Chuck Schumer

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, today, the House of Representatives finally voted to demand that the Justice Department release the Epstein files. The American people have waited a very long time for this. The margin in the House was overwhelming. In fact, every single Member of Congress except one voted yes, and that now brings the focus to the U.S. Senate. As soon as the House sends us the Epstein bill, the Senate should move, without delay, to pass it unamended and send it on to the President's desk to be signed into law. We should pass this bill as soon as possible, as written, and without a hint of delay. Republicans must not try to change this bill or bury it in committee or slow-walk it in any way. Any amendment to this bill would force it back to the House and risk further delay. Who knows what would happen over there. The American people have waited long enough, and they cannot take the risk. We have an opportunity to get this bill done today and have it on the President's desk to be signed into law tonight. We should seize that opportunity. That is why later today, I will ask unanimous consent for the Senate to hold a vote to pass the House Epstein bill. The Epstein victims groups have made it clear they do not want amendments to the bill. In fact, just this morning, Epstein survivors stood right in front of the Capitol demanding that Congress pass this version of the bill. The House has now spoken in an overwhelming fashion, and Senate Republicans must step up because the public is fed up with waiting around to get to the bottom of the Epstein files. Americans are fed up with Donald Trump's lies, they are fed up with the coverups, and they are fed up with Republican leaders who keep siding with Donald Trump instead of siding with the American people, who demand transparency when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein. There is only one right answer for the Senate: Pass this bill as written today. Let me say something else. This could not have been possible without the courage and advocacy of Jeffrey Epstein's survivors. They made this vote possible. They risked their safety coming out of the darkness to share their stories and tell the truth. We thank them. We thank them and everyone who has pushed for transparency. Let me also add this: This will go down as one of the most damaging moments of Donald Trump's Presidency. In trying so hard to hide the truth, Donald Trump has provoked the fiercest rebellion he has ever faced among his own supporters, both in Congress and around the country. All the lying, all the broken promises about transparency, all the bullying and threats to Members of Congress who wanted these files released--it has all blown up in Donald Trump's face. His usual methods of intimidation and dishonesty have failed spectacularly in this instance. But make no mistake, today's vote is just one step. Once the Senate sends this bill to the President's desk, Donald Trump must obey the letter of the law and ensure full transparency regarding the Epstein files. No ``We will give you some of this but not that''; ``Maybe you should see this''; ``There is a reason you can't see that.'' Anything less than full transparency will be unacceptable in the eyes of the American people. If the President tries to manipulate his way into releasing just some of the Epstein files while deliberately hiding others, the public will see right through it, and their frustration, their distrust in Donald Trump will grow even worse. Before we get to that step, the Senate must finish this job first. We must pass this bill unamended as soon as humanly possible. I yield the floor to my colleague Senator Merkley, who has been a great partner as we have pursued finding full transparency with the Epstein files.

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

Mr. SCHUMER. Well, Mr. President, Donald Trump has tried to cover up for Jeffrey Epstein long enough. It is time that the Senate finish the job to finally compel the Department of Justice to release the Epstein files. A few hours ago, the House of Representatives passed their Epstein bill with as lopsided a vote as you can get, 427 to 1. It is now the Senate's turn. In a few moments, I will ask unanimous consent for the Senate to pass the Epstein bill as soon as it comes over from the House. My unanimous consent request guarantees that the Senate will immediately pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act without any further action as soon as it comes over from the House. We will pass the House's bill without changes, without delay, and we will finally get this done. Epstein victim groups have made clear that they support this bill as written, without amendments. We should listen to them and pass this bill quickly. They have worked so hard and long to make this happen and deserve tremendous--tremendous--credit that we have arrived at this moment. This isn't about Democrats versus Republicans or about Congress versus the President. This is about giving the American people the transparency they have been crying for. This is about holding accountable all the people in Jeffrey Epstein's circle who raped, groomed, targeted, and enabled the abuse of hundreds of girls for years and years. The American people have waited long enough. Jeffrey Epstein's victims have waited long enough. Let the truth come out. Let transparency reign. And I urge my Republican colleagues: Let the Senate act today. And so, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate receives H.R. 4405, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, from the House, the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration, the bill be considered read three times and passed, with no intervening action or debate, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the stable.

