Marsha Blackburn

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, last week, the Democrat majority on the Federal Communications Commission voted to classify broadband internet service as a ``telecommunications service'' under title II of the Communications Act. This is an effort that is known as net neutrality. Now, the internet has been under title I, an information service, but our Democratic colleagues at the FCC and the Democrat administrations have sought to put this under title II and regulate it like they do the telephone line. This action is nothing less than a Big Government takeover of the internet, which will decrease investment in broadband and hurt the American people's access to high-speed internet. Now, how do we know this? Here is how: Under President Obama, the FCC enforced the failed regulation on the American people between 2015 and 2017, with harmful consequences. So we have done this before. Now, back then, Democrats claimed that net neutrality was desperately needed to prevent internet service providers from blocking content, throttling speeds, and creating fast lanes that favored users who can pay for access. One Democrat Senator argued during this debate back in 2015 that without the heavy-handed regulation, the internet would ``cease to exist.'' And another from their official Senate Democrat Twitter account claimed that without net neutrality, internet users would only ``get the internet one word at a time.'' Now, of course, we all know this never happened. Internet service providers never lived up to the Democrats' doomsday predictions, even after the FCC, under President Trump, repealed the net neutrality regulation. In fact, the internet has seen more development, faster speeds, and lower prices since President Trump's administration repealed that Obama-era net neutrality order. While the order was in effect, from 2015 to 2017, investment in broadband fell. It actually fell. It decreased for the first time in a nonrecession period. For the first time ever, it decreased. Why was that? Government regulation. By comparison, the industry spent $102 billion on capital expenditures in 2022, up from $76 billion in 2016. At the same time, without so-called net neutrality, Americans have enjoyed faster broadband speeds with a freer internet--free of net neutrality regulations. By the end of 2019, 94 percent of Americans had access to high-speed broadband. In 2015, just three-fourths of Americans had that access. Between 2016 and 2019, the share of rural Americans without high-speed internet was actually cut in half. With greater investment and competition, the repeal of net neutrality also made internet access more affordable. Between 2016 and 2021--this is a period of time without net neutrality rules--during that period of time, broadband prices decreased in the range of 14 to 42 percent. Think about that. The price of access went down. It shows you that free markets work. Tennesseans and Americans are probably wondering why is the FCC trying to go back and put a policy in place that limited access, that gave you government control, that increased prices, that slowed investment? Why would the Democrats want to do that? Today, Democrats have abandoned all the arguments they had during the Obama years about internet service providers blocking content and throttling speeds. Instead, the Biden-appointed FCC chairwoman claims that net neutrality is needed to address loopholes in the Agency's oversight of national security threats. I thought: How novel. So now it is all about loopholes and about national security. Well, when you look at the 1996 Telecommunications Act, it does not grant broad national security authority to the FCC. It does not give them the responsibility to do that, and it doesn't say that they have to have net neutrality in order to grab that. The Biden administration even admitted that U.S. security and law enforcement Agencies already-- and I am quoting the Biden administration here--``exercise substantial authorities with respect to the information and communication sectors.'' They made up a story now that they need to do this because of national security. They do not have the authority; it does not fit their mission; and the authority actually belongs to other Agencies. So what you have is today's justification is different from the Obama era. The real motivation for net neutrality remains the same. It is simply this: Democrats want the Federal Government to completely control the internet. It should come as no surprise that Big Tech companies who block and censor conservative speech every day are the biggest supporters of net neutrality. They would enjoy the opportunity to work right alongside the Federal Government and control your access, your speed, your content that you are choosing on the internet. So Senate Republicans are going to fight against this Big Government takeover, and we are going to ensure that the internet does remain free and accessible and open to all Americans. Iran Madam President, America can only achieve peace through strength. We know that. Yet since his first day in office, President Biden has ignored this time-tested truth and our servicemembers and allies are suffering the consequences. Last week, militants in Iraq fired five rockets toward U.S. forces stationed in northeastern Syria. Less than 24 hours later, U.S. forces in western Iraq were targeted by explosive drones. Thankfully, no servicemembers were injured in these attacks. But it marked the first time American troops were targeted in the region since February. In their attacks earlier this year, Iranian militias injured dozens of U.S. troops and killed three brave servicemembers in Jordan. By all appearances, Iran-backed terror groups, including Hezbollah, were behind the latest attacks. Shortly after the attack on U.S. forces in Syria, the group issued a statement claiming that it will resume attacks on American troops, adding that ``What happened a short while ago is the beginning.'' This aggression isn't happening by accident. It is a direct result of President Biden's pro-Iran policy of appeasement. For more than 3 years, the Biden administration has rolled back the Trump administration's successful maximum-pressure campaign against the ayatollahs. Instead, President Biden has emboldened the Iranian regime, the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism, which killed more than 600 American troops during the Iraq war. Within weeks of taking office, President Biden announced a return to diplomacy with Iran with the goal of restoring President Obama's failed nuclear deal. Then the administration revoked the Foreign Terrorist Organization designation for the Iran-backed Houthis. Those are the rebels in Yemen. Right before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the White House approved a $10 billion nuclear deal between Tehran and Moscow. At the same time, the White House allowed Iran to secretly export oil to communist China, filling the regime's coffers with billions to fund their terror proxies, including Hamas and the Houthis and Hezbollah. And in September 2023, the Biden administration engaged in a $6 billion deal with Iran, the largest hostage payment in history. It is quite a record. It is quite a record of appeasing Iran. It is quite a record of pushing forward, making certain there is money into a regime which is the globe's largest state sponsor of terrorism. Now, you would think that after the October 7 attacks when Iran-funded Hamas terrorists murdered 1,200 Israelis in the deadliest attack on the Jewish people since the holocaust, the Biden administration would abandon its policy of appeasement. But, no, that is not what this administration has done. What they did do is to double down on their policy of appeasement. So are we to assume that they are OK with all of this? Just 11 days after the attacks, the President let the international embargo on Iran's missile and drone program lapse--11 days; and 11 days after Iran had moved forward--they trained Hamas, they prepped them, they funded them--Hamas carries out the October 7 attack, and 11 days later the Biden administration let the international embargo on Iran's missile and drone program lapse. In November, the administration reapproved the sanctions waiver that gives Iran access to around $10 billion in frozen assets. Last month, after Iran directly attacked Israel from its territory for the first time ever, launching more than 300 drones and missiles toward the Jewish State, President Biden told Israel that the United States opposed any counteroffensive to restore deterrence, telling Israel to look at Iran's failed attack as a win. Madam President, can you even imagine what the American people would have thought following 9/11 if countries were telling us: Cool it; back off. They didn't take you totally down. Imagine that. Just weeks ago, the Biden administration refused to commit to enforcing sanctions on the $10 billion Iran-Russia nuclear deal. And to top it off, President Biden is now reportedly looking to revive the failed Iran nuclear deal in this latest attempt to appease the ayatollahs. You cannot make this stuff up. You absolutely cannot. When I do visits in each of Tennessee's 95 counties, when I do a telephone townhall like I did last night with thousands of Tennesseans, people say: What are they thinking? And, you know, the sad thing about this is, it makes you wonder what they are thinking. It makes you wonder what they are doing to secure this country, to secure our people, to secure the homeland. It makes you wonder what are they doing intentionally, especially when it comes to that southern border. Thousands of people from countries of interest--about 25,000 Chinese nationals so far this fiscal year--are coming into our country. By the way, they are mainly young single men. What are they doing? Why does this administration not put our Nation's safety and security first? Why do they not put the safety and security of our troops who are deployed first? Why do they not have the backbone to stand up to thugs and put an end to this appeasement? I yield the floor.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. I thank the Senator from Utah so much for organizing this. Madam President, I think it is so important for the American people to really understand what did happen here today. And what we saw happen here today is a violation of our oath, the oath that we take that we are going to abide by the Constitution. Now, those who are watching this--and I would encourage all of my colleagues among us to pull out that Constitution and read article I, section 2, which lays out the process of impeachment for the House of Representatives. And then section 3 of that Constitution lays out the duty of the Senate in that Constitution. Now, I have a poster up here from 2019. It is Chuck Schumer. This was during the Trump impeachment in 2019. Now, Chuck Schumer, who is currently the majority leader, basically made a full-time job of talking about how the Senate had to do their constitutional duty to hold a trial. That is all he talked about for days. The clips are all over the internet. One thing he repeatedly said: We have a responsibility to let all the facts come out. ``A responsibility.'' Now, we have to say: What has changed between 2019, 2020, and today? Well, of course, we know what changed for Chuck Schumer because he is desperate to hold onto the majority in this Senate, and he did not want some of the Senators who are highly contested in their races to have to take a vote on the Mayorkas impeachment. Why is that? It is because the No. 1 issue with the American people is that open southern border. And who is it that has regularly lied to this Chamber, to the House, and to the American people about what is going on at the southern border? It is Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas--repeatedly lied, repeatedly stood before the American people, stood before us in hearings, in committees and said the border is secure. Anyone who is watching, anyone who has ever been to that border knows the border is not secure. They know that, on the Mexico side of that border, it is being run by the cartels. You can spend an hour with the Border Patrol, and you will find out. Last year, there were people from 170 different countries that came to that southern border seeking entry. Not a one of them got here on their own. They get flown to Mexico. They pay the cartels, and the cartels bring them over. The cartels are making a fortune. We are paying the price. And we are paying this price because of the dereliction of duty carried out by Secretary Mayorkas, the way he is not standing up for the Border Patrol, the way he is not standing up for the American people. That is an issue and, yes, a responsibility. Did we have that responsibility? You bet we do. And that is why we are here on this floor to talk about this, because our border--when you look at the drugs, the fentanyl, that are coming across that border and moving into communities across this country, every State is a border State, every town a border town. Every single family affected or worried about the consequences of the border, thousands of Americans dead from fentanyl poisoning, other Americans that have become angel parents because their children, their spouses have been killed in auto accidents by criminal illegal aliens. What they have done to this country by opening that border--and do you know the sad thing about this? It is very intentional. This is their border policy. They intend to do this. So looking at the drugs, looking at the crime and the gangs, and then, of course, looking at the human trafficking on Mayorkas's watch-- and this is something that is so important for the American people to know. In Tennessee, we have several groups that work on human trafficking and seek to rescue women and girls and children who are being trafficked, sexually trafficked. The exploitation of these children, we know that is driven by the cartels. The cartels have turned human trafficking in this country from a $500-million-a-year industry--over the last 3\1/2\ years, it has become $13 billion, with a ``b.'' People are being trafficked. Indeed, children are being used as aides for these traffickers. They are being recycled. And these precious children have their name--they have the contact name and the phone number in indelible ink written on their backs, written on their arms, because the cartel uses these children to get cartel members across the border posing as families. And, then, once that cartel member is in the United States, they turn that child loose, and then the child gets sent back. That is disgusting. But because of Biden and Mayorkas and the open border, that is what is happening. Now, even worse, we have an issue that Secretary Mayorkas claims he knew nothing about, and it was the loss of 85,000 migrant children. Now, we have got 400,000 migrant children who have been turned over to the Federal Government under Secretary Mayorkas. Out of this, 85,000 of those children cannot be accounted for. We have asked Secretary Becerra; we have asked Secretary Mayorkas: Where are these children? They do not know. They do not know if these 85,000 children are dead or alive. They do not know if they have been attached to drug mules or drug traffickers or if they have been put into gangs, labor crews. What we did find out from some reporters is this. We found out that some of these children were working in slaughterhouses, in the night. That is what we found out. Oh, by the way, that was from a New York Times reporter. This situation at the southern border is a humanitarian crisis. The trafficking of human beings is a crisis. Using human beings as chattel, that is a crisis. Putting people into indentured servitude and slavery, that is a crisis. And who has lied about this repeatedly to the Senate and to the House is Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. And who voted for him? Every Democrat on that side of the aisle who refused to let this trial come forward-- each and every one--you are responsible for this not coming to light. It is a dereliction of your constitutional duty and a responsibility-- yes, it is a responsibility--that we, as Members, have to make certain that the American people know what happened today.