Richard Durbin

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Kelly) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

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

Mr. DURBIN

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

Mr. DURBIN

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, over the weekend, while most of the country slept, a gunman targeted two Minnesota State legislators in their homes. He pretended to be a police officer, and he gunned down Democratic State legislator John Hoffman and his wife. Fortunately, they survived and are recovering from surgery and reportedly in stable condition. We pray for State Senator Hoffman and his wife's full recovery. Then the gunman attacked another Democratic State legislator with over 20 years of service, Minnesota Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, and her husband Mark. She and her husband leave behind two children. These killings are not only horrifying for Minnesota but a tragedy for America. This heinous act of political violence defies American values and democracy. Unfortunately, we have seen a disturbing increase in political violence in recent years, seemingly, as part of a misguided and sickening attempt to strike fear and intimidation in the hearts of the American people and those who engage in public service. Violence and hate have no place in America. Leaders on both sides of the aisle must speak out and condemn these violent acts. I have said this repeatedly, but it bears repeating: Political violence from the right or the left is never--never--acceptable. It is never the answer. We must condemn these violent acts when they happen. We also must speak out against the radical language we see online and even language coming from our colleagues. One Member of this body tweeted a picture of the Minnesota shooter and wrote: This is what happens when Marxists don't get their way. He tweeted another picture of the shooter and wrote: Nightmare on Waltz Street. Apparently, it was an attempt to blame Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for the shooting. Another one of my colleagues from the other side of the aisle tweeted about the shooting: The degree to which the extreme left has become radical, violent, and intolerant is stunning and terrifying. To attempt to politicalize this tragedy is absolutely unacceptable. This rhetoric from elected officials is beyond dangerous and incites even more violence. It is reprehensible, and it must be called out on both sides of the aisle--both sides of the aisle--because in the land of the free and the home of the brave, everyone should feel safe expressing their political views, and we must never do so in a way that condones violence or intimidation. I pray for Minnesota during this heartbreaking time and vow to continue to denounce and combat political violence of any kind.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. On another topic, over the weekend, President Trump hosted a military parade to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army and, coincidentally, his 79th birthday. Spending up to $45 million of taxpayers' money on this kind of pomp and circumstance, while at the same time proposing a budget to eviscerate medical research for the military and to take health insurance away from 16 million Americans is not a cause for national celebration. Meanwhile, the President's crypto business unfolds. Throughout his first term, President Trump was officially skeptical of crypto currency. In a social media post from July 11, 2019, the President said: I am not a fan of Bitcoin and other Cryptocurrencies, which are not money, and whose value is highly volatile and based on thin air. Unregulated Crypto Assets can facilitate unlawful behavior, including drug trade and other illegal activity. That is a quote from the President in his first term. Once the President figured out how to personally make this part of his investment portfolio, his tune changed. This is how President Trump is using the unregulated crypto industry to enrich himself and his family. Three days before he took office, President Trump launched his meme coin, a novelty item similar to baseball cards or Beanie Babies. Yet they hold no intrinsic value. Meme coins are risky and highly volatile. Despite the risk, many investors purchased President Trump's meme coin, and in the first few weeks after its launch, the President, in his second term, profited up to $100 million in trading fees, while more than 200,000 investors lost money. There has never been a precedent for anything like this in the history of the Presidency. Then President Trump auctioned off access to himself by hosting a ``crypto gala'' dinner here in Washington. The President made a whopping $148 million just off this dinner, from 220 investors willing to pay for face time with the President. But nearly half of the ``winners'' of this meme coin competition were still ``losers.'' About 95 attendees suffered a net $8.95 million loss by purchasing President Trump's meme coin. In total, 764,000 investors lost money to President Trump's meme coin scam. But his corruption does not stop there. His family started its own crypto firm now, World Liberty Financial, and, in March, they launched their own stablecoin, right as the Senate was working on the GENIUS Act, legislation to regulate--so-called regulate--the stablecoin market. Conveniently, this legislation allows the President and his family to continue owning and issuing stablecoins. There has never been anything like this in the history of the Presidency. Passing the GENIUS Act will help the stablecoin market grow tenfold, over the next 3 years, to a $2 trillion market. I am going to vote no on this legislation when it comes up this week. We prohibit Members of Congress from activity in crypto currency. The same should be true for the Presidency. Why are we having two different standards? I think the answer is obvious. That means, if the Senate passes this legislation tomorrow, it would give Congress's blessing for President Trump and his family to further enrich themselves, with very little protection for consumers. President Trump's crypto dealings, reportedly, account for nearly 40 percent of his net worth. All of the years and decades of investment notwithstanding, 40 percent of President Trump's net worth has been generated in just a few months in the second term of his Presidency with this cryptocurrency. In just a few months, the family--the Trump family--has pulled in approximately $1 billion from crypto--$1 billion. Tomorrow's vote on the GENIUS Act could bring us closer to enabling President Trump's latest scam. This is shameful; it is corrupt-- especially since we could have stopped this from happening if we had conducted an open amendment process, as Leader Thune promised. We could have had amendments on the floor that would have brought real regulation to this industry. Instead, we have phony regulation. I filed an amendment to crack down on ATM operators who are scamming seniors out of their life savings with crypto machines. My amendment would have created guardrails to prevent crypto ATM fraud. Approximately 13 States have done so, and we should do so on a national basis. But we won't have that opportunity. They have foreclosed all amendments to this bill. We can't even debate it on the floor and ask for a vote. Instead, the GENIUS Act will allow the crypto scam to continue at the expense of unsuspecting Americans and to the enrichment of the President and his family. I yield the floor.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Connecticut (Mr. Blumenthal), the Senator from Nevada (Ms. Cortez Masto), the Senator from Illinois (Ms. Duckworth), the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Kelly), the Senator from Washington (Mrs. Murray), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Ossoff), the Senator from Michigan (Mr. Peters), the Senator from Nevada (Ms. Rosen), the Senator from California (Mr. Schiff), the Senator from New Hampshire (Mrs. Shaheen), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Warnock), and the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Welch) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