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, the Senate has now passed the Epstein bill as soon as it comes over from the House. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, the last 41 days have exposed the depths of Donald Trump's cruelty. He shut the government down longer than any President in American history. He took innocent kids, veterans, and Federal workers as hostages--political hostages--all because he refuses to do anything--anything--to fix the healthcare crisis and instead keeps pushing policies that will cut people's coverage even more. Look no further than Donald Trump's war on SNAP. Last night, the First Circuit reaffirmed what lower courts have already said: Donald Trump cannot take 42 million hungry people as hostages. He cannot withhold the benefits they need for food for their families. Even now, Donald Trump isn't satisfied. Today--even more cruel--he appealed to the Supreme Court yet again to try to get out of paying full SNAP benefits. The President has done a lot of cruel, nasty, mean things over the years, but going all the way up to the Supreme Court-- not once but twice--to ensure kids go hungry is about as cruel a thing as he has ever done. Donald Trump would rather make hungry Americans suffer--make kids suffer, make veterans go hungry, and disabled individuals suffer--than do anything to lower healthcare costs for the American people. The American people will not forget Donald Trump's cruelty and heartlessness over the last 6 weeks. Let me say something else: The American people have now awoken to Trump's healthcare crisis. Healthcare is once again at the forefront of people's minds. People now see their premiums are about to skyrocket. They are terrified about how they are going to pay for their insurance. Democrats demanded that we find a way to fix this crisis and quickly, but Republicans have refused to move an inch. So I cannot support the Republican bill that is on the floor because it fails to do anything of substance to fix America's healthcare crisis. The healthcare crisis is causing millions of families back home sleepless nights because they don't know how they are going to afford health insurance that is so much needed by their families. Doing nothing is unacceptable, but that is the choice the Republican side made in obeisance to Donald Trump. Republicans now own this healthcare crisis. They knew it was coming. We wanted to fix it. Republicans said no, and now it is on them. When people's out-of-pocket costs double or triple very soon, Americans will know Republicans made it happen. When 60-year-old couples start paying $20,000 a year for health insurance, they will know Republicans made it happen. When 4 million Americans lose insurance, when kids with cancer are priced out of coverage, when families face financial ruin, they will know Republicans made it happen. The pain will only get worse as more and more people on ACA and with private insurance see their premiums go up and up and up. People out there are struggling. It is harder to make ends meet. Rent is up, groceries are up, people's electricity bills are going up, and now, thanks to Republicans, healthcare costs will spike dramatically. The past few weeks have exposed with shocking clarity how warped Republicans' priorities truly are. While people's healthcare costs have gone up, Republicans have come across as a party preoccupied with ballrooms, Argentina bailouts, and private jets. Republicans' breach of trust with the American people is deep and perhaps irreversible. Now that they have failed to do anything to prevent premiums from going up, the anger that Americans feel against Donald Trump and the Republicans is going to get worse. Republicans had their chance to fix this, and they blew it. Americans will remember Republican intransigence every time they make a sky-high payment on health insurance. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, America is in the midst of a Republican- made healthcare crisis--worse than anything the American people have seen in decades. Republicans have spent the past 10 months dismantling the healthcare system, skyrocketing costs, and making every day harder for American families. Because of Republicans, Americans are going to suffer immensely as this healthcare crisis gets worse. Democrats have been fighting to end this crisis over and over again. Democrats have wanted to lower costs, but Republicans fought us every step of the way. We gave Republicans not one, not two, but three chances this year to extend the ACA premium tax credits. Republicans said no every time. On Friday, we offered Republicans a compromise, a proposal that would extend the ACA tax credits for a year and open up the government at the same time. They once again said no. And when they said no on our compromise, they showed that they are against any healthcare reform. Instead, they passed the biggest healthcare cuts in our Nation's history just to give tax breaks to billionaires. And even then, they weren't satisfied with merely closing hospitals and community health clinics; they callously did nothing to deal with the looming crisis of ACA credits. Premiums will spike by thousands of dollars a month. Millions will lose insurance. Democrats have sounded the alarm. We have demanded for months to meet with the Republican leadership, but Republican leaders refused to even discuss the issue, let alone negotiate it. We have asked them to meet in the summer and throughout the shutdown. To this day, Republicans still say no. We asked President Trump to step in and meet with us to deliver