Chris Van Hollen
Senator for Maryland · Democratic · United States
“Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 115 (Wednesday, July 15, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 15, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S4105] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] TRIBUTE TO COLONEL YOLANDA D. GORE Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 115 (Wednesday, July 15, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 15, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S4105] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] TRIBUTE TO COLONEL YOLANDA D. GORE Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr.”
“She brought modernization to Fort Meade and the surrounding community by implementing a barracks renovation project, helping break ground on a child development center, and reforming physical security across the installation.”
“She brought modernization to Fort Meade and the surrounding community by implementing a barracks renovation project, helping break ground on a child development center, and reforming physical security across the installation.”
“She earned a bachelor's degree in family and consumer science business and later went on to earn a master of arts in leadership and management from Webster University and a master of arts in strategic studies from the Army War College.”
“She earned a bachelor's degree in family and consumer science business and later went on to earn a master of arts in leadership and management from Webster University and a master of arts in strategic studies from the Army War College.”
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“They are the proud parents of Shantell, a graduate of East Carolina University, and Morgyn Gore, a senior at Virginia Tech University. Colonel Gore is preparing to complete a remarkable 2-year term spent in the pursuit of excellence, progress, and community. She has dedicated herself to leadership, and I thank her for her commitment. I invite my colleagues to join me in thanking Colonel Gore for her incredible service. ____________________”
“She brought modernization to Fort Meade and the surrounding community by implementing a barracks renovation project, helping break ground on a child development center, and reforming physical security across the installation. She cultivated community and culture by expanding veteran and family outreach, extending options for community feedback, and leading major heritage and remembrance events. She has left an indelible mark on Fort Meade through these efforts and many others. I am very grateful for Colonel Gore's commitment to progress and collaboration at every level of government. Fort Meade, the State of Maryland, and our Nation have all greatly benefited from her leadership. Colonel Gore has been married to COL Michael Gore of Loris, SC, for 22 years.”
“She earned a bachelor's degree in family and consumer science business and later went on to earn a master of arts in leadership and management from Webster University and a master of arts in strategic studies from the Army War College. Colonel Gore served briefly as a signal officer before discovering her passion in the Adjutant General Corps. She led a diverse career through a variety of assignments, excelled in key leadership roles, and received numerous commendations before becoming the first woman to be installed as garrison commander. Throughout her time as garrison commander, Colonel Gore has taken the role to new heights.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 115 (Wednesday, July 15, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 15, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S4105] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] TRIBUTE TO COLONEL YOLANDA D. GORE Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the incredible service of Colonel Yolanda D. Gore. COL Gore is preparing to finish her time as the 89th garrison commander of Fort George G. Meade, a role she executed with strength, vision, and principled leadership. Born in Estill, SC, Colonel Gore joined the South Carolina National Guard immediately following her high school graduation. She served for 5 years until her commission in 2002 and subsequently graduated and earned her Army commission from South Carolina State University, SCSU.”
“They are the proud parents of Shantell, a graduate of East Carolina University, and Morgyn Gore, a senior at Virginia Tech University. Colonel Gore is preparing to complete a remarkable 2-year term spent in the pursuit of excellence, progress, and community. She has dedicated herself to leadership, and I thank her for her commitment. I invite my colleagues to join me in thanking Colonel Gore for her incredible service. ____________________”
“She brought modernization to Fort Meade and the surrounding community by implementing a barracks renovation project, helping break ground on a child development center, and reforming physical security across the installation. She cultivated community and culture by expanding veteran and family outreach, extending options for community feedback, and leading major heritage and remembrance events. She has left an indelible mark on Fort Meade through these efforts and many others. I am very grateful for Colonel Gore's commitment to progress and collaboration at every level of government. Fort Meade, the State of Maryland, and our Nation have all greatly benefited from her leadership. Colonel Gore has been married to COL Michael Gore of Loris, SC, for 22 years.”