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, we gathered just a couple of hours ago to receive the impeachment articles on Alejandro Mayorkas, who is the Secretary of Homeland Security. How interesting that, as we look at going through this impeachment, we have Senator Schumer, who is the majority leader, who has decided he wants to change his tune when it comes to dealing with impeachment. Now, in 2019, right before the Democrats started in on President Trump and an impeachment trial for President Trump, Leader Schumer stood right here in this Chamber, and he said: We have a responsibility to let all the facts come out. We [have] to remember our constitutional duty to act as judges and jurors in a potential trial. Now, those were his comments at that point in time. He was all for an impeachment trial, and it is our constitutional duty. You can look at article I, section 2 and section 3. Section 2 lays out the responsibility of the House in impeachment. Section 3 pertains to the Senate and how we are to proceed with a trial of impeachment. But, as I said, Leader Schumer has decided that he wants to change his tune, and all of a sudden, he is not wanting this even though we actually have a public officeholder who deserves to stand for an impeachment trial, and that is Secretary Mayorkas. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, if you will, and now that it is about a Democrat, Leader Schumer wants to change the rules and say no. He is even willing to take unprecedented actions that this Chamber has never taken when it comes to the issue of impeachment. I believe this should incense every single American. I know it incenses the people of Tennessee because what we have learned in the last 3 years about Secretary Mayorkas--even though his title is ``Secretary of Homeland Security,'' he does not believe in securing the homeland, and he has refused to fulfill his duty of securing the homeland. I know that Secretary Mayorkas is doing the bidding of Joe Biden and the Biden administration. He is just doing what they tell him he has to do. That in and of itself tells you a lot about what this administration thinks about the security and sovereignty of this country. Here is why: On the Biden-Mayorkas watch, you have more than 9.4 million illegal aliens coming into this country. That is in less than 3 years--9.4 million. We know that there are between 1.7 and 2.5 million ``got-aways.'' Some of those ``got-aways'' are included in that 9.4 million number, and others are not because they didn't see them as they were coming through and couldn't get to them. They found things they left on the roadside or in the woods, in the brush, later on. Out of this 10 million or so who have illegally come into the country--by the way, just to help everyone have the right context, that number of 10 million is greater than the population of 38 of our States--38. That is how many people are coming in who are illegally entering the country. Out of this number, you have thousands who are from countries of interest. That would be places like Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Iran. And look at China. Look at what is happening there. You also have 300 known terrorists. As we heard in the impeachment articles today, under President Trump, you had no more than a dozen total over 4 years who were coming into the country. What do you have under Joe Biden? You have over 300 suspected terrorists. Even last week, we had an issue where DOJ and DHS and FBI and the other Agencies were admitting they had lost track of a terrorist from Afghanistan, and he was free-roaming the country for a year. In addition to the terrorists and the people from countries of interest, fentanyl is coming across our borders. It is being smuggled in by the cartels. Fentanyl is the leading cause of death of Americans age 18 to 45. Fentanyl is a drug that--China has the precursor chemicals, and they are manufacturing this in labs that they have set up with, oh, by the way, the cartels in Mexico, and the cartels are the distribution hub for fentanyl. I talk to parents regularly who have a child who has lost a life or become addicted because of fentanyl. In addition to all the fentanyl, you have the human trafficking. What is really so sad to me when you look at human trafficking--and for the cartels, human trafficking is a business. It has grown from a business that was $500 million a year in this country in 2018, and today it is a $13 billion-a-year business. If you don't think the cartels are big business, if you don't think they are global entities, look at this. Globally, human trafficking is a $150 billion-a-year business. Where do these people want to come? Right here. They want to come into our country. On top of this, there are more than 400,000 migrant children. Many of them have been recycled and abused by the cartels. Yes, indeed, the cartels are so into this human trafficking now that they have devised a scheme. It is child abuse. They take a little child. They write their name and the phone number to contact on that child's back. They put that child with a cartel member they are trying to get into the country. They pose as a family for the purpose of claiming asylum. Once the cartel member is across the border, what does he do? He lets the child go--lets the child go--and the child is sent back to Mexico. So we add to all of these issues with the terrorists, with the people from countries of interest, with the drugs, with the human trafficking, with the sex trafficking, you look at what is happening to these children. Tens of thousands of these 400,000 children have been forced into really horrific, exploitative situations, including child labor and sex trafficking. Across the country, you have dangerous, illegal alien criminals--they are called criminal aliens--who should never have been able to come into this country in the first place. They have harmed and they have murdered innocent Americans. So all of these reasons as to why we should move forward with this impeachment, and on top of it you add that Secretary Mayorkas has repeatedly lied to Congress about our border being secure. He likes to say he has done everything to prevent this, but we know he has done everything to allow it and to allow the flow to continue. Last year, DHS, his Agency, deported less than 5 percent of all migrant encounters at the border. In 2022, only 10 percent of all criminal illegal aliens in the United States were arrested. While a border wall would do so much to help end the border crisis, Secretary Mayorkas stated: From day one, this Administration has made clear that a border wall is not the answer. His words. From day one, they have made clear that a border wall is not the answer. Well, let me tell you something: Walls work. Throughout history, walls have worked. The evidence is overwhelming. Secretary Mayorkas has refused to uphold his constitutional duty of securing the homeland, and the American people are suffering the consequences. Five years ago, Leader Schumer was all too happy to lead a partisan, baseless impeachment trial against President Trump. Yet, today, when faced with a Secretary who is unfit for office, Leader Schumer is trying to prevent a Senate trial and dismiss the House's Articles of Impeachment. (Mr. WYDEN assumed the Chair.) Never before has the Senate dismissed impeachment charges without holding a trial. When I talk to Tennesseans, they talk about their frustration with Washington, DC, and their frustration with two tiers of justice. It seems there is a tier for the Democrats and the elites and illegals and another for Republicans and President Trump and people who are conservative. It is important that Secretary Mayorkas be held to account. For 3 years, he has done President Biden's bidding by opening the border to millions of illegal aliens. If this Chamber upholds its constitutional duty to hold a trial, I will vote to convict Secretary Mayorkas and remove him from office. While the Biden administration is working to make illegal immigration legal, border States such as Texas are stepping up to do what this administration will not do, and that is to secure the border. Over recess, I spent time in El Paso, TX, to see firsthand how Governor Abbott and authorities in the Lone Star State are working to keep communities safe. Now, it is a part of the efforts in Texas to deter illegal immigration, and Texas is taking this seriously to make certain that they secure property there along the Rio Grande. What they have done is to place buoys in the river, shipping containers on the embankment, razor wire behind that, and fences behind that. They did this along the Rio Grande there in El Paso to prevent illegal aliens from coming in through El Paso. Texas has bolstered its barriers, and what you are seeing now is that the illegal aliens are traveling farther to the west. They are going to New Mexico. They are going to Arizona. They are going to California. Why? Because they are looking for somewhere easier that they can get into the country illegally. (Mr. WELCH assumed the Chair.) Bear in mind, the coyotes, they are working hard for all of these groups and for the cartels, and nobody enters without paying a coyote. Now, when you look at what Texas is doing, taking this into their own hands--and you have got the State, you have got local counties--they are spending billions at the State level and millions in these counties. And as a result, illegal immigration in Texas dropped by 54 percent between December and January. And in the Del Rio Sector, which includes Eagle Pass, illegal entries fell by 76 percent. This shows you border walls work. The Border Patrol has been telling us for decades: We need a barrier; we need better technology where we cannot have a barrier; and we need more officers and agents. So while the Biden administration pretends otherwise, knowing that walls work should not be a surprise. Border walls from ancient Athens to the Great Wall of China, they protected cities. They protected nations for thousands of years. Border barriers are used on nearly every continent on Earth to protect countries from illegal entry, from drug smuggling, and from terrorism. But instead of supporting Texas and its successful efforts to deter illegal immigration, this administration and this Secretary of Homeland Security, they think it is a good thing to go sue Texas and try to make them remove their border barriers. While Texas has accomplished a lot in securing their border, protecting families, and saving American lives, President Biden's attack on our border security has placed a tremendous burden on our border States and communities. Indeed, every town has turned into a border town, every State a border State all across this country because of what is happening with the drug trafficking, with human trafficking, with sex trafficking, with crime in communities. While I was in Eagle Pass, I sat down with some ranchers and farmers who have had their property destroyed, stolen, broken into by illegal aliens crossing into our country from Mexico. In one instance, two migrants broke into a rancher's home while his 16-year-old daughter was studying at home alone. Texas law enforcement also warned about the ways cartels are using new technology to aid their smuggling operations, including by using Chinese-owned TikTok to recruit Americans into their human trafficking rings. At the same time, cartels are flying drones into the United States to scope out the location of border agents and redirect their smuggling routes. More than anything else, authorities in Texas told me that they need more border wall construction, better technology, and more agents. So if Secretary Mayorkas and President Biden refuse to help them, Congress has to step in. That is why I introduced legislation called the CONTAINER Act, which would empower border States such as Texas to place temporary barriers on Federal land to protect their communities. No State or locality should face lawsuits from the Federal Government for trying to secure our border and to protect the sovereignty of the United States of America. I also introduced the CLEAR Act, which would reaffirm the authority of State and local governments to enforce Federal immigration laws by apprehending, detaining, and then transferring illegal aliens to Federal custody. Among its important measures, this legislation would require the Department of Homeland Security to provide grants to State and local governments to help them enforce immigration law and construct detention facilities. It would also require DHS to take illegal aliens into custody within 48 hours after receiving a request from a State or locality and provide the Justice Department with essential information about illegal aliens who have overstayed their period of stay in this country. After my visit to Eagle Pass, I know these pieces of legislation would do so much to support our border security along these border States, and I am hopeful that this President and his Department of Homeland Security will have a change of heart and will move forward with securing our southern border, just as this Chamber should move forward with an impeachment trial on Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, I rise today to congratulate the Tennessee National Guard on the opening of the Major General Terry M. Haston National Guard Armory in Morrison, TN. Since its founding in 1887, the Tennessee National Guard has upheld the Volunteer State's distinguished record of military service, fighting to preserve our Nation's security, and aiding our State in times of emergency. The Major General Terry M. Haston National Guard Armory--with over 30,000 square feet of space dedicated to administrative, training, supply, and storage functions--will do so much to honor this tradition by strengthening the Guard's capabilities for Federal missions and bolstering their capacity to respond effectively to local emergencies and disasters. This facility honors a great Tennessean and a great guardsman. For nearly a decade, MG Terry M. Haston served as the 75th adjutant general for the Tennessee National Guard, strengthening the Guard's military readiness and operational efficiency. Among his many honors, General Haston received the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star Medal.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I rise today to talk about a real-life Cinderella story that occurred at the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association Basketball State Championship. Despite an enrollment of just 93 students--one of the smallest high schools in the State--the Frank Hughes School Lions roared past the competition to become runners up in the Division I Class A tournament. The grit and determination of this team earned the praise of basketball fans across Tennessee--and for good reason: In the first three games of the playoffs, the team trailed their opponents by up to 19 points, only to come out victorious. Described as the town's ``heartbeat,'' this team was the pride of Clifton, TN, which was evident at the State tournament. The darlings of the competition, Frank Hughes School had not qualified in 40 years. As the players took to the court, every person and business in the city rallied behind them. When they finished as State runners up and accepted their trophy, the fans roared in a reception only fit for champions. A journalist remarked that the State tournament had emptied the town of Clifton. This success story is a testament to the incredible schools and small communities in Tennessee that are the heart of America. The Frank Hughes Lions showed that grit, determination, and no excuses will get you far in life. I congratulate the Frank Hughes Lions and the city of Clifton on a great year, and I look forward to their continued success.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I move to refer the message to accompany H.R. 2882 to the Committee on the Judiciary with instructions.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, let me tell you why my colleagues are going to vote no when we voice vote this in a few minutes. This is a concept that has been around for a while, and it is in legislation called the CLEAR Act. What this would simply do is say that our local and State law enforcement, when they apprehend a criminal illegal alien in this country, that they can detain that individual and require ICE to, within 48 hours, come to them to deport that individual. They also would be required to reimburse that entity for the expenses, and then they would also prohibit funds going to cities that do not comply with Federal immigration law. The fact that we have Americans losing their lives--Pierce Corcoran from Tennessee, Laken Riley, whom we have all talked about--