lower healthcare for Americans, and instead, Donald Trump has taken the American people hostage--from cutting off food aid to hungry families and vets and seniors and kids, to manufacturing flight cancellations, to cutting off home heating aid--while he builds a billion-dollar ballroom with gold-plated toilets. Therefore--therefore--I must vote no. This healthcare crisis is so severe, so urgent, so devastating for families back home that I cannot in good faith support this CR that fails to address the healthcare crisis. But let me be clear. However this vote turns out, this fight will and must continue. Democrats must fight because millions of families will lose healthcare coverage. We must fight because children who are dying of cancer will not get healthcare coverage. We must fight because a senior citizen cannot afford to pay $25,000 a year just for health insurance. We must fight to keep millions from financial ruin. And make no mistake about it, the American people know who is inflicting this healthcare trauma on them: Donald Trump and the Republicans. Americans will remember Republican intransigence every time they make a sky-high payment on health insurance. So we are going to fight legislatively, fight back home, fight in the courts, and bring this fight in the elections. Healthcare costs made a major impact on the 2025 election, and they will certainly have an even greater impact on the 2026 election. So in conclusion, the contrast between the two parties is crystal clear: Republicans are the party hell-bent on taking people's healthcare away--all to bow to the billionaire elite and special interests. Democrats are united as the party of lower healthcare costs and improving our healthcare system. We will not give up this fight. We will deliver for the American people. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, the blast radius of the Republican shutdown grows even larger. This morning, tens of millions of Americans remain in limbo as this administration continues its crusade against SNAP. The Supreme Court has allowed the administration to withhold benefits as the case makes its way through the lower courts. For this administration to go all the way to the Supreme Court just to get out of having to pay SNAP benefits for hungry kids is pathological levels of vindictiveness. This crisis is in the administration's hands. It is all them. Not anyone else. The minute the administration wanted to, it could find a fix for SNAP and ensure that people don't go hungry. But they are not choosing to act, in what is really a nasty act of hostage-taking against the most vulnerable people in our society. Let me read what the Rhode Island judge said earlier this week about this case: People have gone without for too long, not making payments to them for even another day is simply unacceptable. Now, the administration could have said: OK. We will have to pay it. But that wasn't good enough for them. Of course not. This administration, again, is viciously cruel and will use anybody for a hostage. But the chaos doesn't end with SNAP benefits. Thirty-nine days into the crisis, the FAA has ordered a 10-percent cut of flights at America's busiest airports, and Secretary Duffy warned it could soon reach 20 percent. As of this morning, over 1,000 flights have been canceled. Travelers are standing in line for hours just to get through security. Parents traveling to see their kids have had their plan turned upside down. People traveling for funerals, family reunions, business trips have all too often been met with chaos. But what is happening in America's airports right now is not an accident. It is a stunt. Look at the way the order was designed. Four percent of flights canceled yesterday at 40 major airports, with plans to ramp up day to day until it hits 10 percent and maybe 20. How much more transparently political can you get? This isn't about safety; it is about politics masquerading as safety. When air traffic controllers are working without pay, when the system is strained to its limit--the solution isn't to cancel flights; it is to pay the workers and open up the government, which the administration could do right now. As I understand it, under previous shutdowns, airports were never shut down. But, again, the level that this administration--the level that they will go to, putting the American people in discomfort and worse, is unprecedented. Instead of negotiating with Democrats to lower costs, Republicans would rather let air traffic controllers go unpaid. Instead of negotiating with Democrats to reopen the government, they would rather ground flights. Instead of negotiating with Democrats to help families, they are punishing travelers. Instead of governing, Republicans are playing games with people's livelihoods. And they have the ability to pay the air traffic controllers like they sent money, just as Trump sent money to Argentina, $20 billion. If they wanted to find the money, they could--absolutely. So why? Why have Republicans dragged this shutdown on for so, so long? Because they don't want to lower healthcare costs. Because they seem happy to let 24 million Americans see their premiums double on average. Yesterday, we offered Republicans a perfectly reasonable compromise to get out of this horrible shutdown that they installed on the American people. We offered three things: We all vote to reopen the government. We all approve a one-time, temporary extension of current ACA premium tax credits. And then after we reopen, we negotiate, as the Republicans say they want, for longer term fixes to ACA affordability.