“She earned a bachelor's degree in family and consumer science business and later went on to earn a master of arts in leadership and management from Webster University and a master of arts in strategic studies from the Army War College. Colonel Gore served briefly as a signal officer before discovering her passion in the Adjutant General Corps. She led a diverse career through a variety of assignments, excelled in key leadership roles, and received numerous commendations before becoming the first woman to be installed as garrison commander. Throughout her time as garrison commander, Colonel Gore has taken the role to new heights.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 115 (Wednesday, July 15, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 15, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S4105] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] TRIBUTE TO COLONEL YOLANDA D. GORE Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the incredible service of Colonel Yolanda D. Gore. COL Gore is preparing to finish her time as the 89th garrison commander of Fort George G. Meade, a role she executed with strength, vision, and principled leadership. Born in Estill, SC, Colonel Gore joined the South Carolina National Guard immediately following her high school graduation. She served for 5 years until her commission in 2002 and subsequently graduated and earned her Army commission from South Carolina State University, SCSU.”
“(g) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this section, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means-- (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives. ______”
“(B) Elements.--Each report required by subparagraph (A) shall include-- (i) with respect to each activity described in subsection (c)-- (I) the amount of funding for the activity; (II) the goal to which the activity relates; and (III) an assessment of the success of the activity to meet the goal to which the activity relates; and (ii) with respect to this subsection-- (I) the amount of funding for the activity provided by Taiwan during the preceding year, if any; and (II) an assessment of whether the funding described in subclause (I) is commensurate with funding provided by the United States. (f) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be construed to apply to or limit United States foreign assistance not provided using amounts available pursuant to the authorization of appropriations under subsection (a).”
“(4) Cost-sharing with taiwan.--The Secretary of State shall, to the maximum extent practicable, encourage cost- sharing arrangements with Taiwan for the assistance described in subsection (b) or otherwise complementary assistance. [[Page S3791]] (5) Report.-- (A) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, and annually thereafter for two years, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on activities described in this section that were carried out during the preceding fiscal year.”
“(2) Authorities.--Amounts available pursuant to the authorization of appropriations under subsection (a) may be considered foreign assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) for purposes of making available the administrative authorities in that Act and may be transferred to, and merged with, funds made available for any provision of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to carry out the purposes of this section, except that such funds shall remain available until expended. (3) Coordination with taiwan.--In order to maximize cost efficiency and eliminate duplication, the Secretary of State should ensure coordination with relevant counterparts in Taiwan, as appropriate.”
“(7) To strengthen the capacity of partner countries to address and reduce the impacts of foreign malign influence operations, propaganda, and other asymmetric informational activities originating from the People's Republic of China. (8) To mitigate a country's specific vulnerabilities to the People's Republic of China's coercion over the country's relationship with Taiwan. (d) Limitation on Funds.--A country described in subsection (b) may not receive more than $5,000,000 of funds made available pursuant to the authorization of appropriations under subsection (a) during any fiscal year. (e) Implementation.-- (1) In general.--The Secretary of State, in consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, shall coordinate and carry out activities described in subsection (c).”
“(3) To diversify supply chains away from the People's Republic of China, particularly to mitigate vulnerabilities to PRC economic coercion. (4) To provide alternatives to People's Republic of China development assistance and project financing and to expose the People's Republic of China's failure to deliver on development promises or other negative aspects of PRC development assistance. (5) To support Taiwan's official or unofficial diplomatic presence abroad or advance Taiwan's meaningful participation in international fora and multilateral organizations. (6) To provide United States or allied alternatives to People's Republic of China information and communications technology infrastructure and components, in coordination with the private sector, as appropriate.”
“(c) Use of Funds.--Amounts available pursuant to the authorization of appropriations under subsection (a) may be used to support any of the following activities in the countries described in subsection (b) if such activities have a direct linkage to the goal of supporting Taiwan's international engagement, are aligned with clear and justifiable United States counter-PRC strategic imperatives that guide all programs funded by the Counter PRC Influence Fund, and support United States national interests: (1) To support initiatives that provide alternatives to the People's Republic of China health, digital, and energy initiatives. (2) To build the capacity and resilience of civil society, media, and other nongovernmental organizations in countering the malign influence of the People's Republic of China.”
“(b) Eligible Countries.--Amounts available pursuant to the authorization of appropriations under subsection (a) may be used in countries that-- (1) maintain official relations with Taiwan or the Secretary of State certifies to Congress have meaningfully strengthened unofficial relations with Taiwan; (2) have been subject to coercion or pressure by the People's Republic of China due to their relations with Taiwan; and (3) lack the economic or political capability to effectively respond to such coercion or pressure by the People's Republic of China without the support of the United States.”
