Richard Durbin

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 New Jersey (Mr. Booker), the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman), and the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Ossoff), are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker), the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman), and the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Ossoff) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker) and the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Ossoff) 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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.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. President, on Monday night, President Trump threw America into chaos when he abruptly announced a freeze on trillions of dollars in Federal grants and loans that so many communities, States, and Americans depend on. The reaction across the Nation has been uniform. We have a phone ringing off the hook, computers busy and buzzing. Everybody wants to know: What does this mean? What has happened? Even members of the press were confused. Members of Congress were confused. Members of the American public were confused. And even members of the President's own administration were confused about the intent and scope of the freeze. Rightly so, Americans from across the country took to calling our offices and the offices of their Congressmen and asked what was going on. They needed clarity, and they wanted to know what the freeze on funds would mean to them--in agency after agency across the State of Illinois and the Nation. Toni is a woman from Woodstock, IL. She shared with my office that her brother has Down syndrome, and the care he receives is funded by a Federal grant. His health and safety would be at risk if this freeze is allowed to be implemented. Or take Dr. Kay, a professor and scientist at the University of Chicago. Her work depends on funding from the National Institutes of Health and other Federal grants. She shared that the freeze would ``interrupt crucial biomedical research, stopping progress, destroying sometimes years' worth of research that cannot be undone.'' And it could hurt the retention of our Nation's future scientists. Or Sarah, a supporter of community-based organizations that serve youth experiencing homelessness in the city of Chicago. If this freeze, in fact, takes place, the organization will not be able to access the Federal funding it needs to provide services for youth, help them escape violence, or help to reunify their families. Yesterday, Americans across the country faced disruptions in accessing critical funds and services in popular programs like Head Start, Medicaid, and so many more. These are just a few of the many messages my office and others have received from Americans confused, outraged, and impacted by this freeze. Then, last night, a Federal judge in DC ordered the freeze to be paused from going into effect until Monday, February 3. In response to the backlash from the American public, the organized efforts of many Democratic lawmakers, and the court ruling, President Trump's Office of Management and Budget today rescinded the memo outlining the funding freeze. But that isn't the end of the story. The President's Press Secretary now claims that while the memo ordering the freeze has been rescinded, the freeze itself still stands. Who is on first? How does this make sense, you ask? Well, the honest answer is it doesn't. The policy is as poorly thought out and communicated as can be. In true Trump fashion, his administration has made clear that it doesn't intend to abide by the will of the American people, the letter of the law, or the Constitution. It will do whatever it takes to push through this policy, even if it means hurting Americans across the country. Let me be clear. We are going to continue to fight this unconstitutional, devastating, and grossly unpopular freeze in Federal spending. I want every American to know that your voice and participation in our democracy means more now than ever. The President is betting that you won't notice when he abuses power or breaks the law; that amidst the chaos that surrounds him, you will be too confused, jaded, or just too tired to fight back. But I urge America to continue monitoring the actions of this new administration, particularly when they touch you and your family personally, and to report to our offices--both political parties--any Federal funding that your communities and organizations are unable to access. This will not be the last time, I am afraid, that this administration defies our Nation's laws to show a position of power, and we will be watching closely, ready to stop him if he tries again. Some think this freeze was a mistake, a blunder by the new President's team. Others think this was exactly what they wanted: chaos, confusion, a show of force. Today, we even don't know exactly what the motive is or what the status is. The courts have to sort it out because the administration can't even explain it. The best thing now, at this point, is to watch closely because programs that mean a lot are at stake. I have a particular affection for the National Institutes of Health, the premier medical research Agency in the world. For their researchers to call in a panic over this decision is to me a litmus test of why it is the wrong thing to do for America. Want to make America great again? Hook your star to one of the greatest Agencies in our government, the National Institutes of Health. Don't suspend their funding, don't stop their research. I watched closely as the story unfolded this afternoon, and with a lot of my friends, I thought, well, the Trump administration has realized they just made a mistake and they put everything back on track. And then Karoline Leavitt, who is the new Press Secretary, issued a statement, and she said: This is not a rescission of the Federal funding freeze. It is simply a rescission of the OMB memo. Why? To end any confusion created by the court's injunction. The President's [executive orders] on federal funding remain in full force and effect, and will be rigorously implemented. That was her quote to try to clarify the situation; she couldn't have made it worse. At this point, America doesn't know what the future will hold. The judge in the case that is pending is the one who may have the last word, the important word on where this is headed. I want to commend those who are in the courtroom trying to sort out the mess that has been created here in Washington for the good of this country to make it great again. We certainly need to have some understanding of what the policy of our government is. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, Americans across the country depend on their elected officials, not only to represent their interests in government, but also to provide every day support and services. But what most Americans do not see is the staff that make it all possible. Today, I want to take a moment to tell you about one invaluable member of my team: Cynthia Bajjalieh. For 20 years, Cynthia, my director of constituent services, has been living, breathing proof that the purpose of government is to help people. I am sad to share that this Friday will mark her last day on our staff. Her departure leaves a void that will be hard to fill. Cynthia got her start on my staff as an intern, serving out of our Chicago office. I have long told the hard-working young people who work for me: ``Treat each constituent as you would your own grandmother.'' During her outstanding service to our State, Cynthia took this to heart, serving the people of Illinois as if they were her own family. That directive has defined Cynthia's service to our State and this Nation. Over the past two decades on my team, she has become an integral part of the heart of our office--a problem solver, a redtape cutter, and goodwill ambassador all rolled into one person. Cynthia always takes the time to get to know the whole story. Ask her about any case she has handled, and chances are she will recall not only the constituent's name but also the names of their family members and details about their lives. She cares deeply about her work and the lives of others. You can find examples of this in her work each and every day, but one of my favorite stories is from 2018, when Cynthia got a call from the Sisters of Mercy about a Congolese mother who had been separated from her young daughter. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) would eventually take this case to Federal court to stop the cruel practice of family separation and force the government to reunite more than 2,000 children with their parents. It also was Cynthia who fielded hundreds of calls from Americans stranded around the world--and on cruise ships--during the pandemic, helping them get their medications and find their way back home. To me, Cynthia truly is a miracle worker. For so many Illinoisans over the last 20 years, she has made the seemingly impossible, possible. And she does it all with a smile and compassion. Cynthia embodies how the government should serve Americans; I am lucky to have had her on my team. I wish her all the best as she begins the next chapter of her life.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, all of us can remember that when the Biden administration took office, one of the first issues facing them was the evacuation of American forces from Afghanistan. That effort had started under President Trump in the previous administration, but it was up to Joe Biden to execute the plan for that to happen. The sad reality is that during the course of that evacuation, American troops lost their lives. I am sure that haunted President Biden every day he served as President, that the moment when he was being tested, he did not come through for those men in uniform who risked their lives and gave their lives in that effort. Those deaths haunted him, I am sure, during the 4 years of his Presidency. I would say to the new President, Donald Trump, serving his second term, he has an issue that is going to haunt him. I can't tell you for how long, and I don't know exactly how it will affect our country, but it has already started. It started when he decided about 10 days ago to grant clemency to the January 6 offenders, those men who were engaged in an insurrectionist mob activity that overran the U.S. Capitol on January 6. I know something about this because I was here. I was in this chair when the mob that you have seen on television and in videos over and over again were taking control of this Capitol. Presiding over the U.S. Senate--we were all in our seats--was the Vice President of the United States, Vice President Pence. We were counting the electoral votes in each State to decide who was the official winner of the Presidential election. It was happening right after President Trump had his rally not far from here and told his supporters and demonstrators to come up to the Capitol Building, which they did in vast numbers. And they didn't just come here for a casual visit; they came to break down the doors and break down the windows and to invade this building. I am not exaggerating. You have seen it on the videos; you know what happened. The net result of it is a lot of brave men and women who were part of the Capitol Hill Police force and the DC Police force stood in their way and tried to stop them and were beaten back. Over 140 of these officers were seriously injured by the demonstrators and the insurrectionists who were coming into this building. Several lost their lives. That was the reality of what happened. The net result of it was one of the largest prosecutions in the history of the United States. Ultimately, hundreds of them paid a price for that violent activity on January 6 and what they did to our policemen. The same policemen who are standing in the hallway now and protecting you--they are the people who were assaulted on that day. In fact, on the floor at this moment, I notice across the way one of the officers who stood before us that day and gave us instructions as to what to do. After Vice President Pence was removed, this officer of the Capitol Police told us: Stay in this Chamber. Stay in your seats. This is going to be a safe room. That lasted about 10 minutes, and he came back in and said: We have changed the plan. Evacuate this room as fast as possible. We all went outside the door. It was a dangerous moment. It took hours before we could take the Capitol back from these demonstrators and marauders. The men and women who were dedicated to their cause did things that were outrageous in terms of desecrating this building, the U.S. Capitol Building, this symbol of America. They desecrated it, and they had to be stopped. A lot of brave men and women in uniform risked their lives and some gave their lives as a consequence of it. Many of them went to jail