Mr. SCHUMER. No. Only after I finish. I know many Republicans stormed out the gate to dismiss this offer, but that is a terrible mistake. Our offer is not a new policy. This is not negotiating in a shutdown; it is simply agreeing to maintain current funding levels. A 1-year extension is something many Republicans themselves have said they want. It is something a great many Americans support--55 percent of Trump supporters support it, after all. So it is alarming that Republicans even refuse to acknowledge we have an immediate crisis right now that needs fixing. Listen to the arguments Republicans have been making on the floor. Just listen. Republicans are making it clear as day that they are happy to let premiums skyrocket. Behind me is the consequence. Look at this. Across America, in States red and blue, the black areas are districts that insurance payments for people would increase 300 percent; dark blue, 200 to 300; and the list goes on and on. Look how bad it is. Every single State is impacted--most of all, Republican States. Look, if Republicans want to talk about long-term fixes to ACA affordability, Democrats are ready. We said so yesterday. But in the meantime, doing nothing is derelict because people will go bankrupt. People will lose insurance. People will get sicker. And that is what will happen if this Congress fails to act. Republicans must act. I yield to my colleague from Ohio.

Mr. SCHUMER. The answer is yes. As we spoke yesterday--

Mr. SCHUMER. I will not be interrupted.

Mr. SCHUMER. There is a proposal that is very simple. First, you haven't put your proposed fix to the ACA--the new one, which Leader Thune has spoken about on the floor--so we can't give you a counter in writing. But it is very simple because we have two sentences we would add to any proposal which would extend the ACA benefits for 1 year. That is all. Plain and simple. The leader can put that in his proposal on opening up the government. It doesn't need a vote. It can't be blocked by anybody. It is the right thing to do.

Mr. SCHUMER. As we said, if you would have listened to my speech yesterday, once we pass the 1-year fix so people right now aren't in difficulty, we would sit and negotiate that. The leader has said he won't negotiate before. We are willing to negotiate once the credits are extended, plain and simple, and we made that in our proposal yesterday.

Mr. SCHUMER. No.

Mr. SCHUMER. The bottom line is--the Senator from Ohio ignores that 99 percent of people--you want to hurt people making $10,000, $50,000, $90,000 and hold this up? We can fix what the gentleman said in a negotiation. But don't have people who are every day being hurt--hurt-- by paying thousands of dollars more that they can't afford. I know that the Senator from Ohio cares about the billionaires. We care about average working people. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, first, after I finish my remarks, I ask unanimous consent that the following Senators be recognized for up to 5 minutes each: Peters, Baldwin, Kelly, and Welch.

Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I will be brief. After so many failed votes, it is clear we need to try something different. What the Senate is doing isn't working for either party and isn't working for the American people. Democrats have said we must address the healthcare crisis, but Republicans have repeatedly said they won't negotiate to lower the healthcare costs until the government reopens. So let's find a path to honor both positions. Democrats would like to see an end to this shutdown, and we want to respect Leader Thune's desire not to negotiate on the ACA until after the government reopens. Therefore, we would like to offer a simple proposal that would reopen the government and extend the ACA premium tax credits simultaneously and then have the opportunity to start negotiating longer term solutions to healthcare costs. Let's do all three. I have spoken with my caucus, and Democrats are offering a very simple compromise. Democrats are ready to clear the way to quickly pass a government funding bill that includes healthcare affordability. Leader Thune just needs to add a clean 1-year extension of the ACA tax credits to the CR so that we can immediately address rising healthcare costs. That is not a negotiation. It is an extension of current law, something we do all the time around here, as we all know. But we also offer this: Let's create a bipartisan committee on reforms that will continue negotiations after the government reopens, ahead of next year's enrollment period, to provide long-term certainty that healthcare costs will be more affordable. This proposal reopens the government and ensures working families who are shopping right now for their healthcare get certainty and financial relief. While open enrollment has begun, insurers can update their rates after we pass a simple extension of the tax credits. With this approach, we do not negotiate healthcare in the shutdown, as Leader Thune has maintained he wishes, and the American people get the tax credit extension they want. That is what many of our Republican colleagues have floated over the last 6 weeks as a compromise: a 1-year tax credit extension and reforms to the credits beyond that. We will agree with the Republican request not to start negotiations until after the government reopens. All Republicans have to do is say yes to extend current law for 1 year. It makes sense. And since what we are proposing is only a simple extension of current law, the Senate could do this within a few hours. This is a reasonable offer that reopens the government, deals with healthcare affordability, and begins a process of negotiating reforms to the ACA tax credits for the future. Now, the ball is in the Republicans' court. We need Republicans to just say yes. I yield to Senator Peters.

