Jim Banks

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Mr. President, before I begin my remarks today, I must say that with a heavy heart I am grieving today for town marshal Brad Fisher, a 25-year law enforcement veteran who was tragically killed today in the line of duty in Indiana. Marshal Fisher was assisting other officers in stopping a fleeing suspect when the suspect hit Marshal Fisher and ultimately killed him. I am praying for Marshal Fisher, for his family, everyone in the town of Lynn, IN, and Randolph County. What a devastating loss, a tragic loss. May he rest in peace. And may we always remember the sacrifice that all of our men and women of law enforcement make when they keep us safe. I just want to take a minute and remember him. Election Interference Mr. President, President Trump recently confirmed what many of us already knew: that foreign adversaries like China are working daily to interfere in our elections and our democratic society. China especially seeks America's decline in hopes that they can establish a world order that runs through the Chinese Communist Party, and we must do everything possible that we can to stop them from doing that. Historically, when countries have held that kind of ambition, they have started big, catastrophic wars. It should come as no surprise that the People's Liberation Army is undertaking the largest peacetime military buildup in human history. That is why it is incumbent upon this body to fully fund our military--including President Trump's $1.5 trillion defense budget request that he has made of this body--so that we can deter exactly that kind of conflict. It is outrageous that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle-- the Democrats--are holding up this bipartisan NDAA and budget request to fund our military when our military desperately needs our support. Yet, even if we successfully deter a hot conflict, we could still lose in other ways. That is because every day the CCP is waging economic and political warfare against us. The CCP is trying to nurture dependency, exploit our divisions, cause us to question the justness of our cause, and erode our democracy. This political warfare campaign is not confined to the shadows. In many cases, it operates out in the open. Just take a look at Neville Roy Singham. Singham is a 72-year-old American tech mogul who sold his company and immediately fled to China. From his Shanghai office--which he shares with a CCP propaganda outlet--whose avowed mission, by the way, is ``to tell China's story well''--Singham began funding a complex network of leftwing NGOs and nonprofits that advance the interests of the Chinese Communist Party. Take a look at some of the radical organizations on this chart that he supports through the billions of dollars that he made selling his tech company to a Chinese Communist Party business. This is all a matter of public record. Even the New York Times has marveled at the hundreds of millions of dollars that Singham-linked groups have funneled to radical nonprofits that ``mix progressive advocacy with Chinese Government talking points.'' Take one example that you and I know well--CODEPINK--you know, the radical organization that chases many of us around the hallways--around this building and our office buildings. You see, CODEPINK used to condemn CCP human rights abuses. But after Singham started lavishly funding the group--and then, by the way, he married its cofounder--CODEPINK stopped criticizing the Chinese Government and started defending it. In fact, in recent years, CODEPINK has even provided cover for the CCP's shocking genocide in Xinjiang. Meanwhile, a newer Singham nonprofit called No Cold War is entirely dedicated to advocacy designed to ensure America is defenseless against the CCP's economic, military, and political warfare. But the Singham network is not limited to China-specific advocacy. Singham groups advance a wide variety of causes that are united only by their hatred of America, our allies, and the rule of law. From anti-ICE boycotts, violence against law enforcement, rioting, obstruction, and support for Hamas' attempted genocide of Jews in Israel, Singham groups and their members advance division, chaos, and hatred. All of this advances CCP interests and poisons our society. Thankfully, under President Trump's leadership, the Department of Justice is now investigating this and whether Singham has been fueling this lawlessness in violation of U.S. law. It has been a long time coming. At the same time, the State Department under Secretary Rubio is leading from the front in identifying leftwing violence and building an international coalition to confront it. It should come as no surprise that, as the CCP seeks to interfere in our society, it also seeks to interfere in our elections. As President Trump disclosed before the American people in a prime-time address earlier this month, China perpetrated the largest known compromise of United States voter information in history: stealing the personal data of over 220 million Americans in the 2020 election. The President also exposed ongoing vulnerabilities when it comes to America's elections, and thank God he did that. As one newly declassified intelligence assessment found: We judge that U.S. adversaries, including at a minimum Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, as well as non-state groups, have the capability to compromise U.S. election infrastructure. Our adversaries are actively coming for our elections, and if that is not enough to sound the alarm--what you just heard from President Trump in his prime-time press conference and what I just shared with you--I don't know what else is. All Americans--especially my colleagues in this body--should be outraged by this vulnerability. We know that our adversaries like the CCP seek to do us harm and yet we stand by and often do nothing about it. Our inaction has no excuse. We need to safeguard our democracy, and we need to do it right now. If this Chamber does anything at all this year, it must ensure that American elections are for Americans only--now and always. That is precisely why we have got to pass the SAVE America Act, and we have to pass it now, ASAP. In the face of the CCP's coordinated campaign, we need more election integrity--not less. We need to ensure that all votes in American elections come from Americans--not illegal aliens or foreign manipulation. And by the way, it is not only because of our international adversaries that we need to pass the SAVE America Act. Just last week, a huge story hardly got any notice in the mainstream media. But the new Democrat Governor of New Jersey--a former colleague of mine in the House--she announced that 6,600 noncitizens were ``accidentally added to the New Jersey voter rolls.'' That is a hell of an accident. But not only that, she also told us that nearly 400 of those voters, who were accidentally placed on their voter rolls, actually voted in the last two elections in New Jersey. Some of my colleagues keep saying that stories like this are a figment of our imagination. It doesn't really happen. Illegals don't vote in American elections. The Democratic Governor of New Jersey just told us it did happen. They keep saying that these stories are just, I suppose, ``accidents'' or ``software glitches'' is what the Governor called it. The fact of the matter is that these stories keep happening, and we need to do everything that we can to put an end to it. It destroys trust in our elections when Americans read about stories like that. If we have to cancel the August recess to pass the SAVE America Act, so be it. Let's do it. Protecting our elections from fraud and international interference is a lot more important to me than vacation time. Our adversaries--like the Chinese Communist Party--will stop at nothing to distract, divide, disrupt, and destroy America. Their campaign is not confined to election day. Election day is our last line of defense. Americans must always be free to reject the CCP and its values, while choosing a path that embraces the timeless truths that have always been at America's core. The day that the CCP chooses the outcome of our elections will be the day that it won. And by then, it will be way too late to correct course and pass a commonsense bill like the SAVE America Act. We cannot wait for that day. I urge all of my colleagues to wake up. It is time to pass the SAVE America Act to save our elections, protect our country, save America. It is fundamentally important. I yield the floor.