after they had been charged with crimes on that day of January 6, and it wasn't until the first day of the Trump Presidency that they finally had a chance for a pardon, and President Trump gave them that opportunity by releasing them from jail. It is important to know what happened afterwards. You would think these men--largely men--who had served time in jail, some of them for lengthy sentences--up to 20 years--when they were released with this pardon by President Trump, would go about their business and resume a normal, law-abiding life. That is not the fact. Let me tell you what happened in the 10 days since President Trump granted these pardons, just so far as we know of those who were released from jail for their violence on the U.S. Capitol of January 6. I am going to do it by name. Matthew Huttle, released by President Trump by pardon, was shot and killed by the Indiana State Police earlier this week after a traffic stop, when he resisted arrest while in possession of a firearm. Daniel Ball has already been rearrested, since he was released with the Trump pardon, on gun charges related to past convictions for domestic violence by strangulation and battery against a law enforcement officer. These two individuals not only assaulted the law enforcement officers protecting us in the Capitol, when they were released by pardon from President Trump, they did it again in the week that has transpired since that happened. Andrew Taake assaulted police at the Capitol with bear spray and a metal weapon. He is now wanted in the State of Texas for soliciting a minor for sex and a felony carrying a charge of up to 10 years in prison. Enrique Tarrio, the head of the Proud Boys organization, a domestic terrorist group which has been identified for many years--he was convicted of seditious conspiracy on January 6 for his role in planning that riot. Here is what he said after his release: Success is going to be retribution. Now it's our turn. Stewart Rhodes, head of the Oath Keepers, another domestic terrorist group, convicted of seditious conspiracy for his role in planning the riot, said after his pardon by Trump and release: The people who did this, they need to feel the heat. They need to be put behind bars and they need to be prosecuted. He said January 6 should be remembered as ``Patriot's Day.'' He said he had no regrets ``because we did the right thing.'' Jacob Chansley, the so-called QAnon Shaman, posted on X after his pardon--and I have to leave some of the words out now: I AM GONNA BUY SOME [MF] GUNS . . . and EVERYTHING done in the dark WILL come to light. Let's be clear. President Biden's acts of clemency are far more defensible than President Trump's pardons on January 6. Sadly--sadly-- for law enforcement officers across the country, they are going to face many of these people again.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker) and the Senator from Georgia (Mr. Ossoff) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

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

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, we can all agree that the border of the United States should be secure. And, of course, we must deport any dangerous individuals who are here unlawfully. But the Executive orders that President Trump signed this past week don't target criminals. In fact, President Trump terminated a Biden administration policy that required immigration officials to prioritize for arrest and deportation individuals who threaten public safety or national security. Instead, President Trump has authorized Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers known as ICE officers, to make arrests in schools, churches, and courthouses across the country. The President has reportedly even directed ICE to set quotas for arrest, ramping up from a few hundred a day to more than 1,500 per day. These kinds of arbitrary quotas will ensure that essential workers, family members of U.S. citizens, and so many others who are no threat to this country and are not criminals are caught up in these mass deportations. For example, just this weekend, Trump officials stated that the raids they conducted were targeted toward criminals. Yet in Chicago, a husband and father with no criminal history was reportedly arrested by ICE on his way to work. His family was only made aware that something was wrong when he didn't show up at his shift. In New Jersey, ICE agents detained and questioned a military veteran and U.S. citizens simply because they weren't carrying on their person a passport or a license. These actions, like many of the President's decisions on immigration, have nothing to do with protecting public safety or national security. President Trump has also suspended the refugee admissions program. Why is that important? Well, because when American soldiers go overseas to represent this country and to risk their lives for the country that they have sworn allegiance to--the United States--many times they rely on local citizens in those countries to help them. That is what happened in Afghanistan. Men and women risked their lives to step forward and to help our troops, many times to risk their own lives in the service of their country and doing it for the United States. They included families of Afghans who are now facing persecution for that political decision to help the United States. We have offered to them, after going through extensive background checks, an opportunity to come to the United States. The same thing is true with Uighurs fleeing Chinese persecution and the Rohingya fleeing Myanmar's military dictatorship. Many of these refugees literally wait for decades to come to the United States lawfully--lawfully--and all must undergo extreme rigorous vetting before coming. But the President canceled flights for approximately 10,000 refugees who had been approved to travel to the United States after waiting for long periods of time and going through extensive background checks. This includes nearly 1,600 Afghans who had been cleared for resettlement. Many of them risked their lives for the United States' cause, and we were giving them safety and security. Those flights have been canceled by President Trump. Many of them fought alongside U.S. troops. Others are family members of U.S. servicemembers. Flights were even stopped for Afghan children who were reuniting with their families in the United States. Stopping these flights makes America less safe. It is needlessly cruel