Charles E. Schumer
Senator for New York · Democratic · United States
“I am calling on Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio, and Donald Trump to tell the entire Congress everything they are telling the Republicans about the Iran war--both Chambers, both parties. Everything they tell Republicans behind closed doors needs to be shared in public during today's testimony.”
“I am calling on Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio, and Donald Trump to tell the entire Congress everything they are telling the Republicans about the Iran war--both Chambers, both parties. Everything they tell Republicans behind closed doors needs to be shared in public during today's testimony.”
“For the low price of $100,000 a month, an investor can turn a profit off early access to Trump's market-moving posts. Trump imposes new tariffs? Subscribers can short their stocks before anyone else. Trump announces a new contract? Subscribers know where to invest. Trump shakes up the Fed?”
“For the low price of $100,000 a month, an investor can turn a profit off early access to Trump's market-moving posts. Trump imposes new tariffs? Subscribers can short their stocks before anyone else. Trump announces a new contract? Subscribers know where to invest. Trump shakes up the Fed?”
“How many American families do you think can afford $100,000 a month to get a leg up in the market? Trump is doing what he always does: selling out America, American interests, and the American people to the highest bidder. Republicans ought to be up in arms about Truth API and the latest news about Trump's foreign jet.”
“How many American families do you think can afford $100,000 a month to get a leg up in the market? Trump is doing what he always does: selling out America, American interests, and the American people to the highest bidder. Republicans ought to be up in arms about Truth API and the latest news about Trump's foreign jet.”
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Every one of 375 lines we hold for Charles E. Schumer, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 3 of 8.
“Why were these two people shot at and killed? We don't know the answers. There are no body cameras yet. There are no body cameras as we would require. The ICE agents in Texas were also riding in unmarked vehicles. If Republicans had passed our bill, there would be body cameras, proper agent ID, warrant requirements, and other commonsense reforms, and these killings might not have happened. I hope our Republican colleagues are listening. If they had passed our reforms, these killings might not have happened. With those reforms, we would have at least had a better idea as to what exactly happened so that we could have avoided further killings in the future. Instead, Republicans poured tens of billions of dollars into Trump's rogue Agencies with no strings attached--no strings attached.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 114 (Tuesday, July 14, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 114 (Tuesday, July 14, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S3914-S3915] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, how long will Republicans let Trump's secret police continue to sow chaos and violence in our American streets? For the second time in less than a week, ICE agents fatally shot someone, first in Texas and again in Maine yesterday. There are still a lot of unanswered questions about these two shootings, but what little we do know is disturbing, to say the least. Both cases appear to have involved ICE agents who were not wearing body cameras--killing individuals who were not the subject of the agents' warrant.”
“Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection it is so ordered. ____________________”
“Unless Trump changes his course, realizes the SAVE Act cannot pass, and starts working on more productive things, we could be headed for another Trump shutdown. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll. Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________”
“The whole reason Republicans are in their current mess is that Trump refuses to drop his radical SAVE Act--to strip millions of Americans of their voting rights. Trump has made clear, once again, who plans to force a shutdown--Donald Trump; yes, Donald Trump. Yesterday, Trump said Republicans have to get rid of the filibuster and pass the SAVE Act ``otherwise we're going to have a shutdown.'' That is what he said yesterday. So, Americans, hear this: If there is a shutdown, it is on Donald Trump's back. Donald, do you remember the last time you demanded a shutdown when Nancy and I were in your office? It didn't work out too well for you then, and it won't work out too well for you now. America, hear this: If there is a shutdown, it is on Donald Trump's back.”