Mrs. BLACKBURN.--because of criminal illegal aliens is the reason to vote yes.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, last month, an illegal alien from Venezuela was arrested for allegedly murdering Laken Riley, a 22-year- old nursing student, while she went for a run on the University of Georgia campus. The suspected murderer, 26-year-old Jose Ibarra, should have never been allowed to set foot in our country. But the Biden administration paroled him into America after he illegally crossed the southern border, along with more than 2 million other migrants who are now eligible for work authorizations and benefits from the Federal Government. That is the difference. When someone gets paroled, they get benefits. They get work permits. And while President Obama and President Trump each paroled only about 5,600 people a year, President Biden paroled 800,000 in 2022 and 1.2 million in 2023. When you look at this, what you can say is that this administration failed Laken Riley. They failed her more than once. Also, when you look at sanctuary city policies, what you know is this: that New York City, with their sanctuary city policies, failed Laken Riley. Athens, GA, another sanctuary city, failed Laken Riley. Last year, in New York City, Ibarra was arrested for reckless endangerment of a child. But instead of working with Federal law enforcement to get him deported for his heinous crime, city officials there, in New York City, released him before Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, could request his custody. A month later, police in Athens, GA--whose city government passed a resolution in 2019 welcoming illegal immigrants ``of all statuses''-- released Ibarra after he shoplifted hundreds of dollars in goods. It is no coincidence that both New York City and Athens, GA, are sanctuary cities. In sanctuary cities across the country, we have seen illegal aliens commit crimes with impunity, as local governments refuse to work with law enforcement to deport criminal illegal aliens. Just last month, the New York Post reported that the violent Venezuelan gang is directing its members to come to our southern border, apply for asylum, and, once waved into the country, establish robbery rings in major U.S. cities. I couldn't believe this. Then, as I talked to law enforcement in Tennessee, I found out that those gangs are there. They are moving in. And I was so surprised that we had gangs, in addition to MS-13, that have come in on parole status and also as asylum seekers. Gang members are recruiting migrants in New York City shelters to join their operations in which they steal phones from innocent bystanders so they can resell those phones in Colombia. In Chicago, another sanctuary city, authorities are tracking the gang's growing crime network, which includes human trafficking, drug smuggling, and sexual exploitation. No city in America should be allowed to make illegal immigration legal and harbor criminal illegal aliens. They ought not be able to do it. It makes our communities less safe. That is why, earlier this month, I reintroduced the Clear Law Enforcement for Criminal Alien Removal Act, or CLEAR Act, which would ensure State and local law enforcement officials can work with Federal law enforcement to deport criminal illegal aliens who are in their communities. Under the provisions in this legislation, it would require States and localities to provide the Department of Homeland Security with information about every alien apprehended in their State, including the name, address, physical description, and the reason for their arrest. At the same time, the bill would ensure their compliance by denying Federal funds to any jurisdiction that refuses to work with Federal immigration law enforcement. It would also require the Department of Homeland Security to take illegal aliens into custody within 48 hours after receiving a request from a State and local government, provide essential information about illegal immigrants to the Justice Department, and supply resources to help localities enforce immigration law, including grants and increased space for detention facilities. Do you see what is happening with all of this? When you have got entities that say, ``We are just not going to enforce the law; we are going to do something different, and we are going to ignore immigration law,'' what happens is every town becomes a border town, and every State becomes a border State. This is one of the reasons that crime and the border are two of the top issues that people talk about. Any person who is in this country illegally and committing a crime that endangers our communities should be immediately removed and barred from coming back. Unfortunately, our Nation's crime issues go beyond the criminal illegal aliens. Across the country, from New York and Washington to L.A. and Chicago, we have seen far-left DAs and soft-on-crime judges push radical bail policies, including easing cash bail requirements or prohibiting cash bail altogether. Far from improving public safety, these so-called bail reforms put criminals back on the streets and place law-abiding citizens in danger. After the Shelby County District Attorney's Office spearheaded bail reform and made it easier for criminals to avoid pretrial detention, homicides in Memphis last year reached a recordbreaking number--398 homicides in Memphis, TN. Many of these were committed by criminals who were out on bail. Just last month, a violent criminal who was out on bail for attempted murder set off a city-wide manhunt after going on a horrific rampage through the city of Memphis. Across his 5-hour-long crime spree, the offender carjacked a woman in a church parking lot, shot two people after breaking into a hair salon, and killed an innocent teenager outside of a strip mall. In May, a repeat criminal posted bail after shooting and injuring an off-duty Memphis Police Department officer while attempting to break into a parked vehicle. One month later, a gunman--while out on bail for carjacking and employing a firearm with intent to commit a dangerous felony--shot and killed a man during an attempted carjacking. In November, a Memphis judge released the suspected murderer of a 15- year-old boy who was shot and killed outside his grandmother's house on Thanksgiving morning. And just this month, a Memphis judge set just a $175,000 bond for a man charged with attempted first-degree murder against a police officer. These tragedies should never happen to anyone, but far-left bail policies continue to prioritize criminals over law enforcement, families, and hard-working taxpayers. I can tell you, Tennesseans are tired of this. They are tired of seeing criminals being prioritized over hard-working taxpayers and families. While addressing crime is the primary responsibility of local governments, there are important steps the Federal Government can take to ensure public safety. That is why I am introducing the Keep Violent Criminals Off Our Streets Act. It would deter States and localities from pushing pro-crime policies that make cities like Memphis less safe. This legislation would block any State or local government from receiving Federal funds if they have a policy that prohibits the use of cash bail for offenders. It would also block Federal funds if they refuse to employ pretrial detention practices for every violent offender, including juvenile offenders. With crimes spiking in Memphis and other cities across the country, it is essential that local governments protect their residents and put violent criminals behind bars where they belong. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I appreciate my colleagues and their comments, and I know that Senator Hyde-Smith is also going to speak on this issue. As we have heard, the President later today is going to talk about his record, and he is going to try to sell that record to the American people. As we have heard, many of his policies are failures. This record is a broken record, and much of it, just as my colleague from Texas was saying, is a record that has failed the people of our States. For 3 years, the American people have truly suffered immensely during this record of failure and broken promises. Some of the actions that President Biden has taken beginning on day one is he issued Executive order after Executive order. Let's talk about day one as we set the framework for what he will talk about tonight as his 3-year record. On day one, President Biden took actions pertaining to the border and illegal immigration, and here is what he did: He paused deportations-- paused them. That means he put up a ``halt'' sign and said: You cannot deport people who have illegally entered the country. He limited which illegal aliens could be arrested. Now, that was an action that he took. He said: Well, you can't go arrest certain groups of illegal aliens-- even though they have broken the law coming into this country. So he put those protections in place for people who had broken the law entering the country illegally. He halted construction of the border wall, and he ended the ``Remain in Mexico'' policy. Now, during his first 100 days, he took a total of 94 Executive actions that made the border less secure and weakened legal immigration and encouraged illegal immigration and tried to make illegal immigration legal. Because of that, since he took the oath of office, 9 million--9 million--illegal immigrants have entered this country. That is more than the population of 38 States. Those are the actions he has taken. In addition to the 9 million illegal immigrants, you have known and unknown ``got-aways.'' These unknown ``got-aways'' are untold numbers of drug traffickers, human traffickers, smugglers. That is what is coming into our country because of this porous border--in addition, tens of thousands of people from countries of interest; in addition, terrorists who have been apprehended at our southern border trying to enter illegally. Those are the ones we know about. Americans are indeed--Tennesseans certainly are--enduring the consequences of this open border agenda. Over the past few weeks, we have seen countless illegal aliens who should have never been allowed to set foot in this country be arrested for sexual assault, rape, and murder. One of the victims, Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student in Georgia, was allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant who was paroled into this country by the Biden administration. Now, paroling someone into the country grants special privileges. They can get a work permit. They can get benefits. If you look at President Obama's record, he paroled about 5,600 people a year into the country and the same for President Trump. But President Biden has gone more than 200 times this every year. In 2022, he paroled 800,000 people into the country, and in 2023, 1.2 million people. One of these parolees is the alleged killer of Laken Riley. There are others who have committed rape against children, who have bludgeoned our citizens. President Biden's policies are directly responsible for these crimes. Now, there is also a bucket of economic failures that I want to touch on. We all know that when President Biden came into office, inflation was 1.4 percent. Since then, we have seen inflation skyrocket, and we have seen Federal spending skyrocket. We know that trillions of dollars have been added to the debt. Much of this comes because of his agenda. A lot of it is his attack on energy and his push for the Green New Deal. Now, President Biden had claimed that his agenda would--and I am going to quote him--that it would ``grow the economy from the middle out and the bottom up.'' Instead, what it has done is caused the worst inflation in four decades. Since Inauguration Day for Joe Biden, prices have been on the uptick. When you talk to Tennesseans, they can tell you how much the cost of food is up. It is up at least about 20 percent; rent, housing is up over 20 percent; and then you look at the cost of energy, whether you are filling up the tank or whether you are paying the electric bill or the gas bill for heating and cooling the house. That is what this economy has done. As we look at the issues, we know that the economy--we know that this has such a negative impact on the amount of money that people have in their pockets each month. In Tennessee, this means that in 2023 alone, an average family had to spend over $10,000 more just to tread water, just to stay even. So as we look at this, as we know the President is going to stand and insist that the state of the Nation is strong, we know that there are going to be millions of Americans who say: No. It is frayed. It is fractious. It is hurting. People are broke. Our border is broken. Crime is up in our communities. All of this is directly related to the policies of President Biden and his agenda.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, earlier this month, House Republicans impeached Secretary Mayorkas because the Homeland Security Secretary refuses to carry out his constitutional duty of securing the homeland. More than 9 million illegal immigrants, including 1.7 million known ``got-aways,'' have entered our country under the Biden administration. Now, this number is larger than the population of 39 States. At the same time, hundreds of individuals on the Terrorist Watchlist have been caught on the southern border, including 58 since the start of fiscal year 2024. Just in January, there were more than 176,000 illegal crossings along the southern border. This is the worst January on record. Yet, under Secretary Mayorkas and President Biden, Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported just 142,000 people in all of 2023. That is less than 5 percent of illegal crossings. There is no doubt that this administration has abused both our asylum and our parole systems, but unlike asylum--you have parole, which is granted by DHS for different reasons, and President Biden has abused his parole authority to usher in millions of migrants who are unknown to us and who receive both public benefits and work authorizations. One thing is clear: The parole system is just another way for the Biden administration to circumvent congressional authority and make illegal immigrants legal. Over the course of four Presidents--go back and look at the years from 1983 to 2003--the average yearly total for all paroles was no more than 150,000, and on average, the Obama and Trump administrations paroled just 5,600 migrants per year. There is a contrast here. In 2022, Joe Biden paroled nearly 800,000 migrants into the country, and in fiscal year 2023, the Biden administration paroled approximately 1.2 million migrants. That is more than 200 times the number that President Obama and President Trump paroled into this country. This administration is abusing the parole system and that authority. This administration's open border agenda is already having tragic consequences. Last week, an illegal immigrant in Georgia was arrested for allegedly murdering Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, while she went for a jog on the University of Georgia's campus. The suspect should never have been allowed to set foot in America. Yet the Biden administration paroled him. They paroled him into this country after he illegally crossed our border in 2022. There is no doubt that Secretary Mayorkas has breached the public trust by making illegal immigration legal, but according to recent reports, Majority Leader Schumer is looking for any way he can to prevent a Senate trial when the House transmits the Articles of Impeachment on Secretary Mayorkas to this Chamber. By tabling the Articles of Impeachment, Democrats would be abandoning our core constitutional duty to hold an impeachment trial. The American people suffer through this administration's border crisis every single day, and they deserve an open debate about whether Secretary Mayorkas, who has done so much to cause this national security and humanitarian catastrophe, is fit to hold public office. Based on everything we have seen over the last 3 years, Secretary Mayorkas is not fit for office, and if this Chamber upholds its constitutional duty, I will vote to convict him.