Mitch McConnell

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, for someone who campaigned as a moderate and promised to unify our country, President Biden has chosen to staff his administration with a roster--a roster--of alarmingly radical or unqualified personnel. In recent weeks, the President's nominees who have made the biggest headlines have been the ones so far outside the mainstream that even a Democratic Senate majority would not confirm them, like the appeals court nominee who defended a school against a teenage victim of sexual assault or the traffic safety nominee whose real passion turned out to be extreme environmental regulations. This week, the Senate is considering yet another slate of radical nominations that are entirely unworthy of confirmation. First, is the nomination of David Crane, a self-described ``climate activist.'' President Biden would like him to serve as Undersecretary for Infrastructure at the Department of Energy. Mr. Crane's nomination is bad news for Kentucky, for coal country, and for any American who enjoys making their own choices about which cars to drive, which products to consume, and how to earn a living. This nominee has been outspoken about his so-called ``green dream'' to force a massive chunk of the world's economy to go carbon free in 8 years--8 years--and then use their influence to ``compel society'' to follow suit. He even observed that Democratic Presidential nominees hadn't made extreme climate policy enough of a priority in their campaigns. In other words, Hillary Clinton, who once bragged that ``we're going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business,'' was not radical enough--not radical enough--for David Crane. So we are talking about an unabashed, top-down social planner. As we have learned over the past 2 years, that is exactly what the Biden administration ordered when it handed the keys to the American energy policy to the radical left. Unfortunately, Mr. Crane is not the only nominee on this week's agenda with a reputation for wearing his radical liberal sympathies on his sleeve. The Senate will also vote on the nomination of David Ho to serve on the Federal bench in the Southern District of New York. Mr. Ho has described himself--listen to this--as a ``wild-eyed leftist.'' Let me say that again. President Biden would like a self- identified ``wild-eyed leftist'' to rule on cases in the largest Federal court in the country. Mr. Ho's legal record indicates that this radical sympathy runs very deep. This is a nominee who has publicly lamented ``originalism is not a method of constitutional interpretation that can reliably lend itself to progressive outcomes.'' Imagine that. It turns out that actually following and applying our laws and our Constitution as they were written is not a one-way ticket to leftwing utopia. And, by the way, that should be an argument for the radical left sidelining their bad ideas, not an argument for sidelining the Constitution. Somebody who wants a lifetime appointment as an impartial judge must be committed to putting the rule of law ahead of personal views, not the other way around. Ah, but Mr. Ho hasn't limited his public criticism to the basic legal principles that underpin the Federal judiciary. During the Obama administration, he railed against the Fraternal Order of Police for expressing their concerns about a particularly anti-cop Justice Department nominee. He called the FOP's opposition a ``disgrace.'' He has also taken to attacking members of the Judiciary Committee on Twitter. And throughout his career, Mr. Ho has been outspoken-- outspoken--in denigrating basic mainstream efforts to ensure the integrity of American elections. He has likened overwhelmingly popular practices like voter ID requirements to be ``a very thinly veiled call for racial profiling.'' Let me be absolutely clear: Senate Republicans will not participate in rubberstamping radical nominees. I would urge our colleagues to join me in rejecting each of these unfit nominations this week. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, last week, the Senate passed an agreement that preserved America's full faith and credit and began to rein in Democrats' runaway spending. But the Senate's work is far from over. Today, with the threat of economic crisis behind us, it is time for the Senate to focus its full attention on some of the most basic responsibilities we are sent here to fulfill: keeping America safe, keeping America fed, and keeping the lights on. First, we have a little less than 4 months left in the fiscal year. Our colleagues, Appropriations Chair Murray and Vice Chair Collins, have expressed a shared goal to fund the Federal Government through regular order. That means 12 full-year funding bills processed, passed, conferenced, and signed into law before the end of September. I think all 100 of us agree that we should not be funding the American people's government through one big omnibus at the end of the year, but achieving that is going to require hard work and incredible cooperation. To produce funding bills that can pass the House and become law, we will have to build on the progress we made last week. After 2 years of taxing, spending, and runaway inflation, the American people chose to elect a divided government. In the coming weeks, that divided government has an opportunity to restore stability to the appropriations process and deliver more of the fiscal sanity they expect, but only if the Democratic majority lets the process actually work. This year, we also have the responsibility to deliver a farm bill. A full 10 percent of the American workforce depends on agriculture. The Commonwealth of Kentucky is home to nearly 75,000 farms, and, in the past 5 years, since the last farm bill was passed, farming hasn't gotten any easier. Neither has ranching or forestry. Small businesses and farm families across the country will be watching the Agriculture Committee's work especially closely. Chair Stabenow, Ranking Member Boozman, and our colleagues are already hard at work producing legislation that delivers the certainty and support they need to continue innovating, supporting rural jobs, and feeding America. And Chair Cantwell, Ranking Member Cruz, and the Commerce Committee are working on another measure that will require our attention before the end of the fiscal year--reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration. Reliable and affordable air travel for both people and cargo is important to the prosperity of communities and industries across our country. So on behalf of Kentucky growers and the entire country, I hope each of these measures receives swift consideration here on the floor.