“You haven't come up with the proof because it isn't there. There is no proof. Trump should get off all of this nonsense, all of this wishful thinking, all of this lunacy and focus on what people actually care about--their higher costs. If Trump thought about November 2026 half as much as he thinks about 2020, maybe his party wouldn't be scrambling right now. Apparently, Trump also plans to say that Senators Ossoff and Warnock were illegitimate because of election fraud. How desperate can Trump get? He is flailing. His effort to overturn what happened in 2020 is a mission impossible. He ought to wake up, smell the coffee, and abandon this frivolous, ludicrous, diversionary effort. Trump's obvious desperation might be amusing if it weren't so dangerous. Without question, it is part of Trump's effort to subvert the 2026 midterm elections.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 114 (Tuesday, July 14, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 114 (Tuesday, July 14, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S3915] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] ELECTION TASK FORCE Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, on this Trump election task force--it just gets crazier and crazier with this administration. Yesterday, the White House announced that Trump and his election task force will reveal intelligence reports that supposedly corroborate his baseless lies about the 2020 election. Give me a break. Donald, start focusing on lowering Americans' costs, not on your conspiracy theory that the 2020 elections were stolen from you. You don't have proof. You haven't come up with proof for 6 years because there is no proof, Donald Trump.”
“Donald Trump does not get to drag the American people deeper into a war he cannot explain and does not know how to end and then demand Congress look the other way. Donald Trump and the administration have no authorization, no strategy, no peace, no blank check. Therefore, a day after the President told Congress that his war is back on, I am a no--a strong no--on the NDAA. ____________________”
“Now the White House has formally notified Congress that hostilities have resumed; that American strikes are underway again; and that our forces remain positioned for more. Yet Republicans want the Senate to take up the NDAA--the Defense bill--as though none of this is happening, as though Congress can debate the Nation's central national security bill while ignoring the Nation's most urgent national security crisis. We cannot. I will be voting no. The President is waging an unauthorized war in defying bipartisan majorities in Congress and in refusing to level with the American people about the cost, the mission, or the endgame. The NDAA cannot become a permission slip for that recklessness that we see occurring in Iran.”
“Our troops are coming under attack. The Strait of Hormuz is a minefield, and gas prices are going back up. Donald Trump is totally out of his depth. In fact, Donald Trump is drowning in the Strait of Hormuz because he has no plan. He had no plan when he got America into this war, and he has no plan on how to get us out. Trump started the war without authorization, without a strategy, without an exit. The reason that we have war powers acts is to force an administration to think through the consequences of going to war ahead of time. Trump, of course, didn't listen. Finally, after weeks, bipartisan majorities in both Chambers of Congress voted to end it. We had tried and tried. Finally, enough Republicans joined us, but Donald Trump ignored them.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 114 (Tuesday, July 14, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 114 (Tuesday, July 14, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S3915] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] IRAN Mr. SCHUMER. Now, Mr. President, on Iran and the NDAA, when all the Trump administration can say about his disastrous war with Iran is that Vietnam was worse--a point Trump made yesterday--he reveals the scale of his failure. This is what Donald Trump said. The only thing he can say is that Vietnam was worse. Oh my God, a war that killed close to 50,000 Americans, a war that lasted almost a decade, a war that ripped America apart in ways that took decades to recover is what he compares Iran to? Oh my God. Trump's supposed cease-fire deal has completely collapsed.”
“The American people need to know how and why this chaos is spreading through their streets. Republicans who refuse to go along with real reforms of ICE--reforms that we see in every police department in the country--should pivot, change their minds, realize these shootings were just awful and work with us to reform this rogue Agency. The American people need to know, of course, how and why this chaos is spreading through their streets, and we need a complete investigation that is independent. ____________________”
“While every other police department in America has rules, our Republican colleagues and Trump said: No rules. Do whatever you want. And look at the results. Look at what has happened. It is dangerous to give ICE agents free rein when we expect every other law enforcement agency in the country to follow basic codes of conduct. Allowing unidentified Federal agents to roam through American streets, to [[Page S3915]] kick down people's doors without a warrant, to shoot people dead in the street without any--any--provocation, as it might well have been here, is an invitation for state-sanctioned violence, not an immigration policy. I am calling on the Trump administration to release all information related to these two shootings, and we need to conduct independent investigations of each.”