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, Americans, plagued by high costs, fired a political torpedo this week at Donald Trump and Republicans. They spoke loudly and clearly: We are fed up with the high cost of living. We are fed up with the tax on healthcare. We are fed up with your broken promises. The question now is, Will Donald Trump and Republicans listen to the American people? Will Republicans finally work with Democrats to reopen the Federal Government and negotiate a fix to the ACA premium crisis? Will Donald Trump finally take a break from his lavish ballrooms to help families who can't afford the rent and can't afford healthcare? The American people are waiting. Democrats are ready. We want to have negotiations. It has been long enough. Look, if Republicans were smart, they would get the message after Tuesday that their do-nothing strategy isn't working. Even Donald Trump knows Americans hold Republicans responsible for this mess. Here is what he said--he was talking about why they lost the elections. He said: [T]he shutdown was a big factor, negative for the Republicans. Again, Donald Trump's words: [T]he shutdown was a big factor, negative for the Republicans. That is what he said about the elections Tuesday. This is probably the smartest thing President Trump has said in a while. Donald Trump clearly is feeling pressure to bring the shutdown to an end. Well, I have good news for the President: Meet with Democrats, reopen the government, and fix the ACA crisis. That is the best way to put this crisis behind us. I will say something else about what happened on Tuesday. The single biggest worry Americans feel right now is the cost of living. If you boiled down the theme of Tuesday's elections, down to one word, it was ``affordability.'' Republicans absolutely whiffed on that by focusing on everything but affordability. In fact, Republicans have governed all year like drunken sailors. Instead of lowering costs, they plundered healthcare into oblivion. They have cut taxes for billionaires while kicking millions off healthcare. They have approved luxury jets for Cabinet officials and acted as if there were zero consequences for their actions. After spending all year intoxicated on rightwing policies that do nothing to lower costs, Republicans shouldn't be surprised that Tuesday hit them like a bad hangover. Now that Tuesday is over, we are suddenly reading all these stories about how Donald Trump is finally going to start getting serious about messaging on affordability. One story says it is going to be the big focus for him next year. Wow. Where has this guy been? What fantasy is he living in? Are we supposed to applaud Donald Trump now that he is finally going to focus more on affordability and, he says, on messaging. The American people want results, not a message that brings no results and produces no progress. Apparently, Donald Trump even said on Bret Baier's show that Republicans aren't doing a good job talking about affordability. No kidding. That would be putting it kindly after everything they did this summer to make life affordable for billionaires. Look, if Donald Trump really wants to get serious about affordability, here is a free tip: He should work with Democrats to actually make healthcare more affordable, not say he wants to do something vacuously. We should extend the enhanced ACA premium credits, which Senate Republicans voted against three times. If Donald Trump has any interest in keeping his promise to lower costs, he should maybe focus more on fixing healthcare than sending billions to Argentina and trying to win a Nobel Prize. The American people have spoken. It is time Republicans finally listen and work with Democrats to bring this shutdown and healthcare crisis to an end. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHUMER

