Richard Durbin

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, on a separate issue, I want to say a word about some nominations that are pending before the Senate this week. As the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, I pay closer attention than some when it comes to the nominees who are suggested for Federal positions on the courts. These are positions that are lifetime positions. You take a person and state: We trust you with this responsibility and authority for as long as you live--for as long as you live. So it isn't a question of 2 years or 4 years and replacing someone if they aren't up to the job. We have got to look for people whom we can trust for the long haul. The Senate will soon vote on the confirmations of Joshua Divine to serve as a judge for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri and Judge Cristian Stevens to serve for the Eastern District. I am concerned about these two nominees. Mr. Divine is 34 years old. He received his law degree only 9 years ago. In addition to a lack of experience, Mr. Divine has taken some extreme positions on issues that are important to people across the United States, such as reproductive rights and ballot access. Mr. Divine--if you can believe this, in this day and age, 2025--has argued in favor of literacy tests at the ballot box. Let me say that again. He has argued in favor of literacy tests at the ballot box. He states: Individuals who aren't informed about issues and platforms . . . have no business voting. The fact that we are even considering his nomination under the circumstances is shocking. Literacy tests have been tried in America. They are a racist relic from the Jim Crow era that we used to prevent immigrants and minorities from voting. It should not be controversial to say that no one who has argued for reviving racist Jim Crow laws belongs on the Federal bench, let alone for a lifetime. Mr. Divine also referred to himself as a ``zealot'' for the anti- choice movement. Now, whether you are pro-choice or pro-life, you would think that someone who is that blatant and open in declaring himself a zealot on the issue would trouble you. This has been on full display in his role as Missouri solicitor general. Mr. Divine has challenged women's ability to access the abortion drug mifepristone and has undermined the decision of Missouri voters to codify abortion access in their State constitution. Previously, Mr. Divine wrote: Because we know a genetically unique human comes into existence at fertilization, abortion should not be ethically permitted. I know that is the position of some voters whom I represent and even of some members of my family. I disagree. Taken at face value, this statement suggests that Mr. Divine opposes access to in vitro fertilization, IVF. Well, I have some beautiful grandkids who were the product of these IVF procedures. It was the only way that they could come to this Earth, and thank God they did. To think that this man who is seeking this lifetime appointment to the bench would not even answer the question on IVF is troubling. Joshua Divine is too inexperienced to serve as a district court judge, and his radical views, I think, disqualify him. I am also troubled by the nomination of Cristian Stevens. Following his confirmation hearing, I asked Judge Stevens whether he denounced the January 6 insurrection on the Capitol. For those who don't remember, that was a time when a mob forced Congress to shut down the procedure of counting the electoral votes in the 2020 election. As a result of that decision, they stormed the Capitol; came into this Chamber; videotaped themselves vaping while sitting in the chair of the Presiding Officer, going through the desks of Senators, tearing up the place, and, unfortunately, attacking a lot of innocent people. I asked Cristian Stevens about the January 6 insurrection. He said the use of the word ``insurrection'' was a legal conclusion--a legal conclusion--and that it would be inappropriate for him to comment on it because it was a highly contested political issue. Here is the cold, hard truth: The violent mob that ransacked the Capitol Complex in an attempted insurrection to stop the counting of the votes of that election led to the deaths of 5 police officers and injuries to more than 140 others. It triggered the largest prosecution in the history of the Department of Justice. Over 1,000 individuals were convicted and prosecuted for their activity that day. The fact that this nominee couldn't acknowledge what happened that day and denounce the violence perpetrated against law enforcement is troubling. If you can't stand up for the men and women who keep us safe at this very moment in this building--who risk their lives for the Members, their staffs, and the visitors in the Capitol--you have no place in a lifetime position as a Federal judge. I am also concerned about a law review article Judge Cristian Stevens wrote in defending the infamous 100-to-1 sentencing disparity between crack cocaine and powder cocaine. I voted for it in the House of Representatives. Why? The idea was that crack cocaine was such a deadly and threatening narcotic that we were going to pass a sentencing provision that was really tough. Well, this was tough. It said, if you were convicted of possessing powder cocaine or an exact same amount of cocaine in crack form--in crystal form--you would be receiving a sentence for the crack cocaine that would be 100 times that of powder cocaine. What happened as a result of it? The result, I am sorry to say, didn't work. You would think, with that kind of sentencing hanging over you, people would think twice. It didn't work. As a result, more people were using crack cocaine after we passed the law, and the price on the street was going down instead of up. We filled the Federal prisons primarily with African Americans who had lengthy sentences--some of them over 20 years--for the simple sale of crack cocaine. We decided that was wrong. I led the effort here on the Senate side. I am proud that I did. I was joined by Chuck Grassley, a Republican of