John Barrasso

Mr. BARRASSO

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 Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham). Further, if present and voting: the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham) would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham).

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham).

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham).

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham).

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that we proceed immediately to the vote.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Banks), the Senator from Iowa (Ms. Ernst), and the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker).

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, this week, I had an opportunity, as part of Veterans Appreciation Week, to speak with incredible Wyoming veterans from all across our State. I thanked them for their service and also took the opportunity to listen closely to their concerns. On Tuesday, Senator Cynthia Lummis and I hosted a telephone townhall meeting with Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins. Also, Col. Tim Sheppard, who is executive director of the Wyoming Veterans Commission, joined us on the call. The call was very productive and informative. Wyoming veterans shared their experience directly with Secretary Collins. They shared with us what works with the VA and how improvements can still be made. We heard many ideas for improvement. Suggestions ranged from changes to online scheduling to more flexibility for out-of-State appointments. Secretary Collins took this feedback seriously. He himself is a veteran. He knows that the VA is too bureaucratic. He is committed to fixing it. So I am proud to partner with him to deliver the care that our veterans deserve. On Wednesday, here in Washington, I met with 16 Wyoming Vietnam veterans. They came to town to visit their memorial. These 16 veteran heroes come from across the State: Guernsey, Thermopolis, Powell, Casper, Cheyenne, Mountain View, Douglas, Newcastle, and Green River. Their stories of service and sacrifice are moving. This weekend in Wyoming, we will be holding ``Welcome Home'' events across the State in Afton, Riverton, Sheridan, and Wheatland. It is a welcome home many veterans from Vietnam never really received. It is sad to report but true. This weekend, we honor all of our Wyoming veterans. Wyoming has one of the highest per-capita rates of veterans in America. The pride in those individuals runs deep. It is an honor to represent them here in the Senate, and I am going to continue to listen to the concerns of our veterans and work to improve the care they need and continue to honor their sacrifices. Electric Vehicle Mandate Mr. President, on another matter, in 2024, in November, on election day, voters demanded more economic freedom and less government overreach. President Trump and Republicans in Congress heard them. The State of California did not. California wants to export its radical and impractical electric vehicle mandate to all 50 States. California's mandates are a progressive power grab. They dictate what cars and what trucks Americans can buy and can drive. These mandates aren't limited to California; they are calculated to control the policy of the entire Nation. Congress must now act to protect the rights of the American people to drive the gas-powered vehicles they want to drive. Last week, House Republicans--with 35 House Democrats joining all of the Republicans-- voted to defend that freedom and to defeat this California mandate, and it is now up to the Senate to finish the job. California mandates spread far and wide. They affect 133 million Americans--nearly 40 percent of the population of this country. Here is why: Twelve States copy the California mandate to ban gas-powered cars by 2036. Ten States copy the California mandate to ban gas-powered trucks by 2036. These include large-population States, like New York. Even the junior Senator from California admits that California's liberal mandates affect the entire country, and he says he is very proud of it. The American people think differently. The Washington Post reported last month that ``Americans are losing interest in EVs.'' That is the quote. The Washington Post: ``Americans are losing interest in EVs.'' Interest in owning an EV has dropped 8 percent since 2023. The message is clear: Americans don't want these EVs even when the government tries to bribe them--bribe them--into buying them and using them. People want to buy the car and truck that works best for them and where they live and the life they lead. The average price of an electric vehicle is $62,000, which is $16,000 more than comparable gas-powered vehicles. The California mandates that the Democrats are pushing would raise prices even more. It would also limit options. This isn't progress. This is a policy that punishes working families, punishes farmers, punishes truckers, punishes the people that live in rural areas. Worse, EV batteries rely on China. Eighty percent of EV battery components come from China. Republicans here in the Senate are fighting to end America's dependence on China. The California mandate supported by the Democrats makes that dependence even more dangerous. It risks our safety, it risks our security, and it risks our strategic independence. The Biden administration used its final days in office to grant California permission to export its EV mandate across the country. They did this just 1 month before President Trump took office. They had already lost the election. They already knew the American people rejected what they stood for. Yet they still tried to push this onto the American people, and are trying to push it today. This is midnight meddling. Senate Republicans are ready to use the Congressional Review Act to stop it. We will protect Americans' rights--the rights to purchase a gas-powered vehicle. That is what we are fighting for, and we have every right to do so. California's mandates have already taken root in a dozen States. They affect 40 percent of all the new light-duty vehicle registrations and a quarter of the new heavy-duty vehicle registrations nationwide. They clearly affect the kinds of vehicles which will be manufactured and sold in America. These California mandates affect the cost and the availability of gas-powered cars and trucks all across the country, even in the States that do not adopt the mandates. To my Democrat colleagues who will tolerate California controlling what Americans can drive: Do you think the American people really support what you are trying to shove down their throats? No, they don't. No wonder the Democrats lost the election. Are the Democrats willing to strip consumers and small businesses of their right to choose the vehicles that work for their needs and for their budgets? Do Democrats want to continue to protect the failures and the fallacies of the Green New Deal? Or for once, will the Democrats join Republicans who are trying to protect working families? It is no surprise, then, that Republicans have become the party supporting and protecting the rights of working families. People have rejected the Democrats. The Senate also needs to reject the cheerleading by these climate extremists for more regulations by unelected bureaucrats, but that is what the Democrats are here supporting. The Senate should use the Congressional Review Act to reject this Joe Biden midnight madness. By doing so, we would be protecting consumer choice, protecting affordability, and protecting congressional authority. It is time to put Americans, Mr. President, back in the driver's seat. I yield the floor.

