John Barrasso

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, first let me start that all of us here in the Senate and around the country, having seen what we saw that happened last night at Reagan National Airport, it was tragic. It was heartbreaking. There are many questions that need to be answered in the coming days, but today all of America is praying--praying for the 64 individuals on the American Airlines flight that lost their lives, praying for the 3 soldiers aboard the Army helicopter, praying for the families of the victims. It truly is a heartbreaking moment for our country. We are so grateful for the bravery of the first responders. We thank the Metropolitan Airport Authority's Fire Department, the Washington DC Fire Department, the Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Park Police, and all the more than 300 first responders who are assisting in the recovery efforts.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calls with respect to the Wright and Collins nominations be waived.

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. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call with respect to the Zeldin nomination be waived.

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I strongly support Congressman Lee Zeldin as the nominee to be the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. We are blessed in America with enormous natural resources. I support using our resources responsibly; I support sensible environmental stewardship; and that is what we will have with Mr. Zeldin. Americans deserve clean wear and clean air. They deserve good jobs and economic strength. Environmental protection and economic growth should go hand in hand; they are not mutually exclusive. As the head of the EPA, Lee will return the Agency to its original mission of protecting America's air, water, and land without, as he puts it, suffocating the economy. Nearly 2 weeks ago, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing on Lee Zeldin, and as the former chairman of the committee, I was honored to introduce him. He is highly qualified, and his support is bipartisan. He is a lifelong public servant, and he is a seasoned lawyer and has a sharp legal mind. He has over 20 years of military service and currently serve as lieutenant colonel in our U.S. Army Reserve. Lee also served 8 years in Congress, in the House of Representatives, as a Representative from New York. In that role, he worked to strengthen our economy as well as protect his district's unique ecosystem. He worked across party lines to accomplish his goals. For the last 4 years, the so-called experts at the Environmental Protection Agency went on a reckless regulatory rampage. They saddled American families and businesses with higher costs and with heavyhanded restrictions. They bowed to climate extremism while ignoring common sense. In 2024, the EPA introduced one of the most expensive regulations in American history. It is called the electric vehicle mandate. The EV mandate was truly leftwing lunacy at its worst. According to the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the total cost of compliance is over $760 billion--with a ``b.'' To put this in perspective, the cost of this one regulation coming out of the Biden administration was equal to the entire pricetag of 8 years of regulations under the Presidency of Barack Obama. The EV mandate would also cost hundreds of thousands of jobs. Americans rejected the EV mandate and other costly climate policies this past November at the ballot box. President Trump revoked the EV mandate on his first day in office. Here in the Senate, repealing the Biden EV subsidies is one of my top priorities. These subsidies alone are estimated to cost taxpayers more than $393 billion. Americans shouldn't have their taxpayer dollars pay for vehicles that most Americans don't want, can't afford, and actually don't work for them and their families. Americans shouldn't be dependent on communist China like we are today with electric vehicles. Lee Zeldin will continue President Trump's mission to roll back these punishing political regulations. The EPA does important work. It does that work in States and in local communities. Lee will be a fantastic partner to my home State of Wyoming. He is not going to impose one-size-fits-all mandates on American consumers and American businesses. Instead, he is going to cut redtape. We will see a new wave of creativity and innovation. Lee knows that innovation, not government intervention, is the best solution to lower prices, to grow the economy, and to protect our environment. Many Americans are confident that Lee will right the ship and restore the balance needed at the EPA. One of these organizations is the National Association of Clean Water Agencies. In a letter to the committee, the association said that Lee has ``shown a willingness to engage with a broad spectrum of stakeholders to address pressing issues.'' Lee also impressed our colleagues here in the Senate. That is why my Democrat colleague from Arizona said about Lee: He's a qualified candidate for this job. I share America's confidence in Lee. Through 3 hours of tough questions, Lee Zeldin provided quality answers and proved that he is well qualified. He showed he is committed to strong environmental protection and to energy production. He is the right nominee to lead the EPA. The Senate should confirm him quickly. I yield the floor.