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I know that we have Tennesseans who are watching, and many people are saying: Why is it that you all are here? Because this was to be a week where we were working in our States. Of course, many of us have set meetings in our States, but here we find ourselves looking at this piece of legislation that, all of a sudden, has become a must-pass. Now, the schedule for when we were going to be in and out of session came out in December, back around the 1st of December. So that is when we decide how we are going to organize our year and our work periods and meet those obligations to our constituents. But what we find out is there is all of a sudden this deadline that has to be met because there is the Munich conference, and we have a delegation that is going, and they don't want to go emptyhanded. They want to take this bill that is going to be more money for Ukraine. Now, there are some of us who have said: Hey, wait a minute. We have these problems at our southern border, and we really can't help others until we deal with the crisis at our southern border. There are some of us who remember what happened on 9/11, and we remember the impact that had on our Nation, and we will never forget that. We realized how important it was to get our country back on track, and we did that. We moved forward aggressively not only militarily but in getting our economy back on track, stabilizing our country, changing how we looked for terrorism, and taking the steps that were necessary to protect the citizens of this country, to protect individuals in their communities, in their places of work, and to make certain that they knew we were going to be there to put them first and the protection of this country first. Well, of course, deadlines and work periods have a way of forcing issues, of saying: Well, this has to be done, and we have to meet this deadline. I would suggest to all of my colleagues that after we return from this work period, guess what. There is all of a sudden going to be this deadline and this push: Oh, we have the CR coming up. We have to take action right now, so everybody has to get in the same boat and vote for things that you really don't want because we just cannot have a government shutdown. That is going to be the message that is there. Bear in mind, I think it has been now 103 days since the Democratic leader has allowed an appropriations bill to come to this floor for consideration. Because of the good work of Senators Collins and Murray, the Senate appropriations bills came out of the Appropriations Committee in July. But, no, they are not coming to this floor because, then, the Democratic leader would have to give up the ability to jam it and to get what he wants right at the very end, just like there is this jam to get this bill passed before the Munich Conference, so there can be smiles, handshakes, and back slaps when they get there. But I think our allies would like for us to take care of ourselves and secure our border so that, indeed, we are going to be able to continue to help them, because this is a dangerous place. This world is a dangerous place. There is an axis of evil--Russia, China, Iran, North Korea--that is working overtime trying to destroy the United States. They don't hide that that is their goal. They are really pretty open about that being their goal. China, they want global domination. Russia, they want to be able to sell China oil. Iran wants to sell China oil. Indeed, Iran is making billions of dollars every single month selling oil to China because this administration withdrew the sanctions on Iran--the sanctions that President Trump and his administration had put in place that prohibited them from selling oil. But instead of the President putting those sanctions back on Iran and prohibiting that--and that is what is giving them the money they need to go out here and fund their proxies. The Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas, ISIS-Syria, ISIS-Iraq, the IRG--where did they get their equipment, their training, their missiles, their rockets? Courtesy of Iran. That is where they get it. But let's not talk about that. Let's talk about: We have got to pass this bill. We have got to do it right now because the happy handshakes are going to depend on it when they all get over to Munich. But what we need to be doing is paying attention to what is happening here on our own shores. Are we concerned about Israel? You better believe we are. We know that they are in a fight for survival. We also know that Iran is who is funding Hamas. Taiwan, are we concerned about them? Absolutely, and we want to make sure that Taiwan has what they need. I have even introduced legislation that would authorize a defense Lend-Lease Program for Taiwan. It is important for them to have that. It is important for people to be able to pay back what we give them. Another thing that we need to do is look at the expectations of our enemies. We have got enemies that expect us, at this point in time because of this President and his administration, to be weak and to give them running room. They like that. They think that is a good thing. They think that because this President is weak when it comes to our southern border, that they can push people into our country. From October to the end of the year, 24,000 Chinese, I think it was, came in through our borders. You are talking about people, according to the Border Patrol, from 170 different countries who were coming across our border. We know that these 8.8 million illegal immigrants who have entered this country under President Joe Biden's watch are not all individuals who are coming here for a better life. We know some of them are coming here to do us harm. Indeed, the FBI Director, in December, when he was before our committee, responded to Senator Graham's question about what he saw with the terrorist threat. And, indeed, in paraphrasing his comments, he talked about how he had never seen such broad-based threats, and that everywhere he looked, he saw red lights flashing. The world is a dangerous place, and it is coming to our border. There are some things that we had wanted to get done in this bill that are not going to be done. I will note for my colleagues that H.R. 2--I know my Democratic colleagues do not like that bill. I know that. I understand that. We have a difference of opinion on that. But H.R. 2 is the House border security bill--border security, what people are demanding that we do: secure our southern border--that landed on our desk at the Senate Judiciary Committee. And, of course, Homeland Security has part of that, and HHS has part of that, and the Senate HELP Committee. But it landed on May 15. We have had over 80 meetings--80 meetings--of the Senate Judiciary Committee since that bill landed. Not once have we even looked at taking it up, amending it, letting regular order take place, letting people amend that bill and make it a work product of the committee. That is not what has happened, but it is what should have happened-- allowing regular order to take place and people to be able to weigh in and speak on this bill. But there was a decision not to move forward with that. Instead, it was pushed to the side and a special committee put in place, and they were tasked with solving what was going to be a border and national security bill. Interestingly enough--and I know that they all worked hard, and I know that Senator Lankford put his best efforts into that. But, you know, I think there is a lot to be said for going by regular order-- letting the committees take up a piece of legislation, letting the committees do their work on that piece of legislation. But that did not happen. When I talk to Tennesseans, they are terribly concerned about what is happening with the open border because they see the impacts in their communities every single day. The impacts are undeniable when you look at the tens of thousands of U.S. citizens who lose their lives every year to fentanyl poisoning. Right now, the No. 1 killer of U.S. citizens in the 18- to 45-year-old age bracket is fentanyl. We know the Chinese are working hand in glove with the Mexican cartels, especially the Sinaloa Cartel, which is right there on the Mexico side, across from that Arizona border. They are working overtime. They are pressing those pills, and then they are pushing them across the border. That is what they think is going to help them attack us and harm our citizens. The drug trafficking, the human trafficking, the sex trafficking that are taking place every single day--local law enforcement--I visit with each of our 95 Tennessee counties every single year, and, to a county, law enforcement tells me they can't deal with the drugs and the human trafficking and the gangs and the crime until we secure the southern border. They are trying, but it continues to grow every single day. Another thing that concerns everyone--and this ties us back to the FBI's comments about seeing flashing red lights--that is the number of people who are special-interest aliens who are coming from countries like Iran and Afghanistan and Syria. They are flooding into our country. As I said, people from 170 countries is what the Border Patrol tells us came across our border last year. Think about that. These are people who are making a choice to come across our southern border--paying a cartel to come across that border, instead of legally coming into this country. That is the choice that they are making. Also, the Terrorist Watchlist--in addition to those hundreds who are coming from special interest countries, you have got 49 Terrorist Watchlist individuals who have been apprehended at the border since the start of fiscal year 2024. We know that this danger is there. We know these individuals are coming into our country, and we know that our law enforcement professionals are telling us--they are telling us--it is not a question of if we have another terrorist attack on U.S. soil; it is a question of when. So when you look at what has transpired with this security supplemental and the $113 billion that has already gone to Ukraine-- and, by the way, some of us keep asking for a whole accounting of where that money is. Some of us continue to ask for what we consider a win with Ukraine. We continue to ask what is the strategy that is being implemented there. But what we get back at us is crickets. So some of us have had amendments that we think would make the legislation before us, the security supplemental, a stronger piece of legislation. I had several amendments that I have proposed. No. 1540 would limit the number of aliens who can be paroled into the United States every year, because, if you look at the numbers from previous administrations--Democrat and Republican--you see that many multiples of those numbers are what the Biden administration is waiving right on into the country. I also had an amendment No. 1534 that would prohibit any of our taxpayer dollars going into Gaza until all the hostages have been released. There again, our citizens do not want their tax dollars going into Gaza being scooped up by Hamas through UNRWA and that being pushed forward. Now, my amendment No. 1535 would accelerate deportations for illegal aliens who physically assault first responders. Indeed, we have seen more of that than we would like to see in this country. So they should be immediately deported. I also have 1547, which would prohibit the President and his administration from selling or removing any of the existing border wall or the components that are out there for the border wall. It was distressing to us to hear that the President was choosing to sell off the border wall when Border Patrol tells us they need a physical barrier, they need better technology where they cannot have a physical barrier, and then they need more officers and agents. Giving them that physical barrier should be something that we agree to do. No. 1548 would put back in place the President Trump-era Migrant Protection Protocols: Stay in that safe third country; execute your claim for your asylum there. That is something that would be an assistance to our Border Patrol. (Ms. DUCKWORTH assumed the Chair.) Now, my amendment No. 1539 should be something that we would all agree on. This would allow the border States to place temporary barriers on Federal land to protect their communities. Now, for those of us who have been to the border many times, we have walked along this border, and we have met with ranchers, and we have met with farmers, and we have met with property owners who say: You know, we are losing the right to private property. They can show you pictures of dead bodies they have found on their ranches. They can show you pictures of fields of melons and tomatoes and produce that have been literally trampled by people who are coming across. So allowing them the right to protect their property--everybody should agree someone has the right to protect their property. A homeowner backing up to the border there in Arizona need not worry that they are going to walk out their back door and find illegal aliens napping in the backyard or taking a dip in a swimming pool or leaving clothes and water bottles strewn right around their back porch. Now, one that I have worked on for quite a while, No. 1536, is the END Child Exploitation Act. What this would do is end that horrible practice of child recycling. Now, Madam President, you and I are moms. I am a grandma. And this legislation would require a DNA test for adults and children to determine the familial relationship between an alien and an accompanying minor. This is important to do. During the Trump era, we did DNA testing at the southern border--not a difficult task. It is a 45-minute test, and this will save a child's life, because we found that fully a third of those children were being trafficked. We also have learned from Border Patrol that many times a child will present with an adult. They get across the border, and then the child is cut loose. And on the child's arm or on their back is written a name and phone number, whom to call to send the child back across the border. Border Patrol tells us some of these children have been recycled eight or nine times. There is a way we could end that. The PRINTS Act would also help us to end this recycling by fingerprinting noncitizens under the age of 14. Now, there is another issue that I have been working on for about a year, and it is to find out what has happened with the unaccompanied alien children who have been released to sponsors who have not been properly vetted. Right now, we have 85,000 children that we do not know where they are--if they are dead or alive, if they are trafficked or not. My amendment No. 1537 would have addressed this issue and required HHS to report back to us. We should all agree that these unaccompanied alien children should be protected. They ought not be being sex- trafficked. They ought not to be in labor gangs and crews. They ought not to be unprotected. We found out about this through a reporter who was working in a meat processing facility. And there were children there who were illegally in the country, brought across. They had been turned over to a sponsor by our Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is a part of Health and Human Services, and they were in a labor gang. We can't get an answer from HHS about this. So that amendment, plus 1538, which would require in-person home visits so we can find out where these children are--those should be things that we agree with-- that we agree with. And that ought not to be a partisan issue. That should be something that is a part of a homeland security bill. Now, 1533 would require any funding to the U.N. to be contingent on the organization placing Hamas, Hezbollah, and other foreign and Iranian proxies and groups designated as foreign terrorist organizations on the U.N. Security Council Consolidated List. Terrorist organizations ought not to get the money that is coming from U.S. taxpayers. There are so many concerns about this process, about this legislation. And the fact that we would rush to pass this so we can go have a good ``shake and howdy'' in Munich, I think, is so disrespectful of the American taxpayer. It is disrespectful of Tennesseans. We should have taken up H.R. 2. We should have amended and debated that. And we are here when we have a week where we would be working in our States, and we know that this legislation that is in such a rush to be passed for the celebratory moment is dead on arrival in the House. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I appreciate so much hearing my colleague talk about the issues at the border, and I want to touch on some of those today, also. But I want to talk some about inflation and what we are hearing at home in Tennessee. And as I talked this weekend--you know, we have had a terrible cold snap in Tennessee. We have had a lot of snow. We have had single-digit temperatures, even subzero temperatures. And people have talked a lot about the priorities of this administration when it comes to energy and about how President Biden said: We are going to do this transition; we are going to have the Green New Deal. And he spent $6 trillion on this Green New Deal concept. Well, that, with the inflation, has caused higher prices, lower wages, and really has inserted uncertainty into our economy. Now, the President has really ignored the chaos that has come about from his failed Bidenomics and failed Green New Deal agendas. He keeps trying to say, and he has been out giving speeches saying, that we are a--and I am quoting him--story of progress. Well, let me tell you something. If he is talking about progress, it is the wrong direction because, as I said, people are facing higher prices; they are facing wage stagnation; and they are looking at uncertainty when it comes to job security, when it comes to economic security. The President also likes to say that he is ``growing [the] economy from the middle out and the bottom up.'' But let me tell you, when I talk to Tennesseans, that is not happening. They talk about how the economy is shrinking. And they also talk about how costs are just hammering them every single month. Now, I think that when we talk about inflation and the state of the Nation's economy, we have to look at where President Biden started. When he took the oath of office, the inflation rate in this country was at 1.4 percent. What he did was to run that inflation up to a 40-year high, at 9.1 percent. And now they run around saying: Oh, we have gotten inflation back down to 3.4 percent. But, still, you have to look collectively at what has happened. Now, under President Biden, I have got some of the headlines here that show you what is happening. Here is the reason why prices across the board--it is not 3.4 percent that people are seeing; it is 17.3 percent. The cost of clothing is up 7 percent. Rent prices are up 19 percent. Food prices are up 20 percent. Gas prices, when you go to the pump, is up 30 percent, and home heating and cooling, 31 percent. And mortgage rates are at a two-decade high. That has led to Bidenflation. And it has led to some of these headlines: Analysis finds Americans need an extra $11,400 a year to afford the basics--the basics. That means just treading water, doing nothing extra. Sixty-two percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck as holiday spending and credit card debt rise. People are pulling the plastic out in order to try to make ends meet. And then you have another one from Yahoo Finance: ``Why a record number of Americans are struggling to pay rent.'' CBS: ``Millions of older workers are nearing retirement with nothing saved.'' You have CNN Business: ``Inflation isn't beaten yet and the risk of a new price shock are rising.'' And we also know that according to the Joint Economic Committee, families in Tennessee spent $10,344 more last year than they did in 2021 just to meet the purchasing of the same basket of goods. That is what Joe Biden's economic policies have done to our pocketbooks. It is what it is doing to hard-working taxpayers. And at the same time, our Nation's debt has now reached a record $34 trillion. Now, if any of my colleagues have a grandchild or a baby who was born this year, they can welcome that baby with $100,000 worth of Federal debt. That is their share of this Nation's debt. Now, President Biden's out-of-control inflationary spending would be bad enough for the American people, but to make matters worse, his administration has tried to regulate every single part of your life: the car you drive, the stove that you use, the washing machine for washing clothes, the type dishwasher, even what you are wanting to do with the fireplace. This is what they are doing with regulations. And these regulations are estimated to cost families another $10,000 each year because of added cost. It is not sustainable. And Congress absolutely cannot keep kicking the can down the road on this. Dealing with this out-of-control spending and this debt is an imperative. Now, there are some things that we could do. We could return to regular order and pass spending bills that would get this house in order. That means no more massive omnibus bills that saddle future generations with an unsustainable debt. Each year, in order to address this problem, I have introduced legislation that would make 1 percent, 2 percent, or 5 percent across- the-board spending cuts. That would target nondefense, nonhomeland security, and nonveterans affairs discretionary spending for the next fiscal year. We also need to cut down on the size of the Federal bureaucracy. We have 2.2 million Federal bureaucrats who cost Americans billions of dollars in taxes and overbearing regulations. Addressing the rising salaries and the size of the Federal Government workforce should be a top priority when considering how to rein in Federal Government and how to control spending. This would begin the process of draining the swamp of unelected bureaucrats who are not accountable to anyone and would change the decisions that they are making about Americans' lives. Houthis Mr. President, last week--after weeks of attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea--President Biden designated the Iran-backed Houthis as a ``Specially Designated Global Terrorist'' group. Now, the Houthis should never have been taken off the list of terrorist organizations. They had been placed on that list by President Trump, and then President Biden decided to take them off. He was trying to appease Iran. But in doing this, he only emboldened the Ayatollah's terror proxies. And we all know that Hamas and Hezbollah, the Houthis, ISIS in Syria, ISIS in Iraq--they are all proxy groups for Iran. Yet the national security spokesman, John Kirby, is still defending the decision to take the Houthis off the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. It is difficult to unravel all the catastrophic mistakes that this administration has made on this very issue. Now, we have had over 150 missile attacks from Iran-backed proxies against our Armed Forces and also against commercial vessels. President Biden has redesignated the Houthis only as a ``Specially Designated Global Terrorist'' group. As I said, he didn't go all the way and designate them a ``Foreign Terrorist Organization,'' which is what President Trump had done. Now, here is the difference in that designation and why it is significant. This means that the Houthis can still obtain U.S. visas; there is not a criminal penalty to support them; and U.S. banks are not required to seize their funds. So the Houthis can still get a visa to come to the United States. U.S. banks cannot freeze the funds that the Houthis have and prohibit them from getting to those funds. Now, who gives them most of their money? It comes from Iran, which gives them about $100 million a year; plus, trains them; plus, equips them; plus, arms them and allows them to carry out their bad deeds. Now, the White House also admitted this, which I think is rather stunning when you consider the fact that Iran, through the Houthis--you have had 150 attacks on U.S. ships and commercial vessels. So the White House said: OK, Houthis, if you will stop your attacks and stop attacking us in the Red Sea, in the Gulf of Aden, then the United States will immediately reevaluate your designation--again, practicing appeasement. Terrorists only understand one thing, and that is strength. And they know that this administration is weak. In 2021, the Biden administration moved Patriot missile systems out of CENTCOM to reduce our military presence in the Middle East. But in October, the President was forced to return them over growing attacks from Iran's terror proxy groups. Our military needs to continue attacking these threats until they no longer pose a danger to the American people, to our ships and commercial vessels. One thing is clear: We can only achieve peace through strength, and our adversaries are watching a very weak administration. I yield the floor.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, this Friday is going to mark the beginning of the 51st annual March for Life, and we have got thousands of Americans and, indeed, hundreds of Tennesseans who are coming to our Nation's Capital to celebrate life, to talk about how to defend life, and to uphold the sanctity of life. This is the second March for Life since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. We know, with the Dobbs decision, it really sent the authority back to the States and to the people, and that is where it does belong. Across the Nation, we have seen States step up and take responsibility for the rules and regulations around abortion practices. Now, one of these areas they have looked at is informed consent laws. This would require abortion providers to inform expectant mothers of all the medical risks to the mother and to the child because of this abortion procedure. What we know is that informed consent is a very important part of medical ethics. According to the AMA's medical ethics code, this is what it says: Patients have the right to receive information and ask questions about treatments so that they can make well- considered decisions about care. But not all States have informed consent laws, and there are abortion providers who withhold this information, which prevents these expectant mothers from understanding all of the risks that they face. A nationwide safeguard regarding informed consent is something that is long overdue. So this week, I introduced the Women's Right to Know Act, which would set reasonable medical requirements for physicians to meet and protect the life of the mother and the child before the abortion can be performed. So they would have to meet these standards and give this information to the patients. Now, the providers would be required to explain all of the medical risks associated with the abortion procedure, explain the probable gestational age and development features of the unborn child at the time the abortion is to be performed, and to present this information at least 24 hours in advance of an abortion procedure. We think that this is essential legislation that will really do so much to raise the safety standards and protect the health of vulnerable women, and it will help to save lives. Immigration Madam President, last week, House Republicans launched their impeachment proceedings against Secretary Ali Mayorkas for a simple reason: The Secretary of Homeland Security does not believe in securing the homeland. We know that he has failed to carry out his duties, and we know it because of the numbers. Over 8\1/2\ million illegal immigrants have come into this country on his watch. That includes 1.7 million or thereabouts of what are called known ``got-aways.'' These are people who can be seen on surveillance, but Border Patrol cannot get to them. There are also tens of thousands of pounds of fentanyl that have been trafficked into this country, and once it is across that border, it ends up in your towns, in your communities. This, we know, is happening. In addition, there are hundreds of individuals on the Terror Watchlist who have been apprehended at the southern border, including 30 since the start of fiscal 2024. In addition to this, there are thousands of individuals from countries of interest. We wonder why they are choosing to come to the country, but we do know many of them are young men. They are not coming with a family; they come separately. These numbers alone would give reason for why the Secretary should be removed from office. His job is to secure the homeland. Obviously, with these numbers, with the concerns that come with these numbers, the homeland is not secure. Ultimately, you have to look at the harm that this administration is inflicting on our country with its open border policies because those harms go way beyond the stats I have given you today. These policies of this administration, of this Secretary, are failing this country. They are upending the rule of law, which is foundational to this democratic Republic. It is foundational. At every opportunity, what is astounding to me is this administration continues to look for ways to make illegal legal. We have seen this action with Executive orders. We have seen this with Agency rules and regulations. We see it at the border as they try to find new ways-- maybe it is using their app. Maybe it is letting you know that they are coming. But what they are trying to do is say: Discard the rule of law. We are going to give you a new way to come here. And by the way, we are doing everything we can to make illegal legal. Does that make any sense at all? Of course not. Under President Biden and this administration, illegally entering the country is something that they say: Well, we don't consider that to be a crime. Now, if you or I, Madam President, were in Mexico and said ``Oh, the border crossing is backed up. We are just going to walk across the Rio Grande. We are going to just walk on back into the country because it is faster. We don't want to drive to the border crossing. We are here, there is the river, and we are just going to skip on over there,'' do you know what? We would be apprehended. And where would we be taken? We would be taken to jail. We would face prosecution. Think about that. Why is it that we would do that? Because it is illegal. But to those who are trying to enter our country illegally--and by the way, it is not just from Central America. Border Patrol tells us we have had people from about 170 countries over the last year come to that southern border. And who is in charge of all of this? It is the cartels that work on the Mexico side of the border. They are big, global businesses, and they are bringing people from that many different countries to our southern border. They are bringing thousands of pounds of fentanyl. By the way, who creates the chemicals for fentanyl? China. They are in cahoots on this. But it is so disappointing to me that at every opportunity, this administration is trying to make illegal legal. In doing that, what they are doing is putting lawbreakers ahead of law-abiding Americans. Secretary Mayorkas last week admitted that 85 percent of the illegal immigrants who are apprehended at our border are released into the country--85 percent. These are people who are not being sent before a judge for an asylum hearing. These are individuals who are being given a notice to appear, and then they are waved on into the country. Then they are given a