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, last night, an overwhelming majority of our House colleagues voted to pass the agreement Speaker McCarthy reached with President Biden. In doing so, they took an urgent and important step in the right direction for the health of our economy and the future of our country. The Fiscal Responsibility Act avoids the catastrophic consequences of a default on our Nation's debt, and just as importantly, it makes the most serious headway in years toward curbing Washington Democrats' reckless spending addiction. The bill that the House just passed has the potential to cut Federal spending by $1.5 trillion. Now the Senate has the chance to make that important progress a reality. Madam President, remember where we were just a few months ago. After 2 years of reckless spending and painful, runaway inflation, the American people elected a Republican House majority to serve as a check on Washington Democrats' power. It was clear from the outset that preserving the full faith and credit of the United States was going to come down to an agreement that could pass both the people's House and earn the President's signature--in other words, direct negotiations between Speaker McCarthy and President Biden just like I have said for months--for months. So, back in February, Speaker McCarthy got right to work. He made it clear to the President he was ready to take serious steps, not only to avoid crisis in the near term but to put government spending on a more sustainable path for the long term. Unfortunately, it took President Biden months to accept this basic reality, but when the President finally came to the table, House Republicans worked hard to secure as many serious spending reforms as possible, considering that we were in a divided government, and they produced a deal that moves every key Republican priority in the right direction. The Speaker's agreement cuts domestic discretionary spending while increasing support for veterans and the Armed Forces. It locks in promising reforms to infrastructure permitting. It claws back unspent COVID emergency funds. It slashes bloated spending at the IRS. It ties future executive branch regulations to new spending cuts. The deal the House passed last night is a promising step toward fiscal sanity. Ah, but make no mistake, there is much more work to be done. The fight to reel in wasteful spending is far from over. Our obligation to provide for the common defense is especially urgent. For years, Republicans have led significant investments in improving the readiness of our Armed Forces and modernizing their capabilities to face down emerging threats, but since President Biden took office, Republicans have had to fight year after year to ensure we meet the needs of our military. Fortunately, we have secured bipartisan recognition that President Biden's budget requests have underfunded our national defense. This was especially true last year when Republicans secured a substantial, real- dollar increase to defense funding and ended Democrats' artificial demands for parity with nondefense discretionary spending. This bought our military valuable time, but it was hardly a silver bullet. As I said yesterday, President Biden's refusal to let the defense portion of this agreement exceed his insufficient budget request is certainly disappointing. So while the coming votes are an important step in the right direction, we cannot--cannot--neglect our fundamental obligation to address the Nation's most pressing national security challenges. Vladimir Putin's brutal invasion of Ukraine continues. Iran's state sponsorship of terrorism against Americans and our partners continues. North Korea's destabilizing nuclear proliferation continues. China's growing challenge to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific continues as well. So the Senate cannot afford to neglect its obligation to America's men and women in uniform. Our urgent work to help them defend our Nation, support our allies, and safeguard our interests remains unfinished, and so does our work to bring more of Washington Democrats' reckless liberal spending to heel. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, 4 months ago, Speaker McCarthy invited President Biden to start negotiating an agreement to preserve the full faith and credit of the United States and to begin to get our Nation's financial house in order. The Speaker stood ready to discuss a responsible way forward, but for weeks on end, the Biden administration and the Senate Democratic leader insisted that there would be no discussion of reasonable reforms to Federal spending. Washington Democrats wanted a green light to spend more taxpayer dollars with no strings attached. Well, the people's House had other plans. Speaker McCarthy and his team committed to what I said repeatedly was the only way to get an outcome. Just as with 7 of the last 10 debt limit agreements in recent history, House Republicans focused on reaching a bipartisan agreement to put reasonable caps on Federal spending. The Speaker's deal secures reductions in discretionary spending. But this top-line achievement is actually just part of the story. House Republicans also succeeded in clawing back $28 billion in unspent COVID emergency funds, they eliminated this year's budget for hiring new IRS agents, and they expanded work requirements to put more Americans on sustainable paths out of poverty. They put an important down payment on permitting reform by imposing a shot clock on the costly bureaucratic reviews that hamstrings infrastructure projects. And they forced the executive branch to start balancing the cost of new regulations with corresponding cuts--a move that would have saved taxpayers $1.5 trillion in just the past 2 years. Last fall, the American people elected a divided government. After 2 years of total Democratic control--2 years of radical spending and runaway inflation--they decided to send a Republican majority to the people's House. They decided to require that President Biden and Washington Democrats start working with Republicans on the biggest issues facing our country. Now divided government means negotiated deals. It means nobody gets everything they want. But in this case, it means the American people got a whole lot more progress toward fiscal sanity than Washington Democrats wanted to give them. Speaker McCarthy and House Republicans deserve our thanks. This spring, they passed the only viable legislation that both preserved our Nation's full faith and credit and made real progress toward getting Federal spending under control. House Republicans' unity forced President Biden to do his job. It is really just that simple. And now Congress will vote on legislation that locks in that important progress. Republicans have a tremendous opportunity to take on an existential challenge facing our economy and future generations of Americans. We have a chance to start bringing Washington Democrats' reckless spending to heel. Soon it will be the Senate's turn to put this historic agreement on the President's desk. Let's not pass up our shot.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Last week's inflation report reinforced what working families across America already know: Washington Democrats' inflation is still packing a punch. Prices climbed 4.9 percent from this time last year. Just in the last month, they accelerated nearly half a percentage point. The Biden administration called the news ``welcome breathing room for families.'' Welcome breathing room for families? According to the latest data, families have paid thousands of dollars more just to put food on the table on his watch. In Colorado, your average family has paid over $2,000 in additional food costs since 2021. In Arizona, those same groceries have cost households $1,800; in Montana, over $1,700; in my home State of Kentucky, families have paid $1,600 more, on average, since President Biden took office. It doesn't sound like breathing room to me, especially at a time when workers' wages are failing to keep pace with out-of-control prices. Meanwhile, confidence with President Biden to do the right thing with the economy is at its lowest point since the great recession. That is hardly surprising when his top economic advisers refuse to even admit there is a problem. The President's latest pick to lead his Council of Economic Advisers has repeatedly said this administration didn't miss a thing on inflation. So, while the Biden administration pats itself on the back for a job well done, let's remember where we were just 2 years ago. Since the President took office, prices have climbed a staggering--listen to this--16 percent--16 percent since the President took office. Gasoline is up 54 percent, electricity is up 22 percent, groceries are up 20 percent, and higher interest rates are making it harder for working families to borrow and save for the future. Washington Democrats' reckless spending and green energy fantasies are sending our economy deep into the red. For 2 straight years, Americans have had to tighten their belt just to get by. It is time for this administration to wake up and do more of the same.