“Why were these two people shot at and killed? We don't know the answers. There are no body cameras yet. There are no body cameras as we would require. The ICE agents in Texas were also riding in unmarked vehicles. If Republicans had passed our bill, there would be body cameras, proper agent ID, warrant requirements, and other commonsense reforms, and these killings might not have happened. I hope our Republican colleagues are listening. If they had passed our reforms, these killings might not have happened. With those reforms, we would have at least had a better idea as to what exactly happened so that we could have avoided further killings in the future. Instead, Republicans poured tens of billions of dollars into Trump's rogue Agencies with no strings attached--no strings attached.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 114 (Tuesday, July 14, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 114 (Tuesday, July 14, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S3914-S3915] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, how long will Republicans let Trump's secret police continue to sow chaos and violence in our American streets? For the second time in less than a week, ICE agents fatally shot someone, first in Texas and again in Maine yesterday. There are still a lot of unanswered questions about these two shootings, but what little we do know is disturbing, to say the least. Both cases appear to have involved ICE agents who were not wearing body cameras--killing individuals who were not the subject of the agents' warrant.”
“(c) Briefing on Establishment of Common Foundries.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary of Defense provide to the congressional defense committees a briefing that evaluates the merits of encouraging major prime contractors in the defense industrial base to consolidate silicon carbide semiconductor design and fabrication operations in common commercial foundries to encourage economies of scale and quality improvements. ______”
“(b) Briefing on Financial Instruments.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense and the Deputy Secretary of Defense shall conduct a review, and provide to the congressional defense committees a briefing on the results of such a review, of domestic manufacturers of silicon carbide wafers that are critical to the Department of Defense and that are facing challenges due to Chinese exports of such wafers.”
“PROHIBITION ON ACQUISITION OF CERTAIN SILICON CARBIDE-BASED SEMICONDUCTORS MANUFACTURED IN CHINA. (a) Restrictions on Silicon Carbide Wafer Sourcing.--The Secretary of Defense shall revise section 252.225 of the Department of Defense Supplement to the Federal Acquisition Regulation to prohibit the procurement of semiconductors, other than commercially available off-the-shelf items (as defined in section 104 of title 41, United States Code), that are manufactured on silicon carbide wafers that are manufactured in the Peoples Republic of China. Such revision may provide the authority for the Secretary to issue a waiver on a case-by-case basis.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S3753] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 6570. Mr. SCHUMER (for himself and Mr. Cotton) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the end of subtitle E of title VIII, add the following: SEC. 885.”
“There is an old saying that no plan survives first contact with the enemy, but Donald Trump didn't even have a plan when he started this war in the first place. The American people are paying the price for Trump's total failure in Iran. Our servicemembers are in harm's way, working families are forking over a fortune at the gas pump and in the grocery aisle. Americans are sick of seeing Trump burn their tax dollars on his misadventure of epic proportions. Enough is enough. Trump ought to get serious, double down on negotiations to end this war, and comply with the bipartisan majorities in both the House and Senate who voted to remove our forces from harm's way and end this war. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Lummis). The Senator from Maryland.”
“Trump's so-called understanding--a lot of bull--with Iran fell apart faster than the ink could dry. He doesn't tell us what really the understanding means. We hear plenty of things that the Iranians say were agreed to that are not in the understanding, and America suffers. The same-old cycle repeats itself over and over again: Trump tells us the war is over. Iran tells us it isn't. The missiles start flying. The ships stop moving. The prices jump. And Trump comes back a short time later and tells us the war is over again. How many more times is this going to go on before Donald Trump realizes he must end this awful war? Does what Trump does come as a surprise--what he has done? No.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S3731] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] Iran Mr. President, on the Iran war, Trump formally notified lawmakers that the Nation is once again at war with Iran. Really? Thanks, Donald. Nobody seemed to know that, did they? Trump's rinse-and-repeat approach to the Iran war isn't a strategy; it is a recipe for utter disaster. Again, Trump once again gave a 60- day notice that the Nation is once again at war with Iran. His rinse- and-repeat approach isn't a strategy. We keep moving backward. Gas prices stay high, casualties increase, costs increase. It is incredible what a fiasco this war is.”