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, it is pretty clear that this resolution is an attack on a red State by one of my colleagues from a blue State. I respect my colleague, but this resolution doesn't pass muster. In fact, we know that the radical, Green New Deal agenda that was wrought on us in this country by the Biden administration raised gas prices in this country to astronomical rates, made life less affordable and more difficult for Americans all over this country. That is why they quickly turned the page on those policies and got rid of Biden and those radical Green New Deal policies and chose President Trump to come back to the White House. We had really good news this week. Inflation rates came way down-- down as much as we have seen it in many years--because of President Trump's policies to uproot Green New Deal policies, passing the Working Families Tax Cut bill that we passed that makes life more affordable for working families all over this the country. It is pretty clear that this resolution is just a veiled attack on Florida. I am not from Florida. Florida is a good State. And I love the State of Rhode Island. I did all of my Navy training there. I respect my colleague. It is ironic with this resolution because 2 percent of Rhode Islanders over the last 5 years have moved to Florida, and they moved to Florida especially after the pandemic--all of the mandates and higher taxes, and they are choosing a State that works, that is attracting them, just like people from all over the coast are moving to Florida because they like Florida, they like lower taxes, and they like the quality of life that Florida offers. This resolution is just an attack on Florida. I do invite my colleague--again, whom I respect and enjoy working with--to come to the Banking Committee. Let's work on bipartisan solutions and ideas to bring down the cost of living for all Americans. We can do that together. We can find solutions to do that. This resolution doesn't do that. Mr. President, that is why I object.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Mr. President, I have eight requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders. Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Mr. President, next week, the country will be celebrating an incredible milestone, the 250th birthday of the United States of America, which is the greatest country founded in the history of the world. I just wanted to come to the floor today, before we leave for a 2- week recess over the holiday, to talk about what I love most about America. Two hundred fifty years ago, a group of brave men and women risked life and limb in pursuit of the American experiment, and 13 small Colonies of farmers, merchants, tradesmen, and families of different religions and classes declared what was then a radical idea, that ``all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights.'' Together, this small group of people took on a mighty empire, and they won. In doing so, they changed the course of history. I have always related to that idea of the American founding on a personal level. I grew up among farmers and tradesmen and factory workers. My dad was a union factory worker, and my mom was a nursing home cook. I came from a working-class family and grew up in a working- class town--a small town--in Northeast Indiana called Columbia City. It was a town that had about 5,000 people when I was born. It is around 10,000 people today. I am still proud to live in Columbia City and to call it my home--this small town, my home today. Even though Columbia City is a humble town, I love it intensely. I have so many great memories from my childhood in Columbia City, and I feel great pride in my hometown, but Columbia City's humble nature didn't stop people from doing great things. Columbia City shaped Thomas Riley Marshall, who became the Vice President of the United States of America in 1913. It shaped me, too, into who I am today--in my serving here, with the Presiding Officer, as a U.S. Senator. That is the beauty of smalltown America. Small towns like my hometown are where the American dream is realized, and it was in the Thirteen Colonies 250 years ago that the dream of America came to life. That is why, on this July 4, I will be celebrating Independence Day back in my hometown with my family. Growing up, I remember spending every Fourth of July in Columbia City, watching the community's celebration and the fireworks in the evening. That is exactly what I will be doing with my kids and my parents and my family this year as well. I know that there will be a lot of incredible festivities happening right here in Washington, DC, and I am all for that. President Trump says it is going to be the biggest and best fireworks display in American history. I have no doubt that he is right about that, but I think it is also important for people to spend time celebrating with the local communities that shaped them. I encourage everyone here and those listening today, if you can, the America 250 celebrations happening in your hometowns are going to be great, and I hope you will be a part of them. My upbringing instilled within me a profound love for this country. Sadly, not enough people share that same love today. Three years ago, the Wall Street Journal had a poll that showed that only 38 percent of Americans believed that patriotism was important to them, and that was down from 70 percent in 1998. For the last 3 years, I have wondered about and wanted an update on that poll--what does that look like today?--because it has really bothered me ever since I read that story in the Wall Street Journal a few years ago. Last year, Gallup released new data about American pride and patriotism. Unfortunately, the numbers have hardly changed. Only about 41 percent of American adults said they were extremely proud to be American. Among America's young people, that picture was particularly damning. Only 41 percent of Gen Z said that they were extremely or very proud to be an American. These are record low numbers, but this is what happens when too many people, especially young people, feel detached from our Nation's story. But here is the thing: As we celebrate America on this historic and monumental occasion, this decline is not irreversible. We can absolutely fix this trend. One way that we can fix this trend is to make our Nation beautiful again and do everything we can to make our Nation beautiful. A few months ago, I came to the Senate floor to talk about one of my bills that is very important to me, the Beautifying Federal Civic Architecture Act. I spoke about how important it is to have and build beautiful buildings that reflect the beauty of this great country. We owe it to ourselves and to our children to build beautiful buildings that reflect who we really are as a nation. And that is why I fully support and applaud President Trump and his efforts to make the Federal buildings and communities all across America even more beautiful than what they were before. When a nation sees beautiful and great buildings, it sees beauty and greatness in the nation. And there is another way that we can reverse the downward trend of American patriotism as well, and that is by returning to our roots in our small communities. Our small communities are what made this country great and are what continue to make America great. The original Thirteen Colonies succeeded in founding the Nation because ordinary people in ordinary places believed in something that was much bigger than themselves. We can make America beautiful again, inside and out, by rediscovering the power of those small places and the ordinary Americans who call them home. When we strengthen our communities, teach our full and honest history with pride, and recommit to the founding principles that turned 13 fragile Colonies into a global beacon of liberty and freedom, we will see national pride rise once again. Let me end by saying this: Mighty empires that once ruled the world have vanished to the dustbin of history, but America, this great country, still stands, and she stands taller and mightier than the rest. So as we gear up for the 250th birthday of this great country, let us recommit ourselves to the incredible American story that is still unfolding right before our eyes. And let us never forget that, from small and humble beginnings, rose the greatest country on Earth, the United States of America. Happy America 250. I yield the floor.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Mr. President, before we leave town for the week, I wanted to comment, share some really good news for the great State of Indiana. You might have seen the news late last week, but last Friday, June 5, the Chicago Bears board announced that they voted to officially advance the process of building a new stadium not in downtown Chicago but rather in Hammond, IN. I am a lifelong Indianapolis Colts fan, but today I want to talk about the Chicago Bears. The No. 1 question that I have received over the last week is, Will the Chicago bears change their name to the Indiana Bears? And I have been assured that that will not be the case. They will remain the Chicago Bears, but their board, as I mentioned, voted to start this process to build their stadium in Hammond, IN. Hammond is a part of, in Indiana, what we call ``The Region''-- Northwest Indiana, Lake County. Communities like Gary, East Chicago, and Hammond are blue-collar, working-class communities, rich from those steel-producing jobs that have been in that part of my State for generations, that have employed so many Hoosiers. This is big news for Indiana. It is a shot in the arm for a part of my State that can really use it. And a lot of people are going to benefit from the development that will occur around this new site that is just 18 miles to the east of where the Chicago Bears are currently located, Soldier Field in downtown Chicago. It is only about a half-an- hour drive from the current site to where this new site will be in the community in Hammond. And the reason I want to come and talk about this today is this isn't just about sports. This is about the tale of two cities, the tale of two States--a State with leadership, vision; a