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

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, the first few months of this administration, we witnessed unprecedented, unacceptable attacks on the Federal judiciary by President Trump and his allies. In one particularly egregious example, President Trump demanded the impeachment of a Federal judge who ruled against the administration, and President Trump said this man was ``a Radical Left Lunatic, a troublemaker and agitator.'' That is a direct, specific quote from the President of the United States about a sitting Federal judge. On Memorial Day, President Trump referred to members of the bench as ``USA HATING JUDGES'' and ``MONSTERS WHO WANT OUR COUNTRY TO GO TO HELL.'' That is a direct quote from the President of the United States about sitting Federal judges. This kind of reckless, inflammatory language is part of the President's ongoing attempt to intimidate the Federal judiciary. We are supposed to take this as acceptable conduct? It should be condemned by all political leaders, regardless of your political party. But my Republican colleagues have said nothing in response to these attacks on Federal judges. It is the ``silence of the lambs.'' In April, one of my Republican colleagues had the courage to say out loud why Republicans are not speaking up. As she put it, ``We are all afraid.'' Their fear is simply emboldening this President. Last month, President Trump was asked if he needs to uphold the Constitution. In response, he said: I don't know. It was shocking to hear that response from the President--even this President--and it demonstrates just how little regard he has for our fundamental rights and our Constitution. Yet my Republican colleagues are silent. Their unwillingness to speak truth to power calls to mind a line from ``A Man for All Seasons": When statesmen foresake their own private conscience for the sake of their public duties, they lead their country by a short route to chaos. The American people have already seen and suffered through the chaos that has come from the silence of our elected officials. So long as they fail to speak up, the chaos and lawlessness will continue. It is not only President Trump who is intimidating judges and attacking judicial independence; House Republicans are acting as accomplices, filing Articles of Impeachment against six Federal judges simply because they ruled against President Trump. House Republicans have continued their attack on the judiciary with their reconciliation bill they passed last month. Buried in this 1,000- page bill is a provision that would strip Federal courts of their ability to enforce a contempt citation when a party fails to comply with certain types of injunctions. The contempt power is integral to the authority of the Federal courts. Without the contempt power, parties could simply disregard court orders. Currently, Trump administration officials know that if they violate court orders, they can be held in contempt and subject to fines or even jail time. But President Trump doesn't want the courts or anyone else to stand in his way, and that led House Republicans to advance a provision prohibiting courts from enforcing some contempt citations. This would let President Trump pursue his agenda without any concern of being held accountable in the courts, and it would prevent courts from enforcing contempt citations in all manner of cases, whether the injunction issues today, tomorrow, or even 10 years ago. Maybe House Republicans thought no one would notice this provision. Maybe they thought nobody would have the nerve to oppose the President. But I can tell you, the Senate Democrats read the provision. We noticed it. We spoke out against it all week, and we will do everything in our power to ensure it does not become law. The attacks on the judiciary not only threaten our Constitution, they threaten the judges and their families themselves. Recent reporting has revealed a dramatic spike in threats against judges. Between the beginning of March and the end of May, 197 Federal judges were threatened. Judges and their families have received threats in the form of anonymous pizza deliveries to their homes. These deliveries are meant to show that the perpetrator knows exactly where the judges and their families live. So far, more than 100 pizzas have been delivered to more than a dozen judges and their relatives. It is not a laughing matter. At least 20 of these deliveries were made using the name of Judge Esther Salas's son Daniel Anderl, who was murdered--murdered--at his family's home by a former litigant. Even Justice Amy Coney Barrett's family has been reportedly receiving unsolicited pizza deliveries. Whether I agree with these judges when it comes to their philosophy is beside the point. This is frightening. Judge Salas herself has characterized the deliveries as ``psychological warfare'' that sends the message: ``Do you want to end up like Judge Salas? ``Do you want to end up like Daniel?'' These instances are sickening. They threaten not only judges and their families but judicial independence and the rule of law. They must be investigated, and they must be stopped. Over a month ago, as ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel. I asked them to investigate the deliveries and other threats against Federal judges and provide information on steps they have taken to protect these judges and their families. I have yet to receive a response. On Tuesday, I sent another letter urging them once again to investigate these threats against judges and highlighting the need for action. The Federal judiciary and our government can wait no longer. Last week, I met with three Federal judges to discuss judicial security. Judge Salas was among them. Her experience is a reminder how important judicial security is and how much is at stake. Our meeting also served as a reminder of how our judges have shown tremendous courage in the face of these ongoing threats. We should all be grateful for their public service and their willingness to don black robes and act without fear or favor. We should also be grateful for law enforcement officials protecting our judges. But it is not enough to merely acknowledge and appreciate the courage and dedication of our judges and law enforcement. The Justice Department and the FBI must investigate and must act now. The President and his allies must stop these attempts to intimidate a coequal branch of government, and congressional Republicans need to step up publicly and stand behind these judges. In the meantime, I will continue to stand up for the judiciary and highlight the need to protect our judges, and I will continue to stand against those who threaten our judges and the rule of law, whether from the right or the left. I hope my Republican colleagues will find their voices and join me. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Gallego), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Ossoff), and the Senator from California (Mr. Padilla) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Gallego), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Ossoff), and the Senator from California (Mr. Padilla) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Gallego), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Ossoff), and the Senator from California (Mr. Padilla) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Gallego), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Ossoff), and the Senator from California (Mr. Padilla) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I was necessarily absent for rollcall vote No. 321, motion to invoke cloture on S. 1582, a bill to provide for the regulation of payment stablecoins, and for other purposes, as amended. Had I been present for the vote, I would have voted nay.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Ossoff) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Ossoff) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Gallego), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Ossoff), and the Senator from California (Mr. Padilla) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Gallego), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Ossoff), and the Senator from California (Mr. Padilla) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