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. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for up to 6 minutes, followed by Senator Whitehouse for up to 6 minutes, prior to the scheduled rollcall vote.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, criminals in the world today have an international friend. That friend is called the International Criminal Court. The ICC is headquartered in Europe. It claims unchecked power and power to enforce very loosely defined so-called international law, and they are unaccountable. The ICC is a kangaroo court. The U.S. has never ratified this treaty, neither has Israel. We are not members with this group. This so-called court seems to me to just do the bidding of the country of Iran. It never issued arrest warrants for leaders of Iran. It never tried to prosecute Assad, the former dictator of Syria. The ICC embraces a legal fiction and a moral fraud. It is the fraud and the fiction that Israel violates human rights and that sovereignty doesn't matter. They also believe that Israel doesn't have a right to defend themselves. Last year, we saw the ICC issue an unjust and unlawful arrest warrant for the Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Israel's former defense minister was also targeted. The charges that the ICC brought were baseless; they were biased. And, basically, the ICC tends to continue to go after the Jewish State. Many descriptions of President Netanyahu are absurd; they are inaccurate. Let's get to the facts. The facts are there was a brutal attack on October 7 of 2023 by Hamas. It was the deadliest single day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Israel has a fundamental right to defend itself, and America stands with the people of Israel. Israel went to extraordinary lengths to limit civilian casualties. Hamas deliberately hid behind civilians. Hamas uses innocent individuals as human shields. Israel has allowed hundreds of thousands of tons of food and supplies to go in to help the people of Gaza. When the food doesn't meet the actual needs of the civilians there, it is not because they haven't sent enough, it is because Hamas steals it first. Israel isn't a member of the ICC. The court has no jurisdiction over it. Israel is a democracy. Israel's judiciary is robust, and it is independent. The ICC is deaf to these important facts. It lives in an anti-Israel echo chamber. Because of this prejudice against Israel, the ICC has also attacked Israel's allies. In 2020, the ICC started to investigate American servicemembers who served in Afghanistan for alleged war crimes. President Trump responded swiftly and strongly. He froze the assets of the ICC officials who were involved in the corrupt investigation. President Trump also imposed visa restrictions on ICC officials and on their families. So then what happens? Then Joe Biden gets into the White House, and former President Biden--I love saying ``former''--former President Biden wrongly and weakly overturned these effective sanctions. President Trump restored the sanctions on his first day back in office last week. So today the Senate will hold a critical vote on a bipartisan bill to hold the International Criminal Court accountable. Senator Jim Risch of Idaho and Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas have been leaders on this issue here in the Senate. Under the bill we are going to be voting on today, any ICC official, employee, or associate who works to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute American citizens or our allies will face immediate sanctions. This bill also blocks U.S. funding from the ICC--every penny. Critically, it ensures American taxpayers are not in any way contributing their hard-earned money to foreign institutions that attack our servicemembers. Passing this bill sends a strong message--an important message--that we in America will not tolerate the ICC's lawfare against Israel. If the ICC attacks America or its allies, the consequences will be swift, will be serious, and will be severe. This is about much more than Israel. The ICC also threatens America's safety, our security, and our sovereignty. Like Israel, America is not a member of the ICC. Well, Israel is the target today. The ICC could turn around and target American servicemembers, and even our leaders, in the future. The House of Representatives has passed legislation to sanction the ICC. They have done it several times. Its bipartisan support continues to grow and grows stronger in the most recent passage. And a majority of Americans support congressional efforts to sanction the ICC. The most recent vote in the House was 243 in favor and only 140 against; 45 House Democrats voted for it. Well, the Senate could have passed ICC sanctions last Congress, but the Democrat leader chose to drag his feet instead. He blocked it from coming here to the Senate floor. He refused to even allow debate. This Congress, Senate Republicans have made strengthening our alliance with Israel a top priority. Republicans can't sit back and allow a kangaroo court to wage lawfare against American citizens or our allies. The Senate will not bend to the pro-Hamas crowd. We will stand with Israel in the face of anti-Semitism and in the face of evil, period. Will Senate Democrats join us? We will find out today.