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Wyoming (Ms. Lummis), the Senator from Idaho (Mr. Risch), and the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker).

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran) and the Senator from Mississippi (Mr. Wicker).

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senator is necessarily absent: The Senator from Arkansas (Mr. Cotton).

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I understand that there is a bill at the desk from Senator Merkley, and I ask for its first reading.

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I now ask for a second reading, and in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to my own request.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 8; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, morning business be closed, and the Senate resume Calendar No. 24, S.J. Res. 7, and at 11:15 a.m., the joint resolution be read a third time, and the Senate vote on passage of the joint resolution; further, that following disposition of the joint resolution, the Senate resume consideration of Calendar No. 65, H.J. Res. 60, the joint resolution be read a third time, and the Senate vote on passage of the joint resolution; finally, that upon disposition of Calendar No. 65, H.J. Res. 60, the Senate resume consideration of the motion to proceed to Calendar No. 66, S. 1582, the GENIUS Act, and at 1:45 p.m., the Senate vote on cloture on the motion to proceed.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I rise today to honor Military Appreciation Month. It is a time to renew our commitment--our Nation's commitment, our individual commitment--to those who defend our Nation. They defend our freedom. They have done it in the past, they are doing it today, and they will continue to do it into the future. Most importantly, it is a time to say thank you. In Wyoming, our pride in the military runs very deep. This Saturday in Wyoming, there will be welcome home ceremonies. They will actually be in a number of communities throughout the State. This originally began as a welcome home to Vietnam veterans, who were never given the proper welcome home when they came home from the war. This weekend, all Wyoming veterans will be honored and welcomed home. Tens of thousands of servicemembers, veterans, and military families live in Wyoming. Our airmen at F.E. Warren Air Force Base maintain our Nation's nuclear deterrent. Our Wyoming National Guard--they are ready to serve, and they are ready to serve at a moment's notice. All of them embody America's spirit. It is a privilege to represent each and every one of them here in the U.S. Senate. Let me take you back a moment to the changing world happening in 1945--May 8, 1945. It was Victory in Europe Day--VE Day. On that day, the world celebrated the triumph of liberty over tyranny. That triumph of liberty was paid for by the blood and the bravery of 16 million Americans who served, and one of those was my father. I have his dog tags with me. I carry them whenever I travel overseas, whenever I visit our veterans, and whenever I visit our men and women in uniform. I did it earlier this year in Jordan and in Syria. I did it at Thanksgiving in the Middle East. I did it last spring in Djibouti where we had members of our Air National Guard serving there. I also have his prayer book called ``My Military Missal.'' These were given out in World War II in the Battle of the Bulge. They used them, and the back was a rosary, the beads printed in there as if in braille, with a crucifix. And this rosary has been well-worn, used by his thumb because he was walking and had it in his pocket on patrol. He signed up 3 days after Pearl Harbor, my father did. He fought through the war, through the bitter cold of the Battle of the Bulge, didn't come home until the war was over. My dad called the men who were with him in uniform at the time ``ordinary men with extraordinary courage.'' Their lessons endure today. Weakness provokes, but strength deters. Here we are 80 years later, and we face a dangerous world. Our enemies are aggressive, menacing, and powerful. Very few of those men who fought in World War II are alive today--very few. We celebrated the Battle of the Bulge and had ceremonies with those few in Bastogne this past December. They are gone. There is a next generation today and a generation after that. And under the bold