“(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--Of the amounts made available under the Countering People's Republic of China Influence Fund for each of fiscal years 2027, 2028, and 2029, there is authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each such fiscal year to support Taiwan's international space.”
“It is the sense of Congress that the United States Government should-- (1) advocate, as appropriate, for Taiwan's engagement on the global stage, including at international organizations; (2) promote the preservation and expansion of Taiwan's official diplomatic relations with countries around the world; (3) expand Taiwan's unofficial relations with countries around the world; (4) encourage countries with unofficial relations with Taiwan to deepen their engagement; and (5) advance the economic development of countries that support Taiwan. SEC. 1284. TAIWAN ALLIES FUND.”
“(6) The Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act of 2019 (Public Law 116- 135) states that the United States Government should-- (A) ``support Taiwan in strengthening its official diplomatic relationships as well as other partnerships with countries in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world''; and (B) ``consider, in certain cases as appropriate and in alignment with United States interests, increasing its economic, security, and diplomatic engagement with nations that have demonstrably strengthened, enhanced, or upgraded relations with Taiwan''. SEC. 1283. SENSE OF CONGRESS.”
“(4) The People's Republic of China has used economic and diplomatic intimidation against countries pursuing unofficial relations with Taiwan, including Lithuania, Czechia, and the United States. (5) The Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 (Public Law 96-8) states that it is the policy of the United States ``to maintain the capacity of the United States to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the social or economic system, of the people on Taiwan''.”
“This subtitle may be cited as the ``Taiwan Allies Fund Act''. SEC. 1282. FINDINGS. Congress makes the following findings: (1) Taiwan is a free and prosperous democracy of more than 23,000,000 people and an important contributor to peace and stability around the world. (2) The People's Republic of China (PRC) has engaged in a years-long campaign to diplomatically isolate Taiwan on the world stage. (3) Since 2013, the Gambia, Sao Tome and Principe, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Burkina Faso, El Salvador, the Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Nicaragua, Honduras, and, most recently in 2024, Nauru have severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan in favor of diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S3790-S3791] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 6596. Mr. VAN HOLLEN (for himself and Mr. Curtis) 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 title XII, add the following: Subtitle F--Taiwan Allies Fund Act SEC. 1281. SHORT TITLE.”
“I hope we will show the American people that we believe in transparency [[Page S3734]] and accountability by having those votes. But to do so, we have to first vote against the motion--the cloture motion on the motion to proceed. With that, I yield my remaining time to my friend and colleague the Senator from Vermont, Senator Welch. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Marshall). The Senator from Vermont.”
“And so I urge my colleagues that, when we consider the motion to proceed tomorrow--specifically, the motion for cloture on the motion to proceed; the vote on the cloture for the motion to proceed--that we oppose that and then come together as Senators and say to the American people: We are going to ensure accountability. We are going to ensure that, when that bill comes to the floor of the Senate, we will have votes on all of these issues. We will have a vote to bring down this huge, bloated number for military spending in the NDAA. We will have a vote to require some accountability with respect to military operations. And we will have a vote with respect to these new provisions that currently mandate intelligence sharing and mandate defense procurement cooperation with the Netanyahu government and future Governments of Israel.”
“It is simply not in our interest to mandate that the U.S. Government enter into coproduction agreements with the Netanyahu government or any other Government of Israel. You can always do this on a case-by-case basis, as we did with the Iron Dome, and not require by law that we do it in a whole range of other areas. And, as I said, this bill also comes before us with a huge proposed increase in funds for the Pentagon, which continues to fail to pass a budget audit, and at a time when it appears that the President of the United States is, again, ramping up the war against Iran--an unauthorized war.”
“And that should concern us all, especially since, according to public reports, this administration recently raised--raised--the counterintelligence threat level from the Government of Israel to its highest level. At the same time, this Senate is talking about adopting a provision mandating intelligence sharing. As I said, any President can share intelligence at their discretion, but this requires it. And we should not be forcing this administration or any other administration to share U.S. intelligence with the Government of Israel or any other government, for that matter. This is also happening, as I said, at a time when we are seeing accelerated violence and expansion of settlements on the West Bank. We have heard outrageous statements from Finance Minister Smotrich and from Ben Gvir, who controls many of Israel's security forces.”