State that is open for business; and a State that is bankrupt, literally a State that has gone bankrupt with failed leadership, with blue-State policies that we have seen around the country, in other States like California. But Illinois, they take the cake in Illinois for liberal, leftwing policies. And there is a lot--a lot--to unpack here about why the Chicago Bears--this iconic, over 100-year iconic football team and their ownership--made this decision to come to my State and abandon the policies of Illinois and the city, the once-great big city, great city of Chicago, that they are fleeing from. I just want to suggest to you today that when it comes to States like Illinois--a liberal State, a high-tax State, an anti-family State, an anti-business State--it is a State that is destroying itself inside out. And then talk about a Republican, low-tax, pro-family, pro- business State like my State is thriving, and this great news just goes to prove it. Now, I wanted to point out a few statistics that I have recently become aware of. According to CNBC data from last year, Indiana is the second-best State in the country when it comes to cost of living; Illinois, 34. Indiana is ranked, according to CNBC--the same data--the best State in the country when it comes to the cost of doing business. We are open for business in Indiana. Illinois ranks among the worst States in the country for doing business. Indiana, the ninth best State in the country for businesses--period-- and that number keeps getting better for our State because we passed right-to-work laws. We have reduced our property taxes, income taxes, the tax burden in our State. And by the way, in Indiana, we actually pass balanced budgets at our State legislature every 2 years. Illinois is a bankrupt State. They have so much debt in their State that the taxpayers are holding the bag for it. So when it comes to cost of living and the cost of doing business, Indiana is a far better environment for families and businesses than Illinois. But you also have to look at crime statistics because this tells a big part of the story too. According to FBI data, Illinois has one of the highest statewide homicide and robbery rates in the entire country. In fact, the robbery rate in Illinois is 152 percent worse than it is in the State of Indiana. And I submit to you that is because Chicago and Illinois are truly on the frontlines of the ``defund the police'' mantra of the Democratic Party today. The soft-on-crime policies of blue States and leadership coming out of Illinois and Chicago tells a far different story than my State, Indiana, where we are focused on law and order. We support our police officers. We back the blue in Indiana. There is a big difference when it comes to crime statistics coming out of both States too. I also want to talk about job statistics because I think this is important as well. It helps tell the story about why the Chicago Bears made this historic announcement last week. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Indiana's unemployment rate right now is 3.2 percent. Illinois? Over 5 percent, 5.1 percent unemployment rate. That is nearly 60 percent higher unemployment in Illinois than it is in Indiana. Then you talk about--you talk about tax rates, as I mentioned a little bit ago. The property tax rates in Illinois are nearly twice as high as they are in Indiana. Individual income tax rates--this is the same deal--almost twice as high in Illinois as what they are in Indiana. And you are starting to see a bigger picture here. Why did the Chicago Bears make this incredible announcement to come to Indiana? Lower taxes, better for families, lower crime statistics, just 30 minutes to the east than what they deal with in Chicago. The Presiding Officer and I know that people vote with their feet. In this case, an entire football team is voting with their cleats. The whole program is just moving 18 miles away into a State that works with better leadership in Indiana. According to the Illinois Policy Institute, 40,000 residents left Illinois for other States in 2025. Meanwhile, more people have moved to Indiana than have left Indiana. That is another huge difference. And also, according to the same organization, the Illinois Policy Institute, Illinois ranked No. 2 in the country for the most business losses of any State in the country. I mean, this is a massive, giant, big sucking sound coming out of Illinois and Chicago--businesses that are taking their jobs, folding up their tents and their businesses, and moving to States like Indiana that are open to business, while Illinois pushes them out the door. Illinois has lost at least 218 businesses--big and small--to other States since 2023. I mean, this is another testament to what the difference is between our States. But then the last issue I want to talk about is what Illinois has done to make themselves--not just Chicago but the whole State of Illinois--the whole State of Illinois has designated itself as a statewide sanctuary jurisdiction, not a sanctuary city but the whole State of Illinois is a sanctuary State for illegal immigrants. And just since January 20 of this year, according to the Department of Homeland Security, 1,768 criminal illegal aliens have been released in the State of Illinois--just over the last several months since January 20. Compare that with my State, where my Governor, one of his very first acts as Governor last year, was to sign an executive order. And he told the Indiana State Police that in Indiana, the State police and all State agencies will assist President Trump and the Federal efforts for mass deportation to get violent illegal criminals out of Indiana, get them off of our streets. That is the type of leadership that America is looking to and the opposite of the type of failed leadership that you see coming out of Illinois. I wanted to read just a couple of statements from leaders in my State about this historic announcement because it is such a big deal for us, the Chicago Bears moving to Indiana. Gov. Mike Braun said: Hoosiers, help me welcome the Chicago Bears to our great State! We look forward to building a partnership as strong as the `85 Bears defense, creating opportunities and economic growth that will benefit our State and the Bears organization for decades to come. An NFL franchise in Northwest Indiana will be an economic boost to the entire region like we haven't seen before. Governor Braun went on to say: Thank you to Speaker Huston, the legislature, and Mayor McDermott for their partnership. I also want to thank the entire Bears organization for their partnership in making this move a reality. Welcome to Indiana! The speaker of the house in Indiana, my friend Todd Huston, who represents a State house district on the north side of Indianapolis and Hamilton County--Speaker Todd Huston was pivotal in the efforts at the State legislature to round up the incentive package to lure the Chicago Bears during the last session. He deserves a lot of credit for making this happen through his leadership. Speaker Todd Huston said: I am thrilled the Bears ownership voted to develop a world- class stadium facility in Hammond. This will be a transformative project for Northwest Indiana, benefitting the entire state. The Bears have been transparent and terrific partners throughout the process. Local elected leadership in Northwest Indiana and their constituents have been tremendous partners in making this happen. This is a fantastic win for Indiana, and I thank Governor Brawn and his leadership team. The Bears join a long line of companies and residents choosing Indiana to invest, grow, and pursue opportunity, and I look forward to many more making that choice. Mayor Tom McDermott is actually a Democrat--a Democrat mayor of Hammond, IN. That shows the bipartisan nature of the leadership in my State that made this historic announcement possible. Mayor Tom McDermott, the mayor of Hammond, said: The Chicago Bears chose Hammond, IN, because they see what I have said for years: Hammond is a successful city of opportunity and possibility, an excellent choice for such a significant investment. The city of Hammond and the entirety of Northwest Indiana will benefit from this transformative investment. I am proud to have partnered with our state leaders to secure this win; I'm grateful to Gov. Mike Braun, Speaker Todd Huston, Sen Ryan Mishler and our local legislators who pushed this deal over the goal line! I want to compare this a little bit. I mean, you heard from the Republican Governor, the Republican speaker of the house, the Democrat. Those are quotes from the Democrat mayor of Hammond and the other two. By the way, the Illinois Legislature, before they left their State capitol last week, completely fumbled an opportunity to provide some kind of package to keep the Chicago Bears in Chicago. Their pattern of failed leadership was on full display as they left their statehouse last week. And it was after that that the Chicago Bears organization, leadership, ownership made this historic investment. As you can imagine, a lot of embarrassment for the leaders in Illinois with this big announcement. In fact, Gov. JB Pritzker, this is what his office had to say--the opposite of what the Indiana leader had to say. This is what Governor Pritzker and his office had to say last week after this announcement was made. According