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, yesterday, President Biden took one step toward the debt limit solution we have been laying out for him literally for months. After meeting with Speaker McCarthy, the President, finally-- finally--designated specific members of his staff to negotiate with the Speaker's office directly. I am glad the President has taken the advice that I gave him back in February; that this would ultimately end in a negotiation between the President and the Speaker. It is encouraging that the White House is now engaging seriously with the only counterpart who can help deliver an actual solution. But because it took the President 3 months to start dealing in reality, we now have a time problem. So I am hopeful the President's team will join with House Republicans to produce a responsible spending agreement to raise the debt ceiling, and I will continue to support Speaker McCarthy 100 percent.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I just wanted to say to our new colleague: Welcome to the Senate, and an outstanding opening speech. I look forward to serving with you for many years to come.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL. Later today, I will attend a second discussion between President Biden and Speaker McCarthy on the Nation's debt limit. The Speaker presented his case to the President back in February. House Republicans passed legislation to raise the debt ceiling in April, but as of mid-May, the President of the United States has found just two--two--more occasions to sit down and discuss an agreement to preserve the Nation's full faith and credit. The Biden administration took 3 months to reach a conclusion that just about everyone else recognized from the beginning. I said it myself back in February: that the only way forward is spending negotiations between the President and the Speaker. That is how the American people arranged the current situation, and, by the way, that is how 7 of the last 10--7 of the last 10--debt limit increases have been secured--bipartisan negotiations. That is how a Republican President and Democratic Speaker avoided crisis 4 years ago. I remember telling President Trump he needed to do something he was not anxious to do, which was to talk to Speaker Pelosi, because the American people had given us divided government. That is how a Democratic President and a Republican Speaker will avoid this crisis as well. Speaker McCarthy is right. The Senate Democrat majority hasn't passed a bill to raise the debt ceiling. The House Republican majority has. So that is where the solution to this looming crisis will be found. Last fall, the American people sent a divided government to Washington. They chose to require that President Biden work with House Republicans on the most consequential issues. Now, the President has to make a choice of his own: Pretend the last election didn't happen or sit down with the Speaker and deal responsibly with our Nation's debt. Time is of the essence--of the essence. So, for the second time, I will be glad to sit in at the White House to support Speaker McCarthy and to urge President Biden to start operating in reality. Border Security Now, Mr. President, on an entirely different matter, it has been 5 days since the Biden administration ended title 42 emergency border enforcement authorities--5 days. By all accounts, the situation at our southern border is absolutely catastrophic--absolutely catastrophic-- for the brave men and women of Customs and Border Protection and for countless communities across Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. As title 42 expired on Thursday, officials in Del Rio, TX--listen to this--reported a 1-day increase in border apprehensions of 75 percent-- 1 day. In El Paso, one area of downtown is rapidly being overrun by tents and garbage--tents and garbage. One Border Patrol officer reports that every CBP enforcement sector along the southern border is now near 150 percent capacity--150 percent capacity. Sadly, what the country is witnessing right now is a slow-moving car crash. Republicans have spent years urging President Biden and his party to get serious about securing our southern border. And the American people have known for quite some time that Democrats' approach helped create this humanitarian and security crisis. On President Biden's watch, just last fiscal year, Customs and Border Protection recorded an all-time high for migrant apprehensions: 2.7 million in 1 year. By the Agency's own estimates, another 1.2 million ``got-aways'' have successfully snuck across the southern border since the President took office. The Biden administration made no effort to hide how little it cares about cleaning up the mess. Remember, for months on end, the White House Press Secretary assiduously avoided calling the situation at the southern border what it obviously was--a crisis. Vice President Harris, the administration's official ``border czar,'' has been to the border just once in 2\1/2\ years. When Congress asked the head of the Department of Homeland Security to account for the chaos unfolding on his watch, Secretary Mayorkas characterized functionally open borders as ``executing on the plan.'' Apparently, Republicans are the only ones interested in getting the southern border crisis under control. Later this week, the Senate will vote on a resolution from Senator Marshall to remove a major pillar of the Biden administration's open- borders approach. Our colleague's measure takes aim at a rule the administration implemented late last year to severely limit what immigration officials are allowed to consider when determining whether a potential immigrant is likely to become a ``public charge'' and rely on taxpayer-funded services. In other words, facing record flows of illegal migration, President Biden's response was to greet people at the border with food stamps and housing vouchers--welcome to America. Sadly, that is exactly what some of the would-be immigrants arriving at the border have come to expect from Washington Democrats. One Venezuelan man who made it to El Paso said he was told: ``They will feed you, clothe you, help you with your studies, and get a job.'' That is what this migrant from Venezuela was told. It is alarming that Washington Democrats must be forced to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. The Biden administration should not need to be dragged, kicking and screaming, to do right by the hard-working citizens of this country. So I am grateful to the junior Senator from Kansas for calling the Senate's attention once again to the Biden administration's shameless failure at the southern border, and I will urge each of my colleagues to join me in supporting the resolution later this week. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to honor an exceptional officer of the U.S. Army, MG Trevor J. Bredenkamp, chief legislative liaison for the Office of the Secretary of the Army. Major General Bredenkamp has faithfully served our Nation for over 31 years. He has been a voice of reason and sound professional judgment on countless issues of enduring importance to the Army, Congress, and the American people. This Nation and the Commonwealth of Kentucky thank Major General Bredenkamp as he prepares to leave his current post. Born into an Air Force family, Major General Bredenkamp has had a strong sense of duty from the outset. In 1992, he received his commission as an infantry officer from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Like so many brave patriots in the aftermath of September 11, Major General Bredenkamp deployed to combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. He served in multiple staff and command positions in the fight to defend our freedoms abroad, and would go on to command our country's skilled soldiers across the Nation. On the home front, Major General Bredenkamp has strengthened strategic partnerships between the Army and Congress. He has improved relationships with both legislative Chambers and buoyed congressional support for Army priorities, navigating complicated issues through multiple legislative cycles. As a result of his efforts, the Army has accomplished generational modernization, led our Nation's response to an unprecedented land war in Europe, and enhanced the quality of life of its soldiers, Army civilians, and their families. Major General Bredenkamp's impressive list of staff and special assignments includes platoon leader, scout platoon leader, and battalion S-1 in the 3rd Battalion, 505 Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division; platoon/company/battalion observer/controller at the Joint Readiness Training Center; G3 Training Officer, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, and deployed as part of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM; operations officer, 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment; operations officer, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, and deployed as part of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM; aide-de-camp to the commander, US Army Forces Command and subsequently the commander, International Security Assistance Force, North Atlantic Treaty Organization; deputy director, Soldier for Life; executive officer to the Secretary of the Army; and the chief, programs division, Office of the Chief, Legislative Liaison, Office of the Secretary of the Army. He has earned numerous military awards and decorations for his selfless service to our country. These honors include the Defense Superior Service Medal, four Legions of Merit, four Bronze Stars, six Meritorious Service Medals, five Army Commendations, and five Army Achievement Medals. Major General Bredenkamp is fortunate to have the support of his wife of 25 years, MG Michele Bredenkamp. They are the proud and loving parents of two children. Military families are the backbone of our Nation's defense, and we thank the Bredenkamp family for their enduring support and for molding the man we recognize today. Major General Bredekamp's years of steady leadership and dedication to his country remind us of the sacrifice our men and women in uniform make on the battlefield and at home each day. Congress and the American people thank Major General Bredenkamp and his family for their continued commitment and sacrifice to our country. His 31 years of service embody the very best traditions of our armed forces: duty, honor, and selflessness in defense of our Nation. I join my colleagues in wishing Major General Bredenkamp future success as he continues to serve.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, this week, thousands of law enforcement officers have gathered in Washington to honor their fallen brothers and sisters in blue. Every year since 1962, Peace Officers Memorial Day has called our Nation to pay special tribute to heroic men and women in our communities who have made the ultimate sacrifice to keep us safe. Throughout Police Week, peace officers and families from around the country mourn loved ones and find shared strength. Today, we remind the families and comrades of these fallen heroes that a grateful Nation has their backs. As always, I am honored to welcome the Kentuckians who traveled to Washington for this week's events. My staff continue to work closely with Kentucky law enforcement and to listen to their concerns. Like many in my home State, I am thinking especially of the Kentuckians we lost in the line of duty this past year: Officer Logan Medlock of the London Police Department, who was fatally struck by a drunk driver while patrolling on duty; Sheriff's Chief Deputy Jody Cash of the Calloway County Sheriff's Department, who was shot and killed while interviewing a suspect; Captain Ralph Frasure and Officer Jacob Chaffins of the Prestonsburg Police Department and Deputy William Petry of the Floyd County Sheriff's Department, who were shot and killed in an ambush while attempting to serve a warrant; and the seven other Kentuckians whose names are being enshrined today on the National Law Enforcement Memorial: James Critchelow, Travis Hurley, Oliver Little, Gregory Means, Mark Pike, David Ragle, and Dixon Allen Sasser. I also want to pay special tribute to Officer Nickolas Wilt who was shot in the head while responding to last month's bank shooting in downtown Louisville. Officer Wilt was just 11 days out of the Academy, but he never shied away from his duty, even in the face of imminent danger. Today, Officer Wilt has continued to show signs of improvement and the city of Louisville stands behind him on his road to recovery. As we honor officers in Kentucky and across the country who have been injured or killed in the line of duty, I know my colleagues join me in thanking the peace officers who continue to run toward danger to keep us safe. Mr. President, Police Week is an important and solemn occasion every year. America's peace officers deserve our respect and recognition every single day. But in recent years, Peace Officers Memorial Day has taken on an especially urgent situation. In 2021, President Biden's first year in office, the number of law enforcement officials feloniously killed in the line of duty reached its highest level in 20 years. Just last year, 331 officers were shot on the job; 62 of them were killed. That is a 32-percent increase from just 2 years earlier. Brave men and women in blue swear to uphold law and order, to run toward danger, even to give their lives to protect their communities. But as a radical, soft-on-crime movement has taken hold of elected Democrats at every level of government, peace officers have been forced to bear an even heavier burden. Brave police officers have faced down a historic wave of violent crime from the frontlines, even as defund-the-police radicalism forced them to do it with fewer resources and thinner ranks. They have continued to risk their lives to enforce our laws, even as soft-on-crime liberal prosecutors do everything they can to avoid holding criminals accountable. So this week--this week--we honor men and women whose tough job is only getting tougher on Washington Democrats' watch. But thanks to the leadership of Senator Cornyn and Senator Cassidy, Senate Republicans are ready to take action to protect law enforcement officers in the line of duty. Our colleagues from Texas and Louisiana have introduced legislation to raise the stakes for criminals who resort to violence against police. Their bill would deliver new Federal mandatory sentencing for killing a police officer, higher consequences for assault, and new separate penalties for fleeing such crimes across State lines. So as our Nation observes Police Week, I am proud to cosponsor our colleagues' work and to continue to back the blue. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, the Biden administration's reckless policies have created chaos on our southern border, and further mistakes from the Democrats are taking things from very bad to even worse. For more than 2 years now, President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas have proven they are either incapable, unwilling, or uninterested in defending and maintaining our borders. Illegal crossings at our southern border have exploded under this administration--2.38 million in fiscal year 2022 alone. And that is just the subset of people whom the authorities actually found and stopped. It doesn't count the ones who got away. The vast majority of these crossers are single adults--not families, not children but unaccompanied grownups. Customs and Border Protection stopped 67 known terrorist suspects at the southern border ports of entry last year alone, but they found 98 attempting to cross the border elsewhere--more than six times as many as the previous year. As of March, authorities had already seized nearly three times as much fentanyl this fiscal year as they had by this time last year. All of these terrible numbers have come with a stopgap pandemic policy called title 42 actually in place. Every month of the Biden Presidency, anywhere from 20 to 75 percent of the illegal crossers have been turned right around and expelled, rather than apprehended and processed in the typical way. But the Biden administration has failed so badly that even with this stopgap in place, our border facilities have still been overwhelmed and overrun. Now, as the Democrats finally give up the COVID state of emergency, title 42 is going away. That wouldn't pose a crisis for an administration that was willing to get tough on its own and enforce existing immigration law, but Democrats don't seem to be willing to do that--just the opposite. President Biden's team has designed a bizarre Rube Goldberg system that amounts to a special concierge service to help even more illegal immigrants come here more easily. It is a whole parallel system with processing centers in foreign countries--not to make people come in our front door but to help even more people surge in through the back door. Now I understand there is even an official U.S. Government smartphone app to help illegal immigrants along the journey--your taxpayer dollars hard at work. Our colleague, the senior Senator from Missouri, has correctly summarized the Democrats' plan as ``Ticketmaster for illegal immigrants''--``Ticketmaster for illegal immigrants.'' Remember, things are already at an unacceptable level before this new craziness. According to one public report, the authorities are already considering--listen to this--``street releases of migrants [into] communities across [the] border if NGO shelters and CBP facilities do not have the capacity to hold them . . . releases of migrants at bus stops, gas stations, supermarkets, etc., in communities across the border.'' Now, this week, some of our Democratic colleagues are feigning great angst and indignation over title 42's demise. They claim to be outraged that President Biden doesn't have a better plan. But every Senator had a chance just last year to vote to keep funding title 42 measures. Senate Republicans gave our Democratic colleagues that opportunity, and every single Democrat voted in lockstep against it. Every Senate Democrat voted in unison to let title 42 lapse with no better solution in place. So the country reaps what Democrats sowed. National Defense Authorization Act Mr. President, on another matter, the National Defense Authorization Act is a must-pass piece of legislation, but Senate Democrats have developed a bad habit of letting our national security actually languish. Last year, the 2023 NDAA spent 5 months in limbo. Even at the eleventh hour, the Democratic leader refused to bring the Senate's own bill to the floor. It took an informal conference between our colleagues on the Armed Services Committee and their House counterparts just to get this must-pass bill over the finish line. Our Democratic friends like to invoke America's competition with China whenever they are seeking to justify huge outlays of domestic spending, but they push the nuts and bolts of actually defending America to the back burner. Case in point: Chairman Reed just announced the Armed Services Committee will wait an entire extra month before beginning consideration of this year's NDAA. You can bet China isn't waiting around and twiddling its thumbs, but apparently Leader Schumer's Senate will do just that. What would the Democratic majority have us do instead? Our colleagues are making a push for a grab bag of left-of-center domestic priorities they call another China bill. Let's remember the last so-called China bill that we just passed last year. The Commerce Secretary and other Biden administration officials told us with great alarm that reshoring microchip production was a hugely urgent national security priority. This was last year. Now, that is a genuine bipartisan concern, and many of us Republicans actually agreed. But since then, the administration's stated urgency has all but disappeared. President Biden's approach to implementing the law has been atrocious--atrocious. They are violating congressional intent and trying to attach extra strings to the microchip money to end run liberal social policy through the private sector. The Biden Commerce Department has tried to say that the semiconductor companies can't get grants unless they tilt their hiring to benefit Big Labor, unless they provide all kinds of free employment benefits to the satisfaction of Washington bureaucrats--you get the picture. It reminds me of a couple of months ago when Transportation Secretary Buttigieg asserted that one important problem with building American infrastructure is the racial and demographic composition of the construction crews. For goodness' sake. So Washington Democrats have spent trillions of dollars--trillions-- on a never-ending wish list of leftwing domestic priorities, heaping historic inflation on the American economy, but not a penny of their partisan bills built up our hard power. If my colleagues were truly serious about competing with China, first of all, they would prioritize the NDAA, not let it languish, and second, Democrats would join Republicans in pushing for the strong, commonsense policies that will actually help us build and make things. So let's prioritize real, robust permitting reform--the Capito- Barrasso bills. Let's green-light domestic mining for our own critical minerals and reduce our dependence on Chinese supply chains. Let's unleash America's abundant domestic energy reserves. Let's combat China's rampant espionage and theft of high-tech research and intellectual property. If our Democratic colleagues really want us to outcompete China, then let's put first things first and stop using this issue as a Trojan horse for unrelated liberal demands.