“Why would we hardwire into the law a requirement that that intelligence be shared with Israel or any other country? And there is a peculiar procedural wrinkle here I want to mention. This provision isn't in the text of the NDAA yet. As I said, it sits in the fiscal year Intelligence Authorization Act that passed the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. But, as my colleagues know, that bill typically--typically--gets added to the NDAA right here on the floor of the Senate before final passage, meaning that the Senate may be asked to adopt this provision that hardwires and requires U.S. intelligence sharing with the Government of Israel with no real debate.”
“The second provision that I mentioned earlier, section 622 of the fiscal year 2027 Intelligence Authorization Act mandates--and I say mandates--that the United States Government, the executive branch ``expand and enhance intelligence sharing with the Government of Israel.'' It also states that intelligence sharing with Israel ``shall not be suspended, reduced, or otherwise materially limited.'' The intent of this provision is clear to not only enhance intelligence sharing with Israel, but also to block the President from limiting such intelligence sharing. Now, colleagues, any time the United States Government wants to or chooses to, of course we can share intelligence with the Government of Israel or any other government we choose for our own interests.”
“What you will see is at the end of the day the Government of Israel, the Netanyahu government, exercised its veto authority under the coproduction agreement preventing the United States from sending our own Iron Dome batteries to Ukraine to help Ukraine with its air defense system. And now in this NDAA bill that we are about to consider in the United States Senate, there is a provision requiring the United States Government to do more coproduction arrangements with the Netanyahu government and the future governments of Israel. Give me a break.”
“Madam President, let me start by expressing my condolences to the family and loved ones of Lindsey Graham on his sudden passing. While we disagreed more often than not, we were able to work together over the years on a number of key foreign policy issues, including our mutual support of the Syrian Kurds or the Syrian Democratic Forces who have been our key partners in the fight against ISIS. And I will discuss our work on that and other matters at another time. On the matter before us today, I am sure we would disagree.”
“So I hope that, as we review this first 100 days and the massive lawbreaking that is going on and the tearing up of the Constitution and the tearing apart of the government and the tearing down of our economy, we will all wake up because the American people are waking up. They understand what is going on, and they don't like what they see. So we had better do our jobs here in the U.S. Senate, and I hope, starting today, all 100 Senators will begin to do exactly that. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee. Trump Administration First 100 Days”
“So I want to end with this: When you see this kind of massive lawbreaking going on--violations of the due process clause, violations of the First Amendment, violations of article I and the Impoundment Control Act--I mean, you can just take a marker through the Constitution and cross out those provisions, right? The 14th Amendment--cross it out. The First Amendment--cross it out. Cross out article I. That is what everybody in this body who is not standing up to the President is complicit in right now. What bullies do--and make no mistake, President Trump is a bully. What they do is they try to pick on people they think are weak. If the rest of us don't stand up for the rights of those people, then it is a very fast and slippery slope to losing the rights of everybody who lives in America.”
“Congress passed the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to counter external emergencies, not to grant Presidents a blank check to write domestic economic policy. They go on to point out that, yes, we have a fentanyl crisis in America--all of us agree with that--but using this statute, which is for economic emergencies, and using the statute in the way the Trump administration is doing is a gross violation of the President's legal authority. As we can see by the downturn in the economy--we just learned that we are seeing the economy contract; we are seeing consumer confidence plunge--President Trump's illegal use of that statute is causing incredible economic pain across the country.”
“Finally, I want to talk about another area where Donald Trump is violating the law to the detriment of our economy, and that is in the area of tariffs. Now, Presidents, of course, have some authority to apply tariffs, and I have supported targeted tariffs in the past for strategic purposes. But a number of small businesses around the country and others have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration for their illegal use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. I see the ranking member of the Finance Committee on the floor here, and he has spoken to this many times, and I want to thank him for his leadership. I do want to read directly from the complaint that has been filed because the complaint--and this is one.”