“I am pleased a Federal judge rebuked that blatantly corrupt slush fund and sweetheart immunity deal for Trump and his family, but we haven't seen the last of this administration's corruption. Blanche has devoted his career to serving Donald Trump and particularly his corrupt purposes. Blanche has gone after Trump's enemies, covered up Trump's crimes, and shielded Trump from the consequences. [[Page S3731]] Who does Trump pick in these very important law enforcement offices? People who represented him, people he knows will lie for him. If he becomes Attorney General, Blanche's letterhead might change, but his loyalty to Trump won't. Again, his No. 1 client will be Donald Trump and his lies and not the United States of America. Blanche has already made it clear we can't trust a word that comes out of his mouth.”
“In his time at the Department of Justice, Blanche has helped the administration defy dozens of court orders blocking their illegal policies. Blanche continues to withhold 3 million pages of the Epstein files and lied under oath to Congress about meeting the Epstein survivors--something they deny. Blanche was the mastermind behind and the champion of one of the most despicable acts of corruption ever in the American government: the $2 billion MAGA slush fund to give taxpayer-funded cash payouts to Trump, MAGA billionaires, and January 6 insurrectionists. Can you imagine having this guy as Attorney General when he came up with this slush fund and propounded it? One of the most corrupt acts anyone has proposed--any Attorney General--and they want to put him in. Oh, my God.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S3730-S3731] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] Nomination of Todd Blanche Mr. President, on the Blanche nomination, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has spent this confirmation fight doing what he has always done for his client--his No. 1 client--Donald Trump: denying the obvious, defending the indefensible, and lying under oath. As Attorney General, your No. 1 client should be the United States of America; but here, Blanche, his No. 1 client will be Donald Trump, who has no regard for our Constitution, for our values, for the rule of law, for honesty. Blanche's resume reads like a rap sheet.”
“And so he says: Unless I get my way--a little temper tantrum here, Donald--I am going to shut down the government. It is something that the American people can see through in a minute, as they can see through the very unpopular SAVE Act. If Republicans follow Trump over the cliff and insist that the government shut down if they don't get their way, it will be Donald Trump's disaster.”
“Let's put Republican accusations to rest. Democrats want to fund the government and avoid a shutdown and pass strong, bipartisan appropriations bills that improve people's lives. Democrats believe our budget ought to help families make ends meet. Democrats want a budget that invests in bringing down American costs, not one that burns taxpayer dollars on Donald Trump's reckless war. Republicans have plenty of time to drop their ``my way or the highway'' partisan game. Most Republicans know how ridiculous the SAVE Act is, how unconstitutional it probably is. But Trump is still insisting on it because he thinks it is the only way he can win an election is by fixing it, by eliminating tens of millions of people from the voter rolls.”
“And to all the Republican Senators, including my good friend from Wyoming, who keep insisting that Democrats are hell-bent on shutting down the government, well, they ought to listen to what their own President is saying. Democrats aren't saying we want a shutdown; Trump is. Donald Trump is saying the quiet part out loud. He has no issue with shutting down the Federal Government to force through his radical agenda. If Republicans want to clean up their mess, it will require working with Democrats, not seeing us as partisan foes but as fellow Americans. Instead, what are Republicans doing? They are advancing a lopsided, partisan spending bill that would supersize the budget for Trump's disastrous war with Iran without providing cost relief to working families or reining in Donald Trump's corruption. That is unacceptable.”