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I was glad to attend yesterday's White House meeting in solidarity with Speaker McCarthy. Unlike the White House, the Speaker has been handling the debt limit in a responsible fashion. Speaker McCarthy and House Republicans have passed the only legislation currently in existence that prevents default. He spent months waiting for President Biden to come to the table. But the White House has wasted 3 months--3 months wasted. The President of the United States has been MIA. So let's hope yesterday was the start of the administration accepting the reality of our situation. Everybody knows there is only one way to defuse the looming crisis, the normal and routine thing--spending negotiations between the President and the Speaker. The American people voted for divided government. President Biden refusing to compromise is really not an option when you have a divided government. Unconstitutionally acting without Congress is also not an option. There is exactly one way--just one way--to prevent a pointless, avoidable crisis: the bipartisan negotiation that Speaker McCarthy has been calling for since way back in February. Seven of the last 10 debt limit hikes came with a bipartisan deal on spending levels. Let me just say that again. Seven of the last 10 debt limit hikes came with a bipartisan deal on spending levels. Just 4 years ago, we had today's situation in reverse. What happened? Secretary Mnuchin was sent to negotiate with Speaker Pelosi. They struck a caps deal, and the debt limit was addressed. It was exactly the situation we have now, in reverse. Yesterday's meeting was an overdue first step. I hope President Biden has begun to wake up. Even rank-and-file Democrats in the House and Senate say the President's refusal to negotiate has been untenable. The Democrats can't waste any more time. The White House has to stop sleepwalking towards default and reach a spending deal with the Speaker.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, 7 of the last 10 debt limit increases were attached to bipartisan government spending deals. All three of the debt limit increases from 2017 through 2020 were attached to bipartisan government spending deals. So there is no reason why our country should be drifting toward crisis. The solution is clear; it has been clear for months. President Biden needs to negotiate on spending with Speaker McCarthy. The Speaker has been at the table since February. House Republicans are the only people in town who have passed any bill that prevents default. President Biden has been MIA. House and Senate Democrats have no plan, no proposal. They have no bill to raise the debt ceiling that could pass either in the House or the Senate, let alone both. So the choice is President Biden's: Either he drives the country into default or he comes to the table. Four years ago, in 2019, the roles were reversed. Republicans held the White House. Democrats held the White House. I was the majority leader. And my advice to the President then was the same as my advice to the President now: raise the debt limit by negotiating spending levels with the Speaker. That administration listened. They sent Secretary Mnuchin to hammer out a debt deal with Speaker Pelosi. They struck a compromise. Spending levels were set, and the debt limit was raised. That is what a responsible Senate majority leader would be telling the Biden White House today: Sit down with the Speaker and strike a deal. Any compromise flushed out by the Republican House and the Democratic White House will pass the Senate easily. So President Biden's actions will either prevent default or guarantee default. It is just that simple. It is up to the President. Either President Biden causes an economic disaster of his own creation or he picks up the 2019 playbook and negotiates with Speaker McCarthy. Everybody knows this is on President Biden. Rank-and-file House and Senate Democrats have publicly called on the White House to negotiate. The Washington Post--the Washington Post--ran an entire editorial entitled, ``It's time for Biden to call McCarthy!'' Last week, an entire news story detailed how the White House is garnering no support from nonpartisan leaders or experts for their bizarre strategy of sleepwalking into disaster. The people around President Biden, including the Senate Democratic leader, seem to think they can wish away the results of the midterm election. They want to pretend the American people didn't flip the House. That is not how it works. In divided government, you negotiate. The President and the Speaker need to talk, just like in 2019. We need a bipartisan spending agreement, just like 7 of the previous 10 debt limit deals. I will be joining the White House meeting later today, and I will continue to support the Speaker. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, from the early days of the steam- powered locomotive to the modern era's high-speed rail, Kentucky's railroads have been at the heart of our Commonwealth's growth and development. Though railways are no longer our primary mode of transportation, they remain an essential ingredient of Kentucky's economic success, transporting the goods and resources that power our lives. The R.J. Corman Railroad Group, stationed out of central Kentucky, has been a driving force in propelling the rail industry forward. Today, I would like to recognize this organization's contributions to our Commonwealth on its 50th anniversary. The story of this Kentucky railroad empire begins in 1973 with my good friend and Nicholasville native, Mr. Rick Corman. It was just after high school when Rick founded his first business venture, R.J. Corman Railroad Construction, and, like its founder, the company hailed from humble beginnings. At 18 years old, Rick started out making track repairs for major railroads equipped with nothing more than a backhoe and a red dump truck. Thanks to his tireless work ethic and shrewd instincts, Rick grew his humble operation into what is now the R.J. Corman Railroad Group, a diversified portfolio of railroad companies. Rick would grow his business across 23 States, employ over 1,600 workers, and expand into a host of verticals that ranged from short-line railroad operations to emergency and natural disaster response. Amid some of our country's most horrific floods, blizzards, and hurricanes, Rick's team was on the ground to assist in recovery and cleanup efforts. When Hurricane Katrina struck the central Gulf and devastated railroad infrastructure across the South, Rick mobilized his emergency response crew to repair railways in record time. In his personal life, Rick and his company were avid donors to St. Joseph Hospital in Jessamine County, so much so that the hospital recognized Rick as its largest philanthropic donor. The hospital established the R.J. Corman Ambulatory Care Center in 2008, which continues to serve the community of Nicholasville to this day. Tragically, the company lost its seemingly unstoppable founder 10 years ago to a hard-fought battle with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer. Rick was just 58. Despite his cancer diagnosis, Rick would continue to enjoy life, travel the world, and even run the Boston Marathon. To this day, his infectious laugh, warm demeanor, and irresistible spirit for life are deeply missed by his family and loved ones. In honor of Rick, the company and its employees contribute to the Richard J. Corman Multiple Myeloma Fund each year, which helps support research work at Harvard's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Despite losing its torchbearer, the company and Rick's legacy prevailed. R.J. Corman continues to operate as one of the leading railroad service providers in the U.S., serving all seven major railroads in North America. Most recently, the company added a 19th railroad to its wide-spanning portfolio. R.J. Corman's iconic red train cars are an unmistakable fixture of central Kentucky, and the company's impact on our Commonwealth continues to extend beyond its railway business. The company remains a worthy custodian of Rick's name and his legacy of generosity, compassion, and hard work. I am proud to honor this classic American success story and celebrate its many contributions to the Commonwealth of Kentucky. I ask my Senate colleagues to join me in recognizing R.J. Corman Railroad Group for 50 outstanding years.