“But you are going to be the head of OMB, and here today, at this hearing, you are refusing to comply--to commit to comply--with the Impoundment Control Act; is that right? Are you refusing to commit to complying? This dance went on and on, and never did he commit to comply with the Impoundment Control Act. So that is what we are witnessing right now--a violation of the Impoundment Control Act. We, the Senate, were supposed to get the Trump administration's spending plans for the remainder of fiscal year 2025 a few days ago. For many Agencies, we haven't seen them yet. So we don't know what they say their plans are, but we do know that, as of now, they are withholding about $430 billion of appropriated funds.”
“When the head of OMB--the Office of Management and Budget--Russ Vought, was before the Senate Budget Committee for his nomination, at his confirmation hearing, I asked him about the Impoundment Control Act, and I asked him about the past violations of the Impoundment Control Act because, guess what, he also was the head of OMB at the time of the earlier violation, and Russ Vought is back at it again as the head of OMB. So when I asked him about the Impoundment Control Act at his hearing, I got this answer. I asked him about President Trump and the Impoundment Control Act. Here was his answer at the hearing: Senator, the President ran against the Impoundment Control Act. My response to him: Mr. Vought, I know what the President did. He wants to change a lot of things. He can submit legislation to do that.”
“So, back at the time, I wrote a letter to the GAO, asking them to investigate that withholding to see if it violated the Impoundment Control Act. That is a statute of the United States of America. In that case, the GAO found that, yes, the Trump administration--the first round--had illegally withheld those funds. It was an illegal impoundment. So that is what we are seeing right now, and they are not even working too hard to show that they are violating the Impoundment Control Act.”
“And yet, just yesterday, the head of the Government Accountability Office, as we know by GAO, testified before a Senate appropriations subcommittee that the Trump administration was stonewalling GAO's efforts to investigate this illegal withholding of funds. Gene Dodaro, who is the Comptroller General, testified that the Office of Management and Budget ``has not been responsive'' to GAO's questions about the freezing of billions of dollars in funding Congress had already approved. Now, this is not the first time we have seen a Trump administration violating the Impoundment Control Act. The last time President Trump was in office, he illegally withheld funds that the Congress had appropriated for helping the people of Ukraine, and he refused to spend those funds--Donald Trump did.”
“Go to the local Social Security offices. We are closing the local Social Security offices, and, by the way, we are also firing thousands of people so there won't be anyone in those local offices. And then they say: Oh, well, maybe we better turn the phones on again. This isn't about government efficiency. This is about rigging the government for people like Elon Musk at the expense of everybody else. This is an issue that should concern every Member of Congress because it is a direct attack on article I, and it is an attack on the American people and their rights to have these investments made when their elected officials direct them to be made on their behalf.”
“And because of past research at NIH, her daughter's cancer was, thankfully, in remission, gone away. But she was there--the mother was there--to say she wants other families who have kids with cancer to have the same opportunities and that those opportunities only exist if we continue to do research into lifesaving cures and treatments. And yet, the Trump administration is sowing chaos at NIH and has frozen some clinical trials. Meanwhile, Elon Musk and his DOGE cronies are taking a chain saw to the Federal Government and are destroying the ability of the Federal Government to deliver reliable services to the American people, like the damage they are doing at the Social Security Administration. First they say there is no more phone service, use the internet. People couldn't get through on the internet.”
“He is also tearing up article I of the Constitution by illegally freezing, withholding, and impounding funds for important public purposes--funds that have been appropriated by the Congress and signed into law. The Trump administration has frozen billions of dollars of investments to support public services in communities all over America. The latest count is they are holding up about $430 billion that was appropriated by the Congress. You know, just this morning, we had a hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee about the Trump administration's freezing and cutting of funds for NIH, the National Institutes of Health. There was lots of powerful testimony from witnesses, including from a mom who was there with her daughter who had suffered through childhood cancer.”
“It is pretty pathetic that students expressing their views represent a threat to the foreign policy of the United States. We have students of all different faiths who are protesting the war in Gaza and advocating for Palestinian rights. Others may agree or strongly disagree with what they say, but to claim that they somehow represent a threat to the foreign policy of the United States is ridiculous. It is so clearly being used as a ruse to deny their First Amendment freedom of [[Page S2686]] speech rights that I hope the courts will see right through it. What it is, is an effort to punish speech. Donald Trump's lawbreaking doesn't end with his efforts to tear up the constitutional rights of due process and the First Amendment.”