“Republicans have to terminate the filibuster, or we will have a shutdown in September, says Donald Trump. So it is clear. It is very clear. I know the Senator from Wyoming talks about Democrats wanting a shutdown. Well, he ought to listen to Donald Trump. He is the one who wants it. It is clear, if we head toward a shutdown in September, it will be Trump who is responsible. He is telling the American people he wants a shutdown. Oh, Donald, do you remember the last time you called for a shutdown, when you challenged Nancy Pelosi and I in the Oval Office and told us you wanted a shutdown? Donald, it didn't work out too well for you then. It won't work out well for you now either.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S3730] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] Government Funding Mr. President, now, on the shutdown: Well, somehow, Republicans are even in a bigger mess now than when they left Washington 2 weeks ago. It was hard to make things even worse, especially while we were on the July 4 recess, but they did. Donald Trump is the mastermind at making things worse and worse and worse. Just this morning, Donald Trump told ``FOX & Friends": Republicans have to [terminate the filibuster]. It's so insane. Otherwise, we're gonna have a shutdown in September. The Trump shutdown--he is bragging about it; he is predicting it.”
“We worked together and hashed out a framework for commonsense, comprehensive immigration reform--the so-called Gang of Eight led by myself and Senator McCain and with Lindsey Graham as a key member. We worked hard. We didn't agree on everything in our bipartisan immigration proposal, but we agreed it was worth trying because doing nothing was worse. We also found common ground in our effort to aid Ukraine after the Russian invasion. I know that if Senator Graham were here in the Chamber today, he would also join me in urging the Senate to support Ukraine and strengthen sanctions on Russia. I urge Senator Thune in honor of Lindsey to put the Russia sanctions bill on the floor immediately. It will pass overwhelmingly and help our allies in Ukraine. Not seeing eye to eye is no reason to be blind to the way forward.”
“For all of our many and vehement disagreements, Senator Graham and I still found ways to work together. One of the first things we did together was travel to China. We both believed that China was manipulating its currency, hurting American exports, hurting American jobs, and together we hammered away at that issue. At first, neither the left nor the right believed us. Amazingly enough, both the New York Times, a liberal publication, and the Wall Street Journal, a conservative publication, said there is no such thing as currency manipulation, but Graham and I proved to be correct, and we took some real efforts over the next few years to stop that manipulation and the outflow of American jobs.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S3730] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] Remembering Lindsey Graham Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, my prayers and those of my family are with Senator Graham's family, staff, and friends after his sudden, sudden passing yesterday. We see the white roses on his desk, and we think of Lindsey. Senator Graham devoted much of his life to public service--first in the military and then in Congress, where he represented South Carolina for more than three decades. To the very end, Senator Graham's life was defined by public service. He was an important Member of this institution and a crucial voice for his constituents in South Carolina.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S3730] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] Recognition of the Minority Leader The Democratic leader is recognized.”
“Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Barrasso). Without objection, it is so ordered.”
“(Mr. MORENO assumed the Chair.) (Mr. GRAHAM assumed the Chair.) The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Moreno). Under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, and the President will be immediately notified of the Senate's actions. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Husted). The Senator from New Jersey.”
“181 Leg.] YEAS--48 Armstrong Banks Barrasso Blackburn Boozman Britt Budd Capito Cassidy Collins Cornyn Cotton Cramer Crapo Cruz Curtis Daines Ernst Fischer Graham Grassley Hagerty Hawley Husted Hyde-Smith Johnson Justice Kennedy Lankford Lee Lummis Marshall McCormick [[Page S2926]] Moreno Murkowski Paul Ricketts Risch Rounds Schmitt Scott (FL) Shaheen Sheehy Sullivan Thune Tillis Wicker Young NAYS--39 Baldwin Blumenthal Booker Cantwell Coons Cortez Masto Fetterman Gallego Gillibrand Hassan Heinrich Hickenlooper Hirono Kaine King Klobuchar Lujan Markey Merkley Murphy Murray Ossoff Padilla Peters Reed Rosen Sanders Schatz Schiff Schumer Slotkin Smith Van Hollen Warner Warnock Warren Welch Whitehouse Wyden NOT VOTING--13 Alsobrooks Bennet Blunt Rochester Duckworth Durbin Hoeven Kelly Kim McConnell Moody Moran Scott (SC) Tuberville The nomination was confirmed.”