leadership of President Trump, our military is rising to meet the challenge that we are facing today. And we are today restoring peace through strength. In 100 days, President Trump and Secretary of Defense Hegseth have made our military stronger and, of course, more respected around the world. Recruiting is soaring. The last month was the best month in almost 40 years. I was in Mills, WY, for a pancake breakfast for the Lions Club on Saturday morning. I met two young men who were helping to volunteer serving pancakes. One is going to go to the Naval Academy and one to West Point. The next generation: Ready to serve, ready to defend, ready to protect. So what we are seeing today is maintaining military strength at a time where investment is needed, and that is what this Congress is debating--because the ``greatest generation'' built the arsenal of democracy and we carry that on by modernizing our military. Under unified Republican government, America is embracing the new technology, such as artificial intelligence, to outpace our adversaries. We are rebuilding our industrial base. We are expanding shipbuilding so our Navy remains the world's finest. And, boy, what a reputation the Navy SEALS have, and the Presiding Officer's long and distinguished history of service to our Nation--now in the Senate but prior to that in the military and your wife, as well. We are improving the quality of life of servicemembers and their families because a supported military is a strong military. We are creating an Iron Dome for America so our Nation is safe from danger. In all, we are investing more than $150 billion in peace through strength. These efforts, backed by bold leadership, equip our military to deal with life in a dangerous and menacing world. Military strength is not enough. VE Day reminds us that defending freedom also demands moral clarity. That means championing the values of liberty and justice, the values that Americans have always stood for. The minutemen of Lexington and Concord stood for them, the paratroopers of Normandy stood for them. Wyoming's troops serving around the world today continue to stand for them. I visit with Wyoming troops every year overseas at Thanksgiving. I go wherever they are. It started in 2007, my first year in the Senate, when I visited troops in Iraq, outside of Baghdad, Andar province. I try to visit every deployment of our National Guard. I just got back from visiting the troops in the Middle East in March. I go for the purpose of thanking them for their service and bringing a little piece of Wyoming today to wherever they are in the world. And when you go visit with them you ask: Do you have everything you need? Is there any way we can be helpful? But they want to talk about home. They want to talk about how the hunting was, how the weather is, how the football team has done. They want to talk about their families, which community they were from, and then their mission to make sure that the folks at home are protected so they can return to Wyoming and be with them once again. Those currently deployed overseas are eight time zones away. You know, you want to make sure they have everything they need, and they do in terms of what they are getting in terms of supplies; they just miss a little bit of home in Wyoming. We are blessed to have these soldiers. We are blessed to have soldiers from all of our States serving like this. People from all different backgrounds come to serve, and today I just want to be here to remember our history and think about the sacrifices that so many continue to make. We honor them by doing what we need to do here to make sure that they are equipped to fight the modern threats that they face. We honor them by uniting as a nation to support them. We honor them by making sure that they have veterans healthcare available to them in their communities. I talked to Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins about making sure that the veterans have what they need, and he as a veteran is committed to that. Today we celebrate Military Appreciation Month, so let's thank our heroes who fought for our liberty. Thank them who served today; thank their families; thank them who have sacrificed as the Presiding Officer and his family have done. That is a commitment. Because of their courage, America remains safe; it remains free. And with bold leadership like we have today, it will stay that way. I yield the floor.