to Governor Pritzker's office: The Bears have built a storied legacy in Illinois for over 100 years but have spent the last 6 years, and especially the last few months, shifting their position on a stadium location. That has hindered their progress. He is blaming the Chicago Bears for his own lack of leadership. I mean, this is embarrassing for a guy who fancies himself as a potential Presidential candidate in 2028, and his biggest legacy--for JB Pritzker--is that he lost the Chicago Bears to Indiana. I mean, how embarrassing for a politician to have to live up to that? Meanwhile, though, this is what Governor Pritzker had to say about illegal immigration. Get this. Governor Pritzker said: I am going to do everything that I can to protect our undocumented immigrants. So you see what is going on here. Governor Pritzker is far more focused on protecting illegal immigrants in his State than he ever was on providing any type of leadership whatsoever to keep the Chicago Bears in Chicago or in Illinois. I mean, you see the type of failed leadership in Illinois that the successful leadership of Indiana has seized upon. Then you hear from the socialist mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson. He had this to say. He said: Over the last several years, the Bears have stated their intentions in multiple jurisdictions, today's announcement is not surprising. Again, the mayor of Chicago is blaming others for his own lack of leadership. Yet the mayor of Chicago also had this to say: Law enforcement is a sickness. This is a man who just doesn't have his priorities straight. He is anti-police. He is one of the ``defund the police'' Democrats from a city that has high violent crime rates, and he is mad that the Chicago Bears are saying: We are leaving Chicago and Illinois because there is a better deal to be had in the great State of Indiana, 30 minutes away from where we are currently located. You see the type of failed leadership in Illinois and the type of successful leadership in my State of Indiana. I want to just finish my thoughts with this because I think this sums it up. Another great Hoosier, Pat McAfee, sums this up quite well as we talk about what Indiana means and the type of leadership that we have in Indiana and how we have seized upon this incredible, historic opportunity and why the Chicago Bears have said ``enough is enough'' of the failed leadership and the high-tax, anti-family, anti-police, ``defund the police,'' leftwing policies of Illinois. Pat McAfee sums this up quite well. He said: Indiana has always been open for business. . . . They pieced this Bears' deal together so fast. That is the type of great leadership that all of America is looking to. For the first time in my life, I say: Go Bears! I can't wait to drive an hour and a half up U.S. 30, from where I live, to go cheer on the Chicago Bears when this stadium is built in a few years in Hammond, IN. I think there are going to be a lot more Chicago Bears fans out there when this stadium is built. There are going to be a lot of Hoosiers who are going to go to this new stadium and a lot of people from Illinois who are going to be coming over the State line and seeing even more of the very best of what Indiana has to offer. So this is good news for Indiana and bad news for Chicago and Illinois, but when you hear statistics like that, you cannot blame the Chicago Bears organization for making the decision they did. With that, I yield the floor.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum call with respect to the Mattivi nomination.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Madam President, Indiana sits at the crossroads of America, but we also sit at the crossroads of more than just freight traffic and geography. Indiana is also the crossroads of our country's defense industrial base. Indiana's defense and manufacturing industry is helping to make America stronger each and every single day. And now that one of our most important military assets, the Naval Weapons Station Crane, will be getting a one-star Reserve flag officer, Indiana's defense industry will be stronger than it has ever been before. And I just wanted to come to the floor today, as we begin this week, and talk about the important role that Indiana is playing in leading America's defense industry. Indiana has one of the highest concentrations of manufacturing jobs anywhere in the country, and we have a great business environment, which is why we have a major defense footprint. In my backyard, in Fort Wayne, IN, a number of companies are located there, like BAE Systems, L3Harris, Raytheon, Ultra Maritime, and General Dynamics. They all call Northeast Indiana, where I live, home, employing thousands of Hoosiers. Indiana leads the Nation, as well, in steel production, and the steel mills in Burns Harbor forge the steel plates that make up our Navy's ships. And Indiana is home, as well, to some of the brightest minds that are working in national security and national defense. We have top engineering schools that send their graduates to Crane Navy base. Schools likes Purdue, Notre Dame, Trine, and Rose-Hulman pump out a lot of engineers who get good-paying jobs at Crane and in a number of these defense companies. At Purdue University, the Hypersonics and Applied Research Facility is running some of the most advanced wind tunnel tests anywhere in the world, and the results of those tests will help better our advanced missile technology. Purdue also has a presence at Crane at the WestGate@Crane Technology Park, a 750-acre campus dedicated to the research and development of hypersonics, energetic materials, and micro-electronics. At Notre Dame, the Hypersonic Systems Initiative is focused on researching and developing advanced hypersonic flight vehicles. Notre Dame is also part of the Naval Engineering Education Consortium, a Navy-funded research and workforce bridge that allows Notre Dame students and faculty to work on hypersonics projects that are taking place at Crane Naval Base. But perhaps more important than all of that, our coveted asset is the Crane Naval Weapons Station. Crane is the third largest Navy base in the world. A lot of people don't even know it exists, and it is in Indiana. In less than a decade, Crane has made nearly 2,000 new hires and has had over $3 billion of economic impact on the State of Indiana. It has been incredible to watch Crane grow into a truly state-of-the-art defense industrial powerhouse. Earlier this year, I took part in the groundbreaking ceremony of the Prometheus project at Crane. Prometheus will be a leader in the production of solid rocket motors, which are vital for critical munitions that are increasingly in short supply. And I was proud to fight hard here in Congress to secure $150 million in the One Big Beautiful Bill to help projects like Prometheus take off. Crane is doing some of the most advanced missile and hypersonic testing and development anywhere in the world. I also helped secure almost half a billion dollars for the MACH-TB Program, a joint Department of War effort to accelerate hypersonics testing, which is also taking place at Crane. Crane is also, by the way, managing the MACH-XL Program, another Department of War initiative designed to accelerate the development, testing, and production of affordable high-speed hypersonic weapon systems. And Crane is also leading the development of the Navy's nuclear sea-launched cruise missile, also known as SLCM-N. I could go on for a long time. I am very proud of what happens at Crane and what is going on in Indiana. I have only scratched the surface of the incredible defense projects taking place in my great State. But it is precisely because of how important our defense industrial industry is, especially at Crane, that I applaud Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao's decision to assign a one-star flag officer to Crane--a really important development for our State. This is the most significant expansion of Crane since its creation. It will bring game-changing new authorities and manpower to our State and further cements Indiana as the heart of America's hypersonic enterprise. The one-star position will be responsible for integrating the Navy's nuclear sea-launched cruise missile and conventional prompt strike weapons systems into and onto surface ships and submarines. It will bring more manpower, more authority, and high-skilled jobs to Indiana while strengthening Crane's role in protecting our country. Our country will be stronger because of this move that Secretary Hegseth and Acting Secretary Hung Cao have made. President Trump and Secretary of War Hegseth are rebuilding our Nation's military to make it even more lethal than it already was, and part of making our military stronger is by revamping our defense industrial base. Look no further than the great State of Indiana, which is leading the charge and showing the rest of the country what a robust defense industrial base can look like. Hoosiers will continue to work hard to make our country safer, and I look forward to welcoming this one-star Navy admiral to Crane when he arrives later this year. I thank the Presiding Officer for her time. I love to brag about Indiana and our defense industrial base and all the great things happening in our State to contribute to our national defense and our national security. I yield the floor.