to American families waiting to be reunited with loved ones. It also sends a message to allies supporting our troops around the world that we will not protect them if they face retribution for helping the United States. Additionally, President Trump is attempting to deny birthright citizenship to children born in the United States if their parents are not citizens or lawful permanent residents. This is a clear violation of the Constitution. I want to read the first sentence of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. It is explicit. It reads: All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. One sentence is clear as can be. This order has been blocked. The order by President Trump has been blocked by a judge who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan. Listen to what he said about the lawsuit challenging birthright citizenship and the 14th Amendment's explicit language: I've been on the bench for over four decades. I can't remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one. This is a blatantly unconstitutional order. I was disappointed to see White House border czar Tom Homan come to Chicago recently with ICE agents, arresting immigrants and asking them questions even after they had requested to speak to an attorney. Do you know who accompanied him on this raid? Dr. Phil. Dr. Phil--a TV doctor--is not an M.D., but for some reason, he was invited to go along with this raid. Now, do you remember the many speeches given by President Trump, during the campaign, about dedicating himself to ferreting out the young people who were murderers and rapists and drug dealers and the mentally ill who were dangerous to the United States? I took him at his word that that is what he set out do. Apparently, Dr. Phil is an accomplice in this effort. He, obviously, has been invited to go along for the ride--on a raid involving people who would be dangerous to the United States? If this mass deportation is truly focused on dangerous individuals--murderers, rapists, drug dealers, and the mentally ill--Dr. Phil has as much business being on these raids as he does performing surgery. Why is he there? In fact, he could complicate the situation. We are talking about a legal process and the possibility of criminal prosecutions following. So to have this television character come along for the ride is dangerous and makes no sense. I am concerned that these sweeping Executive actions will leave those arrested by ICE, including those with lawful status and U.S. citizenship, with little opportunity to even state their cases and show that they belong in this country. Let's be clear: 90 percent of undocumented immigrants have no criminal convictions--90 percent. Immigrants make up more than 40 percent of home healthcare aides and children's assistance, daycare. An outsized percentage of them and the agricultural workforce are undocumented. Immigrants are a key part of America's success story. I do not want a single dangerous person to remain in this country or to be allowed to seek permanent residence here--period--but there are many who have been here for periods of time, who have paid their taxes, who have followed the law, and should be part of America's future. Our Nation needs immigrants in many important places. Come to my State of Illinois and ask the agricultural organizations. They will tell you flat out that, without the assistance from migrants and immigrants, they just can't do their work. Whether they are running dairy operations, orchards, or regular agricultural pursuits, they need a helping hand, and many times, the only ones who will come to help them are those who come from other countries. They put food on our tables, they care for our children, and they help care for our parents and grandparents. Many of these people are Dreamers who grew up alongside our kids and have gone on to serve our Nation as members of the armed services, as doctors, and as first responders. They believe in the American dream, and I will continue to fight to protect them for as long as I serve in the U.S. Senate. There is no room in this country for dangerous people, but there is plenty of room for those who aspire to make this a better nation. We should be fair in making a distinction and in realizing the difference is significant. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DURBIN

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

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise in support of the resolution offered by my colleague from the State of Washington, and I thank her for that. This is personal. For many of us, it is personal. We were here on the Senate floor on January 6, 2021. Vice President Pence was presiding. I was sitting at this very desk. A few minutes after 2 o'clock, the Secret Service came in and literally removed him from his chair. We knew there were demonstrations outside, but we didn't know how serious or how violent they had become. A few minutes after that, a Capitol policeman stood in front of this Chamber and said to all of us: Stay in this room. Just take your seats. This is going to be a safe room. There will be many people coming in here, and we will keep them safe. We didn't know what was happening outside, but we knew something serious was going on. We waited another 10 minutes, and the same Capitol policeman said: A change of orders--leave immediately and exit through that door. We all filed out through that door and headed for one of the buildings on Capitol Hill where there was a safe space for Members of the Senate to meet. I wasn't sure what was going on in the House of Representatives. I still don't know all the details. But the reality was the mob--the insurrectionist mob--was taking over the Capitol. Thousands of people were storming into this building--not for a peaceful demonstration by any means but, sadly, for violence and destruction. That day was the worst day I can recall in the history of the Senate in terms of our respect for this building that has become a symbol--not only for the United States but for the world--for peace and democracy. And I thought of those poor Capitol policemen who were asked to defend us with their lives. They were asked to risk their lives for us. And they did. Four or five of them lost their lives as a result of it, and over 140 were seriously injured. Some of the things that were done to them were outrageous. You have seen the videotape. We don't have to speculate on what it was. We