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, in the teeth of the Great Depression, America built the tallest structure in the world, the Empire State Building. And we did it in 13\1/2\ months. Today, major infrastructure projects wait an average of 4\1/2\ years just for an environmental impact statement before they can break ground. Beginning in the middle of the civil war, the transcontinental railroad took 5 years and 7 months to build from first rail to Golden Spike--in the middle of the civil war. Today, it can take roughly twice that long just to get the permit to open a mine. The American people have heard a lot of talk from Washington about permitting reform. But our Nation's builders, refiners, miners, and job creators know what they need is a lot less Washington getting in the way. America is facing down strategic competition with major rivals like China that will shape the next centuries of world history. We are in a race for security, prosperity, and influence. But even as Washington Democrats say they want to help America build things, make things, upgrade our infrastructure, and win that competition, they keep making it harder to do exactly that. After the bipartisan infrastructure bill became law in 2021, the Biden administration had unelected bureaucrats at the Federal Highway Administration urging States--listen to this--not to spend infrastructure funding on commonsense things like expanding highway capacity and focus on equity and sustainability sideshows instead. After the CHIPS Act passed in 2022, the administration's Commerce Department tried to rewrite parts of the law, after the fact, to maximize the benefits for Democrats' Big Labor allies. Secretary Raimondo marketed the bill as an urgent national security priority, securing supply chain for microchips. But the left wants to turn it into a Trojan horse for miscellaneous leftwing demands related to workplace H.R. By one measure last year, the number of natural gas pipeline projects that were canceled dwarfed the number that were completed. On the Biden administration's watch, we are canceling more gas pipelines than we are building--in this administration, canceling more pipelines than we are building. Last April, the Council on Environmental Quality issued a rule that would open new infrastructure projects--listen to this--to even more frivolous litigation from radical activists by redefining whole categories of potential and environmental effects. Mr. President, this week, the Democratic leader announced he wants the Senate to pass even more legislation related to competition with China. But our Democratic colleagues gave the game away when they continually obstruct real honest-to-goodness commonsense reforms to our permitting process. We cannot and we will not outcompete China by rewarding radical activists' bad behavior. We will outcompete China if and when we decide we are going to help builders actually build. Our colleagues Ranking Member Capito of the EPW Committee and Ranking Member Barrasso of the Energy Committee are the experts in this space. Consider the case our friend from West Virginia recalled just yesterday on the floor. The Mountain Valley Pipeline was designed to help heat 10 million homes across Appalachia, and it was supposed to be completed-- listen to this--5 years ago. Construction is more than 90 percent complete. But thanks to predatory legal challenges, the builders have now literally spent more time in court than on the job site, and a project that was supposed to cost $3.5 million now has a pricetag almost twice that size thanks to legal delays and legal fees. It is actually mind-boggling to think that in the world's most advanced economy, we simply let our critical infrastructure crumble, our skilled workers stay home, and our brightest ideas languish until radical environmentalists run out of legal challenges and unelected Washington bureaucrats decide they are finally satisfied. Thankfully--thankfully--our colleagues from West Virginia and Wyoming are teaming up to introduce two bills that deliver real--real-- permitting reform. The Capito and Barrasso bills are designed to create a streamlined fast track for energy and infrastructure projects, set enforceable limits on bureaucratic reviews and legal challenges, and give builders certainty that changing political winds won't hamstring their projects. Unleashing American energy, harnessing American resources, and investing in the American workforce--these are the crucial priorities; and, led by Senators Capito and Barrasso, Senate Republicans are on the case. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, months of inaction by President Biden have left our Nation drifting toward economic disaster. His own administration says our Nation is only weeks away from a debt crisis, but there has been a total absence of Presidential leadership. President Biden has simply been MIA. First, the President said he would not negotiate unless Speaker McCarthy and House Republicans passed their own bill. So they did. Our Republican colleagues in the House passed a responsible bill. It is the only legislation currently in existence that can pass even one Chamber of Congress, let alone both. Let that sink in. This is where we are. Senate Democrats and Leader Schumer can give all the angry speeches they want, but they have no bill. Leader Schumer has no plan that can earn 60 votes here in the Senate. He has no solution that can even pass his Chamber, let alone the House. Speaker McCarthy and House Republicans are the only people in Washington who have actually passed legislation to avoid default. The Senate majority offers plenty of angry noises but zero plan. The only solution is Presidential leadership. President Biden has been sleepwalking toward this crisis. It is time to wake up--time to wake up. The President has two options. He can endorse the responsible bill the House Republicans have already passed and instruct Senate Republicans not to block it in this Chamber or he can finally sit down with Speaker McCarthy and reach an agreement. The Speaker of the House has been sitting at the grownup's table for months waiting for President Biden to act like a leader. Whatever President Biden and Speaker McCarthy can both agree to will pass the Senate easily. Any bill that doesn't meet that description appears to have no chance. So I am glad President Biden has begun backing down and finally advised the Speaker to begin negotiating. I accept his invitation to join the meeting myself, but I will continue to lend my support to the Speaker.