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

Mr. DURBIN

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

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Bennet), the Senator from Delaware (Mr. Coons), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Ossoff), the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. Reed), the Senator from Virginia (Mr. Warner), and the Senator from Oregon (Mr. Wyden) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Gallego), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Ossoff), and the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. Reed) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Ossoff) and the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. Reed) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, it was over 20 years ago that our office was contacted in Chicago. It was a young woman named Tereza Lee. She had been born in Korea and as an infant was taken to Brazil. And then her father, who was a Protestant minister, brought her and her mother to Chicago. She contacted our office because she had a problem when it came to her citizenship. It seems that the decision to move her around as an infant, made by her parents, left her undocumented. Her family didn't have a lot of money. She grew up with her father who was a Protestant minister, trying to find the proper church. And she went from church to church as her father preached sermons and made a few dollars to keep the family together. While her father was practicing his sermons at the church, she was in the back room banging away at the piano. As a student in public schools in Chicago, she got her first opportunity for real lessons through something called the Merit Music Program. She was great--extraordinary. By the time she finished high school, people recognized in her an extraordinary musical genius. They encouraged her to apply to the best--Juilliard and Manhattan Conservatory of Music. As she filled out the application to go to these great schools, she would run across that question: What is your nationality? What is your citizenship? She never thought to ask. Turns out she was undocumented. She didn't know what that meant in terms of her future, and a friend of hers contacted our office to see what we could do. The law is very clear for Tereza Lee. Although it was her parents and others who made decisions in her life that resulted in an undocumented status, the law of the United States said that she had to leave the United States for 10 years and apply to come back in. Didn't sound right to me. She didn't make any of those decisions; her parents did. She had done everything she was supposed to do: go to school, get good grades, develop her talent. And yet, we were rejecting her and sending her out of the country. It is at that point that I introduced a bill called the DREAM Act. If you talked about Dreamers before that bill was introduced, most people would refer you to the British rock group Freddie and the Dreamers, which very few people remember. But since then, the word ``Dreamers'' has come to characterize these young people who, by decisions of their parents, are in the United States undocumented. Today, we mark the 13th anniversary of the program called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program, known as DACA. It is a program which affects these Dreamers and their future. I first introduced the DREAM Act with Republican Senator Orrin Hatch in 2001--24 years ago. I have included it in many forms of legislation that comes to the Senate floor, repeatedly introduced it as an amendment over the years. I have never quite been able to reach the point where I can meet the 60-vote requirement to waive the filibuster or to pass it in the House the same year. After years of congressional action, in 2010, I wrote a letter to a man who is my former colleague from Illinois who had been elected President of the United States, Barrack Obama. And I asked him--and Senator Richard Lugar, a Republican from Indiana, joined me in asking President Obama if he could do something to stop the deportation of these young Dreamers. Two years later, President Obama announced the DACA Program. The DACA Program has protected nearly 835,000 Dreamers, many of whom who have gone on to pursue higher education, purchase homes, start businesses, and make America a better country to live in. These young people who grew up in this country alongside my own kids, went to school, stood up in the morning before class and pledged allegiance to that flag and believed that they were real Americans from the start--but not in the eyes of the law. DACA recipients have started families; 37 percent have U.S. citizen children; and 935,000 U.S. citizens live with DACA holders. It is a large chunk of our population, and they have done dramatic things to make this a better