saw it, as they tore down building structures, as they beat up on these cops as many of them faced death and knew at the time it was that serious. The grimmest reality of those riots was the subsequent death of five of these law enforcement officers and the injuries to approximately 140 others, many of whom still pay that price to this day. Last week, President Trump, who incited the violence, commuted the sentences of 14 individuals and granted full, complete, and unconditional pardons to approximately 1,500 others convicted of offenses related to the January 6 attack. Many of the perpetrators have shown a stunning lack of remorse following their violent assaults on the brave members of the U.S. Capitol Police and DC Metropolitan Police who protected my life and the lives of so many others that day. For example, last August, David Dempsey, just a few hours after receiving a 240-month prison sentence for attacking police on January 6 with a flagpole, crutches, pepper spray, and pieces of furniture, called in to a gathering of supporters outside the DC jail. In reference to Trump's opponents, Mr. Dempsey said: Don't celebrate too hard man, because that sentence is only gonna last like 6 months. He knew that if President Trump were elected and had the power, he would pardon him, despite what he had done to the Capitol Police. Devlyn Thompson attempted to throw a speaker at police officers, which ended up hitting and injuring a fellow rioter, and hit a police officer with a metal baton. Daniel ``D.J.'' Rodriguez, a California man who drove a stun gun into an officer's neck during one of the most violent clashes of the Capitol riot, was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison before President Trump granted him clemency. Andrew Taake pepper-sprayed police officers and hit one with a metal whip. He was supposed to serve 74 months in a Federal prison in Beaumont, TX, but he was pardoned by President Trump. These are just a few--a few--of the hundreds of individuals President Trump decided to pardon in his unconscionable Executive order. The list of crimes committed by these thugs goes on for pages and pages and pages of court documents. Winston Churchill said once: Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it. That is why we must continue sounding the alarm on the violence and chaos of that day to ensure it never happens again. We must be clear that violence for political purposes is never, never acceptable. It has no place in democracy. The men and women who bravely defended the Members of this body deserve more, and we should honor them for their heroic efforts, not excuse the thugs who attacked this body and the ideals it represents. President Trump was wrong in pardoning these men who attacked the police. I thank Senator Murray for introducing this resolution condemning President Trump's pardons of the January 6 insurrectionists who assaulted our brave law enforcement officers, and I am disgusted-- disgusted--that our Republican colleagues won't join us in honoring the men and women who risk their lives every single day for us. They risk their lives for us, and Senator Murray has asked us to recognize that fact and say violence against them is never acceptable. We couldn't even get a bipartisan vote for that. It is a shame it has reached that point, but it has. I yield the floor.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. It was very well done. As a Midwesterner, I know a little bit about that, so I respect his observations. Who is Mr. Vaeth, V-A-E-T-H? His title is the acting leader of the Office of Management and Budget, and he is the one who sent out a letter--a memo--that, basically, called for a temporary pause in government spending. By what authority did he do that? I don't know. I have been in Congress for a few years. I have never quite seen anyone with an ``acting'' before their name have this much authority and power, but he had a lot. He has taken to, himself, the decision making that affects families all over the United States, including in my State of Illinois. That little memo that he put out last night is particularly troublesome to me because if you read it, what he is saying is we don't want anybody who receives these Federal funds who does not abide by the Executive orders of this new President. The Executive orders of the new President are 7 or 8 days old-- brandnew--and I can't tell you whether or not the recipients of Federal funds all comply with these Executive orders, which have been tumbling out of the White House on such topics as DEI and some of the other favorite political positions of President Trump. But he, basically, paused Federal spending starting last night so that these recipients can answer the basic questions as to whether they are loyal to his point of view. He referred to those who didn't agree with him as Marxists, as in Karl Marx--Marxists. I am thinking to myself: Who is this guy? How does he have this much authority, and how is he able to say things like that that are so blatantly political? Well, the money that was turned off today was felt across America. This poorly conceptualized, poorly communicated policy has created mass confusion in my State and across the Nation. And worse yet, it has endangered the health, safety, and welfare of Americans across the country. The proposed freeze mandates that the government ``temporarily pause'' the disbursement of key funds. Think about that for a minute when I start reading these programs. We are going to temporarily pause reimbursement to local units of government and charities, for example, while we decide whether they are living up to the standards of Donald Trump in terms of his political values. Here are some of the programs that were affected today: Head Start. I think everybody knows what Head Start is. If you have ever been there, it is one of the most enjoyable visits a politician can make. They put you in a room with little kids--I mean little kids; 3, 4, 5 years old-- and you get to read them books and play with them. I tell you, for a grandfather, it is a joy. It reminds you of how much joy you have with your own kids and grandkids. But why are they important? For many families, Head Start is daycare, Head Start is pre-K, Head Start is a chance for kids in tough family circumstances to have a fighting chance. And, of course, the Head Start agencies need to get their Federal funds to keep the lights on, to feed the kids, to make sure that they can heat