phone, they are given food, and they are given a plane ticket to wherever they want to go. And who pays for this? Who is footing the bill on this? We know who is paying for this. It is the hard-working taxpayer. They are bearing the cost for this. With these hundreds of thousands of migrants crossing into our country each month--by the way, last month, 302,000 people. Think about the cities in your State. How many of them have more than 300,000 residents in that city? This is the number coming across that border. What we have seen is that States are taking this matter into their own hands, States like Arizona and Texas that have constructed their own barriers across the southern border. What has the Biden administration done to them? Instead of saying ``Thank you for helping us carry out this duty to protect illegal entry into our country. Thank you for the assistance''--no, no. That is not what they have done. They are suing the States. They are suing them for trying to protect their property. This makes no sense. Let's think about this. There is immigration law in this country. There is a way to come into this country. There is a way to ask for asylum. It is not to go pay a cartel and have them bring you across our border and enter the country illegally. So these States are saying: We are going to protect our sovereignty. By the way, we have ranchers and farmers who live here on the border. We are going to allow barriers to go up so that it helps to protect their private property. This administration says: If you do that, we will sue you. Under this administration, border agents are not putting up fences and razor wire. They are actually out there cutting the razor wire because this administration is telling them that is what they have to do. They don't want to do it, but they are being told they have to do it. That is how far this administration is going to make illegal legal. They are saying to law-abiding citizens: You can't protect your ranch. You can't protect your farm. They are saying to Texas and Arizona: You can't put up containers. You can't put up razor wire. You cannot protect your State. We are going to make you sit by and watch as we violate Federal law. Whoever would have thought--whoever would have thought--that you would have an administration going in here and finding ways to violate Federal law, but that is exactly what they are doing, and they are doing it every day. Once the migrants have illegally come into the country, the administration doesn't just resettle them; they use taxpayer dollars to even pay for their healthcare. I have already mentioned they get a phone, food, clothing, and a plane ticket to wherever they want to go. In fiscal year 2022, taxpayers shouldered the cost for $94.3 million of medical expenses for these migrants. In fiscal year 2021, Immigration and Customs Enforcement healthcare budgeted more than $74 million for the Department of Veterans Affairs to assist with outside referrals and medical claims processing. Think about this. The VA--the VA--is subsidizing healthcare for illegal immigrants. So while the VA is helping to treat migrants, more than 1 million veterans are waiting for staff to process their claims. Can you see the problem here? We are talking about healthcare for our Nation's veterans, people who have raised their hands and have sworn an oath and have worn the uniform, men and women who have protected this Nation, and we have said: When you do this, we will provide your healthcare. But oh, no. Look at what is happening. Those who are illegally entering the country are being put in front of our Nation's veterans. And right now, we are seeing this backlog grow. There had been a quarter of a million claims about this time last year, and then it went to 400,000, and now we are at a million--a million. But those who have illegally come, they are put at the head of the line, and our veterans are at the back. Do you think that is fair? Is there anyone in this Chamber who thinks that is fair and that is right? On top of this, we learn now that New York City--again, led by Democrats--in New York City, what are they doing? They are shutting down high schools, and they are sending kids home for remote learning. We tried that during COVID, right? It didn't work out very well, did it? But kids in New York are being forced to go home so that their school can be used as a shelter. You know, it might be more appropriate if New York City took some of those Federal buildings where the workers are not showing up for work and used those for temporary housing. But allowing these facilities to be used and kids to be sent home and placed on remote learning--it is so inappropriate, and it is wrong. But at every step, my Democratic colleagues have supported this administration's disastrous open border policies. And for more than 7 months, they have refused to bring H.R. 2 to this floor for a vote. H.R. 2 is the House Republicans' Secure the Border Act. It would help end this crisis. In fact, since the House passed H.R. 2 and sent it over here to the Senate, the Senate Judiciary Committee has held 83 hearings--83 hearings and meetings since that bill was passed. H.R. 2 has never been brought up for 1 minute of discussion in this Chamber. It just shows you: Open border is this administration's policy. This is what they want. Now, I think that it is very telling what the Democrats are for on this. Their inaction on what is a crucial issue and, indeed, the No. 1 issue with the American people reveals a lot about their priorities. But I would have to ask my Democratic colleagues: Why is it that you are for illegal immigration? Why is it that you are working so hard to make illegal legal? What is it about circumventing the rule of law that you think is the right thing to do? Do you want to circumvent the rule of law and throw away all immigration policy? Or is it just you want to allow illegal entry into this country? I will tell you what, Madam President: We need to know who is coming in this country and why they are coming. I would yield time on this floor to any Democrat who wanted to come and explain why you are working so hard to make illegal legal. I would like to hear that explanation because it seems, every time we turn around, you are looking for some way to codify illegal entry into this country. How about abiding by the rule of law, because when you circumvent the rule of law, what do you do? You devalue our citizenship. What about the thousands of people who are working legally toward citizenship, who are spending money, who are spending time? Have any of you spent time going to a naturalization ceremony, a citizenship ceremony? Have you heard these stories of how hard people work, how they want to be a U.S. citizen? But, oh, no. What some of you want to do is devalue that. You want to say: Let's make it OK for people to just waltz across the Rio Grande, walk in here, and enter this country illegally outside of the rule of law, wait 10 years to get an asylum hearing. What is right about that? And you know the answer: Nothing is right. Nothing is right. And it is amazing to me. Give me an explanation of why you think you should preference people who illegally come in this country before our Nation's veterans and hard-working taxpayers. Why do you do that? Why do you think that that is OK? I will tell you what right now: Tennesseans don't think that is OK. They don't think having a million people on the VA backlog for services is OK while you are spending millions of dollars for healthcare for veterans for processing claims. They don't think that sending outside referrals for them when veterans can't get into community care--this is not right. I can't imagine an explanation from one of my Democratic colleagues that would say: I think that is what we ought to do. We ought to just say: Illegal immigrants, we are going to take care of you first, and everybody else to the back of the line. But, in essence, that is what your actions are showing that you support. Your actions and inactions are showing that you think making illegal legal, that that is a really good thing. And the other thing I don't get about all of this: Each and every one of you know you do not come to that southern border on your own; you have paid a cartel. People pay the cartels. And then, Border Patrol will show you the bands and bracelets that are put on people. What it shows is the cartel and what this person needs to do to work out their fee, because not everybody can pay the $5,000 or $10,000 to the cartel to illegally come in this country and then have the U.S. taxpayer finish the job for them once they get to the U.S. border because they get their asylum claim, their notice to appear, their phone, their food, their clothes, their plane tickets, and their healthcare. But they have a band on them, a tracking device, and that is what tells the cartel and their job. It may be going to a gang. It may be going to a work crew. It may be selling drugs--fentanyl--and pushing that into our communities. It may be that these people are part of a human trafficking ring, they are going to be put into human trafficking and sex trafficking. So to my Democratic colleagues: Do you think this is compassionate? How do you say this defines compassion? It is beyond me. You all know that this is modern-day slavery. And if you haven't seen these bands, I think there are some of us that would show you these bands that people have to wear, will show you the Department of Homeland Security stats that shows that just a few years ago, human trafficking was a $500- million-a-year business. Today, DHS tells us it is a $150-billion-a- year profit center. That is right: $150 billion a year. Let me tell you something. These women and children that are being sex trafficked, they are being mentally, physically, emotionally, sexually, and drug abused as they make these journeys. You all know that. But why would you say an open border is a compassionate policy? It is not. This is a humanitarian crisis. This is a crisis where people are having their lives ruined. They are sold a bill of goods by a cartel who is incentivized because the cartel says: Biden said come on, border is open. The policy is an open border. You know, it is imperative that we stand with the rule of law. I have got a couple of pieces of legislation that I filed hoping that they will help. One is the CONTAINER Act that would allow States to protect their portion of that southern border, give them the ability. They have got that right. If the Federal Government falls down on their job, they have got the right to protect their citizens, and they want to do that. The other is No VA Resources for Illegal Aliens Act. This is something that I have done along with Senator Tuberville to stop the administration's Department of Veterans Affairs from providing taxpayer-funded healthcare to illegal aliens or engaging in claims processing for anyone unlawfully present in the United States. It is time that we secure this southern border and that we end this illegal entry into this country. I yield the floor. (Ms. CORTEZ MASTO assumed the Chair.) (Mr. OSSOFF assumed the Chair.)

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, for several years, we have known about financier Jeffrey Epstein's alleged sex trafficking ring that targeted young girls. This is something that appears to have been quite a far- ranging international ring. What we know is that this was a large network of high-profile, high-dollar predators who abused untold numbers of minors. Only one person has been prosecuted for these crimes, and that is Ghislaine Maxwell. What she did was to recruit and groom many of the victims and then bring them into the Epstein orbit. But we know many more people were involved in this scheme in addition to Ghislaine Maxwell. What we do not know is the extent of that involvement. The recent release of documents by a Federal judge exposing part of Epstein's potential client list is a step in the right direction to help bring some visibility and some accountability to these predators and also to bring justice for the victims. It is so important that, as we look at this issue, we keep in mind that this is about justice for these victims, making certain that they are able to tell and share and see the FBI take action on the information they are giving them. These women deserve justice. The court unsealed the names of more than 170 associates who were named in a lawsuit against Maxwell by one of Epstein's alleged victims. The names are a mix. Some of them are just reference--they are not accused of any wrongdoing. Some of them are accused of wrongdoing. Some of the names in this lawsuit have accused Epstein and Maxwell of wrongdoing. Some of these names are potentially people who were aware of wrongdoing but said nothing. The documents also reveal some details about Epstein's alleged abuse, including that he and his associates would target underage girls in nightclubs--didn't pursue them, didn't recruit them, didn't groom, then--and, as the pattern goes, bring them into the Epstein orbit. The release of this information is just the first step to uncovering the truth. The latest documents come from just 1 case with 1 victim, and there are 170 named. There are countless others who were targeted, trafficked, and abused. That is why I have repeatedly requested a subpoena for the complete, unredacted Epstein flight logs and Ghislaine Maxwell's unredacted ``little black book'' of contacts and addresses, along with all of the documents and records from the FBI regarding this case. We need to know who flew on Epstein's plane and who potentially participated in his international sex trafficking ring. We need to know how far-reaching this ring is. We need to have a better idea of those who also had sex trafficking rings that intersected with Jeffrey Epstein's ring. While Judiciary Chairman Durbin, Senator Durbin, previously had stonewalled my request, I am encouraged that he has seemingly had a change of heart and expressed a willingness to work on a bipartisan basis to obtain records relevant to the Epstein case. I am calling on Chairman Durbin to hold a vote this week, and I will be urging a vote on my subpoena whenever possible at our Senate Judiciary Committee meetings so that the American people can get the whole, full truth about Jeffrey Epstein, his sex trafficking ring, about every single person who participated in these alleged crimes, and about all the horrific abuses suffered by his victims so that we can get justice for these women and children who were abused in this sex trafficking ring. One thing should be clear, and that is that I am not going to stop trying to get complete and total transparency on this issue so that these innocent victims can receive the justice they deserve. We know this issue goes beyond Epstein and his associates. In America, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, in this country right now, a child is bought or sold for sex on average every 2 minutes. Think about this. Think about the children who are harmed by this when you see these stats. Once every 2 minutes, a child is bought or sold for sex. The Department of Homeland Security estimates that human traffickers make--get this number--$150 billion a year in profits. Human traffickers, sex traffickers, are making $150 billion a year in profits. That is not my number. That is not a think tank number. That is the number that comes from the Department of Homeland Security. So we have to say, why is more not being done to break apart these human trafficking rings? Why are we not doubling down on this? In 2019, the estimate of the profits made by human traffickers was $500 million a year. That is 2019, and now we are at $150 billion a year in estimated profits. And all of this is being done to women and children. Much of the trafficking does occur at our southern border, where the Biden administration appears to have lost track of 85,000 migrant children who came across our border into the custody of DHS, which hands them off to Health and Human Services and the Office of Refugee Resettlement. I know that in the last couple of years, the Office of Refugee Resettlement