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that during my speech, I have the opportunity to display some of my father's remembrances from World War II.

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

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz), the Senator from Alaska (Ms. Murkowski), the Senator from Idaho (Mr. Risch), and the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Young). Further, if present and voting: the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Young) would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Michelle for her hard work as an intern in my Washington, DC, office. I recognize her efforts and contributions to my office, as well as to the State of Wyoming. Michelle is a native of Virginia. She is currently a junior at Madeira School in McLean, VA. She has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made her an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of her work is reflected in her great efforts over the last several months. I want to thank Michelle for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It is a pleasure to have her as part of our team. I know she will have continued success with all of her future endeavors. I wish her all my best on her journey.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Alabama (Mrs. Britt), the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham), and the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran).

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I just heard the minority leader talk about the first 100 days under President Trump. When I talk to the people at home in Wyoming about the successes of this Trump administration, the first 100 days, compared to what I heard from the minority leader, it is a difference between night and day. Specifically, the people of Wyoming are delighted with the job President Trump has been doing and especially on the issue of the southern border, because for 4 years, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris told us, told all of America, and told all of the world they could do nothing to fix the southern border crisis. They swore nothing could have stopped the 10 million illegal immigrants who flooded into the country. It took President Trump to prove them wrong. Of all of President Trump's 100-day accomplishments, fixing the Biden border crisis shines the brightest of all. Seal the border; stop the invasion of illegal immigrants--President Trump promised to do it at campaign stops all around the country, and he delivered quickly. Today, we have the most secure border on record. The southern border has now been closed down tight. Illegal border crossings are down by over 94 percent since President Trump took office. The Border Patrol agents feel free to do their job once again, and they are now doing it with pride. Their service and their sacrifice are once again respected--not how it was in the Biden administration. The Border Patrol chief says that morale is ``going through the roof.'' They are able to do their job. Even CBS News captured the dramatic turnaround. This is CBS News: [T]ypically, when we go to the border, we see at least one group of people who are trying to cross into the U.S. illegally. We did not see a single migrant. CBS News. Let's contrast that to what we saw with Joe Biden. It is staggering. Think about it. In December of 2023, with the Biden administration, Biden's open border policies allowed up to 14,000 illegal immigrants coming across our border on a daily basis. Today, we are down to less than 7,000 in a whole month. They had nearly twice that amount in a single day in the Biden administration. This is the result of President Trump in the White House. Illegal immigrants caught at the border face swift removal--not like it was before. In President Trump's first 100 days, only 9 illegal immigrants were released into America--9, period--9. Last year, during that same period, more than 184,000 illegal immigrants were released into the United States. We didn't need new laws; we needed a new President. And we got one 100 days ago--a President with guts, a President with vision, and a President with a backbone, something we needed desperately and now have. How did President Trump do it? Well, he ripped up the Democrats' open invitation that said to illegal immigrants from around the world: Come to America. No more free healthcare. No more free debit cards. No more free cell phones. No more free hotel rooms. No more free plane tickets. No more catch-and-release. That is how you get the job done. President Trump dismantled Joe Biden's parole program abuses--and they were abuses. He replaced catch-and-release with detain-and-deport. He launched deportations at the border and in the country. He labeled the cartels--those are those evil traffickers of drugs and of people. He labeled them, as he should have, as foreign terrorist organizations. The world heard the message loud and clear. Illegal immigrants, they turned around and they went home. One Venezuelan illegal immigrant put it this way: I am just going back, he said, because with Donald Trump it is going to be too hard. That is right; it is too hard to come to this country now illegally. And the American people, and certainly the people in my home State in Wyoming, say that is the way it ought to be. When illegal immigrants know they can't sneak in and then stay, they won't come. Detain-and- deport deters the flow of illegal immigrants. Now we need to mirror that same success inside America. President Trump is off to a strong start there as well. His strategic and historic deportation campaign, the largest in our history, is making our streets safer, and communities know it. The criminals that President Trump is expelling are the worst of the worst. They are the murderers, the drug dealers, the gang members, the human traffickers. They are gone. In 100 days, 66,000 deportations have been carried out. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests of illegal immigrants, of the criminals, have already outpaced all of 2024 under Joe Biden. Republicans in this body, in Congress--in the House and in the Senate-- are moving forward to get law enforcement the resources they need to finish the job, and that includes $175 billion for border security that we have passed here in the Senate. We will finish the wall. We will boost Border Patrol. We will strengthen ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and expand detention capacity. The people in my home State are thrilled that President Trump is enforcing the law and restoring order. Now, the Democrats, on the other hand, they are not thrilled; they are furious. They don't like it. They like open borders. Democrats in Congress are racing to El Salvador to defend an MS-13 gang member--or, as one of the media calls him, the Maryland man. A Member of this body led the charge. In 2023, that Member's constituent Rachel Morin--she was a mother of five--was brutally murdered by an illegal immigrant. He did not speak out, that same Member who rushed to El Salvador. No. He didn't meet with her family. No. He refused. You talk about a situation that the American people understand: the difference between the Democrats and the Republicans. Rush to El Salvador but won't talk to the family of a young woman, a mother of five, murdered. That is the mindset of the Democrats: Open the borders. Let them come in. Let them kill. Let them rape. It is astonishing. Rush to El Salvador to fight for a gang member. And that Senator said he wasn't going to quit fighting until that thug is back in America. So let me ask my colleagues a question: Does that make America safer? Let's remember who the Democrats are fighting for. This is a man who had no right to be here--here illegally; a man who has a lawful removal order; a verified member of MS-13, according to an immigration judge-- not according to me; according to an immigration judge--a human trafficker, a man whose wife filed two restraining orders against him, a man who beat his wife, who threatened to kill her and who bragged ``nobody can do anything'' to him. That is who the Democrats are fighting for. We are fighting for our safe communities. That is what we need here. They are not defending fairness--Democrats are not. They are shielding illegal immigrant criminals from justice, and it is wrong. Democrats choose rapists and killers over American families harmed by their policies. Why? It seems that they want the illegal immigration invasion to continue. Republicans are different. Our party is committed to protecting American families. We stand for law and order. Our mission is to restore safety for the American people--security for the American people and safety for our communities. I yield the floor.