country. DACA recipients greatly contribute to our labor force. They are teachers, nurses, workers, doctors, and more. They boost our economy, providing nearly $16 billion to the U.S. economy each year. I have been coming to the Senate floor for 20 years telling the stories of Dreamers and DACA recipients. I don't think there is any better way to describe who they are and what they go through to try to become American citizens and be part of the future of this country. I would like to highlight one of them today. This is the 149th story of a Dreamer that I have shared on the floor of the Senate. Alondra O. was born in Mexico and moved to the St. Louis metropolitan area when she was 5 years old. She was a great student. She became a member of the National Honor Society. She was certified as a nurse assistant, a patient care technician, and phlebotomist all by the time she graduated from high school. Her dream was to become a full-time registered nurse. Do we need more nurses? Absolutely. Despite the national nursing shortage and her excellent qualifications, Alondra was unable to get a nursing license in her home State of Missouri because State law there prohibits DACA recipients from becoming nurses. But she didn't give up. Missouri's loss became my home State of Illinois's gain. And today, Alondra serves as an emergency department registered nurse in Alton, IL, just across the river from Missouri. Sadly, Alondra still lives in fear today every day that all of her hard work would mean nothing if DACA is eliminated. She has lived in this country since she was 5 years old. She should not be forced to leave the only home she has ever known simply because Congress has failed to do its job to fix our broken immigration system. Alondra should be able to work in this critical field where we desperately need nurses, wherever her services are most needed, and do so without fear of deportation. I have heard a lot said in political campaigns about murderers, rapists, terrorists, and mentally deranged people who were seeking to make a future in the United States. What about Alondra? Does she fit any of those categories? Of course not. She, against the odds, built a great reputation and a great resume, with her education, training, and work experience. She is doing work in her field in a part of our State where we desperately need nurses. She is no threat to anyone. She is not a danger. She is, in fact, a beacon of hope for those people who are sick and need a good nurse. Unfortunately, there has been a relentless campaign to eliminate DACA and deport Dreamers, so the future for Alondra and other DACA recipients remains legally uncertain. Basic question: Is America better off to have Alondra the nurse in Alton, IL, here or to deport her from the United States to a country she hasn't seen since she was 5 years old? More than 100,000 Dreamers have initial DACA applications that are still pending. They are in limbo because for years we haven't allowed those who qualified to apply to join the ranks of DACA. DACA was always intended to be a temporary program to give Congress time to pass a permanent solution. We are not very good at passing anything in Congress. Now in their 13th year, it is time for us to honor the Dreamers' patience, act on our promises, and provide them with a pathway to citizenship. My mother was an immigrant to this country. I am proud of immigrants. Our family came here with nothing, not even speaking the language, worked hard, and established themselves. My mother--eighth grade education, no experience in high school or college--raised three boys to serve this country. My two brothers were in the U.S. Navy, and I serve here in the U.S. Senate. Is immigration important for this country? The Durbin family believes that it is. I am going to continue to fight for the Dreamers, continue to fight for DACA. I urge my Republican colleagues, be thoughtful on the issue of immigration. Don't penalize Alondra, this wonderful young woman who has worked so hard to become a registered nurse in my State of Illinois. Give her a chance to make America and my State a better place. We remember this anniversary of the DACA Program and thank President Obama for his vision to realize these young people could make this a better country and realize we have to be thoughtful when it comes to immigration. If you are a danger to this country, we don't want you here, we don't want you coming here, but if you are going to make this a better place to live, we not only want you, we desperately need you. The DACA Program represents hundreds of thousands of young people who prove that every single day of their lives. I yield the floor.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Gallego), the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Ossoff), the Senator from Rhode Island (Mr. Reed) are necessarily absent.