changed the vetting procedures for these individuals who were going to take these children and be the foster parents, be the surrogates. They were tasked with taking care of them. They loosened their vetting procedures for these individuals, and now 85,000 migrant children cannot be found. They do not know where they are. They do not know if they are alive or dead. They do not know if they are in a labor gang. They do not know if they are in a gang or if they are selling drugs or if they have been put in a sex trafficking ring. They cannot find them. Why is it they cannot find these children? Because when they call the individuals who have been given the responsibility of caring for these children, they don't answer the call. There are 85,000 children who can't be found. These are children who are vulnerable to being preyed on by criminals, and HHS and ORR cannot give us an answer as to where these children are, who has them, what kind of conditions they are living in, and how they are spending their days. I would imagine many of them are spending their days in absolute and total fear. This is certainly irresponsible, and it is sickening. One of the things we have learned--and I have heard so much in Tennessee about this--is that this issue of human trafficking and sex trafficking affects every single county and every single community. Here are some of the stats from Tennessee, and we went to the stats because we found it so interesting. You know, I visit with every single county in my State each year. That is 95 counties. I started that 95-county tour last week, and what we heard from our law enforcement officers, from healthcare personnel, and from individuals who are in charge of classrooms and schools was the uptick in the number of sex trafficking reports that are taking place. In Tennessee, in 2016, there were 60 reports of sex trafficking of minors in our State. That was in 2016. By the time we got to the end of 2021, that number had jumped to 600. By the time we got to November of this last year, 2023, by November, we had already hit 700 reports of trafficking minors. This is one State. These are our stats. You go from 60 reports of trafficking minors in 2016 to, in 2023, in 11 months, you are at 700 reports. See, this is something that is out of control--out of control--and this is why we have to get all of this information and be sure law enforcement is apprehending these traffickers. This is modern-day slavery. This is what is happening to women and children in this country. They are being recruited. They are being groomed. They are being brought into the orbit of a trafficker. We have to have information that is going to break this apart. We have to know who all is involved. And, you know, when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein, I had somebody say today: Why do you want this information? I will tell you why. First of all, I can't believe you don't want this information. And secondly, this is not about celebrity or who done it. This is about criminal activity. This is about modern-day slavery. This is about breaking apart human trafficking and sex trafficking rings and making certain these predators and these pedophiles are put in jail where they belong. We have to put some light on this criminal activity, and we have to take steps to end it. Now, as we get this information and as we look at this issue, as I have talked to law enforcement, one of the things they regularly say is: Look, we need more tools in the toolbox. So the SAVE Girls Act is legislation that I have that I brought forward. And I thank Senator Klobuchar, who has worked with me on this. What this legislation would do is provide States, local governments, and nonprofits with resources that they need to train personnel, to conduct rescues, and to help save some of these women and girls. There is another piece of legislation Senator Duckworth and I have; it is the SALONS Stories Act. This replicates a program, Shear Haven, that is taking place in Tennessee. Illinois, Senator Duckworth's State, also has a program, and it trains aestheticians and barbers and beauticians on the signs of sexual abuse, domestic abuse, and violence and what to look for in human trafficking and then how to get people to the right resources for a rescue, for an intervention, for the help that they need. And last month, the REPORT Act, which Senator Ossoff and I did in a bipartisan way, will give NCMEC--the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children--and law enforcement the resources that they need to crack down on child trafficking and online child sexual abuse material. We are pleased that these are pieces of legislation that are moving forward. We are hopeful to get the subpoena on the Epstein flight logs and further information of his associates. And we are clinging to the promise--clinging to the promise--of justice for these victims by this Chamber paying close attention to what is happening with human trafficking in our country. I yield the floor.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, I want to thank Senator Marshall for the work that he has done on this resolution, and I come to the floor today to support this resolution for a very simple reason. When you look at the job performance of Secretary Mayorkas, you have to say: He, indeed, has failed. He is a Secretary of Homeland Security who clearly does not believe in securing the homeland, because the border policy for the Biden administration which he is implementing is for an open border. You can see it for yourself. You can look at the news reports. People are streaming across that open border between the ports of entry. They are coming into this country illegally. And this administration, this Secretary of Homeland Security, they keep trying to be creative and find ways to make illegal legal. That is wrong. So the Secretary has failed in his duty to secure that border. And as he has failed in those duties, he has also failed our Border Patrol agents. When you go to the border, as many of us have, what you hear from Border Patrol agents, what you see on the ground, is Border Patrol agents who are struggling to combat what is a crisis at our southern border. And it is all because of this administration's policies. In addition, Secretary Mayorkas has failed the communities across this country, because they are suffering with record fentanyl overdoses, with drug trafficking, human trafficking, sex trafficking; and it is our local law enforcement that is having to address these issues. The Secretary has failed them because he failed in his job, and he has failed the American people who trusted him to go in and secure the homeland. But, no, that is not what has happened. So House Republicans are going to proceed with their impeachment against the Secretary; and, hopefully, that is going to be the first step towards ending this record of failure which is really costing the American people greatly. You have heard much about the numbers today. And, yes, indeed, you have got 8.5 million illegal entrants into this country. Now, 1.7 million of those are what we call known ``got-aways.'' That means they can see them on surveillance; they can't get to them. There is a category of unknown ``got-aways'' that they find after the fact. We do not know who is entering this country. But what we do know is: This population of illegal entry into this country is more than the population of 38 of our States. There are hundreds of individuals on the Terror Watchlist who have been caught at our southern border. They walked in illegally and tried to claim asylum. So far this fiscal year, which began on October 1, we have had 30--30--terrorists come to our border. Why is it that they are doing this? They are doing it because they think they can get away with it. They think we are not going to do anything to them; that we are going to let them sashay right on into this country and welcome them, give them a plane ticket to where they want to go, give them a cell phone, give them food, give them housing. That is what they are expecting because of this failed border policy. Now, sometimes you hear some of my colleagues across the aisle say: Well, the border has been broken for years. It hasn't been this bad. You didn't have 302,000 people in a month. You didn't even have that in a year. You also didn't have terrorists by the hundreds. If you go back and look at how many terrorists tried to come to our border between 2017 and 2020, there were 11. So far, this fiscal year, we have had 30. You just heard my colleague give you the statistic of 279 since Joe Biden raised his hand and took the oath of office. This is the reason that our FBI Director Christopher Wray says everywhere he looks--not just some places, but everywhere he looks--is he seeing peace and calm? No. He says he sees red lights flashing. Think about that--red lights flashing. Dozens of terrorists, hundreds of people from countries of interest, thousands of gang members and criminals, are walking into this country. They are not coming here for a job. They are coming here because crime is what they know. This is the reason that Alejandro Mayorkas has failed in his job. Now, we talked a little bit about fentanyl. Since Joe Biden took office, we have had 50,000 pounds of fentanyl that has come into this country being seized at that border between the ports of entry--50,000 pounds. Fentanyl death is now the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages 18 and 45. You know, we could do something about this if there was the political will in Congress to do something about it. When you look at the fact that our Federal agents tell us they think they are only catching 5 to 10 percent of the drugs that are coming into this country and we lost over 100,000 Americans last year to drug overdoses--about 70 percent of that was fentanyl; some of it was opioids--we need to do something about this. Securing that border would go a long way. Supporting our Border Patrol instead of blaming them, that would go a long way. I thank the gentleman from Kansas for bringing forward this resolution. It is time that Alejandro Mayorkas be removed from his position as the Secretary of Homeland Security.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, in Tennessee, our hearts are absolutely breaking for the families and the communities that have been impacted by the storms that raced across our State this weekend. We are mourning the loss of six Tennesseans--two children in that number--and dozens of individuals have been injured and hospitalized. The storm left thousands without power. It destroyed homes and businesses. I want to express my thanks to the first responders, the emergency management officials, and the volunteers who immediately jumped into action to support these families and to help those who have lost their businesses, their homes, and the families of those who lost their lives. They have made such a difference. Each and every one of these volunteers and officials has made such a difference in what is going to be a very long road to recovery. My team has been in touch with the White House, with the Governor's office, with local elected officials, and we are working to ensure that the full force of the Federal Government mobilizes behind these communities in order to help them recover.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, I appreciate the opportunity to be on the floor this afternoon with my colleague from Kansas. It is 2 months ago tomorrow that Hamas carried out these horrific attacks in Israel. Now, bear in mind that the Jewish State--and this is the world's only Jewish State--is in a fight for their very survival because Hamas has decided that they are going to continue this. They said October 7 was basically the beginning. And they continued to do this over and over and over. Now, this is why we have said let's deal with the aid to Israel and do it separately from Ukraine and from Taiwan. And let's also talk about our border. So there is a reason for what we are doing. Now, I know that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle do not want to have a pay-for. House Republicans have chosen to have the pay- for. And yes, indeed, this Chamber needs to be working with the House to fund a resolution to this issue. And I appreciate that my colleague from Washington brought up the fact that we need to work through this issue. Indeed, we do. So let's work through these issues separately. When it comes to Israel aid, there are some urgent needs that are there. There is $4 billion to replenish the Iron Dome. This is a wonderful technology that we have worked with Israel in creating. It is incredibly effective. They need $4 billion for replenishment. Bear in mind--I said Hamas has told us--they did it once; they are going to do this again. They need $1 billion for munitions. They need $50 million for help to evacuate Americans, $150 million to help secure our Embassy in Jerusalem. And using the money that was set aside for additional IRS agents but has not been used--that makes sense to Tennesseans, that we would do that. I tell you where Tennesseans do have a problem. They look at our national debt, $34 trillion. That is about $100,000 for every man, woman, and child. I have a grandbaby who will be 4 months old tomorrow--his debt share, $100,000. Think about what we are doing. Think about what effect this will have 18, 19, 20 years from now, when that child draws their first paycheck, and how it is going to limit their opportunity. Another thing that doesn't seem to make sense, while we all agree that Israel needs to receive their funding, Tennesseans don't want this to come attached with billions of dollars for other programs, like $10 billion for global humanitarian assistance and more than $2 billion for assistance to resettle refugees. This is something that separately needs our attention. If we want to talk about securing borders, let's secure our border first. When we talk about aid to Israel, let's do it, and let's pay for it. I appreciate my colleague from Kansas. I yield the floor.