Iowa, and Mike Lee, a Republican of Utah. We passed a bill called the FIRST STEP Act, and it was sent to President Trump, who signed it into law in his first term. Now comes Cristian Stevens, Judge Stevens, wanting a seat on the Federal bench. I am concerned about a law review article he wrote that defended the 100-to-1 disparity between crack cocaine and powder cocaine. He wrote: There may be evidence to suggest that these kinds of sentencing provisions are beneficial to black communities hardest hit by the crack epidemic. I am disappointed that Judge Stevens continues to stand by an article that defends crack-powder cocaine sentencing disparity--it was wrong then; it is wrong now--and he is certainly doing no one a favor by supporting that kind of penalty. My Republican colleagues will likely vote for both of these nominees I have described--Mr. Divine and Judge Stevens on the Federal bench-- without hesitation, but the American people deserve judges who will protect their basic fundamental rights, demonstrate independence and integrity, and remain faithful to the Constitution and the rule of law. Neither of these nominees has proven that they embody these attributes. I will vote against both of these nominees. I urge my colleagues to do the same. I yield the floor.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Delaware (Mr. Coons), the Senator from Illinois (Ms. Duckworth), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Ossoff), and the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Warnock) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Smith) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Maine (Mr. King), the Senator from California (Mr. Schiff), the Senator from New Hampshire (Mrs. Shaheen), and the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Smith) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I wanted to check on the bill that we are considering today, H.R. 4. I just heard the Senator from Wyoming, my colleague and friend, talk about a lot of programs that are part of the Democratic alternative. This bill contains no reference whatsoever to the projects that he is mentioning. I don't know where they came from. They certainly are news to me. But I do know what this bill does, and I know what it is going to mean to Wyoming and Illinois and Oklahoma and Washington and even the State of Hawaii. You see, National Public Radio and public broadcasting are opportunities for Americans to learn information that is critical to their lives and their futures and their businesses and their farms. Do you know what the Republicans believe? Well, I can tell you. They want to eliminate the Federal assistance for this public broadcasting. That is what is in this bill. I have a basic premise: I believe the American people are entitled to information, and they are entitled to be making the choice of their source of that information. Public broadcasting is one choice. It is one I respect and many of both political parties respect. The notion that we are going to take what is a miniscule part of the Federal budget and punish the people who are involved in public broadcasting particularly hurts rural areas--rural areas that I represent in Illinois. Small towns and the part of our State that is limited in population count on public broadcasting not only for the news, not only for entertainment, but also for critical information when it comes to terrible emergency weather conditions. Is this something that we want to walk away from? Just think. Just a few dayS ago, this body was voting for a Republican proposal called the Big Beautiful Bill, which was a betrayal of rural areas as well. I know because the administrators of hospitals in downstate Illinois have come to me personally in Washington to tell me what the elimination of Medicaid and the reduction of Medicaid coverage are going to mean. For many of these hospitals, more than half of the patients are covered by Medicaid. More than half of the services that are rendered by the hospitals are paid for by Medicaid. A cutback in funding for that program is going to hurt individuals. Eleven million individuals are going to lose their health insurance in the United States. Millions of others will see their health insurance become much more expensive--dramatically more expensive. Is that what the American people voted for in the last election? I think not. Overwhelmingly, by a margin of 2 to 1, they reject this Republican strategy of cutting healthcare and cutting health insurance coverage in order to give tax breaks to the wealthiest people in America. For goodness' sake, a $346,000 tax cut for Elon Musk? He won't even notice it. He is a multibillionaire. Yet they are risking health insurance for working families in rural areas to give Elon Musk a tax break. Give me a break. The American people believe that is unnecessary. Do I believe working families deserve a tax cut? You bet. Would vote for it in a minute. But when you are making over $400,000 a year, I think, frankly, you are in a situation where you shouldn't be asking for a tax break at this point, and that is my position. So that is one of the conditions that we face as we go into this bill. Eliminating government support for public broadcasting and National Public Radio is a setback in terms of information and choice for American families to decide where they want their source of information. But I do want to raise one other point that I think goes to the heart of our vote today on H.R. 4. The Senator from Wyoming, the Republican Senator, just called it wasteful Washington spending. Well, I don't believe this falls in the category of inefficiency, fraud and abuse, or waste. Two weeks ago, the Republicans used budget reconciliation to take healthcare away and raise its cost for 17 million Americans. This week, they are moving forward on H.R. 4 in an effort to eliminate programs that Elon Musk decided he wanted to take a chain saw to. Let's talk about Trump and Elon's first target: U.S. foreign assistance to the world's most vulnerable people. They have virtually ended USAID, which