“I announce that the Senator from Maryland (Ms. Alsobrooks), the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Bennet), the Senator from Delaware (Ms. Blunt Rochester), the Senator from Illinois (Ms. Duckworth), the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin), the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Kelly), and the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Kim), are necessarily absent. The result was announced--yeas 48, nays 39, as follows: [Rollcall Vote No.”
“On this vote, the yeas are 84, the nays are 8. Three-fifths of the Senators duly chosen and sworn having voted in the affirmative, cloture on the motion to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment with an amendment numbered 5823 is agreed to. The motion was agreed to. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Missouri. ____________________”
“180 Leg.] YEAS--84 Baldwin Banks Barrasso Blackburn Blumenthal Booker Boozman Britt Budd Cantwell Capito Cassidy Collins Coons Cornyn Cortez Masto Cotton Cramer Crapo Curtis Daines Ernst Fetterman Fischer Gallego Gillibrand Graham Grassley Hagerty Hassan Hawley Heinrich Hickenlooper Hirono Husted Hyde-Smith Justice Kaine Kennedy Kim King Klobuchar Lankford Lujan Lummis Markey Marshall McCormick Merkley Moody Moran Moreno Murkowski Murphy Murray Ossoff Padilla Peters Reed Ricketts Risch Rosen Rounds Sanders Schatz Schiff Schmitt Schumer Scott (SC) Shaheen Sheehy Slotkin Smith Sullivan Thune Tillis Van Hollen Warner Warnock Warren Welch Whitehouse Wicker Wyden NAYS--8 Armstrong Cruz Johnson Lee Paul Scott (FL) Tuberville Young NOT VOTING--8 Alsobrooks Bennet Blunt Rochester Duckworth Durbin Hoeven Kelly McConnell The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore.”
“I announce that the Senator from Maryland (Ms. Alsobrooks), the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Bennet), the Senator from Delaware (Ms. Blunt Rochester), the Senator from Illinois (Ms. Duckworth), the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin), and the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Kelly) are necessarily absent. The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 84, nays 8, as follows: [Rollcall Vote No.”
“Crucially, ROAD to Housing makes sure institutional investors don't squeeze American families out of buying a home. Now, let's make no mistake about it--ROAD to Housing isn't the end of the road; it is just the start. Congratulations to Senator Warren for her leadership on this bill and to all my colleagues, both Democrat and Republican, who supported it. I am pleased we have seized this opportunity to come up with a reasonable, bipartisan solution to help the American people-- opportunities that have become few and far between thanks to the chaos coming out of the White House. This is how Americans want Congress to govern. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority whip. Waiving Quorum Call”
“Americans feel financially stuck as renting and buying a home keeps getting more and more expensive and more and more out of reach. One of the most effective ways to meaningfully lower housing costs for Americans is to build more, build faster, and build everywhere. The ROAD to Housing is a crucial first step toward ending the affordability crisis and ensuring Americans don't have to break the bank to keep a roof over their head. The legislation starts to tackle the zoning and permitting bottlenecks that have slowed construction from one end of this country to the other. The bill supports new manufactured and modular housing that makes building cheaper, faster, and easier. It also advances the effort to convert blighted buildings into new housing.”
“Here is what he said, this is Donald Trump: I will not approve FISA . . . We are canceling the Senate hearing . . . [B]ill Pulte will remain as the Acting Director of National Intelligence. Trump will own any and all consequences that come from his undermining America's intelligence community and our national security. H.R. 6644 Mr. President, finally on housing, Donald Trump may show Americans how government should not function, but our bipartisan housing bill shows Americans how we should govern. The housing shortage in the United States is nothing less than an existential threat to the American dream. The fact that Democrats and Republicans were able to come together on the ROAD to Housing at a time of such division shows just how dire America's housing crisis is today.”