Mr. BANKS

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

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum call with respect to the Lane nomination.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. The mayor of Indianapolis put out, frankly, a very weak statement that didn't even mention Brett's name, and so I wanted to come down to the floor, as we kick off this week and our legislative business, and talk about who he was but also talk about what is happening in our capital city in Indianapolis in my State. Brett's murder is the second murder in downtown Indianapolis in less than a week. Just before the Indianapolis 500, Gregory Anderson, a father of five children, was murdered in the downtown bar district in Indianapolis. And then last Sunday, a 16-year-old teenager was murdered in the northwest side of Indy. These murders have no place in Indiana, especially in our capital city. Indianapolis is truly a great city. It has so much going for it. Indy is home to the Indianapolis 500, headquarters for the NCAA, the home of great businesses and their headquarters like Eli Lilly, world-class sporting events, and other conferences and events that take place there like the Indy 500 last week--so much more going for it. But what is happening in Indianapolis right now is a crisis. Soft-on- crime policies are ruining this great city. How much longer will we allow this to go on? The reason Indianapolis is plagued by violent crime is because Marion County lets it happen. Marion County prosecutor Ryan Mears refuses to prosecute violent criminals. For example, 1 man in Indiana has faced over 30 criminal charges-- most of them felony charges in Marion County since 2020. This man should be locked up forever, but he is not, thanks to Ryan Mears--the prosecutor--and liberal judges and all of their soft-on-crime policies. And the rest of Indiana--especially the nearly 60 percent of all Hoosiers who live in the ``donut'' counties around Indianapolis and Marion County--the rest of them are punished for Marion County's refusal to do anything about it. Ryan Mears is a prosecutor gone rogue. He refuses to keep violent criminals behind bars, and he is a failure--an absolute failure--of a prosecutor. But it is not only the prosecutor that refuses to enforce the law. State Senator Andrea Hunley--also a Democrat--recently said with regard to crime in Indianapolis that ``we are not going to ever enforce our way out of the problem.'' That is not only a lie, it is a total excuse. If we keep making excuses for why we can't enforce the law and keep violent criminals in prison, we will never have safe neighborhoods and communities, and innocent people like Brett will continue to pay the price. Everyone wants to talk about fairness and dignity and legal protections for criminal defendants, but what about Brett? Where was his fairness? Why do we talk about the dignity of criminals and never about the dignity of their victims? We know how to keep our cities and our communities safe: We need to put large amounts of police officers on patrol. Let them do their job and ensure that criminals remain in prison. It is really as simple as that, but it is the opposite that keeps happening. A violent criminal who set a bus on fire in Indianapolis a few years ago was in and out of prison over 45 times in less than two decades. This is outrageous and completely unacceptable. But this is the world that soft-on-crime policies in Indianapolis and other big soft-on-crime cities enable. Law and order are necessary for any country or city to run well. And for there to be law and order, you need law enforcement officers who proudly wear the uniform and badge and rise up every morning to protect their communities. Those law enforcement officers need our support to do their jobs. We are now just a couple of weeks away from National Police Week. Our Federal, State, and local police officers are heroes--truly. They wake up every single day with the hope of serving their communities well and safely returning back to their families. They love what they do, and they want to keep all of us safe while they are doing it. But we need to make sure that they are not being sabotaged by soft-on-crime policies and politicians. Nothing will ever bring back Brett. And if we hope to prevent more young lives like this one from being taken far too early, we need to double down on our efforts to enforce law and order. We need to support our law enforcement officers and demand that our elected officials throw the book at violent criminals instead of letting them continue to cause mayhem and violence in our communities. I yield the floor.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Madam President, 23-year-old Brett Scrogham of Greenwood, IN, had a bright future ahead of him. After graduating recently as a top 100 student from the IU Kelley School of Business, Brett had plans to invest in housing properties and help his community grow and prosper. As a young child, Brett helped a neighbor rescue her dogs from a terrible house fire. Friends of his referred to him as ``a God-fearing Christian man'' who was always willing to help people. Though I never had the chance to meet him, it is clear to me that Brett was really an incredible person. And now I will never get the chance to meet this bright young man because, tragically, Brett was murdered in cold blood this weekend on his way to an Indianapolis Indians game with his family. The killing took place in a parking garage right next to the biggest church in downtown Indianapolis. College students and young families park there every week. I am heartbroken by this senseless act of violence. Brett's family is in my thoughts and prayers, and I hope that the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department will arrest the murderer soon--who is still at large.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize William ``Bill'' George Schneider, a cherished husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and exemplary public servant in my home State of Indiana. Bill left us on April 22, 2026, after a long life of hard work, dedicated service to his family and country, and conservative leadership. Bill was a fearless conservative leader, advocate, and mentor. For decades, he tirelessly recruited, supported, and counseled conservative candidates at every level of public service, including myself. Bill's steadfast mentorship shaped the careers of countless conservative leaders, and it has left an enduring mark on our State's government. Bill's journey was distinguished by his commitment to both his family and his community. In 1964, Bill founded Mister Ice of Indianapolis, a company specializing in commercial ice-making equipment. Through years of hard work, he grew the business into a flourishing enterprise. Bill's passion for the United States, the State of Indiana, and the city of Indianapolis shone brightly during his tenure of public service. He served as a county commissioner in Marion County from 1968 to 1971 and then as an Indianapolis City County councilman from 1971 to 1999. He also served on numerous boards and commissions, including the Marion County Sheriff's merit board and the Marion County Republican Party. For his outstanding service, Bill was honored with the prestigious Sagamore of the Wabash, a symbol of his lasting impact on Indiana. Bill is survived by his devoted wife of 70 years, Patricia Schneider; his loving children Scott Schneider (Kristine), Deborah Clem (William), Brad Schneider, and Stacy Madden; as well as 12 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Bill lived a life marked by hard work, dedication to his family and his country, and unwavering kindness. His warmth, wisdom, and commitment will be deeply missed but forever remembered by all whose lives he impacted.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Mr. President, as you know, one of the great privileges of this job is to come down and to speak on this floor--the floor of the U.S. Senate--about the important issues of the day. What an honor it is as new Senators to come and look around and be stunned by this building, by this room, this floor. There is something truly inspiring about such a beautiful room as this Chamber. In fact, I encourage everyone here--my colleagues, the pages, the staff, all of those in the Gallery who are with us today--to marvel at just how beautiful this room is. It is truly stunning. Take a look around, and take it in. I have been here for a year and a half now. It never gets old, walking onto the floor of the U.S. Senate and being in this room, the Senate Chamber. Look at the attention to detail, every bit of it, from the carpet to the ceiling, from the doors to the ornaments on the wall, the Senate floor is just one room in one of the most beautiful buildings in the entire world. Beautiful architecture is a vital part of civic life. What any society builds is representative of the values that that society holds dear. A society that believes in its goodness and beauty will build beautiful things. A great country will build great and beautiful buildings like this one, and then they will be shaped by them. In fact, it was the great Winston Churchill who said: We shape our buildings and afterward our buildings shape us. So well put. But a society that has given up on believing in its goodness and beauty will fall into a cult of ugliness. Sadly, the classical style of architecture that brought beauty to so much of the world has come under serious attack, and it is time to reverse that trend. Last year, President Trump issued an Executive order just like one that he signed at the end of his first term and that he signed again at the beginning of his second term, called Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again. And that Executive order mandates that classical and traditional architecture is the design for Federal buildings. Shortly after President Trump signed that Executive order, I introduced the Beautifying Federal Civic Architecture Act, which would make it the policy of the United States that classical and traditional architecture should be the preferred design for all Federal public buildings. My bill also directs architects and buildings to consult with local communities where building projects are taking place and to hear directly from them about what they want to see built in their own communities. I hope that my bill will soon get a vote on this floor to codify and make permanent what President Trump has done in his Executive order. But I want to spend a few minutes on the floor today explaining why beautiful architecture really matters and what is lost when we abandon it. I have talked before on this floor about my background. I grew up in a trailer park, the son of a factory worker in a small town in Indiana. The neighborhood that I was raised in, I suppose, didn't exactly have what you would call beautiful buildings that you would look around and admire. But I didn't have to travel too far away from that trailer park to see beautiful architecture. I got used to seeing the magnificent county courthouse--the Whitley County Courthouse--in Columbia City, IN, my hometown, that is