the buildings in the winter. And today Mr. Vaeth, whoever in the world he is, has decided that we are not going to give them money. Close the portal. Close the opportunity for them to receive Federal funds. What is he thinking? If these kids can't come to these Head Start facilities, they not only miss the opportunity for education and socialization and a warm place to be, but they are missing an opportunity that makes a difference in their lives. The other one is Violence Against Women. The groups are calling us in Illinois. They call me because the Senate Judiciary Committee, which I serve on, authored this bill years ago. A Senator from Delaware at the time, Joe Biden, introduced this legislation. And what it boils down to is, if you are a victim of domestic violence, there are grants available to provide safe and secure places for you to stay rather than be put in these horrible, violent situations at home. So what are we going to do with Mr. Vaeth's idea to put this on temporary pause? Are we going to have a temporary pause on violence in homes? I wish we could. But to think that he makes that kind of decision is beyond me. Where does he get the authority to do this, and doesn't he have any conscience when it comes to the impact of these decisions? Natural disaster relief speaks for itself. You think of those poor folks in California, trying to recover from their own wildfires. You think of the flooding and hurricanes and all the other events that take place. There are people who need a helping hand. Mr. Vaeth decides to put that on temporary pause. Veterans' benefits speaks for itself. Men and women who served our country earned these benefits by risking their lives for America, and to put those benefits on temporary pause is a disgrace. Loans to small businesses. So many aspects of business rely on just a helping hand to get started. And if you think that loans to businesses are just for little businesses, keep in mind that in 2009, Elon Musk came to the Obama administration and asked for a loan so that his Tesla car company wouldn't go into bankruptcy. But there are a lot of smaller businesses just as desperate to get a helping hand. In Illinois, the impact of this thoughtless policy is already being felt. Another area that is near and dear to me is medical research. The National Institutes of Health, with an annual budget of around $38 billion to $40 billion, is the premier medical research Agency in the world--in the world. The things that they are working on--new drugs, new surgical techniques, new treatments--will save lives. We know it. It has happened over and over again. So, today, they get Mr. Vaeth's memo about the temporary pause in funding, and they have got to tell their laboratory researchers, doctors, and specialists to stop what they are doing at 5 today. That was the end of the funding from the Federal Government. Honest to goodness, Mr. Vaeth, what are you thinking? Stopping medical research? You want that on your head, your conscience? Think about what that means. Federally funded research scientists are going to lose funding for this research, and the people of America will pay the price. Families will pay the price. The disability community, the same thing--the ability to access critical services for them and their loved ones. Some of these things are very basic: paying a personal attendant who will help a disabled person get dressed in the morning so they can spend a productive day at work. If they are not there, the disabled person doesn't have that opportunity. That is a real-life issue for a lot of families with disabilities. The Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault in Springfield contacted us today and said that because of this announcement from OMB and from the Trump administration, they don't know if they will be able to help survivors without VOCA funding. These are just a few of the many examples that emerged in the chaos of the past 24 hours. If your goal is to make America great again, why would you start by cutting these basic services for families and deserving people across this country? For goodness' sake, we are better than that. I am proud of a nation that cares for people who need a helping hand. I am not ashamed to say that. And some of these people, particularly veterans, earned it-- earned it over and over again. These are just a few of the people who contacted us. Although the Trump administration has claimed that individuals who receive direct assistance from the government will not be affected, Americans across the country have faced severe service disruptions with Medicaid and Head Start amidst the policy changes that Mr. Vaeth, the acting head of the OMB, has imposed. Even the President's own Press Secretary, just a few minutes ago, was unable to even answer the questions about what was going on with this OMB Director. You know why? Because this move is nothing more than a power grab designed to target the most vulnerable people and disguise it as a way to ``analyze government spending.'' Analyze government spending? Tell that to the family that is waiting desperately for medical research. Tell them that we had to suspend it for a little while so we could do a little analysis. I want to be clear. The President is blatantly violating the law by holding up these vital funds across America. The Federal funds this administration is refusing to distribute have been collected by taxpayers and appropriated by Congress, and the money belongs to the American people. It is the law. Thankfully, a Federal judge here in the District of Columbia has decided to temporarily block this freeze, this temporary pause, from going into effect until next Monday, February 3. But this measure only delays the chaos and uncertainty if it is President Trump's determined effort to make sure that this happens. We will not stand idly by while the President plays fast and loose with our Nation's laws and the American people's lives and livelihoods. We can have fiscal responsibility. We can have a budget we are proud of. But this kind of action, taken by a fellow last night somewhere in the bowels of a building here in Washington, is hurting people all across America. You can't help American families be great if you don't give them a fighting chance. We have got to stop this and stop it soon. I yield the floor.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I thank my leader from New York and glad he gave us his little seminar on chickens.