officially closed last week. What do they say about the program? Well, it is pretty explicit. Trump said these types of USAID programs are run by ``radical lunatics''--the exact words of the President of the United States, ``radical lunatics.'' Elon Musk--a great government authority--said ``a criminal organization'' that should ``die,'' USAID programs. Let's talk about these programs. You see, despite many lies spread about U.S. foreign aid, such programs cost about 1 percent of the Federal budget--1 percent--and billions of these aid dollars flow back into the American economy. These programs have enjoyed broad bipartisan support, and they help make America stronger and more influential on the global stage. Moreover, these kinds of deep cuts proposed in the current rescissions package threaten the long-term safety, stability, and leadership of our country as well as growing markets for American goods. USAID programs stem threats that don't respect borders--pandemics, failed states, dictatorships, and displacements. Their clean water and sanitation programs have provided more than 70 million people with first-time sustainable access to clean water in the last decade-- programs that have a 6-to-1 return in dollars saved in health, economic, and educational terms. My predecessor in the U.S. Senate and good friend was a man named Paul Simon from Illinois. Paul was a publisher of newspapers and an author who published many books. One of the last books he published before he passed away related to the availability of clean drinking water in the future of the 21st century. It was not a bestseller on the New York Times list, but it was certainly advice that should have been taken serious by all. When I asked Paul Simon's family what kind of memorial he wanted for his service in the House and the Senate and public life, they said: He doesn't want any statue anywhere. Do something good in his name. So I created the Paul Simon Water for the World Act. The Paul Simon Water for the World Act provided a limited amount of money by Federal standards to projects around developing nations that provided clean drinking water. I remember going to Port-au-Prince in Haiti--one of the most war-torn and devastated countries in the world. I went to a local hospital in Port-au-Prince, and the woman who was the head of the hospital said that they had a terrible problem with a cholera epidemic but it was under control. I said: What did you do? She said: Well, we ended up building a purification unit and a cistern with clean drinking water and provided it to people so they wouldn't get sick from cholera. I said: Where is it? She showed me. It just looked like a sewer lid out in the back of the hospital. I said: So where did you get the money to build it? She said: It was something called Paul Simon's Water for the World. I said: How much did it cost? She said: Twenty thousand dollars. That kind of small investment of $20,000 literally saved hundreds of lives in his name, and I was glad to do it. But it also spoke about the United States of America--that this country would take a small amount of money and make a dramatic difference in the lives of people around the world. I remember going to a village in India. It was a dusty, little village. I can't remember the name of it. There were kids eating lunch. What they called ``lunch'' no American kid would even consider eating. It was a grain formula that had been gathered with water and made into--it looked like a dough ball, and these kids were eating this dough ball with a great amount of speed because they were so hungry. I looked at the bag that was providing this grain for this basic lunch for these kids, and it said: This is a gift from the people of the United States of America. I thought to myself, when they pause before they start eating to say a prayer of thanks, they thank the United States for caring enough to feed them that day. Does that speak well of the United States? I think it does. It defines us, and it defines our values, and that is what is at stake in this bill. That is what we are voting on today--to cut and eliminate programs just like that that provide grain and foodstuffs around the world to the poorest people on Earth. USAID programs stem threats that don't respect borders. Clean water and sanitations programs have provided more than 70 million people with first-time sustainable access to clean water in the last decade-- programs that have a 6-to-1 return in dollars saved. Doctors Without Borders is an amazing organization. They have doctors in 70 different countries around the world. They provide medical care in conflict zones, natural disasters, and epidemics. They are already seeing that vital U.S.-funded programs that provide vaccinations and basic health, protection for those caught in war, and nutrition are being slashed. The CEO of Doctors Without Borders, Avril Benoit, recently noted: It is shocking to see the [United States] abandon its leadership in advancing global health and humanitarian efforts. Then she went on to say: U.S. assistance has been a lifeline for millions of people, and yanking this support will lead to more preventable deaths and untold suffering around the world. That is what we are voting for on the floor of the Senate today. This isn't just some administrative battle that doesn't have human consequences. This is a matter of life and death for some of the poorest people on Earth. This is the reputation of the United States as to whether we care. This is why American defense officials have even told us for generations that they support these programs. As they say, it is far cheaper than military intervention and wildly effective. Trump's own first-term Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said that if we don't fund foreign aid, ``then I need to buy more bullets.'' So let's be clear what we are being asked to do today: rip funding away from historically bipartisan programs that keep the most vulnerable populations and fragile nations from slipping into chaos. In addition to weakening our standing abroad, these proposed rescissions