“Trump has embarrassed Republicans, pulled the rug out from under them, and blown up the FISA negotiations at every step. Trump has lobbed a grenade into Jay Clayton's nomination. Insisted on making his personal fixer, his own attack dog, Bill Pulte, the Acting DNI. And he is demanding to tie FISA to the extreme SAVE Act to attack Americans' voting rights. Trump is so hell-bent on taking away Americans' voting rights that he is willing to put them in danger to do it. Trump would rather have our intelligence community go after his political opponents than protect the American people. Can Trump get any more reckless? Make no mistake, Donald Trump is holding America's national security hostage for his own political gain. Republicans can point fingers at Democrats all they want, but Trump has himself owned up to blocking FISA.”
“Trump's so-called understanding is the culmination and representation of his ruinous strategy in Iran since day one and his inability to govern in general. In Iran and in so much else he does, Trump leads by whim, by ego, by greed. His strategy doesn't work in the time of peace, and it certainly doesn't work in the time of war. He is about the most incompetent President we have ever seen. In Iran, as in everything, the American people pay the price for Trump's incompetence. So as I have been saying for months, it is long past time that Trump end this war, which never should have started in the first place. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Mr. President, on FISA, Trump has made it clear beyond a shadow of a [[Page S2915]] doubt that he doesn't care about our national security and cares even less about reauthorizing FISA.”
“If the secret deals are anywhere near as bad as the understanding we have seen, we need to know about them. This war needs to end permanently. Americans need to know how Trump plans to do it. Crucially, Americans are wondering what they got out of this war because Trump's blunder has left our country worse off by every measure. Thirteen Americans have been killed and hundreds more wounded. The Iranian regime is richer and more radical than before Trump's war. Iran has greater control over the Strait of Hormuz than before the war began. Gas prices are still much higher than before the war, with families having paid hundreds of dollars extra to fill up their tanks these past few months. The cost of everything from groceries to basic household necessities are higher than before the war as well.”
“We just don't win anymore!'' Trump is eating these words on a silver platter served up by Iran. Again, in 2015 he said the ``deal with Iran will go down as one of the most incompetent ever. The U.S. lost on virtually every point. We just don't win anymore!'' He is eating those words now because those apply so aptly to the deal that he just announced, so-called understanding, with Iran. He is eating those words on a silver platter served up by Iran. Even members of the Trump administration seem to be trying to put some distance between themselves and this so-called understanding, telling the public not to read too far into the text and that there are secret deals in the works. Well, I will tell you right now, Trump needs to reveal any secret deals to Congress and the public immediately. He has got to do it right away.”
“Not to mention the benefits Iran will get from the sanction relief that Trump has promised with no idea of what he will get in return. Again, Iran took Trump to the cleaners. In Iran, ``the art of the deal'' has turned into the ``art of disaster.'' If Trump wants to send hundreds of billions of dollars to Iran, then he will need to do it with Republican votes because I will tell you, Democrats certainly won't be helping Trump send $300 billion to Iran. Are my colleagues on the other side of the aisle prepared to send Iran $300 billion when economic needs are so severe here at home? But that is what Trump wants them to do. Now, back in 2015, Trump said that America's ``deal with Iran will go down as one of the most incompetent ever made. The U.S. lost on virtually every point.”
“Mr. President, well, everyone who bought Trump's book ``The Art of the Deal'' ought to ask him for a refund because what Trump has done in Iran is the ``art of the disaster.'' The United States is worse off because of Trump's incompetence, his ego, his inability to listen to facts. Iran took Trump to the cleaners with this so-called understanding. Iran doesn't have to cut off support for its terrorist proxies. Iran doesn't have to give up ballistic missile production. Iran doesn't have to make any hard commitments on its nuclear program now, and there is no guarantee they make any in 60 days. But Iran does get to rake in billions of dollars in oil sales, hundreds of billions in reconstruction aid, and God knows how much more in potential fees Trump may let it impose on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.”