“We sort of went back and forth between the United States and other countries. I was proud to be from a family that represented the United States overseas. We are far from perfect, and we have a lot of work to do to live up to the principles that we say we stand for around the world. But one of the things we do--or used to do--is stand up as a beacon for human rights and freedom of speech. That is no longer happening. You can't say you want everybody else around the world to live up to that principle when you are violating it right here at home. Now Secretary Rubio has doubled way back into a McCarthy-era statute from what was called the McCarran-Walter Act. That was a law passed at the height of the McCarthy era, and he is using that to claim that these students represent a threat to the foreign policy of the United States.”
“President, you know that our colleague who served with us, Senator Rubio, used to take to this Senate floor regularly to talk about an American foreign policy based on democracy, based on human rights, based on freedom of religion, and, yes, based on freedom of speech and suppression around the world, telling other countries that it was wrong to have the governments lock them up for expressing their points of view. And yet now in their home, Secretary of State Rubio is trashing freedom of speech. He is ripping up the First Amendment of the Constitution, and it is shameful. The American people should not stand for it because if you rip up the First Amendment for some people, you threaten it for everybody who lives in the United States of America. I was fortunate to grow up in a Foreign Service family.”
“I think members of the Trump administration need to take a refresher course, the kind we ask citizens to take in this country because, apparently, President Trump, Vice President Vance, Secretary Rubio, and others would like to cross that question right off the citizenship test. We observed recently, when Vice President Vance took an overseas trip, that he lectured some of our European allies like the UK and Germany about freedom of speech. He said that they had too many limits on freedom of speech; that they were curtailing freedom of speech for people who lived in their countries, but here at home, they are tearing up the First Amendment of the Constitution. Apparently, here at home for the Trump administration, freedom of speech exists only for those who agree with their point of view. Mr.”
“They don't get to cherry-pick speech under the First Amendment and use governmental power, state power, to sanction those who disagree with their points of view. But that is exactly what they are doing in cases like those of Rumeysa Ozturk, Mahmoud Khalil, and Mohsen Mahdawi. Mohsen Mahdawi was illegally snatched as he was taking his citizenship test in the State of Vermont. I want to read one of the questions that is on the U.S. citizenship test. It is important that everybody recognize what we ask those who are working to become citizens to understand. Question 6 on the citizenship test reads: What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment? And under it there are a number of things, but the first one on there is speech. The second one on there is assembly--speech and assembly.”
“Now I want to turn to another area of lawbreaking--constitutional violations being committed by the Trump administration because not only are they violating the due process clause of the Constitution in the Abrego Garcia case and others, but they are also tearing up the First Amendment and trampling over free speech rights of individuals in America, especially students on college and university campuses but many others as well. The Trump administration and Secretary Rubio apparently think the First Amendment is like an a la carte menu. In other words, they seem to believe that the U.S. government can punish those who engage in speech that they don't like. That is not how it works.”
“I will continue to fight to defend the Constitution and due process rights of all who live in America. That was my letter to President Trump. I haven't heard anything back from them, and they continue to violate the Supreme Court orders. You know, colleagues, Members can look the other way but cannot deny the fact that this is happening as we speak today. I would urge every Senator to recognize the threat to everybody's rights under the Constitution.”
“Kilmar Abrego Garcia was snatched from his car while he was driving in Maryland with his five-year-old autistic son, then illegally stashed away in a prison in El Salvador. His wife, his mother, and his brother have been unable to communicate with him in any way. He has a work permit and his fellow sheet metal workers have been organizing to bring him back [home], as have thousands of Americans. His constitutional rights must be respected. I close with this paragraph in my letter to the President: This case is not about Kilmar alone. It is about everyone in America. While Mr. Abrego Garcia is at the center of this case, its consequences impact the due process rights of everyone who lives in America. If your Administration can strip away the constitutional rights of one man in defiance of court orders, it can do it to all of us.”
“The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order. Further, it claims in essence that because it has [already] rid itself of custody there is nothing [else] that can be done. This should be shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans far removed from courthouses still hold dear. I should point out that Judge Wilkinson was a Reagan administration appointee and this was a unanimous opinion of the three-court panel. I went on in my letter to President Trump to say: The Fourth Circuit got to the heart of the case.”