would hurt Americans here at home. I hope my colleagues will pause and think for a moment of what the consequences will be. This publication was sent to me at my home in Springfield last week. It is from Doctors Without Borders. It goes through pages and pages of the programs that have been eliminated because of the Trump administration's decision that foreign aid is for suckers. This President believes it is. Some of the people voting today may believe it as well. I don't at all. When it comes to malnutrition in Somalia, Doctors Without Borders reports that our cutback in funding has meant that patients are traveling as far as 120 miles for care because of the closure of facilities nearby. The HIV program--I don't know what it will end up looking like, but originally it was proposed to eliminate the PEPFAR program. Now, I didn't have a long list of projects that I worked with President George W. Bush on, but PEPFAR was one of them. PEPFAR was a program that addressed the HIV/AIDS epidemic directly, and it saved lives. Some estimate it saved 25 million lives. I want to salute President George W. Bush and all of those who supported it on both sides of the aisle. You see, sensible foreign aid used to be a bipartisan undertaking, and President Bush proved that over and over again. I can go through the long list of projects around the world that Doctors Without Borders has noted are being cut back because of this decision, but I want to make this more direct and more personal. This morning, one of my colleagues, Chris Coons of Delaware, who has been a leader in this field of foreign assistance, spoke to the Prayer Breakfast in the U.S. Senate. I am not going to quote him or try to. But I will tell you this, his message was clear that he believes as a man of faith, he has a responsibility, a responsibility that goes beyond his family, even beyond his country. He has a responsibility to his fellow man. He believes this decision by the Senate today will decide whether or not we as a nation share that sense of responsibility. I believe it speaks well of the United States that we come together and take 1 percent of our budget and spend it for the poorest people on Earth. And that is why I believe it is critically important today that we defeat this effort to rescind this spending in H.R. 4. Consequences of these rescissions will prove to be devastating here and across the globe. I urge my colleagues to stand up against the mindless cuts. Predictably, President Trump said: It is important that all Republicans adhere to my rescissions package bill. Then he said: Any Republican that votes to allow this monstrosity to continue broadcasting-- Referring to PBS-- will not have my support or endorsement. It is a political threat. There is no doubt about it. There is a risk for the Republicans who stand up for principle. The President has turned this vote away from a discussion on merits of the cuts--of which there are none--into a loyalty test, personally, because Donald Trump doesn't care about the impact of these cuts. He only cares about the bended knee, the craven Congressman, the servile Senator. We need four Republicans today--four--to stand up and vote a matter of conscience. I hope they will join us to preserve the strategic bipartisan programs and vote no on this rescissions bill. Please, today, to my colleagues on both sides, give a voice to the poorest children on Earth who survive only because of a caring nation called America. Our reputation in the world is at stake. Let's do the right thing. I yield the floor.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Smith) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Smith) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Smith) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Smith) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Smith) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Smith) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Smith) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Smith) and the Senator from Virginia (Mr. Warner) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Klobuchar) and the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Smith) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Smith) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Smith) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Smith) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from New York (Mrs. Gillibrand), and the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Smith) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from New York (Mrs. Gillibrand) and the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Smith) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Smith) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Smith) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Minnesota (Mr. Smith) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Smith) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Minnesota (Mr. Smith) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, when the Senate considers the Rescissions Act of 2025, H.R. 4, it is my intention to make the following motion to recommit to the bill: (1) A motion to recommit the bill H.R. 4 to the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate with instructions to report the same back to the Senate in 3 days, not counting any day on which the Senate is not in session, with changes that-- (1) are within the jurisdiction of such committee; and (2) remove any rescissions that may undermine the public broadcasting infrastructure that supports the access of communities to emergency alert systems. Mr. President, Senator Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland supports the motion to recommit bill H.R. 4 to the Senate Committee on Appropriations to eliminate rescissions that would undermine the public broadcasting infrastructure that supports the access of communities to emergency alert systems. Senator Alsobrooks knows the role of public radio and television in ensuring communities have access to information and emergency alerts.