right in the middle of the town square. Every time I saw it, from the time I was a little boy until even today, when I drive by it and see it regularly, I am always inspired by the dome of that beautiful courthouse building in my small town. I was the first in my family to go to college. And when I got to Indiana University, I looked around, and there were several beautiful buildings on the campus. The building that I spent the most time in was Woodburn Hall, and the intricate mural that was painted in Woodburn 101, where I heard most of my boring political science lectures, was painted by Thomas Hart Benton. I remember looking at that incredible mural during those lectures and being inspired by something beautiful. Now, my Fort Wayne office, which is my State headquarters, was also the same office that I occupied when I served in the House of Representatives for 8 years in my district. My office in the E. Ross Adair Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, in downtown Fort Wayne, is another great, classical-style building that is built in my State. When I say that these buildings are inspiring, I am referring to that feeling that you get when you see something beautiful, something that is built to last, something that is transcendent. Beautiful buildings make us look upward, toward the heavens, reminding us that there is something out there that is bigger than ourselves. That is the transformative power of beautiful architecture. Across so much of Europe, you see these magnificent buildings that were built hundreds of years ago that are still standing today. We should still be able to build those same types of beautiful, long- lasting buildings in the United States of America. Take a look at these two Federal courthouses, just as an example. Look at the Federal courthouse in my capital city, in Indianapolis, and then the Federal courthouse in Salt Lake City. And look at how the courthouse in Indianapolis looks sturdy and solid and how regal and beautiful it really looks with that design. It is a testament to the importance of the law. And then take a look at the Federal courthouse in Salt Lake City--in downtown Salt Lake City--and you don't see any of that. In fact, frankly, it looks like a prison--I mean, literally. It lacks symmetry, and it is anything but beautiful. It is actually really gross, and a lot of people who live in Salt Lake City agree with that. In fact, Indiana has a great track record of really building beautiful buildings, using classical architecture. After I graduated college and worked at a few jobs here and there and moved back to start a family in my same hometown, outside of Fort Wayne, I went to work for a fifth-generation family commercial construction company called Hagerman Construction. They have built a lot of buildings from the early 1900s to today that use classical architecture styles. But one of my favorite buildings that they ever built is the famous Lincoln Bank Tower in downtown Fort Wayne. It is built in art deco style, and it incorporates classical design elements. The Lincoln Bank Tower started construction in 1929, and it was finished in less than 1 year. You think about that, and when I was working at that construction company, I used to talk to the project managers and the construction superintendents, and they used to tell me that there is no way you could build a building like the iconic and most beautiful building in downtown Fort Wayne, the Lincoln Tower, in less than a year. In fact, it would take several years to build something like that today, and it would cost a whole lot more in today-dollars versus dollars in 1929 to do it. That is because of how much we have done that has created so much more redtape when you build buildings and all the hoops that you have to go through to build something as beautiful as something like that today. Another example is the Christ Chapel at Hillsdale College. It is another beautiful, neoclassical building that happens to have been built by another company headquartered in Fort Wayne called Weigand Construction. It is truly one of the most beautiful buildings that I have ever seen or been in, in our great country. Hoosiers know how to build beautiful things and build beautiful buildings. I am very proud of both of those buildings that have Hoosier roots. As I said, I am the son of a factory worker and a nursing home cook. But though I come from humble beginnings, I couldn't help but be moved by these beautiful buildings in Indiana and other places I visited. Those beautiful buildings, which I still see today, made me realize that beautiful architecture really is for everybody. They are not simply architecture--these big buildings, these beautiful buildings--they are not simply for rich people or the elites or the upper classes of our society. Everyone deserves to be surrounded by beauty, especially in this great country. That is especially true in Washington, DC, our Nation's Capital. Washington, DC, is the most important and powerful city in the entire world, and I can't think of any other city that has been as consequential in world affairs as Washington, DC, the city that we are in today. Given this city's power and importance, it should follow that DC would be beautiful, every bit of it. For large parts of DC, this city is truly magnificent. Washington, DC, is home to some of the most beautiful buildings certainly anywhere in our country but anywhere around the world. We have the grandeur of the White House, the U.S. Capitol Building, the Library of Congress--truly one of my favorites--the Department of Agriculture, and many other beautiful buildings that make up this Capital City. Because these buildings are built in classical and traditional styles, these buildings convey a sense of importance, power, and dignity. They tell us that those who pass through them and by them on sidewalks are important and that consequential things are happening inside of these buildings. The old Senate Chamber, by the way, just down the hallway, is another incredible room that was designed by a brilliant architect named Benjamin Latrobe. And when he built it, he talked about building the old Senate Chamber, and when he expanded it as the country expanded, he talked about how it represented a great and growing Nation. And then Dr. William Thornton was the original architect of the U.S. Capitol the guy who designed and built the place. And he talked about how he designed it in a way for the Presiding Officer and I to be inspired as lawmakers to do good things. It just goes to show that architecture matters. And that is how we should think about the buildings all across Washington, DC, that they represent the very best of our Nation. When President Trump decided to build a new White House ballroom, many of the so-called elites sneered at it. They made fun of it. They said it was gaudy and imperial, but really it was nothing like that. In fact, most Americans saw the ballroom as a return to grace. Finally, the White House would have a beautiful place to gather a lot of people, fitting of the important role for our Nation's most famous building to bring people together in an even more beautiful place than what it already is. I am glad that President Trump is making Washington, DC, and the White House even more beautiful than what it was before, but, tragically, DC is also home to some of the ugliest buildings that you can find anywhere. They are some of the ugliest buildings certainly that I have ever seen, and it is because we allow brutalism to infect our Nation's Capital. Brutalism is an architectural style that emerged in the 1950s. Brutalist buildings all look alike because they are all alike. They are made out of raw concrete. They are big blocks of raw concrete, and they are ugly because of that. They look like they are built on top of each other. In fact, the J. Edgar Hoover Building the home of the FBI is an ugly brutalist disaster. The Hubert Humphrey Building home to the Department of Health and Human Services looks straight out of a communist, nightmarish block. In fact, Dr. Ben Carson who used to serve in that building referred to it as ``10 floors of basement,'' is what he called it. The Department of Housing and Urban Development is another awful building. These brutalist buildings have no place in our Nation's Capital because our country is not ugly. Actually, Dr. Carson served in the HUD building, and he called that 10 floors of basement. We deserve to be inspired by the buildings around us, not depressed by them. The buildings that we build leave an impact on all of us. The question to ask is, How did we get here? How did we allow a cult of ugliness to take over large parts of the United States? And make no mistake, this didn't happen by accident. Cultural elites did this on purpose. They made our world uglier because when you do that, you change what citizens expect from public life. A world that looks ugly produces a culture that only sees ugliness. That is why the targets of the ugliness were often Federal and civic buildings. When official government business takes place in ugly buildings, the citizens lose belief in their government's goodness. But I am telling you, because of President Trump's Executive order and the bill that I have introduced, we can really change that one building at a time. President Trump is leading the charge with his White House renovations and his Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again Executive order, and President Trump is making our country great and beautiful again. And that is why it is really important that we pass my bill the Beautifying Federal Civic Architecture Act. We need to make sure that classical and traditional architecture are the preferred design preferences for all Federal buildings and that residents have a say in the types of buildings that are built in their communities. Elitist architects shouldn't be allowed to steamroll over regular Americans and force anti-American building designs on all of us. Our country is beautiful. Our country is the greatest country on Earth in the history of the world, and we owe it to ourselves and our children to build beautiful buildings that reflect who we really are as a country. And sure, maybe sometimes building beautiful buildings will cost more than building ugly ones--I will grant you that--but beautiful buildings last. They are transcendent; it is worth it. That is what our country deserves, especially this great country. I yield the floor.