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, today, Democrats on the Judiciary Committee are holding a hearing that is ostensibly about Supreme Court ethics reform. Really, it is just another chapter in Washington Democrats' three-decade-long campaign to undermine the Federal Judiciary at any cost. There were the absurd smear campaigns aimed at jurists like Robert Bork and Janice Rogers Brown. There were the uncorroborated accusations held back with last-minute surprises against the nominations of Justice Thomas and Justice Kavanaugh. There was the silly attempt at a boycott by Democrats on the committee who didn't want to engage with Justice Barrett. Washington Democrats apparently find a textualist Court that upholds our written Constitution to be a mighty unappealing proposition. They made that clear for 30-plus years. And in the last few years, the hostility has reached reckless new highs: a sitting Senator stirring up crowds from the steps of the Court, naming Justices who would pay the price; unhinged activists marching on Justices' family homes; publishing the locations of their children's schools; and fueling a frenzy that had one unstable person literally--literally--plotting to assassinate a member of the Court; and Attorney General Garland simply refusing to enforce clear Federal law and stop illegal mob protests at judges' homes. Now we have the next raft of silly personal attacks. This time, the left and some of their media allies want the American people to gasp in horror--in horror--that one Supreme Court Justice vacations with his friends, that another one sold his house when he moved, and that Chief Justice Roberts' wife has a career outside the home. The Democrats even tried to pressure Chief Justice Roberts to trade the Supreme Court for their kangaroo court and show up in person today to hear them grandstand, a totally inappropriate request, as the Chief's polite and fact-based reply made clear. For goodness' sake, we now have Senate Democrats openly threatening to defund the Court's budget by the exact amount they need for security to protect the Justices and their families if the Justices don't reorganize internal affairs the way some Democrats want. Every 5 minutes, the Democratic Party wants to give lectures about upholding our institutions and protecting democracy. But just as often, they find a way to undertake a reckless attack against the courts and the rule of law. So look, I am proud of how our Nation's highest Court has weathered these latest baseless attempts to attack its authority. I believe in the integrity and honesty of all nine Justices--all nine of them. They should pay the partisan grandstanding no mind at all.

Mr. McCONNELL

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

Mr. McCONNELL

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, now on entirely different matter, there was a remarkable exchange yesterday when a Russian reporter tried to put false words in Speaker McCarthy's mouth about alleged Republican opposition to helping Ukraine defeat Russian aggression. Well, the Speaker put him in his place and shut him down. He reminded everyone of his ongoing support of aid to Ukraine and of Republicans' commitment to help our friends win. Republicans are the party of American strength, at home and abroad. And that includes standing up to would-be tyrants who are invading sovereign countries, killing innocent people, and putting the core national interests of the United States at risk. Equipping Ukraine to defend itself is a direct investment in America's own national security--our national security. As brave Ukrainians degrade the Russian military on the frontlines, a major threat to Western security and economic prosperity gets weaker. In the meantime, our own defense capabilities are actually getting stronger. A large part of the security assistance appropriated for Ukraine actually funds the production of new cutting-edge capabilities for the U.S. military and supports good-paying jobs for skilled American workers right here at home. Unfortunately, it is the administration whose policies have been slow and halting. Since the beginning of Russia's escalation, the Biden administration had lagged several steps behind the pace of relevance in delivering decisive aid to Ukraine. Every approval of new assistance has required agonizing deliberations and prodding from congressional Republicans and Democrats alike. This was the case with the Stinger and Javelin systems the Ukrainians needed to drive back Russian convoys and Polish fighter jets that stood waiting on the tarmac, with the HIMARS and Harpoons and PATRIOT systems they needed to put the invaders on the back foot and the Abrams tanks they needed to support a counteroffensive and now with the cluster munitions, longer range fires, and fourth-generation fighter jets our friends need to actually turn the tide. At every single mile marker--every one--the Biden administration has dithered--dithered--unnecessarily. It is time for the President to get serious about victory and invest in American strength. I suggest the absence of a quorum.