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, the Wall Street Journal had such an interesting report in last week, and I wanted to bring this to everyone's attention. As you know, I have talked so much about the importance of protecting our children from what is happening online. The Journal had worked with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, and they were reporting on the tests that they jointly had conducted on Instagram. What they were trying to do was to see what type of content that Instagram's algorithms were recommending to pedophiles who were interested in sexual content. Now, think about this, because in the physical world, you have got laws against pedophiles and the content that they are making and creating and distributing. But in the virtual space, our children do not have that protection. That is the premise that the Canadian Centre for Child Protection was working from, and this is what the Wall Street Journal was reporting on. The results were absolutely disgusting. When you go in and you look at what they saw, you realize that Instagram actually delivers short videos showing content of children and adults in sexual situations. See, it is serving it up for these pedophiles. It is delivering it. All they have to do--a click of the mouse, and it is right there on their screen. Here is an example feed that the test produced. Bear in mind, their researchers are going in. They are looking at this, and this is some of the content that was found in the researchers' feed: an adult uncrosses her legs to reveal her underwear; sprinter at a track meet runs over a small boy who steps on the track; advertisements promoting trips to Disneyland; child in a bathing suit records herself posing in a mirror; adult-content creator gives a ``come hither'' motion; girl dancing in a car while a song with sexual lyrics plays. That is a snippet of what one researcher had come up in their platform, in their feed. The tests also found that Instagram was providing videos and pictures of missing and exploited children as well as videos confirmed to be child sexual abuse material. We call that CSAM. At the Senate Judiciary Committee, we have done some good work in working to prohibit CSAM and to protect our children. All of this legislation should come to the floor. It should be immediately passed. Now, of what I have just read to you of what the researcher found, there is even more. The report showed that Instagram was well-aware that its algorithms could produce this stream of content. Bear in mind, this is illegal content. This is child sexual abuse content. Former Meta employees--and, of course, we know Meta owns Facebook and Instagram. Former Meta employees told the Journal that Meta knew its algorithms could specifically aggregate content sexualizing children. And this ties in with so much of what Senator Blumenthal and I have found as we led hearings looking into what was happening in these online platforms and how it was affecting our children. These platforms know what is happening. They are fully aware. They know that these algorithms will aggregate that content and then they will serve it up to you--fully aware of it. But you know why they don't change it? They don't change it because they put profits over the protection of our children. They make a conscious choice to keep it the way it is. Now, before releasing Reels, that app, Meta's safety staff warned the product would chain together videos of children and inappropriate content. The safety team actually provided recommendations that Meta should either increase those content detection capabilities or prevent the recommendation of any content containing--minors being a part of this content. They gave them choices and options and said: Here is a way that you can go about protecting children before you put Reels and that platform out there. Now, those are two suggestions that were made to Meta by their own staff. This is how you can protect children: Increase your detection capabilities or prevent the recommendation. Now, it is the algorithms that feed up these recommendations: If you like this, you are going to like this. You loved this. Just wait; you are going to love this. Now, Meta said no to each of those. There again, why is it that they said no? Well, it is what we see repeatedly: They are putting profits ahead of protecting our children. So think about this. How do these platforms--how does Meta get their net worth? Well, all of this is based on the number of eyeballs they capture, the length of time that they can keep people on their site. So they ignore the suggestions on how to make that site safer for our children. Meta employees actually said that preventing the system from pushing this content to users who are interested in it--well, what users do you think are interested in child sexual abuse content? It is pedophiles. It is criminals. So here you go. These employees said that preventing the system from pushing this content to users interested in it ``requires significant changes to the recommendation algorithms that also drive engagement for normal users.'' I cannot believe that they are so hardened, that they are so careless, that they would think that: If somebody wants this, serve it up. It may have a child who is sexually exploited or even a child who is missing in that video, but--you know what--serve it up. They think the dollar is worth it. The Journal also reported on Meta documents. Now, this is not just hearsay. It is not anecdotal. These are actual corporate documents. Now, these documents showed that ``the company's safety staffers are broadly barred from making changes to the platform that might reduce daily active users by any measurable amount.'' Now, in other words, they have the tools; they have the technology. They could put in place things that would protect children, but the company will not let the employees take the action that would protect children because it might mean that a user is not on the site for as long a period of time. And as I said, they get their valuation from the number of eyeballs they capture and the amount of time they spend on the site. This is absolutely unbelievable, but it is the way Meta is choosing to operate. And Meta is not alone. You have got others of these social media platforms that are right in there with them. They keep dishing up this harmful and destructive content. Why do we have a mental health crisis for our children in this country? Could this possibly be a part of the problem? Why is it that one in three American teenage girls has contemplated suicide? Could this possibly be a part of the problem? Why is it that we are finding out that well over a third of all kids meet a drug dealer online? Why is it that we are learning that children that meet and are groomed by a sex trafficker are first meeting them online? The lack of care and concern for our Nation's children: stunning. And this is Big Tech. They would rather make a buck than protect a child. Don't try to take away their ability to keep people locked in on that screen. The longer they can keep them, the happier they are. Well, all of this is one of the reasons that, for the last several years, Senator Blumenthal and I have worked on the Kids Online Safety Act, and we have continued this work because it is obvious that these platforms cannot be trusted to do even the bare minimum to protect our Nation's children. We are saying, a bare minimum. Now, the Kids Online Safety Act has the support of 49 Senators in this Chamber, and I thank everyone who is a part of this. We also, Madam President, have 230 advocacy organizations in this country that are in support of the Kids Online Safety Act. And interestingly enough, with the polling we have seen lately, 86 percent of the American people support the Kids Online Safety Act. Here is what it would do: First, it would force platforms to give families the ability to protect minors' information, disable addictive product features, and opt out of algorithmic recommendations. These are all things that parents and kids want to be able to do because, maybe, there is stuff that they are seeing that they really don't want to see. Next, it would give parents the safeguards that are needed to protect their kids' online experience as well as a dedicated channel to report harmful behavior. We have met with parents who talk about reporting cyber bullying, reporting videos that are different challenges online. Some of these parents, their children have been injured. Some of them have lost their lives. Some of them committed suicide. They want a dedicated channel to report harmful behavior, and the legislation requires these platforms to respond to parents and kids. Predatory content and content that promotes self-harm, suicide, and eating disorders to minors will now, indeed, be a problem for these platforms to deal with. No longer would they be able to deny and deflect knowing this content is on their site. We also included requirements for annual risk assessments and independent research reports we can use to assess safety threats to underage users. Madam President, it is time for the Senate to finally act on the harms online platforms are posing to our little ones. Our Kids Online Safety Act, the REPORT Act--we have got great bills that would rein in some of this reckless behavior. And as I have described, platforms like Meta know. They are fully aware of the harms this is causing. We have had whistleblowers talk to us about the harms and that they know these harms exist. So with 49 Members of this Chamber supporting the legislation, it is time that we move forward with it, and we should get this done before the end of the year. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. President, the United States has a long history of standing for freedom and self-determination. From the 1940s through the 2010s, under President Trump, our Nation has stood with Israel, in defense of Israel. We were there in 1948 when Israel became a country. We stood with them through the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War, the Camp David peace talks, negotiations with the PLO, two intifadas, and multiple attempts to implement a two-state solution. Under President Reagan, we fought the spread of communism across multiple continents because we understand that the unchecked spread of Marxist influence will threaten our very survival. This wasn't just ideological saber rattling. The Soviets had a staggering number of nuclear warheads at their disposal. It was important to eliminate as many of those as we could. Reagan was remarkably clear-eyed about this. Again, it wasn't a question of politics. It was a matter of recognizing the danger and then finding a way to neutralize that danger. We accepted that it was our duty to protect global security because no one else had the power or the resolve to do that. And since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, the United States has been a leading provider of aid to the Ukrainians because Vladimir Putin has the same propensity toward violence and conquest that motivated his predecessors. This is also why we have fought so hard to provide our partners in Taiwan with the weapons and funding they need to defend themselves against communist Chinese aggression. Over the past 3 years, our reputation--our Nation's reputation--as a champion of freedom has become tarnished by Joe Biden's foreign policy and his policy of appeasement. Nothing has been more damaging than his refusal to protect our sovereignty here at home. A strong border is the most basic element of our national defense. It is what guarantees our right to exist as a country, and Joe Biden has abandoned it entirely. When he took office and declared law and order obsolete, he didn't just invite millions of migrants across our border; he invited the new axis of evil--Russia, China, Iran, North Korea--to declare open season on their neighbors. China became more aggressive toward Taiwan. Putin invaded Ukraine. And Hamas violated a ceasefire and slaughtered Israelis in their beds. The Biden administration's response has only made things worse. They exploited the plight of the Ukrainians as a distraction from their own terrible policies. They have all but ignored China's human rights violations. And, to date, they put more pressure on Israel than on Hamas to lay down arms. Joe Biden's attempts to curry favor with the new axis of evil won't keep us safe because these nations aren't here to make friends. Their goal--the goal of that axis of evil--is to exploit our weaknesses until it becomes impossible for us to fight back. This is a battle over borders, and, if we want to win, we need to lead by example and reassert our right to exist as a sovereign nation. We should start by securing our very own border. In fiscal year 2023, the Border Patrol recorded more than 3.2 million enforcement actions along our southern border. In addition, we caught 151 known and suspected terrorists trying to illegally enter our country. The Senate will have an opportunity to address this before the year ends, but I fear my Democratic colleagues will block those efforts or, worse, offer a half-baked solution and call it a job well done. The majority leader insists that the issue of border security is just too partisan, and the majority whip insists that since we let the issue of border security go unattended for 30-plus years, we can afford to let it go just a little bit longer. This is absolutely nonsense. I think it is also dangerous. If Joe Biden refuses to defend the sovereignty of his own country, our adversaries will assume they can act as aggressively as they want without any meaningful resistance from the United States. If we refuse to defend ourselves, how can we be effective in defending Israel, our strongest ally in the Middle East? Israel's sovereignty has been established across thousands of years of history, and still Hamas denies Israel's right to exist. That is how they justified violating the ceasefire and declaring war on the world's Jewish community, and it is frightening to see so many people in this country defending that decision. Every one of those individuals should watch the videos that we have watched from the GoPro cameras of those Hamas terrorists. It is revolting. No peace plan is possible until Hamas is eliminated and the Palestinians recognize Israel's right to exist. To make this happen, we need to set an example by securing our own borders and then passing a stand-alone and straightforward aid package to help Israel do the same. We all know that giving humanitarian aid to Gaza at this point means letting it go to terrorists. I would ask the majority leader and my Democratic colleagues to give Israel this funding without attaching dangerous conditions that will force them to undermine their own security. Ensuring a free and sovereign Ukraine is also an important element of our foreign policy, but how can we speak with any real authority about Ukrainian self-determination while holding ourselves to a lower standard? When Putin attacked, the United States backed Ukraine with our words and our actions because we knew that if we didn't, millions of people would pay the price for our appeasement. We have a historic obligation to Ukraine, and continuing to send aid will serve as a powerful deterrent. The American people understand how important it is to maintain that pressure on Russia and Vladimir Putin, but they don't think they should have to sacrifice their own security to do it. They also are very concerned about the total lack of transparency surrounding these aid packages. Here is a stat. Since February of 2022, the United States has approved $113 billion in total aid responding to Putin's war. This includes defense items sent via the Presidential drawdown authority, with no oversight. It is imperative that we have oversight and transparency around every single dollar that is going into Ukraine. The reason? Right now Americans can't afford to spend even one more cent on gas or groceries, thanks to Joe Biden's Bidenomics. So they need to see that their money is actually going to be accounted for and that it is actually going to make a difference. We owe them a full accounting of how their money is being spent in Ukraine, how long we will maintain the flow of aid, and when they can expect to see us match those efforts here at home with our own border security plan. They also want to know: What is the strategy, and how are we going to make certain that Vladimir Putin does not win? Joe Biden's actions speak much louder than his words. For 3 years now, he has projected nothing but weakness. He has sent a parade of diplomats to legitimize relations with the Chinese Communist Party. He has enabled Iran and its terrorist proxies--Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, ISIS Iraq, ISIS in Syria--and he has sent billions upon billions of dollars in security aid overseas without giving a second thought to securing our own border. At the height of the Cold War, Reagan said: [I]f history teaches anything, it teaches that simpleminded appeasement or wishful thinking about our adversaries is folly. It means the betrayal of our past [and] the squandering of our freedom. There is a lot of wisdom in that. We need to think about that history. Thousands of innocent people have already paid the ultimate price because Joe Biden has refused to heed that warning. It is time to abandon this failed strategy of appeasement. It is time to project strength and resolve. It is time for our allies to know that they are our allies, that they can count on us. It is time for our enemies to fear us. It is time for us to make certain that we get an aid package--an aid package--to Israel. It is time for us to secure our southern border. It is time for us to know who is coming into this country and why they are coming into this country. If Joe Biden doesn't act to secure our border and defend our right to exist as a free and independent country, we are going to see the violence that threatens the sovereignty of Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan bleed onto American soil, and no level of negotiation or appeasement will be able to stop it. I yield the floor.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.