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

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I heard the Senator from Washington State say we are now 1 week into the Trump administration. I am very grateful we are now 1 week beyond the Biden administration. Democrats do not want a serious debate here about the use of Presidential pardon power. If they did want a serious conversation, they would talk about Joe Biden's pardons--over 8,000 of them. The previous President used his final days in office to grant clemency to 37 of 40 of the worst killers on death row. President Biden said time and time again, oh, he wouldn't pardon his son Hunter--oh no. Not only did he pardon Hunter for the crimes for which he had been convicted, he pardoned him for 10 years of his additional criminal activity, which has not yet been discovered. Then, minutes before leaving office on Inauguration Day, Joe Biden gave preemptive, blanket pardons to five more members of his own family. If they weren't guilty, why would they need or accept pardons? President Biden commuted the sentences of two men who killed a Sussex County police officer. President Biden also commuted the sentence of a killer who executed-- executed--two FBI agents in cold blood. The FBI Agents Association said Biden's pardon was a ``cruel betrayal to the families and colleagues of these fallen agents.'' They said that the Biden pardon of this coldblooded murderer was ``a slap in the face of law enforcement.'' President Biden also commuted the sentence of a drug trafficker involved in the murder of an 8-year-old boy and his mother. The Biden administration actually classified him, believe it or not, as a ``non- violent'' offender. Even the Democrat Senator from Connecticut said ``someone dropped the ball'' on granting that clemency. In all, more than 8,000 criminals were pardoned or had their sentences reduced by Joe Biden. Now, that is more than any other President in history. It isn't even close. This resolution that the Senate is asked to consider today does not condemn the Biden abuse of the pardon power. It does not condemn the pardons or the commutations of police officer killers, of murderers, of rapists. It ignores the pain and suffering of the victims and their families. I oppose, as do my colleagues on this side of the aisle, any violence against police officers. I oppose pardons of violent criminals. These officers deserve our thanks and our prayers. They deserve not to be used in political games--games like the ones that the Senate Democrats are playing today on this very floor. Democrats should be ashamed, and Democrats should be embarrassed. Therefore, I object.

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call be waived with respect to the Duffy nomination.

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

Mr. BARRASSO

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

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. I ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles, where applicable, be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.

Mr. BARRASSO. Madam President, as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following Senate resolutions, which were submitted earlier today: S. Res. 39, S. Res. 40, and S. Res. 41.

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 Kansas (Mr. Moran).

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

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran).

Mr. BARRASSO

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, a few days ago--I think you were in the chair, and I was here--we saw the minority leader stand at that podium and pledge to cooperate with Republicans when nominees, he said, were highly qualified and bipartisan. It took less than 72 hours for the minority leader to violate that pledge. Senate Democrats seem to be back to their old, tired habits of obstructing and opposing. Look at the confirmation process that we finished yesterday for the Central Intelligence Agency Director, John Ratcliffe. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, a Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, gave Director Ratcliffe a ringing endorsement. Director Ratcliffe ``is qualified for the job. He's a serious guy, and he's got the background. I've got confidence he'll do a good job.'' Yet Senator Schumer held up the confirmation process for 2 solid days. Despite the delay, the Senate overwhelmingly confirmed this highly qualified Director--Director Ratcliffe--by a vote of 74 to 25. Twenty- one Democrats voted in favor of his confirmation, yet a 2-day delay. I want every American to know what is happening here in the Senate. The far-left Members of the Democrat caucus are intentionally delaying the confirmation of President Trump's national security team. It is not advice and consent. It is the Democrats' playbook for trying to deny President Trump his Cabinet. The Senate is preparing to vote this weekend on more highly qualified nominees. One of them is South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem. Governor Noem is the nominee to be Secretary of Homeland Security. She will secure the border. In the first 3 days of the Trump administration, illegal encounters dropped nearly 35 percent compared to the final 3 days of the Biden administration. Nearly 4,000 illegal immigrants tried to cross in President Biden's final days in office. Under President Trump, the numbers plummeted, and they will continue to plummet. The impact of the Trump policies is real, and this is only the beginning. Working with Kristi Noem, the Senate is going to secure the border. Governor Noem understands what is needed to tackle the border crisis. As she said in her hearing, she will ensure our Border Patrol agents and our Immigrations and Customs Enforcement group have all the tools, the resources, and the support that they need to carry out their mission efficiently and effectively. As Governor, she sent South Dakota National Guard troops to Texas to help secure the border--Governor, National Guard troops to help in Texas. Oh, she is going to be aggressive in her mission to stop this flood of illegal immigrants. I believe she is an excellent and well-qualified choice. After a thorough vetting process, Governor Noem received bipartisan support in the Homeland Security Committee. There are 15 members of the committee. Thirteen voted in favor of her; only two opposed. That is overwhelming and bipartisan. Senator Gary Peters of Michigan--he is the lead Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee--he voted yes. Will Senator Schumer needlessly slow down a confirmation vote that his lead Democrat supports, just to obstruct President Trump? When it comes to confirming Governor Noem, there is no time to waste. Few Agencies are more important to this Nation, to our safety, and to our security than the Department of Homeland Security. Any delay denies our country a Homeland Security Secretary at a time when open borders endanger every American in this country today--potential risk to their safety as well as their security. Here in the Senate, Senate Republicans are working around the clock to confirm qualified nominees like Kristi Noem, like Scott Bessent for Treasury, like Sean Duffy. We will be in the Senate voting as long as it takes. How long it takes in the Senate is up to the Democrats to decide. Our committees are approving additional nominees on a bipartisan basis and at a rapid clip. We need to confirm them on the Senate floor without delay, and that is what Republicans intend to do. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. BARRASSO