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, on a totally unrelated subject, this week two Senate committees will hold confirmation hearings for Robert Kennedy, Jr., President Trump's nominee to be Secretary for Health and Human Services. Every day, HHS, this major government Agency, makes life-and-death decisions. That Agency oversees the Food and Drug Administration to make sure that what we eat is safe, to make sure the drugs that are sold to us are effective and safe as well. The National Institutes of Health is in this Agency. It is the premiere medical research agency in the world--in the world. Some $40 billion spent each year to find cures, to find new drugs, to move us toward a better America. And the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, their job is not as flashy as some, but it is so important. What they do is to make sure whatever is going around, as they say, doesn't hit our families. We count on them every single day. It is a big job that requires responsible leadership and honesty overseeing an Agency that has these critical Agencies of government. Now there may be some certain areas where we agree, such as curbing drug ads or improving the quality of the food supply. And I know Robert Kennedy, Jr., and I have worked with him in the past. I can work with him on those issues. But on the fundamentals, the basic question of his leadership is troublesome. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is dangerously--dangerously-- unqualified and entirely irresponsible in his judgment. He embraces quack science and cherry-picks information to fulfill his numerous conspiracy theories. His decades-long crusade to spread lies about vaccines is just one example. Let me show you a chart that is pretty explicit, pretty short. Robert Kennedy, Jr.: There's no vaccine that is safe and effective. This man who wants to head the Agency which develops vaccines and monitors their use said there is not a single vaccine that is safe and effective. He has stated that as recently as July of 2023. Contrary to scientific fact, he has also said that: I do believe that autism does come from vaccines. I have heard this theory, and I think about it so many times when I think of my friends and families who are raising children with autism. What a responsibility. What an effort they have to put into it to give these young children a chance. And to have this quack theory out there that this has something--their child's condition have something to do with vaccines is cruel. And an outlandish conspiracy manifesto which he has helped to publish and wrote the forward for entitled ``Cause Unknown''--here is the book--attempted to link COVID-19 vaccination with deaths in young kids. Let me put this up here. It is a picture of the cover of this book. ``Forward written by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.,'' who is up for approval as part of the Trump Cabinet, head of HHS. The book's cover has a picture of a young man whose name is Braden Fahey. The only problem this book, which is called ``Cause Unknown: The Epidemic of Sudden Deaths'' and talks about COVID vaccine--Braden never received a COVID vaccine. This poor little boy died at football practice due to a malformed blood vessel on his brain, and the book included his photo without the knowledge or consent of his parents. The height of irresponsibility. Mr. Kennedy pushes facts aside when he wants to tell us about his agenda. The Hippocratic Oath for doctors states: ``First, do no harm.'' But I am fearful, if we put Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., in charge of our Nation's health, innocent children will die. It is no secret what he would do. Mr. Kennedy himself petitioned the FDA to rescind authorization of all COVID vaccines in 2021, and a key associate of his has petitioned to remove the polio vaccine. I look over here to the pages we have in the Senate. I think of my own experience, when I was 4 or 5 years younger than them. It was in the 1950s. We knew polio because we saw kids in our classrooms who were here today and in the hospital tomorrow. They contracted polio. It could be deadly. It could be crippling. It could affect you for the rest of your life. We knew this thing called an iron lung that looked like a big vat--a big white vat--and the head sticking out of the end of it was this young person who contracted polio. This iron lung was helping these young kids to breathe and stay alive. We lived in dread of the possibility of coming down with polio. I remember talking about it when I was a little kid. How do you get polio? Nobody knew. Then the day came when Jonas Salk--Dr. Jonas Salk--developed a vaccine that was going to protect us from coming down with polio. Later on, Dr. Sabin developed an oral version of the vaccine, which we kids liked a lot more. But the bottom line was, in my lifetime, in my childhood, we stopped polio in the United States. It was a vaccine that worked, over and over and over again--a million times over again. It worked. In 1952, polio paralyzed more than 21,000 Americans and killed more than 3,000. But thanks to researcher Jonas Salk, the vaccine was discovered and studied among 1.3 million children. They did testing of thousands of kids across the United States before they injected all of us. It was proven safe. The last case of wild polio found in the United States was 1979. That is over 40 years ago. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has spread conspiracy theories to discourage uptake of the measles vaccine, for example, including traveling to Samoa to spread lies about its safety, fueling an outbreak that took 80 lives--80 lives in Samoa. Before the measles vaccine, 48,000 people were hospitalized each year in the United States, with thousands experiencing life-threatening brain swelling. By 2000, measles was officially declared eliminated because of vaccines. Mr. Kennedy's dangerous anti-science views don't stop with these obvious vaccines that have helped America. He also targeted the fluoride in drinking water. We have been adding tiny bits of fluoride in our drinking water for over 70 years in the United States. We have tested every way you can imagine--as we should--to make sure that it is safe for all of us to drink. And the tests come back suggesting it has always proven its safety. Why do we do it? It reduces cavities in teeth dramatically. A little bit of fluoride can go a long way in that regard. It has changed dentistry since I was a kid. Going to the dentist used to be a not very welcome adventure, and kids went regularly with cavities galore. I was one of them. But the fluoride in water changed things for my own children and grandchildren. It is safe, and it helps. But Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., doesn't accept that. He wants to contest fluoride in drinking water. This man is not a scientist; he is a political figure. I have known him for many years. He has no special knowledge or authority when it comes to these issues and, sadly, buys into a myriad of conspiracy theories. Let's be clear. There is no evidence that current recommended levels of fluoride cause any harm. On the flip side, it has been established, as I said, for over seven decades, that it helps prevent cavities and dental surgeries in children. God forbid we ever encounter another pandemic or infectious disease threat. Do you really want this vaccine denier, Robert Kennedy, Jr., at the helm? I issue a challenge to my 99 Senate colleagues. Go ask your local children's hospital if they think this nominee, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., would help or harm the way they work to treat our children. I know what the answer is going to be. The U.S. Senate is better than this. I urge my colleagues to think twice before voting for this irresponsible nominee. The impact on the public health of America could be devastating, and we have to accept the responsibility that this is the wrong nominee for this critical Agency. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that 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 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. 18, motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Scott Bessent to be Secretary of the Treasury. Had I been present for the vote, I would have voted nay.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, in 2018, I had the opportunity to visit Venezuela. It was a once prosperous, albeit imperfect, democracy suffering from terrible economic and political decline. I told then- President Maduro that if he rigged the upcoming election, Venezuelans would be even more isolated and endure further unnecessary suffering. It didn't stop him for a minute. He went ahead with a discredited election. The result was as predicted: The economy of Venezuela started descending into chaos. People were literally starving. There was an exodus of millions of people from Venezuela. You might say, if you believe that the United States has no responsibility: What is it our business anyway? Countries are going to have failed governments, and so what? What difference does it make? Well, the difference it makes is the thousands and thousands of Venezuelans who were part of an exodus from Venezuela. Most of them went to Colombia and nearby nations, but many of them came to the United States. I know. I met them. They were the bus people that were sent to Chicago, for example, by the Governor of Texas, overwhelmingly Venezuelans. How many actually came to the United States, I am not sure. I am not sure anybody really knows, but we are talking about thousands. And at this point, imagine what we are suggesting. This man Maduro is still in control in Venezuela, and we are going to go through a mass deportation where we round up the Venezuelans who came to this country and send them back, back to starvation, political oppression. I get it. If you are a dangerous person, you never should have come to this country in the first place. And if you commit a serious crime once you are here, I don't believe you should stay. Just that basic. I don't go as far as the bill we considered a week or so ago. I believe that prosecution and a finding of guilt is still important in an America that is ruled by due process. But having said that, What are we going to do about Venezuela? The same man is still there, and there have been not one, but two rotten, suspect elections in the time since I have been there. Last July, for example, Venezuela held another Presidential election, during which the regime arbitrarily blocked the leading opposition candidates from the ballot and tried to undermine the electoral process. Nonetheless, more than 10 million Venezuelans actually voted. And results meticulously documented by credible election monitors showed a sweeping victory not for Maduro, the incumbent, but for Edmundo Gonzalez, his opponent. I was glad to see that one of the newly confirmed Secretary of State Rubio's first calls was to President-elect Gonzalez, who actually won the election. Despite his sweeping, clear victory, the Maduro regime has refused to give up the office of Presidency and refused to recognize the legitimate election results. Maduro regime announced they won--actually, not true; arbitrarily arrested thousands of opponents; issued an arrest warrant for Gonzalez, which is becoming a common trick by these dictators; and refused to swear him in on inauguration day. So today, I am introducing a short bill terminating U.S. petroleum cooperation and related trade with Venezuela until the legitimate results of the election are respected. It is pretty simple. The entrenched regime clings to power using oil revenues, some of them from the United States. Under my bill, that comes to an end. President Trump and Secretary Rubio could also take this step right now without my legislation, but maybe the bill will be a reminder that this is a good idea. Lastly, I appealed to our democratic allies in the region, including the democracies of the Caribbean, to stand resolute in defense of a sweeping and clear vote by their exhausted Venezuelan neighbors. They cannot sit idly by for another 6 years of regime-inflicted suffering and collapse in Venezuela.

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