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Mr. President, last week over the recess, I had the opportunity to visit Taiwan coinciding with the 47th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act. After I left Taiwan, I went to Japan and visited Tokyo, visited with many of our troops and some of our military bases and was briefed there as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. What I got to see last week I believe was President Trump's national security strategy--the new national security strategy--in action. So I wanted to come this afternoon to the floor after returning--I am still a little jet-lagged from my visits overseas, but I wanted to spend a few minutes today talking about what I learned and how President Trump's new national security strategy is already making the United States more secure. Through his bold actions in Venezuela, Iran, and beyond, President Trump is demonstrating that America is stronger when the President acts unapologetically in defense of our national interests. When the new National Security Strategy was introduced last September, many so-called foreign policy experts started immediately denouncing it. Op-eds were written that said that because the security strategy focuses on the Western Hemisphere, that somehow means we are no longer prioritizing our competition with China. That is total hogwash. Nothing could be further from the truth. I want to stick to the facts today about what the National Security Strategy really means. The new National Security Strategy describes the ``Trump Corollary'' to the Monroe Doctrine. The Trump corollary is about restoring ``American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere'' and about protecting ``our homeland and our access to key geographies throughout the region.'' As the strategy makes clear, this is not a global retreat but an example of strategic focus. While we tackle the many national security strategies and challenges around the world, we must never lose sight of the issues that arise in our backyard. Securing the Western Hemisphere is necessary to project power to other regions around the world. We have already seen the many ways that this strategy has played out. Early in his second term, President Trump announced that the Gulf of Mexico would be renamed the ``Gulf of America.'' And, Mr. President, I know that you saw this too. Many people thought this was some kind of a joke. Those same so-called foreign policy elites made fun of President Trump for the name change. They said it was a joke, but, really, there is nothing that is funny about it. Renaming the gulf to the ``Gulf of America'' was a mission statement. It announced that America would dominate the Western Hemisphere once again and that America would lead on its own home turf. Since then, President Trump has taken action in Panama, Venezuela, and perhaps soon even in Cuba, and America is better, safer, and stronger because of those operations. President Trump's security strategy isn't something new. Since our Nation's founding 250 years ago, the United States has repeatedly kicked out foreign adversaries from the Western Hemisphere. European powers like the French, the Spanish, the British, and the Russians all tried over time to dominate in the region, but the United States never let that happen. I think about President Teddy Roosevelt a lot in this era, in this new era--a lot of similarities between him and President Trump. President Teddy Roosevelt was unapologetic about acting in defense of America's interests. From Venezuela, to the Dominican Republic, to Panama, Teddy Roosevelt used military power to make sure that it was only America that ruled in her own backyard, and President Trump is bringing back this tried-and-true strategy. Several weeks ago on the Senate's Armed Services Committee, we heard from the Under Secretary of War for Policy, Elbridge Colby, who is the key architect of this updated National Security Strategy. I had the chance to ask him some questions about our military actions and our strategy, what all of this means. Secretary Colby agreed that when we clean up our own backyard, we are not retreating from the rest of the world. In fact, securing our hemisphere is absolutely necessary to project power to the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. Imagine what it would be like if we had foreign adversaries in our backyard while we had to mobilize our forces in the event of a crisis. The results could be catastrophic. The surest way to prevent simultaneous adversary aggression is to have fewer adversaries. In Venezuela, China has already lost one client. In Cuba, they may soon lose another. Even as combat operations continue, President Trump has already degraded substantially Iran's military capacity to act in coordination with other enemies. By any count, President Trump is making a list of our enemies and neutering or outright eliminating them one by one. The result will be a safer, more secure world, with fewer threats. That allows us to concentrate our military power where it matters most: in the Indo- Pacific. Here, the National Security Strategy makes another key contribution to deterrence. Rather than focusing simply on the defense of Taiwan, the NSS draws connective tissue across the entire first island chain, interlinking security issues from the Philippines through Taiwan to Japan. As I saw firsthand in the region, this broader view advances U.S. interests while better supporting the needs of our allies and partners who are positioned at the tip of the spear. President Trump is backing up this strategy with a historic investment in our national defense in the form of a $1.5 trillion defense budget that he has recommended to us in Congress. These investments are already resonating with our friends and allies around the world. In fact, in Taiwan, I spoke with President Lai, who is likewise proposing a defense budget of over a trillion dollars in Taiwanese dollars. As I urged leaders from Taiwan's legislature, I hope Taiwan passes this badly needed increase in short order. Thanks to President Trump, America's key partnerships in the first island chain have never been stronger. We now have the strategy, the resources, and the will to leverage our military power to back them up. This is a combination that will serve American interests for years to come. I can't think of anything that is more ``America First'' than that. The National Security Strategy as updated by the Trump administration--Secretary of War Hegseth, Secretary Elbridge Colby, and President Trump himself--is really historic. It is an ``America First'' foreign policy agenda that is already making the United States safer and stronger. As we near the 250th birthday of this great country--the greatest country in the history of the world--President Trump has positioned our Nation to be the most powerful that it has ever been, and that is something that is really worth celebrating. What a big difference just a couple of years has made. From historic weakness in the Biden administration--I will never forget the disastrous pullout, the deadly pullout, the shameful moment of what happened in Afghanistan and what the Biden administration did to politicize and weaken our military. What a difference 2 years has made from that to President Trump restoring peace through strength through his actions, through what he has done to restore the military and rebuild the military, and also through this National Security Strategy. I thank the Presiding Officer for his time with that. I yield the floor.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, of all the things that the U.S. Senate should be focusing on today, like funding DHS and paying our TSA agents or protecting our elections with the SAVE America Act, Democrats instead are bringing yet again another resolution that is a clear political potshot against President Trump. Democrats are more interested today in rehashing their failed attempt to delegitimize the 2016 election a decade ago than in bettering our great country. The fact of the matter is, the reputation of Robert Mueller is a mixed bag, and the end result of the Mueller investigation that my colleague just talked about was a farce. What has always remained constant is that Democrats just can't accept that Donald Trump won the election in 2016 fair and square. Ten years after that historic victory, Democrats are still complaining about it and advancing their Russian collusion hoax. Democrats know that the Russian collusion hoax was their attempt to undermine President Trump. They knew and they know now that it has been debunked time and time again. The Mueller investigation was meant to stop President Trump and derail his agenda that he was elected by the American people to advance in 2016, and it was very costly to the American people and to this great country. Robert Mueller will always be intertwined with the Russian collusion hoax that greatly damaged this country. This resolution adds fuel to a fire that really burned out a long time ago. It is just another political hit job at President Trump, and I am not going to go along with it today. There are so many more important things that we should be doing on the floor today--again, like funding DHS or protecting our elections. Mr. President, therefore, I object.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Mr. President, I have two requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders. Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Mr. President, there are some things in the world that are so obvious that there is really no use in debating them. There are things in this world that really ``go without saying,'' and voter ID laws are one of those things. Voter ID laws are so obvious, they are so commonsense, that it is shocking that we are even having a debate on the floor of the U.S. Senate this week about it. It is hard to see that there are even two sides to this issue, unless, of course, you believe that it really is OK for illegal immigrants to vote in our elections. But how is that even a debate? The Constitution is very clear that only citizens of the United States of America are eligible to vote in our elections. So that debate is already settled. Indiana already has voter ID laws. Hoosiers have to show an ID when they show up to vote on election day, and they have to prove that they are who they say they are when they register to vote in the first place. But it is not fair to Hoosiers when other States don't require voter ID. It is not fair to law-abiding Americans throughout the country because, when we allow noncitizens to vote in our Federal elections, we dilute the power of the American voter, and that should never be allowed to happen in the United States of America. American elections are for Americans, period. Even with voter ID laws, there are still illegals who show up and try to vote. In fact, our Secretary of State in Indiana Diego Morales just audited our voter rolls in our State to find every noncitizen that voted in our elections to clean up the process and he actually found some, and the Secretary of State and our Attorney General Todd Rokita are prosecuting those voters who voted illegally. So it is obvious that even in the State of Indiana, where we take election integrity very seriously, that we need to do more to protect our elections, and the SAVE America Act goes a long way to doing that. It is also obvious that we need to pass the SAVE America Act for very practical reasons, to have voter ID nationwide in Federal elections. Under Joe Biden, illegal immigrants invaded and flooded into our country, tens of millions of them. Joe Biden and the Democrats allowed this invasion to happen. Democrats defended the flood of illegal immigrants into this country on this floor, and that is why they are so bothered today by the SAVE America Act, a simple bill that is common sense to protect the integrity of our elections. Voter ID laws are the only way that we can prevent tens of millions of illegals from voting in our elections. America is about to turn 250 years old. There is so much that we have to celebrate in this great country, the greatest country in the history of the world. But it is crazy to think that we are gearing up for this epic birthday by debating voter ID laws. The SAVE America Act is common sense. Voter ID is common sense. We have an opportunity this week to pass maybe the most commonsense bill ever passed by the U.S. Senate to protect our elections. I hope we do that. I hope we pass the SAVE America Act now. It is fundamental. I beg my colleagues to join me in supporting it this week. I yield the floor.