval to provide grants for desalination projects, which will otherwise expire this year.”
Senate6 August 2026Source ↗
“Because of the high construction and operation costs associated with anaerobic digesters, nondigester manure management practices can provide a more cost- effective alternative for family dairy and livestock operators seeking to improve air and water quality for their communities. I would like to thank Congressman Costa for leading this bill in the House, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the COWS Act. ______”
Senate6 August 2026Source ↗
“Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Converting Our Waste Sustainably (COWS) Act.”
Senate6 August 2026Source ↗
“I want to thank Congresswoman Grijalva for introducing this bill with me, and I hope our colleagues will join us to provide a measure of long-overdue fairness for our Nation's farmworkers. ______”
Senate6 August 2026Source ↗