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, first let me thank our great Senator from Virginia Senator Kaine. He has been the most vigilant watchdog against over-encroachment of the military. He has been the most rigorous watchdog in making sure Congress's power to make war and engage in acts of war are upheld. There are many Presidents, as Senator Kaine pointed out, who try to push the boundaries, but no President has pushed the boundaries more than President Trump. Americans need Kaine here to do just what he is doing. Thank you, Senator Kaine. I also want to thank Senator Paul and Senator Schiff for championing this resolution today because the Senate will vote to discharge a resolution that says two--two--simple things. First, it affirms that the United States will always support our troops when they act to protect the American people and themselves from foreign attack. But it also says that if Donald Trump wants to engage in military hostilities against Venezuela, he must seek authorization from Congress first. As we speak, America's largest aircraft carrier, the Gerald Ford, is on its way to the Caribbean. It is part of the largest military buildup in our hemisphere that we have seen in decades. According to press reports, Donald Trump is considering military action on Venezuelan territory. But it also sounds like nobody really knows what the plan is because, like so many other things with Donald Trump, he keeps changing his mind. Who knows what he will do tomorrow. To date, we have heard no clear goals, no clear timetable, no clear explanation for what Donald Trump's objective is in Venezuela. This is unacceptable, and it is dangerous. Even in our briefing with Secretary Rubio, yesterday, we walked out of the room with more questions than answers. We need a clear explanation. I am demanding a full Senators' briefing on this issue of Venezuela and the intervention there, at once. In the meantime, the Senate must act today to discharge this resolution because Donald Trump seems ready to lead our troops over the Rubicon with a blindfold over his eyes, and that is a recipe for catastrophe. Congress must assert its authority on matters of war and peace, and time is of the essence. Multiple warships have been moved from other ports of the world to be just off the coast of Venezuela. By some estimates, 10 percent of the Navy's deployed assets are now in the Southern Command area of responsibility. These actions certainly do not sound like mere drug enforcement against organized criminals--not even close. These are actions you take before you consider launching a major military operation against another country, and that authority--the Constitution is clear--must come from Congress. Nobody here denies the Maduro regime is horrific and undemocratic, and we also agree drug traffickers and organized criminals who poison Americans ought to be tracked down and dismantled. That was why, when I was majority leader, Congress provided billions for counternarcotics operations and granted sweeping authorities to combat the flow of narcotics and opioids like fentanyl. If we must do more, we should. We should help law enforcement, intelligence operators, and Federal agents to dismantle criminal networks and drug smugglers. But saber-rattling and military escalations are a poor substitute--a poor substitute--for a real counternarcotics strategy. I ask my colleagues: Remember what Colin Powell used to say about military force? You break it; you own it. It is the old Pottery Barn rule. This is the danger of unilateral attacks against Venezuela. If we break it, we are going to own it. The mere thought of another endless war ought to make the American people sick to their stomachs. So, today, the Senate must act to uphold the Constitution, uphold our national security, and reaffirm the authority of Congress to have its proper say on matters in war and peace. I yield the floor. Vote on Motion to Discharge

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, last night was a great night for America and a five-alarm fire for Donald Trump and Republicans. The Republicans' high-cost house is on fire, and they have only got themselves to blame. As loudly and clearly as they could have, the American people said last night: Enough is enough--enough with Donald Trump's tariffs, which are overwhelmingly being paid for by working people and small businesses; enough with Republicans' relentless attack on healthcare, where people are seeing their premiums go up by thousands of dollars, even each month, and they may have to be without healthcare altogether. Last night was a sign that if Republicans continue with their failed policies, their majorities are at risk, including here in this Senate Chamber. The election showed that Democratic control of the Senate is much closer than people and prognosticators realize. So let me say it again: Republicans' high-cost house is on fire, and they have only got themselves to blame. By the way, that is not just my opinion; it is Donald Trump's opinion. Last night, he said that the shutdown is a negative factor for the Republicans. When addressing why he had lost, this is what Trump said: The shutdown was a big factor, negative for Republicans. And let me read what Trump said last night. This is Donald Trump speaking:

Mr. SCHUMER

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

Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, open enrollment is now upon us, and 24 million Americans are now making agonizing decisions--agonizing decisions about what healthcare plans to choose, if they even choose one or are able to afford one; about how much they will be able to pay; and if they can afford healthcare at all. I want to be very clear: This open enrollment is not like open enrollments of previous years. Never have American families faced a situation where their healthcare costs are set to double--double--in the blink of an eye, but that is the reality. If you are an average American on an ACA plan, you live with that. The average American on an ACA plan will pay 114 percent more out of pocket. Four million Americans will lose health insurance entirely. A 60-year-old couple earning $85,000 could pay a staggering $22,600 more a year. How the hell are they going to afford that? Make no mistake, some States will suffer more than others. Here are the States that have seen the biggest increases in enrollment because of the tax credits: Louisiana, Tennessee, West Virginia, Mississippi; in other words, red States. The biggest beneficiaries of these enhanced premium tax credits are in red States--millions of people in both Florida and Texas. Republicans seem ready to tell their own constituents back home: Screw you. I would rather cut taxes for billionaires. That is what is going on. Democrats are going to keep pushing to get these tax credits extended. We have asked Republicans to vote for it three times. They have voted it down three times. We are not asking for anything radical. Lowering people's healthcare costs is the definition of ``common sense'' and of what Americans want all across the spectrum. We want only what a vast majority of Americans need and want. They want to see their tax credits extended. The Senate deserves to see serious negotiations when it comes to healthcare. Republicans' outrageous delay has cost Americans already too much. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.