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for up to 5 minutes prior to the scheduled recess.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 3 p.m. on Monday, March 2; 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 consideration of the motion to proceed to Calendar No. 343, H.R. 6644; finally, that the cloture motion with respect to the motion to proceed to Calendar No. 343, H.R. 6644 ripen at 5:30 p.m.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Mr. President, before we leave for the weekend, I wanted to take a moment and just come down to the floor and give the President a lot of credit for a great State of the Union speech on Tuesday night. It was my eighth State of the Union speech. I spent 8 years in the House, and this was now the second State of the Union speech I have heard as a U.S. Senator for Indiana. It was truly the best State of the Union speech that I have ever heard. And it was especially special for me to have my younger brother--10 years younger than I--Bradley Banks, from Columbia City, up in the Gallery in the House to watch the State of the Union speech. He, too, loves President Trump and what he stands for, and to have him be my special guest was a special moment for me and for him to experience a great speech as well. As President Trump said 2 nights ago, the state of the Union is strong, and that is thanks to President Trump and his great leadership. It has been incredible to see what a difference just 1 year makes and what a difference President Trump has made in this first year of his second term, especially after 4 disastrous years with President Joe Biden in the White House. President Trump listed a number of reasons why the state of the Union is strong, but just to name a few of those reasons and give President Trump a lot of credit: Because of him, our border is completely secure. What a night-and-day difference that is from what it was just a little over a year ago when President Trump came back into office. Inflation is at its lowest level in more than 5 years, thanks to President Trump. Gas prices are down below $2.30 in most States. Incomes are rising again. The stock market has set 53 alltime record highs since President Trump's election in 2024. Fentanyl moving into our country is down 56 percent. The murder rate has had its single largest decline in American history. And America is respected on the world stage, perhaps unlike ever before, because of President Trump's incredible leadership. As President Trump said at the State of the Union, our country is winning again. I loved hearing that from him. It made me so proud to be a U.S. Senator serving with President Trump in the White House once again. And while President Trump was celebrating our country, while he was saying that we have ``achieved a transformation like no one has ever seen before and a turnaround for the ages,'' Republicans stood to applaud while Democrats sat in their seats. It was really shocking to see Democrats refusing to stand up and cheer for American greatness. It was shocking to me. I couldn't believe it. While President Trump asked Congress to stand up and show support if they agreed that ``the first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens--not illegal aliens,'' the Democrats sat in their seats. They refused to stand up and cheer and stand with President Trump with all of us on the Republican side and agree to that simple statement. None of them agreed--not a single one of them. Not a single Democrat in the House Chamber, House Members or Senators on the Democratic side--none of them agreed that the American Government should prioritize their own people above everyone else, especially those who come here illegally--what a disgrace. I will never forget that moment, standing and agreeing with President Trump and clapping and cheering in agreement with him that it is our fundamental duty--the first duty that we have in this government--to put our own citizens over those who come here illegally. Democrats would rather be spectators to America's demise than champions of American greatness. That is what it told me when I saw them sitting in their seats and all of us standing in agreement and cheering for American greatness and what makes this country great as expressed by President Trump. President Trump urged Congress to pass the Delilah Law, which I introduced in the Senate yesterday. What the bill does is it keeps our roads safe from illegal immigrant truckdrivers. Delilah, a beautiful 7- year-old girl, up in the audience, in the Gallery, with her dad--when she was 5 years old, she was hit by an illegal immigrant driving a semitruck and seriously injured. She has made a remarkable recovery but is still injured to this day. When President Trump called on us to pass the Delilah Law to stop illegals from driving on our roads and driving a semitruck with a trailer, when he called on us to pass a simple, commonsense bill to take CDLs away from illegal immigrants, Democrats once again refused to stand up and acknowledge that that is the right thing to do, that that will save lives in our country by getting illegals out of semitrucks. They couldn't stand and applaud for a lot of other things either. The President of the United States, in his speech, talked about lowering prescription drug prices. Republicans stood in agreement with him, and Democrats sat on their hands. The President talked about no taxes on tips, a big part of our signature ``tax cuts for working families'' bill that we passed last year. I can remember distinctly on the campaign trail Democrats talking about no taxes on tips, and then every one of them voted against it. And when President Trump championed it in his State of the Union speech, Republicans stood in agreement and Democrats sat on their hands. The President talked about passing the largest tax cut in American history for working class families, like yours and mine, a tax cut that is significant. In Indiana right now, by the way, early tax returns for Hoosiers, a 10.9-percent increase in those tax returns from a year before. That is real. That is significant money in the pockets of hard-working Hoosier families, people who go to factories every day or work in hourly wage jobs, the real hard-working men and women that make my State and this country great. When President Trump talked about that and how significant that is, Republicans stood in agreement and cheered for it, and Democrats sat on their hands. The President talked about banning radical transgender operations-- again, common sense. Republicans stood in agreement and cheered in support of President Trump's commonsense policies to protect our kids; Democrats sat on their hands. He talked about so many other issues. It was one issue after another that puts the American people, the American workers, American families first and in a better position. Republicans stood in agreement; Democrats sat on their hands. As a son of a retired factory worker--my dad worked at Dana Corporation in Fort Wayne. He made axles. He got up early every morning. Sometimes he worked the third shift, all night long. He belonged to a union. He was a hard-working, union man all of his working life at the factory and put food on the table, provided for our family. As a son of a factory worker and the grandson of a union coal miner who was an FDR Democrat, right--I mean, my grandpa, my family, they thought the Democrat Party represented the working man. It is clear to me now that this is not my grandpa's Democrat Party. My brother Bradley who works for the Columbia City Street Department, gets up every morning. He happens to have a CDL. He drives the snowplow. He works hard to keep our small hometown in northeast Indiana clean and the streets taken care of. He doesn't wake up like you and I do every day and think about politics and what is going on in Washington, DC. He wakes up every day and thinks about working hard to provide for his family. When he sat up in that Gallery on Tuesday night and watched this historic State of the Union speech--the longest State of the Union speech ever, but the best State of the Union speech that I have ever seen--he couldn't believe it. He had a view from the Gallery watching this speech, watching the President talk about how great our country is, putting people like him in a better position to take care of his family, and the Democrats sat on their hands. They couldn't even cheer on the greatness of America and the good things that are happening in this country. It is clear to me that the Democrats just can't handle the truth. They can't handle the truth that 250 years after this Nation's founding, we have so much to be proud of. We are proud of the gold medal U.S. Olympic hockey team who brought golden glory back to the United States 46 years after the ``Miracle on Ice.'' We are proud of our heroic soldiers like CW5 Eric Slover and the 100- year-old Navy fighter pilot CAPT Royce Williams, who both received the Congressional Medal of Honor during the State of the Union speech. What a great moment for us to experience on the floor of the House on Tuesday night. We are proud that the greatest Nation in the history of the world will celebrate its 250th birthday in just a few months. The state of our Union is strong because President Trump is putting Americans first. Mr. President, 250 years after a small group of brave men founded the greatest Nation on Earth, the United States remains the best and strongest country ever. We are still a nation of builders, warriors, and champions; and thanks to President Trump, we are stronger than we have ever been before. That is worth getting out of your seat and standing and applauding and cheering and being in support of. I thought the President of the United States gave an incredible State of the Union speech. It was great. It made me very proud to be an American, and I am grateful for his leadership. I yield the floor.

Mr. BANKS

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

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 310, S. 2245.

Mr. BANKS. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment be considered and agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a correction to an appointment made on February 24, 2026, be printed in the Record. For the information of the Senate, this correction is clerical and does not change membership of the United States Commission of Civil Rights made by the appointment.