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

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. Mr. President, today this Senate will confirm John Ratcliffe to be the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. This is a win for our national security. Frankly, this should have been done 2 day ago, but Democrats unnecessarily delayed this important vote. John Ratcliffe is undeniably qualified for the job. He is going to lead the CIA without bias and with the safety of the American people being his top priority. Once the Senate confirms John Ratcliffe, we will move to consider the nomination of Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense. America needs a strong, intimidating, and lethal military. Our men and women in uniform, they want to serve in that kind of a military. They didn't join to be joining a safe space or a faculty lounge. They volunteered to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces, the greatest fighting force in human history. Our Nation is counting on President Trump and our military to defend America and to restore peace through strength. The problem is our servicemembers are trapped in a broken system with misguided values. Today, we face the most serious significant recruiting and morale crisis since the creation of the all-volunteer military. The military, in 2023, missed its recruiting goals by almost 40,000 people. The Pentagon says that they met their goals in 2024. You know how they did that? They conveniently lowered the goals from the 2023 number. Easy to make the mark when you lower the bar. According to the Department of Defense, more than half of all young Americans say they have never ever thought of serving in our Nation's military. In addition to the recruiting problem and the morale problem, we also, at the Pentagon today, have an accountability problem. The Department of Defense last month failed its seventh audit in a row. We need to change course at the Pentagon. We need to get the Pentagon back on track, and President Trump has selected Pete Hegseth to do just that. As Pete said at his hearing last week: We don't need more bureaucracy at the top. We need more warfighters empowered at the bottom. As a decorated combat veteran, Pete brings a fresh set of eyes to the Pentagon. He is confident. He is knowledgeable, and he is courageous. He knows the cost of war, and he knows the price of weakness. He clearly loves our Nation. He loves this country. He is a champion for our servicemembers and their families, and he wants to continue serving the country. That is why I believe Pete Hegseth is the right choice to lead our military. At the Senate Armed Services Committee, Pete answered hard questions with clarity and with resolve. Pete was clear about our mission and his mission. It is, as he said, to make the Pentagon ``laser-focused on lethality, meritocracy, warfighting, accountability and readiness.'' Ultimately, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted in favor of Pete's nomination. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough for the Democrats. No, no, they decided to then run their desperate playbook of distract and delay so that they could try to search and destroy. Senate Republicans are not going to be stopped by Democrats' political games. We are moving forward. Perhaps no other Cabinet position is more important to the safety and security of our Nation than the Secretary of Defense. The American people deserve to have a Secretary of Defense in place and on the job. Now, Mr. President, on a related matter, on confirmation here, our work in confirmation continues and it will continue later today. Senate Republicans are readying votes on more of President Trump's nominees, and it is a strong roster. Kristi Noem is the nominee to be Secretary of Homeland Security. She will secure our borders. Scott Bessent is the nominee to be Secretary of the Treasury. He will strengthen our economy and stop the Democrats' $4 trillion tax increase. Sean Duffy is the nominee to be Secretary of Transportation. He will build our Nation's crumbling infrastructure. The Commerce Committee was unanimous in support of his nomination. In fact, all of these well-qualified nominees received bipartisan support in committees. The Senate has an obligation to confirm them quickly. To deny a President his Cabinet is wrong, especially when we are talking about the national security team. Any delay denies our Nation a Homeland Security Secretary when open borders endanger every community in America. It denies the country a Treasury Secretary at a time when painfully high prices are hurting families and hurting small businesses. It denies the country a Secretary of Transportation when our ports and our airlines need urgent attention. The President deserves to have his team in place, and Senate Republicans will overcome the roadblocks, and we will confirm them. The choice for Democrats is simple: the easy way or the hard way. Mr. President, we are going to get them confirmed. I yield the floor.

Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent also that the mandatory quorum call in relation to the Ratcliffe nomination be waived.